Change Your Image
adamsmo
1. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
2. Shaun of the Dead
3. the Little Mermaid
4. Persepolis
5. the Descent
6. Planet Terror
7. Ever After
8. Night of the Living Dead
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Eyes Without a Face
Reviews
Troll 2 (1990)
An unparalleled experience
Troll 2 was one of the least forgettable experiences of my recent life. It all starts with the young Joshua Waits, who is grieving the recent loss of his grandfather, Seth. There is an overwhelming sense of sorrow felt throughout the film due to the family's loss, especially the standout among the cast, Margo Prey, who plays Joshua's mother, Diana Waits. I am shocked to have not seen her in any movies since then, as her performance was a show-stopper. It is almost next to impossible to not sympathize with the character of Diana Waits - there are moments where she comes close to bawling over the loss of her father, whom she makes clear, she is the daughter of, but, luckily, her son Joshua starts singing her favorite song to cheer her up.
Let's not forget that Troll 2 is a horror movie, and will scare the most mature of adults. There are several cheap scares as is usual in any horror movie, but it is also deeply atmospheric in a way that only director Cladio Fragasso can accomplish, and it is safe to say you WILL get goosebumps. It is also very gory, but it is relevant to the story and constructive as is rare in horror movies. In one terrifying scene where the goblins are introduced, I was taken aback by how realistic the goblins were portrayed. A smart choice was the employment of Laura Gemsler, a respected actress in her own right, who designed the goblin's costumes. With what was obviously a sizable budget, these goblins all open their mouths and devour the people they victimize after they turn them into plants, in an unexpectedly frightening twist of fate.
So watch Troll 2 if you dare. With it's frightening and somber atmosphere, powerful and engaging performances by the whole cast, it will surely be a movie you will never forget.
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
A Good Attempt
Charlie Bartlett was one of the first in a wave of movies I've been looking forward to this year, mostly based on the strength of their trailers.
But, like my company, I was somewhat let down. The strong points of the movie are Charlie's mother, Charlie's principal, and of course, Charlie. Anton Yelchin did a very good job making Charlie into a very strong persona, one that rivals the recent creation of Ellen Paige in Juno. Unfortunately, Yelchin decidedly falls short, seemingly due to what is a bad job of casting throughout the movie, with no chemistry between the vast majority of them. Charlie and his mother are the only two who have true palpable chemistry, with each of the moments they are together very enjoyable.
Then comes the rest of the cast.... One thing about this movie is there are just too many pointless characters who add nothing to the story. There are countless characters who were played by Degrassi actors and actresses, which alone is a bad mistake in casting. Then comes Charlie's girlfriend, Kat Dennings, who takes away from the movie much more than she adds. She plays through most of the movie straight-faced, using some of the most generic dialogue possible to imagine. The character is given some sort of tough style, but it's never reflected in any other part of any alleged personality of the character.
Besides the casting issues, the weakest part of this movie is the script. While Charlie's mother and Charlie himself have distinguishable dialogue from everyone else, everything almost everyone else says could be said by anyone, anywhere, without a shred of a personality reflected in them.
Other than the noticeable issues I came across, I still managed to enjoy the film. It had its issues, but the competent directing managed to pull it together into something that I think most can enjoy, at least to an extent.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
What story was this movie trying to tell again?
I didn't really know anything about this movie walking into it. At first, it started out slowly, though suspensefully, but began to pick up later on, only to finish its last one-third on another slow and ambiguous note.
One of the main problems with this movie is most of the characters' actions are unexplained, we know nothing about these characters and as such, have no reason to care for them. And because of this, I couldn't even begin to explain the story to myself and believe it for the life of me. And that's not even touching the often-bad dialogue. There is zero character development - these characters are all exactly the same in the beginning of the movie as they are at the end.
The first two-thirds of this movie were awesome - if it finished on that tone, I would be completely satisfied. But "No Country for Old Men" finishes on just as slow and boring of a note as it began on. I won't remember it a year from now.
Ôdishon (1999)
It just doesn't make sense - at ALL
Japanese horror tends to generally start off with a decent-sounding plot, but by the middle or end of the movie, it all falls apart and just ends up making no sense. There's no twisted sense of justification, there's just nothing going on that actually makes sense. This goes in the case of Reincarnation, the Grudge and its sequels. Audition is no different.
Other than a disturbing scene towards the end, this movie isn't even horror. There's nothing about the character who kills to make you even suspect it, besides it being made obvious by those people who act as though there's something up with her - even though there's been absolutely no reason shown in the movie for them to have their suspicions.
If it weren't for the last twenty minutes or so, this movie would be a drama. And a boring, plot less drama, at that. Just like most entertainment that comes out of Japan, it just doesn't make any sense.
Year of the Dog (2007)
One of the Most Underrated Titles of the Past Year
I went to the theater knowing virtually nothing about this movie - besides the fact that Molly Shannon was in it (who I love.) So my friend and I asked the person who gave us our tickets to it what it was about, though we only got a 3-word summary, it was enough. He also told us most of the "older crowd" who had seen it really didn't like it.
I can say, I do understand why they would feel that way. Some humor today is not exactly caught by everyone - and at some moments, I was amazed to find only my friend and I laughing (keep in mind, it was an independent theater - with maybe 4 other people in it.) There's a LOT of awkward situational comedy. Peggy, the main character, is put into a lot of awkward moments that are just side-busting. If you have been in even just one awkward moment and have found it funny at one point or another, if you take that into account while watching, you should get a lot of the comedy. She also does partake in a lot of things - behavioral aspects and even looking the part - of, basically, an old woman living with too many cats, but for comedic effect (which I also don't think most people got.) This movie isn't actually all comedy, though. It's actually got a very even divide between comedy and drama(?) I don't know if drama would be a fitting word, but it actually gives you quite a bit to chew on, and I don't even think my friend even understood a couple of the "plot holes" (which I later explained to her) or took it in as deeply as I had.
To sum it up, my situation watching this movie was very, very pleasant. If you actually are capable of understanding what's put in front of you, this is a great, unforgettable movie. It is also probably one of the most unique movies I've ever seen in my life, and I was very impressed.
Penny Dreadful (2006)
Key word in the title; Dreadful
The premise: A girl with a justified fear of cars on a road trip to a retreat with her psychiatrist to help get her over it.
Sounds all right so far. I love a nice psychological aspect to a horror movie, but this film barely incorporates that fear into the horror aspect of it, so it becomes irrelevant. Sure, she gets stuck in a car, but that has virtually nothing to do with her fear.
WIth a lack of any character development of any of the people who get killed, and definitely a murderer who definitely needed some.... character, but got absolutely NONE, this film falls flat on its bland face, and in a week I will barely be able to remember it. Unfortunately, it was one of the more tolerable of the 8 Films to Die For.
Wrong Turn (2003)
Think the Hills Have Eyes + Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I didn't expect much before watching it. The plot sounded good, but being someone who's seen most horror movies these days, my expectations were low.
I have to say some of the acting wasn't great, but it's a horror movie, so it isn't expected. Eliza Dushku and the male lead acted competently.
Though it doesn't offer much of anything new, and had so much more potential than it even came close to using, I think it was overall an enjoyable movie. The directing was good, as was the editing. It's at its best an entertaining movie, but it won't be winning any awards for originality anytime soon.
Dark Ride (2006)
Likable, Yet So Formulaic
Hmmmm....what does it take to make the average horror movie these days? A bunch of teenagers + a mysterious, random place + killer = movie! This is a lot of the same. There was some pretty entertaining dialogue in the first half, which was probably the highlight. I saw it during Horrorfest right after Unrest - which was one of the most drawn-out, overdone movies I've seen since House of the Dead, so my expectations were low. If you want a good, cheap thrill, give it a watch. The ending was so cliché, a "twist" that has been done thousands of times in horror movies, and before it, I was actually really liking it.
One kid is there for the first maybe 1/3 of the movie. And we see 5 or so other kids die, and we see them in other scenes where they're perfectly well and this other kid is just absent. Guess what?!?! SURPRISE! Not....I saw it coming a mile away. Anyone who's seen 3 horror movies since the year 2000 would expect it.
Unrest (2006)
This was a horror movie?
Let's start with the good. It created a fairly good ambiance for about the first half.
Oh....I guess if I'm going with the good, it stops there. The acting wasn't bad, though.
Now, the bad. All of the events in the movie happen supposedly because of some American woman in Brazil, with some Aztec curse or something going on. First of all - Aztecs are from south-central Mexico. THOUSANDS of miles from Brazil. In one scene, a corpse is being dragged along in a body bag with blood underneath it. Blood is drained from corpses after death in the vast majority of cases of Americans especially. The STUDENTS were referred to as "Dr." Among MANY other inaccuracies and just flat-out "let's just say THIS and THIS to try to make THIS make sense!"
The mood was good in the first half, though the story throughout was just god-awful. There were no scares. You don't see one person die. You just see them dead. It isn't horror. It's crap.