Killerzzz's Movie Spree

[killerzzz]

Edit: The Overall List
1. Universal Soldier 2: The Return --- 1/5
2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium --- 5/5
3. Starship Troopers 3: Marauders --- 3.5/5
4. Over Her Dead Body --- 4/5
5. Meet The Robinsons --- 4/5
6. Waterworld --- 4/5
7. The Longest Yard --- 3.5/5
8. School for Scoundrels --- 3/5
9. 21 --- 4.5/5
10. Shutter --- 3/5
11. Judge Dredd --- 4/5
12. Contact --- 4.5/5
13. The Forbidden Kingdom --- 4/5
14. The Love Guru --- 3.5/5
15. Gone Baby Gone --- 4/5
16. The Spiderwick Chronicles --- 3.5/5
17. The Eye --- 3/5
18. Volcano --- 4/5
19. Flatliners --- 4/5
20. Desperado --- 3.5/5
21. Once Upon A Time In Mexico --- 3.5/5
22. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon --- 4/5
23. Happy Feet --- 4/5
24. Saw V --- 3.5/5
25. Kill Bill --- 4/5
26. Silent Hill --- 4/5
27. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian --- 2.5/5
28. Marley & Me --- 5/5
29. Blood Rayne --- 1/5
30. Unstable Fables --- N/A
31. In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale --- 3.5/5
32. Sleepy Hollow --- 4/5
33. Horsemen --- 3/5
34. 8 Mile --- 3.5/5
35. Romeo Must Die --- 3.5/5
36. Dragonball: Evolution --- 2/5
37. Bangkok Dangerous --- 2.5/5
38. Blindness --- 4.5/5
39. Eastern Promises --- 4/5
40. The Uninvited --- 4.5/5
41. Mr. Brooks --- 5/5
42. No Country For Old Men --- 3.5/5
43. Perfect Creature --- 1.5/5
44. Quarantine --- 4/5
45. Hancock --- 3.5/5


Hello y'all.

Someone just lent me a crapload of movies, and I need to watch 'em so I can return them.

So, over the next... i dunno, month?, I'll be watching a movie every day or so.

I've decided to give a mini-review of each one. ;D

They'll be graded out of 5.

So far? Here's what I've gotten done.



1. Universal Soldier 2: The Return --- 1/5

Main Note: Everything was done badly. Everything.

I haven't seen the first one, but I hope it was better than this. Cuz this was just an assemble of

bad acting ("I am very aware that I am watching a play right now..."),

bad voice-choice (I didn't know they made robots with a slight lisp...),

bad realism ("hey, you're my story, we need to stick together" says the reporter to Van Damme before she even know whats going on; then they fall in love somehow...),

bad action (a guy attacks two guards, shooting his machine-gun back and forth, one of the guards fall, the guy continues to swing the gun back and forth as if bullets were needed on the other side of the room... and he supposed to be some super-soldier...),

bad/lame lines (repeted "I hate that guy", and when a dude gets kicked into an elevator, and the door closes with a *ding*, he says to Van Damme (from behind the door) "saved by the bell", which wouldn't be too bad if the entire movie wasn't made up of lame lines, by the same lame dude, spoken with a lame tough-guy voice...),

among other things. It was worth the watch if only to make fun of it, though. ;D



2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium --- 5/5

Main Note: Its a kid movie, but its a good one.

This is like a mix of Willie Wanka and the Chocolate Factory, and The Santa Clause (the first and good ones , not the cruddy new stuff).

Its childish without being immature,
it has characters that liven the movie and build a good atmosphere,
its silly, but without being stupid,
it has a good story, and a good mood,
it has a moral, without being preachy,
it has emotion, without being overemotional.

Its an all around good movie for the whole family, and probably one of the best kids movies I've seen in a while.



I think I'll only post two reviews at a time. Otherwise, these posts are gonna get ha-youuuge! ;D

Killerzzz

[killerzzz]

The next ones.


3. Starship Troopers 3: Marauders --- 3.5/5

Main Note: Its a good tribute to the original, but could not live up to it.

Well, it was pretty good. The acting suffered a bit, particularly in a few secondary characters, and you could tell that the budget was limited.

Heck, I thought the graphics from the '97 movie were better. One thing that really bothered me in that area in this one was the lack of bug bodies. I mean, hundreds and hundreds of huge-ass bugs are being layed-out, and we got maybe half-a-dozen bodies on the ground, and all the gore from exploded bodies just seems to disappeare.

The humour in the news reports was great. Particularly at the end, with the news report on religion. That was awsome. ;D
They really brought the political and religous effects of the war into the story with this one.

Now, one aspect of religion got a bit annoying though. Probably because the chick they chose be play the pious chirstian was a crappy actress. And that praying scene near the end was lame. But w/e...

And Dyx was a dick. I don't know how Reco or anyone could get chummy with him after what he pulled.


4. Over Her Dead Body --- 4/5

Main Note: It was an actual, for real, funny romantic comedy. Huh.

I usually don't care for romantic comedies, but this one was actually good. Wow!

It didn't get all mushy and overly romantic.
It had some great funny stuff to it. And it also had that sort of awkward humour in the romantic scenes which made them fun to watch.
And thw awkward humour throughout the whole movie was great. Let me give you an example, and ruin an great scene for ya.

She walks in, worried that someone is in her appartment.
The phone rings! Scared, she smashes it! ;D
*from the phone* "Hello? Did I hear a crash? Are you okay, is someone there? I'm calling the police if you don't pick up in ten seconds!
10, 9, 8, 7, 6-5-4-3-2 --"
She picks up the phone in her room.
"Hey, sorry, my phone scared me, so I killed it. Whats up?"

The actors/actresses all did a great job of pulling off their roles.

If you like romantic comedies, its worth watching. If you like comedies, its worth watching. And its content is fine for all ages. Bonus.

Killerzzz

[killerzzz]

Oh yeah, I already almost forgot about doing this.

Oh, and I think I should point out that my reviews are "optimistic". The numbers pretty much go like this:
5 = Great Movie
4 = Good Movie
3 = Okay Movie (so its still on the positive side)
2 = Bad Movie
1 = Terrible Movie

Also, I'm reviewing in a combination of how well done I think it was, AND how much I enjoyed it. So its got some personal influence. For example, imo, Syriana was a well done movie (4/5). I didn't enjoy it though (2/5), so that would be effected in my review, probably bringing it to a 3/5 or something.

Okay, here we go! Two more! ;D

5. Meet The Robinsons --- 4/5

Main Note: The movie had an enjoyable feel, fun imagination, and was decent all around.

Ok, 'nother kids movie. But you know, some movies of this type have been pretty good recently. Them 3D-ish cartoons.

Well, the ups. The whole imagination of inventions and the future was just plain fun to watch. The humour was funny (singing italian mafia frogs ;D ), the story was interesting (if not, at times, predictable). And when I say it had a good feel, I also mean in the personalities of the characters. Most if not all create a positive response. And their actions (and I guess the possibilities in animation are to thank for this too) are fluid, lively, making them seem like real people (cept for the cartoon part ).

I guess the main bad thing was some predictability in the plot. Also, the whole inspirational bit they add into every kids movie these days, though it wasn't so opressive in this movie (the failed PB 'n J machine fixing at the dinner table with the Robinsons is the part that nagged at me a little). ALSO, it seemed rushed. We don't get a good look at the future and the life of the Robinsons, or at least, not a very satisfying one.

So, if you aren't anti-animated-movie, and want a nice fun watch, sure this one is good. Rent it or something, iunno.


6. Waterworld --- 4/5

Main Note: A solid action-adventure movie, in an interesting world.

I wonder why its called "Waterworld"... Could it be because, in the future, the entire world is covered in ocean, and everyone's living on ghetto floating towns with hardly any techonology, and are in fear of a group of raiding pirates on rusting jet-skis?

Could be.

Anyhow, thats the cool situation the world finds itself in. And our hero, a drifter who lives on his raft and trades any scraps he can find at whatever town he stops by, is Kevin Cosner.

Everyone is looking for a legend of dry land, including the pirates, and soon, some innocent people, our hero, and a band of pirates, are fighting for their lives to find it.

The action is pretty cool, the acting is all fine. The little girl in the movie, her character is... awkward. At times little girl, at times saying stuff thats all... older... you know? Like, seems a bit out of character (age). Oh well, it didn't bother anyway, just mentionning it.

Oh, and I love the main pirate. He's hilarious. ;D Evil, but hilarious. Just his tone, and sarcasm, and weirdness, its great.

So, like I said, solid movie.

One last note of interest: apparently this was one of the biggest movie flops ever in the way of budget. It cost them a crud-load to make an entire movie on water and they didn't make it back. Good for us, bad for them. Oh well.

Killerzzz

[Elliot Kane]

Waterworld flopped, I suspect, because they cast 'The Man With No Charisma' as the lead. Action heroes need a little more... well, noticability, I guess ;D

[Konrad Flameheart]

Oct 19, 2008 17:30:47 GMT Elliot Kane said:

Waterworld flopped, I suspect, because they cast 'The Man With No Charisma' as the lead. Action heroes need a little more... well, noticability, I guess ;D

Waterworld was not a great movie, But it was nowhere near as bad as it was made out ot be. ok it was baically Mad Max on the water but hey that movie really wasn't that bad either LOL.

Yes having Kevin "I can't act" Costner as the lead was probably not a wise idea....But then again who that is any good would have taken the role.

[killerzzz]

Well, I can't say I dislike Cosner as much as you guys do. ;D
I'm as indifferent toward his acting as the emotions he shows in the film (that jab aside ).

And now... Six Movie Reviews!!

<><><><>NOTE!!<><><><>
Ok, I just had a good long look at how many movies I have left for watching and reviewing, and I just don't have the heart to make a nice long review for each of them, so a short one is all that'll be done from now on.

Also, I'll be adding .5's to the ratings, to differenciate between movies more (Starship Troopers got changed). So, a 3.5 is just a better movie in the "3" category, than one that only got a 3. What I mean is, 3.5 is much closer to a 3 rating than a 4 rating. That means we're gonna get some 5.5s. Deal with it. ;D
<><><><>!END!!<><><><>


7. The Longest Yard --- 3.5/5

Main Note: This is the original, not the new one. Its very different. But its still good.

Lots of people said it was exactly the same as the new one. Its not. Same story (duh) but way different execution. The humour is a bit grittier, and there's more of the "jail" feel, instead of "gangs/groups" feel.

For reference, I'd give the new one 4/5, but thats because I like that humour more. Many people would understandibly prefer this one.


8. School for Scoundrels --- 3/5

Main Note: It was kinda like Anger Management, except less funny.

This is another one I recieved. I've seen it before, and didn't watch it again this time, but thought I'd give a review anyhow.

As far as I remember, it felt pretty cliché, and the story was a less fun version of Anger Management.
It was just another OK movie. But thats all.


9. 21 --- 4.5/5

Main Note: Pretty good one of those "I'm tricking you, you're tricking me, and there's gonna be a big twist" movies.

Many other people I know would have given this an unhesitant 5/5, but I guess it didn't vibe with me like it did with them. Don't get me wrong, it was really good. The whole organised counting-cards thing was cool, the twists were interesting, and the performances were all solid.


10. Shutter --- 3/5

Main Note: Another generic "Japanese Horror" movie Hollywood has been pumping out, but if you can get past that, its not at all bad.

You've seen one you've seen 'em all, right? Well, alot of horror movies work like that. So if you're a true enjoyer of horror movies (and don't just watch them so you can say "Haha! I watched it! I wasn't scared! It sucked! I'm cool! Haha!"), then you should enjoy this one just fine.

It wasn't anything special, but it had its own little bits of fun. Ghost photograpy,
the reason for hauntings,
her creepy-ass tongue ( ),
and the little significance of that thing I wont tell you so as not to ruin it (yeah, that was good too ).


11. Judge Dredd --- 4/5

Main Note: "I wouldn't go above the law! I AM THE LAW!" 'Nuff said.

At first, I thought this was going to be very lame. Stalone looked really lame at the start, no lie. But once the story got going, this movie turned out to be pretty cool. Epic even. The world we're shown is very interesting, with their practices (the Judges, the Block wars, the Long Walk, the outside, etc). So good action movie.

Is it just me, or are Stalone's eyes, like, fake-looking? I mean, its like they added Crazy Blue in there! Just saying...


12. Contact --- 4.5/5

Main Note: Its not exactly a space movie; not exactly an alien movie. Its a movie of the desire, the search, the discovery of contact.

What would happen if we were to recieve contact from an alien race? What would it be? How would we get it? What would it tell us?

How would the world react?

These are the things this movie addresses. It starts off slowly, but is on a constant upward slope as more and more things are disovered, and humanity works hard to be sure that they are not alone in the Universe. Its an exciting movie, and you get pulled right along with everyone's curiosity as to what will happen next. Where this journey will take you.


Thats all for now! Sleep!

Killerzzz

[killerzzz]

Once again, I completely forgot about these. ;D

Though my spree is pretty much done, I've watched a bunch, and have many more reviews to give.

So I'll give six more now, and probably forget about it for a few months again.

13. The Forbidden Kingdom --- 4/5

Main Note: Cool fighting, a interesting roles, okay story.

Yeah, the fighting was pretty damn awesome. The first bit with the Monkey King might turn some people off who don't like the style, but if they just give it a chance, even they will really like the fighting after.

We see Jet Li and Jackie Chan TOGETHER! OMG! Hey! Keep your cool, Killerzzz... Okay... So both of them have really interesting roles that you wouldn't normally expect to see them in. I mean, Jackie Chan with huge dreadlocks? Ooo, and he brought back the Drunken Master! If you're a Jackie Chan fan, you know what I mean.

The story was not bad, but nothing special, imo. It would have been nice if it were a longer movie. Would give the story a more epic feel.


14. The Love Guru --- 3.5/5

Main Note: As much as I laughed, this humour in this movie is corney and knows it. ;D

Don't get me wrong, its a fun movie. And thats just it, its all about the fun. Mike Myers flings bad jokes and puns left and right, and laughts right along in the movie. You just need to sit back and ejoy the ride. Otherwise you won't enjoy it.


15. Gone Baby Gone --- 4/5

Main Note: An investigation movie that has more twists than you can at first expect.

Every time you think this movie is coming to a close, there is one more revelation that just ruins everyone's day (in the movie; its candy for the watcher). What seems like is going to be a usual kidnapping investigation movie, dark and slow, continues to build and build, speed up and spin, get darker and grittier as it goes along.

Once you think you get it, you don't.

Story is a child is kidnapped from a drug-abusing parent in a city neighborhood. Although many people do not respect the mother, she and her child are in their prayers. Along with the police, two private detectives (our main characters, one being Casey Affleck) are asked to help. Well, our two detectives have taken on a case that will shake their lives.


16. The Spiderwick Chronicles --- 3.5/5

Main Note: I was surprised that I enjoyed this movie. An interesting take on fantasy that doesn't sit at the child's level.

My first hint was when the main character said "What the Hell!" in a way that most child's movies would avoid. A small thing, but I knew that it meant this movie was not JUST for kids. Though, it is still aimed at the younger audience.

The story was a predictable at times. And that little dude who is trying to help them, the rhyming one (I can't remember his name), he's pretty cool, but his rhymes are lame. Not bad at times, but then stuff like when he just needs to say the word "circle" he says "circle, circle, little jerkle". =_= I dunno bothered me. Then, as someone else pointed out to me, his rhyme just disappeares near the end of the movie. He just stops. And no, its not because he's in angry mode. I mean even when he's happy, he's not rhyming at the end.

An oddity, hidden message that drugs are good? We've got two crackhead characters who are the good guys. That previously-mentionned little guy is addicted to honey. He might as well be sniffing the stuff, we'd get the same message. Another dude is the same way for birds. The bad guys have no such addictions. If thats not a subliminal message, I don't know what is.

It was also nice to see Joan Plowright again, though she only had a small part. Last time I watched a whole movie with her in it was Dennis the Menace, made 15 years ago. I was a bit sad to see how much older she's gotten.

So, not bad movie, pretty good.


17. The Eye --- 3/5

Main Note: Another generic "Japanese Horror" movie Hollywood has been pumping out, but if you can get past that, its not at all bad. (hey didn't I say the same thing earlier? ). It was a bit better than Shutter though.

Again, worth the watch if you're watching to enjoy and not for the sake of saying you didn't like it. Rent it or something.

And once again, it had its own little twist. Her blurry sight for a large part of the movie was a nice touch. When are things more scary? When you can see them, when you can't see them, or when you can sorta see them but only blurry? Answer: the third. If you can put yourself in her shoes, you can feel the paranoia of wondering what's gonna come for you next, and whether or not you really saw it.


18. Volcano --- 4/5

Main Note: One of the two good volcano disaster movies out there, in my opinion. How do you deal with a volcano errupting in an urban area?

The answer: get Tommy Lee Jones to kick its butt. ;D

Seriously though, this is an interesting take on the dangers of a volcano, and the tactics taken to counter it. It also has a very big focus on the potential goodness in people working together to save one another, the potential heroes in everyone.

This movie also has one of the most hellish scenes in any movie I've seen. In short: picture yourself carrying an unconcious man through a broken down subway train that is literally melting down around you as hot lava begins to pour underneath. Fire and shadow, orange light and smoke. Awesome.


K, bye.

Killerzzz

[Elliot Kane]

I love The Forbidden Kingdom, I have to say. Technically it's probably not a great film, but... Jet Li & Jackie Chan! And they're awesome! So I'd agree with your score

[killerzzz]

Aaaah! I forgot them again!

Alright, I'll try to do six more quick ones right now.

They are no longer in the order of when I watched them, cuz someone messed up my pile over the last few months ("ooh, wuts dese movies ya got here? Mixie mixie mixie!" =_= )

19. Flatliners --- 4/5

Main Note: Cool concept, nice and creepy.

The acting was alright. Keifer Sutherland young! Haven't seen that in a movie in a while (not to mention the youthful members of the rest of the all-star cast, such as Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon).

Couldn't tell for most of the movie if it was a horror or a drama. I guess the one distinguishing element was at the end. ;D Fun watch. The idea is cool.


20. Desperado --- 3.5/5

Main Note: That kind of corny action flick that is just plain fun to watch.

Slightly exaggerated gunfighting with an odd and sometimes sick sense of humour made for a pretty catchy film. Here again we find a lot of familiar faces in the cast. Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, among others, its a great bundle of action and violence. Jump in, Robert Rodriguez fans.


21. Once Upon A Time In Mexico --- 3.5/5

Main Note: The sequel of Desperado, it holds up the same style and quality, with a more complex plot.

Take the review from above, and add Johnny Depp, some MORE familiar faces, a crazier plot with tons of twists, and more unflinching action/violence.

The only thing that kept it from being better than Desperado was that the story that sorta feels like it should be the main thing, sorta gets pushed to the side. You get a bit left with the feeling of wondering what's the important part, because really it all is (though Depp's story does sorta contain the rest). This wouldn't be so bad (and it isn't THAT bad) if it didn't feel a little disorganized.


22. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon --- 4/5

Main Note: Rich story with an interesting style I'm not used to, made quite a nice watch. Plus, awesome fighting.

Yeah, the action scenes, when they came along, were pretty bad-ass. You just need to be used to the style that's found in this sort of movie where gravity sometimes takes little breaks.

The story didn't seem to have one single point to it, which pulled me out of it a bit, but I still enjoyed it fine. The acting was good, and the dub work was impressive. I knew deep down that the mouths were speaking Chinese, but I couldn't really tell. It looked like they actually were speaking English (were they? I'm still not sure...).

I think I'll look up Hero again some day, as I wasn't prepared for this type of style upon my first encounter with it, and didn't enjoy it. I think I might this time around.


23. Happy Feet --- 4/5

Main Note: Cute, funny, and depressing. Good family movie.

We got us another all-star cast. Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, etc. An interesting portrayal of the outcast movie that had many subtle bits that made it seem more genuine. Fun, and funny at times, it also has a teary drama, an very nice insight of what the point of view of the animals might be on situations, and... other stuff!

The community of penguins, the human encounters (mysterious and sublime), too much to mention. Though I gotta say one touch that I really enjoyed.

<><><>*SPOILARS?*<><><>
Mumble was dropped as an egg. He is born unable to sing properly (thus replacing this with foot-tapping) suggesting that something did go wrong in his development because of this accident. What was nicely done is the fact that he still has his baby feathers when he is grown, while his peers lose them at puberty (something else that went wrong with his development). He loses it slowly over his journey, and after he has some psychic growth by the end of his ventures he has lost most (if not all of them) showing that he has accomplished his own path into maturity.
<><><>*KAY, SPOILARS DUN NOW!*<><><>


24. Saw V --- 3.5/5

Main Note: It's Saw again, with its own plot twist and gore scenes.

I have a strange sort of respect for the Saw series that I don't have for other gore films. Mostly because they actually work hard on the plot and the sick lessons behind all the violence.

This one was no exception. People are pushed to the limit and show what they are made of, and a sick mastermind continues his plan to teach others to appreciate their lives. It manages not to be repetitive because it has its own new ways to make you squeamish and to twist the plot in new crazy ways. You can't watch this one (or any of the sequels) properly without having seen all the previous ones. Horror movie and psychological thriller movie fans, go for it.



That's all for right now, but I got tons more to go!

I should make a list in the first post of what movies I've done so far. Hmmm...

Killerzzz

[Elliot Kane]

CTHD is actually in Chinese, yeah. GREAT film, I think. Should have gotten the best film Oscar instead of/as well as the best foreign film Oscar.

And yes, I DO watch it with subtitles

[killerzzz]

Jun 28, 2009 23:09:09 GMT Elliot Kane said:

CTHD is actually in Chinese, yeah. GREAT film, I think. Should have gotten the best film Oscar instead of/as well as the best foreign film Oscar.

And yes, I DO watch it with subtitles

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. ;D

This time I wanted to take in all the visuals, and the dub was good enough.

But other things I've watched in sub (Fearless, Devil's Backbone, Empire of the Wolves, Night Watch, etc). I guess it depends on the type of movie, or my mood. ;D

Killerzzz

[killerzzz]

Oh, I added that list in the first post.

25. Kill Bill --- 4/5

Main Note: Cool action, interesting blend of styles.

Unfortunately I watched it without subtitles for the parts when there weren't talking English. So I just filled in the words myself. That probably made the movie better. : P

Action was crazy cool. Lots of different sorts of action too. The filming was cool, crazy, and different. Once whole bunch of scenes were even anime!

Vol 1 was more action based, but Vol 2 was really story focused. Overall interesting, though often weird.


26. Silent Hill --- 4/5

Main Note: Not exactly scary. Called horror, but is more like a very cool dark fantasy.

The problem most people had with it, I think, is that they were expecting a scary movie. But they need to appreciate the horrific images this movie provides and use them to set themselves in Silent Hill.

The weirdness was also a problem for people, but I think it was stylish. And no, I'm not one of those people who call all weirdness 'stylish'. Don't worry.

The utter dementia of what was going on was just fun, and it was pretty nicely done over all.


27. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian --- 2.5/5

Main Note: Good graphics and some stuff, the rest was corn.

I dunno, just felt like they didn't care anymore. Like they weren't trying. Sure the graphics were good. And some characters were fun.

But I didn't care for it over all. Its been a little while, so I'm not gonna be able to express why very clearly but here goes.

Seemed to me the "we don't believe Lucy... again" thing felt fake, or too put on. Peter being a jackass the whole movie (mostly toward Caspian) felt the same way. I dunno, a lot of things felt that way. I'm glad someone else is picking up the Dawn Treader.


28. Marley & Me --- 5/5

Main Note: A great fun, funny, touching family movie.

Being the macho man that I am, not too many movies can tug at my heart strings, even when I do sympathize with them. But this one, it hit the spot.

It was very funny, and had a nice vibe going all the way through. It was the life of a couple and their dog, summed up, except it didn't drag on like most movies about life do. It stayed interesting and engaging. Better than those movies that throw a yo-yo of ups and downs all the way through. Yes they were there, but they felt like they should be there, and not like they were placed there, you know?

And let me tell you, I can't remember the last movie that even managed to wet my eyes. But I'm not afraid to admit that this one earned a few tears. I went into the movie expecting, nay knowing what the cause of my sorrow would be, and it still had its effect.


29. Blood Rayne --- 1/5

Main Note: Don't even get me started.

At first I thought it would be a pleasant low-budget film. But it was bad, all bad.

How Uwe Boll managed to get Ben Kingsley to take part and do so bad himself is beyond me.


30. Unstable Fables --- N/A

Main Note: I took it out after about ten minutes so I don't know.

Let's just say I wasn't interested, or engaged at all.


31. In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale --- 3.5/5

Main Note: Somehow, it managed to NOT suck.

When I watched this movie, I thought to myself "I wanna give Uwe Boll another chance. Maybe it's not his fault that people keep making fun of his movies, and Blood Rayne was a bad apple."

Well... one sec, we'll get to that.

The story was pretty interesting. In fact, I enjoyed watching the whole movie. Even most of the acting wasn't bad. Some of the effects were decent too, and felt like it was decently budgeted.

It felt good. However (oh here it is), there were so many little flaws that it looked like a lower budgeted movie than it actually was.

After watching it, I thought "Hey, I guess Uwe Boll isn't that bad after all!" Then I realized, the only things that were wrong with the movie we're probably in the direction.

The story pretty much carried itself, and it was toting some decently big actors. Jason Statham, John Rhys-Davies, Burt Reynolds, etc. But it wasn't put together nicely, characters and actions felt corny, as did parts of the story. It was kinda disorganized.

Oh well, I enjoyed it enough. At least it didn't feel like time wasted.


32. Sleepy Hollow --- 4/5

Main Note: Johnny Depp was hilarious and Christopher Walken was demonic. Eerie and interesting.

A small town murder mystery where a detective tries to modernize criminal investigation. Unfortunately, he was sent to do so on the wrong sort of investigation.

Dark and fun, and nice acting from the cast, and a mystery keeping you guessing at 'who done it'.

Funny thing, when I saw the cover, Christina Ricci looked like a little girl. ;D
See what I mean?

Killerzzz

[Elliot Kane]

I think the problem with Prince Caspian is that the story in the book would have made a really lousy film. So they changed it a LOT without really improving on it and some of the additions were not well thought out. I like that they tried to give the kids actual personalities (Which Lewis never did) but overall it didn't quite work. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it.

Interestingly enough, Kaz, the 'nobody believes Lucy' thing is a holdover FROM the book, so they stayed faithful there, if in little else. Reepicheep was awesome, though, which bodes well for Dawn Treader. He's my favourite character in the entire series, so I wasn't unhappy...

The kids in the books are pretty much:
Lucy - the trusting idealist.
Edmund - the naughty one (Though obviously gets redeemed into the humble one).
Susan - the practical, sensible one.
Peter - the responsible one.

And that's the entire limit of their personalities from first to last. Only Edmund has any kind of character arc out of the original four and most of that is done for him by Aslan.

***

Interesting side note to Sleepy Hollow, BTW: Depp is the only person on the film with the correct accent for the period...

[killerzzz]

Aug 4, 2009 21:46:11 GMT Elliot Kane said:

I think the problem with Prince Caspian is that the story in the book would have made a really lousy film. So they changed it a LOT without really improving on it and some of the additions were not well thought out. I like that they tried to give the kids actual personalities (Which Lewis never did) but overall it didn't quite work. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it.

Interestingly enough, Kaz, the 'nobody believes Lucy' thing is a holdover FROM the book, so they stayed faithful there, if in little else. Reepicheep was awesome, though, which bodes well for Dawn Treader. He's my favourite character in the entire series, so I wasn't unhappy...

The kids in the books are pretty much:
Lucy - the trusting idealist.
Edmund - the naughty one (Though obviously gets redeemed into the humble one).
Susan - the practical, sensible one.
Peter - the responsible one.

And that's the entire limit of their personalities from first to last. Only Edmund has any kind of character arc out of the original four and most of that is done for him by Aslan.

***

Interesting side note to Sleepy Hollow, BTW: Depp is the only person on the film with the correct accent for the period...

Enh, I see your point.

I guess the sum of it all rubbed me the wrong way, and as I said the way it was displayed.

Also, cool Sleepy Hollow fact. ;D

Killerzzz

[Elliot Kane]

Not enough Reepicheep, I think! Fortunately, Dawn Treader should cure that

[killerzzz]

Hehe, a bad batch, this one (well, more than usual). ;D

I got a bit more into details on a couple of them (one in particular ).

33. Horsemen --- 3/5

Main Note: Run of the mill thriller that fails to be anything special.

Nothing special here. A nice little (brutal) thriller that wants to be Seven but isn't. A detective (who of course has family troubles cause of work) is investigating a series of brutal murders. They're all linked, he has to find out, TWIST!, end.

Not bad really, just doesn't get further than just being another flick. Plus the end is way predictable (and I'm not usually one to criticize that).

Saving factors? I like the actors. Not that they delivered something special here, I'm just saying, there were a lot of faces I like to see on the screen. Dennis Quaid, Clifton Collins Jr., Peter Stormare, and Ziyo Zhang (who funnily played a girl half her age, but pulled off the crazy pretty nicely).


34. 8 Mile --- 3.5/5

Main Note: Actually I kinda forget... A not bad "this is my life" story about the rap artist Eminem.

Like I said, I can't remember much, but if you're into ghetto life stories, rap, battles, or Eminem, it's a fine watch.


35. Romeo Must Die --- 3.5/5

Main Note: Another badass Jet Li action movie about starcrossed lovers, gang wars, guns and karate.

Nuff said? Pretty cool, almost surreal action (at times). Is there anything else we're interested in with a Jet Li movie? I mean, nothing else brought it down or anything.


36. Dragonball: Evolution --- 2/5

Main Note: Why, oh God, why? That being said, it wasn't all bad...

For the Dragonball fans: all the characters were badly brought to the big screen.
Goku is pretty much a normal guy (personality) with crazy karate, ie. NOT GOKU. He's actually a bit more like Gohan (his son Gohan) in personality. Everyone was complaining about him being white, but I could deal with that. Still, not the right actor in any case.
Master Roshi was not Master Roshi. I love Chow Yun Fat, and maybe he could have done it better, but dammit he didn't. At one point he's threatened for being a dirty old man, and when he later accidentally grabs a chicks butt, HE LETS GO. ROSHI WOULD TAKE THE BULLETS FOR BUTT TOUCHING!

They don't even almost look like each other either.... =_=
Bulma, well, she might have been the closest if she wasn't duel-weilding guns the whole time, like a crazy laura croft chick.
Chi-Chi. Honestly, I forget teen Chi-Chi, so I'm not sure, but she sure as heck isn't like girl-Chi-Chi or woman-Chi-Chi, sooo... She's the hot chick at school, who happens to do karate and helps Goku center his ki or something...
Yamcha is some gimp punk who's annoying as heck. Not a butt-kicking bandit (though he does try to trap them into giving him money). Besides that, he had no personality.
And finally, Piccolo hardly had any face time. He was pretty much "very strong bad guy", end of character description.
Summoning of the dragon was extremely lame, integration of the giant ape was lame, Piccolo's sidekick was lame, and some other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting was lame.

For the everyone (else): there was some good and bad.
The story was rushed and disjointed. If the movie was actully good, I'd suggest it'd need to be 3 hours long or more, but it wasn't so screw that. Just shoved from one spot to another, with no chance to get attached to anyone or anything, so you just can't get into the movie. Insert plotholes.
The special effects were pretty cool though. Actually, sometimes they were REALLY cool! And then..... at a couple points they were randomly BAD. Like the lava area scene (really bad lava graphics - also, where the hell did that lava place come from??) and the Eternal Dragon (seriously, with all the awesome special effects, how did they manage to screw that up?).
The fighting was overall very cool. Except for one scene... the lava scene, actually! I'm talking Power Rangers quality fighting in that scene, people, which is not a good thing. But otherwise, ok.
The acting ranged from 'nothing special' to 'really bad'.
Oh! And the fight scene at the mansion party was actually really fun to watch (the scene with the bullies)!

So, some ups, and a lot more downs.

Oh yeah, I know what you're waiting to hear: Yes there is Kamehameha, and yes, it is cool. ;D


37. Bangkok Dangerous --- 2.5/5

Main Note: A short action(?) flick that doesn't seem to get anywhere.

I'm actually going to include some spoilers in this one, though I don't really think of them as 'spoilers'. More like 'time-savers'.

SPOILER: Click to show

Plot = Nicholas Cage is an assassin who while on a job gets attached to the guy he's using to move stuff around, decides to train him for some reason, falls in love with a deaf girl, girl finds out what he is, has a change of heart about his job when instructed to kill a good person, kills his employers, kills himself (for some reason). End.

The guy's training is never finished or much put to use, nothing else happens with the girl (did she get kidnapped and saved at some point?... no? yeah? I forget; it must not have been important -- WAIT, no, she didn't, I remember now), and nothing is resolved at the end cuz he just offs himself...

There, that was just about as enjoyable, and I saved you a good 1.5 hours. I'm not saying I hated it or that it was really bad (I woulda given it a 1 in that case). It's just so bland and cliché that you can do without it, trust me.

That's all for now! Oo, I feel so harsh and mean when reviewing bad movies.

Killerzzz

[killerzzz]

Here we go, mostly good ones. ;D

38. Blindness --- 4.5/5

Main Note: Not a fast moving movie, but it does what it does nicely.

Excellent depiction of blindness, and the breakdown of society. A great drama, with some great actors (Julianne Moore, Danny Glover, Mark Ruffalo)

A sickness is spreading, making everyone blind. In an attempt to contain it, many people are sent to a quarantined camp where they must fend for themselves.

But what if one person among many was not blind....

I wont say more, but it was a really good movie. Not fast paced, but still a good drama of what would happen. Good acting and ideas and story and depiction and everything.


39. Eastern Promises --- 4/5

Main Note: Russian mafia movie that has a nice feel to it.

Cool mafia stuff, conspiracy, moving up the ranks, good acting, gritty world, interesting story, twists, couple cool (crazy) action scenes.

If you like mafia dramas, watch it.


40. The Uninvited --- 4.5/5

Main Note: A severely undervalued horror movie, that is far more intelligent than it at first looks. Cuz you got outsmarted and didn't know it.

Many people criticize this movie. Well, they usually haven't thought about it too deeply. It has a good story, doesn't rely too much on the "boo" scares, has a couple honestly and well-built scary scenes (amazing atmosphere with them), and good acting.

After watching the movie, many people try to dislike it, and if I'm not around, then they go off having done so without knowing any better ( ;D ).

If you watch this movie, and feel hostil toward it, PLEASE, stop and think hard about the movie again. Because it is waaay more clever than people give it credit for.

If you still have criticisms, run them by me and I'll try to clear them up for you (if they're the "misunderstanding" criticisms). I can't do it right here because its too engrained in the plot.

I also have that blog post for some more review content for this movie.


41. Mr. Brooks --- 5/5

Main Note: An amazing movie no-one's ever heard of. ;D

So, it's a Keven Cosner movie. Calm down! Ignore that, because it actually really is very good. See all those adjectves/adverbs? That means I mean it.

Co-starring William Hurt, Demi Moore, and Dane cook (who does a really good job, especially considering how horrible he and everyone else was in Employee of the Month).

Mr. Brooks is the man everyone respects and likes. But he has a terrible secret...

Look up the trailer on YouTube because you'll wanna watch it. A movie about a serial killer who's trying to keep everything under wraps, and it is soooooo awesome.


42. No Country For Old Men --- 3.5/5

Main Note: Had some really memorable moments, and was really well done, but... I know the slowness is supposed to be part of the atmosphere and stuff but... it just dragged too much.

"Call it" and "Friend-o" are probably one of the most common quotes I use after seeing this movie. So much of it was extremely badass and awesome. And it was all really well done. The acting, the atmosphere, etc.

But, it also felt like it dragged near the end. And when there wasn't action, it felt especially slow, because there is hardly any background music (which was meant to give the feel of the movie, the atmosphere, which it does, but at what cost?).

Still, very good and well-done movie that's worth watching at least once. I kinda wanna give it a 4/5 and I'm sure others would, but I can't bring myself to. Oh well.


43. Perfect Creature --- 1.5/5

Main Note: Another that I hardly remember, but I remember how I felt about it, rating-wise: just a step over Blood-Rayne.

From what I recall, the story was meh, a little sketchy, the acting equally so, though more on the "bleh" side. A modern vampire movie.

Let's just say it didn't help my odd dislike of Dougray Scott. Don't know why I dislike his acting (forget what else he's even in), but when I see his face... gotta try to remain fair in my evaluations.


44. Quarantine --- 4/5

Main Note: A very engaging zombie-style movie that borrows the filmed-on-hand-camera style of Cloverfield, and does it nicely.

Dark and enjoyable, scary, with solid acting, and cool style. At a couple points it feels video-gamey, but only in the slightest bit so that only a gamer would notice it and even so not be sure.
Let's just say this was a very refreshing sight after the mass amount of BAD zombie movies out there.

So, like horror? Like zombie-type movies? Watch it.


45. Hancock --- 3.5/5

Main Note: A cool movie, almost casual in its own special effects, is funny, sad, cool, etc.

Its not fully a comedy. It's funny, yes, even very funny, but its... family comedy funny. In other words, "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, onoes sad part, resolution" format. Which is not a bad thing, its a format.

When I say casual, I mean they just sort of do it, your attention drawn to it without them outwardly drawing your attention to it, because the special effects look real and integrated into the movie's reality. Is the best way I can explain it.

Give it a go, its pretty good. Will Smith is a superhero gone wrong, and a guy he saves tries to help him become loved by the people.


Okay, break time.

Killerzzz