rattman_3 Reviews

View from the Top (2003)

I expected "Airplane"...I got "Sleepless In Seattle"

[21 March 2003]

Upon seeing the previews of this film I said to myself "Hey another sequal to Airplane" but I was wrong. This film is not that funny and has more drama in it than I see in a day (and Im a High School student).

Its a motivational film that will have the critics crying but dont believe them its not all that great. The funny parts of the movie are few and far in between. A good highlight is the fight between the two girls...but still it was sorry.

If you like old inspritional music then this film is for you but if your in the mood for a good movie I suggest DreamCatcher.

3/10

Karamoja (1954)

An early MONDO attempt

[19 March 2003]

Lets go back in time... Back to the days of milk and cookies and an abundance of Mondo films. This movie "Karamoja" is an early attempt to get "Schock value" from the audience. While this film presents its information with more of a plot it still seems like its missing something.

***SPOILERS AHEAD****

This tape claims to contain actual events shown in graphic detail although I have my doubts about one or two of the scenes. Starting out with a dentist explaining:

"It was the promise of death that brought me here, to a land where the promise of death lurked everywhere"

Lets just say the movie goes downhill from there. It seemed to me like the producers wanted a "shock mondo" film....but also wanted a "Hollywood Favorite" which if you have EVER seen a mondo movie, you know the two cannot coexist.

Thats not the say the movie is G rated of course, it does have some really good highlights, like uncut Body Piercing and Tattoo Cutting right in the skin. We also see the people chop, eat, and skin various animals (Anyone want some KFC?). The narration at times is a little dull although he explains alot of the scenes (something TRACES OF DEATH is missing).

What is strange about Karamoja! that most movies lack is that Karamoja! sets out to be a documentary of how these people really live. It doesnt present its material as only being "SHOCKING". I must say that I did learn alot about the way ancient cultures lived.

The problem arises because the 63 minute tape has too much "Filler" time, which means some scenes are 15-20 minutes of them dancing or just standing around talking in Karamojian (subtitles would have helped a little).

This movies claim to fame is the "Front Teeth Extracted without Anesthetics" which was a shocking scene. If the movie ended there it would have been fine.

Overall I give Karamoja! a *****(5) out of 10 stars, while shocking me a little it just misses the point. Its still worth checking out and can be bought in bundle packs with "MONDO CANE"

Traces of Death (1993 Video)

A true Mondo Film

[24 December 2002]

Wow theres not much that a user can say about this movie except maybe "Gross" or "wow" or "Shocking". But the movie is much more. A lot of people have badmouthed this film due to its violent content but that is just the point of the movie.

Although it doesnt live up to its image it is at times shocking and sickening. Its by far better than Faces of Death is. The narration is boring at times and it seems like the narrator is trying to gross people out and waste time instead of explaining the situations.

While it is more graphic than Faces of Death it does miss the storyline and the narrator explaining the things. There are several scenes that I found strange and would have liked to know some background on what I was seeing but it was not there.

Another low point in the film is the major hospital scenes. People under the knife and what not. This would have been truly shocking in the 80's / early 90's but now that we have shows like "Trama Life in the ER" scenes like this fall short of being shocking.

Overall the movie is well rounded in its style. Some times the movie does drag on but its much more entertaining than films like "Mondo Cane" and the like.

Overall I give this movie a 8 out of 10. While the film did keep me interested It fell short of being shocking. The prolonged warning at the beginning just made me hit the FF button.

***KEY POINT*** A key point to look for in this movie is towards the end they are "selling" body parts and other sick things.....its strange and without giving it away, just check it out for yourself. Its funny, strange, and shocking. I call it a reward for suffering through the whole entire movie. ***KEY POINT***

So overall I give this movie a 8/10. Its worth checking out if your a hardcore mondo fan...which I am not

A Dog's Life (1962)

A Nice Intro Into Mondo

[18 August 2002]

While this film doesnt even come close to the shock value of Traces of Death, it still is set apart. As being one of the first mondo style movies to be made they did a pretty good job. This film features a chicken smoking...and various scenes found all over the world. The narration alone is good, he explains every scene in as much detail as possible. Although some scenes seem to drag on, it kept my attention for the most part which is something I cant say about the second Mondo Cane. The part about the drunks is one of the best parts. As far as the funny parts go. In Japan the drunk guys go to this shop which jiggles them and spins them around really fast, which is funny too. Although not as shocking as the later mondo films, this one is still worth checking out.

Rating: I give it a (6) out of (10). Although keeping me interested, some scenes do drag on a bit. I would reccomend this to the people who really dont know what mondo is and would like an introduction to it. Watch it on a rainy day.

Faces of Death (1978)

A well done Mondo Classic

[10/10 · 4 August 2002]

While not the most vile form of Mondo out there, Faces of Death still packs a punch. Opening with pitt bull fights, this film shocked me. The vile sick nature of these films should ONLY be viewed by those with strong stomachs. Although 85% fake, it still packs a punch that many earlier mondo's did not. Although the first is not the best of the series, it does come close. I made the mistake of taking this film to a friends house, only to be called 'sick and gross' but that happens. The film has no plot and frankly, Dr. Gross is a sick human. I dont know which was scarier, him or one of the stiffs.

All over I give this film a 6/10. While not the best mondo, its certainly worth checking out.

On a minor note, theres this part where the cut this horse's throat and let him bleed to death. I dont know if this is real but it sure as heck freaked me out. I just wanted to throw that out there and say again if you have a weak stomach or heart, do NOT watch the film. You wont like it. But if your in the mood for a good old mondo, then check it out.

Boogeymen: The Killer Compilation (2001 Video)

The Killer Compilation!

[11 May 2002]

Can you name a movie that has Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, Chucky, Leatherface, Pinhead, and more in it? I sure can, BOOGEYMEN!

Although the movie is just a bunch of clips put together, it shows us that the 80's and early 90's rocked! They have taken the absolute BEST in horror and smashed it all together in one killer compilation! The best part about this movie is that it takes the best scenes from the best movies. The tagline "Nothing but the good stuff" is true indeed.

If you own the DVD, there is animated trivia, name that frame, original Theatrical trailers, a DVD-ROM interactive horror trivia games, Legends, Audio Commentary, and many more extras put in, making this movie a great buy!

The overall presentation of this film makes it an absolute horror fest! Its like seeing all the scary parts of movies, but not having to sit through many hours of storyline! The directors put the segments together in a good, fast paced order, and I especially love the audio commentary by Robert Englund (who played "Freddy Krueger").

Overall I give this movie ********(8) out of *********(10) stars!

ALSO: If you watch the closing credits, "JACK FROST 2" is billed as being in the movie, yet it is nowhere to be found in the movie, strange...Those FlixMix people always keep me guessing, Great movie!

Friday the 13th (1980)

A CLASSIC! PURE AND SIMPLE!

[11 May 2002]

Friday the 13th is one of my all time favorite movies! This is the original camp slasher film! This film combines a good fast pace with original murder sequences that are still being ripped today!

The movie is sort of simple in plot, but it never falls short on gore! Even by todays standards this movie still packs a punch. Great acting and a fast pace make this a must see!

I own the original VHS tape, in the original box art, but I have heard that the DVD has some cool special features.

The director, Sean S. Cunningham, did a great job! Its one of his best movies. Take that good director, wrapped up in the Paramount Pictures company, and you have a truly great horror movie!

The movie has spawned off 9 sequels to date (Including Jason X). The sequels for the most part are good, check out my comments for the other titles in the Friday The 13th collection.

Overall I give this movie ********(8) out of **********(10) stars. While delivering great gore, it could have had more plot.

I would reccomend this film to anyone who likes slasher films, and who has a strong stomach.

The GORE O METER is at: 7 out of 10. Nice blood and gore, although the effects are not by todays standards, it still packs a punch.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

An OK installment...

[10 May 2002]

Well after viewing TCM, I had high expectations for the sequels. Unfortuanlly, I was wrong. The movie, starts as a radio host who is being agervated by two punks calling her, call her at the wrong time. She wittnesses there murder on the air, then plays the tape on the air. This mistake leads to her near death. Not to spoil the movie though.

The movie tries too much to copy the first one. The characters make no sense, except the grandpa, leatherface, and the soup-seller (i forget his name). The other guy, who im guessing is supposed to be the hitchhiker, seems too comic to be a serial killer. Instead of being demented, the family seems to be funny. If this were simply a comedy, it would be much different. However the movie does still offer a punch, Grandpa is in it! He is still hammering away.

Another dissapointment in this film, is the abstance of Gunner (the original leatherface). They wouldnt pay him enough, and he wouldnt be in this movie. Too bad. But he really wasnt missing anything, I mean leatherface FALLS FOR THE GIRL! Come on. Anyways, not a bad try, ******(6) out of **********(10) stars.

The Thing (1982)

a very good movie

[3 August 2001]

All i can say is that John Carpenter has done it again. He has managed to make a good special effects movie. The story kept me interested, although it was a little slow at the beginning. From 1 to 10 i give tis movie a 7.5. The ending stunk in lack of a better word. He left room open for a sequal even though one was never made. I also hated the mysterey at the end, cause u didnt know who won the alien or the humans. But altogether this was a phat movie. I would recomend it to others.

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

BY FAR THE BEST ONE

[1 January 2001]

I saw this movie and let me tell you that this one was by far the best. It started out with a crack down on a chop shop but when they got there the cops found that they were not the first to arrive. Through this they go to wonderworld to catch a bad guy and this is where the movie really starts to get good, from laughs to deaths this is by far the best cop movie yet....

Leprechaun 5: In the Hood (2000 Video)

wow that was a good movie!

[28 December 2000]

Let me tell you all that if you are looking for a funny movie, then this is it! The creators of this movie blended horror and comedy to make one fine movie, it has a good plot one that kept me interested throughout the whole movie. It has alot of cursing in the movie and I mean alot but thats the only drawback. But other than that it is a very good movie. It kept me rolling with laughter from the very start. This movie has a good soundtrack with lots of good songs, and my favourite part is when the leprechaun walks out and raps. so over all I would reccomend this movie to anyone who is in the mood to be scared and in the mood to laugh.....my rating a 95%