I wanted to like this movie, so I was very patient, but after an hour I finally had to give up. Bad script, bad acting, bad cinematography, bad music... I could not find anything that I liked about this movie! For example, the last straw for me was a scene in which one of the characters (a baseball player who was in prison for losing his temper with the umpire, beating him with the bat in the middle of a game)... he is attacked in prison and is dying in his friends arms, when he says, "strike three!", then he goes limp and dies. Come on! Seriously?! Don't waste your time with this movie! Unless you enjoy mindless movies with bad clichés and no redeeming qualities.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Hangman's Curse
(2003)
Overall, an entertaining movie that you can watch with the kids.
22 July 2004
I read some of the other comments that people left about this film and found many of them to be very biased for or against. I think it is pretty silly to criticize the film for being too "Christian" when it is of course written by a Christian author. That is like complaining that your ice cream is cold, creamy and sweet. If anything, the Christian message was toned down. Some of the criticism was that the movie was too much like an after school special. I suppose that this criticism is intended to complain against the movie being written with a moral and with the intent of reaching a youthful audience. But again I ask, why criticize something for being what it is intended to be? This movie clearly WAS written to teach a moral and reach a youth audience, and it did a decent job of it, all the while keeping the viewer entertained. Frankly, anyone who believes that "secular movies" are not "preaching" a message are naive. Every writer, intentionally or unintentionally inevitably pours their beliefs and biases into their work. In our society this is fine, unless the message happens to be from a Christian perspective. Then it is branded as "preachy" or "religious" and dismissed as propaganda by the disingenuous as though all other genres are innocent of such bias. I enjoy watching both Christian AND secular movies... but I am not duped into believing that one is "selling" a message and the other is not.
I've seen many Christian films and they often suffer from bad scripts, bad acting, bad production and bad soundtrack. Some get one or two aspects right, rarely do they get them all right. This movie had good production, good soundtrack and a good script. Overall, the acting was good also, though Frank Peretti should not have allowed himself to be cast in this film. I love Frank's books, he is an awesome writer, but we can't expect to be good at everything and movie acting is not his talent. He played the character way over the top, becoming a parody... like someone out of an episode of Scooby Doo. Had he done the wise thing and insisted on a professional actor to play the professor it would have improved this movie, but don't let this one sour point stop you from seeing this film. Especially if you are a parent with 12 to 16 year olds, because this is a movie that you can watch with them without ever having to worry about surprise nudity or foul language. I get so annoyed with writers who have no imagination and believe that a movie is unauthentic if the characters don't curse every third word from their mouths. I see Bogart, Cagney, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne films that are just as compelling today as back in the day when they were made and guess what!! ...No Foul Language! Imagine that! I'd like to see more films made like Hangman's Curse that are able to keep me interested without resorting to swears and sex. For it's genre and intended audience, I give it a slightly generous 8 out of 10.
I've seen many Christian films and they often suffer from bad scripts, bad acting, bad production and bad soundtrack. Some get one or two aspects right, rarely do they get them all right. This movie had good production, good soundtrack and a good script. Overall, the acting was good also, though Frank Peretti should not have allowed himself to be cast in this film. I love Frank's books, he is an awesome writer, but we can't expect to be good at everything and movie acting is not his talent. He played the character way over the top, becoming a parody... like someone out of an episode of Scooby Doo. Had he done the wise thing and insisted on a professional actor to play the professor it would have improved this movie, but don't let this one sour point stop you from seeing this film. Especially if you are a parent with 12 to 16 year olds, because this is a movie that you can watch with them without ever having to worry about surprise nudity or foul language. I get so annoyed with writers who have no imagination and believe that a movie is unauthentic if the characters don't curse every third word from their mouths. I see Bogart, Cagney, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne films that are just as compelling today as back in the day when they were made and guess what!! ...No Foul Language! Imagine that! I'd like to see more films made like Hangman's Curse that are able to keep me interested without resorting to swears and sex. For it's genre and intended audience, I give it a slightly generous 8 out of 10.
Outstanding movie that is a portrayal of a true story!
4 June 2004
One of the criteria by which I measure the quality of a movie is the ability for me to watch it again and again without the "you've seen it once, you've seen it" attitude. This is just such a movie... I can watch it and then a year later see it again and enjoy it just as much. This is an entertaining film that if it were not a true story, would seem contrived, but the fact that it is a true story only adds to the appeal of this film. Perhaps the only negative one might have to about this movie is the very dated style and soundtrack. Personally, I enjoy the "datedness" of this movie... kind of like aged fine wine, it just makes it better! If you see the movie then be sure to read the book "The cross and the switchblade" and to also read the book by Nicky Cruz called "Run baby run". Both can be found on Amazon.com and are even better than the movie.
About Schmidt
(2002)
An introspective film that explores the vanity of life
22 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
(warning: minor spoiler within) I found this to be an honest film... revealing in its approach at displaying the inner, hidden thoughts that we all have at life's oddities as they appear from our unique perspective. All in all I could not help but be reminded of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, a book that might just as easily been named "Solomon's midlife crisis", wherein Solomon laments the meaninglessness of life. For Solomon the conclusion was that without God, nothing makes sense. For Schmidt, the end scene reveals his minor sense of accomplishment in finally making a difference in someones life (the African boy). I very much enjoyed Jack Nicholson's portrayal of this character. I believe that he was truly able to express the hidden thoughts of this empty man. The nudity was not at all necessary in this film as we clearly understood the eccentricities of Kathy Bates character (Roberta Hertzel) but I guess that present day's movie culture feels that some sort of nude scene must be included in order to complete the film (go figure). Otherwise, a good film but not for those whose only motive for watching movies is sensory titillation. This movie requires patience to enjoy and the ability to be somewhat introspective.
Elf
(2003)
Very funny and good for the whole family!
11 December 2003
This was a very funny movie that had me and the audience laughing out loud. Well done and good for the whole family! At the end of the movie, at the theater in which I saw the movie which was almost a full house, the audience applauded. That doesn't happen very often at movies I've seen, but this movie was so entertaining that I guess it deserved it.
Time Changer
(2002)
I liked the movie and found it to be thought provoking and entertaining.
15 November 2003
Definitely an improvement in regards to the genre of faith based films. I have seen many "Christian" movies over the years and often I am left a bit disappointed with the production and acting quality. This film is quite good on both counts and the message is quite challenging and thought provoking. It reminds me of the Old Testament account of Lot. Lot was a man who was influenced by his cultural surroundings and wound up losing the ability to truly discern good and evil. Likewise, this film shows how believers can be caught up and swept away by the modern culture that we live in and in the process foul up our moral barometers. As believers we need to live in the world, but not be "worldly". Watch this film and see how the Lord speaks to you through it! -mikebennettgraphics.
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