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GoodWill
Reviews
Paranoid (2000)
Not as bad as people are saying...
If one thing's for sure I know horror movies and since being propped in front of the television since age 11 while Friday the 13th (terribly edited mind you) was playing on channel 56; I have developed a certain love/hate relationship with them due to the thousands (!) of mixed bags that I have seen. Frightmare (2000-not to be confused with the horror film of the same name from the early 1970's) ranks about slightly above average in the wake of atrociously cheap horror movies that have graced our movie shelves since 'Blair Witch' hit the jackpot (UNdeservedly so-bad bad movie). I mean let's face it everyone with a cheap video camera is getting their 30 cent budgeted film transfered to dvd or video in the hopes that the film will take off. Frightmare does have many many problems mind you..one being the way that it mercilessly rips off Wes Craven's superior Scream (1997) in plot and dialogue. At first I was beginning to sense an homage but it got to the point where it was just plain ripping off plot points and dialogue from the trend-setting horror film. That being said, I found myself jumping at more than one scene in this film as well as respecting some of the filmmakers interesting filmmaking techniques (though many DONT work-but hey it's a learning process), not to mention a dynamic opening credits sequence. The acting was, well, not very good, but it was tolerable enough to be able to get into the film to the point where it could be enjoyed. I could sit here and write an essay that explains how inept this film is and how there are as many plot holes to fit a cruise ship in, but thats not the point..for the most part they don't get into the way of a somewhat enjoyable film. If you can be an indiscriminatory viewer and have an hour and a half to waste, pick this film up, but remember I warned you as much as I informed you. Take from it what you will. I personally already forgot most of it...but that mask is pretty memorable i must say, being sort of a cross between Darth Maul and the little doll from Trilogy of Terror. At least I will remember that...
Joy Ride (2001)
A straightforward little road thriller that is flawed but fun...
Joyride is about a young collegiate who suddenly one day finds that his long-distance female friend-hopefully with benefits-has broken up with her current boyfriend because he was getting too `serious' (I like hearing that word out of college students' mouths, I really do). Well, faster than you can say GONE IN 60 SECONDS, our lead male played by Paul (my car' movie was way better dude and yes the first 15 mins of it was about a tuna sandwich!) Walker, is embarking on a cross-country journey to pick up his wannabe squeeze Venna, played by Leelee Sobieski. Along the way, our hero picks up his useless brother, who has once again been arrested for an alcohol-related incident. Since they haven't seen each other in some 5 years, you would figure they would do some catching up
but instead decide to alter their fates forever by playing a not-so-original joke on a CB radio. They start a conversation with this man (with the voice of Ted Levine, unbilled; yes that voice u hear is familiar, he played Buffalo Bill in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) who goes by the handle `Rusty Nail'. Paul pretends to be a female and starts a flirtation with this Rusty Nail of whom they know NOTHING about, and eventually takes the joke to the extreme of inviting the lonely trucker to meet him/'her' to a hotel in room 17 (while the two brothers stand idly by in room 18 and get to be in' on the joke). Well, the movie starts to go in various predictable directions as our two brothers are menaced by the now very peeved and relentless Rusty Nail; giving them a `break' per se, and then eventually menacing all three of our headlining stars in a sometimes frightening and claustrophobic (but predictable) manner. Ok, so what are we dealing with here you ask? Well, I could steer you picky viewers away by telling you that JOYRIDE is anything but, and is merely a rehash of Steven Spielberg's ultimate classic DUEL with a hint of Scream-like humor and pace; with a consummate air of predictability that is consistent throughout. But, taking the film at face value, the film is fun and has some very tense moments. It definitely isn't as funny as it thinks it is, but has a few laughs courtesy of the always-humorous Steven Zahn. JOYRIDE is one of those time-wasters, a movie that wasn't intended to be dissected under a microscope and picked apart like I did in the in the first few sentences of this paragraph (hey I have to appeal to the masses here). It was made to entertain, and does on a few different levels. It succeeds as a good thriller with decent acting (though as good-looking as Paul Walker is, he would DEFINITELY benefit from some acting classes-lets just hope he doesn't go the Keanu route and wing it throughout the rest of his career), a genuine sense of paranoia that lingers whenever we aren't aware of the villains whereabouts, and some well-placed scares throughout. It won't become a classic, but if you are in the mood for a little thriller with bite, then this just might be the movie for you
Hollow Gate (1988)
Pointlessly violent horror film that wallows in its own ineptness
Hollow Gate is so unoriginal, so cheap and shoddily produced, so very badly acted, and so dark at times, that it will come across as a complete and utter waste of time. The plot is so low budget horror based that it degenerates into the same fate as other late 80's horror, and that is as a rip-off. I mean at least Jason and Freddy had motives. The sicko that slays in this one is supposedly "crazy" due to an abusive childhood. In flashback, we see the boy's (named Mark) father dunk his head in water...ooooooohhh. I can see how he turned into a homicidal maniac, running over helpless girls with tractors and playing war veteran, throwing axes and knives with robot like proficiency. Hardly.....The film is so inept that you almost come to see that the teens are so unintelligent to walk into this sicko's house that they deserve what they get. Well, not exactly, but the film is terrible. Even as a low-budget (or should it be known, NO budget) late 80's horror film, this one tanks. It is that bad. Don't rent this movie unless you are fond of cheap horror films with no plot and an overbearing air of familiarity. 2 out of 10
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
A fun horror film that fills all the components of an 80's slasher.....but with humor
Sleepaway Camp was an interesting, and fun horror film with quite a few memorable moments. The sequel is not as dark, but has better acting and a slightly larger (which isn't saying much) budget. Angela Baker is back at camp, slashing away at a new group of sex-starved teenagers. She dissects upwards to twenty victims using such implements as a drill, leeches (!), battery acid, a razor-fingered glove, a chainsaw, and your basic knife, axe, etc etc. Angela's new motto is "there are lots of good kids...you just have to weed out the bad". Thus anyone who violates her puritan rules gets the axe or something worse (usually something worse). Well, this is an improvement on part one, which was pretty enjoyable, with touches of humor and a victim close to every five minutes or so, each done in by a different means. And, for those that are wondering, Pamela Springsteen is Bruce's sister and Renee Estevez is Emilio's. So, you can call this the film in which The sisters of "The Boss" and "The Brat Packer" squared off. Who wins? Well, you are going to have to rent this crowd pleaser (and did I forget to mention there's a high ration of gratuitous female nudity?) to find out. Horror fans usually hold this one in high regard. 7 out of 10.
La casa 3 (1988)
A Haunted house tale that is flawed but effective
Ghosthouse is a chilling haunted house tale with twists and turns that eventually lead up to confusion and unanswered questions. However, the film when it is not incoherent, is actually very enjoyable. It has many effective scare scenes and a twisted musical hymn, that will send chills down your spine for sure. So, in short, a relatively above average haunted house tale, rather good compared to late 80's horror, but an amateurish cast and a plot that tends to jump around emphatically, almost sinks the film. Almost. Worth a look.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Jason Doesn't Live Up To His Potential
Jason Takes Manhattan could've been so much better than what we are given here. Even though this is the best of the Friday the 13ths, with the worst ending, it has potential. If only director Rob Hedden had envisioned his film exclusively in New York City then this film would've been terrific. Jason is "awoken" from his watery grave and continues on another splatter spree.
Jumping aboard a ship called Lazarus, Mr. Voorhees slices his way through another bevy of teens, this time a graduating high school class. He kills the majority of the cast...but some stragglers manage to escape in a life-boat. But alas, the hockey-masked psycho follows them right along to N.Y., and coincidentally fits right in with the every day psychotics that roam the very streets of the big city (Travis Bickle ring a bell??). He decimates a few more of the cast before being brought down in the end...once and for all. (At least until the next sequel)