vlb Reviews

Bomb Squad (2011)

Pretty good for a low-budget film!

[7/10 · 23 July 2017]

I was surprised that this was a $12000 budget movie. The acting is good, the plot is fun. I enjoyed it.

There are a lot of "B" movies. This is one of the better ones. The effects were very good for low-budget. I'd be happy to watch a sequel.

The person who claimed reviewers are "stuffing the ballot box" should stop complaining.

If you enjoy fun, well-plotted movies with believable characters you wouldn't mind knowing in real life, this is one of those movies.

Bulletproof Monk (2003)

Well, I liked it!

[9 June 2004]

I thought it was charming. I thought it was fun. I enjoyed it a great deal. I liked the characters a lot too (especially the Monk). Now I'm looking for other movies starring Yun-Fat Chow.

I must admit that I did find the underground cavern and the mysterious mind-reading device to be rather over-the-top, but that was the only part of the movie I didn't like.

Please keep in mind that this movie _is_ based on a comic book. It's not meant to be Important, World-changing theatre. It's meant to be a fast-paced (it is), interesting (I thought so), fun-to-watch (yes) story.

Widows (2002– )

Interesting "heist" action film; kept me guessing

[31 May 2003]

I rented this on DVD and rather liked it. It starts out with a bang (and an explosion) as four men, planning to rob a gallery for a famous Vermeer (painting) are killed in a staged traffic accident (with requisite explosion). But one man escapes alive...

Segue to the wives being told their husbands are dead. Then one wife, Dolly (Mercedes Ruehl, played very well) decides to avenge her husband and the other men. She plans to finish the heist and draws the other widows into the plan.

That's the simple story, but there are several twists to the plot; both the viewer and the characters discover that things aren't always what they seem.

One of my favorite scenes - watch for "dueling dancers" in the warehouse. The director had fun with this one.