KEELING1985 Reviews

The Island (2005)

Michael Bays best!

[10/10 · 16 August 2005]

Michael Bay has made his best movie yet. The Island is one amazing ride from start to finish with great acting and a well crafted storyline that fits the bill for this years blockbuster movie.

Ewan and Scarlett do amazingly well in their roles. The roles were both demanding and new for them, they made me believe they were new to the "real world". I read that the Producers/writers were not happy with Ewan and Scarlett's performances, well, after viewing this movie, I can safely say the writers/Producers are idiots! They never put a foot wrong!

The feel of the film was beautiful and Ewans questioning was meaningful. You could see the human awareness developing and it was cracking to see. I could carry on but I would spoil the film for readers who haven't seen it yet so I'll stop!

The bottom line is, this Movie is an emotional roller-coaster ride for two clones finding out who they really are, not just that though, they develop before your eyes into real people. That, on camera is magical! A great way to spend a evening!

Stealth (2005)

This Summers Action Movie...

[8/10 · 3 August 2005]

"Stealth" is not crap. "Stealth" hasn't got a thin plot. "Stealth" is a good Underrated summer action movie that is far better than "Fantastic Four" and the rather dull and boring "War of the Worlds".

It has everything a typical action movie is made from. Good characters that make it believable. They have emotion, feelings and morales. It has a good plot. Nothing thin about it, you understand whats going on and thats that. People would have moaned if it was to complicated. So when they feel there isn't enough information given, they moan its "thin". Can the Movie makers win? Nope. (I feel there's to much nit-picking with todays movie goers!). The action is furious, nothing unbelievable is ever seen. There's lots of explosions and special effects (Effects were amazing throughout) which keeps the movie rolling at a good pace. The movie runs for 2 Hours which is maybe drawn out as some scenes could have been cut down (Wade out running the Koreans was a little over done) but it doesn't do anything to the "overall" outcome of the movies feel.

Okay, this movie isn't going to be for everyone but for action fans, this is a must. It has emotion throughout and you actually feel for the EDI as its learning and evolving. Its like a Baby, its absorbing what people say and do all the time.

Someone compared this movie to top gun and the quote was "A poor mans Topgun". Its not fair to compare movies when the only resemblance is the characters fly aircrafts. People already made up there minds about this movie before it came out. They said it would suck but I don't think they even gave it a chance...

8/10

The Descent (2005)

Horror at its best!

[9/10 · 23 July 2005]

A beautifully made film is always nice to see in my eyes. This is one of them. You don't get many and after seeing the "Boogeyman", this, THE DESCENT is welcomed with open arms.

So, I have just returned home from the cinema after watching this fine film. The storyline, characters, location, camera work, everything perfect up until the very end. It crumbles at the last with a ending that, too me could have three different meanings. It does not wreck the film in anyway but it leaves you thinking, what the hell happened then? Watch it and you will see...

The Movie has a lot of gore which works so well. Its not too much and it ain't over the top. The Cave added a lot of suspense and terror to the whole movie and you really felt like the Ladies were been hunted. Also, the horror and suspense was created by the Characters. Normally its a loud sound effect or strange noise but in this film, the close ups of the struggling women gave it the edge. Something many horror films never do often enough (Boogeyman). This is top notch survival horror.

All in all, the movie is a must see for Genre lovers. The film is excellent from the start adding little scary moments before the crawlers were even shown. Fantastic movie and Marshall must be praised for it! Well done Marshall - from ME!

Blessed (2004)

Slow...

[6/10 · 2 July 2005]

I had put it off for the last 3 weeks because other films were out, but today, I finally lifted it off the Rental store shelf and took it home.

I'm not really a fan of any actors/actresses casted in the Movie so I stay totally neutral in this verdict and say - apart from the Movies slow pace, it was very interesting. I'm a 20 Year old lad who loves Action movies with lots of base so when my mates saw what movie I'd picked, they went home and left me to watch it alone. I cant say I was bothered as I cracked open some Wine (No beer in) and began to watch...

The Movie is slow. That has to be said has I wasn't even expecting the slowness. The characters, Samantha and Craig are introduced right away of course but their decision on having a baby was so quick, if you'd looked away, you'd have missed it! Anyways, they quickly head off to a fertilising clinic has Samantha cant get pregnant and they dive right into IVF. It works. Now, I was expecting the story to speed up alittle but it didn't. Other characters start to appear and before long, everything is all-so perfect! In fact, Samantha ain't just having one baby, but shes getting two! Good deal? No it ain't because the babies she's expecting have been injected with Lucifiers blood during the fertilisation. When the egg and sperm were put together, the blood was also injected into the equation leaving a very messy situation! The story follows Samantha through the Highs and lows of pregnancy. As well as that, we see Craig - the Author, float to the roof as he becomes a big name in the book industry. The twist to the story is in there. The funds from the book deal which go towards the Move from the City to Lake View (Where the Clinic is based) all come from the man who owns the Clinic. Sam and Craig don't know this, only Craigs agent did but she was killed off once she found out. It all makes sense and the only character who wasn't used to full effect was Andy Serkis, the Priest. He featured heavy at the end but the character was bland and basically meaningless in what happened.

Then there's the ending. I personally thought it was good apart from the poor kid who died due to his skin burning off and his eye balls which sunk into his skull. That part didn't really shock anyone in the movie, even though there was 30 something guests in the room. The fear could have been captured right there and then, but it was sadly lost and for that scene, my score is 6, but it could have been 7.

All in all, I wasn't disappointed. I was extremely satisfied! The Actors/Actresses were great. The story was alittle under used but still involving and Lake Views community gave this uneasy feeling as if they were all waiting for something. I am still unaware at this time but I think they were all in on it ;)

xXx: State of the Union (2005)

XXX2 Left me with Mixed feelings...

[5/10 · 6 May 2005]

I have Seen it and I enjoyed it... in places :)

Over the top action that just isn't needed! Some scenes, especially the car jumping on to the Train track was just silly, but XXX was just the same with the snowboarding part, where Vin out run a massive Avalache. Both films went OTT and it didn't do them any favours(Rating wise).

The mixed feeling I had was - I hated the over the top action yet I liked the script. Now If they had spent more time on the script instead of the silly special effects sequences, this could have been special. Ice Cube overall is good and I think, with help, could become a very good actor. Needs to take some lessons from James Bond (Brosman) on how to act cool without looking like an idiot (The part where he first comes in contact with Charlie). Jackson is also good too and I didn't really see that much bad acting on the whole apart from Xzbitz, who was probably casted because hes a Big music name, no need as he really ain't good on screen and his character was pretty boring.

Overall, the OTT action is unavoidable with the XXX Movies. The storyline is nice and simple, needed more work but its got Positive and negative points throughout so I am staying neutral by giving it a 5/10. You will enjoy this more if you switched your Brain off ;)

The Amityville Horror (2005)

Horror at its best

[8/10 · 27 April 2005]

Well, I haven't seen the original so I cant compare but for Overall Horror, its the best I've seen in a while.

I was uncomfortable from 15 minutes in. The House was horrible and evil looking from the outside and it gave such a great feel. The shadows and sound effects were great and the Girl on the Roof scene was amazing...

I was tense, hot, worried and scared. Not screaming but the dark, glass shattering atmosphere was superb. I didn't jump but for a movie to make me feel so uncomfortable, its something I wont forget for a while.

The Characters - Not one of them put a foot wrong. Star of the Show was Reynolds, I didn't think he could do it but I hated his character by the end of this Flick! He was horrible and the Character change throughout the Movie was incredible! Melissa George was surprisingly good too...

8 out of 10 for me, the first hour was fantastic and fast paced, last 30 minutes weren't as good and it slowed down but still, it was good. I am glad it wasn't "Toned down horror". This is proper Adult material! See it!

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Not Perfect but still very entertaining...

[8/10 · 7 March 2005]

Well, I thought Blade was amazing 10/10. Blade 2 was different but good 8/10. And Blade Trinity was entertaining...8/10

I liked "Trinity" a lot. The movie was action packed with lots of fight scenes and the story entwine not beautifully, more twisted in to place as it seemed things were missing but it just did enough for the "Good Rating". I likes the camera work. Some places were badly edited but nothing that makes you think "OMG That was crap". In fact, you really have to look close to notice it on a few scenes. The effects were great, as always! But I couldn't help thinking, while watching, this Movie is Action rather than substance. I didn't mind but others might? Its all out action with lots of funny comments and Blade, well Blade is Blade and hes always got a few One liners which come out and just make you laugh.

Overall, the Story wasn't great but the rest was. The Characters did well. Quick note - Reynolds maybe tried a little to hard to be funny but it worked most of the time. The music added some style to the fight scenes and it just oozed coolness. Effects were good like I said before and really, if you like "All out Action" with a Simple story line, this is for you! 8/10.

Alone in the Dark (2005)

Half Decent Flick that had its good parts and Bad...

[5/10 · 6 March 2005]

After keeping up to date with all the Comments on IMDb for Alone in the Dark, I watched it expecting nothing. I was a little Shocked...

Before I go any Further, I would like to say, I have seen far worst than this! House of the Dead, Battlefield Earth and FearDotCom are just a few that I have seen. When watching this film, I was lost when trying to Figure out the above films were rated better. House of the Dead was probably the worst I have seen and its still rated better. Alone in the Dark isn't amazing. It wont live long in the Memory for some but it deserves a lot more than 2.0. I think 5.0 might be about right.

On to the Film itself. It starts quite nice, the first action scene is entertaining and to be honest, I was impressed! Now, as the film goes on, you would expect the main Characters to be described and maybe a little History and reason, for what they are doing, Right? Nope! We get another action scene followed by another action scene followed by a Sex scene. Wow, take a breath please... Now we get some Character details??? Nope, we get more and more "Action". Its entertaining apart from some bad effects and dreadful Rock music but you have to have character details. They are part of the Movie, they Must be involved more, but they aren't. Don't get me wrong, some things are shown or said but You are drip-fed minor details about whats happening and Whos who and the way its done is just wrong! This is why the film, for me, doesn't get anything over 5 because it can get tiresome. To be perfectly Honest, I enjoyed parts of the Film a lot. The Plot was a little thin and the Acting in many places was weak but I still watched from Start to finish and still felt satisfied. It wasn't Slaters best, but it wasn't it worst. He did well as the Lines he were given were pretty poor. Tara Reid is not Aline Cedrac. Tara fails to impress all the way through. She cant act smart and simply, because of that very factor, she failed in every department. The best had to be Stephen Dorff, he played the character well and was seriously trying is best. Well played!

Overall, I wasn't disappointed for some reason. I have played the game but to be honest, the story in the game sucked too! So I wasn't gonna argue if they changed that for the Movie. It did get a little tiresome towards the end but I really do feel for the actors as I think a better Director/Producer/Writter could have made this film something special...

5/10

Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

Every Entertaining!!!

[9/10 · 20 January 2005]

I ain't gonna babble on with Spoilers and Plot information. All I want to say is "This Movie was very good and I was very surprised by the Average Rating on here!".

Stellan Skarsgård as Father Merrin was absolutely Fantastic and he really is a great actor. Not to forget Izabella Scorupco who plays Sarah. She was also very good but I know shes brill because I've seen Reign of Fire and Vertical Limit. There are also many, many great supporting roles. I cant really fault anything Renny Harlin did in this Movie. Cracking Film that should be seen not just by Fans but by casual Horror/Thriller Watchers like myself! 9/10

Darkness (2002)

Poor, Very Poor...

[1/10 · 20 January 2005]

Its a Movie I wanted to see, ever since I saw the Trailer awhile back. It looked scary and to be Honest, I love scary Flicks...

However, Trailers are not Movies and Movies don't always look as good as the Trailers make out! This Films Very annoying and basically uneasy in the way the story was told throughout the 1 Hour & 40 Minutes of Viewing...

The Acting was good though. Nothing stood out in anyway from the acting side of the Movie so I will describe the things I didn't like from the above paragraph. Its annoying and uneasy because the Director didn't have a clue on the approach to this Movie. The story is swung around, characters conversations are tiresome and boring. The story was bland and never really took off until 25mins before the end, meaning you have to watch around 1 hour of trash! Sorry to put it bluntly but the Movie is a wreck and if you can understand this over exaggerated plot, well done from me...

Wake of Death (2004)

Very Good Action Movie... **Rent It**

[9/10 · 20 January 2005]

Well, what can I say? Straight to video releases are always looked at strangely. I myself are guilty of thinking "The movie cant be that good if it didn't get shown at the Cinema!". I was totally Wrong with Wake Of Death...

This is a great Movie! Van Damme is basically "EXCELLENT". Lisa King who plays Cynthia Archer, Van Damme's wife is quite poor and the Cheapo acting kind of shines in her scenes. She is very basic and really, isn't very good.

Your Probably thinking "This don't sound too good from what I've said but wait, let me continue!".

The Action is excellently balanced in the Movie. The Story is constantly moving in the right direction and you never really lose feel of where things are going! Also, the camera work reminds me of some great flicks like "Face Off" and the Driving scenes could be mistaken for clips from "Fast and the Furious". I ain't kidding, they are really good! This Movie is on par with some films that have been on at the Cinemas! However, if you cant stand rubbish acting, bare with it until his Wife gets killed as the quality shown in her scenes does sound cheap (like TV Soap acting). After that, its all revenge and thats entertaining! Lastly, with Films like "The Punisher" not living up to my Expectations, I rated Wake Of Death better than Punisher! Thats how good I thought it was...

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

The opening of a New Chapter!

[10/10 · 17 August 2004]

Well...

I have read what people have being saying on here since the day it came out and i have to say "whats with all the disappointment?".

Paul W.S. Anderson as done an amazing job all round! He shows off how good both species are! I sat there watching the Predators and I found myself thinking all the way back to when I first saw the Predator film. The way that single Predator took out a Army Squad! The way it Stalked and attacked with such stealth and accuracy, it was the ULTIMATE Hunter! In AVP...it is them who become the hunted!

I have also read that people were disappointed with the one Alien that took two Predators out! "Why you disappointed with that?". Aliens hit when the Predators were occupied with the Humans! Classic counter which sees one Predator taken out within 20 seconds. The second Predator then comes into the fight! They go at it for a while and I have to say "This fight scene is incredible". I don't want to give to much away lol..but the Alien wins! I think its fair because I think a lot of people under-estimate the Aliens when they come face to face with a Predator! Another thing people forgot was " The predators were basically there to learn the hunt"! They are badass killers but this was there training to become the Ultimate Hunter! Thats why I think the single Alien was able to take down 2 of'em! Also, they didn't have there cannons that would have kept the Aliens at a distance!

So here we are with one Predator left from the Three! And he wants is shoulder cannon, that is currently in the backpack of Alexa Woods( no where near as good as Ripley but she puts in an amazing performance!). She's the only one left from the group and the Predator tracks her down. Aliens start coming and she manages to grab the spear, which the Predator drops while fighting and stabs the Alien which is just about to rip her face off...Anyways, the coast is clear and he wants is gun! She pushes the backpack across the floor and he fits it on! Bring on some more Aliens...Shoulder cannon ready...Fires...Dead Aliens! The Predator clears the way so he can carry on but Alexa wants to follow him, to help her chances of survival! This is a good bit! The Predator gets out is knife and starts cutting up an Alien! I sat there thinking "This is no time to eat!"...but he was actually making he a spear and a shield! I thought it was stunning if not a little OTT at the same time...but it was different and good. It also showed the warrior side of the Predators survival instincts! They carry on through the Cave to mince up some more Aliens!

The partnership of the Human and Predator lasts up until the end of the film where he dies, but what I liked is the fact that a Predator isn't exactly as bad as an Alien! Its no friendship in away of living together but it was good to see that it wasn't nasty! Unlike the Aliens that just kills or takes you to be host, where you would die anyways lol! The Partnership was there and it opens up and all new chapter in how things could be in the Next AVP! Looking forward to it already :)

And Lastly, I have always enjoyed the Aliens and Predator movies and seeing them both in a film was even more enjoyable! The Battles are great and the actors do an amazing job! There is a lot more to come from the AVP name and hopefully it will go a long way! For all who are going or thinking of seeing it...go without thinking about Previous Alien or Predator films! This film as them in it but its an entirely new thing! Go with fresh thoughts and let the film do the talking!

10/10 for this one and a big well done to Paul Anderson!

PS...Special effects were great and I am having trouble stopping cause it was so good!

Thanks

Lee ------