Change Your Image
RhodyDave
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
Disappointed By The Dark
Watched on Netflix - Visually, the movie was interesting. Unfortunately that's about the extent of it. The acting (other than the little girl) was terrible, especially Katie Holmes. It's as if she realized what a clunker the movie is and sleep-walked through her performance. Or maybe she's just not very good, I can't tell.
The story makes little sense. People make the usual horror movie decisions which leads to the usual horror movie results. This film was a paint-by-numbers routine. Nothing was a surprise, as the entire concept of the movie was pretty much given up in the first two minutes. The rest of the movie was merely unsympathetic characters going through the motions.
It felt like the director threw his hands up about three quarters of the way through and said "I'm done". This is apparent from the extremely gratuitous Librarian of Exposition scene where everything is info-dumped on us. Lazy, uncreative, and not scary. This pretty much sums up my feelings about this movie.
Harry Brown (2009)
Pretty Good
Michael Caine was very good in this movie, which is a fairly straightforward revenge story. Caine plays Harry Brown, a pensioner living in a violent run-down public housing complex. Gangs have the run of the place, beating people, vandalizing, selling drugs, you name it.
Events take place that push Harry over the edge. As a former highly decorated Marine, he has the training and fortitude to place himself in dangerous situations. This is of course a very bad thing for these unsuspecting teenage gang members.
The movie speeds along through the events, with almost no insight on Harry's past. We know he was a Marine in Northern Ireland. Beyond that, it's up to conjecture. Ultimately it doesn't really matter, which for me is why I can't rate this movie more highly. When know that Harry is distraught, but we never get to see or learn any of the details, beyond the recent losses of two people that are shown, that led him to become the man we get in the film.
He becomes a vigilante, and apparently lost none of his skills with a pistol, as he's quite a crack shot even approaching 80 years of age. A bit of suspension of disbelief was needed for me in some scenes.
I liked the movie overall, but would have found it much better if we'd gotten to know more about Harry Brown. He was a sketch of what could've been an excellent character, but as presented never comes across as fully realized.
The performance of all the actors were very good, and technically the movie is accomplished. I thought the soundtrack was effective and never distracting. It's worth watching, but it's not as great as some reviewers make it out to be.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Useless Remake *SPOILERS*
I watched this the night after watching the vastly superior original. The 2009 remake is a complete disappointment. Some of the problems are with the script, others are with the actors, and many are due to poor film-making/direction.
One of the things a movie called 'My Bloody Valentine' should feature prominently is the Valentine's Day celebration. There was almost no mention of it being near Valentine's Day, yet everywhere in town valentine hearts are festooned, heart-shaped boxes of candy are passed around, and yet, get this, all the exterior scenes look like late spring. Trees are full of green leaves, blossoms are on others, not a trace of snow on the ground, or ice, or winter in any way. Last I checked, Valentine's Day is in the dead of winter on February 14. This was careless or sloppy or apathetic.
I know that some of you might be OK with a movie that has such blatant disregard for the intelligence of its intended audience, but the seasonal incongruity stuck out like a sore thumb.
The movie could have been about a murderous miner and it would have worked better or made more sense than trying to tie in to the Valentine's Day theme. Really, just make a movie about a psycho miner, leave the Valentine stuff out, and you immediately have a movie that makes more sense than this mess did.
The 'surprise' identity of the killer was telegraphed clumsily about halfway through the movie. The killer is alone in the mines with a guy who is going to be a victim - then we are led to believe that he's in a fight for his life with the boogie man while only about 30 feet from the other guy, who hears nothing, sees nothing, just is oblivious to the shouting, clanging of metal, steel doors rattling, etc. Then the killer comes face-to-face with his opponent in a split screen scene that bluntly and with no ambiguity shows the two as mirror images of each other. Way to go, Director - lack of subtlety reveals the 'twist' far too soon so the rest of the movie is essentially spoiled.
There's a lot more that is ridiculously stupid about this movie. Early on the original killer, Harry Warden, is hospitalized in a coma for more than a year. Suddenly he awakens after being in this coma for a year or so and goes on a rampage. Stunningly he has the strength to not only get out of bed, but to literally hack ALL the people in the hospital to pieces and escape. No muscle atrophy for this guy. No hospital security, nothing but bodies ripped in half all over the place.
I could go on, but there's no point. I've spent more time on this than this awful movie deserves. See the original - it's superior in every way.
Twins of Evil (1971)
A Fun Sexy Vampire Cheesefest
Do you like stinky cheese? If you do, I think you'll enjoy "Twins Of Evil". I enjoyed this more than I expected, and a big part of that is certainly due to the lovely Collinson twins and their lovely twins.
Peter Cushing is terrific, and the director did a great job with getting you to feel sympathy by the end of the movie for a character who at first was loathsome.
The effects don't hold up well as is usually the case with these older movies, but don't let that bother you - the story is good, the actors are giving their all, and the atmosphere is quite good. It's not scary at all, but there's a good deal of sexuality in the film, and enjoyable twists and turns in the plot.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fantastic Performances
Man, do I love this movie. I've seen it a few times, and it gets better with each viewing. Jeff Bridges character is one that could not have been played better by anyone - this is one of those roles that seems so perfect, so real, that it will forever define the actor who played it. Jeff Bridges will always be "The Dude".
I also loved the roles that John Goodman and Steve Buscemi played. Goodman's manic Vietnam vet is hilariously earnest, and Buscemi has an uncharacteristically quiet role, which is put to great comedic effect in relation to Goodman. One of the little things I like so much about this movie is the portrayal of the friendship between the three characters. It feels completely natural, which may say a lot about me and my friends. I love this aspect of the movie.
The dialog is superb, and there are many throw away lines that you may miss if you've only seen it once. A wonderful film that just gets better with age.
Terrore nello spazio (1965)
Gorgeous and Influential Camp Classic
This review is of the version available through Netflix streaming. Visually, this is a feast for the eyes. Director Mario Bava is a master of light, color and shadow. The film is filled with lush purples, reds, greens, and every other color available. There is a lot of fog, which was used as a mood device, but more pragmatically as a way to hide the cheapness of the sets. Make no mistake, this is a low budget film, but don't let that dissuade you from seeing it.
The plot involves a couple of spaceships, an alien planet with a mysterious signal beacon, and nefarious aliens. There are no vampires, in the classic sense of the word, but the title sounds so cool. Our travelers land on the planet to investigate the beacon and find that things are more than they seem. This is a central theme in the film - Seeming vs. Reality. As the movie hums along, we see this come into play several times.
A lot of cinephiles have noticed the undeniable influence POTV had on such films as Alien and television series like Star Trek. When you watch, these influences will become quite clear. The interior scenes of the alien craft in POTV are especially interesting, visually and thematically. The circular doorways have become a classic in SF cinema, as have a number of camera techniques and lighting choices.
The acting is of course on par with a low budget film, but it works. The costume design is fantastic, and also seems to have it share of copycats in the genre.
Another fun aspect is the twist ending. I didn't see it coming, and was completely amused by the way it played with our original perceptions and tied in with the whole 'Seeming vs. Reality' theme. This is a great movie on a number of aesthetic levels. It may not be acted well, but if you enjoy style and interesting stories, you will like Planet of The Vampires.