sb88 Reviews

Lonesome (1928)

A cute, wonderful romance story

[8/10 · 4 March 2014]

It's a shame Lonesome hasn't been seen more widely by modern audiences. The limited acclaim it's received is well deserved.

Lonesome is very simple. It's no more than a little romantic movie of two people who fall in love and then appear to lose each other. But the whole thing is told expertly well. The camera moves about freely in many unique and interesting ways. Visually alone, it's quite the spectacle. It also helps that the two in the lead roles are enjoyable.

Glenn Tyron is good enough in his lead role, but his romantic interest, played by Barbara Kent, is the real star. She is fun and playful when needed, but her soulful eyes convey more pain then most people ever could with their voices. Her charisma is evident from shot one.

The only downside to the film is the inclusion of a few sound scenes. Clearly done just to cash in on the new craze, it actually only serves to grind the story to a halt. It forces the movie to become stationary, and the dialogue itself is pretty inane.

I cannot recommend the film strongly enough, though. It's as enjoyable of a romance as you'll ever see. There's nothing too complicated here: just two people falling in love, and it's a joy to see.

To Rome with Love (2012)

A minor Allen film, but still very enjoyable.

[7/10 · 4 March 2014]

With a film being made every year, Woody Allen's career has highs and lows. 2011's Midnight in Paris and 2013's Blue Jasmine are his two highest points in many years. In between is To Rome with Love. Unlike the other two films, it's pretty minor overall, although it's still a very funny comedy.

The film tells four different stories, all unconnected to each other. Some are stronger than others, although each has it's interesting points. The highlight is a love triangle involving Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page, with Alec Baldwin as an all seeing commentator. This might have even worked as a film on it's own, and is in the same vein as many of Allen's romance tales.

The other entries include a husband and wife who find themselves wrapped up in other people, a man who suddenly becomes famous for no reason at (the weakest entry of the bunch) and a young couple's parents meeting for the first time (with Allen playing one of the parents, his first role since 2006).

Allen's story in particular contains a very funny conclusion that seems right out of his sillier early 70s movies. Plenty of great one liners and comedic situations pop in all the stories overall. This isn't one of Allen's films that explores anything deeply or carries a big message, but provides a lot of laughs. And that alone makes it worth seeing.

Blood Freak (1972)

Beyond words

[1/10 · 19 January 2009]

Upon hearing about how awful this movie apparently was, I was ready for an incredibly horrible and amusing ride. I had no idea just how bad it would be.

Writing, directing, acting, special effects and even sound fail on every single level. Watching it, it was hard to believe that such a movie could even be made in a serious manner. It's sheer awfulness will amaze.

It's only redeeming quality is just how hilarious it is. The plot itself of a man turning into a chicken in some bizarre drugs gone wrong scenario and then killing people is absurd enough as it is, but the outfit worn is what makes it truly laugh-out-loud funny.

How bad and hilarious is it? Well, it really has to be seen to be believed. No matter what you're expecting, it'll be worse and, thankfully, even more hilarious.

Masters of Horror: Jenifer (2005) Season 1, Episode 4

Good, solid horror

[7/10 · 19 January 2009]

When watching "Jenifer" the viewer is soon confronted with the same conflicts as the main character. How, exactly do you deal with a girl that has an amazing body but just happens to have a disfigured face and an insatiable appetite? There's plenty of gore and nudity here to satisfy whatever need for that there may be, but that's just the icing on the cake. We get a compelling story and two very interesting characters: the completely innocent and yet deadly Jenifer and the man whose attraction to her can overcome her violent flaws.

Is some of it predictable? Sure, but in this case I don't find it to be a bad thing. Sometimes the route that you expect is simply the best way to go.

And for horror fans, you certainly can't go wrong with this solid entry from the Masters of Horror series.

Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008 Video)

A mixed bag

[6/10 · 7 December 2008]

As far as horror movies go, Sleepaway Camp is definitely one of my favorites. The news that the creator of the original would be coming back to make this sequel got me excited.

And then we waited. And waited some more.

Now it's finally here, so the question now is whether or not it actually delivers. The answer? Yes and no.

When the movie started, I hated it. I guess I expected more than an opening scene of lighting farts. But the real problem relies primarily in the main character, Alan. Both due to his acting and the stuff he does and what happens to him, it's impossible to care. I couldn't figure out if we were supposed to care or hate the guy who picks on people but also gets picked on. He just ends up annoying. Yes, the acting wasn't all that great in the original, but we did actually care about the main characters. Here, there's nothing.

I was, in all honesty, ready to give up on it, but stuck with it just because of a last sliver of hope. And it did get better. Once the body count began to rise, it really improved. What we ended up with was a fun slasher with inventive kills that I was really into by the time the time the climax hit.

Don't expect much in the way of characters from the original. Ricky is there for basically a cameo, although Paul DeAngelo's Ronnie has a prominent role. And as for the ending, well, it sure isn't as shocking as the first.

But for fans of the original, this one is worth a shot. I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did.

Now I'm ready for the next one.

Death Rage (1976)

An average thriller

[5/10 · 15 July 2008]

In "Death Rage," Peter Marciani is out to get the man who put a hit out on his brother. It's not the most original story by any means and there's no doubt it's been done other places better. Throw in a couple other very familiar plot plot elements and it brings even less to the table.

Maybe that's a little unfair, though. Despite all the clichés, the movie still isn't bad. It's everything you come to expect, but that doesn't made it can't provide some cheap fun. There's gunfights, car chases, and some funny lines.

Overall, it's fairly harmless. There's worse ways to spend 90 minutes, but there are also better ones. Since it's easily available (and probably for free online), it's not a bad idea to check it out and get some cheap thrills.

The Demon (1981)

A poor man's Halloween

[4/10 · 8 July 2008]

The Demon really doesn't have much going for it. The lighting is awful, dialogue is ridiculous in some spots, and some things in it just make no sense (you've got to love the random shots of waves crashing onto rocks).

At least at the beginning there's something slightly different going on. The killer kidnaps a family's daughter and so they enlist the help of a psychic gifted with ESP (Cameron Mitchell). Now, I'd like to think that Mitchell is a good actor but it's really hard to judge when he's given ridiculous things to do and say ("I get feelings sometimes. Vibes, as the kids might say.")

Sure, it's not very good at all, but the least they could have done was not abandon this part of the story. Cameron and the kidnapping plot end up almost being dropped completely, leading us to the story that takes over the rest of the film.

Ever hear the one about the guy in the white mask who stalks some girls?

Yeah, that happens here too. To be fair, this portion isn't as bad despite being a blatant ripoff. The girls are decent at acting and serve the dual purpose of being easy on the eyes. There's a few suspenseful scenes and the climax isn't all that bad despite being completely wacky.

That doesn't make up for everything else, though. In the end, The Demon mostly just provides moments of boredom and stupidity.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)

It really is a massacre

[4/10 · 7 July 2008]

Might as well get the positives out of the way. Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey both give pretty good performances given the material they were given.

Okay, that's over with. Onto the negatives.

For starters, there's the one that will probably anger TCM fans the most. Somehow, this film is able to make Leatherface completely nonthreatening and quite frankly, pathetic. How is it done? Is it the constant screaming and whining, the transvestite element, the mullet, or the army jacket? Actually, it's all of the above, although the first two are certainly the worst. Leatherface doesn't instill any fear. You're only left wondering how they could have ruined him so badly.

The opening of four "teens" ending up stranded in the woods may not be the strongest opening, but it seems downright great compared to the climax. Don't expect a heart- pounding climax. It just reaches the absolute low at that point.

To be fair, there are some good scenes, but most of those are due to the performance of McConaughey or because they're basically rehashes from the original.

April Fool's Day (1986)

Fun and Original

[7/10 · 15 June 2008]

As the title of the movie suggests, when Muffy St. John brings her friends over to stay at her island home, some pranks get played. Some of them are harmless, but others hit a bit too hard emotionally. But there's a killer on the loose who is killing them one-by-one, ending the fun and games.

It is at this point where it seems to veer into a typical slasher movie, but it's not exactly that. For one, the acting is much better than usually seen. Deborah Foreman in particular steals the show as Muffy. It's rare in these movies that the characters are actually likable, but they are for the most part here. And some of the comedy here is actually funny, another thing that makes it better than the normal slasher fare. The mystery of just who is knocking off the friends is a solid part of the story as well.

From other reviews, it seems that some didn't like the ending, but I really don't see why. It's very different than anything really seen in a horror movie, which is what I think makes it so great. I guess that's not what some people wanted, but if it had a typical slasher ending it wouldn't have been all that memorable.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Very Memorable

[7/10 · 14 June 2008]

At first glance, Sleepaway Camp seems like it'll probably be another one of the many carbon copies of so many slasher movies. The serial killer going crazy at a summer camp full of kids isn't exactly the most original plot.

But Sleepaway Camp is very different, memorable, and by far one of the best of its kind. For starters, the acting is better than the usual fare seen in these kind of movies. A few of the performances border on great.

And as with all horror movies, the bodies rack up and in this case, they're done in original ways. One in particular (the curling iron one, as brought up by many) has to be one of the most disturbing deaths ever put on film. And it's not even gory or anything like that. It's the shadows and what we don't see that makes for an incredibly memorable scene.

But what, above all, makes Sleepaway Camp very memorable? It's the ending, one that will leave almost every viewer reeling. Obviously, I don't want to give it away. The power of it can only be seen when watching it. It sure isn't the usual twist. This one packs a huge punch and gives it a very unique and interesting theme.

And for that alone, Sleepaway Camp is worth seeing.

Creepshow (1982)

Not bad. . .but I expected better

[5/10 · 26 October 2007]

Legendary director George A. Romero and fantastic horror author Stephen King teaming up should have produced amazing results. And while Creepshow wasn't bad by any means, I thought that these two would produce something better.

The movie consists of five short films and another short little one at the beginning and end. I'll just talk briefly about the beginning and end segments. It wasn't anything special for the beginning segment, but the way it ended was pretty good in my mind. Onto the others. . .

"Father's Day", the story of murdered father who comes back from the grave, sounds like a good story but I really didn't find it that great. Largely forgettable.

King himself stars in "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill". Acting is certainly not his forte, but I guess he wasn't too horrible in the role of the country bumpkin. The dream sequences were mildly amusing, but overall it's not very interesting and is pretty depressing by the end.

"Something To Tide You Over" is where it really gets good. Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson both give great performances in the story of what happens when woman leaves his husband for another man. I was hooked with this one from the very beginning to the end. By far this is the best one.

"The Crate" is also good. Sure, the monster could have looked better (obviously they were going for cheesy here), but there are some great kills here and the story of Professor Northrup and his wife Wilma (and his "fantasies" about killing her) is particularly interesting.

"Creeping Up On You" isn't that interesting, but the ending sure delivers. Not much more to say for an otherwise uneventful story.

Overall, two really good stories, and three others that aren't that bad, but not particularly engaging. If you're a big horror fan, I'd still recommend checking it out.

Black Christmas (1974)

Bob Clark's "Black Christmas" is a horror movie masterpiece.

[10/10 · 29 December 2006]

I had heard about Black Christmas and read reviews proclaiming how great Bob Clark's 1974 horror movie was. The movie truly did live up to the hype. Clark creates a creepy atmosphere with Christmas carols and POV shots. Simply put, everything in this movie works: the killer's phone calls are downright chilling; great character development; a few funny moments; shocking ending. There are some images and scenes in this movie that are so well done they will stick with you. The ending is shocking and is the perfect end to this movie. Bob Clark created a masterpiece with Black Christmas, and it is obvious so many "slasher" films took elements from this movie.l If you think Halloween is the greatest "slasher" movie of all time, seeing this lost gem might change your mind.