Change Your Image
sgtdeal-1
Reviews
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
Poorly executed...
Much like the first movie, Jeepers Creepers II is a formulaic horror flick possessing thinly-drawn characters, stilted performances, and mediocre directing.
Like the first movie, any promising potential to be an effective atmospheric fright-fest is destroyed when the creature is afforded too much camera time.
Salva doesn't understand the basic horror tenet that we fear the unknown much more than we fear the fantastic. He also fails to portray characters in a remotely realistic light.
Effective horror relies on our ability to suspend disbelief just enough for us to place ourselves in the position of the movie characters. However, if the characters are unbelievable, then plot credibility suffers.
For example, Salva relies on "Minxsie" to provide exposition after she has a random vision about the creature. Despite the fact that we witness the vision and it lasts only a minute or two, Minxsie suddenly and unexplicably possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Creeper.
Then, she becomes the go-to-girl for the rest of the cast.
I found the homophobic storyline interesting considering Salva's sordid past. Is there a not-too-hidden message here?
Cabin Fever (2002)
Rehashed teen stereotypes hampered this hackneyed attempt at horror...
I have to be honest. I only made it through half of this DVD before I had to shut it off. For horror to be effective, there has to be an element of believability to the characters. Instead, they were so poorly drawn that I quickly gave up caring what happened to them. They represented two-dimensional teen stereotypes that any young adult should find insulting. I'd have to say that the best part of this movie was the trailer, which led me to believe that the movie had potential.
Boat Trip (2002)
Poorly executed flaccid un-funny fluff.
This movie had all the elements in place for an entertaining 90-minute comic "romp". Unfortunately it failed to deliver. The premise, while no means original, promised to be interesting, however the writing, directing, and execution of the movie fell far short of my expectations. The gags were handed to you and so over-the-top in parts as to insult your intelligence. There was nothing clever in this movie- nothing subtle either. I gave up on this movie about 3/4 way through.
Dead Men Can't Dance (1997)
Few redeeming qualities hurt by horrible production quality.
I caught this movie on television on a Saturday afternoon and the thing that caught my eye was the "artistic license" taken on military details. While I know that movies require a certain suspension of disbelief, I was aghast by the aggregious inaccuracies in this movie. The movie depicts a squad of female Army Rangers on a covert mission inside of North Korea. While there is no such thing as female Rangers in the US Army, I would be able to overlook that little detail if it were not for the fact that they looked absolutely silly in a hodge-podge of military acoutrements that they were forced to wear. The costume person on this one should be ashamed of themselves. How much time, effort, or money does it take to research the basics of military uniform? From the Ranger tabs sewn onto their black berets, to their camoflauge t-shirts. I honestly thought this movie was a comedy at first. I was shocked to see Michael Biehn and R. Lee Ermey in this. You would think that both would have insisted on a certain degree of accuracy.
The Exorcist III (1990)
Creepy, smart, and well-crafted...
I was shocked to see that this movie was not scored higher on IMDB. Marvelous acting, particularly by the venerable (and late) George C. Scott, fantastic writing (the dialogue is intelligent and snappy), and the directing is phenomenal. I actually enjoy this movie much more than the original Exorcist. This movie is well-worth seeing, and has quite a few scares tucked within it.
Reindeer Games (1996)
Creepy, suspenseful, and unique...
I had no idea what to expect when I borrowed this movie from a friend. I was pleasantly surprised. Despite a minimal budget, this movie delivers top-level drama and suspense. Kyle, Efram, and Shayne did a wonderful job of crafting a film that held my interest until its dramatic conclusion. Kyle gave a superb performance as the maladjusted "Alec". The images of the "dirty Santa" were completely disturbing, and caused a shiver to go down my spine. I really enjoyed Alec's quirkiness, which bordered on humorous in such instances as the tampon and cigarettes scene. Well done guys.