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paul_haakonsen
I am a big fan of Asian cinema in particular, and I am quite fond of especially South Korean and Hong Kong movies.
My favorite genre is, and always have been, horror, with a preference to anything with zombies in it.
I believe that every movie should be given the chance of being seen - a belief that has lead me to watch many a questionable movies.
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Something in the Water (2024)
Generic, but entertaining...
When I stumbled upon this 2024 thriller titled "Something In the Water" by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. First of all, it was movie that I hadn't already watched, much less actually heard about. And the fact that it was a shark movie was just some sweet icing on the cake, because there is just something entertaining about shark attack movies.
I had zero expectations to writer Cat Clarke and director Hayley Easton Street, so they had every opportunity to entertain and impress me with this movie.
The storyline was actually okay. Sure, I mean, this has all been done and seen before in other similar shark movies, so it wasn't as if writer Cat Clarke was reinventing the shark attack movie genre here. But on the plus side, if you enjoy traditional shark attack movies with young people marooned at sea, then "Something In the Water" should prove entertaining for you. I have to say that I was adequately entertained throughout the course of the movie.
I wasn't familiar with a single actress on the cast list, but I found the acting performances to be adequate. Sure, it wasn't stellar award-winning performances, but then again, I wasn't expecting such from a movie about girls being marooned at sea with a shark circling about. But all in all, fair acting performances for a movie such as this.
A bit of a nice pun, actually, that the name of the character played by leading actress Hiftu Quasem was Meg, which is also a shortened name for the Megalodon shark.
The shark was actually nicely made and did come off as being real and believeable enough, which did help add to the overall impression and enjoyment of the movie. It was definitely a good thing that the shark wasn't horrible CGI leftovers from the 1990s, like in so many other shark attack movies.
Director Hayley Easton Street delivered a wholesome movie that proved to be entertaining. While it certainly was no "Jaws", then "Something In the Water" actually is enjoyable for single viewing if you enjoy shark movies. I have to say, though, that there is zero replay value to the movie, as the script just doesn't have the contents to support more than a single viewing.
All in all an enjoyable movie. My rating of "Something In the Water" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Shaitaan (2024)
Quite good...
Given my extremely limited exposure to the Indian cinema, and with it not being a particular scene that I am actively keeping up with, then of course I had never heard about the 2024 horror movie titled "Shaitaan". But with it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, and since i had the chance, of course I sat down to watch it and give it a fair chance.
Granted, I am not familiar with the original story from Krishnadev Yagnik, so I don't know how true the movie is to the source material. But I have to say that screenwriter Aamil Keeyan Khan definitely put together a good and entertaining storyline for director Vikas Bahl to bring to the screen.
However, it should be noted that "Shaitaan" is more of a supernatural thriller than it is actually a horror movie.
The narrative in the movie was good, and director Vikas Bahl was good at slowly piling up the suspense and layering the intensity of the movie, making it all the more of an enjoyable movie to sit through.
Of course I wasn't familiar with the actors and actresses on the cast list, but I have to say that actors Ajay Devgn (playing Kabir) and Madhavan (playing Vanraj Kashyap) really put on great performances in the movie. In fact, the entire cast ensemble put on good performances to bring the characters and storyline to life on the screen.
"Shaitaan" is not a movie that is relying heavily on special effects, which is a testament to the storytelling and the narrative. And that was definitely a good thing. There were some special effects in the movie, sure, and they did look good.
If you enjoy an entertaining supernatural thriller, then "Shaitaan" is definitely worth sitting down and spending 132 minutes on watching. I was adequately entertained throughout the course of the movie.
My rating of director Vikas Bahl's 2024 movie "Shaitaan" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two (2024)
Better than part one...
Alright, well after a bland first part of "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths", I have to say that I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to the follow-up DC animated movie titled "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two". But still, I opted to watch it, since I had the chance and had already just watched part one back to back with this sequel.
And it sort of amazes me that a single writer for part two managed to put together a more coherent and entertaining script and storyline in comparison to what three writers did for part one. So thumbs up to writer James Krieg for accomplishing to lift up this event of animated movies.
"Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" felt more complete and entertaining than what part one did. And it actually felt like this could very well function as a stand-alone movie, not requiring you to have sat through part one prior to watching part two. While having watched part one definitely gave a bigger insight into what was transpiring on the screen, it just felt like it wouldn't leave you in the dark if you hadn't watched part one and then sat down to watch part two.
With "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" being an animated superhero movie, then having a good voice acting ensemble was important. And just like in part one, they definitely had a good ensemble of talented voice actors and actresses to bring out the character's voices on the screen.
The art style and animation in "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" was good. And if you enjoyed the art style and animation in part one, you will also like it here in part two.
"Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" was definitely a more wholesome and enjoyable viewing experience for me, and I have to admit that I found "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" to be a more enjoyable story to sit through.
My rating of director Jeff Wamester's 2024 DC animated movie "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One (2024)
Meh...
Right, well I did sit down to watch the 2024 DC animated movie "Justice League Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One", as I had the opportunity to do so, plus I have been watching an abundance of DC animated superhero movies over the years, so why not also this one?
Personally I have to say that the whole concept with multiple Earths and realities is not something that really tickles me in the right places, but I can understand why it would be interesting to fans of the superhero genre, as all the comic book studios are using it.
Writers James Krieg, George Pérez and Marv Wolfman put together a fair enough script and storyline. It was, however, a rather predictable storyline, which really didn't come to me as no surprise. I mean, this was a Justice League animated movie after all, so we all know that the Justice League pulls through and saves the day. And surprise, surprise, of course they did here. I have to say that once this first part came to an end, I merely shrugged and thought nothing more of it. So this wasn't an outstanding or memorable viewing experience.
Something that did help make "Justice League Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One" all the more watchable and enjoyable was the voice acting, because the cast of voice actors and actresses did good jobs. I can't claim that I was familiar with the cast ensemble here, but that didn't make it any less good.
The art and animation style in "Justice League Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One" was okay. I can't claim to say that the art style was outstanding, but it would have an appeal to fans of the animated Batman series or the Teen Titans series, I suppose.
All in all, a watchable DC animated movie, but nothing outstanding here.
My rating of director Jeff Wamester's 2024 animated movie "Justice League Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.
Aquanoids (2003)
Rather abysmal movie...
Right, well from the very beginning of the movie, with the intro and the insanely lousy and semi-unreadable text that introduced the actors and actresses to the poorly made logo of the movie's title, then it was very clear that "Aquanoids" was going to be a low budget creature feature.
Actually, I will say that writers Mark J. Gordon and Eric Spudic didn't exactly put together an all bad script here, there were parts of the narrative that had potential, and the odd interesting bit here and there. However, it was ruined by a poor and amateurish execution from script to screen by director Reinhart 'Rayteam' Peschke and some very lousy acting performances from the cast ensemble.
I loved the fact that the woman being chased by the aquanoid while she was snorkeling and frantically swimming to a jet ski, but she still found the time to stop up and put on a life jacket before speeding off on the jet ski. But there was a deadly Aquanoid right on her tail in the water when she was swimming. It made no sense that someone fleeing for their life stops up to put on a life jacket.
The acting performances in "Aquanoid" were shoddy and questionable to say the least. Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, and I can't claim that I was impressed with what I witnessed on the screen.
Visually then you're not in for anything grand, should you opt to sit down and waste 78 minutes on watching "Aquanoids".
This is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you to sit down and watch, nor waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this 2003 movie so you don't have to; you're very welcome.
My rating of "Aquanoids" lands on a very generous two out of ten stars.
Arcadian (2024)
Ugh, seriously...?
Truth be told, I thought 'great, another dime a dozen Nicolas Cage movie' when I stumbled upon this 2024 horror movie titled "Arcadian". But hey, I am a big horror fan, and with this being a movie that I hadn't already seen, nor actually heard about, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
I can't claim to have been harboring any particular great expectation to the movie, as the great movies from Nicolas Cage are few and far between. But every now and again he does hit the nail right on the head. And who knows, maybe "Arcadian" would be one of those instances?
But it was not. Quite the contrary actually. "Arcadian", from writer Mike Nilon and director Benjamin Brewer was a dumpster fire. Nay, strike that, it was a flaming cartwheel of strange creatures actually.
The storyline in the movie is pretty simplistic and straightforward, which definitely was a good enough thing. However, that drowned out in the overwhelming sensation of 'what's the point to this movie?' feel that I was sitting with, as the movie trotted on and on in a very monotonous and sleep-inducing pace. Yeah, there just simply wasn't enough of interesting things happening on the screen to keep the movie afloat. In fact, you have to venture more than an hour into the movie before things start to pick up in pace, and by then it was just simply too little too late.
The acting performances in "Arcadian" were fairly bland, and that was actually an ongoing theme for the majority of the actors and actresses in the movie. It was as if they themselves didn't buy into the boring script and the strange creatures, so why should the audience?
The creature design was a mixed bag of nuts. I have absolutely no idea what I was looking at when the creatures were on the screen, and that certainly spoke in favor of the movie, as did the fact that the CGI animation was actually good enough. But, and yes, there is a big but here, no pun intended, director Benjamin Brewer just failed to ever make it feel like the characters were ever really in any danger from the creatures, as they seemed to just overcome one obstacle after another without much of any effort. You might actually say that it was super easy, barely an inconvenience. And the thing with the insane snapping of the jaws just had me laughing out loud. And then there was the flaming cartwheel of creatures, well, let's just not venture there, "Critters" did it and with worked as it was also a comedy, whereas "Arcadian" has no comedy elements to it.
Then there was the camera work in the movie. I have to admit that I am not overly keen on movies with a handheld, shaky camera that is all over the place. I could make that myself with my digital video camera, so it is not something I actually root for when I see it in movies. It just takes away something from the esthetic of the movie and makes it feel amateurish and low budget. The thing with the shaky handheld camera should solely be used in the 'found footage' movies and that genre of movies should be left six feet under.
For a horror movie then I found "Arcadian" to be a weak foray into the genre. But then again, I might be jaded from 40+ years of watching horror movies, so director Benjamin Brewer's 2024 movie just didn't tickle me the right places. But I suppose that newcomers to the horror genre, and the creature feature subgenre, might get a kick out of watching this movie.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to fans of the horror genre, nor to fans of Nicolas Cage, because he seemed to be running on fumes and on auto-pilot throughout the course of this movie.
My rating of "Arcadian" lands on a very, very generous three out of ten stars.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
This was great...
Amazing that they can manage to come up with interesting things to do with the "Godzilla" franchise. And I have to say that the 2023 movie "Gojira -1.0" (aka "Godzilla Minus One") definitely was an entertaining movie.
It was interesting to see what writers Ishirô Honda, Takeo Murata and Takashi Yamazaki managed to conjure up for the script and storyline. And I definitely was adequately entertained throughout the course of the two hours that the movie ran for.
Something that made "Gojira -1.0" really work for me, was the part of the script and storyline where Godzilla is portrayed as a creature who isn't protecting mankind and actually deliberately causes chaos, mayhem, destruction and death. And oh boy there was a good amount of mayhem throughout the course of the movie.
The acting performances in the movie were good. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, but they had a good, strong and talented cast ensemble for the movie. And the characters in the movie were interesting, well-written and fleshed out, making it so easy for the audience to take a liking and sympathize with the characters.
Visually then you're in for a treat here, because the CGI in the movie is good. Godzilla looks menacing in the movie, and the destruction that he brings about looks great and realistic. Something that bothered me a bit about "Gojira -1.0" was the way that Godzilla walked. It looked robotic and had no natural feel to it. And here I am of course talking about whenever he was on land walking about, because when he was in the water it was fluid and natural movement that looked and felt real. Sure, I can grasp that Godzilla is an aquatic creature and thus would be, pardon the pun here, like a fish out of water when he was moving about on the land. But it just didn't look great.
If you enjoy "Godzilla" movies, then you definitely have to sit down and watch "Gojira -1.0", from director Takashi Yamazaki, because this movie really does Godzilla justice as a menacing Kaiju creature. The movie portrays Godzilla as a truly unstoppable force that is capable of mass destruction in the blink of an eye. And just wait till you see his energy breath, wow, just wow. I was literally blown away at those scenes, pardon the pun.
"Gojira -1.0" is a glorious return for Gojira to return to the Japanese cinema where it originated and belongs.
I was wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of the entire movie. And this is certainly a movie that I would recommend for movie lovers to sit down and watch.
My rating of "Gojira -1.0" lands on an eight out of ten stars.
The Bricklayer (2023)
Entertaining action thriller...
Now, I had actually not heard about this 2023 action thriller titled "The Bricklayer" prior to getting the chance to sit down and watch it here in 2024. And I have to admit that seeing it had Aaron Eckhart on the cast list definitely was a selling point for the movie.
Writers Matt Johnson, Marc Moss, Pete Travis and Hanna Weg put together a rather enjoyable script and storyline. I was more than genuinely entertained throughout the course of the 110 minutes that the movie ran for. So I was certainly positively surprised with this movie, as I hadn't expected this level of action thriller.
The acting performances in the movie are good. I have to say that Aaron Eckhart really impressed me with this performance in "The Bricklayer", because he was good in both acting performance as well as action and fighting performance. While I wasn't really familiar with Nina Dobrev, whom starred opposite of Aaron Eckhart, then she really stood up to the task and carried the movie quite nicely with Eckhart. The movie also had Clifton Collins Jr. And Tim Blake Nelson on the cast list, so there were some familiar talents on the screen.
Visually then "The Bricklayer" was good. There is a good amount of action sequences tossed into the narrative, and they are nicely choreographed and executed on the screen.
If you enjoy action thrillers then director Renny Harlin's 2023 movie "The Bricklayer" is well-worth taking 110 minutes to sit down and watch.
My rating of "The Bricklayer" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
Baby Girl (2018)
Absolute rubbish...
Of course I had never heard aboput this 2018 thriller titled "Baby Girl" prior to sitting down and watching it for the first time here in 2024. So I literally didn't know what to expect from writer Brandon Trask and director Kevin Van Stevenson.
The storyline in the movie was pretty slow paced. I will say that writer Brandon Trask definitely was good at fleshing out characters, but the pacing of the story was just pretty slow. And that made sitting through this a somewhat difficult task. The contents of the storyline were vague, and it didn't make for any particular entertaining viewing experience.
The movie is listed as a thriller. But I have to say that 50 minutes into the movie, this felt like nothing more than a sleaze-fest for writer Brandon Trask to showcase his lewd fantasies. And I tossed the towel in the ring around the 55 minute marker. By then I just couldn't take anymore of the pointless narrative and the sleazefest that this movie was. The movie failed to entertain me on a fundamental level.
I wasn't familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list. But the cast ensemble was definitely talented, and they put on good performances in bringing the characters and storyline to life on the screen, despite of having very little of any solid contents to work with in terms of script and storyline.
Now, I am sure that there is an audience out there for a movie such as this, perhaps a young adult audience. But if you sit down to watch a movie with the intention of being properly entertained by a proper movie, then "Baby Girl" is not something you should waste your time on.
My rating of "Baby Girl" lands on a very, very generous two out of ten stars, and that is based on the acting performances alone, because the storyline was a dumpster fire.
American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993)
Early 1990s cheesy rubbish...
Needless to say that I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations when I sat down to watch the 1993 movie "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior". I mean, the title alone just screams cheesy low budget movie.
But with "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" being a movie that I had neither heard about or watched before, then of course I opted to sit down and watch it here in 2024, as I had the opportunity to do so.
Writers Bill Crounse, Boaz Davidson, Brent V. Friedman, Christopher Pearce and Don Pequignot put together what felt like something that could very well have been a 1993 mockbuster from The Asylum copying "Terminator 2". Yeah, this movie felt and looked like a poor man's rendering of "Terminator 2", so you're not exactly in for a grand cinematic experience, should you opt to sit down and watch this movie from director Boaz Davidson.
I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. But taking the material that they had to work with, then the acting was actually not all that bad.
Visually then "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" looked cheap. The costumes were laughable, especially the gang members that looked like they belonged in a homo-erotic movie. The sets were generic and essentially had nothing to distinguish one set from the next. The props in the movie were bland.
Definitely not a great movie, nor one that I will ever return to watch a second time, because it was difficult enough to sit through it the first time around.
My rating of "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" lands on a very, very generous two out of ten stars.
Blackout (2023)
Interesting approach on the werewolf genre...
Given the fact that I am a big fan of all things horror, ofcourse I opted to sit down and watch the 2023 movie "Blackout" from writer and director Larry Fessenden, as I happened to have the chance here in 2024. Sure, I had never heard about the movie, so I didn't know what I was in for. But I read that it was a werewolf-themed movie, so of course that had my attention.
The storyline in "Blackout" was fairly good. It was an interesting approach to the werewolf genre, as writer and director Larry Fessenden focuses on the trauma and guilt that Charley (played by Alex Hurt) went through as he lost control and turned into a werewolf every month on the full moon. So this movie was more than just a movie about a person transforming into a beast and going on a killing spree.
I wasnt' familiar with the actors and actresses on the cast list, aside from Kevin Corrigan and Barbara Crampton. Oh yes, when I saw Barbara Crampton popping up on the screen, things really started to look good. Unfortunately she was only in the movie for a minute or two.
Visually then writer and director Larry Fessenden kept it simplistic and somewhat in the spirit of the old black and white werewolf-themed movies. I liked that part of the movie, because it was minimalistic but straight to the point, and it worked.
If you enjoy werewolf-themed movies, then by all means give "Blackout" a chance.
It doesn't feel like a movie that has the contents to support more than just a single viewing, however.
My rating of "Blackout" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Bangbeob: Jaechaui (2021)
Not my cup of tea...
I had never heard about "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" (aka "The Cursed") prior to sitting down to watch it. But with it being a South Korean horror movie, of course I needed no persuasion, as I am a big fan of both Asian cinema and horror cinema. So it really didn't matter that I had never heard about the movie, and thus didn't know what I was in for.
Writers Yeon Sang-Ho and Yong-Wan Kim put together a script that sort of fell short of entertaining me. I have to admit that since I didn't understand the whole thing with the infection or curse and the crumbling corpses, then the movie just made little sense. And that made sitting through nearly two hours of this quite an ordeal.
The acting performances in the movie were good, and the actors and actresses on the cast list definitely helped to make the movie all the more watchable.
Ultimately, then "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" was not my cup of tea, and thus I wasn't particularly entertained, and finding it difficult to sit and watch it, having to feign interest in the storyline. But hey, not everything is bound to have an appeal on every viewer, and director Yong-Wan Kim failed to capture my interest here.
Visually then the movie was actually adequate. It wasn't a movie that was heavily reliant on special effects. But the CGI effects that were utilized were fair.
Now, I am sure that there is an audience out there for a supernatural thriller like "Bangbeob: Jaechaui", because it definitely wasn't a horror movie.
My rating of "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Maya (1989)
Utter rubbish...
Of course I had never heard about the 1989 Italian horror movie "Maya", prior to stumbling upon it by random luck here in 2024. And given my love and admiration of all things horror, of course I opted to sit down and watch what director
Marcello Avallone had to deliver.
The storyline in "Maya" was brutally boring and felt just like random shots captured by the director and put together in an attmept to make a coherent movie. I managed to suffer through a staggering 34 minutes of nonsense before I tossed the towel in the ring and gave up on finish watching this movie. Writers Marcello Avallone, Andrea Purgatori and Maurizio Tedesco just utterly failed to deliver anything worthwhile here.
Needless to say that with my limited exposure to the Italian cinema, then I wasn't familiar with the actors and actresses on the cast list for this movie.
Sadly, I happened to sit through an Englished dubbed version of the movie. I dislike dubbing in movies in general, so having people speak English throughout the course of the movie was not all that appealing. But at least the dubbing wasn't among the worst of dubbed works in movies that I have stumbled upon. But then again, a movie set to take place in Mexico, why would they be speaking Italian there? So the original language wouldn't really have played out well here.
Don't waste your time, money or effort on "Maya". It just simply isn't worth it.
My rating of "Maya" lands on a one out of ten stars.
The Scavengers (1969)
Pretty bad...
When I sat down to watch the 1969 movie "The Scavengers" here in 2024, it was actually my first time to ever watch it. Yeah, I had never even heard about the movie, so I wasn't sure what I was in for here. And in a sense, then writer Bob Cresse and director Lee Frost had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.
The storyline is a slow starter, and about the first one-third of the movie felt like little more than an opportunity for writer Bob Cresse and director Lee Frost to show off a lot of nudity and lewd scenes. Yup, there was't a whole lot of intellectual entertainment going on here. Then the movie picks up a bit and becomes watchable, but not outstanding or particularly memorable.
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. But I will say that the acting performances in the movie were fair.
The blood in the movie was very fake and insanely unnaturally red, and that just didn't really work in favor of the overall impression of the movie.
"The Scavengers" was not a good movie in any way. And it is definitely not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time. Just checking it off the watched-movies-list and moving on.
My rating of "The Scavengers" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Quella villa in fondo al parco (1988)
Downright terrible in many ways...
Of course I hadn't heard about this 1988 Italian movie titled "Quella Villa In Fondo Al Parco" (aka "Rat Man") prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. When I sat down to watch it, I have to admit that I was harboring absolutely zero expectations to director Giuliano Carnimeo's 1988 movie.
The storyline in the movie was bland, so very, very bland. I am amazed that writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti could collectively manage to put together something that devoid of contents. The narrative was just prancing ahead at a monotonous pace without offering much of anything interesting to the audience.
In fact, most of the movie you only get to see the "rat man" from it's point of view. And that just didn't cut it for me, that was just not quality entertainment. Sure, it might have worked back in the late 1980s, but with the amount of horror movie's I've sat through over the last 40 years, then it just didn't do it for me.
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses on the cast list, as the Italian cinema is not my go-to-cinema for entertainment. And I have to say that actor Nelson de la Rosa (playing Mousey) was given a rather derogatory character and role to play, wasn't he? Sure, it could fly back then, but not so much in today's society.
Visually then the movie was not good. It looked like something that crawled out of the 1970s, to be honest.
While I managed to sit through the movie in its entire bland 88 minute runtime, I can't claim to be particularly impressed or entertained by what director Giuliano Carnimeo delivered. And this is by no means a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I would recommend for horror fans to rush out and get to watch.
My rating of director Giuliano Carnimeo's 1988 movie "Quella Villa In Fondo Al Parco" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Rites of Spring (2011)
Ultimately a bland attempt at a horror movie...
Never having heard about this 2011 horror movie titled "Rites of Spring" as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. Of course I opted to sit down and watch it, given my 40-some years love and admiration of the horror genre.
I had no idea what I was in for, but that hardly mattered, as it was a horror movie. And that was, actually, more than sufficient to make me opt to sit down and spend 82 minutes on watching the movie. So of course I had zero expectations to writer and director Padraig Reynolds, whom effectively had every single available chance to entertain and impress me with this movie.
The movie was off to a good start, because you don't get more than 15 minutes into the narrative before things already start to happen. I must admit that I enjoy movies that throws the audience right into the action or mayhem, which definitely was the case of "Rites of Spring".
However, I have to say that the narrative stagnates and sort of settles into a slump about halfway through. And the story sort of flattens out, offering no ups or downs along the way. Sure, "Rites of Spring" is a watchable movie, and if you're a newcomer to the horror genre then it will be a thrilling movie to watch. But for a life-long horror fan, then it just ended up being a bland movie.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though the name AJ Bowen does sound familiar, I just can't mention any movie in which I've seen him act. The acting performances in the movie were fair, which definitely helped to bring the movie to life on the screen in a more enjoyable manner.
Visually okay, but you're not in for anything grand here. Sure, it wasn't a movie that was particularly needing a grandiose array of special effects, but it would have been nice with a bit more effects to spruce things up, as it was somewhat needed. And as for the killer (or creature), whatever you opt to call him, well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed. But again, it might be sufficient and suitable to a newcomer to the horror genre.
"Rites of Spring" might be worth checking out if you enjoy horror movies and haven't been jaded by years of exposure to the horror genre. Otherwise it just makes for a somewhat bland viewing experience.
My rating of writer and director Padraig Reynolds's 2011 movie "Rites of Spring" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Amityville Cop (2021)
Yup, just another pointless movie with an "Amityville" label on it...
Of course I harbored zero expectations to director Gregory Hatanaka, as I sat down to watch the 2021 horror movie "Amityville Cop". I mean, given the movie's title alone, then I figured that it would just be another bad attempt at a horror movie where they just slapped an "Amityville" label on it.
Yet, I still opted to sit down and watch what writer Geno McGahee brought to the table with this 2021 horror movie.
And just as expected, this was another dubious horror movie that just cashed in on the "Amityville" brand. But whom is the bigger fool here; the ones making the movies or the ones actually sitting down to watch it?
The storyline in "Amityville Cop" was indeed a bland and rather generic one, so writer Geno McGahee didn't exactly impress with this movie. But then again, a glorious rating of 2.5 here on IMDb, in the very moment I am writing this review, is a testament to the quality of movie that you're in for, should you opt to sit down and watch director Gregory Hatanaka's "Amityville Cop" movie.
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. The acting performances were fair enough, when you take into consideration the contents of the script, character gallery and storyline that the actors and actresses had to work with. Of course you'll not be in for any grand cinematic experience here, nor any award-winning performances.
Visually then "Amityville Cop" wasn't a particularly good movie either. So not even that was working in favor of the movie. And I am not really sure what the police officer in the movie was supposed to be. A demonic entity? A reanimated dead? A possessed officer? Something else entirely? Well, it hardly mattered, because I just couldn't take it serious.
So yeah, this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through 68 minutes of this movie, so you don't have to. You're very welcome. If anything, then sit down to watch any of the "Maniac Cop" movies instead.
My rating of "Amityville Cop" lands on a generous three out of two stars.
Nowhereland (2016)
Watchable, but a bit generic...
So I sat down to watch a movie titled "Girl Lost", but only coming to find out that it is actually titled "Nowhereland". Regardless of its title, then this was a movie that I hadn't already seen before, much less actually heard about. And thus, as I had the opportunity to watch it here in 2024, of course I did so.
Writer and director Robin Bain put together a script and storyline that actually proved to be entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. However, be prepared for a movie that sort of lays it on thick in terms of a hard life and a seedy lifestyle. A bit too forced at times, but ultimately a watchable movie, for sure.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Nowhereland", but the actresses and actors did put on good jobs in bringing their characters and storyline to life on the screen. And I will say that the acting performances definitely outweighed the script in terms of making "Nowhereland" a watchable movie.
While "Nowhereland" is an adequately entertaining movie, I have to say that there are a far better movies out there that tells the same story.
My rating of writer and director Robin Bain's 2016 movie "Nowhereland" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Big Driver (2014)
Watchable, sure, but not an outstanding movie...
When I stumbled upon this 2014 movie, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. Why? Well, simply because it was a movie that I hadn't already heard of, much less actually already seen. And when I saw that it was apparently based on a Stephen King novel, of course that added to the interest of watching the movie.
Sure, I haven't read a Stephen King novel since somewhere in the late 1990s, so I wasn't really sure what I was in for here. But I have to admit that I was harboring some expectations, as Stephen King definitely used to write good stories.
And without having read whatever novel that "Big Driver" was based upon, then I don't know how true writer Richard Christian Matheson and director Mikael Salomon were to the source material.
The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward and enjoyable enough for what it turned out to be. However, I have to say that I found it to be a somewhat generic type of revenge movie. The movie just didn't bring anything new to the revenge genre of movies that haven't been done or seen before in lots of other movies similar to this one. But hey, at least it was entertaining enough for a single viewing.
The only names I was familiar with on the cast list were Maria Bello and Joan Jett, but I wasn't aware that Joan Jett also starred in movies.
For a Stephen King-based movie, I have to say that this movie just wasn't outstanding. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.
My rating of "Big Driver" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.
Nightfall (1988)
Rather boring, if not actually downright abysmal...
Right, well the incredible 2.6 rating that the movie had landed on IMDb, here in 2024 when I sat down to watch the movie for the first time, did act like a warning. But I still opted to sit down and watch "Nightfall" on account of it being a late 1980s movie that I hadn't already seen, much less even heard about.
I have to admit that I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations to the movie, given the low rating the movie has on IMDb. But I wasn't sure what I was in for from director Paul Mayersberg when I sat down to watch "Nightfall".
The storyline in the movie, as written by Isaac Asimov and Paul Mayersberg, fell short of entertaining me. The narrative was slow paced and there just simply wasn't enough of anything interesting happening on the screen to keep me entertained. It was like watching a horrible episode of "The Little House on the Prairie" set in what had to pass as being a distant planet, but failing to convince anyone watching it.
I was familiar with David Birney, Sarah Douglas and Larry Hankin on the cast list. And while the storyline was utter rubbish, then it should be said that the acting performances were fair.
Visually then "Nightfall" looked and felt like a cheap homemade movie project. I didn't buy into the aspect of the storyline playing out on a planet with multiple suns for a single moment. It just looked very amateurish and poor.
This movie was quite an ordeal to suffer through, and with each passing minute my interest in the storyline dwindled more and more. I ended up tossing the towel in the ring a mere 23 minutes into the ordeal, but by then I was just bored to tears. And believe you me when I say that I am never, ever returning to attempt watching the rest of "Nightfall".
My rating of "Nightfall" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.
Vermines (2023)
Watchable, but ultimately a forgettable movie...
I had never heard about the 2023 French horror movie "Vermines" (aka "Infested") prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And I have to say that I was instantly drawn to the movie, given its rather interesting title.
But I got a hold of a movie with the English title on it, so I wasn't aware that it was a French movie, not that it mattered as I don't mind foreign language movies one bit. And seeing it was a movie about arachnids, well, that just sweetened the deal all the more.
I have to say, that while I wasn't aware of what I was in for here, nor having heard about the movie before, then I did actually harbor some expectations to writers Florent Bernard and Sébastien Vanicek, as there is just something fundamentally fabulous about an arachnid and horror movie combination, just think of the 1990 movie "Arachnophobia".
Writers Florent Bernard and Sébastien Vanicek, with the latter also directing the movie, put together a fair enough script and storyline. It was not a deep or profound storyline, but it proved to be an entertaining enough popcorn movie, if you don't mind those types of movies. Just be sure to double check your popcorn bucket before munching down, there might be an eight-legged unwanted visitor.
It just made zero sense that the spiders would grow so big in so little time. Sure, it was somewhat good for the cause of entertainment, but if you look at it with a sense of realism, yeah, not so much.
Visually then "Vermines" was fairly good. The spiders looked realistic and that definitely was an important thing for a movie such as this; as lousy CGI effects ruin the effectiveness of a creature feature.
When the movie came to an end, I have to admit that I was left with a sense of 'was that really it?'. Yeah, "Vermines" just didn't really live up to what I had hoped it would be. Sure, it is a watchable movie, but you're not in for a grand horror movie experience here. In fact, you'll find more entertainment in the 1990 movie "Arachnophobia".
My rating of "Vermines" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.
6 Guns (2010)
Realism was out the window here...
Needless to say that I had never heard about this 2010 Western movie titled "6 Guns" prior to sitting down to watch it. But then again, Western movies are not my go-to-movies when I want to be entertained. But I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance and often to sit down and watch it on account of it being a movie I had never heard about, much less watched.
Writer Geoff Meed put together a rather generic script and storyline, and it just made zero sense that with a mere two days of lousy gun training that Selina Stevens was able to take down a gang of wanted criminals and gunslingers. There was just zero realism going on in this movie. "6 Guns" was essentially just a revenge movie wrapped up in a Western setting.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though I do believe I've seen actor Barry Van Dyke somewhere before. The acting performances in the movie were good though for the most parts, I will say that much. I can't claim that I was enjoying the performance that actress Sage Mears put on, as it was rather wooden and devoid of convincing emotions, especially for someone who saw her children and husband gunned down and then sexually assaulted.
Maybe if you enjoy Western movies quite a lot then you would get a kick out of watching director Shane Van Dyke's 2010 movie "6 Guns". But if you sit down to watch the movie as a casual viewer without any preference towards the Western genre, such as myself, then you're not really in for a blast here.
If you pay close attention to many of the scenes, you will notice door handles, padlocks, etc. That are found in today's hardware stores, and not something that would have been around in the mid-1800s.
While I managed to sit through all 95 minutes that the movie ran for, I was only slightly entertained. It was hard to get past the ludicrous storyline and the wooden acting of Sage Mears.
My rating of "6 Guns" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
The Gundown (2011)
Watchable...
Granted, while I am not particularly a fan of the Western genre, I do occasionally sit down to watch one such movie from time to time. And as I happened to stumble upon the 2011 movie "The Gundown" from director Dustin Rikert here in 2024, I opted to watch it, as it was a movie I had never seen before, much less actually heard about.
Writers Dustin Rikert and William Shockley put together a fair enough script and storyline here. It was a pretty straightforward type of Western story. So if you are a diehard fan of the Western genre, then you will definitely find something enjoyable in "The Gundown".
Of the entire cast ensemble in the movie I was only familiar with actor Peter Coyote. But I will say that the acting performances were actually fair. And there were some good talents on the screen, despite of them being unfamiliar faces and names. I've seen actor (and writer) William Shockley before in other movies, but he is not someone that I am overly familiar with.
It was so hard to take my eyes off of the lips of actress Veronica Milagros whenever she was on the screen. I am sorry, but what the Hell was going on there? I am sure that there wasn't that kind of Botox lips around in the mid-1800s America. It was just such a poor casting choice there.
I will say that the wardrobe, props and sets were good and definitely had a convincing mid-1800s Western feel to it. Well, except for those Botox lips.
"The Gundown" was a fair enough Western movie, though hardly a particularly memorable or outstanding movie. I can't claim that it is a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.
My rating of director Dustin Rikert's 2011 movie "The Gundown" lands on a five out of ten stars.
In Her Line of Fire (2006)
Watchable, but rather generic...
It should come as no surprise that I had never actually heard about this 2006 movie titled "In Her Line of Fire". I mean, an action thriller with Mariel Hemingway and David Keith in the leading roles wasn't exactly an equation that I would assume to be a fabulous result.
However, as I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to sit down and watch it, on account of it being a movie that I have never seen before. And I do believe in giving a movie a fair chance.
I didn't know what to expect from writers Paula Goldberg and Anna Lorenzo, so they had every opportunity to entertain me with this movie. However, truth be told, then I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the movie.
The script and storyline in "In Her Line of Fire" was actually okay. It wasn't exactly rocket science here, not was it a particularly complex storyline. But I will say that writers Paula Goldberg and Anna Lorenzo put together a fair enough script and storyline, making this a movie that is watchable a single time.
While I was actually only familiar with Mariel Hemingway, David Keith and Jill Bennett on the cast list, I will say that the acting performances from everyone on the cast list were fair. The actors and actresses took a somewhat simplistic script and made it work. I actually never associated actress Mariel Hemingway with action movies before watching this movie.
"In Her Line of Fire" wasn't an overly memorable movie, though it was suitable for a single viewing. I can, however, in all honesty say that I am not returning to watch "In Her Line of Fire" a second time.
My rating of director Brian Trenchard-Smith's 2006 movie "In Her Line of Fire" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Doomsday Prophecy (2011)
Meh...
When I sat down here in 2024 to watch the 2011 movie "Doomsday Prophecy", I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to the movie. With it being a disaster movie of sorts that I had never heard about, I just didn't really believe that I would be in for a grand piece of cinematic history. Nor was the 3.9 rating on IMDb hinting towards a grand piece of cinematic history.
However, with "Doomsday Prophecy" being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to sit down and give writers Jason Bourque and Shawn Linden's 2011 movie the benefit of the doubt.
And within the first 5 minutes of the movie, it becomes abundantly clear just what type of natural disaster movie that this would be. A super generic one. There was a large fissure opening up in the ground, expanding exponentially, and oddly enough following straight after the vehicle wherein one of the main characters was sitting. Those types of movies are just ludicrous, especially when they could just have veered to the right and have been out of harms way instantly.
Writers Jason Bourque and Shawn Linden put together a somewhat generic script and storyline. Sure, it was watchable and sort of entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. But I have to say that the supernatural elements with the future predicting rod was just a tad out of place and added a laughable element to the movie that just took away from the already slight sense of realism that the movie had going for it. And I am pretty sure that if massive chunks of USA got destroyed, a big part of China as well, and all of Italy and most of Greece was sunk into the ocean, then there would be a worldwide state of panic, and people wouldn't be out on the streets frolicking and going about with their daily cheery lives, as they did in this movie. It just made zero sense.
Needless to say that the outcome of events and ending of the movie was just fully and wholly laughable and unrealistic.
There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, and that was Hiro Kanagawa, Jewel Staite, Matthew Walker and Jerry Wasserman. So yeah, "Doomsday Prophecy" wasn't exactly a star-filled feature. However, I will say that the acting performances throughout the course of the movie were actually fair.
Visually then "Doomsday Prophecy" was okay. I mean, it wasn't the best of CGI effects, nor were it among some of the worst I've seen in disaster movies. Sure, it was pretty terrible CGI here, but there are disaster movies with far worse CGI. So at least that counted for something.
Semi-watchable a single time, but you're not in for anything memorable or particularly outstanding here. And the ending to the movie was just a slap to the face of anyone who had spent 92 minutes sitting through the movie.
My rating of "Doomsday Prophecy", from director Jason Bourque, lands on a generous three out of ten stars.