corynye-1 Reviews

Get Out (I) (2017)

Watch it, no matter your bias.

[9/10 · 1 April 2018]

Forget the politics and just watch this. It may surprise you.

If you take away all the politics, this is STILL a deeply creepy movie. It's repulsive yet critical of our society.

First Blood (1982)

Greatest action movie...ever?

[10/10 · 17 September 2015]

I know that's a bold question, but considering how well acted this movie is and how interesting the story is, it's worth asking.

The movie is about a green beret named John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) who returns home after the Vietnam war, only to find that nobody has any interest in befriending him due to all the negative press from the war. This cold reaction to Rambo escalates when he walks into a small, Pacific Northwest town to reunite with one of his buddies from the war, only to be told that he was killed by Agent Orange when he came back to the States.

While feeling dejected and somber, Rambo wanders into town and is eventually identified by the town sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) who, like many other Americans, didn't approve of Rambo's presence and insisted he leave his town. The plot escalates further when he's unjustifiably arrested for vagrancy and brutalized at the police station repeatedly by other deputies. As Rambo is getting harassed and beaten, the officers show a noticeable pleasure from inflicting pain on him. As you continue to watch this misconduct unfold, you begin to crave some sort of retaliation against this oppressive police force from Rambo, but he remains docile. That is, until he just couldn't take it anymore. It's at this point where this becomes one of the greatest action movies ever made.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you're in for a treat!

Rambo (2008)

Awesome action, almost as good as First Blood

[8/10 · 7 June 2008]

As a fan of the Rambo series, especially First Blood, I thought this delivered.

I liked the use of the original score and the flashbacks to previous films. The action is very fast-paced and violent which adapts well to today's mainstream action movies. Stallone's age isn't much of a deterrent to the movie's entertainment value, however a younger Stallone would've made more sense in this role.

In a lot of ways, this was more believable than Rambo: First Blood Part 2 because Stallone isn't a one-man army in this one. The violence and images are also more intense and believable.

However I still prefer the classic First Blood as the best in the series due to the superior character development. You really root for John Rambo when you see how the police abuse him in First Blood, while in Rambo ('08), it's assumed that you already know the story.

The Strangers (2008)

Old fashioned terror flick

[9/10 · 7 June 2008]

This is one of the best horror movies in recent years. It's a no-frills scary movie without any cute twists. It simply delivers constant tension, creepiness and scares from beginning to end.

In a lot of ways, this movie doesn't answer a whole lot of questions when it ends, which may account for why it isn't rated higher on here. You don't know who the killers are, you don't even know why they are trying to kill the couple. "Because you were home" is the only motive given in the entire movie.

If you like old fashioned terror, this is for you. If you're looking for a big twist, bad acting and senseless sex and violence, you've come to the wrong place.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

"1, 2, Freddy's coming for you...3, 4, better lock your door..."

[8/10 · 29 October 2005]

For starters, don't judge this movie by the terrible sequels that followed it. True, this movie had horrible acting, excessive gore and some shoddy editing work. In other words, it was a great 80's slasher movie.

The setting is Elm Street in a suburban American city called Springfield, which obviously is intended to make the audience feel like the horror could occur in their own neighborhood. The basic premise of the movie is a burned, undead villain named Freddy Krueger - who dons a red and green sweater, a fedora and a glove with blades on the fingers - stalks and kills high school children in their dreams.

The motives behind Freddy's violent behavior toward these children is to avenge his own death, where he was burned alive by the children's parents back when they were kids. Freddy preys on the new generation with a sickening glee, seemingly enjoying the terror he imposes on his victims before, ultimately, ending their lives.

There are some really outlandish death scenes in this movie that are impressive even today, which will stay in your brain long after the movie ends. If you are the type that scares easily, you might be afraid to sleep the night of your first viewing. This is Wes Craven's best film, which also provides the breakout role for Johnny Depp's now illustrious career.

"Whatever you do, don't...fall...asleep."

The Ring (2002)

Instant classic in the horror genre

[8/10 · 29 October 2005]

The imagery in this movie is what makes it an instant classic in horror. The girl's arm coming over the well. The dark hair covering the girl's face. The hideous faces of the people who die after 7 days of watching the tape. The off-kilter scenes that appear in the tape itself. The symbol of the ring on the television screen and later, in real life. All these visuals are unforgettable, and all are interwoven into a well-acted, well-directed story that is sure to be remembered decades into the future, not unlike how we currently remember classics like The Exorcist and Halloween.

I must warn you though: Before you die, you see "The Ring."

Saw II (2005)

If you expected the typical dull sequel, you'll be surprised

[6/10 · 29 October 2005]

After watching Saw II, I was trying to think if I had seen a better sequel in the history of horror movies, and I couldn't come up with one. Not that horror movie sequels are very stiff competition, given the shortcomings of sequels from Halloween, A Nightmare of Elm Street and Friday the 13th. However, this is one of the few sequels in ANY genre that could actually survive as a stand-alone film on its own merits.

Saw II somehow manages to maintain the same edge-of-your-seat suspense and action of the original, while inserting totally new characters, new "games" and yes, new twists, particularly at the end. As usual, Jigsaw's tape recordings are always providing the viewer little clues about the terror ahead.

While the editing sometimes gives the movie an unnaturally high-energy atmosphere at times, and while the gore is probably very excessive and unnecessary, Saw II avoids the trap that most sequels fall into: a lame and boring plot lacking substance and new ideas. Saw II carries the same jolt of creativity of the first one, while leaving the viewer with plenty of optimism for what a third movie might look like.

Highly recommended.

Suspiria (1977)

Overrated

[5/10 · 20 February 2005]

If you watch the trailer for this movie, you'll say "Wow! This looks incredible." The problem is all the spooky scenes are in the trailer, and in the movie all you get is a bunch of boredom in between those same scenes. In fact the skeleton in the trailer doesn't even appear in the film, so in a sense the trailer lied. The first kill in Suspiria is the high point of the whole movie. After that there's a lull in action and terror. So much for being a "classic." I'm not too thrilled about seeing another Argento film after seeing his "masterpiece."

The movie also overdoes it with the colored lights. However in some cases the colors are an interesting feature of the movie. Still, it sucked.

Halloween (1978)

The Original Slasher

[9/10 · 20 February 2005]

The music. The mask.

It's the best slasher movie ever made and the first mainstream slasher movie that spawned a generation of imitations. Halloween singlehandedly started the trend of the unstoppable, teenage-hunting murderer in film and - regrettably - the sequel-after-sequel cash cow of slasher horror that we've witnessed from Friday 13th, a Nightmare on Elm Street and many others. But John Carpenter's original is the flagship. To this day, it's one of the most successful independent films of all-time.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), a prudish high school babysitter feels like she's being stalked. And she's right. The person doing the stalking is none other than Michael Myers, an escaped killer who was sent to a detention center after stabbing his naked sister in her bedroom on Halloween, back when he was just a child. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) warned anyone who would listen that Myers was too evil for a minimum security facility, however doctors argued there was no "diagnostic evidence" to support Loomis' assertions. Now that Myers is on the loose, Loomis has to stop this maniacal killer before the body count gets too high.

Halloween takes place in a middle class suburban community called Haddonfield, Illinois. This setting and its characters might have been a large factor in the film's success because it looks and feels like YOUR town. The main character Laurie is also a very likable, modest girl that you truly wouldn't want to see get harmed.

Halloween doesn't hit home runs with gore or action, but rather suspense. It's not an overly violent film and may not appeal to younger generations that grew up on more blood and guts fright flicks. Those who appreciate great horror, great suspense and a higher degree of believability should enjoy watching this with the lights off.

Stripes (1981)

Extremely funny movie, another Bill Murray classic

[10/10 · 20 February 2005]

Everyone is funny in this film. Every performance is first-rate and each character adds something to the humor of this movie.

Stripes begins with Bill Murray losing his job, his car and his girlfriend all in the same day. His buddy Harold Ramis is also leading a lackluster life teaching the English language to foreigners who know only curse words. These depressing circumstances set the stage for Murray to convince Ramis to come with him and join the Army.

Basic training, a hard-ass drill sergeant, female military police and naked mud wrestling consume the rest of this hilarious film. Anyone who appreciates smart-ass humor should see this. However Murray and Ramis are the focal point of most of the humor in Stripes and are very easy to relate to. Also stars John Candy, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Larroquette and Judge Reinhold.

Saw (2004)

The script made this movie

[8/10 · 20 February 2005]

Compared to most horror films, the premise and the script for this film are second to none. Unfortunately, it was poorly acted in places (namely Cary Elwes acting a little over-dramatic at times). Overall, this is one of the best horror films of the past several years, up there with The Ring and the surprisingly excellent remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The twist at the end of Saw will blindside you. Keep your eyes open and your ears perked with every word in this film because somewhere in there is a clue to the ending. Maybe 1 person in 100 will be able to predict how this thriller ends.

I should also have you know that the movie Saw is aptly named on several levels.