Kill Bill 2 A+ Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Gordon Lui
The Bride continues her murderous rampage, cutting through the last of her enemies and facing off with her former lover, in the conclusion to this vicious tale of revenge. It should be noted that I really didn’t like part 1, and loved part 2. When the movies are reunified into 1 film, hopefully I’ll love the whole deal

THE GOOD
-The film is gorgeous. there are some fantastic camera angles and tons of vibrant color. Also uses close-ups extensively, especially on faces, which really brought a Leone feel to the film.
-Successfully captures and builds on the epic and gritty feel of Spaghetti westerns
-Presents several facets to characters who are usually 1 dimensional. You end up caring for the bride, Bill and Bud, even though they are the Bad guys.
-most of the actors are incredible. Budd really conveys the sense of a man who was once unbeatable and has now been knocked to the bottom rung.
-The fight choreography is very well done, wire work(in the Pei Mei sequence) isn’t over the top.
-The dialogue is top notch. No a lot of expository stuff, very character driven.
-There are a coupl POV shots of cars driving or specifically the brides feet through a door, reminded me of a Raimi movie, which i like.

THE BAD
-I’m not too fond of how the story is broken into chapters. Although this is probably a side-effect of the film being split into 2 parts.
-Daryl Hannah might not be able to act. Since the character is kinda dumb and jealous, her lines have a certain arrogance and slowness to them. It’s hard to tell if Hanna is in character or if her delivery is just terrible. It’s like Arnold in Terminator. His non-acting fits the character so well, it’s acting. I think Sean Young would have been better for the part.

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See American Psycho!!!!!!!

but not American Psycho 2

Oh i see.

I'll put American PSycho on the list, i remember liking the previews when it first came out in theatres, but never saw it.

Juan L - i didnt mean to be a downer or anything. I know im already pretty low in your book after i said id change back to my old avatar(wet hot american summer) and didnt (i lost it...). The new one is from WHAS as well, hopefully it will suffice.

quote:

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Originally posted by particleman:
The new one is from WHAS as well, hopefully it will suffice.

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I thought that looked like David Hyde Pierce, it's just at that resolution he looks like everything from his nose to his chin is a great big hole. Like a zombie or something. It's creepy.

-Elliott

Robert Richardson had more to do with the angles and the close-ups than Tarantino.

Directors get credit for everything, even things that aren't their jobs.

You make a good point, but since I will never know all the names of the production people involved in a given movie, I'll simply not give credit to anyone, just say the movie contained such and such, and let whoevers interested look up the technicals.

Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind A- Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet , David Cross
There are memories all of us would like to forget and thankfully Lacuna Inc. has developed a way to make this dream come true. When Clementine, exciting ex-girlfriend of all around sad sack Joel, decides to delete her former lover from her memory, Joel does what any self respecting man would do, he erases her too. But as the deadline looms and Clementine begins to vanish, Joel desperately searches for a way to hold onto the last remaining shreds of his love for Clementine.

THE GOOD
-Heavily stylized. In Joel’s memory world things disappear, smear and crash down all around him. The overall film style was very raw and real, almost homevideo-esque.
-Excellent use of lights, especially the spotlight on Joel as he tries to run from the Lacuna program.
-Jim Carrey does a good Job of restraining his manic wackiness. It peeks through ever now and again but fits the character. In short the film didn’t become a Jim Carrey outtake fest, ala the Grinch.
-I liked Elijah Wood in this film. I still don’t think eh can act, but his brand of non acting fit the slimy pathetic Patrick well.
-The overall story was fairly original and well told, and there were a few subplots (especially Kirsten Dunst’s) that helped keep things going when the Joel/Clementine running scared was getting long.
-Music fit well

THE BAD
-All the characters are unconfident clueless idiots. It was written that way on purpose (superficial /insecurity of humanity/ relationships), but I got tired of seeing so many insecure people.
-So stylized in parts that people may get tired of it. Some of the effects were lackluster.
-It’s a Kaufman movie, so it might be too weird for some.
-Felt a little too long, could have cut some Joel hiding Clementine.

i've yet to meet a single person in my life, or know of anyone, that isn't an unconfident clueless idiot.

it's what makes us so interesting as humans. so much potential, yet so many inadequacies.

that is probobly true, and as i stated i understand why it was written that way. It's just that every character was on a "feel sorry for themselves" kick the entire film, which is how it was supposed to be. In the end when Joel and Clementine decide to **** it and just have the relationship again, showed confidence and "life", and all teh downer stuff was necessary ot get to that point. I just got tired of seeing the unconfident aspect of people for 2 hours straight.

Walking Tall (2004) B- The Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough
Ex-special ops agent Chris Vaughn returns home to find that his once wholesome and peaceful town has been corrupted by drugs and a brand new casino; both of which are controlled by generic bad guy, Jay Hamilton. Vaughn, unhappy with these changes, decides to take matters into his own hands and fix HIS town, which he accomplishes by beating the **** out of any “bad guy” that gets in his way. Go see “the Rundown” instead.

THE GOOD
-some interesting editing (jump cuts and montages, one scene melts into another)
-Soundtrack made up of old songs and remakes of old songs. Helped give it a 70’s feel.
-I like the Rock. I like him better as a funny action hero. He’s only angry in this.
-Johnny Knoxville wasn’t terrible
-Some nice action, decent fight scenes

THE BAD
-99% of the movie is improbable. I couldn’t suspend my belief throughout the whole thing. The Rock beats and is beaten worse than any living person could take. It was like watching Superman fight Captain Marvel. He was arrested, went to trial, pronounced innocent (HUH?) and became Sheriff within 2 days time.
-The romantic interest just kinda showed up and was romantic. No real back story, no purpose. She was hot, isn’t that enough?
-Every character was underdeveloped, the bad guy is bad because he sells drugs. Ok.
-some of the fights had no energy at all, just two guys punchin’ at each other.
-This was the rundown without humor or a story.

Gentle Readers,
My card is expired and I must express my deepest apologies for failing in my movie reviewing goals. What should have been a magnificent roller coaster ride of the odd and irreverant, turned into a mainstream movie party and finally sputtered out into nothingness. About the past I can do nothing, however, I state today in front of all 6 of you who read this, that I, Jacob, shall finish out October with a minimum of 20 reviews, at least 10 of which shall be horror related, In celebration of Halloween. After which point I shall never post another lacklustre review again! I hope this gesture shall redeem me in the eyes of studentfilms.com. MAy i leave you with a qoute from the immortal Rooster Cogburn, "Fill your hands, you sons-of-*****es!" thank you and goodnight.

edit- Halloween movies shall be denoted with a pumpkin, so people can skip straight to the horror if they want.

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The Frighteners A Michael J Fox, Jeff Combs, Jake Bussey
Ok, stay with me here. Frank Banister, psychic investigator and con-man, is the only one that can see the shadow of death tearing into and crushing the hearts of the local denizens. Determined to put a stop to these horrific murders, Frank gives chase to the spirit and is subsequently at the scene of every killing; thus making him the top suspect in an ongoing police investigation by psychotic FBI agent Dammers. Accompanying Mr. Banister is a trio of worn out but dedicated ghosts and Frank’s current client, Lucy, whose husband recently died of a heart attack. It soon becomes apparent that the wicked specter was summoned by a mortal soul, but who could have unleashed such a terrible plight upon this once peaceful town? (Side note: Frank uses the 3 ghosts to scare local townspeople and leave his card. He then comes and “rids” the house of these ghosts for a fee; this is where the title, Frighteners, comes from.)

Good
-R.Lee Ermy, Michael J. Fox, Robert Zemeckis, Peter Jackson, John Astin, Jeff Combs
-Danny Elfman scored the film, and the music is great, as usual, and really lends a creepy edge. Also listen for some great sound effects, like the reaper’s scythe opening.
-Nice special effects. Everything from the simplistic ghosts, to the CG grim reaper are very well done
-Some great acting in this, especially from Combs and Dee-Wallace Stone, both of whom portray the most insane, insane people ever put on film.
-A lot of great camera angles and editing, especially in the hospital flashback sequence.
-Really a departure from standard horror fair, the film has several side stories and focuses more on the two leads and side characters, than the monster/villain.
-the 3 ghosts that help Frank out provide some good comic relief and help the viewer care about Mr. Bannister and his misfortunes.

Bad
-A few of the CG special effects really show their age, in particular the exploding head.
-Couple of plot holes in the story that turn out to be big parts of the film(why can Johnny be sent back in a church, but Ray would have to wait?)

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Sleepaway camp C+ Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Mike Kellin
Ricky, a returning camper, is very protective of his cousin Angela, who will be spending her first summer away from home. Since kids are *******s, the other campers relentlessly pick on the terminally shy and repressed Angela and Ricky steps in to protect her. His chivalrous attitude soon makes him a suspect of murder however, as every camper that ever crossed his cousin is horrifically murdered and mutilated. Has Ricky taken the Big Brother act too far, or is someone else to blame for the killings at Lake Awaka? Made in the early 80’s, around the same time as Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm street, Sleepaway camp takes a kinder gentler approach to the slasher genre.

The Good
-Some very good makeup effects on the victims. There’s a part where someone is shot with an arrow that I can’t figure out how they did, it’s a great effect. Looks real.
-Soundtrack was pretty good and set an edgy tone, although lacked in some areas.
-Lots of POV camera shots that were done pretty well. Raimi, however, still reigns supreme on these.
-Nice cinematography on 1 flashback sequence where the camera rotates around a bed. There were a lot of breath shots, where characters breath would show like it was cold outside, but the climate was warm. Had a mildly unnerving effect.
-Last 15 minutes of the film are pretty exciting
-Didn’t rely on nudity to sell the film, they opted, instead, to focus on the campers and their plight (Although I think they failed here).
-One of the most awesome endings I’ve seen. If you have any intention of seeing the film, don’t spoil it for yourself by looking up the twist. It’s not particularly shocking, but the way it’s presented, initially (see bad), is fantastic. Very evil, ominous and scary.


The Bad
-The acting, for the most part was pretty damned bad and way over the top on a few characters, but it’s so bad it’s funny and that’s worth something.
-The music often “Shrieked” at odd moments, like a girl getting hit with a pillow and it wasn’t really intense enough in the “scary” scenes.
-Takes a long time to get going, pays a lot of attention to life in the camp, but theres nothing really going on. Just regular stuff.
-Uneven mix of horror and playful teen movie. Wasn’t really scary or suspenseful at all.
-A couple of really long holds or prolonged sound effects that became grating. The surprise ending is an example of this. They stay with the same shot way; way to long and it loses its impact.
-Didn’t rely on nudity to sell the film, and there wasn’t enough other stuff (story, dialogue, special effects) to really keep me interested.

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Nói albinói B+(Subtitled) )(Audio: Icelandic) Tómas Lemarquis, Elín Hansdóttir
In a remote Icelandic village lives an odd Icelandic boy, Nói, who is either a genius, a massive screw up or both. As troubles begin to pile up around him, Nói dreams of escaping from his Podunk iceberg and running off to Hawaii with his girlfriend Iris. This movie is what would happen if Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State were mashed together.

THE GOOD
-Tons of odd and interesting characters (a fortune telling mechanic, grandma with a shotgun)
-Really nice use of color. The whole film is very washed out and has a blue tone over everything, which fits the icy landscape. At times some of the characters look grey. Then all of a sudden you’ll have a setting with bright green wallpaper, an orange glow from a lamp and Nói in a multicolored sweater. Color scheme is similar to “Garden state”.
-Some Beautful scenery. Giant ice cliffs and icicles mixed with vast stretches of nothing but snow.
-Funny in an odd, nothing is really happening but the all the characters are goofy, sort of way, which is what reminds me of Napoleon dynamite. But has a lot of serious emotional content, mostly unspoken, when Nói interacts with his father and girlfriend, which is what reminded me of “Garden State”.

THE BAD
-The film isn’t really dramatic enough to be a drama, but it tries awfully hard to be one sometimes. These moments take away from the overall humorous tone, so the movie seems kind of conflicted on what it wants to be. (Not that it couldn’t be a comedy drama, but it doesn’t entirely succeeded on either scale or in-between)
-The ending comes out of nowhere. I guess there were moments leading up to it, but it just kinda happens, and feels out of place. If it had occurred about ½ way into the film and the rest dealt with the repercussions of that event it would have worked out better.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space B John Vernon, Grant Cramer, Stephen Chiodo
While investigating the crash site of a shooting star, Mike and Debbie are astonished to find a massive futuristic circus tent sitting in the middle of the forest. The two soon realize they are in way over their heads when they discover a giant chamber filled with bodies trapped inside cotton candy cocoons. Turns out outer space has clowns too, Killer Klowns, and they’ve stopped by earth for a quick bite to eat.

THE GOOD
+The special and makeup effects are pretty well done. The Killer Klown masks are deformed and scary, they’re awesome. The film also has a lot of hand drawn special effects (homicidal shadow puppets) and some pretty decent matte paintings and puppetry, especially on the popcorn monsters. (The Chiodo's have since become well known for their claymation and SFX makeup)
+Pretty high production values on some of the sets and props. In particular the clowns ray guns and interior of their ship.
+The music is like Rock and Roll circus music and adds a lot to some of the scenes. (See bad)

THE BAD
-ALL of the clowns gadgets and “scary stuff” are circus themed; some might find it too stupid to watch. (I thought it was funny, but I’m simple in the head)
-A lot of dialogue is pretty cheesy and has been dubbed in. It doesn’t synch very well in some parts
-Sometimes the music was too 80’s synth rock for me, and only really fit the film about ½ the time.
- This movie is a little better than your average B movie, just because of how odd the concept is. IT also isn't scary, unless youre 6 or easily scared or hate clowns. Best watched with a group of cynical friends who like to nitpick or enjoy MST3000.

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ROPE A- Jimmy Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on a true story, ROPE takes place almost entirely in one room where Brandon and Philip, 2 wealthy and supposed intellectuals, are throwing a party. To show just how clever they are, these 2 socialites have just murdered their best friend, purely for sport, and have stashed him in a chest on top of which dinner is being served. Everything is going swimmingly until Rupert, an old acquaintance from school, arrives and notices something is amiss. How long can Brandon and Philip keep up the game of cat and mouse before someone gets caught?

THE GOOD
+They tried to make this film seem like its 1 continuous shot, and for the most part they succeeded. Every now and then the camera will bump into a guest or an object and everything goes black for a split second (b/c you’re so close to the object) and that’s where they hide the cuts. Added suspense and tension to the film
+Some odd camera angles that focus on chairs and the chest with the body on it. Since you’re not focused on the characters talking, it allows you to hear the subtext of what is being said.
+some suspenseful moments as Rupert gets closer to the truth and Brandon gets more dangerous

THE BAD
-There are a few messy edits in actual scenes where they tried to paste 2 takes together without cutting
-The film was based on a play and it really feels like it. Can be a little wordy at times.
-The “witty” roommates make a ton of puns about having just killed someone, it gets kind of old.
+The ending is kind of a cop out. It leaves you hanging.
+The film got a little preachy about human rights sometimes (OH DON’T kill people, thank you movie.)

Fright Night B Chris Sarandon, Roddy Mcdowall, Will Ragsdale
Charley Brewster is your average teenager, he likes horror movies, he likes getting to 2nd base with his girlfriend, and he hates vampires. So, Brewster is understandably upset when a bloodsucker moves in next-door and starts offing local prostitutes and townsfolk. Our hero tries to get the police involved, but only serves to piss off the resident Dracula. With the authorities laughing in his face, Brewster has no other choice than to turn to Peter Vincent (washed up actor, horror tv show host, vampire killer) to help him rid his suburb of the evil DANDRIDGE. Bramstokers Dracula meets the Burbs.

THE GOOD
+topless chick: check, big necked sweater: check, synth electro pop: check, must be an 80’s movie.
+The acting was surprisingly good, especially on Evil Ed. That kid was great.
+Some really great transformation SFX, and makeup thanks to the Rick Baker team. Very gory. Reminded me of American Werewolf in London.
+There were a ton of mirrors in this, and they didn’t show the vampires reflection in any of them, so they were paying attention and that gets them points.

THE BAD
-This felt like a movie geared towards kids/teenager, like Monster Squad. But it had too much profanity and adult type junk for kids to see, so it feels a little off sometimes.
-It wasn’t scary or suspenseful.
-The soundtrack is pretty generic, a few basic noises and shrieks when the vampire shows up. Same goes for the sound effects. Didn’t really add anything to the film and in horror movies sound is very important
-The werewolf is a real wolf. I never liked that, always thought it was a copout.
-The film adheres to the typical ways to kill a vampire. So you have an all powerful evil ugly monster cowering in fear of a 80lb kid holding two sticks tied into a cross.
-SPOILER why doesn’t the vampire set his clocks like 10 minutes before sunrise, having them set to go off as the sun comes up is pointless.

Well thats the end of it. I didnt even come close to writing as many more as i said i would but oh well. For those that read the thread, thanks and i hope you enjoyed it. Since today is halloween, if you have nothing better to do, I leave you with the following recommendations:
In theatres: the grudge was pretty good, had a lot of cheap thrills and scares. And for gods sake if you havent seen it go see Shaun of the DEAD!
Rentals:
28 days later- great atmosphere and fresh look at zombies
Evil Dead II- mixes the gore/horror of I and the slapstick of III.
Reanimator- gory inventive B movie
El Espinazo del diablo (devils backbone) great atmosphere, design

Also the first 2/3 of jeepers creepers - sound design and some good scares
-the first 10 minutes of darkness falls- movie had alot of promise

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