Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Prepare for edge-of-your-seat thrills with one of the most chilling chapters in the popular series based on "Children Of The Corn" by Master of Horror, Stephen King. Six college students take a wrong turn and find themselves lost in a strangely deserted rural town...only to discover that this deceptively quiet place hides a murderous cult of children controlled by evil forces. Yet even as bodies begin cropping up all around them, the young friends decide to stay and rescue the children...or die trying. Don't miss CHILDREN OF THE CORN 5: FIELDS OF TERROR - the shockingly entertaining sequel that delivers nonstop, big-scream fun!

My Thoughts:
In the late nineties the teen slasher was starting to get popular again, mainly on the back of the success of Craven's Scream. So what else for the Children of the Corn series than to have some college kids crash their car and get chased by local murderous kids? There were a few cast surprises here, including Eva Mendes in her first feature, Fred Williamson as the Sheriff, David Carradine as the cult leader and Kane Hodder as the barman. Generally, the acting is quite bad, the story is obvious and the effects average but again, this isn't as bad as the imdb score of 3.7 perceives it to be (over 30% of people vote this 1/10 but that's just poor voting as I can easily name a hundred worse horrors). If you're a fan of horror, you'll find enough to like here and it's worth purchasing cheap. 2.5/5

[Jimmy]

Imdb rating aren't reliable anyway, anyone can vote and no way to verify if someone really watched the film (kind of like the DVDP contribution). Check the bottom 100 for the fun of it, sure some are pretty awfull but most of them are relatively new movie and how in hell that many people have seen a german movie who was released nowhere else... Maybe the voters are all German but I strongly doubt it as a german version of imdb exist...

[samuelrichardscott]

Maybe the voters are all German but I strongly doubt it as a german version of imdb exist...

They aggregate all their sites for the voting AFAIK, but totally agree that imdb is not a good guideline, especially if you enjoy low budget action/horror.

[samuelrichardscott]

Furnace (2007) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
With an all-star cast, including Tom Sizemore (Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, Heat), Ja Rule (Assault on Precinct 13, The Fast and the Furious) and Danny Trejo (Halloween, The Devil's Rejects), Furnace goes deep inside the walls of a maximum-security prison.
When a number of brutal and suspicious deaths occur in and around the prison, detective Michael Turner (Michael Paré - The Virgin Suicides) is brought in to investigate.
But what begins as just another suicide investigation quickly unfolds into a furious and frightening struggle to uncover the unexplainable, while escaping death at the hands of a vengeful spirit unleashed within the prison walls.

My Thoughts:
William Butler has acted in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, Friday the 13th 7, Ghoulies 2, Buried Alive and Watchers 3 and written the Gingerdead Man movies so you would think he could write/direct a reasonably competant horror movie set in a prison, right? Well, no. The story is basically of a young girl killed in a furnace (being rebuilt for a prison extension) in the fifties whose ghost comes and kills off prisoners one by one. Michael Pare and Tom Sizemore phone their efforts in and Ja Rule is rubbish, but at least Danny Trejo is reliable enough. The story is poorly paced, too slow at the start and too frenetic at the end, and the dialogue not great. Some of the death scenes are OK, and special effects are reasonable (the amputated fingers moving in the blood looked great) and a number of the actual shots Butler makes as director are quite well done but the end result is a boring, poorly structured attempt at cashing in on the little ghost girl sub-genre. There are easily worse out there but there are also much better. Skip it. 2/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Deal (2005) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
At a time when the US is seized by the worst oil shortage in history Wall Street big shot Tom Hansen (Christian Slater) is asked to oversee a big oil merger. Tom jumps at the chance to kickstart his faltering career while at the same time embarking on a sexually-charged love affair with idealistic business school graduate Abbey Gallagher (Selma Blair).
Steadily Tom begins to uncover a global conspiracy of illegal oil trafficking governmental cover-ups and murder. Tom and Abbey's lives are in danger when they become embroiled in the web of conspiracy with the Russian Mafia.
With the clock ticking Tom has to put his career his reputation and his life in jeopardy to protect Abbey and expose the truth about the deal.

My Thoughts:
The Deal is quite an interesting thriller revolving around an oil deal that has Russian Mafia involvement when Tom (Christian Slater) find out the oil isn't really coming from the fields from which the deals state. With government cover-ups and murder also taking part in this story of oil trading cover-ups, the plot can sometimes be a little complex for it's own good with too many characters. Although there are too many characters, the cast that plays them are excellent. Slater gives a better than average performance in the lead and Selma Blair, Robert Loggia, Colm Feore, Angie Harmon, John Heard and Francoise Yip are among those who give great support. One of the best things about The Deal is it does well in making you unaware of who is working undercover for the Ethics Committee until the very end. It drags a little in the middle, and the story is nothing new but it's a solid thriller and they didn't cop out for the ending. High end of rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Gary the Tennis Coach (2009) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Gary the Tennis Coach is a fun, outrageous underdog comedy about a lovably misguided janitor, Gary Houseman (Seann William Scott, Role Models, American Pie). A former tennis champ who has sworn off "Lady Tennis" forever, Gary has no aspirations outside of his lacklustre janitorial position at a Lincoln, Nebraska high school.
Destined to a life of mediocrity, fate lends a hand when the school's revered tennis coach passes away and Gary is left with the near impossible task of guiding the current team – a motley group of charming misfits – to the state championships. Along the way, he teaches the students valuable skills and life's most important lesson – being true to yourself. Also starring Randy Quaid (Kingpin, Independence Day).

My Thoughts:
I wasn't expecting much from this but it is a fun little comedy. Full of the obvious jokes for the situations the characters get in, there are some fun characters like the principal's little daughter Amy (Ryan Simpkins) who gets some great dialogue not that disimilar to that of Bobbe'J Thompson's character in Role Models. This is far from Seann William Scott's or Randy Quaid's best movie but the story flows well, it's funny enough and it passes the time as a formulaic comedy. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Four Lions (2010) Region B - United Kingdom

Overview:
A handful of young men set out to take on the decadent West but are more of a threat to themselves than anyone else in this black comedy from the creator of Brass Eye, Chris Morris. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is a devout Muslim living in the United Kingdom who has decided to form a terrorist cell to bring forth a jihad against a culture he believes is dominated by the sinful and ignorant. However, Omar isn't much of leader, and he's assembled an unimpressive team of fellow terrorists, among them Waj (Kayvan Novak), who lacks the brainpower to come up with ideas or direction on his own; Faisal (Adeel Akhtar), who is shy and doesn't have much to say; and Barry (Nigel Lindsay), a recent convert to Islam who tries to make up for his lack of practical knowledge with fierce passion. As Omar and his comrades debate both doctrine and methods, they ponder such notions as using birds as explosive devices, creating video communiqués with a hip-hop flavor, and attacking mosques in an effort to provoke non-violent Muslims. But are Omar and his partners a legitimate threat to the safety of Great Britain, or just four half-bright twenty-somethings with more bluster than imagination?

My Thoughts:
This is my third viewing of Four Lions, my second this year, and it just shows that once again, Chris Morris is at the forefront of British comedy, pushing the boundaries of taboo to great success. This was always going to be a difficult movie to make a success considering the subject matter but the fine balance between offensiveness and comedy is found and the casting spot on, particularly Waj (Kayvan Novak - Phonejacker). The dialogue is witty and although I would've liked to have seen a little more character development to see why they want to become martyrs, the story is tight enough to forego any possible pacing and plot hole issues. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Hereafter (2010) Region B - United Kingdom

Overview:
A drama centered on three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. George (Damon) is a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might-or must-exist in the hereafter.

My Thoughts:
I'm a big fan of Eastwood but my god, this was not up to his usual high standard. Overlong, over-sentimental droll hum-drum which absolutely bored me to tears. Played completely safe throughout, the acting is admittedly fantastic and some of the shots beautiful but that wasn't enough to save it. Skip it. For the strength of the performances I give a 2/5.

[samuelrichardscott]

The Lion King (1994) Cinema (in 3D)

Overview:
A young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life".

My Thoughts:
I often see The Lion King bandied about as being a Disney classic, but it is not just a Disney classic... It's simply a 'classic'. It features the perfect amount of drama, comedy, action and adventure and the soundtrack is simply wonderful, with fitting tunes for each moment. The characters are a lot of fun, the story is excellently structured and paced and it's also quite nostalgic for me, especially viewing it in the cinema again after all these years (I was 11 the first time round), where it hasn't lost any of it's magic. The audience, mainly made up of kids, were mesmerised throughout (instead of kids shouting and bawling and generally being little terrors), and that speaks for itself.

The 3D Experience:
Unfortunately, the 3D wasn't all that good. A couple of standout moments but otherwise sticking to backgrounds. Expected more in certain scenes such as the stampede but I suppose when you add 3D post-production, it is always going to be difficult to pull-off. Trailers beforehand for Star Wars Trilogy 3D looked awful, but new films Tin Tin and Happy Feet 2 looked amazing in 3D trailers.

Overall:
Don't miss this film but don't be pulled in by the 3D as it doesn't work that well here.
3D - 2/5
Actual film - Highly recommended - 5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Cedar Rapids (2011) Region B - United Kingdom

Overview:
Ed Helms (The Hangover 1 and 2) and John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) lead an all-star cast including Sigourney Weaver, Isiah Whitlock Jnr. and Anne Heche, in the comedy that shows what can happen when insurance agents go wild. Shy and naïve Tim Lippe (Helms) ventures to the big city of “Cedar Rapids” for an insurance convention and crosses paths with the ultimate party animal (Reilly). Before long, Tim is crashing parties, skinny dipping in the hotel pool and being seduced by a sexy soccer mom. If Tim can survive this weekend, it might just change his life forever.

My Thoughts:
If you're expecting an all-out comedy along the lines of The Hangover, you're going to be disappointed because this was totally misadvertised. Instead, we get a comedy with a bit of heart and some endearing moments. Anne Heche and John C. Reilly are the real stars of this movie which does deliver laughs throughout and whilst the end result is quite formulaic and some of the situations are standard fare these days, the script is strong enough to make this better than your average comedy. Rob Cordry, a fave of mine, is also in this but completely underused in his small role though and I've found that Ed Helms, although not strong enough to carry a film on his own, once again works well with an ensemble cast. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Final Destination (2000) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
When Alex (Devon Sawa) starts having a premonition of Flight 180 crashing and tells everyone to get off the ill-fated aircraft. Several people including Alex, are forced to disembark, moments later in the departure lounge the students see the plane explode. You can't cheat death and the grim reaper picks off the survivors one by one, will anyone survive?

My Thoughts:
Probably one of my favourite Hollywood horror franchises, this is where it started. Great cast including Devon Sawa, Ali Larter and Brendan Fehr and a fantastic little cameo role for Candyman Tony Todd, the death scenes are inventive, generally originally and a lot of fun and it's these death scenes that keep me coming back to the franchise. The dialogue, although not great, is better than most horror and the ideology behind the order of death is an interesting one that works very well for this movie. Favourite death scene for me? Probably that of

(click to show/hide)

Valerie, the female teacher

. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Final Destination 2 (2003) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
When Kimberly has a violent premonition of a highway pileup she blocks the freeway, keeping a few others meant to die, safe...Or are they? The survivors mysteriously start dying and it's up to Kimberly to stop it before she's next.

My Thoughts:
The story isn't quite as good as the first but they do manage to tie it in quite nicely with Ali Larter returning and by each mentioning they were present at the deaths of / involved with people from the first in some way. Once again, it's the inventive death scenes I came to this one for and I wasn't disappointed. Of particular note was the death of

(click to show/hide)

drug taking Rory by way of razor wire fencing when you least expect it.

The ending was also quite good with a little bit of humour added to it thanks to the music. Of course, this isn't to everyone's taste so if you didn't like the first, you won't like this, but if you dug the first one, I have to recommend it. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Final Destination 3 (2006) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
When Wendy Christensen has a vision of an accident on the roller coaster, resulting in her and her friends' deaths, she instantly begins to panic, causing more of her friends to be left of the ride. The remaining friends, including Wendy's boyfriend, are stuck on the roller coaster and find themselves involved in the accident. With death waiting around the corner, Wendy and Kevin Fischer must try and work out death's plan, before they and the remaining survivors end up dead.

My Thoughts:
Well, after rewatching the first two, I just had to rewatch the third (I don't own the 4th so mini-marathon stops here) which in my opinion includes the goriest and more brutal death scenes of the series, but unfortunately not the best FD story. This time, death is chasing people who didn't get on a rollercoaster after a premonition from Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Wendy and the initial fairground scene does a good job of introducing us to the stereotypical characters and their traits quickly. Other than that, it plays out very much like the previous films so if you enjoyed them, this is worth picking up. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Dawn of the Dead (2004) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Ana, a young beautiful nurse finishes her day-shift at the hospital to return home to her beloved husband, they make love and sleep together. The next day, after her husband is killed by her neighbor next door, he suddenly comes back to life. She discovers the chaos happening in her neighborhood and escapes from her home. Soon after coming to her senses in the woods, she encounters a cop and other survivors, they decide to find safety in a mall. Soon more survivors come, and they learn that if they want to stay alive, they should stick together as the world is overrun by an army of undead. Can they survive the horror in this horrific global chaos? When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.

My Thoughts:
Before I start this one, let me say the original is one of my favourite movies of all time (scoring a 5/5) and I'm a bit of a fanboy of Romero. When this remake first came to the cinemas, I kind of avoided it, until everyone kept telling me how good it was. Well, after going to see it at the cinema, and ultimately buying the DVD, I have to agree with them, even after numerous viewings. Snyder makes his mark as a director and employs some absolutely fantastic lingering shots and manages to mix the terror, horror and odd bit of dark humour surprisingly well. Sarah Polley puts in a great performance as Ana and Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer and Lindy Booth also put in much stronger appearances than I would expect from them. Overall, this is a fantastic film IMO, and whilst not as good as the '78 version, it still holds it's own in an overcrowded genre that has a tough audience to please. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

[Jimmy]

Wow this is an ugly cover