Topic: Hal's 2010 Horror Marathon Reviews

[hal9g]

Thanks for the review Hal... I been considering that movie for a long time... but for some reason never bothered it pick it up.

Warning: no blood and gore!

[addicted2dvd]

That is quite alright... I don't need blood and gore in my movies... I love all types of horror!

[hal9g]

Title: Nochnoi dozor: Unrated
Year: 2004
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Rating: Unrated
Length: 114 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: DTS: 5.1, Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish, Commentary

Stars:
Konstantin Khabensky
Vladimir Menshov
Valery Zolotukhin
Maria Poroshina
Galina Tyunina

Plot:
The forces of Light and Darkness have co-existed in a delicate balance for hundreds of years...until now. Even as the Night Watch polices the Dark Others-among them vampires, witches and shape-shifters-a chain of mysterious events triggers a dreaded, age-old prophecy, shattering the balance and unleashing an apocalyptic war unlike any the world has ever known!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
Closed Captioned
D-Box

My Thoughts:

I found this movie to be very slow-paced at times.  Some of the action sequences were good, but much was left to the imagination, e.g., this Gloom concept.  It is clear that this movie was intended as a set-up for a sequel.  The ending was somewhat anti-climatic and left many unanswered questions.  It was just OK.

Rating:

[Najemikon]

I found this movie to be very slow-paced at times.  Some of the action sequences were good, but much was left to the imagination, e.g., this Gloom concept.  It is clear that this movie was intended as a set-up for a sequel.  The ending was somewhat anti-climatic and left many unanswered questions.  It was just OK.

Rating:

They did make the sequel, Hal... Day Watch. It was supposed to be a trilogy, but I lose track of why it didn't happen. I liked Night Watch and have Day Watch, but for some reason still haven't watched it. The director went onto Wanted...

[hal9g]

I found this movie to be very slow-paced at times.  Some of the action sequences were good, but much was left to the imagination, e.g., this Gloom concept.  It is clear that this movie was intended as a set-up for a sequel.  The ending was somewhat anti-climatic and left many unanswered questions.  It was just OK.

Rating:

They did make the sequel, Hal... Day Watch. It was supposed to be a trilogy, but I lose track of why it didn't happen. I liked Night Watch and have Day Watch, but for some reason still haven't watched it. The director went onto Wanted...

Yeah, actually, I watched Day Watch earlier in my marathon, because I didn't realize it was a sequel to Night Watch.  I was just saying that when I watched Night Watch, it became obvious by the end that they were planning a sequel (didn't know it was to be a trilogy) because there were so many issues left open-ended.  I'm now curious about where they would have gone with it in the third film, or did they just condense the 2nd and 3rd films into Day Watch?

[Najemikon]

I think so. Sort of. Don't know... 

[hal9g]

Title: Underworld: Unrated
Year: 2003
Director: Len Wiseman
Rating: Unrated
Length: 134 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: PCM: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Italian: PCM: 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Commentary

Stars:
Kate Beckinsale
Scott Speedman
Michael Sheen
Shane Brolly
Bill Nighy

Plot:
In the Underworld, Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. No one knows the origin of their bitter blood feud, but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly-turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day, action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless, Gothic metropolis.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Featurettes
Music Videos
Storyboard Comparisons
Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

This movie was pretty action-packed right from the start.  While I felt that Beckinsale's performance was good, the strongest character was Michael Sheen as Lucian.  Brolly's portrayal of Kraven left a whole lot to be desired.  I love the way this movie was filmed, giving it a true "Transylvania" feel, it almost felt like it was in black-in-white at times.  I also enjoyed the score.
Not the strongest of stories, but not bad either.

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Resident Evil
Year: 2002
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson [Paul W. S. Anderson]
Rating: R
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Italian: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Commentary

Stars:
Ryan McCluskey
Oscar Pearce
Indra Ové
Anna Bolt
Joseph May

Plot:
A team of paramilitary commandos must battle flesh-eating undead, killer mutant dogs, and a supercomputer's deadly defenses before an unleashed virus consumes humanity in this adaptation of the hit video game series!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Blu-Wizard 2.0

My Thoughts:

Well if you like non-stop action, ever-increasing levels of danger and a variety of "demons" to battle, this will be right up your alley.  Obviously, the zombies weren't "bad" enough, and even the mutated dobermans didn't provide a sufficient enough adversary, so they had to throw in the Licker (an early version of the virus gone bad).  And finally they had to mutate the Licker to make it even "scarier".
Jovovich does a credible job and their are several scenes that will get your stomach into knots.  Definitely no happy ending here!   

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Year: 2004
Director: Alexander Witt
Rating: R
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: PCM: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Portuguese, Spanish

Stars:
Milla Jovovich
Sienna Guillory
Oded Fehr
Thomas Kretschmann
Sophie Vavasseur

Plot:
After narrowly escaping the horrors of the underground Hive facility, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is quickly thrust back into a war raging above ground between the living and the Undead. It's a heart-pounding race against time as the group faces off against hordes of blood-thirsty zombies, stealthy Lickers, mutant canines and the most sinister foe yet.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Blu-Wizard

My Thoughts:

Not as good as the original.  I think what bothers me about this movie is that they've concentrated so much on the action that there's zero character development.  You don't get to know any of the characters well enough to develop any kind of connection.  The "bad" guy, other than Nemesis, keeps changing and there's little indication as to what their true motivation is.  The good guys get bitten and turn into bad guys, there really doesn't seem to be any way to overcome the forces that are behind the conspiracy, and in the end, when you think you've won, you actually haven't.  Obviously, they were setting up the sequel!  This barely gets a three rating for action and Nemesis.

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Resident Evil: Extinction
Year: 2007
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Rating: R
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, French: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Commentary

Stars:
Milla Jovovich
Oded Fehr
Ali Larter
Iain Glen
Ashanti

Plot:
Milla Jovovich is back in the third chapter of the hugely successful Resident Evil franchise! This action-packed horror film is filled with intense special effects and more zombie terror! Also stars Ali Larter, Ashanti, Mike Epps, and Oded Fehr.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Picture-in-picture
Blu-Wizard 2.0

My Thoughts:

I think they should have just quit after the first one.  Five years after nuking Racoon City, and yet the "bad" guys still have all the power and supplies they need to run their underground complexes; while on the surface, the virus has wiped out the rest of the world except a few odd survivors.  Cites are buried under sand.  Hundreds of clones have been created (full grown, no less), but what exactly is the purpose.  If they really want to cure the virus, why aren't they working together with Alice. How is it that Alice has wandered for 5 years when she is supposedly under the control of the "Alice program".
It's just all too disjointed.  Not to mention that they have to revert to Hitchcock to add something new to the horror.  Just did not work for me!  Maybe I'm just burned out on this storyline.   

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: American Psycho: Uncut Version
Year: 2000
Director: Mary Harron
Rating: Unrated
Length: 102 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Christian Bale
Justin Theroux
Josh Lucas
Bill Sage
Chloe Sevigny

Plot:
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a Wall Street yuppie, obsessed with success, status and style, with a stunning fiancée (Reese Witherspoon). He is also a psychotic killler who rapes, murders and dismembers both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or purpose. Based on the controversial novel, the film offers a sharp satire to the dark side of yuppie culture in the '80s, while setting forth a vision that is both terrifying and chilling.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is an interesting study of the Wall Street yuppie psyche.  Even though this is described as a satire, and it is hard to believe that anyone would believe that someone would obsess over raised lettering on a co-workers business card, the underlying kernel of truth is sadly there.  Patrick's sterile personality, monotonous speech patterns and plastic demeanor remind me a lot of a certain U.S. Vice President.  The repeated mis-identification of people's names (and the fact that everyone is a vice-president) is a chilling commentary on the clone-ish nature of the group of people who make up this homogeneous sect of ladder climbing, greedy corporate "officers" who have no feeling for any other human being besides envy.

An enjoyable psychological thriller.

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Hellraiser: Hellseeker
Year: 2001
Director: Rick Bota
Rating: R
Length: 89 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Dean Winters
Ashley J. Laurence [Ashley Laurence]
Doug Bradley
Rachel Hayward
Sarah Jane Redmond

Plot:
Pinhead is back in 'Hellraiser: Hellseeker' - the next chilling chapter in the electrifying 'Hellraiser' legacy originated by frightmaster Clive Barker!

When the puzzle box is once again solved, the devastating demon Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and his legion return to unleash Hell on Earth and demolish all who dare oppose them! But standing in his way is Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence – 'Hellraiser I, II, III') – the only person who had defeated Pinhead in the past – and it’s up to her to save the world from this ultimate evil! Also featuring Dean Winters ('Oz', 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit') – you don't want to miss any of the horror as Pinhead will stop at nothing to impose his will on eternity!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

In spite of the overview describing Pinhead as a devastating demon and "horror", I felt this was more of a psychological thriller and murder mystery.  There were multiple murders, but they weren't particularly "horror"-filled.  Even so, this was enjoyable enough and kept you guessing while all the time wanting to believe that Trevor was completely innocent.  A decent surprise ending explains it all!

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Blade: New Line Platinum Series
Year: 1998
Director: Stephen Norrington
Rating: R
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Wesley Snipes
Stephen Dorff
Kris Kristofferson
N'Bushe Wright
Donal Logue

Plot:
Wesley Snipes stars as the tortured soul Blade - half man, half immortal. Blade sharpens his lethal skills under the guidance of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), his mentor, guardian and fellow hunter of the night. When the bloodthirsty Immortals' lord, Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), declares war on the human race, Blade is humanity's last hope for survival.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned
Isolated Score with Commentary

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoyed this film.  Lots of action, a decent plot, great effects for the most part, good acting, a decent score and lots of atmosphere.  The blood bath at the beginning was pretty gross.  The serum that caused the vampires to "explode" reminded me a lot of the effects of exposure to Mars atmosphere in Total Recall.  Pretty cool.  Definitely a keeper.

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Blade II
Year: 2002
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Rating: R
Length: 117 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital EX: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), English: DTS ES: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Wesley Snipes
Kris Kristofferson
Ron Perlman
Leonor Varela
Norman Reedus

Plot:
When the world is threatened by a new and deadlier breed of super vampires, the legendary 'Blade' (Wesley Snipes) and his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) must join forces with the Bloodpack, an elite team of vampire warriors. In order to stop the carnage, the ravenous fiends must be destroyed at all costs. This high-voltage adventure is exploding with spectacular effects and martial arts action!

Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Every bit as good as the original, they've made it a lot harder to kill the Reepers.  It had gotten a little too easy to kill vampires, so this picked it up a notch.  It is a bit annoying how Blade goes from the brink of death, to full-charged super-hero in no time flat so many times.  I could also have done without the rap music!    Otherwise, one of the best sequels around.

Rating:

[hal9g]

Title: Blade: Trinity: New Line Platinum Series
Year: 2004
Director: David S. Goyer
Rating: Unrated
Length: 122 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital EX: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), English: DTS ES: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Wesley Snipes
Kris Kristofferson
Dominic Purcell
Jessica Biel
Ryan Reynolds

Plot:
Blade (Wesley Snipes) returns as the ultimate vampire hunter in the explosive third and final film, 'Blade: Trinity'. For years, Blade has fought against the vampires in the cover of the night. But now, after falling into the crosshairs of the FBI, he is forced out into the daylight, where he is driven to join forces with a clan of human vampire hunters he never knew existed – The Nightstalkers. Together with Abigail (Jessica Biel) and Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds), two deftly trained Nightstalkers, Blade follows a trail of blood to the ancient creature that is also hunting him, the original vampire, Dracula.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned
Both Theatrical (rated R) and Extended Versions (not rated)

My Thoughts:

This film was the weakest of the trilogy for me.  The movie dragged at several points and I did not care for the Hannibal King character..I just don't like wise asses, not to mention that while Blade and Abigail are killing off vampires left and right during the big, climactic fight scene, Hannibal has fights with just two and almost loses both.  Purcell does a good job with Drake, and I really liked his "primal form".  The whole lock up sequence at the police station and the escape were just a waste of valuable film time.
Fortunately, this seems to be the end of the story...hopefully!

Rating: