Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[DSig]

Hmm interesting. I just watched this yesterday.  I think it better than you but that is cool.

There does seem to be several recently I have seen with Bruce Willis that has more of him on the poster than it does in the film. 

[Achim]

My Thoughts:
It's not often you get what is essentially a low-key horror movie that has such powerful characters, but Let the Right One In is one of those movies. The children who play the parts of Oskar and Eli are absolutely remarkable and really take the wind out of you throughout with some very powerful scenes. In amongst it is some very slight dark humour which doesn't overpower the other aspects of the movie, and adds to the very dark and gloomy atmosphere well. Director Tomas Alfredson has avoided the fast cut editing we see in the vast majority of current horror movies and instead gone for a lot of distant lingering shots which add to the tension. Even after a fourth viewing, I give this the highest recommendation. 5/5

I have to say it once more, my favorite scene is the one where they show what happens when a vampire enters a house without being invited.

[DSig]

I think what is really amazing about "Let the Right One In" is that it really captured the essence of the book.  So seldom does that happen that it was a real thrill for me.  I worried when I first heard they were making the film but it was stunning.

[samuelrichardscott]

Seconds Apart (2011)

Overview:
When a group of high school jocks play a game of Russian roulette that leaves them all dead, Detective Lampkin (Orlando Jones) suspects that teen twin outcasts Seth and Jonah (Gary and Edmund Entin) had a hand in this strange 'mass suicide'. But as Lampkin gets closer to the truth, Seth and Jonah's close bond becomes fatally severed by Jonah's growing affection for new girl Eve (Samantha Droke), and all hell breaks loose as the twins start to lose their grip on their formidable powers.

My Thoughts:
Seconds Apart is a little different from the rest of the titles I've seen so far in the After Dark Horror range. It revolves around a pair of twins, one bad, the other even badder, as they use their telepathic abilities to kill their classmates and others. Orlando Bloom plays the detective on the trail, struggling to get his superiors to trust him so takes a slightly different approach. The twins are played really well by Edmund and Gary Entin, their expressions good throughout and they are freaky at the relevant times. The story itself is good and the first half an hour build-up added a lot of tension and atmosphere, but it's let down by the ending. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Get Carter (1971)

Overview:
Acclaimed 1970s British thriller starring Michael Caine as a hardened gangster returning to his hometown in search of the truth behind his brother's death. Though originally from Newcastle, Jack Carter (Caine) has made his name in London as a tough enforcer for the crime boss, Gerald Fletcher (Terence Rigby). On hearing of his brother's death, Carter returns to Newcastle for his funeral and to investigate his suspicion that his sibling may have been murdered. After visiting local gangster Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne), Carter is threatened and advised to head back to London. Jack refuses and descends further and further into the city's underworld as his investigations begin to pay off. His search is merciless, unrelenting and fraught with danger and it becomes clear that he will stop at nothing to exact his own brand of justice.

My Thoughts:
A few people I know find Get Carter to be horrendously overrated, stating it as 'incredibly boring'. Whilst I can forgive the fact that the opening is a little slow, it was important for the character development in what is one of the best British revenge thrillers I can think of. Michael Caine continued picking excellent roles with this, and here he is supported by the brilliant Terence Rigby, John Osborne and Britt Ekland. If you're expecting non-stop action, you won't find it here as Get Carter is highly driven by the characters and as a directorial debut for Mike Hodges, he did well with the $750000 budget. I'll grant the naysayers one thing though, it hasn't dated as well as other movies from the early seventies. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Screamers (1995)

Overview:
In the year 2078, Commander Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) uses newly created killing machines known as 'Screamers' to defend planet Sirius 6B from the hostile New Economic Bloc. But when the Screamers replicate themselves and turn on the humans whom they can now clone, the only way to tell them apart from everybody else is through their scream. Hendricksson must destroy the killers before he can negotiate peace with the enemy.

My Thoughts:
I always found that this fun little sci-fi horror is kind of forgotten among movie fans, when it really shouldn't be. A fun b-movie that is sort of a cross between Tremors and Starship Troopers, Screamers does suffer a little from the average special effects, but the movie is fast-paced and interesting enough that it kind of becomes a little bit of the charm. The cast all put in reasonable showings, especially Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin and I have no problem recommending this to people who just want a bit of mindless entertainment. It should be noted that although there are better Phillip K. Dick adaptations around, there are also some that are far worse. Recommended. 3.5/5

[DSig]

I fully agree .. you and I must be the other two people who like "Screamers" 

I think it is the Peter Weller curse .. similar to the Summer Glau curse.

I like a lot of the stuff he has been in though most of the time it is low budget 'b' type films.

[samuelrichardscott]

I didn't realise there was a sequel made in 2009. I ordered it from Amazon yesterday!

[DSig]

I had no idea either.  Just went to amazon and ordered a cheap used copy.  Thanks for the heads up

[Achim]

I also enjoy Screamers It gets marked down a bit for making some of the twists too obvious. But I still like watching the ending despite knowing the film.

I have interest in the sequel; maybe good reviews from you guys could change that...?

[samuelrichardscott]

He Was a Quiet Man (2007)

Overview:
Disgruntled office worker Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is having another bad day at work. Trapped in his dull cubicle, mostly ignored by his co-workers and bullied by his superiors, Bob daydreams of blowing his office skyscraper sky-high, before ending his own miserable existence. But on this particular day, Bob is transformed from potential killer into accidental hero when another stressed employee beats him to it and opens fire. Unfortunately, going from zero to hero in the blink of an eye has its downside and soon Bob finds himself closer to the edge than ever before.

My Thoughts:
Well that was not at all what I was expecting. Both Christian Slater and Elisha Cuthbert haven't selected the best of roles of late, but in this movie, both excel. Slater plays someone who is a loner with extreme mental issues which unravel quickly, yet never feel overdone, whilst Cuthbert is a colleague he saves from being shot and he forms an unlikely relationship with her whilst she is paralysed. There are some really surreal moments (the talking fish!), that perhaps don't fit quite so well as director Frank A. Cappello had hoped, but overall He Was a Quiet Man is intriguing and interesting to watch with an ending that is pulled off well. I recommend it. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Last Sentinel (2007)

Overview:
Sci-fi action starring Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Katee Sackhoff. The robotic Drone Police were the perfect soldiers to protect civilisation - until, that is, they became the perfect enemy. With little hope left for humankind, electronically enhanced soldier Tallis (Wilson) rescues a rebel beauty (Sackhoff) from a failed resistance mission. Now, vigorously trained by her android mentor to think with the precision of a computer and fight with the ferocity of a machine, this brave future gladiator will become the last line of defence in the final battle to save the human race.

My Thoughts:
The Last Sentinel is a made for television movie with a reasonable budget of $3.2million. It's an unoriginal premise where machines are rising against mankind in the future but it does have a few interesting ideas in that the drones were the police force - because of their non-emotional attachment to the lawbreakers. Action scenes are standard for movies of this ilk and the special effects are passable. Don Wilson is still surprisingly fit and agile for his age (52 when this was made) and Katee Sackhoff a good choice for the lead although her character development was a bit messy (the writers obviously couldn't decide if she should be tough or a wimp). This is worth a low-end rental, but only for people with low expectations who are fans of the cast. A generous 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The 70s (2000)

Overview:
A look at the turbulent decade through the eyes of a group of friends, as they struggle with life and love through ten years marred by the National Guard shooting students at Kent State University, the Watergate Scandal, the end of the Vietnam War, Black Power, and Reagan's election.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- The soundtrack is great and full of great songs from the decade.
- A good cast including Brad Rowe, Vinessa Shaw and Amy Smart.
- They do manage to fit quite a lot into a short time.
Cons:
- Could've done with being even longer in order to be more in-depth.
- There is a lot of obvious creativeness added to some moments in history.
Overall:
Standard TV movie with a great soundtrack. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

I have interest in the sequel; maybe good reviews from you guys could change that...?

Just an FYI, I paid £1.42 including postage for this and it's now even cheaper from the same seller Market Garys DVDs here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00264GL5G/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

It actually comes with a second disc containing the first movie as I just found out.

[samuelrichardscott]

Screamers: The Hunting (2009)

Overview:
Sci-fi thriller sequel. 13 years after the robotic killing machines known as the Screamers destroyed the human population of Sirius 6B, a distress signal brings a squad of rescuers to the supposedly abandoned planet. Can it be a long-lost colony of human survivors? Or have the Screamers evolved into something more sinister: half-man, half-machine hybrids that must escape Sirius 6B to finish their mission, the complete annihilation of the human race...

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- The story follows on from the first movie reasonably well, albeit in an obvious manner.
- There are some surprisingly good effects mixed in here, especially the fist through the head.
Cons:
- Cast are a mixed bag, but generally mediocre at best.
- The ending sucks, aiming to leave the opton to a sequel open than satisfaction.
Overall:
Enjoyable enough sequel which is nothing great and probably suitable only for those who enjoyed the first. 2.5/5