Two thirds of this was an OK mystery thriller - low budget - but suddenly it lurched into a different genre, which I will call "Pseudo religious mashup weird (But in a bad way)"
I wasn't going to post this, as I prefer to share good experiences, but eventually decided a warning was appropriate! A grudging 2 - mostly for the Imagine Dragons outro music! :)
Reviews
11 Reviews
The Dawnseeker
(2018)
IMDB - It's time to stop the "Shilling"
6 September 2018
When I watched this movie it was rated 6. Anyone who watches this apology for a movie will know what it is, amateurish in every aspect of movie making. There is no element that deserves praise. The story - such as it is - is a pastiche of other sci-fi movies. The script - did they really have one? - would get a failing grade in junior school. The directing seems to be mostly absent. Camerawork - I've never seen a movie containing so many blocked shots, out of focus shots and vertical pans that should have been removed in editing. Editing - there should have been some! Shots last for far too long. Acting - would have been nice, but...
OMG, just when you think it can't get any worse... it ...does!
I don't want to issue any "Spoilers" so I will keep my comments vague. But so far we have bad acting, 80's shooting sfx, half heard dialogue - with little or no purpose, a lot of space gun pointing, Terrible camera work. Bad sound design. Virtually no directing.oh, and poor spelling too!
Oh, and space people wearing motorcycle clothing.
Argh I can't go on. yet there are ratings that praise this drek!
Patient Zero
(I) (2018)
Wow! The hate!
3 September 2018
I really can not understand the hate for this movie. So many 1 star "Reviews." Having been a IMDB user since the early days, I am used to seeing all sorts of strange reviews, but never have I seen such misplaced hatred for a reasonably good movie. Understand me, this is not a "Great" movie, however, it is competent in every way, and there are many many worse movies!
This is more a psychological movie than an action movie. It could almost be a live theatre piece.
For what it is worth, I enjoyed it, possibly the worst thing was Mat Smith's "American" accent, but it's not worth the hate.
WEAPONiZED
(I) (2016)
How did this get made??
6 March 2016
You take good actors, good movie technicians, cameras, lights etc. and you make a movie scripted by your sister's brother in law's hairdresser's pool cleaner. (Sorry for the slur, pool cleaner's of the world, you don't deserve it) Then you direct it while playing video games on three screens and randomly yelling "Action!" "Cut!" and "Print!" (Do they still say "Print?" Whatever) You hire an editor whose last job was making sandwiches, big sandwiches, overstuffed with filling. You don't bother with a composer, you have a soundtrack CD from some other movie, which you randomly add in, at inappropriate volumes, in inappropriate scenes. I suspect that if the folks at the Youtube channel "What's wrong with..." Attempt to do their thing with this movie, they will give up at the 25th minute of the movie as they've already made an hour long video!
Scienceless Fiction
(2014 Video)
Ummmm, Or in the modern idiom, WTF?
31 May 2015
OK, I'll admit from the start I didn't watch this all the way through. I was sure I could find something better to do. I did, I forget what, but it was better than sitting through this ----- (Please Insert your own expletive here.) I usually think I can describe things with a modicum of accuracy, but this defies description. I'll try my best... No, I can't be any more bothered than the creators of this drivel were to create a script, sets, story, or reason for this "Movie." It does have some heavy metal music, some nudity, and Hitler. I can't make up my mind if it is advocating right wing thinking or "Trying" to subvert it using "Humour." Whichever it is intended to be, it comes over as a piece of stupid white supremacist propaganda. I lasted 25 minutes 35 seconds. I'll never get that time back. Don't make the same mistake!
Growth
(2010)
Surprisingly good - An antidote to many bad "Horror" movies
26 September 2013
I came across this gem when it was shown on the UK Horror channel - not a place that I usually find gems - but I noticed a few things (unmentionable here, lest I spoil this for you!) that made me use the tivo to go back to the beginning and watch it in full. I was not disappointed, nor did I know what was going to happen next, the usual experience with so many formulaic movies of the genre. Suffice to say this movie eschews many of the hackneyed "Conventions" that all to often mark out the "Wannabe" horror movies that infect the horror scene. Is it a perfect movie? Probably not, but certainly not because of any of the creative arts employed. Perhaps the biggest problem I had with the movie was the opening titles, which, though telling a story, were flash edited just a little too quickly for my taste and, had I started watching the movie from the beginning, might have put me off it somewhat. Could the SFX have been better? Yes, but only if the money was available. As it is they are of an acceptable standard - think "Better than Sy-fy channel movies." I don't understand the poor IMDb rating (4 stars as I write this) It certainly deserves more than this, with great acting, good actors, a writer who is not just doling out the usual gruel and a director (The same person) who delivers his script thoughtfully and without falling into the many traps that beset many productions. I will definitely be on the look out for Gabriel Cowan's future work. To the prospective viewer I say, stick with it, you'll be glad you did.
Scavengers
(2013)
Ignore the bad reviews! This is so much worse than 1 star can suggest!
27 August 2013
Make a note everybody, a 1* review on IMDb = "Awful." For this movie a new level of stars is required, I suggest - 1 minus star for every bad thing about the movie...
-* Script -Unintelligible, yet trying so hard to be profound, at least that is my guess at what this mess is trying to be.
-* Acting - Hard to tell if there was any really except for the "Star" who was giving a tour de force display of "Overacting, and how to look really really stupid, while sounding really really intoxicated."
-* Directing - Well, I suppose someone was telling them what to do, but it's very hard to be sure on the evidence presented.
-* Visual effects - Yes there were some, but none worthy of positive mention
-* Sound effects - Someone mentioned already "Machine guns in space!" But let me also mention hearing far off explosions in a vacuum!
-* Physics - I suppose with all the other drivel, I shouldn't expect much, but spaceships exhibiting ballistic motion? Yes, a lot of other "Sci-fi" movies don't get it right either, but that's no excuse!
I'm sure the was more to moan about, but frankly I could only stomach 29.03 minutes of this junk. Also minus 6 stars is enough to get the message across.
PS. Any positive reviews must be by those who were involved in this monster of a movie, or possibly those on strong medication... Hmm probably both!
-* Script -Unintelligible, yet trying so hard to be profound, at least that is my guess at what this mess is trying to be.
-* Acting - Hard to tell if there was any really except for the "Star" who was giving a tour de force display of "Overacting, and how to look really really stupid, while sounding really really intoxicated."
-* Directing - Well, I suppose someone was telling them what to do, but it's very hard to be sure on the evidence presented.
-* Visual effects - Yes there were some, but none worthy of positive mention
-* Sound effects - Someone mentioned already "Machine guns in space!" But let me also mention hearing far off explosions in a vacuum!
-* Physics - I suppose with all the other drivel, I shouldn't expect much, but spaceships exhibiting ballistic motion? Yes, a lot of other "Sci-fi" movies don't get it right either, but that's no excuse!
I'm sure the was more to moan about, but frankly I could only stomach 29.03 minutes of this junk. Also minus 6 stars is enough to get the message across.
PS. Any positive reviews must be by those who were involved in this monster of a movie, or possibly those on strong medication... Hmm probably both!
The Perfect Host
(2010)
Simply brilliant!
14 September 2011
This is possibly the best movie I've seen all year - and I've seen a lot! You'll find no spoilers, nor even clues to what this little movie with big surprises is about in this review. In fact try not to know anything about this wonderful crime/thriller/mystery before seeing it and just sit back and enjoy the ride! David Hyde White is himself (as usual) but this time he brings much more to the party. Clayne Crawford was unknown to me but puts in a terrific performance. In fact every actor is at peak performance levels in this very intriguing and entertaining movie. Editing is excellent, writer/director Nick Tomnay must be congratulated on a stunning piece of work, both as director and for a masterful piece of writing. Fantastic in every way and best enjoyed with a clean palette. "Do you drink red or white wine?"
They Nest
(2000 TV Movie)
Surprisingly good fun!
14 January 2008
I tuned into this on the UK's Zone Horror channel which usually has some interesting low budget movies at best and some real stinkers at worst. Not expecting too much, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film. The quality of the writing, acting and directing is very good and the sfx are not bad either, certainly good enough to carry the plot - oh yes, this movie actually has a plot! :o) Though I didn't know while I was watching the movie it is directed by the director of eight legged freaks, and it shows in a nice balance of horror, humour, and story with several original moments that I won't spoil by mentioning here. All in all, definitely a movie to see if you enjoyed eight legged freaks, but probably one to avoid if you don't like bugs!
Obratnyy otschet
(2006)
A good Action Movie with some nice surprises.
13 December 2007
I accidentally saw this on the Movies 4 Men satellite channel and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. An unashamed action movie, it has all the classical elements of a Hollywood blockbuster, and borrows the "loose cannon" hero motif but with added Russian "Quirkiness." It features many elements of modern TV drama productions such as CSI and 24 but also a has few new tricks up its directors sleeve. Without a doubt, it has the best movie bomb scene in-joke I've ever seen! Altogether a very entertaining surprise, what with this and "Night Watch," Russian movies are getting better all the time. If you enjoy this you may wish to check out the very different but also very good, "The Last Armoured Train," another Russian movie also being shown on the Movies 4 Men channel.
The Medusa Touch
(1978)
An underrated Science Fiction Jewel!
5 March 2003
Although I've known of this film since its release, I've seen it tonight, after 25 years! It was worth the wait - an excelently acted science fiction piece, presented as a police drama. Certainly it marked by its date - the clothes, the cars, the rounded television sets :o) - but this now adds a certain charm that I'm sure the director never intended. Special effects are not the flashy "Sci-fi" type but are all the more impressive for this, adding verisimilitude to a gritty and involving tale. If you enjoy "hard" science fiction, try and see it!
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