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paul_haakonsen
I am a big fan of Asian cinema in particular, and I am quite fond of especially South Korean and Hong Kong movies.
My favorite genre is, and always have been, horror, with a preference to anything with zombies in it.
I believe that every movie should be given the chance of being seen - a belief that has lead me to watch many a questionable movies.
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Desert Shadows (2022)
Bland horror...
Right, well the synopsis for this movie definitely sounded interesting enough. And with it being a horror movie that I had not heard about, prior to sitting down to watch it, and given my love of all things horror, of course I had to check out what writer and director Tyler Bourns had to offer.
Sure, I made it through the 94 minutes that the movie ran for, but I was far from entertained. The storyline in the movie is bland and there aren't any thrills or excitement to the narrative, and that made it quite a drag to sit through. But I was hoping that the narrative would pick up in pacing and contents, but it just never happened.
The acting performances in the movie were fair, despite the fact that the actors and actresses had precious little material to work with. I was only familiar with Mitch Pileggi and Emily Sweet on the cast list.
Visually, then I will say that the movie was actually fair. The effects were adequate, though nothing impressive or jaw-dropping.
"Desert Shadows" was a rather bland horror experience, and it is not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this ordeal, so you don't have to; you're quite welcome.
I can honestly say that I am never returning to watch "Desert Shadows" a second time, as it was hardly capable of sustaining itself the first time around.
My rating of writer and director Tyler Bourns's 2022 horror movie "Desert Shadows" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Deer Camp '86 (2022)
Good old fashioned horror movie...
Well now, this 2022 horror movie titled "Deer Camp '86" turned out to be an enjoyable movie. Sure, I had never heard about the movie prior to sitting down and watching it, but with it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance. I am, after all, a huge fan of the horror genre.
Writers Bo Hansen and Riley Taurus put together an enjoyable script and storyline, which felt like it was a combination of 1980s slasher horror mixed in with some creature feature elements, and sprinkled with a supernatural topping. I will flat out say that I was enjoying this, because it was like watching the horror movies that I grew up watching back in 1980s. So there was some sense of nostalgia to this movie for me.
I was actually not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, but they had a good ensemble of talents for the movie. And the acting performances in the movie were good. I also found the character gallery in the movie to be well-written one, and that definitely added something good to the overall impression of the movie.
Visually then "Deer Camp '86" was good. There was a sufficient amount of blood, gore and mutilation in the movie to keep an old gorehound such as myself happy.
If you enjoy horror movies, then I would definitely recommend you checking out director L. Van Dyke Siboutszen's 2022 movie "Deer Camp '86". I was genuinely and wholly entertained throughout the course of the 85 minutes that the movie ran for.
My rating of "Deer Camp '86" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.
Out of My Mind (2024)
Quite simply beautiful...
I happened to stumble upon the 2024 drama "Out of My Mind" by random chance here in 2024, and with it being a movie that I had never seen, nor actually heard about, of course I opted to watch it. I have to admit, though, that I was a bit reluctant as it was a Disney movie, so I figured it would probably be just be another run-of-the-mill Disney production for a young adult audience.
But color me impressed. While I haven't read the novel that the movie is based upon, I still will say that writers Daniel Stiepleman and Sharon M. Draper put together a phenomenal script and storyline here. Of course I don't know how true the movie is to the novel, as I haven't read it, but I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of the 102 minutes that "Out of My Mind" ran for. It is a movie that takes the audience along on a very emotional and beautiful narrative, and you really get immerse yourself into the movie, which made it all the more of an enjoyable viewing experience.
The storyline in the movie is one that has multiple levels to it, as it is not just a movie about the life of Melody, but also of the difficulties of living with a disability, being prejudiced against, of personal growth, and more. And that is what makes "Out of My Mind" such a unique movie, as it has something for just about everyone in the audience. If you are not moved by the contents of this movie's narrative, well, I just don't what to say. This is without a doubt a movie that sinks right in and stays with you for a long, long time, which is a testament to the abilities of the writers.
I sincerely hope that leading actress Phoebe-Rae Taylor gets some award acknowledgement for her performance in this movie, because she was simply amazing and phenomenal. She carried the movie with so much grace and talent that she took the character of Melody Brooks and brought her right into the heart of the audience. Thumbs way, way up for her performance in this movie. In fact, I will say that all the acting performances in the movie were good. And the movie also have some familiar faces on the cast list as well, such as Judith Light, Luke Kirby and Rosemarie DeWitt, and of course the voice of Jennifer Aniston.
"Out of My Mind", from director Amber Sealey, was quite an amazing movie, not to mention an incredibly beautiful one. This was without a doubt on the finest moments in Disney movie history. Amber Sealey delivered a movie that you should take the time to sit down and watch.
Hands down, for me personally, this was the best movie of 2024.
And you might want to have a napkin or two within arms reach. Just a heads up for those sensitive audience members out there.
My rating of "Out of My Mind" lands on a well-deserved ten out of ten stars.
Carved (2024)
Good old-fashioned horror comedy movie...
Given my life-long love of the horror genre, of course I would sit down and watch "Carved", as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. I had not heard about the movie prior to watching it, so I didn't know what I was getting into here. Not that it really mattered, because with it being a horror movie, then I needed no persuasion.
Writers Justin Harding and Cheryl Meyer put together a good old-fashioned creature feature here, something in the spirit of the mid- and late-1980s and early 1990s horror movies. And it was working, because the storyline was good and entertaining. And despite this being a movie with a killer pumpkin, it was very entertaining and enjoyable. I was genuinely surprised, not to mentioned entertained, throughout the course of the movie. So thumbs up to the writer for that accomplishment.
"Carved" is a horror comedy, and the writers managed to incorporate some light, dark humor into the movie, without it becoming too much. And that was definitely something I enjoyed about the narrative.
The acting performances in the movie were good. I was unfamiliar with the majority of the cast ensemble in the movie, but that is actually something I do enjoy when I sit down and watch a movie. The only familiar faces on the screen for me were DJ Qualls, Ted Ferguson and Chris Elliott.
"Carved" has really good effects. The CGI team brought the monstrous pumpkin to life on the screen in a believable manner and it looked realistic, well as realistic as a tentacled killer pumpkin can be. And a creature feature such as this needs proper special effects to pack a punch and come off as being believable, and they definitely managed to do that.
If you enjoy a traditional horror comedy movie, or creature feature, then you should take 95 minutes out of your schedule and check out "Carved". I was fully and wholly entertained by this movie, and I warmly recommend it to horror fans.
My rating of director Justin Harding's 2024 horror movie "Carved" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Black Cab (2024)
Watchable, but sort of lost momentum halfway through...
When I sat down to watch the 2024 movie "Black Cab", I had never heard about it. But it being a horror and/or thriller movie that i hadn't already seen, much less ever heard about, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. I am a huge fan of all things horror, after all.
Writer Virginia Gilbert put together a fair enough script. However, I must admit that somewhere past the mid-point of the narrative, I was starting to zone out, because there just wasn't much of any thrilling pacing to the narrative. It felt like a rather monotonous droning. Sure, I made it through the movie, but what started out pretty fair sort of turned to a monotonous mush.
The acting performances in the movie were good. I was only familiar with Nick Frost and Synnøve Karlsen.
"Black Cab" had adequate special effects, though it was not a movie that made use of an abundance of special effects though.
If you enjoy supernatural thrillers, then you might want to check out "Black Cab", as you might just find it to be enjoyable.
My rating of director Bruce Goodison's 2024 movie "Black Cab" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Bad Hair Day (2015)
Surprisingly good...
Right, well I have to be honest and say that I harbored zero expectations to the 2015 movie "Bad Hair Day" when I sat down to watch it. Sure, I had never heard about it, but it being a family comedy movie from Disney didn't really get my hopes up. Yet, I opted to watch the movie, as I had never heard about it, and thus gave it a fair chance.
And color me impressed and entertained. Writers Matt Eddy, Billy Eddy, Eric M. Gardner and Steven H. Wilson actually put together a script and storyline that catered to both a young adult and adult audience at the same time. I was genuinely surprised with the contents of the script, and how entertaining and enjoyable it actually was.
I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but I will say that leading actresses Laura Marano and Leigh-Allyn Baker carried the movie quite well. I was especially impressed with Leigh-Allyn Baker's performance as the character Liz, because she made me laugh a lot throughout the course of the movie.
"Bad Hair Day" turned out to be an enjoyable and watchable movie, and not the childish rubbish that I was expecting from Disney. And I will say that the movie is actually well-worth checking out. I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of the 87 minutes that the movie ran for.
My rating of director Erik Canuel's 2015 movie "Bad Hair Day" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Destination: Infestation (2007)
Ants on a plane...
When I sat down to watch this 2007 movie the cover had the title "Ants on a Plane", despite the fact that the movie is titled "Destination: Infestation". But of course, the former title is more easy to make a buck off of, given its similarity to the 2006 movie "Snakes on a Plane" that had Samuel L. Jackson in the leading role.
I have to say that I wasn't exactly harboring great expectations to the movie, as these "...on a Plane" movies usually tend to be questionable affairs. However, writer Mary Weinstein actually managed to surprise me here, as she churned out a pretty fair script for director George Mendeluk to bring to the screen. Sure, it was a pretty straightforward and sort of predictable script, but it was actually entertaining and enjoyable. So thumbs up to the writer for that accomplishment.
As for the cast ensemble in "Destination: Infestation", then I will say that they had managed to get a good ensemble of talents. The acting performances in the movie were good. There were a few familiar faces on the screen, with the likes of Jessalyn Gilsig, Antonio Sabato Jr. And Ryan McDonell.
Visually, then the movie was actually fair, despite some of the scenes with CGI animated ants was a bit bland. But in overall, I will say that I think the effects were good for a movie of this sort.
I am pretty sure that ants don't make that chittering sound that they did in the movie. But of course, I get it, it is because of entertainment value; having the ants make some sound makes for a more scary and memorable viewing, as to having them silent but realistic.
Watchable for the cheesy movie that is actually is. Of course you know this is not going to be 89 minutes of award-winning Shakespearian cinema when you sit down to watch "Destination: Infestation". But I was actually adequately entertained throughout the course of the movie. But it is not a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing.
My rating of director George Mendeluk's 2007 movie "Destination: Infestation" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Cad Bane (2022)
Nicely made fan-film...
Another fan-made "Star Wars" short film that I had no idea existed before watching other fan-made "Star Wars" films on YouTube. The YouTube algorhitm suggested the 2022 fan-made film "Cad Bane", based on my previous two viewings, and of course I opted to check it out. Given my life-long love of the "Star Wars" franchise, and yes even the franchise as it is today, then I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch "Cad Bane".
Writer and director Kip Farrar, whom also starred in the film, put together a nice storyline for the film. Given it running at a mere 18 minutes, I will say that Kip Farrar managed to churn out a wholesome storyline, which actually felt well-rounded once it came to an end.
Of course I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in this film, as it was a short fan-made film. But I will say that the acting performances were good.
The costumes, props and effects were quite nice for a fan-made film, and they definitely made it look, feel and sound like a proper "Star Wars" installment.
If you enjoy the "Star Wars" franchise, then "Cad Bane" is a fan-made film that certainly is well-worth checking out.
My rating of writer and director Kip Farrar's 2022 fan-made short film "Cad Bane" lands on a six out of ten stars.
After Endor (2023)
After Endor
I had just sat through the fan-made "Wingman: An X-Wing Story" film on YouTube and then went on to watch another fan-made "Star Wars" film. This time it was "After Endor", which I had never heard about either, before YouTube suggested it, as I had just watched another similar fan-made film.
And of course I had to check out "After Endor", from directors Nye Green and Jaxin Hall, as I am a huge fan of "Star Wars" and have been my entire life, and yes that also includes the current state of the franchise as it is today.
Writers Nye Green, Jaxin Hall and Aleksandr Staprans put together an enjoyable and entertaining script for this short film. And it was especially interesting to me, as the Scout Trooper has always been my personal favorite since childhood, and I also have a replica costume of it. It was a well-written storyline, that followed up on one of the characters in "Return of the Jedi". Personally I do like that approach that the writers took to the story, as it was a nice tie-in to the original trilogy. Plus, it was a nice way that they tied the former Rebel with the Imperial in the storyline.
With this being a fan-made film, of course I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble. It was a rather small cast ensemble, but the two actors and two actresses definitely performed quite well, bringing both the characters and storyline to life on the screen in a good way.
Visually, "After Endor" was good. The costumes, props and effects were good, though the Ewok's foot you saw was rather cringeworthy, as it looked like a plush suit that someone would wear indoors on a cold winter's day. But aside from that, the effects, costumes and props were good.
If you enjoy "Star Wars" and in particular "Return of the Jedi", you should sit down to watch "After Endor". It is quite worth the 30 minutes it ran for.
Something I didn't understand, though, was why they opted to have the title shown as "After Endør", the planet's name is Endor, not Endør. There is no slash through the O.
My rating of "After Endor" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
Wingman: An X-Wing Story (2023)
This was nothing short of phenomenal...
I stumbled upon this 2023 fan-made "Star Wars" movie titled "Wingman: An X-Wing Story" by random chance on YouTube. And given my life-long love of the "Star Wars" franchise, and yes even as the franchise is today, of course I had to check it out.
And color me impressed. No, strike that. I am more than impressed. Writers Martin Bührer and Michael Koepff managed to take something as simple as a space dogfight skirmish and turn it into something that was actually more impressive than the entire sequel trilogy. It was a storyline, despite its simplicity, that sank its hooks into me and took me along on a very fast-paced and adrenaline-filled skirmish between pilots of The Alliance and pilots of The Empire.
Of course I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in this fan-made movie, but they definitely had skills. The acting performances were good, despite the fact that it was essentially just pilots sitting in cockpits during a space dogfight and doing some dialogue whilst maneuvering through a hectic combat.
Visually, well I am beyond words. This not only looked and felt like a proper "Star Wars" movie, but the effects and CGI were phenomenally good, actually rivaling that what you see in the official Disney "Star Wars" movies and series. And it just made watching "Wingman: An X-Wing Story" all the more enjoyable. The ships were very nicely rendered, as was the asteroid field wherein most of the fighting took place. And the costumes were spot on. And I have to praise the way that the movie was shot and edited; it was very fast-paced, thrilling and I absolutely loved the way the camera-work was being done, as it made it feel like a very dynamic and dangerous space dogfight.
I am so pleased that I opted to sit down and watch "Wingman: An X-Wing Story", because it completely blew me away.
If you enjoy "Star Wars", then you definitely should sit down and spend 50 minutes on watching director Michael Koepff's 2023 "Wingman: An X-Wing Story". Despite it being a fan-made film, it most certainly is a well-worthy addition to the "Star Wars" universe and franchise. It had fully and wholly captured the essence of the original "Star Wars: A New Hope" feel during the "Battle of Yavin" scene.
My rating of "Wingman: An X-Wing Story" lands on a well-deserved nine out of ten stars.
Glowzies (2023)
Watchable...
I was fortunate to stumble upon the 2023 movie "Glowzies" by random luck here in 2024. And I needed absolutely no persuasion to sit down and watch it, as this was apparently some sort of zombie movie that I had never heard about, much less seen before. And since I am a sucker for all things zombie, of course I would check out what director Hank Braxtan had to offer.
Writers Hank Braxtan, Steve Hillard, Guy J. Jackson and Dennis Nowlan put together an interesting enough take on the zombie genre. It definitely was a one of a kind take on the zombie genre, I will say that much. But that doesn't necessarily mean it was a great movie. Sure, "Glowzies" was watchable and entertaining enough for what it was, but it was hardly a movie that left a lasting impression, much less a movie I will ever return to watch a second time.
The acting performances in the movie were good, and had some familiar faces on the screen, with the likes of James Remar and Michael Dorn.
"Glowzies" actually had surprisingly good special effects. Sure, it wasn't impressive effects that will leave you slack-jawed, but for a movie such as it was, the effects definitely were good.
If you enjoy zombie movies, give "Glowzies" a chance. It actually is different enough from the mainstream zombie genre to make it worth checking out.
My rating of director Hank Braxtan's 2023 movie "Glowzies" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Spiders on a Plane (2024)
Laughably poor CGI animated spiders...
Right, well while I had never actually heard about the 2024 movie "Spiders on a Plane" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance, of course I opted to watch the movie. Why? Well, I've always found monstrous spider movies to be interesting, And let's just face it, if "Spiders on a Plane" was anywhere near as interesting as the 2006 movie "Snakes on a Plane", then it would be worth sitting down to watch.
The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward, to the point where it was basically non-existing. Writer Ben Daly put together a script and storyline so simplistic that it was bordering on the fact that there was actually no storyline. But then again, you don't sit down to watch a movie titled "Spiders on a Plane" in the hopes of stumbling upon the next great Shakespearian masterpiece. Watchable, sure, but you're not in for anything extraordinary or grand here.
There are a lot of things in the narrative that made little or no sense. But then again, you wouldn't really expect a movie such as "Spiders on a Plane" to be a perfect cinematic experience.
Truth be told, I actually dozed off three or four times during the 65 minutes that the movie ran. And even while drifting off for a short while and returning to the movie, I didn't miss anything. So yeah, it was not really a grand script that carried the movie.
While the movie certainly wasn't crammed with A-listers in terms of actors and actresses, there were still a couple of familiar faces on the screen. I've seen enough questionable low budget movies to actually be familiar with Danielle Scott and Jase Rivers. Despite the fact that the movie was mostly unfamiliar talents, I will say that the acting performances were actually fair, taking into consideration that there was practically no script for them to work with,.
With "Spiders on a Plane" being a creature feature with spiders, of course the movie-makers would resort of CGI for bringing the spiders to life on the screen. And with it being a monstrous spider movie, having proper CGI that looks good, realistic and brings the CGI animated spiders to life in a way that the audience would actually buy into the premise, would be a crucial thing for the movie. Did it have that? No! Not even remotely. I have to say that "Spiders on a Plane" had some of the worst CGI animated spider's I've seen in movies, and I've seen more than my fair share of questionable monstrous spider movies.
I would not suggest you to rush out and waste 65 minutes on watching director Ben J. Williams's 2024 movie. Some of us sat through this sluggish movie, so you don't have to; you're quite welcome.
My rating of "Spiders on a Plane" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Doc Hollywood (1991)
An enjoyable movie...
While I have indeed watched the 1991 movie "Doc Hollywood" once before, I have to admit, though, that I had entirely forgotten about the storyline in the movie. I only remembered it by its title and the fact that it was a Michael J. Fox movie.
Writers Laurian Leggett, Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman and Daniel Pyne put together a nice and entertaining storyline. Sure, I've never read the novel from Neil B. Shulman, so I don't know how true the script writers were to the source material. Regardless, I found the script for the movie to be enjoyable and entertaining, and thus the movie succeeded in its endeavor. One might argue for the script being sort of generic for a romantic movie of this type.
The cast ensemble in the movie is good, and of course you know what you are getting with Michael J. Fox in the leading role. The movie also had the likes of Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, George Hamilton and Bridget Fonda on the cast list, so there are some talented performers and familiar faces on the screen. Needless to say that the acting performances in the movie were good.
Not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but I found the movie to be an enjoyable one, and it actually does have enough contents to it that it can be seen more than just once.
My rating of director Michael Caton-Jones's 1991 movie "Doc Hollywood" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Cannibal ferox (1981)
Mediocre and archetypical stuff...
I have watched the 1981 movie "Cannibal Ferox" once before, but must admit that I only remembered its title. And thus, as I happened to stumble upon the movie again here in 2024, I opted to revisit the movie.
Truth be told, I didn't really harbor the biggest of expectations to the movie, given the fact that I had entirely forgotten about the storyline and the fact that the whole cannibal movie phenomena wasn't exactly known for their grand productions or particularly great movies.
The storyline in the movie, was pretty generic for a cannibal movie. Writer and director Umberto Lenzi didn't exactly bring anything new to the genre, and instead opted to play it safe and bet on all archetypical tropes previously used in similar cannibal movies, for better or worse. Sure, if you enjoy the cannibal movies, then you'll also enjoy "Cannibal Ferox", otherwise it is simply just a mediocre movie at best.
Personally, I don't understand the point of having the scene with the tied-up, screaming animal in the movie. The whole thing of luring out an anaconda just served no purpose for the storyline. Sure, if it was included just to instill a sense of disgust with the audience, I can understand that, not condone it, but understand it.
Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with Giovanni Lombardo Radice. I do enjoy watching unfamiliar talents on the screen, and I will say that the acting performances in "Cannibal Ferox" were fair.
Visually, then the movie was not particularly great. The effects definitely shows sign of being old.
My rating of director Umberto Lenzi's 1981 movie "Cannibal Ferox" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Brothers (2024)
Good entertainment...
When I stumbled upon this 2024 movie by random chance, of course I opted to watch it, as it was a movie that I had not heard about, nor seen. And the cast ensemble definitely was a sweet icing on top of the cake.
Writers Etan Cohen and Macon Blair put together quite an enjoyable and entertaining storyline. I will say that I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the 89 minutes that the movie ran for. And it was definitely a unique and well-written storyline that included elements of drama, crime and comedy in a good way. This was a rather nicely constructed storyline, which had some genuine entertainment value to it.
The scenes with the orangutang were hilarious, and they alone actually make it worthwhile to sit down and watch the movie.
The cast ensemble in the movie is pretty good, and there are some very talented performers on the cast list. With the likes of Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and M. Emmet Walsh, then you're in pretty good and capable company. Needless to say that the acting performances in the movie were good. There was a good chemistry on the scene between Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage. I was especially impressed with Brendan Fraser's performance in the movie.
While the movie is listed as a comedy, I will say that the comedy elements in the movie are light. But it was done quite right, because director Max Barbakow managed to incorporate comedy elements at great junctures in the narrative, which complimented the storyline and actually brought some good and genuine laughs with it.
This is definitely a movie that I would recommend you to sit down and watch. I was fully and wholly entertained throughout the course of the movie.
My rating of "Brothers" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
A Missed Connection (2024)
Entertaining and watchable, but generic...
Well, while I had indeed never heard about this 2024 romantic comedy titled "A Missed Connection", I have to admit that I harbored very little expectations to the movie as I sat down to watch it. Yeah, it just oozed of being a very generic romantic comedy. But still, since I hadn't already seen the movie, of course I opted to give it a fair chance.
And true enough, as expected, writer Emily Duncan delivered a very generic and stereotypical romantic comedy. Yup, it is a sappy type of romantic comedy. But don't get me wrong here, because it actually proved entertaining enough, despite it being a script and storyline written step by step from the how-to-write-a-romantic-comedy-script blueprint. So, while writer Emily Duncan definitely didn't reinvent the wheel here, it was still an okay enough watchable movie.
I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but leading actress Meggan Kaiser and leading actor Alex Trumble, playing Victoria and Max respectively, definitely carried the movie well. They had good on-screen chemistry and they performed well on the screen. Actually, I will say that the entire cast ensemble acted quite well throughout the course of the movie.
Now, if you enjoy sugar-coated and sappy formulaic romantic comedies, then you definitely will also enjoy this 2024 movie.
My rating of director Damián Romay's 2024 movie "A Missed Connection" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Flesh and Bullets (1985)
Quite bad...
Needless to say that I hadn't heard about this 1985 movie titled "Flesh and Bullets" prior to stumbling upon it here in 2024. And with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, much less actually heard about, of course I opted to check out what writer and director Carlos Tobalina had to offer.
Turns out that it wasn't really all that much. Sure, it was a pretty straightforward storyline. But the movie was just so terribly constructed and even worse so edited that it was a difficult movie to sit through. It felt like writer and director Carlos Tobalina virtually had no sense of how to compile a movie and give it a natural flow.
The acting performances in the movie were pretty wooden and rigid. The delivery of the dialogue, which was laughably poorly written by the way, was done pretty much without much of any conviction. So it was a rather lackluster experience to bear witness to the performances on the screen. The movie actually have some familiar faces on the cast list, but not in any leading roles though. The movie had the likes of Cesar Romero, Yvonne De Carlo and Robert Z'Dar on the cast list.
The lovemaking scenes were particularly cringeworthy, especially the extreme moaning and groaning that was going on.
The editing in the movie was rather brutal. The movie had really abrupt cuts between scenes and it made the narrative feel like it was limping around most of the time.
"Flesh and Bullets" was by no means a cinematic masterpiece that I had been missing out on for the past 39 years, by not watching it before here in 2024. And believe me when I say that this is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend for you to waste your time, money and effort on.
My rating of writer and director Carlos Tobalina's 1985 movie "Flesh and Bullets" lands on a most generous two out of ten stars.
Black Thunder (1998)
Watchable, but ultimately a generic late 1990s action flick...
Of course I had never heard about the 1998 movie "Black Thunder", as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. And seeing that it was starring Michael Dudikoff, of course I opted to check out what the original "American Ninja" had to offer.
Truth be told, though, I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations to the movie. But still, it might be possible that I had missed out on a stellar movie experience from writer William C. Martell and director Rick Jacobson.
The storyline in the movie was fair, and it was certainly a watchable movie. Writer William C. Martell put together a script that was okay. It was, sort of, an archetypical late 1990s action movie, with a single man against insurmountable odds and still coming out victorious.
The acting performances in the movie were fair. Nothing outstanding or thrilling, but then again I wasn't really expecting this to be a Shakespearian experience. Aside from Michael Dudikoff, I was only familiar with Richard Norton, Michael Cavanaugh and Nancy Valen.
Visually, then the movie was actually adequate.
Watchable for what it was, but I doubt that I will ever return to watch "Black Thunder" a second time.
My rating of director Rick Jacobson's 1998 movie "Black Thunder" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Way of the Vampire (2005)
Could have been worse...
Stumbling upon the 2005 movie "Way of the Vampire" by random chance here in 2024 and seeing it was a horror movie that I had never seen, much less actually ever heard about, of course I had to watch the movie, given my love of the horror genre. But I have to admit that two alarm bells were just screaming at the their fullest here; first, the movie's staggering 1.9 rating on IMDb, and secondly the movie states "Bram Stoker's Way of the Vampire" on the movie's cover.
Seeing the two words, The Asylum, on the screen, during the intro sequence, I have to say that expectations dropped a notch, if that was actually possible. The Asylum aren't exactly known for their stellar track record of phenomenal movies. But every now and again do they spew out a surprisingly good movie. And who knows, "Way of the Vampire" might be one such movie, though the 1.9 IMDb rating makes it unlikely.
Yeah, since it was writers Karrie Melendrez, Sherri Strain and Michael David Stewart that churned out the storyline and script for the movie, I am pretty sure that Bram Stoker had nothing to do with this garbage heap, aside from the fact of coming up with the Dracula and Van Helsing characters, whom were also apart of the storyline in this 2005 movie.
The storyline in "Way of the Vampire" was a rather generic one, even for a vampire movie. But it still made for an adequate enough viewing experience. I must say that the writers exceeded my expectations, well rather lack thereof, as the movie wasn't as bad as I would have expected from a movie with a 1.9 IMDb rating. Of course this is not award-winning material or close to it, but I was actually sufficiently entertained throughout the course of the movie.
I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to directors Sarah Nean Bruce and Eduardo Durão's 2005 movie given the 1.9 rating. So why bother with watching it? Well, I do believe in giving a movie a fair chance. And just because other people doesn't like a movie, doesn't necessarily mean that I am not going to like it. It is, luckily, up to personal interpretation, and thus of course I would give the movie a fair chance, though without any expectations.
Of the entire cast, I think I was actually only familiar with Paul Logan. The acting performances in the movie were actually fair, I will say that much. Sure, it wasn't award winning performances, or memorable performances at that, but I've seen far worse acting performances in other horror movies.
Visually, then I will say that the movie was actually not bad. For a movie churned out by The Asylum, I will say that the effects were better than you would expect.
However, the frequent use of that generic scream, not the Wilhelm scream, was rather annoying.
While "Way of the Vampire" certainly wasn't a cinematic masterpiece or gem in the vampire subgenre of horror movies, then I will say that the movie was actually watchable. Yeah, you're not in for an evening of Shakespearian theater here, but then again, were you expecting that?
My rating of "Way of the Vampire" lands on a three out of ten stars.
No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder (1987)
Sure, why not...?
I didn't even know that they had made a part two and three for the 1985 movie "No Retreat, No Surrender". And it wasn't until now in 2024, as I happened to stumble upon the 1987 movie "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder" that I was made aware of parts two and three. Of course I opted to sit down and watch this 1987 sequel, and see what director Corey Yuen had to offer.
I have to admit that I was a bit surprised to see that it was Corey Yuen who directed the movie, as he usually have good movies to his name, so I actually had some expectations for this sequel, despite the fact that it was following up on a mediocre movie at best.
The storyline and narrative in "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", as written by Maria Elena Cellino, Roy Horan and Keith W. Strandberg, was watchable and entertaining enough for what it was. But keep in mind, the writers didn't really reinvent the wheel here, as it was a fairly generic and formulaic narrative. They opted to play it safe and bet on the traditional tropes of the action and martial arts movies from the 1980s and early 1990s. And I can't help but wonder if the writers had enjoyed the 1985 "First Blood Part II" a tad too much, as their script sort of had a Rambo-vibe to it.
The movie has a lot of plot holes and scenes where you just go 'why?'. Especially the scene where they scaled the waterfall. Why not climb up where there was no water, and thus no slippery rocks? It was just plain stupidity why that scene even came into existence. The scene where a guy is thrown into a hole with crocodiles was also pretty good, especially since you could see that it was fake plastic crocodiles bobbing about as the waves from the impact when the body hit the water made them bob up and down.
Why is the movie even carrying the "No Retreat, No Surrender" title? There is nothing connecting it to the original 1985 movie.
I can't claim that I found leading actor Loren Avedon to be a particularly great lead, as his acting was somewhat stinted. I was only familiar with Cynthia Rothrock,
Matthias Hues and Nirut Sirichanya in the movie. And I never were much of a fan of Cynthia Rothrock back in the grand days of martial arts movies, so I wasn't particularly thrilled to see her name on the screen during the intro sequence. In general, though, I will say that the acting performances in "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder" were okay. Sure, you're not in for an evening of Shakespearian theater, but for an action movie of this type, the acting was fair. Well, for the most parts fair, actor Matthias Hues as the Russian leader was just cringeworthy, as his acting was laughably bad.
The movie does have a fair amount of action sequences and martial arts scenes, which definitely speaks in favor of the movie. Just funny how goons and henchmen always fire their weapon downwards, usually striking nothing but ground at the feet of where the narrative's heroes were just a moment ago.
The first fight scene with Matthias Hues against some local Thai fellow was one of the most laughable fight scenes I've seen in a long, long time. It looked as if Matthias Hues was performing some kind of strange ballet. It was such a comical scene, that it was hard to take it serious.
Visually, the movie was okay. I was especially much a fan of the amazing fiery balls of explosions that the fragmentation genades caused, and the sheer radius of aforementioned fiery fireball was also impressive.
So was "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder" a great movie? Hardly so. But it was certainly a watchable movie, albeit a rather generic and formulaic one. But if you enjoyed the action and martial arts movies of the 1980s and early 1990s, then you should find some enjoyment in this 1987 movie. It was hardly an outstanding movie, and I doubt that I will ever return to watch it a second time.
My rating of director Corey Yuen's 1987 movie "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Führer und Verführer (2024)
One not to miss...
I had the opportunity to sit down and watch "Führer und Verführer" (aka "Führer and Seducer"), and I needed no persuasion to watch this movie from writer and director Joachim Lang. If you have but an ounce of historical interest, then this is a movie that you would want to watch.
Sure, most of us are familiar with the basic events of World War II and the outcome of the war, but writer and director Joachim Lang offers sort of an insight to the machinery behind the man in charge. And it is a rather memorable and impactful insight. While the events and the characters portrayed in the are indeed atrocious and vile, then it is a crucial part of the history of the world, and thus is something we cannot and must not ignore. And on that account alone, "Führer und Verführer" is a movie that dictates it worthy of watching.
I have to say that I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the 135 minutes that the movie ran for. Partially because of the storyline, but most certainly also because of some very imposing and impressive performances by the cast.
Leading actors Robert Stadlober and Fritz Karl, portraying Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler respectively, might be portraying some of the more infamous persons in the history of the world, but they do so in very compelling and impressive ways, very realistic ways I would say. They really carry the movie quite well with their performances and I sincerely hope they get some acknowledgement for their performances in this movie. While Fritz Karl does portray Hitler disturbingly well, it just wasn't as impressive as Bruno Ganz did in the 2004 movie "Der Untergang". Regardless, the entire cast ensemble in this 2024 movie delivered great performances that most definitely brought not only the storyline to life on the screen, but most certainly also the characters they portrayed.
"Führer und Verführer" is a movie that might not be fitting for just about everyone in the audience, as it is an emotionally strong and moving movie, and the fact that writer and director Joachim Lang included actual footage from World War II makes it all the more hard-hitting, especially since there are some very hard to watch scenes included. But again, just as the movie closes off with saying, "it happened... and it can therefor happen again.", which resonates very true, despite the fact that it is a hauntingly scary sentence.
I was not prepared for the movie to be as gripping and compelling as it was, but that just made sitting through it all the more of a memorable experience. And thus, this is without a doubt a movie that I will recommend you to sit down and watch.
My rating of writer and director Joachim Lang's 2024 movie "Führer und Verführer" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
Bloody Mary 3D (2011)
No, just no...
Right, well the movie had literally just started, and I was ready to turn it off. Director starts with a full blown girl on girl sex scene. Yeah, I was sitting down to watch a horror movie, not a pornographic movie. But I opted to give the movie a fair chance and not turn it off within the first three minutes of its runtime.
Of course I had not heard about this particular movie prior to stumbling upon it here in 2024 and opting to watch it. But of course I am familiar with the urban legend that is "Bloody Mary", so I figured I would be in for something like that. And it was sort of that, except it was all watered down by amateurish movie making and sleazed up by pointless nudity.
Was was up with the music video segment about 15 minutes into the movie? Talk about a pointless filler running for about three minutes, as it didn't further the storyline or narrative one bit.
The acting performances in the movie were pretty wooden and amateurish. It was a cast ensemble where I was only familiar with Brinke Stevens and Shawn C. Phillips, which aren't exactly A-listers. Usually I do enjoy watching unfamiliar and new talents on the screen when I sit down to watch a movie, but the acting performances in "Bloody Mary 3D" were just draining the overall enjoyment from the movie.
"Bloody Mary 3D" is dumbed down significantly by a pointless and excessive amount of nudity that serves the narrative no purpose. It felt nothing more than an excuse for writer Keith Parker and director Charlie Vaughn to show off an abundance of female nudity.
I guess I should have taken notice of the staggering 2.2 rating that "Bloody Mary 3D" had managed to snag here on IMDb, at the time I sat down to watch it.
If you enjoy horror movies, like I do, you need stay well clear of "Bloody Mary 3D". Some of us suffered through this dumpster fire of a movie, so you don't have to; you're quite welcome.
My rating of director Charlie Vaughn's 2011 movie "Bloody Mary 3D" lands on a one out of ten stars. This movie was truly and utterly abysmal.
Apocalypse Clown (2023)
Quite unique...
Stumbling upon director George Kane's 2023 movie "Apocalypse Clown" by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to check out the movie. I have to admit that I was definitely instantly lured towards the movie, given the movie's title, cover and synopsis. It sounded very original and unique, and thus there wasn't a shadow of a doubt of me sitting down to watch this movie.
Writers Demian Fox, George Kane, Shane O'Brien and James Walmsley put together a very unique and outstanding storyline and script. This is most certainly one of the most original and unique storylines and concept ideas for a movie that I have stumbled upon in a long, long time. And it worked, because it was so wonderfully bizarre and far out there.
Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with Natalie Palamides, Tadhg Murphy and Ivan Kaye. The acting performances in the movie were good, as the actors and actresses put their heart of souls into bringing the characters and storyline to life on the screen. I was especially enjoying the Funzo character and the performance as Funzo that actress Natalie Palamides delivered.
If you enjoy offbeat movies, then I will say that you should sit down to watch "Apocalypse Clown", should you have the chance. It is a one of a kind movie, and that alone makes it worth checking out.
Visually, then the movie was fair. It wasn't a movie that relied heavily on special effects. But the effects that were in the movie were fair. And the props and wardrobe department definitely worked their magic quite well.
"Apocalypse Clown" was quite a surprise of a movie, and it is one for the books. It is a movie that I warmly and wholeheartedly recommend.
My rating of director George Kane's 2023 movie "Apocalypse Clown" lands on a six out of ten stars.
The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)
Mediocre at best...
I have indeed watched the 2006 movie "The Butterfly Effect 2" once before, but can't recall it if my life depended on it. All I remember about the movie, is the title.
But having just sat through the 2004 "The Butterfly Effect" movie and loving it, and watched the mediocre 2009 "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" quite some time ago, then I opted to revisit the 2006 second movie in the franchise again. I can't claim that I was harboring the biggest of expectations to director John R. Leonetti's 2006 movie, but I could be pleasantly surprised, just as I had forgotten about the storyline in the phenomenal 2004 first movie, then I might be in for a treat here as well.
Of course this movie was cashing in on the success of the 2004 movie, no doubt about it. And while the storyline in the movie was adequate, it just was not up to par with the contents from the first movie, not even by a longshot. Now, I am not saying that writers Writers Michael D. Weiss and John Frankenheimer didn't conjure up an entertaining storyline, because they did, but it just wasn't as hard-hitting or entertaining as the first movie.
This is a stand-alone movie, and doesn't require you to have watched the 2004 movie "The Butterfly Effect". In fact, I will go out on a limb here and say that it would, in fact, be better if you haven't watched "The Butterfly Effect" prior to watching this 2006 "The Butterfly Effect 2" movie.
Writers Michael D. Weiss and John Frankenheimer focused too much of the narrative on stupid sex scenes, which literally did nothing for the storyline, except dumbing it down. The movie would have been better if director John R. Leonetti had opted to just glance over these scenes and cut them down in length.
The acting performances in the movie were good. There were some familiar faces on the cast list, but nowhere as impressive as in the first movie.
Watchable for what it is, for sure, director John R. Leonetti delivered a fair enough movie, but sort of paled in comparison to the movie that preceded it.
And the ending of the movie just had me shaking my head in disbelief, trying hard not to laugh. That ending was seriously a slap in the face of any audience that had just sat through 92 minutes of watching the movie.
My rating of "The Butterfly Effect 2" lands on a five out of ten stars.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
This is entertainment done right...
I haven't watched the 2004 movie "The Butterfly Effect" since back in 2004. And while I do remember the movie by title and who was in the leading role, I must admit that the storyline had vanished from my memory. And thus, I opted to revisit the movie here in 2024. And believe me when I say that it was a long overdue visit.
Writers J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, both of whom also directed the movie, put together a phenomenal storyline and script. I am a bit perplexed how I could forget about the movie, because it really is quite a phenomenal movie. It is a compelling and entertaining story from the very beginning, and it continues to be so throughout the course of the entire movie.
Now, I was fortunate enough to watch the director's cut of the movie, and it is definitely something I would recommend you to do, should you get the chance.
Something that really is impressive in "The Butterfly Effect", aside from the storyline, was the cast ensemble. There are so many great actors and actresses on the cast list. And they deliver great performances, which really helps elevate the movie and bring the story and the characters to life in a very realistic and enthralling way. I will actually go as far as to saying that the cast ensemble and acting performances themselves make it worthwhile sitting down and watching the movie.
When the movie came to and end, I have to admit that I was left sitting with a 'wow' feeling. It has been quite some time since I've been so thoroughly and fully entertained by a movie.
It is a visually good movie. Sure, the effects are starting to show signs of aging, but still hold up today. And the effects in the movie do definitely help layer the movie, making it feel like the audience are right there alongside Evan as he goes through the various versions of the outcome of his life.
If you haven't already seen the 2004 movie "The Butterfly Effect", then do it! This is a must watch movie, end of story. This is quite simply a phenomenal movie through and through.
My rating of writers and directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber's 2004 movie "The Butterfly Effect" lands on a well-deserved nine out of ten stars.