Reviews
Running Scared (2006)
Quite a good movie, actually
I'll try to make this short and sweet. This was one of those films that I really thought had something going for it, at least for the greater part of the movie. It is also one of my brothers favorite movies ever, so in his presence I guess I wanted to extract the best and coolest things I could. First of all, the setting. The movie was set in some pretty bleak environments, run down places, and just generally lower middle class civilizations. The people in this movie are grimy and epitomize the underbelly of the American dream. Child trafficking, gun running, the usual stuff. Pair this with the former and you are already in for somewhat of a ride. Its visually impressive, and shot primarily with quick cuts and exaggerated slow-motion interjections. There is a copious amount of profanity, which at times heightens the urgency of the situation. Some parts in here are downright "violent". There's one scene in particular where Paul Walker's character is being strapped down on the ice (forcefully of course) and a hockey player slaps pucks into his face and head. Aside from some squeamish moments like that (if you are one of those people) everything in this movie delivers. It stays pretty true to the formula and there are plenty of plot twists to boot. What I liked most about this movie, is that the main characters (however unlikeable they may first seem) all show a sense of humanity at some point in the film, like a revelation of sorts.
Highly recommended to fans of urban disorder, action movies, dark thrillers, or Paul Walker 8/10
Three Days of Rain (2002)
Sunn174
While I didn't enjoy it as much as Crash, I thought it had some interesting elements to it. First off its set in a rain soaked Cleveland over a period of 72 hours. Okay, so basically that means THE WHOLE MOVIE is set in the RAIN. Not much more than that, its a morose drama with some good ideas that pretty much get ruined by bad acting and predictability. Some may argue that the movie just aims to make you feel bad and bring a sense of gloom to your day. While it does just that (and succeeds) it far less captures you, and just tries too hard to make you feel sorry for the characters whom none of which are likable. There's one scene with the baby (those who have seen it know which) and the mother that you knew what was going to happen before it did. It was all too contrived. It really took a turn for the worst on pretty much every result of the characters actions (and not in a good way, just a plain suck-ish way). It left you scratching your head not in disbelief but in an "Youve gotta be kidding me" kinda way. Not recommended unless you want to be depressed and love bad acting or vague representations of Chekov. Avoid like the plague.
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
An Explosive, surreal ride.
Where to begin on this movie... well, to say I gave it a 7 on artistic merit alone would not be a fallacy. To start, Crank 2 picks up where the first one left off, Chev Chelios' famous heart (which survived the Beijing Cocktail) is thought to be sacred, and is implanted in the body of an elderly Chinese man. Chevs heart is replaced with a pulsating machine of sorts that requires electrical charge by any means to keep it active. This means that the fast paced non stop action from the first one returns. However, Crank 2 has elements of absurd surrealism and even an homage to godzilla, as an action figure modeled Chev squares off in a B-movie esquire fight in an electrical field. This movie is something else, unlike anything I have ever seen. Pick it up for the laughs and the sheer absurdity.
7/10