Reviews

I could never remember if the film was actually any good because a lot of films back then I have fond memories of but now in recent viewing I see that they're not actually that good. But my fears were quickly put to rest when I saw this bad boy of an 80's classic. How hard does it rock? It rocks all kinds of ass. It owns the 80's movie. It is what I think about good 80's horror.

Script wise...it's perfect. It's tightly written, funny as hell, has great characters,a great plot and an interesting take on the haunted house set up. But best of all this film isn't just a horror movie... it's a freaking comedy for the first act set in the world of a horror movie. The humor comes naturally and isn't forced and is never too cute for it's own good. The writer knew what kind of film he was making and so he kept everything to make it fit in it's own tone. But best of all the film has a timeless and never feels dated. This film came out about 18 years ago and it's still freaking fun as hell. The jokes still keep me laughing and I've seen it a bunch of times since. I laugh out loud ever single time. Hell, the lines in this film are so damn catchy and the actors deliver them with such life that I can't help but to love them. Man, the script is so well done that I actually know them by heart. I can repeat every catchy line from the film out of the blue and they still make me laugh. I love it. What makes it so great it has a perfect mix of laughs and pure horror. This film is for fans of the genre and they give the fans what they want... but better then that they actually deliver a great film along with the gore and blood. This film captures an era where horror was fun and wasn't scared to try new things while still delivering a good film. It's a classic.

Cast wise...everyone is spot on. They all know how to deliver their lines and they know how to keep their characters alive and fun. First let's start off with our lead... Cathy Podewell as Judy" the good girl virgin". You know what...I love her performance. That's it. I love her in this film. She's really sweet and I love her acting... or non of there of.lol. You know what I know what I mean. She's not really a great actress but she's on that boarder line of being wonderfully bad. A lot of people won't like her but I love her. She's adorable and cute. Then there's Billy Gallo as Sal and Hal Havins as Stooge. They both are funny as hell have some of the best lines in the film. They are a blast. That's it. I love both their characters. But it's their acting and personalities which makes us like their "jerk" characters in the film. They're both jerks but fun jerks. Everyone else is great to in our group of teens.

Directing wise... I love director Keven S. Tenney. I love his directing on this film. I adore it, I study it and marvel at it. It's amazing. For the first 40 minutes it's mostly a comedy but he shoots it in a very interesting way. He has kick ass angles, camera moves and I just dug everything he brought to the table. The man knows how to make a cool looking film. I love his shots. I can't start to even tell you. This film not might be the most original type of 80's horror movie but it is very original looking. You watch this film and you know you aren't getting some low budget horror movie. No, the style here makes this film feel bigger then what it was meant to be. I loved how the camera seemed to just follow and move. Man, I just trip out on this film because every time I see I catch something new about the directing. There's always something new to spot. There's always some cool shot... or cool camera move that you never noticed before. So I love this film for that too. Not only that but Kevin doesn't let his style speak for him... he also crafts a great horror film. He knows how to bring real terror and fright into this film. But still it fits perfectly with the first part of the film. But I was also happy to see that even in the horror part of the film he never lost his flair for style. I love the floor shot looking up at Demonic Angela as she seems to float above the air... and if you watch the film with the insightful commentary then you've get a bigger treat when you find out just how they did it.

Okay, so you got a clever script,fun cast and an amazing director... so what else do you need? Well, how about an even better score. I love the music for this film. It was done by Dennis Tenny, the director's brother, and he creates some of the most unforgettable music for a horror film ever. I love his score. It's got balls and is original. I never heard a score like that before and haven't heard one since. I also loved the music they used in this film. They didn't just use the latest popular songs(like today's horror movies) or songs from a current popular bands or rappers(like they did in the 80's). Nope, they used music that they picked for the film and would fit in. The music is great and what I loved more is the songs that Dennis Tenny wrote for the film. I love "Computer Date".

Being a big fan of the Pang Brothers I was really looking forward to this solo offering from one of the brothers Oxide Pang. I can't lie. I loved this film. It rocks. That's it. This film's got style, it's got flair, it's got talent, solid acting,terror and best of all a great script. Man, just when you think where this film is going then BAM! The film totally switches on you. This film has balls, it holds no bars and is a beauty work of art. This film deals with the disturbing, the taboo and the twisted. But not only that but it deals with in a whole different way then what's ever been seen on film.This film gives you two different types of stories all in one film.But the thing about the two stories is that they both work perfectly with each other. This film rocks.

Script wise it's perfect. It has a solid fist hour about character, obsession,pain and guilt. But stronger then that it's about 2 girls.One who just is helpless as her friend and lover is torn apart by her own insides.The set up is perfect... you know the characters and even get insides their heads. You watch everything fall apart and you watch it unfold. But nothing feels forced, everything follows naturally. As certain horrific event start happening they never feel like they came out of nowhere or that they're just there to shock.Those scenes are there to get us to feel and see how the character is working internally. But man, this film works perfectly in it's first hour. It feels full and feels like a drama but that's okay. I liked it. I liked this story of two people are are in love who are just helping each other through. I never felt bored or anything. I loved it. I love story in my horror and this film delivers. But then there's the last act. Wow. It's stunning and comes out of nowhere but yet it makes sense.Perfect sense. God, this film amps up from zero to 60 in no time. God, that last act is just unnerving and shocking. God,I couldn't believe it. Tal about freaking balls.Wow... then there's the last scene. Shocking. Wow.

Acting. Here two pop stars from Hong Kong, Race and Roseanne Wong in their first serious roles. Now talk about great acting. Man, Race who plays our heroine is amazing. Man, she looked like she's falling apart for real on screen. There was never any sense of "oh she's acting" Nope. I believed her. Roseanne Wong, Race's real life sister, also played our heroine's lover. Wow. Balls I tells ya. Balls. But the best thing about that wasn't the fact that we had 2 hot lesbians but the best thing is that it feels real and natural. There's no kissing or anything but we don't need it. Their performances are enough to show us that both their characters really care about each other and love each other. I really bought them as real people and as a love story.

Directing... I love the Pang brothers. But here Oxide shows the even together or split up... they rock as directors. These guys are true masters of storytelling. But best of all... they have they're own style and flair but they never let that get in the way of telling the story. Here Oxide knows how to keep the film looking like a Pang Brothers film but at the same time it isn't one if you know what I mean.I could see their stamp on the film but it felt all Oxide baby. Hell yeah. I love everything about the directing of this film. I love his shots and love his style. I'm not kidding... he has style all of his own and isn't one of these directors that just rips off style from other films. Nope, here Oxide uses so many cool shots that I was in awe. But best of all they were all original. Man, I loved his camera movements... I loved how it just screamed "A Pang brothers film" Bravo. I love these guys and they are my heroes. I want to develop my own style just like them. Not only that but they can also freaking write great stuff. Bravo.

In the first hour of this film is mostly character development but Oxide never bored me. He kept me interested and with his slick but driven directing I never felt like I was watching a drama. I was watching a story unfold. But what really makes me respect Oxide more is the last act of the film. He takes something that could have been just a rip off of another popular horror movie and did it all his own baby. It never feels like I'm watching something I've seen before. Sure, it's the same situation but you've never seen Oxide do it. Man, he shoots it in an original and shocking way. Man, it never let up. I was in shock about what I was watching. But best of all it all felt like I was still watching the same movie. It made perfect sense if you were watching the film then you know it makes perfect sense. It's everything the movie is about... and what could have happened if it wasn't for the love that our two main girls had for each other had. This film rocks.

But I shown quickly that I was getting a great and original film. The best thing about the film is that I never saw the last act coming, even from the trailer(which always almost gives away the entire movie) I had no freaking clue. Thank you Oxide.

Okay. I'm going to say it. This film is THE FILM of the freaking year. This film is as solid as they come. A lot of time is given to characters, plot and action. This isn't an action film or a summer blockbuster. No, this is a real film about a real story. What's best about this film is how tight the script is. Sure it's long but who cares. Each act felt like it's own film and fit perfectly. Wow, the film never let special effects or action over do it. I loved the fleshed out characters. I loved how simple the film followed. I was never bored for a second. This is the film I wanted and the film I was given. It's amazing to just watch. Sure I knew how the film was going to end, come on... who doesn't. But it's Jackson's ride to that end that had me on the edge of my seat. Here everything feels natural. The era, the characters, the world and even the romance. I loved how they took the Naomi and Kong relationship to another level. It's not really about "love" but a different kind of love. It's about love for another soul. Kong had a soul and Naomi's character was able to see that. I loved how the character of Jack Driscoll. He seemed like a real guy not just a person thrown into the plot just to have a love triangle. He wasn't a bad guy, he loved Naomi's Ann just like Kong except both him and Kong never knew that they were both aiming at the same thing... protecting Ann. The script could have really gone down the wrong lane with Driscoll but Jackson and his writers wouldn't let it. This film proves that remakes can be a good thing when done for all the right reasons.

Acting. NAOMI WATTS!Wow, if she doesn't get an Oscar then then the whole award show should be taken apart. She earned it... SO GIVE IT TO HER! Wow. I can't tell you how amazing she is. She wasn't acting, she was Ann. I can't tell you how great she is. She's amazingly gorgeous. She is classic Hollywood beauty but what sets her apart from the rest is that acts even better then she looks. I'm a big fan of hers. She was moving, touching, warm, sad and everything you want in an actress. All that came across on film. All of these young actresses need to look at her so they can see what it really means to be a real actress. Wow, most times when actors are working with a co-star who is CGI they act to nothing. Most times those actors are off. But not here. Watts is amazing. Her acting with the not there Kong when they shot it is great. It seems like they might have as well shot it with the real Kong. The mix of real action and CGI is perfect. Her facial expressions are stunning. Without a single word she can make your heart warm up. Jack Black was miscasts. That's it. I said it. I am not a fan of his and honestly... I can't stand him. He ruins his the wonderful character Jackson and his writers wrote. He just can't handle the role. His character is written in such an amazing way that Black ruins it all by playing himself in his role. You can't take him seriously at all. His face just screams Dumb ass. I hate him. Adrien Brody is great too.

Directing wise... Jackson owns all kind of ass. He is a true master. All bow before him. Man, a man who can make a 3 hour movie seem short is an artist. Hell, this film followed so smoothly I never even felt the 3 hours past. I was so into the movie that I wanted it to be longer. Jackson handled everything so well here. But what I loved most is that besides doing all the green screen work and CGI is that he actually directed actors. Everyone here is amazing besides Jack Black who plain sucks. There I said it again. God, Jackson takes us to 1930's New York, he takes us to Skull Island and back to New York and all with easy. He really brings up fear and tension. Your never really sure where this film is going to go. One minute you think you know but the next something else happens. Man, I felt like a little kid watching this film. It all felt so fantastic... so bigger then life. I loved this 3 hour film to death. I will tell you, this blows all of the Lord of the Rings films out of the water. HAIL JACKSON!Master of mixing CGI and real acting. Lucas! You paying attention?

Down note... while I didn't mind the 3 hours there were certain scenes I felt just sent a little too long. So of them could have been trimmed. Now I'm not like a lot of people out there who felt this film was an hour too long. I say it was more 10 to 15 minutes. All the plot points belong in this film but certain scenes I felt just went on a little too long. It wasn't the character moments I had that problem... it was the action scenes. So of them just went on too long. The climax was way too long. I'm sure they could have gotten the same impact if they could have trimmed. For real, at certain points I was like "Okay, I get it. Move on" But still besides that little flaw. I say KING KONG RULED this year and I will say it is my top film of the year...

It was amazing. It was the everything I loved about the show but so much more. With so many former TV shows being turned into films only a few have been actually good or watchable. Here, Serenity is the best written, acted and directed one of the whole bunch. Here, Whedon takes an idea that could have been a bad B- movie action movie(or a bad high budget B-movie wannabes like Charlie's Angels) and turns it so much more. He brings it so much here, a great script and great direction to this film. The script is such great at mixing in drama, emotion, humor and action into a prefect blend. Whedon could have really gone over board with the action but he didn't. Here, he finds a way to make it all work and give us more of a Film then a movie. He's not out to make a colorful action movie...no, here's here to give us a film about a world that we don't know. Right from the get go he starts this film off right by mixing in character moments and easy follow lines for the actors. Right away the scene for the film is set up, the crew is set up and the world without making it a whole big deal. He doesn't draw it all out at the start so you can know everything about the set up...no he does it so you know enough and will soon know the rest. You don't have to know the TV show to get it because this film easily sits up on it's own two legs. I also loved with the Star Wars set up that they totally went against that and made I think, a much better film then the last Star Wars. This film was the story version of Star Wars without all the CGI.

Here the CGI wasn't the main thing, it was the well written story. Having loved the show a lot it was great to see the whole cast back for this film and how much they brought to their characters. They just didn't play the characters like they did on the show but they raised up their game and really shined through. The whole crew on this ship are great to watch and just listen to. The stand outs are Adam Baldwin, his come backs are the best, Summer Glau, really had me carrying about her and Jewel Staite was just so damn adorable that I wanted to marry her. But Nathan Fillion was the real back bone of this film...he wasn't some action hero or a wimp...he was guy that knew what had to be done and didn't care if it considered right or wrong by some people. It was great seeing a real guy up there handling stuff and being all kick ass about it. Great cast makes for a great film. Now for another one of my favorite subjects...direction.

Here Whedon comes through with flying colors. I was surprised how cool he was behind the film. He really showed how it's like being a good director by bringing cool shots when needed that I've never seen before and handling all the different mixtures that the film had. Loved that. Also he really made this film seem bigger than it's 39 million dollar budget. For real, if I hadn't known that before hand I would have never guessed. The CGI use is great and looks very well and you know...looks a lot better then some CGI in bigger 100 million dollar films that have been made recently. I loved that a lot. This film is almost flawless but there are a little beefs I have with it but none of it's is really Whedon's fault. I was having such a great time with the film that I wished that it would have been a little longer. Then comes the PG-13 rating. For the most part the film never feels like it but there were some times, mainly with the Revers. For most times that they were on screen you never got a real good look at them...all you could see were quick glimpses of their cut up faces...which really sucked because that made me want to see them more. But due to the film's PG-13 rating the Revers couldn't be really shown. But that's it...for real, in a summer action movie...this is great that it had so little real flaws because Whedon delivered something great to the fans of the show and the rest of the world. Here Whedon has showed Lucas how sci-fi/action is really done right. The hell with all that over done CGI and focus more the damn story. And that's just what Whedon's done.

This is a really great and fun film that the mass public hasn't given the proper chance to. Whedon took everything that Lucas did with Star Wars and showed him how to make a great, well written film instead of just relying on CGI. It's sad because this film is better then anything else out now and yet people aren't seeing it. God forbid they get a well written action film. Why do they need that when they can have "Into the Blue".

Okay. I'm not gonna lie to you...I'm a suck for good bad B horror. If they're done right then they can real fun and a real treat. One of the main reasons I write these reviews is to talk about films people haven't seen or just because afew people saw it and didn't like... so they put a bad rap on the film. I heard about this film awhile ago and it wasn't until I saw the trailer for it that I became really interested in this French popcorn film about demons and seeing a hot chick kick demon ass. Now the catch to B horror is that sometimes you can be burnt and I didn't want to be burnt again.So I waited off on the buying it until I could find it cheaper and finally I did.

This film is great. It's stupid, it's fun but it really creative. You can tell about of passion went into this film. It's a comic book come to life. It's like the comic pages were put on the screen instead of paper. It took me back to Sin City which is the first real comic film I had seen. I loved everything about this film. It plays out just like comic action horror. You have the hot Mallory played by the really yummy Olivia Bonamy. God, this girl is great. She fits the role perfectly and looks so hot. I loved all the red and her "I don't care" attitude. Every time she was on screen it was treat. This film took me back to those old Saturday morning cartoons before they got all stupid in the late 90's. I was just having so much fun. I loved the film's plot and script. This is what Hollywood needs to look at when making films about female heroines. So many times they have gotten it wrong and continue to get it wrong. Here the writers(and director Julien Magnat) aren't trying to make this film more then it is... comic horror fun. That's it. It's funny but by accepting the film's concept and sticking to it they make everything follow correctly. It's a horror action comic book... it's has to be R. That's it... no sissy ass PG-13 here. Is the script perfect... no. But who cares. It works for the film. I didn't get this film to watch real life... I got it because I wanted it to be a fun treat and boy it was.

For being B horror and a small budget this film never felt like it. I believe that's because of director Julien Magnat. His talent and flair make this film feel like it way bigger then it was. It never felt budget restricted... instead those restriction made the film better and give it it's own look and feel. A lot of people compare this film to Buffy and I say it's better. Yeah yeah I said it. Buffy was okay but it was more of drama then a horror show. Bloody Mallory( which the only thing I see in common is an ass kicking female lead who kills demons) is more fun and popcorn. I loved the way the film took it's own kind of new rethinkings on classic demons...like ghouls and stuff. I loved the ideas this film had. I loved when Mallory went into the cursed town to find all the horrors of hell. It's fun yet very twisted. This film isn't scary, not at all but it's not suppose to be. It's camp horror. It's fun and twistly cool. Now once again... the person who made this move was Olivia Bonamy. She owned this movie hardcore. She is what big screen female heroes should be like. She's fine.... and I do mean really fine. But she has the acting chops to handle this role. I loved how she played Mallory and yet you could see alittle of her sweet side in that role. But best of all the script knew just who Mallory was too and never threw in stuff that had no point in being there.... like a cheesy love interest or wannabe touching character moments(like in Elektra and every other female fronted action movie) They had character moments here and even a hint at an love interest... but it fit the story and never felt out of place.

Director Julien Magnat is amazing here. He captures all the things that make this film feel just like a comic book come to life without over doing it(like in Catwoman). Here his style fits perfectly in the film. I loved his use of colors and different kind of colors that gave this film a real interesting look. I loved how he handled the characters straight forward and never let them feel like they were winking at the camera. He kept the characters in reality but everything else wasn't. Everything had this bigger than life feel to it. I loved it. I loved his directing. Once again... the French show me something new and fresh about directing and believe me I'm taking notes oh how to handle genre pictures right. Sure if this film had a bigger budget then then it would have been perfect but the film's lack of budget gives it it's charm. Believe me that this film isn't as bad as you think. When I mean low budget I don't mean what your thinking about... which is stuff with bad actors shot on video with really bad CGI.

No, I mean this film has some great acting, some laughs and is just plain cool. But this film isn't for everyone. So if your not a fan of this kind of genre or your too cool for school then it's not for you and go watch "Brokeback Mountain" something. I'm just interesting in fun and this film delivers.

This film kicks so much ass it's not even funny. It's not an action film, it's not a war film... it's about faith and humanity. This film is takes a real life event in human history and makes an important film with a message. Religion is a two sided sword... one one side it can protect and on the other it can destroy. This film proves that to the letter without being all moral and without choosing sides. There is no good side or bad side. There is only men... and their faith. This film has all the makings of a true classic. It has master Ridley Scott directing this bad boy and a great concept. It's an amazing film that more people should have gone seen in theaters... it's that important and speaks more about today's world then most TV News channels or PC press. It's not the religion that drives this men to evil... it's the men that use their religion as they see fit that makes them evil.

Script wise... What a perfect mix of story and action. This isn't like other epic that want to be more like action films. This is a story that has action in it. But the action isn't the most important thing in the film. The characters are and so is the world they live in. Here the writer took real time to make sure he didn't write the standard way us Americans think of Muslims. No, the writer portrayed them as real people. There are real people on both sides of the conflict. This is a story of men having to do what they have to do... but never losing their humanity. I loved the message deep inside the story... the message that religions are the same no matter what they are and sometimes people use it to fuel their own lust for power and fame(on both sides)and those who had to live with the mistakes those people did. The film never slams either faith, as a matter of fact... it did a great job of making faith seem real. It's not in temples or churches... it's inside the person who believes in it. Some how faith was always around... even through the hard battles. You knew that it was faith to life, faith to god that was driving both sides. In the end there were no bad sides, just bad people on both sides... and it was their people who suffered because of it.

Acting wise...this is the film I've been waiting to see Orlando Bloom in as a lead role. Having totally not liked his character in another epic film"Troy" I was really pulling for him. Finally I can I loved him a movie and enjoyed watching him on screen. Orlando broke out in the Pirates movie and was an instant hit with the ladies. But us guys were still waiting for him to really prove himself up to all the hype people were giving to him. Sadly while I loved Troy I didn't really like him at all. It wasn't his acting, he did a great job... but his character was so poorly written that I just hated his guts. But here he shines through and proves he's a real actor and not just another face on teen magazine covers. Another real surprise is the gorgeous Eva Green as Sibylla. There's something about this girl that is just stunning. I mean she's amazing to watch on screen. She has such a feel to her that you just can't take your eyes off of her... not only that but the girl can act. Bravo! I loved her. Edward Norton as King Baldwin, god... I didn't even know it was him. He did such an amazing job. I loved his role. It was perfectly written and perfect acted. Even if his body was failing on him, the King's spirit and humanity never did. Wow. Everyone else is just great. What a great cast of people.

Directing... No one knows how to shoot an epic like Ridley Scott. The man is just talent. That's it. He can direct action, he can direct drama, he can give even the most violent images a feel and grace of a bale. This film flows perfectly and looks amazing. I loved the touch of beyond reality that Scott gave it. Scott knows how to deliver a film of amazing visuals and still keep the feel of an epic drama. I love the dude. He is a master who isn't afraid to do something new or bring art back to film just like his brother Tony Scott. Bravo!!!!!!!!!!

All in all... This is a film the people out there should have seen. It's a smart, clever and simply beautiful film. This is the kind of films that Hollywood is too afraid to make today. But I think the genre has been alittle played out in recent times thanks in part to Ridley Scott's own Gladiator.. because now so many epics look the same and shot the same. I was glad to see Scott go back to the genre he helped revamp and once again... deliver something new and fresh. This film isn't just a factory made action epic. This is a film about people. This film is about faith and the evil men who would use it for their own gain. Great show!

My Rating: A Bad MF. That's it. Everyone should see this film. This film isn't an action film... this film is a tale of men and faith. This is about humanity and war. This film works on so many levels and is perfectly smart. GO SEE IT PEOPLE.

Review: The Beast of Bray Road(2005) So here's another one of those straight to DVD horror films that can either be really fun or really bad. So besides vampires, the second most played out genre is werewolves. Besides Neal Marshell's Dog Soldiers and Underworld, there has yet to be a were wolf film that has yet to broken new ground. Beat of Bray Road is somewhat based on a true legend in the Midwest about sightings of a real life were wolf on this road. This film comes from the same people who delivered the kick ass and fun "Jolly Roger" so I was pretty much expecting the same kind of film and hoped it would be just as good. Well the good news is the it is pretty good but the bad news is that it's as fun as Jolly Roger. While Jolly Roger was horror fun, Beast of Bray Road is more serious and straight forward horror film. Is that a good thing or bad thing...well truth is it's not a bad thing but it's not but it does hurt the film a little.

The Beast of Bray Road is more about telling a story then having killing and nudity every 10 minutes. The film feels like a real real story as it unfolds through out the film. I really liked the fact that the film was more about the characters of the small town and how the strange creature effects the town. So I liked the characters interacted with each other and slowly unfolded. But the bad thing is that the film makes the same mistake as other low budget films that want to be like real films...it tries to tell a story that sometimes feels dragged on in certain places. I liked the story of the film a lot but there were some moments that seemed too long or uninteresting(plus some of the bland acting by some of the actors really doesn't help either). I really loved where writer/director Leigh Scott took the story and I knew just want he was trying to do. He really wanted to make a different kind of low budget horror film by taking it back to more of a classic story telling point of view ala Stephen King based classic like Pet Cementary and Graveyeard Shift. So I knew just were he was coming from and I really respected him for trying to do a different kind of film. He really does deliver a pretty good film here and a great story. I really liked that he made it flow so smoothly and had the set up of other bigger films. On the downside, I saw a lot of things coming but I really didn't care. I was really digging this film to bother with that. But the film's twist ending did have me bummed. I could tell from the way the character was written that they were going to be the werewolf because it was a classic set up of making the character so likable that I knew they were setting it up for them to be the were wolf. I knew they were going to do it for twist's sake, I didn't want them to do it but they did it and I hated it. But besides that...Scott writes a great film considering the budget he had to work with so much love for him for that.

Acting wise, this film suffers again...like most low budget horror does from bad supporting cast. The leads were pretty great a believable. Jeff Denton as our lead Phil was great and I really liked the guy. Sarah Lieving was great as Kelly. Not only did she look good but the girl could actually act and was just fun to see on the screen. At least Jeff and Sarah had noticeable chemistry unlike the bigger budgeted The Fog remake where the awful Tom Welling and Maggie Grace had ZERO chemistry on screen and couldn't even act.Tom Downey from Jolly Roger is in this film and is great again. I really like him...he plays it straight but realistic. Now comes the only really draw back to the whole film...the acting of some of the supporting cast. Afew are pretty good at doing what they have to do but others here are just plain bland. They have zero personality on screen and it really comes across and hurts the film a lot. With the kind of script that Scott wrote, it would have really needed good actors to make the story interesting and alive but instead they drag the interesting script to kind of a bore. Then there's Tom Nagel, once again...he blows another role. I don't get this guy, he acting is just that...acting. He doesn't seem natural at all and is straight out acting and it gets annoying fast. I'm not a fan of his at all.

Direcing wise Scott does a really bang up job. I really liked all the different stuff he brought to this film. First he shot it pretty straight forward, there's nothing wrong with that because it gives the film a real classic feel to it. It seemed more like I was watching a real film than some low budget horror. Scott has a real feel for capturing that old school feeling and I really dug him a lot. All in all The Beast of Bray Road was as fun as I hoped it would have been but it was pretty interesting to watch. I really liked how the story unfolded and I liked the cool bloody kills. The film was hurt by some bland acting by actors here and there but I dug the whole film a lot. It's a smart, good little film that gave me what I wanted but still has it's problems. But it's all good. Great show.

Here's another film I caught on the big screen way back when the butchers known as Demension Films cut this flick down to a PG-13 from it's original R to get more teens into the theatres and then finally ended throwing out their cut. Well, the main reason I wanted to see it was because of all the hype and also because Anna Paquin was starring. That was all I really needed. I love Anna Paquin, she's a real actress who shows talent way beyond her age. She's one of those girls who always delivers a solid performance while most girls in young Hollywood are more worried about making the quick buck by starring in crappy movies(like Hilary Duff,Lindsay Lohan and the rest of those sluts). But what really sold me on the film was director Jaume Balaguero. Just from the trailer for the film I saw that he was a film maker I had to check out. So I actually went out of my way to see it one rainy weekend when it first came out and I was glad I did.

The film's not that bad. It's a classic ghost story that spends a lot of time building up characters, situations and tension through out the first and second act and only gets going with the third act. The film has a pretty interesting plot and a pretty well thought script. It's smart in the way it takes the normal haunted house film and does it in it's own way. It's very original in it's take of the plot idea and handles it very well.

It's funny but a little after this film came out the Hollywood version of this flick(meaning it had the same plot as Darkness meaning missing kids and the evil lived inside of the house) but that movie might have had a bigger budget but this film had a bigger impact on me. It really got to the core of something inside of me and made me really feel this film. The other film had more action in it but this film had a more primal vibe of terror to it. It wasn't stuff popping out at you but in was underlying in the whole film. The script is very good and clever with it's plot. I really liked the way it unfolded and the whole build up to the great 3rd act. The only flaw is that the slow moving first and 2nd act might(and did) turn off a lot of people who can't handle slow builds to tension. This film really does stress the fact that evil and darkness is everywhere in every day life. The whole film really plays up the evil vibe to the whole feel of the film until all hell breaks loose in the 3rd act.

I was really feeling that a lot and Balaguero's direction really came through and showed cased that fact. But at times the interaction between characters seemed a little dull at times which really sucked because I really liked the cast. With the whole dark vibe of the film and slower moments of really do make you feel like your watching a drama or something(and that's bad because dramas are boring) But I was never once bored, this film isn't boring but there are times that make you go"God, hurry up". But those moments don't last that long and then the film quickly picks up again. So it's all good. Then comes the guy who played Anna Paquin's friend and possible love interest...talk about bad casting. I mean this guy looked ugly and I'm not just talking film ugly...I'm talking UGLY period. Maybe if his character was a little bit more alive and likable then maybe I would have forgot the ugly part but his character is so one note and I can't take him realistically. For real, the crypt keeper has a better shot with the lovely and always yummy Anna Paquin then homeboy and I'm he would have better chemistry then homeboy too.

Now on to my two favorite parts of the film. First one is just an add on to Anna Paquin. God, not only is she a great actress but she's a real girl in this film as well as the rest of her films. She has the realistic look (of a girl who might live next door to you) without trying to be Hollywood pretty(meaning skinny 90 pound human blow pops like Duff and Lohan). She looks like a real girl and I found that really hot. It made her more yummy to look at then Jessica Alba in Into the Blue or Cameron Diaz. I'd rather spend an hour and a half watching a clothed Anna Paquin then an hour and a half with barely dressed skinny chicks any day.

Now on to Balaguero's direction. God, what a great director. He's a man with style all his own and talent. I was impressed with him with just the dark evil vibe of the film it's self but when the 3rd act hits. God, he really comes through and had me in awe. I loved the way he shot the 3rd act. I just got done re watching The remake of the Amityville horror and one of my beefs with that film that it turns into action movie rather quickly and doesn't feel like a horror film any more. Here, Balaguero delivers a great 3rd act that feels horrific and still action packed while staying true to it's horror roots. Talk about masterful. I loved his whole "darkness lies" thing and he really does show you that darkness is nothing to mess with. God, what a great film.

"Cry Wolf" what can I say about this flick? I'm conflicted on it...I don't really know how to feel about it. I liked it for what it was and hated it for what it wasn't. But I'll get to all that later...first lets get this review started. Now from way back I had been interested in this film for awhile but it's butchered PG-13 from an R is what really worried most horror fans. But it's TV spots and trailers got to me and I ended up going to see it. So was it everything I thought it was going to be? Yes and no. It was way better and smarter than I thought it was going to be...but it just as flawed as I knew it was going to be. First let's start off with the most important part of any movie...the script. I was surprised to find this flick had a very clever script and good writing. It had new take on the teen slasher(but not very original counting movies like Gossip) but I found it enjoyable none the less. I liked the way the flick unfolded and plays out very smart and cool. I liked the way certain characters were well written at certain points during the movie and handled very good. But the script was also very flawed to start with. It was too smart for it's own good. It had too much going on, too much repeating with new takes on old situations that weren't that interesting to start with and too much going back and forth(both character and story wise). I also disliked all the main characters. It's kinda hard to have a movie if you don't really care...or even like the characters the movie's about. From the start all the characters are dis likable and it has really nothing to do with the acting. All the people here in this film gave really good performances here(they did better than most other horror movies out there) but what does that matter if on paper they're still dis likable. There were about of times when the movie tried to make some of the characters were human and real(and decent) but they just feel added in out of nowhere and don't match the characters through out the movie. The lead, Julian Morris, is suppose to be the character we cheer for and I found him the most unlikeable. He's cocky, a smart ass, and plain dumb ass. The movie tries to get us to like him but there's nothing really about him to like. The only decent character here was Lindy Booth as Doger. Her character started out cool and likable but then the movie keeps going back and forth on her character so much that she just becomes a waste. Then there's the whole Cruel Intentsions vibe this flick had (a movie which I just hated) which had no decent characters and acted like all prep school are filled with the master minded mean girls and the plain dumb heroine. Bah, boring. Then there are way too many moments of characters servicing the script for plot sakes. This movie isn't really a teen slasher it's more of a teen thriller with slasher elements. Too many things happen just to get certain characters in the right place where the plot demands. Now towards the end of the movie this movie just goes off the wall and tries to wrap up everything that happened with a simple answer. But when we find out who's behind everything's that happened...it all feels out of the blue. WTF, how did these bunch of kids, who study less then everyone else in the school, think of such a complicated plan and still have the chops to pull it off. How the hell that happened? Is this like a school for great master minds who are also great actors. Come on, if this movie's gonna play real then it should feel real...which is something that doesn't happen. Now for the "real"end...the standard twist ending...there's only one reaction...WTF? It comes right out of nowhere and got me mad. For real how could anyone be that smart, so misleading and so sure things were going to go to plan when there were so many factors and things left to chance.BULLCRAP!!!!!!!!! Now this flick wasn't all that bad. It had some slick directing from Jeff Wadlow and I really loved what he was going behind that camera. He had a lot cool shots, great edit work and flair. Kick ass bro. He really handled his own and gave this flawed flick a real look of it's own and style. I think if it wasn't for his directing then I would have not liked this film at all. But there were so moments where his style got confusing and over done. Which I'm sure wasn't his fault, all the over done where during chase scenes and other parts where I'm sure the studio cut out stuff to get their PG-13 rating. Damn bastards. Quit messing up movies you dumb asses! An R rating would have really saved this flick I think. Blood, gore, violence and some goddamn nudity would have made this flick likable. The whole time while I'm watching I felt cheated and played with. Damn studios. They all can go to hell. But all in all I did enjoy this film a lot, I loved the look of the flick, I loved the directing, I liked the concept and liked the acting. But still this film could have been a great if it would gotten it's self straight and knew where it wanted to go.

Buying this movie was a blind buy...I knew a little about the flick but something about the film had me interested in it so I bought. I hoped it would be as good as the other Asian horror flicks I have been watching lately and boy...was this film great. I really liked this film a lot, I loved the way it was directed, I loved the original take on a played out concept and I loved the acting. Great acting all around except for some ham acting from a certain actor towards the end. Only a true talented director with a vision can take elements from a genre that your all too familiar with and totally blows your head with it. Korean director Byeong-Ki Ahn really came through with talent and true insight in a genre that's so easily ripped off...he shows new takes on slasher moments and gives the film a real edge that most post scream movies don't have. Now let's start off with the most important...the script. I really liked the script for this film. It was smart,original in it's take of the movie's plot and pretty great story telling. Right from the get go this film had me watching and I was never bored. I love how the film started one way then slowly started changing on me without me even noticing it. I loved how since this film is about that "J-horror" genre(but it's actually K-Horror because it's Korean) but slowly it becomes more complex and moves away from the J-horror movies we have all come to know. Smart lad this Byeong-Ki Ahn is...much talented. I loved the characters in this film. They were all wonderfully played by actors who looked young and had the chops to pull it off. And the girls,wow...I have never seen so many hot looking girls in one film. I mean,they were hot...I couldn't take my eyes off of them and they also knew how to act. Simply wonderful. I liked how this movie short of had that Scream type of vibe with the whole teen thing but I also liked how they didn't try to rip it off either. This movie is smarter than Scream I think, Scream was a fan boys fantasy...this film is just that...a film. They took something that everyone here in the states has ripped off to the point of death(Scream mainly) and did something smart by mixing it into the booming J-horror genre and making something totally cool and clever. I also liked how there were no "evil" people just misguided and human characters. The characters never did anything to make me go"oh I know why they did that...it was just so that the character to serve the story" In this movie it's the other way around...the characters are the story and the movie was about them and something they had done. No this isn't like the ripped off crap that was "I know what you did last summer"(which was ripped off from the flawed 80's flick "Prom Night". No, I know what you did last summer and Prom Night wish they could be as good as Nightmare. From the beginning we're never told what the characters did(something that Prom Night really messed up on by telling us too early and then trying to us care about those same characters who did something really bad) No, this movie allows us to know these people as characters and then they tell us what happened.Great show. Now for some of the beefs. The third act was kicking, I mean I loved it. Most other J-horror movies would have done the third act in the same way but this film doesn't and I loved them for that. But my only beef with that is the acting from the "bad guy" I mean come on...the dude spend most of the movie being calm and level headed and then at the end he goes all loco. Wow, how the hell that happen? Another beef is with the last pace of the film. First off let me say I loved fast pace, it really helped me get interested in this film and never allowed me to get bored. But at moments it seemed like it went a little to fast paced to the point where I didn't know what I was watching. I was left going"what? How that happen?" At times I found myself lost. But it's all good...the film had a few beefs but it still rocked hard. Now back to my favorite thing about the film...the directing. Man, Byeong-Ki Ahn kicked all kinds of tail with this bad boy. Man, I was really impressed with all the style and talent he showed without being all "look at me I'm so talented because I'm using all this style" No, homeboy handled his stuff good. He rocked the acting, he handled the drama, the unfolding story and the horror. Man,boy knows his stuff and brought so much to this cool flick. Great show.

Well,honestly I never really bought into the whole American "The Ring" as the scariest movie ever when in all honestly...I thought the movie was just okay. It wasn't awful but it wasn't that good either. One of the problems with the first Ring was there was too much going in the film and too many things were left unclear. But the slick directing and the ever so gorgeous Naomi Watts was what really made the film for me. So when the second one came out I decided to give it try solely based on the fact that Hideo Nakata, director of the original Ringu in Japan(a film which I truly loved a lot and was everything that the American version of it tried to be and failed) and again...the really, and I do mean really gorgeous Naomi Watts. But early reviews for the film in it's theatrical form was really and I do mean really hated by almost everyone. But I went to go see it and it delivered everything I thought it...which was a decent movie and looking at Naomi Watts alone was worth watching this film. But after a bashing from horror fans, even those who liked the first one this flick only ended up making 70 million at the box office...which is kinda a funny because the first made over a 100 million. But I, being one of the only of the few who thought the film wasn't the worse thing ever created and actually liked a lot this flawed film. So lets move away from the crappy PG-13 watered down, studio trimmed flick that caused many people to hate this flick. Let's go the newly done, director's cut of the this film that the director, Hideo Nakata meant for us to see and not what the studio thought we should see. I have to say, this is how the film should have been released. God, when will studio bastards learn that they're not the film makers so they should quit trying to be one. Almost every flaw I had with the theatrical cut of the flick was fixed, no longer did the plot of the film seem paper thin but now with all the extended scenes and I found myself loving this film a lot more this time. This time I got just where Nakata was going with this his US debut...something that wasn't made clear in the theatrical cut. There the film seemed lost and unfocused...and just plainly seemed off. Here, I saw that Nakata wasn't trying to redo the remake of the Amercian version. He was bringing his style and feel for J-horror(as it's come to be known) and really made this film feel like a bigger budgeted J-Horror film with an Amercian cast. I really loved the feel of the movie, the evil underlying tone to everything and felt more like a ghost story than the first Ring did. Here, Nakata stayed true not to what was done to the first film but the feel of the whole series and the original films from Japan. I really liked where Nakata took the series by going more old school than all flashy like the first film. While the extended scenes added more to the film the main problem with the film is the writing. The script is too long and could have been compacted into a such shorter script. It seems they take too much time with everything that's going on and there's hardly any pay off. While the direction is amazing, the acting great and great looking....all that kinda goes to waste is the script it's self doesn't stand up to the same level as the rest of the film. After watching the extended cut of the film I really took notice how butchered the theatrical cut is. I mean, some characters were cut down to almost non-existence...then what was the point of having them there? Now a big plus in this film is Nakata behind the helm. Man, I was really impressed with him. He took hold on this film and really brought something special to the look of this film. It never once looked like I was watching a "horror movie" and instead I got the feeling of watching a big budget J-horror film...which is a real treat. Nakata really comes through in this film and gives it it's own feel and style...which is something that Gore Verbinski, who really just gave us a standard Hollywood horror film and nothing more. I was so impressed with a lot of his shots, movements in camera and just bringing it home with style. Great job. Now it seemed the movie could have been really great with Nakata behind the helm but the studio and Producers were the ones who really messed up this flick back in it's theatrical run and are responsible for the film's flaws period in any cut. I think they're were so hungry to cash in the big hit that was the first film that they over looked getting a great script to start with. But all and all I really loved this flick and wished this would have been what the studio what they released to theaters instead of the butchered, crap of a mess which was the PG-13 cut of the film. And I'm the only one who just clapped during the big climax when Noami goes "I'm not your f**king mommy" Ha. Classic.

My Rating: A Bad Ass Flick. The extended cut of the film is worth the time and the stunning Naomi Watts is worth the money. God, she was great in this film and looked great too. Man, loved the new hair do too...wow, hot I tell ya. This film could have been so much better if the studio and producers would have let it. Too bad...but still...not a bad film.

Ah, low budget horror like everyone knows...most times it's very awful and sometimes...it's really great. Jolly Roger, despite a dumb title is actually a pretty great little film. For real it was everything I was hoping it would be after being burnt one time before on an Asylum production (the same company that made Jolly Roger) with Scarecrow Slayer which I was disappointed with. Now back to this film, I have to really give it up to the director of this flick, Gary Jones, for really making this film look like a real film(with lots of cool camera movements). Most Direct to Video films don't have that since they're all shot on digital now and so most directors use the point an shoot but rarely do you get a sense of movement to the film. So I was really feeling the camera movements which gave this film a certain edge above the rest of the DtV films I've seen. Now I have to say this is one fun movie, I was just loving every moment of this flick. It's fun, gory and pretty well made. The film gets almost everything right right from the start by showing killing and boobs just in the opening minutes. That's always a plus in my book. The script is really quite good and has a pretty good story behind it. Did I see the future plot lines coming from a mile away? Of course but who cares...I had a blast getting there anyway. Man, I just really enjoyed this flick. Everything about it screamed I know what the fans want to see so we're going to give it to them...and that really makes me happy. This film knew everything that was expected and gave us more...great over the top gore, nudity and really cool deaths. Is this film gonna the most well regarded horror flick ever? No, but it does know what it is and what it's not. It's a great little horror film with a pretty story. The acting...almost everyone is right on except for the Woman who played the Mayor...god, she couldn't act for crap..but she dies so all was forgiven. The two leads, Tom Nagel and Kristina Korn, were great except for Tom who had a lot of off moments in this film were it looked like he was "acting". Kristina was great, I just loved her. She handled her part really well and I actually liked her character in a certain way ,that I've never seen a low budget horror film female lead, she played her kinda of scared, kinda weak, and always worried. She was the real surprise of the movie, I actually believed that she could be a real person while Tom I feel, couldn't keep up with her which is kind of sad because I feel it would have really made this flick even better. Another small beef was with Jolly Roger himself, I mean he looked cool and all except that I think they should have altered his voice a bit and made it deeper and more eviler. When he first shows up looking all bad ass and stuff you know he's gonna be one cool mother but then he talks and it's like"what was the hell was that?" His voice really doesn't match the look of the Jolly Roger. It's kinda hard to take him seriously as a threat when he speaks like a wimp. But he hardly talks so it's all good.Much Props to Gary Jones again for making an actually well directed, very few bad actor filled fun ride of a horror/ slasher movie. I really liked this flick a lot...I can't wait to start spreading the good word about this film...I was really impressed with it.

My Rating: A Bad Ass flick. Man, this flick has it all and then more. It's a fun blood filled ride with some actually great directing and some solid acting from most of the cast (except for a few) and just plain fun. This is a flick for horror guys like me that know what we want to see and delivers with shining colors. Great show.

Low budget horror there's different types but the main one is low budget (where the film could still pass for a real film)and then there's low-low budget which almost means no budget(where everything's just as crappy as the cheap as their home video look). But sometimes these films are some of the worst and should never be seen by anyone but also...sometimes there's also a fun treat. This is Scream Bloody Murder...god, this film is badly acted, badly shot, badly edited and stupid as hell but you know what...I actually liked it. I know it's weird but I found this flick fun as hell and had me watching amazed that was actually liking it. What I found most fun and really saved the flick was the script. I actually found it kinda of smart and funny and could easily tell what they were aiming for....cheap, funny horror that doesn't try to be anything that it isn't. So I liked how they actually went all out with that and made fun of themselves by being so beyond stupid that it worked. I found the script to be really smart for the most part but there were moments so stupid in the flick that I didn't know if they were actually written like that or just thought up on the day of shooting. First while most of the people in this film are bad actors there were a few surprises...first Brittany Montgomery as Parker was so great a being a bitch(i loved her) and I actually liked Gloria Balding as shay who okay as the dorky nerd. Then a couple of the other girls had some really good moments but for the most parts the girls did what they had to do thanks to bad directing. Everyone else was plain awful. But they all die so it's okay. Then some of these girls would have been so much more pleasing to eye for the camera if they would have had been made up a little. God, all the girls here look like they just walked off the street looking normal and plain. It's suppose to be a freaking movie, dress them girls up a bit yo!This movie would have been so much better and really have fit the script(without having to go all beyond stupid because of it's lack of money) with a bigger budget because the crappy look of the flick is what really kills it...besides it's bad acting and lack of nudity. Come on give us break, if your gonna make a really, and I mean really crappy movie with bad everything then at least show some nudity. It's the least they could do. For script that was made to be done on a low budget they could have at least done this once they found out how no budget this film was going to be. Acouple of boobs would have really made this film that much better. But this film wasn't a total waste, trust me after being burnt by other kind of these films(Scarecrow slayer) that just plain sucked this film was actually kinda good at being really awful.

My Rating: It's kinda hard to say, this flick was really that good but good at being that if you know what I mean...and it didn't get me mad like Mr and Mrs Smith and Prom Night did which I hated a lot more than this flick. So I'm gonna have to give it a very happy A GOOD FLICK. If it would have had a budget that fit a creative script and some damn boobs then it would have gotten a better rating.

Having really loved the first two films I was really looking forward to the third part. I knew going in that the Pang Brother's were going to have something different for me with this one. I knew that the brothers wanted to make each episode in the Eye films to be completely different but still stay true to the heart of the films and I very much welcomed that. The Eye was more of a classic ghost story, The Eye 2 was more of a drama and The Eye 10 I knew was going to be more of a teen movie. Sounded good to me. So what did I think of the film. I loved it a lot...it wasn't as bad as everyone said it was, in fact it was everything I hoped it would be...but was it better than the first 2? Short answer no with a but. This film doesn't try to be like the first two, it's is own film just like the second was to the first. It has it's own story to tell in it's own way and does a great job of staying on it's own. When a lot of people talked about this film they said it was wanna be Scream and tried to be all funny and stuff and truth is...it's nothing like Scream. I consider this film more like a throw back to classic 80's horror stuff like Night of the Demons or even Sleepaway Camp 2...meaning it's suppose to be fun then a straight forward horror movie. That's what I liked best of the film, I loved it's modern feel...a lot of ghost movies are always told in that classic kind of way you know and it was just great seeing it done with that 80's feel but still feeling modern. I liked the new take, I loved the faster pace, I loved the directing and I loved how the film still keep a lot of it's religious sub plots. I loved the new takes on how to see ghost and I loved what happened due to that. The movie still had a lot of scares and never once did it let up. I also loved some of the humor thrown into the film that just had a smile on my face. I just loved the whole feel and vibe to the film.Once again the Pang Brothers are masters behind the camera and the kick ass shot. They handle the acting and the scares very well. While this film isn't perfect, I liked the 3 rd act but just wished they would have done it differently and I could have really done without the fart joke...this film is a real great watch and just plain fun. I'm sure some fans of the first film aren't going to buy into this one much but if you watch it as it's own film...it's a real treat. In a world where every other ghost story is a wannabe The Ring, it's nice feeling a fun just have fun with it's self and still be smart and cool as can be. All in all...a great show. Bring on the next one.What a great series of films.

I had heard about this flick awhile back and never got the chance to see it on the big screen because New Line had to go limited release(which is just dumb) so hardly anyone got to see this film which is a shame because it's a real great flick. From the opening moments I was thrown into the world of the film was never bored.Director Robert Harmon does a great job of shooting car chases the way they're never been shot before. The film is more a slasher than anything:it's got the killer who kills with his car,you got Jesus himself,James Caviezel,out on a mission to stop him at all cost and the lovely Rhona Mitra as the woman cought inbetween.Words cannot descibe how cool this film is,the action is bad a$$ and the use of the way they used the car as a weapon was great. Now while this movie isn't perfect, it is a great show and slasher logic does apply to it, if you wanted real world logic than go watch a drama or something...if you want to kick back and watch a cool flick than this is it. Much props go out to director Robert Harmon for bringing out this great film and much love to Rhona Mitra for looking so hot.

Low budget horror. What else can I say...some are good and some are just plain bad. Now there are different levels of bad...there's the bad that's good (like House of the Dead)and then there's bad that should be shot into the sun (like Home Alone 3,Good Boy). I've always been a big fan of low budget horror and I've been lucky enough that all the films I've checked out have been a real treat. I've only been burnt once and I was afraid that Ghost Lake might be like that one. I wasn't really in the mood to watch anything, but I heard the Ghost Lake started with the lead going topless and I decided to at least watch that part until I figured out something else to watch. Well, I ended up watching the whole movie and liked it very much.It's a good little film with a good plot,some good effects and good music. But the only real problem is that some of the actors seemed off at times which really annoyed me at times.Some of the plot seemed to get lost during the explanation scene and while you trying to figure out what the hell they're talking about they're already moved on. If they would cleared up alittle more on the history of the lake(which is a real place) then I would have saved me some stress.Now the movie does have a lot of story to it, there's no real ACTION to speak of so those who expected a non stop action ride better go watch Dawn of the Dead (04) again. Because this film is more about the story, the history and the ghost are really there to serve the plot then being the plot. But if you stick it out and forgive afew laughable moment, the off acting moments(I swear all of the old people in this movie were dreadful), then you'll like this one. A big plus for for me is having the lead,Tatum Adair, naked is always a big plus for me. Could it have been better? Yes. But I think they did good with what they had.

Review: So Close(2002) Current mood: human I guess.

Good action movies can be far and few inbetween...never more so than now a days. That's why I really liked this film...it looked modern but had a old school feel. I was first introduced to this film because of the director's film "The Transporter" which I thought was bad a$$. Don't let the front of the DVD fool you...Yes, there are 3 girls...with guns, kung fu,lots of flashy directing and wire works but trust me...this film is everything that Charlie's Angels wishes it was. Unlike the horrid Charlie's Angels So Close actually has a story to it and the action plays to the story rather than the story being fill in. The movie has really sweet moments that don't have action in it and the story is carried by the leads. The problem with female fronted action movies and comic films is that they try to be all things to all people. In a lot of these films the sexuality is used to get the guys in, then they use cheesy love story to get the girls and the PG-13 action to get the teenage boys. So what is it missing? Guts. That's what. The sexuality isn't over used in the movie, the romance is believable(and don't make them seem like sluts or tacked on like in Electra) and the action is wonderfully shot and violent. But with saying that there are hardly any killings on screen but the violence is balls to the walls. When 2 of the characters take on a sword carrying bad ass they hold up their own in this violent fight. It's no wire work dance ala Charlie's Angels...it's down to the ground dirty fighting that makes you cheer for the girls to beat the guy up badly. So if your in the mood for a fun popcorn flick with hot girls, guns and "ACTION" then this flick is for you. So instead of seeing another one of those PG-13 action films where they belong...gathering dust on a shelf and try this one out...you'll like it.

There are many Ring knocks off around and I bet there are even more in Asia I bet. But I got along to watching this flick without knowing nothing about it but I feared what it might be. So I put it on and from the opening I knew this film was different. It was more than a horror movie, it's more a classic ghost story and drama about 3 people. It's a weird mix because a lot of the film is about faith and the question of "when you die do your feelings die too?" So through out the film, it plays out more standard, there are no BOO scares, and limited killing. This isn't about a killing ghost it's about a ghost that still wants to live and a mother who won't let go. You can't help but to be dragged into the film and care about the characters because you understand them and why they are they way they are. Warning: If you one those moderen Hollywood horror movie fans than this movie isn't for you. But if you want something new than watch this film.

I saw it yesterday and I have to admit it was a lot better than I expected. I think most people will tell you while the 79' film was good that it was one of those films that a remake wouldn't hurt. So I walked in there not knowing what to expect. I thought the Texas Remake was good but didn't bring anything to the table. It was just a modern retelling and the Amityville Horror remake was a grant step up. It just wasn't a retelling with a hip sexy cast...it was a balls to wall R and totally retelling. I loved the film. I could tell when the big scares where going to pop out almost every time but is that really so wrong. The film had it's problems, for one thing the story was rushed for the shake of getting to the "scary" stuff and the Priest. What a waste of time. In the 79' film he played a bigger role but in this one he was there for the shake of explaining and was a coward. At least in the 79' film he TRIED to go back and help and not hide like a girl.Then there's the man:Ryan Reynolds. He really pulled off the George Lutz character. I was surprised he was able to keep up. I kept thinking the whole time while watching "Yo, since when did Van Wilder become such a good actor" I also found myself laughing at some of his out bursts at his family that seem to come out of nowhere i.e. "Are you stupid or something?!" So all in all. Great film, a little too flashy but what else do you expect these days, great actors(Ryan Reynolds stole the show), moments that get you at the core and a very flawed movie. Good show.

A wonderful treat of a film. It's campy, it's dumb but it's pure. This movie isn't trying to be more than it is...a fun flick. There's something about this film, there's a charm to it to the dialogue and the characters. If your looking for the best horror film ever than this isn't it but if you just wanna kick back and enjoy yourself than this is a great film. This is one of those flicks that you can watch repeatably with a smile (there are Great films out there that aren't meant for repeat viewings. Once is enough for a while)For me this ranks up with some of the films I just love, so much so that I can even repeat some of the character's lines, and still doesn't loose it's charm.

There's a scene where we first meet Erika Smith's character Trix and Misty talk in front of the mirror and every time I watch it puts a smile on my face. Most people would say their interaction is board line bad acting but to me it's great scene because the girls have a charm that I can't get mad at them. There's BAD ACTING like that kid in Home Alone 3 and Briteny Spears in Cross road and there there's bad acting that's forgivable. So out of my rating of: Crap,Decent,Good, Great and a bad MF(that's saved only for films that I just adore and leave an impression on me even after the film is over) it gets "A Bad MF".

There are films that come out that live up to all the hype and leave you with such a lasting impact that your somehow changed by them. The Village is that type of film to. The Village is the 3rd horror/thriller from writer/director M.Night Shyamalan following his mega hit "Signs". Well after The Village came out I noticed a strange pattern to Shyamalan's film...he makes the more mainstream film then he follows it up with a more personal artistic thriller that the public never quite gets. Well this pattern was proved correct so far when The Village didn't live up to the hype that was set by Signs. Is that Shyamalan's fault that the average person isn't smart enough to get his more personal artistic thriller? You damn right it is. If this film is too smart for you people then go watch Charlie's Angels or something because your official brain dead.

Script wise...God,Shyamalan is my hero here. Not only is he a master story teller but he makes me(a person who really hates dramas) really dig the drama of the film. This isn't your standard thriller, this is a more dramatic classic horror story then a thriller. This film is about characters...not the damn creatures. The creatures serve the plot but...they are NOT the plot. That's important. Here we grow to know the people in the village and understand them and their fears. It's that understanding of the characters that gives the film it's REAL TERROR. If you don't spend time with the characters and get to care about them...then what's the point of putting them in danger when we don't even care. Hollywood makes so many horror movies. They make film after film with stick figure characters that get put through hell that you only really watch to see them die. Here Shyamalan crafts a perfect tale of love and then tests that love put putting it through terror. This film is about humanity and how they are willing to deal with things beyond their control. The characters here are so well written and the story so well played out that you just can't help but to love it. Then there's the spoken words... god, they're so poetic that it's gives the film a real fair tale feel that takes this film to a whole other level. To hear the characters talk is just amazing to hear...it's masterful. I loved hearing every line and I never wanted the film to end. Then I really loved the way the film was structured. This film has it's own of telling it's story and of back tracking so you understand what's going much better. What I also liked was the morals of the film...the Elders of the village started the village to get away from the horror of society but human natured proved that the horror they thought they left behind still found them. It's amazing to watch.

Cast wise...Oh my god. Talk about an all star cast. And I just don't mean because they're big name actors...no it's because they're all great actors and bring real class to the film. First you have the star, Bryce Dallas Howard, and I do mean star...not only because she stars in this film, but because she carries this whole film. She's the daughter of former TV star and award wining director Ron Howard...but here Bryce breaks the hold by being a real actress and not just a girl who's trying to act just because her Dad is famous. Here, Bryce brings so much to her role as Ivy Walker that with just a movement of her eyes she can send your heart beating. God, she's an amazing actress and is so natural with the setting.She has this down to earth personality that you really care about and cheer for. Give me an hour and a half with Bryce and you can keep your slutty Lohan and big butt J Lo. I'd rather watch a real actress any day. Joaquin Phoenix is great as always and really under plays his own personality and gives the character of Lucius a real sense of reality that never goes away. Another thing I like is that the actors brought so much to their characters then I'm sure was in the script. Another great surprise was Adrien Brody who plays the ill Noah Percy who through out the film is amazing. At first glance you think he's just playing the village crazy but if you really pay attention you'll see there is more to his craze then what meets the eye. There's a reason why he acts the way he does and when it's revealed...it's amazing.

Directing wise...wow.Shyamalan delivers more than I ever thought he could. He delivers a lot of movement to the camera and a voyeur way of shooting that makes us feel more personal with the film. This film is master story telling at it's best. Shyamalan really keeps up the amazing script with an even more amazing way of telling the story. There's there's the SINGLE SHOT scenes that left me in awe. God, talk about amazing. They were done so well that we felt the same danger that many of the characters felt. Not only does he use the camera to tell the story but he also uses every trick in film make it to use it to tell an even better film. There some scenes were everything goes silent and with the film's directing...it impacts you harder.Shyamalan is the first director I've seen to really use sfx to his talent.

At the end of the film, I was left with an impact in my deepest core. I LOVE THIS FILM. This film is the type of film I want to make. This film is the bar for me and if I could make a film just half as good then I could die a happy film maker.