clara-17 Reviews

The Quake (2018)

Watch, "The Wave" and skip this!

[2/10 · 23 October 2023]

A total disaster of a movie after the quite wonderful, "The Wave."

Such a horrible script! What was the point of even doing this film, except for the money? What's next if another sequel is made? Kill another member of the Eikjord family? Who's next? The son, the daughter? Just a totally depressing film from beginning to end. Yes, the special earthquake effects are nicely done, sure. BUT, that doesn't make up for watching a beloved character (Idun) die along with an extremely weak conclusion. Geez... Again, there was no reason to do this follow-up to, "The Wave" being that it leads to nothing but sadness. Hope the actors got paid well for this piece of dribble. Again, watch, "The Wave" and skip this film!

Wolf Mountain (2022)

total waste of talent and money (could have gone to a better project)

[1/10 · 9 May 2023]

Such a dreadful movie! Who gave this lackluster, non-creative people money in the first place to make this piece of garbage?

The actors try their best with the lame screenplay. The director obviously doesn't know how to direct (there is truly no suspense). The gore looks simply like a requirement for this type of film. The photography is dark throughout. Hard to see what's going on half the time. And the "surprise" ending actually happens TWICE! Such a total waste of time for anyone interested in a decent horror film

How on earth a rating of 8 something exist for this thing?

Avoid at all costs.

Ed Gein (2000)

focus on Railsback and the close truth of the narrative

[8/10 · 31 January 2005]

Simply see this film because of Steve Railsback. He captures the essence of the actual Gein, period (based on several bio readings). Railsback has always been an under-rated actor. I sure hope he eventually "breaks through" either in film, television, or theatre, even in an "older" age frame. Dang, he's good!

Second, yeah, the presentation is often low budget, but not an issue for obviously many who have viewed this film on its level. It's really a much better film than several low-brow reviewers (those too caught up and enthralled in special effects, rather than story-telling) let on to be. Those interested in a true crime story, watch this one. Honestly, not a disappointment, overall.

The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Electrocute me for seeing this thing!

[1/10 · 13 July 2004]

I really hope the central actors got paid well... Why else would they hurt their resumes with this definite piece of dribble? I would pay good money to see the director of The Astronaut's Wife fry in an electrical accident of some sort (hopefully, in his own kitchen while cooking a steak bought with my money after seeing his film). Then again, I've already wasted good money renting his pathetic film on DVD, so I guess I will just not return the DVD, but instead, fry it in an electrical accident on my kitchen stove. Please don't do yourself a disservice and view this film!

1/10 stars for sure

An American Family (1973)

Correction to a previous review (09/14/99)

[28 September 1999]

The Loud family did not reside in Santa Monica, but Santa Barbara, California. Several mass media books incorrectly site Santa Monica as the central filming location for this ground-breaking documentary. Otherwise, Zog-3's comments are correct. "An American Family" is an exemplary American cinema verite film. For serious fans of the documentary genre, this thirteen part television series is a must see!

Baroque A Nova (1969)

A good little movie

[16 August 1999]

I remember seeing this film as a teenager at a film festival in Southern California (early '70s). It's a sometimes surreal-like short action film centering around the old adage, "We need one another to survive." In this instance, several stranded WWII American and German military personnel struggle to survive in the "Baroque A Nova" desert. There's some good acting, especially from Eric Lehman and Scott Weintraub, and the Agatha Christie "And Then There Were None" approach is often amusing. This one may be hard to find on video or television. It might have played the short film festival circuit only.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

A disappointment from Branagh

[3/10 · 11 July 1999]

Not a pleasant film to watch because I admire Kenneth Branagh and this film was a major disappointment from such a creative force. It's a self-indulgent (how many times do we have to see Branagh running around "feverishly" without his shirt - until we can count his chest hairs?), poorly conceived, and photographed re-telling of the beloved Frankenstein story (see the Turner Network version - - much better).