doppler-4 Reviews

Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)

Oh my God... what a disaster

[1/10 · 8 November 2007]

Any movie with Lucy Liu should be good, right? Not this time... It starts nicely enough with some appealing shots of Cameron Richardson in knickers and nylons, but soon slides into an awful mess of badly conceived plot, rotten script and painful acting.

There are a couple of very labored attempts at suspense, but I found myself about two steps ahead of the action with the remote in hand. Perhaps it's James D'Arcy as the head villain that started the decline, but there seemed to be something missing after scene four or five.

Sorry, but Blood Hunter gets a big thumbs down... not worth renting folks... unless you are staging a bad movie night!

Against the Ropes (2004)

Simply awful

[2/10 · 18 August 2004]

What a complete waste of talent... a poorly written, thin story that might have... well... been a contender.

My honest advice is do not watch this unless you have a strong drink in one hand and the other ready to hit your remote's fast-forward button.

Meg Ryan has a terrible time getting into Jackie Kallen's character and struggles to bring any depth to the part. Omar Epps blows her away in the acting department, but that doesn't say much. Charlie Dutton is Charles Dutton, but the script seems to hang them all out to dry.

The only thing that was good was the print I saw had excellent color balance.

Training Day (2001)

Absolute rubbish

[1/10 · 7 October 2001]

This is possibly the worst of the worst from the movie factory. A rookie narc cop's first day on the job with the street-wise, super-cool Sifu / mentor... give me a break. I can only say in its defense that it was over quickly.

Do not do as I did and waste real money paying to watch this dross.

The Grey Zone (2001)

The lines between good and evil melt

[9/10 · 11 September 2001]

The horrors of the Nazi death camps is brought into sharp, stark focus in this brilliant movie. A horrific study of human nature. A deeply disturbing collection of graphic images. Intense acting and very unusual direction tells the story of the Sonderkomandos... those hapless inmates who where given the terrible task of loading the ovens with the copses of their gased neighbours, friends and family. Not suitable for a first date, but definitely a movie you should see with someone with whom you can talk openly afterwards.

Watch it!

The Corruptor (1999)

Predictable but with some redeeming features

[8 January 2001]

Yun-Fat Chow is a remarkable actor in a less than remarkable movie. Lots of gun play punctuating a rather flat and predictable "cops on the take but likeable" screenplay. So many of the characters and plot devices are not fully developed, makes one wonder what happened in the cutting room or what happened to the screenplay after the producers finished hacking it. However, a movie you should rent and watch if you have any interest in the genre. Some unusual camera work and interesting social commentary both on the plight of illegals in the North America, and on the way justice works on the street. And to be fair, there are some good scenes with believable dialogue.

Might make a good double bill if played first with "Year of the Dragon" as the main feature.

Ronin (1998)

A simply appalling waste of talent

[1/10 · 7 July 1999]

A great cast squandered on a movie with a hair-thin script and plot line. Save yourself the trouble and watch anything else available in the video store... A Barney movie would be more entertaining.

Macbeth (1971)

A raw, disturbing, visually stunning movie.

[9/10 · 9 April 1999]

This movie's art direction and cinematography stand up well but it's Polanski's grim shadow in the director's chair that make this version of Macbeth a classic. It's dark, dirty, medieval and disturbing real with Polanski squeezing the last drop of pessimism from his actors... who cast Jon Finch in the lead though? Bill Hobb's handled the fight scenes, which have absolutely no romance attached to them but have to rate as some of the best on film. Visually stunning, thanks to Gilbert Taylor's camera work. Good script, thanks to Kenneth Tynan and Will Shakespeare. Utterly disturbing, thanks to Polanski.