beckmen Reviews

24: Live Another Day (2014)

Same ****, different day

[4/10 · 19 July 2014]

When I heard the news of 24's resurrection, I was excited. The prospect of 12 episodes instead of 24 indicated a denser season with less B-plot filler. Perhaps there is a bit less, but more or less the show is the same animal. Pretty much every 24 cliché is here. All of the twists feel recycled. If you watch the show purely for the action, you should be in for a treat. This season might boast the best action set pieces, and there are quite a few of them. There's some feature-level visual effects. A lot of stuff blows up. Dozens of people get shot. If you don't mind the cookie-cutter writing, it's not a bad season. But for me, I have been waiting over a decade for a season of 24 that would bring the kinds of twists and inventiveness that the first season had. The only season that felt at all fresh or unique. 24: Live Another Day fails to deliver on that dream.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Excellent Survival Horror Film

[8/10 · 14 March 2006]

I haven't seen the original, but I now want to because this movie rocked. The movie starts as a slow-boil suspense/horror movie, provides some decent jump-scares (at least in the theater) and spends some time building up character. The movie then switches gears and turns into a gritty, brutal horror movie more the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and further switches to gears to a action/revenge movie, but still with horror elements. It's scary, sick, nearly uncompromising (the unrated cut will undoubtedly be so) and disturbing, but also adrenaline-filled and riveting. Certainly NOT for the weak-stomached person. People were leaving the theater, and the IMDb boards are rife with people damning the movie for it's 'lack of moral substance' and 'taste'. This movie isn't for the average movie-goer. It's for the horror buffs. Alexendre Aja should be proud, and is 2-for-2 in my book having done this and High Tension.

Susan's Plan (1998)

Great cast, hillarious film!

[6/10 · 21 December 2002]

I rented this movie becuase Michael Biehn was in it, and found it surprisingly good. Biehn, in his first comedic role, really shines. He brings an interesting airheadedness to the role which is a fun change to his usual mega-serious roles in other films. However, the film is also filled with humorous portayls by Lara Flynn Bolye, Nastassja Kinski and Billy Zane. Rob Schneider, Thomas Haden Church and Adrian Paul also give semi-funny performences, and Dan Akroyd plays a barely believable, but funny role as "Bob". The plot is very cliched and rather normal, but the film is very funny and the charecters interesting to watch. It was a very pleasent surprise, this film. Highly reccomended to fans of Biehn, Kinski, Boyle or just fans of good comedies.