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Reviews
Apocalypto (2006)
Disappointing preachy epic
Mel Gibson returns to the directors chair with this Mayan epic Apocalypto. And unfortunately he's still as preachy as ever. Not content with thrusting his views upon us as he did with his tale of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, his follow up leaves you feeling like you've taken part in a repetitious sermon. The story follows a tribe of Aztecs as they are attacked in their forest home by a rival tribe, enslaved then taken to an Aztec city to be sold on or sacrificed. One of the captured, Jaguar Paw, manages to escape their clutches and then we get a 'race against time' as he charges through the forest seeking the wife and child he left behind. It's all interesting enough and flows along at a decent pace, the problem lies as i mentioned with the preachyness that flows through the film. His message of religion and how we should live our lives courses through the celluloid leaving a bitter taste. Also the treatment of the Mayans and their culture is just plain patronising, Gibson makes no attempt to display a point of view instead settling with painting a black and white good versus evil struggle. There is no blurring of boundaries with good old Mel around. To make matters worse the film seems to be made up of set pieces borrowed from other movies. You'll notice the dam jump from The Fugitive amongst many others. On the plus side the sumptuous locations are a delight to look at. But it's hard to get past the underlying message that ruined my enjoyment of what could have been an excellent film.
La casa 3 (1988)
Suprisingly chilling
I expected this film to be nothing more than your very average 80s horror flick but it was much more.Admittedly the acting was well below par but the shocks certainly weren't.Any film encorporating clowns in my opinion can't help but be sinister there was no exception here the clown was terrificly scary,and the little girl dressed in white just added to it.The film also boasted some rather gruesome deaths especially the guillotine!This movie certainly surpassed its expectations.Deserves to be seen.
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Let me in!
This film is simply a war classic,far from being your run of the mill hollywood tale of heroism,it follows a different path.The opening scenes draw you into a film that fails to dissapoint on a number of levels.Performances in the film are generally strong especially Joseph Feinnes who revels in his role and Ron Pearlman has a great little part.Overall this is a film i expected little from but got much more than i bargined for,see Enemy at the Gates,see it soon.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
Why
Dusk till Dawn was a fairly competent film full of everything you need in a good action flick including a bizzare twist i.e. all the locals in the bar are vampires.Dusk till dawn 2:Texas blood money though was a whole different kettle of fish.It is a poorly thought out ploy to cash in on a successful movie.Don't get me wrong i'm a huge fan of bad films and commend them if they are in any way inventive or resourcefull,this wasn't.Texas blood money also made use of annoying camera shots it persevered with every point of view shot possible.We had the shot from the pov of a man doing press-ups,we had the shot through the red eyes of a bat and to top it off the pov from a fan moving left to right.Overall it is a highly frustrating film that should never have been made,their certainly shouldn't have been a third installment.Never see this if you haven't,and if you have i feel for you and hope the counciling is going well.
Short Circuit 2 (1988)
Johnny 5 alive?You'd better believe it!
An entertaining film,equal in standard to the first offering involving the loveable robot Johnny 5.We see him travelling to the big city where he meets up with his creator Ben.Johnny turns into a more streetwise robot throughout the film culminating in a thrilling and tearjerking climax.Also the use of telephone dialing tones to reveal Johnny's location was a surprisingly clever touch.Fun for all the family.No dissasemble Jonny 5 never!
American Ninja (1985)
You want action,come get some!
What can i say about American Ninja,it really does have all the elements of a truly great action film.We have Michael Dudikoff as the ninja of the title taking on all comers in the ninja ranks and winning.It has an eighties soundtrack to die for and with the standard of acting on display,laughs are never very far away.Although it may be more of a cult classic than a true martial arts great,it deserves to be watched with tongues firmly in cheeks and cynical minds open.Be prepared for the thrills and spills of American Ninja.
Killer Workout (1987)
Working out will never be this fun again
Killer workout or Aero-bicide is a tale of a serial killer who preys on victims in a gym.It incorporates both inventive murders using an oversized safety pin and good looking sweaty bodies grooving to an intense 80s sound track.This movie is so damm bad it is great from the hardnosed detective who is so suspicious and unsympathetic it is truly shocking to the undercover private-eye who doles out beatings to angry gym members.The director truly new what he was doing with explicit shots of workouts after every death(you would have thought they would have shut the gym down but no).Overall it clearly is a must see movie with awfull acting,cliched characters and graphic workout shots,I applaud the maker of this film and just hope more people get the opportunity to see it.
Troll 2 (1990)
A true masterpiece of fantasy filmmaking
The moment I discovered Troll 2 I didn't really know what to expect but from the moment the video went on to the end credits I was enthralled by its amazing sense of invention.This was hardly your run of the mill bad horror film it was far better, it oozed greatness from its slimy Troll interior.I highly recommend it for a tongue in cheek rollercoaster ride of a movie.Troll 2 rent it, NOW!