charlene_boyle Reviews

Alone in the Dark (2005)

amazing horror, a must watch.

[9/10 · 1 July 2006]

I seem to go against the norm in my view on this movie. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much from it because of the reviews. It was a pleasant surprise. The special effects were amazing and it had a large amount of action that keep you interested straight through. Some of the storyline was a tad sketchy and not quite sure where some of the scenes fit in but that doesn't matter much because the overall impression of the movie as a whole was great. It contained some good actors and the acting overall wasn't the best but certainly wasn't bad by any means. The ending was the only part that really left me thinking WTF??? I'm assuming of course that it meant to keep you guessing and to leave you hanging to a large extent but it was basically more frustrating then anything else.

Overall if your looking for a awesome "alien" movie with great special effects and fighting scenes then this is the movie for you. As far as how it relates to the game... I have no idea and frankly don't care, it was good as a horror movie either way.

False Prophets (2006)

A great thriller, drama, suspense film

[8/10 · 22 June 2006]

This film carries a lot of good qualities, one of the best I've seen in a while. It is nice to see a movie done this well without the huge budget to make it. The actors were great both main and supporting cast, they all fit well in their roles. The movie gets right into the story and there were no unnecessary scenes. It tell the story well and when it's all over you are left satisfied that all the loose ends are wrapped up.

The film tackles many questions about faith as the characters struggle with their moral and ethical values. It gives us many questions to think about and raises many ideas that perhaps have never occurred to us.

This movie could be considered a great movie for a thriller, suspense or drama. It really is a great watch and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Boston Strangler (2006 Video)

An interesting film in the Strangler.

[5/10 · 21 June 2006]

This is a movie that works around a detective taking the confession of "the strangler." 90% of the movie is between the detective and the strangler talking. We are taken briefly through each of the murders, perhaps too briefly. There are a couple sections in the movie towards the end where it jumps ahead in time way to quick. It feels like the director decided to just finish the movie and wanted the quickest way there without resolving much of anything. So while you may have been into the story you feel cheated by the abrupt ending.

It is apparent that it is a low budget film but thats not all that important since there are few scenes that are not the confession scenes. I would assume that is why the director failed to go into detail with the murders individually (to cut costs). As a suspense it is OK... an interesting watch. If you don't expect a lot from the movie you won't be disappointed.

See No Evil (2006)

creepy, gruesome, great

[7/10 · 21 June 2006]

This is one of the best horror movies i've seen in a while. An eerie abandon house, interesting characters, gore and a twisted plot. Who could ask for anything more in a horror movie? It is pretty predictable for the most part but then again most horrors you can figure out within the first 10 minutes so I won't hold that against it. The music, camera angles and so forth are excellent. The sets are well make and very convincing. There was pretty much no subplots however, it being a horror movie too many alternate plots only take away from what were wanting from a horror anyhow... To be scared... This one keeps it pretty simple and does just that. If I were to compare it to any other movie I would say it reminded me of the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Definitely a horror movie lover must see.

Freedomland (2006)

Moving and thought provoking

[8/10 · 20 June 2006]

This is a very emotional film, certainly not something you should watch if you are looking for something light. For parents especially it will move you and make you think about the importance of your children in your life.

The casting was excellent, each actor did convincing job, primary and secondary actors alike. Jackson and Moore were both amazing in their roles especially. There were some parts of the movie that dragged on a bit but you barely notice it. You spend the majority of the time in the edge of your seat waiting to find out what really happened.

Most definitely a must see for the drama lover and for all others if your in the mood for a well written and acted movie then this one is for you. Just don't expect any action or humor because there is nothing of the sort in this movie.

Room 6 (2006)

A decent yet unmemorable film

[5/10 · 20 June 2006]

Overall this wasn't a horrible film, but wasn't overly impressive either. This film had some interesting parts and ideas to it. The demons were done quite nicely. It kinda reminded me of a badly made Stephen King made for TV movie. I enjoyed the actors in this film, though not real sure what Jerry O'Connell was thinking when he signed on to this movie, he's much better as a comic actor such as in "Kangaroo Jack". There was several scenes where i'm not quite sure what the director was thinking when he added them other then he just wanted to get some T&A included in the film. It wasn't overly scary, my 4 year old son watched it and didn't blink an eye if that tells you anything. It is however worth watching if your bored and have nothing else to do or watch, just don't have high expectations for the film and you'll enjoy it.

Candy Stripers (2006)

Another alien body snatching movie...

[4/10 · 20 June 2006]

To start off with i'm not a huge fan of these types of horror movies so it didn't have a huge appeal from the start. It was however a decent movie to watch if you like these body invading types of movies. I do feel that they could have figured out a better way to make the "alien" moves from body to body. I'm assuming they were trying to go as disgusting as possible. Some of the scenes in the film didn't make a whole lot of sense. You have to basically overlook the huge gaps in the storyline if you want to enjoy it. If of course your interested in watching a movie containing 90% "hot" women bearing their breasts then this is the movie for you, it does not lack in that department. I however am not one to look for that in a film so it held no appeal for me in that regard, so I had to stick with the sketchy storyline. Overall it was worth watching if your a hard core horror movie watcher, but certainly not a top pick when you have a selection of horror movies to choose from.

The Stand (1994)

One of Kings best Movies

[8/10 · 20 June 2006]

When I say one of Kings best movies you have to take in account that he had A lot of bad ones released. This one however was quite interesting and easily kept your attention throughout the numerous hours it went for. Here is the catcher though. If you can manage to see the movie before reading the book then do it, if you read the book first then the movie will lose its appeal. There are so many crucial details left out of the movie it is unbelievable. The characters are completely different then you would have imagined them from the book. To be honest I felt the biggest problem was the casting for this movie. The actors didn't fit the roles. When you think of it as a horror movie and leave behind the fact that it is the movie version of one of Kings best novels then you will find it a great movie. It has humor, gore, suspense and one thing that you have to love about a King movie is that you never know who is going to end up alive when it is all said and done. You have to love the unpredictable ones. Regadless I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in a long night of horror.

16 Blocks (2006)

Edge of your seat suspense

[7/10 · 19 June 2006]

This is a new Bruce Willis that we see in 16 Blocks. It takes a few minutes to adjust to seeing him as a worn out, alcholic cop however, once you do you realize what a great actor he is. Most of Willis's films don't show how great of an actor he can be. There is of course his co star Mos Def who does a fine job as well in his role. They work togeather well.

The movie pretty much starts with action and it doesn't stop. There are many surprises throughout the movie that keep the suspense going. I would have to say that this movie is one of the best suspense that I've seen in a while.

Bachelor Party Vegas (2006 Video)

Crazy, wacky and fun

[9/10 · 19 June 2006]

I really enjoyed this comedy. It started with an excellent cast of characters both main and supporting. I can't think of anyone that could have played any of the parts better. Everyone had a great connection and really made you believe they were best friends. Each of the main characters was distinctive in their own way making it easy to relate to at least one. You never know what to expect from scene to scene. All you can be sure of is that your going to laugh. The ending is a major surprise unlike a lot of comedies where you know how its going to end from the start of the movie. If you like crazy, wacky comedies then you'll love this one.

Stay Alive (2006)

Unique storyline

[7/10 · 19 June 2006]

I seem to have a greater opinion of this movie then most people, since I really enjoyed this film. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this is because of the unique storyline. Some people have referred to "The Ring" to compare it to however, I don't see much of a comparison in the two. The only similarity is that the "demon/ghost" is activated by an electronic device. The special effects are quite good, and the acting though could be better was convincing enough to make this an enjoyable movie. I'm a horror buff so I've seen almost every horror movie out there and this would be one of the better horror movies I've seen in a while. Perhaps why I particularly enjoyed this movie is because I knew nothing of it so expected nothing special, just an average movie. I was pleasantly surprised it turned out to be good.

Dirty Love (2005)

Movies this bad should be banned from release.

[1/10 · 19 June 2006]

Well stupid me spent 5 bucks to rent one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was actually beyond bad. It doesn't even deserve a 1. It would be a favor to the world if every copy was gathered together and burned. Is that asking to much??? At first I thought the bad acting and stupid jokes were on purpose. As I watched further I realized that no, the people that are responsible for this film actually thought it was funny. That is scary in itself. I can even tolerate Tom Green and his stupid comedy so I can laugh at about anything but this... this is not funny on any level. When you read the movie description you think, "hey this might be OK" ... nope... not at all. perhaps if someone else wrote, produced and acted in it... The only thing that this movie is good for is perhaps to law enforcement agencies when they want to torture someone. Pop that in the DVD player, force the person to watch it and I guarantee you'll have a confession within 20 minutes.

Over There (2005)

An amazing series

[10/10 · 19 June 2006]

I don't think I've seen a series on television that I have related to better then "Over There." Of the 13 episodes that were released I think that I cried through parts of at least 1/2 of them, and I assure you i'm not easily moved by television shows. Each episode contained something that reminded me of friends I have either serving in Iraq or who have served. There are some inaccuracies in the film when comparing it to what is going on "Over there" but for a fictional series about Iraq I was very pleased with how it was written and acted. Many details were included such as soldiers handing out candy to the children, which was something a friend of mine, who is an Infantry SGT. told me of when he got home from serving.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this series along with low rating that has caused it to be cancelled. This I feel is a major pity. People seem to want to avoid thinking about what happens to soldiers when they serve in Iraq, it's easier to not think about it and criticize the troops who are fighting. A series like this forces us to think about the situation by making soldiers "real," by making a war that is across the world "real" to us.

We need a series like this one to make us aware of the horrors these men and women face everyday to protect us. This series with interesting plots tackling many situation situations is excellent. The actors were all amazing, allowing us to see the diverse personalities of those men and women who serve, because of their good acting. Some characters you come to hate while others you grow to love, but the main thing is you grow to want to know how they're stories end. It's unfortunate we'll never know....

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Again another great X-Men movie

[8/10 · 19 June 2006]

Of all the superhero/comic book run-off movies being released over the past years the x-men has to be one of the best. The beauty of these movies are the never ending supply of different mutents that keep getting introduced in each installment. The Final Stand does not disappoint us there, several interesting and colorful characters age introduced if even for a short period. It in fact gives us a lot of surprises, some good and some not so good. I had intentionally not seen the trailer before I saw the movie so I had no idea what to expect, which I assume added to my enjoyment of the film. I still haven't seen the trailer, however i'm assuming one of the biggest shockers was revealed to the audience before they stepped foot in the theatre. This movie was definitely a great watch and I would recommend it to anyone even if your not an x-men fan.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Was the hype worth it?

[7/10 · 19 June 2006]

I'm not going to argue that this was a bad movie, I gave it a seven so I definitely feel its a good worthwhile movie to watch... however, I expected more. When I left the theatre I felt let down. This movie was hyped up for I'm guessing a year before it's release, making it something moviegoers were was anxiously anticipating. There has been spin off movies that it has inspired, the list is endless of publicity that it has generated. I sat in the theatre and all I could think of was "wow I think I have seen this before..." anyone remember "National Treasure" with Nicholas Cage? Cage spent the whole movie chasing after a hidden treasure... Well this movie came across as the religious version of that movie. The actors I must say were amazing and the chemistry good among them and the script was well written.

If you liked "National Treasure" then you'll love this movie but don't expect the best movie of your life because that it is not. Indeed a good movie, but again don't believe the hype. Perhaps if I hadn't expected the movie of a lifetime it would have been much better...

Final Destination 3 (2006)

A sequel that is as good as the rest

[7/10 · 19 June 2006]

Its rare for a movie franchise to be able to pump out more then a couple good sequels before the idea gets old. This franchise however, keeps on producing great horror movies. Perhaps its the whole concept that makes this movie franchise remain interesting and inventive. There's so many ways that this movie can go that you cannot get bored of the theme like you do with movies such as "Friday the 13th." The characters were interesting and it was well acted. The ending was excellent and considering the nature of the franchise we can't expect a happy ending, which is great. Too many movies guarantee a happy ending, with this franchise all characters are expendable. I hope to see more from this franchise and suspect I will in the future.

Failure to Launch (2006)

Interesting movie concept

[6/10 · 19 June 2006]

The movie concept was interesting. The storyline and dialogue were above average, witty and amusing during most of the movie. I felt however, that there was a lack of chemistry between McConaughey and Parker. I don't think you can even compare this with the chemistry there was between McConaughey and Hudson in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". This is what I find kills the movie for me. The concept of these two characters in love didn't come across well, like it did in some of McConaugheys other films with other actresses. This could have been one of the best romantic comedies I've seen in a while but instead it left me cold.