quadbastard Reviews

Dreamkiller (2009 Video Game)

It is still fun to shoot monsters in the face!

[7/10 · 10 November 2010]

Before I played Dreamkiller I had read some rather negative comments about it around the net. These folk were complaining about the story not being completely stellar or that the game somehow doesn't fulfill the promise of the unique concept, blah, blah etc.

Of course, I didn't pay attention to the nay sayers since all I wanted from the game was some crazy "shoot-the-monsters-in-the-face" carnage something along the lines of my old favourite Painkiller . . . and guess what? That is precisely what I got! I feel with games like these the action should speak for itself, and the 'story' only need serves for the framework to setup the patented insane off-the-wall mayhem.

The original detail that sets Dreamkiller apart is that the games' protagonist is a psychologist, Doctor Alice Drake. She has a somewhat unorthodox method of curing acute phobias - by jumping into her patient's dreams, she can take on their inner demons head-on . . . I'm guessing the guy who came up with the scenario likely was a fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Anyhow, as you may imagine, in the game the patients' phobias serve as thematic backdrops for the level selection. The artistic designs of the backdrops and of course the nasties that inhabit them are shown with some creativity - the game kicks off with you battling spiders and other assorted twisted arachnids in a cobweb-ridden city then later you might be dealing with killer Toy Soldiers in an over-sized playpen or fighting with evil nomadic trees in a nightmarish forest.

The weapons in the game are pretty funky as well and most seem inspired in someway by the set in Painkiller and similarly they all are equipped with an alternate fire mode. The old favourite freezer shotgun combo makes a welcome appearance here so you can put the nasties on ice and proceed to shatter them into chunks which is always satisfying, or if that isn't working you could melt the suckers from the inside using the electricity gun. The size of your arsenal is a little disappointing since there is only a grand total of five guns in the game - if you don't include Alice's useless hand-flame attack, and you can only carry two weapons at once. It would seem the designers had the idea that limiting the weapons meant the player would have to think about the right combination of guns that worked out best against any given set of foes, giving rise to a strategic angle to the proceedings. But since the game always provides you with the necessary tools to get the job done in any given area, so the 'strategy' factor is rendered a bit moot since you don't have to be concerned about which guns you take with you through the next checkpoint.

There are some other aspects of the game that are a bit different, for instance Alice has the ability to teleport - not with total freedom to beam anywhere mind, but she can 'ghost-run' to adjacent places to quickly get out of sticky situations. Doing this uses up Mana energy, so you can't just keep using it with abandon. Another area where the Mana comes into play is some enemies are in a different realm than you are, evidently in the patients' subconscious mind - these nasties appear wrapped in a flaming-red cloak. In order to deal with this brand of pest, Alice has to pass through a Portal where they then become vulnerable to her attacks. However, just being in this 'subconscious' plain of existence drains her energy, so it becomes necessary to exit to the normal dream world using another Portal, and so on . . . I think you get the idea. Just about all of the sub-Guardian battles work on this same routine, and the ongoing principle is "if you cut off the snakes' head the body dies", i.e. kill the big boss and all the other little pests subsequently fall in line. Even though the Portals seem like Dreamkiller's big drawcard, there are other scenarios like for instance one level takes you through a creepy asylum where you have to destroy numerous 'evil beds' that perpetually spawn countless zombies in straight-jackets, and that bit is pretty darn crazy! There weren't too many negative factors for me with this game because I love the formula. I guess like I mentioned earlier there aren't that many different ways to toast the nasties because of the modest set of weapons, and the Boss encounters could have been more inventive since all the 'puzzles' were cloned from either Kiss Psycho Circus or Serious Sam. Apart from that, the fact there is no in-game music hurts a bit since a few Heavy Metal tunes could have livened things up a lot more but instead there are only ambient howls and screams.

In closing, I definitely wouldn't turn anyone away from Dreamkiller. If you like the old-school style of running around like a loony blasting the hoards this is a solid option. I played through on the 'Insanity' difficulty, and got at least twenty hours out of the game and my hands are still aching as I type this, so if you are looking for a solid challenge you may want to go the same route. In the end it is no Painkiller beater, but if you have played the rest and still want more this will definitely oblige in scratching the itch. I give it a 7/10

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (2007 Video Game)

Truly dog days indeed . . . no, actually it is quite fun.

[7/10 · 19 August 2010]

So the 'part 2' of Kane & Lynch came out recently, and since I didn't have the money to throw at that, I thought I would share my thoughts on the original.

Even though the game got some mixed reactions from people, I think it is entertaining if you like playing shooter games. This one isn't overly demanding to play, I passed through the game on the standard difficulty without too much trouble, but it is challenging at times, especially some of the Boss battles - I remember at one point you have to slug it out with a huge truck in a junkyard, it was quite difficult doing it with the controller since the aiming sensitivity never feels perfect no matter how much you fiddle with it in the settings. It was still satisfying when I finally got there, and I remember the batteries in my controller were going flat, so I had some extra motivation!

As others here mentioned, the game is similar to one of IO's earlier efforts - Freedom Fighters, and I think K&L DM is kind of a spiritual successor to that game. For instance, there is a similar squad-based mechanic presented that lets you command your comrade Lynch and also any followers you may have in your posse. Additionally you can swap weapons and distribute ammo with them. The controls for doing these things weren't so simple it was instinctive without sifting through the manual, but it is easy when you know how. You could almost go through the whole game without using the special squad commands since the core shooting play is quite basic and your AI controlled friends can happily go about their own business. But much like the enemies, they do stupid things sometimes like running into the line of fire.

The graphics were good, at the time I had to play in standard definition, but still the detail in the game was evidently well done - the game engine technology is the same (or close) to Hit Man Blood Money I think. Probably the standout level for me was the Japanese Rave Disco club, were you had to 'escort' someone to the roof, and you could only tell the hostile security guards from the hordes of dancers by the flashlight beams darting around amidst the disco ball lights. I remember this section took me a few tries to get through, and yes, there probably will be some 'collateral' damage along the way. The diversity in the environments is actually one of the stronger aspects of the game, and like the Hit Man series you find yourself in different parts of the globe, so things don't get so stale in that respect.

The guns in the game will be familiar, you get hand grenades & flash- bangs as well, I think probably the most interesting weapon was a tear- gas grenade launcher. The violence is over-the-top - you can rush an enemy then break his legs and neck by hand - Ouch! There isn't much opportunity for stealth in the game. However, I seem to remember a scenario in a Poppy Field though, but to be quite honest, every situation turns into a veritable blood bath. The story in the game isn't much to write home about, I didn't find myself rooting for Kane and Lynch's cause - actually, I wouldn't even call them antiheroes because there isn't much of a 'greater good' sense to things, but I can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The 'script' is filled to the brim with 'colourful' language but instead of being gritty or realistic it comes off as forced and ultimately a bit silly.

I didn't have many genuine issues with this game, there was a bug during a car chase sequence where the van you were in would hit a junked car and flip on its back meaning I couldn't get my crew to the required destination - this happened *every* time I reloaded the checkpoint, so in the end I had to replay the whole section. Annoying. Apart from that, the cover system is a little dodgy since Kane will 'snap' onto nearby objects whether you want him to or not, so that can be a bit dodgy, especially when making a mad dash to safety from a killer Helicopter or something. Overall, none of these things are damning to the game, just some quirks really.

Overall, I had a fairly good time with this game, probably those who loved Freedom Fighters or played the Hit Man games in a not-so-stealthy 'Guerilla' style will truly relish the huge body counts in K&L DM. I would recommend playing in the standard difficulty, even if you are an experienced player, since the game is suitably demanding as it is and 'hard' is perhaps leaning more towards 'masochist' sensibilities. Anyhow, I think the game can pass some pleasant evenings, so if you are interested, give it a shot!

*Review for Xbox360 Version

Metro 2033 (2010 Video Game)

Not like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but fun, with great atmosphere . . .

[8/10 · 10 August 2010]

The team behind Metro 2033, Ukraine studio 4A Games - formed by ex GSC Game World programmers who had previously worked on S.T.A.L.K.E.R before leaving in 2004 to pursue the project in question.

In terms of Metro's literary effort, the writers did a fairly admirable job. The story core concept loosely adapted from the novel of the same name is definitely intriguing and interesting - nuclear war decimates the world, strange mutants emerged in the aftermath, in Moscow surviving human inhabitants forced to the underground tunnels due to the radioactive conditions above.

The story exposition segments in Metro 2033 are done during the loading screens, where Artyom (the protagonist) tells of events unfolding, and his feelings thereof - but also he meets key characters along the way where more is revealed through in-game conversations. Yeah, the voice acting is good - it was wise to use actual Russian speakers rather than some Bollywood bozos . . . it really goes a long way with keeping you tuned in to the highly distinctive and unique atmosphere. That last word of the previous sentence is probably Metro's primary strength - the foreboding tunnels, dark, mysterious . . . you're not quite sure what lurks around the next corner.

The meat action presented in Metro 2033 is undeniably fun, and in ways retroactively akin to Stalker as you are pitted against familiar foes in mutants and bandits. The AI scripts are quite honest, when facing the human opponents it is darn near as exhilarating as Monolith's horror opus F.E.A.R. The enemies show some similar belief of life preservation as you, by means of hanging back in the shadows, often shooting from cover, forcing you into making the first move. Again, much like the Stalker games the bandits taunt you with comical 'colourful' phrases, but amicably it does get a little repetitive over time. As for the mutants, they weren't as cunning as I was expecting. Much like Dead Space they suddenly (yet sneakily) emerge from all over the shop, but unlike the kind of calculated deliberation of offensive attacks needed to survive in the aforesaid game, in Metro 2033 the only genuine prerequisite to success is not to stand still. I guess some minor gripes concerning the AI scripts are the enemies awareness of your presence can be noticeably questionable at times. The mutants killer instincts here seemed to have needed to be tightened up.

The weapons you get to play around with are a bit on the orthodox side. We have a few pistols, machine guns, shotguns (Cool Bayonet!) And sticks of dynamite. Oh, I almost forgot, there is a pneumatic gun you have to pump for increased damage & accuracy - Very Cool! Metro 2033 eludes a little to stealth, here with silencers, throwing knives, night-vision goggles etc. but honestly, by & large this is a served-straight- up shooter.

In terms of some game mechanics, It is interesting to note for all you 'old timers' the game-play inspiration roots conceivably go all the way back to the original Doom if you think about it - Remember the radioactive pools which demanded the use of radiation protection suits that would only hold out for a limited time before the mad dash to find the next one? Same deal in Metro. But instead here you collect Gas masks and oxygen filters from dead people in order to safely negotiate such toxic zones. One cool touch in particular is your Gas mask can get cracked open by mutant claws for instance, necessitating the need to seek out a new one. Admittedly, the frantic scurry to find oxygen filters in the wild frozen landscape topside provide some of the most exciting and memorable parts of the whole game.

I really enjoyed the strong focus on exploration in Metro - seeking out the illustrious shiny golden military-grade bullets gives you something else to think about while gazing about the tunnels by the illuminating hue of your torch light. Keeping your weapons stocked isn't too much of a daunting task - you can spend a great deal of time meticulously looting all the corpses dotted around, whereby you take ammo and equipment directly off the unfortunate fellow's person - this kind of realistic detail is welcome.

The chief purpose of collecting the golden bullets is they can be used as legitimate tender at the checkpoint stations and markets you will inevitably pass through. For example, you can exchange these rare bullets for more standard ammo, or even trade them in for special weapons and other useful equipment. On a side note, It is interesting listening to civilian conversations at the checkpoints, where peoples stories of topside outings goes to lengths in giving the world you are in some genuine sense of reality.

From a visual standpoint, Metro is impressive. The perpetual dark tunnel's shows off the great light sourcing effects complete with sparkling dust drifting through the air, and you will see many a headlamp swaying aglow in the dark. The character models look quite similar to the ones in Stalker not surprisingly, sporting the traditional heavy Specnaz armour and helmets - sometimes it is hard to believe there aren't some legacy materials at work from the old Stalker betas though. The mutants themselves look suitably creepy, gnarled and interesting. All in all the game engine technology pulls everything off quite admirably, even if your rig isn't at the bleeding edge of tech. The optimization was definitely better than I was expecting.

In sum, Metro 2033 is a very accomplished and atmospheric story-driven shooter, though was a little disappointing for me since I was hoping on a bigger world with some greater opportunities for the player-authored experience 'ala Stalker. As it stands though, it is a well-thought out game with the presentation being very polished. So I think you would be doing yourself great disservice not to explore the gloomy depths of this post apocalyptic Moscow.

Hitman (I) (2007)

Not entirely a bad action thriller, but ultimately a missed opportunity.

[5/10 · 25 April 2008]

From the first five-ten minutes of watching Hit-man you find the production smacks of a low-budget film festival movie which is emblazoned with the 20th Century Fox stamp of approval.

So, from that you know the movie is going to be short on Hollywood style razzle dazzles, but of course when the film cannot rely upon saturating the viewer with visual grandeur, the narrative aspect must be especially strong, and able to draw the audience in at some kind of intelligent middle ground. Unfortunately, Hit-man (mostly) falls short even on this count.

Much of the film deals with its political conspiracies with extended dialogues which are often very disinteresting, and the Interpol agent on the trail of the title protagonist doesn't seem to have any genuine motivation about apprehending him. But the movie does have some positive aspects, Olyphant is actually quite good as the enigmatic assassin Agent 47, and probably was a more sensible choice than the early rumoured Diesel, who could hardly be called inconspicuous.

The movie does have some bursts of action in fits and starts, which are rather exciting and well staged - a scene featuring Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond, Lost) as a Rasputin-Esq looking gun smuggler in a heated shootout (with definite John Woo chic) in a bistro setting is really cool to watch. The direction by the young Frenchman Gens is certainly competent and even borderline stylish at times, and notably respects the source material. Probably a low point about the movie is the film makers deciding upon playing up the love noir relationship between 47 and a prostitute played by Kurylenko, which is given a much bigger focus than it should have. As for Doom (2005) you will find some special nods to the video games, e.g. some teens playing Hit-man BloodMoney on a PS-2, and fans will instantly recognise some of the scenes have been shot in the identical style of the third-person viewpoints employed in the games.

With Hit-man I felt Director Gens had some reasonable ideas, but over indulged in sentimentality with the quasi love story prominently taking a centre stage. He had such a great character with so much potential for making a stellar movie, but squanders the vast pool of material by drawing from one of the most minor recurring theme in the game series. It was like "Right. I have the Hit-man license, but now I don't know exactly what to do with him".

In closing, I strongly recommend instead you watch 'The Day of the Jackal' (1973) which is a brilliant masterful thriller, and most likely was among the major influences for the original Hit-man Codename 47 game.

Wise Guys (1986)

Unpleasant, unfunny, unmistakably a miss.

[2/10 · 17 September 2007]

Director Brian De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables) seemed to have really missed the mark with this unsuccessful attempt at what could only be interpreted as a morbidly dark comedy, but I'm still not sure "comedy" is among the words I am looking for to describe this outing.

This movie kicks off with some fun animated cartoon credits, which would have you initially believe this to be something good-natured, with some clever lighthearted Mobster capers to proceed. But then when the movie actually begins, the wolf takes no time to reveal itself from its sheep's clothing, and proceeds to claw at the viewers resiliency to tolerate ill humour such as this.

Both leads - Devito and Piscopo, both give enthusiastic energised performances, but it is all for nil, as they don't have anything targetable to work for generating funny moments. The script here is by and large just one exasperating concoctions of sleaze and bad taste humour which, in my opinion, was no fun at all to watch in action. And unfortunately on the other hand, the more visual-based attempts at humour don't really come off well either, as they are constructed without any light touch and hammered home in such a deliberated fashion, ultimately resulting in predictability.

As this movie makes some winks at Taxi Driver, I would say it is fair to admit that Wise Guys as a comedy was about as funny as that movie. I approached this with hopes of a fun Mobster movie, but in the end find it difficult to think of any redeeming aspects about this fiasco. Skip it.

Erik the Viking (1989)

This film may have extra renaissance for Python fans, but casual viewers will most likely feel bemused by this endeavour at satire.

[4/10 · 14 September 2007]

American actor Tim Robbins plays young Erik, who comes about the shocking realisation of the few laudable aspects of the Viking lifestyle, and wants to change the image of the Vikings for the better, and sets off on a capricious journey conflated of erratically hit & miss satire, and overblown special effects.

There are constant bursts of rapid fire dialogue to be found here, but honestly, lacks any real inspiration or inventiveness to be genuinely humorous, even if there may be the odd chuckle, you just sort of take it in the films loose strides. The production is admittedly quite smart, and the impressive set designs give you something interesting to absorb while one scene unravels itself after the other.

Apart from this, only the cast inclusion of veteran Cleese manages to liven up the proceedings somewhat for his, albeit brief, appearance as an evil tyrant, but it's just not enough in order to give the buoyancy to float this leaky ship.

Alien Predator (1986)

Starts out well, but falls over . . .

[6/10 · 13 August 2007]

Sometimes reputed as the sequel to 'The Thing', and most certainly much suggests this after viewing, but as I can't substantiate this, I will say at the very least it's a seminal followup.

Things start out well, with three American friends on a road trip to Spain, when some weird goings on starts to take place. The scenic photography here is nicely shot, and adds an interesting flavour to the proceedings. For the first half, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and there are a lot of very funny moments, thanks to the sharp script, and appealing leads. However, In stark contrast to this, later the film metamorphoses in tone, and turns somewhat sombrely, with gruesome make-up effects, shock tactics, and so on.

I admit, I quite like this flick, and have revisited it several times. But, in my opinion, the inconsistent tone stops it from being great, as this is genuinely entertaining initially, but when the horror cliché's kick in, your interest wains, and things ultimately get a bit, well, dull. Still, remains worthwhile viewing.

Destroyer (1988)

Fairly uninteresting horror thriller yarn with few surprises.

[3/10 · 13 August 2007]

The novelty of this picture is it takes place in an out of use prison, which is being employed as a movie set. Perkins, who was interestingly filling in for the originally cast Roddy McDowall - who was sick at the time of shooting, plays the unscrupulous director, and admittedly is about the films only real asset, because he has a few rather amusing scenes poking fun at the industry. I suppose Alzado is also of some note also, because he undoubtedly has an imposing disposition which works well for his role.

Besides the parts when this movie is parodying itself, the usual slasher cliché's and inept dialogue routinely ensues. The photography here is fairly ordinary, where constant close-ups of eyes aren't terribly effective in creating tension. The pace can be quite lethargic at times, and the film is somewhat overlong, and seemingly doesn't know when to quit. As a movie that spoofs itself, it remains largely better than Boogeyman 2, but needless to say, this is still just trash.

Devil Fish (1984)

Hackneyed attempt of a monster movie done dirt cheap, Italian style.

[2/10 · 6 August 2007]

This cheapo exploitation flick is some genuinely insipid stuff, courtesy of spaghetti land director Lamberto Bava, who wisely left his name off this junk.

The basic crux of this outing concerns the discovery of some brutally mutilated individuals being washed-up on shore in the Caribbean. Authorities initially believe them to be victims of shark attacks, but as the investigation unravels, turns out to be something much more sinister.

All of this ultimately amounts to very little however, we have here - poor dubbing complimented by similarly weak script, which often consists of nonsensical jabbering, and is really of little consequence for the most part. Acting can only be described as sub-par, which is par for the course in this instance. Truly lax direction doesn't help things either.

Special effect mainly is for numerous close-ups of various gory bodies missing limbs, and so forth. Of course, there is the obligatory creature which periodically emerges at feeding time, which looks something like a big monster octopus thing, where its animation only consists of its pointed teeth ascending and descending in rhythmic articulation. Overall, the end result is none too convincing, sure, but admittedly is almost entertaining in a cheesy kind of fashion.

It seems what the film makers were going for was a sort of low-rent hybrid of Jaws and Piranha, but the final product is just a bloody shambles, much like the corpses incessantly shown throughout this picture. I find it difficult to think of any redeeming attributes to warrant viewing this, so moreover, strictly for incurable monster movie addicts.

The Dead Next Door (1989)

An unassuming zombie flick brought to fruition on zip budget, admittedly had its occasional moments.

[3/10 · 29 July 2007]

When I first approached this, I was not half expecting something more crude and nasty, but instead I found this to be mildly entertaining and an inoffensive ode to the classics of the genre, e.g. 'Night of The Living Dead', 'The Evil Dead', et all.

Something about this I particularly enjoyed was the tongue in cheek, often self-mocking sense of humour, with such things as a zombie frequenting a video store, and its subsequent choice selection of tapes to rent, and there is a plethora of other in jokes which should please real fans. Other more satirical things like protesters congregating for the civil rights of zombies, and also a religious cult of fanatics which believe it is Gods' will that the un dead becomes the successors to the human race. I suppose many of these little touches go to lengths in characterising the movie.

As for the acting here, every player gives Oscar winning Jack Nicholson style performances, um, er, . . . I jest of course, seriously though, all of these willing unknowns do try, and seemingly give their best, and granted the somewhat underdeveloped threadbare script to work with, I think in most case's make up for general lack of natural talent with more gumption and enthusiasm.

The director\producer\writer here gives many of the characters names of established horror directors, like calling the main protagonist Raimi, and another one is called Doctor Savini. , And so on. On a side note, Fred Dekker took a similar approach with 'Night of The Creeps' released a couple of years later.

One of the problems that pull the rug from under this movie is that there is just too many characters, and none are really fleshed out properly, and there isn't really anything under lying the story to get your teeth into (sorry) making this rather chaotic and boring at times.

Effects wise, this has a few good moments, with occasional scenes which sport a zombie that has proper prosthetic makeup, which does look quite good taking into account the minimal resources. Also, some limited special gore effects, such as blood squirting and twitching body parts, which are done here in the style of Sam Raimi's aforementioned sleeper. Other than this however, most effects constitute just extras running around with some green paint smeared on their faces, as you might come to expect.

Overall, 'The Dead Next Door' remain a fairly decent zombie outing, and given the production values and time spent in development, can be looked at as a sort of achievement in its own right. Some chuckles and decent effects save it from being a complete waste of time, and I think it is more worthwhile than many modern horror efforts.

I can't recommend this one to everybody, but non-discriminating horror movie goers, and real splatter aficionado's will most likely get a bit of a kick out of it.

Creature (1985)

In space, no one can hear you scream for a bigger budget.

[5/10 · 16 October 2006]

This movie is clearly a low-budget Alien knock-off. A hand full of explorers, comprised of a cast of television regulars, investigate Titan, one of the moons orbiting Saturn, for a life-form, that's seemingly done away with all of the previous crew that visited for the same reason. The acting is pretty much sub-standard, and the script is a case of sometimes it's so bad, it's funny, especially if you watch it late enough to grab you in a relaxed frame of mind. The ever entertaining Klaus Kinski makes a guest appearance here, albeit brief, gives this a bit of a shot in the arm, with some funny nonsensical lines and casual demeanor in what's otherwise meant to be a tense serious situation. The Creature itself is obviously a guy in a big rubber suit, but you could arguably say the same thing for Alien. The other effects in the movie are OK, with a notably gooey pumpkin head explosion in one scene. All in all, not altogether bad, but there's not enough here to sustain the 97 odd minute running time. Maybe worth catching on a slow night.

Fire and Ice (1983)

Good versus Evil sword and sorcery animated feature from 1983.

[6/10 · 15 October 2006]

Ralph Bakshi directed this entry penned by veteran comic book writers Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. The film concerns two individuals, the adventurous struggles of a brave warrior, and the constant dilemmas of a scantily clad heroin, who's lives eventually intertwine amidst a fierce battle for supremacy between two warring factions, and whom have key roles in the future of the desperate world.

The title refers to an impending glacier (ICE) that threatens to engulf the land, and the dweller's of earth have fled to the volcanoes (FIRE) to make their final stand against the evil tyrant ice lord Nekron.

The numerous characters in the fantasy world are created by infamous graphic artist Frank Franzetta, of some special note are the suitably ugly ape-like sub-humanoid creatures, that sport a heavily elongated body structure, and a long emotionless gaze.

The script here is fairly light, with most of the emphasis being on the travels of the two main characters, and their various individual encounters on their respective journeys through the land. What dialogue there is remains simple and tasteful, and never strays from the realm of pulp-fiction story telling of this nature.

Animation wise, it's pretty solid. The technique of tracing live action footage is employed here, and is quite fluent and realistic. It's really something to behold. Although, the speed of the animation appears fairly slow, and hence a bit unnatural, not so unlike contemporary CG animated outings.

As for Bakshi's syndicated Spider-Man cartoon efforts for Television in the sixties, the backgrounds are sort of washed out pastels, with a very painted appearance that isn't uniform with the character animations. Though the work is of a much higher standard here.

Despite some occasional blood and gore, and slightly provocative fantasy imagery, this remains suitable viewing for children, though perhaps not the very young.

It's too bad that with all the talent that went into this, it couldn't have resulted in a more engaging picture. Perhaps worth a look for the casual viewer, but should have extra renaissance for genre enthusiasts.

Cold Steel (1987)

Fairly week thriller that basically plays out like a cable TV movie.

[3/10 · 10 October 2006]

Brad Davis plays a cop here tracking down his fathers killer, and on occasion has various encounters with defiant vending machines. Jonathan Banks shows his versatility by giving the same dry performance were all accustomed to, despite an unusual vocal disposition. Oh, and then there's Sharon Stone,…no surprises here. Director Puzo tries to show some visual flair with gravity defying slow-motion car jump's, a la' Blues Brothers, and it comes off just as silly. The films sports cliché' locations and situations, routine acting, and the occasional twist here and there, but really, nothing ever leaves the realm of the status quo. Even the off-casting of Adam Ant couldn't help rise this mediocre entry above it's ilk.

River of Death (1989)

Dudikoff slowly narrates his way through this 103 minutes of boredom.

[2/10 · 6 October 2006]

This movie is the pits. The worst kind of B film making. The acting isn't bad, but that's not saying much. Robert Vaughn and Donald Pleasance are included in the cast, and sleep walk their way through their respective scenes. Dudikoff doesn't do much apart from wandering about and mouthing his dialogue. There is some gun play and pyrotechnics later on in the movie, but the pace is so deadly slow you probably won't notice. The jungle locale' isn't used to good effect, and the photography is listless. This movie is a pointless exercise in monotony. There is nothing to get your teeth into, the scenario is so uninteresting, it all amounts to very little. Even Dudikoff fans won't be able to find anything redeeming about this outing. Consider the bullet dodged.

Dreamscape (1984)

Dennis Quaid leaps in and out of dreams in this interesting science fiction/horror outing released in the same year as a certain similarly themed Wes Craven outing.

[5/10 · 4 October 2006]

I wasn't aware of this film's existence until I picked up the region 4 DVD recently on the cheap from a video store sale. The movie deals with most of the same dream related themes and jargon as for Nightmare on Elm Street. All this stuff seems like a bit of a buzz in 84'. Both film were probably in production at the same time, but some of the scenes are strikingly similar. I won't go into detail though. Quaid gives a likable performance as always, and has a reasonably decent foe in David Patrick Kelley, giving his usual smarmy mean guy performance. George Wendt is in the cast here as a novelist, and later plays a neighbour to a novelist in the 86' horror movie House. The special effects are competent, with a lot of blue-screen stuff that strangely sports old film artifacts, but it doesn't look like old file-footage. It mixes a lot of surreal backdrops with on location live-action stuff during dream sequences that doesn't always blend together well. There is some decent stop-motion animation with snake creatures, sort of like the old Ray Harryhausen outings, Jason and the Argonauts etc. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of variety, as it seems the film maker's have a bit of a pre-occupation with snakes, that's the only sort of creature you get through the whole movie. The makeup here is sort of similar to in the 80's TV series V. It's not a bad movie, but it's a bit murky, with a bit to much mean spirited stuff. Worth a watch if your interested. Average.

Red Eye (2005)

Decent low-budget air-plane shocker from Craven.

[5/10 · 29 September 2006]

Red-eye is a reasonable little thriller from director Wes Craven of Nightmare on elm street fame. Remnants of the aforementioned film shine through here with the films lead protagonist being a heroin (Rachel McAdams) displaying similar body language and overall mannerisms as Heather Langenkamp in Nightmare. Roughly the first fifty minutes takes place on an Air-plane and Murphy's sinister role is fleshed out as the tension begins to mount and the film takes flight. The movie is well acted and solid throughout, especially from the two leads. The script is well crafted, if a little smug at times. Some cliché' thriller trappings are present, but probably don't play out the way you would be expecting, with some refreshing twists. Packs a lot into it's low-budget and fairly brief running time at roughly 74 minutes without the credits. Craven knows his stuff, and has executed a fairly claustrophobic and well paced shocker. Flaws stop it from being above average though.