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Halloween (2007)
Horrible Remake
I really wanted to like this film. The idea of remaking a classic horror film like Halloween on the surface sounds interesting. It is interesting because you see fewer films today that use suspense over gore to tell a story. This is the old Hitchcock style that was used so effectively in the original film. It is what makes it stand out from modern versions of horror and why it is my favorite horror film to date.
This Rob Zombie film however does nothing that the original did. It does not even follow a logical story arc that connects you emotionally to characters. Instead we get an overblown back story for a character, Michael Meyers, that does not need one. It is always what you do not know that is scary not what you know. By the time this film gets to the "remake" part of the original we know way too much about the masked killer and care nothing about his victims. In the original you cared about at least one character, so when that character is in peril you are on the edge of your seat. In this film you care nothing about any of these characters, they all are white trash idiots that you want to see die. As another reviewer mentioned there is something wrong with a film when you make the killer the hero over the heroine. Unfortunately you neither want to see the killer win or his victims, which is a major failure in film story.
The acting in this film is not good. The dialogue even worse which is partly why the acting comes off so horrible. I have never heard more brainless dialogue in a film then this one. It does nothing to make the story better instead it does a great job of taking me out of it. In addition there are so many disgusting scenes that include a rape scene, animal cruelty, and a kid killing another kid. All of these make watching this film painful at best and almost impossible to get through.
After the horribly long back story you get to the remake attempt. This is when I started to pay more attention but unfortunately there is not enough time to make any of it meaningful. Because there is no time we get the cliff notes version of Haddonfield and the original films death scenes. This does not allow enough time to connect to any of the characters that become his victims or build any suspense and fear. What little we get is more annoying dialogue that causes us to despise these characters. Even if there was more time we would still hate them anyway. It is just an example of bad cinema and it does not work. I am not sure who would find this film appealing. I am not sure I would want to associate with those who do. Maybe someday this film will get a decent re-makeup with a better filmmaker then Zombie. Better yet maybe we should just let the original stand on its own as the classic that it is. My advise to you, avoid this movie and keep 2 hours of your life for something better.
Serbuan maut 2: Berandal (2014)
Action to the Max
This film is one of those rare sequels that might be better then the original. I think what puts this one over the top is the absolutely amazing car chase that happens near the end of the film. It raises the bar a notch from the original for being one of the most exciting and original action set pieces I have seen.
The action here is intense as well as the violence. The fight scenes are hair raising and so quick that they have you on the edge of your seat with little moment for a breath.
This movie really sets itself apart with other action films. There is nothing quite like it. The question is if you can handle some of the graphic violence that takes place. It did not bother me much but may others. If you can handle it and like action you will love this movie and want to see it more then once.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
One of the Best of 2014
I missed seeing this movie in theaters but wanted to see it. I was surprised that it was not a bigger box office draw since the reviews on it were so positive.
Edge of Tomorrow is very well made with a compelling story line. The subject matter is serious but there are a fair amount of laugh out loud moments along the way that add to the entertainment value. The acting is top notch by all. Bill Paxton gives a great little performance in a smaller role. Emily Blunt is also a very good, maybe slightly underrated talent, that always brings reality to the characters she plays. Tom Cruise is a very talented actor who has gotten caught up in his off screen personal life distracting sometimes from his on screen performances.
Overall this movie has a little bit of everything and easily makes my best list of 2014 films. It looks like it is doing better on the rental market then it did in theaters. This is a good thing considering it is a film that deserves to be seen and appreciated.
Rogue (2013)
Wanted to like this but...
I really wanted to like this show. It looked great with nice cinematography and a decent looking cast but then I watched it for 20 minutes. The cinematography ended up being repetitive and overly stylistic to the extent that it became a distraction. It seemed like all of the scenes were dark with overly done dramatic lighting. Great cinematography should not call attention to itself and after a shor time this does that all too often. The reason seems to be in line with this show's theme and biggest problems. Rogue wants to be this edgy stylistic show but fails miserably because it tries to hard to do that with not enough substance to start with.
I do not mind the occasional f-bomb but when it comes as often as it does in this show laced with overly dramatic stupid dialouge it falls flat. Just because you can swear and get naked does not mean that you have a good show. If you are going to take me on that kind of a journey then at least have a reason to do it beyond cheap seansationalism. Just because you can does not mean that you should. F words and sex scenes do not make a show great and "edgy" and it looks like that was the driving focus for the creators of this show. We are going to do a bunch of stuff not allowed on network TV and critics will fall all over us for being edgy. Unfortunately they left out just about everything else that make a story interesting and engaging. By the way from several reviews I have read the critcs are not impressed nor was I.
Super Cyclone (2012)
Great for Comedy not a Serious Film
This movie is so bad and yet so funny at the same time that I found myself enjoying it from a humor standpoint. If you are expecting a serious film this one is not it. I would not be surprised if the filmmakers had three days to make this movie with a budget just over $50. I hope so anyway because if the budget was much bigger it would clearly be the worst piece of film work I have seen in my life time. OK, it is still the worst piece of film work on any budget.
I am an amateur filmmaker and I can tell you that there is no excuse today for making a movie that looks as bad as this one does. The cinematography is pretty awful. I am easily able to better it with a camera kit that costs just over $1,000 without even putting much effort into it. Honestly with proper lighting techniques I am sure you could best a lot of what you see here with an Iphone camera. Perhaps the most annoying thing, and there are many, is the fact that the story takes place during the onslaught of a huge tornadic storm but all of the exterior shots feature blue sky and sunshine. There are several tutorials I have seen on how to make day shots look like night and some variation of these simple techniques would have helped a lot here. Some minor corrections in post with a cheap piece of editing software also could have done wonders. With the cost of cameras and editing materials today you can do much better then this.
Putting aside the way the film looks however this is just a bad movie. Even if you have a better visual experience the acting, story, and visual effects are all pretty horrible. Like I said earlier if you go into this thinking that you want a laugh this might be a good experience. At the very least if you are a beginning filmmaker you will feel good watching this as I am sure your own stuff does not look this bad. If someone can get this work distributed as it is there is hope for everyone. Please just make a better movie then this!