Maxelle Reviews

The Last Exorcism (2010)

Exorcise Your Demons... Experience The Last Exorcism

[8/10 · 6 September 2010]

The Last Exorcism really wasn't interesting me when I first heard about it. The premise and title "Cotton" turned me off a bit. Once I found out about the name change and saw the trailer I became more interested (Although I liked Cotton better). I thought it could be one of the better movies of 2010.

I'll start off with the cons, as there are fewer of them. The soundtrack in the movie really takes out the realism of the found footage. (Although this movie isn't very realistic it's still nice to have the little things be taken into account). The movie feels like it could have ended in several different places at once and that isn't a good thing to do. But, I kept up. The shaky camera in this movie was the first to bother me, but that was probably due to the fact I was sitting near the front and I hadn't eaten that day; still it wasn't a major problem, even if I was sick halfway through the movie.

The pros. The Last Exorcism boasts several intense and frightening exorcism and demonic scenes. The whole movie has a very dark and creepy tone. It lingers throughout the movie and intensifies the experience. The actors looked like real people, something that is always a plus in these "more realistic" films. The actors were also very good. I thought they were all believable and played there parts well. Even the actors that were there for limited screen time (Logan, The Pastor, The Pastor's Wife, The Nurse). The plot progressed in a way that kept me interested and guessing. I was genuinely surprised at the ending, and if you pay attention you'll understand it, it's warranted.

Overall The Last Exorcism does not deserve the bad reviews and the blind hate it's been getting here (Imdb). It's an indie film that got picked up for distribution (Much like Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity). It's got a few good scares and has genuine suspense to keep you interested and involved in the story.

Since this site won't let me give it a 7.5/10 (Because it's better than a 7 and not better than an 8), I'll round up. 8/10.

Piranha 3D (2010)

Piranha What Do You Expect???

[8/10 · 5 September 2010]

I'll start off saying that I enjoyed Piranha immensely. I feel compelled to defend it against people who just blindly hate it. And yet they don't even realize what type of movie they are watching. It isn't The Hurt Locker or Shutter Island. It's a move about piranhas chomping on Spring Break vacationers. It's a cheesy Horror Cinema at it's best.

I'll start with the cons. There are few. The 3D was decent at most times but some shots were really blurry and out of focus. Something I can forgive as I just wanted to see it in 3D for the theatrical experience. (2D for all future re-watches and there will be plenty). And it stops there.

Here are the pros. Just about everything else. The wooden acting (By some not all), the over acting, and the under acting (Yes, there is such a thing) all made it that much more hilarious as a horror comedy. The effects were great, the piranha looked fine, not realistic but they weren't supposed to look realistic. The gore was top notch and Aja proves, again, that he has the power to craft a powerful horror movie. Piranha at times is tense and disturbing as well as comedic. The cinematography was beautiful and showed the beauty of Lake Havasu (In the movie it's called Lake Victoria).

Please do not skip this movie due to the negative reviews. Instead see for yourself and enjoy it for it being a schlocky throwback to the 70's and 80's. Watch it in 3D in theaters to have a blast and re-watch it in 2D to remember it well.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Undeniably Unnerving, and Unrelenting

[8/10 · 29 August 2010]

I recently re-watched this Aja movie to give it another chance before I see his latest horror project, Piranha 3D, and I must admit it thoroughly impressed me as a truly frightening and intense movie. I originally would have given it a 5/10, which it deserves more than.

I'll start with the pros, which are numerous. The cinematography is gorgeous in the desert and is something I missed on my first viewing. Every single fear you could possibly have while driving through the desert is explored. The isolation, the potentially lethal wrong turns, the creepy locals, traveling with innocent animals and a baby, (Spoiler) getting raped (End Spoiler), getting in a car accident, etc. All of these are amped up to the extreme. The gore is well done, and over the top, but not in a comic way. It is done so realistically that it is actually frightening and frightens you. The chase scenes and the death scenes are suspenseful and intense. They have you on the edge of your seat, widening your eyes in terror and fear, and giving you an adrenaline rush that you love having while watching a 'scary movie'.

The cons. Despite it's many pros it does have a few cons. The kills seem spaced out in odd places. And my only other complaint is that the actors weren't always believable, but they all played their parts well.

Overall this is a great movie to watch. I feel very stupid to not have recognized this on my first time view, as I'm sure with the first experience it would have been in my Favorites list.

Salvage (I) (2009)

It Could Have Been Much Better...

[6/10 · 21 August 2010]

Let me say how desperate, I've been searching for a good movie lately. I've been keeping my hopes up and I thought Salvage, due to it's pretty interesting plot summary, could do the trick. I was halfway right.

First off I'll start with the pros about Salvage. The opening 20 minutes was very well done. It was interesting and by the time the carnage started it was very suspenseful. The actors were all average at the very worst a little over the top sometimes (Especially the lead) but nonetheless they were good at what they do. The creature effects were great, as were the gore effects.

Now here are the cons. Nothing really interesting happens during the next hour of the movie. Other than 2 Extremely well done scenes that were actually scary and suspenseful (An attic scene and a tense shootout), the rest just was there. I couldn't follow what was going on because I was drifting in and out of consciousness during the whole movie. It never really felt like anyone was in any real danger; and it tried to be several different movies at once. (Think 28 Days Later, The Descent, and any creature feature, and you pretty much have Salvage, of course you can do this with most movies but Salvage didn't really try anything differently). I'm not saying that the over the top gore was comical it just felt really out of place at times and kinda took any realism this could have had to build suspense (By this point I had stopped caring).

I really don't want to give it a 6 or give it a 5 because it was pretty much dead center to me. But, I'll be generous and give it a 6 for trying. The effort put into it alone made it a 5/10 but as for the script it just didn't do it for me.

And by the way I really love British Cinema... I'd recommend to those who liked Salvage to check out The Descent and 28 Days Later if they want other good British horror flicks (Odds are if you have seen Salvage you've seen the other two)

The Ridge (2005 Video)

The Ridge? Why is a movie called 'The Ridge' if it's devoid of a ridge?

[5/10 · 13 August 2010]

Aside from that major continuity error, this film was mediocre but in a good way sometimes.

We will start with some pros.

Not every scene was constantly dark and there were a few cool shots here and there (A pool, a small hill at the beginning, just little cool shots). The gore was very well done and looked very realistic. It had a nice mythology going (Staying true to it on the first kill made it very pleasant that the filmmakers paid attention to themselves).

Now the cons.

The awful acting from nearly everyone; only the females being decent at best. The dialog was painful to listen to and the 'character development' was cheesy and bland. The kills were uninspired and bland and they all meshed together in a very unsatisfactory way. The actions of the characters were horrendous and they really could not have done anything better to make themselves better targets.

Overall it was decent. I managed to jump twice, which I can usually anticipate quite well (Probably because I had earphones on, trying not to wake everyone up so it was a little awkward watching it on the television set with headphones).

Overall I'd give The Ridge a 5/10. It's a forgettable flick that you can rent once and mildly enjoy by yourself or bring a bunch of friends serve them some 'beverages' and you'll have a blast making fun of it.

Entertainment is entertainment either way it's entertaining. I'm Not good with profound statements so forgive me.

Legion (2010)

This Movie Certainly Didn't Fall From Heaven

[5/10 · 10 August 2010]

I can't really tell if I liked Legion or not.

It had some great actors in there but so many of them just looked like they were wandering aimlessly in a bad script that offered each of them their own personal monologue that was painful to listen to. See "I was a shorty".

The set was decent enough. It was isolated and offered everything a horror/action/thriller should.

The angels themselves were disappointing. They waited around for the humans to get ready. They didn't even try to kill the more possess them half of the time.

It's riddled with plot holes. Why is this baby important? Why are the people possessed? Why not have a more catastrophic means of destroying the world. Seriously wouldn't a mass fire or possibly another flood do it justice? Or is that not 'cool' enough?

It's full of unintentionally laughs. The scene with a little boy and a knife is certainly a good example.

In conclusion it only offers some good actors, who deliver performances ranging from mediocre to slightly good; some awesomely unintentionally funny scenes; and a decent premise that was not at all executed right.

This could have been frightening and intense but sadly it wasn't.

Cutting Class (1989)

Cutting Class Is A Very Painful Experience

[3/10 · 9 August 2010]

I'll start with the few pros. Brad Pitt. End of pros. He is THE only good actor in this movie, and even he couldn't save it from being awful.

The special effects were average at best. The blood looked fake, and that's bad when you have a slasher movie to make. The mystery behind the killer is hidden at first when you believe it's the red herring. They actually did that well. But when they blatantly give you a piece of daunting evidence its the killer it's too ludicrous to believe so you believe the opposite. And I managed to discover who the killer was within moments of this idiotic discovery of the

(SPOILER, Ring, End Spoiler)

Cutting Class offers nothing new or even fresh to the slasher sub genre. EVERY death is bland and uninspired. Even the original deaths were too hokey to believe. I understand its a horror-comedy but even the comedy parts weren't funny. A failed attempt to kill the killer with sodium springs to mind.

Please avoid this film. IT is one of the few films I ever rated below a 3. I wouldn't even catch it on TV.

Scourge (2008)

Don't Let The Synopsis Fool You... It's Way To Generous

[5/10 · 9 August 2010]

Let me start off by saying I didn't love, like, dislike, or hate Scourge. It left me with a very indifferent feeling.

Let's start with the pros. The concept behind Scourge is really cool and almost a fun idea. The effects and camera-work were well done. Some scenes were especially better than others (For example a scene in a mall involving an "infected").

Here are the cons. The acting is wooden and it's hard to get into the story when your characters take dramatic pauses after they say something that's supposed to keep you in suspense. The acting was especially horrid from the ladies in this movie. The story never get's as exciting as it should be because the script is so boring it leaves you wanting to watch an action packed movie as opposed to a slow-burn psychological horror. It tried to be a gory and action packed horror movie that was also psychological and slow burn which in my opinion failed because the two styles clashed.

I'd say skip it if you see it at stores and pick something up you'll know you'll enjoy. Even though it's technically sound it can't save awful actors and a lifeless script. Wait for it's syfy run.

The Crazies (2010)

There Is A Reason To Go Crazy Over The Crazies (2010)

[8/10 · 9 July 2010]

The Crazies follows a small town (Of 1,200 to be exact) that is ravaged by a mysterious virus that causes it's victims to go crazy.

The Crazies had little going for it. It was a remake of a not so popular (Outside of genre fans) 70's film. It was also being overshadowed by being released right after The Wolfman and two months before A Nightmare on Elm Street and Piranha before it moved to its current date. Many people thought it looked to ridiculous to watch. Given all of these factors its amazing it did so well at the box office.

The Crazies was very well done. The leads (Olyphant, Panabaker, Mitchell, and Anderson) were all giving great performances. You had the feeling like you could have known Olyphant and Mitchell as a couple in your neighborhood. Or Panabaker's character from your local high school. They seemed real and that was a very good thing that came from the film, characters you genuinely cared about.

Another pro about The Crazies was the atmosphere. It always felt desolate and it looked like any Spring Day in Iowa.

But, there were some pacing problems. The film had established a fairly fast pace at the beginning and then it just fell apart near the middle of the film (Pacing) after that. It felt uneven and it was a bit distracting.

Many of the night sections of The Crazies were too dark and you couldn't see the action. (Think Alien Versus Predator Requiem-dark) It was almost impossible to tell who was where and what was what.

Overall the film was a fun, thriller horror film and I personally hope that people paid attention to it and took some notes.