moviefreakazoid Reviews

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

A missed opportunity...

[5/10 · 24 January 2005]

Shark movies are always compared to Jaws. Jaws set the standard. However no other shark movies have hit that spot. Shark movies are usually released straight to video, 'Shark Zone', 'Shark Hunter', anyone? Whilst 'Shark Hunter' hovers on the totally abysmal side Deep Blue Sea hovers more towards Jaws but is severely let down due to the lack of development in story.

The concept is simple. An underwater science facility is taken over by the sharks. Although the idea may see ridiculous it can be bought. However the problem is, that whilst the sharks get smarter the movie borders on idiotic. The writing just isn't tight enough to hold the audience's attention. The dialogue is partly cheesy and the characters are people you would see in your regular 'B-movies.' You don't really care much for them. On the plus side though, there are some truly great sequences.

For those expecting something as good as 'Jaws' this movie isn't really recommended. However with the right junk food and a group of friends, Deep Blue Sea is perfect as a guilty treat. Just remember, do not expect a movie of similar quality to Citizen Kane. My Rating 5/10

Never Die Alone (2004)

Disjointed

[4/10 · 11 January 2005]

When reading about the plot of this movie upon its release, the concept although extremely familiar sounded promising, even though DMX was involved. Although DMX's music has been very well received, there is a good chance that his movie career will not be of a similar level of praise.

DMX plays King David a man who returns after 10 years, only to die. David Arquette is the man who pieces together the fragments of King David's life.

Within the few minutes you can tell this is different from your usual Hip-hop kind of movies with fast editing and lots of serious bling within the few minutes. Continuing with the manner of the opening half hour, the movie could have been much better than it was.

It is obvious that the movie is a vehicle to glorify DMX. This is part of the problem, the other problem is that the movie is a mess. When going into recap although interesting at times, the movie doesn't develop, instead we have DMX in his usual role. There is no depth to the character of King David, we have no real remorse shown, no character, no emotion. There are elements in the story that could be involved much more but instead the camera cuts to shots of drug usage, some sex and some violence. The thoughts of DMX come out as if they're heavily lifted from somewhere, and the thoughts are not really backed up. David Arquette although used very little, does not offer anything to the movie. Although a very likable actor, he has not really given a stellar performance in a movie yet.

Never Die Alone is much better than a lot of the rubbish that fills the screens nowadays but it lacks so much. There is potential but it is never explored. My rating-4/10

Raaz (2002)

Not truly bad, but not totally great either

[11 November 2004]

If you really want to watch this movie at its optimum, you have to follow certain guidelines. Watch late at night. Sit alone or maybe with someone ;) Make sure the house is real quite.

To enjoy a movie as the director intended, an ambiance must be created, such as that created on a late night showing at the cinema. With that in mind, here's my view.

This movie was shown recently on a British T.V. channel late at night. I had heard good buzz about it when it was released, I love the soundtrack and so I went in open-minded.

However with that in mind, I didn't enjoy the movie too much.

As you will know, this is a horror flick with that psychological element thrown in along with some of the Hindi trimmings, thrown in for extra measure. The plot of What Lies Beneath is regurgitated and slightly repackaged for the audience.

I enjoyed the opening sequences, although clichéd to an extent, they were interesting. I think the introduction of Bipashu Basu (B.B) and Dino Morea (D.M) added weaknesses to the story. B.B isn't one of the strongest actresses. D.M didn't really have much to do. The introduction set the scene well, however the movement from the introduction to the main characters was shoddy, it wasn't fulfilling.

As the story progresses, the scare factor does increase, however you feel as if you can predict the next scene. Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable movie, not something that makes you look at the clock every 5 minutes. The director does help produce some tension in some of the scenes-you know those kinds of scenes even when you know something bad is going to happen, and you're chewing on your nails! The music scenes do fit in well; the songs are really good, although I would say the opening number is pretty weak.

Although the movie may be a treat for those viewers who have not seen What Lies Beneath, this movie offers nothing more than an above the average retelling. The producers could have made something more of this film, there is great potential in the storyline. The cgi doesn't help at all, when used. It only helps create that element of the horror being false.

A few adjustments to the story would have helped make a truly great movie. However the final product is a Hollywood rip-off, packaged for a different audience. Although members of the target audience may enjoy the movie, this does no favours for boosting the opinion held by many people of the lack of originality of Hindi films.

My opinion- Not a total waste of time, the movie has its plus points which will keep you engrossed. However if you are looking for something original on the cinematic plateau, you won't find it here. My rating 6/10

Shark Zone (2003 Video)

Instant Classic!

[1/10 · 22 October 2004]

The small town of San Francisco relies upon the beach for all of its business. A school of sharks roam near a ship containing diamonds which sunk many years ago. The mayor wants to keep the beaches open, the hero disagrees with him. Token Russian guy wants the diamonds and he wants the hero to help him find them. etc etc etc

Sounds familiar? Welcome to Shark Zone. A movie so terrible that thousands of people watching this may be sworn off movies. Cliché after cliché. Remember Jaw? Well its part jaws, part every other bad(and by bad I mean really really bad) movie you've ever seen.

This movie is a comedy of errors. There's lots of National Geographic and Discovery Channel footage, which if you've watch for just 10 mins, you will instantaneously recognise all the shark clips.The deaths are messy, lots of really really bad fake blood. There's plenty of errors in the movie to pick from. In one scene when they're throwing in chum for the sharks, you see jelly (jello) mixture. The sharks grunt for some reason (don't ask). The sharks devour everyone in sight, oo and my favourite - corny dialogue. Lots of lines to pick out from. My fav though-Dean Cochran saying 'Class dismissed!' (Doesn't sound funny out of context, but when watching the movie, it is definitely amusing)

If you notice carefully, you see the main character's father returns as the mayor, without a beard and no apparent dress sense.

Looking at the movie from another perspective, it is hilarious. Brandi Sherwood's acting is terrible, but funny nevertheless. As a former Miss Teen USA its obvious why she got the part. The whole screenplay is so bad, you'll be on the floor in riotous laughter. I mean sure, shark attacks are nothing to laugh about, but this movie, makes the attacks look so fake, you have no choice but to laugh.

This is definitely the Holy Grail of bad movies. This should be shown in film school as not what to do when making a movie.

The movie has so many faults, its unbelievable. Not really worth renting at all. Unless you have some friends around and you want to laugh, watch this!

The writer/director has another shark movie out next year,beware!

A generous 1 out of 10 Laugh factor- 8/9 out of 10

Layer Cake (2004)

Not Bad

[30 September 2004]

I went into Layer Cake with no expectations. Being honest, I found the trailer tedious the second time I saw it. I didn't like the whole cake idea, it was okay to a certain extent I guess. I did however enjoy Lock Stock and Snatch. Layer Cake is a different kind of animal.

Whilst Lock Stock and Snatch were more comedy based, Layer Cake has this more serious approach, no names flashing on the screen, identifying any of the characters, so you have to pay extra special attention!

There are several flashback/sub plots which don't particularly help as they can confuse you if you're not paying attention. There were many characters introduced to you in a short space of time and then suddenly going off at a tangent involving some of the 'slightly minor lead' characters.

You can see the influences of other directors in Matthew Vaughn's end product. The direction style is good and the montage is solid.

Daniel Craig gives a good solid performance. His narrative does help place him well in the movie. His narrative in the beginning is definitely something that draws you in. The rest of the performances are pretty good. Tamer Hassan has a minor role. After seeing the major role he had in The Football Factory, he can act, he should have possibly had a larger character. His character does not shine across as that 'demented' as that in The Football Factory. Sienna Miller was underused also, which was a shame.

Although there are some problems with the story, Matthew Vaughn has made a respectable movie. This being his debut, he has nothing to be ashamed of. As long as he works on the clarity of the plot more, he will have no problems securing full audiences. Layer Cake gives a good reputation to British films instead of the some rubbish released over the last few years.

I enjoyed the ending, it was good, I'm not going to say anything about it!

My rating 7/10