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Reviews
Absentia (2011)
Fantastic low budget horror film
I was really blown away by Absentia and I watch a ton of horror movies. It isn't without its faults but it is extremely well acted, has a couple great scares, has an engaging central mystery, and thankfully incorporates some emotional depth which is lacking in most horror movies. Writer/director Mike Flanagan provides the viewer with some interesting thematic material to ponder and a slightly successful ambiguous ending that will keep you thinking about the movie for some time after it is finished. The fact that the entire production had a budget of only $70,000 makes the movie's success that much better. And as far as low budget haunting movies go, I think Absentia is better than the paranormal activity franchise across the board. The story is more interesting, the scares are more effective, the final 15 minutes are a nice payoff for the at times slow pace, and it is actually *about* something for a change. It is streaming on Netflix right now, definitely check it out if you get a chance!
Read my full review at lovehatehorror.blogspot.com
Murder-Set-Pieces (2004)
Unbelievably bad "movie"
I know that people like to toss the phrase "Worst Movie Ever" around a lot on this website, but this movie really is the a candidate for that list in my book. I work at a movie store and am an avid fan of the horror genre (big budget, independent, slasher, supernatural, etc., you name it) and I get to rent as many movies for free as I want. Suffice to say I have seen a lot of rotten movies, but this really takes the cake. I struggle to even call it a "movie". No plot (what happened to the older sister that we are supposed to care about), gaping hole in logic (where are the police), abysmal acting, atrocious editing and writing, horribly uneven and out of place music...I could go on forever. I struggle to think of a single scene that didn't have at least one fatal cinematic flaw in it.
And disturbing? Are you kidding me?!?!? Maybe there was an original cut that I didn't see, but my Unrated version had almost no actual bloodshed, apart from the red stuff that was dried on his basement walls and that is nothing more than cheap scenery. There are 5 second segments from the movie Audition that are 100 times more disturbing and shocking than this entire "film".
Everyone involved should be ashamed and I was hoping that I would never have to say this about Tony Todd (who tried his best in the only scene that was even mildly worth watching even if it was completely implausible). There is no one that I could recommend this train-wreck to. It's not even so bad that it's funny. It's much, much worse than that.
My rating: 0/10
Dark Ride (2006)
Not exactly what I was expecting, but yeah...
I was extremely excited to see this movie (it was my most anticipated of the Horrorfest lineup) and I'm not too sure what I'm thinking about it at the moment. The plot was very basic and reminded me a lot of your average 80's slasher flicks, but theses are the films I grew up watching, so that's a huge plus. The dialog was far from perfect, but there actually were a few intentionally funny bits that had me and the rest of the theater cracking up. The acting wasn't too awful, but the character of Liz pretty much annoyed the hell out of me the entire time she was on screen. Actually, most of the characters were rude asses and I didn't really care if any of them were going to live or die. The stoner characters were by far the most amusing, though. There were a few scenes of decent gore including a very original beheading that I didn't see coming, and a few scenes built up decent tension and suspense. I also enjoyed the cinematography for the most part. It was very stylized and gave the film it's own unique feel even if the plot and circumstances were clichéd to the max. Also, the killer was very imposing and the mask he wore was really sweet. On the down side, the ending felt incomplete and the unnecessary "twist" was not surprising at all. Almost all of the suspense scenes didn't go anywhere as the killer like to toy with his victims too much and let them get away just in time. This got a little frustrating after a while and I just wanted to see some freakin' action already! Overall, Dark Ride was a much slower paced movie that the preview made it seem, the characters did all of the stupid things that you would expect them to, there was gratuitous nudity and blood (in a few parts) and the killer and setting were very creepy. It was a fun movie, but not one that I would rush out to see by any means of the imagination. I'd give it an above average 6.5/10.
Saw II (2005)
In a word...WOW
Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed Saw. Sure, the acting was a bit off at times and the twist ending took some suspension of disbelief to accept, but it was an original, engaging film. I was worried at first the the development team of Saw II was going to make some slip-ups because of their rush to release it before Halloween. Thank God that I was wrong. This movie was absolutely amazing. The acting was a huge leap upwards from that of its predecessor and the plot was even more intense, believe it or not, this time around. I didn't actually think that Saw II was that "gory", but the violence on hand was very graphic. It will take a hard stomached person to not squirm during the needle scene and the wrist-slashing trap. Tobin Bell turned in a great performance as Jigsaw and really added depth to the maniacal character. I also liked the inclusion of other original cast members. There were even a few scenes in the finale that act as great throwbacks to the original and serve to further connect the two movies. The end even had a few well developed twists and turns that were both logical and believable.The doors have been successfully opened to create at least one more sequel, and if it is even nearly as good as Saw II, which I think might even be better than the original , I will welcome it with open arms.
Cry Wolf (2005)
Even better the next day
Cry_Wolf is far from an artful cinematic masterpiece, but in it's own right it is extremely entertaining and deserves more respect than I fear it is going to get. I'm sure that you can read about the plot elsewhere, so I'll get right to it.
The acting, while not revolutionary or Oscar-worthy, is very believable. Hell, even Jon Bon Jovi turns in a respectable turn as a teacher with some interesting secrets. It would have been better if it took place in college, though. Who really believes that these kids are 17 or 18? There is even enough background given for you to care (at least a little bit) for the characters at hand and they each seem to have ulterior motives, making everyone a possible suspect.
The direction is solid with some interesting cinematography and a neat over-exposed type effect for the murder scenes.
The biggest thing that people NEED to k now about this movie is that it isn't a slasher flick. Sure, there is a masked killer, but it interestingly focuses more on the interpersonal reactions, tensions, and suspicions over the murders. And to anyone complaining about the PG-13 rating...GET OVER IT! The entire point of the movie is that you aren't supposed to be sure what is or isn't happening, so showing straight-up violence/gore wouldn't make any sense.
I wasn't ever really on the edge of my seat, but there were a few well done "jump scenes" that got me good. The ending had a satisfying amount of twist and turns, and while I was able to predict parts of it, on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of a certain awesomely underrated 80's slasher that I won't name so as not to ruin the ending for anyone. I was even more impressed the day after seeing the movie because I began to appreciate how intricate the plot really was and how well everything fit together in the end without even leaving any major plot holes to worry about.
Definitely recommended for a neat little night at the theaters. There are MUCH worse ways to spend $7.
7.5/10