StuntsForFilm Reviews

Awaken the Dead (2007)

Horrible on all levels

[1/10 · 27 September 2008]

Let me start by saying I like Zombie movies and I like "bad" movies. This movie was just horrible on all levels. It was Dawn of the Dead but instead of a mall....it was shot in what I assume was the 'directors' mom's house. The 2 lead 'actors' were so bad and the dialog was so childish...it almost became a tolerable bad film. It seemed like a film student that was trying so hard to be artsy but failed miserably. I've been to many wrap parties where pieces of the film were shown to party goers and I cant imagine anyone seeing this and thinking "Wow...we've really got something good here".

I paid $4 to rent this on On Demand and I want my money back and my 90 minutes of my life.

Top 5 worst movie I've ever sat through.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Very good

[8/10 · 28 July 2007]

If you are a true Simpsons fan...you'll love this movie. If not... don't go. You really have to know the characters to appreciate this movie. It's as funny as your favorite episode and takes the characters to levels that FOX can't. The story is a typical day in Homers life where he screws everything up and then saves the day at the end. All of the supporting roles are present and really make the story come together. If you don't really like the Simpsons TV show then you aren't going to like this movie. I don't think people who aren't true fans will get some of the humor. It's hard to comment much on a cartoon but I will say the attention to details were very nice.

Walking Tall: The Payback (2007 Video)

Waste of time

[1/10 · 6 May 2007]

The opening scenes gave hope... but those hopes were soon diminished. The explosion at the gas station made you believe that this would be packed with the action expected to carry such a lame script. It also appeared that there were multiple crews working on the set because there was a clear difference in the film quality between scenes. Some were very clear and framed well while others were 'over cranked' and too soft. Shooting night for day is so obvious and such a bad idea that it distracted from the scene many times. A.J. Buckley is the only reason to sit through this disaster. He was awesome! Sorbos stunt double for the horse riding scene was so obviously shorter and fatter with a terrible wig on that it made me laugh. The final scene was nice...lot's of really good explosions and good action but that wasn't enough to make you not regret wasting a coupon on this rental.

Disturbia (2007)

Very good!

[8/10 · 29 April 2007]

I didn't have high hopes for this film because it seemed like it was just going to be another predictable thriller. It was predictable but the sum of the parts were put together so brilliantly that it didn't matter.

ACTING: A

Shia LaBeouf -- Who? That's a name that's going to be on everyone's lips by the end of the year after this one is followed by TRANSFORMERS. Very good and never over the top.

Sarah Roemer -- She's hot. The role luckily didn't require much more from her.

Carrie-Anne Moss -- Ehh. She should stick to The Matrix where emotion isn't part of her character. She really offered nothing to the film. In her only scene to really shine she performed dimly.

David Morse -- Excellent through and through! Very creepy.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: A+ Rogier Stoffers -- For a guy that usually works in comedy, he did a great job with the angles and movements.

DIRECTION: A D.J. Caruso -- More used to episodic work but made the transition to feature very nicely.

ART and SET DECORATION: A + + Attention to detail was always there.

SOUND: A Very nice and steady.

The movie started out with an incredible action scene put together by stunt coordinator Manny Perry and SFX Coordinator Darrell Pritchett that seemed as if to set the pace for the entire film. It did not, however. Instead the film began to lag for about 20 minutes before finally getting back on track and speeding to and end that we all knew was coming. Even when the scenes lacked any entertaining dialogue they were still pleasant to watch due to the incredible job of Direction and camera work. You wont be disappointed nor will children lose sleep from the gore. It wasn't a slasher film but made you think it was going to be. Enjoy !

Saw III (2006)

It is what it is

[8/10 · 30 January 2007]

Of the 3, I enjoyed this one the most. It didn't waste any time making you squirm in agony watching it. If you are looking for an award winning film, don't bother with this one. It is what it is: A horror film. The special effects are top notch and the Direction is incredible. I loved it! The acting is fine and the story line. although predictable, is entertaining. It did leave the ending open for Saw part 4 but I hope if they do it they can keep the energy and creativeness that this one had. It's not really a scary film but more of just a gory blood-fest that I found entertaining. If you saw part 2 and were somewhat disappointed as I was... check out part 3. It really ramps it up a bit!

A History of Violence (2005)

Ehhh...

[4/10 · 21 July 2006]

This is a movie that is best if you have heard absolutely nothing about it. The story took a while to get going and then drug for a long time near the end but the middle was packed with good stuff. The first thing I noticed, and appreciated, was the very long opening scene. I didn't time it but it seemed like about 4 minutes with movement and without an edit. Even seeing some of the crew in a reflection didn't take away from this awesome shot. As much as I enjoy sex scenes and naked hot chicks, these scenes were unnecessarily long and graphic. It seemed as though the director just wanted to throw in some nudity for his own jollies. It really hurt the flow of the script. Bad choice! The characters were believable and the SFX work was incredible. The fight scenes were good but the editing was bad. For the editors: One punch = 1 hit. It is so cheesy to add the connection of a punch from 2 or 3 angles because they can't decide which "hit" looked best. Ended... poorly. This is a definite rental and worth watching though.

Extra Terrestrial Visitors (1983)

Not bad enough to be good

[2/10 · 12 July 2006]

I love bad movies... but only when they are sooo bad they are entertaining. This movie just stinks. The "alien" is so goofy looking that it's hard to ever pretend that it's anything real. To set the mood, they use so much "atmosphere" (fog) it looks like the woods are on fire most of the time. When the alien kills someone, it appears that all the 4 foot tall hairy thing has to do is touch them and they die. I think they filmed this 'project' over about a 10 month period because the scenery goes from snow to green grass in the same day. They use stop-frame animation to show the wonderful powers of the creature and it makes you feel like you are in a "Gumby" movie. Just plain bad.

Nacho Libre (2006)

Poor Jack

[6/10 · 30 June 2006]

Perhaps being a huge Jack Black fan led up to my disappointment. Honestly, I think he did the best he could with what he had. The script had room for jokes but they never came. Whenever a film has to resort to a fart to make the audience laugh, there just isn't much to entertain you. Jack is an actor that feeds off support and he had none in this film. He was literally walking the plank while trying to deliver humor. Good guy triumphs and everyone leaves with a warm fuzzy feeling. I left wondering why Jack Black took the part. I think the idea was to come up with a new "Napoleon Dynamite" for the Summer but this one fell short.

The Dark (2005)

Ehhh...

[5/10 · 30 June 2006]

I'll rate the areas that I feel should be pointed out:

ACTING: 8

None of the actors really stood out but they all did very well together. No problems with performance.

SCRIPT: 5

Not that it had a lot of holes in it but it was just bland. The ending was very confusing and just when you thought it made sense, it no longer did.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 7

Some very nice shots but most of the credit should go to the scenery and an attempt at showing action in the water was a bit over the top with movement. Lots of hand held shots were nice though.

SOUND: 2

When someone turns their head, it doesn't make a 'swoosh' sound like a superhero. Very annoying.

OVERALL: 5

It's not scary enough to be a true thriller but it's worth 90 minutes. Don't expect much and you wont be disappointed.

Cars (2006)

Boring

[2/10 · 9 June 2006]

Possibly the worst film by Pixar to date. It started off OK but drug so bad in the middle that even the most immature prepubescent member of the audience couldn't find anything to laugh at. Thank God they finally threw in a fart so someone in the audience got a chuckle. It seemed to attempt at tugging on your feelings rather than just making you laugh… which is what a cartoon comedy is supposed to do. Or so I thought. Larry the Cable Guy carried the entire film and his character wasn't all that funny. I really wanted to like this movie and so did my kids but we walked out disappointed. Animation was very good, as always, but the script just absolutely stunk the place up. I wouldn't even recommend this one for rental but I would definitely avoid going to the theater to see this "wreck" of a film. (Pun intended)

The Family Stone (2005)

A good movie

[7/10 · 4 June 2006]

This movie wasn't publicized very well at all but was a really good film if you just enjoy it and don't try to over-analyze the script. It's easy to get enthralled in asking 'Why is the son gay?' and 'What does that have to do with anything?'. Just sit back and enjoy Diane Keaton who was remarkable and carried the weight of the film. Mulroney and Danes had great chemistry together. The film will tug at all your emotions from hate to laughter and is appropriate for most all ages. I get the feeling that Director Thomas Bezucha just let Keaton and Nelson go most of the time since they have each worked on more films than he has seen. This was only his second film to Direct or even work on for that matter.

The Ringer (2005)

Farrelly Flop

[3/10 · 29 May 2006]

How funny would this movie have been if Jim Carey played the lead? Knoxville just didn't pull it off. Not at all. Katherine Heigl was incredible and saved some scenes from the cutting room floor but it was still boring most of the time. The idea for the movie is intriguing and the story could have been polished up a bit. Top that off with a real actor in the lead role and you've got a decent movie. If you have 90 minutes to kill, and maybe a 6-pack of cheap malt liquor, this is worth renting once it gets to the "Dollar Shelf". Believe me… that's where it's heading. It was also hard to tell if Jimmy was actually retarded or not.

Hostel (2005)

Gore but no scare

[5/10 · 29 May 2006]

Gore but no scare.

The movie started off as nothing more than Animal House in Europe bordering on soft porn at times…not saying that's a bad thing but I was waiting for the horror part of this horror film to start. It is predictable most of the time and the plot was weak. If you want a gory movie with tons of blood and parts being cut off people, this is the movie for you. I love slasher films so I was entertained but to call this movie a 'horror' film is false advertising. It doesn't really keep you on the edge of you seat but the SFX work is pretty good. Overall I would give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.

The Screaming Skull (1958)

Pretty good for a bad movie

[4/10 · 28 January 2006]

As far as cinematography goes, this film was pretty good for the mid 50's. There were a few times that the lighting was way too hot but the shots were generally in frame and stayed in focus. The acting was above average for a low budget stinker but the direction was horrible. Several scenes were dragged out way too long in an attempt at suspense and the effects were non-existent. The attack by the skull in the pond should have been completely removed from the final cut and every attempt to bring life to the skull was obvious with stick pokes and strings. I also couldn't help but think the budget didn't allow them to furnish the house so they kept making references to the movers and that all the things in storage should be coming soon. Honestly...it would have been more entertaining if it were a worse movie. It wasn't bad enough to be a "good-bad" movie but wasn't good enough to be "good" either. Get the MST3K version...it's more fun.

Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Unbelievably bad

[1/10 · 23 December 2005]

If nothing else comes out of this..I hope Joe realizes that he should stick with Producing. The Direction of this film was so bad it will make you nauseous. With the amount of talent on board and the premises of the script, a film student from Eastern Ohio School of Film Wanna-bees could have directed it into a more watch able film. This may be one of the worst films I've seen in over 10 years and all arrows point to Direction. Ooops, my bad, the fake snow was so obvious that it took away from the nail biting script at times that it was hard to follow that these two people didn't want to put up Christmas lights. Save your 5 dollars and the 90 minutes that this film will steal from your life. It is so bad that if Jaime Lee actually cared about her career, she might be in trouble. The fact that she showed off her fat in that scene at the tanning salon shows that she does not care and is…umm.. how do we say it in show business??/ DONE !