The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight

Continuing the trend of comic book films, The Dark Knight, second in the new incarnation of Batman films, is far superior to Batman Begins. No origin stories, no screwing up the mythos, no weak portrayals of classic villains (I am referring to Ra's Al Ghul here, not Scarecrow. Scarecrow was awesome.). This film was grand I must admit. I went in skeptical and especially not wanting to like Heath Ledger as the Joker. But alas, Ledger was a fantastic Joker, much more Arkham Asylum and The Dark Knight Returns than previous incarnations. Caesar Romero was perfect for his time. Jack Nicholson was perfect for his time. Ledger is perfect for the comic fans who came of age in the late 80's and early 90's. Great movie. See it. See it again. This is what a Batman movie should be like. I will spoil nothing for you on this one, 2 and 1/2 hours well spent.

Comic Book Films where the sequel was better than the original:

The Dark Knight
X2
Spider-Man 2
Superman II

The Signal (2007)

The Signal

The Good:
Though the concept wasn't completely original, (take Night of the Living Dead and/or Invasion of the Body Snatchers and mix it with TV's Threshold) the idea was well executed.
You couldn't help but laugh at a lot of the middle of the movie. It was like it switched seemlessly from horror to dark comedy. Seriously, I chuckled to myself, I smiled a good bit and laughed aloud a couple of times.
The direction was very cool and the changes in perspective were a very nice addition.
The "exposition" was well-done.
I loved the character of Clark.

The Bad:
You question some of the decision made in the film, but I think perhaps you are meant to do so.
Some people were just juggernauts in relation to pain and injury.

Overall: I went into this movie not expecting to enjoy it, but honestly, I thought it was pretty great. Especially good when you consider it was a low budget horror. I am going to call this one a must-see for fans of the genre.

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Do you like dark anime? Do you like Batman? Then this DVD is for you! It is a very slick take on Batman from multiple perspective and using a number of different anime styles. I was impressed with the range of emotion and depth in this DVD, which is actually a number of shorts. Some of the shorts deal with Batman directly and some of them do not, in those he is a catalyst character around which the events center. It has that nice gritty mood that most Dark Knight fans crave and if you don't care for one of the shorts, just wait a few minutes and another is on the way. This is a great watch for a nice afternoon DVD (or any time for that matter), plus it gets you a fix to hold you over until the new film comes out. Look for this video release on July 8th.

Directors:

Yasuhiro Aoki		(segment "In Darkness Dwells")
Futoshi Higashide		(segment "Crossfire")
Toshiyuki Kubooka		(segment "Working Through Pain")
Hiroshi Morioka		(segment "Field Test")
Shoujirou Nishimi		(segment "Have I Got a Story For You")

Screenwriters:

(in alphabetical order)
Brian Azzarello		screenplay (segment "Working Through Pain")
Alan Burnett		screenplay (segment "Deadshot")
Jordan Goldberg		story and screenplay (segment "Field Test")
David S. Goyer		screenplay (segment "In Darkness Dwells")
Josh Olson		screenplay (segment "Have I Got a Story For You")
Greg Rucka		screenplay (segment "Crossfire")

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The Incredible Hulk

The Good:
So many nods to fans of the comic and the tv series it'll make your head spin!
The film really picked up on the feel of the television series and added many comic elements to it.
Norton was a great Banner.
Hurt was a decent General Thunderbolt Ross.
It was cool to see a gamma-irradiated brawl played out.
Tim Roth was pretty good as Blonsky.
The special effects were good... but...

The Bad:
The Hulk still looked CG to me.
I didn't like the propotions of the Hulk.
The continuity of at least one scene (early chase scene) was AWFUL, I mean Ed Wood style awful. Night then day then night... ugh.
The film seemed somewhat anti-climatic.
Liv Tyler.

Overall: This is no Iron Man by any stretch. Is it better than Hulk from 2003? Well, yes and no. The movie was a more traditional tribute to the character's history, but the editing wasn't nearly as good. In 2003 you had the wonderful Jennifer Connelly, in 2008 you get sub-par Liv Tyler. The storylines in both leave something to be desired. Both Hurt and Elliot were good General Ross-es. Norton was better than Bana (though I didn't hate Bana). I think it all comes down to in 2003 you had a terrible version of Absorbing Man and in 2008 you get the Abomination - 2008 is a better film just because of that. I liked it, but I would rent it.

The Ruins (2008)

The Ruins

The Good:
The concept was semi-original I guess.
It surprised me once.
It was...
The subtle special effects were alright.
I like the poster a lot.

The Bad:
Really there is so much to go into here: the problems with the believability of the plot and the concept, the acting, the lack of explanation, the length, the dialog, the movie.

Overall: I am sure that in novel form this idea would have come across much better. Don't waste your time on this one.

Cloverfield (2008)

Cloverfield

The Good:
Excellent concept that was executed extremely well.
The fast-paced movement of the movie was believable and tense.
Borrowed a lot of basic concepts from earlier Romero films, Godzilla movies and from The Blair Witch Project and combined them together amazingly.
The characters seemed real.
Neat editing.
Great special effects.
Expert storytelling.

The Bad:
Some of the wounds in the film would have been a lot more grievous than were played out.
I didn't see it in the theater.

Overall: Wow. Great flick! It is what Diary of the Dead wished it was. A must-see movie! I will say no more. Watch it (on the big screen if you get a chance)!

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Diary of the Dead

The Good:
Gotta enjoy a Romero zombie movie no matter what! :-)
I like that Romero went back to focusing on the people, because though I found the zombie evolution in Land of the Dead interesting, Romero's strength is the character interaction.
It seemed to take a lot from The Walking Dead, which of course had in turn taken a lot from Romero.
Samuel the Amish guy was awesome!

***The myspace.com shorts are a must watch on the DVD!!!***

The Bad:
I wasn't feeling the motivations of the characters so much in this one.
The social commentary in it was a lot more heavy-handed than usual, that detracted from the film in my opinion. It was like a social commentary with a story based around it rather than social commentary contained within a story.
The special effects were not so good.
The narration was a major distraction.
I didn't buy it as a student filmed documentary at all.

Overall: Is it better than the continuing Return of the Living dead franchise? Yes. Is it up to Night/Dawn/Day standards? Nowhere close. Worth watching? Yeah, I guess. But for the same basic concept, Cloverfield is much better.

Mr. Brooks (2007)

Mr. Brooks

The Good:
I enjoyed the exchanges between William Hurt and Kevin Costner and the physical mimicry very cool too.
I liked the meticulous nature of this serial killer.

The Bad:
Dane Cook was awful.
The "action" scenes were terribly directed and put together.
I had the plot figured out by the first third of the movie.

Overall: It is kind of ok for a Sunday afternoon watch or something (odd to say about a movie about a serial killer I know). It seemed leisurely and slow-paced. Blah... I was underwhelmed.

Sunshine (2007)

Sunshine

The Good:
It does an amazing job of making the setting seem real.
The film ask a number of interesting moral questions.
The special effects were awesome.
The odd spiritual, mystic almost, side of the film very much appealed to me.
I loved the score.

The Bad:
A few of the scenes were lifted straight out of other movies.
The last quarter of the film took an odd direction.
The acting ranged from pretty darn good to not-so-darn-good.
Some of the science was... strange.

Overall: I really enjoyed the movie. It was a good motion picture, I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. It reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey in many ways and takes a few cues from Solaris. A good space drama.

Lust, Caution (2007)

Lust, Caution

The Good:
This is a period piece that has a perfect feel for its era.
The story and drama take place as much in the silence and movement of the characters as in the dialog.
Mixing simplicity and innocence with a world of cruelty and complexity made for an intriguing tale.
Great direction, great acting.
The feeling of uncertainty that Ang Lee creates in the movie is wonderful.

The Bad:
It was long and felt long at times.
Is that all you need for an NC-17 rating, jesus, we are prudes.

Overall: A very strong and engaging drama, full of politics and human suffering on many levels. Ang Lee is a fantastic director and this film is well-worth seeing.

Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man

The Good:
First of all, I thought they really did the character of Tony Stark/Ironman justice.
The updated origin was great as was the look and feel of both Stark Industries and the armor.
Great theme.
Very much a character peice. The plot was propelled by the evolution of Tony Stark and the changes taking place in him.
The CG was perfect.
Bits of humor and just the right amount of Stark hubris.
The little nods to fans were awesome, from Rhodes to the "Ten Rings", I just kept smiling.

The Bad:
Some of it was predictable - way predictable.
Every time I saw Jeff Bridges I thought, "I'll take a White Russian." Must have been the facial hair.

Overall: A great comic book movie, on par with X-men or Spider-Man. Heck, a great movie in general. Two thumbs way up. I might see it again in the theater.

The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007)

The Deaths of Ian Stone

One of the After Dark Horrorfest films from 2007.

The Good:
Neat concept for a movie.
Multiple twists, some more predictable than others.
I enjoyed the movement of the film, kuddos to the director (it only seemd slow once or twice which is pretty freaking good for a low budget film in my opinion).
Simple special effects that were just effective enough for the plot.

The Bad:
Some of the ideas were taken from other films, but what movies' plots aren't.
Some of the acting was so-so.
A little bit of cheese in a few areas.

Overall: A little bit Jacob's Ladder, a little bit The Matrix, a little bit Dark City, a little bit ______ (that film would give away too much of the plot). All those little bits add up to a decent movie, check it out, it was really different than I expected.

P2 (2007)

P2

The Good:
Yeah...

The Bad:
The plot.
The characters.
The concept.
The setting.
The stupidity.
...
The acting was even on the not-so-good side.

Overall: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, who the hell green-lighted this for a big budget feature?


***Just as an aside here, Rachel Nichols is slated to be Scarlet in the upcoming G.I.Joe film.***

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Justice League: The New Frontier

The Good:
Great cast of voice-over actors.
Great cast of characters.
Very comic bookish style story (similar to the comic version).
Awesome animation.

The Bad:
Too short for a solid plotline in a feature film with multiple characters.
The comic version was a lot more robust in its feel and theme.
I would have liked a few more bad guy appearances, that's just the comic geek in me.
Too many characters, not enough character development in most areas.

Overall: I was real excited about this one, with Timm doing it and it being based on a fantastic comic. And it wasn't terrible, it just lacked that certain something that would have made it a Superman: Doomsday.

War (2007)

War

The Good:
Decent fight scenes.
I generally enjoy Jet Li and Jason Statham was great in The Transporter.
The plot seemed familiar... oh yeah, the classic A Fist Full of Dollars plot, it is always fun to see it executed in a different setting.
I liked the Asian club scene, cool girl in the dark Go-Go dancers!

The Bad:
Ugh... action movies with multiple "twists" are kind of annoying... unless the twists are good.
Wow, I guess the Yakuza and the Triads are idiots!
Not nearly enough hand-to-hand combat for Jet Li to have a lead role in it.
Parts of it were directed so fast and choppy it was difficult to watch.
The dialog was so-so at best.

Overall: There are plenty of better action movies out there to see. Unless you really like morons engaging in gang warfare, there is little reason to see this film. It lacks the H2H of a good Jet Li movie and the interesting western combat stylings of a good Jason Statham film.

The Man from Earth (2007)

The Man from Earth

The entire film takes place at John Oldman's cabin as he is leaving. Friends from the university faculty, many of them scientists, gather round to see him off. After a fashion, John begins to weave a tale that is about a 14,000 year old caveman that is still alive today and that caveman John claims is himself. Most of the film is storytelling, scientific questioning, philosophical wondering and religious debating. It kept me quite sucked in throughout. I would have gone with a different ending, but I am not complaining about it. The Man from Earth was exactly what I was in the mood for, a little mental stretching and a few smiles. This was really a good flick. Watch and enjoy, but be forewarned it is much more a storytelling session than a traditional film.

Outpost (2007)

Outpost

The Good:
Although the idea of the story has been done before, it seldom gets old to me. In a lot of ways, it is become a genre all to itself - "Dimensional Breach" genre (including films like Event Horizon and The Mist and nominally films like Pulse).
I like Ray Stevenson as an actor (see Rome).
The Nazi, the perfect villain.

The Bad:
Little character development.
Slow to start.
I would have liked a bit more exposition.
Some predictability.

Overall: Better than a Sci-Fi Original movie, not great though. I enjoyed watching it and enjoyed the idea. If you don't mind one color tone for an entire film, it's fine really. Nice ending too.

Say Anything... (1989)

Say Anything...

The Good:
It was a semi-sweet story about the triumph of youth and hope.
The acting was fine, for the most part.
It was cool seeing so many people early in their careers.
Some of it was humorous.
John Cusack was good in it.

The Bad:
There didn't seem to be much of an interesting story arc to me, I kept waiting for it to really get going.
The boombox scene was a lot less important or cool as I was expecting considering it is like a pop movie iconic reference.
The film seemed really dated in look and feel (of course it is).
I honestly thought the character development was lacking for the empathy it was demanding.

Overall: Sorry everyone of my generation, I just didn't get it. The film was fine all-n-all, but nothing special. Perhaps I needed to see it when I was 17 or something. I prefer Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club hands down. *sigh* I will admit, perhaps I was expecting too much.

Undead or Alive (2007)

Undead or Alive

The Good:
Come on, it's a zombie comedy set in the Old West!
This might be Chris Kattan's best movie ever.
There were a few good chuckles in the film.
It moved pretty quickly.
Zombies!

The Bad:
You weren't expecting a perfect plot were you?
You weren't expecting a perfect acting were you?
You weren't expecting a perfect directing were you?
You weren't expecting a perfect (insert your own word here) were you?

Overall: I liked it ok. It is worth it if you like B-movie style comedy and zombies. "A lower budget low-rate Shanghai Noon that wants to eat your brain" is the best I can do in describing it.

Mean Girls (2004)

Mean Girls

Finally saw Mean Girls. Wow, it was really funny! I enjoyed the whole movie to be honest. I would not dare to say it was a great film or will change cinema or anything, but it was well-written and decently acted and pretty darn hilarious (and so true about HS girls). Lindsay Lohan and Lacy Chabert and Tina Fey all did a great job and were very in-character.

I have no idea why I waited so long to watch this...

And as a final note, Tim Meadows was freaking AWESOME in it. Every time he opened his mouth I laughed.

Attention!!! Attenttion!!! A Special Anouncement!!!

The Film Crew are a comedic team similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000, comprising former MST3K cast members Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy.

So far I have seen 2 of their films, The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark and The Film Crew: Killers From Space, and have really enjoyed them (the latter a bit more than the former). I must admit, I do miss the "robots", but the humor is still there. Check 'em out!!!

King of California (2007)

King of California

The Good:
Some of the direction and editing and film techniques were very cool in the film.
I liked Evan Rachel Wood a lot in it.
There were some comical parts.
I thought the quirky character of "Pepper" played by Willis Burks II needed way more screen time!

The Bad:
The story was not all that interesting, elements of the plot were filled wit glaring holes and useless little side-story-trinkets that detracted from the film.
Acting crazy is too easy.
The movement of the tale is broadcast from too early on.

Overall: Not a bad film I suppose... but I wouldn't pay money to rent it.

The Mist (2007)

The Mist

The Good:
I liked the plot, sort of a Lord of the Flies meets just a few of the 12 Angry Men in The Fog.
The main human antagonist was very well acted (ie I hated her).
Some of the ideas in the film were not completely idiotic.
Played on the lines between rational and irrational, science and superstition, dogma and compassion, and free-thinking versus herd mentality, all quite well.
There were a few moments of wonderful, glorious happiness in it :-)

The Bad:
The ending was not good at all (the very end that is).
I would have liked to have seen some follow-through with some of the characters.
Some of it was predictable.

Overall: Not a bad Stephen King horror. I would say this is worth watching if you are a horror fan, or if you like movies about twisted human nature.

I Like Killng Flies (2004)

I Like Killing Flies

I highly recommend this documentary. There is something special in the thoughts of a owner Shopsin's take on life and living. You can't help but enjoy his simple and insightful folk philosophy and politics. He lives his life his way. He has his own style of zen in cooking and loves his family and friends in his own belligerent way. A great film, give it a watch... a lot of heart in just over an hour.

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark (2007)

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark

The Good:
I liked Peter Woodward as Galen.
The exterior CGI was great.
The second story was more enjoyable and more keeping with the feel and tradition of Babylon 5.

The Bad:
The interior CGI was terrible.
The first tale was ... ugh... ugh... bad.
I never cared for Colonel/Captain Elizabeth Lochley.
Bab 5 was always religiously over-toned, but the blatant judeo-christian story was too much.

Overall: I am a huge fan of Babylon 5, I am not a huge fan of this movie. Watch the series, not this movie.

Seraphim Falls (2006)

Serphim Falls

The Good:
The story plays out much more like the plot progression of a novel than a typical screenplay, that made it interesting.
The changes in scenery were very neat and the scenery itself was beautiful.
There was an interesting breadth of background characters.
The two parallel stories were excellent contrasts.

The Bad:
Two Irishmen playing two very American characters... just kinda weird don't you think?
Some of the acting (not the main characters) was so-so.
Predictable in places.

Overall: A much more interesting and complex story than it seems to be. I enjoyed it more and more as the tale was revealed.

Night Skies (2007)

Night Skies

This is a horror film based on the Phoenix Lights. Just thought you might want to know that...


The Good:
It was subtle in its onset and build-up.
This was supposedly based on some one's weird hypnotic regression, knowing that made it rather fascinating.
The characters were decently written and portrayed by the actors (*see my one caveat below*) .
The special effects were done well, if odd in a few spots.

The Bad:
The main character is weird, some of the decisions were "just not right" in my opinion.
He he, hypnotic regression, hasn't that been discredited yet?
Some of the plot was hokey.
*The individuals in the group made a few terrible/tragic errors in judgement.

Overall: Not quite the extraterrestrial glory of Fire in the Sky, but definately not the cattle mutilation that was Altered.

I purposefully left out any anal probe jokes

House of Blood (2006)

House of Blood

The Good:
The...
This film definately...
I must say that...
So anyway...

The Bad:
Okay, first this film's opening credits went on for seriously 7 minutes, way too long for uninteresting credits with choppy bits of action.
Second, it took this film more than 30 minutes to do anything really.
Alright, then the film decides to repeat itself, no really it does, just with even-less-interesting characters.
Bad, bad, bad english-King James Bible-speak accents and dialouge.

Overall: If you accidentally rent this, return it to the video store and see if they have a policy to exchange a terrible movie for something else (most video stores actually do have those kinds of policies, some places only have it for their old movies, in that case, sorry you were subjected to this film), perhaps you have yet to see Citizen Kane, then rent it for free... or better yet, just rent it rather than this one.

The Grudge (2004)

The Grudge

Yes, yes, yes people, I just saw it for the first time this past week.

The Good:
The film's direction felt clean... hard to explain, but the angles were purposeful, the movements were very specific, the environment was sterile... it felt clean.
The storytelling style was interesting.
In general the plot and concept were okay.

The Bad:
I am yet to be terribly impressed with Sarah Michelle Geller.
It didn't scare me, and what was that sound? Was it a bullfrog? How is a bullfrog frightening?
Making a child creepy is difficult... this child was not creepy.

Overall: I stand by what I have said before, "If you've seen one Japanese remake with some weirdo with a white face (The Ring, The Grudge), you've seen as good as it gets... why bother with another one?"

Land of the Blind (2006)

Land of the Blind

The Good:
One man's journey, the story of a nation, a dark comedy that ceases to be funny as the adept director leads you along a winding trail of political satire, revolutionary philosophy, and callous realism.
It is a fantastic cautionary tale and morality play.
The multiple styles of dress from blended time periods create a caricature of royalty and the ruling elite that is very nice.
The acting was top notch, the directing was amazing, the plot was finely crafted, the dialouge was well-written...

The Bad:
My only real complaint was I wanted it to be longer, it was 110 minutes, but I would have watched it for another 110 minutes. It seemed to end quickly.

Overall: I really enjoyed this film! It pulled me in very quickly with a kind of off-beat dark humor and then introduced interesting political elements and before I knew it I was completely hooked. I am a little drained from it though, in a good way. Good for sparking political and/or philosophical discussion (or thought). No rating by comparison this time, let me just say I enjoyed it immensely.

Rest Stop (2006)

Rest Stop

The Good:
One of the best features of this film is that it is confusing... (if you have a IMDB account you should read the hilarious posts about who KZL 303 is).
It was slightly better than most of the crappy horror films I have the misfortune of watching.
The director did utilize a few different filters and did a competent job directing.

The Bad:
Ok, the acting wasn't good, the dialouge wasn't good, the (insert most aspects of film-making) wasn't good... but seriously folks, it's a low budget horror film called Rest Stop, did you expect much?
It was confusing, frustratingly so... but again, that also adds to the "charm".

Overall: So it wasn't a gem, or a diamond in the rough, or even a dime on a dirty sidewalk that still only brings your grand total in coins to 50 cents when you need 55. But it wasn't the worst film ever. Strange that a film called Rest Stop wouldn't be even 1/10 as good as a film called Phone Booth.

Flyboys (2006)

Flyboys

The Good:
The dogfights were pretty cool, and honestly, that's all I really wanted to see. Had it been an hour and a half of biplane vs triplane action, I would have been happy.
The setting was great, the french countryside is beauiful (or wherever they were shooting).
The actions and reactions of the characters varied a good deal, that seemed to add to the realism.
It showed the horror of the Great War while also showing the type of restained nobility that is often romanticized in accounts of WWI.
Did I mention the dogfights :-)

The Bad:
The plot seemed to thrust the characters into the thick of it without a lot of character development (but they do develop as the story progresses).
I didn't care for the music... it didn't seem to fit in some places and in others it caused what would have otherwise been a decent dramatic scene to teeter on the edge of melodrama.
It was a little predictable.

Overall: It reminded me of an older film with contemporary effects, romance and high flying action. It is well worth seeing, but don't expect a Platoon or a Saving Private Ryan.

***The Great War was such a strange conflict. Romantic notions tied to burgeoning mechanical flight, young mens' idealism contrasting with chemical warfare, iron crosses and zeppelins, trench warfare and civilian causalties. I find it endlessly fascinating and tragic. It marked the beginning of modern war and an end to the naive notion that war is only fought by the soldiers.***

Incubus (2005)

Incubus

The Good:
One character had a brain in this film... she sensed the rest of the idiots in the group had a terrible idea, then she left (within like 10 minutes).

The Bad:
Pretty much everything... the plot was idiotic, the dialouge was ridiculous, the characters were shallow, the pacing was terrible, the directing was average at best.

Overall: If everything could be reduced to a simple yes or no answer, this film would be a "For god's sake no! Save your selves! Run! No!!!" If I hadn't been reading about igneous plutonic rocks also known as igneous intrusive rocks, I would have probably died of boredom.

Hide and Creep (2004)

Hide and Creep

A semi-humorous attempt at a zombie flick. Cheap and you can tell it. A noble effort that fails at its execution. Don't bother, instead grab Shaun of the Dead.

Saw 3 (2006)

Saw III

The Good:
I found parts of this installment of the "Saw" franchise to more tolerable than the other 2, the main reason being that it only focused on two people in "traps" and actually attempted some character development on the villians.
I have a soft spot for Shawnee Smith, she's not a great actress, she's not the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, but I like her for some reason.
It had a few real thriller moments.

The Bad:
Anyone who has seen the other "Saw" movies won't be surprised by the traps or plot devices used in this film.
This film looks exactly like the other 2 in feel and ambience.
Some things that happen are near impossible to believe.
There are a few moments that are meant to be neat surprises that fall terribly short.

Overall: If you liked Saw or Saw II, then you'll like this installment... I haven't been impressed by any so far, but if I had to pick one, I liked Saw II best.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

The Good:
I like seeing any serial horror franchise keep going, even though this is one of my least favorites.
It does explain the backgrounds of some of the characters from the remake's storyline.
I have a soft-spot for R. Lee Ermey and enjoy seeing him in any movie, though this isn't one of his best.

The Bad:
The plot (just plain old bad storytelling), the characters (paper-thin and under motivated), the gore (not gross enough to be comical and not subtle enough to be creepy), the boring use of the chainsaw (let's see some creativity here Leatherface!), so on and so forth...

Overall: This is the same old crap from this new birth of Leatherface, no better than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or even The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, actually this one is a bit worse, which might just make it terrible.

The Descent (2005)

The Descent

The Good:
The director did a great job of giving you the feeling of claustrophobia.
The lighting was done very well, in other words most of the movie was in near total darkness.
Suspension of disbelief is easy in this film.
The all female cast worked with the plot quite well.
Though this setting has been used in horror films in the past, I believe this film does the best at utilizing the subterranean.

The Bad:
I only remember 2 characters' names out of 6, ie to me only 2 of the characters were interesting (being basically the two lead characters).
The character motivations were strange in some parts, or maybe they were just strange to a rational person... what? You don't think I'm rational? I am so, and if don't believe me I'll make you regret it!!!

Overall: This movie was quite pleasing for a horror film. Its a breath of new life into a field littered with flapdoodle hoping to masquerade as mediocrity. If you liked what Dog Soldiers did for werewolves, then you should enjoy what this film does for spelunking (same director).

Undead (2003)

Undead

The Good:
Some of the zombie-killing-action was cool.
The last 15 minutes of the movie was interesting, it took a neat twist... getting there was quite a wait though.
A few good chuckles.

The Bad:
The acting wasn't so good.
Smurf-tinting abounds, in other words, the entire film is in a blue hue/filter, like night filmed during the day.
Lighting is bad.
The story was weird, hard to follow... wait, I don't think there was much of a story until the last 15 minutes.

Overall: Sap all the positive story-telling of a Romero film, then rob Dead Alive of its humor, then make a bad copy of the sweet camera work of Evil Dead 2, mix it all together and you have this film.

Idiocracy (2006)

Idiocracy

The Good:
The theme was great, if we're not careful the world is going to become filled with idiots.
It had some very funny parts.
Maya Rudolph is always great.
It was written and directed by Mike Judge, a major plus to me.
Biting political, corporateand social satire masked in... no covered in low brow comedy.

The Bad:
It's not really the kind of movie you watch more than once.
Some of the jokes are painfully bad, but of course that fits with the theme of the film.

Overall: It was a fun film to watch, it's no Office Space but it is slightly better than a bad Beavis and Butthead episode.

Brick (2005)

Brick

The Good:
The Femme Fatale, the reluctant investigator tied to the "case" by his heart, the underworld, odd characters, the style and jargon of a classic film noir with a teenage setting - no less dirty and no less complex.
The camera angles were perfect, the settings were gorgeous, the costuming was even pretty sweet.
The music help set the scene at every stage.
Little bits of humor that make you smile.

The Bad:
As with any detective drama, there were parts that were bit slow.
It takes a minute to get used to the actor who plays the main character in a serious role, I kept thinking, "Hehe, he's the kid from Third Rock." That passes though, he does a good job.
For a bit you are confused with what exactly is going on, but that is again par for most in the noir style.

Overall: Pleasantly surprised! I liked this film a great deal. I would say that Laura would even be proud of this film.

The Covenant (2006)

The Covenant

The Good:
Some of the special effects were pretty neat.
Wow... you know... that's all I got.

The Bad:
The sound effects were terrible.
The plot was bad and worse than bad, it was fantasticly slow.
The characters were paper-thin.
The "history" was sparse and uninteresting.
The idea was just bad from the get-go, shame on the studio executive who greenlighted this project.

Overall: It's like watching The Craft with all the good parts removed, and The Craft ain't the greatest movie ever made to begin with.

Altered (2006)

Altered

This is the newest movie by Eduardo Sanchez, the director of the The Blair Witch Project. I picked it up hoping that it would entertain me as much as his first film. Unlike so many of the people I know, I really enjoyed The Blair Witch Project, and in light of that was willing to give Mr.Sanchez a another go.

The Good:
The concept is neat. Alien abductees trying to get revenge on their alien abductors.
I honestly believed some of the actors were rednecks.
Um... the back of the DVD case was a hoot to read.

The Bad:
The concept might have been neat, but the actual story was not at all interesting. The attempts to build tension really just made me think, "I know why the aliens dropped these idiots back off on Earth!"
The film felt cramped, like it needed to get outside the house more. Then when it does, you realize that the outdoors sucks just as much in the film.
The end was terrible... but then again so was the beginning and the middle.

Overall: I would say that if you wanted this high caliber of film, you should instead rent any Steven Segal film that has a 3 word title...
Flight of Fury
Mercenary for Justice
Today You Die
Out of Reach
Fire Down Below (always thought that sounded like a porn title)
Out for Justice
On Deadly Ground
Marked for Death
Hard to Kill
Above the Law


Hey, here's a fun exercise. What do you think should be the next Steven Segal three-word film title?

Bound to Fight!

Has to Kill!

Get that Thing!

Bring my Coffee!

I Kill Soda!

The Wicker Man (2006)

The Wicker Man (2006)

The Good:
Leelee Sobieski for some reason seems to captivate me. She is like a pretty Helen Hunt.
The... um... uh... there was a... um.... the lighting was good, ramchip! (a little MST3K reference for ya).

The Bad:
Slow and not even interesting.
I usually try and view a remake as a new movie, and many have been verey good movies, but this, this was just terrible.
They changed the creepy into the stupid.
I can barely type I disliked it so much.

Overall: Wow, amazingly bad. This film may well be a Feeling Minnesota.

Though it does make me appreciate living in the modern world... wicker man... bah! Human sacrifices! Silly celtic barbarian idiots*! They should be thankful the Romans brought them civilization! I find the celts endlessly fascinating, but "Hail Caesar!"

*Well, the ones in the British Isles at least. The further east you go the more the celts become civil.

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic

The Good:
F***ing hilarious.
Offends EVERYONE!
Sarah Silverman is beautiful, not just her looks, but yes her looks and her dirty dirty soul! Mmmmmm.
Cool songs, hehehe.
Excellent "supporting cast".

The Bad:
Too short :-(
Offends EVERYONE! :-)

Overall: I loved the film, but it is not for everyone. If you are offended by, um, anything, then don't bother watching this, but if you like being pushed to the limits of what is funny and what might make you a little or a lot uncomfortable, watch this movie! I adored it. Oh, yeah, you can watch the entire film on her myspace page if you'd like - click this.*

Beerfest (2006)

Beerfest

The Good:
I like the overall feel of the Broken Lizard troupe, they always seem like a bunch of buddies having a good time.
I laughed out loud a good number of times during the film.
They are a quite a few good, more well-known, actors that pop up in the movie.
You never know where this zany story is headed next... except for the few parts that are completely and utterly predictable. :-)

The Bad:
If you want something more realist than a Three Stooges movie, rent something else.
A few parts of the film are quite gross, but not too disturbingly so.
The plot is... what is a word that means thinner than thin? Paper-thin, razor-thin, monofilament thin?

Overall: This film falls somewhere between Super Troopers & Puddle Cruiser (weighted more heavily on the Super Troopers side). Grab a few brews and enjoy, I definitely did.

Population 436 (2006)

Population 436

The Good:
The plot took its time to develop and build into an interesting story.
The acting was pretty good.
I like seeing a good horror/thriller that takes place in the daylight.
The main character reacts, in general, like a sane and rational human being. That is somewhat of an rarity in a horror.
Kept my attention.

The Bad:
It was a little slow in parts.
Some characters seemed extraneous, especially this one kid (used basically to propel the plot) and this other weird teen.
Nothing put you on the edge of your seat, not that it totally needed to.

Overall: I liked this movie more than I ever expected to. I give it a middle America Wicker Man... well, not that good though.