gribbles1 Reviews

Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)

What the hell was this?

[1/10 · 8 April 2006]

I have to admit I haven't seen Grudge 1, but I have seen The Ring so I understand that Asian horror films are a bit different. But really, this film was terrible and not the least bit scary. Incomprehensible is a better descriptor. Corny, predictable and dull, yes.

The plot just left me going "what?" as you had a succession of undeveloped characters getting bumped off in disjointed "future-past-future" sequences that just left you scratching your head. Large chunks of the film went unexplained - such as the whole schoolgirl extra storyline, why ghost-woman-and-boy were targeting people who hadn't even been in the house (boyfriends, schoolgirl extras etc), why the hell ghost-woman-reborn-as-evil-child waited five or six years to kill mum on a whim....etc, etc, etc....

Sorry, this one just left me thankful we hadn't paid good money to see it at the movies.

Alone in the Dark (2005)

Appallingly bad

[1/10 · 11 March 2006]

Thank god we only rented the DVD and didn't waste money seeing this at the movies. This film has no redeeming features - no plot, confusing in the extreme, terrible acting, excruciatingly bad dialogue and script, lousy soundtrack, poor cinematography and amateurish effects. The entire premise on which the film was based made no sense at all, was never explained and was introduced with 5 minutes of scrolling "Star Wars" text at the beginning! Christian Slater should be ashamed of putting his hand up for this turkey and director Uwe Boll should never be allowed to make movies again.

I have played the old Atari video game Alone in the Dark on which this was supposedly based but I failed to see any resemblance whatsoever (thankfully, as I liked the video game).

My advice? Don't even waste your money renting this unless you are a connoisseur of terrible films.

The Second Coming (2003)

Well done ITV - well worth watching

[10/10 · 6 August 2005]

Just discovered The Second Coming as a new release in our local DVD store. Was intrigued by the synopsis and thought it was worth watching. I'm so glad we did. Why hasn't this thought provoking film been aired in Australia? This is the sort of drama that would have fallen in a heap without the right lead and Christopher Ecclestone doesn't put a foot wrong. He is an excellent actor and this part allows him to show his range. (Can't understand why the Brits don't like him as Doctor Who!) He is ably supported by Lesley Roache in particular.

Other reviewers have criticised the ending for being lame compared with the rest of the movie. But surely after all you'd been through you didn't want a typical "Hollywood" candy coated ending? This makes you talk and think long after watching.

Highly recommended for anyone who can keep an open mind.