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paul_haakonsen
I am a big fan of Asian cinema in particular, and I am quite fond of especially South Korean and Hong Kong movies.
My favorite genre is, and always have been, horror, with a preference to anything with zombies in it.
I believe that every movie should be given the chance of being seen - a belief that has lead me to watch many a questionable movies.
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Baby Girl (2018)
Absolute rubbish...
Of course I had never heard aboput this 2018 thriller titled "Baby Girl" prior to sitting down and watching it for the first time here in 2024. So I literally didn't know what to expect from writer Brandon Trask and director Kevin Van Stevenson.
The storyline in the movie was pretty slow paced. I will say that writer Brandon Trask definitely was good at fleshing out characters, but the pacing of the story was just pretty slow. And that made sitting through this a somewhat difficult task. The contents of the storyline were vague, and it didn't make for any particular entertaining viewing experience.
The movie is listed as a thriller. But I have to say that 50 minutes into the movie, this felt like nothing more than a sleaze-fest for writer Brandon Trask to showcase his lewd fantasies. And I tossed the towel in the ring around the 55 minute marker. By then I just couldn't take anymore of the pointless narrative and the sleazefest that this movie was. The movie failed to entertain me on a fundamental level.
I wasn't familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list. But the cast ensemble was definitely talented, and they put on good performances in bringing the characters and storyline to life on the screen, despite of having very little of any solid contents to work with in terms of script and storyline.
Now, I am sure that there is an audience out there for a movie such as this, perhaps a young adult audience. But if you sit down to watch a movie with the intention of being properly entertained by a proper movie, then "Baby Girl" is not something you should waste your time on.
My rating of "Baby Girl" lands on a very, very generous two out of ten stars, and that is based on the acting performances alone, because the storyline was a dumpster fire.
American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993)
Early 1990s cheesy rubbish...
Needless to say that I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations when I sat down to watch the 1993 movie "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior". I mean, the title alone just screams cheesy low budget movie.
But with "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" being a movie that I had neither heard about or watched before, then of course I opted to sit down and watch it here in 2024, as I had the opportunity to do so.
Writers Bill Crounse, Boaz Davidson, Brent V. Friedman, Christopher Pearce and Don Pequignot put together what felt like something that could very well have been a 1993 mockbuster from The Asylum copying "Terminator 2". Yeah, this movie felt and looked like a poor man's rendering of "Terminator 2", so you're not exactly in for a grand cinematic experience, should you opt to sit down and watch this movie from director Boaz Davidson.
I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. But taking the material that they had to work with, then the acting was actually not all that bad.
Visually then "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" looked cheap. The costumes were laughable, especially the gang members that looked like they belonged in a homo-erotic movie. The sets were generic and essentially had nothing to distinguish one set from the next. The props in the movie were bland.
Definitely not a great movie, nor one that I will ever return to watch a second time, because it was difficult enough to sit through it the first time around.
My rating of "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" lands on a very, very generous two out of ten stars.
Blackout (2023)
Interesting approach on the werewolf genre...
Given the fact that I am a big fan of all things horror, ofcourse I opted to sit down and watch the 2023 movie "Blackout" from writer and director Larry Fessenden, as I happened to have the chance here in 2024. Sure, I had never heard about the movie, so I didn't know what I was in for. But I read that it was a werewolf-themed movie, so of course that had my attention.
The storyline in "Blackout" was fairly good. It was an interesting approach to the werewolf genre, as writer and director Larry Fessenden focuses on the trauma and guilt that Charley (played by Alex Hurt) went through as he lost control and turned into a werewolf every month on the full moon. So this movie was more than just a movie about a person transforming into a beast and going on a killing spree.
I wasnt' familiar with the actors and actresses on the cast list, aside from Kevin Corrigan and Barbara Crampton. Oh yes, when I saw Barbara Crampton popping up on the screen, things really started to look good. Unfortunately she was only in the movie for a minute or two.
Visually then writer and director Larry Fessenden kept it simplistic and somewhat in the spirit of the old black and white werewolf-themed movies. I liked that part of the movie, because it was minimalistic but straight to the point, and it worked.
If you enjoy werewolf-themed movies, then by all means give "Blackout" a chance.
It doesn't feel like a movie that has the contents to support more than just a single viewing, however.
My rating of "Blackout" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Bangbeob: Jaechaui (2021)
Not my cup of tea...
I had never heard about "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" (aka "The Cursed") prior to sitting down to watch it. But with it being a South Korean horror movie, of course I needed no persuasion, as I am a big fan of both Asian cinema and horror cinema. So it really didn't matter that I had never heard about the movie, and thus didn't know what I was in for.
Writers Yeon Sang-Ho and Yong-Wan Kim put together a script that sort of fell short of entertaining me. I have to admit that since I didn't understand the whole thing with the infection or curse and the crumbling corpses, then the movie just made little sense. And that made sitting through nearly two hours of this quite an ordeal.
The acting performances in the movie were good, and the actors and actresses on the cast list definitely helped to make the movie all the more watchable.
Ultimately, then "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" was not my cup of tea, and thus I wasn't particularly entertained, and finding it difficult to sit and watch it, having to feign interest in the storyline. But hey, not everything is bound to have an appeal on every viewer, and director Yong-Wan Kim failed to capture my interest here.
Visually then the movie was actually adequate. It wasn't a movie that was heavily reliant on special effects. But the CGI effects that were utilized were fair.
Now, I am sure that there is an audience out there for a supernatural thriller like "Bangbeob: Jaechaui", because it definitely wasn't a horror movie.
My rating of "Bangbeob: Jaechaui" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Maya (1989)
Utter rubbish...
Of course I had never heard about the 1989 Italian horror movie "Maya", prior to stumbling upon it by random luck here in 2024. And given my love and admiration of all things horror, of course I opted to sit down and watch what director
Marcello Avallone had to deliver.
The storyline in "Maya" was brutally boring and felt just like random shots captured by the director and put together in an attmept to make a coherent movie. I managed to suffer through a staggering 34 minutes of nonsense before I tossed the towel in the ring and gave up on finish watching this movie. Writers Marcello Avallone, Andrea Purgatori and Maurizio Tedesco just utterly failed to deliver anything worthwhile here.
Needless to say that with my limited exposure to the Italian cinema, then I wasn't familiar with the actors and actresses on the cast list for this movie.
Sadly, I happened to sit through an Englished dubbed version of the movie. I dislike dubbing in movies in general, so having people speak English throughout the course of the movie was not all that appealing. But at least the dubbing wasn't among the worst of dubbed works in movies that I have stumbled upon. But then again, a movie set to take place in Mexico, why would they be speaking Italian there? So the original language wouldn't really have played out well here.
Don't waste your time, money or effort on "Maya". It just simply isn't worth it.
My rating of "Maya" lands on a one out of ten stars.
The Scavengers (1969)
Pretty bad...
When I sat down to watch the 1969 movie "The Scavengers" here in 2024, it was actually my first time to ever watch it. Yeah, I had never even heard about the movie, so I wasn't sure what I was in for here. And in a sense, then writer Bob Cresse and director Lee Frost had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.
The storyline is a slow starter, and about the first one-third of the movie felt like little more than an opportunity for writer Bob Cresse and director Lee Frost to show off a lot of nudity and lewd scenes. Yup, there was't a whole lot of intellectual entertainment going on here. Then the movie picks up a bit and becomes watchable, but not outstanding or particularly memorable.
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. But I will say that the acting performances in the movie were fair.
The blood in the movie was very fake and insanely unnaturally red, and that just didn't really work in favor of the overall impression of the movie.
"The Scavengers" was not a good movie in any way. And it is definitely not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time. Just checking it off the watched-movies-list and moving on.
My rating of "The Scavengers" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Quella villa in fondo al parco (1988)
Downright terrible in many ways...
Of course I hadn't heard about this 1988 Italian movie titled "Quella Villa In Fondo Al Parco" (aka "Rat Man") prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. When I sat down to watch it, I have to admit that I was harboring absolutely zero expectations to director Giuliano Carnimeo's 1988 movie.
The storyline in the movie was bland, so very, very bland. I am amazed that writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti could collectively manage to put together something that devoid of contents. The narrative was just prancing ahead at a monotonous pace without offering much of anything interesting to the audience.
In fact, most of the movie you only get to see the "rat man" from it's point of view. And that just didn't cut it for me, that was just not quality entertainment. Sure, it might have worked back in the late 1980s, but with the amount of horror movie's I've sat through over the last 40 years, then it just didn't do it for me.
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses on the cast list, as the Italian cinema is not my go-to-cinema for entertainment. And I have to say that actor Nelson de la Rosa (playing Mousey) was given a rather derogatory character and role to play, wasn't he? Sure, it could fly back then, but not so much in today's society.
Visually then the movie was not good. It looked like something that crawled out of the 1970s, to be honest.
While I managed to sit through the movie in its entire bland 88 minute runtime, I can't claim to be particularly impressed or entertained by what director Giuliano Carnimeo delivered. And this is by no means a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I would recommend for horror fans to rush out and get to watch.
My rating of director Giuliano Carnimeo's 1988 movie "Quella Villa In Fondo Al Parco" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Rites of Spring (2011)
Ultimately a bland attempt at a horror movie...
Never having heard about this 2011 horror movie titled "Rites of Spring" as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. Of course I opted to sit down and watch it, given my 40-some years love and admiration of the horror genre.
I had no idea what I was in for, but that hardly mattered, as it was a horror movie. And that was, actually, more than sufficient to make me opt to sit down and spend 82 minutes on watching the movie. So of course I had zero expectations to writer and director Padraig Reynolds, whom effectively had every single available chance to entertain and impress me with this movie.
The movie was off to a good start, because you don't get more than 15 minutes into the narrative before things already start to happen. I must admit that I enjoy movies that throws the audience right into the action or mayhem, which definitely was the case of "Rites of Spring".
However, I have to say that the narrative stagnates and sort of settles into a slump about halfway through. And the story sort of flattens out, offering no ups or downs along the way. Sure, "Rites of Spring" is a watchable movie, and if you're a newcomer to the horror genre then it will be a thrilling movie to watch. But for a life-long horror fan, then it just ended up being a bland movie.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though the name AJ Bowen does sound familiar, I just can't mention any movie in which I've seen him act. The acting performances in the movie were fair, which definitely helped to bring the movie to life on the screen in a more enjoyable manner.
Visually okay, but you're not in for anything grand here. Sure, it wasn't a movie that was particularly needing a grandiose array of special effects, but it would have been nice with a bit more effects to spruce things up, as it was somewhat needed. And as for the killer (or creature), whatever you opt to call him, well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed. But again, it might be sufficient and suitable to a newcomer to the horror genre.
"Rites of Spring" might be worth checking out if you enjoy horror movies and haven't been jaded by years of exposure to the horror genre. Otherwise it just makes for a somewhat bland viewing experience.
My rating of writer and director Padraig Reynolds's 2011 movie "Rites of Spring" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Amityville Cop (2021)
Yup, just another pointless movie with an "Amityville" label on it...
Of course I harbored zero expectations to director Gregory Hatanaka, as I sat down to watch the 2021 horror movie "Amityville Cop". I mean, given the movie's title alone, then I figured that it would just be another bad attempt at a horror movie where they just slapped an "Amityville" label on it.
Yet, I still opted to sit down and watch what writer Geno McGahee brought to the table with this 2021 horror movie.
And just as expected, this was another dubious horror movie that just cashed in on the "Amityville" brand. But whom is the bigger fool here; the ones making the movies or the ones actually sitting down to watch it?
The storyline in "Amityville Cop" was indeed a bland and rather generic one, so writer Geno McGahee didn't exactly impress with this movie. But then again, a glorious rating of 2.5 here on IMDb, in the very moment I am writing this review, is a testament to the quality of movie that you're in for, should you opt to sit down and watch director Gregory Hatanaka's "Amityville Cop" movie.
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. The acting performances were fair enough, when you take into consideration the contents of the script, character gallery and storyline that the actors and actresses had to work with. Of course you'll not be in for any grand cinematic experience here, nor any award-winning performances.
Visually then "Amityville Cop" wasn't a particularly good movie either. So not even that was working in favor of the movie. And I am not really sure what the police officer in the movie was supposed to be. A demonic entity? A reanimated dead? A possessed officer? Something else entirely? Well, it hardly mattered, because I just couldn't take it serious.
So yeah, this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through 68 minutes of this movie, so you don't have to. You're very welcome. If anything, then sit down to watch any of the "Maniac Cop" movies instead.
My rating of "Amityville Cop" lands on a generous three out of two stars.
Nowhereland (2016)
Watchable, but a bit generic...
So I sat down to watch a movie titled "Girl Lost", but only coming to find out that it is actually titled "Nowhereland". Regardless of its title, then this was a movie that I hadn't already seen before, much less actually heard about. And thus, as I had the opportunity to watch it here in 2024, of course I did so.
Writer and director Robin Bain put together a script and storyline that actually proved to be entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. However, be prepared for a movie that sort of lays it on thick in terms of a hard life and a seedy lifestyle. A bit too forced at times, but ultimately a watchable movie, for sure.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Nowhereland", but the actresses and actors did put on good jobs in bringing their characters and storyline to life on the screen. And I will say that the acting performances definitely outweighed the script in terms of making "Nowhereland" a watchable movie.
While "Nowhereland" is an adequately entertaining movie, I have to say that there are a far better movies out there that tells the same story.
My rating of writer and director Robin Bain's 2016 movie "Nowhereland" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Big Driver (2014)
Watchable, sure, but not an outstanding movie...
When I stumbled upon this 2014 movie, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. Why? Well, simply because it was a movie that I hadn't already heard of, much less actually already seen. And when I saw that it was apparently based on a Stephen King novel, of course that added to the interest of watching the movie.
Sure, I haven't read a Stephen King novel since somewhere in the late 1990s, so I wasn't really sure what I was in for here. But I have to admit that I was harboring some expectations, as Stephen King definitely used to write good stories.
And without having read whatever novel that "Big Driver" was based upon, then I don't know how true writer Richard Christian Matheson and director Mikael Salomon were to the source material.
The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward and enjoyable enough for what it turned out to be. However, I have to say that I found it to be a somewhat generic type of revenge movie. The movie just didn't bring anything new to the revenge genre of movies that haven't been done or seen before in lots of other movies similar to this one. But hey, at least it was entertaining enough for a single viewing.
The only names I was familiar with on the cast list were Maria Bello and Joan Jett, but I wasn't aware that Joan Jett also starred in movies.
For a Stephen King-based movie, I have to say that this movie just wasn't outstanding. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.
My rating of "Big Driver" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.
Nightfall (1988)
Rather boring, if not actually downright abysmal...
Right, well the incredible 2.6 rating that the movie had landed on IMDb, here in 2024 when I sat down to watch the movie for the first time, did act like a warning. But I still opted to sit down and watch "Nightfall" on account of it being a late 1980s movie that I hadn't already seen, much less even heard about.
I have to admit that I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations to the movie, given the low rating the movie has on IMDb. But I wasn't sure what I was in for from director Paul Mayersberg when I sat down to watch "Nightfall".
The storyline in the movie, as written by Isaac Asimov and Paul Mayersberg, fell short of entertaining me. The narrative was slow paced and there just simply wasn't enough of anything interesting happening on the screen to keep me entertained. It was like watching a horrible episode of "The Little House on the Prairie" set in what had to pass as being a distant planet, but failing to convince anyone watching it.
I was familiar with David Birney, Sarah Douglas and Larry Hankin on the cast list. And while the storyline was utter rubbish, then it should be said that the acting performances were fair.
Visually then "Nightfall" looked and felt like a cheap homemade movie project. I didn't buy into the aspect of the storyline playing out on a planet with multiple suns for a single moment. It just looked very amateurish and poor.
This movie was quite an ordeal to suffer through, and with each passing minute my interest in the storyline dwindled more and more. I ended up tossing the towel in the ring a mere 23 minutes into the ordeal, but by then I was just bored to tears. And believe you me when I say that I am never, ever returning to attempt watching the rest of "Nightfall".
My rating of "Nightfall" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.
Vermines (2023)
Watchable, but ultimately a forgettable movie...
I had never heard about the 2023 French horror movie "Vermines" (aka "Infested") prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And I have to say that I was instantly drawn to the movie, given its rather interesting title.
But I got a hold of a movie with the English title on it, so I wasn't aware that it was a French movie, not that it mattered as I don't mind foreign language movies one bit. And seeing it was a movie about arachnids, well, that just sweetened the deal all the more.
I have to say, that while I wasn't aware of what I was in for here, nor having heard about the movie before, then I did actually harbor some expectations to writers Florent Bernard and Sébastien Vanicek, as there is just something fundamentally fabulous about an arachnid and horror movie combination, just think of the 1990 movie "Arachnophobia".
Writers Florent Bernard and Sébastien Vanicek, with the latter also directing the movie, put together a fair enough script and storyline. It was not a deep or profound storyline, but it proved to be an entertaining enough popcorn movie, if you don't mind those types of movies. Just be sure to double check your popcorn bucket before munching down, there might be an eight-legged unwanted visitor.
It just made zero sense that the spiders would grow so big in so little time. Sure, it was somewhat good for the cause of entertainment, but if you look at it with a sense of realism, yeah, not so much.
Visually then "Vermines" was fairly good. The spiders looked realistic and that definitely was an important thing for a movie such as this; as lousy CGI effects ruin the effectiveness of a creature feature.
When the movie came to an end, I have to admit that I was left with a sense of 'was that really it?'. Yeah, "Vermines" just didn't really live up to what I had hoped it would be. Sure, it is a watchable movie, but you're not in for a grand horror movie experience here. In fact, you'll find more entertainment in the 1990 movie "Arachnophobia".
My rating of "Vermines" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.
6 Guns (2010)
Realism was out the window here...
Needless to say that I had never heard about this 2010 Western movie titled "6 Guns" prior to sitting down to watch it. But then again, Western movies are not my go-to-movies when I want to be entertained. But I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance and often to sit down and watch it on account of it being a movie I had never heard about, much less watched.
Writer Geoff Meed put together a rather generic script and storyline, and it just made zero sense that with a mere two days of lousy gun training that Selina Stevens was able to take down a gang of wanted criminals and gunslingers. There was just zero realism going on in this movie. "6 Guns" was essentially just a revenge movie wrapped up in a Western setting.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though I do believe I've seen actor Barry Van Dyke somewhere before. The acting performances in the movie were good though for the most parts, I will say that much. I can't claim that I was enjoying the performance that actress Sage Mears put on, as it was rather wooden and devoid of convincing emotions, especially for someone who saw her children and husband gunned down and then sexually assaulted.
Maybe if you enjoy Western movies quite a lot then you would get a kick out of watching director Shane Van Dyke's 2010 movie "6 Guns". But if you sit down to watch the movie as a casual viewer without any preference towards the Western genre, such as myself, then you're not really in for a blast here.
If you pay close attention to many of the scenes, you will notice door handles, padlocks, etc. That are found in today's hardware stores, and not something that would have been around in the mid-1800s.
While I managed to sit through all 95 minutes that the movie ran for, I was only slightly entertained. It was hard to get past the ludicrous storyline and the wooden acting of Sage Mears.
My rating of "6 Guns" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
The Gundown (2011)
Watchable...
Granted, while I am not particularly a fan of the Western genre, I do occasionally sit down to watch one such movie from time to time. And as I happened to stumble upon the 2011 movie "The Gundown" from director Dustin Rikert here in 2024, I opted to watch it, as it was a movie I had never seen before, much less actually heard about.
Writers Dustin Rikert and William Shockley put together a fair enough script and storyline here. It was a pretty straightforward type of Western story. So if you are a diehard fan of the Western genre, then you will definitely find something enjoyable in "The Gundown".
Of the entire cast ensemble in the movie I was only familiar with actor Peter Coyote. But I will say that the acting performances were actually fair. And there were some good talents on the screen, despite of them being unfamiliar faces and names. I've seen actor (and writer) William Shockley before in other movies, but he is not someone that I am overly familiar with.
It was so hard to take my eyes off of the lips of actress Veronica Milagros whenever she was on the screen. I am sorry, but what the Hell was going on there? I am sure that there wasn't that kind of Botox lips around in the mid-1800s America. It was just such a poor casting choice there.
I will say that the wardrobe, props and sets were good and definitely had a convincing mid-1800s Western feel to it. Well, except for those Botox lips.
"The Gundown" was a fair enough Western movie, though hardly a particularly memorable or outstanding movie. I can't claim that it is a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.
My rating of director Dustin Rikert's 2011 movie "The Gundown" lands on a five out of ten stars.
In Her Line of Fire (2006)
Watchable, but rather generic...
It should come as no surprise that I had never actually heard about this 2006 movie titled "In Her Line of Fire". I mean, an action thriller with Mariel Hemingway and David Keith in the leading roles wasn't exactly an equation that I would assume to be a fabulous result.
However, as I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to sit down and watch it, on account of it being a movie that I have never seen before. And I do believe in giving a movie a fair chance.
I didn't know what to expect from writers Paula Goldberg and Anna Lorenzo, so they had every opportunity to entertain me with this movie. However, truth be told, then I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the movie.
The script and storyline in "In Her Line of Fire" was actually okay. It wasn't exactly rocket science here, not was it a particularly complex storyline. But I will say that writers Paula Goldberg and Anna Lorenzo put together a fair enough script and storyline, making this a movie that is watchable a single time.
While I was actually only familiar with Mariel Hemingway, David Keith and Jill Bennett on the cast list, I will say that the acting performances from everyone on the cast list were fair. The actors and actresses took a somewhat simplistic script and made it work. I actually never associated actress Mariel Hemingway with action movies before watching this movie.
"In Her Line of Fire" wasn't an overly memorable movie, though it was suitable for a single viewing. I can, however, in all honesty say that I am not returning to watch "In Her Line of Fire" a second time.
My rating of director Brian Trenchard-Smith's 2006 movie "In Her Line of Fire" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Doomsday Prophecy (2011)
Meh...
When I sat down here in 2024 to watch the 2011 movie "Doomsday Prophecy", I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to the movie. With it being a disaster movie of sorts that I had never heard about, I just didn't really believe that I would be in for a grand piece of cinematic history. Nor was the 3.9 rating on IMDb hinting towards a grand piece of cinematic history.
However, with "Doomsday Prophecy" being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to sit down and give writers Jason Bourque and Shawn Linden's 2011 movie the benefit of the doubt.
And within the first 5 minutes of the movie, it becomes abundantly clear just what type of natural disaster movie that this would be. A super generic one. There was a large fissure opening up in the ground, expanding exponentially, and oddly enough following straight after the vehicle wherein one of the main characters was sitting. Those types of movies are just ludicrous, especially when they could just have veered to the right and have been out of harms way instantly.
Writers Jason Bourque and Shawn Linden put together a somewhat generic script and storyline. Sure, it was watchable and sort of entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. But I have to say that the supernatural elements with the future predicting rod was just a tad out of place and added a laughable element to the movie that just took away from the already slight sense of realism that the movie had going for it. And I am pretty sure that if massive chunks of USA got destroyed, a big part of China as well, and all of Italy and most of Greece was sunk into the ocean, then there would be a worldwide state of panic, and people wouldn't be out on the streets frolicking and going about with their daily cheery lives, as they did in this movie. It just made zero sense.
Needless to say that the outcome of events and ending of the movie was just fully and wholly laughable and unrealistic.
There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, and that was Hiro Kanagawa, Jewel Staite, Matthew Walker and Jerry Wasserman. So yeah, "Doomsday Prophecy" wasn't exactly a star-filled feature. However, I will say that the acting performances throughout the course of the movie were actually fair.
Visually then "Doomsday Prophecy" was okay. I mean, it wasn't the best of CGI effects, nor were it among some of the worst I've seen in disaster movies. Sure, it was pretty terrible CGI here, but there are disaster movies with far worse CGI. So at least that counted for something.
Semi-watchable a single time, but you're not in for anything memorable or particularly outstanding here. And the ending to the movie was just a slap to the face of anyone who had spent 92 minutes sitting through the movie.
My rating of "Doomsday Prophecy", from director Jason Bourque, lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Dracula père et fils (1976)
This movie wasn't worthy of Christopher Lee...
Now, I happened to stumble upon the 1976 movie "Dracula Père Et Fils" (aka "Dracula and Son") by random chance here in 2024, and it was actually a movie that I had never heard about. But seeing that the movie had Christopher Lee in the leading role, of course there was no doubt about me sitting down to watch it.
However, I didn't know that it was a horror comedy, much less a French movie at that. So I have to say that the movie turned out to be quite something else than what I was expecting. I was, of course, expecting a traditional "Dracula" movie, as it had Christopher Lee in the role, and I was sorely disappointed.
Unfortunately I sat through an English dubbed version of the movie, and a rather bland dub at that. The voice they had for Christopher Lee was nowhere near his full, majestic normal voice. And it just wasn't the same. I actually doubt that having had the original voices wouldn't have mattered much, because this wasn't a great movie.
The storyline in "Dracula Père Et Fils" didn't really entertain me much, truth be told. It was a forced script and there wasn't much comedy to be found. For example, the scene where Dracula bites into the blow-up doll, well, it wasn't funny, it was just cringeworthy. And you have to look even harder for the horror elements.
Writers Alain Godard, Jean-Marie Poiré, Édouard Molinaro and Patrick Cauvin didn't exactly put together a convincing or overly entertaining script.
Visually then the movie was okay. I mean, it was made in 1976, and it shows. But there is something oddly nostalgic to that, now isn't there?
This is not a movie I will ever return to watch a second time.
My rating of director Édouard Molinaro's 1976 movie "Dracula Père Et Fils" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Wanita Harimau (1989)
Slightly better than part one...
I was not in any particular rush to sit down to watch the 1989 Indonesian horror movie "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" after recently having literally suffered through the movie that is the 1988 predecessor "Santet".
But with "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" being an Asian horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I eventually found the time to sit down and watch the movie. Though I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to director Sisworo Gautama Putra's 1989 sequel.
Writer Naryono Prayitno did a slightly better job with "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" in comparison to what he managed to put together a year earlier with "Santet". The story was more coherent and more enjoyable than the previous movie, but still far from being a masterpiece.
I just still don't understand the urge to put singing and dancing scenes into what is supposed to be a horror movie.
There were some returning actors and actresses from the previous movie, which counted for something in terms of continuity. And the acting performances in "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" was also better this time around, as the characters were less reminiscent of cartoon comedy characters and written more as actual characters.
Well, at least if you enjoyed the 1988 "Santet" movie, then you will also enjoy this 1989 sequel. But on the other hand, if you didn't enjoy the previous movie, then you won't enjoy this sequel either. I was in the latter camp, so I found little enjoyment in this movie.
The effects in the movie were pretty terrible. But at least the scenes with the insanely fake tiger had me laughing, so that counted for something, I suppose.
My rating of "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" lands on a generous three out of ten stars. Slightly better than the predecessor, but still not really a movie worth spending 92 minutes on watching.
Rent-a-Cop (1987)
An enjoyable movie...
I had actually never heard about this 1987 movie from director Jerry London prior to sitting down here in 2024 to watch it for the very first time. I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance, and seeing that it had Burt Reynolds in the lead, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
Writers Michael Blodgett and Dennis Shryack put together an enjoyable script. The movie proved to be entertaining and enjoyable, without being an archetypical cheesy late 1980s movie. The movie is a combination of crime, action and comedy, with the latter being found in light moderation, thankfully. The comedy in the movie helped lighten the mood and spruce things up, so it was an enjoyable light-hearted action crime movie with a pinch of comedy, if you will.
The cast ensemble in "Rent-a-Cop" is pretty good, with the likes of Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, James Remar, Bernie Casey, Richard Masur, Dionne Warwick and others, so you definitely have some familiar faces on the screen. The acting performances were good, and there was a good chemistry between leading actor Burt Reynolds and leading actress Liza Minnelli.
I found it well-worth taking 96 minutes to sit down and watch "Rent-a-Cop", because it was an enjoyable movie.
My rating of director Jerry London's 1987 movie "Rent-a-Cop" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Cocaine Crabs from Outer Space (2022)
For the might of Planet Crabulon...
Of course I would sit down and watch writer and director Chuck Magee's 2022 movie "Cocaine Crabs From Outer Space", no doubt about it. I mean, the title in itself was sufficient to get my attention.
Sure, I harbored zero expectations to the movie, as I doubted that it would be anywhere near the level of "Cocaine Bear". But I still opted to watch the movie and give it a fair chance.
Granted, I knew that "Cocaine Crabs From Outer Space" was going to be bad, but come on. I mean, they used inarticulate toy crabs of hard plastic, without any moveable parts. And that just makes this movie insanely horrible to sit through if you don't enjoy low budget lousy movies.
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list in this horrible movie. Suffice it to say that you're not in for 83 minutes of Shakespearian theater when you sit down to watch a movie like "Cocaine Crabs From Outer Space".
The effects are so bad that you can't help but laugh when you see it. And you can see the fishline wire that they used to make the crabs "crawl" around with. It was just hilarious how low key and bad the effects are in this movie.
There was even a plastic crab in the movie holding a sign that reads "ridiculous, isn't it?". So the movie didn't take itself serious, and with good cause. Also a cake with the words "congratulations on quitting smoking" being served for a toddler. And a bowling ball drinking beer. Pretty darn strange, if you ask me.
"Cocaine Crabs From Outer Space" is a low budget movie, and one that requires a particular mindset in order to sit down and enjoy. You need to have a preference for cheesy, home-made, low budget movies if you find enjoyment in this 2022 movie. So it is not a movie that will find an audience everywhere.
And I never thought that in my lifetime that I would get to see inarticulate plastic crabs perform circus acts. But here we are.
The movie's cover over-sells the movie by a thousandfold. Don't set your expectations up to high here.
My rating of "Cocaine Crabs From Outer Space" lands on a very, very generous four out of ten stars. It was so bad that it was actually somewhat bearable to sit through.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024)
Getting back on track...
Ever since AMC teased the idea of a Rick and Michonne spin-off movie, I have to say that I was anxiously awaiting the day that it would come. And when they turned it into a six episode mini-series, of course I sat down and watched every single episode as they were made available.
The storyline in "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" was good. Sure, one might argue that it was a bit rushed, but hey, with only 6 episodes to work with, of course writers and creators Scott M. Gimple, Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln had a limited span of storytelling to incorporate into the six episodes.
It was not only the storyline itself that was good in "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live", but most certainly also the character development and growths along the way, especially for Rick and Michonne, obviously, as they are the main characters of this particular series.
I have to say that I feel that there was so much more to be explored to the storyline that reunited Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (played by Danai Gurira) on a screen, after what felt like an eternity. Sure, I was definitely entertained and content with the outcome of the six episodes, but there was just so much left unexplored and untold here.
The acting performances in "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" were good. And I have to admit that seeing Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira reunited on the screen was a very emotional one, and it was something that "The Walking Dead" series as a whole needed.
The fact that "The Walking Dead" had Andrew Lincoln back under its wings was something I had hoped for, for a long, long time. There was a lot of good acting performances in the series, and some very nice talents, with the likes of Terry O'Quinn, Lesley-Ann Brandt and Pollyanna McIntosh, to mention but a few. But it gets better, Matthew Jeffers in the role of Nat was just beyond phenomenal. He added so much flavor to the episode he was in, and his character was definitely one of my all-time favorites throughout the main series and many spin-off series of "The Walking Dead".
Visually then you're in for quite a treat here. But then again, all of "The Walking Dead" series and all the spin-off series have amazing special effects and zombie make-up. "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" is no different, because the effects are fantastic here. And the series brings a couple of new types of walkers on the table as well.
If you enjoy any of "The Walking Dead" series and spin-offs, especially the original series, then "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" is a must watch.
While I wish for a lot more from the narrative, I have to admit that I was pleasantly entertained and I enjoyed all six episodes of "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live".
This particular six episode series is quite a step back in the right direction after that semi-enjoyable "Daryl Dixon" series, that just made no sense as he was stumbling around in France.
My rating of "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" lands on a well-deserved eight out of ten stars.
Daddy's Perfect Little Girl (2021)
Insanely generic...
Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with this 2021 drama thriller titled "Daddy's Perfect Little Girl" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
Writer Melissa Cassera put together a very generic and predictable script and storyline for the movie. Now, I know that this is a TV movie and all, but come on. The script was so predictable that you see things coming a mile away. And it was so generic that writer Melissa Cassera was simply just cramming in as many tropes as possible.
Something that worked well in favor of the movie was the acting performances. Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. The actors and actresses put on good performances. And while I absolutely loathed the Ella character, I have to say that actress Hattie Kragten put on quite a performance in bringing this obnoxious character to life on the screen.
I am sure that there is an audience out there who will gobble something like this movie up and enjoy it. I, however, was not really in that particular target audience. The movie just simply was too generic for my liking.
My rating of director Curtis Crawford's 2021 movie "Daddy's Perfect Little Girl" lands on a three out of ten stars.
Phobia (1980)
Boring...
When I stumbled upon this 1980 movie titled "Phobia", of course I opted to sit down and watch it, as it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.
Writers Lew Lehman, Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bellwood, Gary Sherman, Ronald Shusett, Gladys Hill, Dan O'Bannon and Larry Spiegel put together a script that wasn't all that entertaining or interesting. I am a bit perplexed how so many writers collectively could manage to deliver a script that weak.
I have to admit that I was expecting a bit more from the movie, as it was listed as a thriller/horror, but this proved to be more of a thriller drama with crime elements. So it was quite different from what I was expecting.
Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with actor Kenneth Welsh. The acting performances in the movie were good.
I found "Phobia" to be a somewhat bland and boring movie, and it didn't really appeal much to my liking in movies.
My rating of director John Huston's 1980 movie lands on a three out of ten stars.
Bloodmoon (1990)
Bland...
Needless to say that I had never heard about this 1990 Australian horror movie titled "Bloodmoon" prior to sitting down and watching it here in 2024.
As I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance, and seeing it was a horror movie, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch what writer Robert Brennan and director Alec Mills had to offer.
The storyline in "Bloodmoon" was pretty bland. It was not a particularly interesting movie, much less an effective horror movie. Why? Well, there was just simply not enough going on throughout the course of the 100 minutes that the movie ran for, and that made the movie feel bland and somewhat pointless. There was nothing scary about the movie, unless you consider the lack of aforementioned things to be scary.
You actually have to sit through about 65 minutes of the 100 minute runtime before anything remotely interesting starts to happen. And by then, it was just simply too little, too late.
I wasn't familiar with the talents on the cast list. Though I will say that some of the acting performances were actually fair.
Visually then "Bloodmoon" was bland and nondistinctive.
The only thing impressive about "Bloodmoon" was that the music was composed by Brian May.
Not a great horror experience in any way. And a rather forgettable movie at that.
My rating of "Bloodmoon" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.