TrentReznorandAtticusRoss Reviews

Matariki (2010)

A fairly bleak and forgettable drama, but enjoyable overall.

[4/10 · 7 December 2012]

So, if you're a fan of films where one event starts a chain re-action through people's lives, you might get something out of this. MIGHT. Every cultural stereotype in New Zealand has been thrown in mix without any real thought or consideration. It works, however, for the 80 minutes leading up to the end, which no matter how desperate the attempt, doesn't have any mental effect on us. It's more informative, than it is deeply affecting. But as a drama, it's good, and at times inspiring. But the film is easily forgettable right after 30 minutes with no real great scenes to talk about afterwards. The attitude does somewhat improve the ending, with some real dedicated acting that will bring tears to your eyes, but not greatly move you. However, the plot gets lost in the middle, before the director paints it black and then resorts to a totally different ending.

The film has no depth-although the acting and characterization are good, in the end they are just making faces and talking pretty. And even though the acting itself is (fairly) good, once the film is finished, we realize that in the end, we just don't care.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Not Paranormal Activity, but nevertheless...

[15 October 2012]

Let me first add, that I had the privilege of viewing a staff screening of PA4 (a screening to ensure the film is not scratched or harmed)so let me first say, there's yet to be a sequel that can touch the high quality of Oren Peli's first Paranormal. Sadly, this is not that sequel. Yet. Kathryn Newton poses as an interesting choice for the lead, but sadly lacks the chemistry and realism that is Katie Featherson. In short, this is just as 'lame' as Paranormal Activity 3. So, good, but wasted so much opportunity. The good news is, is that the plot whilst being a tad far-fetched, was kept nice and simple. The scares were average, if not recycled. Some of the scenes i.e the research, and the slow build ups (the one in the third act is particularly good) were also 'been-there'.

A down point has to be Newton's flat acting. Again, an interesting choice but definitely not the best. Cynically stupid at times, freaked out when she shouldn't be, and really quite irritating when around her boyfriend Alex. The rest of the cast were okay to say the least. Katie Featherson - as always - fiendishly amazing, and the best actress to have ever appeared in the franchise. There's always some major flaw with when it comes to sequels, however there was nothing majorly bad about this one. The paranormal scenes however, now there's something to be excited about. The subtle touch used by Oren Peli has not been lost thankfully, but like the sequels (or prequels, if you will) have too many 'extreme' scares. Nevertheless, there's something to look forward to.

In short, don't waste your money if you're expecting something groundbreaking. But this has been the sequel that we've been waiting for, so enjoy.

The Grudge 2 (2006)

The Greatest horror remake sequel!

[9/10 · 9 September 2012]

As far as sequels go, this one cannot be underrated, no matter how American it may seem. At least now, we can forget that 'Quarantine: Terminal' never happened, because this film has brilliantly mastered the foreign remake sequel interpreted into it's own story. Sadly, it's not the psychological horror like the first film, or no better than either of the Japanese films that inspired it. Nevertheless, it's still scary.It's still an eerie, atmospheric, fascinating and a fun horror that does have moments where it does get into your skin. The film's less flamboyant than the first, but that's the point. And as if it were following the horror sequel guidelines, we explore more of Kayako's rage-full past, as we see more butterfly effects that rev up the engines to this masterful sequel. Heed the warning above, this does contain spoilers.

The film's tactics closely resembles that of the film 'crash', where one effect made by somebody effects the other. The film spans over two or three stories, providing a great opportunity for story telling. The younger and less favourite sibling of Sarah Michelle Gellar's Karen, 'Aubrey', goes to Japan to collect her sister to return to America, in favor of her sick mother. But unfortunately for both of them, Kayako has found Karen first and has gotten her final victim, before Aubrey becomes one herself. The film opens up nicely, with a peer-pressured teen Allison dared to enter the closet of Kayako's bedroom where her body was stuffed. Of course, Kayako finds her, and that's where the intensity begins. The American side of the story -which is later proved to have taken place after the events of the two stories - is where the eerie-ness and the tense atmosphere is held. Of course, this chain reaction story does get a little exhausting after a while, and eventually becomes a relatively half-assed attempt to be more 'epic', but the story telling is still as good and fresh as it's predecessor. It does reach some darker elements as well. It does get a tad grittier and much more atmospheric.

The scares are pretty average. Scratch that, they're pretty good. And it's still interesting. The intensity on the other hand is very much alive, more alive than the actual scares. Instead of jumping moments, we're left with long, meant-to-be-but-are-not-anyhow tense scenes. The thing that interested me the most was of course the atmosphere. The scares were bland but otherwise this was really cool. A very interesting watch. It takes an interesting perspective on storytelling. And has all the flavors to please the ones who prefer to be disturbed, and not scared.

Overall, it does everything in storytelling, atmosphere, acting, humor, and at times horror, but sadly we're watching a film that could've deserved more screen time. Do not let the four star rating deceive you, this film is worthy of a few or so hours of your time.

H2O: Just Add Water (2006–2010)

The most futile, daft, and heedless television series. A massive disappointment.

[7 August 2012]

In an effort to steal 'Charmed's thunder, Australia went ahead and created something rather diabolically stupid, that it seems almost pointless and a waste of time. H2O Just add water is a television series about three teenage friends who become mermaids, and gradually avoid danger at every turn. Although the three friends must also avoid the greatest danger of all: Themselves. Risking exposure is not a priority that sadly seems very high for them, amongst trying to control their powers. Their powers include the different stages of the H2O cycle, like steam, Ice, and liquidized water. The threats also come from below; other mermaids who want to steal their powers, and their boyfriends... From boat chases to drama both on land and off, H2O just add water promises adventure and spectacle at every turn!

Unfortunately the promise of Mermaids, dazzling special effects, and action, seems to be the only thing on their minds. The script is a childish, contemptible, and the most obtuse, brainless script to have ever been said aloud in quite some time. The dullness of the script is not the only thing that's senselessly nonsensical, but the story-line of each episode is incredibly numb as well as it's cheesy. The dense dialog is so imprudent that the actors performing the inane screen-play look just as stupid. The acting is quite possible the most ludicrous thing about the television series. Here, our protagonists are on the verge of adulthood. Yet, everything that they do – and say – is beyond asinine. We have tweens acting like kids, teens acting like tweens and adults acting like teens. The irrationality of both the script and three girls acting like typical American aussy-speaking teenage girls, along with all of the male figures – all of them – acting like tools and nerds, is utterly absurd and pitiful.

Phoebe Tonkin (Cleo) is probably the poorest actress of the three girls, Cleo, Rikki and Emma. Whilst looking like she's just popped out of a 90's Wes Craven movie, with foul haircuts and the most plain outfits a star could wear, her acting is the most conventional and boring on the show. She's a cynically stupid, easily predictable character who just shut her damned mouth up. Cariba (Rikki) Is perhaps the least appalling actress here, keeping her character a serious and fit one, despite the inferior script. But like everybody else on this show, she does have her stupid moments – yeah, not stupid in the show. Emma (Claire Holt) is just as bad. So, good then. But eager to squeeze his way next to Phoebe as the worst actor on the show (Phoebe later redeemed herself in 'Tomorrow: When the War began) is probably Angus McLaren. He's just annoying, with his incensing presence proving worthless. But that doesn't stop him; Stupid haircuts (they get around, don't they?) feeble acting, floppy dialog, all make him just as weedy as the rest of the cast. An irritating factor is, he seems far too pre-occupied with thinking that he's all sophisticated because he plays a young scientist with the sea-maids, that he doesn't seem to focus on the real issue at hand; the vulnerability of the three mermaids that are apparently his best friends. The exposure of the mermaidians is evidently not a priority; so why even bother with the show? Burgess Abernethy is another male actor throwing away his career. At first he's an untrustworthy 'friend', who as nearly a grown man, is obsessed with mermaids. Again, another pessimistic and juvenile addition. He then proves himself worthy of friendship, and then they all go out for an under-water orgy. This is probably all you need to know. A weakening factor is, he's still a baddie.

Oh no! Now there are bad actors, badly acting, as people acting… Bad! Villains and threats are a common factor for our mermaids. Although the villains are nowhere near as menacing as they should be. We might as well kick the show whilst it's down. The theme song 'No Ordinary Girl' written by Shelley Rosenberg is as fatuous as the song, 'I'm a Barbie Girl'. Nail gargling, soul-crushing, head-aching, H2O Just Add Water is promptly the worst television show that has played on afternoon television since 'Power Rangers: Samurai'. Beyond poor.

Taken (I) (2008)

Never should have 'Taken' it for granted.

[2/10 · 1 August 2012]

The film 'Taken' offers two things: Action, and a father-daughter reunion. And it does just that, with the tragic expense of 92 minutes of your life. It argues the very definition of a good action movie. As such, the film 'Taken' is not worthy of it's Blockbuster reputation.

The film's pace is a speedily one, that goes by so damn fast that you don't even have time to process any of the information that the film throws at you. This requires a second viewing. Therefore the only people who can catch up are the hardiest of action-goers. Also, you're viewing it, wondering 'where did the last five minutes go?' At that point, you're already lost in the horrid, butchered editing, till you find yourself pausing it to take a breather. The pace also does not give way to the films dialog. Some of the dialog is great, but it fails to catch up with the actors that speak it. Again, another example of butchered film editing. The film goes from a meaningful drama, to a let's-go-and-ruin-and-destroy-everything. Where the action thrives from speedily boat chases to fist crunching sequences, suffering long and hard of 'shaky camera syndrome'. But the action overwhelms our protagonist so god damn much that it reaches a point where there is no story, and our characters get lost in the midst of all the explosions and foreign gibberish.

The film's story line is one massive plot hole in itself. What are the odds, that; The daughter kidnapped ('Kim') just happened to be the daughter of an ex-CIA agent. What are the odds that sex traffickers, just happened to kidnap the daughter of a kick-ass CIA full-time father? And what are the odds that she was kidnapped at the time she was on the phone to her father? And what are the beckoning odds, that they were kidnapped on the very same day as their arrival? (IN-cluding the evil taxi driver that drove them to their apartment) Questions like these don't match up. The film's story line is so damn focused on the action and combat choreography that it doesn't concentrate on the reason it's being made in the first place. Creating more questions than answers is possibly the worst thing a storyline can do, at this point.

Oh, there's also no character development. Liam Neeson misses some great opportunities to grow into his character. As it seems, he's so focused on smashing guys up and finding his daughter that perhaps he gets lost in his own motif. Nobody has character development. Giving the certain situation, there's all the more reason for us to fall in love with our characters.

In summary, it's a worthless film with jaw-aching action with an eyesore pace.

The Last Airbender (2010)

Pretty Damn Awesome.

[1/10 · 30 July 2012]

Shyamalan's recent debut, a live-action adaption from a children's family Saturday morning cartoon series, is a reasonably bearable family film, to say the least. We can all agree that in some nutty way, that this film is better than many other recent live action adapted films to come out like say, Alvin in the Chipmunks, or it's sequel. But Shyamalan takes his name to seriously, and somewhat relies on a good-looking cast, and dazzling special effects to sleaze his way out of this one. His previous film, 'The Happening' didn't necessarily have a lot of the whole 'Shyamalan' charisma, unlike some of his classics. Again, it relied on the faces of Wahlberg and Zooey Deschnal to ease it past critics. But now that that's all in the past, we can only hope to see what he does in the future.

The whole idea of Shyamalan doing a 'Last Samurai' meets 'Harry Potter', with a 'Pirates of the Caribean' atmosphere sparked a new interest in the recently failed director. But, we must keep in mind that had Shyamalan owned the rights to this film, he would've turned it into something great. However, Nickelodeon insists on a family friendly film, filled with color and a 'Lord of the Rings' heavy budget. So, very much like the film 'Cats & Dogs: Kitty Galore', the Last Airbender was bound to be poorly constructed, stupidly scripted, with direction from a director that almost seemed to be absent throughout the entire shooting of the film.

Over one and a half hours of eyesore and unnecessary 3D, considerably half-ass-ed acting, and visual delights such as the floating air temple, one almost feels like they've watched what was promised to be the most depressing movie of all time, only to find something as uplifting as meaningful as 'The Truman Show'. Aang, is the last of his kind, a Buddhist who can manipulate air as his element. When he is discovered by two siblings of a Water Tribe frozen in the ice, Aang realizes that his awakening has triggered an entire nation of fire benders on a search party - for him. Aang (or 'Ohng', as he's pronounced in the film) is played by the adorable Noah Ringer, who's clearly never acted before in his life. Despite the struggle to keep up with everybody else, he does share a remarkable resemblance to his cartoon predecessor. No doubt he enjoyed taking part in the film, which is more or less evident than his inability to act. His companion (no, not the flying bull) Katara, played by Nicola Peltz - seems a bit too self conscious, at this point. In the duration of what's meant to be a meaningful or tense scene, she seems to crawl back under her shell (perhaps in an attempt to hide from raging critics). Never-the-less, she's a great young actress who by appearing in this film may actually spawn a relatively successful career. But her sibling - played by Rathbone - is probably Othello compared to the rest of the cast. Keeping it simple, innovative, meaningful, and funny at times, he's definitely a highlight of the film with all the experience to share. Actually, speaking of Othello, Dev Patel - and I will not say this twice - is quite possibly, the greatest actor in the film standing proudly next to Rathbone or over him at least. He plays Prince Zuko sophisticated (and this was meant to be the kind of acting expected from both Ringer and Peltz) and tense. Patel clearly takes his acting seriously.

It's the dialog, is where the film struggles to breathe. The screenplay's a childish, sluggish and worst yet, it seems to compliment Shyamalan's previous films. With a horrid pace, and woeful dialog, one can only hope for a scene where there is no speaking, and only combat fighting. More to the point, there almost is no combat sequences, except for four main scenes. And like Tim Burton, Shyamalan is clearly not an action director. You say that anybody can direct an action movie? Try 'Planet of the Apes'. While he may not be an action director, he definitely knows what he's doing. His previous films have almost no - okay, none of his films have any action. Anything from throwing a punch. But the action's pretty awesome, even going a little Zack Snyder-Esq with a few slow-mo's. It's well choreographed, but with a few hits we can almost tell who's going to throw the next hit. So maybe a little more practice, for future references.

The overall world of the Last Airbender is quite spectacular. There's temples in the clouds, cities of ice, castles of stone... It's quite a sight. The elements themselves are quite breathtaking, actually. If you're an open minded person, you'd agree. So, the production is designed perfectly, but for Shyamalan sadly, it's too happy. Shyamalan even went as far to change some of the cultures of the four nations - did I mention there were four? The fire nation - the key nation in the storyline when it comes to enemies - has now gone from fire-breathing Chinese, to Hindu-loving Indians, a right reflection of the director's cultural heritage. By changing the cultures around a bit, Shyamalan's given the film it's own individuality from it's cartoon predecessor.

Overall, it's a pretty awesome sight, but with all of this mumble-jumble and it's childish atmosphere, we at least have something to cradle, and something that we can at least appreciate the effort, despite Nickelodeon's pathetic restrictions.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

An amazing experience, and a worthy farewell to an amazing trilogy.

[10/10 · 18 July 2012]

Let me just add, I did have the privilege of watching both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight right before the very first ever screening of The Dark Knight Rises last night and, sitting in front of seat kicking, punch-worthy youngsters didn't stop me from absorbing every last word of incredibly amazing dialog. For those who are expecting the film to end in a bang, it does - it literally does, but first you must endure through six hours of the previous two films no, masterpieces, to be fresh and up to date.

The film was excellently written, better than any other film Nolan has done before. Tying up many loose ends, but that of the Joker, who now is long gone. It also tied in well with the action - one of the rare things that both action and writing can't pull off when they combine: intensity. The action wasn't hard to swallow like say, Transformers, and kept to the point of beating the baddies instead of showing off flexibility. The visual effects were stunning, an honest compliment to the well written screenplay, as well as the visuals of the architecture of many cities that created Gotham. Nolan again, does whatever he can possible, practically. Even if it means building the Bat-wing for real - which is just the coolest vehicle in all the land. An improvement and a homage to the long praised Batmobile - or more likely called, the 'tumbler'. But the 'CGI' is so convincing, you cannot even tell. Bane now has his own custom made tanks. And a few of them, too. Whilst the action and so forth has no trouble what so ever in keeping up with the story, there were a few surprises that call for the 'spoiler alert'...

Don't worry, I won't say anything. The twist in personality traits were actually the knots tying up the first two films i.e, Ra's Al Ghul's "wife and child, who were, taken from me..." and, the occasional question that popped up.. 'Who really is the bad guy, here?' Hanz Zimmer typically returns to score the film - but my word, he brings a total new element to the DKR atmosphere. Chills will ensue when the music swoops, and the drums pound, almost as loud and as traumatizing as his score for 'Inception', which is now mediocre compared to his latest project. Hanz Zimmer fans will not be disappointed. The so called 'chant' we heard in the trailers does make its cameo, being the basis of nearly every musical tune. But not all, keep in mind. There are a few old tracks from TDK, but still none from Batman Begins... Nevertheless, you will forget completely about anything before this movie, that's just how fantastic it is.

To compliment that amount of awe, Tom Hardy's Bane is - really a tour De force. His performance was definitely Oscar worthy, which plays as a real compliment to Heath Ledger's Joker. Every time he speaks... He has a terrifying mechanical aspect to his voice. Anne Hathaway was a major improvement from Halle Berry's Catwoman. Hathaway, instead of throwing smart quotes, and constantly being replaced by a CGI replica, did well in playing both torn between between her own complications and falling for the crippled Bruce Wayne. Batman is crippled along with him. Gordon Levvit is no slouch, either. For those who were wondering, the film's ending doesn't leave you hanging, unlike Nolan's previous work... Although concluding the trilogy, he does leave more for a sequel, but his response to this would probably be something like 'I prefer to leave it up to the imagination of the viewers...' So, okay, it is a bit of a cliff hanger. It was however well deserved, not straying to afar from the previous films, in terms of large-scale. The film's orgasm is probably the greatest of all film sagas

Dead to the World (1998 Video)

A superb, thrilling, and utter masterpiece from a winning artist!

[15 July 2012]

It's odd given that the modern concert movies are incredibly disconcerting. With Katy Perry's recent 'Part Of Me' wallowing its way into theaters this week - and in the unnecessary and eyesore 3D - and Justin Bieber's god awful 'Never Say Never' - again, in the most unnecessary form that is 3D - that erupted from the ocean trenches expecting all kinds of warm welcomes, only pull one last look of shock as it sunk back down into the deep blue sea, I decided to take a trip down memory lane. There were all sorts to choose from, but the highlight of 1996-1998 - very much like Perry, Gaga, and Beaver --Boobie --Weener --sorry, Bieber are today (if you're reading this in the future, please bare with me) - was Marilyn Manson himself, and this video provided an amazing insight to his gritty life backstage.

Rarely did people want to know more about Marilyn Manson, as he was considered to be the Avatar of the Devil or, the Devil himself. But, who the hell cares? So therefore Manson didn't star in any infomercials to promote any products. Instead, he ended up on the late night news, either something to do with his smash-hit albums or, he might've sexually assaulted something. So, for this to be released with all this new insight was rumored to be, and lived up to those rumors, an amazing life's work.

Manson performs all of his greatest hits back in the late-to-mid 90's. Songs featured, 'Angel With The Scabbed Wings', 'Lunchbox', 'Antichrist superstar', oh and how could I forget, 'The Beautiful People'. A vast range of moody, gritty, and thought provoking songs were played, not to mention, performed by Manson at his best. Between each song, there would be a five to six minute intermission, where Manson failed to conjure anything that wasn't anywhere relevant, in other words; he spoke true and meaningful words. A thorough intermission described his childhood, revealing the difficulties of being in Christian school. Another, described 'the Slashers,' which weren't uncommon back in those days, especially for the hardcore Manson fans. He also provided a brief explanation of his parents, and their acceptance of becoming who he became. I learned a lot from him in this, amazing tour de force. It's a shame the video was only 80 minutes short! The song performances were amazing, also. There VHS sound quality gave it a much more percussion, and 'thump' to it. The high notes weren't the irritating screeches that our normal DVD players can't handle.

See, it amazes me, that Bieber's 'Never Say Never' was so utterly boring. I am a Bieber hater of course, but we never learnt anything at all. All we saw was him saying aspiring things, singing, and showing off his talent, over and over. But here, here is where Bieber fans should waste away their money (would probably finish the video traumatized). Dead to the World is epic in the rights of 2D, with amazing heart-racing performances and, Manson himself, the legend, the musician, the Antichrist Superstar.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011)

I will always say never.

[15 July 2012]

I would firstly like to admit that I am not a Justin Bieber fan, but being open minded, I thought that maybe the film would at least change some opinions I had about the 17 year old star. Sadly, and very depressingly, I was incorrect.

The movie isn't rewarding. In fact, it's just as boring and repetitive as the lines of the verses sung by the star of this gag-fest. There's no aspiring message, there's no moral. It's a constant attempt to theft money from the pockets of fan girls, and a rub-in-your face reminder of just how popular he is. Throughout the film we hear only Justins pretty voice, whether he's blabbing on about something that's no where near remotely interesting, or whether he's -gulp- singing. You only see his face whether he's on stage or, whether he's showing off with his mates, playing guitar, basketball, etc... Given that the fan-girls are already aware of his talent - as well as the bieber haters - we're not seeing anything new.

He has no real story to tell, besides the fact that he grew up singing -there, that's all you need to know. He busked, as all singers do, great. Where's the entertainment? The title 'Never Say Never' sounds promising. I actually expected to see another side of Justin. I do particularly enjoy watching stars crumble before a big show. Katy Perry's 'Part Of Me' showed a great deal of inner conflict and an exclusive and thorough look into her life on stage. With Justin, it's just the same ol' stuff we've seen from the 'Pro-Active' commercials.

In conclusion, he's not telling any story. Instead, we're just watching him on screen, doing nothing but showing off his talent. For fan-girls only.

Red Eye (2005)

An otherwise silly but relatively enjoyable ride.

[8 July 2012]

We've never seen Wes Craven come into contact with a proper 'thriller' before. And as he apparently holds the title, 'master of horror director, Wes Craven,' you'd expect something really easy flowing, whilst still being knuckle grawlingly tense, and having its occasional scares. But the end result is neither scary nor thrilling, but instead a rather gimicky experience unsure of what audience it's trying to entertain.

Nevertheless, it wasn't terrible. The performances are the savior of this what would be a fine addition to the thriller section in the DVD store. Cillian Murphy does one of his best performances to date, playing it both casual and sinister. Rachel McAdams whilst appearing rather miserable to star in the motion picture, manages to pull a few strings. The only thing left to grip after playing it rather hard-to-swallow, is the dialogue, which is probably the greatest thing about the film, and definitely a highlight. The story is good, but that's pretty much all the film is- a good story line. Although it does try hard in building the suspense and character development, but it doesn't help the fact that the films overall charisma is easily forgotten once the credits role.

King Kong (1976)

Chills!!

[7/10 · 7 July 2012]

This seemingly dark adaption to Merian C Cooper's and Egdar Wallace's has proved itself to be - an enjoyable and uncanningly talented piece of work. Dino De Laurentiis' team up with John Gullermin to remake a seminal horror/action classic has turned it into a new dimension unexplored and well deserved. Be warned, this version holds you firmly in it's palm, and doesn't let go.

The performances are what make the film a bit more bearable once you realize that the characters that intend to sail to Kong's domain of ancient evil aren't going there to capture him on film or, capture anything at all. Instead, we're faced with filthy money-grubbing men who care nothing for anything else except the one thing that will score them big money - oil. Although, watching a handful of people trying to make a film with 1930's equipment can get a little irritating and somewhat boring. So, setting it in the modern, like the 1933 original did in it's time, seemed like the right thing to do. Jessica Lange's character, Dwan, does take time getting used to, but her affection for Jeff Bridges' character, Jack Prescott, is the only thing that makes her worth watching.

Speaking of which, how does this ditsy Dwan end up sailing across the high-seas with oil harvesters? Well, there's a little twist that ends up making the chemistry between Jack - who turns out to be a stowaway - even more exciting. More to the point of chemistry, Gullermin focuses more on the chemistry between Kong and Dwan. A little too much, perhaps, but through this we see the most fantastic performance out of Jessica Lange. The films climax can be seen as a little ridiculous to the other eye, but is still tear worthy. The bond between Kong and Dwan is more touching than Kong's farewell. Lange proves herself worthy during the films climax, once we hear he scream, 'Don't kill him!! Don't KILL HIM!!'

The special effects are quite amazing - Kong has been constructed and performed brilliantly, by the wonderful Rick Baker. The sets are quite a spectacle themselves. The miniatures are probably the most convincing ones that cinema has ever seen. The island sets (whether they truly are sets, they still attract the eye) express more characterized, moody and dark elements than you would normally find in real cultures. Oh, and John Barry's score is simply and utterly, amazing. It gives me chills every single time it's cue is due. Probably the best tracks of the film are 'Full Domain - Beauty is a Beast', and 'Arrival on the Island', 'Sacrifice - Hail to the King' - but all tracks are great and are definitely a real triumph.

The atmosphere is probably the thing I love most about this movie. I always love watching it, and looking at the hills in the background, and wondering.. 'What lurks over there?' The thing about this, is that if it was made anywhere else, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. The island itself is quite a hellish place, in the fact that it's almost like a desert, with shallow jungle. So, you end up wondering, 'How does a forty-five foot two legged gorilla end up living here?' It's a great mystery, that will only lead you watching the film countless times just to find clues.

There also isn't much wildlife on Skull Island - just Kong, and a giant snake that he faces in defending his love, Dwan... You then end up wondering, 'Where the heck did the snake came from? Are there more?' People call these plot holes, but I call this the perfect atmosphere that cinema has given in quite some time.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)

Nothing special, just you're regular T.V series.

[5/10 · 19 June 2012]

I liked the 'Terminator' movies from a distance. They were always exciting, action-overloaded, (not that cruddy mindless action like say, 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen) and Schwarzenneger was simply amazing. There was always a 'Goonies' feel to it, but with killing machines. What more could a person ask? So, naturally not really watching the Terminator movies over and over again like the rest of the fanatics who actually seem to find this T.V adaption rather entertaining, I was actually looking forward to how they would deal with it. Sadly, they just crushed my expectations, and spat on them.

Firstly, I simply cannot stand Thomas Dekker. The right face for John Conner, the male protagonist yes, but boy he can't act. I found him annoying, repulsive... He was your typical two-dimensional teenager. One would think that with all this experience over the last move (Terminator 2: Judgement day) that he would've built an internal strength, which is always so exciting to watch, but whenever he could, he would revert to bothersome, and irritatingly infuriating.

Lena Heady was a fine addition, a great highlight, but not the right look for Sarah Connor. They've terminated the original look of Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor completely, (no pun intended there, folks) but she is definitely a right fit for the role. She may be no Ripley, but she's definitely a rememborable Sarah Connor.

Terminator went from awesome, to teen skanks with guns in mini skirts. Of course, you have to keep in mind that this is what you would normally find in the average American high school. Terminator, TSCC also finds chinks in our armor, a perfected modern twist on the hit 90's classic. However, there are far too many down-lows, that it's not even funny, let alone enjoyable to watch. It does take it's time getting interesting, and sadly it can't even do that.

It's no underrated T.V show, in fact it has nearly every right to be underrated. There's one thing they do not loose, however, besides the integrity of the high-level performance (or presentation) of the Machines, (perfected, if you ask me) but in fact the 80's-90's action that the first two failed to miss.

Although, you don't necessarily have to watch this to understand the two sequels that follow, (Rise of the Machines, and Salvation) which is great, because they don't go to anal in ruining a great movie franchise in an attempt to keep the T.V series interesting.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

Sickest movie ever made? Apparently so.

[2/10 · 17 June 2012]

I didn't necessarily have any 'high' expectations when I began to watch this movie. Normally one would reject any and all expectations of a film like this. And they are right to do so. But, I normally watch a movie with the intention of actually watching it, so I was very UN-fortunate to watch it without actually wanting to see it. Although I had complained for months about wanting to see it - I even had a Human Centipede II poster in my room once - and damned the local distributors for banning the film from our country (New Zealand). But the film caught me when I was totally unprepared. I read the synopsis on a few websites so I knew who lived and died and the ending and so forth, but that didn't make it any easier to digest.(No pun intended there...) Heed the warning above, this review will contain spoilers.

We have our lead character, Martin, who we firstly see as having a profound obsession for 'The Human Centipede: First Sequence' - a rather interesting and marvelous trick used by writer/director Tom Six. (who wrote and directed the first film, that 'started it all') This technique was because he wanted to make the Human Centipede even more real- more real than the first film. So, he treated the film like what it was - a film - and gave it to the lead character to use. Speaking of which, Martin is played by the odd-looking Laurence Harvey. He does well in doing what was maybe overdone- being creepy. There's no character development, only him. He has no dialog, either, which is rather interesting, and a fine acting challenge, you ask me. He only makes utterly disturbing squeals, and shrieks. He channels his love for centipedes and the film, to make his very own twelve-person centipede.

Martin is the child of a very emotionally abusive mother - who even at one point says, 'I've decided to kill us today' to her son at the dinner table. Overall, this family atmosphere almost seems to be the very uncanny work of David Firth, the creator of 'Salad Fingers', and my personal favorite, 'Spoilsbury Toast-boy'. Throughout the movie, we also see Martin hit people with crow-bars and performs (more like butcher) experiments upon them.

To the actual review, Tom Six can only walk away from this project having only accomplished one thing in the making and presenting of this movie, proving what a sick puppy he is. And because there's zero character development, only mindless gore, and perverted scenery - there's not much to gain from this. There's no moral or even a simple story-line. Failure to embrace the audience's heart, can only lead to you watching a sick porno - an extremely perverted, revolting porno. Tom Six answers the question, 'sickest movie ever made'? But he doesn't seem to redeem that question. Yes, you will be talking about this film after wards, whether you liked it or you hated it, or whether you're just muttering on about how sick this movie is, you'll still be talking about a time where you lost eighty minutes - depending on which version, though you won't complain about the theatrical version, I'm sure- to this rather abortion of a film.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Sorry- was that the sound of Ridley Scott's legacy dying in the background?

[5/10 · 13 June 2012]

It's interesting when you think about how far movies take their heroine's through sequels. A prime example being, Ellen Ripley, the female protagonist of all the Alien movies, and masturbatory dreams of sit-at-home nerds. In this fourth installment, her journey continues. Sadly. Instead of finding a new face and a new series of what could be a fantastic (or at least interesting) franchise, we have to stick to the same old' same old' Ripley. Trust us, she's not all bad, she's still as kick ass as we've seen her in previous movies, but now it's not the same Ripley. There's no real reason to bring back / or revive - a lead character that so heroically died in the previous installment.

Although, there are some highlights. There's a bit more exploration of the human mind, a good example being Ripley and Call, who happens to be a droid, the first female one we've seen - but not enough to suffice for a decent addition - having dreams. It also explores the human nature of curiosity - there's a scene where Brad Dourif gets a little too... Comfortabe with being up close to an alien. Then there's the human side of the slime-stick monster. Brillianty (but unnecessarily) shown through the 'intimate' moment with the Alien. There's also another great human/Alien scene where the Alien's 'argue' over who's gonna die for their escape. Ripley is now also in touch with her Alien side. She's also been stripped down to wearing leather pants and a leather waistcoat. An elegant solution to restraining a very dangerous 'thing'. There needs more talking scenes, instead of more gore and profanity. The other female protagonist, Call, played by Winona Ryder, probably has the most attention here.

John Frizzel's score is also a down-point. James Horner's score for Aliens was about as epic as you could get. And who could forget Jerry Goldsmith's score for he film that started it all? Elliot Goldenthal's score for Alien 3 screamed pop culture (then again, don't all of David Fincher's movies do?) and was very junk-yard. It was quite hard to digest, but Goldenthal's later scores were pretty amazing. But Frizzel's score for the film is also by far the worst. He tries to d beautifully disturbing, with a hint of epicness- that's just a very bad combination. His score was too soft, and far too loud.

Jean's direction was pretty O.K. Although, this is more like starship troopers - a B-movie with a big budget. I wasn't a fan of in in-your-face camera close ups. The film suffered from pacing problems also. The speed of the film is sped up to a depressingly short telemovie.

Alien 3 (1992)

Scary. Bold. Triumphant.

[7/10 · 11 June 2012]

Alien was fantastic. Aliens was amazing. And for David Fincher's first ever film, he did a rather fantastic job. Alien 3 is still one of the scariest, tense, and satisfying film I've seen in quite some time. For a movie fanatic, Alien 3 is one of those films that sticks with you, whether you liked it or you hated it. I of course gobbled this one right up. The ending particularly was somewhat satisfying and heroic.

As the third installment to the 'Alien Quadrilogy' (or now 'quintology', now that Prometheus has landed) Ripley survives a brutal crash-landing on a foreign planet that is used to keep in some of the most dangerous convicts off of earth. What she's unaware of, is that an alien egg from the previous film has landed in her ship (most likely from the queen) has impregnated another organism on the planet, and has created a very lethal, hungry, and peeved off son of a *beep*.

Sigourney Weaver returns to the role of female protagonist Ellen Ripley, and even has calm affections for the medical doctor, Clemens, played by the wonderful Charles Dance. Ripley strikes me as a god like figure; the entire fact that she descended from the sky, and changed everything about these men, who have seek-ed god in the shaft of their ruin. She tells them to stand and fight back, in the time where a great evil is upon them. At the end, she takes the position of crucified, very much like the human race has pinned her to the cross. So there was a lot of religious references, which made it out to be more of a human apocalyptic movie, rather than a story about motherhood. And of course, the movie is also about the human soul, in terms of Ripley's soul infected by an evil that has grasped her heart.

The dialog was great- I particularly liked listening to Dillon's speech, especially towards the final act. Speaking of which, there was a lot of climax, and the tunnel sequence especially was adrenaline rushing, as well as it being the scariest scene in the film. We see more of the alien, as a kind of scary, jack-o-lantern, spindly lethal creature, that could very easily hibernate in your closet wardrobe. I also loved Sigourney's ability to seem powerful in scene with out the Alien- and even show her vulnerability during Clemens' death scene; which was such an iconic ten seconds, and tense, as you were completely clueless as to what would happen next. Aside from the fact that you couldn't tell one bloody prisoner from the other, I really did enjoy this movie more than I can say. Alien Resurrection did make this movie seem better, in a way. It made Alien 3 more climactic, somehow.

This film really is a worthy master piece, and should be acknowledged in all great movies.

Halloween II (2009)

Just stay away from this nail gargling piece of work.

[1/10 · 27 May 2012]

Rob Zombie returns to Haddonfield - and returning with him, is heroine Laurie Strode, doctor Samuel Loomis, and finally, the psycho-pathic killer, Michael Myers, on the vengeful path to destroy his long lost sibling, Laurie, which only leads him back to haddonfield to wreak more havoc.

Not only does Zombie make debatedly bad remake of a cinematic horror classic, but he also returns again to ruin his own re-imagining. This script is poor, the acting is worse, finally proving that Zombie's work should only be heard, not seen. One of the key points in the storyline is Michael and Laurie sharing a psychic/telepathic connection. Despite Zombie stating 'What's real is always better', we're now faced with ghostly visions, and undead possessions. Myers is apparently being lead to Laurie by the ghost of his deceased mother, which only leads him to eating dead dogs, rummaging through peoples garbage, and crashing parties. The film isn't scary, no matter what the synopsis or tag-line says, deny it, you're only going to be extremely let down. Now I had previously read other people's synopsis of the film, and wasn't impressed... I though that perhaps because it was Zombie, he'd somehow make it work. Well, I should seen it coming. The only thing that was good and possibly amazing about this movie, was that it ended.