I’ve had the chance to watch several movies in the last few days. Here’s a quick review of some of them:
Let Me In (2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228987/
This movie took a while to get rolling, but once it did, it turned out to be pretty decent. The two main characters worked really well together, and you could feel their emotions and fears come through the screen. In the end, it was a sad drama horror movie that was very enjoyable.
Score: 4/5
Trick ‘r Treat (2007) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862856/
This is an excellent Halloween movie and is my new stand-by for years to come. There’s multiple campy storylines occurring at the same time and become interwoven at different points. The lines of lite horror, ridiculousness, and clever twists make this one to watch. One side note: I had a kick seeing Anna Paquin play a similar role in this film that she would play again a year later as Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood.
Score: 5/5
Cleaner (2007) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0896798/
This movie was a little different than what I expected. I popped it in to watch a Samuel L Jackson crime movie, and it turned out to be kind of a confusing run around where I was asking “Why?” for the first hour of the film. It seems like Jackson’s character was being sneaky just to further the plot line. It was a somewhat enjoyable ride with a very little payoff in the end.
Score: 3/5
Apocalypto (2006) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472043/
Big budget, emotional storyline, great visuals… this Mel Gibson directed movie does everything over the top. The plot covers the decline of the Mayans, and it left me wondering what parts of the movie was based on real occurrences and what was fiction. This movie is gritty, sweaty, and worth watching.
Score: 4/5
Nine Dead (2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959329/
You can tell from the start that this was a low budget movie. But, after the opening “capture the people” sequence, it was up to the actors to make the movie work. This movie reminded me of other films like the original Saw, Phone Booth, or Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope because of the one-room acting. It was somewhat interesting trying to solve the puzzle how the nine individuals related to each other, but the whole time I knew that once the secret was revealed it would be a single “a-ha” moment. Pretty enjoyable.
Score: 3.5/10
Saw: The Final Chapter (2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477076/
I’ve followed the Saw series from the beginning thru the end. Some of the movies were way better than others, but I feel this movie put a decent close to the storyline. The gory traps were excellent, but I was kind of bummed about the survive/death ratio in this film compared to the others. Overall, I would recommend this movie to someone who has watched and enjoyed the previous films in the series, but I would tell others to stay away.
Score: 3.5/5
Tron: Legacy (2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/
The sets, animation, and actors were beautiful, but the storyline was lackluster. When I heard Daft Punk did the score and there was a young Jeff Bridges in the film, I was very intrigued, and both of those aspects were satisfied. Watching the sequel to Tron was similar to watching the new Star Wars Trilogy. When Tron and the original Star Wars movies were released, audiences were stunned with the visual effects they have never seen before. Now, with the new version they wanted to have the same “ooooh-awwww. look at the pretty lights” factor they had in the past, but it did not have the storyline to back it up this time around.
Score: 3.5/5
My Name is Bruce (2007) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489235/
I love Bruce Campbell. I know he is a B-List star, and this movie was just making fun of his past films and persona, but this movie was sadly terrible. I understand what they were trying to do by making a “bad” movie, but this was a bad “bad” movie. I had many chuckles at the on-purpose ridiculous elements, but it was not enough to save it.
Score: 2/5
I love watching horror movies, and I’ve been watching a ton of Netflix streaming. Any recommendations on a few selections that you would like to see reviewed?
~Tommy Skaggs