phoenix_kim Reviews

Evil Dead (2013)

Brutal remake

[9/10 · 19 April 2013]

Just decided to throw this short review in here to counteract all of the purist hate I've recently seen.

First off, yes, it will divide fans! But it is one hell of a ride. The violence is excessive, raw and unfiltered. But is a fun experience if you take it for what it is. The original is still there in all its glory; this is just another version, which I thought was fantastic.

Going in, I knew that it wouldn't even come close to the tag-line's claim. Actually it didn't really come across as scary at all, but again, that's not what I was expecting. I had a good time, and my original scepticism turned to high approval.

Worth a watch, especially with friends!

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

The worst of the series

[3/10 · 20 January 2013]

Not that Paranormal Activity is particularly good, but the series has had some mindless fun. After the previous (and best) movie, I felt this one had to live up to a lot. Surprise - it didn't.

You have the standard "nothing happens for 1 hour and 15 minutes" with the occasional LOUD NOISES, until a character decides to finally investigate the meaning of a mysterious symbol (hmm, hasn't this happened before?) followed by the same ending as all of the others. It always feels like the entire movie just nosedives off the end of a cliff in the last few minutes, with no real build-up.

Anyway, PA4 just did everything worse than the others. There was minimal story, which I should point out if anyone was curious for more on the whole demon thing. Just have to emphasise that they literally added nothing to it, except continuing on with Katie and her newly acquired son. Not that the mythos is great, but the fact that they didn't touch upon any of it this time around didn't make any sense to me.

Summary: no direction, useless characters, no story development, the weakest jump scares yet.

Stay tuned for at least 3 more sequels, each of a more progressively decomposed state than the last, until this franchise is left as a pile of mush. Though I'd say the fourth has already gotten us that far.

The Victim (2011)

Excellent contender for the worst movie I've ever seen

[1/10 · 4 March 2012]

I felt more obligated to write this review to negate the extremely overinflated reviews here than to exact my own personal revenge against this catastrophe of a "movie".

I only noticed one truthful review, hidden amongst the pack of fans who gave offensively high numbers of stars, and really, for a small independent movie, it's to be expected. But, even in allegiance to a favourite actor, I can't imagine the willpower it must have taken for them to type out their drivel.

Okay, so now actually onto the movie.

I've seen my fair share of exploitation movies; some good, some bad. What Biehn has managed to do is create the absolute worst, and I don't mean that it's incredibly graphic - it lacks any sort of gritty impact or violence. Well, it has plenty of sex, that has to be something, right? Nope. Instead of creating an homage to grindhouse, I like to think that he has invented a sub-genre called outhouse.

Lousy direction, ridiculous writing, sloppy editing, a laughable soundtrack, a cast that has the combined acting versatility of a single plank of wood, and no story. Packed full of moody driving sequences with conversation reminiscent of old people talking about the day's weather. Now, I have to emphasise that the writing is really, really bad; it violates our intelligence. Nevermind that The Victim was filmed in under two weeks, it was probably written in under half an hour.

Ryan Honey playing the corrupt cop was just painful to watch, easily the worst combination of casting and acting I've had to put up with. Danielle Harris was only marginally better, but still utterly useless. I really don't know what was up with Biehn, who just raised his voice when he was angry, or his wife's inane ramblings.

If you've ever seen the TV series Lost, then I'm sure you'll have hated those Kate centric episodes with her terrible flashbacks. If you watch The Victim, then you'll be treated with flashbacks a hundred times more redundant and boring. I was with two friends at this screening and every time a flashback popped up we couldn't help but let out suicidal groans.

I went to this screening with an open mind, but I had checked the reviews on this site beforehand and, well, they were very easy to see through. Save yourself from becoming a victim to this travesty - I am not exaggerating in the slightest. Thankfully, it hasn't had a wide release as of the time of writing this review, but it will probably be torn to pieces when some delusional distributer puts out there.

Avoid.

Daybreakers (2009)

Now this is a vampire movie

[7/10 · 9 January 2010]

Recently I have been quite disappointed with the lack of decent vampire flicks, and with the likes of Twilight and True Blood making the whole concept a joke, it was a breath of fresh air to see Daybreakers.

I loved the whole role reversal with the dominant vampires, and it was eerie seeing them fill our roles. The way they have adapted to the modern world was done extremely well and I was glad to see the usual lore implemented (and in very clever ways).

Throughout the movie the visuals were great, a tremendous cast, a very fitting soundtrack which was very enjoyable and of course the cast who played their parts well. Sam Neill stood out especially well playing the top vampire; he had a very evil vibe.

More gore than I expected which was a (good) surprise and an amazing plot line with plenty of twists...which isn't too often for a vampire movie.

Zombieland (2009)

Awesome movie that quickly became a favourite

[7/10 · 19 October 2009]

Before going to see this movie I was told numerous times that it was great, hilarious etc. so I was hoping that it would live up to these expectations. And it did...and more.

There is an amazing cast that fits this film exceptionally well, there are great laughs and ,of course, zombie galore. The opening sequence to this movie is probably one of the best that I've ever seen. Woody Harrelson was legendary in Zombieland and supported everything really well. And of course there was that cameo by one of my favourite actors and everything in those scenes were just mind-blowing.

Zombieland is full of style and is like no other zombie movie that I've seen before yet is probably one of the best I have seen. Before watching this I hadn't seen a great example of comedy blended in with zombies (sure Shaun of the Dead was good but it wasn't hilarious) though Zombieland got some good laughs out of me.

This is a movie that you've gotta see. It delivers on many levels and it does not disappoint.

Videodrome (1983)

Such a bizarre and twisted movie

[8/10 · 30 July 2009]

First off I have to say that I love 80s horror and other strange movies and I was eager to see Videodrome. However I found it difficult to get into and whilst James Wood gave a good performance, I felt that the other actors did not.

I didn't enjoy it not because of its strange atmosphere and disturbing imagery, but because I found it dull and uninteresting. The mix of reality and hallucinations to drive the story onwards was executed well to begin with but fell into pure nonsense later on.

I tried to enjoy it but towards the end I just sat there speechless. I don't mind subtle messages or themes which the director tries to express in a movie but if anything that I watched meant anything...well it involved looking much too deep for a normal viewing.

There's also an ending that will leave you thinking, "Why did I watch this?" I feel that this is one to avoid: 3/10.

The Thing (1982)

Legendary horror movie

[10/10 · 28 July 2009]

I didn't know what to expect before I went in to see this but I came out thinking that it was one of the greatest movies I had ever seen. Usually I see very average performances by actors in movies like these but I have to say that the characters are portrayed exceptionally well in this.

Personally, I hate CGI implemented into modern films; it just doesn't work. The Thing shows how gore and special effects should be done and puts current movies to shame.

The setting is isolated and perfect for the flick and the music, as usual by Carpenter, fantastic. This is a good movie to watch for the carnage or for the paranoia and break down of characters, or both.

One of my favourites and does not get old to watch again: 10/10.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

A decent war movie but not a great one.

[5/10 · 27 July 2009]

A lot of reviews for this movie are biased in a way because many adore Kubrick's work, however, I watched this movie because I hated his movies and wanted to be proved wrong.

I actually thought this movie was the turning point to sway me over because it started off so well...however it fell apart whenever it changed (abruptly I must say too) from the beginning training phase to the rest.

In the first part one character stood out and you'll know who it is when you watch it and I have to admit that one scene with him towards the end of the first part was done exceptionally well.

However, most of the characters felt wooden pre-"dehumanized" and post. It wasn't necessarily bad acting but just what they were given to do. The second half was just a mess and I found myself forcing myself to watch through it in the hope that something interesting would happen (which did not).

5/10 overall because I only enjoyed the first half.

City of the Living Dead (1980)

Didn't enjoy it at all.

[2/10 · 8 July 2007]

Being a fan of zombie movies, I was very disappointed in watching Fulci's "City of the Dead". However, this review should not put other viewers off, this is my own opinion, others may still enjoy it.

I just didn't like the plot, characters, and the gore...what was up with that girl vomiting those bloody, fake intestines? Supernatural gore isn't really my thing. The constant zooming on a character after they had just said something "important" just got pretty annoying. I think it went faster than the whole plot.

OK, here's the truth, I actually turned it off before it was over because I really didn't like it. I'll give Zombi and Fulci's other work a chance and I might consider changing my views on this movie.

2/10.

ZJ

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The best Zombie movie ever made.

[10/10 · 8 July 2007]

This is were at all began for me. "Dawn of the Dead" introduced me to horror/zombies and ever since, the Zombie genre of horror has been my favourite.

I won't go into the plot in great detail; best to find out for yourself like I did. Sequel to "Night of the Living Dead", I have yet to see the original, (I have only seen the remake, after I seen DawnOTDead) It doesn't matter if you haven't seen NightOTLDead as it doesn't tie into DawnOTDead too much. Zombies take over world, survivors hide in mall, epic battles etc.

But it isn't the plot which gripped me so much, it was the dark, intense atmosphere that this movie hands out throughout. Sure there are some humorous parts but other than that it was just legendary and introduced Zombie horror and would inspire many others to create their own films in years time.

Made in 1978, the gore was still very good and made you churn at some parts (thumbs up). The character development was excellent and eventually you get to know and understand all of the characters. The music was perfect, set the scene well, very eerie and was just right for all of the scenes.

If you haven't seen this movie, you are missing out. Easily a 10/10. Classic.

City of Rott (2006 Video)

A Good Watch

[7/10 · 8 July 2007]

I had never heard of this movie and had only come across it whilst searching for some zombie movies to satisfy my hunger.

It was an unusual yet interesting watch to begin with; I've never seen a full animated zombie movie before.

The plot was simple and to the point, even though it may not have made proper sense, it was funny.

I found Fred to be a great lead character and enjoyed him throughout...well...You'll find out the rest.

All in all, I enjoyed it quite a lot, may not have been the best movie ever but if you are into zombie flicks/animation this will satisfy your hunger. There is also some good animated gore too, never thought I'd say that.

ZJ