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Stowaway (2021)
Earth Becomes Stupider
The story was OK and some of the acting was great. The two major flaws are; no backup for the most important part? And even NASA in the late 1960s figured out how to put a round peg in a square hole.
Premise was good, execution was poor and plot holes were large.
1BR (2019)
Could have been really good
First 39 minutes where really good. Some mystery, not sure where the story is going. Then, cliche, cliche, cliche, cliche for horror movies. With about five 5 minutes left, there was hope for an original ending. Nope cliche. The acting is pretty good and dialog is decent. But after minute 39, if you've ever watched a horror movie, you know exactly what is going to happen. But, if you are okay with that, it is entertaining.
Oceanus: Act One (2015)
Well Done Short Leaving You Wanting More
An underwater adventure set in the near future, a married couple is setting out to try and converse with some whales. But all does not go as planned. This is a short film that does an excellent job of getting you quickly interested in the two main characters. It is well acted, well written, suspenseful, but not over the top with great special effects. This is a film I would consider "PG", but pretty close to "G".
Overall production value is excellent and a very polished film from a up and coming company called "Future Dude". Looking forward to the 90 minute follow-up that will hopefully answer all the questions raised by "Act One".
The Aftermath (1982)
Sooooo Bad it is Fun to Watch
If you pick this up to watch a serious movie about life after a nuclear war, you'll give up on this in about 5 minutes. But if you like watching a movie that you can make fun of and groan at, then this is the movie for you.
As I was watching this I was thinking just how bad this movie was, but I kept watching to see what goof, inconsistency, bad line, etc. would come up next. And I was not disappointed.
You've got stupid people running around in the desert and guns that never run out (almost never) of ammunition. You've also got the chance of running into a radioactive rain storm, but only drive cars with no roofs. And much, much more.
This is a prime example that if you make the movie bad enough, but still entertaining, it will hang around for a long time.
Inland Empire (2006)
Most....confusing....movie....ever.
If you like being very confused for 3 hours, this is the movie for you.
It took me four hours to watch this three hour film because I had to keep pausing it and try and figure out just what was going on. I would think I had it, only to lose it with the next scene.
My simple explanation is that we are Laura Dern, because her look of utter confusion that she has on her face for a majority of the movie is exactly what I was going through.
But what I really think is that we were watching a movie of a woman (the brunette at the end) watching a movie that is a movie about the making of a movie (the Polish film).
That being said, there are many scenes that have no explanation, but that is what one expects from a David Lynch film. I wanted to rated it higher, but being confused for 3 hours with nothing to so for it prevents me from rating it any higher.
If you like weird, you will love this film. I did think that Laura Dern was excellent.
Ever Since the World Ended (2001)
A Great Idea, but Bad Planning
I really wanted to like this movie, and I think the concept is a great one. I also think a fair amount of the footage is good, but there were just too many things wrong with it to give an above average rating.
The biggest thing I got out of it was, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Society is supposedly gone, yet these people are still trying to fit into old stereotypical groups. You've got your rationalists, scientists, slackers, conspiracy theorists, the feminist coven, crazy people, violent people, my way or the highway people and just about every other group that exists today. And teenagers still thing they know more then the adults.
I just couldn't buy into it 100% for several reasons. I won't go into some of the massive plot holes (the whole "Mad Mark" story) and just stick to some of the small things. First of all, the Golden Gate Bridge falls apart in 12 years (which I can maybe accept) but everyone is very well groomed, and the women still wear makeup? Not only that but everyone's clothes are in perfect condition. And people still dye their hair? This is really glaring with the character who has been living in the tree tops for several years, by himself, yet he has a perfect haircut, sideburns, a soul patch, but otherwise cleanly shaved? If those kind of things don't bother you, you'll probably like this film much more then I did. It does have potential and I like the documentary style, but there were too many things that didn't seem right too me.
Of course, perhaps the virus that killed most of the people had a weird side effect for the living in that it stopped all hair growth. After all, this is sci-fi.
Not a complete waste of time, but it is flawed.
Full Moon Fables (2004)
Too Subtle for the Masses
Looking at the titles of the three parts of this movie, you wouldn't think they have anything to do with each other, but they do and a nice job is done in weaving them together in the end.
The first, about the snobbish artist, is the most like an "Aesop's Fable" in that it has an obvious moral message. I thought it was well acted and even funny.
The second, and my favorite, is a nice jab at the whole process of making a "studio movie" and the type of people who run the studio. Done as a cross between a film-noir and a spoof. And even though it is making fun of studio movies, it still manages some tributes to some (such as "The Wizard of Oz"). But I don't think your average movie-goer is going to get what this movie is about, or understand the ending.
I felt the third segment was the weakest of the three, perhaps because it was trying to do the most. If you weren't paying attention to the other two segments, this would be a confusing piece. It takes a few minutes to understand what is going on, and by that time many people might turn away from it. It serves as a nice wrap up to how the writer/director's creative process worked. It is sort of about making the movie that you're watching.
Which, in way, all three segments are all about the movie in some way. So I guess you could say your watching a movie that is about the movie your watching.
Overall I really enjoyed this, but the viewer must be prepared to actually pay attention. So, I don't think it is for everyone.
Transmorphers (2007)
It's not THAT bad
First of all, anyone who thought they were getting, or going to watch "Transformers" when they rented or bought this is an idiot.
After reading through the message left by the director on this sight I am impressed at high little this movie was made for, but wishing he had spent the 150,000 on something else besides the FX.
The acting was uneven, with Eliza Swenson being the worst offender, but overall it was better then some I've seen.
The story line wasn't terribly original, but how many are today? While my copy did not have the out-of-sync problem, it was very hard to hear the characters talking during some of the actions scenes.
All that being said, it was better then some movies made by the Sci-Fi channel (which can have some really bad FX as well), but not worth buying.
The Minx (2007)
Could H ave Been Better
This is a slightly different take on the Robin Hood theme. This movie teeters back and forth between 2 and 3 stars for me. There were some good parts, some funny parts and the pace was good for the most part. But I wish a couple of the sub-plots had been given a little more attention.
I can forgive the mostly poor acting and the poor sound, but the Irish folk songs served no purpose.
Overall, it a nice look at what can be done in a low-budget film independent film. It has some substance to it, some heart and some brains, just not enough to make it more then an OK film.
The Ring (2002)
Problems, yes. Unanswered questions, no. Spoilers.
Yes, there were some plot holes in this movie, but a perfect picture is a rare thing.
The acting was okay, and the suspense was good at times, but could have been better. I'm interested to see the original and make comparisons.
The horse scence on the ferry was quite well done, but didn't add much to the movie as a whole. Things are a little fuzzy at times, but that's life. Not everything is clean cut.
Every review I've read so far has stated there were unanswered questions, the ending didn't make sense. Sure it did. The key is that Samara wanted to be heard. The tape was a form of chain letter. Pass it on or die. Everyone hears her and she'll go away.
Not a top ten film, but not a waste of money either. And there are a couple of homages to Hitchcock films as well.
Heist (1998)
A nice sound track.
That's about the only good thing about this film. Set as one giant flashback as told by drug dealer/poet "Dipper" as he sits in a police interrogation. Everyone has great nick names like "T-Bone", "Nick the Stick" and "Big Fats".
Dipper tells the story about how he get contacted by this "wanna-be" crook named Billy (the only character, it seems, without a nickname). Of course, everyone is trying to double-cross everyone else and in the end "Dipper" is left holding the bag.
The biggest problem is the parts that "Dipper" is supposed be describing when he isn't even in the room where the action takes place. Then there are unneeded scenes with "T-Bone" and his girl "Mo".
Even with all that, they couldn't come up with enough dialog or action to make a full length movie, so they throw in scans of the city in what seems like every 10 minutes.
The of course there is the diamond, which is supposed to be worth $180,000. Give me a break! If that diamond was more then 2 carats (in the movie they save 8 or 9) it's not by much.
Given all that, Robert Patorelli does a decent job as T-Bone, as does Glenn Plummer in the role of "Dipper". And of course, Brion James always plays a good psycho.
The story is tired, the dialog is poor, the plot is full of holes and the ending you can see from a mile away, which is how far you should stay from this movie.
Shallow Grave (1994)
Riveting
The movie starts with 3 young, light-hearted, roommates who slowly descend into their own self-created hell, all because of some money.
The interaction between the three main characters is excellent, and it is interesting to see what the prospect of a lot of money does to each of them , that, and getting rid of a body.
An excellent movie, with several twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.