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Reviews
Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Why not?
Every review of this movie has ripped it to shreds. Some reviews were fair, however. I'm one of these people who looks deeper into what he sees before him rather than the surface. While it is true that this film is by no means a masterpiece, it certainly isn't the biggest cinematic monstrosity of all time ("Children of the Living Dead" owns that title).
First off: Doug Bradley's absence. I'm a huge Doug Bradley/Pinhead fan, and there will never be anyone to play Pinhead better, but you have to look at what the new guy was up against. Very short shooting schedule and immediate fan ridicule pretty much doomed this poor guy. Overall, I felt he did a decent job with what he was given.
Second: special effects. Come on people, it's a direct-to-DVD movie. Are we looking for 'Star Wars' visuals here? Honestly, I felt the effects here were a bit better than they should have been.
Seriously, if you're a fan of this series, leave high expectations at the door and just give it an honest chance. You never know, you might end up liking it.
Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)
Next To The Original, 'The Beginning' Is The Next Greatest.
I first saw this movie sitting on a shelf at a local video store, but I didn't pay it much mind until a few years later when I got all 4 films as a gift, and I immediately fell in love with this movie. Next to the original, this is easily the greatest film in the whole series, not to take anything away from 'Psycho II' or 'Psycho III'. As I write this, I am watching the DVD of this movie and even after seeing it over 13 times, I am still in awe of, above all else, Anthony Perkins' final performance as Norman Bates. Even with everything he was going through at the time, he still managed to put forth a truly inspiring performance.
Admittedly, I was a bit concerned since this was both the 4th film in the series, and a direct-to-Showtime movie, which often spells disaster, but 'The Beginning' had a lot going for it: ingenious casting, great writing and brilliant direction. C.C.H. Pounder, next to Perkins, steals the show. Her reactions to his admissions really sell the impact of what is going on in the story. A very underrated and underused actress, sad to say. Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas managed to hold up the rest of the film with equally great performances as Mother and Young Norman.
All around, this was a great film that, while not superior to the original, still holds its own as a true thriller worthy of Hitchcock himself.
Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010)
Sometimes Direct-To-DVD Is Better
When I heard that they were doing a sequel to 'Lost Boys', my first thought was "Here we go again.", and 'The Tribe' did nothing to squash that opinion. But 'The Thirst' did. I watched this movie out of sheer morbid curiosity, and I'm happy I did. Right away, homages are paid to Corey Haim and the first movie, along with referencing characters from part 1. The action in this film was great, the music...especially the track in the opening credits was excellent. My personal favorite moment was in the end when Edgar's going up against the main bad guy. Just to have 'Cry Little Sister' playing in the background when Ed throws out a very angry, very expletive 'F**K YOU!!' to a vamp made it all worth it for me. Great movie all around.