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Reviews
Stalled (2013)
An hilarious and heartfelt horror comedy
Stalled was a real surprise. A zombie picture that takes place in a restroom? Sure to be full of puerile urine jokes, yes? No. The surprise element came in the form of emotional u-turns (u-bends?), well drawn characterizations and unique performances. The majority of the reviews for this film have been great, the bad ones seem to be on IMDb and are so bitter it is clear that the individuals writing them have more of a deepseated problem with themselves than any film!
This film is equally silly, emotional and action packed and the makers (for the most part)stay true to their all-in-a-stall concept. I saw this with a festival crowd and the entire audience cheered and laughed and whooped throughout. So inventive I squealed. Give it a chance - you won't regret it.
New Tricks: Good Morning Lemmings (2010)
Leon Ockenden as the Graffiti Artist was TERRIBLE!!
Just saw a re-run of this episode and had to turn it off as it was totally destroyed by the God awful performance of Leon Ockenden who played the Graffiti artist!
Possibly the worst piece of TV acting I have seen in a decade. With so many actors out of work how on Earth was he the best choice?? His accent, his demeanour everything was totally off. I am surprised Dennis Waterman and Amanda Redman didn't stop the shoot!
Is this just another example of BBC drama just lazily grabbing someone from RADA (or similar) instead of someone that actually fits the part?!
At the very least it did give me a good laugh.
Guyver (1991)
Good as a 12 yr old, but...
From childhood memory I recalled this movie being great fun and really cool.
So the lesson I learnt from rewatching this film recently is that some kid memories should stay as memories. this really isn't very good at all.
This is a shame as the cast features some genre greats such as Mark Hamill, Michale Berrman and Jeffrey Combs. The film doesn't seem to know if it wants to be a shlocky horror movie, comic book film or children's adventure. One minute it feels like Shaq's Steel film or Starkid the next it feels like Toxic Crusader. The tone is everywhere and for that reason left this old kid disappointed..
Small Town Folk (2007)
Big Time Fun
I saw this film back in July when it came out on UKDVD but decided to leave a comment now due to some of the unfair comments this film has suffered.
Smalltown Folk is a low budget surprise. Yes as a whole it fails but it contans enough inventiveness and colorful performances to keep the eye entertained. Inventive moments of gore and kills come from nowhere surprising the audience and leaving you awaiting the next grotesque member of the Smalltown Folk family. Special mention must go to those members, most of these actors are unknowns (apart from Willow's Warick Davies) and all really raise the game of what could have been another straight-to-video hamfest. Chris R Wright as the Landlord is menacing and charming in equal measure, Dan Palmer (Freakout) as the dribbling Dobbin is excellent as a sort of retarded Harry Potter character gone bad and the mumbling masked brothers are great fodder for the hero's fight sequences.
Low-points? The aforementioned heros. Bland, local theater group actors dilute the hard work of the Folk actors. Editing, often the sluggish pacing of the director leaves the heroes and villains hanging out to dry. But these are mere niggles. This film is by no means perfect but as a film made by newbis on a welfare budget - I say it is better than a lot some Hollywood fare from this summer just gone.
The One (2001)
One of the better entries in the Li U.S film series
Although not a huge fan of Jet Li's U.S career his 4th American film The One is definitely one of the best of them. It's still not amazing, and does not equal say the Swordsman II and Once Upon a Time in China, but it is a valiant effort.
Admittedly it does give you a bit of ahead-ache with sound effects constantly blasted at full throttle and set-pieces reliant on FX that the film sometime borders on turning into an artificial chase/fight scene after the next.
But the reason The One pulls it off so is that it's based on an great idea, it is NOT Lethal Weapon 4! The One is a sci-fi rather than a beat em up film. It's the kind of film Schwarzenegger or Van Damme might have found themselves involved in, had Li not taken the lead role. (Think Time Cop or Demolition Man.) And though Li's delivery is still on the visiting tourist side, his likable charm and screen presence makes up for it.
DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
DOA isn't Dead on Arrival
Hands up, DOA is no Citizen Caine - it isn't even Rumble In The bronx - but as far as brainless action flicks go DOA does it's job well and is a rocking 90 minutes of goofy action and humor.
Bottom line is if you are able to put ya feet up and enjoy a movie that is not meant to be taken seriously then you will dig DOA. If you are expecting Oscar worthy acting then look elsewhere the same can be said of the non existing storyline as it only serves the purpose of linking the fight equences or showing of the girls bodies. . The action is where this film wins you over as the choreography is very slick. DOA zooms along at a frantic pace and you really don't get a chance to get sleepy .
It seems to have a much slimmer budget than a lot of these mainstream fight 'em ups yet achieves quite a bit, so if you want some mindless entertainment then this well worth checking out.
Warriors of Virtue (1997)
Teenage mutant Kangaroos
This film is one of those forgotten 90s rip-offs from the Ninja Turtle fall out. It's easy to forget how insane the turtle craze was but it is also easy to forget that the original TMNT movie was actually pretty decent. Most of it's sequels and copies were not.
Which brings us to this little gem...
It's a film so bad it's good. The fight scenes are sloe-mo with wind-blown leaves for no reason other than effect. The warriors of virtue are kangaroos with martial art skills, they personify the virtues eg patience....and it's fight to the death between good and evil. All told it's a great movie for kids that the adults can enjoy while pretending to be too old for it.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Thunder in a bottle
MM 3 Thunderdome is up and down but is still a fine entry in the Max seres. Tina Turner gives a fun performance and is an effective femme fatal to Max in the first and last sections. Thi is often mentioned as the weakest of the trilogy but it IS a fun cap to the MM films.
Bruce Spence is the only actor from Mad Max 2, but he's not playing the same role!!?? Dean Semler's camera-work and the production design are awesome. Maurice Jarre does a great score. The battle between Max and Blaster is very well staged, and the final section features an edge-of-seat vehicle chase that betters the first two. Unfairly criticized.