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jrtedrick
Reviews
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Kick-Ass 2: A Hard Kick To Take
This movie is the first I've seen in theaters while attending college. I must say that, because it is most likely the only good thing I'll say about it. I went to see it with my roommates,and they all enjoyed the film. Fair enough. However, while they spent their experience in full entertainment, I was, unfortunately, less than impressed. I will admit, there were moments in the film that made me laugh. Heartily, in fact. But that goes to one of my biggest problems with the film; its inconsistency. There are times where it seems to want to be violent and crass, but the sort that is in enough good humor that you can forgive and enjoy (like The Evil Dead 2). For the first half of the film, you get some of that humor and quirkiness (particularly when the protagonist joins a ragtag crue of heroes led by the great Jim Carrey's character). Then, somewhere along the line, it falters, then crashes, then burns. The film loses much of its humor, turning into a nasty, gruesome piece of work. Violent and crass, of the violent and crass sort. Speaking of violence and vulgarity, if you are a parent reading this, I would strongly advise against showing this to your kids. It's a double-lose; not only would you be showing them something far inferior to recent Marvel and DC, but you'd also be subjecting them to the grungiest in grisly "superhero" violence. I knew going in that the film was likely quite gruesome (I saw Watchmen,which this film often has shines of). However, I was still pretty well sickened by just how gratuitous, oppressive, and, most of all, pointless the violence and murder really was. It's to the level where you see it, in the theater, and all you can wonder is "why"? Is this much meaningless, uncomfortable violence really necessary? The answer, of course, is no. It's violence for the sake of violence, and frankly, I found it hard to take. Still, if you want to see this film, for some reason, there are some funny moments,quirky characters, and other little bits to enjoy. However, the overall experience is difficult to fully enjoy. A bitter pill to swallow, a hard kick to take.
Curse of the Puppet Master (1998)
Curse of the Puppet Master: Half of a Good Show, then Crash!
It's an absolute shame, I tell you! Full Moon had things going so well for Puppet Master; Puppet Master 5, I thought, was a satisfying B-budget film with loads of fun to offer. Then, Full Moon's contract with Paramount ended, and the studio became independent. This, I believe, is to blame for the tragedy that is Curse of the Puppet Master.
It has been said that a good thriller is like a roller coaster; you're taken on a ride that excites you, has several surprises up its sleeve, and doesn't slow until it stops. I would use a different comparison with #6: "Curse" is like the first 30 seconds of a roller coaster; it climbs and climbs up to the top, then plummets to disaster terrifyingly quickly.
This film saddens me, because it could have been the best in the series. All of the actors are good in their roles, and a visible amount of effort was put into the script-work. For the first 50 minutes of this 80-minute-long movie, you think that this film is going to be a step up for Full Moon. Then, with the first murder in the picture, you see the tragedy as it strikes. This is because, terribly enough,the worst element of this puppets' escapade is the puppets themselves!
I don't know what Full Moon was thinking; for the first 50 minutes of the film, the puppets are mostly stock footage from previous films. Lazy, to be sure, but it soon becomes clear that this is better than the alternative; when we are forced to see new footage of the puppets, we are shown renditions that look like Barbie dolls being worked by hand. The walking sequences, which are supposed to involve shoulder movement and something betraying life, are the worst: no effort was put into making our puppets look alive. What's worse, there are actual technical lapses in which the rods by which the puppets are (barely) moved are not just visible, but take center stage! Who was responsible for this rape of our once-beloved puppets?!
I won't complain anymore, at least not in front of you. It just saddens me how far the puppets manage to sink their own movie here, just by being there. If they had been better made, this could have been the best entry in the Puppet Master franchise. But they're not, and because of it, this is perhaps the worst film yet in the series. Cursed indeed.
Braveheart (1995)
Braveheart: A Tale of Love and Passion Unlike Any Other
I'm very sad to admit that I was "late to the party" for this movie; VERY late, at that. And now, I am punishing myself for not having the inclination to see this movie sooner. This is, of course, because if I have ever seen a better movie than this, I cannot recall it at this time.
I will not spoil much of this film for you, and will only tell you the minimum about the story: based on historical events and Scottish legend, Braveheart is the tale of William Wallace (the excellent director/star Mel Gibson), a Scotsman who sees firsthand the cruelties of King Edward Longshanks as a boy, and loses his father to the English King's tyranny. As a man, Wallace falls in love with a woman from his childhood named Murron (played by Catherine McCormack, who is very beautiful here). However, when tragedy tears them apart, Wallace can bear no more, and leads a rebellion of oppressed Scotsmen to claim their freedom from England.This journey that they undergo is near impossible to beat, and stands triumphant as a tale of iron will.
I will try my best to tell you everything that is right about this wonderful film, but the fact is that it's an almost perfect movie. All the elements, the writing, the cinematography, the acting, the design, and especially the moving score by James Horner, came together to do something I didn't think a movie could do: it made me believe. When Wallace fell in love with Murron, I could feel myself falling in love as well (as much as I could without being pathetic), which made the pain of her death even greater. I felt something, some strong emotion, for every character in the film. It has been said that in every great movie, every laugh must have a tear, and this is the case with Braveheart. There is a surprising amount of humor in the film (I guess with all the strong emotions and death, it had to be this way), and I found myself invested in this film with nearly every emotion I have: happiness, sadness, anger, shock and even fear. All this is punctuated by what is perhaps one of cinema's most emotional soundtracks, at least in my book.
Many people may dismiss Braveheart as a film about war, and while I can see where they may get this impression ( the film is rated R for some intense and bloody war violence), I firmly believe that this is false. Braveheart is not a war story, but rather a love story, which starts as a tale of Wallace's love for a woman, but then grows to an epic of Wallace's love for his countrymen and home, and of how a man's love and passion can prevail,even when faced with great adversity, and can inspire others to pull on to the end and fight the good fight. All this I felt within me as I fell in love with this movie; I was inspired, and I believed to the very end. I think I will continue to do so for a long time. You have probably already seen this movie, and may feel as I do, but if you haven't, you should definitely make the effort to experience it. As for me, I will continue to be inspired by what may be one of the greatest movies ever made.
Puppet Master 5 (1994)
Puppet Master 5: A Fine Note To End On That's Not The Ending
I've been a fan of Puppet Master for many years now. Despite this, I only very recently watched Jeff Burr's two entries in the series, 4 and 5. #4, I felt, was similar in quality to the other puppet master films; it was hokey, sort of cheesy, and the story took its time until the very end, then rushed headlong into a rather jumbled conclusion. It was the sort of "pleasure and pain" reaction that I've had to most of the series. Thus, I expected the same from #5, as 4 and 5 were filmed back-to-back. Then I watched the fifth film, and I can say I've never been so pleasantly surprised by Puppet Master. I was all smiles.
I watched the film, about the final battle between the new puppet master and the Egyptian demon-lord Sutekh, who has manifested himself in the form of the mightiest totem of all (a last-ditch attempt, mind you), and I thought to myself that this is what the series can and should be. The foremost thing about this film that makes this film superior to most other Full Moon productions is the same thing that made The Avengers better than most other movies of its kind: it's fun. I had lots of fun watching the puppets at work against the evil they faced, I had lots of fun watching Ian Ogilvy's character and his bumbling henchmen, I had lots of fun watching the cute romance between Chandra West and Gordan Currie. The special effects, by David Allen and Mark Rappaport, are by far their best (in this series) and in the script by the five(?)writers, more does in this case mean more. Jeff Burr made this a very fun little movie, which in only the briefest of moments struck me as B-budget; it would have been good for theaters, in my book.
Puppet Master 5 ends on what is probably the best note possible: a near-nonstop special effects extravaganza in which the puppets truly shine (if only for a time), followed by a heart-warming moment between all the leads. This was originally intended as the final film, and I almost wish it was, as it would have been a fun note to end on. However, although the series might have soured after this, I'm holding out for another Puppet Master as good as this one. Puppet Master Forever.
Puppet Master (1989)
The Puppetmaster: A Flawed Yet Fascinating Cult Classic
The Puppetmaster, the flagship picture for Full Moon Entertainment, was the start for a huge line of B-budget productions by Charles Band, some of them being cheap, Z-grade garbage, others being halfway-decent yet unmemorable quickie-films. Then there are the Full Moon films that stick with you despite their faults. The Puppetmaster belongs to the third group. To this day, this film has held a place for me where so many have fallen to the wayside. It's one of those few in its genre that has a lasting effect. The script is banal and FARRRRR from spectacular, and yet I can remember most every line of it even though I haven't seen it in six months. The special effects are indeed B-budget, but even so they capture my imagination in ways that some CGI movies today couldn't hope to; the puppets involve me rather than detach me. The theme, performed by Band's brother Richard, cannot be repelled from my mind, while many Big-budget show-tunes escape me only days after I hear them. There's something about this low-budget film that really grabs you. So is not to say that this film is without any flaws. In fact, it's rife with them. On the surface, there are many technical goofs in the film (the scene in the elevator, with Tunneler's arm rods being vaguely visible, is an example.)More internally, the script is weak in one major respect: its characters. None of the film's characters feel very real; each feels more like a caricature, made to cater to a certain stereotype or mold. For example,we don't learn much about the character of Dana Hadley, played by Irene Miracle,other than that she's an alcoholic witch. The same can be said about the characters of Frank Forrester and Carissa Stamford; we are led to believe that they are both brilliant minds and lovers, yet all we see are a couple of sex-crazed numb-skulls. The protagonist, Alex Whitaker, played by Paul Le Mat, is one of only two characters that doesn't quite ply into a stereotype. Instead, he's sort of an uninvolved character, who doesn't say much to reveal anything about his personality.And thus, he's sort of a weak protagonist. This is Puppetmaster's biggest problem: while the film has the air of mystery and spookiness, the scares aren't as strong because we don't care too much about the characters. The motives of these characters are fairly well-clarified, they're just missing something: emotion. I don't recall a single human emotion, other than fear or distaste, being shown to me. And the characters lack that third dimension because of it. If the movie had characters that you could like and feel for on top of its other elements, it would be better twofold because the scares would be more potent. The flaws in character don't mean that Puppetmaster is a bad film. In fact, I very much enjoy this film as well as the series as a whole, and I would recommend at least giving it a try, especially if you're a horror fan. After all, it's only 83 minutes long, and moves quickly. As for me, I'm actually in the process of finalizing my own script for a remake of The Puppetmaster, if only for my own satisfaction in doing so. A remake where you enjoy the puppet master atmosphere, that mystery it has about it, but also feel for the characters, scaring you even more when they are offed. I think that's what any knowledgeable fan would want.
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003)
Puppet Master: the Legacy: The Strings Have Been Dropped For This One
I am being honest when I say that I enjoy the Puppet Master films. They have and always will hold a place in my imagination. But this crock of a movie is certainly NOT the zenith of this series. In fact, if Puppet Master 3 was the zenith, then this film is the nadir. First note that I did not put a note above saying that this review contains spoilers. In fact, it does not contain spoilers. But that is not because I want to guard you from having your experience ruined. It is because there is literally nothing to spoil about this "movie". I used quotations because The Legacy isn't really a movie, per se, but a series of clips of stock footage from previous films framed by 25 minutes of new footage to form a pointless new story. I am a forgiving critic, usually able to appreciate the effort put into a movie, but this one has no effort to speak of. It is a celluloid, parasitic byproduct designed to leech money from fans. If this were a TV special on SYFY channel, I could forgive it, because it does recap the series with some competence for those who are too lethargic to watch the real movies. But if you're one of those sloths, then I pity you, because this Puppet Master is not seeing the series at its best. This is seeing schlock money-grubbing at its worst. I hope I don't have to say such unkind words of these puppets again.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010)
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil : A flawed installment, a setup for something more...
Let me start off by saying that I find the Puppet Master mythology to be one of the more intriguing of the horror genre. The idea behind it, the concept and the "lore" supporting it, is far more interesting to me than the concepts of other, better-known horror films, such as Halloween or especially Friday the 13th. There is a mysticism, an aura of magic, around watching the puppets do what they do,that keeps me interested in them, even while other elements of the films sink into the abyss of Z-rated schlock. Sadly, the charm of these puppets is not enough to support their films, especially with the absence of the late David Allen's stellar special effects. Primarily, it seems like the weakest element to these films is the writing, which generally seems rote or amateur. If it's not the writing, then it's the acting, or the production values. In one way or another, something seems off. Axis of Evil is no exception. A direct sequel to the prologue of the 1989 Puppet Master, Axis of Evil branches off into a sort of "side story" about a young man's discovery of the puppets of Andre Toulon,a German puppeteer who killed himself to protect his reanimation serum from the clutches of the Nazis. It then tells the story of his struggle against two Nazi assassins, named Max and Klaus, who are trying to secure the serum and the puppets for Hitler. Also involved is a Japanese saboteur named Ozu, who has her own plans for the elixir, which rhyme with "give serum to the emperor! Much reward! Yay!". The story, while fairly mundane, does have a bit of weight behind it. However, while the story had the potential to make Axis of Evil more than what it is, the execution floored this possibility. The puppet effects, created by Gage Munster, aren't anywhere near as strong or graceful as they ought to be, considering the focus of the film is on the puppets. I understand that these aren't supposed to be Jurassic Park-quality special effects; they're living puppets, after all. But there's still something wrong about their inorganic clumsiness. It veers out of context and into being cheap. Out of special effects, the production design is actually fairly strong, with visible effort put into the sets and costumes. The human element of the film, the acting, isn't terribly shabby in itself; the trouble in this respect comes from the casting. All of the characters who feel off in the film aren't acted out poorly, they're just acted out by people who are too young for the roles. The best example of this can be found in the antagonists. The actors who play the Nazis cannot be far beyond their 20s, while they should be in their late-30s or 40s for the roles of Max and Klaus. Their youth makes them both hard to take very seriously. Also, Jenna Gallaher's character seems to demand "dame", while she gives it "valley girl". On another note, the revised score by Richard Band is refreshing. I really wish I could say better of Axis of Evil, I really do. I want to like the new Puppet Master films like I liked the first wave. But ever since Full Moon Features left Paramount, the studio has been stuck in a rut that is still evident in Axis of Evil. So is not to say that the film is bad; it is improved over the past few installments. I just wish it was better. Axis of Evil does end with a cliffhanger, a setup for the inevitable and imminent sequel, Axis Rising. Here's hoping it's an improvement over this film. Here's hoping it's the 21st-century sequel that the puppets, the fans, and the license deserve.