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Reviews
Castle Freak (1995)
Good movie
The story is simple - man and his family inherit big, old decrepit mansion with some "secrets" lurking in the basement. It's a Stuart Gordon picture, so it really can't be bad. I may be reading too much into this film because I like it, but there are definite symbolic links between the "freak" and the father's behaviour that play out well upon second viewing. This is a must-see for Jeff Combs fans. He does a fantastic job as an alcoholic, disconnected father and there is a "rain scene" for all the women-fans that's worth the price of the DVD alone. Barbara Crampton plays his estranged wife wonderfully. I didn't find it incredibly gory (I ate lunch during it), but some might. It's not Shakespeare, but it's fun.
Dead Man Walking (1988)
Fun Sci-Fi Flick
I thought this movie looked kind of geeky, but I'd heard good things from a friend, and it had Jeffrey Combs, so I gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised. The story held my interest and the dialogue was fun and interesting. There is a touching scene (thanks to Mr. Combs' fabulous acting skills) with the main character that made me almost want to cry. It was sort of like "Blade Runner Lite." The news casts interspersed between the action are worth the rental fee alone. They're really hilarious and some are right on target! Brion James was great as the evil Decker and Wings Hauser did well as the Zero Man hero. I might be just in a really, really good mood, but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's fun afternoon viewing.