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jerekra
Reviews
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
"Lousy Human Bastards!!!"
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth of the Apes series. It is my third favorite of the films and a pretty dark and entertaining film.
Armando takes Caesar to the city where Caesar witnesses how humans mistreat apes. Caesar curses at a few humans who torture a chimpanzee and Armando takes the blame for it since any ape who can talk would be known to be the offspring of Zira and Cornelius. Eventually Caesar starts to lead a ape rebellion.
I like the story and tone of this film. It is set in a cold dark setting so that makes you want to root for Caesar. It is definitely the darkest of the first five ape films and has a lot of parts that might disturb younger audiences. I kind of like how dark it is, I always was a fan of darker films sometimes.
Another thing this film has going for it is that Roddy McDowall returns to play Caesar this time. Its cool that he plays Caesar as he also played Cornelius so he is playing his own son. He gives one of his best performances in this film, maybe his best from the apes series. Roddy is always great in these films.
Supporting characters are OK. I liked Mcdonalds character as he sympathizes with the apes. Also Ricardo Montalbon is great again as Armando. The rest of the characters are OK. Nothing too special.
Towards the end this film has some good action packed scenes. But they really lead up to it and build suspense as you see the apes start rebelling and smuggling weapons.
A few complaints. Some of the apes in the background clearly are just wearing masks. Caesar and the main apes look great, but not all of them do. That was probably due to budget restraints though. Also like I said before there are some pretty dark parts that show apes being tortured so I don't think this is the most kid friendly ape film. Its not the worst thing out there, but from the first five it definitely has the most disturbing scenes with torture.
Overall I really liked this film. It is dark and that makes it stand out. Roddy McDowall is also great. I recommend it.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
"Its a Madhouse!!!! A Madhouse!!!!!"
Planet of the apes is one of the best science fiction movies ever made in my opinion. It has a interesting story, great performances by several actors, and great memorable scenes.
An astronaut named Taylor travels through space and winds up on a planet that has apes as the superior race and not humans. Humans here are primitive and not able to speak so it comes as a surprise when Taylor speaks to the apes and causes many questions to be asked.
Charlton Heston is great as the lead in the role of Taylor. One of the greatest actors of all time in my opinion and this might be his best performance in a film in my opinion. He really plays a character you can get behind and root for. That alone is reason enough to see this film.
The supporting cast is great as well. Kim Hunter is great as Zira, the open minded psychiatrist who becomes friends with Taylor. Maurice Evans is great as Dr. Zaius the not so understanding Orangotang who is the villain of sorts in this film. Roddy Mcdowell is great as Cornelious, the archaeologist chimpanzee. Mcdowell is one of the main reasons Planet of the Apes as a film is series is so great as he returns to give great performances as several ape characters throughout the rest of the films, except Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
The story is great and the action scenes are pretty well done. The music also adds to the tone of the film.
Many iconic scenes as well that you will always remember. Lots of good memories in this film for me.
The make up in this film is really well done for the time that this film was made. All of the apes look really good in this film and I respect all of the actors who had to sit and wait several hours for the makeup to be applied while they were shooting for this film.
Overall a great science fiction film. Recommend it strongly.
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
Ymir
20000000 miles to Earth is a decent film with good special effects provided by Ray Harryhausen.
An expedition from Venus returns (yes seriously) and bring back a creature from the planet. It gets looses and grows drastically in size each day. Then its the same old stuff with monster movies from this time.
The plot is actually interesting how they actually are coming back from a trip to Venus. Also the distance to get to Venus is pretty close to the title. I also thought it was cool how the Ymir monster changes size constantly each night.
The effects and the Ymir monster are very well done like usual in a Harryhausen film. The monster itself in this film is pretty cool, its not a true evil monster it more so just defends itself viciously. Seems like it is out of place in its new setting and thats the root of its problems.
Pretty good action in this film and the film does have a good flow. You don't really have to wait around much for the monster to appear.
The acting is pretty boring in this film. Nothing special and none of the human characters stand out.
Pretty entertaining movie, I recommend seeing it.
Uchu kaijû Gamera (1980)
Stock Footage!
Gamera: Super Monster is the worst of all the Gamera films, and in my opinion I don't see how anyone can argue otherwise. The plot is decent enough for a science fiction movie but one thing kills this movie. TOO MUCH STOCK FOOTAGE!!!!! Almost all (about 95 percent) of the scenes with Gamera are from previous films. This includes him fighting all his former enemies like Jiger, Viras, Gyaos, Barugon, Zigra, and Guiron. So while this may be a somewhat enjoyable film if you had not seen any of the previous films, it does not work at all for someone who hates overuse of stock footage and has seen all the previous films. I only give this film a 2 because of this one actual new scene where Gamera knocks over a poster for a Godzilla film. That was worth watching. The rest of the film I do not recommend.
Song of the South (1946)
"Everybodys Got a Laughing Place."
Song of the South has not been released to DVD or VHS. I was lucky enough to see it and knew that there were reasons that they did not release it pertaining to racism and other issues. Overall I found this film pretty good and entertaining and was glad I got to see it, especially with how rare it is.
The story is about a little boy who travels to the south with his mom and dad. His dad has to leave for work related reasons and so the boy learns many lessons from an older African American man named Uncle Remus. Uncle Remus tells him about Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear teaching the young boy important lessons.
I know that this film was considered racist for how it depicts the slaves and how they talk in this film. I understand where they are coming from, but I don't see anything that bad in my opinion unless people have problems with the dialog that the slaves speak in. I have heard that Disney just wanted to avoid problems with this film altogether and that is why they just did not release it. I can believe that, as I said I did not find anything overly racist, but that is just my opinion. Its a shame that it was never released though because I found a lot of things in this film to be entertaining.
Uncle Remus's stories about Brer Rabbit are the best parts in this film. The animation is well done and also well done with regards that this probably was one of the first films to incorporate live action with animated scenes.
The songs are great in this film. They are very catchy and fun to sing along with.
I think that some parts of this film are just boring too though. Especially the scenes without Uncle Remus involving the young boy and his mother. Those scenes don't do anything for me.
Overall I thought this film was good. Glad I got to see it considering how rare it is. I would say see it if you get the chance.
Gamera daikaijû kuchu kessen (1995)
Good Reboot to a Great Monster
I think that Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a pretty solid monster film and is also a good reboot to the Gamera franchise.
An ancient species of creatures (Gyaos) reappears and starts causing havoc. Gamera also reappears and is responsible for protecting the Earth from the Gyaos.
I think the story is pretty good. I like how they change a little about Gameras back story but they also keep his powers the same. The way that they gave Gyaos a new story was well done too.
Gamera looks pretty good in this film, definitely the best he has looked on screen so far. He has his classic roar and when he flies and shoots fire balls it looks really good. I am glad that they brought Gyaos back, as he is my favorite of Gamera's foes and also Gyaos is one of my favorite Kaiju. Gyaos looks great and gets to do a lot of action, but I just wonder why they did not use his classic screech he used in the older films? That is one of my main complaints in that they did not use Gyaos's classic roar.
I also like how they paid respect to the older Gamera films by doing some scenes that are the same as some scenes in the showa series. WOnt give away what they do but if you are a fan of Gamera you will know.
Good film. I recommend it.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Gets Better Each Time I See It
Terminator 2 is one of the best sequels ever made and a great action and science fiction movie. It further develops characters and has a great story as well. Each time I see it I like it a little more.
Two Terminators are sent back to 1991. One is given the mission to kill John Conner, and the other one has the mission of protecting John Conner. Sarah Conner is currently in a mental institution for trying to destroy the computer that eventually would attack mankind on Judgement Day.
The story is a great follow up to the first Terminator film. This time it feels like a lot more is going on. Its fitting how the Terminator did not kill Sarah Conner in the first film so it was sent back this time to kill John Conner as a young man. I like the parts that work from events that happened in the first movie, like how the Terminators hand is in the headquarters of Cyberdyne Industries and how they remember the first Terminators attack on the police station.
The action scenes do a good job of complimenting the story. I really like the action scenes in this movie, especially when the T-101 fights the T-1000.
Arnold is great as the Terminator again, this time as a heroic defender. I also really liked him as a bad guy in the first movie, but he is just as good as a good guy. He always is great in these films, which are definitely his best films he has made.
The T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, is also great as the villain. He is really cool as a liquid metal machine that can make sharp pointed weapons. The special effects for him are really well done and hold up really well. Probably this film and Jurassic Park have the best usage of special effects in a film. I like how the T-1000 is a villain, but also cyberdyne industries and skynet are also a villain too.
John Conner is pretty cool for a kid character, and you can see why people will follow him in the future. Sarah Conner is a much more interesting character in this film and gets to do a lot more.
Great story, great characters, and great action. Great movie. I recommend it greatly.
Godzilla (1998)
Pretty Lame.
I am a huge Godzilla fan. So when I first heard an American Godzilla was going to be made I thought that was pretty cool. However I was thoroughly disappointed.
Nuclear bombs alter an iguana or something and it turns super big and becomes "Godzilla".,...............thats it for story pretty much.
I really hated this movie because this is nothing like how Godzilla is in the great Japanese movies. He is not a dinosaur in this one, just a big lizard and his character in this has no heart it feels. Hes also got no personality. Also he does not really attack the city, he just runs around and when the army attacks him he runs away. Finally he cant even breathe radioactive fire. What were they thinking? You can alter certain things about a character if they aren't important, but these are all well established and important character traits of Godzilla that were all not done well at all.
Also this movie is a downer cause it rains the whole movie. I just think it makes you get a bad feeling when watching it.
The human cast was OK, I actually like Matthew Broderick. Hank Azaria is cool, but other than that nothing special.
Basically this is not the Godzilla I grew up to love as a kid. I do not recommend this horrible film.
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Godzilla's Revenge (2008)
James is always good, but I disagree with him a little on this one.
I think James Rolfe is good at what he does. His reviews on video games and movies are some of the best that you will see. I in particular liked his monster madness reviews of all the godzilla films because I also am a huge godzilla fan.
I think that James has legitimate complaints on this film. It does show a lot of stock footage. And it does have a tone that is geared towards children. However I think he is somewhat unfair and I doubt he has seen the Japanese version. The Japanese version has much better dialog and Minya does not have nearly as annoying of a voice. So I think that when he beats up on this film he needs to look at the big picture and realize that often the English versions are way worse. But I agree that this film does use too much stock footage.
Also I disagree with him when he said that he does not think that this film teaches good lessons to kids. If anything, this film teaches kids to stand up to bullies. I think that is a good lesson. If he really grew up watching godzilla films, then he should be able to appreciate the film sending the message to stand up to bullies.
Overall, I think James does good work. I do not totally agree with everything he says in this review, but I recommend watching his monster madness Godzillathon.
Ice Road Terror (2011)
Where are the dinosaurs?
Seeing Ice Road Terror was not that mind blowing. The film actually had decent acting, somewhat good action, and a simple plot. But overall it was nothing special.
This film is basically about a company up in Alaska that awakens a prehistoric predator "dinosaur". A couple truckers then try to take hazardous materials up to the area where the beast is, not knowing that it exists.
I actually thought the human characters were good in this film. They really seemed like truckers and were characters you could get behind. Also the girl who was the scientist was pretty good too. Surprising because usually in movies like these the humans are all cliché.
The "dinosaur" in this film is weird in that it really is a big lizard. I do not know of any predatory dinosaur that runs around on four legs. It was pretty standard CGI for this beast and it got some decent action but nothing special.
The story is pretty easy to follow.
I thought that I got tricked because they showed a carnataurus on the box and some dvds even had a tyrannosaurus on them even though neither of those dinosaurs are in this film. The only creature in this film is the giant lizard. So I don't know why they had to false advertise this film.
Pretty standard SYFY film. I do not strongly recommend it, but it isn't bad either. Watch it on a rainy day.
RoboCop (2014)
"Dead or Alive, Im taking You In!"
When I heard they were making a Robocop remake, I thought it had potential to be really good. Especially when I saw the cast that was going to be in the movie. Overall I thought this movie was good.
Alex Murphy is a cop who gets badly injured and nearly dies. So they decide to use him to try and make a new law official that is part machine as well.(Robocop) Along the way problems take place due to Murphy's own thoughts and feelings conflicting with that of the machine part of him.
I thought the story and the conflict was pretty easy to follow. I did not get blown away by anything in the story, it was pretty much what I expected and nothing fancy. However I will say that this film did add interesting conflict with Murphy's family wanting to see him since in the Robocop movie in the 80's he did not really have a family. Also I liked how there were arguments over whether artificial law officials would be able to work. I thought it was a cool idea.
I really liked some of the acting performances in this film. Michael Keaton was great, I always like him in movies. Also I really liked Gary Oldman as the doctor who helps to create Robocop and later sympathizes with Robocop and his family.
The action scenes were good, but it seemed like there were too many scenes showing Robocop riding for a long time on his motorcycle.
Robocop as a character was a mixed bag for me. I think that was because he had so many different types of personalities in this film whether it be him being controlled mainly by Murphy's thoughts, or whether it be when he was mainly a machine. I thought the guy who played Robocop was OK, but nothing special. I liked the new design of Robocop's black outfit and I also liked how they used the classic silver outfit for a little bit as well. I thought there were too many times when Robocop had his visor up, but that seems to be a new thing in movies like this nowadays, they want to show the actors face.
Overall I thought this film was entertaining, but nothing too special. I still recommend checking it out though, especially if you are a fan of Robocop.
King of the Lost World (2004)
As bad as it gets.
King of the Lost World is one of those movies where I kinda knew what it would be like. I figured it would just be a cheesy adventure/survival film that is often on the SYFY channel. But this was way worse and did not entertain me at all.
The story is pretty old. People get stranded on an island and have to survive. There are also tribes of savages there and giant spiders, gorillas, and dragons. Yeah you read me right, there are actually dragons in this movie.
None of the human characters are interesting. Some of the girls in this film are sort of hot, but not hot enough to justify watching this movie. The acting is horrible, even the bloopers that they show for this movie seemed like they were acted out horribly.
The giant spider is lame, the dragons are stupid, and the giant gorilla is poorly done since his mouth usually does not move when he roars.
Do not watch this movie. I saw nothing redeeming in it.
Back to the Future (1985)
Timeless Classic.
Back to the Future is one of the best movies ever made. It has a great stroy, has funny lines, and has great characters as well.
Marty travels back in time accidentally by using Doctor Emmett Brown's time machine. There he must figure out a way to get back to the future and also get his parents to fall in love since he accidentally interferes with their first meeting.
The story is great in this film. Time travel is a tricky thing but I think that this film does a simple job of explaining it so that general audiences can understand it more. However it still has a lot that confuses me but I guess with time travel in a movie the more that you think about it the more that you will have your mind boggled. So it is best just to accept what happens and not over think it.
Marty is a great leading character who people can probably relate to. Michael J. Fox is awesome as him. Also Christopher Lloyd is amazing as Doctor Emmett Brown, this is probably his best acting performance in a film. Overall the relationship between Marty and Doc is believable and well done and it is one of the major things these films have going for them.
The main antagonist Biff is also great. He really is just the type of jerk that seems to exist in a lot of 80s movies.
The conflict of the story is great and it really keeps you at the edge of your seat. No matter how many times I see it, this film still keeps my attention even though I know what will happen.
The score and song selections in this film are also well done.
I highly recommend this film. If you have not seen it, do so right away and you will not be disappointed.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
One of a kind as a sequel.
Back to the future part two is a pretty good sequel, but it is unique in a few ways. I do not think it is as good a film as the first one, but it still is a lot of fun.
After traveling to the future with Doc, Marty and Doc return to 1985. However upon returning they see that the fabric of time has been altered and now Biff is all powerful. So Marty and Doc must find out what went wrong and correct it.
This film does a good job of picking up where the last one left off, however with a different actress as Jennifer this time. A lot happens in this film and it never drags ever in the whole film which is pretty cool. It is kind of like how The Empire Strikes Back has a lot happening in it,this film has that as well.
Marty and Doc both are great again. The major character who gets more development in this film is Biff, and surprisingly he is a pretty funny character. I love the part where old Biff talks with younger Biff.
This film is by far the most confusing of all three of the Back to the Future films. All of the time traveling is cool, but with so much going on and people almost running into themselves from other times it makes the film very unrealistic.
This film is unique in that the last third of the film takes place within the first film. I can not think of any other film that does this. So I think that it is mandatory that you see the first film before you see this one.
I think this is a great sequel to the first back to the future. It is not quite as good a film, but I recommend it. But make sure that you see the first film first or else you will get really confused.
Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes (2012)
Started Good, Ended Confusin.
I thought Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes was a decent movie that had decent tension built up but then at the end it just fell flat.
Basically this guy and his friends pay this guy who claims to have a bigfoot carcass so that they can interview him and make a movie or something. Along the way they are attacked by mysterious creatures and have strange things happen as they try to make this movie.
I thought the acting was OK in this film. For what it is, I thought the characters were believable in their motives and emotions.
This movie was pretty scary too and built good tension. A few parts made me jump and they do a good job not showing the creatures until the ending of the film.
My major complaint about this film is the ending. I did not understand why the devil shows up at the end and was the villain the whole time. Kinda confused me.
Overall this movie is OK, I do not strongly recommend it tho because the ending did not do it for me.
Bigfoot (2012)
So bad that it is.......................bad.
Bigfoot is another of those SYFY movies that is pretty bad. But they all are like that so you have to throw your expectations out the window when you see a movie like that and that will help you enjoy it more. I did so when watching this film and only was mildly entertained.
The story is about a giant bigfoot that attacks a city during a rock convention. Simple as that.
Bigfoot is done with CGI, just like all the other films like this. He looks OK, but when he moves sometimes he looks really bad. This bigfoot did not do anything that stands out besides bite peoples heads off.
Human characters are all horrible actors like usual, Danny Bonaduce does play a great jerk in this film tho. All the others are your typical SYFY characters. I thought it was cool that Alice Cooper appeared in this film, he was probably the best part of this movie.
The action scenes are typical, nothing special.
Pretty standard film, nothing really stands out. I do not really recommend it.
Barbarella (1968)
I Understand the Cult Following (sort of)
Barbarella has a cult following,and to be fair I think there is some good in this film. It is a mixed bag, but I think it has a lot going for it.
I do not even know how to explain the story of this film. Basically it is about this chick named Barbarella who travels across the universe and has sexual experiences (of different types) with various males.
Jane Fonda I think does a good job for the type of role she is given. She looks pretty good,and definitely had sex appeal going for her at the time that this movie was made. Probably the part that stands out the most was the beginning sequence where she has her outfit gradually fall off until she is naked.
The story is unusual but somewhere the meaning must be that sexual experiences with other people are better than other means of sex. Yeah..................
The music and the visuals in this film are really good. I think that is another major strength of this film.
Overall, I think this movie is worth seeing.
2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)
Title Explains the film
Two-Headed Shark attack was one of those movies that was exactly how I thought it would be.
This group of scientists or something get stranded on a island when their boat breaks down. There they must find a way to escape and also must avoid being attacked by this huge two headed shark.
The story is pretty typical for a syfy movie. Two-Headed shark appears and attacks. The CG for the shark is OK at best, but they do not really explain how the shark came into existence really well.
The action scenes with the shark are good. Nothing that stands out.
Another reason to see this movie is all the hot chicks in bikinis who get attacked by the shark. Overall the acting is pretty bad in this movie. Carmen Elektra I think does a pretty horrible job acting and only adds sex appeal (but not even that much of that). Brook Hogan I think did an average job acting, but that means by far she is the best actor in the whole film.
So, the shark is OK, the acting is bad, and the story is predictable. I say see it if you like these bad shark movies, otherwise stay away.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
It is what is is.................
Upon hearing about the Human Centipede for the first time, I must admit that the concept was pretty revolting to me. I tried to make it a point to never ever see it in my entire life. However eventually I decided that I maybe should see it so that I can confront it head on and then that would be the end of it. So I watched it eventually with a few of my friends. It was a mixed bag.
Basically it is about two girls who wander upon a house that is in the middle of the woods. The man who lives there drugs them and ties them down and kidnaps another man and then reveals his plans for them. He is a retired surgeon and his plan is to connect the three of them...........mouth to anus................thus making a human centipede.
For an independent film.......I guess this film was what I expected. The acting is pretty bad, except the creepy surgeon guy I thought was good. The story is pretty predictable in how it starts out.
As far as disturbing goes............this film might be one of the most disturbing ideas ever thought about. The whole idea of being connected to another person's anus is pretty much as bad as it gets. When the centipede gets created and the people see what happened to them it is pretty sad for them. I actually felt bad for them.
Its a pretty cheap horror film with a disturbing concept. I can not really recommend it. But if you like disturbing things happening to people, maybe check it out. Otherwise I would not bother with it.
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)
Makes the first one look not so bad.
Human Centipede 2 makes the first human centipede look like nothing. This one is way more disturbing and way more detailed in what happens in it.
A crazy fan boy of the human centipede film comes up with the idea to create his own centipede. So he kidnaps people from a parking structure and takes them to an abandoned warehouse and starts to make his own centipede.
This movie was shot in black and white and I think it gives it a dark feel that helps the tone.
The whole idea that someone got inspired to make their own centipede is both disturbing and bizarre. However it does make the movie have an interesting IT COULD HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE feel to it. I am sure there are a lot of messed up people who have thought of doing this. That is pretty scary. So the story is pretty unique in that regards and I can not think of another movie quite like this.
Also I found it interesting how one of the actresses from the first movie plays herself in this movie. Her character gets kidnapped to get made into a centipede after she had been in a movie where she played a girl getting made into a centipede.
As far as disturbing goes..........this movie has a lot of disturbing scenes that are very detailed. I would not watch this unless you can handle anything, and I mean ANYTHING! There is a lot of stuff that happens that i think goes way too far. Like when the creator injects the centipede with laxitive just to watch it defecate into each others mouths.
Also there is a lot of nudity.
I can not recommend this movie to anyone.
The Punisher (2004)
"Call me............THE PUNISHER."
The Punisher I fell is one of the best all around movies in the Marvel Franchise of films. It has a great protagonist, great action, and a story that is easy to follow.
Frank Castle's family is killed by an evil business man named Howard Saint's gang. Deciding to take the law into his own hands he decides to go after Saint and becomes the Punisher in the process.
I think that this film is very well done because it feels like a comic book, and I think that for a Punisher film that works well. There is a dark feeling in this film and I think it sets the mood for the film perfectly. This is how a Punisher film should make you feel.
The action is pretty good in this film too. Its not just non stop shooting like the other Punisher films. Castle does a lot of planning and spying on his enemies and outsmarts them. So there is a lot of thinking done by the Punisher and he always was really smart in the comics so I think this film is good at being faithful to the comics in that regard. Not only is the Punisher excellent at combat but he also is very smart and good at preparing and making plans.
Thomas Jane is outstanding as the Punisher. He really looks like the Punisher and really conveys the emotions Frank Castle is feeling through facial expression and body language. Jane's performance I think really is a major reason why this film is so great. He just plays the Punisher perfectly.
The enemies are pretty standard, nothing too exciting. Although I did think that Kevin Nash as the Russian was a great casting choice. John Travolta is OK as the head of the Saint gang.
Supporting characters are good as well. Rebecca Romjin is great as the supporting female character, not a love interest really for the Punisher though. Bumbo and Dave also are great at comedic relief, but also in an important role towards the end, I wont give it away. Rob Schnieder also is great in a brief role as Castle's father.
Overall, I think that this is a very good film. This is how a Punisher movie should be like. Highly recommended.
Punisher: War Zone (2008)
Good Comic Book Movie
I thought the Punisher with Dolph Lundgren was very good and I thought that the Thomas Jane Punisher film was very good. I enjoyed this movie as well and I think that this was a very fun comic book movie.
Frank Castle is the Punisher and after killing a mob family he tracks down Billy Russoti, knocking him into a glass crusher that turns Russoti into the disfigured Jigsaw. Castle kills an undercover federal agent while out and considers not being the Punisher because of this. Jigsaw decides to go after the dead undercover agents family since he was the last one with a substantial sum of his money.
The story I think is pretty simple to follow. The idea of Castle killing an undercover agent seems kinda far fetched, I don't think that the Punisher would quit just on that.
Overall, this is one of the most violent films I've seen. Way more violent than the other two Punisher films, you don't just see people die. You see people with blood shooting out and body parts being blown off. So if you are not of a strong stomach to handle this type of stuff. Overall I respect how they did this because a lot of people want a dark violent Punisher film and this film delivered in this regard.
Frank Castle is well portrayed again. Stevenson plays him as very quiet and ruthless towards criminals and I thought he was a good Punisher. I also like how he had the logo on his chest the whole film pretty much, even if it was hard to see cause it was sort of dull on his black outfit.
Also I liked Wayne Knight as microchip. I like Knight in pretty much everything that he is in and this was another strong performance by him.
The villains were crazy in this film. Jigsaw I thought was OK, he was a little over the top at times but he was very evil. The make up was good on him too. I also thought that Looney Bin Jim was a nice addition to the film and I thought that his relationship with his brother Jigsaw was well done in this crazy film and it really felt that they were close brothers.
Overall I think that this film is an entertaining film to watch. You have to turn your brain off at times and just accept what happens in the film. Since there is a lot of unrealistic aspects so to enjoy it you have to just have fun with it. I recommend it to people that wanna see a good action packed violent film.
The Punisher (1989)
"Frank is Dead!"
As a fan of both Dolph Lundgren and the Punisher I felt that this movie would be a home run for me. I was right for the most part.
Frank Castle loses his family to the mobs and decides to wage a one man war against criminals going as the Punisher.
Firstly I should say that I love 80s action films, the way they are action packed and have that 80s feel to them. This film is very action packed and really entertains throughout.
Dolph Lundren is great as Frank Castle. He really plays the part well and I really bought that the loss of his family really impacted him and changed him totally. In particular the scene in which his friend is visiting him in jail I think Lundgren really does a good job of portraying his emotions and how he is the Punisher now.
The story is good, not too hard to follow. I like that the Punisher is already an established character so we don't get a half of the film devoted to origin for him. So its pretty much action packed right off the bat.
A few complaints. I know that the company didn't have the right to use the Punisher skull in this film, and that is pretty disappointing cause its such an iconic look. That would have made the movie a little better. The Punisher does get to use skull knives tho, so thats pretty cool.
Very good, simple, film. Has a lot of good action in it and I think Lundgren is a great Punisher and a good fit for this film. I highly recommend seeing it.
Les Misérables (2012)
First Movie To Make Me Cry
Les Miserables is a phenomenal film adaptation of the classic musical of the same name. It has tremendous acting and songs that help to set the mood of the film incredibly.
Acting in this film was incredible. I really thought that Russel Crowe was great as Javert and he also was very good at singing which was a pleasant surprise. I thought that Anne Hathaway was very good as Fantine and sang the most famous song "I dreamed a dream" very well. Maybe not the best I've heard that song but very good nonetheless. Also Sacha Baron Cohen was excellent as Thenardier, that was a character I remember the most from the play growing up and I thought he hit the character spot on.
For me Hugh Jackman was the best part of the film. He was outstanding as Jon Valjean and made the movie for me. He really worked hard for this role and I thought it showed a lot. I don't wanna give away what part it was, but there was a scene in which he made me cry for the first time ever during a movie. I was very impressed with him and he moved me.
I didn't think all of the cast was strong tho. I have never been a big fan of Helena Bonam Carter and so I didn't find her part that good in this film. Also I thought that Amanda Seyfield was not a strong Cosette as an adult. I did think that young Cosette was very good.
I thought that most of the songs were well done in this film. SOme were stronger than others but the really good ones stood out. The whole movie was basically singing and they did a good job with it, but maybe a few of the weaker songs could have been edited. BUt I enjoyed the music in this film.
I do say that this is not a film for all viewers. I wouldn't take young kids to go and see as there are a lot of dark parts and some violence.
Overall, an amazing film. Acting (especially Hugh Jackman) was incredible and the music was amazing. I think that it should be nominated for best picture.
The Avengers (2012)
Final piece to the Puzzle.
Having seen all of the other Marvel films that lead to this film and being a huge Marvel Fan I was very excited to see this movie. I feel that this movie is very good and totally worth the wait.
Loki comes to Earth and uses the Tesserect and his magical powers to try to take over mankind. Shield decides to put into action the Avengers plan and recruits Bruce Banner, Iron man, and Captain America to join Black Widow on a team of the best on the Earth. Thor also joins with the team later as the planet is still under his protection.
This film has great flow to it. It starts off with Loki coming to Earth and then goes into each member of the Avengers joining the team. It really started strongly and I totally forgot about Thor and then he joins the team too. So a lot going on that I liked early which is important to a film like this.
All of the members of the Avengers are very good. Robert Downey Jr is great once again as Stark/Iron man. Chris Evans does a good job as Captain America (but I think he was missing something tho). Hemsworth is amazing as Thor again. I like Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye but I feel that something was missing from that character as well, maybe its cause Im a pretty big Hawkeye fan. I thought Mark Ruffalo was OK, but I really liked the Hulk. And Scarlett Johansen is good and her behind is AMAZING! As far as Acton goes, this may be one of the best films I have ever seen in that regard. Tons of great action scenes in this film that I cant do justice trying to speak about. You'll just have to take my word for it.
The only real complaints I have are that Loki and his army he uses to attack Earth aren't well explained. I think Loki is good, but he just doesn't come across as a formidable villain in this film or one that people even fear. I cant really say too much more about this without giving a lot away.
Great movie. Great action and characters. Highly recommended.