Change Your Image
paul_haakonsen
I am a big fan of Asian cinema in particular, and I am quite fond of especially South Korean and Hong Kong movies.
My favorite genre is, and always have been, horror, with a preference to anything with zombies in it.
I believe that every movie should be given the chance of being seen - a belief that has lead me to watch many a questionable movies.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Antibirth (2016)
Bizarre and entertaining...
When I stumbled upon the 2016 movie "Antibirth", which was by sheer random chance here in 2024, I was intrigued by the cover. I had never actually heard about the movie from writer and director Danny Perez, so I didn't know what I was in for, when I opted to sit down and watch the movie.
Writer and director Danny Perez put together a very, very bizarre and unique script and storyline. The narrative was pretty spaced out, and it wasn't really making all that much of any sense. But there was still something oddly entertaining about the narrative. It was the strangeness of it all that appealed to me. "Antibirth" is a very different and unique movie experience.
There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Meg Tilly, Natasha Lyonne and Chloë Sevigny. It was an interesting cast ensemble, I will say that much, and the acting performances were good.
Visually then "Antibirth" was quite interesting. There were so many twisted, bizarre, weird and downright disturbing things going on throughout the course of the movie. And truth be told, it just added to the bizarreness that is "Antibirth". And I will say that the visuals alone make it well-worth sitting down and watching writer and director Danny Perez's 2016 movie.
I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the movie, though it was definitely one of the more bizarre movie experiences I have sat through in a long time.
My rating of "Antibirth" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Paradox Effect (2023)
A dull action thriller...
I had not heard about this 2023 action thriller titled "Paradox Effect" from director Scott Weintrob prior to sitting down here in 2024 to watch it. But I figured that I would give it a go, since the cover looked interesting enough, and the movie had Harvey Keitel on the cast list.
Samuel Bartlett, Ferdinando Dell'Omo and Andrea Iervolino wrote a script and storyline that started out okay, but then fell into a slump about halfway through and never recovered. The movie trotted on in a monotonous pacing without really going anywhere. And it felt like I was sitting through a long sequence of filler to make the movie run for 87 minutes. There wasn't much story progression to the narrative in general, and that made sitting through "Paradox Effect" rather tedious and boring actually.
And you don't really care much about the characters in the movie either, as the character gallery is flaccid and one-dimensional.
While Harvey Keitel is on the movie's cover, he is but a name to lure in the audience, as he is not in the movie all that much. I am not particularly much a fan of Olga Kurylenko, but she actually carried the movie well enough, make it a bit more bearable to sit through the monotonous narrative.
I found "Paradox Effect" to be a disappointing movie, and it is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. There are far better action thrillers out there, but if you enjoy the genre perhaps give director Scott Weintrob's 2024 movie a chance.
Sitting through the 87 minutes was a bit of a test, as there wasn't all that much story progression, and without much of anything overly interesting happening, it just wasn't anything to write home about.
My rating of "Paradox Effect" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Cinderella's Revenge (2024)
Sort of watchable...
Well, if you enjoy the original "Cinderella" tale from Charles Perrault, then chances are that you might also enjoy this reinterpretation from writer Tom Jolliffe, provided you have a thing for homicidal maniac versions of peaceful characters.
I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the 2024 movie "Cinderella's Revenge", and opted to do so since it was a movie that I hadn't even heard about. And given it supposedly being a horror movie, of course I had to check it out. I have to admit, though, that I harbored zero expectations to it, given it's title.
Needless to say that this 2024 take on the story certainly is a lot more dark and sinister than the original story.
Of the entire cast ensemble in the movie, I was only familiar with Natasha Henstridge, and she had but a support role in the movie. It should be noted, however, that the acting performances in the movie were fair enough.
The effects in the movie were adequate. You're not in for anything grand, but the effects do work as intended. There are some nice enough scenes with mayhem and blood to please us gorehounds.
Watchable for what it was, director Andy Edwards's wasn't exactly an outstanding or memorable horror experience. I have to admit that turning the Cinderella character into a homicidal slasher just was a bit of an odd thing. So in a way, I suppose that this was a revenge movie, basically.
My rating of "Cinderella's Revenge" lands on a four out of ten stars.
Cerebrum (2022)
Slightly odd, but worth checking out...
I had never heard about writer and director Sebastien Blanc's 2022 horror movie "Cerebrum" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And given my fascination with the horror genre, of course I had to sit down and watch this movie. I was under the impression that "Cerebrum" was a horror movie, but it is more of a thriller laced with drama elements.
Now, I virtually had no idea what I was in for, as I sat down to watch the movie. And thus, writer and director Sebastien Blanc virtually had every opportunity to entertain and bedazzle me with this 2022 movie. It was an interesting enough script and storyline, and the usage of flashbacks as a way of feeding bits and pieces to the audience as to what had happened prior in the movie was a nice way of constructing the narrative.
"Cerebrum" has a small cast ensemble, and I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress. The acting performances in the movie were good, I will say that much, especially the one by Steve Oram. I have to admit that I do enjoy it when I sit down to watch a movie with all unfamiliar talents and faces on the screen.
I do believe that "Cerebrum" is a movie that is somewhat of an acquired taste, because this wasn't your average type of horror movie. So it is a movie that will cater to a certain specific target audience. And as such, then I would say that you definitely should check out the movie, because it might just be something for you.
While "Cerebrum" definitely has an interesting concept script and storyline, it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing. I didn't find that the storyline and script had enough layers to it to support more than a single viewing.
The movie's cover, at least the variant with the woman screaming hardly do the movie any justice.
My rating of "Cerebrum" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Red Sparrow (2018)
Fairly good...
I had the 2018 movie "Red Sparrow" laying around for quite some time before I actually got around to watching it. I just never really got around to it, as I can't claim to be a particularly big fan of Jennifer Lawrence.
But I finally got around to it here in 2024. And I will say that writers Justin Haythe and Jason Matthews actually put together a fair enough script. Turns out that I hadn't been missing out on an outstanding action thriller here, but it was a decent enough movie for what it turned out to be.
Something I didn't understand in the movie was why they didn't opt for people to actually speak Russian. That whole feigned foreign accent just doesn't fly in this day and age. Sure, I can understand that the majority of the actors and actresses probably doesn't know a speck of Russian, but come on, it would have been a much more believable movie if they were speaking Russian.
I was surprised to see the likes of Charlotte Rampling, Ciarán Hinds and Jeremy Irons showing up in the movie. Not that it was a bad thing, because they were definitely good additions to the cast ensemble. I have to say that leadig actress Jennifer Lawrence actually pulled off this movie well enough, and she carried it quite well. So I was surprised with that.
There were some surprising scenes in the movie that I never would have imagined that Jennifer Lawrence would actually do. But here it was and she actually did it gracefully. And that certainly counts for something to raise my impression of her as an actress.
While "Red Sparrow" certainly was a watchable and entertaining movie, it is hardly a movie that I will sit down to watch a second time, simply because the narrative doesn't have enough contents to it to support more than a single viewing.
My rating of director Francis Lawrence's 2018 movie "Red Sparrow" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Binary Samurai (2023)
Not a great movie...
Needless to say that I had never even heard about the 2023 sci-fi movie "Binary Samurai" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And with it being a movie that I had never heard about, much less actually watched, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
Sure, I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to the movie, given the title and the premise of the synopsis. But still, I opted to watch what writers Sean-Michael Argo and Aaron Kondziela had to offer. And the staggering 3.0 rating on IMDb, while I sat down to watch the movie, didn't exatly raise any hopes for the movie either.
And here I was thinking Samurai were Japanese people. Well, not in "Binary Samurai" they aren't...
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. Usually I am actually fond of watching movies with unfamiliar talents and faces on the screen, but I have to say that movies that are starring the same guy who wrote and directed the movie, well that just leaves a rancid taste in my mouth.
"Binary Samurai" is a low budget movie, no doubt about it. But writer and director Sean-Michael Argo seemed to have put quite some effort into the movie, attempting to make it look like more than just your average low budget homemade sci-fi action. But it didn't necessarily make it a good movie though, but points awarded for trying.
I found this movie to be a struggle to sit through, and it is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on.
My rating of "Binary Samurai" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.
Bite Marks (2011)
Didn't pack much of a bite...
When I sat down to watch the 2011 movie "Bite Marks", I was under the impression that it was a horror comedy.
Sure, I had never heard about the movie, prior to sitting down and watching it, so writer and director Mark Bessenger essentially had every chance to entertain and impress me with this movie. However, that was not the case.
I found the storyline and narrative to be too mundane. The movie was devoid of comedy, and the horror elements throughout the course of the 84 minutes that the movie ran for were light. So I have to say that "Bite Marks" didn't pack much of any bite, pardon the pun.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but I would say that the acting performances were actually fair enough.
Visually, then "Bite Marks" was okay. It wasn't a movie that made use of an abundance of special effects though.
Ultiamtely a movie that failed to impress me, and definitely not a movie that I will return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend for fans of the horror comedy genre.
My rating of "Bite Marks" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
Frankenstein Reborn (2005)
Ugh, this was brutal...
Granted, I didn't really harbor much of any expectations to a movie titled "Frankenstein Reborn", as it just oozed of low budget. But still, as it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.
But I am sure that most of us agree that the Mary Shelley "Frankenstein" story has been used beyond the threshold of what is acceptable in movies already. And with the rather dull and laughable adaptation that writer and director Leigh Scott managed to do, it felt like a mockery of Shelley's classic tale.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. Though I will say that the acting performances weren't all that bad.
The audio in the movie was all over the place. In some of the scenes you had to struggle to hear what was being said, because the audio was so insanely low. And in other scenes it was just amped up. That was very amateurish and dragged the movie down a notch.
Visually then "Frankenstein Reborn" was okay. It certainly managed to keep the movie somewhat afloat.
I wasn't impressed with this movie, much less overly entertained. There are far, far better adaptations of the classic "Frankenstein" story out there.
My rating of "Frankenstein Reborn" lands on a three out of ten stars.
The Chill Factor (1993)
The Bore Factor...
Sure, I had never heard about this 1993 horror movie titled "The Chill Factor". But given my love of the horror genre, of course I opted to sit down and watch the movie, as I stumbled upon it by random chance here in 2024.
Without knowing what I was in for, since I had never heard about the movie, then writer Julian Weaver and director Christopher Webster had every chance to entertain and impress me with this 1993 movie.
Sadly, that didn't happen. The storyline in "The Chill Factor", as written by Julian Weaver, was sluggish and felt as if there wasn't really a red thread throughout the course of the 86 minutes that the movie ran for. So director Christopher Webster really didn't have a snowballs chance in Hell, because he had nothing to work with.
I wasn't familar with the cast in the movie. And that is something that spoke well in favor of the movie. And the acting performances were actually fair, despite the fact that the storyline and narrative utterly failed to entertain me.
Visually, then you're not in for anything grand here. "The Chill Factor" is not a movie that made use of an abundance of special effects. Not that it would have made much of any different I guess, because of the pointless narrative.
If you enjoy horror movies, then you're not in for anything grand here, should you opt to sit down and watch "The Chill Factor".
My rating of this 1993 movie lands on a two out of ten stars.
Supercroc (2007)
Terrible, just terrible...
Granted, I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to this 2007 movie titled "Supercroc". I mean, the title alone was enough to make shrug. And then those three dreaded words appeared on the screen as the movie started; The Asylum presents...
Yup, "Supercroc" is a movie from The Asylum, but thankfully not a mockbuster. But that doesn't make it a good movie. Far from it, in fact.
Writers Steve Bevilacqua and David Michael Latt put together a bland and generic script. I am sure that you could watch the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes and still be up to speed with what happened throughout the course of the prolonged 85 minutes that the movie ran for.
I even dozed off not even halfway through the ordeal. Indeed, the movie was that sluggish and boring.
The acting performances in the movie were rather wooden. In fact, you could say that the acting were every bit as realistic and convincing as the CGI animated crocodile itself. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. And that is usually something I really enjoy when I watch a movie. But the acting performances in "Supercroc" were just horrible, especially the one from leading actress Cynthia Rose Hall.
Visually, then "Supercroc" is worth watching for a laugh or two. The CGI animated crocodile looks insanely poor. There was nothing that looked realistic about it, and that just took away from the overall enjoyment of a creature feature such as this was supposed to be.
Do yourself a favor and don't waste 85 minutes on watching "Supercroc". Some of us suffered through this movie, so you don't have to. You're very welcome.
My rating of director Scott Harper's 2007 movie "Supercroc" lands on a one out of ten stars.
The Rage (1997)
Adequately entertaining...
As I happened to stumble upon this 1997 action thriller here in 2024, I opted to sit down and watch it, since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, nor actually ever heard about.
I didn't know what I was in for here, so writers Sidney J. Furie and Greg Mellott had every opportunity to impress and entertain me with their movie. It was an okay enough script, but definitely had its flaws and shortcomings. I love how police officers and FBI just randomly shoot their weapons at vehicles without regards for bystanders and such.
A large portion of the movie was spent showing police officers and FBI agents on foot standing and shooting at driving vehicles or running and shooting at driving vehicles.
The dialogue in the movie was pretty terrible. It was poorly written, the actors and actresses didn't really have much to work with.
There are some familiar faces on the cast list in this movie, with the likes of Gary Busey, Lorenzo Lamas, Roy Scheider, David Carradine and Jeff Doucette. The acting performances were fair enough, though you're not in for an evening of Shakespearian theater here. I wasn't familiar with female leading actress Kristen Cloke, but talk about delivering a wooden performance of a staggering slaughter of dialogue.
Not a great movie, nor a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. There are far better action thrillers readily available.
My rating of director Sidney J. Furie's 1997 movie "The Rage" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Room 0 (2024)
Struggling to find the entertainment value...
The 2024 mystery thriller from writer and director Richard Kodai was a movie that I hadn't heard about when I sat down to watch it. So all I knew about it was was the information I got from the synopsis. I will say, though, that the synopsis sounded interesting enough to make me have an interest.
But the end result of the movie was not all that interesting. I found the narrative to be rather bland and devoid of anything overly interesting or thrilling. And I have to admit that the movie got repetitive rather quickly. Sure, that was the point of the time loop narrative, but since it was devoid of overly interesting things happening and a rather slow pacing, then sitting through "Room 0" was somewhat of a struggle.
The movie has a very small cast list, with the majority being voice actors only. The acting performances in the movie were fair, but the actors and actresses didn't really have all that much to work with. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress in the movie, and that is actually something that I do enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie.
I have to say that "Room 0" fell short of entertaining me, and this is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I will recommend for fans of mystery thrillers to sit down and watch. This movie is no "Groundhog Day" movie, far from it actually.
My rating of writer and director Richard Kodai's 2024 movie lands on a generous two out of ten stars.
Hua pi zhi: Yin yang fa wang (1992)
Boring and pointless...
Of course I sat down to watch the 1992 Hong Kong horror movie "Hua Pi Zhi: Yin Yang Fa Wang" (aka "Painted Skin"), as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. And given my love of Asian cinema, and Hong Kong cinema in particular, then there was no doubt about me sitting down and watch what writers Cheng Ah and King Hu, with the latter also directing the movie, had to offer.
However, I have to admit that "Hua Pi Zhi: Yin Yang Fa Wang" proved to be a movie that fell entirely short of entertaining me. The storyline in the movie was just too mundane and devoid of elements to entertain me. And that made sitting through this movie a rather boring event.
I was familiar with a couple of performers on the cast list, such as Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Ching-Ying Lam, Wu Ma and Joey Wang. However, I just couldn't appreciate their performances in the movie, as the narrative and script fell entirely short of providing me with entertainment.
Visually then the movie was adequate. It is, of course, showing signs of aging, but still is an okay enough movie visually.
"Hua Pi Zhi: Yin Yang Fa Wang" was a boring movie for me, and I ended up giving up and tossing the towel in the ring 44 minutes into the ordeal. And there is zero chance of me returning to the movie to attempt finish watching it. I just simply don't care about the narrative or the characters in the movie, so it would be a waste of time and effort.
My rating of "Hua Pi Zhi: Yin Yang Fa Wang" lands on a two out of ten stars.
Flesh Wounds (2011)
When you order "Predator" from Wish...
Now, I had never actually heard about this 2011 movie. So I didn't know what I was in for here. Nor did I peruse IMDb prior to watching the movie, as to not spoil anything.
And boy what a surprise "Flesh Wounds" turned out to be.
I wonder if writer Gabriel Saint and director Dan Garcia were sued over this 2011 dumpster fire of a movie. It was a blatant rip-off of the classic 1987 movie "Predator". But not in a good and enjoyable way. No, this movie was atrocious, sort of think you ordered the "Predator" movie off of Wish and then received "Flesh Wounds".
It is a amazing that a movie so openly ripping off the 1987 movie was greenlit and made it to see the light of day.
The storyline in "Flesh Wounds" is pretty straightforward, sure. But it was hard to take it serious, given the fact that this was "Predator" on a shoestring budget, and with terrible effects to top it off.
Just why actors Kevin Sorbo and Bokeem Woodbine opted to star in "Flesh Wounds" is simply beyond my comprehension. But I guess a pay cheque is a pay cheque. The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, taking into consideration what this movie turned out to be. However, just keep in mind that you're not in for any award-winning performances.
The special effects in "Flesh Wounds" were exactly that; special.
"Flesh Wounds" is a terrible movie, make no mistake. But I am sure that there are some hardcore Kevin Sorbo fans out there that revel in seeing their idol in a movie leeching off of "Predator".
I wasn't impressed with director Dan Garcia's movie, though I did manage to make it to the very end. But truth be told, it was simply just to see how much they could manage to rip-off "Predator" and turn it into a low budget mockery of a sci-fi action movie.
My rating of "Flesh Wounds" lands on a two out of ten stars.
Quelli che contano (1974)
Absolutely no storyline...
Of course I had never heard about this 1974 Italian movie "Quelli Che Contano" (aka "Cry of a Prostitute") prior to sitting down in 2024 to watch it. I had no idea what I was in for here, aside from it being a movie that I hadn't already seen.
Writers Piero Regnoli and Sergio Simonetti didn't exactly concoct a script that proved particularly interesting or entertaining to me. Even at 60 minutes into the 97 minutes runtime I still had no idea what the point of the storyline was. There was no red thread throughout the course of the movie, and that made it a very, very boring movie to sit through.
The only one I was familiar with in this movie was actor Henry Silva. The acting performances in the movie were fair, though you're not in for anything grand or extraordinary.
I had the misfortune of sitting through an English dubbed version of the movie, which just added to the overall boredom that was "Quelli Che Contano". Yes, I absolutely loathe dubbing in movies, as I prefer to watch movies in their original language.
"Quelli Che Contano" was an unfathomably boring movie, with a lack of an actual storyline. This is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time or effort on.
My rating of director Andrea Bianchi's 1974 movie "Quelli Che Contano" lands on a two out of ten stars.
Oblivion (1994)
Part two was better...
Now, I actually watched the 1996 sequel "Oblivion 2: Backlash" before watching the 1994 movie "Oblivion". But I have to say that I did indeed thoroughly enjoy the sequel, and thus I tracked down the 1994 movie "Oblivion" from director Sam Irvin, as I had to watch it.
Writers Charles Band, John Rheaume, Greg Suddeth, Mark Goldstein and Peter David put together a fair enough script, but I have to admit that I enjoyed the sequel a bit more than I did this one. Not that "Oblivion" wasn't a good movie, but there was just more of a coherent red thread throughout the course of part two.
Something perplexed me about this movie, because there was similiarities in the storyline between "Oblivion" and "Oblivion 2: Backlash". Sure, they were shot back to back, but it still made little sense that so many things from the first movie reappeared in the sequel.
The cast ensemble was great in this 1994 movie, just as it was in the 1996 sequel. And with the likes of Andrew Divoff, Isaac Hayes Meg Foster, Julie Newmar, Jackie Swanson, Richard Joseph Paul, George Takei, Musetta Vander, Carel Struycken and Peter David on the cast list, then you're in for a good time. And just as in the sequel, the acting performances in the 1994 movie "Oblivion" was good.
Visually an okay movie. Sure, it is showing signs of aging, but the effects are still fair enough.
Watchable and enjoyable for what it was. My rating of director Sam Irvin's 1994 movie "Oblivion" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Not Another Church Movie (2024)
So, I think this is just constipation right here...
When I sat down to watch the 2024 comedy "Not Another Church Movie", I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations. The premise of the movie just didn't really prove all that interesting, and the fact that the movie had Mickey Rourke on the cast list as the Devil and Jamie Foxx as God, well that didn't exactly entice my in the least bit.
Writer and director Johnny Mack swung and missed. The storyline in this movie was devoid of funny situations, and I didn't even laugh a single time throughout the course of the 90 minutes that the movie ran for.
The acting performances in the movie were fair, though the actors and actresses had very little to work with. It was a bit of a surprise to see Vivica A. Fox in a movie such as this. It was painful to watch Jamie Foxx stumbling about on the screen in the role of God. And Mickey Rourke, well he just stood around and melted a bit more.
If you enjoy comedy spoof movies, then your money and time is better spent elsewhere, because "Not Another Church Movie" was a pretty weak movie. And it was quite a struggle to sit through 90 minutes of this ordeal. This 2024 movie from writer and director Johnny Mack was a parody and spoof of the numerous Tyler Perry movies.
And believe me when I say that I am never returning to watch this movie a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend to fans of the comedy genre.
My rating of "Not Another Church Movie" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.
Subject 101 (2022)
Made zero sense...
When I stumbled upon this 2022 movie titled "Subject 101", I happened to be drawn in by the movie's cover. I had never actually heard about the movie, but seeing that it was a horror/thriller movie, of course I opted to sit down and spend 86 minutes on watching it.
Sure, I didn't know what I was in for here, as I had never heard about the movie. So in a sense, I suppose that writer and director Tom Bewilogua had every opportunity readily available to impress and entertain me with this 2022 movie. I have to admit that I sat down to watch the movie with zero expectations.
Right, well this was definitely not a horror movie, so that was rather disappointing to find out. What was it then? A strange mixture of mystery and thriller. But it most certainly wasn't a horror movie.
The storyline in "Subject 101" failed to entertain me, and I was good and ready to turn off the dumpster fire that is "Subject 101" about halfway through. It was quite a struggle to sit through, because there was nothing interesting about the storyline, and it just made very little sense. So writer Tom Bewilogua failed to entertain and impress me with this movie.
I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and that is actually something that I do enjoy whenever I sit down to watch a movie. I genuinely enjoy watching new talents and faces on the screen, as there are no associations to previously portrayed characters in other movies or TV series. The acting performances in "Subject 101" were actually good, despite the fact that the script was rubbish.
Visually then I found the movie to be a bit strange. It wasn't a movie that made use of an abundance of special effects. But the way that the movie was filmed and many of the shots were just odd and avantgarde. And that actually worked well in favor of the movie, giving it a strange and unique look.
"Subject 101" was a movie that failed to entertain me, and it definitely isn't a movie that I will ever watch again. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on.
My rating of "Subject 101" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.
Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996)
Oddly enjoyable...
When I stumbled upon the 1996 movie "Oblivion 2: Backlash" here in 2024, I had never actually heard about it. Nor have I heard about the first movie neither, so I didn't know whether or not having to have seen the first movie was crucial to understanding part two.
However, I opted to sit down and watch "Oblivion 2: Backlash" nonetheless, since it was a movie that I had never watched before. I wasn't aware that it was a sci-fi Western comedy movie, but that actually proved to be an interesting mixture of genres.
Writers Charles Band, Peter David, Mark Goldstein, John Rheaume and Greg Suddeth put together a script and storyline that actually was surprisingly entertaining. I surely hadn't expected the movie to turn out to be as entertaining as it did. It was a pretty straightforward script, but the combination of sci-fi, Western and comedy worked well in favor of the movie, and it was definitely something that I genuinely enjoyed.
I am surprised with the cast ensemble in the movie, which includes the likes of Andrew Divoff, Richard Joseph Paul, Meg Foster, Jackie Swanson, Carel Struycken, Maxwell Caulfield, Musetta Vander, Irwin Keyes, George Takei, Isaac Hayes and Julie Newmar. So there are some pretty big names and established talents on the cast list. I was quite surprised to see that. The acting performances in the movie were good, and there were some pretty interesting and memorable characters on the screen.
The swear that Doc Valentine (played by George Takei) did was just hilarious. That was a glorious touch to the movie.
The effects in "Oblivion 2: Backlash" were actually good, and quite a step up from the usual movies that Full Moon produced back in the day.
I found "Oblivion 2: Backlash" to be a rather enjoyable surprise of a movie, and it is actually well-worth sitting down and watching.
My rating of director Sam Irvin's 1996 movie "Oblivion 2: Backlash" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Sheborg Massacre (2016)
Cheesy and low budget, but watchable nonetheless...
When I sat down to watch this 2016 movie titled "Sheborg Massacre", I must admit that I wasn't really harboring a shred of high hopes for the movie. Why? Well, the movie's title and cover just wasn't exactly screaming top notch movie. But with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, much less actually heard about, of course I opted to give writer and director Daniel Armstrong the benefit of the doubt.
The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward, for better or worse. While the storyline wasn't neither rocket science or Shakespearian theater, then writer Daniel Armstrong did manage to put together something that was cheesy enough to actually be entertaining.
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list. The acting performances in the movie were actually fair.
The fight scenes in the movie were hilarious to watch, especially since in many of the scenes you can see the punches thrown are not even remotely close to making contact with whomever was being punched. That got a good chuckle out of me.
This is a low budget movie, no doubt about it. But I will say that writer and director Daniel Armstrong actually managed to turn it into something oddly enjoyable. There is just something fundamentally cheesy about the entire movie that actually works in favor of the overall impression of the movie.
The special effects in the movie were exactly that - special. I loved the stuffed toy dogs that were supposed to be dead dogs, and the spaghetti in tomato sauce that was supposed to be their innards. Very low key effects and they got a good chuckle out of me. Points for trying, at least. Something that speaks well in favor of the movie is the sheer amount of blood and mayhem that there is throughout the course of the 87 minutes that the movie ran for.
It looked and felt like the people involved in making "Sheborg Massacre" had a blast making the movie.
While "Sheborg Massacre" doesn't have the contents to become a cult classic, it definitely is well-worth checking out if you enjoy low budget cheesy sci-fi action movies.
My rating of "Sheborg Massacre" lands on a five out of ten stars.
Tarot (2024)
Watchable, but somewhat generic horror movie...
Needless to say that with my love of the horror genre, then of course I opted to sit down and watch the 2024 horror movie "Tarot", as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance. I had actually never heard about the movie prior to watching it, so all I knew about it was that it was a horror movie with a tarot card theme.
Writers Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg and Nicholas Adams put together a fair enough script. I will say that it wasn't really an outstanding horror movie, but it made for an adequate enough viewing experience. I suppose if you're a newcomer to the horror genre then you will find more enjoyment in "Tarot" than what I did with more than 40 years experience of watching horror movies. The concept idea of the movie definitely had potential, but it was just delivered in a generic manner.
I found the script to be somewhat simplistic, and directors Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg were just using one jump scare after another to keep the audience at the edge of their seats. Sure, I don't mind jump scares, but it has a tendency of growing tedious and boring when it is overdone. And sadly, that was the case in "Tarot". I do like, however, the way that each of the readings came into reality for each of the characters in the movie; that definitely was an inventive and creative feat from the writers.
In fact, writers Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg and Nicholas Adams were playing it safe and using generic horror tropes. And when you get to see every single character of the cards standing far away in the background of a main character, silhouetted and shrouded in darkness, you just start to shrug at it. Doing it once, it works and has effect, but doing it over and over again just makes it repetitive and redundant. Plus, the majority of the movie was shot in near darkness, come on, really? That worked in the 1980s, but today I prefer to watch horror movies where I can see clearly what is going on, and not have most of the screen shrouded in shadows or complete darkness. And sadly, that was also the case in "Tarot".
Of the entire cast ensemble in "Tarot", I was only familiar with Jacob Batalon. I will say, though, that they had a good cast ensemble together for the movie, and the acting performances were definitely fair.
Visually, then I will say that "Tarot" was good. I liked the effects and the creatures in the movie. Thankfully that helped to keep the movie afloat and keeping it watchable. But the majority of the movie was shrouded in perpetual shadows or darkness, which took away a lot from the overall enjoyment of the movie.
Sure, "Tarot" is a watchable horror movie, but it is hardly an outstanding or memorable horror experience. And it is not a movie that will grace my screen a second time. If you enjoy horror movies, you should check out directors Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg's 2024 movie, you might just like it, as it wasn't actually a bad movie.
My rating of "Tarot" lands on a flat five out of ten stars.
The Boss' Wife (1986)
But where was the comedy...?
I had never heard about this 1986 comedy from writer and director Ziggy Steinberg prior to sitting down and watching it for the first time here in 2024. In fact, I didn't even know who was starring in it when I opted to watch it.
The storyline in "The Boss' Wife" was mediocre. I can't claim that I was particularly entertained throughout the course of the 83 minutes that the movie ran for. The narrative was bland and sort of devoid of comedy, and that made sitting through the movie not a particularly enjoyable thing.
Something that spoke in favor of the movie was the cast ensemble. There were some good talents on the cast ensemble, just a shame that they had so little to work with. The movie had the likes of Daniel Stern, Fisher Stevens, Martin Mull, Robert Costanzo and Christopher Plummer on the cast list.
Sure, "The Boss' Wife" was watchable, but it was also a very forgettable movie. And come tomorrow, I am sure that the movie has faded from my memory already. And this is definitely not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time.
My rating of this lackluster comedy from 1986 lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
Boy Kills World (2023)
Surprisingly good...
Well, if you enjoy movies with a lot of emphasis on raw action, gunfights and martial arts, such as "John Wick" for example, then you're in luck if you opt to sit down and watch the 2023 movie "Boy Kills World". Director Moritz Mohr delivered a movie that was rather action-packed from start to end.
The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward, though a bit simplistic, as it was a simple revenge movie. But then again, action movies such as this doesn't really need a complex or cerebral narrative. Nay, you just lean back, munch on the snacks and enjoy the over-the-top action. Writers Tyler Burton Smith, Arend Remmers and Moritz Mohr put together a fast paced action flick.
And over-the-top action is exactly what "Boy Kills World" is. There is an abundance of fight scenes, which I have to admit that I definitely enjoyed. It was choreographed quite nicely and executed nicely as well. So it was like watching a ballet of action and violence. And I have to say that Bill Skarsgård definitely carried the movie quite well.
The movie does have a good cast ensemble, with the likes of Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Yayan Ruhian, Sharlto Copley and Famke Janssen. And the acting performances in the movie were good.
Something I didn't really enjoy in the movie, and it was there from start to end, was the voice over done by H. Jon Benjamin to give the mute and deaf character Boy an internal voice. I grew very tired of listening to that rather quickly. But of course that is a matter of personal preference.
Visually then "Boy Kills World" is good. The action is nicely brought to the screen in a very dynamic and adrenaline-filled manner, and the special effects look good as well. The wardrobe department also worked their magic quite well in the movie.
I will say that I was rather surprised with the outcome of this movie, because I wasn't expecting a Bill Skarsgård movie to be that much in your face. And I have to say that I was genuinely entertained throughout the entire 111 minutes that the movie ran for.
However, "Boy Kills World" hardly seems like a movie that will make it to my screen a second time, as there just isn't enough contents to the script to make it a movie that I will be watching a second time.
My rating of "Boy Kills World" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.
Slime City Massacre (2010)
Meh...
Granted, when I sat down here in 2024 to watch the 2010 movie "Slime City Massacre", I wasn't exactly harboring much of any expectations. Why? Well, the movie's title and its cover just permeates low budget to High Heavens. But still, with it being a movie that I hadn't seen, much less actually heard of, then I opted to sit down and watch the movie.
The storyline was pretty straightforward. But it wasn't exactly a particularly grant viewing experience. The storyline, as written by Gregory Lamberson, was a bit silly and generic, even for a low budget horror movie such as it turned out to be. It looked and felt like something from Troma, and even Lloyd Kaufman showed up for a second or two.
I found the movie to have a bit too much focus on lewd scenes. And it was scenes that really didn't help further the narrative of the movie. So it felt like an excuse for writer and director Gregory Lamberson to cram in some of his own kinks.
The special effects in the movie were low key. But on the upside, then it wasn't exactly the worst of special effects I've seen in movies. So that counted for something. Though, keep in mind that you're not in for anything grand or memorable.
I am sure that there is an audience out there who appreciates low budget horror movie such as this. I just wasn't really a part of that target audience.
While I did watch the 1988 movie "Slime City" before, I have to say that I had entirely forgotten about it, so I didn't realize that this 2010 movie was a sequel to that movie, not before finding out by perusing the IMDb page.
My rating of "Slime City Massacre" lands on a three out of ten stars. The majority of the rating here is definitely for the effort that the movie-makers put into this project.
El tesoro de las cuatro coronas (1983)
This was terrible...
Needless to say that I have never actually heard about this 1983 movie titled "El Tesoro De Las Cuatro Coronas" (aka "Treasure of the Four Crowns") prior to stumbling upon it here in 2024- I saw that it was a fantasy movie, and thus I opted to give it a chance.
The first 20 minutes of the movie made zero sense. But sure, I guess it was entertaining back in the day to watch Tony Anthony run and jump around as he was dodging one trap after another, with a whole lot of items of strings coming towards the camera. And when the cast started to spontaneously explode, I was good and ready to turn off the movie.
But I stuck with it, hoping that the movie would become more of an actual movie and not just showcasing Tony Anthony avoiding ridiculous traps. But it never got better. Sure, writers Lloyd Battista, Jim Bryce, Jerry Lazarus, Tony Anthony and Gene Quintano added more contents to the storyline, but it just wasn't sufficient to make it an interesting movie.
I managed a staggering 40 minutes of painful watching, then I just gave up. When the scene with the flying key was over, I just had enough and tossed the towel in the ring.
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. However, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed with what I saw on the screen. Not that the acting performances were bad, not at all. I just wasn't impressed with the performances delivered in the movie, as they were rather forgettable.
I love how you clearly can see the strings holding up the various creatures and items as they come flying directly at the camera. But hey, the effect worked as intended, just a shame you can see the strings.
There is a lot, and I mean a lot, of things coming right at you on the screen, I guess it was because of the glorious 1980s 3D special effects that peaked for a bunch of movies, but never really working out all that well.
A lot of the scenes in the movie were seriously out of focus, which made it quite a struggle to sit through. I suppose it was the glorious 1980s 3D effects coming into play once again.
"El Tesoro De Las Cuatro Coronas" is a dumpster fire of a movie. And definitely not a movie that I will ever return to attempt finish watching.
My rating of director Ferdinando Baldi's 1983 movie lands on a two out of ten stars.