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Reviews
Speck (2002)
Good looking movie, awful direction
Rented this from my local Blockbuster under the title SPECK - that may be the way to look for it if you still feel the need to see it after this review.
It's a movie about the serial killer Richard Speck, who killed several nurses in Chicago in the sixties. Watching the movie, one gets the feeling that it follows the crimes to the letter. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for a good movie.
Another problem I had was the near-constant music letting us know that this was a SCARY MOVIE, and some god-awful narration letting us know what's motivating Speck. The acting was average for this type of film; to give credit where credit is due, the movie is very beautifully photographed for my taste. Your mileage may vary.
Over all, if you're interested in the subject matter, it may be worth your time.
Jigsaw (2002)
Needed to go the extra mile
This movie is polished and better written than most of the direct-to-video horror films that get released, but it falls short when the horror stuff is supposed to be happening. By that, I mean the gore; for a movie that has a monster with a sawblade for a hand marching about, I truly expected there to be limbs flying about! Maybe the filmmakers shouldn't have spent so much time on the other characters stories (or had less characters to begin with) and concentrated more on the action parts of the story...
Bleed (2002)
Polished, but dumb
This is a low-budget "Scream" style movie. "Maddy" is a new worker at a conspicuously-unnamed office, where she meets and starts a relationship with her co-worker "Chris". During a hot tub-party, Chris and his friends convince Maddy they belong to a "Murder Club" where everyone has killed someone for kicks. When Maddy loses it and kills someone for real, hijinks ensue.
The film looks good, and there are the requisites for this genre and budget level (nudity, gore, maybe a few cameos from slightly bigger stars than the cast), but, after the credits roll, you'll ask yourself why you spent 80 minutes of your life watching it.
Terror Toons (2002)
Not Shakespeare, but fun
I seem to have had the exact opposite reaction to the movie. I knew that I wasn't renting "Schindler's List" when I picked it up, and the movie didn't disappoint. While there are plenty of rough edges to the movie, it was inventive enough for me to keep my hands off the scan button and watch it. People looking for a little no-brainer diversion might want to check it out.
Versus (2000)
Fun, but a little long
This is a movie to watch when you're not in the mood for highbrow entertainment. Basically the plot exists in order for the filmmakers to have a setup for the main characters to fight. On that level it succeeds. If you're looking for good writing though, well, look someplace else. It also felt about 30 minutes too long for me, as some of the twists in the writing just slow the movie down (a subplot with two minor characters, for instance, should have been left on the cutting room floor).
Shreck (1990)
Goofy and fun!
I saw an abbreviated cut of this that's included on the special edition DVD of Vengeance of the Dead. It's true as Don Adams says that it would work better as a horror movie with a bigger budget, but as it stands it's in the "so bad it's good" category of films. It's got cheesy video effects, gore, wacky killings, shaky acting, the works! Watch it with friends and laugh yer ass off!
Go to Hell (1999)
A little uneven, but enjoyable
This movie is the story of tabloid journalist Dario Dare (Ray Whalen, billing himself as "Rock and Roll Ray") who is shanghaied into assassinating a cardinal who has sold his soul to Bob Beezly (Carl Besasie) a "very powerful and influential demon". See, Beezly wants the cardinal's soul because the cardinal reneged on a deal with Beezly; Dare gets his own soul back if he does this little job for Beezly. Only, the deal goes sour, and Dare must get the help of his weird brother A-Man to go to Hell and confront Beezly.
Part of the reason it's uneven is that subplots dealing with a power struggle in the Vatican confuse the casual viewer (while I was watching the movie, my friend turned to me in the middle of a confessional scene and wondered aloud why the director was reminding himself of what happened in the first half). This isn't to say that the entire movie is boring, though. The acting is good for a low-budget film, and the fact that it has special effects at this budget level is great. There are also some genuinely funny bits scattered throughout the movie.
Overall, I'd recommend it for a Saturday night screening with some friends who like drinking and Drive-In style movies.
The Big Hit (1998)
The Big Hit-missing the point
Reviews of this movie that say it has lapses in logic at points have some truth to them, but this movie shouldn't be judged on a CITIZEN KANE level. It should be taken for what it is: a HK action movie that happened to be filmed in Toronto (if memory serves). Everything is there: the nutty subplots, the gratuitous destruction of property, the wild overacting. If you watch it with this in mind, you're going to enjoy it immensely.
Ein Toter hing im Netz (1960)
Mostly awful.
I found this to be an atrocious piece of filmmaking for the most part; little above the exploitation level. What I did find interesting were the few genuinely creepy moments in the film, all of which involving a surreal spider puppet. In short, a good film to watch drunk.