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O-Henry
Reviews
Masters of Horror: The Damned Thing (2006)
On the Coattails of a Dead Man They Ride
Much like many other commentators, I am a Bierce fan and was very much excited to see one of his stories put to film. Alas, like so many others who have abused the great early horror writers, Tobe Hooper and friends were unable to even approach the greatness of Bierce and his short story. In fact, the script had so little connection with Bierce's mini-masterpiece that I would have to say the creators of this film are guilty of name-dropping to sell the show. Perhaps what started out as an honest attempt to adapt the story somehow went wrong in the screenplay writing (which is mediocre at best, but has next to no connection with the original story) and they had no choice but see it through. That however is giving them the benefit of the doubt and then some.
So about half way through the film, I realized my hope of seeing a Bierce story on screen was not to be and I had to un-suspend and then re-suspend my disbelief in order to wince through the rest of the movie. And I mean literally, I was wincing due to the pervasive flashy strobe light effects and the jittery jump shots that left me wondering if they were in the middle of a caffeine bender or if they edited it that way on purpose. Seriously, I felt at times as though I was watching a documentary about raves. The film did have some good moments, though few and far between. It's a decent little production if you factor in that they only had 10 days to film it, and if you aren't expected a film based on an Ambrose Bierce short story of the same name.
Oldeuboi (2003)
Great film, just don't watch the dubbed version!
My summary sums it up me thinks. Very enjoyable movie, keeps one interested and thinking through out. The English dubbing was enough to make me want to turn it off, so thank bob for subtitles. I give it a 9 out of 10 and will be checking out Mr. Parks other work. The special features are quality entertainment, especially the extended opening sequence. (the lead does some genius improv). I read a couple reviews in which the writer said the dialogue was poppy/corny/cliché or some suchness, but I have to disagree here. The dialogue served it's purpose for the film (noirish narration at times), and there were some genuinely funny lines. There are enough fight scenes to keep your average action movie buff interested, and plot twists aplenty for those who like to use their brains at the cinema. Enjoy!
Running Scared (2006)
All flash and no bang
Wow, I was a bit dubious to when I saw the DVD case at Blockbuster and the quote from a Maxim magazine writer saying that this movie made Kill Bill look like Sesame street. Now, generally review quotes like that are all a bunch of hype BS because any legitimate movie critic gave the film a poor review. By legitimate I mean both respected within the industry and not associated with the production company. Anyway, a good friend recommended the flick, so I figured what the hey? Turns out I should've trusted my instincts in assuming any movie with a review quote from Maxim magazine was not worth sitting through. Not only is it in no way comparable to Kill Bill (or any Tarintino Film), but it is a down right ridiculous movie poorly disguised with slick action film shots,an overkill of inane profanity filled dialogue, and a plot too disjointed and random to take seriously. Yet the film does try to take itself seriously and expects the viewer to do the same. Unlike Kill Bill, or even Sin City (both of which have a intentional hoaky comic-bookish feel), Running Scared has no believability though tries to pass as believable or at least plausible. The writer/director apparently overlooked this and thought the audience would as well due to the sheer manic pace. My advice, don't bother. Just another get-rich-quick-and-never-mind-the-quality-of-the-film. All flash and no bang. I gave it a 4 out of 10. To me that means not as bad as Police Academy Part Five, but cutting it close.