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RainofMagic
Reviews
King Cobra (1999)
Snake movies are the worst..
I'd like to start this off by saying that it's my personal belief snake-based movies are one of the lowest forms of sci-fi/thriller genre movies ever. "King Cobra" is absolutely no better than any other snake movie I've seen. In many ways, it's even worse.. I guess we should start with the acting. A possible savior in lesser-known, low-budget clichés. Well to skip an overly long summary, it was pretty mediocre on all accounts. Most characters have little actual dialog, little personality, and very little background. They're all extremely bland, and have little to separate themselves from each other. Pat Morita is probably the best in the movie, which isn't really saying much.
Next up would be the effects. Very crappy CGI is notable from almost the start. Most of the snake effects are slow and unrealistic considering they're always mentioning how "fast and evasive" it's supposed to be. It comes off as weird when you see the actual 'snake' have the reflexes and alertness of a retarded turtle. Last would be the plot. Which you can't expect a whole lot from in a giant terrorizing snake movie. However, whatever little was there was not implemented well whatsoever. The whole "hybrid" thing is barely mentioned even though it's the main trait of the snake.
I'd be really surprised if this wasn't commonly found in a bargain bin, or a pawn shop somewhere. It's really that bad. 1/10, although should be lower for the wasted money spent on it..
Heroes (2006)
Always leaves me wanting more.
I have to admit, Heroes is probably the first weekly series that I have watched entirely through without missing an episode. I guess it's granted that not every episode is perfect, and some can leave you with a taste of "filler" in your mouth. But overall this is an excellent show. I'm very glad to see that a program with a Sci-fi element is getting such great viewing, as that seems to be quite rare.
At first I was a bit skeptical and unsure what to expect. A fusion of drama and Sci-fi has been done before, and I was unsure about the originality the series would hold. However, Heroes has exceeded my expectations at almost every turn. The plots are very deep and require a decent amount of thought and speculation to be understood correctly. Most characters are well developed, and the show doesn't seem to put too much focus on any one (or few) characters.
Overall, I would safely call Heroes my favorite show currently on TV. If you haven't seen it yet, WATCH IT! Even if it's just one episode, most episodes are filled with plot discovery and new twists, and generally some pretty decent drama and action. Every time I watch this show, I can't wait for the next episode. Not many shows have that effect!
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)
Great show!
Okay I know this show is considered a "children"s show. But let's be honest, some kids shows appeal to adults as well. I don't really know if I'd classify this show as a full kid's show, as there seem to be some rather adult issues and some adult humor that seem to be mixed in some of the episodes.
I know the plots aren't really too deep, but honestly, how deep can you get in 15 minute episodes? I've been watching SS for several years now, and it's still extremely enjoyable. I'd definitely recommend this series for children, and even some adults who aren't worried about watching a few cartoons.
Love Object (2003)
Interesting and Unusual Psycho-Thriller.
Just by reading the description of this movie I found it peculiar and quite original for a movie in the Psycho/Thriller/Slasher genres, and not just because of the sex doll. The thing that stands out the most to me about this movie is the fact that it shows a process of a normal-seeming person into a bizarre killer.
As the movie starts off we see a quiet, average seeming office worker named Kenneth, who seems rather bored and lonely with his life. He quickly changes from normal and lonely, to happy and well mannered. Which takes a turn for the worse when his "relationship" with Nikki goes sour, due this his belief that the doll is talking to him. Overall I think the state of mind was portrayed quite well. Kenneth does a great job in the strange transitions (and believe me there are several) in his personality.
I would highly recommend giving this movie a try. It gives a very interesting possible aspect to a killer-in-the-making. Which is difficult to find in this type of movie.
WWE Monday Night RAW (1993)
Going down "the tubes"
I've actually watched RAW and the WWE in general for a number of years now (on and off) and I have got to say this is probably one of the worst times in the WWE's history in my opinion. Where to start on the flaws on RAW, Smackdown, or any WWE entertainment.. Well first of all: the stories and plots have become quite ridiculous and clichéd over the last couple years. They're so boring now, I barely pay any attention to RAW whatsoever when it's on. If not only for the few good matches in the show. WWE continues their recent trend of misusing their talent in ways that have shocked and amazed me and most likely others as well. On RAW we have Edge as the constant champion/contender and John Cena obtaining title shots left and right no matter how washed up he is in his short wrestling career. Shawn Michaels and Triple H in an extremely lame and played-out nostalgic version of "DX" who do nothing but prank Mr. McMahon and beat up the Spirit Squad. Umaga, a near top-biller now, who is undefeated almost entirely by unknown wrestlers who may have wrestled 3 matches total.
Smackdown had the champion as one, Rey Mysterio. Someone who weighs about 100 pounds less than any other heavyweight champion around and gained a lot of his championship support off the memory off the deceased Eddie Guerrero. Batista who is probably the most inexplicably popular "superstar" to ever grace a WWE ring. Not to mention the way the WWE has with misusing their female talent for "bikini water fights" and a ridiculous $250,000 diva search that basically states the only thing a female needs to get into the WWE is a pretty face. RAW, and the WWE in general is not how I remember it from even just a few years ago.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
One of my favorite horror films.
I know it's very rare that a near all-around decent film comes out of this genre. Especially from it's sub genre (zombies). Almost from the start this film had a lot of decent fright sequences and especially gore. One of the beginning scenes where the little girl bites Anna (Sarah)'s husband still actually freaks me out a bit. I was actually a little surprised when I first watched this film. I've learned; after watching several horror films, to lower my standards a bit when judging them. They almost always have less drama, character development, and lower-grade acting then other movies. However, this is one movie that hits above average when it comes to horror films. It is a bit overly-gory sometimes, and the characters don't really have a whole lot of background or personality. Most of them simply get picked off after having a few scenes each. That was actually the main flaw I saw in this movie. Even the main characters have little development, other than being people that came to a city mall during the zombie crisis.
The ending was rather interesting however. I mean the ending that continued even into the credits. It also seems to warrant a sequel as it's unsure if the last 4 characters survived or not.. I think I can safely say that this is one remake that at least lives up to, if not surpasses; the original. Making the zombies fast moving and slightly more intelligent than previous zombie movies was a good move in my opinion. It sort of reminded me of 28 Days Later in that aspect. The zombies are more frightening when they can actually catch someone on the run (and even keep up with moving cars!). Blood runs rampant in this movie, so it's definitely not for the weak of heart. It still remains to be one of my favorite horror movies, and an overall top-tier horror movie in my opinion.
Nightwatch (1997)
It actually surprised me..
Well I actually began watching this movie without knowing anything about it besides a short two-sentence summary that's placed on Comcast's "On Demand" feature. I had never even heard of this movie before, and honestly, I was expecting a low tier cheese-fest with little to no real acting talent or character development. I'm glad to say that I was quite surprised. Within the first 15 or so minutes it was clear that the acting was at least on par. It also had a very eerie setting (it's a morgue, so yeah..) as well as some dramatic and suspenseful buildups. The character development, especially on Ewan McGregor's character wasn't really as good as it could have been.. But it certainly was present. Even the Prostitute - Joyce, had a fair bit of character development. The actual plot itself was very good, and did a wonderful job of leading on several times. 3/4's through the movie I had at least 3 different suspects for the actual murder, however none of them turned out to be the actual murderer.. I won't give away who the killer actually is, but I think the way the killer was revealed was rather poor.. I will say that I think it's highly unlikely to those who watch this movie, that you'll guess the correct killer before they're revealed. I give it 8/10 for the good setting, suspense, and a wonderful plot that actually confuses you as to who the killer is rather than just setting it out for everyone to see.
Kansen (2004)
Very creepy..
I don't exactly agree with other comments going around that say this movie is "tired and dead". I just watched this movie for the first time about 12 hours ago, and I must say.. I was very creeped out by most of the movie. I think this movie certainly outshined other Japanese-oriented or remade horror movies. Such as "The Ring" and "The Grudge" to name a couple. This movie had a very eerie element to it. The darkened hospital, the strange patients, and of course the "infection" itself. At first I thought the movie would be much more straightforward than it turned out to be. Infected viral monster, going around killing/infecting others. Fortunately, it delivered MUCH more than that. There are references made throughout the movie (the apple for example) to give some understanding to the very confusing end. Unfortunately, it didn't really pay off. As the ending was still confusing as heck to me. Still, the psychological element to this movie, the fact that the "Infection" turns out to be a subconscious disorder rather than a physical mutation puts a twist on the entire thing. The creepy setting plays well with the odd things the nurses and doctor's end up doing. Such as putting their hands in boiling water, jabbing themselves with syringes and various other things that will make you cringe. Overall I would say this movie was above average for the current horror genre. Being that it was subtitled, it could be difficult for some people to actually watch the movie carefully and read the subtitles. If the ending had made a bit more sense, this movie would've been a bit better. The female doctor getting "Infected" when she wasn't even present for their crazed murders made no sense at all.. Anyway, I'd really recommend this movie if you're looking for a creepy chiller. I actually found that crazy old lady rather funny.
The Beast of Bray Road (2005)
Boring and Thoroughly Unpleasant
Well I just got done watching this movie, thankfully for free on the SciFi channel. I must say I feel sorry for anyone who actually paid to see this movie. Although I have learned to not really expect much from the weekend Horror movies on cable, this one is really near bottom of the barrel material. The beginning was okay, and could be considered somewhat good by horror movie terms. However there was very little building on almost any of the characters in the movie. While Phil Jenkins, does have some background/build, mostly from just a couple scenes where he revealed some information about his past; as well as Pamela's constant nickname of "big city" for him. All of the other characters just seem like cannon fodder. There to be picked off at a moment's notice. I wasn't impressed by the gore in this movie either, it wasn't in the least bit frightening. That of course, could be the effect of seeing a few hundred different horror movies. I think this movie was mostly just slapped together hurriedly with a second rate script and mediocre actors. The acting in the scene where the girl gets out of the car and is crawling across the ground while being "eaten" by the werewolf is actually laughably bad. The attempt at a good plot twist at the end was pretty lame and very predictable if you've seen any kind of horror/suspense movie similar to this one. The fact that evil thing turns out to be the main character's love interest is pretty dried up in terms of plot twists. It also seems to come very suddenly, without any building whatsoever. My overall view of this movie is that it should definitely be avoided at all costs. Unless you're an absolute die-hard werewolf or random horror fan, don't bother with this movie.