TTKKane's Reviews

The Collection (II) (2012)

8/10

11 May 2013

Literally I finished the movie 2 seconds before writing this. I feel this is a post that I must publish right away, before the effects wear off.

The Collector was a Saw clone (as I'm sure you realize from who made it)...not that bad, but a strong need for the suspension of disbelief. All in all a nice time filler, nothing more.

The Collection...Holy *beep*. This received a theater release?? Oh yes it did! My mind is spinning. What the *beep* did I just watch? Was is meant to be serious? From the deepest depths of my heart I hope so.

Not since The Wicker Man remake have I seen such terrible writing. It was truly obscene. But (if I believed in one) god help me, I couldn't stop watching! The opening reminded me of Ghost Ship...total carnage. But unlike Ghost Ship it did not drift away into utter boredom. No sir. Not at all.

Paper thin characters, who's motivations are so flimsy that it beggars belief. Situations that are so contrived that I though someone had sat a million retarded monkeys in front of a million typewriters to churn this out.

It's my birthday tomorrow and I feel like I'm been given some premature gift wrapped up in insanity with a bow of incompetence.

I would start to deconstruct it, and point out every single thing which was hilariously bad, but I fear eternity may have a time limit.

Should you watch it? That depends. I'm seriously considering buying this total piece of *beep* for the sheer entertainment value. Its *beep* TERRIBLE, but conversely its BRILLIANT.

Maybe too many vodka and cokes, but this piece of madness has captured my heart in a way few movies have.

**takes deep breathes** My 8/10 has to be taken in view of my review. Its not like a normal 8/10!

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Gutterballs (2008)

8/10

Bowled over!

2 April 2008

Well, I just finished watching Gutterballs.

To set up this mini-review I'll start by saying that Ryans previous movie, Live Feed was enjoyable. However it did have quite a few problems that really hurt the overall movie...the acting was sub-par on most counts, the script wasn't the greatest and some of the direction needed improvement. Don't get me wrong, LF is a fun little movie for genre fans So, did Ryan correct all these problems? Is Gutterballs better than LF? The answer is mostly and definitely.

Gutterballs is a throw back to the older exploitation flicks with a good helping of Troma-esquire fun.

Firstly the overall acting is much better. Alastair Gamble plays the ultimate bully boy...and does a great job in particular. The rest of the cast do either passable or above average as far as acting.

The script is a huge improvement...sure its far from perfect, but there are some great one-liners...again its quite Troma in that respect (oh and I mean the good Troma flicks). Nathan Dashwood as The Janitor gets some funny lines, and delivers them very well.

The direction again is much better. The overall look of the film is quite good, despite the low budget.

A special mention has to go to the soundtrack...the 80's music adds a lot to the flick IMO.

Alright...what about the plot? The gore etc? Well the plot is really a quite simple slasher one, though is perhaps not as obvious as you may think. It moves at a good pace, but really ups the killings towards the end.

OK, is it shocking? Well, as a seasoned horror fan, there certainly is some eye opening moments. We get an extended multiple rape scene, male and female nudity (which becomes very graphic at certain points), some very inventive and nasty deaths (with some great FX) and mutilations that may leave you squirming.

Gutterballs succeeds in its mission. It brings back the memories of old school exploitation but is a lot of fun at the same time.

Recommended to horror fans who like a bit of rough from time to time....and who like a laugh.

8/10

PS If their were an award for "Most creative costume for a Killer", I'd vote for Gutterballs....its freakin' awesome :-)

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The Dentist (1996)

8/10

The Doctor will see you now...

16 August 2007

I'm surprised no-one has thought of doing a movie like this before. Horror is often most effective when it uses real life unpleasantness as a theme. And nobody (except for Steve Martin in The Little Shop of Horrors) likes going to the dentist. Tooth torture has been done before (see The Marathan Man for example), but this brings the terror into suburbia.

The plot revolves around a dentist, Dr. Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen), who descends into madness. Now our dear doctor wasn't playing with a full deck to begin with, but driven by jealousy and an obsessive-compulsive disorder he begins to reek havoc on those around him. The doctors spiraling mental condition is kinda close to what we see in Micheal Douglas's character in Falling Down, but with a horror edge.

Written and directed by horror stalwarts Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, its witty and has a great flow. Also featured playing a cop, is the ever welcome Ken Foree.

Now I believe this movie would not work without the absolutely fantastic performance from Corbin Bernsen. Having really only seen him in LA Law before, I was blown away by his acting.

The sequel The Dentist 2 is also worth watching, but slightly under par compared to the original.

TTKK's Bottomline - A fun movie with some scenes that will make you cringe, capped (pun intended) by a great performance from Bernsen

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Death Machine (1994)

8/10

Superb straight to video - capped by Dourif's excellent performance

16 August 2007

When people ask "What are some good straight to video horrors?", Death Machine is usually top of my list. Its a great blend of sci-fi/horror that borrows heavily from others but still emerges as a cool flick nonetheless.

The simplified plot leaves some good guys (and gal) trying to stay alive in a sealed corporate skyscraper, while being hunted by a robot controlled by the fantastically OTT Brad Dourif. There are a few sub-plots to keep things interesting between the characters.

The heroine of the piece is the very cute Ely Pouget, who gives a terrific performance. She is joined by a couple of would-be terrorists - Martin McDougall and John Sharian (who some may recognize from his role in The Machinist).

The plot is good, if a little far-fetched (hey I did say this was sci-fi/horror), and director Stephen Norrington skillfully constructs an effective sense of fear with tongue-in-cheek humor, which belies this being his first time at the helm (he would later go on to direct Blade and the less-than-stellar The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).

The effects are very good for what must have been a small budget, and the robot (which is reminiscent of a alien/terminator hybrid) is well designed.

There are "strong influences" from movies such as Universal Soldier, Alien and Hardware...and most of the death scenes are quite vicious, though its not really that gory. Also many of the characters are named after horror directors - John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Scott Ridley etc - not so much as a wink to them but rather a 10 foot neon sign - but it kinda adds to the charm.

Final word goes out to Mr Dourif, who steals every scene he is in. He's funny, creepy, pathetic and totally manic. I have a feeling Norrington just let Dourif go wild in the role.

TTKK's Bottomline - If you like sci-fi/horror mixed with a bit of cheese and some laughs, you can't go wrong with Death Machine

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Ebola Syndrome (1996)

9/10

Anthony Wong does it again! 9/10

15 August 2007

Well hot on the heels of my pimping mini-review of The Untold Story comes.. The Ebola Syndrome.

Well I'll start by saying that TUS and TES are very similar - both directed by Herman Yau, both starring Anthony Wong and really both have a similar premise. What sets this apart is Anthony Wongs self-destructive (or maybe...other-people destructive ) rampage certainly has a lot more dark humor.

Where the more awkward comedy from TUS comes from the cops, Anthony Wong himself is the chief buffoon. However, along with the comedy elements, he is certainly more creepy and disgusting than in TUS (where he is simply more psychotic).

The basis of the story is that Wong's character is on the run, gets a job an African restaurant, and contracts the flesh eating virus through nefarious means. Do not fret yet for Mr Wong, he is the one in a however-million people that spreads the disease without being affected by it. Being more than slightly deranged he causes havoc throughout the movie, murdering, raping and spreading the virus.

I would rate this only slightly below The Untold Story, but both are essential viewing. Not for the squeamish or easily offended though.

TTKK's Bottomline - Here is a section from the memorable quotes page on here - Kai San: With a butcher's knife in his hand he runs through the streets of Hong Kong in the brightest daylight and screams: Ebola! Ebooola! Ebooooooollllllaaa! If that doesn't want to make you see it, go back to watching The Fog remake...

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The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story (1993)

10/10

Pure horror gold, Anthony Wong is outstanding

13 July 2007

The first Cat III movie I ever watched. Wow, I was blown away by this one. I know this certainly has some love on the board (in fact I can't remember anyone saying they didn't like it, that has watched it) but I believe this deserves more recognition and a wider audience.

The subject matter is probably not for everyones..(ahem)..taste - featuring cannibalism, rape, child killing and brutal violence, however director Herman Yau and writer Law Kam Fai have created a horror masterpiece. The story is grisly and Yau doesn't turn the camera away from most of the violence. Its visceral and shocking and for me a breath of fresh air.

The story is rather simple, a psychotic goes on the run and ends up working in (or maybe owning??) a restaurant. Although he is not stupid, he cannot control his murderous urges to try and claim, what he believes, is rightfully his. I won't go any farther with plot details as its more fun finding out by yourself

Some people view the "comedic" parts involving the police (most notably a female police officer who is continually harassed by her male colleagues - although at times she gives as good as she gets) to be out of place and ham fisted. While I couldn't really argue too much with that, I thought it gave some light relief from the deadly serious tone of the rest of the movie. It certainly didn't detract too much for me anyway.

Finally, I believe that this movie would not be anywhere near successful without Anthony Wong. He was the deal breaker. He won a Hong Kong Film Award for his performance and absolutely deserved it. I really can't tell you how impressed I was with his performance, but you need to see it for yourself. Outstanding.

TTKK's Bottomline - If you can..(ahem)..stomach the subject matter, this movie is pure horror gold.

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Alligator (1980)

10/10

Jaws goes to suburbia

13 July 2007

This is the movie that Lake Placid wanted to be.

After the massive wave (pun intended) of underwater horrors that Jaws had created, Alligator is the best in my opinion. Sure there were a number of others that deserve recognition (Piranha, Jaws 2, Orca), but Alligator swallows them all up.

The reason is that its both sharply witty and frightening at the same time (which is a hard thing to achieve). The acting is good, with Robert Forster ringing the alarm bells about an over-sized gator living in the sewers. Our poor old gator was flushed down a toilet as a baby (you'd be a bit mad too...) and after feasting on some dumped lab animals grows to over 30 feet and is ready for some human munchies.

As for the effects, they're done really well. Direction is very good and the script is way above average for this type of fare.

TTKK's Bottomline - Alligator does for swimming pools (and suburbia) what Jaws done for the beach. Highly recommended for those looking for aquatic thrills.

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Phantoms (1998)

8/10

Better than Ben Aflleck

13 July 2007

know this isn't very well liked and I'm sure thats got something to do with Ben Affleck sleepwalking his way through the flick.

It begins with two sisters (Rose McGowan & Joanna Going) returning to their home town. However when they get there, its deserted. There is no long build up to getting to the creepiness of the town where it seems the whole population have met a nasty end. I remember thinking how similar it was to Silent Hill (which I had played not too long before watching it). They try to leave but their car won't start...and they end up meeting some police officers (the aforementioned Affleck, the delightfully creepy Liev Schrieber...and ummm some other actor).

As they try and find the cause of the disappearance there are ghost like voices and strange "phantoms". Linked into the plot and the second half of the movie is a professor who has written about mass dissapearances throughout history (Peter O'Toole who hams it up wonderfully).

The second half is similar to the second half of the remake of The Blob with the army called in to help find the cause.

Again, I won't mention the full plot, but its kinda out there.

TTKK's Bottom Line - Try and forget Affleck's in it (and don't be put off by the terrible DVD cover). Its a very imaginative and creepy sci-fi/horror.

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The Legend of Hell House (1973)

9/10

Classic Haunted House Movie

13 July 2007

Both this and The Haunting, to me, are the epitome of great haunted house movies. Unfortunately TLOHH seem to have been left behind a bit compared to The Haunting (there's not even a remake!!).

I am bringing the movie up as I've just finished reading the book and was impressed by how much the movie stayed true to it (well I believe Richard Matheson also wrote the screenplay which would explain a lot).

The premise is very similar to The Haunting...a scientist, his wife, and two pychics go to investigate the possibility of ghosts at the bequest of an aging millionaire who wants to know if there is life after death. The direction is sharp and the acting is good (with the exception of Roddy McDowall who is outstanding).

It is very creepy and intelligently written. You're never quite sure what will happen next.

I won't delve into the plot any farther, its better to discover it yourself.

TTKK's Bottom Line - Hopefully it stays a somewhat "hidden" classic....I don't want another remake a la The Haunting.

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Hostel (2005)

7/10

Quite good surprisingly!

17 January 2006

Warning: Spoilers

Let me pre-empt this by saying that I was in no hurry to see this movie. I hated Roths previous flick, Cabin Fever - unlikable characters, poor script and not much horror. I decided to watch Hostel really only because there was nothing else I wanted to see at the theater, plus some of the hype probably got to me as well....

That being said, I think the hype (and marketing) they created is somewhat of a downfall to the reviews I have read here. This movie does not do well to the general public. People disgusted, walking out of the theater, too much nudity, too much gore. Well, really what were they expecting? I believe if this had been shown in a smaller number of theaters, with little or no publicity, it would be an underground hit, garnishing more good reviews by the horror fan base.

****************MAJOR SPOILERS****************************************

Anyway, I thought that I'd add my two cents worth. As other reviews have testimented, this really is a movie of two halves. The first being a Eurotrip kinda sex n' drugs road trip, introducing the characters and the foreign soil. The second is a frightening glimpse of sadism and retribution. However really it should be seen as having three parts...the last being a revenge piece.

So, the first part bring the audience 3 happy-go-lucky guys, 2 American and 1 Icelandic traveling in Europe in the search of girls to hump and dump. This section has a few laughs and lots of nudity. One thing is that Roth seems to be looking for a realistic feel to this movie, but all the girls (naked most of the time!) are super hot model types. I guess this is pandering to the target audience (also see Cabin Fever), but doesn't exactly help the realism.

Lets move on to the real meat and bones of the movie.....The guys do not realize that they have fallen into a "honey trap" and the girls that they meet in the titular Hostel are selling them into torture and death. A lot has been said of the torture scenes - I personally didn't find them shocking, but they were effective. What is really scary is that I'm sure this does go on in places in the world, and the movie's premise is feasible. Our villains of the piece are frightening as they appear so ordinary. They do not have super powers, return to life after being killed or any of the other horror clichés. They range from the creep on the train to the local police and the feeling of helplessness of being somewhere where nobody will come to your aid is palpable.

Once the torture is out of the way, it changes to a revenge flick where the protagonist gets back at the people who hurt him and killed his friends.

Let me first tell you some of the issues I had with this flick -

We do not see what happened to the "King of Swing" - just that he was dead - a missed opportunity I think. Too long of a build up - the first section could have been trimmed without losing any building of the characters. The pack of kids seemed like an afterthought, and didn't really fit in. Too many coincidences when the lead is getting his revenge - the American guy torturing the Asian girl is the one he met, having the 2 girls and the guy they met in Amsterdam standing in front of his car and finally meeting the guy on the train again.

*************************END OF SPOILERS********************************

Overall I think this is a massive step up for Roth and I may actually be excited to see his next movie. His writing and directing have both improved. This movie is not really that shocking to anyone who has an affinity to horror's, but it does have a lasting effect. It's one of those movies that gets better the more you think of it, after you have seen the movie.

I also want to reply to some of the comments I have read about this swing towards torture scenes in movies and how terrible it is...... there have been torture scenes in many, many movies throughout the years. It's nothing new - for example (off the top of my head) mainstream movies such as Pulp Fiction, Rambo, The Passion of the Christ (which has much more brutal and more detailed scenes), Payback, Casino, Goodfellas, The Marathon Man, Brazil, Robocop, Scarface to name but a few. And none of those are classed as horror movies!!

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Inherit the Wind (1960)

10/10

An absolute classic

14 February 2004

Unfortunately I only saw this film recently...I wish I had seen it a long time ago. In my opinion it truly is a classic in every sense. The direction, script and acting are all spot on. Everything about this film works and Spencer Tracey is fantastic. I'd recommend this for everyone.

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