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Reviews
Taken 3 (2014)
Exciting film, better than the second
This was a good movie, about as good as the first one, though in a different sense. The 1rst wasn't a huge action film, what made it great was the dark edginess of its premise, its suspense, and glimpsing into the world of sex slavery. This one doesn't so much have those qualities, but it's entertaining as an action film, definitely better than the 2nd. Criticisms? If you nitpick at logic flaws, you might find it hard to believe that, knowing his history, the police would put Neeson in the back of a cop car that has no steel bars or glass separating him from the driver. An otherwise competent fight/shoot-out-with-a-villain scene near the end drew some unintentional giggles from the fact that the villain was in his underwear. Other than that, it's worth seeing.
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
You might enjoy it some if you're a huge fan of the first.
Not a bad movie, but not a good one, just average. Not nearly as funny as the first, which was my favorite comedy of all time. There's only two scenes in the movie when I laughed out loud. Otherwise, it's pretty well plotted and well produced, it had some interesting developments with the characters from the first. The film tried to be funny but usually wasn't, the humor was forced. They overdo the routine from the 1rst film of having the three guys all talking at the same time, it got annoying after a while. The film was at least average because the mystery/action aspect worked at least better than the film did on a comedy level.
Innerspace (1987)
Energetic, imaginative fantasy/comedy
This was a fun movie, kept a good balance between sci-fi, action, fantasy and comedy. It had a lot of imagination. It was a little more lightweight than most of the movies I like, I could tell that's the way they wanted it in a scene where the bad guys take over a lab by spraying the doctors with tranquilizer gas instead of shooting them. That may be the reason it didn't do good at the box office, it was PG around the time the PG-13 rating was becoming more lucrative. The only thing I didn't like was the scientists being shrunk at the end, it seemed a little silly. The ending kind of leaves you hanging, the producers were probably hoping the film would do well enough for a sequel. Overall, not great but good if you're looking for interesting 80's film artifacts.
Alien (1979)
In space, no one can hear you yawn
I read all the great reviews on this film and I wonder if everyone but me has lost their mind. At best, this film was average. It had some striking visuals and a few good scary scenes. The problem is, the movie takes way too long to get to those scenes. The characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue is boring and empty (and often incoherent). A lot of the movie is poorly lit, between that and obscure shots of the alien and the blinking computer lights and meaningless images on computer screens and technical talk, there were parts where I didn't know or care what was going on. Very little of it was entertaining, the majority of the film just bored me. The most overrated horror movie ever.
Parker (2013)
Good movie, fast-paced and engrossing.
Pretty good movie. Not packed with wall-to-wall action but it didn't need to be since it had a good story. The action and violence it did have was well done, overall film was well produced. Jason Statham's character was interesting in that he's a thief but reveals touches of goodness a few times in the film, unlike the villains (also thieves). The villains were not outstandingly memorable, but adequate. Story kept moving along, didn't waste time. One strange thing that stands out: in the beginning, villain tells an assassin to shoot and kill Statham while he's lying on ground. It shows the gun firing, but not where the bullet hits. Later Statham ends up in hospital. He's bloody and beaten, but it doesn't look like he's been shot in the head. Why didn't the assassin know enough to shoot Statham in the head?
Oculus (2013)
Interesting horror idea done very well
This is a good, well-done horror film, if you don't mind a grim ending (anyone who watches horror films regularly knows that's a common trend). It effectively depicts one certain character's descent into insanity. It's a little slow in the beginning, but even then builds a sense of mystery and psychological intensity - there's something strange about a certain antiquity item in the story, and the movie gradually gives us hint after hint of the strange occurrences surrounding this item. Later the activity in the movie becomes more horrific, though the movie doesn't over-rely on gore and violence. Leaves the door open for a sequel. Not quite up there with The Conjuring, but still solid horror.
No One Lives (2012)
Routine action/horror, but at least not boring
On a technical level, this movie was well made, fast-paced with good action and violence. The characters were kind of thin, though; they're bad and the story - also thin - doesn't get into why they're bad. Had gore and nudity, the typical elements for this genre (action/horror). The villain became more interesting in the things he did, and his interest in the woman he was following - I would say they should have shown the reason for his interest in her, but maybe they did, my memory of the film is a little fuzzy. The villain, however, did confuse me because a few scenes indicated that he was something more than human (like maybe a cyborg or demon)but I'm guessing he wasn't, or the story would have gotten into that. Overall, not great but pretty good.
Evilspeak (1981)
Looking for weird, obscure 80's cult horror items? This one's the jackpot.
Evilspeak isn't so bad it's good, it's better - it's so weird it's good. I watched it late at night and felt like I had died and gone to heaven. It's Carrie (bullied teen taking revenge against tormentors) meets Tron (cheesy 80's computer graphics) meets Hannibal (wild boars eating people). You have to be in the right mood for it, though. I think this is the kind of movie The Lords of Salem aspired to be but wasn't. Lords of Salem: weird but boring. Evilspeak: weird but entertaining. Film was dumb but had a lot of imagination. Had a good nude scene in it - some male nudity, too (not frontal, though - just letting female viewers know). Cooper Dick rules!
ATM (2012)
People trapped in an isolated location by an evil person/people/force, creature: familiar formula, but still effective
This is a great choice if you like horror/suspense, if you don't mind a bleak ending. It's one of those gems like Joy Ride or The Strangers that is strong on mood and tension, and isn't overly reliant on gore - though there is some gore. It implies a sequel at the end, and I was hoping there was one, which there isn't. I can understand if they don't make one, there aren't many variations you can go with about people being trapped in an ATM booth. Takes place in a dark, isolated setting, which always makes these kinds of movies effective. Like in other similar movies, the villain is mysterious and vague, we know that he's evil but we don't why, which adds to the film's creepiness. The character development is focused more on the people in the booth.