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Michael_Reed
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Parallels (2015)
Obviously a series...
I really liked this concept, and the cast is solid. I think the writing is a bit forced from time to time, but that's to be expected with the material, cast, etc...overall, I enjoyed the show.
I do believe, however, that this script was clearly written to be episodic. This 'movie' feels more like an extended pilot. Obviously this entire concept is open-ended to be episodic. It's set up perfectly for it. I was very let down to find it wasn't a pilot--I actually thought I was watching a pilot all the way up until my Google searching after the 'show.' Sad. I hope they continue this idea...if they don't I think the movie should have been written differently.
I think if done correctly this could continue to be a fun show with endless possibilities...or it could be totally ruined by bad writing. I hope they pick this up and run with it, and keep it somewhat hard sci-fi.
Nun of That (2008)
An absolute comedy treat!
I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing...that was my first impression. 'They' just don't make movies like this. From start to finish, the entire audience was belly-shaking with laughter...I'm serious, there was so much laughter that many of the back-to-back jokes were lost in the noise. And these jokes are ruthless to all, and clever as hell. Sure some might find it shocking...but that's clearly not the point of the film...it's just a badass idea: a group of supernatural vigilante nuns that take on the mob? The film is shot in standard Griffin style--very clean, well composed, with a 70's style Italian cinema look. Very pleasing on all accounts. Richard doesn't try to impress you with lenses and adapters...he rocks the old-school (ha ha) 720p with panache. The film looks good, and the lighting is superbly stylized.
The sound design and music is as usual very well put together. For a 'low budget' film, you'll find that all sound is at a professional level--ADR is good, foley is great, and custom-written music is paced and form-fit and exciting. A few times you'll notice what appear to be canned foley sound effects, but with the charm of the film, they hardly get in the way.
The acting was pretty much all-around impressive. Everybody nails their characters, and brings something interesting to the table--and pretty much every cast member seems to understand comedic timing. Even the 'extras' in this film have chops. For a micro budget film, I'm telling you, the performances were stellar. OK, so you'll occasionally find a bit of a rotten tomato...but hey, that's OK...these are rare.
I really recommend this film to everyone (unless you're easily offended and/or highly religious with no sense of humor). It's laugh-out-loud funny, and really comes together nicely in a well-paced action comedy you'll likely not forget. I honestly think this could become a NYC midnight showing cult extravaganza.
ps. Anyone that openly trashes this film (*cough* you know who you are) and has nothing positive to say, is clearly a jealous competitor or a bitter jerk. I may be bias, but there is nothing one star about this picture...that's obviously a skewed opinion from a sour source.
Cheers.
Bone Sickness (2004)
Gore & Nudity: Yah! The rest? Boo!
I've recently read a review of this picture that said: "The acting in this low-budget, independent zombie film is actually surprisingly good. All of the actors and actresses (who get completely naked!) actually give great performances and it is obvious that they really worked hard to make sure they delivered the best performance possible. Not only was there great acting..." I had to laugh. Look, I'm all for giving kudos where kudos are due...but the acting in this picture was not good...it wasn't even decent. Here is a problem with indie movies...people actually think this caliber of acting is good. Acting is just as important as lighting or sound...if its bad, the movie suffers. And it does...suffer.
Like I said, I'll give kudos where they are deserved: the gore and makeup effects in Bone Sickness are incredibly good, given the micro-budget it was shot with. Makeup artists should take note of Paulin's detail and execution. Excellent job in this category.
Another area this movie excels is in the nudity. I don't know how Paulin managed to get multiple cute girls completely naked...but he did, and I don't think they were strippers. Gore and nudity sells horror films...and the nudity in this film is a great bonus. Too bad the lead girl has to lay down to show her boobs...they are huge, and should have been shown with her standing up, not on her back. I suppose they must sag, and this was the most flattering of positions...but still, they are too big to not see standing up. The red head in the film had an especially nice figure, and she got fully nude...excellent! It's ashame that other than the nudity, gore effects, and makeup...the movie slouches to a 1 star picture. The camera they shot it on wasn't very good (certainly not HD), and the DP and lighting designer (if they had one) didn't know how to optimize picture quality. There were also far too many slow motion effects, which looked horrible and digitized--if it looks bad, don't do it, unless you absolutely have to. Paulin uses slow-mo nearly a dozen times...and they all look like crap.
The sound was passable, but still suffered from your typical no-budget film issues: blips, background noise jumping up and down, inaudible dialog...I don't imagine they used a boom once (I could be wrong).
Paulin...take my advice. Go to Hollywood and be a makeup artist--you'll do quite well for yourself. Don't direct pictures. Yes, they may sell because your gore and nudity are awesome...but the movies, storyline, acting, lighting and sound need a lot of work. It's really sad that you not only cast yourself as one of the leads, but it's even sadder that you're the most natural actor in the cast (which isn't saying much).
Sorry about the bad review. I think you need to drop directing, and focus on what you're good at: gore and makeup.
Seepage! (2005)
Loved it...
For a micro-budget movie, this was not only highly entertaining, but a laugh riot. Griffin doesn't pull the punches when it comes to remaining PC...so if you're easily offended (or even if you're not), expect to be. The film is well shot, the acting is ludicrous and over-the-top (exactly as it should be), and the writing is superb.
Many film makers try and hack their way through a story, just to push out a feature. But Scorpio Film Releasing, Richard Griffin, and Ted Marr do it with panache. Their films pull all the stops possible from a micro-budget, and one of the reasons I think their films are so damn entertaining, is not just because Griffin has been working in the industry for well over a decade, but because the cast and crew have such an awesome chemistry together--and this energy and chemistry reads to the audience.
Great, fun, hicksploitation film.
The Hapless Antiquarian (2001)
A great short...
I loved this film. The photography was fantastic, the music stellar, the performance by Scott Hoye was superb, and the Gory feel was gloriously macabre! Great film.
Penta's earlier works are only to be out shadowed by his recent projects such as, The Black Balloon, and the The Werewolf of Pawtucket. Many of Penta's works are black & white narratives and are done with a gentle grace. Easy to watch, and intriguing to the eye and ear. Hopefully soon, he will take on a full-length dialog piece. I anxiously await another Pentaworks film.
This is one triple-threat director to keep an eye on.
Blade Runner (1982)
Quite possibly the world's best Sci-Fi movie.
"Then we're stupid, and we'll die" Pris says to Roy after he tells her they are the only two andys left. Blade Runner was pulled from the fantastic dystopian sci-fi book entitled "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" written by the well-known sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick. The original book is a fantastic read, with detailed imagery, and a truly deep understanding of human nature and perversion. The movie is one of the rare cases in which it is just as superior (if not more) than the book it followed.
Harrison Ford does a fantastic job playing the hardened "Blade Runner" who makes a life of hunting down and killing escaped "skin jobs", "replicants", or in the books case "andys". The new Nexus 6 (brain unit) is a highly superior android virtually identical to a human. These Nexus 6 are not per say evil, but come across as being murderers--this is due to the fact that 1. they have a lack of "empathy", and 2. the are being hunted down like dogs. The term used to label the killing of them isn't "murder", but "retirement".
The movie has brilliant cinematography (some of the best ever) and an unbelievably creative and hyper-real dystopian environment has been created to feature a post-war world that has been seemingly destroyed, (although the cities are bustling with activity). I fear my break-down does no justice to the films superiority...I lack the literary savvy to describe such a great film.
--MR
Explorers (1985)
Fantastic, imaginative, entertaining--halfway through.
Watching Explorers as a kid, sparked all the things I loved about freedom, and adventure. I was always into space, sci-fi, computers, and aliens even at a young age, and this film does a great job geeking any kid out when it comes to science, space, and adventure. I love how one of the kids had a dream about designing a circuit board, and after creating it realizes it creates a spherical force field that has virtually no speed limit, and is impossible to slow down (blasting through an entire stack of books with ease, leaving a perfect hole).
Although, once the kids get through the testing phase of the force field, and build the ship from old carnival rides (tea-cup thingie)--the movie takes another turn. Although still fun, the writer and/or director seem to lose track of the original flare, and the movie begins to wander off into a more childish, meaningless Hollywood push-out.
Over all, the film is very entertaining. I just Netflixed it so that my girlfriend could see it, and I could reminisce. It is one of my favorite childhood movies (along side the original Neverending Story).
--MR