Reviews

Anyone who compares Charlize's Aeon Flux to Halle Berry's Catwoman should be punched in the face. Catwoman was just stupid, where Aeon Flux is not for stupid people. The only mistake that Aeon Flux made was assuming slightly intelligent people were going to be watching it. Get off the bandwagon and form your own opinion.

Being a fan of the original Cartoon, my only disappointment was that there was not enough of the over the top unbelievable acrobatics. But really, other than that, the story (regardless of what the reviews say) is there, and pretty sound, and pretty interesting. It makes sense and holds up to Sci-Fi standards. In fact, this is one hell of a SciFi film, filled with fantastic elements, that, through visuals rather than dialogue, are explained, pretty clearly (IE: She takes a pill, the pill delivers a message to her brain. Rather than "Character A" taking time out of the story to say "Okay Aeon, you take this pill, and then you'll be able to communicate with out rebel leader.") There are plenty of surreal elements that keep the film true to its roots, but its also a lot tamer than the animated versions (like Aeon dying in every short film of the second set of animated shorts from Liquid Television). The movie is quite enjoyable, and if you like science fiction at all, then you should not have any problems sinking into the world that is created for the film. And as with a lot of really good science fiction, there is a pretty good social commentary to go along with it, but to tell you what that is would give away some interesting plot points...

I had been waiting to comment on the show until we had finished watching the whole series, and last night we finally watched the last episode. Why'd it take us so long you ask? Because we wanted to drag those few 13 episodes out as long as we could. The show, is nothing short of comedic genius on a sarcastically bent level. The premise of the show is that inanimate objects begin to talk to Jaye (our protagonist). What initially starts from a Wax Lion giving a random command for Jaye to do something, starts a chain of events that evolves into bigger picture result that benefits somebody in the greater pattern of life.

The show is hilarious and brilliantly acted. Sadly, it was never given the chance to build a TV audience, as is the problem with network programming... and yet, how much crap is still on the air? Seriously, I've said it before, why is Two and a Half Men still on the air--no wait, let me rephrase the question... why is Two and a Half Men still in the top Ten?!?!?!? But thankfully, like with many shows that are axed before their time, its found new life on DVD. And even though there are only 13 episodes in total, nearly all of the story arcs reach a very satisfying conclusion at the end of the series, which makes the show almost play out like an extended mini-series.

Do yourself a favor, America. Seriously. Go out and buy Wonderfalls... if you can't buy it, rent it! Watch it. You won't be sorry!

Had I been flipping channels and this had popped up on the Discovery Channel, I would have stopped to watch. Now is this really worth a theatrical release and all of they accompanying hype? Not so much. I was really expecting some spectacular visuals and camera work, but it all seemed a little marginal. As far as a "story", there wasn't enough give for any compassion. Did I cry when the chicks were being attacked by the Albatross? No, and the Penguin mothers didn't seem to care much either. As far as a "documentary", it did not deliver enough information. I was left with far more questions. The documentary definitely had some interesting facts(?) but it was no where as moving as its being hyped up to be.

If this film were not titled "The Eye 2" it might have been more interesting to me. But being tagged as a sequel to a truly creepy film, it had a lot to prove, and fell short on several fronts. The scares were typical 80's style "jolts" (turn, see ghost, loud spike in the score), and no where near as effective as say the "Elevator Scene" in the first film. The plot seemed very... loose. As plot points were separated by non-related and pointless jolting moments. Some of the moments were interesting (like the scene at the bus stop when she bends down to pick up the coin... ) but they didn't relate to the story as a whole, other than that she saw ghosts. The film fails as a sequel, and only mildly works as a non-related story. Skip this one and re-watch the original.

The game isn't the best or most innovative game. By gaming standards, its marginal, fun, but nothing remarkable. Now you throw in all the Futurama elements, and this game is hilarious! I have never laughed out loud so much during a game before! There seemed to be so many references thrown through the game (The junk in everybodys lockers at Planet Express, the "Space Jockey" from Alien in the Bender area... brilliant!). The animation of the cut scenes was okay, but it really took second base to the comedy. The only thing missing, sadly, was Zap Brannigan... though I do love Mom as the evil tyrant! All in all a decent outing, totally worth playing! It seemed to be over too quickly, though it played it roughly 10hrs, I just didn't want it to end!

This movie was super fun, and I totally enjoyed it. I was not expecting the dark mastery of Alien 3, but rather the exciting pace of Aliens/Predator 2. More action than horror. In that regard I was not disappointed. Yes, it was a fluff movie. Yea, it would have been nice to have more character development, but hell the movie is called "Alien Vs. Predator", not "Humanity vs Multiple Bad ass Alien Species." For human drama, watch the Assembly Cut of Alien 3. Otherwise, this movie was great fun. The fight scenes between the Aliens and the Predator were exciting and ass kicking!

To be overly critical of the film (complaining about the rating, and just hating it even before it was released) is exactly that, overly critical. This isn't supposed to be some grand thought provoking film. The term "Popcorn Movie" springs to mind. And all in all, it was better than Alien Resurrection (seriously, not to beat a dead horse, but who approved the Newborn?)... so...

Clearly, Anderson put some thought into the film in regards to keeping it honerable to the others. The quiet tinging hanging chains that seem to make their way into EVERY Alien film for example to Weyland playing with the pen ala Bishop with the knife. Subtle, but there.

My only complaint was that the incubation period of the Alien was too fast. Less then 10 minutes and the Chestbusrters were coming out! There was a post in the discussion board with a comment from Anderson stating that this was explained in footage that was cut from the theatrical release. Surely this will appear on a "Unrated" DVD edition when it becomes available.

See the film for what it is. Not Alien 5, not Predator 3... but a different film all together. One the is true to the science (if indeed the short incubation period is explained) of the other films, but is itself a different film all together!

I am not completely against adaptions or remakes, and I was interested when I heard that there was going to be a remake of The Kingdom. However, when I heard that Stephen King had penned it, I was very concerned.

I watched the first hour on the new mini-series, and thought this is absolutely insulting. The remake had none of the 'creep' factor that the original had. The original grainy and dark visual was thrown out for higher production values, which in turn hurt the look and feel. Gone was all building of tension, we see little ghosts running around all over in the first few minutes, clearly a sign of trying too hard ("Look at how creepy this is! Thats a ghost! And theres another! Creepy huh?"... no, its not).

With in the hospital we hardly get to know any of the characters (remember I am going on only the first hour). And really, how self-indulgent is it to give a character who is essentially based on yourself the most screen time? The Down Syndrome kitchen workers are no longer mysterious 'voices' in tune with the events of the hospital, but a pair of fools play fighting with broomsticks! King goes for the gore and shock over the tension and creepiness the original was so filled with. That makes this remake bland and unremarkable.

Watch the original, and even if you can't, don't bother with this incarnation.

3/10

This movie was marginal at best. The story, I am not sure how closely it resembles the novel, was stereotypical and all in all pretty flat. The cast seemed to walk through their roles, aside from Tim Robbins (playing the only character with any dynamic), who seemed to be the only one acting in this movie. Sorry, Sean Penn playing the 'tough uneducated thug' does not branch out of his proverbial palette any. There was a complete lack of chemistry between Fishburne and Bacon, and I feel the parts could have been filled in by any card carrying SAG member. The ADR was blatant at times, having the audio dip so out of the scene really removes the viewer and hurts the performance of the actors. Also there were so many non-matching editing cuts I thought I was watching an episode of Friends. On the up side, the cinematography was very nice, and some of the shot compositions were fantastic, but thats really all the movie had going for it. I feel like the last 20 minutes (it may have been less than 20 minutes, but it certainly felt like 30) of the movie could have just been lopped off because no additional information given or resolution was achieved.

This movie is horrible. Suffering from so many horror cliches you lose count within the first 5 minutes. If only we could take all those cliches [the first victim we see is: a)Hunting where hunting is prohibited b)Drinking booze in his car c)Smoking pot... if only he where having premarital sex at the same time it would have been spot on] and dump them into one of the many plot holes. I can just picture the director sitting down with the DP reading a "Horror Movies For Dummies" Book.

"Okay, lets have a shot of a bloody knife!" "Yeah, totally, thats creepy!" "And then like a shot with a bag of blood." "Why?" "No reason" "AWESOME! Lets do it!"

Michelle Maryk is horrible and delivers her lines with less enthusiasm than a napkin. Is she frightened, pleasantly intrigued, or just bored with delivering dialogue that is so painfully unnatural? You decide! And poor Robert Guillaume, who did he kill to get roped into this project?

If I can save just one person from wasting their time on movie, I will have succeeded. It doesn't even become so bad that its entertaining (a la "Showgirls") its just BAD.

This movie is a summer movie that is not trying to be anything but entertaining. And in that, it succeeds greatly! Angelina is, without a doubt, perfect as Lara Croft. I cannot imagine anyone else in the role. The story in the second installment was more solid that the plot of the first. Terry added a little history to Lara's character, giving her a little depth. Unfortunately his character didn't have much of an arch at the end of the movie, which is not much of a surprise given the little 'clues' in his behavior throughout the movie. I'm glad that Lara did what needed to be done in taking care of him. I would have been disappointed if it played out any other way. My only complaint is the 'action' sequence in Shanghai. The music and pacing of the editing made this sequence slow and muddled. It just didn't fit in with the rest of the movie, nor did it work in tension building. Other than that, the movie was fun. Exactly what I expected it to be!

9/10 www.5-8-5.net

This movie was very creepy at times, but conversely, very cheesy at times. Specifically the use of the score was what hindered it at times. I've noticed this in several Chinese movies, sort of the over the top Yanni type music during 'sensitive emotional' scenes. But over all, that was my only issue with the film. It seems quite the trend to compare the movie to The Ring, though they are totally different stories, from different countries. The movie is more like Sixth Sense if any comparisons are to be made. Though I found The Sixth Sense and The Ring far more suspenseful and tense, The Eye was creepier than Ringu. The elevator scene is enough to drive anyone batty!

8/10 [5-8-5.net]

This movie was not all that I had hoped for. The potential was there for a moderate horror movie, but it did not deliver. The 'inbred mutation' story line has been done to death. There are certain things I can forgive as far as plot holes go as well, but there are things that are just too gaping to ignore. They call the Forest Ranger with the radio in the watch tower. The watch tower catches fire. Seems to me like a fire would have been spotted by a Forest Ranger who would have been on a higher state of alert (as a result of the radio call). To go so far as to have the ranger say (in the morning) "We've been looking for you all night" right before he gets offed is just lame! No you werent looking all night cause there was a big ass fire that you totally skipped over! And the "oh its not over yet" ending was just tired. This is to 80's horror was House of 1000 Corpses was to 70's horror... but at least 70's horror was... well, Horror! Rent this if you have nothing else to do, and House of 1000 Corpses is checked out.

3/10 [5-8-5.net]

Im not saying the film was horrible, or even bad, it was good, but I wouldn't say great. It is worth seeing, but don't expect to be blown away.

The set up of the film was excellent. How everything tied together. IE: Everyone being trapped at a motel due to the actions of the prostitute, the Serial Killers mother being a prostitute who left him in a motel. The little details were leading up to something very interesting. The vibe of the film was excellent (until the twist). The constant down pour, the dirty motel, the coming together of the characters, the unravel of the mystery, the dwindling of the cast, all of these elements were great. The (not too inventive) twist however, just let me not caring. Upon realizing all the characters were just in somebody's head, I didn't care for the characters at all. Its hard to have 'sympathy' for the characters that are just in somebodys head (yes I am aware of how ridiculous that sounds while commenting on a work of fiction :). And the montage of the little boy at the end was neither freaky nor scary. The movie was interesting, and very well done (aside from the one or two minor criticisms), just don't expect to be awed.

7/10

I've been a faithful fan of the Hellraiser series from the get go. I, along with every other fan, was disappointed with the 'slapped' together job of 'Bloodline', there was so much potential there, but it fell flat. I had no expectations for 'Inferno,' and after renting it, was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it a lot. It was refreshing to see the series take a new direction rather than a continuation of 'Who is Pinhead?', 'Where did come from?', 'How do we stop Pinhead?' The previous movies established that, and it doesn't need to be rehashed any further. I really loved the idea of one mans dealings with 'Hell.' After all, 'Hell' is supposed to be timeless, so its nice to actually see that Pinhead has a life outside of Kirsty Cotton! It reminded me of the short lived comic book anthology series (which had some good stories in it). When 'Hellseeker' came out, I was excited to see it, but was actually a little let down. I found 'Inferno' far more compelling. I think the reappearance of Kirsty was not as played out as well as it could have been. The 'deal making' scene between Pinhead and Kirsty was awkward, failing to capture the Kirstys fear and urgency and Pinheads 'Kooler than Jesus' attitude that they had in their previous encounter. And Kirstys offering of five souls seemed a little too much out of character. By the way, how the heck did she get out of the asylum? All in all, it was mildly entertaining, and worthy of a rental if 'Inferno' is not available.

6/10

5-8-5.net

After the extreme disappointment of 'Bloodline', I had no expectations for 'Inferno' and was curious to see where they decide to take the franchise. After watching it, I found myself pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed the film very much and found it far superior than 'Bloodline.' The new 'anthology' direction was refreshing, as we all well know the history of Pinhead and the story of the Cenobites, and what happened to Kirsty Cotton, so its time to move on. It was nice to see another version of 'Hell' as the tormented soul of a crooked cop is dragged into madness. This is what the Hellraiser series should be. Assorted stories of different people combating their personal demons. This made me think of the short lived 'graphic novel' anthology series which actually had some very compelling stories.

7/10

5-8-5.net

Jason X was fun. It wasn't film making at its finest, but the thing is, it wasn't trying to be! It was just trying to be a throwback slasher movie, and in that, it succeeded greatly. The film is self aware of its camp value (remember the 'Holodeck' of Camp Crystal Lake? Come on! That was great fun! "We love premarital sex"). Thats why it was entertaining! Everyone knows what they are in for when they go to see this type of movie (the teens having sex... they get it. The girl dressed like a tramp... she gets it), and it delivers without taking itself seriously.

The intro of the film definitely set up a great mythology, and was shot in a very interesting way. I loved how the mask she wore was made of Porcelain. Then the 'back story' of the protagonist was creepy, and suspenseful. Who hasn't sat in bed staring at the dark corner of the room imagining things that are not there. It successfully tapped into that fear. But then rest of the movie happened. Honestly, this movie was awful once it started in 'present day.' It suffered from EVERY 'Friday the 13th' type of cliche (even the damned cat jumping on the car). Even 'Jason X' was better than this, at least it was self-aware and not trying to be anything else (the 'holodeck' scene of Crystal Lake was hilarious! And it was supposed to be!). The characters were all paper thin cookie cutter, and the dialogue was just ridiculous. Beyond the first 10 minutes, this movie isn't worth the dollar to rent.

I don't know why everyone goes on about how bad this show was, it was excellent. It was a totally different type of Star Trek, which is why most people had a problem with it, it wasn't a carbon copy of Next Gen! Thats exactly why this show was awesome. It started out a little slow, but totally built up its momentum and devoloped some fun characters! Dont believe the negative hype, Voyager is great!

From the opening credits this show is nothing but a plagiarization of other excellent shows. The show was recommended to my by several people who mentioned that it was similar to "Twin Peaks." I started to watch the show about three episodes in. I was not lost on the 'events' and the 'progress' of the main story, though I had a difficult time maintaining interest. None of the characters were at all likeable and the show was trying too hard to be something it wasn't.