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jonplauritzen
Reviews
Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009)
Not fit for "straight to DVD". Should be labeled, "High School Video Production!"
Not even a couple of hours of watching Erica Durance could save this movie. It had all the potential to be a fun and entertaining Sci-Fi flick but fell flat on its face. The actors gave credible performances, the accents weren't too distracting, and the story twist had some promise as well. None of it could breathe life into the amateur production levels. Action scenes looked like they were choreographed in a high school drama class. There's no flow to this movie. Sequences are choppy and the direction lacks vision, passion and accepts uncharacteristic shoddy work from cinematography, to lighting, to sound, etc., etc. Unless you have nothing productive to do with a couple of hours, this is one to be skipped.
Underworld: Awakening (2012)
Tired cliché effects hamper good acting and a good story.
Having enjoyed the previous iterations of the Underworld franchise, I was anxiously awaiting this most recent installment. The quality of the cast is strong, the writing is generally substantive, and the story is a compelling one. Where the film failed for me fell right in the lap of the director and the cinematographers. The incessant flashing white lights throughout the movie are a cheap, sloppy vehicle to attempt to create an atmosphere of impending danger and suspense.
Why is it that in a high security facility like Antigen, when a disturbance occurs on one floor of the building, the fluorescent lights all begin to flash on and off everywhere in the building? The use of the flashing lights was so overdone that it ruined the rest of the film for me. I made a concerted effort to block out the flashes, particularly in scenes where there was no plausible reason why the lights would be flashing, but to no avail.
This directorial combo will be one to avoid in future films. Lazy and uninspired; they blew an opportunity to make an exceptional film.