Reviews

If you're a horror fan who loves gore and are looking for a gory movie, go check out High Tension. If you hate cheesy movies, go rent a new release from Blockbuster. This movie is for people who like quirkiness, b-grade film-making, c-grade acting, cheesy gore and.. FUN. I get the feeling that a few people who wrote reviews for this were obviously expecting something very different. This is NOT a horror movie, only in a very broad sense could it be considered one. It is a movie that is twice as unintentionally funny as any Ed Wood movie. There is no real comedy in Color Me Blood Red but the acting and direction will have you laughing throughout. This movie defines "grindhouse". Now that I've prepared you - Go buy it.

I rated this movie 8 out of 10. It was very good at doing what it tried to do. Giving this movie a 3/10 is a joke, of course it's bad but that is the whole point! A phrase I see a lot on the IMDb is "BAD meaning GOOD", not many movies are more deserving of that praise than Color Me Blood Red.

Much like the original Creepshow "Where's my cake, Bedelia? I WANT MY CAKE!!!", Creepshow 2 provides us with memorable quotes such as "I feel the need... THE NEED FOR WEED!", "LOCO! LOCO!!!", and "THANKS FOR THE RIDE, LADY!!". This trilogy of horror shorts however does not live up to its predecessor in acting quality, plots, and overall ambience. The first story in the trilogy is an embarrassing detriment to the film and is probably the reason for most of its harsh criticism. The second has its moments but lack of plot makes it just an average horror short. The third segment is the best of the three, with its feelings of paranoia and unrelentlessness.

Blood Feast 2 is a welcome treat to fans of campy black comedy (as long as they can handle large amounts of blood and gore). If you liked the first one (or even if you didn't), you should check this out. It's a big improvement over the original. The gore looks great. I haven't laughed out loud this much in years. You can't ask for a better film from H.G. Lewis.

9/10

This is possibly the worst film I've ever seen that deals with mental illness, and I've seen most of them, believe me. If you think Gena Rowlands' performance is brilliant then you must think stage musicals have realistic acting. How did she get an Oscar nomination for this? Over-the-top, sensationalist acting like this only belongs on Broadway, not in film. Overall, this film is embarrassing, awkward, and sometimes confusing. If you want to see Cassavetes' brilliant side, go rent Faces. Avoid this garbage.

This is one of the better John Candy movies out there, if that isn't damning with faint praise. It's not terrific, but it definitely will tickle your funny bone if you're in the right mood. The only real flaw is the soundtrack, which doesn't accentuate the humor enough. If you enjoy comedies about cute moronic characters who are too blind to see their own faults, you will love this.

I can't believe that people actually refer to this movie as "classic" horror. The first half is completely boring and full of characters you hope will be torn to shreds by werewolves. The second half is where the film somewhat redeems itself but doesn't do a very good job at it. The werewolves were very awkward-looking. Special effects were decent. The ending is cliched, even for 1981. Avoid.

Uncle Sam had potential to be a cult classic. If Big Bill Lustig hadn't tried to take the Larry Cohen screenplay more seriously than it should have been, this would rate up there with Jack Frost (the one about a killer snowman). At any rate, this film delivers some great and often creative death scenes that should please most slasher movie fans. The plot was OK, but could've used more campy humour. See it for the death sequences.

this film documents steve-o and his traveling freakshow touring around the country, but focuses more on the offstage antics than the poorly-filmed onstage antics. if you are familiar with the tv show "jackass", think of that only unedited, a bit more uneven, and a bit more extreme stuntwork. the scene where steve-o lights his naked friend on fire is not to be missed. oh, and if you have a weak stomach, skip the final scene. heh.

There were maybe 3 decent scares in this movie, It is definitely not a horror masterpiece or anything remotely close to the praise this film has received. What starts off as a seemingly intelligent and promising movie gradually deteriorates into typical formulaic Nightmare on Elm Street sequelesque garbage. Heather Langenkamp definitely goes out on a limb for this one and comes out a winner. A victim of too many good ideas in notes and screenplays, New Nighmare just can't find itself in a 2 hour time slot. Craven's nods to various films such as Blue Velvet, The Exorcist, and Beetlejuice only add a confusing air to the melodrama and latent terror. Avoid unless you are a loyal Nightmare fan.

The dubbing/translation in this movie is downright hilarious and provides the only entertainment in this otherwise dull and derivative zombie flick. I haven't laughed so hard in my life as I just did watching Zombi 3 (and I've seen some really bad dubbing in my life, believe me). Seriously, the filmmakers could re-edit this movie and release it as a comedy and make millions of dollars. It's just that funny.

But... If falling off your couch laughing at the dubbing in a Fulci zombie movie isn't your cup of tea, then AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS.

It didn't come off as a slasher movie, as I had hoped it wouldn't. It also didn't achieve the same twisted brilliance of 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', which it seemed to try for. Basically, all 'Ted Bundy' did was string together major criminal events from this serial sociopath's life, but with no filler. There were many important details suspiciously left out of this movie that would've helped better illustrate the dichotomy of this man. We see many of his major slayings and dealings with the law, eventually leading to his execution. But where are the court scenes in which this maniac acted as his own attorney and repeatedly pled "not guilty"? We see a glimpse of Ted's double life in his relationship with his girlfriend Lee, but that isn't the half of it. Incomplete, uninteresting, and sickening.

Note: During the audio commentary on this DVD, the director repeatedly apologizes. That should give you a hint as to whether or not you should see this film.

I suppose the reason this movie got so many horrid reviews is the same reason 'The Royal Tenenbaums' got such a hard time from critics. Twisted, dark satirical humor apparently has no place in the mainstream. But who cares? We, the "twisted" ones, are now getting a fair share of comedies for ourselves. 'Death to Smoochy' is a zany ride through the side of children's television the network execs don't want you to see. Great cast (even the small roles), an often hilarious script, and excellent direction by Danny DeVito. Highly recommended if you enjoy dark comedy.

The first time I saw this movie a few years back I automatically wrote it off due to its lack of faith in the horror of the Stephen King novella on which the film is based. Now, after viewing it for a second time with a more open mind (and lack of remembrance of the King story), I am much more accepting of 'Apt Pupil'. Bryan Singer has created a movie that effectively succeeds in displaying mental games and the resulting horrors and anxieties. Much of the film is dedicated to an intense back-and-forth psychological battle between the two main characters, played beautifully by Brad Renfro and Ian McKellan. But much of the greatness of 'Apt Pupil' lies in the depiction of a curious youth during his most crucial stage in the maturity process. A stage where one boy's single decision has the possibility of changing the face of his whole life. Also, it is a stage where evil tendencies and curiosities have the steady ground to solidify within one's personality. The film illustrates the learning and progression of evil within a single human being as well as within human nature as a whole. An excellent character study, but with a few holes that the filmmakers obviously trust the audience to be intelligent enough to fill in themselves. Very intriguing.

I have always been impressed by the dramatic intensity of Abel Ferrara's films and 'The Funeral' does not fall short of any of them. The true beauty of this film lies in its characters and their emotions and relationships. The plot takes second stage but, honestly, the incredible acting performances will make you feel that a more complicated plot would be absolutely unnecessary. All the important bases of small-time mob life are covered here - God, family, revenge, lies, anger, etc. If you can sit down and watch a movie that chooses atmosphere and character over action, then I highly recommend this movie. You will be blown away.

I wanted to see this movie to get a corny glimpse of MTV getting hypocritical about drug use, because these days much music (hip-hop especially) is blatantly pro-marijuana. What it turned out to be was an enthralling look at a group of friends battling with heroin addiction. Summer Phoenix was very believable as a recovering addict and the rest of the cast did very well in their roles. I saw a bit of 'Requiem for a Dream' in this, but maybe that's ineveitable in an anti-drug movie. I didn't love or hate this movie, but it kept me with my eyes glued to the screen for the full run of it. It was an emotionally powerful movie, indeed.

'Ghoulies' was just plain terrible. The first half-hour or so was incredibly dull and boring. I lost all interest in the plot and characters so much that even when the "ghoulies" arose and began causing mayhem I was praying for this movie to end. If you like films about crazy little muppets running around killing people, stick to 'Critters' and 'Gremlins'. This movie could've been much better if they cut out the cult/ritual/demonic spell crap. It just made it all the more boring and confusing. And this is supposed to be a "horror-comedy"? I didn't notice anything funny except for some of the creature designs. This film is horrible. Please avoid it at all costs.

Even for a SNL-actor related movie, this is pretty bad... I found myself only laughing out loud a few times (and not even hard laughter; more like chuckling). This movie fails at comedy AND general entertainment. I guess if you saw the group N.W.A. as a bunch of poseur rappers this could be hilarious (but then why did Ice Cube and Eazy-E have cameos in this???) because that is how this movie plays out most of the time. The stage performances by CB4 are the highlight of this film. Second to that would be Chris Elliot, who had a very small yet somewhat amusing role. Chris Rock was not nearly as funny as he is as a stand-up comic. If you want to see a much better parody of rap see Fear of a Black Hat, which was much more amusing. Whatever you do, don't see this. Please.

Well, the concept of this film is what made it truly awesome. The questions "What is fiction?", "What is reality?", "Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?". These questions make this film truly terrifying. When even the characters in this film don't know what is reality and what isn't reality, the viewer has twice the amount of struggle. Great acting by Sam Neill and an effectively creepy storyline draw the viewer further into the depths of this film. Most of us know that John Carpenter is an outstanding director and he doesn't let us down on this one in that department, but some of the music soundtrack (the beginning and end credits) is a cheesy rock/heavy metal sound when Carpenter has been composing wonderfully simplistic and eerie soundtracks in the past (ala 'Halloween' & 'Prince of Darkness'). But the soundtrack is my only gripe about this film, so get up off your computer, rent this flick, and prepare for a dose of cinematic madness.

I can't believe I hadn't heard anything about this movie other than seeing the box in the movie store. This film is fantastic. You could say its a 'ghost story' or 'haunted house movie' but those terms wouldn't give this film justice. It is so much more. Great direction and camera work, wonderful acting by George C. Scott, an exceptional music score, and enough chills to appease any horror/thriller movie fan. I've been watching horror films for most of my life and I thought I knew all the 'ground-breaking' and 'seminal' films of the various sub-genres until I saw this. Its a shame that The Changeling doesn't get the proper respect it deserves. Very well executed and chilling, I would recommend this movie to virtually anyone and highly recommend it to any horror/thriller fan. Do yourself a favor and rent it.

I wasn't expecting to laugh at this film but there are some parts that are just plain hilarious. The plot goes all over the place which is a shame because if this film was made in a more solid fashion and took itself more seriously, maybe it could have been one of the greats. All the important elements are there- good acting, characters, humor, drama, etc... but the plotline doesn't gel like it should. There are too many ideas, or sub-plots if you will, thrown into the film. It seems almost as if the ideas in this movie could be split up and transformed into a few different law movies. Surprisingly, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire 120 minutes of the film; yet an uneven blend of comedy, cruelty, and drama makes it somewhat difficult to swallow. If the film's commentary on the injustices of the U.S. legal system are made evident to you, then you're set because this is definitely a "message movie". It's always good to see Al Pacino playing an honest, down-to-earth character. Be sure to mute your volume during the opening and closing credits unless you enjoy terribly cheesy disco soundtracks.

Wow. I thought this movie was going to be another lame teen horror flick in the vein of I Know What You Did, Urban Legend, the Scream sequels, etc.. but I finally decided to give it a try. It started out great and set up a very cool idea for a horror flick. Immediately after establishing the fact that this was (hopefully) going to be a good movie, though, it dropped suddenly and became another stupid teen horror movie, much like the aforementioned films (only without the killer with the scary mask and scary knife). It seems almost like some Hollywood studio exec said "Make this more of a teen flick, with tons of idiotic dialogue and over-explanations." I'm hoping that was the case with this film, because If the writers wrote this solidly then I feel very sorry for them. Whoever was responsible for the casting, though, did a great job. In particular, Daniel Roebuck as one of the FBI agents and Tony Todd as the mortician were a pleasure to see. I also have to give them credit for having a group of well-known young actors/actresses play roles that I couldn't picture them playing (and actually doing a good job at it). A well-made film, marred by terrible writing. I'm losing faith in the horror genre.

I enjoyed 'Hellcab' very much. Chicago and its fine citizens have never been more accurately portrayed in film than in this movie. From the often gritty south side streets to the professionalism downtown to the glitz of River North and Lincoln Park, this movie takes you everywhere you'd want to go in Chicago. And gives pretty darn good views of the people in the various neighborhoods of this diverse city. It's too bad that this film can't hold itself together like it can understand the city. It's a fairly simple plot that bases itself on repetition - cab driver picks up interesting fare, cab driver converses with fare, repeat. Yes, there are times when this isn't always the case and the cabbie does leave the vehicle. Unfortunately, this film could have been written much better for the screen. Even though I really liked this movie, I can see validity in its criticism. Misadventures with odd cab passengers over and over doesn't make a good solid film. And there really is no escalating in the plotline, it stays fairly straight and focuses on similar concepts/ideas throughout the film. But... these *flaws* don't make it a bad film, just a type of film that modern mainstream audiences might not care for. Recommended.

This was a great movie. Very stylish with the trademark Sam Raimi touch. Unfortunately, the story isn't nearly as good as the filmmaking and acting. I guess I saw too much similarity between this and certain recent films (*ahem* Sixth Sense), even though this film surpasses them all. 'The Gift' is a fine piece of work despite the predictable ending. Blanchett and Ribisi give excellent performances. Highly recommended to anyone that likes and/or isn't sick of supernatural/psychic/"i see dead people" movies.

I'm not going to go overboard and say this film deserves academy awards or should set the standard for cop/action movies, but this was a great little movie. Overall, it's a nice blend of action and comedy (some scenes had me laughing hysterically, and I'm not very easily amused). There's basically something for everyone who watches this film, though- comedy, action, drama, romance, suspense, etc. A well-rounded film that is definitely worth renting and a pleasant change from the standard Jerry Bruckheimer-type high-gloss crime/action movies that have been so common in recent times. Richard Dreyfuss gives a great performance but, then again, so does the whole cast. I wish they still made cop movies with the same charm as this. Recommended.

I couldn't believe that this movie was going to be even somewhat good after looking at the cover of the box. Boy, was I wrong, Mobsters sure did not disappoint me and I think I've seen just about every mafia/mob movie ever made in the last 50 years. I'm not saying this goes up there with Goodfellas and The Godfathers, etc, but it definitely deserves some credit. The acting for the most part is very well-done. There is some good action with a fair amount of bloodshed, great set designs, and a good cast. I'm not sure exactly how historically accurate this movie is, but nevertheless, it pulls through to bring an overall excellent mob flick.