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cathaven
Reviews
V (2009)
Looks prettier than the original, but it's just as awful
Unlike, it appears, many of the reviewers, I hated the original version of V. I thought it was possibly the low point of 80s TV sci-fi.
I watched the new version, hoping it might be as much of an improvement over the original as the new version of Battlestar Galactica was.
Suffice to say it wasn't.
Flashier effects & some good actors were completely wasted on a remake that repeated all the problems that made the original a horror to be avoided.
I pray this turkey doesn't run for several seasons, while better shows like Dollhouse & Defying Gravity fail.
After this & the equally awful remake of The Prisoner (at least the original was a great show in this case), I'm not at all sure I'm looking forward to the proposed Blake's 7 remake at all.
Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968)
Another variant title
It seems this movie was also released under the title, 'The Revenge Of Dr X".
IMDb has that listed as one of the variant titles for, 'The Double Garden', but the bad quality version I watched was definitely this movie. I had to search on the cast & crew to track it down.
Hard to tell if 'The Double Garden' was also released under the 'Revenge Of Dr. X' title, or if it's a mistake in the database.
Since the copy I saw was a downloaded Xvid rip, I don't have sufficient proof to submit the additional variant title to the database.
It was also really bad quality. I shall look for a copy of the DVD to compare, so I can see if it's at least an uncut version.
A Return to Salem's Lot (1987)
Unbelievably amateurish
This is just so bad. The acting is absolutely appalling. The entire cast sound as if they're reading unfamiliar dialogue from an idiot board. Ricky Addison Reed doesn't appear to have done any other film or TV work before or since, & it's not at all surprising. In fact, a quick check through the database shows that quite a few cast members have only ever appeared in other schlock horror movies by Larry Cohen. The monster special effects are laughable. Just check out the ridiculous "true face" of the head vampire, it's on a par with those cheap & cheesy 50's horror/sci-fi B-Features. The script is an insult to Stephen King. Another reviewer stated that this movie isn't as bad as others have made it out to be. I disagree. It is really, really that bad.
Are You Being Served? (1977)
Another failed attempt to translate a successful TV comedy to the big screen
For some reason British sitcoms do not weather the translation to the big screen well. Many classic series have suffered from this problem ("Steptoe & Son", "Rising Damp", "Till Death Us Do Part" etc etc). None suffered worse than "Are You Being Served". Plagued by a weak Script, Sloppy directing & a cast who simply seemed to be embarrassed by the whole experience, it just plain isn't funny.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Fast, hilarious & very very black
I approached this film with some trepidation. You see I am one of the seemingly very few people who really hated Reservoir Dogs. I found that movie to be extremely tedious. This however deserves all the plaudits it has received. Breakneck pacing & some of the funniest one-liners in movie history left me gasping for breath by the time it was over. Characters in a total panic as things go more & more wrong is a staple of film & TV comedy, but when overdone it can be really irritating. It's a tribute to both the actors & the director that this movie is never that.