dragons2607 Reviews

Casey Jones (2011)

Casey Jones: The Psycopath

[18 October 2011]

I typically stay away from shorts from unknown directors, but being a long time TMNT fan I decided to give this one a shot.

Let me first start off by saying that it's obviously low budget, but this doesn't mean it's low in quality. The acting (sans Michelangelo) is forced and bad, though the lead tends to do a much better job when he puts the mask on. The script was dry and didn't have much substance to it. However, the director was able to convey a bit of a darker side to Casey Jones.

The fight scenes weren't bad, though Casey is most certainly violent. There are a couple of scenes I found myself no longer rooting for him and instead seeing a vigilante that was really no better than the people he was protecting society from.

I'd check it out if you have 30 minutes, I think with a bigger budget and better actors, this director could go far with this idea.

House of the Rising Sun (2011)

A monotonous, emotionless, piece of cinema.

[3/10 · 2 July 2011]

I'm not particularly a wrestling fan. However, there seems to be a growing trend introducing wrestlers to cinema. It's worked in the past for both Steve Austin and Dewayne Johnson, but it's not a set in stone formula.

This was not a flick that followed the formula of a successful action film. The plot moves quickly at the beginning, but then stops, takes a few sharp (and typical for this genre) turns. Stops, and then takes a few more wide turns before finally coming to a stop. For this being billed as an action/drama movie, it really doesn't have the characteristics of those.

The action and choreography is dull. Right down to it's core. I'd have rather them be too far out there than simply not enough, especially from a man like Bautista who has such a large physique, and a reputation in wrestling for being especially action-packed.

There were some cheesy moments with the action, as well. CGI rendered bullet holes, for instance - which I normally don't have a problem with if they're difficult to detect. However, these are laughably noticeable.

The acting was pretty atrocious for the most part. There were two saving graces: Amy Smart and Dominic Purcell (Danny Trejo's character doesn't have enough scenes to justify his role). Both Smart and Purcell played their parts very well. Their interaction with the main character is what you would expect for two seasoned actors talking to a dull brute.

Bautista cannot act. I'm sure he's excellent at tossing people around the ring and being overly intimidating (I have to admit, he is an incredibly large fellow). However - he should stick to the over dramatization of wrestling and leave acting to people who are actually good at it.

The plot was extremely cliché'. Nothing that I haven't seen before, this was just done much more poorly than previous renditions of the same story.

I'd suggest staying away from House of the Rising Sun.

Grace (III) (2009)

Sick, Demented, Awesome

[9/10 · 16 August 2009]

It's been a while that a movie has moved me to the point of writing a review about it.

Most horror movies tend to be long-winded and boring. What I mean by that is - a majority could be made into 30-60 minute short stories and still maintain their level of creativity and intensity. Most directors tend to drop the ball in the final act of the movie. It's simply a part of the genre - you can only see so many grotesque situations before they become redundant, and most of the story lines have been done before.

"Grace", however, is in a class all on its own. The symbolism and message of the movie is subtle, though there are times of glaring irony that force the viewer to do a double-take. I felt like the director was spot-on in not only creating the atmosphere, but even utilizing the sometimes over-exaggerated sounds to get a message across to the viewers.

The story itself is fantastic. Though the idea has been played around with here and there in other movies, the depth and execution in this particular flick was astonishing and well pulled off. The main characters are spot on. There is enough "gore" to perpetuate the idea that this is still a horror movie, but nowhere near the amount for an overkill. The topic itself is serious but disturbing, and though a large part of the movie lacks any overall logical explanation - the mere thought that it was a possibility is enough for any of us that are parents to squirm in our seats.

I'd highly recommend this movie to horror enthusiasts. Though I'm quite certain it's message and it's delivery will be lost amongst masses of hack-and-slash horror lovers, there is no doubt that "Grace" will go down as a cult classic.

On the Doll (2007)

Depends on your taste

[4/10 · 17 June 2008]

To start off with, I'm habitually bad at objectively rating movies. I know this, my wife knows this, and everyone around me knows this. I'm the kind of guy at the theater that likes a movie but can't explain why. If I like a movie, I like it 100% - and if I hated it, I'll recommend against people watching it.

"On the Doll" was the first movie I ever actually watched that I felt I could objectively rate and comment on without throwing some over-the-top rating to it. There's a LOT of reference to sex, but virtually no nudity. The theme is based around this post-high school, "grunge" style of direction that seems to be rampant amongst the college generation. In other words, the director tries to set the stage for the film on the backdrop of a sub-culture that many people are unaware of. He does this from three different angles: The Prostitute, The Teenagers, and the Hero.

Now, from the premise of the movie - we were supposed to be inundated with life revolving around people who were sexually abused as young kids. Honestly - I found this part of the movie very lacking, and not that I wanted them to explore this verbatim, but I would have liked the back stories to go a bit more in depth. In the end, it left the idea of the movie and the characters stagnant at best. For saying this was the main premise of the movie - you don't really get a look into how they seem to feel about what happened to them. Book after book has been written on the subject from people who have been abused, and I think if you were going to use that as the focal point of a movie - you would, in the least, spend time going over the mental backlash that such atrocities would inflict on young minds.

The director spent more time trying to play a catch and grab game with the audience - that in my opinion, failed miserably. There were certain characters you absolutely hate, others that you love and respect, and some you feel indifferent about. The fact is, if this movie could be rated as half-way decent, it's because of the acting.

In the end, I think it's safe to say that the movie ended quite abruptly and didn't really seem to accomplish much. The character development was strong, and I feel like each story told a very different tale of life in the "sex lane" - but to elude that this movie in anyway represented victims of abuse is just a tag line to get people to watch it. This was a quaint drama with opposing forces mixed in that didn't really accomplish much of anything.

I went into this expecting good things, but was left slightly dissatisfied and felt the presence of good, upcoming young actors was all that saved it from being horrid.

4/10

Loose Change: Final Cut (2007 Video)

I am a Natural Skeptic - And Yet Still I Found..

[1/10 · 21 November 2007]

That once again - people get an idea in their heads, fabricate the truth, and go full-force onto the internet where people gobble up everything they say and take it to heart.

First and foremost - if you're looking for absolutely no evidence (other than youtube quality videos, and well-edited snippets of information) to deduce what occurred on September 11th, then look no further. Now, I'm not here to say what did or didn't happen that day - I'm here to review a "documentary." Bottom line - this movie is for the most impressionable of people. Dylan Avery's "facts" have been refuted time and time again by the most credible and unbiased of sources, yet he continues making these flicks and people continue eating them up.

The one thing this movie can teach you - is to always question. However, for someone who is so convinced that the government is lying to its people about one of the worst atrocities in American history, its a very introverted causality when he turns that paranoia into fabrications. If you want an accurate, intellectual account of what some truthers believe happened on 9/11 - steer clear of Loose Change. There are many more reputable films/documentaries/interviews that might quell that need for a conspiracy better.

This one isn't, and shouldn't be, it.

Memento (2000)

I still can't wrap my head around a stark-interpretation of reality

[10/10 · 2 November 2007]

How do we really judge who we are? This question was brought up throughout the entirety of this movie. Are we the sum of our actions, or of our memories? In this ecliptic, surrealistic tale of uncertainty, distrust, and overall confusion - we are captivated every second by the constant twists and turns.

Guy Pearce delivers an amazing performance as Leonard Shelby - a former insurance investigator turned vigilante searching for the man who raped and murdered his wife, and ultimately left him with a condition that doesn't allow him to make new memories. Reclusive and a bit eccentric, the story follows Guy Pearce backwards, from the opening scene where Leonard murders a man - all the way to how the entire fiasco began.

Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantalino are excellent back-ups. Who is an ally, who is an enemy? Who is there to help Leonard in his quest to locate the man who raped and murdered his wife? Who is there simply to exploit his condition for their own personal gain? These things question you, pull you, and drag you throughout this movie.

We are taken into the mind of a man who can't distinguish from one moment to the next. He is forever subdued into a life of pure confusion and turmoil, where his entire life story(post-accident) is scribbled on notes, or written on the back of photographs, or tattooed to his own body.

Watch this movie, right now. Before you forget.

Halloween (2007)

Simply Put: Rob Zombie is a Genius.

[9/10 · 28 August 2007]

I saw a pre-release of this movie and must say I was blown away.

From the out-set of the movie, you start understanding the world according to Micheal Myers. RZ did a spectacular job capturing that level of psychosis needed to commit such atrocities.

I've heard many people harp on this title because it is indeed considered a "remake". Note: This is not a remake. This is a different view of the movie as a whole. Instead of seeing it from the victims point of view like most other movies in this genre, you get to see it almost exclusively from the world of Micheal Myers.

I would recommend this for any horror enthusiast.