lix Reviews

Red Eye (2005)

Sleeper Hit

[9/10 · 6 August 2005]

I went in not knowing what to expect... especially after Cursed (which was a more entertaining movie the second time around with the gore intact). Red Eye was one of the most entertaining movies I have sat through in a really long time. I would even pay to see it when it is actually released because I liked it that much. I have not been to a movie where the crowd was cheering, screaming, and applauding the screen so much. The leads were terrific... the plot was interesting, the tension was riveting... all in all, a great summer movie worth your money!

GO see it!

Elektra (2005)

I will make this easy for you

[8/10 · 15 January 2005]

The movie is entertaining... it doesn't try to be anything more than this and really, anyone who is looking for deep meaning in this movie should just not see it. The story isn't amazing, but it is perfect for this kind of film... the fight scenes are pretty awesome... the effects are good... the acting is fine (no ones does a bad job, that is for sure)... and Jennifer Garner is just so damn likable! She is beautiful, works hard, has a great body, and acts well with whatever roles she has been given. She can carry the movie just fine. Overall, for a comic book movie, it was enjoyable. I didn't like Daredevil at all, and JG was the only person that saved it for me. So, having said that, if you are interested in seeing the movie, then see it and form your own opinion. I must say, don't listen to the critics, they are being overly harsh and I definitely would not even once compare this to Catwoman (cause that movie was just total garbage, although funny for that reason).

Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)

Good sequel to a good original

[7/10 · 24 March 2004]

I liked this film. It had great atmosphere, kept a good storyline going (which to me, seemed like a continuation of the first dealing with a girl going through her teenage angst years which is full of struggles and changes), and some pretty decent scares. The first 3/4 of this film is terrific stuff... pretty much on its way to receiving tops marks. All of a sudden, it switches gears a bit, but not in a good way for me. I didn't really enjoy the whole twist at the end of this movie. I found it to be unnecessary and sorta stupid. Why did they have to ruin such a great setup with a preposterous last 10 minutes.

All in all, still a good movie to watch. I know it is hard to watch a bad ending (although others may not agree with me here) to an otherwise great movie.

At the end of it, I would rate the first 3/4 a 9 out of 10. As for the final 10 minutes, it drops down to a 4.5 out of 10. Overall... let's just say 7.

Mindhunters (2004)

does what it's supposed to

[8/10 · 21 January 2004]

I found Mindhunters to be a thoroughly entertaining movie that did have some good surprises and moments. The story is as original as it could be, although, one can argue that the whole group in isolation getting picked off one by one thing has been done before. I will not give away too much of the movie so that you can be surprised at the twists that it offers, except I must make one comment. Why on earth do they let LL Cool J have some of the most ridiculously stupid one liners. I mean, if he wants to be bought as a believable actor, he needs to put an end to this madness. I am sure you will know what I am talking about when you see the movie.

Anyway, I give it 8 out of 10 and a definite check it out if you enjoy thrillers... especially ones with gruesome killers.

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

woah!!

[6/10 · 4 April 2003]

Talk about a crazy-ass mofo movie!! I am not even sure what to say about it quite yet!

Interesting first time for Rob Zombie as Director, with some insane visuals and crazy set pieces! This was Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the max! But I found that to be a bit of a problem considering this is supposed to be more of an original film, it just wasn't. No matter how many crazy things are going on, or how interesting the visuals are, or how neat the different lighting schemes are(ala Argento), it just didn't ever get passed the point of being truly terrifying or even remotely scary. Yeah, there are a few jump scenes here and there in the mess of the mayhem but just not enough to sustain a mood of fright. Really, it was all just a ploy to shock and gross-out the audience.

Maybe check it out if you interested in seeing how Rob's banned movie actually plays out (even though I don't know why it was banned, I think they just realized that this movie is not movie theatre material). I hope that you don't necessarily take my review in a negative way... the movie was still okay, just a little too over the top at times. (**1/2 out of *****)

The Pool (2001)

The Pool is actually not bad, it does have some memorable moments

[7/10 · 30 September 2002]

You know what... this movie was surprisingly not that bad at all. I mean, it is a slasher movie after all, and come on, as if they really can be original. It was a fun movie and that is all I was viewing it for. Of course there are implausible points in the script where we all laugh and scream and the characters for saying silly things... but it is not like the writers of horror movies are trying to win an Oscar. I mean, this movie has some fun kill scenes (too bad someone has already ruined the best one), decent enough scares, some tense scenes and it definitely kept my attention. Oh, and btw, the acting is not that subpar for a horror movie at all. I don't know what movies you guys have been watching but come on... I mean, there are definitely worse performances in some mainstream movies that come out in theatres today!

ANyways... all in all, a fun way to waste 90 mins as long as you aren't expecting an oscar-calibre flick.

7 out of 10

Dagon (2001)

Wow... I am not even sure if this is a would have been movie.

[3/10 · 29 July 2002]

Okay... I am not even sure where to start her. I rented this movie with some sort of expectations considering what the comments here say and what I had seen previously on the net. Well, I am not even sure if all that positive buzz and the movie I saw were a match. Did all of you guys even watch the same movie??

The story was silly, although it may have sounded better on paper, it was poorly executed. Maybe the plot wouldn't have been so bad had there been more development of it and the film's characters. I don't even want to comment on the special effects, I know this film's budget was at a minimum but it looked past the point of a children's animated cartoon at times. Even the main monster himself was only shown for a brief second, and it looked like a muddled mess!

I almost had to stop the movie cause I was having problems getting into it. I mean, one of the couples makes it to the village and instantly these ridiculous fish people are chasing them and that seems to be the whole movie. Then we throw in a plot to explain why these fish people are after them, and it all seems so silly. Had it been carried out in a more stylistic fashion with better acting, a bigger budget, and a better script, I might have given this film a more positive rating. There are not many films that I feel like fast forwarding but this one is right up there... and even when I got to the end (just so I got to see Dagon) it wasn't even worth my effort to push a fast forward button.

To finish this off... I will just leave you with a line, "There are two possibilities..."! If you have heard this line too many times in 90 minutes, you have gone too far! Turn back now!

3/10

Cherry Falls (1999)

pretty good, but suffers from cuts and tedious ending

[7/10 · 1 February 2001]

I must say that I enjoyed Cherry Falls quite a bit. It was a movie that was purely for entertainment value and it sure kept me amused. The script was quite witty, and the murder scenes were alright. However, I was disappointed with the fact that I kept hearing about this movie being controversial and all that, but it was far from. Sure the premise is a little on the risky side, but that is about it. There wasn't much nudity, or even violence for that matter, which was a little disappointing, but it didn't really take away from the movie too much. The first 70 minutes of the movie is exciting and fun, however, it needed to build more tension and suspense. Then the nearly dreadful last 20 minutes start. The murderer revealed themself so quickly that it left me not even caring about the rest of the movie. Besides the fact that the identity of the murderer is blatantly obvious, they should have never revealed it til the end. After we hear the motive and bla bla bla, the movie becomes oblivious of its first 70 minutes of building a decent premise, and it rips apart and turns into a mess. The whole orgy scene was nothing more than a bunch of kids in their underwear, and the whole climactic part of the movie takes place at this party and lasts for 2 or 3 minutes. I felt cheated with the ending they provided and wished that they had made it more thrilling and enthralling. Oh well.... what can I do?? --> 7 out of 10