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NinjaRyu
Reviews
The Last American Virgin (1982)
True
Spoilers: This movie has it's problems, but in the end it gets the message across. I liked it because it ends the way things really do. The nice guy tries and tries, gets his heart broken several times, but in the end there is no typical hollywood ending. It ends the way such things always end, or at least always have in my own and friends' experiences. Anyone who thinks that the ending to this isn't how it really happens, as the first comment seemed to, believing that the girl would come around, realize she's dating an asshole who treats her bad because he doesn't care about her at all is either naive or lives in a more perfect world than I. I give it 7/10, extra points simply because it wasn't afraid to end on a down note, give no real resolution, just the main character left heartbroken, confused and alone as so many men of countless generations have been before.
Feardotcom (2002)
TheRing.com
SPOILERS This movie was a shamelessly derivative knockoff of Ring. Everything from the delayed death, to the video/site, the little girl walking around wanting revenge or whatever, her having been murdered, hell she was even found underwater, though in some factory rather than as in the original. I have nothing against remakes, don't get me wrong, the recent remake of Ring was quite well done in fact, but this movie was also poorly written. Rather than go for a slower paced psychological horror they went for the shock value blood & nudity route, along with adding some pointlessly philosophic villain. In addition they added the typical "good guys win" hollywood ending, and scrapped many aspects of what made the source it is obviously based on a good movie. Stay away from this trash, go see The Ring or the original japanese version, Ring. Let William Mallone stick to remaking older horror
Rollerball (2002)
Worst editing ever
OK, it doesn't help that the script is a mess and generally that the movie is no good. But what ruined this was the editing. Not once do you get a clear view of what goes on, anywhere, least of all on the Rollerball court. The cuts are so frequent it plays out like one of those horrible "in-your-face" kung-fu movies. Makes you think that they couldn't get the actors to deliver two good lines in a row (which I know isn't true) so they just cut back and forth constantly to splice it all together.
I walked away from this movie with a headache and a feeling of anger at the 3-4 hours it felt like I wasted watching it. If any of you can bear to watch MTV anymore, think of any of the horrible videos from that band Dream, where there is a cut for literally every single second of film. Now stretch that out to 90 minutes, and there you have it. 1/10 (1 for near-nudity of Rebecca Romjin)
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Effective, intriguing, picturesque, what horror should be
I went into this film not expecting much, the tv spots hadn't impressed me with some garbage about mind reading. I was extremely surprised, this is a great film. Though not officially classified as horror, this is what I think horror should be. Many similarities to the video game Silent Hill, from the overall story to many scenes, but that's a good thing.
The acting was very good, Richard Gere nailed the man lost and confused in a strange place, both physically and mentally, and the support cast all played their roles great, especially Will Patton. There are no "BOO"'s just for the sake of scaring you, the ones that are there are not only well placed but extremely effective, the man beside me was flat out terrified at one point. The cinematography is beautiful, perfectly showing the not-so-small town which is the main setting for the movie.
The director manages to screw with your head enough to make you uneasy, not in the typical "something's about to jump out" way, but in a deeper psychological one which is much more effective, and more difficult to pull off. Every aspect of this movie was well done, nothing felt cheap or pointless, this is what horror films should be. Definitely keep an eye on Mark Pellington, he shows promise. **** of ****
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
A great movie until the last quarter
If you are into genuinely scary movies, go see House on Haunted Hill right now. Don't wait for the video, find it in a theatre somewhere. This movie is the first that has scared me since The People under the Stairs, and I was 8 at that time. The atmosphere is incredible, you will truly feel trapped in this house with these people. The stunning combination of camera work, music, and scenery will quickly unravel the steadiest of nerves. Though the story is somewhat silly, the movie isn't really about all that. Its just there to scare the hell out of you like you thought no movie could do.
There is one important thing. If you want to leave liking the movie, leave the second the "Darkness" shows up, its completely downhill from there. The cheesy "monster" character takes a well-built thriller and ruins it. The director needed to learn a few lessons from Hitchcock before he made this movie. As is, its great for a scare, but the ending will leave you either laughing at the cheesiness of the final scene, or furious at seeing such a potentially great movie ruined by the demand for special effects. If you've seen "The Long Kiss Goodnight", you'll understand what I mean. 8 of 10