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Reviews
The Cook (2008)
very inconsistent
I found The Cook to be both enjoyable and boring at various moments through the film. Almost everything was inconsistent. One actor would deliver a memorable performance and the next...would leave something to be desired. Mark Hengst, as the cook, was the highlight of the entire film. He was both humorous and rather frightening at times. He played a cannibal cook pretty well, I thought. Some of the girls were attractive, with some nudity (I know that's one appeal to this film).
The dialogue was mediocre...and with three screenwriters you figure they could come up with something better. Cinematography was one minute bland and uninspiring and the next fairly well done. The gore was decent...however, some of it looked particularly fake and amateur.
The plot was almost non-existent, even for a slasher film. Essentially, the sorority house gets a new cook and he's, well, not very nice.
I would avoid this unless you're particularly bored as you can find better violence, better gore, better nudity, better plot, etc. in many other slasher films. However, I do recognize that The Cook didn't have a large budget, and so the effort is admirable.
Mark Hengst carries this film...with a less interesting cook this film would be dismal.
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004)
only for fans...
I quite enjoyed this, but I must say this is really only for fans. This is the long awaited versus film between the demonic toys and the puppets of the Puppet Master series. One note must be made before continuing with the review, and it is the same note that must be made about all Puppet Master films. Obviously, there is no deeper message or any real value to these films other than mindless entertainment. I have tried to keep that in mind while reviewing this.
When one watches a film of this type, one fully expects lots of violence, lots of scenes involving the Puppets, and perhaps lots of nudity. As far as violence, this movie had some. As far as scenes involving the Puppets, there was an adequate amount of them. This was created for cable TV so there was not much nudity.
The directing, editing, etc. of this film was adequate for its purpose, to entertain fans of the film series. The acting left something to be desired, even for a Puppet Master film. Often times, I actually laughed out loud at the poor acting by much of the cast. However, I felt that Corey Feldman did a satisfactory job as the principle actor. His daughter was rather attractive and did an alright job as well, also.
The special effects of this were decently done as well. However, it was the utter vulgarity of some scenes that took away from this film. The 'sense of humor' of the Demonic Toys left something to be desired. I must note, however, that I am not familiar with the Demonic Toys series of films so maybe this is to be expected.
Overall, this was a decent film for fans of the Puppet Master series, such as myself. It delivered when it came to Puppet violence. The story, acting, etc. were not superb, but that is to be expected, especially considering this is a scifi channel production. For new fans, I would highly recommend starting with the first film in the series instead of watching this, as there is no sufficient introduction to the puppets. In conclusion, this is a decent offering, one that is not the best nor the worst in the Puppet Master series.
Traffic (2000)
quite the masterpiece
This is quite possibly my favourite movie, as it has something of everything. I particularly enjoy films with large amounts of characters, completely different story lines, and some degree of complexity. This film has all three.
Each character is interestingly developed, and characters are not typecast as being good or evil. For example, the drug dealers in this movie are shown as having clear financial motives for committing these crimes. No one is judged as being evil for dealing drugs; this is left up to the viewer. If one believes the financial rewards justify committing the crime than one could view the dealers as the better side perhaps. One reason this film is so compelling is that it shows the conflict's two sides objectively. Nobody wants propaganda.
In addition, the directing, editing, etc. is all very well done. The director has some amazing shots in this movie, such as the helicopter descending. The musical score is also fitting.
I find it sad that this lost the 'best picture' academy award to Gladiator. Regardless, I recommend this motion picture to my fullest ability.
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
made me want to become a lawyer
This movie is basically about a lawyer working for Satan. How stereotypical, right? Lawyers in the service of the devil, how original...However, this movie is actually pretty decent considering. A far cry from more accurate, albeit still immensely fake, depictions of lawyers like Law & Order, The Devil's Advocate is the story of a man, played by Keanu Reeves, who goes from obscurity all the way to the top, with the help of Satan, of course. The acting is decent, with Al Pacino being the highlight (as always). Charlize Theron plays Reeves' wife. She does a pretty decent job and she's definitely attractive.
This is definitely not your average John Grisham based movie. The focus is more on the characters and not the law itself. Do not expect a traditional legal thriller. In the same sense, however, do not expect a true horror movie either. This movie is a half-hearted attempt at both, without getting either one right. It reminds me of The Ninth Gate, in that respect. Not scary or really thrilling but still interesting.
I think I liked this movie as much as I did because I identified with the main character, as I am interested in becoming a lawyer. For those who are not interested in law or are not lawyers, this movie may prove to be significantly less interesting and less enjoyable. All in all, a decent film. I give it a 8 out of 10. For others though, I expect the rating to be lower, more like a 5 or so.
Also, I'd like to point out that the accent Keanu Reeves has is probably the worst southern accent I've ever heard, especially since he's supposed to be from Gainesville, FL, my place of birth, and few people in Gainesville actually have accents, let alone that one.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
more of a play than a film
I really enjoyed this movie, because of the subject matter and the focus on acting as opposed to action sequences. This film reminded me more of a play than an actual motion picture due their being primarily only one set, a warehouse. The acting is exceptional and is largely what this film is composed of. All the actors do a magnificant job and the ending is abrupt and well done. The story, too, is well written and engrossing. I give this a 9.