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Reviews
Redline (2007)
Petrolheads will forgive
There are plenty of reviews of the film that will give you a fair feel for the plot and acting. I was only interested in the cars.
There are some great cars from 2002-2007, the camera-work on the cars is satisfying inside and on interior action shots while the sound, although occasionally suspicious, sounds pretty similar to the proper car. The cars are stock, with little of the Fast and Furious arcadey remixing.
It's not a documentary but if you're a petrolhead, excuse the 5th grader plot and enjoy the motoring porn, it hasn't been this good for a while.
House of Fallen (2008)
Woeful cash in on religious/occultist genre
You know when a dire introductory scene is followed by some 'I've found a suitable special effect' opening titles that the film is going to reek.
There's a failsafe plot from the religion/occultism barrel and, as always seems to be the case, a strong title and well worded blurb promises a decent film, perhaps along on the lines of Constantine.
Sadly the whole premise of angels and demons and other worldiness is utterly lost in what I presume to be a "relationships and how they change under odd circumstances" film.
Some pretty dire dialogue (and there isn't much else of note in the production) has that off-putting whiff of looked-good-on-paper. Don't be expecting any exciting imagery or scenes, the angels shop at K-Mart and live in condos.
Oddly there are a few seasoned hams in this film but they only serve to emphasise other inadequacies in the production. In some scenes you can almost see them 'thrash in the water' to sustain their personal credibility as actors.
Pretty dire throughout.
Dark Reprieve (2008)
Filmed in Moms Basement
I realise that all involved in the film industry have to start somewhere but that doesn't excuse really low quality films clogging the non-pay-for-view channels.
It was fairly easy for the plot of this particular pile of doo-doo to look unusual and creative in summary. In practice it's amateurish, incoherent and very, very cheap. I'd like to be more critical of the plot but in all honesty I really don't have a clue what's going on. The gap between scripted lines is audible and the actors (who look like student buddies) express emotion in such a hammy telegraphed fashion you feel like applauding.
If you are reading this then you are a fellow film buff and please believe me when I say I'm not a particularly demanding viewer. I always 'IMDB' my films and 5 minutes into this particular mound I was alarmed at the 'Indy Praise'. This is not, by any stretch of credulity, a 5+ star production.
If your broadcaster schedules this film it's worth a complaint.
Creature of Darkness (2009)
Cheap and nasty
I'm really not sure why this is currently clocking 8.3. I think people are having a bit a laugh. Don't get suckered in like I did on the premise it might be a hidden gem.
The setting is laid with scenes which rely heavily on scantily clad girls jiggling. The dialogue is appalling and the attempt to cement the characters as COOL is definitely going to irritate you.
When the monster action starts there are a succession of encounter scenes which simply beggar belief. Family camcorder special effects and sound effects straight from the Acme company aren't helped by a ridiculous Styrofoam alien wearing a fisherman outfit. Thankfully the cast seem too busy with the trivial aspects of their predicament to worry about the monster.
Some of the action scenes are so bad the film actually runs quite close to martyrdom as a trash movie classic but the ponderous dialogue bogs it down . You'll watch it and want it to be just that little bit more stupid so you can laugh along but it's just a boring cheap & nasty schedule filler.
It deserves a mention for the speed at which it's gone 'straight to video' but in fairness it should never have been released.
The Passage (2007)
Unusual and atmospheric but not a great deal happens
This isn't really the 'horror' film the TV Guides promise but it's a half decent thriller with some moments of suspense. If you plan on watching it for blood'n'guts you'll be disappointed.
It's filmed in Morocco, well acted and does a decent job of capturing the atmosphere; it has the creepy feel from the start of the original Omen.
By halfway you'll forgive the slow pace because the film feels like it's revving up to some serious scares. Although there are a few tense moments, it never quite gets there and you're left feeling a bit shortchanged.
Judged against most of the trash filling satellite schedules 'The Passage' is a worth watching (6+ stars if you have visited Morocco) but I wouldn't recommend it on rental.