Change Your Image
pietroschek
Ebooks:
https://www.amazon.com/Andre-Michael-Pietroschek/e/B08KFT6QYB
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD_NP0WFrfmmbdT6I4Tks4Q
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Legend of Lake Hollow (2024)
A genius story impaired by low-budget & amateur acting.
I wrote this after reading reviews rating the movie very low. I cannot agree, but I mean the story of the movie NOT the overall quality.
Why so? The Wendigo Myth (demonic man-eater of Native Americans) was among my research topics, when I prepared to publish an ebook about it.
In this movie here, two very decisive merits are obscured by the mediocre acting and the low budget: Not once is the story sacrificed for known movie tropes, on the contrary.
Two brothers and their attachments (lovers, friends, whatever cannon-fodder tags along) leave the big city to do some outdoor stuff like controlling measuring devices.
Weird things start happening, and step by step we realize that a group of ghosts, phantoms, or demons SEEMS to be the cause of it. Step by step the movie tells the story without messing with the audience and without red herrings totally stupid.
While clearly no masterpiece, we get a fresh take on the Wendigo Myth and the 'Cabin in the Woods´ type of horror film, which made me stay OK with the limited acting and low budget limits.
I could not do it better, and I once did try indie and fan-film production of my stories, so I at least know that silly dream of younger years.
In the final, the Wendigo itself explains some stuff, like the academic project in their ignorance having used the same hunt as Wendigo hunters did before.
The screenwriting was solid, and not one actor spoiled it due to narcissism or activism that does not belong into entertainment movies. Albeit, one actor sure had butt-dildo problems, if I am asked about it.
So, if subtle but new story progress is OK with you, this may be one of the modern movies worth watching, as they no longer worship the mistakes of those before them.
Also: The Native American origins of the myth are mentioned, but the movie did so without a pathetic pseudo-need of anti-racist sermon and denial of our guilt that we so often had to endure before.
A simple, yet consistent outdoor horror movie with a classic streak and some subtle new efforts. I really think that is not trash at all. A better-funded remake could become a masterpiece.
Damsel (2024)
A timeless parable trying to not be a copycat only!
First, I could call it Smaug from 'The Hobbit' meets 'Reign of Fire' featuring a supposedly strong-female-character. Many reviewers did similar before me.
Still, I choose not to, as the movie tells the tale of princess Elodie, her loved ones, and the timeless lesson that those who only are rich & powerful, because they did bent to tyranny is a classic AND politics-survival basics in one.
The movie is not spectacular, but solid most of the way. Admittedly, I go 120% playback speed on movies, while listening to audiobooks I do at 85% playback speed. Not much noteworthy dialogue, but neither utter BS.
The acting is fully OK, and princess Elodie (a type of woman I would not call sexy) still convinces, as the actress does her job instead of pestering the audience with her personal issues, letter-soup allegiances, or whatever spoiler-staccato else. Seriously, I don't like her, but she delivers a solid performance.
Similar is true on the dragon and the evil queen, who ensure that FAIRY TALE status, as in century old folklore traditions across the planet, is rightfully part of it. It is, and in much better quality than plenty of fantasy movies by people, who were allowed criminal shortcuts to production money!
Scaly the Princess Slasher & Scorcher: The dragon does indeed remind A LOT of Smaug, but I was OK with it, as it did not really hurt the story.
Life lessons on ego: The great king cravenly saved his life under pretense of for the good of the people (allowing Evil to continue NEVER is!!!), while the loving, regretful father who sold Elodie to the dragon-cult risks his life to rescue her, and even dying asks her forgiveness instead of being a selfish jerk.
I rated this movie 8 out of 10, as I found it manifold better than in example Dungeons & Dragons - Honor Among Thieves. Give it a chance, please, for we need more future content creators instead of only criminal copycats dishing us, what we already paid for a hundred times before.
Cult Killer (2024)
A nigh masterpiece modernizing the private detective movies.
I am more than usual opinionated here, as I have been a fan of Antonio 'Pendecho' Banderas for around two decades. I also had hobbies working with the sleuth aka private investigator character class.
Antonia Banderas & Alice Eve perform a less cliché way of nosy detectives, and bring in what the original NOIR genre never had: Modern technology, smart criminals, and egomaniac people on the jobs.
For good or for bad, the movie is unafraid to work through some tropes, clichés, and stereotypes of the movie private investigator genre.
What do we get? A private detective gets murdered on a case, and his female junior partner (or trainee) investigates that homicide without cuddling too many laws. ;-)
I rated high for the maturity and humor. I could not say that I would rate the story or movie 6 otherwise.
At 120% playback speed, the movie was OK to watch.
Note: The role of Antonio Banderas is a former Interpol veteran with more than 20 years of experience on that job. His less impressive achievements while going solo are one of the genre-revisions I consider overdue. Others MAY dislike such.
A focus on European cultures is considered 'triggering' by certain people, so don't watch, when more than one Caucasian on screen makes you get a nervous breakdown or similar 'freak-out', please!
Warchief (2024)
Between LARP junk and failed acting. Enjoy, if you can movie.
Officially, we get told:
'A group of guardians are tasked with protecting a messenger who must deliver vital information to their king. On their journey through an ancient land, they face a battle filled with plagues, dark magic, and vile monsters.´
What we get for real? Four people in cliché fantasy gear, the sort no sane person would choose for outdoor hiking aka wandering thru danger zones, plus weapons they barely know how to hold or wield, stumble thru the usual challenges of level one fantasy pseudo-heroes.
The dialogues are boring, the characters bleak and predictable, and the mostly orcish (competing kingdom) 'monsters´ have also been done better in fan movies from a decade or two ago!
Best acting: The little white-greenish spider after the intro scare.
This movie does not reach a 'Warcraft - Alliance against Horde´ flair, nor does it reach the comedically value of 'The Gamers - Dorkness Rising´, which was already a flawed roleplay turned movie. Even the early parts of Sir Peter Jackson's LOTR were much more solid, and I mean the hobbits up to meeting Aragorn.
At 120% playback speed it still was slowly, and I would prefer to call it pathetic. Still: Tastes vary, and I tend to be fierce & intolerant on stuff that peed me off, so who knows: May be I rate it one star, but you and all your friends, lovers, admirers agree that it is instead a ten star masterpiece? Check it out, form your opinion. Enjoy, if you can.
The Bell Keeper (2023)
Underrated, simple but solid horror story.
I found the movie rated 3.5 out of 10, and while it can be watched at 120% playback speed, it is not the junk that low rank implied.
The story makes sense, the young adults stumbling into the story aka discovering the curse, albeit too late, also fit quite well.
"A country bumpkin sorta Satanist had sacrificed virgins, until the loving father of a girl found him and dropped him dead in the middle of a ritual. The Satanist dragged to hell by demons, the father accidentally becoming an immortal in his stead. Sadly, the demons got their hands on the magic, so they could continue to run the curse: Whoever rings that bell gets possessed by a demon and goes on a killing spree." -> Not genius, but also not the worst horror story I know.
So, a scary axe murderer turns out to be a demon hunter, a curse turns out to have become worse than the origin due to demonic meddling, and young adults learn the harsh truths along the way.
Some of the acting is formidable, and the movie does have atmospheric moments. The action scenes aka fighting scenes are not very professional, but low budget could always mean that fans fund a better remake, if they stop moaning and start living up to the costs of real production.
What I found noteworthy: The characters are a notch less cliché than usual. Their behavior fits the story, and adapts to what they learn about the incidents. Nothing great, but plenty of movies failed to deliver that.
I rated it 6 stars out of 10, as I think that team would deserve a chance for a sequel or remake instead of no money incoming.
Good watch for: Grimm like fairy tales turned horror, people OK with not so innovative stories, fans of curse stories with violent killings (no extreme gore).
Not so good for: People with high expectations, unpaying folks demanding more than can be funded. Longhaired Satanists.
Welcome to Redville (2023)
A lobotomized Leonardo diCaprio clone reenacts 'Reeker'.
Dished as an American road-movie type of crime-comedy, we get another story about a criminal couple acting in the dumbest possible ways, and the BS story turning out to be their delusions due to their death-throes. The end of denial!
"After a diamond robbery, a couple of young adults is on the run from the police. They seemingly make it out of town, rushing through the desert in their car, when they reach a small town named Redville. People there are simple, and somehow weird or odd. Protagonist looking like the son of Leonardo diCaprio gone viking gets paranoid about it, while his girlfriend wants to play it safe. Still, to prove himself a complete moron, he gets into a bar, falls for the daughter of Margot Robbie style Blonde therein TWICE, after the first heist idea made her already betray him and his GF. Coincidence it is, that Blonde is also the daughter of the local Sheriff, so our super-pro diamond-robber on the run can make even more mistakes a real criminal would avoid. Closure cheap-shots it into the weird BS was the aneurism in the brain, as our protagonist couple in truth was dying in the car, which had not made the escape, but crashed in the desert. Redville vanishing, as it was just the delusion of a dying brain. Done."
At 120% playback speed the movie was still lame, and it did not reach the quality older movies offered on the topic of robbers & getaways either. Still, the constant fame-phishing from more successful actors, actresses, and movies made it a bit funny, as I had Shutter Island, Suicide Squad, and my ideas about how to write that screenplay better.
The movie MAY be 10 stars to spoof-fans, parody fans, low IQ people, very simple people, and medical-weed-overdose people. Alcohol alone does not seem to make it bearable, though. ;-)
The Quantum Devil (2023)
An interesting idea, a classic streak & homage, plus some good acting in it!
To me, it was 'Event Horizon' meets Lovecraft's 'From Beyond', and at that it was splendid. I am also old enough to consider it a creative modernization of Richard Matheson's 'Hell House'. Sadly, the movie remains a bit cliché & predictable, even at 130% playback speed. What we get is a 'No Deal with the Devil will ever benefit anyone but the Devil´ sort of horror story within which controversial characters, ambitious upstarts with dark secrets, being undone by meeting someone, who is more deceitful & more diabolical master of foul play than what they can handle.
Four graduates of quantum science, each off the career-ladder at the moment, are invited by a controversial scientist, who offers each a lot of money to help him successfully finish an experiment bordering dimension travel in his weird mansion aka villa (big, luxury housing). That is both, a classic horror concept & a modern form of storytelling here. So, the movie idea itself would be 10 stars out of 10.
Sadly, too much remains cliché & tropes, so that even the humor and female acting (showing us they play the sex-toys, not being too dumb for any real acting) is weakened by it. What we get is a simple horror story, not very innovative, but 'more modern' than the classics. I can't consider it Lovecraftian horror, as the only tentacled-tyrant deity is easily outmatched, which is anathema to a menacing myth mankind is helpless against. But, it still gives us a modern, diabolical story worth a watch.
I rated it 7 stars, as I would certainly enjoy that team being able to deliver a better-funded sequel. Do not watch this, if your expectations are high, or rules of horror a must, as then you will probably be disappointed or annoyed by it. If you can enjoy a simple dish with some mistakes, then this is really fully OK, and with some good acting for sure.
Impuratus (2022)
A brilliant idea, sadly not delivered too well!
To be honest, the film falls short in between what we can know from the original 'The Exorcist' and Denzyl Washington & John Goodman in 'Fallen'.
The story idea is effing cool, really could have made a great 'demonic possession' style horror movie, but at that it fails too much.
Dear Tom Sizemore, visibly not in good shape (barely a year before his death), does still play his part, and quite well (reminding me of Leonardo diCaprio in Shutter Island).
So, what do we get? In the ending year of the American Civil War (1865), my guess, a Union soldier gets backstabbed while hunting down a Confederate soldier. Yep, them rebels had comrades, too.
Now, instead of dying, he somehow ends up in 'A Witch House', wherein an accursed family, or so it seems, has to endure faithfully, as one of their own has fallen to 'The Devil'. Means, one of the family is mental ill, anti-social, or similar. Back then, the biblical explanation was still popular.
By weird circumstance, that Union soldier, possessed, survives decades longer, and on his deathbed asks for a Detective to visit him.
The Detective (Tom Sizemore) had one unsolved case haunting him, and expects foul play (scam, fraud, trickery), when the possessed soldier shares his view of the story.
In the end, we realize that the 'possession' works by turning each killer of 'the demon' into its next body to be possessed. Henceforth, the only way to trap the demon is by either warning those trying to kill it, or otherwise preventing them from it. For, if not, then the demon starts by slaughtering their loved ones, until a new killer aka supplicant body shows up.
This is the kind of horror, where good people still try to do 'the right thing', not villains, criminals, drug addicts. It has enormous story-potential, but that makes it harder to tolerate the boring, cliché, and badly done parts of the movie even more. Still lame at 120% playback speed IS lame.
The movie is also impaired by clearly low-budget funding, it could look MUCH better, if done properly.
R. I. P., Tom Sizemore. Still, a remake of this movie could do much better by not only stumbling through the tropes, as even dedicated movie-making students do better these days.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Old Man Ford and the new generations...
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is watchable, if you do not demand high-quality HD effects & are happy with a repetition of 'the usual Indy tropes´. At that, it is really OK.
Sadly, what made others already entitle 'The Dial of Diarrhea´, the movie has not learned from the four predecessors, coming up with issues entire generations had to endure or live with: 'You lost your son in the war?´ -> Millions shared that fate and NEVER got a Hollywood income at all, nor any other recompense.
And, the life and death of those, who stopped Nazi Germany degraded to 'stage for another strong, independent FEMALE character´ is outright pathetic and disrespecting.
But, Spielberg's monopoly was more eye-candy than legitimate business (I am with you, South Park!), and it was nice to see some original cast chars. It was even great that Indiana Jones did show respect for an office assistant killed early in the story (human factor, when respect was lived, not demanded).
Overall: At 120% playback speed, there are some lengthy parts, as it is simply clear that it is a lower budget AND lower IQ production.
Given, that I am a Non-Native-Speaker of the English language, I would say: 'If medical weed ain't your thingie, then try watching it at 125% playback speed, so to not waste too much time.´
Also: The real Archimedes was Afro-American is OK by me.
The real Indiana Jones was Afro-American, too.
New generations preying on elders, as the youngsters have only self-importance & entitlement, but no real successes: 'Signs of the times, toxic parentage inside an even more flawed system.´
Bonus: 'It is a hoax, during Archimedes' lifetime the phone was not yet invented, so there was no dial!´ ;-) Simpleton, but happy. I am old enough to cherish such more than expectations & demands.
Don't Knock Twice (2016)
Solid take on an urban myth story. Decent, not bad!
First of all: It ain't a masterpiece and it has all been seen in movies before. True, but 'overdoing twists´ and other notes I read from reviewers before me are outright lies.
'Haters gonna hate...´ -> Our mistake, when we fall for it.
A former drug addict wants her daughter back. That is, how the movie starts. Now, a daughter wouldn't be a teenager worth reckoning with, when she wouldn't be into either crime or occult BS, right? ;-)
The movie stays on course, and the deception of the characters (we see it, when they believe it) does make sense. The final actually resolves ALL we need to know.
So, while mom and daughter try to hate-love each other in their individual ways, it happens that daughter had provoked a demon-witch-phantom-ghost thingie to hunt her down.
That impairs the familial reunion, so mom and daughter have to fight the odds, as the thingie, a messed-up legal system, and falling for some lies of the 'demonic helper´ really make it harder for them.
As befitting the horror genre, there is no full happy ending. What we see as the 'sequel possible´ moments actually was in the plot from the start.
It is no masterpiece, it needs some gamma or brightness boost, and I watched it at 120% playback speed, even as a Non-Native-Speaker of English. Still, as titled: I have seen MUCH worse labelled 'Bloody Mary´ or similar, and I was really surprised that this movie deserves to be listed higher than plenty of others.
Decide for yourself, and remember: You can read all the IMDB reviews cost-free, not just mine.
Endangered (2020)
Beware the subtle ones...
First of all, if you are not OK with low-budget road-movies, then do not watch this, as the BAD will outweigh the GOOD.
Now, if you like a calmer movie mostly driven by character-interplay and dialogue, then this can be OK, albeit at 110% playback speed. Even for Non-Native speakers, so Natives my prefer 120% acceleration.
The movie delivers. Some deceptions (plot twists) were filmed very well and there was no gross inconsistency. Some scenes COULD have been better, but that is true for most movies.
What I really like about the female predator aka strong female character sermon herein: She risks her life for her choices and neglects, no auto-immune (gamers call it god-mode) BS.
So, while no masterpiece, it IS a solid urban crime movie with a lot of nightly driving. 'Could happen to the best of us!´ ;-)
The Witcher (2019)
Geralt the unimportant sidekick character... Yennefer overdrive.
While I am not a fervent watcher, the series DOES have several strong points. Problem is: From the start, Yennefer gets much more priority than Geralt of Rivia (Series' name was The Witcher, not Yennefer having an ego problem).
Some episodes could rightfully be called masterpieces, others more 'mental episodes & psychotic rushes´ of the screenwriters.
The stand alone stories are often very good, and at least in seasons one and two I did not mind inconsistencies, deviance from canon, or whatever else.
But, some stuff makes no sense: Too many magic users everywhere. Too many trained fighters outside of armies and robber gangs.
Also a sore spot: Most canon characters look their part, with Geralt of Rivia, despite all talent of Mr. Cavill & replacement, did SO not look like the Witcher from original sources (like the Wiedzmin movie, the original computer game). He never botched his role, but the optics would better be 'Generic Fantasy Swordsman stories, not The Witcher´.
Some episodes make every scum, bum, loser dominate the episode more than Geralt, who should be the main character... Not what I like.
Still, contrary to others: There is no wokeness agenda, choices I call mistakes CAN be a matter of taste, and overall the series IS worth a watch.
I also think they should marry the char to Karen Noldor aka Galadriel from 'The Rings of Power´. ;-)
Heart of Stone (2023)
A flawed homage to classic secret agent movies.
A secret world-government computer device called the Heart does its job, until antagonists find out about it and snatch it.
If you liked Gal Gadot in 'Red Notice´, herein she delivers a sort of good guy version. Not in a bad way.
Problem is: The movie does not reach the consistency it takes to call it a spy thriller or agent story.
Still, the basics are therein, the ideas are not totally messed up AND the movie works without the LGBTQ-pleasing & without racial-baiting.
The redemption arch we get, Agent Stone teaching a hacker the wrongness of hostile takeovers, was great. The symbol of hope that mankind so rarely gets in Real Life. ;-)
I was not disappointed, but there are notable lacking moments in this, even at 110% playback speed. I also understand some of the anger expressed about Netflix productions and low-budget movies. Your choice, if such spoils the fun of watching.
Dampyr (2022)
Low budget, but a fan-funded sequel could be splendid!
Dampyr lacks some money for makeup, costumes, special effects, so certain movie fans may scorn it. Superficiality is not my problem, though, as the story is solid:
In a modern world, reminding of the Russia-Ukraine War, soldiers stumble into a nest of vampires and their solution is force-recruiting a fraudulent (scammer) vampire hunter to save them.
The vampire hunter is born a Dampyr, a half-vampire who herein is more akin to an anti-vampire, as his blood can dissolve them like the holy water of older movies.
And, that is what his father, a vampire master losing against another vampire master (Lord of the Night) had intended: Unleashing the Dampyr at risk of self-destruction (father), so to thwart the triumph of his arch-enemy kinda competition.
The actors invest efforts to play their roles well, and while the story is not superb, it offers us watchers the chance to invest into an extension, a sequel.
We get a typical, cheap, and cliche vampire story, but with a background that can be extended. We get the notions of redemption, coexistence, and friendship (or allies of convenience & by necessity), when a mortal soldier, the Dampyr, and a vampire woman team-up to stop the tyrant Lord of the Night from enslaving them or drinking their blood.
In the last 25 years few vampire movies did any better, and this one did not pester with LGBTQ-pleasing or racial-baiting at all. It IS a bit slow, though, as watching at 100% playback speed still had boring moments.
If fans fund the sequel better, we can expect a 8.5 stars in story, action, vampire-authenticity, and character development. Kudos!
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)
A review from a Not-Fan of Batman
First of all, the movie, if watched at 110% playback speed, is a decent story, and not the worst copycat poo of a crossover either.
It uses tropes and cliché Batman characters, I think too much, but it does EMBED them into the story, even daring to finally stop worshiping the flawed canon of old.
While 'Batman vs Dracula´ was more my thingie, this movie does not only tell a Lovecraftian horror movie, it succeeds at making the crossover plausible, atmospheric, and decently fitting.
Bad: The story is not very innovative, as Lovecraft fans had it before (repeatedly so). The entire Batman character cast IS effing predictable & boring.
Still, it is a solid movie, and it failed far less than in example Batman in a feudal Japan setting did. Less inconsistencies, and less superficial stupor.
Bonus: Fans of the old comic, Batman vs Manbat, may finally see a redemption arc of sorts come true.
As noted: No masterpiece, but showing a potential that could result in a better sequel, and a background setting evolving from Lovecraftian origins into a Neo-Lovecraftian super-heroic one.
Marlowe (2022)
It is not the acting sabotaging this movie!
Like many people across the planet, I have been into Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, and some Raymond Chandler (The Simple Art of Murder), decades before this movie was made.
This movie is a solid reproduction of a typical Philip Marlowe story. The mistake is not in the acting, but in the expectations the originals once raised above the truth.
Philip Marlowe is more of a whiny sissy than a real, hardboiled detective. And, he was written like that in the original works. So, it is the actors & actresses, who got scorned, while in truth they were the ones turning a crap-story from a whiny drunkard author into something worthy to be called #Hollywood.
In this movie: We get a classic, noir genre detective story with most people having ulterior motives, all people trying to lie, cheat, and backstab to get their hands on money that jobs cannot ever earn, really good NOIR.
This NOIR though needs genre fans to be appreciated. I called the movie a reproduction, as it strictly does that. The story and acting to not try to go neo-noir (which would make it easier for younger watchers & viewers)!!!
Liam Neeson was a great choice, as he has the tough sides, but also convinces as a drunkard, corrupted sleuth, and a world-weary, old man! The rest of the cast did not do any weaker, but that alone does not deliver entertainment value to the audience.
Misanthrope (2023)
A good idea, but not fully delivering to the end!
I found several good points in this movie, and while I would NOT compare it to 'Silence of the Lambs´, this is a classic police movie idea with police hunting after a serial killer.
Vaguely, by concept, not in the movie, like the 'Zodiac´ movie a decade ago.
We get: A flawed police woman trying hard to hold her self (pay the bills) and do her job properly in a flawed, judgmental, and toxic society (which, globally, we did have become in RL).
Her superior, enervated from years of politicking to score results before some career-idiot sabotages him, and his gay marriage in a zero-pestering performance (kudos!).
A good storytelling, the female protagonist even showing us she still is a heroin-addict in uniform. But, what we do not get:
A killer interesting enough to fill the second half of the movie. Why? The 'twist´ dude, who went thru the first police-interrogation turns out to be THE badass instead, wasn't done badly, but after his momma shot herself, it was so cliché & tropes that I literally longed for a bottle of Agwa de Bolivia to numb my senses instead of watching more.
Also worth knowing: Some other reviewers warned of subliminal messaging, anti-US propaganda, and social issues a fictional movie SHOULD do without: I hope, those warnings are not needed, as I expect low-pay acting to be difficult enough.
Is this movie great? No, but solid with a shallow ending. Did I enjoy it? The first half. Anything else: I severely dislike junkies due to my RL experiences, and due to belonging to a faction often harmed by their crimes. Still, the actress here managed to convince, I had neither hatred nor resentment to wrestle, while watching.
Such doesn't make the movie any better, but my point is: They tried to tell us the story of this movie, they did not try to push their crap into our faces. Mistakes happen, but I hope this is not a movie worthy to be condemned.
Renfield (2023)
Superb Dracula-Comedy with Renfield viewpoint.
The performances of Nicolas Cage & Nicholas Hoult are by far not the only worthy part of this movie (I called it a Dracula-Comedy or Dracula-Parody).
It is fun watch not taking itself serious. It is also a very good cast of actors, actresses, and LGBTQIA-equivalent people acting.
My only real point of criticism is that making the regime-helper, or tyrant-helper, seem a harmless, misunderstood fellow or outright heroic person is factually wrong. Dangerously so.
What we get? A movie aka film that at 110% playback speed is not too lengthy, has lots of good punchlines & persiflage-action fights. While I would not want to watch it again, it is nice to know that some movies still CAN reach a degree of quality that we once simplified as #Hollywood.
Dracula: The Original Living Vampire (2022)
No masterpiece, but showing potential and respect for the classic!
The idea of a Lesbian van Helsing working under her supervisor Renfield, as part of the urban police, is giving a modern edge to dusty, old Bram Stoker canon.
The lighting of the movie is better than dozens I had to watch in recent years & same is true on the audio needing much less filtering, or much less amplifying.
Science in denial & the wishful thinking of occult bookworms lacking practice is ALSO fitting that kinda horror story.
So, while i cannot help it: The attempt to dump this movie faster & deeper than even oldest black & white movies IS wrong! The movie is NOT a masterpiece, but a solid & clearly motivated production.
Actors & actresses are not outstanding, but not one spoiled a scene by being high on drugs, or otherwise misbehaving, at all!
The Lesbian soft-sex scene is fitting adult relationships, and does not drift into cheap porn.
I do not regret watching this movie, though I did watch it at 110% playback speed and only, because a friend had it streamed.
Still: It is not junk, and that team, when funded properly, could produce a sequel worth watching!
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (2008)
Best One-Hit-Wonder of Fantasy RPG in a decade!
First of all, my late (ten years too late) review comes into existence, because Rotten Tomatoes had ZERO reviews on 'The Gamers - Dorkness Rising´. Yes, my only energy stems from an erratic (won't happen) urge to copy & paste it over to a competing website.
Second, I have watched that movie more than three times. I also happened to piss-off Zombie Orpheus Entertainment & all (or at least most, gimme one more try and it will be all) Gamers.
So, the important part? No Strowlers and no bribes, no anger and no 'I know real porn sites & am unafraid to go there´ changed much of my rating! I started with an 8, on repeated watching I went down to 6, as the flaws and mistakes ARE there (and some could have been avoided, or remedied on set, so no excuses).
The movie, let's call it slapstick-fantasy or fantasy-rpg-comedy, plays in the real world and in a Dungeons & Dragons kinda fantasy setting. It is clearly a low-budget production, and it is also clearly not giving a damn about customer feedback or fandom criticism.
The movie tells us about a group of stereotypical, nerdy roleplayers and their characters. It is a mature and humorous one on that, and I to this day share links to it, or info about it, with less experienced roleplayers (RPG virgins & what Jen Page's Luster would call PEASANTS).
The movies strength are prose & pathos, also humor and nerdiness. The flaws are in sloppy production, cheap costumes, the cast's erratic high expectations, and the aftermath handling of setbacks.
'Mort Kemnon´ the fictional part about a group of heroes, untainted by innate goodness or any real longing to help remedy the problems, opposing the evil necromancer is funny. It is also authentic about many bad moments in fantasy roleplay, the kind of experiences, most of us made more often than any of us ever wanted to.
The RL depiction of underpaid folks having nothing but their dreams & their boners to live on... I have been there, I know better & I know worse (paradoxically my RL homelessness NOT being part of the worse, kinda).
One other form of problem with the movie (seemingly) was overpriced & low tech (first edition). If I do not err on it, then a remake in HD was later offered for sale.
A clear flaw is that producer aka director 'Matt Vancil´ was too close to the cast, and overlooked too many easily redeemed mistakes for his personal convenience (or sexual favors, dunno for sure). It made the movie weaker than expected. The Sexual Immaturity depicted, COULD be seen as typical nerd stuff, but it was also a bit much and a bit singular (only one opinion was OK, we others STFU).
If you liked watching the Dungeons & Dragons movies, all three, then watching this one (while drunk or smoking that idiot-maker weed) will probably be a funny session. If monetary greed isn't your true motive for fantasy roleplaying, then you may instead be insulted by several depictions & interpretations, though it is not always on purpose.
'Enjoy, or let the Flaming Hand of Fiery Doom hit you from behind!´
Southbound (2015)
Southbound - A classic horror on the (end of) highway movie. Low budget, high creativity.
Southbound is a movie made up of 5 interwoven tales, and the movie manages in bringing its idea cross. We also get some closure on what at beginning of the move seems paradox, or supernatural.
I was a bit reminded of the first Reeker movie, when it comes to perplexed people having to find out what is going on and why. Another vague association was the movie Identity.
My personal suspicion is that younger people may find it harder to feel entertained by the movie, as we older ones have more associations and memories compatible along with it.
The movie is NOT hyping any racism of Dixieland aka the former Confederate states of the USA. I call it the kinda movie, which could deserve fans funding a sequel. No masterpiece, but solid enough to enjoy watching.
Haunt (2019)
Haunt, and the mistake spoiling it...
Haunt tells the story of a group of young adult friends entering a roadside Haunted House (kinda carnival), only to discover it is run by murderous employees, who later turn out to even include devilish ghosts (or demons), eager to craft themselves some new bodies to hunt down further victims.
Haunt sure is above the Blair Witch & Paranormal copycats. The basic story is cruel, simple, and works out to the end. In a modest way the movie would be worth to be called better. Still it is only better among the worst mainstream horror dished these days.
One failure is that Haunt gives the audience zero explanations, why demons, or psycho-killer ghosts, exist. Another is we have no knowledge, nor any vague estimation, of what powers they have, or why they can connect to childhood traumatic experiences of young adults.
At the end Harper is a tough lady fighting back, but at the price of having her boyfriend, her only friends, and her civilized life taken away from her.
If you just want to see some young adults get trapped, tormented, and killed, then this is OK. If you hoped that it makes sense, deserves a sequel, and actually aims to entertain the audience, then it is not among the best.
Promising, if it was a starter work, but in an age, where research is just one WIKI away, one could avoid a minimalism of background definition & storytelling.
Plus: Them bad guys murdered hot chics! Totally a no-go to my ego. ;-)
Anon (2018)
Oldschool cyberpunk on tranquilizer...
The movie Anon is not a sci-fi movie, as it fits closer to the cyberpunk genre. Movies like 'Blade Runner', 'Johnny Mnemonic' & such can vaguely help to conjure-back that kinda atmosphere. If one considers 'I, Robot' a murder mystery, then this one has vague similarities.
The focus is the vulnerability of computers, as the detectives have an implant keeping them online 24/7 and jamming their perceptions now and then.
The interplay between Clive Owen & Amanda Seyfried works, though the storytelling is not really eager to make it all plausible aka easily-understandable to the audience. There is an indie streak of punky attitude here, and I don't mean being tired of the BREXIT media poo.
An alcoholic police detective, haunted by the death of his son, gets drawn into a murder case, within which the killer manipulates the cyber-cameras each citizen has implanted, to get away with the crimes.
The idea is: Signal riding. What, if your connection includes a shadowy lurker, who can manipulate the connection with everything pointing at you, when it goes awry? ;-)
The title I chose tells the main backlash: The movie is slow, lacking some action and story-bolstering. Can't say phoning the ex-wife or banging the cool blackhat woman (damn, that hacker myth is so over-nerded) redeemed that.
All in all a calmer and streamlined classic of the genre without any innovative or spectacular parts. Interesting lesson on discarding the cop, when he is no longer of use (in the end of the movie).
"It is not that I got anything to hide, it is that I don't want you to see anything of me any longer..?"
Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017)
A good idea & early efforts gone to waste...
First of all: The movie has some very good efforts invested, but more bad ones, too.
Jeepers Ceepers 3 dares to face the problem of sequels rarely succeeding. Such is noteworthy, and the first 7 minutes of the movie I would have hoped this to become 8 or 9 stars.
It did not, for several reasons.
The insectoid actors efforts, and the police conviction were good acting. The story considered that the 'bad guy' had been successful before AND that the local superstition was already proven a rural legend!
But key mistakes were made:
YA is the shortage for young adult. Not for alternate-sexuality ugly teenage-twiddle brains.
Actors who are busy showing how gay they are cannot focus on the acting, and hence spoil it for more viewers than they score outside of films with naked homosexuals.
The plot runs low, gets boring and lengthy. Lack of additional content, side-kick characters adding their view of the legend. Too linear with that little bit of granny knows how to dig-out bad guys secret weakness.
There is no final, as climate is so lacking I daresay it doesn't exist. Poho County police staring in disbelief, frustration, and helplessness from behind the barrel of the own shotgun did not remedy this either.
Given health and 2 weeks of care (plus watching the 3 movies again) I could retell it as a Dracula or Alien story, and so could any even just mediocre roleplaying GM or ST.
Shuang tong (2002)
An unwitting milestone of Lovecraftian Horror, too!
Agreeing with many of the positive reviews, and hence not reciting their context here, on this Taiwanese work or co-production I still want to add that it does not only tell the tale of a mentally troubled police investigator on his next job, but manages to combine story-depth with atmosphere in a way which has been lost to 'Hollywood'due the low budget bombardment we all could witness since Blair Witch Project & Paranormal were mis-considered great works.
For those who know the Call of Cthulhu or Trail of Cthulhu role-playing game this movie is just one more tip of an iceberg, when it comes to the story potential.
The actors kept any narcissism on a proverbial leash, clearly fulfilling their roles in the unfolding plot. Splendidly done so. The cult surprise-attacking the police right during the cops own advance combined shock-effect and action in a way I found thrilling indeed, as it means a skilled combination of two genres.
I am surprised that it did not inspire to follow in its steps.