EmperorPalpy Reviews

Evil Dead (2013)

A fine homage

[7/10 · 5 April 2013]

For a remake of a classic horror film, the "Evil Dead" of 2013 does many things right. It has its missteps, yes, but through the vast catalog of recently produced, generic horror remakes, this one is indeed handled with care.

The franchise creators, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, all step in to create a "fresh" take on the series. They brought along Fede Alvarez and put him in the directors chair. Wise choice? I'd say so. Fede is easily a talented director, but where he somewhat lacks in character development, he gains in style and finesse.

The film looks great. I can't imagine anyone disowning the movie for its poor photography, production design, or practical effects. On many levels, it excels upon the original... but these are different times. Whereas the original "Evil Dead" directed by Sam Raimi had a strong cast of likable characters, the remake becomes slightly hit or miss. All there is to say is that Jane Levy shines. Once the narrative of Mia comes into play, the film truly starts.

Granted it doesn't live up to the cult status of the original, it still carves its own path by attempting to pull off a completely different experience, which it is. You can compare them, but they are really completely different films, and I love it for that alone. Consider every horror remake you've seen that had no originality... complete copy and paste of the original. This does not fit that criteria. This hopes to bring a new "Evil Dead" to the table.

And on one last note... the musical score in this movie is brilliant. Without it, I wouldn't find it as intense or thrilling as it is.

The Thing (I) (2011)

Does exactly what it intends to do

[6/10 · 28 October 2011]

I'm gonna keep it kinda short. I don't need to say a gratuitous amount about the film, because if you're at all familiar with it's premise as well as John Carpenter's film then you should probably have an idea. If not, go research them both.

I'm a big fan of John Carpenter's film, so when I heard Hollywood was producing a prequel, I was both skeptical and curious. John Carpenter's film is a near masterpiece, so most fans would probably have mixed feelings about a new film.

I saw this prequel opening weekend and I honestly walked out satisfied. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but it certainly manages to pull off what it intends to do. Some of the scares are cheap, as well as the CGI, and most of the characters are very underdeveloped but all in all, it's a solid monster flick that keeps you guessing, just like the original.

It's definitely a solid companion piece to the original, like some reviewers have been saying. Everything ties up just nicely.

Alien 3 (1992)

A tragic yet powerful conclusion to the Alien trilogy

[8/10 · 30 March 2011]

Before I say anything, you must watch the Assembly Cut of Alien 3. That's the cut I prefer and the cut I base my score on for the film.

Anyways, this isn't a very bad film like almost everyone claims it to be. Of course, in comparison to the first two films in the series, it doesn't exactly live up to their quality but still considering the hell that David Fincher went though while making this, it's a damn worthy effort.

It is true that it lacks a little bit in the story department but what I'm sure most fans know is that they started filming this before they had even finished the script! So, essentially Fincher had to work with what he had and from what it seemed, improvise. Pretty impressive what he did, it being his first film and all.

It comes across kind of slow at parts and that's probably one of the few gripes I have with it, but in the end it's strangely uplifting and beautiful at times.

So, with all things considered, the good outweighs the bad. It's not perfect by any means, but still, give it a shot. Alien 3 is a criminally underrated film.

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

The best Halloween-themed film I've ever seen

[8/10 · 30 September 2009]

You know after you watch a very good movie and certain parts get stuck in your head? The type of movie that you continue to think about during the day, because it left such a good impact. This is that type of movie.

It IS a frightening film but not extremely scary like some have been making it out to be. It manages to have moments where you keep wanting to watch because you want to see what happens next. In my opinion, that's what makes a good horror film. There has to be moments that make you crave for more.

The film is very well written and the characters are both memorable and interesting. It's not a horror movie where you really don't give a crap about what happens to the characters. These are well developed characters, even in the short run time of the film.

Just watch it. If you want, wait till Halloween comes around. It's definitely the one movie I'm going to put on at night on Halloween for years to come. You definitely feel the spirit of Halloween while watching this and it pulls off the look of it very well.

If you like good horror and you're sick of the new modern horror crap that comes out, or if you just love Halloween, then I definitely recommend this. It's one of the best horror films I've seen in a while.

The Unborn (2009)

Worst movie I've ever seen in theaters

[1/10 · 9 January 2009]

Wow...just wow. Words cannot describe how bad this movie really is. I actually walked out of the movie once just because I couldn't take it. Unfortunately I walked back in because I had friends watching, but I definitely would have left if it were up to me. Everything was just so AWFUL. The acting was incredibly dense and the dialogue was just completely ridiculous. The characters in this film are ones you will not care at all about. I was honestly hoping everyone would die because of the lack of emotion each performed. The scares are pretty much your typical, predictable cheap thrills you see in every PG-13 horror flick. Nothing in this movie was really scary at all, just over the top attempts at lame gross outs and dumb crap popping up randomly. I really don't know why David S. Goyer would do this...he wrote good material with a few films but this is just his worst work yet. I know he's no genius but DAMN, he has done better. Look, it's simple. Don't watch this movie ever. It's nothing we've never seen before, it's completely retarded and there's no reason why anyone should like it. Why, Gary Oldman, why??