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The Prophet's Game (2000)
Good plot, poor acting
This one despite having an interesting basic story was by times frustrating to watch because of some poor acting and bad dialogue.
Some of the cast performed poorly: Stephanie Zimbalist was not convincing in her role, Patrick Thomas was a poor choice for a serious serial killer drama, and Darin Cooper was poor. However, Sondra Locke was perfect in her role.
Unfortunately, most of the characters were unlikable, especially some of the police involved in the case.
I'd like to see this movie remade, only with better dialogue, an absence of police politics, and a better cast.
It had excellent potential, too bad it was never realized.
Naked Fear (2007)
Starts out slow, but last 20 minutes is entertaining
I was about to give this one a low rating after the first 50 minutes or so, but it really picks up toward the end.
Some of the acting isn't very good, several of the characters are unlikable, and the pace is rather slow at first.
The early part of the hunting chase is nearly too cruel to watch, but it does get better later on.
This movie certainly in in line with my opinion that trophy hunters and serial killers are quite similar, both being psychopaths.
So I do recommend this movie. My advice to anyone watching is to be patient during the early part, because it does get much better toward the end, which I will not spoil here.
Too Late the Hero (1970)
Excellent Cast, Poor Screenwriting
It's not surprising that this one bombed at the box office. Despite a fine cast with Michael Caine, Percy Herbert, Harry Andrews, Denholm Elliott and Cliff Robertson, plus a very capable director in Robert Aldrich, the story was very disappointingly poor.
I'm surprised that Robert Aldrich was co-writer of the screenplay, in other movies he's done excellent work. Perhaps the negative writing was the work of the other two screenwriters, Robert Sherman and Lukas Heller.
Virtually none of the characters were honorable, heroic or likable. The captain is a poor leader, the American is capable but stubborn and reluctant, most of the soldiers especially Campbell are of poor quality. Hearne is intelligent but very cynical and insubordinate. The only somewhat decent character is the Japanese major, who lets the two prisoners live instead of executing them.
This movie does not honor the brave British and American troops who fought in the Pacific War, and instead portrays them in a very negative way.
The Breed (2006)
With a few changes, could have been a decent thriller
Despite a low budget, they had a good cast for this movie, especially Michelle Rodriguez and Oliver Hudson. Also, it's a very good location, although it does not look like an island, it's actually more like the coast of the Pacific Northwest.
There are two major failings, however. One, they characters behave stupidly by times. Why not have each person grab some kind of a weapon? A good strong piece of wood would be better than nothing. An iron crowbar would suffice, at times when only a few dogs are attacking. Eventually they did so, and killed a few dogs, but not until damage had already been done.
Also, the ending was very unsatisfying. Just when we think they are headed for safety, we see it is not so and the film abruptly ends.
New York Confidential (1955)
Film Noir at it's Best
The performance of Richard Conte as a hit man and body guard for the crime syndicate was especially impressive - he was very credible as a cold, confident, intelligent mobster.
Everyone else performed well too, including the young and beautiful Anne Bancroft in an early role as the daughter of a crime boss.
The story was realistic in it's portrayal of organized crime organizations. There are certain rules that need to be followed within the crime syndicate, or else it wouldn't work. Loyalty and following the chain of command are very important. Once someone is involved, there is no escape, even if it means one has to kill a friend for the benefit of the syndicate.
A.D. (1985)
Very Good Series
I enjoyed this series.
Most of the cast was very good: Ian McShane was perfect as Sejanus, James Mason ideal as Tiberius, Jonathan Hyde as Tigellinus, Denis Quilley as Peter, and Amanda Pays as Sarah.
However, there were a few examples of poor choices: Agrippina the Younger was in her 30s when she married Claudius, but she's being played by an actress in her 60s. Nero was a boy of 11 or 12 when Claudius married Agrippina, and just age 16 when he became emperor, but he's played by an older actor.
Acte (Akosua Busia) was portrayed as evil and manipulative, when the historical record gives no evidence of this. In contrast to Quo Vadis, Poppea was portrayed as kind and moral, showing they used Josephus as a source rather than Tacitus and Suetonius.
Overall, it was an interesting take on the events from 31 AD to 65 AD and the early Christians.
Creature from Black Lake (1976)
Poor acting
Although the basic story was okay, the direction and acting was not top notch. Jack Elam was ideal for his role and performed well, but some of the others such as Dennis Fimple were not impressive.
The weak attempts at humor by having people behave stupidly did not work. It would have been better to have made it a tense, serious thriller.
Another thing I didn't like is the stereotyping of southerners as dumb and illiterate bumpkins.
There were a lot of irrational decisions made - such as the two young men going out into the swamp at night, despite being fully aware of the presence of a dangerous powerful creature.
On the Inside (2011)
Underrated Thriller
This movie has quite an interesting story, and has quality screenwriting and direction. It's sad that it didn't receive a wider release.
Nick Stahl plays the leading role very well, and Olivia Wilde gives a fine performance as the bipolar patient. Dash Mihok gives a frighteningly realistic portrayal of a psychopath. Pruitt Taylor Vince portrays the kind of seriously disturbed patient one would expect to find on a maximum security psychiatric ward. Shohreh Aghdashloo portrays an unethical, callous psychiatrist who disregards safety precautions and makes no genuine attempt to help the patients.
The movie is quite realistic. The last 20 minutes are very tense, as we don't know for sure what the outcome will be.
The Dark (1979)
Mostly Rather Dull, But Last Ten Minutes Okay
The movie could have been better. There were some annoyingly dull scenes with small talk that added nothing to the story. Perhaps if the screenwriters had focused more on building a mystery it might have been more interesting. And perhaps adding a few more creature scenes and omitting some of the the small talk scenes it would have had better reviews.
There was some quality acting (Cathy Lee Crosby, Richard Jaeckel) and some poor acting (William Devane, Keenan Wynn, Warren J. Kemmerling). But perhaps the poorly written, trite lines written for Kemmerling and Wynn made them seem like worse actors. The romantic scenes with Crosby and Devane were unnecessary and uninteresting.
That being said, the last ten minutes or so were fairly entertaining.
The Bone Snatcher (2003)
Could Have Been Better
The basic plot for this movie was okay, and the locations where it was shot were interesting enough.
But the script was poorly written, to the point of being annoying by times. Most of the characters were not likable, there was too many false accusations being made, and too much arguing and fighting between them. They put themselves in greater danger in a horrific situation by not cooperating and working as a team.
The acting wasn't the best, the characters were not behaving as if they were afraid for their lives, as anyone would be in those situations.
The basic story was original enough, and creature was different than any I've seen in other movies. It could have been a better movie if the dialogue was better written and the interactions between the characters given more thought.
23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)
Great 1950s Crime Mystery
This is a great old crime mystery and I recommend it. It was shot in color, but the story is very much like those we usually find in black-and-white film-noir movies.
The cast were well-chosen for their roles, and they all performed very well. I was impressed by the perfect direction of Henry Hathaway. The cinematography was of high quality.
The story was very good. It starts out somewhat slow, but eventually it becomes more interesting and then we come to the violent parts. In the first hour we are given a lot of clues about who the villains are and what they are up to.
The twist at the end resolves the one remaining question we still have about who the main villain really is.
The Bermuda Triangle (1978)
Only One Positive Aspect
This movie was poorly directed. For example, there's the scene with the pillars falling - instead of swimming away from them, or over the pillars that had already fallen, they swim in between those that haven't fallen yet, putting themselves in more danger as they fall.
Was the killing of the sharks and actual beheading the small birds necessary? I wasn't expecting to see the killing of sharks for no reason other than some kind of cruel entertainment.
Some of the acting was very bad too. Even John Huston did not perform well.
There was, however something I liked about this movie, namely
Gloria Guida, who was as beautiful as any actress in the world at that time.
Dear Murderer (1947)
Cleverly Written British Film-Noir
This is a somewhat complex, intelligently-written 1940s British film-noir.
The acting is very good throughout. There is no over-acting, like we often see in modern movies - the cast smoothly performs their roles. Especially convincing is the strikingly beautiful Norwegian actress, Greta Gynt, who despite being raised in Norway speaks perfect English without a detectable accent. The most innocent and likable character, the rejected former girlfriend of Jimmy Martin, is played by Hazel Court.
There are several twists along the way which make the story more interesting. The ending, which I won't reveal here, fits very well with the rest of the story.
Stillwater (2021)
Disappointing
With a good basic plot, a fine cast and quality locations, this had the potential to be a very good movie. But there were aspects to the story that ruined it, especially the ending.
The daughter in prison was not a likable character. She was ungrateful for the big effort her father made to free her from the wrongful conviction. And at the end of the movie, we find out she was not entirely innocent.
Some of the scenes drag on too long. I don't mind slower paced movies with better stories, but this one was simply very dull in parts. The movie was not improved by stretching it out for so long, it would have been more watchable and perhaps more enjoyable if it had been shortened to 100 minutes.
Los cronocrímenes (2007)
Seemed Promising At First, Then Fell Apart
The early part of the movie got my attention easily enough, even though the lead actor wasn't very good and the character was very unlikable.
But after he got into the time machine and went back in time, it went downhill. His actions seemed completely irrational - for example, why did he force the girl to undress? Why did Hector 2 stab Hector 1? Why did Hector 2 want to create Hector 3?
What were the motives of the technician with the time machine? This was not explained. We know why he was there, but what were his motives behind his interactions with Hector 1, 2, and 3? What was the purpose of Hector 3? Why was the girl killed in the end? None of this made sense.
Evidently some people like movies that don't make sense, but I never have.
Hunters Lodge (2016)
Better Than Expected
This movie turned out to be much better than I expected. It's amazing what was accomplished with such a small budget. It would be interesting to see what Martyn Tott could make with a bigger budget.
The cast is very good - some fine British actors and actresses who were perfect for their roles, as was the main character.
It's nicely written. Some parts seem a bit slow, but it all comes together nicely toward the end. I noticed the excellent cinematography early on: for example, the cormorants flying over the lake.
The movie is not for everybody - a child would prefer something with a lot more action throughout. But I prefer movies like this one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the last 20 minutes.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Had Potential, But Fell Apart Later
This movie starts out very well, getting one's attention early. It has a very good cast with Sam Neill, David Warner and Jürgen Prochnow, and surprisingly Charlton Heston. There is a mystery created in the early part of the movie.
By mid-movie we have gone through some parts that are somewhat frightening, but when we enter the second half the story falls apart and becomes random and nonsensical. The scenes include a lot of chaotic violence, and yet by times they are just silly. No satisfactory answer is given to the mystery created in the early scenes of the movie.
It would have been better if they had toned down some of the madness in the second half, and come up with a more coherent story.
Hunt to Kill (2010)
Decent Action Movie
I don't understand why some people are so negative and harsh about this movie. It's a direct-to-video action flick, so people should not have expected anything different from what it is.
I first watched it about 14 years ago when it first came out, and then re-watched it yesterday. I wasn't disappointed.
There's no overly long, dull scenes, there's always something happening. The cinematography is very good, the locations and vegetation look like it was shot in the wilderness of coastal British Columbia.
The acting isn't bad, Gary Daniels and Eric Roberts are very good in these type of roles. The daughter Kim Rhodes (Marie Avgeropoulos) was annoying by times, and the actress did not perform as well the rest of the cast. Steve Austin himself is fine for this type of movie.
Overall, it's a decent action movie.
Avanpost (2019)
Very good movie except for the ending
This would have been a great sci-fi movie except for a silly ending.
The special effects are excellent, the action is non-stop, and the acting is very good. Even the English language voice over-dubbing is not too bad, better than we usually find in overdubbed Russian movies (I usually prefer to watch them with subtitles).
Rather than copying ideas from other alien invasion movies, this one has an original story.
However the last minute does not make a lot of sense. The surviving characters have an opportunity to destroy the last of the aliens, but choose to let the alien children live. Considering nearly the entire human species has just been wiped out by the aliens, it doesn't seem like a sensible decision.
Help! (1965)
I didn't like the silly story, but I loved the music
During the spring and summer of 1965 the Beatles were entering the period of some of their best music.
John was not yet heavily into hard drugs like LSD, and he was still a prolific songwriter. His voice was at it's best in songs like You're Gonna Lose That Girl, Help, Ticket to Ride and You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.
George came up with one of his best songs named I Need You. Paul's two songs were not among his best, but Another Girl and The Night Before were okay (Paul reached his peak as a songwriter some months later, with songs like We Can Work It Out and Elenore Rigby).
The story itself was silly and not very interesting, but because of the great music, I liked the movie.
Gotti (1996)
Realistic Portrayal Of A Crime Family
This is an educational and realistic portrayal of one of the leading crime families in America during the past century. By times it seemed a bit hurried, not going into some details of Gotti's life. But overall it covered most of the important facts.
The casting is very good, as usual with HBO movies. Armand Assante does an excellent job of portraying John Gotti, and William Forsythe was the perfect actor to portray Sammy Gravano.
John Gotti's mistake was in giving himself too high a profile, unlike other crime bosses who were wisely more secretive. He went from growing up in poverty to becoming a very wealthy man - however, he went too far in unnecessarily killing several associates, while not really appreciating or being satisfied with how lucky he was.
In Hell (2003)
Decent Action Flick, But With Some Flaws
This movie sets a good pace, it is never dull nor boring with always something happening. However there are some flaws in the screenwriting and direction.
Van Damme although known mainly as an action star is actually a good actor as we see here. The rest of the cast performs competently as well.
There are some negative stereotypes in this movie that are irritating. All of the Russians are portrayed as corrupt and merciless psychopaths. The Black prisoner, although he's killed several people, is made out to be really a good, moral person who was the victim of sexual abuse.
But in spite of the stereotyping, overall it's an entertaining action movie.
Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
Very Good Movie, But With Unnecessary Flaws
This is an interesting movie, nicely directed and never dull. The cast is very good and the locations were wisely chosen.
There are some flaws, however. The portrayal of the Celtic monk, with his frothing at the mouth as he talks, is degrading to Christianity. Would it not have been better to portray the monk as a clean, honorable and decent Christian man? Also, Beowulf is supposed to be a legendary Anglo-Saxon hero, yet the movie has him as a Geat. I have never seen an Anglo-Saxon In Canadian movies and TV series portrayed in a positive way.
Despite those weaknesses, it was still for the most part an enjoyable movie to watch.
The Day Time Ended (1979)
Underrated Sci-Fi Thriller
I enjoyed this one more than most. It was different than anything else I've ever seen.
The special effects were excellent and ahead of their time, considering the movie was made in 1979. The cinematography, especially the last five minutes, was very good as well.
There is plenty of suspense, it's a mystery that gradually unfolds.
It's a movie for the whole family, there are no gross nor vulgar scenes, and no nudity nor immoral behavior.
The acting is very good as well, especially the performance of Natasha Ryan.
I don't understand some of the harsh reviews on here, I've seen a lot of high-budget movies that are much worse.
Delete (2013)
Story Okay, But Main Cast Rather Poor
This could have been a very good sci-fi movie with a larger budget and a better cast. The three main characters - Daniel Gerson, Jesse White and Max Hollis - were played by mediocre actors. None of the three were at all charismatic or charming. The supporting cast was somewhat better.
The basic plot of the movie is interesting enough, and the screenwriting isn't bad. The direction had some imperfections, but I've seen worse.
Overall the movie is not terrible, and keeps one's attention easily enough. But could have been much better with a more capable main cast. It's not one I would recommend, but I would not advise anyone to avoid it.