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gayga (2127 KP) rated Swimming with Sharks (1995) in Movies

Nov 15, 2019 (Updated Nov 15, 2019)  
Swimming with Sharks (1995)
Swimming with Sharks (1995)
1995 | Comedy
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Kevin Spacey as the mad boss (0 more)
A bit hammy (0 more)
How far would you go to get your into the movie business?
I first saw this on TV some years ago. It’s also known as The Buddy Factor in some countries. I just love it so much. I know Kevin Spacey is a dirty word these days, but his acting in this as Buddy Ackerman, head of Production is just so good! Psychotic sex maniac, obsessed with hair loss.

Add to this Frank Whaley as Guy, the newbie assistant to Buddy, is put through hell hoping to get a screenplay produced. Add to this Dawn, producer, Guys new girlfriend, producer and ex Buddy squeeze and you get a recipe of disaster.

It’s just funny but also appalling tale of Hollywood film production.
  
Cold Moon (2017)
Cold Moon (2017)
2017 |
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
At first glance this looks like most other by the numbers Horror/Thriller movies with a cast of people you will recognize straight away but take a while to place where from. However give it a minute because this movie has some really stellar performances from the core cast which considering the concept is just bonkers enough to take you out of it completely, I find this to be nothing short of incredible.

THE BLURB:

In a sleepy southern town, the Larkin family suffers a terrible tragedy. Now the Larkin’s are about to endure another: Traffic lights blink an eerie warning, a ghostly visage prowls in the streets, and graves erupt from the local cemetery in an implacable march of terror . . . And beneath the murky surface of the river, a shifting, almost human shape slowly takes form to seek a terrible vengeance.

I found this movie to be way more Thriller than Horror, sure there are some solid as hell jump scares but one of the defining points in a Horror is that we don’t find out who the man in the mask is till the last quarter of the movie. In Cold Moon we know who the killer is early on and the film interestingly begins to focus on the rapid decline of our killers mind. Being haunted by the eerie ghosts of his victims, leading him to drink heavily, become careless and basically begin to lose his shit… Well that is where this movie cuts its teeth and showcases not only what our core cast can do but how effortlessly our Director/Writer can craft his tale.

 

Griff Furst has crafted a pretty eerie, Good looking, Atmospheric and Clever movie from the original novel written by the late Michael McDowell, author of Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Not only that but he managed to perfectly cast his roles from top to bottom **In my eyes, of course**. So lets touch on a couple of those people you know but may not place.

Josh Stewart from mostly everything, most notably for me he was Bane’s main henchmen in Dark Knight Rises. He is great in this flick, given a real chance to show us his range and I was pleased to see more of him. Frank Whaley from almost everything ever and he is fantastic in this. Up and Coming Robbie Kay from Tv show Once Upon A Time puts in a pretty strong performance. Ladies and Gentlemen we are even treated to some Christopher Lloyd, Doc Brown-ing all over the place.

Oh crap I almost forgot we are given a Tommy Wiseau cameo that is a real treat… Listen closely for his one line “He’s tearing him Apart”. Awww man now I wanna watch the room.

I recommend the hell out of this movie, is it amazing?? Not really… But its good fun, pretty clever, great performances and entertaining as hell. So a definite recommend.
  
Vacancy (2007)
Vacancy (2007)
2007 | Horror, Mystery
4
6.4 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
While driving down a back road late one evening on their way to L.A. an embattled couple, are about to make a stop that could cost them their lives. In Vacancy, Amy and David Fox, are returning home from a trip to celebrate the anniversary of their in laws.
The fact that they had to hide their failing marriage, and the tensions that still remain as a result, have driven Amy and David to the point of irritability and they never cease to find new ways to verbally spar with one another.

When their car breaks down, they are happy to discover a gas station attendant who tells them that he can get their car repaired enough to make it to the next town where they will be able to get the help that they need in the morning.

This proves not to be the case as their car once again breaks down shortly after they resume their trip, which forces Amy and David to walk back into town and stay the night at the only hotel in the remote locale.

Frustrated by their situation, the two resign themselves to their situation and check into the hotel and soon make a startling discovery. A stack of video tapes in the room seems to indicate that a series of ghastly murders has been committed in their room, and when hidden cameras are discovered, Amy and David soon realize that they are to be the stars of a future tape.

Trapped and alone, the duo must stave off a series of attacks and find a way to survive, so they can escape the nightmare they have stumbled into.

At first the premise of the film seems to be a step above the usual genre film, as the two leads, Wilson and Beckinsale, bring acredibility to their roles, and do develop their characters beyond the paper thin constructs that are so common in films of this type.

Sadly the film does not take advantage of this advantage and soon becomes a series of pat situations and a surprisingly odd lack of tension and suspense in the film.

One of the biggest problems in the film is that it tips it’s hand way to early in the film, as we know what is going on as the discovery of the tapes eliminates much of the mystery. Had the film saved this piece of information until the end of the film, it might have had far more impact as the audience would be left wondering why the bizarre events were happening to the couple.

Another issue for me was the small cast, as with only Wilson and Beckinsale in peril for the majority of the film, the tension level was greatly reduced, as you know that neither of them is going to be killed early in the film, as that would leave the movie without any protagonists.

As much as I liked the concept and casting, especially Frank Whaley as the creepy hotel clerk, Vacancy is simply a good idea that never rises above its premise, and ends up content to recycle the same old formula from dozens of other horror films without offering any of the thrills or chills, and leaves you unsatisfied.