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Hogzilla (2014)
Hogzilla (2014)
2014 | Horror
1
1.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Just so there is no confusion, Hogzilla is a massive pile of wank.
However, the episode of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs (who himself 'stars' in Hogzilla) is thoroughly entertaining, and the only medium available where I could even half recommend giving it a view.
Watching Joe Bob and Darcy tear it apart is pretty damn funny.

The actual film is just balls awful. The dialogue, the acting, the sound mixing - even the poster is shitty.
Above all else though, it's just plain boring. I appreciate that it was made on a tiny budget, but this means that the titular monster's screentime clocks in at around 10-12 seconds (and you don't really see it properly then either). It also means that 98% of the run time is a group of insufferable characters walking aimlessly around a forest, constantly being dicks to each other, and never being funny.
Even their unavoidable deaths are unsatisfying - The limited blood effects look they were done on Microsoft Paint.

I guess seeing Joe Bob aka John Bloom on screen is sort of comforting, but it really doesn't do much to elevate Hogzilla above being a garbage fire of a film.
  
Species (1995)
Species (1995)
1995 | Sci-Fi
Ahh Species. A film I loved to watch when I was a young teen for...research purposes...
It's a bit rubbish really though isn't it? Watching it again now, it's pretty much a bunch of characters talking their way through a manhunt, strung together by regular moments of nudity.
It's suitably corny, boasts some terrible CGI (effects that may have been good back in the 90s, I honestly don't really remember) but in spite of all this, it's still pretty entertaining.

It's cast boasts the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Michael Madsen, even a young Michelle Williams...it's pretty stacked. Natasha Henstridge of course plays the creature, and gives the role a sense of empowerment rather than exploitation.
The rubber suit aesthetic of the alien is pretty awesome (in the parts where it's not haunting CGI) and it has a pretty decent music score.

I fully see why a lot of people consider Species to be trashy, but honestly, it's a fun slice of 90s (as fuck) sci-fi horror. Enjoy it for what it is and just pretend the sequels don't exist.
  
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Final Destination 3 (2006) in Movies

Oct 18, 2020 (Updated Nov 26, 2020)  
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Final Destination 3 (2006)
2006 | Action, Drama, Horror
Rather chintzy and objectively garbo but a complete and utter blast almost from start to finish. Just plain cruel, reeks with the stench of death - whereas in the others the characters pretty much all reacted to impending demise with paranoia and/or denial, here we see them react with sardonicism, competitiveness, and even boredom. The deaths nor the effects aren't as good but this is infinitely better than the second one because the melodrama filler is actually back to being semi-entertaining (if never 'real movie' status) and has some pretty interesting musings about death's presence in these films. The whole product seems rushed out the door but has a good talking + dying ratio and it's also super funny with as enjoyable characters as can be expected for a mid-2000s horror sequel with none of the original cast. Plus the acting's decent again! Feels like Wong is winging it but even most half-assed Wong products look better than Ellis at his best. The tanning beds are one of the elite deaths in the entire franchise - and then the smash cut to the coffins right after? Lmfao, dug it.
  
Galaxy of Terror (1981)
Galaxy of Terror (1981)
1981 | Horror, Sci-Fi
3
4.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Listen, I enjoy a trashy Roger Corman horror effort as much as the next person, but Galaxy of Terror is a chore to get through.

These films are known for being cheap, but they usually have a sort of charm to them, that I just found lacking here. The main issue is that it's not very cohesive. Various aspects of the narrative are so unexplained and seemingly random, that it's ultimately super boring, and very easy to zone out. I mean, I watched it earlier today and I've already forgotten how it ended...
Even the usually reliable gore is mostly rubbish, with the exception of a couple of half decent practical effects.
The only aspects that I found positive was seeing Sid Haig, Robert Englund, and Grace Zabriskie in early roles and some of the synth music is fun but other than that, it's straight up bollocks.
A lot of films tried to ride the coat tails of Alien following it's release and Galaxy of Terror does nothing more than remind you that you could be watching that instead.

Final note - definitely in the running for Most Misleading Movie Poster Ever.
  
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Anne (15117 KP) rated Mulan (2020) in Movies

Dec 29, 2020  
Mulan  (2020)
Mulan (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Family
Rating between 6 & 7 - Not quite what I expected
Thanks to Smashbomb for letting me watch and review this movie. I was looking forward to seeing this movie and what they did with it, but it wasn't as great as I expected or hoped it would be.
The thing is this was supposed to be a remake of Mulan - a live-action version instead of the animated one, but a remake nonetheless and this movie was not Mulan. It was like they took the very basic storyline from the animated Mulan and then completely redid the movie into something totally different.
This movie was like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon crossed with the basic idea of Mulan. What my husband said and I agreed with him is that this movie is okay on its own by itself, but looking at it as a live-action remake of the animated Mulan it's not so great.
I liked the general idea of the movie, the special effects, and the different background for Mulan with some of the changes in the movie, but it just wasn't Mulan. I still prefer the animated version myself.
  
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
2015 | Biography, Drama, History
Interesting adaptation of the notorious experiment
Along with the Milgram Experiment (1961) the Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) has been widely discussed. Both attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power and its effect on the human psyche. The SPE focused on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers. The randomly chosen participants were university students who agreed to take part in the two week experiment (in a prison recreated under the university itself). Of course things take a turn for the worst when the guards revel in their power and push the prisoners beyond their limits in the name of scientific research. The experiment lasted only six days before psychology professor Philip Zimbardo pulled the plug on the whole sorry mess.
The film is mostly faithful ,offering a lean, straight to the point account of the events. No boring or irrelevant subplots going on. The actors are convincing and appear to relish their roles (maybe a sense of irony on the directors behalf..?). A good solid adaptation. Recommended.

Note: Footage from both the actual Milgram and SPE Experiments are available over the internet to watch (including youtube)
  
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Nothing really, the guy that plays professor Broom I guess. (0 more)
The idea to give this film the greenlight without Del Toro or Ron Pearlman, who would have done it if they included Del Toro. (0 more)
What a pile of cinamatic shit!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I always check the contains spoilers because I might make mention of something that happen that would annoy some twat that reads reviews before seeing the movie. The original actors warned these assholes not to do this and they did, so I love how they get rewarded over probably 50 million or more because it was such a wash, trying to catch possible deadpool fans by rating it R so they can show headshots and demons rip apart humans. It felt pointless, we also have a kungfu expert that happend to transform into a werecheetah, WTF kind of stuppid shit is that? This moovie drags on forever even dragging King Arthurs legacy through shit as well. It has ok special effects that appear to be directly stolen from the mind of Del Toro, they just didnt want to pay him I guess. Just shameful and dreadful. Snorefactor of 1/0.
  
It: Chapter Two (2019)
It: Chapter Two (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
Skarsgard, the losers (0 more)
the funs just beginning
Contains spoilers, click to show
Im not usually a big horror movie lover, but having watched the IT double bill, i can say im getting more accustomed to the strange pleasure that a horror can bring. Bill skarsgard is honestly terrifying as pennywise. As the movie follows on from the first installment, youd expect a slow introduction onto how the kids have all grown up. But the movie surprised me by diving in early with a quite brutal scene that highlights some of the deep seated issues of the Derry folk. As with the first movie Pennywise wastes no time making an appearance. Some of the scenes in this movie were quite shocking even when you expect whats about to happen because of the way the suspense is built. One of my favourite things about this movie is the way it is actually hilarious, there are so many funny moments it keeps you off balance. The effects were so unsettling with how good they were. No tacky CGI here, its top notch. Also the best cameo ive seen in a long time. Overall a very good movie which i thoroughly enjoyed even though it was quite long.
  
HH
Hot Head (Head #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm probably the odd one out with my rating of three stars but I didn't feel the romance (and that's what I read books for). Not right from the start, anyway. Maybe from around the 75% mark but not before.
 
Seeing it from only Griff's POV helped us realise that he had feelings for his best friend but he fought against it with everything he had. We never really saw anything from Dante to know if he wanted Griff the same way until the second porn video was made--maybe not even then--and that had to be at the half way point.
 
Maybe if the romance had started a little sooner I'd have given it a better rating.
 
Another thing that I found a little strange was all the sound effects wrote into the book: "lub-lub" "thwack-thwack". Gave me a few WTF? moments.
 
One thing I liked the authenticity of the fires and the guys in action; the teasing, the teamwork, the fire fighting.