Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[dell71]

Pieces
1983. Rate R, 90 minutes.
Director: Juan Piquer Simon.
Starring Paul Smith, Linda Day, Christopher George, Edmund Purdom.
A homicidal maniac is loose on campus, chopping up co-eds with a chainsaw at "The University". This thing is poorly written, poorly shot, completely retarded, occasionally random and often bloody. The unintentional humor meter is cranked to ten. Think about this scenario: After a couple girls have gotten hacked up, the police decide to send in an undercover agent. Two seconds after we meet her, one of the male students, who is initially a suspect, comes out of the room where he was being questioned and says to her "Hey, aren't you Mary Riggs, the tennis champion" or something like that. And, why yes, she is! Just so you keep it straight, a well known tennis champ works on the side as an undercover officer (or is tennis her side gig?). Better than that even, is the fact the newspaper reporter covering the story also knows she's the one being sent in to work undercover. Oh, and wait till you see her "playing" tennis. Let's just say the producers didn't waste any money trying to make her believable or anything crazy like that. Oh, did I mention that the killer usually leaves his chainsaw at the scene of the crime but the police never bother trying to get prints off of it or anything ridiculous like that. And wait until you see the final shot. Wow. Quite obviously, I had to love this movie. It's absolutely so bad its awesome.
MY SCORE: -10/10

 

[Buzzman]

Just got back from Law Abiding Citizen, when it comes out on DVD you'll have to see it. Its plot is not original by no means but the dialogue was great and it was very creative.

 

[dell71]

Also do you enjoy the older anime's considered as classics. Like Akira or Princess Mononoke?

Sorry, forgot to address this earlier. Haven't watched much anime, I've seen a few though, but have been planning to see these, plus Vampire Hunter D sometime in the near future. Especially Princess Mononoke. The closest Blockbuster to me just announced they'll be closing soon & they have a copy of it on the shelves. I hope to snag it when they start selling everything off.


Buzz: yeah, I definitely plan on seeing Law Abiding Citizen.

 

[Houston]

Whoa, for a second I thought you gave that a 10/10. lol I didn't see the minus part. And yeah I interested in seeing how you'd rate Princess Mononoke.

 

[Buzzman]

Just Watched The Midnight Meat Train and it was fucked up and really cheap, the short story it was based on explained it more then the 90 min movie.

 

[Maynard]

Sounds like you didn't get but 10 minutes or so into Mysterious Skin.

All I can say about In Bruges is it entertained me very much. Definitely dark comedy, not your straight-forward variety.

nope, 10 mins is about it....lol....that scene was enough for me to stop and wait. idk why i started watching it cause i was in the mood to laugh....and that was the wrong flick for that....lol

bruges just didnt do it for me. i think the bigger reason is the english accents. that makes it hard for me to understand the dialog and i am so focused understanding what they say that i miss the point....if that makes sense

 

[red33]

dell i ahve a question.

why is it that whenevr a movie has been redone IE tale of two sisters and Uninvited, that the original is always seen as the better version unanimously.

Is there any movie you can think of where the remake was better?

 

[Palooza]

dell i ahve a question.

why is it that whenevr a movie has been redone IE tale of two sisters and Uninvited, that the original is always seen as the better version unanimously.

Is there any movie you can think of where the remake was better?

the Departed.

 

[SOS4Prez]

Yo Dell, speaking of remakes...have you ever seen Harvey? And if so, what do you think about Spielberg remaking it?

 

[dell71]

the Departed.

This.

And...(these without question, imho)

The Thing
My Bloody Valentine 3D
The Fly
The Little Shop of Horrors
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Evil Dead II (yes, its really a remake and not a sequel)

(arguably, maybe...)

Scarface
King Kong
The Ring
Cape Fear
Ocean's Eleven
The Last House on the Left
Dawn of the Dead

(some even prefer...)

The Thomas Crown Affair
The Magnificient Seven (remake of Seven Samurai)

And I've yet to see either version of...(though I plan on it real soon)

Inglorious Basterds

Yo Dell, speaking of remakes...have you ever seen Harvey? And if so, what do you think about Spielberg remaking it?

I have not seen Harvey. A quick glance at the plot summary on imdb.com makes me think it was "re-imagined" as the infinitely overrated Donnie Darko. I'd have to see it to say how I felt about Spielberg doing it.

 

[SOS4Prez]

I can tell you right now that while the whole rabbit concept might be the same, they're two very different movies. Don't know if you're a Jimmy Stewart fan or not, but if you are it's a must-see, IMO.

 

[nflman2033]

Dawn of the Dead

i wouldn't put up a fight about any of your picks except this one

 

[dell71]

i wouldn't put up a fight about any of your picks except this one

no prob, that's where that whole "arguable" thing comes in.

 

[Houston]

Ever seen Way of the Gun? When it comes to action/shooting movies it's my favorite. I love the tactics they used it in and how it was slow and realistic, not just running around shooting and hitting with ease.

 

[nflman2033]

no prob, that's where that whole "arguable" thing comes in.

yeah, but come on, i mean its the best of the Zombie Remakes, but not better

 

[Sharkweather]

I did a quick search to see if you had reviewed this movie... doesn't look like it.

You have any plans on watching A Perfect Getaway?

 

[calgaryballer]

This.

Inglorious Basterds

While both movies take place in WW2, I don't think there are enough similarities to call Tarantino's a remake.

 

[dell71]

Ever seen Way of the Gun? When it comes to action/shooting movies it's my favorite. I love the tactics they used it in and how it was slow and realistic, not just running around shooting and hitting with ease.

Not yet, in my blockbuster queue though. Hmmm...might move it to the top.

I did a quick search to see if you had reviewed this movie... doesn't look like it.

You have any plans on watching A Perfect Getaway?

Yes.

While both movies take place in WW2, I don't think there are enough similarities to call Tarantino's a remake.

That's what I've heard. Still plan on seeing them both, though.

yeah, but come on, i mean its the best of the Zombie Remakes, but not better

OK. I happen to agree, but know some people who think otherwise.

 

[dell71]

Dell's Classics Presents:

The 400 Blows
AKA Les quatre cents coup
1959. Not Rated, 99 minutes.
Director: Francois Truffaut.
Starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble.
Young Antoine Doinel (Leaud) navigates his tough childhood without much guidance from his largely apathetic parents. Part of appreciating this movie is understanding why it was made. This is the directorial debut of Truffaut. Prior to getting behing the camera, he was one of France's top movie critics and had become increasingly disappointed with the way movies were being made. Instead of continuing to complain about the matter, he simply made a movie himself, setting out to do something different than what he'd been seeing. On top of that, its largely autobiographical as well. In the process, he helped kick off what became known as the French New Wave. Read more about it, here. It is a real slice of life, feeling like you're simply spending time with our young hero, not necessarily watching a movie with a traditional plot and conflict, though both eventually become apparent. Nor is it manipulative melodrama, intent on getting you to cry as it so easily could've been. That its unobtrusively shot without a ton of fancy editing tricks helps foster the illusion. The natural feel of the writing and acting work heavily in its favor, also. Though each performance is effortlessly realistic, including that of our child star Leaud, the actors never seem to preen for the camera. Finally, in true slice of life fashion we get a stopping point moreso than an ending. The possibilities of what could happen next are endless, both good and bad. This gives the movie more resonance than your typical happy ending does. If you're an artsy-fartsy film buff, you must see this movie. If the sight of a black-and-white movie instantly puts you to sleep and the thought of reading subtitles turns your stomach stop reading this review now and forget I ever mentioned this flick. Yup subtitleophobes, we're speaking French.
MY SCORE: 10/10

 

[dell71]

The Haunting in Connecticut
2009. Rated PG-13, 102 minutes.
Director: Peter Cornwell.
Starring Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Martin Donovan.

Plot: When Sara's (Madsen) teenage son Matt (Gallner) is stricken with cancer, the only treatment facility for him is hours away. She moves the family closer, into a house going for cheap because "it has a bit of a history." Strange happenings ensue. Based on "the" true story, we're told. Uh-huh.

The Good: It's just an old-fashioned haunted house tale. Lots of things go bump in the night. Cabinet doors click and clack, dishes move by themselves and things besides reflections show up in the mirrors. Back in horror for the first time since her Candyman days, I think, Virginia Madsen turns in a solid performance as our courageous matriarch. The story also moves along at a brisk pace which helps maintain its spookiness.

The Bad: It's just an old-fasioned haunted house tale. Though its said to be based on "the" true story, there is even a documentary that inspired it (A Haunting in Connecticut), it feels overly derivative of The Amityville Horror and through its use of a random reverend, Poltergeist. In fact, said religious-guy is only there as a replacement of the people that were used in the documentary, the folks that initially investigated the happenings in Amityville. I guess my main point here is that it seems only so much can be done with the genre, plot-wise, so the directors of these films are left to try and out-spook the last popular haunted house flick in terms of visuals without much substance. Finally, the way our resident evil spirit is suddenly able to jump around doesn't seem to match what we've been told up to that point.

The Ugly: Scissors, meet eyelids.

Recommendation: This is an OK, if unexceptional entry into the haunted house genre that works better, the fewer of these types of movies you've seen. Still, if you're going to watch it, it works best when watched at home, at night, with the lights off, then trying to go to sleep immediately after its over.

The Opposite View: Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

What the Internet Says: 5.8/10 on imdb.com (10/21/09), 18% on rottentomatoes.com, 33/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 6/10