sbunc92-3 Reviews

American Siege (2021)

Another sad excuse of a movie

[1/10 · 15 May 2022]

It's really sad to see Bruce Willis in these grade Z movies now that we know about his condition. The earpiece feeding him lines is very visible. This poor excuse for a movie has a kernel of a decent story but the screenwriter has no idea how to write a movie. The best part is when someone goes down into the basement of a house and it was obviously filmed in a huge warehouse. Just a terrible waste of time.

4K Killer (2019)

Commercial for 4K Camera Equipment?

[2/10 · 23 March 2021]

A serial killer records their murders. That's it, that's the "story". It seems like this movie was an excuse for the director to show off their various pieces of 4K equipment. There's even an explanation of the difference between 4K and other types of resolutions. I will say the image is pristine. And the murders themselves are done fairly well considering what must of been a very low budget. But to stretch it out to a still short 75 minutes the move is padded like crazy. We see a murder and then for some reason we are treated to watching the killer edit the footage, the footage we just saw mind you. I'm not sure if the killer's identity is supposed to be a big surprise when it is revealed but it's not. It is pretty obvious who it is from the beginning. Not to mention it is spoiled if you look at the cast list before you watch it.

Life After Flash (2017)

Unfocused

[6/10 · 27 March 2019]

This documentary doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Is it a biography of the actor Sam J. Jones or a heartfelt look at a cult classic movie? It tries to be both and doesn't quite succeed. The one thing the documentary did right was score some great interviews from a whole host of people. But as soon as one subject is being discussed and it is getting interesting the subject is dropped and it is on to something else. I've been a huge fan of Flash Gordon since first seeing it on HBO in the early 80's. So I was really interested in all the behind the scenes stuff. And this documentary had a ton of great stuff about the movie.

Marshal Law (1996 TV Movie)

Incoherent Mess

[1/10 · 23 April 2012]

The plot for this movie had some interesting possibilities but due to terrible direction, screen writing, and editing it became an incoherent mess. What is bad about it you ask? - for some reason there several bursts of quick editing montages that use a mix of film and video. It looks like something in a student in a film class would put together in their first try at editing. - Kristy Swanson's hair and wardrobe. Were they trying to make her look like a soccer mom? - the climax of the movie. There's a big showdown between the hero and the villain that takes place in the dead of night. 2 minutes later it is full on sunlit day. - the gang. What was it with their wardrobe? It looked like they were part of the gang from Death Wish 3.

Just a terrible move.

Doom (2005)

60 million dollars for this?

[3/10 · 25 October 2005]

After seeing this movie I thought that a good movie was there for the taking but the producers went cheap. I was shocked to learn the budget was 60-80 million dollars. Where was that money spent? The look of the move was drab and the precious little monster shots were few and far between. The first 45 minutes of the movie consists of the marines stalking around what looks like the same corridor shining their flashlights at dark corners. The pace picks up a little but every thing is kept in the dark so often you don't even know what you are looking at on the screen. The point of view sequence is the highlight of the movie. If only the rest of the movie had shown as much imagination as that one 5 minute sequence. A huge disappointment.

Flipping (1996)

Leo's Rule #3- Don't watch this movie

[1/10 · 19 April 2005]

Have you ever walked in on a movie that had already started and you spent the next several moments trying to figure out the story? That is the feeling I had while watching this film. There is no setup, you don't know how any of these characters are connected. But in the end that is okay because after a while you don't care. The acting is terrible(except for Keith David who is wonderful) and the "script" is worse. I put script in quotation marks because half the movie is done in an improvisational style that just doesn't work. Technically, it is not much better. The majority of the scenes take place in dimly lit bars and streets. Don't bother with this, it is a waste of time.

The Vagrant (1992)

Horrible

[1/10 · 28 September 2004]

What was this? A comedy? No, I don't think so. Usually comedies will have humorous scenes, this movie has exactly one that earned a chuckle(the aforementioned cops and urination bit). A horror movie? Nope, usually horror movies will evoke some kind of feeling of dread or fear. A bum popping up to yell boo doesn't qualify. A psychological thriller? Nope, thrillers will leave you guessing and this one plays its hand far too early.

Bill Paxton seems like a nut job from the beginning so his descent into madness is no big change. What was up with him driving his car off a cliff and in the very next scene gassing it up like nothing was wrong? This was nothing more than a z-grade bottom filler that should be avoided.

The Delicate Art of the Rifle (1996)

Filmed at NCSU

[2/10 · 2 June 2004]

For the viewer who was wondering where this movie was filmed: it was filmed on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. I can't say this film did much for me. As others had said it seemed to be padded out just to make it into a feature length movie. The long takes of following the stage tech wondering around backstage reminded me of the recent film "Elephant"(but to it's credit it did come 7 years before that film). The stuff with the sniper on the roof was interesting but even that could have been fleshed out more.The budget obviously showed but where it let the viewer down was long bits of nothing happening. A decent student film with some nice Steadicam work at the end but nothing more than that.

Monster (2003)

Great acting but not much else

[6/10 · 4 February 2004]

There's a reason Charlize Theron was nominated for this movie but nothing else was. That's because the rest of the movie is very ho-hum. The script fails to examine fully the Aileen character. We get a surface explanation of she was abused and it is left at that. From what I have read on the real case there was much more to this case then the movie let on. It would have been more fascinating to see Aileen after she was incarcerated and try to explain her actions. A shallow movie with great a great central performance.

Lifebreath (1997)

Decent movie ruined by ending

[5/10 · 8 January 2004]

An interesting little movie that comes partly undone by the ending. Luke Perry does a fine job as a husband who is willing to do anything to help keep his ailing wife alive. She suffers from cystic fibrosis and needs a lung transplant. He devises a plan that might get her one but she's not sure she approves. An ending that seems to come from nowhere undermines a lot of what the movie was striving for.

Hand Gun (1994)

Why the tilte?

[5/10 · 25 July 2002]

I'm not sure why this movie was called Hand Gun. There are a lot of guns in the movie but the title is to generic. The movie itself is mostly forgettable and none are the characters are very sympathetic. It does have a surprising sense of humor. It is subtle but it is there.

Reign of Fire (2002)

Had promise

[4/10 · 13 July 2002]

The production design, cinematography, and dragon SFX are good. The script and story execution is where it falters. It's a good idea but the movie moves to slowly and builds up to a supposed grand battle that seems to be over before it begins. 4 out of 10

Strangers with Candy (1999–2000)

Put it on video or DVD please!!

[10/10 · 8 April 2002]

A classic show that is extremely funny but is not for everyone. But if your sense of humor leans toward twisted you will love it. Although Comedy Central shows it currently at 3am during the week I know it will be off the air soon. Please put this out on video or DVD!!!

The Stranger (2000)

Watch it for the song at the end

[1/10 · 7 March 2002]

A slow, pretentious mess of a movie. Roxana Zal sleepwalks through this movie as a mother grieving the death of a daughter while a pony-tailed stranger appears and disappears in her dreams spouting such lines as "So much sorrow in one tear, it speaks more than a thousand words". Robert Cuccioli is the stranger and if you see this movie on TV(probably under the name "The Stranger") watch the end credits for the song that plays over them. Cuccioli sings it and the lyrics must be heard to be believed. Cringe inducing, indeed!

Night Vision (1997)

You gotta love The Hammer!

[2/10 · 26 November 2001]

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson delivers another cheaply made movie. He might have set a new standard for himself. Look for the painfully obvious special effects mortar cannon that is visible in the street during a chase scene. You don't see it just once, you see it several times. Look for the out of focus shot in one scene and the camera operator try to fix it as the scene rolls on. Watch this with a group of people and make your own Mystery Science Theater!

The Landlady (1998)

Psycho landlady collects bodies instead of rent

[26 September 2001]

At times it seems Talia Shire was playing this for laughs. Her performance definitely hit some very campy notes. Fairly predictable the whole way but becomes ludicrous as the body count piles up. And it's always good to see Courtney Gaines(Rags from "Hardbodies") still working. Tiny role but you can't miss him.

Casualties (1997)

Never carry shotgun shells in your mouth!

[26 September 2001]

Predictable but fairly well-made battered wife movie. Mark Harmon has a nice touch of menace to his character. The beginning of the movie takes away all tension at the end by basically showing the results of the climatic scene. I liked Michael Beach as the cop. He just projected a very good-guy quality.

Deadly Reactor (1989)

Enjoyable trash

[1/10 · 28 August 2001]

The tv station I work for recently showed this movie. The shootout at the end has to be one of the most poorly put together scenes I have ever seen in a movie. While watching you may be laughing to much at it to care though. Great movie to watch late at night with friends.