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Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Surprisingly good (but streamlined)
Before I get into this review, let me start off by saying that I'm very familiar with the original Ghost in the Shell. Overall, the original was an excellent movie. Moving on, I'm pleasantly surprised how good Ghost in the Shell 2017 is. Within the first 5 minutes, I was immersed in the film's atmosphere. It seemed as if the music and sound, the camera angles, the lighting and effects, the acting, etc, all served a purpose for the greater good of the movie. Never once did I get the feeling that the special effects were there to just be eye candy. All the elements of production seemed to synergize off of each other. It seemed that every singe ounce and aspect of production effects were used to their full potential. The film looked gorgeous, and sounded awesome. Every scene had a sense of wonder to it as there was always something to visually admire. Wardrobe was amazing as well. The acting was ok, but I'm a little biased since I'm not too fond of Scarlet J.Beat Takishi was phenomenal (as always). The actor who stood out the most was Pilou Asbæk as Batou. His performance, body language, and overall presence was great to watch.
The only reservation I had about the film was the story line. The only comparison I will make to the original is that this 2017 counterpart is more streamlined compared to the nihilistic tone of the original. I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad thing, it's just different. This definitely had a more mainstream appeal to it. Again, not bad, just different. The action scenes were breathtaking and exciting. The few times I've felt this type of excitement towards action scenes were 1) The first time I saw the trailer for The 5th Element and 2) The first time I saw the trailer for The Matrix.
Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about Ghost in the Shell (2017). It's a pure sci-fi movie down to its core. While it doesn't alienate most of its viewers, it doesn't spoon feed plot, character motivation, or dialogue. In my completely subjective opinion, it is a visual appealing, streamlined masterpiece of the original.
The Dark Lurking (2009)
Solid Effort - Solid B-Movie
The story/plot is simple: Mercs and scientist are trapped inside of an underground facility while surrounded by aliens and zombie-like creatures while trying to reach the surface before it's too late. Although this formula has been done to death, this movie really stands out when it comes to the all-out action scenes. After watching movies like Starship Troopers 3, Screamers 2, DOOM (which I can't help but praise), Star Runners, The Rig, etc, I must say that this one was the most entertaining by a long shot. This is a good example of how good editing can save a bad film. The action sequences are very well done for what they had to work with and the atmosphere that the director created was very intense which added a sense of impending doom.
Of course, there are a few problems with this movie but I'm sure any hardcore sci-fi fan can overlook them. In all honesty, the movie had more good than bad. Mainly, there are a few actors that I couldn't help but cringe whenever they uttered their lines. Thankfully, the action sequences and fancy editing made up for them.
I watched this movie with the contrast pretty high which made the look of the film pretty good and full of atmosphere. I usually don't review movies, but after seeing the low score that this one received I couldn't help but give my p.o.v.
If you're in the mood to turn off your brain and watch mercs blow creatures to kingdom come, then this movie is worth a look.
6/10 but +1 point for a good effort and re-watch value.
7/10
Dead Heist (2007)
Blaxploitation of the new era
This movie's plot was so simple and easy, that it's a wonder how the filmmakers could mess it up. I understand that these people didn't have the biggest budget in the world, but they had everything they needed to make (at best) a mediocre movie, and failed MISERABLY.
The first half of the movie explains all of the character's motivations...and it works. Asides from some dialog, I enjoyed the first half. I wasn't expecting to relate with any of the characters or even like them, but I did. Some of the characters were really interesting and you could understand why they'd want to leave 'the life' behind. Then comes the 2nd half of the movie.
The 2nd half of the movie throws out all of the character development out the window and we just can't wait for these people to die. It's as if the writer of the 1st half let his little nephew still in Junior High School finish the script. Some parts are damn near insulting of one's intelligence towards the end.
Even though I hung my head down in shame in some parts that could have been gold, I give the filmmakers respect for some of the visuals in this movie. The filmmakers had all the right tools to make a decent flick, but in the end, it's missing something that is supposed to make a movie watchable...a decent script.
3/10
Prime Evil (1988)
Skip this 'Grindhouse' flick
So there I was, standing in best buy with four DVDs in my hand trying to figure out which 'Grindhouse' double feature I'd buy. I looked on the back and was interested in the story of 'Prime Evil'. Sure enough, I bought the sucker. I got home and immediately put the DVD in to start watching. The first feature film 'Don't Answer The Phone' was awesome. A pure slasher flick with loads of nudity and gore. When 'Prime Evil'started, I was pleased. But by the end of the film, I was questioning why this movie was even considered to be part of the 'Grindhouse' dvds. There's little to no blood and the story d r a g g e d on and on until the 'climatic' end. BTW, the end is ANYTHING but climatic. I ~*~LOVE~*~ cheesy b-movies, but this one was so bad, its horrible.