Monthly Archives: February 2012
YellowBrickRoad Movie Review
YellowBrickRoad was essentially The Blair Witch Project revisited minus the shaky-cam. While it had some good ideas going forward, the execution of it was dismal at worst and mediocre at best.
Cast
Cassidy Freeman, the most recognizable star, stars as Erin Luger. Teddy Barnes, the leader of the expedition group, is played by Michael Laurino. Melissa Barnes is played by Anessa Ramsey. Clark Freeman stars as Daryl Luger. Liv McCann is played by Laura Heisler. Walter Myrick, the group psychologist, is played Alex Draper. Tara Giordano stars as Jill. Cy Banbridge is played by Sam Elmore. The Clerk/Usher of the movie theater is played by Lee Wilkof.
Plot
In 1940, in Friar, New Hampshire, the entire population of 572 people walked together up a winding hillside path and disappear except one. With the recording of the one person available, it gives incentive for an excursion group to explore the “YellowBrickRoad.” However, upon taking the winding path through the hillside, events don’t go as planned.
Review
This movie was severely lacking in the cast, the plot and the entire film in general. Overall, for those seeking anything resembling horror, look elsewhere as nothing is particularly salvageable in this film. With Cassidy Freeman killed early in the film, the rest of the cast lacked the talent or the charisma to carry the movie. The rest of the film essentially became fodder — and boring fodder at that.
Verdict (Out of 10)
YellowBrickRoad deserves a 1 out of 10. Cassidy Freeman salvaged this film, but without her, the film spiraled downward quickly.
Related articles
- Cassidy Freeman joins The Vampire Diaries (houseofvampires.wordpress.com)
Final Destination 5 Movie Review
Horror. Comedy. These two words pretty much sum up Final Destination 5 in a nutshell. The deaths are gruesome for certain, but the Rube Goldberg method in which the people die in this film is admittedly comedic. As a side note, Final Destination 5 is the prequel to the original Final Destination.
Cast
Nicholas D’Agosto plays Sam Lawton, the lead character in this film. Sam sees the original vision of the death of the entire group. His girlfriend, Molly Harper, is played by Emma Bell. Peter Friedkin, Sam’s best friend, is played by Miles Fisher. Nathan, Sam’s other friend, is played by Arlen Escarpeta. Ellen Wroe stars as Candice Hooper, and Olivia Castle is played by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. Isaac Palmer, the tech support, is played by P.J. Byrne. The boss, Dennis, is played by David Koechner.
As for the other two characters, Agent Jim Black is played by Courtney B. Vance, and Tony Todd reprises his role as William Bludworth.
Plot
As Sam Lawton approaches the suspension-bridge in a van for a business group retreat, he has a vision of the death of the entire group with each member successively impaled, burned or other means. He warns them of the danger, and all of them escape. However, as they find out, they cannot cheat Death.
Review
This movie was definitely horror-comedy. The Rube Goldberg manners in which the members of the business group died was entertaining and comedic. Additionally, I wish to preface this review by saying that I have never seen any of the previous Final Destination movies. This movie does have some solid entertainment value, but it won’t any awards. It’s worth a rental but not much more than that.
Verdict (Out of 10)
This movie gets a 6 out of 10. It does have some salvageable entertainment value, but the cast and the plot won’t get any awards. That much is for certain.
Related articles
- FINAL DESTINATION 5 Blu-ray Review (collider.com)
- Final Destination 5, DVD review (telegraph.co.uk)
- Blu-ray Review: Final Destination 5 (blogcritics.org)
Genesis (1998) Movie Review
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, this eerie and romantic Italian short movie directed by Nacho Cerda is certainly worth watching. With virtually no speech, Spanish or otherwise, Genesis (1998) can be watched by anyone.
Cast
The entire cast consisted of two people: Pep Tosar who played the sculptor, and his wife is played by Trae Houlihan.
Plot
After the death of his wife in a car accident, the artist decides to build a sculpture of her likeness. However, the sculpture starts taking a life of its own.
Review
Genesis resembled a Tales from the Crypt episode in that it only lasted thirty minutes, but in those thirty minutes, even with very little speech, the story and the cinematography carried the film. This is an eerie film as the sculpture contends with the memory of her dead wife and the sculpture’s life. As the sculpture took on a life of its own, his memories flooded back, and his love for her remained stronger than ever. This movie was a romance trapped in an eerie horror film.
(On a side note, Genesis won deservedly the Best Short Film of 1998 in the Fant-Asia Film Festival and in 1999 in the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema.)
Verdict (Out of 10)
This short Spanish movie deserves a 8.2 out of 10 for its artistry and cinematography. Although the story is a tad derivative, the cinematography carried the film as it was a work of art within itself. This movie is certainly worth watching on Valentine’s Day for its romantic bent.
Related articles
- Rammbock (Berlin Undead) Movie Review (fringefiction.net)
- Cinematography Techniques (mrmovietimes.com)
Restraint Movie Review
After a botched robbery and two killings, a couple retreats to a manor to find the owner still living there. However, the wealthy owner is what he seems as he twists and battles to find a way out of being held hostage by the two. Restraint was a pleasant surprise of a thriller from Australia.
Cast
Stephen Moyer stars as Andrew, the agoraphobic and wealthy owner of the estate. Ron, Dale’s boyfriend and killer of her boss, is played by Travis Fimmel. Dale is played by the beautiful Teresa Palmer. Sargent Paul Widdens is played by Philip Holder, and Constable Blainey is played by Joanne Hunt. These are the main characters of this film.
Plot
Upon the killing of a gas station attendant and his girlfriend’s boss, the couple Dale and Ron retreat to Andrew’s estate to escape from the cops. The couple soon discovers that Andrew is both agoraphobic and wealthy, and his fiancee Gabrielle who left him six months ago, leaving money and jewelry at the local bank. Dale pretends to be Gabrielle to obtain the money and jewelry, but through subtle manipulation of Dale by both Andrew and Ron, the plan begins to unravel and fall apart fast.
Review
I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this movie. Superficially, this movie resembled Trespass, but it exceeded that movie in terms of tension. All the actors seemingly enjoyed playing their respective roles. Although the plot was derivative, the great acting and the twist of the film brought this movie to a higher standard than Trespass. Setting the issue of eye-candy Teresa Palmer aside, this movie should be on everybody’s thriller list, at least in the top 15.
Verdict (Out of 10)
This movie definitely deserves an 8.8 out of 10. This film is an enjoyable thriller not to only watch once but twice or more as well.
Related articles
- ‘Trespass’ Review (screenrant.com)
- Movie Review: Trespass (charlotte.news14.com)
- Teresa Palmer: Sundance with Scott Speedman! (justjared.buzznet.com)
The Ward Movie Review
Since Ghosts of Mars, The Ward is John Carpenter‘s most recent full-length film about a ward of psychiatric patients dealing with a ghost of a little girl. This movie does provide some decent horror moments and an overall decent horror movie worthy of a watch. However, the horror in of itself is a bit antiquated (that is, from the 1980s).
Cast
Amber Heard stars as Kristen, the runaway who is captured and brought to the psychiatric ward for counseling. Mammie Gummer stars as Emily, one of the psychiatric patients. The other psychiatric patients are, as follows: Sarah is played by Danielle Panabaker; Laura Leigh stars as Zoey; Iris is played by Lyndsy Fonseca; and lastly, Sali Sayler stars as Tammy. Doctor Stringer is played by Jared Harris. Nurse Lundt is played Susanna Burney. Lastly, Ghost Alice is played by Jillian Kramer.
Plot
In 1966, in North Bend, Oregon, runaway Kristen is captured by police officers and brought to the North Bend Psychiatric Hospital for counseling after she had committed the crime of burning down a farmhouse. After the use of experimental therapy by Doctor Stringer, Kristen begins seeing a ghost of little girl, Alice. The ghost of Alice pursues each of the psychiatric patients in the hospital, torturing and killing each one until Kristen.
Review
This horror movie wasn’t half-bad, but it wasn’t fantastic either. If you’re a fan of 1980s horror movies, this film is a bit more enjoyable, but this horror movie does not present anything new. Amber Heard and Jared Harris played their parts well. The lackluster plot of this film is what ultimately brought it down however, but there are some jump-out-of-your-seat moments throughout this horror movie. (On a side note, if you can’t tolerate the rest of the film, please watch the surprise ending. It will make you surely jump, if just for that moment.)
Verdict (Out of 10)
This movie gets a 7 out of 10. This film has sufficient entertainment and horror value to make it worth watching. However, the plot and most of the horror elements are derivative.
Related articles
- John Carpenter’s The Ward (2010) (noeltanti.com)
- Top 10 American Horror Movie Rules (fringefiction.net)
- The Red Shoes (2005) Movie Review (fringefiction.net)
- Top 10 European Horror Movie Rules (fringefiction.net)
The Veteran Movie Review
Returning from Afghanistan, a British soldier returns to London only to find himself in yet another war. This time, the war lies on the streets of London, his streets. The Veteran is reminiscent of Harry Brown, another dark movie about war. Sometimes when one stares into the abyss long enough, the abyss stares back…
Cast
Toby Kebell stars as Robert Miller, the soldier returning from Afghanistan. Tony Curran stars as Chris Turner, his friend and ex-soldier as well. Danny Turner, Chris‘ brother, is played by Tom Brooke. Gerry, the head of the intelligence organization outside of the CIA and FBI, is played by Brian Cox. Ivanno Jeremiah stars as Fahad Sahal, Robert’s close friend. Alayna Wallace, the female informant, is played by Adi Bielski. Ashley Bashy Thomas stars as Tyrone Jones, the drug kingpin of the Estate, an apartment complex in London. Ryan Sahal, Fahad’s son and Tyrone’s confidant, is played by Eboseta Ayemere.
Plot
Upon returning home from Afghanistan, Robert Miller finds his way home to the Estate. At the Estate, however, drugs and guns run rampant in the apartment complex as Tyrone Jones leads the gang of thugs. Miller is recruited by an intelligence agency to rescue an informant, but he uncovers something much deeper. Through his military experience, he battles the onslaught on all sides on the streets of London.
Review
The Veteran is a very stark and violent film. It can be compared to Harry Brown in that they both deal with military veterans adjusting to civilian life in the only way they know how, the use of guns. This film has a lot more drama than blood and violence than depicted in the trailer, and all the actors were well-selected for their roles. The buildup of drama only leads to a violent and tragic ending (not with much blood however).
Verdict (Out of 10)
This film deserves a 7.5 out of 10 in my honest opinion. It is a solid movie and worth a watch.
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Shadow (2010) Movie Review
Survival horror. Psychological trauma. How does one cope with the tragedies of war while lying upon Death‘s doorstep? Shadow examines this.
Cast
Jake Muxworthy stars as David, the Iraq War veteran. Angelina, his friend, is played by Karina Testa. Fred, the hunter, is played by Ottaviano Blitch. Chris Coppola plays Buck, Fred’s friend. Nuot Arquint plays Mortis, the sadistic butcher.
Plot
Upon recommendation of a friend, a soldier bikes in Europe and finds a woman Angelina being harassed by a couple of hunters, Fred and Buck. In attempt to protect her, they find themselves being hunted — and then captured by a sadistic butcher. They eventually find a mean to escape, but it was too little too late.
Review
This hour-long movie had solid survival horror elements as it discussed the issue of post-traumatic syndrome. Mortis was solid as a sadistic butcher, and his presence was felt through the movie once introduced. However, David failed to capture the essence of a soldier in this movie. As the main character, he was the biggest flaw in the movie. Although this film had a few intense moments, it could have been much greater.
Verdict (Out of 10)
This movie deserved a 7 out of 10. Mortis was the only salvageable character of the film, and David did not possess enough charisma to hold the film or the necessary survival skills to be deemed a soldier.
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle Revisited: The Meat Industry and Feed Additives
With the previous scares of tainted meat in the past, now Americans have to be concerned with perhaps a greater threat — feed additives. Although most are approved the the United States Food and Drug Administration, in other parts of the world, they are a bit more hesitant. Since the United States is exporting more meat to other countries, the use of feed additives to keep the pigs and other livestock healthy and lean are now a much more considerable health threat worldwide. China and some of the European Union are halting import of American pork because of feed additives, specifically ractopamine hydrochloride (otherwise known as paylean). Ractopamine hydrochloride, or paylean, has been banned from the European Union and some of southeast Asia citing its effects on human health. While Americans may think they may have escaped The Jungle with assurance from the U.S. government, we could be possibly farther from the truth. Again, the meat industry is impacting American health, but this time with more subtlety.
Feed additives are generally concentrated product that provides a particular effect. For humans, a vitamin would be deemed a feed additive. According to the European Union, there are five kinds of feed additives for livestock: technological additives, sensory additives, nutritional additives, zootechnical additives and lastly, coccidiostats and histomonostats. Technological additives impact the additive directly by impacting its shelf life and handling characteristics. Sensory additives affect the appetite by providing flavors or fragrances. Nutritional additives provide nutritional benefits in the feed. Zootechnical additives impact the utilization of the nutrients gained from feed. Lastly, coccidiostats and histomonostats affect the intestinal health of poultry and be deemed as antibiotics.
In swine, ractopamine hydrochloride, or paylean, affects swine by increasing fat-lean growth and lean mass in general. Ractopamine hydrochloride has shown to have mutagenic and musculo-skeletal effects and change behavior. Residues of ractopamine were detected in pork sold from the United States in 2007 and has been banned from some of the European Union and southeast Asia, including China and Taiwan. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there has been no global consensus on the impact of ractopamine on human health.
So think about this, the next time, you drop pork chops onto the grill…now there’s a whole lot of food for thought.
Related articles
- Dispute over drug in feed limiting US meat exports (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)
- New Bills Would Basically Make The Jungle Illegal (slog.thestranger.com)
Bunraku Movie Review
A drifter.
A samurai.
And a whole list of baddies to slaughter.
Bunraku is Kill Bill meets Afro Samurai with a dash of a western. It is a visually spectacular film, and it has some original elements and martial arts sequences. This film is an underrated and misunderstood diamond in the rough.
Cast
Mike Patton is the Narrator of this film. The Drifter is played by Josh Hartnett. Gackt plays Yoshi, the Samurai. Shun Sugata stars as Yoshi’s Uncle. Momoko, Yoshi’s cousin, is played by Emily Kaiho. The Bartender is played by Woody Harrelson. Demi Moore stars as Alexandra, courtesan and Nicola’s lover.
Now to the cast of villains…Nicola the Woodcutter, the crime boss of the East coast, is played by Ron Perlman. With his clothing and hat, he looks almost like Justice from Afro Samurai. Killer No. 2, Nicola’s lieutenant, is played by Kevin McKidd. Killer No. 3, the Mirror Drifter, is played by Shahar Sorek. Fernando Chien plays Killer No. 4, or Mirror Samurai. Killer No. 5 is played Yoshio Likuza. Killer No. 6 is played by Kofi Yiadom. Killer No. 7 is played by Aaron Toney. Razvan Gheorghiu stars as Killer No. 8. Holland Diaz stars as Killer No. 9. Lastly, Killer No. 10 is played by Florian Ciprian.
Plot
In a violent world, a Drifter, a Samurai and a Bartender team together to face a common threat, Nicola the Woodcutter, to save a city and the world from his tyranny. Through their use of their swordplay, fists and card skills, they finally overcome the odds.
Review
Bunraku is a 400-year old form of Japanese puppet theater, and this film features essentially human puppets. The style of the film resembles a graphic novel, and the music is very eclectic to say the least. With that in mind, the story, although a bit derivative, alongside the acting of Ron Perlman, Kevin McKidd, Gackt, Josh Hartnett and Woody Harrelson carry this pulpy film very well. This movie won’t win any awards, but there are some original elements in the film. The telephone conversations where each person is facing each other behind a silk screen is very different. Although it is used on stage plays, it is rarely used in films. Additionally, a few of the fight scenes are unique. For example, the fight on the trampoline and the Mirror Samurai and Drifter fights were enjoyable to watch.
Verdict (Out of 10)
Bunraku gets a 9.3 out of 10 for me. Its originality and style marks this movie as one of the tops for me. This movie caters easily to the Kill Bill crowd, but it won’t satisfy the mainstream. All that being said, this film may reach cult status in the future.
