Review Updates The Victim Etc…Part 1
Hi everyone. Just wanted to say Thanks for getting me over 10,000 hits on the site. You might have noticed I haven’t had a new post in awhile. The reasons vary from one being very sick (still am) to other things coming up in my life that has been stressful the past couple years. Another issue I’ve been having is Blu-ray player problems which I solved recently by getting a quality new one (knock on wood) at a cheap price. Also I have this annoying scratch on my Dell XPS Laptop that doesn’t allow me to see much of anything in my lower right hand of the screen (and I need my laptop for Blu-ray 3D reviews). Hopefully people can make purchases if they are interested in the product through my links to Amazon which will get me some kickback to help either repair or replace my laptop so I can get back to doing what I love which is providing you all with movie reviews and other reviews on entertainment topics.
Here are some current review movies I have recieved and am in the process of watching/reviewing. –
The Victim
Annie’s life is in jeopardy after she witnesses the horrific murder of her closest friend. Fleeing from two attackers she stumbles across Kyle, a recluse living in the middle of the woods. Two worlds collide in this grindhouse psychological thriller that will make you question your trust in mankind. Written, directed and starring Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, The Divide.) Also starring Jennifer Blanc (Hatchet III), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) and Tanya Newbould (X-Men: The Last Stand.)
Genres: Horror, Thriller
Cast: Jennifer Blanc, Tanya Newbould, Michael Biehn, Danielle Harris
Mini Review – Watched this in it’s entirety twice last night once for the movie itself and the 2nd time for the commentary by Michael and Jennifer Biehn. Amazing work here. Michael has crafted a fun story and brought it to life in his Directorial debut. The real-life couple has amazing chemistry onscreen (also see The Divide for more from the pair) which is a rarity for real couples (see Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Gili). I highly recommend this movie if you love horror, mystery, drama, action and suspense. Not for those who have an issue with nudity, sex or violence. I’m hoping for a sequel. Stay tuned for my full review on Movie-Vault.com and a partial excerpt of that here. You can pre-order The Victim on Blu-ray (release date – 9/18/12) by clicking the picture link (and showing much appreciated support for my reviews) and The Divide on Blu-ray by clicking my word link earlier in this post. DVD orders of both titles will be posted in picture links below.
Related articles
- Exclusive Theatrical Trailer Premiere for The Victim (dreadcentral.com)
- Fantasia 2012: Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc-Biehn Talk The Victim and More! (dreadcentral.com)
- Blanc Biehn to remake ‘Hidden in the Woods’ (variety.com)
- Fantasia 2012: A Remake Found Hidden in the Woods (dreadcentral.com)
- The Victim 2011 DVDSCR AC3-2.0 XviD-AXED (extratorrent.com)
- “4 Points” Live From NerdMelt (nerdist.com)
- Blu-Ray Review: Halloween 4/5 (horror-movie-a-day.blogspot.com)
- Fantasia 2012: The Victim Chosen as an Official Selection (dreadcentral.com)
- Drunk Good Idea/Sober Bad Idea: Halloween 4(drunkgoodideasoberbadidea.wordpress.com)
#31 – The Ring
Reasons why – The Ring is creepy in it’s atmosphere reminiscent of earlier horror films like John Carpenter’s Halloween. It delivers jump-scares even when I know what is going to happen, this film makes my skin crawl. Naomi Watts is really good in this type of horror film. She can’t be blamed for the bad script and special effects of the sub-par sequel.
Does it hold up? – Yes. Still as creepy as it was back in 2002.
Stars – Naomi Watts, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander, Amber Tamblyn
Director – Gore Verbinski
Studio – DreamWorks Pictures
Similar films – Ring (Japan), The Grudge
Followed By – Rings, The Ring Two
Runner Up – Wolf Creek
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- Naomi Watts Considering Helping Dakota Fanning Through Cancer (cinemablend.com)
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- Naomi Watts’ sons don’t quite understand her job (hollywoodnews.com)
My top 31 Horror films!
I’m doing a top 31 list of horror films based on the 31 days in October. My guidelines are simple – #1 – The movie must be scary. If the movie is older it must STILL be scary and hold up well over time. #2 – Is the movie scary or just torture porn like Saw or Hostel which is why neither makes the list. I love both movies, but torture films like these don’t scare in the same way as a true horror film. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. #3 – I must have seen the film at one point or another. I’m sure there are some films that deserves to be on the list, but if I haven’t seen it I can’t put it on the list.
Open Water Blu-ray Review
As usual click the picture to read my review @ Movie-Vault.com
Open Water is like a modern day Jaws, though it’s true story is less exciting and yet more horrific in it’s own way. The fact that the actors were in the ocean with REAL sharks puts a sense of creepiness in the film that can make your hair stand on end. The two main actors are good, but not great. Given that this was a cheap budgeted movie that’s OK. This film will make you never want to scuba dive again. I’m cool with that since Jaws made me avoid the ocean at all costs. Laugh if you will but at least I’ll be whole while you’re picking up your leg out of the sharks mouth. 🙂
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- Lionsgate Drops a Massive Load of Horror Blu-rays in October – Blair Witch and More! (dreadcentral.com)
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Open Water 2: Adrift Blu-ray Review
Click the picture to read my review @ Movie-Vault.com!
Open Water 2: Adrift is an unusual sequel, not that there’s anything wrong with that. The main appeal from it’s predecessor is left to tread its own waters with a different storyline. My thoughts on having a bigger cast this time out is that you sacrifice true horror for a different type of genre that is much harder to categorize. It’s like the different between Ridley’s Alien and Cameron‘s Aliens though we don’t get the action here either. Which is better? Hard to say, most have their own personal opinion on it. I liked the characters this time out, though there were a couple who annoyed me. I liked the original Open Water as well and enjoyed it’s horror, but this one felt like the better movie overall. The great thing about this release is you get two films in one. Enjoy!
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The Losers Blu-ray Review
The Losers is about a group of soldiers sent in to kill a man and rescue a bunch of children, but they are betrayed by their boss. Thought to be dead they maintain a low profile until they come across a woman with a plan. They then seek revenge on their former boss for betraying them in the most brutal way imaginable. Fun and action-packed, this could be seen as a less violent, less stars version of The Expendables. Pretty good, underrated movie!
Click the picture to read my review of The Losers @ Movie-Vault.com!
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- DVD/Blu-ray Breakdown: October 19th, 2010 (screenrant.com)
New Movies To Review – 9-22-2010
Two new movies arrrived today.
Lionsgate –
Delicatessen (Blu-ray) – Set in a post-apocalyptic world where food is scarce, an ex-clown (Dominique Pinon) gets a handyman job in an apartment building and then falls for the daughter of the building’s owner – an imposing butcher who has resorted to murderous ways to get his meat.
The Third Man (Blu-ray) – An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime’s friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.
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New Movies 2 Review & Personal Collection!
Hi everyone. I got some more movies in the mail recently (& today) so I thought I’d post them here.
Review Movies –
Blu-ray – Why Did I Get Married Too? (Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson) featuring the same cast from the hit comedy/drama Why Did I Get Married? this sequel is set in the Bahamas, a perfect getaway for 8 former college classmates celebrating their life-long friendship at their annual reunion. Unexpectedly, Sheila’s ex-husband arrives hoping to break up her new marriage and win her back. Tensions mount and committment becomes a challenge for all four couples when they return home they try to fix their strained relationships.
DVD – The Legend Of Bruce Lee (From the 50-part Bruce Lee series of the same name, Danny Chan, Michael Jai White, Ray Park) Following Lee’s well-known, short-lived 32 years on this world, The Legend Of Bruce Lee shows us some sides that might not have been as well-known as his movie career, particularly the constant challenges against other martial arts masters in his quest to form the best martial arts strategy for himself and his students and later for the fans of his movies worldwide. Sometimes the fighting goes wire-fu with unrealstic moves, but for the most part the fight scenes are the highlights of this three-hour film. The lowlights come in the form of shoddy acting and dialogue/editing. Still the fight scenes alone are well worth the price of admission and Danny Chan almost literally becomes Bruce Lee, in looks as well as acting.
Fierce People (Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Kristin Stewart) A coming-of-age story about the downside of privilege. Ironic that I get this film and Wall Street to review on the same day as they touch the same base about the evils of those with money and greed. 16-year old Finn (Anton Yelchin, Terminator Salvation, Star Trek) wants to spend the summer with his anthropologist father that he never met, but his drug addicted mother (Diane Lane) shatters his dream as he is arrested for his effort at helping his downward-spiraling mother. Liz (Lane) moves the pair into a guesthouse at a vast country estate of a former client and billionaire (Donald Sutherland). Finn and his mother face a danger far worse than any South American jungle…the power, privilege that belong to the super rich.
Wall Street (Michael Douglas, Charlie & Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Hal Holbrook), Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is lured into corporate espionage by the ruthless and greedy Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) who is out to get as much money as possible, legal or not and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. Fox learns that there is a price he is not willing to pay when he sees Gekko for what he is, but is he too late to save his soul? Wall Street represents the greed of 80’s stock-brokers who live only for money, power, status and high-finances.
The Secret Of Moonacre (Tim Curry). A big inspiration for J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter books, this is the story of 13-year-old Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) who’s father dies leaving her orphaned and homeless. She is forced to go life with her previously unknown, eccentric, uncle Sir Benjamin (Ion Gruffudd – Fantastic Four, King Arthur) at the mysterious Moonacrew Manor. Soon her world is torn apart by ann acient feud with the sinister De Noir family. Maria discovers that she is the last Moon Princess and must uncover mysteries of the past before the 5000th moon rises and Moonacre disappears into the sea forever.
Personal Collection –
Blu-rays – Poseidon (Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Fergie) A remake of sorts of The Poseidon Adventure this time out with a more serious tone and special effects galore. This movie wasn’t a smash hit mostly because of the lack of time given to developing characters to care about when all the death and destruction hits. I mainly like this movie for Kurt Russell’s performance and some good special effects (as well as the lousy ones).
Kill Bill : Volume 1 (Uma Thurman, Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Quentin Tarantino) Outside of Pulp Fiction and Grindhouse this is one of my favorites from Quentin Tarantino. Uma Thurman shines here with a character that was written specifically for her. The acting and action are both outrageous and fun. A throwback to Golden Harvest’s Bruce Lee films (note her yellow costume throughout the last part of the movie) as well as cool sprinkle of Brian De Palma during the hospital scenes. Kill Bill is certainly over-the-top (as are all Tarantino films) and great fun as well as hilarious comedy. An amazing cast and great music that most people wouldn’t think about until they see this film and realize the coolness of the soundtrack.
Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver). One of Bill Murray’s all-time best movies as his character and comedy is at an extreme high here. Working with fellow SNL-alum Aykroyd, Murray steals the show, even though he was the main star to begin with! Ghostbusters will have you laughing out loud and worrying for the good guys at the same time. The chemistry of the cast is outstanding and the story is ahead of it’s time as family-friendly-fun. (try saying that 10 times fast, family-friendly-fun-familyfriendlyfun)
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New Movies Review/Personal Collection
Review Movies DVD – Red Riding Trilogy, The Waiting Room, Made For Each Other, Tormented, A Quiet Little Marriage
Blu-ray – The 9th Company
Ordered Blu-rays for personal collection – The Transporter, Wolf, The Usual Suspects, Entrapment
Don McKay Blu-ray Review
Thomas Hayden Church (Emmy winner “Broken Trail”, Spider-Man 3) is Don McKay, a janitor who regrets making a mistake in his youth. After 25 years he hears from beautiful Sonny (Elisabeth Shue – Leaving Las Vegas, upcoming – Piranha 3-D) his ex-girlfriend and the woman he still loves. She is dying and wants to spend her remaining days with him. Returning to the site of the tragedy, Don rushes to be with her. She is still as beautiful and desirable as ever, but something about her is…different. Wondering if it is sickness that has changed her or something that makes the townspeople act odd, Don tried to solve the mystery while keeping his sanity and life intact.
As usual click the picture to read the rest of my review @ Movie-Vault.com!
From Paris With Love Review
Special Agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta) is trigger-happy and leading rookie James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) on a high-speed shooting frenzy through the underworld during a CIA mission to foil a terrorist attack planned on the city of Paris. During their mission, Reese realizes he’s in over his head as the pair discovers that they are a target of the same group planning the attack. 48 hours to save the city, it’s either stop the terrorists or lose the city forever. If you want a movie that isn’t going to engage your mind, but take you away from your real-world problems than this is for you.
Click the picture to read my full review @ Movie-Vault.com!
Featured Blu-ray releases 6/1/2010
Joe’s Top Picks (& why you should buy!) –
1 – Band Of Brothers (Best war miniseries ever! Must-own for war movie fans, Speilberg & Tom Hanks fans and anyone with any sense. Buy It!…….Now!)
2 – The Enforcer/Sudden Impact (Sudden Impact = Dirty Harry at his best! Must-own)
3 – Clint Eastwood Collection 1968-2008 (Absolute Power, Dirty Harry, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, The Rookie, Unforgiven shall I go on???)
4 – Essential Eastwood Director’s Collection (Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Unforgiven cheaper than the above by nearly half the price and some damn fine titles!)
5 – Absolute Power (A very underestimated Eastwood flick. Eastwood+Hackman+Ed Harris=I’m so there! Buy this!)
6 – Bad Boys – (As much as I rag on Michael Bay this here is a fun movie. Worthy of a buy)
7 – The Rookie (What’s not to love? Eastwood & Charlie Sheen shine here, another underappreciated Eastwood flick that should be in your collection)
8 – Air Force One/In The Line Of Fire (These are here mostly for In The Line Of Fire an EXCELLENT Eastwood flick, Air Force One is good but more of a throw-in) and in a tie – Bram Stoker’s Dracula/The Grudge (This is a nice pairing of similar genre movies. A good pairing, nice price. I’d get it)
9 – I Know What You Did Last Summer/I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (I love the first one, as much as I loved that I HATED the sequel. Still with the pairing of the two at about the price you’d pay for the original alone, why not buy this?)
10 – Groundhog Day/Hitch – (The pairing of these two movies is what knocks this down to the last spot. Love Groundhog Day and Murray is at his best here. Hitch…well at least Groundhog day is worth buying. Didn’t see Hitch. Don’t want to)
Notable Mentions – War Of The Worlds (Not so much a fan here, but I’ll review it if Amazon sends it and go in with an open mind on my 2nd viewing of it maybe I’ll like it more on the 2nd go-around), Alice In Wonderland (Kiddies will eat this up. I read on Wiki that this drew in over $1,000,000,000+ worldwide up there with Titanic and below Avatar, just not my thing), The Wolfman (Didn’t see it, don’t know anyone who has, but I’ll have to rent it and see, love Anthony Hopkins though), Someone’s Knocking At The Door (looks interesting, but have to give it a rental), The Strangers (Steve Austin might be a far better wrestler, but his acting skills are pretty decent. I haven’t seen this, but I feel if it is anything like The Condemned it will at least be worthy of a rental), Wild Things: Foursome (I only mention this because a girl from my hometown of Reading, PA is in this so I’ll give my shout out here), The Gauntlet (Need to rent this, forget the movie it’s been so long),