Jason C.'s Reviews

"An American Haunting" is an attempt to bring us an old-fashioned witch story, which is based on true events of the Bell Witch. It fails miserably. If it wasn't for the good cast and a few cool moments, this movie wouldn't be worth a damn.

The look of it is great, the acting solid...but it's horribly manufactured. Then again, this came from the writer/director of "Dungeons & Dragons," what was I to expect? What is written of the Bell Witch in books and on websites is much more chilling and interesting than this film.

Don't waste your time. "An American Dud" is more like it.
Review Date: 1/18/2008

Remake after remake...they just keep on coming. But this time, it's a remake of one of my personal favorite flicks, directed by the great John Carpenter. However, it is my duty to inform you that this remake is actually very good, BUT doesn't compare to its classic predecessor. Although maybe I'm just a bit bias.

Like recent remakes, "Assault on Precinct 13" is a 'reworking' of its previous story.

Our hero cop this time is Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), an undercover cop who was demoted to desk duty due to a drug-bust gone wrong which involved the deaths of two of his fellow officers. Eight months after the incident we find out that Roenick has been the head officer at Detroit's rundown Precinct 13, due to be closed at Midnight, New Year's Day.

It's December 31st and our hero villain, head gangster Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), has been captured by the police due to his murdering of a corrupt cop. Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne), is the head of a special police unit that wants nothing more but to see Bishop dead or in his custody (same difference).

Meanwhile Roenick's skeleton crew, which consists of veteran cop Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and sexy secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo), all look forward to a slow and drunken night to celebrate the coming of the New Year and the closing of the almost abandoned precinct. However, Roenick has one scheduled visitor, Dr. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello), a psychologist analyzing Roenick for his drug-bust disaster.

Bishop, along with two-bit criminals Beck (John Leguizamo), Anna (Aisha Hinds) and Smiley (Ja Rule), board a bus to be transferred to a security prison, but a huge snow-storm (great story move) delays this action and they are forced to wait out the night at Precinct 13, much to Roenick's dismay. After this is quietly and unofficially supervised by Duvall, an all-out siege is conducted on the precinct, manned by Duvall's special police unit. Roenick realizes that these hombres are after Bishop but also won't give up until everyone in the joint is dead. So, the cops and criminals and guests all team together in an effort to stop Duvall's assault on Precinct 13.

That's pretty much it, and pretty damn good it is. French director Jean-François Richet brings us a dark and gritty action flick here. Solid, edgy and pretty straight to the point...elements needed in a shoot 'em up police actioner. Well shot and well edited I might add.

Carpenter's "13" is a balls out cult-actioner from the 70s that has that certain charm to it, and can never be matched: the groundbreaking use of silencers, the characters (especially Darwin Joston's Napoleon Wilson), the famous Carpenter music and the classic dialogue ("Anyone gotta smoke?"). This "13" measures as a solid, police action-thriller, nowhere near as serious or great as "The French Connection" or "L.A. Confidential", but damn finer than most cop thrillers of today.

I had fun!
Review Date: 1/6/2008

Remake after remake...they just keep on coming. But this time, it's a remake of one of my personal favorite flicks, directed by the great John Carpenter. However, it is my duty to inform you that this remake is actually very good, BUT doesn't compare to its classic predecessor. Although maybe I'm just a bit bias.

Like recent remakes, "Assault on Precinct 13" is a 'reworking' of its previous story.

Our hero cop this time is Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), an undercover cop who was demoted to desk duty due to a drug-bust gone wrong which involved the deaths of two of his fellow officers. Eight months after the incident we find out that Roenick has been the head officer at Detroit's rundown Precinct 13, due to be closed at Midnight, New Year's Day.

It's December 31st and our hero villain, head gangster Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), has been captured by the police due to his murdering of a corrupt cop. Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne), is the head of a special police unit that wants nothing more but to see Bishop dead or in his custody (same difference).

Meanwhile Roenick's skeleton crew, which consists of veteran cop Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and sexy secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo), all look forward to a slow and drunken night to celebrate the coming of the New Year and the closing of the almost abandoned precinct. However, Roenick has one scheduled visitor, Dr. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello), a psychologist analyzing Roenick for his drug-bust disaster.

Bishop, along with two-bit criminals Beck (John Leguizamo), Anna (Aisha Hinds) and Smiley (Ja Rule), board a bus to be transferred to a security prison, but a huge snow-storm (great story move) delays this action and they are forced to wait out the night at Precinct 13, much to Roenick's dismay. After this is quietly and unofficially supervised by Duvall, an all-out siege is conducted on the precinct, manned by Duvall's special police unit. Roenick realizes that these hombres are after Bishop but also won't give up until everyone in the joint is dead. So, the cops and criminals and guests all team together in an effort to stop Duvall's assault on Precinct 13.

That's pretty much it, and pretty damn good it is. French director Jean-François Richet brings us a dark and gritty action flick here. Solid, edgy and pretty straight to the point...elements needed in a shoot 'em up police actioner. Well shot and well edited I might add.

Carpenter's "13" is a balls out cult-actioner from the 70s that has that certain charm to it, and can never be matched: the groundbreaking use of silencers, the characters (especially Darwin Joston's Napoleon Wilson), the famous Carpenter music and the classic dialogue ("Anyone gotta smoke?"). This "13" measures as a solid, police action-thriller, nowhere near as serious or great as "The French Connection" or "L.A. Confidential", but damn finer than most cop thrillers of today.

I had fun!
Review Date: 12/14/2007

“It’s a Wonderful Life�, “Miracle on 34th Street�, “A Christmas Story�, just to name a few, great as these films are, they are pretty much aimed for the entire family to enjoy at Christmas time, especially the kiddies. What we have here, is the ultimate R rated Christmas film, and it’s about time. Now, before you spitting out “Hey, what about “Die Hard 1 & 2�, remember just because a film takes place during Christmas, doesn’t mean that it is a Christmas film (and don’t even try to bring up any of those “Silent Night, Deadly Night� films). “Bad Santa� is an official adult Christmas film, and it is brilliant.

Willie (Billy Bob Thorton) is a foul-mouthed, alcoholic loser, who basically travels to different locations around the U.S. every year during Christmas time for department store Santa gigs. But you see once the gig is over, he and his “elf� partner Marcus (Tony Cox) rip off the joint they’re working for and move on, kicking back the rest of year. Willie knows he’s a waste of life, and he usually drinks his earnings away. Willie really doesn’t give a damn about anything, except sex and booze.

So now Willie and Marcus find a gig in a mall in Arizona, where their lives will change forever. Enter Thurman (Brett Kelly), an obese, innocent youngster who has no friends and gets picked on by all the other kids. Thurman finds his way to the mall and visits Santa (Willie), and takes liberty in asking ridiculous Santa questions to Willie. Willie tires of the kid very quickly and runs to the nearest bar where he finds Sue (Lauren Graham), a sexy bartender with a Santa Claus fetish. Meanwhile, mall manager Bob Chipeska (John Ritter, in his final role), is growing very wary of Willie, when he overhears Willie’s use of language around the children and overhears him fornicating in the plus size’s fitting room. Bob informs Gin (Bernie Mac), the mall detective, and asks to investigate Willie and Marcus.

Thurman basically follows Willie around, and helps Willie in an incident that involves a sexually confused bar patron (I know, it gets even more hilarious). Willie then notices that someone has been lurking in his hotel room and on his trail, so he shacks up with Thurman and his senile grandmother guardian (Cloris Leachman), in their very rich home. Things get a little twisted when Gin discovers what Willie and Marcus have been doing and what they’re up to. Gin decides to blackmail them for half of their take, no negotiations!

“Bad Santa� is down right hilarious and director Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World�) knows exactly what to do with the in-your-face material. The film mostly surrounds Willie’s life and the elements in it. Willie and Thurman are too completely different people, and it is interesting how they bond, Thorton and Kelly are great together and it’s a joy to see them work onscreen. Tony Cox, basically takes his “Me, Myself & Irene� cameo and expands it in this film, giving us some rolling laughter. Bernie Mac and the late John Ritter are just bonuses, who add a few more laughs to your already aching body from laughter.

So leave the kids home and this with your friends and have a howl. Not only is “Bad Santa� great outcast X-Mas classic, but it’s also one of the best films of 2003.
Review Date: 4/30/2013

The third installment of "Blade," I'm sorry to say, it an utter disappointment, especially when it had to follow the greatness that was "Blade II."

"Blade Trinity" opens up in Syria, where a group of vampires led by Danica Talos (Parker Posey) enter an ancient temple which inside holds the burial site of a legendary vampire, Count Dracula (a horribly miscast Dominic Purcell). He is awakened in a ploy to lead the vamps to total world domination. Meanwhile, Blade (Wesley Snipes) is still kickin' vamp-ass back home in the States. However, in a rather interesting turn, Blade is fooled when he kills a human who is disguised as a vampire and in a frame-up, caught on tape doing so, this alerting the FBI to his presence. Blade blows this off and returns to home base, but Blade's mentor Whistler (a tired but still able Kris Kristofferson), warns Blade that this is something to worry over, for in the public's eye, it's cold-blooded-murder!

After a few leads, the FBI locates Blade's domain and raids it. But Blade and Whistler fight on, unfortunately Whistler gets severely wounded and dies (for good this time), when he self-detonates the lair. Blade is then captured and taken into custody. Not bad so far.

While in custody, Blade is interrogated by a psychologist (working for the vamps) who requests that he be transferred to a hospital, most-likely to be terminated, which then gets Blade out of the way for the vamps' ploy. But Blade is then rescued (good action/escape scene here) by young vamp-hunters Abigail Whistler (the sexy Jessica Biel), the daughter of you know who, and Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), who was once a vamp and was converted back. The vamp-hunter duo, take Blade to their domain where they have a team of their own, basically all youngens. They, like Whistler, keep up with technology and create different weapons of mass vamp destruction. Too bad these characters are all uninteresting, they should have kept Whistler.

They alert Blade to the fact that the first vampire that started it all, Dracula, has been awakened and the vamp's plan to conquer the known world. But the little anti-vamp squad has developed an agent to kill him, but will it kill Blade as well? I’ll stop here!

David S. Goyer, writer of all the "Blade" films, makes his directorial debut here, and a decent job he does, but let's face it, he's fresh-meat and should not have been given the duty to follow up the greatness Guillermo Del Toro gave us with the second installment. Though inexperienced, I expected more from director Goyer (who knows this material quite well being the writer). This film falls short and I'll tell you why.

First off, the action. Yeah, it has some, mind you some, cool kick-ass action scenes, but after seeing the turbo-boost of ass-kicking in "Blade II," you are left saying to yourself "what the hell happened here?!" But hey, it's always cool to see vampires turn to ash in a "Blade" flick...but Goyer should have given us more, much more! Secondly, the gore. Almost non-existent. The first two films were gore fests (especially "II"), here, elements of gore...mere cameos. Total let-down. Third, the comic-relief. I remember when I heard Ryan Reynolds was going to be in this, and I said "oh no," but then I thought, well if Ashton Kutcher (and I can't stand him) can do an impressive serious turn in "The Butterfly Effect," I'm sure Reynolds can knock this vamp-hunter role out no problem...but wrong. He annoyed me, he was too much comic-relief, in a film that supposed to be a dark, horror-actioner. Yeah, he has a few funny moments, but I'm sorry guys, throwing 'Van Wilder' in this movie and having him play a wise-crackin' bad-ass vamp hunter, was just ridiculous! At lastly, the story was pretty weak, half-assed even. I mean the villain is Dracula, and you'd think they'd go out all on this, but they don't. Dracula is miscast and written uninteresting. So much more and so much better could've been done!

On the good side:

Snipes is still in great form, never loses his character, he's the same old Blade since day one. As I said before, the action is cool, even though it doesn't measure to the second film. There's a really cool car chase scene in the beginning, just wish it was a bit longer. Blade also has a few new gadgets, those were cool. Jessica Biel was decent in her role, ultra-sexy and looks good kickin' ass! Parker Posey steals the scenes she's in as the secondary villain, looking grotesquely sexy and evil. The fight between Blade and Dracula was okay, but again, too short for my taste.

Overall, "Blade: Trinity" doesn't cut it. Most definitely the weakest of the trilogy. When you have a solid sequel like "Blade II" to follow up on, you don't give a rookie director this task, you get someone that knows he can do the job accordingly. Goyer is a great writer, but I think he should've stuck to just writing this venture.
Review Date: 9/29/2008

When I first heard about "Bubba Ho-Tep", I knew for a fact I would love it. Bruce Campbell playing Elvis, battling a 4,000 year-old mummy in an old age home in East Texas. What's not to love? I mean who wouldn't be curious to watch a film like this. Let's get into it.

Something evil lurks in the wee hours of the morning at an East Texas rest home, killing elderly residents one by one.

Enter Elvis Presley (remarkably played by Bruce Campbell), aka "The King of Rock N Roll", alive and not-so-well in present day. Apparently, Elvis was tired of the fame and had his fill of being an icon, so he switched places with Sebastian Haff (also played by Campbell), the best Elvis impersonator/look-a-like that ever was, sometime back in the early '70s. But Haff, was addicted to drugs more than the King ever was and it is he who dies of an overdose, and Elvis had missed his chance to switch back. So now, the real King is forced to live out Sebastian's life, as an Elvis impersonator. During one of his gigs, the King breaks his hip and falls offstage and winds up in a long coma. When he wakes, he finds himself old and battered in an East Texas rest home.

Elvis notices that something strange is happening at this rest home. It starts when an over-sized beetle attacks the King in his bedroom. The beetle is defeated, because remember, you "never f*** with the King". Enter Elvis' only friend at the home Jack Kennedy (Ossie Davis), a black man who thinks he's J.F.K. Jack has done some research and believes that the killings that are going down are being committed by an ancient mummy (or Ho-Tep) from 4,000 years ago, that somehow found its way in Texas, has recently been awakened and is now sucking the souls out of the elderly. When they encounter the Ho-Tep, they notice that this mummy sports a cowboy hat and boots, Texas redneck (aka "Bubba") wear. So, now our heroes Elvis Presley and J.F.K. decide to fight this soul-sucking mummy (with their wheelchair and walker) and send it back to the hell it came from. Let me stop here.

This movie is brilliant for many reasons. The story itself is so ridiculous and bizarre, that it's pure genius, very witty and clever. I had a great time with this film, lot of laughs. Bruce Campbell gives the best performance of his career here, an Oscar nomination is rightfully deserved. His portrayal of the King is perfect, top-notch and hysterical. Ossie Davis also puts in funny support as 'Jack', the two are great together on-screen. Don Coscarelli (the "Phantasm" series) has done some respectable work here. Being absent from theatrical releases since "Phantasm II" in '88, Coscarelli has finally provided a worthy film that can be added to his "classic list" of films ("Phantasm" and "The Beastmaster"), rather than continuing his recent "crappy list" (that consists of three "Phantasm" sequels and a mountain climbing thriller). He shows some admirable wit with both his screenplay (which was based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale), and his direction. "Bubba Ho-Tep" is a B-Movie by every definition, but I'm glad that they marketed it as a mainstream art-house film.

Highly recommended and so much fun, "Bubba Ho-Tep" is bound to be an instant cult classic, as well as a memorable Elvis film, with a memorable performance.
Review Date: 1/6/2008

When I first heard about "Bubba Ho-Tep", I knew for a fact I would love it. Bruce Campbell playing Elvis, battling a 4,000 year-old mummy in an old age home in East Texas. What's not to love? I mean who wouldn't be curious to watch a film like this. Let's get into it.

Something evil lurks in the wee hours of the morning at an East Texas rest home, killing elderly residents one by one.

Enter Elvis Presley (remarkably played by Bruce Campbell), aka "The King of Rock N Roll", alive and not-so-well in present day. Apparently, Elvis was tired of the fame and had his fill of being an icon, so he switched places with Sebastian Haff (also played by Campbell), the best Elvis impersonator/look-a-like that ever was, sometime back in the early '70s. But Haff, was addicted to drugs more than the King ever was and it is he who dies of an overdose, and Elvis had missed his chance to switch back. So now, the real King is forced to live out Sebastian's life, as an Elvis impersonator. During one of his gigs, the King breaks his hip and falls offstage and winds up in a long coma. When he wakes, he finds himself old and battered in an East Texas rest home.

Elvis notices that something strange is happening at this rest home. It starts when an over-sized beetle attacks the King in his bedroom. The beetle is defeated, because remember, you "never f*** with the King". Enter Elvis' only friend at the home Jack Kennedy (Ossie Davis), a black man who thinks he's J.F.K. Jack has done some research and believes that the killings that are going down are being committed by an ancient mummy (or Ho-Tep) from 4,000 years ago, that somehow found its way in Texas, has recently been awakened and is now sucking the souls out of the elderly. When they encounter the Ho-Tep, they notice that this mummy sports a cowboy hat and boots, Texas redneck (aka "Bubba") wear. So, now our heroes Elvis Presley and J.F.K. decide to fight this soul-sucking mummy (with their wheelchair and walker) and send it back to the hell it came from. Let me stop here.

This movie is brilliant for many reasons. The story itself is so ridiculous and bizarre, that it's pure genius, very witty and clever. I had a great time with this film, lot of laughs. Bruce Campbell gives the best performance of his career here, an Oscar nomination is rightfully deserved. His portrayal of the King is perfect, top-notch and hysterical. Ossie Davis also puts in funny support as 'Jack', the two are great together on-screen. Don Coscarelli (the "Phantasm" series) has done some respectable work here. Being absent from theatrical releases since "Phantasm II" in '88, Coscarelli has finally provided a worthy film that can be added to his "classic list" of films ("Phantasm" and "The Beastmaster"), rather than continuing his recent "crappy list" (that consists of three "Phantasm" sequels and a mountain climbing thriller). He shows some admirable wit with both his screenplay (which was based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale), and his direction. "Bubba Ho-Tep" is a B-Movie by every definition, but I'm glad that they marketed it as a mainstream art-house film.

Highly recommended and so much fun, "Bubba Ho-Tep" is bound to be an instant cult classic, as well as a memorable Elvis film, with a memorable performance.
Review Date: 12/14/2007

A gangster flick I'm quite fond of is "Bugsy," a very well-done film about legendary gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel in his later years when he meets an instantly falls in love with Virginia Hill, a would-be singer/actress who "got around in Hollywood."

The film starts off with Bugsy, still in league with his childhood street-buddies Charley "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, en route to Hollywood on a business meeting which then turns into his official base of operations when he takes over a gambling operation from crime boss Jack Dragna. While there, he meets Virginia Hill, the woman that would change his womanizing ways forever, and introduce him to the world of true love.

Bugsy was known for being a handsome and charming thug, very popular amongst the ladies; even putting them above all things including money and power. Always wore the best wardrobe and made sure things were in order. The film really gets into the charming side of the man, the well-spoken side, and of course the notorious, insane side; especially when you called him 'Bugsy' to his face.

The film also gets into what Bugsy was best known for, the creation of Las Vegas as we know it today. Of course I'm talking about The Flamingo, the hotel/casino that Bugsy had constructed in the middle of the Nevada desert. The construction went severely over budget which had a hand in the fate of Ben Siegel.

Lavishly classy sets, top-notch costumes and beautiful cinematography make this a class A piece of film, directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man", "Diner"). Warren Beatty gives, what I think to be, the performance of his career...as well as solid support by, well the whole cast!!

"Bugsy" is a different kind of gangster film, but it works and it's very true to the real-life events!!
Review Date: 1/30/2008

Alfonso Cuarón is a magnificent director, whom I have had my eye on ever since he delivered an updated, modern version of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations", nearly 10 years ago. His "Y Tu Mamá También " was another well-done film depicting two teenage boys embarking on a road trip with a slightly older and more experienced woman. And of course there's his third entry to "Harry Potter" that was well-loved by critics and fans.

"Children of Men" is a brilliant look at our future, twenty years from now. Set in wartime London, 2027 in a world where we can no longer procreate due to an epidemic that occurs in 2008. The story surrounds Theo (Clive Owen), a former activist turned 9-to-5er, who is abruptly and violently contacted by a small band of refugees led by his ex-girlfriend (Julianne Moore). They ask his help to gather impossible to get transfer papers to deliver a somewhat important girl to a remote sanctuary at sea.

Theo comes to realize, after he quickly finds himself a refugee and an innocent victim of circumstance, that the young girl is miraculously pregnant and could be the salvation of humankind. But of course, things get sticky. I'll stop here.

This is an excellent entry into the dysotopian film canon, alongside masterpieces like "Metropolis", "Brazil" and "Equilibrium." The acting is top-notch, a wonderful, subtly heroic performance from Clive Owen, and a fun yet pivotal performance from veteran Michael Caine. The art direction is mesmerizingly bleak and the cinematography is masterfully executed. "Children of Men" is a well-written, well-directed and well-produced piece of science-fiction. And one of the best films of the year.

Bravo, Mr. Cuarón!
Review Date: 1/6/2008

Alfonso Cuarón is a magnificent director, whom I have had my eye on ever since he delivered an updated, modern version of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations", nearly 10 years ago. His "Y tu Mamá También" was another well-done film depicting two teenage boys embarking on a road trip with a slightly older and more experienced woman. And of course there's his third entry to "Harry Potter" that was well-loved by critics and fans.

"Children of Men" is a brilliant look at our future, twenty years from now. Set in wartime London, 2027 in a world where we can no longer procreate due to an epidemic that occurs in 2008. The story surrounds Theo (Clive Owen), a former activist turned 9-to-5er, who is abruptly and violently contacted by a small band of refugees led by his ex-girlfriend (Julianne Moore). They ask his help to gather impossible to get transfer papers to deliver a somewhat important girl to a remote sanctuary at sea.

Theo comes to realize, after he quickly finds himself a refugee and an innocent victim of circumstance, that the young girl is miraculously pregnant and could be the salvation of humankind. But of course, things get sticky. I'll stop here.

This is an excellent entry into the dysotopian film canon, alongside masterpieces like "Metropolis", "Brazil" and "Equilibrium." The acting is top-notch, a wonderful, subtly heroic performance from Clive Owen, and a fun yet pivotal performance from veteran Michael Caine. The art direction is mesmerizingly bleak and the cinematography is masterfully executed. "Children of Men" is a well-written, well-directed and well-produced piece of science-fiction. And one of the best films of the year.

Bravo, Mr. Cuarón!
Review Date: 12/14/2007

A solid, hardcore, no-brain actioner from the resume of Ah-nold was "Commando." This was at the height of Arnie's career, when the body count in his films was at an ultimate high (this one might be the highest).

Arnold plays John Matrix, an elite commando who is forced to come out of his early retirement when his daughter (Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped by a band a specially-trained thugs led by Arius (Dan Hedaya), an exiled Latin American dictator. Matrix is to assassinate the President of Arius' country in exchange for his daughter, but Matrix, decides to abort that mission and take on the bad guys. Matrix becomes a single-man army and sets off an all out war against this small regime, and rescue his daughter.

Great stuff, if you haven't seen it, this is a must. A prime-example of the ultra-violent '80s film! This was also the competition film to "Rambo: First Blood Part II," released earlier that same year, starring Arnie's friendly rival Sylvester Stallone.

"Commando" was directed by Mark L. Lester, a director noted for giving us gratuitous violence in films like "Firestarter," "Showdown in Little Tokyo" and his mini-franchise "Class of 1984" and "Class of 1999." He's also responsible for some of the better "direct-to-video" films like "Extreme Justice" and "Night of the Running Man" both starring one of my favorite character actors, Scott Glenn. Check those out as well.

Here's something you may not know about the sequel to "Commando":

The writer of "Commando," Steven E. De Sousa, wrote a sequel for it, about John Matrix going up against terrorists. 20th Century Fox was interested but Arnold was not. So, De Sousa rewrote his "Commando II" script, submitted it to Fox, was touched up by writer Jeb Stuart and it became, "Die Hard."

Pretty cool, huh?
Review Date: 5/6/2008

When you have an action crime-drama that headlines Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, it's a certified watch. However, "The Contract," which stars both of these actors on opposite sides, sadly disappoints and we're just left with a "good flick."

Frank Carden (Morgan Freeman) is a high-profile assassin, who is working with his own hired crew for big-time client who wants a big-time job done. The job consists of "two acts," and after Act One is done, Carden gets into a bad car accident with a careless driver and once he's rushed to the hospital unconscious, the doctors realize the man is armed and not law enforcement. He's then arrested by U.S. Marshals, as they find out Carden is ex-military, missing in action and is using the alias of a dead child. When Carden recovers, he's then escorted by three Marshals to a Federal prison, only Carden has stolen a cell phone from one of the nurses and has staged his escape during his trip to prison. When Carden kills two of the Marshals, the car runs off a cliff and into a river where Carden shoots the third Marshall and they both escape the car.

Meanwhile, ex-cop and widower Ray Keene (John Cusack) along with his estranged son Chris, are camping in the woods with hopes to bond as father and son again. When Ray sees Carden and the Marshall in trouble in the rapids, he takes it upon himself to save them. The Marshall quickly identifies himself and states that Carden is his prisoner. The Marshal dies from his gunshot and Carden tries to persuade Ray to let him go in good faith, that Ray won't be harmed and Carden will go about his business. Ray refuses to let him go and takes Carden in his own custody, still handcuffed with Ray now armed with the Marshal's gun! Ray's plan is to escort him through the rural Washington town to the nearest precinct, but Carden's hired hands are on their trail and will execute Ray and his son to save their boss and continue to Act Two...and above all...get paid! And the FBI is also looking for these people, with the aid of the local sheriff department.

There's a few more twists and turns here, including a secret operative in the FBI that is aware of Carden and his mission, and also one of Carden's crew being hired to kill Carden himself. During the journey, Ray and Carden get acquainted, but not buddy-buddy, which is interesting, and furthermore what is Act Two?

"The Contract" is a good movie with a decent storyline and a decent director. But I felt that Freeman and Cusack were wasted here. Their names got me set to watch something great...but what surfaces, is nothing more than a decent generic action film.

Check it out, but don't expect to be blown away.
Review Date: 4/17/2008

This is a great film, and simply a solid and more different Sylvester Stallone performance.

"Cop Land" centers around a bunch of corrupt New York City cops, who all reside in a peaceful town called Garrison, NJ (a fictional town, don't go looking for it), right at the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge. Policing the town is a sheriff department of three, led by the very docile Freddy Heflin (Stallone).

However, these cops aren't just corrupt, they're actually part of a mafia family. In charge of the family in the town of Garrison, is Ray (Harvey Kietel), who gave Freddy the job as sheriff, due to his very kind nature and controllable attitude, blind to the things Ray is doing. Freddy is also deaf in one ear, due to an accident during his teenage years in saving the love of his life, whom I might add married someone else (yes, a member of Ray's cop family). This handicap is what prevented Freddy from becoming a New York Cop, a personal dream of his. Truly befriending Freddy and guiding him is Mike Figgis (Ray Liotta), another "family" cop who at one time was Ray's right hand man, until something happened between them, and now Figgis wants out and wants nothing to do with any of them.

Ray's nephew, "Superboy" Babidge (Michael Rappaport), gets into a huge unfortunate dilemma, when he kills two black men on the GW Bridge in his way home from an intoxicating party. Ray decides to fake his nephew's death and hide him, so they can figure things out and keep Internal Affairs away. Only one problem, Freddy realizes 'Superboy' is alive. Also knowing 'Superboy' is alive just on instinct alone, is head of Internal Affairs Moe Tildon (Robert De Niro) who has been working on the "Garrison Case" for sometime.

Tildon decides to pay Freddy a visit, asking for his help to bring down Ray and his family of cops. Freddy doesn't want to believe that his friends are up to no good, and therefore doesn't bite. But Freddy starts to realize that something indeed stinks in his town. Meanwhile, Ray has plans of his own, killing his own nephew. Fearing that his nephew will spill his guts about the family, Ray attempts to have him killed. 'Superboy' escapes Ray, and is now hiding somewhere in the town. He pays a visit to Freddy in hopes of help, but gets scared off when he sees the likes of Figgis hangin' in Freddy's house...and goes into hiding.

Freddy then confronts Tildon and says his ready to play ball, but it's too late, for Tildon was forced to shut the case down, for lack of evidence. So now, Freddy is on his own. His mission is to find 'Superboy' and take him in...all of which under the tight watch of a family of mafia cops.

This here, is your modern day western. Gritty and real. The ending is gangbusters...there are also a bunch a little plot lines that I didn't get into, but I don't give everything away.

Also, "Cop Land" was re-released on DVD as a Director's Cut, with roughly 15 minutes put back in and re-edited, a much better cut of the film than what was theatrically released. Definitely give it a look!
Review Date: 12/28/2007

This is a great film, and simply a solid and more different Sylvester Stallone performance.

"Cop Land" centers around a bunch of corrupt New York City cops, who all reside in a peaceful town called Garrison, NJ (a fictional town, don't go looking for it), right at the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge. Policing the town is a sheriff department of three, led by the very docile Freddy Heflin (Stallone).

However, these cops aren't just corrupt, they're actually part of a mafia family. In charge of the family in the town of Garrison, is Ray (Harvey Kietel), who gave Freddy the job as sheriff, due to his very kind nature and controllable attitude, blind to the things Ray is doing. Freddy is also deaf in one ear, due to an accident during his teenage years in saving the love of his life, whom I might add married someone else (yes, a member of Ray's cop family). This handicap is what prevented Freddy from becoming a New York Cop, a personal dream of his. Truly befriending Freddy and guiding him is Mike Figgis (Ray Liotta), another "family" cop who at one time was Ray's right hand man, until something happened between them, and now Figgis wants out and wants nothing to do with any of them.

Ray's nephew, "Superboy" Babidge (Michael Rappaport), gets into a huge unfortunate dilemma, when he kills two black men on the GW Bridge in his way home from an intoxicating party. Ray decides to fake his nephew's death and hide him, so they can figure things out and keep Internal Affairs away. Only one problem, Freddy realizes 'Superboy' is alive. Also knowing 'Superboy' is alive just on instinct alone, is head of Internal Affairs Moe Tildon (Robert De Niro) who has been working on the "Garrison Case" for sometime.

Tildon decides to pay Freddy a visit, asking for his help to bring down Ray and his family of cops. Freddy doesn't want to believe that his friends are up to no good, and therefore doesn't bite. But Freddy starts to realize that something indeed stinks in his town. Meanwhile, Ray has plans of his own, killing his own nephew. Fearing that his nephew will spill his guts about the family, Ray attempts to have him killed. 'Superboy' escapes Ray, and is now hiding somewhere in the town. He pays a visit to Freddy in hopes of help, but gets scared off when he sees the likes of Figgis hangin' in Freddy's house...and goes into hiding.

Freddy then confronts Tildon and says his ready to play ball, but it's too late, for Tildon was forced to shut the case down, for lack of evidence. So now, Freddy is on his own. His mission is to find 'Superboy' and take him in...all of which under the tight watch of a family of mafia cops.

This here, is your modern day western. Gritty and real. The ending is gangbusters...there are also a bunch a little plot lines that I didn't get into, but I don't give everything away.

Also, "Cop Land" was re-released on DVD as a Director's Cut, with roughly 15 minutes put back in and re-edited, a much better cut of the film than what was theatrically released. Definitely give it a look!
Review Date: 1/6/2008

I remember walking home from grammar school one afternoon in 1986. Many times, before I would actually go home, I'd make a stop to the video store and drool over all the VHS boxes. Ah, movies galore! This particular day I'm referring to, I rented a film called "The Crazies" directed by George A. Romero. The box was a man in a white radiation suit and a gas mask. At 13 years-old, I already knew Romero because of my obsession with "Dawn of the Dead" and "Creepshow." The cover of that box was just the icing on the cake to rent that baby. I watched, I loved...but that was the first and last time I watched the film until Blue Underground released the film on DVD a few years back. I always found "The Crazies" to be a lost gem of Romero's. It's still a cult classic, but no one really ever talks about it, or discusses it. Some horror fans I know never even seen it, which may be one the reasons why it was remade.

With Romero as executive producer, 2010's "The Crazies" follows the story of a virus outbreak in a small Iowa town. It begins when Sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) is at a town ballgame when he notices the former town drunk walk right out onto the field with a shotgun. Dutten confronts the man, who has this eerie stare which Dutten labels as intoxication, and in an instant act of self-defense, Dutten shoots him dead. After autopsy reports show the man had no alcohol in his system and that other townsfolk seem to have the same eerie stare, Dutten and his deputy, Clank (Joe Anderson) begin to investigate, leading them to a sunken plane in the local marsh. Supposedly a government chemical leak emitted from the plane, flowing into the town’s water supply and you know the details from here. After the government moves in, takes over the town and separates the infected from the non-infected, Dutten realizes that no matter what, the government is exterminating everyone, cleaning up a mess...no survivors, no witnesses. The film becomes a ruthless chase picture of horrific proportions.

With a good supporting cast consisting of genre favorites like Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker and Glenn Morshower, the remake of “The Crazies” is good one. Nicely paced, well acted and very edgy. Directed by Breck Eisner, who gave the big-budgeted, lackluster flop “Sahara” a few years back, proves himself a solid director here. The screenplay by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright is nice and tight and pays a decent homage to Romero’s version. There were elements of the first film that made Romero’s version extra creepy, you might recall a father driven mad and having sex with his daughter, a scene that was very controversial at the time. Nothing like that here.

All in all, Eisner’s “Crazies” is worthy and definitely competent.

*** (out of ****)
Review Date: 8/26/2010

I remember walking home from grammar school one afternoon in 1986. Many times, before I would actually go home, I'd make a stop to the video store and drool over all the VHS boxes. Ah, movies galore! This particular day I'm referring to, I rented a film called "The Crazies" directed by George A. Romero. The box was a man in a white radiation suit and a gas mask. At 13 years-old, I already knew Romero because of my obsession with "Dawn of the Dead" and "Creepshow." The cover of that box was just the icing on the cake to rent that fucker. I watched, I loved...but that was the first and last time I watched the film until Blue Underground released the film on DVD a few years back. I always found "The Crazies" to be a lost gem of Romero's. It's still a cult classic, but no one really ever talks about it, or discusses it. Some horror fans I know never even seen it, which may be one the reasons why it was remade.

With Romero as executive producer, 2010's "The Crazies" follows the story of a virus outbreak in a small Iowa town. It begins when Sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) is at a town ballgame when he notices the former town drunk walk right out onto the field with a shotgun. Dutten confronts the man, who has this eerie stare which Dutten labels as intoxication, and in an instant act of self-defense, Dutten shoots him dead. After autopsy reports show the man had no alcohol in his system and that other townsfolk seem to have the same eerie stare, Dutten and his deputy, Clank (Joe Anderson) begin to investigate, leading them to a sunken plane in the local marsh. Supposedly a government chemical leak emitted from the plane, flowing into the town’s water supply and you know the details from here. After the government moves in, takes over the town and separates the infected from the non-infected, Dutten realizes that no matter what, the government is exterminating everyone, cleaning up a mess...no survivors, no witnesses. The film becomes a ruthless chase picture of horrific proportions.

With a good supporting cast consisting of genre favorites like Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker and Glenn Morshower, the remake of “The Crazies” is good one. Nicely paced, well acted and very edgy. Directed by Breck Eisner, who gave the big-budgeted, lackluster flop “Sahara” a few years back, proves himself a solid director here. The screenplay by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright is nice and tight and pays a decent homage to Romero’s version. There were elements of the first film that made Romero’s version extra creepy, you might recall a father driven mad and having sex with his daughter, a scene that was very controversial at the time. Nothing like that here.

All in all, Eisner’s “Crazies” is worthy and definitely competent.

*** (out of ****)
Review Date: 8/26/2010

Beautifully shot in rich black and white, "Dead Man" follows the story of William Blake (Johnny Depp), a conservative accountant en route to his new job as head accountant at a metal works factory in the industrious town of Machine. All starts to go down hill, when the job has been given to someone else and the metal works owner John Dickinson (the legendary Robert Mitchum) doesn't want to hear Blake's rant, so much that he's ready to kill him in cold blood if he doesn't leave the grounds!

Penniless and nowhere to go, Blake runs into Thel (Mili Avital), a beautiful prostitute that quickly befriends then beds Blake at a local hotel. The next morning, Charlie Dickinson (Gabriel Byrne), John's son, enters Thel's room. We realize that Charlie and Thel have a past history. After some words, Charlie shoots Thel in the chest which goes through her and hits Blake in the chest...in the same breath Blake kills Charlie. Blake leaves the hotel, steals Charlie's horse and passes out somewhere in the vast surrounding prairie. Blake is discovered by a Indian (Gary Farmer), who helps him back to a healthier state. Meanwhile, John Dickinson hires three outlaws (Lance Henriksen, Michael Wincott and Eugene Byrd) to track down his son's killer.

The movie takes on an unusual approach as he learns many things from the Indian he travels with, showing him how to face the dangers of being a "dead man." To know what that means, SEE THE FILM! There is a haunting score by Neil Young, which is excellent and the film is truly a work of cinematic poetry. It also has its gritty moments.

There are many cameos throughout the film including Billy Bob Thorton, Alfred Molina, Iggy Pop, Jared Harris, John Hurt and Crispin Glover.

A great one from Jarmusch, check it out...
Review Date: 12/28/2007

Ah, the vigilante film. How I love them.

We've all seen revenge films...hell, Quentin Tarantino gave us one hell of a revenge saga with "Kill Bill," but that was more of a homage to exploitation cinema. I'm talking a revenge film more along the lines of "Death Wish," "Vigilante," "Ms. 45," "Defiance"...gritty, nasty...and just downright violent. Well, James Wan's third film, "Death Sentence" is a return to that genre of cinema that Charles Bronsan made famous except this time, done with some cinematic craft.

Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) is an mild-mannered executive with a somewhat perfect life; beautiful wife (Kelly Preston), two sons, nice home, great career. His oldest son, Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) is working his way up to a professional hockey career, much to his father's pride. After Nick attends one of Brendan's games, on the drive home, Nick and his son stop for gas. At that moment a ruthless gang holds up the gas station rest area and brutally kill Brendan in cold blood. An initiation kill for one of the newest members.

After being the only eyewitness, followed by a crappy deal by his lawyer, Nick decides not to testify against Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary), the murderer of his oldest son. It seems that Nick, has a better punishment in mind. An eye for an eye. Nick kills Joe and starts an all-out war, as Joe's brother, Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund), leader of the pack...issues a death sentence on Nick's family.

Let me stop here...

"Death Sentence" is a cold blooded thriller, and a satisfying revenge flick. But that's not all. "Death Sentence" is a dark, well-crafted thriller that sizzles. It gets into the mind of one's man's journey into loss, justice and insanity. The man's whole life changes in one instance, and Kevin Bacon portrays this with utmost certainty and believability. James Wan takes his themed gore factor and places them correctly in the film, making this genre piece a bit more shocking and realistic.

One of the better films of this year!
Review Date: 1/30/2008

1989 was the year of underwater sci-fi flicks. Where there was a station under the water of some kind and some sort of monster or alien gives the employees of the station trouble and or a ticket to death. Basically, "Alien" and "The Thing" but underneath the sea. "Deep Star Six" was the first to be released of the four in this category.

"Deep Star Six" is the name of the underwater station where eleven workers made up of military officers, doctors, researchers and technicians are to install a missile silo on the ocean floor. A cave is found beneath the surface but is blown away upon orders, and unleashes a gigantic, deadly orthropod. The sea monster finds its way into the station and it's total terror.

Reminiscent of the sci-fi B-flicks of the '50s, I enjoyed this one...has a cast that consists of character actors you've seen millions of times in many movies, a decent set and a not-to-shabby storyline. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, the man who gave us Jason Vorhees first, does a decent job on this low-budget gem. Some really good gore is found here.

Strictly for the sci-fi/horror lover.
Review Date: 12/28/2007

Straight to the point, "The Departed" is the best film of 2006.

Martin Scorsese is indeed my favorite director of all time. The man is an artist in the truest form. Scorsese strayed away from gritty-street crime-dramas he's known for best for over ten years, and with "The Departed" he returns to that genre, and the man has not lost his touch.

This time we're dealing with the Irish mob in Boston under the leadership of Frank Costello (played by the magnificent Jack Nicholson). Costello opens up the story where he first meets Colin Sullivan, a local neighborhood boy whom Costello sees potential in. Sullivan grows up (played by Matt Damon) and joins the police academy and becomes very successful. He joins the State Police and attaches to a unit where the objective is to take down Costello himself; and Colin (being Costello's informant) gives useful info so that Costello remains untouchable.

However, detectives Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) decide to plant an undercover cop in Costello's crew. They select Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a recent academy graduate who comes from a family with a bad rep. This is one of the key elements that would work for Billy as a member of the crew. Queenan fixes Billy's records and is then underway to a world of crime.

So now we're dealing with two "rats" on opposite sides on opposite sides. Very well done as Scorsese captures the tension and drama of this situation, in the way he knows how, through extreme violence.

I'm gonna stop here.

"The Departed" is a remake of "Infernal Affairs," a Hong Kong film done brilliantly as well. It's follows the storyline pretty accurately, if I remember correctly, although of course it's Americanized this time 'round. But never fear, "The Departed" is no Hollywood extravaganza, it's a straight-forward, gritty crime-drama done Scorsese-style...NO HOLDS BARRED!!!

CHECK THIS OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Review Date: 5/6/2008

Straight to the point, "The Departed" is the best film of 2006.

Martin Scorsese is indeed my favorite director of all time. The man is an artist in the truest form. Scorsese strayed away from gritty-street crime-dramas he's known for best for over ten years, and with "The Departed" he returns to that genre, and the man has not lost his touch.

This time we're dealing with the Irish mob in Boston under the leadership of Frank Costello (played by the magnificent Jack Nicholson). Costello opens up the story where he first meets Colin Sullivan, a local neighborhood boy whom Costello sees potential in. Sullivan grows up (played by Matt Damon) and joins the police academy and becomes very successful. He joins the State Police and attaches to a unit where the objective is to take down Costello himself; and Colin (being Costello's informant) gives useful info so that Costello remains untouchable.

However, detectives Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) decide to plant an undercover cop in Costello's crew. They select Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a recent academy graduate who comes from a family with a bad rep. This is one of the key elements that would work for Billy as a member of the crew. Queenan fixes Billy's records and is then underway to a world of crime.

So now we're dealing with two "rats" on opposite sides on opposite sides. Very well done as Scorsese captures the tension and drama of this situation, in the way he knows how, through extreme violence.

I'm gonna stop here.

"The Departed" is a remake of "Infernal Affairs," a Hong Kong film done brilliantly as well. It's follows the storyline pretty accurately, if I remember correctly, although of course it's Americanized this time 'round. But never fear, "The Departed" is no Hollywood extravaganza, it's a straight-forward, gritty crime-drama done Scorsese-style...NO HOLDS BARRED!!!

CHECK THIS OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Review Date: 5/6/2008

I was anticipating Neil Marshall's next film, what with my fondness for Marshall's first outing, "Dog Soldiers," a great entry into the werewolf film library. Marshall knows what his horror audience wants, a common subject of horror, done unique. With "Dog Soldiers", he gave us werewolves but with a different plot point than the same ole, same ole. With "The Descent", he gives us your typical monsters in the dark story (ex: "Alien", "The Thing", "Pitch Black"), but instead pits them against helpless females. The all-female cast is what intrigued me most, for we have have only seen the flipside.

Set in the Appalachian Mountains here in the U.S., six adventurous females set out to discover a dark hole in the Earth. Into the hole they go, and they descend deeper and deeper, and squeeze into tight milks and crannies to explore further and further. The claustrophobic feel works, which was (for me) the scariest part of the film.

Of course something happens and these females realize that they are not alone. A human-like species resides in the depths of the cave, eating humans and animals alike. The film works as you simply feel for these young girls, especially the main heroine (if you want to call her that), Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) who a year earlier loses her husband and daughter in a horrible car wreck.

The gore is present and so is the value of this film.
Review Date: 1/18/2008

"The Devil's Rejects," the sequel to "House of 1000 Corpses," is a very good movie, and very powerful!

"Rejects" basically picks up a few months after the events in "Corpses" where Sheriff Wydell (a terrific William Forsythe) leads an all out revenge siege (enraged over his brother's death in "Corpses") against the Firefly family whom we were in-depthly introduced to in the previous film. After the attack on the Firefly household, Mother Firefly (now played by Leslie Easterbrook, superbly I might add) is taken into custody, Tiny (Matthew McGrory) is wondering about in the deep woods, Rufus (now played by Tyler Mane) is killed in action, and Otis & Baby (Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon) escape with their lives. Meanwhile, Captain Spaulding (the always great Sid Haig) is his crazy old self until the police realize that he is indeed involved with the Firefly family. He then skips town to reunite with Otis and Baby.

Otis and Baby then take a local country band hostage and torment the living hell out of them (I will not give away any gore and scare elements here). On the road, Spaulding calls a very close friend of his, low-rent pimp Charlie Altamont (Ken Foree) in which his brothel will be the Rejects' hideout. Spaulding then reunites with his two Reject members and they're brought to Altamont's brothel for some intoxicating times and safety.

But Sheriff Wydell grows more and more insane as he becomes obsessed with not just destroying the Firefly clan, but making them suffer, in an extremely sadistic manner. He interrogates Mother Firefly, and she gives him nothing except more fuel (you might recall her being the fault of his brother's death in the first film). Wydell then hires two scuzzy bounty hunters (Danny Trejo and Dallas Page) to track the Firefly clan down. The trackers find Altamont and Wydell gives him an offer he can't refuse, the Firefly's or his life. Altamont is the "Lando Calrissian" of this movie.

I'm gonna stop here, but let me say that Zombie has proved himself a director here. You can possibly say that he took a Tarantino class in directing, but in a more horrific way, enough where Zombie has his own stamp on it. The film is well crafted, well put together and has a great sense of horror and crime drama. Much credit is also given to Zombie for his use of legendary horror and pop culture character actors from the 70s and 80s: Mary Woronov, P.J. Soles, Ken Foree, Steve Railsback, Geoffrey Lewis, Priscilla Barnes, Elizabeth Daily, Michael Berryman, Leslie Easterbrook and Danny Trejo. Zombie also achieves what Oliver Stone achieved with "Natural Born Killers", making us like characters that we shouldn't give a rat's ass about, deadly murderers.

William Forsythe brings a phenomenal, intense performance to the screen as the relentlessly obsessive Sheriff Wydell, as does Leslie Easterbrook who practically steals the Mother character away from Karen Black's portrayal in the first film. She's completely out of her mind and totally believable, a far stretch from her role of the highly lusted-after Callahan in the "Police Academy" movies.

The leads are great too, Sheri Moon is sexual eye-candy and completely off her rocker, Sid Haig is fantastic (however I think his performance in "Corpses" outdoes his performance here) but Bill Moseley is an evil, repugnant fucker from hell, his Otis is in top-form and Moseley clearly shows us that he his a highly-underrated talent and a gift to the world of horror.

The classic 70s soundtrack is fitting and used cleverly...great film all around.
Review Date: 12/28/2007

Frank Salazar (Corbin Bernsen) is a thief from Newark, NJ now hiding out in a dusty, open Montana town. He has his sights set on a bank robbery, which will take four of the best men he's ever worked with in his impressive career, to successfully pull it off. Right after Frank sends letters to his best four guys to meet him in Montana with details unknown, he gets arrested by bumbling Newark Detectives George Denver (Ed O'Neill) and Bill Lonigan (Daniel Roebuck) who received a hot lead to his whereabouts and decide to take him back to Newark. But Salazar outsmarts the two clueless cops, gets away and tries to trek back to his hideout, but gets lost in the rural deserts of Montana.

Meanwhile, Frank's four-man posse, which consists of aging explosives expert Max Green (Fred Gwynne); professional safe-cracker and alcoholic Nick Bartkowski (William Russ); fellow heist-man and gunman Carlos Barrios (Rubén Blades); and getaway driver Ray Forgy (Lou Diamond Phillips)...whom all don't know each other, meet up at the train station, where Ray drives them all to Frank's hideout...but there's no Frank! So, these four strangers must work together to find out where Frank is and why they were called there in the first place. Of course, these guys aren't going to get along at first, which causes more problems and results in one getting arrested. But when they finally realize that Frank had a big time robbery in mind, they decide to take on the job anyway without Frank. Meanwhile, the two detectives on still on Salazar's tail, even though they're way off track and actually more so, following the hijinks caused by Frank's four buddies, thinking it's Frank and getting closer.

The movie is a lot of fun and well-written I might add. Written and directed by Jim Kouf, who wrote "Stakeout," an even better but also a tad more serious crime-comedy, once again provides a well-thought out script. "Crime" does get a little more on the silly side but Kouf's scenario of a group of urban disorganized criminals running around in Montana, does work especially with a great cast of character actors all turning in admirable performances. It provides a bunch of laughs, some real funny, some kind of lame but all in all and at the end, you feel like you want to see another film with these guys.
Review Date: 4/17/2008

"Doomsday" is a film I've been yearning for lately, and coincidentally it arrived just in time. I kept saying to all my movie-heads that the "Midnite" films of the 70s and 80s have passed us, they're long gone...those cult films that made the movie experience unique and important of all, fun. We need them! Well, "Doomsday" is that film I've been missing all those years ago.

A homage to "Escape from New York" and "The Road Warrior" (and add a little dose of the zombie film), "Doomsday" tells the story of an epidemic known as the Reaper Virus, that spreads in modern day and was contained with a 30 foot steel wall around Scotland with basically everyone in it left to die. 25 years later, the epidemic presents itself again outside the wall but this time, the British Government has a possible hope.

A classified government file from three years prior presents satellite photos of survivors left in Scotland, with no infection...indicating a possible cure. An elite team of special operatives led by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) along with two scientists are sent into Scotland to find this "cure," if it even exists....but Scotland is not the land it once was.

Most of the remaining survivors have turned into vicious, psychopathic cannibals led by Sol (Craig Conway) who runs this carnival of mayhem. Sol has taken major interest on why after 25 years, the outside world has come back in. Also a major leader is Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell) who has stationed himself in the highlands of Scotland, away from Sol (his son) and the freaks of nature. Kane, a once respected scientist, now lives like a medieval king, and accepts the primitive life and bans all word of the outside world, which he's brainwashed to his cult, does not exist anymore. But does Kane have the cure?

"Doomsday" is such a great time, that the kid who watched "Escape From New York" and "The Road Warrior" for the first time, came back after all those years. Great drive-in fun!! Directed by Neil Marshall, who gave us two great horror films already, "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent," really does a great job with this inspiring material. I love how one minute you're watching a futuristic sci-fi film and then the next, you're watching a medieval film, and then next you're watching a post-apocalyptic extravaganza. Brilliance. Rhona Mitra is the heroine, looking amazingly sexy and doing a great job meshing the roles of anti-heros Snake Plissken and Mad Max, as the tough as nails solider, Eden! Craig Conway does his best Vernon Wells (Wez from "The Road Warrior") imitation as Sol, in a great psycho performance, and Malcolm McDowell...well...need I say more?

It has the car chase action of "The Road Warrior", the crazy world inside the prison of "Escape from New York" and a "Resident Evil" feel of action and horror! I loved every minute of this ode to the Midnite movies of yesteryear!

GO SEE IT...AND HAVE A GREAT TIME!

* * * *
Review Date: 7/7/2008

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