friskysman

Nearly all the reviews I have read on "The Grudge" have hated it. That combined with the fact that this is one of those dreaded "PG-13 Horror Movies" led me to come into watching this film as a huge skeptic. So I really have to give credit to the filmmakers when I admit that I loved this movie. Is it the greatest horror movie of all time? Of course not. But you know what? It's the scariest darn PG-13 movie I've ever seen. Period.

I won't bother with the long plot description. Everyone else does that but you are not here for spoilers; you're here for opinions. My opinion of this film could not be much higher. For me, the standard for PG-13 movies has always been "The Ring". For a movie that showed very little blood and gore, "The Ring" was horrifying. I mostly enjoyed how the entire movie led to a terrifying climax that gets me every time.

I was not at all expecting "The Grudge" to surpass "The Ring", but in setting my expectations so low, the movie blew by them and, in the process, even overtook "The Ring". So how is "The Grudge" better? The one thing that struck me was the legitimate almost non-stop scares. This movie rarely ever lets up, as there is a constant sense of dread that hangs over the entire movie like a dark rain cloud. There are no laughs in this movie, very few pauses for our hero to do some research (though, there is indeed a dreaded "research scene", but it is brief), and no "fake scares". Yes, there is an "Only A Cat" moment, but the cat does have an important part in the movie so I don't really count it as a fake scare. But if you want to, fine. One fake scare.

Aside from those few minor flaws, "The Grudge" is an unflinching ride. This movie is almost a direct remake of the original Japanese movie "Ju-on". It features the same director, crew and even some of the original actors. The result is a movie that is not your typical American horror film. Even "The Ring" is based on the Japanese "Ringu" and it falls into some of the American horror movie pitfalls, but "The Grudge" does not. It is not afraid to kill off anybody, and I mean ANYBODY. It does not hide itself behind a wall of CGI. And did I mention that is has no problem with killing off the entire cast if it has to? Yep, for a PG-13 Horror Movie, "The Grudge" is pretty brutal. Yes, it is essentially about a haunted house and the ghosts that inhabit it. I know it's been done a thousand times before. But, for me, that isn't the point. The point is, unlike most haunted house movies, "The Grudge" is truly scary. Is the acting top notch? No. Is the plot original? No. Is the writing that good? Uh-uh. But I didn't care. The movie scared me, and when it comes to horror movies -- especially the PG-13 variety -- that's all I ask.

You start watching CABIN FEVER and you're like, "What the...this movie sucks!" But then you keep watching and a chick gets torn to shreds by a dog. A dude gets a screwdriver shoved into his brain. And you think, "Hey! A real horror movie!"

When the movie first begins, you think it looks pretty promising. Something about the opening credits has sort of a 70's horror film style to it and you think it might be going somewhere good. But then you see the stupid teenagers (including Shawn from BOY MEETS WORLD, God forbid) and you're thinking, "Oh great, here we go." And for a while, it really does seem to be going there. The teenagers are unbelievably annoying, they do unbelievably cliché things, and you want them to be killed in unbelievably painful ways.

Now, see, this is where most horror movies would fail. We know that, certainly, the teenagers will be dispatched with in various creative ways. But in most cases, the camera shies away from the carnage and what you've got is a boring, annoying movie. But CABIN FEVER does not shy away. It is surprisingly brutal for a film made in 2003 that was actually shown in theaters. Yes, the dialogue will have you wanting to throw up and the over-acting will have you rolling your eyes, but when it is time to kill off the teens, its serious business.

You've got people throwing up blood all over the place; you've got guys getting set on fire; you've got the flesh rotting off people's faces while they're still alive; and you've got the aforementioned creative use of a screw driver and some mean dogs. This movie really does come right at you and earns your respect that it originally did not have.

Eli Roth directed this picture and he hasn't done anything of any particular note prior to this, but it is clear he knows where he's going. There are many plot points presented that you are fully expecting not to be tied up. But surprisingly, he nails down (with really sharp nails and a big sledge hammer) every single one of them by the end. It's because of this the movie seems to go on forever, even though it has merely a 90-minute runtime. But I mean that in a good (RETURN OF THE KING) way.

And you know what? The ending is great. I don't often say that about horror movies, but this one has several payoffs that are very clever and quite funny, actually. It shows simultaneously how fair and yet brutal this film is. No doubt there's a lot of camp. But if you miss the days of horror movies that went straight for the throat, check this one out. It's worth a rent. *** stars (out of ****)

I have never considered myself "extremely jaded" but I must rethink that idea after watching Cannibal Holocaust. I had read all the reviews and knew what to expect, but I was not a bit disgusted by anything I saw. At least not on a physical level. Of course, the horrible things shown in CH are disgusting on an emotional level when you consider what the filmmakers do to the natives and how they meet their grisly end. However, I was not scarred after watching it like I thought I might be. Perhaps all the research I did ahead of time helped. I don't know. But as far as disturbing movies go, I have seen much worse.

That's not to say CH is a bad movie. It is not. The scenes are beautiful and the process in which the story is told is revolutionary. I suppose my only complaint with the film (other than the fact that real animals were actually killed in the making...but that's another subject for another time) is that I see no motivation for what the filmmakers did. What reasons did they have to round up an entire village into one hut and set it on fire? I can sort of understand the rape (though I don't in any way condone it) but genocide I do not.

All that aside, CH does what it aims to do brilliantly. I don't think the gore is as bad as some make it out to be, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to someone who has to close their eyes during Scream. If you can stand violence, rape, and animals being killed, this is a masterpiece of a film.

This is, undoubtedly, the worst movie I have ever seen. Period. I've seen a lot of movies, a lot of bad movies, but this one is at the top of the list and nothing else is even close. Oh, of course there are movies that are much worse-made in all aspects, but when you consider the 'Friday the 13th' franchise being utilized and the results obtained, nothing compares.

There is not one single redeeming quality in this movie. Not only am I surprised this did not go straight to video, it should never have even been given that honor. 'Jason X' reeks of bad-TV-movie from beginning to end. I don't even know that I would go so far as to say TV-movie. It reminds me something that would be categorized as the worst episode of the worst sci-fi series ever. From the terrible camera work, to the horrible special effects, to the embarrassing over-acting, to the ridiculously cheesy soundtrack, to the childish script, this movie has 'amateur' written all over it.

When it goes for laughs, it fails miserably. The only laughing you will do during this movie will be unintentional on the part of the director, I guarantee that. On the other hand, there are absolutely no worthy scares. Of quite possibly the cheapest way to get scares - jump scenes - I counted one. And as I said, they are cheap. As for gore, there is nothing here that is worth anybody's time. I would guess that on half the kills, the camera cuts away just before the money shot. This is the business of a PG-rated movie, not an R-rated Jason film. Inexcusable. What gore they do show is laughable at best.

In horror movies, you are supposed to like the characters and be rooting for them to survive. When characters then do die, it is that much harder to watch. In 'Jason X', you are rooting for everyone to die as painful a death as possible.and you don't even get that satisfaction.

And on top of everything is the complete implausibility of the whole situation. But I won't even bother. By now, you will either take my advice and stay as far away from this movie as possible, or you are a glutton for pain.

'Jason X' zero stars

This is, quite simply, the best PC game ever. Period. It doesn't short-change you in length, like most games do these days. At the same time, it isn't overly long. There isn't a single point in the game where you wish you could skip ahead to the next area. Difficulty level is not a concern; you can make it as hard or as easy as you like. Quick save and quick load are done better than any game to date. Most important is the atmosphere this game creates. When you finish Half Life, you will look back on your adventure and truly feel like you have taken a journey. The game is MASSIVE. And the many places you visit along the way are extremely convincing. When stuck on the alien planet Xen or trying to find signs of life after the initial disaster, you will feel isolated and alone. When in a firefight with Marines, you will feel a rush of adrenaline. This game does it all and is beautiful-looking to boot. In addition, it will run smoothly on nearly any PC setup. I highly recommend this game to all audiences.

I've never been big on anime, but being a big Matrix fan, Animatrix was a

must-buy for me. I was not disappointed.

First of all, don't approach Animatrix expecting a lot of revelations about the first or second theatrical release. What you get in that regards is brief:

1. The Final Flight of Osiris sets up the events of Reloaded by documenting the final events of the Osiris, the ship Niobe speaks of that discovered the machines digging towards Zion.

2. The Second Renaissance gives some backstory about the war between man

and machines.

3. Kid's Story goes into more depth regarding the kid in Reloaded who is

affectionate toward Neo for saving his life. Neo responds that he didn't save the kid's life, the kid saved his own. In this short, we see why this is so.

4. In Detective Story, we see an isolated event in which a detective is hired (presumably by agents) to track down Trinity.

As for material that directly relates to the film, that is all you will get. But what remains are some wonderful takes on the world of the matrix that cannot be

explored fully in the theatrical releases. For example, how does a machine

come to sympathize with humans? And what of machines hooking into a

man-made matrix? Do humans that are able to perform unbelievable acts of

athleticism have an unconscious awareness that the world is not what is

appears to be? We know of rogue programs in the matrix that appear as ghosts

or other supernatural beings, but what about rogue LOCATIONS?

All of these ideas are explored artistically and provide a springboard for thought and discussion about the world of the matrix that goes far beyond what anything else up to this point has provided.

The shorts that focus on events or ideas from the first two movies are done just as well. Some may complain about inaccuracies in The Second Renaissance

but I view this short as an allegory. It is not necessarily meant to be taken at face value. Regardless of how you view it, it provides an interesting take of the war.

The look of each short is unique and wonderful. The Final Fantasy-style CGI in Osiris is beautiful. The rest of the animations, from the grainy black and white of Detective Story to the psychedelic barrage of color in Matriculated, are a joy to watch.

The sound is right on par with the first two films and the soundtrack is powerful. You will hear many memorable melodies.

The only complaint I can come up with is the fight scenes. It's not that these are not done well - I absolutely loved the strip tease/sword fight in Osiris - it's simply that animated fight scenes cannot hold as much power as live action. This is

likely due to a lack of mystique since we know `how he just did that.' Some guy drew him doing it.

Aside from that, Animatrix is a wonderful collection of shorts that explore some very interesting ideas. Fans of the Matrix films will not be disappointed, nor will fans of anime.

Say what you want about the story and the philosphy of the movie, but this is the best damn action movie I have ever seen. My jaw was on the floor throughout. Perfection.

It's definitely one of those movies that you have to see 3-4 times to understand it all. But you only need watch it once to realize how much it improved upon the first in the action and effects department. Unreal.

It's been years and years since I've seen this one but I remember it very fondly. Perhaps one of neatest things about the movie is that there is little to no dialog so we don't have to worry about horrible actors.

Benji is great. He is extremely convincing when he stops to ponder various situations like when he knows his owner is nearby but he decides against going home right away.

I just happened across the page for Benji but now that I have, I think I need to get to Blockbuster to pick this one up. I highly recommend.

APOILERS ABOUND

Saw this film for the first time last night and I was dissapointed. We start off with five terrible actors. None of these kids make you like them. Wheelchair boy is the biggest whiner I've ever seen in my life. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when he starting sticking his tongue out and spitting at the ceiling for an extended period of time. That was pathetic. None of the other actors are any better. Once they start getting killed off, you don't really care. In fact, I was rooting for Leatherface to put them out of their misery. And therein lies problem number two: this is one of the slowest-moving films I've seen in a long time. We wait forever for anything of any value to happen. So many scenes and specific shots spend a prolonged period of time focusing on something that doesn't matter. It makes for a very frustrating experience waiting for the first victim. When it does come, the three follow so quickly that you don't really have much time to appreciate what just happened. Maybe the best scene of the movie is when one of the chicks is hanging on a hook watching her boyfriend get sawed into pieces. But even that isn't all that great. Before too long, all but one of the teens is dead and she spends, what, about half an hour running around in circles while some fatso with a chainsaw chases her. And this is supposed to be scary or entertaining? I think not. All the screaming and not watching where you're going just got on my nerves. We get to see Leatherface's family and next to no time is spent on them. Why are they so screwed up? What role has the father (or grandfather, for that matter) played in making the two boys the way they are? There are subtle hints but nothing conclusive. Once the chick finally escapes their clutches, we come to maybe the most retarded part of the entire movie. A truck runs over one brother, Leatherface then chases chick and truck driver around the semi with chainsaw wailing, chick jumps in the back of a passing pickup, and Leatherface flails his weapon around, evidently in anguish that the chick escaped. We never see who the driver of the pickup is, we never see what happens to the truck driver, the movie just ends with Leatherface whipping that chainsaw around in the morning sun. A neat ending might have found the pickup the chick jumped into belonging to....oh my goodness, Leatherface's father!! That's what I thought when I first saw the truck. But instead it just kind of ends. We don't really know what to think. I mean, what was the point of this movie? It wasn't scary, we didn't care when the teens got killed because they were all whiny, spoiled brats, we didn't care about Leatherface and his family because we really learn nothing about them...it's an exercise in the pointless, if you ask me.

Many consider this a classic but I consider it trash. Perhaps it was more disturbing back in the days of its original release on the big screen but today it does nothing for me. I hated House of 1000 Corpses but it was much better than TCM.

What a shame that ABC is so clueless and cancelled this great show after just 5 episodes and when things were getting so interesting. I suppose that is the way it goes with all good television; for some reason our society in general is not able to handle an hour of intelligent and insightful programing. Let's hope this somehow finds its way to another network or to DVD. There are 7 episodes that will never see the light of day otherwise.

This ranks up there as one of the best TV dramas of all time. Honestly, I can't recalls details about plots and so forth but I distinctly remember the way in which this show hooked me. Great music, great acting and one of the best on-screen relationships between two men I have ever seen, Due South has always been greatly missed in my life since it ended -- especially with the crap that is on TV these days. It's a shame that no network has picked up reruns of this great show but a person can always hope.

This was one heck of a show. For the life of me I can't figure out why it didn't last. There were many similarities between this and the long-running Simpsons in

that they both comment on society in humorous ways. Take, for instance, the

terrible twos episode where Baby turns two and becomes demonically

possessed. Hilarious. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Dinosaurs in yet another case of a fabulous, intelligent television show that didn't last because most people were too dense to appreciate it. At least that's the only thing I can figure.

Although I can't remember plot details very well, I will never forget the last episode where the species went extinct. It was quite a sobering end to a

wonderful show. Check this one out if you get a chance.

I've been searching for the goriest movie of all time. I'm glad I started with this one. The gore did not disappoint. There is no doubt that Braindead is the goriest movie I have ever seen in my life. However, don't let that put you off. Either I am incredibly jaded or the comedy makes all the gore MUCH easier to stomach. I found myself laughing when I should have been puking. Granted, many will turn this movie off after the first few minutes, but if you have a sense of humor and a tough stomach you'll love this movie.

80 minutes might seem short for a movie but it's the perfect running time for "Phone Booth." Since the action takes place on one set, anything much longer would have felt drawn out.

My only complaint is the one or two scenes where the audience was laughing when it really shouldn't have been. I think this is due to some overacting or unrealistic action on the sniper's part.

For the most part, though, this is a very tense and moving film. I highly recommend it.

I agree that most of the time sequels to great movies are no good. Get to the third installment and it's become a joke. One of the lone exceptions to this rule is Back to the Future Part III. It's just a perfect movie. Entertaining, intelligent, and funny it is a hoot for fans of the first movie. Back to the Future is one franchise where all three movies are worthy of your attention.