Holes

The movie is as good as the book - should be, because it was adapted by the author, so it's obvious how it follows the storyline fairly explicitly.

Also well-acted, engaging characters, with only a few of the bad guys bordering on the stereotypes - actually, they're probably more like "archetypes" than stereotypes, but the larger themes about fate/karma/lives entertwined actually win out here, and it's the effect (i.e. curse) of the past and how it affects future events that is the focal point of the story.

"The sins of the fathers" are to be righted by the sons, I suppose is the final message that we should take from the movie/story - but all in all, it's simply a neat film to watch. Especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

But make sure you watch it with plenty of lemonade. This movie makes you thirsty, what with the hot baking sun in that Texas desert!!

VG

Zathura

There are going to be two types of people who don't like this film - those who will say "It's Jumanji in Space - nyah!" and those who will think it's a kiddie movie.

To both of those I say "you are completely correct . . . get over it!"

This is a dam'fine film. It's all about family (specifically brotherhood) , it's well-plotted - I like the nostalgic (50's) look of the game that they play - the special effects are terrific without being overdone (although it may feel that way!) - in fact, the one character that you have the most sympathy for is that house - that poor house gets the absolute STUFF knocked out of it!

Yeah, the kids'll like it. Everybody should like it. And the reasons why certain people won't like it are the same reasons why they should.

VG

Shaun of the Dead

Freakin brilliant. Almost par-feck! Must for any collection.

Seriously, this film is perfectly summed-up in its tagline: "A romantic comedy . . . with zombies!"

Buy the DVD and watch it religiously, again and again. I know I will.

VG



OK fine I just can't let it go with just that - need to give more - the charm of this movie is the characterization and the dialogue. It could have been an independent movie and still been great, but you can tell it was done with a lot of care and precision, but in the end - the humour and the dialogue are what drive this movie to complete hilarity.

Of course, you can't miss the fact that most of these people are "zombies" to begin with - the opening shots of people on the street or on the bus, looking completely zoned (emblematic of the general ennui of our "slacker" lives) - which, in fact, is what this movie parodies on pretty much all levels.

The basic thrust of the movie: we are all slackers, and in the end it takes something like the end of the world to bring out the inherent heroism (or lack of) in all of us.

again . . . freakin' brilliant!!

VG

Halloween Resurrection

Jamie Lee Curtis, Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks. Dimension Films, 200??

Bianca Kajlich

I hate films in which the first ten minutes actually plays like the epilogue of the previous movie, and is in itself an entirely separate story from the rest of the movie. The reason why I hate them is that they are simple devices to release the main actor/actress from their contractual obligations to remain stuck in bad characaterization in a series that is degenerating artistically.

In this case, Jamie Lee Curtis's character finally gets killed by her brother. Yeah, in the first ten minutes or so - and that's really all you need to see about the film.

Best moment is during this timeframe, in which one of the whackos in the asylum rattles off every statistic about every serial killer EVER, and when confronted by Mike Myers, begins a litany of MM history. That was cool. about 20 seconds long of cool.

The rest of the movie - standard "separate the teenagers and kill them off one-by-one" - not an extreme gorefest, just nothing new. PSS (pretty standard stuff)

VG

Carnivore

Film Artists Network, 2000.

The only interesting thing about this movie is the history behind it. That is - that it was filmed in the 80's and took them a decade to get the thing released. My advice: go see this film's website, which contains all the interesting details about the trials and tribulations about actually producing this monster.

By monster, I mean: bad script, bad acting, bad SE, pretty much bad everything. and what's really bad is that it wasn't even bad enough to be good.

Sorry, guys, I hate to have to pan stuff, but this needs panning.

Woof!

VG

Bram Stoker's Way of the Vampire

Rhett Giles. Dir Sarah Nean Bruce and Eduardo Durao. The Asylum, 2005.

Vampire flic (duh!) . . . a cheesy little flic with a couple of good gore scenes - I especially like the small sickle through the vampchick's head. Only she comes back to bite the guy to pieces a few seconds later.

But that's a minor scene - basically you got your Van Helsing having kept the Vampires on the run for centuries, and they finally get tired of it and start drinking human blood again and he's got to get some hunters trained up real good and fast and wipe them all out.

Pretty standard fare. Nothing really stands out. A couple of good lines and some simple cheesy fun. Watch it if you simply like vampire flics and can handle b movies without much nudity (well, there's a little . . . just enough, actually, but nothing too overbearing)

But you know, I don't think Bram Stoker would have really written something set in our modern times. However, the movie's got his name . . . in the title, no less! That HAS to mean that they've at least taken SOMETHING from some book of his, right?

I'll have to check that out. If I read it, then you know where that post will be! (another shameless plug for my OTHER non-award-winning blog!) ;-)


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