Sunday, November 25, 2012

Skyfall 2012 7 out of 10


Skyfall 2012   7 out of 10

I used to see a lot more movies on the big screen.....Now with a family of four kids and a wife and 2 dogs most of what I see has to wait of Netflix. (which is fine because I have a big TV now).
Certain films need to be seen in the theaters......The Harry Potter Films,  Star Wars,  Lord of the Rings and of course James Bond.
So Skyfall was on my list of must see in the movie theater movies.

The opening action sequence of Skyfall  was about as good an opening sequence as a Bond film could have.  Many have labeled this Bond as being one of the best Bond's yet...and although it was good I wouldn't rank it near the top of a list of Bond Films.    Bond has been around for 50 years now and the series has some great films many of which I enjoyed more than this outing.  I'm sure a part of that opinion is the hype about it being one of the best going in.    Daniel Craig  in his third outing   is once again good as Bond and Judi Dench is strong as M.     Javier Bardem to me was just weird and uncomfortable to watch as the ex agent/gay super villain that seemed like a character out of 24 instead of a Bond film.

Skyfall centers around an ex MI6 agent that is out for revenge against M and Bond must do all that he can to protect her.  Like I mentioned it kicks off with a great action sequence that includes a motorcycle chase across roof tops and a fight on top of a train.  The action after that never quite matches the energy of the beginning of the film and the movie really slows down.  Many scenes seem recycled out of other films.   The Rancor pit scene  (featuring a man eating Komodo dragon)---the Silence of the Lambs scene where the villain escapes from his cell and then the whole stupid lets make a stand in this house scene setting Rambo traps and I found that the ending of the film kind of made the whole journey pointless...I thought it could have ended better.   All in all a good but not great Bond.








Dungeons and Dragons: Book of Vile Darkness 2010 7+ out of10




Dungeons and Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness  2010   7+ out of 10

This movie was a surprise.  I was expecting another bad  --low budget cheesy Stargate episode quality Fantasy film....but instead got a surprisingly good low budget fantasy film.  What made it so good was the story.  The story wasn't the same old bland group of heroes on a heroes quest.  Instead the Book of Vile Secrets takes us on a heroes journey amongst a group of villains.  He has to go over to the darkside a little in order to rescue his father.  How dark can he go without loses who he is?  This twist on the traditional story made for a surprisingly interesting film that would otherwise have been just the same old thing.  The movie overcomes its low budget with and interesting plot and characters.





Resident Evil: Afterlife 2010 5 out of 10


Resident Evil: Afterlife  5 out of 10

The movie continues the story of Alice and her battles against the umbrella Corporation and the zombies they created.   The opening sequence is great, but unfortunately the movie doesn't hold up to the level of its opening sequence.   It just becomes a heavy metal music video of the video game with a few good action sequences and not much else.  With the Walking Dead and its complex zombie world....this video game movie series just doesn't hold up anymore.  The best parts of the movie are the parts that are a rip off of The Matrix.





Primal 2010 5 out of 10


Primal 2012  5 out of 10

The movie got off to a promising start with a group of Aussies heading into the outback to check out some ancient cave drawings.  There was a killer rabbit with big sharp teeth (Holy Grail style).  Then one of the characters gets a weird infection and I thought we were in for a Ruins  type horror movie....instead it turns into a twist on Zombies where the infected characters turn into this primal cave people hunger for human flesh and able to do insane super human leaps.  There was a giant worm like cave mole that apparently wants to rape people.  


Get Him to the Greek 2010 4 out of 10


Get Him to the Greek  2010    4 out of 10

Another so-so average modern comedy.   They just don't make them like they used to.   Starring Jonah Hill as a record company employee that needs to get his musical idol  played by Russell Brand (playing himself as usual) to a big anniversary concert.   Insert drug and partying too much jokes here and absolutely nothing else.  The whole movie is just a series of quotes about how drunk and drugged out Russell Brand's character is....  Hilarious???  NOT so Much.  The whole look at how stoned and drunk I am bit just didn't strike me as funny.   Sure the movie had a moment here and there that had a laugh --but the storyline was just uninspired and predictable and not really that enjoyable.  Russell Brand is a one trick pony and his trick is getting old really fast.







Saturday, November 24, 2012

Dragon Wars 2007 7 out of 10 I guess

Dragon Wars 2007..  7 out of 10       .. I really have no idea what to think about this movie ....At moments it felt like a typical C Sci Fi channel movie and yet at moments felt like a Epic........The plot was all over the place.....It was a mess and yet interesting at the same time........They obviously put money into this thing.....On further research It was a South Korean production ...The film cost $70 million and only made $10 million at domestic box office..........Still confused as to what I watched...But pretty cool for a totally mess




Sunday, November 18, 2012

Guide to Shark Movies (Good and Bad) Updated Feb 9th 2019 (51 Shark Movies and counting) Sharknado 6 coming soon

Here is the complete list of Shark Movies that I have seen so far.

Below the list you will find links to some of the blogs on these shark movies. 

Here is Our Podcast covering Dark City and Bad Shark Movies
http://www.superfantasticterrific.com/super-fantastic-terrific-show-8-dark-city-shark-movies/


Jaws in a classic.... Deep Blue Sea the best modern day Shark Movie with one of the best death scenes ever......The rest---watch at your own risk......This is my list of the good .....and mostly the bad shark movies that I have seen......I will update this list as I see more bad shark movies.

JAWS  1975   10 out of 10

Deep Blue Sea   1999 8 out of 10

Sharknado 3 2015  8 out of 10

Roboshark  2015 8 out of 10    (SBIG)

Sharknado  2013  8 out of 10  (SBIG)

Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy  2005  8 out of 10 (SBIG)

Shark Attack 2  2000 7 out of 10  (SBIG)

Jaws 3 in 3-D  1983   7 out of 10

Open Water 2004  7 out of of 10

Sharknado 4  2016  7 out of 10 (SBIG)

Sharktopus  2010  6 out of 10  (SBIG)

3 Headed Shark Attack 2015   6 out of 10

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming  2017 6 out of 10

Atomic Shark 2016  6 out of 10 (SBIG)

Shark Killer 2015 6 out of 10

Megashark Vs Crocosaurus  2010   6 out of 10

Shark Swarm  2008    6 out of 10

Trailer Park Shark 2017 6 out of 10

Spring Break Shark Attack 2005   5 out of 10

Deep Blue Sea 2  2018 5 out of 10

Sand Sharks  2011  5 out of 10

Jersey Shore Shark Attack  2012  5 out of 10

Malibu Shark Attack 2009  5 out of 10

Dam Sharks 2016  5 out of 10

Santa Jaws 2018  5 out of 10

Ghost Shark 2013  5 out of 10

Toxic Shark 2017  4 out of 10

Nightmare Shark 2018 5 out of 10

Swamp Shark 2011  4 out of 10

Snow Sharks 2014 4 out of 10

Shark Attack 1999 4 out of 10

Ice Sharks 2016  4 out of 10


Shark Week 2012  4 out of 10

The Shallows  2016  3 out of 10

Empire of the Sharks 2017 3 out of 10

Frenzy  2018  3 out of 10

Planet of the Sharks 2016 3 out of 10

Megashark vs Giant Otopus 2009 3 out of 10

Jaws 2 1978   3 out of 10

Jaws 4: The Revenge  1987 3 out of 10

Shark Attack 3: Megaldon 2002  3 out of 10

Megashark vs Mechashark  2014 3 out of 10

Megashark vs Kolossus  2015 3 out of 10

2 Headed Shark Attack 2012  3 out of 10

6 Headed Shark Attack 2018  3 out of 10

Zombie Shark 2015  3 out of 10

Sharktopus vs Whalewolf 2015  3 out of 10

Super Shark 2011 3 out of 10

5 Headed Shark Attack 2017 2 out of 10

Shark Night 3-D  2011 2 out of 10

Megalodon 2018 1 out of 10 

Sharktopus

http://bradgeekness.blogspot.com/2011/08/shark-week-continues-sharktopus.html


Find out more about   Shark Attack 2 and Hammerhead Shark Frenzy below......2 So bad that they are Good Shark movies

http://bradgeekness.blogspot.com/2011/07/shark-movies-research-part-2-beach.html


Jaws 3 and 4  plus   Shark Swarm and Shark Attack 3 are talked about below

http://bradgeekness.blogspot.com/2011/06/shark-movies-research-movie-reviews.html


For more Shark action just search this blog for bad shark movies..

"Sand Sharks Why did it have to be Sand sharks"




Listen to our Movie Podcast here




For All Disney/Pixar/Marvel and Star Wars Reviews 
 go to my Disney Page.   Including a review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2








Carmen Electra + Brooke Hogan = Another bad Shark movie


2 Headed Shark Attack     2012  3 out of 10

A 2 Headed Shark Attack....why the hell not. Asylum chums up movies that look like they were filmed over a weekend with Ed Wood style shoot it and move along directing.
The writing for this movie ended at the first scene.  Wouldn't it be cool if we had 2 people tandem skiing and they were attacked at the same time by a 2 headed shark.     After that the movie was nonsense..... Carmen Electra, Brooke Hogan and the other O'Connell star in this bad shark movie.    Apparently Brooke Hogan signed a 2 bad shark movie deal to start off her acting career.   

The  plot is basically this:  A group of students on a boat stalls out next to a small island---that for some reason just happens to start completely sinking at the same time that a 2 Headed shark starts eating everyone.   The entire plot seems like it was written while they were filming it as the story has no direction other than random attacks by the 2 Headed shark.  The posters for this movie are far better than the film itself...so instead of one poster here are 2 --because 2 is always better than one.









My movie facebook page is here









Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Cincinnati Kid 1965 6 out of 10


The Cincinnati Kid  1965    6 out of 10

This movie is basically pokers answer to The Hustler.  The story is very similar, but just with a different subject matter.  It stars Steve McQueen in the title role as a gambler who is ready for the biggest poker game of this life against the number one player ( Edward G Robinson).   It was a decent movie delving into the world of Poker (way before Poker was what it is today)  but being so similar to The Hustler  I found myself comparing it to that earlier film which left me unimpressed.

   

My Movie facebook page is here



The House of the Seven Gables 1940 5 out of 10


The House of the Seven Gables 1940  5 out of 10.

The movie is based on a Nathaniel Hawthorne book and stars George Sanders and Vincent Price as brothers who battle over the inheritance of the cursed family home.   One accuses the other murder of their father....which he is falsely sent to prison over.  The acting was strong in this period piece --but my expectations of the plot lead to the story being a bit of a disappointment.  I guess I expected the families curse to add up to something much more in the line of most of Vincent Price's work.  This movie isn't a horror movie at all and curse and secrets of the house are a dead end story  wise.   The remake of this film in the 1960's was a horror movie.




10 Little Indians 1965 7 out of 10




Tne Little Indians 1965........7 out of 10

10 strangers invited to an isolated place by a mysterious individual... each one lured there by a different promise.  Each one supposedly guilty of some form of murder....Each lured there to their doom.    This is a solid murder mystery that is based on an Agatha Christie book (that has been brought to the screen 4 times)  I've seen quite a few movies with this plotline before....many of which have been horror movies including the  recent bad shark movie Shark week  (seen below)

The characters in the movie  are  trapped in this chateau in the mountains  and are killed off one by one following the poem 10 Little Indians.   The cast is a solid group of actors that I've seen in other films . There are twists and turns and a final reveal to who the killer is .  A solid mystery.

  




Sunday, November 11, 2012

Swingers 1996 8 out of 10



Swingers  1996   8 out of 10

I revisited Swingers for the first time in many years since Kim had never seen it and it was playing in this little retro wine bar in Solvang a few months back.   Swingers is all about hopeless single Mike (played by on Favreau) --who is tying to deal with a breakup of a six year relationship and get back out there again.   He dives into the retro cool LA nightlife with the help of his buddies that include a younger skinnier  Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston that keep trying to tell him how Money he is.  Mike struggles in  the singles world of Swing music and hip LA parties and retro hangouts....that are perfectly set to a great soundtrack.   Mike's desperate search to get over his ex is filled with great witty dialogue.   The movie is worth watching just for the scene where Mike ends up calling a girl he just meet at a bar  an hour later after being told to wait at least 3 days before calling.  He leaves a series or desperate messages that scares the girl off before they could even have a date.





Dracula Has Risen from his Grave 1969 5 out of 10


Dracula Has Risen from his Grave  1969   5 out of 10

"No coffin could ever hold him"   states the trailer that like the poster   is more thrilling than the movie itself.  Christopher Lee stars as Dracula for one of the 7 times he played the role in this Hammer horror film.  It is your standard.... slow moving, horny Dracula movie.  Dracula slowing stalks his pray in between taking naps in his coffin.  It has some of the typical Hammer style to it -but there is nothing remarkable about this Vampire movie.  The girl Dracula has an eye on in this feature is the stunning Veronica Carlson.


.....I personally prefer kick ass... action packed Vampire flicks like Underworld of Blade.....or comedy action Vampire stuff like Buffy or Angel.....The slow---lurking in the shadows  seduction Vampire stuff.....NOT so Much.----anyway check out the trailer and decide for yourself.






Sunday, November 4, 2012

Bad Shark Movies: Sand Sharks 2011 5 out of 10

Sand Sharks  2011   5 out of 10

Damit!........I should have written this movie 4 years ago....I watched too many crappy shark movies for nothing.....All that research down the toilet.    Someone else made --- kind of the movie I wanted to make ----after watching bad shark movie after bad shark movie.    Okay so it wasn't exactly the movie I had in mind.....I mean I guess this was a comedy?? (Mine would have been the bloodiest all out comedy Shark movie ever)   .   It had many of the shark movie conventions that I wanted to make fun of...like the "Jaws Scenario" that I talked about in my orginal blogs on the subject matter.    They did part of the concept I had envisioned ---but they didn't go over the top enough.  In a world with Monster of the week Giant creature features you need to go really over the top to make it different or turn it on its head......Once you get past the fact that the sharks swim in the sand it just becomes no different than ever terrible bad sci-fi shark movie.     This bad Shark movie stars Hulk Hogan's daughter  and Corin Nemec   and ends up being basically a bad Tremors rip off. 
It thinks it is funny but fails and becomes boring instead.

The poster for the film  is excellent as it parodies the Jaws poster.....Too bad the movie isn't what it could have been.......Maybe I should thank this movie for being made....Maybe it saved me from making the silliest, bloodiest, worst shark movie ever ......I guess the world will never know.



Here is a link to the some of the  research I  started years ago   into bad shark movies   when I wanted to write the ultimate Bad Shark movie comedy.

And Part 2








Animated movie # 5: Secret of the Wings 2012 9 out of 10


Secret of the Wings 2012   9 out of 10.

This was a strong entry in the Tinkerbell  Disney Fairies movie series of direct to DVD films.  This movie are totally cute and sweet and little girls and their parents can appreciate them as quality family entertainment together .  The visuals in this installment were beautiful,   as we get to journey into the Winter Fairy realm.  The Disney Fairies series has been able to expand and explore the world of Fairies over several films building a mythology for the world in which the Fairies live --while having interesting villain less films that kids love.  This tale of Tinkerbell finding her sister in the Winter Fairy land  (they were born of the same laugh--too cute) was a wonderfully written and executed adventure and in a year of lackluster blockbuster films that have disappointed I was totally surprised about how much I enjoyed this cute little movie while watching it with my step daughter.
Labeled by many as just a cash grab when the series was announced  (and I'm that element exists to a degree) Disney has actual created a wonderful and imaginative Fairy world with a colorful animated palate.    If you have little girls and haven't seen this movies yet ----check them out.







Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows 2011 7 out of 10


Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows    7 out of 10

I liked this sequel, but didn't love it as much as the original .  It had all the big action scenes of its predecessor and some elements especially in the interaction between Holmes and Watson.  But it almost felt to far removed from the original Sherlock Holmes that I came to love from the books and old movies.  Where I felt it was an interesting take on Holmes the first time around this time it just felt odd.  My wife commented that she felt like Robert Downey Jr. was trying to hard to be Johnny Depp, which I felt was a good point.  This Holmes at times felt like he was just trying too hard to be weird instead of just quirky and interesting.   This movie focused entirely on his battle with his fabled nemesis  and as a result lost some of what made all the Sherlock Holmes mysteries so good --which was the mysteries themselves and how he solved them.   It still had elements of that, but was mainly  a battle of good vs evil with big special effects.

One side note...I did love the addition of Sherlock Holmes brother as played by Stephen Fry.



Check it out here..

..



The Saint in London 1939 7 out of 10 (The Saint Series #1)


George Sanders stars as The Saint  in 
  The Saint in London 1939  7 out of 10.

I was aware of the TV show with pre Bond Roger Moore,  I didn't know there was a series of movies back in the 1930's --1940's.   This British Man of Mystery  has style and a confidence in no matter what situation he gets himself into.   The movie was sleek and fun with a short running time.   Sanders was perfect for the role and  I look forward to seeing the other entries in this series.  He starred in 5 Saint movies before moving on to another great character in the Falcon films. In The Saint in London Simon Templar (AKA the Saint) unravels a mystery that involves currency fraud and murder.   

Murder Mysteries of this era generally have a short running time that is just over and hour so to the modern viewer they have the feel of a TV show.  If you enjoy old school Murder Mysteries give the Saint Movie series a try.  It is like watching a Netflix series these days with 8 films in total not a huge time commitment.



 Listen to our Movie Podcast here




For All Disney/Pixar/Marvel and Star Wars Reviews 
 go to my Disney Page. 





The Mummy's Hand 1940 5 out of 10

The Mummy's Hand  1940  5 out of 10...

This was your typical Mummy movie.  The old school Mummy movies are pretty much all the  same.  A clue leads some treasure hunters  to a lost tomb....A curse is unleashed...the locals run and hide and the those that opened the tomb are menaced by a slow moving and not scary at all monster in bandages.   Until the big budget remake with Brendan Frasier  Mummies just were never scary. They are slow lumbering creatures that sneak up on you out of the dark and either choke you or hammer you with their Mummy wrapped hand until you are dead.   They can easily be outrun and their is generally only one of them.     Mummy movies are like a zombie movie with only one Zombie.......kinda dull.   The best Mummy movies or shows are when they are poking fun at them like in Scooby Doo.  "Coin....coin...coin".