I don’t know. Perhaps I’m burned out on action films, particularly from action films with flashy stunts that don’t serve much of a purpose. In the end, “District B13” is a string of action sequences featuring shoot outs, fight scenes, and acrobatics, and not much of a story or characterization to keep us watching. I mean sure, the action scenes are great, but I couldn’t pretend to care when I wasn’t sure who was who and what the grand plot of the entire film is supposed to be.
Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006)
“Ashes to Ashes” is no better than its predecessors. It’s a sloppy mélange of terrible acting, choppy editing, and a plot that’s better suited for “The Crow” franchise instead of “Pumpkinhead.” Granted, the original “Pumpkinhead” is great, but like “The Howling” the franchise begins and peaks at the first film and then goes downhill in terms of quality and overall engrossing story and lore very quickly. A local doctor who owns the corrupt town of any town, USA, is stealing people and taking parts from them for the black market.
Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower
In the end, “Desperate Crossing” is still a rather glossy depiction of the pilgrims on the mayflower depicting them as rebels and immigrants. Regardless it tries to cut through all the junk and chronicle the realism of their journey and their desperation to move to a land where they could worship freely. However, we never explore how this culture may have dominated the primitive Native American culture, nor does it really take the accounts warts and all.
Proof (2005)
In “Proof,” Catherine is a woman who doubts her own sanity, after her dad dies. And when her sister Claire arrives from out of town, her tension and doubts become much too apparent. Claire doubts her sister’s sanity, and after the first twenty minutes you will, too. Madden’s film is based on the play of the same name, and judging by the way the entire film is conducted, it’s not hard to fathom. “Proof” conducts itself like a play. There are simple and scarce set pieces, all of which are there to serve the actors who stand around trading dialogue at rapid fire paces, screaming at the top of their lungs. They think it’s dramatic, but often times it’s utterly shrill.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
Season four is when “Lois & Clark” started to fall apart. While this series basically was just Luke & Laura a la Krypton, by season four, we saw Lois and Clark finally wed, and that’s when the series began to topple, because that’s when the romantic chemistry died, and the “Moonlighting” dichotomy faded; thus season four was the final season of this series, now on DVD from Warner Brothers Home Video.
Those who know me, know I’m a hardcore passionate Superman fan, have been since I was four. But those at the superman site I discuss the character with also know very well that “Lois & Clark” was probably the worst Superman adaptation I’ve ever seen.
Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
Yar, “Tales from the Crypt” season five is now out on DVD, and boy what a set it is. Season Five is considerably hit or miss, as was the entire series, but there are also some genuine twists and turns with some rather fantastic episodes. Season five reaches around the home stretch, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to take from it. The humor is still as demented, and the crypt keeper is still a bastard. Gore flies, and the monsters are still rather horrifying with episodes that feature a possessive hypnotist keeping his assistant under his control, a controlling man trying to ship his wife in pieces in a trunk, a real estate salesman who comes across a family of freaks, and, my personal favorite episode of the season, “House of Horror.”
Masters of Horror: Family
So far, the second season seems to be attempting to make up for the mistakes the first season made, and the two directors with the worst episodes of the first season, end up creating better episodes this time around. Landis whose episode, “Deer Woman” was basically a lightweight horror effort, makes up for it with the excellent installment “Family.” Harold Thompson loves his family. He lives in his large house in the middle of a bright suburb, and he keeps his family closely guarded and drawn away from human eyes, and there’s a good reason for that.