What happens when you have a film franchise that’s lacking in almost everything required of a good film? You use a different approach. The “Mimic” series has been nothing but abysmal, and it was only a matter of time before we had a film in the series that tried it from a different perspective. Anyone who sees this will know this is a pure rip off of “Sisters,” front and back. The attempted psychoses, the plot twists, our nosy neighbor and his inevitable discovery. Petty rips shamelessly from the film, and while I came to accept it, it also works against the film’s quality in which the film’s attempted complexities come off as pure conceit and desperate. The film lacks anything nearing an esoteric framework, especially since it involves a giant bug.
The Waltons: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
Fans of the series that also happen to be into collecting DVD’s will be put off to know that the entire season five comes in double sided DVD’s, that don’t really notify which way is side one or side two. That’s particularly vexing for a show like “The Waltons” that definitely has its share of fans that want proper treatment for it.
The War at Home: Season One (DVD)
No one on the series “The War at Home” is capable of understanding how to properly pull off mean spirited comedy. Take shows like “Married… with Children,” and “Titus,” shows that excelled at show mean-spirited comedy with its own agenda. The former was pure trash and nothing more, a forefather of the shit to come from FOX, while “Titus” was in its roots about a comedian whose father never treated him as well as yours may have.
The Warrior (2001)
It’s a shame that not many people are even aware of this film, because what “The Warrior” offers audiences is much more entertaining, meaningful, and engrossing than most modern thrillers can muster. “The Warrior” is the journey of a man through a life of violence, and his realization that what he does has horrible consequences that comes too little too late. I enjoyed this film, and I wish more people could experience what it offers. But sadly, even with Anthony Minghella presenting the film, “The Warrior” has remained an obscure suspense thriller that’s soaked in a sense of dread and horror that many thrillers can’t mimic.
Versus (2000)
Okay, so I admit it, I’m a little late to the party. I’m about seven years late to the party that is “Versus,” but cut me some slack, I’m busy. “Versus” is an action zombie film, and one that I really consider a guilty pleasure in the end. Granted, the zombies are cheesy, and I was forced to watch the dubbed version, but overall, “Versus” is a B horror entry that borders on action more often than it does horror. A small group of criminals out in the middle of the woods discover that the woods actually can resurrect the dead, and really have no idea what to do. Do they fight one another, do they band together, do they seek others, warn the world, escape, or take on the walking dead to prevent the spread? Decisions, decisions.
Disturbia (2007)
If you’re willing to ignore all the obvious positions our characters are put in, “Disturbia” will be pretty excellent. I wasn’t willing to ignore all the obvious marks, so I found it to be pretty damn frustrating. Let’s see, there’s our character Kale who is known for being a liar and deceiver, then there’s our mom who is so self-involved, she can’t listen to our hero, and of course a cop who has it out for him who we know will just come in the nick of time to help our hero when in trouble. And then there’s that nasty habit of the film being so utterly derivative. If there was ever going to be a remake of “Rear Window,” you could basically re-title this and not know the difference. “Disturbia” is a pretty cheesy thriller that is never afraid to flaunt that it’s so predictable.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
I have this theory that “Spider-Man 3” is Sam Raimi’s revenge on Sony Pictures. What leads me to that theory? Well, Raimi was likely forced to make the second sequel on a speedy time slot, he was likely bored with making another Spider-Man film on such a hectic schedule, and was forced to include Venom, a character he swore off when he took on the Spider-Man franchise. What’s interesting is that “Spider-Man 3” seems to prove many of my points at every turn, and it’s painful that I may be right.