This is the same dude who did “Bikini Bloodbath”? While I’m always up for comedies that dare to be anything but the same old indie comedy crap, Thomas Edward Seymour can never really decide what kind of movie he’s making. At times he strives for Troma gross out comedy, then he tries for inexplicable touching sub-plots and then he’ll go for the bargain basement slapstick that was a lot funnier in his previous film. “London Betty” isn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but I was definitely counting the minutes and waiting for it to end.
Tag Archives: Mystery
Dark City (1998) (Director's Cut DVD)
Let’s be honest kiddies, “Dark City” was “The Matrix” before “The Matrix” was ever in the pop culture lexicon, and Alex Proyas simply gets zero credit for ever bringing this concept to the forefront with his own Neo set amidst an unreal world where time is an illusion, and the thirties are ever lasting. One of the most underrated and under credited science fiction films of all time proved that Alex Proyas wasn’t simply a one trick pony directing “The Crow.” Filled with a beautiful view of a city on the borderline of illusion and pure nightmares, “Dark City” is a world that really may not be all that we see it for. The characters in this world are all living in a gritty, dank, and dreary series of landscapes that engulf one another in to an abyss where the puppet masters named The Strangers drift in the darkness preparing to change the landscape at a moments notice.
Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008)
You know originally there was supposed to be a sequel to “The Lost Boys” or at least an allusion to one in the original script for Schumacher’s vampire comedy that revealed the origins of Max, and that there were many, many more lost boys and girls out there looking to do his death some justice. Frankly, I would have preferred “The Lost Girls” a movie I pictured as a vampire thriller with less comedy and an all star cast of young female actresses currently taking Hollywood by storm. That was about six years ago. “Lost Boys: The Tribe” is that sequel I wouldn’t have completely wanted, but found reason to anticipate it anyway. I think that there could have been much more added to “The Tribe” to make it feel fresh and unique.
Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) (Two-Disc Special Edition)
So it’s finally here, the long awaited mid-quel to “Batman Begins” that leads right in to “The Dark Knight.” While Warner is taking a fantastic approach to this mid-quel by enlisting a host of top notch cutting edge animators and keeping true to the dark adult nature of the movies, even casting the one and only Kevin Conroy to voice Batman yet again (and he doesn’t miss a beat), “Gotham Knight” feels more like a template of which Christopher Nolan could expand upon should he decide to continue the series after “The Dark Knight.” There are only so many rogues who can be justified on screen with realism, but “Gotham Knight” provides us with some famous villains who could excel with a big screen treatment under the right people.
Quench (2007)
Tonally, “Quench” tends to be scattered and while normally that’d be cause to give this a negative marking Zack Parker’s film balances the mixture of genres, and direction so well that I really enjoyed that the film jumps from mood to mood with pure ease. “Quench” could be described as a horror movie in a way, but it’s very unlike a horror movie when it wants to be. Parker takes the underground sexually unlimited world of “Eyes Wide Shut” and mixes it with a bit of “Martin” along with a coming of age drama and really never stops there.
Never Cry Werewolf (2008)
Riddle me this, fair reader: Have you ever seen the wonderful “Rear Window”? Did you ever see the cult classic “Fright Night”? Did you ever get to see the horribly overrated “Disturbia”? If the answer to one or more of those questions is yes, then guess what? You’ve already seen “Never Cry Werewolf”! The problem with director Brenton Spencer’s production is that it attempts to be a new spin on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “Little Red Riding Hood” while also appealing to the teen crowd by appearing to be a mature harder edged R.L. Stine story with a twist of “Silver Bullet.” But in reality, it’s just another regurgitation of the classic Hitchcock tale in which an inept home owner discovers their neighbor may be up to devious misdeeds that may potentially threaten their livelihoods.
Gutterballs (2008)
Like every bit of film and music today, Ryan Nicholson’s “Gutterballs” is steeped heavily in the eighties with his slasher setting down in the decade while even the score and soundtrack take from it with shameless glee. And while normally that may be enough reason for me to dislike it, I found that his nostalgic placement made sense in the long run and only added to the camp. Nicholson’s slasher wants to be from the time where slashers were common cinematic fare, but sadly it’s just more of a wish than a reality.