Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

2006_dead_mans_chestTo pretend “The Curse of the Black Pearl” possessed an elaborate, epic story rich in characterization and subtle dialogue, would be to set up all sorts of pretensions. “Dead Man’s Chest” is in the same vein as the former, only slightly more intent on showing its blatant grab for big bucks. Disney ran out of ideas, turned to make their rides into movies and got lucky. Big whoop. “Dead Man’s Chest” is fun, though, and I can’t sweat them for that. Verbinski’s direction is on par as usual, and “Dead Man’s Chest” is a gorgeous epic, with some of the better action scenes that trump the original’s.

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Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto Del Fauno) (2006)

In a world filled with boy wizards, and dragons, every time I think the fantasy world is dead, there’s always someone who swoops in to reclaim the throne and show us that indeed the fantasy genre is still alive and well. All it needs is much imagination and no derivation. It’s not a hard concept to grasp, and it’s not a hard task to accomplish. Every time I receive an opposing argument on that declaration, two words will come from my lips: “Pan’s Labyrinth.” This would be the part where I’d compare this to fodder like “Legend,” and “Alice in Wonderland,” but Del Toro’s film is one of its own kind. Much like Del Toro’s previous “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” is unlike anything you can imagine watching.

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Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006)

8781PUMPKINHEAD3jpg“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.

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Proof (2005)

proof03In “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.

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Pervert! (2005)

pervert-05Yudis’ film is fun. More fun than it has the right to be. And I suggest “Pervert!” for fans of Troma, horror, comedy, Sam Raimi, porn, Mary Carey, Russ Meyer, big breasts, sex, women, John Waters, big breasts, hot women, big breasts, good taste, and yes, big breasts. Did I enjoy “Pervert!” only on those terms? Yes. And what’s wrong with that? “Pervert!” is a film where you shut off the big brain, and let the little brain do its magic, and I can guarantee any red blooded hetero male, and or lesbian, will utterly enjoy the romps. Not to mention the shameless flaunting of sexy as hell Mary Carey as a trophy wife, Juliette Clarke as a very hot nurse, and Sally Jean as a Cuban antagonist with a wide smile, all of whom suffer the fate of the mysterious monster roaming the desert in search of… well, you’ll discover it for yourself.

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Pulse (2006)

12puls.600This is my review, I’m writing it right now, on my computer, on my black keyboard, currently I’m very sleepy, and I’m hoping to catch some sleep after I’ve finished my work, I’m writing this review of “Pulse”, a movie, that came out in theaters. Tedious? Yes. But that’s what sitting through “Pulse” was like, a remake that feels it needs to hold our hand and explain every little plot aspect to us every minute of its entire fucking run time. Tedious, no? Well, if you haven’t heard, we’re too stupid to understand a story, so Dimension has to guide us through every single character and sub-plot just because we can’t catch up.

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Pulse (Kairo) (2001)

kairo-coverYes, it’s happening. Very soon, the US will release its own version of “Pulse” and I have surprisingly high hopes. It looks like a very scary movie, so I decided to watch the original film, since originals are always better, and I finally did. “Kairo” is without a doubt one of the most bleak horror films I’ve seen in years, it’s a film that never really casts an optimistic brow, and it’s a horror film that reaches down to the core of human emotions and brings out the horrific implications of what we can do to ourselves that can spell the end of the world as we know it.

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