Decadent Evil (2005)

Hey did you see “The Vampire Journals” from Full Moon? Yes? Well, prepare to watch it again, but in a ten minute nutshell version. On par with much of Full Moon’s corner cutting productions, “Decadent Evil” is mostly just nothing but filler, with clips to the days of Full Moon Entertainment when they were actually trying. “Decadent Evil” is barely eighty minutes in length, and counting the opening clip show, and credits, it’s only about an hour of actual movie. All of which is contrived and based heavily around the hope that you’ve seen and remember “The Vampire Journals” fondly.

Continue reading

Hatchet III (2013)

Director Adam Green’s concept for a throwback to slashers has always been a good idea. In theory. Sadly Dark Sky Films has taken a one note concept for a serviceable slasher film and turned it in to a three film series that really didn’t need anymore than one movie. I’m still not in the thought process that the “Hatchet” films are the second coming of the slasher sub-genre, because while they have their audiences, slasher films are still pretty much just a sub-genre reserved for indie filmmakers at the moment. “Hatchet” has been a consistently repetitive and tedious series that really offers nothing new. Even with the casting of Danielle Harris as a replacement for the original lead, “Hatchet” still manages to be loud, redundant, and lacking in any genuine scares.

Continue reading

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Countdown to “Man of Steel”!

“Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” is an abomination of the character known as Superman for the reasons that Superman fans know. Superman, above all else, is not supposed to decide the course of human events. Sure, he can stop a bank robbery, or save a drowning child, but he’s not supposed to be stop wars. He can’t stop them, interfere with them, nor can he decide which side he wants to battle on to help win a war beside humanity. The minute Superman fights for nuclear disarmament he no longer becomes a hero for the people, and now becomes a partisan tool. The minute Superman decides to fight for one group, he alienates everyone else.

Continue reading

Superman III (1983)

Countdown to “Man of Steel”!

For the third installment of the “Superman” movie series, Clark Kent is now Dean Martin and Richard Pryor is Jerry Lewis. Pandering to the comedy crowds, the Salkinds cast Richard Pryor as the villain of the film, Gus Gorman. I don’t know why they couldn’t have cast a bad boy or big action star of the seventies and made him the villain, but what’s done is done. Richard Pryor plays Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman, an out of work computer programmer who becomes the unwitting nemesis to Superman.

Continue reading

Crank: High Voltage (2009)

I’m hesitant to bash anything Jason Statham is in, because I truly hope he continues delivering in solid adult action and thriller vehicles, and doesn’t resort to starring as a disgruntled babysitter in a family vehicle alongside some Disney moppet. In either case, while Statham is always a scene stealer, “Crank: High Voltage” is garbage. And not entertaining garbage like the first film, but garbage that should never have existed.

Continue reading

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Countdown to “Man of Steel”!

Fans have debated since 2006 whether or not the Richard Donner Cut is the superior or inferior version to its 1980 brother from Richard Lester. Thanks to a online campaign from fans to allow Richard Donner to complete the film he was kicked off of, Donner finally was able to release his own version of the movie on DVD with some alterations, and major story changes. Back in 1980, when Donner was replaced by Richard Lester, many of the cast and crew followed with him. This time Donner is able to not only show what he had in store for much of his own Superman sequel, but also showed that he had a much more mature mind set in regards to the second outing for Superman on the big screen.

Continue reading

The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)

The sequel to the Wes Craven horror fantasy completely strips away all pretense of drama and horror, and completely relies on its camp potential. “The Return of Swamp Thing” is more of an action comedy this time around, with Dick Durock returning as the plant man monster who lurks the swamps to fight crime and protect humans from Arcane’s mutant men. This time around Swamp Thing is basically on his own and becomes a more sentient being as he did in his television drama. Now forced to help a new love interest, as played by Heather Locklear, Swamp Thing has an unusual lure with the ladies. Can he procreate or engage in sexual activities? Who knows?

Continue reading