Tag Archives: Thriller

April Fool's Day (2008)

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It’s all a practical joke in the end. What? You’re mad that I ruined the twist? Too bad. Now let’s cut the crap here, I’m not going to pretend “April Fool’s Day” was a masterpiece of eighties horror cinema, because it wasn’t. It was boring, bland, and had a climax that was as predictable as it could get. It’s called “April Fool’s Day,” the surprise twist is given off the bat. So when news came that it was being remade, I had a general series of reactions. Anger that they’d be remaking another movie, disappointment that they couldn’t improve on the original, and sheer frustration that it had been geared to the “My Super Sweet 16” audiences now focusing on a group of rich kids. Now as much as I love to see Buffy and Muffy heiress get an axe in the head, this new set up is annoying because it’s pointless. “April Fool’s Day” is a blip on the remake radar and for good reason. It’s a low budget redo by terrible directors, and yes, we’re setting down on some rich folkels.

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Diary of the Dead (2007)

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Romero has given his fans something to take to the grave with them, with five films that are generally contradictory and controversial phenomena. There was “Night” and “Dawn” which are still basically debated and adored, the once despised, but now appreciated “Day” and the rather sub-par “Land,” all leading into “Diary.” Romero’s newest output is a confusing fascinating beast. Never has one of his films completely divided fans before, and admittedly it’s a monster worth observing. It’s both despicable and brilliant, it’s hideous and yet quite apt. “Diary” continues splitting fans that both despise it and adore it for the very same reasons. But is Romero really just the observer here?

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I Am Legend (2007) (DVD)

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Francis Lawrence has an incredible eye for details and visuals in all the movies I’ve seen from him. Even his worst movies have some of the best surreal stark visuals I’ve ever seen, and the man knows how to implement CGI to enhance his films instead of rely on them to provide entertainment. I just wish the man made better movies. What’s it going to take for this man to bring us something spectacular? As for “I Am Legend” it’s wholly unspectacular, but without a doubt one of my favorite guilty pleasures of 2007.

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August (2007)

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augustThough depressing and frustratingly bleak, Jay Gammill’s “August” is an accurate portrayal of teen insecurity and a look at how some of us may never be happy with what we are and how we look. August is a boy plagued with low self-esteem and depression based around constant teasing by vicious bullies who torment him about a small imperfection in his jaw line. Though to many they’ll sit wondering why he’s putting so much emphasis on this small unnoticeable feature, Gammill points out how this small perfection means the world to him and decides how he lives his life.

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Doomsday (2008)

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doomsdayMarshall is perhaps one of the most underrated, unnoticed, wildly creative directors of our time, and it sucks when I can watch something like “Doomsday” and frown that not many chose to see it with me. Currently one of my favorite directors in film, Marshall is 3 for 3 with a slyly tongue in cheek post-apocalyptic thriller that takes place during the end of a destructive disease called The Reaper which took most of the civilization in Glasgow. Closed off from society, the government’s plan to quarantine the country forever turned on them as the world suffered from over population and now the Reaper is back. “Doomsday” has elicited many comparisons to classics like “Mad Max,” and “Escape from New York,” and even fans of the film have agreed to these very apt comparisons.

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Amateur Porn Star Killer 2 (2007)

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Whether I liked the movie or not, I was very hesitant about the prospect of “Amateur Porn Star Killer 2,” because I think the first movie worked perfect on its own as a standalone event. We here at Cinema Crazed love the dudes at Alter Ego, but we do not hesitate to express disdain at curious film moves and call someone on their bullshit. “Amateur Porn Star Killer 2” has a great visual flair about itself and really seems to build up to something eventually explosive that I found difficult to turn away from. Remember, I was very cynical and almost unwilling to give this a chance for fear this would be just a rehash, but alas, I ended up really liking it in the end. “Amateur Porn Star Killer 2” meets our previous killer and voyeur Brandon who has now moved on to yet another victim in another city. What Ryan seems to strive for with both films is to get us infatuated with these women somehow getting us to sympathize for this killer when he finds he’s infatuated with them. Michiko Jimenez was a gorgeous and innocent young girl who was surprisingly sexy and in a sense Ryan seems to idealize the character setting her up for this fall which ends as a harsh blow to the audience.

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Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina (2007) (DVD)

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There’s simply no denying it; “Appleseed Ex Machina” has some utterly incredible animation with some of the best character designs I’ve seen in the CGI field in years. The landscapes are extraordinary, the visuals are absolutely dazzling, and much of the action is committed with a tight editing brilliance that keeps the action in a constant rapid fire pace. The “Appleseed” films always have the most dazzling computer animation, even if you don’t always receive the most enriching experience. If you recall our early review of the first “Appleseed” movie, you’ll remember that we pretty much disliked everything it stood for. It was overly complicated, cliché, tedious as all hell, and was pretty much existent for its incredible animation with zero substance to provide its audience. Okay, so John Woo allegedly produced this sequel, so what? “Appleseed Ex Machina” is just the same movie as its predecessor, except just boring with a little more to offer, which isn’t saying much when you consider the first film’s goals.

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