"Dinner for Schmucks"
Nearly 2-hours of distinctly average material. Neither funny nor unfunny, the film merely exists with nothing to break the viewers indifference to the proceedings.'2:22'
Written by Jason Pitt
'Taken'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Taken"
Considering the basic plot behind "Taken" has been recycled at least a thousand times since the 1985 Schwarzenegger film "Commando", it is a pleasant surprise that Pierre Morel's film entertains its audience as well as it does. The film is completely enthralling and quite simply an incredibly enjoyable movie-going experience.
"A Tale of Two Sisters" aka "Janghwa, Hongryeon"
Kim Ji-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters" holds two distinct records within the scope of Korean horror cinema. It claims the record for highest grossing Korean horror film, as well as being the first Korean horror film to screen in American cinemas. Upon watching the film, the reason is only too apparent. "A Tale of Two Sisters" is a fantastic exercise in both psychological and emotional storytelling, as well as being a terrific example of truly suspenseful film making.
'Ted Bundy'
Written by Scott Wood
"Ted Bundy"
I don't understand why people demand certain things to happen with their cinema. If there is a multitude of different stories and characters in a film, their lives MUST intercross at some point, however inconsequential. Romance MUST develop between male and female co-protagonists. A film about a real serial killer MUST get inside their head, and explain why the killer does what he/she does. This is something that, I believe since "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", has just been the norm, and while there have been good pictures made on this premise, there has to be a point that a filmmaker abandons this formula, and creates something… different.
'Teeth'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Teeth"
Vagina Dentata, eh? That's a scary fuckin' thought. Now, I'm sure you're here because you know what "Teeth" is about… but just in case you don't… Vagina Dentata literally translates to ‘Toothed Vagina'. Think about that for a minute… now picture it. Yeah… That's only slightly scary. Anyway, on to the review:
'Terminator Salvation'
Written by Wesley Dugle
"Terminator Salvation"
You know, out of all the films that were coming out this summer, I was, oddly enough, looking most forward to this film, "Terminator Salvation". It had a lot of good things going for it; it was finally going to take the film series to the future in a post apocalyptic setting (so many themes and Sci-fi fun can be made from that), put the very talented Christian Bale as John Connor and the underrated Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, and finally was going to tell the story of the war of man vs the machines. I was sooooo looking forward to this movie for the last year, ever since I saw the trailer before seeing "The Dark Knight". But then the bad omens started showing up. A few months ago I discovered the film was going to be directed by McG, the guy who did the God awful "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" movie and then even worse, just hours before seeing the movie, I discovered that the writers for "Catwoman" had done the screenplay for this film. Yet still I said to myself “Oh c'mon it can't be that bad,” unfortunately I was very wrong.
'Tetsuo: The Iron Man'
Written by Scott Wood
"Tetsuo: The Iron Man"
"Tetsuo: The Iron Man" has always been infamous for being a unique, gut-wrenching experience, but no amount of talk could have prepared me for what I endured. It is so painful to watch that I have no words to accurately describe it. It has the aesthetic of nails on a chalkboard, and a soundtrack that quite literally sounds like that. It plays out like a cruel trick on its audience, daring you to watch further. And if you get used to the choppy black and white 16 millimeter, stop-motion style, you will never get used to seeing what is happening on screen. Just when you think you've seen the worst of it, Tsukamoto ups the ante, and twists the knife he has imbedded in your soul just a little more.
'Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The' (1974)
Written by Jason Pitt
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974)
If I were compiling a list of the greatest horror films of all time, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" would be in the #2 position, right after John Carpenter's "Halloween". I could simply end my review right there, as that should be all you need to know, and there's no need to explain the plot, as I'm fairly certain everyone and their dog is familiar with the idea behind the film. I will however, elaborate on why I hold "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in such high regard.
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'
Written by Jason Pitt
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2"
The first sequel to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a drastic departure in terms of both tone and technique. Gone is the minimalist sensibility that made the original so effective; in its place is a much larger production which emphasizes gore and violence over atmosphere and suspense. The original film's relentlessly bleak tone has been replaced with black comedy, anchored by Bill Moseley's portrayal of 'Chop Top', the replacement for the original film's 'Hitchhiker'.
