Monday, October 30, 2017

Movie review: House on Willow Street

 
 After kidnapping a young woman the kidnappers begin to realize they may be the ones in danger. Their victim is not as helpless as she seems and is in fact, a demon.

Sharni Vinson (Hazel), Carlyn Burchell (Katherine), Steven Ward (Ade), Gustav Gerdener (James), Zino Ventura (Mark), Mia Slabbert (Young Hazel), Nicole De Klerk (Sarah).

House on Willow Street begins well enough as the kidnappers hatch their plot and put it into motion. Once Katherine is kidnapped however, things start taking a strange turn. As the kidnappers realize they may be in trouble, a couple of twists are thrown in that are never well explained. The remainder of the film turns into a mess of horror scenes that seem to rely on past events, none of which is ever connected well.

Acting was okay with Vinson and Burchell delivering fairly well. Ward, Gerdener and the remainder of the supporting cast were a bit rough but okay.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were mediocre at best. Dark settings to intensify the horror instead made the film difficult to watch and left backgrounds almost invisible. Action scenes were decent but due to lack of energy and intensity otherwise, fell somewhat flat. Dialogue was choppy and thin. Sound and soundtrack are okay.

Overall House on Willow Street may be a decent entry level horror flick. As long as you aren't interested in much depth. Fans of darker horror lacking storyline development may enjoy this one.

 With some blood, gore, horror, and a touch of foul language, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 10.13.17
Star rating: 1 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Thriller, International Thriller, Psychological Horror

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Friday, October 27, 2017

Movie review: Ed Wood

 
 Called the "worst director of all time", Ed Wood is portrayed by Johnny Depp in this look at the troubled life of the happy-go-lucky director. With little more than a positive attitude, Wood struggles to make movies while battling his own demons.

Johnny Depp (Ed), Martin Landau (Bela), Sarah Parker (Dolores), Patricia Arquette (Kathy), Jeffrey Jones (Criswell), Bill Murray (Bunny), Mike Starr (Weiss), Max Casella (Marco), Lisa Marie (Vampira), George Steele (Tor).

Ed Wood looks interesting in the beginning with black and white filming, and a vintage feel. As characters are introduced and the storyline gets rolling the film starts to show some promise. Unfortunately, it never delivers on that promise. Instead the film feels like a train wreck that never ends and has no point. Was Ed Wood really that interesting?  Our answer was No.

Acting was surprisingly good. Depp did fairly well, felt energetic and engaged throughout. Landau really stole the show with a wonderful, varied performance. Parker and Arquette were decent. Murray was fun in his role and did nicely, as did Steele and the remainder of the cast.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds felt fairly period appropriate and well detailed, though the black and white switching got old. Dialogue enjoyed moments of brilliance punctuating the seemingly pointless banter. Sound and soundtrack are good.

If you are interested in the life and times of Ed Wood, and his struggles making films, check this one out. Otherwise, move along and find some real entertainment.

With some mild sexuality, mild violence, almost intense scenes, and a bit of foul language, this should be fine for mature teens and above. These are also probably the only reasons mature teens would even consider watching the film.

Released: 1994
Reviewed: 10.13.17
Star rating: 1 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, Cult Comedy, Biographies, Dark Comedy

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Movie review: It Follows

 
 Following an intimate encounter, Jay learns that her partner has passed to her a lethal curse that can only be removed by passing it to another person in the same manner.

Maika Monroe (Jay), Lili Sepe (Kelly), Keir Gilchrist (Paul), Debbie Williams (Mrs. Height), Olivia Luccardi (Yara), Jake Weary (Hugh/Jeff), Daniel Zovatto (Greg), Bailey Spry (Annie).

It Follows begins well enough with a bit of excitement before stepping back for character introductions and plot setup. Once Jay is infected with the curse, things get somewhat more interesting while we try and figure out what is happening. Sadly, the curse is not explained well and other than a few brief sparks, the film felt almost lethargic. The story finishes with an ending that really doesn't finish anything.

Acting was okay but appeared to suffer from the same lack of energy as the rest of the film. Monroe was decent with good delivery, as was Weary, and the two seemed to work well together. Sepe, Gilchrist and the remainder of the cast were decent.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were realistic, fitting, and again fairly mild. Action scenes helped raise the energy level a bit, but only mildly and in spurts. Dialogue was dry and fairly boring. Sound and soundtrack were depressing throughout.

It Follows looks like a good teen scream but moves into the adult category with nudity and some fairly explicit intimacy. Save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2014
Reviewed: 10.10.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Thrillers, Supernatural Thrillers, Horror, Halloween Favorites, Mystery

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Monday, October 23, 2017

Movie review: Jeff Dunham: Relative Disaster

 
 This time Jeff Dunham and his dolls are coming at you from Ireland, delivering chuckles on the topic of family.

Jeff is back in classic style, even bringing a new doll to the show just for his Ireland trip. Expounding on all things family Jeff and friends discuss his roots, new babies, and relatives.

Jeff delivers with nice variety and quality as always. His material seems to be getting a bit edgier which only adds to the laughs.

Camera work is good. The stage setting and accompanying imagery is nicely done. Sound is solid.

If you are a Jeff Dunham fan you already know what to expect and this special should be something you will enjoy.

With some mild foul language and innuendo, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 10.9.17
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Stand-up Comedy, Comedy

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Friday, October 20, 2017

Movie review: We're No Animals

 
 Tired of making the same conventional corporate films, a Hollywood actor moves to Argentina to find more meaningful work. There he becomes a participant in an experimental thesis on social philosophy.

John Cusack (Tony), Paul Hipp (Rudy), Kevin Morris (Syd), Alejandro Agresti (Pesto), Al Pacino (Nick).

We're No Animals begins with a bit of character introduction before rolling credits and moving on to the storyline. Sadly, there really is not much of a storyline, just a strange attempt at showing how a film is made. Instead the film feels like a random intellectual journey with minor attempts at relating the randomness. Unfortunately, the attempts failed and the film feels much more psychotic than intellectual.

Acting felt almost as random as the storyline. Awkward and lacking direction.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were all, you guessed it, pretty much random. Dialogue was at times interesting, infrequently entertaining, and of course random. Sound and soundtrack were decent.

Overall, if you enjoy watching films billed as social documentary that are in fact completely random thereby supporting your own desired social commentary, this one is for you.

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 10.9.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, International Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Movie review: Small Is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary

 
 Small Is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary follows four people who build their own tiny homes seeking freedom from debt.

Dee Williams, Ben Campbell, Nicholette Codding, Mitchell Mast, Karin Parramore.

Small Is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary begins with brief interviews introducing us to the four tiny home owners and their reasons for avoiding the traditional housing market. Along the way the documentary gives us a nice introduction to tiny homes and their construction. While the tiny home fad is interesting and this documentary a good start to understanding it, what it doesn't do is discuss things like sanitation, building codes, or issues with placement.

Being a documentary there wasn't much acting in this one. Yet, the characters all did fairly well.

Camera work and backgrounds are well done. Dialogue was good though it felt the focus was on the people rather than the houses. Sound and soundtrack are good.

If you have heard about the tiny house movement and want to know more this is a good place to start. If you know about it already this one will likely be a boring waste of time for you.

Nothing here to limit audience age.

Released: 2014
Reviewed: 10.9.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Documentary, Social & Cultural Documentaries

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

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