Movie review: Body of Evidence

 

 When an older man dies during an intense lovemaking session the D.A., Garrett, decides to charge the beautiful Rebecca with murder. But when her attorney, Frank, tries to defend her and gets tangled in her web of games he too may be in danger of her insatiable passion.

Madonna (Rebecca Carlson), Joe Mantegna (Robert Garrett), Willem Dafoe (Frank), Anne Archer (Joanne Braslow), Jurgen Prochnow (Dr Paley), Julianne Moore (Sharon), Stan Shaw (Charles).

This was not at all the simple intellectual drama I expected. There is a lot more sexuality, nudity and passion than I expected. The plot is also a lot more solid and interesting than would be expected from an erotic thriller. The story starts off pretty well and builds suspense nicely right up to the end which had a few nice surprises.

Acting from Madonna was also a nice surprise and she did very well in her role. For a woman I don’t normally find attractive she did an incredible job of being sexy and seductive while also acting intelligently. With a supporting cast of experienced actors like Mantegna, DaFoe, Archer etc. the overall quality of acting in the film was pretty good. Added to some of the interesting erotic scenes and situations it made for a very interesting and provocative film.

Camera work, sets, sound and dialogue were all nicely done indicating a quality film.

Overall this was a very well done erotic thriller and I was surprised not to have heard of it before. Forget preconceived notions about Madonna and give this one a chance. You will likely be quite surprised.

Plenty of nudity, sexually explicit scenes, foul language, and some violence so save this one for adults and above.

Released: 1993
Reviewed: 7.17.17
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Thriller, Erotic Thriller, Mystery, Crime Thriller, Courtroom Drama

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Frankenthumb

 

 Human thumbs, with costumes and animated faces, telling the story of Frankenstein.

Steve Oedekerk (Narrator, characters), S. Scott Bullock (Dr. Frankenthumb, Mayor, Minister), Shannon Garza (Little Girl), Jim Jackman (Humpy, Baker, Brother), John Laus, Joe Liss, Kristin Wolven.

Not much to say about this one. Human thumbs with costumes and animated faces presenting the story of Frankenstein. Quite funny!

Thumb acting was good.

Technical work was decent.

I'm not an animation fan but it was actually pretty good. Cute and funny!

This is fine for preens and above.

Released: 2001
Reviewed: 7.17.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Frankenstein, Comedy, Spoofs and Satire, Animation, Horror

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Scourge

 

 When a local church burns down an ancient evil creature, the Scourge, is released to travel from body to body, using them up and killing the host. When town bad boy Scott is blamed, he focuses on finding out what is really happening and with the help of an old girlfriend, Jesse, they realize they are dealing with a supernatural monster.

Russell Ferrier (Sheriff Durst), Robyn Ledoux (Jesse), Nic Rhind (Scott), Jason Harder (Deputy Sam), Alan Legros (Photographer).

The movie kicks off pretty well with some good background development around the Scourge itself in the form of a flashback. Moving to present day and how the Scourge was awakened is a nice transition but the introduction of the main character, Scott, and his past really isn’t explained well. Almost 20 minutes into the movie we finally begin to realize what the Scourge might be. After that, the film becomes a repeat of The Hidden and a few others where humans are the parasitic host to some creature. The plot gets thin and holes start showing up but that is also about the time the creature starts moving between bodies quickly so the action helps distract from plot problems. From then on the pace stays pretty high right up until the after-school-special ending.

Acting was surprisingly good in this one from everyone, although Ferrier left a bit to be desired and could have been cast better.

Special effects were fairly well done throughout the movie which appears to have had a decent budget. Camera work, sets, background, and dialogue were all nicely done exhibiting a quality film.

Overall, this is a nicely done horror or sci-fi that was surprisingly good considering the lack of press and poor reviews.

Violence, gore, some foul language, and monsters so keep this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2008
Reviewed: 7.17.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Supernatural Horror, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Sci-Fi Horror

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Space Rangers

 

 This was a series that didn’t last long, 5 episodes, about a group of futuristic cops stationed on a remote space station called Fort Hope. With varied backgrounds and ethnicity, the group of Space Rangers performs search and rescue operations, patrols, and security operations while dealing with interpersonal and management issues.

Jeff Kaake (Boon), Jack McGee (Doc), Marjorie Monaghan (JoJo), Danny Quinn (Daniel), Gottfried John (Erich), Linda Hunt (Chennault), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Zylyn), Clint Howard (Mimmer).

There really just isn’t much to say about this series. The chemistry between actors never materialized which probably contributed to the failure of the series. Plots for the episodes weren’t bad but weren’t very original or exciting. It felt as if well known stories were used with the variation and spice being a new setting in space and the use of aliens as the characters. Sadly, that just wasn’t enough spice to make it good.

Acting was disappointing from everyone involved.

Sets and special effects were decent but nothing exciting and a few things were just plain cheesy, like the way JoJo had to pilot the ship and how Doc was basically half-robot. Camera work and dialogue were decent just, nothing new and interesting.

Watching these when having a few minutes here and there is good as the plots were easy to follow and the episodes short. To sit down and watch them as a group, or with the expectation of an evolving storyline, forget it. The depth just isn’t there and there are much better sci-fi series out there to choose from.

Preens and above will be fine watching this with some mild adult content and mild violence.

Released: 1993
Reviewed: 7.17.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action & Adventure, Action Sci-Fi

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

copyright ©2010 Dave Riedel

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Movie review: The House on Haunted Hill

 

 Stay in a haunted mansion overnight and win $1 million dollars. Simple. Oh, we forgot to mention it is a former insane asylum. And the host is a horror buff who enjoys scaring people with special effects. Oh, and the host and his wife are trying to kill each other. Umm, and we are going to give all the guests loaded weapons. And, did we mention, the house really IS haunted? Those left in the morning will split the prize money if there is anyone left.

Geoffrey Rush (Price), Famke Janssen (Evelyn), Taye Diggs (Eddie), Peter Gallagher (Blackburn), Chris Kattan (Pritchett), Ali Larter (Sara), Bridgette Wilson (Melissa), Max Perlich (Carl), Jeffrey Combs (Vannacutt).

This one starts with some nicely strange background before jumping right into the plot. Not much character development up front, probably because it comes later in the plot and was much more interesting that way. The plot isn’t unusual or even unique but is nicely told with a good mix of history, horror, and special effects. However, if you are expecting a terrifying horror movie, this isn’t it. The movie is decent but it just isn’t scary. Quite a few scenes come off as campy and this is such a formula horror flick that most everyone will at some point find themselves telling the characters “Don’t go in there!” or “Don’t split up!”. There were some freaky parts, just not scary parts. And the ending, though tense, was a bit ridiculous.

Acting was mixed though I felt most did pretty well considering the depth of the film. More seasoned actors would have looked out of place so some of the less experienced actors actually made the film better.

Special effects were nicely done throughout the film as were camera work, sets, background and sound. I particularly enjoyed the Manson cover at the end. Dialogue left a bit to be desired but hit the mark for a genre compliant horror flick.

Overall this is a decent horror flick that did the story justice though it was light on the actual horror component. It just wasn’t a scary film psychologically. You could do much better if you want to be scared but not a lot better if you want a cookie-cutter horror flick.

Violence, blood, gore, language and some sexuality/nudity so save this one for the oldest teens and above.

Released: 1999
Reviewed: 7.17.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Supernatural Horror, Halloween, Thriller, Mystery

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel