Terri (2011)

This strange, meandering independent film defies any sort of consise summarization. Playing like a sort of whacked-out coming of age story, it explores the increasingly isolated world of oddball title character Terri and the similarly weird people he meets in his day-to-day life (including a bravo performance by Mr. C. Reilly). I can't put my finger on it, but I liked it. Slice of life shit.

3.5 good-hearted people out of 5

The Ring Virus (1999)

To date, one of four filmed versions of Kôji Suzuki's Ringu novel. Virus is South Korea's attempt to capture the horrors. Like in Nakata's film the protagonist is changed to a female, but otherwise it more closely follows the plot of the novel. It even reinstates some of the more interesting elements that were absent in the second Japanese version.
It’s not as good as Ringu (1998), but I prefer it over the American remake, The Ring (2002). Don't be expecting the piss-your-pants scares of Ringu, either. It's more of a drama than a horror. Think of it as a companion piece to the others and you may enjoy it more.

3 medical mysteries out of 5

Ringu 0: Bâsudei (2000)

aka: Ring 0: Birthday

A prequel to Hideo Nakata's Ringu films (see HERE and HERE) that's best viewed last to avoid spoilers for the other two. There are of course nods to the Japanese horror style that the series was credited with popularising, but with a different director at the helm the film feels very different to the others; it’s more in the traditional, dramatic ghost story genre.

It gives more info on Sadako's background and the reasons for her eventual... (spoiler). The screenplay is based on the short from Koji Suzuki, so it’s canon but still may upset some die-hard Ringu nuts.

3 boards trod out of 5

Ringu 2 (1999)

One of two different sequels to Ringu (1998). The other is HERE. Ringu 2 continues the story one week from where the first film left off.

It drifts further away from the source material and yet somehow manages to remain faithful to Koji Suzuki's original idea, so say hello once again to the seminal, creepy, long-haired, malevolent Japanese spirit girl.

Sadako’s origins are more deeply explored and the terrors related to the cursed video ripple further than they did before, but it'll make very little sense on its own, so make sure you've watched the previous film first.

3½ frolics in brine... out of 5

Ringu (1998)

To date there's been four feature films adapted from the first novel in Kôji Suzuki's Ringu Trilogy. Each one tells the same basic story but with some variations. This is Japan's second version and is by far the best of the lot.
A small group of teenagers view a cursed video tape and then die one week later from unknown circumstances. A determined female journalist attempts to get to the truth by retracing their last days.
Credited with kick-starting the Asian horror boom in the West, Ringu is a slow moving investigative film that's more about the journey than the destination, with at least one truly shocking brown-undies moment.
For extra jollies, watch it alone in the dark and then try to sleep.

4½ frozen stares out of 5

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Oh, mercy! Lock up your daughters; there’s a black man in the house and he's not in the laundry room! Prejudices will be exposed and family loyalties tested; and that’s pretty much the whole story. I can’t imagine how shocking it all was in 1967, because I wasn't born, but it’s tame by today’s standards.
Raises a few chuckles. Don't shave with bourbon.

Some sexy trivia: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were real-life partners. Sadly, it was Spencer’s last film as he died 17 days after filming. It was the first film for Hepburn’s niece who plays her daughter, Joanna.

3 nobody understands nothing no more out of 5

Surf Ninjas (1993)

Wow. I... Holy shit. Where do I start?
Released during the ninja craze of the early '90s (following the popularity of TMNT), this cheesy, harmless family film is geared mainly for the kids. There are bad dubs, stereotypes galore, and an almost non-existant plotline. Rob Schneider (who was 30 when this movie was made) actually plays a high-schooler and provides minimal comic relief. Leslie Nielsen is mostly wasted. Like it or not, I grew up in this era, so these types of movies hold a kind of "fond" memory for me. For everyone else, I can realize why this is considered trash.

1.5 ridiculously ripped "kids" out of 5

Conan O'Brien: Can't Stop (2011)

Filmed in the period between his short stint on the Tonight Show and his permanent spot on TBS, this documentary contains some great behind-the-scenes footage of Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television tour and gives you a rare glimpse of the comedian's style and candor. Always "on," Conan struggles with trying to push the boundaries in his constantly evolving tour across North America, all the while dealing with ravenous fans and exploitative producers. We get sneak peeks here and there, but I really would have liked to see more footage from the actual concerts, especially those featuring "guest" spots with Jim Carrey, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, etc. As it stands, it's a very entertaining and candid look at the pressures one man pushes himself through in order to keep his voice heard, despite countless obstacles (both network and self-imposed), and you actually get a sense of who he really is; sometimes brash or passive-aggressive, but always funny.

4 Nas and Damian Marley introductions out of 5

Hard Boiled (1992)

Before John Woo went to Hollywood to knock out crap uninspired action films, he made quality like Hard Boiled in his native China.

Chow plays a Dirty Harry style cop with a personal mission and a personal demon to exorcise. Even when he's left holding the baby, he kicks ass.
The Woo motifs are all present: extremely stylish dual-wielding slow motion pistol fights, exploding shotgun shells, a dozen near misses in one shoot-out, subtle dualities in plot and character, and doves (in an unusual way this time). It's one of the defining films of the genre.

4 more squibs and bloodpacks out of 5

THE AVIATOR [2004]

Martin Scorsese delivers yet another film of delicately crafted shots, extravagant set pieces and noteworthy costumes. The Aviator tells the story of the eccentric film director and aviator Howard Hughes.
Leonardo DiCaprio hands in a wonderful performance as Hughes, as does Cate Blanchett who does a hauntingly believable and spot on performance as Katherine Hepburn. Filled with an entire army of beautiful performances, I'd be hard off to list them all.
Scorsese takes us back to the Golden Age of Hollywood in both the era itself and even in his own filming techniques. It's a beautiful and fascinating film that I was surprised to find I was so enthralled with. My initial reaction to a film about Hughes was "this will be boring" and found that I couldn't be any more wrong.

4 ½ Errol Fuckin Flynn's out of 5

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

A Tennessee Williams play adapted for film by the director of Cleopatra (1963). It’s an amazingly well-constructed Southern Gothic period piece.
Elizabeth Taylor has a dark secret. Katharine Hepburn is rich and has an agenda. They clash over the truth. Montgomery Clift tries to be the catalyst. It’s almost perfect.

4½ scorching white-hot days out of 5

BEREAVEMENT [2010]

The second installment that is the first part of a trilogy [?] written and directed by Stevan Mena. The first film, Malevolence was a lacklustre thriller that tried to emulate '80's slashers, while Bereavement takes a different turn down the horror road and aims for torture porn.
Mena must have gone to film and music school, because his skills vastly improved since the first film six years before this. That's not to say Bereavement is any good...because it's not.
I'll admit there were a few scenes that the gorehound in me grinned and found myself to be very uncomfortable with the disturbingly immoral final ten minutes but apart from that it was a bore. Skip this series. That is unless Mena comes up with something surprisingly original and amazing for the final part but I doubt that, as these two films said everything that could be said about something so inane and shallow.

2 roasted waitresses out of 5

MALEVOLENCE [2004]

Being the first instalment that's the second part of a trilogy [if that makes any sense], would make you think Malevolence would try a little harder to be better than it is.
Writer/director Stevan Mena obviously tried very hard to emulate an '80's slasher flick and in that he succeeded. If you told me I was watching a bad horror movie from 1984 I would have believed you, with it's terrible acting, corny synth music and it's sloppy direction adding to it all. I think Mena tried to pay homage to Halloween, Friday The 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but instead of coming off as that, it comes off as an extremely watered down rip-off of all of the films above. The characters are stupid. I'm talking annoyingly stupid. It's all right when a character is supposed to be stupid but when they're written to be "smart" and do stupid things it's very difficult to enjoy.
I'm hoping the second installment that's the first part [laughs] is the improvement I keep reading about it being.

1 funny synth STINGS out of 5

SCRE4M [2011]

After getting over the initial disappointment of not living up to the first Scream, like the cast & crew interviews kept on promising it would, I found the fourth installment of the popular Wes Craven slasher flick franchise to be an entertaining ride upon a second viewing.
While not meeting it's full potential, it is light years better than the third one and just trailing in behind the first two films. It never makes full use of the killer using the updated technology to his advantage, like he would have in the original films or really acknowledging the huge change in horror cinema since the last one came out over 10 years ago. There are a few moments of using blogs, webcams, phone apps and poking fun at remakes, reboots and torture porn but not as much as it could have been and that was a little disappointing. The new cast was a hoot to watch, although some were painfully underused or killed off too early. With the hugest body count so far in the series, slasher flick fans and gorehounds won't be disappointed.
It's still fun and I hope the next two patch up the mistakes this one made.

3 Robert Rodriguez "cameos" out of 5

Wonder Woman (2009)

I've always preferred the DC animations to the Marvel ones; Marvel is about bang and boom, whereas DC is about heart and head. In the comics Wonder Woman is Superman’s ‘special friend’ and Batman’s supporter, critic and ofttimes conscience, so it’s about time she got a straight to video feature of her own. The animation is great, the voice casting is top class and the action and story beautifully balanced. Make room on your Batman/Superman shelf for the third big-hitter. Invisible jets are in style.

4 on the pilots pucker scale out of 5