The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

Wasted energy

By: JWBM

The main focus of "The Cloverfield Paradox" takes place in the cold, harsh realms of space with a crew of international scientists on a mission to undergo a potentially hopeful, though risky experiment to save humanity during a life or death energy crisis.

Back on the big blue planet, you watch one of the crew's husband act as your eyes and ears, except with every excuse not to show something more interesting: from reading vague messages, to half-heard reports, close-ups, confused conversations, hiding themselves away. I get the whole mystery angle this series relies on and using the ol' noggin for interpretation, though as a third film laying the ground rules it would make more sense to show some of the unimaginable beasts and utter pandemonium you've long wanted to see since the original film came out. It tries to go for the global consequences of "Armageddon" meets "The Day After Tomorrow" with an "Event Horizon" twist, except without the intricate steps or layers to get there. Just a repeat of the outline of the main agenda—we need energy NOW—making that portion feel an after thought and lose its driving point. Including an all-huff-no-facts conspiracy theory dude made one cross their arms more than it did solidify the message.

The most interesting and grab your attention feature here is the moral questions related to multi-dimensional alternate choices and circumstances. It's a perfect mix of something technical meets something emotionally relatable. While the story makes attempts at being fresh and exciting with some creative scenes, it also feels like it makes up rules and circumstances with the wave of a hand. You get slick looking sets, on top of neat gadgets and gizmos like any science fiction film with a budget, except they're often used as major plot points on a whim. Right. Those. While the acting had its certain charms and layers of emotions, it also felt like it created a sense of false drama out of nowhere. I mean, turn up the heat back home with warring nations, though a group of scientists coming together for a greater cause was treated like a petty group of nobodies.

In some respects the film moves quickly and makes attempts to be dramatic and set itself apart from the usual fare. In other respects it clashes tones and grazes over the finer details to make you drop your guard and be fully taken away by its sense of magic.

Rating: 4/10

Director: Julius Onah (The Girl Is in Trouble)
Actors: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl, Chris O'Dowd
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

Extinction (2018)

War and peace

By: JWBM

The majority of us are just busy ants locked into our day to day lives. Some would argue that we lose sight of the world as a whole as a result, while others ignore the naysayers and prefer that bubble that keeps us comfortable and content. Putting your guard down and getting too relaxed can also have its own share of problems when something would otherwise interrupt that near-sighted tranquility.

A man is having strange visions that are beginning to affect his work and personal life. All at once, the answers to a swirling mix of questions comes to light. "Extinction" is a sci-fi/action in the vain of "Independence Day" meets "Total Recall." It's a kill-kill-kill, destroy-destroy-destroy everything kind of film, but with a twist. While this had the potential to be another among the ranks of science fiction to reference or look back on, the story is delivered in an otherwise clunky, convenient, and black and white fashion.

Some scenes have some emotion injected, though two little girls who are incessant screamers and huggers gets tiring. The bad guy has actions that are commendable over your typical villain, yet he feels more planted by the writers to submit to everything the audience wants to hear than a personality with actual backbone that gives and takes. The lead—Michael Peña—plays an imperfect but loving dad who's currently out of step. The character is withdrawn and aloof, but then transitions into a one-track, every-kind-of-man concoction that does and says the right things than his own thinking, reasoning person.

Some of the surprises don't always have a smooth transition, with how one aspect is important towards social justice and giving this some sentiment, but other aspects towards defense or evolution are swept under the rug? It makes it feel more noticeably slanted and manipulated to evolve around a single surprise; making it backtrack more than it expands on its concept. Its mode of action turns into a stale formula: wasn't there for my family, now I must be there for my family when dire events arise. Must run, hide, scream, hug, and fight as bullets and explosions mysteriously fail to never hit their targets while everyone else is conveniently obliterated as the good cinematic martyrs they are.

Rating: 4.5/10

Director: Ben Young (Hounds of Love)
Actors: Michael Peña, Lizzy Caplan
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

How It Ends (2018)

More like: Why We Carry On

By: JWBM

What length would you go to for a loved one? Would you wait it out? Would you weigh your options? To some, those are important questions to sit on. To others, the answers are already rapidly checked off as they're walking out the door no matter the stakes.

After an unexplained event cuts all communications, a do-what-it-takes retired Marine and a suit-and-tie lawyer take a cross country trip to the west coast to be reunited with their loved one. There they encounter the slow erosion of not only the landscapes, but also a chip away at humanity.

The film gives different perspectives: from various shots of how vacant the world has become; such as the beauty of nature, to its more perilous side. It's also haunting how different inventions and contraptions cease to have use; or how humans are still holding on to material things, or going for the throat when it comes to resources.

This is more a tried and true tale of survival for a small group of people than it is about showing a moment-by-moment 360 degree viewpoint of the concept such as "Outbreak" or "2012." Like "The Road," hints are given, but nothing is outright outlined to maintain the perspective as the characters would experience it: as a loss of control of everything they know through confusion and chaos. To some, they may feel robbed for their patience, to others they may be rewarded for the thrills and more emotional investment the story delivers. As far as apocalyptic films, there are a few scenes that require you to dust off the ol' brain and read between the lines. There are also a few other scenes that are about as over-the-top as they come.

The film does a decent job balancing a mix of drama, suspense, and action without doing one just for the sake of it or getting stuck in a certain mode. The characters grow from the outset and use the journey as a crutch to move on and then settle some differences. It's essentially a race to get over a series of hurdles while running blindly in the dark, with you the audience to root them on.

The most stand out performance is Forest Whitaker, which gives the film a certain intensity and driving point. It's the kind of story where things are handled and get done, but then the emotional toil and impact comes rearing its head after the fact. The leading character, the lawyer who's determined to get to his gal, straddles between blending in to the background, to being the ordinary man doing extraordinary things.

While "How It Ends" isn't something to throw on more than once, or hand out moral questions or poignant commentary that will keep you up at night, the film does what it set out to do: to deliver a simple story with human characters with gravitating determination and willpower, and to drop reminders as to why we carry on. It's the kind of film that can be torn apart for its easy to spot formula and more stripped down delivery. Or it can become a basic and diverting form of entertainment if you let your guard down and absorb it for what it is.

Rating: 6/10

Director: David M. Rosenthal (A Single Shot; The Perfect Guy)
Actors: Theo James, Forest Whitaker
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube trailer

Upgrade (2018)

HAL 9000 just got darker

By: JWBM

What is misery? Some might say that it is an intense, nearly hopeless state that pushes human bounds beyond just sadness. Another might give a more close to home definition of being involved in an accident where you become cripple and also senselessly lose your wife to a gang of thugs. You spent your whole life trusting your hands and working with mechanical parts. Now, you must embrace a futuristic world that is becoming more and more dependent on computers and solid state technology. Though, the bigger question is, is some added convenience worth the unforeseen complexities that go along with advancement? Not just minor attributes when dealing with computer intelligence, such as human laziness, or expense, but a moral dilemma when it does our dirty work?

What is a miracle? Some might say that it is an event or action inexplicably resolved by some higher power. Another might say that a miracle doesn't exist. In this case, they may be right. Grey Trace went from not being able to move anything but his his head, eyes, and lips, to being given the chance to become part of an experimental procedure that gives him not only full function back to his limbs, but also new and potentially deadly abilities. In light of his recent incident involving a gang of outlaws, one might question anything positive coming from it. Seeing both circumstances come together, you can just smell a forecast of revenge and blood in the air.

"Upgrade" guides you by the hand, replaces it with a cybernetic one, and then uses it to manipulate and destroy people in highly creative fashion. Once released from its cage, the film is nearly a constant, adrenaline-packed rush. It's an incredibly fun experience that mixes a blend of its own brand of science fiction where humans go dark with upgrades, and good ol' fashioned action scenes to make the blood pump and the circuits re-connect your senses. Being directed by an original actor and writer of the "Saw" series—Leigh Whannell—this is on par with the violence of a horror movie. Not quite as over-the-top as "Tokyo Gore Police," though it's guaranteed to make the regular cinema goer flinch. The uncut version of "Robocop" might have a new rival in town, where knives carve deeper and uglier than a rush job on a Halloween pumpkin, and heads explode like a well-developed kid going to town on a pinata that represents everything wrong with his childhood.

In order to keep the narrative steadily going, some aspects are convenient, such as an advanced world where the cops are never there at the right time, with criminals and technology instead running rampant. They created some inventive aspects of the future, but didn't overstep themselves and make it over-complicated either. It feels like a kinetic, flowing film from start to finish. It's a basic revenge story, mixed with swirling, more complex questions of where technology could be headed. Super soldiers and electronic implants might be beyond belief, though this dark and visceral experience never lets you think otherwise.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Leigh Whannell
Actors: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Betty Gabriel
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube trailer

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Abraham Van Lincoln

By: JWBM

When the trailer for this film first came out, I was tightly crossing my arms and thinking this was probably nothing but a silly gimmick solely concocted by Hollywood to sell some tickets and run. Then again, Romanians probably think those odd for using loose elements of the historical figure of Vlad Tepes and transforming him into a fanged dark lord. The premise of "Vampire Hunter" is just as over-the-top and ludicrous as you'd expect, though surprisingly it has a certain level of entertainment and charm to it that manages to keep one's attention throughout. Instead of going the route of historical revisionism with a comedic approach and a vibe like "Bill & Ted" or "Clone High," this blends fantasy, action, and horror into a more serious undertaking of an alternate timeline to Lincoln's life—as serious as throwing popcorn in your mouth, while not cracking a smile from one-liners that is. You can imagine, though, Lincoln's real-life relatives are rolling in their graves.

What I like about the story is it will do something that would question your sense of disbelief, but then in the next scene act more grounded and allow room to breathe. It begins as a simple revenge tale with a formula taken straight out of the textbook of an old kung fu film. You know the one: an all-knowing master that's willing to show the ways of the secret arts in a short amount of time for the ultimate show down with the all-powerful villain who prays on the weak. You get fancy moves that defy physics, philosophical catch phrases, and now a more hardened and determined character with a silver tipped axe that acts as if he has the confidence of a gang of ten men. Lincoln still has a certain calm temperament between slayings: enough that he still doesn't lie, manages to bag the hottest lass in town, and become president of the United States of America no less with the intent to abolish slavery.

The film has a massive budget to show off an array of stylish and slick action scenes that'll make the eyes-wide and your imagination go wild. This is coming from the director of "Night Watch" and "Wanted" if that says anything for how far someone's abilities are going to be taken, or how the aesthetics of the scene will perfectly line up in a smooth fashion. Sometimes so much so that some powers and certain rules are inconsistent over the measured timing of certain parts. If not for some moments to tie in Lincoln's life, the film would be a solid action flick throughout. The horror side of it goes only as far as being mildly surprising, rather than outright terrifying due to only so many limitations from the monsters; plus an odd sense of boosted strength from humans as well. It's more like a neck and neck good versus evil tale, than a total domination creature feature.

We've seen countless vampire stories since Stoker's novel hit the shelves. Some of them tried and true Gothic tales; others more modern to look like they're happening right next door; or as an excuse for amped up sexuality, or violence. Here, we have a whole new creative animal: it's eccentric, it's unconventional, it's a history professor's worst nightmare, though one must accept that before going in. That still doesn't excuse the overall experience. It's a senseless premise that still keeps its senses when played out. It does have a certain flow that doesn't snag, a sense of worked-through plot, the actors overall have a certain refinement and take it as seriously as they can, and, most importantly, it can be down-right fun at times. Put on your horse blinders, don't look back, and enjoy the ride.

Rating: 7/10

Director: Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch; Wanted)
Actors: (Benjamin Walker; Dominic Cooper; Mary Elizabeth Winstead; Rufus Sewell)
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link

Curse of the Undead Yoma (1989)

To transcend oneself; to trample on others

By: JWBM

This is a story that deals with the ultimate line-up of cool: monsters, magic, and rival ninja clans. Though at the center of its dark heart is a story of friendship since childhood that has been strained by the complexities of external forces—that's putting it lightly—not to mention growing up into a war ravished time no longer innocent. It's as emotional a tale as it is blunt: you'll be treated equally by tragedy and sorrow, as well as violence and savagery in the next breath.

The tone comes across as an action/horror with an otherworldly vibe. As if you picked a more traditional time in Japan, and included overtly gloomy backdrops and mysterious beings into the mix to shake it up and make you more and more uneasy as time presses on. If you were expecting just plain old '80s ninjas doing routine ninja things on any other ninja-centric afternoon—think again.

Hikage—who's part of the Takeda clan—is sent to stop a friend and fellow ninja, Marou, from spreading word of their leader's recent death in order for the clan to save face. Even after circumstances change, Hikage still persists in his search of Marou: the man with take-over-the-world ambition that resonates through his long, life-of-their-own locks. This is broken into two parts, where the first half just sinks its claws in, and the second—set some years later—only goes deeper into the darkness with a land full of death and destruction. If you're lucky, some stay dead. If you're unlucky, they return as yoma: or undead monsters of various shapes and forms. Ginormous man-spiders are common-place and just as horrifying as they sound.

For its day, the animation comes with a share of dynamic. Such as some wide angle shots that paint the surroundings with eerie backdrops and foreboding shadows that drip with menace. There are also tight and flashy shots to increase the adrenaline of what hairy or perilous situation Hikage finds himself in next. It seems that anyone he runs into is a victim of some evil underboss that wrecks havoc on whatever village or area it gets its demonic hands on. The illustrations can be personable and help solidify what Hikage is torn up over, but is too afraid to show: giving off doses of symbolism and shreds of humanity that sheds light on the tattered ruins these towns have become.

"Curse of the Undead Yoma" is an atmospheric anime that finds itself smack dab between the senselessly violent kind, and at another point where there's some shred of meaning included to give it another angle and some emotional impact. It deals with choice, societal constraints, acceptance, power, and even suicide from lives thought lost. The first time I saw this—picked up as a random buy on VHS—admittedly I had little idea of what was going on, but was enthralled by the encapsulating tone, visuals, and morbid curiosity of it all. It does that well. They had me at, "All of my life is an illusion," as a guy's throat sprays out red in that iconic delayed effect seen in any good Japanese sword play feature.

The major pitfall of this is—that if you've seen it enough times—it has moments of being rough around the edges. It's not always consistently linear with its story or with character introductions—especially the second half—leading the viewer to coincidentally stumble into this, fall into that, be confused over here. In one instance, some powers build up to the sky, so to speak, and then—once all of the over-the-top animation is done—are taken down by basic means. I mean, to be fair, it has tendency to be more poetic and artful than it is trying to be thoroughly accurate or challenging. Plus, ninjas always have a card up their sleeve, right? It's using the medium to explore other avenues live action isn't capable of. For that, it is eye-opening and memorable, not to mention thoroughly entertaining for being capable of keeping your eyes glued to the screen as an overall experience.

Rating: 8/10

Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link
Other names: "Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma" for its DVD release. It includes an English dub, and also with Japanese with English subtitles (I feel this is the better version). The VHS is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

A hero with disregard for hierarchy

By: JWBM

This is the definition of perfectly-imperfect. It's the kind of film that is endlessly entertaining for all of its over-the-top and outlandishly excessive setups. It's like one of those friends that compulsively exaggerates everything they do enough that they grow a knack for it. You don't believe what you see or hear, but it fits the mood to be overlooked as another outlook. "Story of Ricky" knows no bounds, and has few limits to get a reaction and a rise from your senses. It's laughably cheesy and badly acted in every sense, but, man, is it inspiring in some far-out, demented kind of way. Some wish they could be him. Others wish they had him as a friend in grade school.

So who's Ricky? He's a buff, super-human, morally-steadfast guy in the near-future that gets locked up in a privately run prison for a crime he may have been justified for committing. Let's just say little is made in the way of looking like the future, but who's paying attention to intricate details here? He's surrounded by scum, and is incidentally a bully pulverizer with extraordinary strength they talked about in whispered legends to actually do something about it. I mean, going toe-to-toe with the Gang of Four—or Four Heavenly Kings in Chinese mythology—might be a statement in itself. He also cries for the lower man who can't help himself while throwing shadow punches at nothing in the rain. It's just the kinda complex being he is.

This has a simple set-up for any typical martial arts film to give an excuse to show off some fancy moves. Except this raises the bar not just a few notches, but makes a leap to the skies—which incidentally are pouring out red droplets in buckets. It's where Hong Kong kung-fu influence meets late '80s/early '90s Japanese levels of excess. Other manga source material has rivaled it in violence—think "Baoh," "Violence Jack," "Fist of the North Star"—though it's a one of a kind feature for being one of the goriest live action/martial arts movies out there. "The Street Fighter"—with Sonny Chiba, of course—gave it a push. "Story of Ricky" gives a shove down the most unforgiving of escalators and punches your head clean off for good measure.

Like an SNES or Genesis classic, such as "Final Fight" or "Streets of Rage," the film keeps you busy with an assortment of goons, gangs, and end-bosses. There's a hierarchy that should matter and is something you should be afraid of breaking. Though, this doesn't stop a guy who can literally punch holes in people and play tunes in key with nothing but a leaf. Instead of over-the-top Chuck Norris jokes, we should instead have them about Riki Oh: the man who's got the chiseled back muscles and high kicks to back it up.

The acting has that characteristic Hong Kong charm where we have to not only say what we're doing but over-gesture what we're doing as well. It's like they're trying to communicate with both the hearing and hearing impaired at the same time. Either purposely or by mistake, there's never a lulling point here. The filmmakers always seem to top themselves scene after scene. So much so, I haven't seen another film like it since. One could look at the story as one man's unconscious mission to clean up all the bad people in the world. They just happen to be locked up in one building trapped in there with him, not the other way around. Their do-anything-I-please egos—that got them in the slammer in the first place—are about to get checked in some of the most creatively violent ways. Break out the bleach and popcorn, because it's gonna be a messy, though entertaining ride.

Rating: 9/10

Director: Ngai Choi Lam
Actors: Siu-Wong Fan
Info: IMDB
Trailer: Youtube

Death Sentence (2007)

Nothing more ferocious than a father with rage

By: JWBM

What we build up in this world is a fragile balance. We set up safe-guards, and make it our constant goal to maintain what we have built up for ourselves. As flesh and blood we are vulnerable. When we let our guard down, we're capable of being free and happy, but at the same time we leave ourselves open to danger and potential physical or emotional harm. When we're overly cautious, mistrusting or paranoid, we stand a better chance at being protected, but at the same time we are just existing till the next moment.

Being a loose adaptation to the second book of "Death Wish"—yep, the one made into a film with Charles Bronson all those years ago—the story and pacing doesn't waste much time breaking into it. I guess, the filmmakers—James Wan of "Saw" infamy—realized you've had years and years of sequels and similar spin-offs in the meantime to not trick you into thinking this is a new concept. What happens to this man's son is senseless and tragic no doubt, though the story doesn't dwell for long after said incident. Its main intention from the get-go is to break into some energetic action sequences where one seems to top the next. Kevin Bacon—playing the enraged father—doesn't get a chance to express a full range of drama, but gets down and dirty for a share of dynamic, high-octane scenes. What makes them unique is their sense of putting you in the moment. For instance, after years of getting spoiled with Hong Kong action flicks where the camera doesn't blink, the choreography is more important than the dialogue, and the actors don't shy away from a few bruised knees and broken arms, I get tired of seeing pieced together shots of other films with a gazillion takes. I'm looking squarely at you "Bourne Identity." Especially when the budget is through the roof.

"Death Sentence" is more a simple tale of revenge than going for the more complex, the-law-can't-help me route. It's essentially the emotional progression of grief turned to anger turned to blind rage. It's relatable in that it's what happens when we sit around and can't listen to anymore of our own thoughts and must seek out some kind of external answers through action. What happens after is purely cinematic, of course. Though what the character finds from this progression opens up a door to another shadowy world full of further grave possibilities that he may not have bargained for. Can the average man prepare himself for that compared to gang members that are practically born into it? Or police that are mentally and physically trained for it? He is a tad bit angry, which might help.

The story of "Death Sentence" is somewhat formulaic and straightforward. If you had more time to think during this white-knuckle, hair-blowing-everywhere ride, you might be bothered that the filmmakers just used the set up to get the gears greased with blood, while not actually outright saying anything profound on the subject after this many years. But don't let that stop you from checking this out though. It works in other ways. It delivers the goods either fast enough or stylish enough to set aside the thinking cap for another film that moves at a snail's pace. It's one of those tales where you need to suspend your disbelief from time to time. I mean, guy goes from behind-the-desk warrior to knife-in-teeth commando in no time. Police are practically no where to be found when needed and are always conveniently showing up after the fact. These are also your stereotypical bad guys, except that they look cool on screen with their knack for neat outfits and sweet rides. John Goodman plays a kingpin of sorts, who's health looks like it's on its last leg. He's an unlikable guy whose sole motivation is moola, and lots of it.

Could this kinda thing happen in its entirety? Probably not anytime soon. But it's at least entertaining till the last guy falls and someone has to clean up the mess.

Rating: 7/10

Director: James Wan (Saw, Dead Silence)
Actors: Kevin Bacon, Kelly Preston, John Goodman
Info: IMDB
Trailer: Youtube

Sand Serpents (2009)

More monstrosities unleashed from man's ambitions

A group of soldiers in a remote area of Afghanistan are checking the viability of a mine when they get ambushed and captured by the Taliban who want to either ransom or execute them. The soldiers are blindfolded inside when suddenly screams and a roar are heard outside and their captors vanish without a trace. They scramble up supplies and head back to their pick up spot to wait it out, when their rescue helicopter gets taken out by a large worm-like monstrosity from beneath the sand. They team up with a friendly local and his daughter to figure out a way to either get to the nearest village or make a call for help, all the while dodging the Taliban, not to mention avoiding getting eaten alive by the huge "Sand Serpents" that got awakened from man tampering below to excavate resources.


This is a basic movie that doesn't feel like anything new to go out of one's way to check out. There aren't enough stand out moments to make this exceptional. If seen in passing as a time killer on TV, you can still depend on it as it moves along painlessly with a recognizable formula with the usual opposing human sides vs something monstrous in the middle. The humorless experience isn't exactly enlightening or impactful, nor is it incredibly charging to make up for that. Why the sand worms all of sudden arrived is mentioned but how they've survived this long is a puzzle better left unsolved since it will show another of its limitations. They show up when they hear vibrations like in "Tremors" and then pop out of the sand to consume someone whole. The first few times it's a sight to behold due to their looming size and ferocity but after a while you can count on them to do the same routine. Not to mention the monsters seem to come and go at their leisure: some points right on top, then at others giving a breather, which so happens to coincide with a dialogue scene. Despite not having eyes, they also know who is a leading star and who isn't the way they'll go right for someone insignificant but then give pause just after heatedly chasing a main character by conveniently leaving themselves wide open for a counter attack. The film reveals too many areas of its blue prints only to end up losing its sense of awe and wonderment.


Instead of the music making this more energetic, it seems somewhat low in volume and on top of that comes with some generic library tunes. The CGI effects are passable for a made for TV Syfy feature in quicker and longer shots with some smooth motion and added detail to their structure, even if they still can't shake that video game-like look. To its credit "Sand Serpents" had a steady pacing that doesn't stall or look back. It's an easy no brainer of a film that's somewhat dialogue heavy by doing a share of the thinking between action scenes about what to do next. There are far too many epileptic-like shaky camera shots that make it disorienting. A share of the shoot outs are of the stand still and fire kind, than moving about to make themselves less easy of targets. The acting feels like a means to an end. It's fair if not exceptional or commanding. The most memorable character, Private Andrews, happens to be the most annoying one with a negative opinion on every little movement and subject. There are moments that make them out to be soldiers whether it be dreaming about back home, complaining about headquarters or actually protecting and serving, though they still carry that glimmer of being comfortable actors on a set.

There's a small amount of subtext with trust and distrust of different sides: Afghans trusting Americans in their country, Americans trusting that some of the Afghans aren't terrorists. But for the meantime, both sides have something else on their hands that's larger than human turf wars. Fortunately the film mainly keeps it on an action movie level than a neck deep political one.

Rating: 4/10

Director: Jeff Renfroe (One Point O, Civic Duty)
Link: IMDB

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Truth in the title

A memory impaired man (Daniel Craig) awakes with a strange metal shackle on his wrist and a wound on his side. After showcasing hidden skills like a 19th century Jason Bourne on some rough and tough dudes, he heads to the nearest town of Absolution only to find more hassles. He deals with a spoiled, troublemaker named Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano), who's father is a not-to-be-messed-with head honcho of sorts. Percy lands in jail and soon enough the man with no memory ends up in the cell next door, as he turns out to be the infamous Jake Lonergan who has a rap sheet longer than the Oregon Trail. When Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) gets word of his incarcerated son, he storms the streets with his cowboys. Right before a tense showdown, the alien part of the equation shows to make things go boom and people disappear. Jake's bracelet suddenly turns into Mega Man status and he blasts one of the ships down with an energy beam. The creature that operated the vessel flees and they round up a posse to track it back to where their kidnapped loved ones are.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is more about the journey to the final showdown involving various characters that it incidentally never fully scratches below the introductory surface on. It makes a few of them at times more plot devices than natural, especially the woman who feels penciled in after the fact to conveniently solve or perpetuate Jake's issues. Along tags a bartender who's more business than brawn; a mysterious woman who eyes Jake; a practical preacher who knows how to pray and shoot; a young boy who's not yet a man; a loyal Indian who looks at his boss as a father figure; and the former colonel Dolarhyde who's got a thing or two to teach the youngins about battle. Now, where westerns in the past had everybody out for their ruthless selves, this uses the enslaving extraterrestrials as a means to get along for the greater good of humanity, including fierce outlaws and warrior Indians who are in the same dire straits. In the meantime, no one ever claimed the abominable aliens didn't have punctuality as they make a few well-timed appearances to the point of predictably just before a human vs human conflict is about to get all gun crazy. Though like throwing a rock at a tank, these basic, booze-drinkin', boot-wearin' westerners look to be completely overrun and overwhelmed. That is until they have to get sneaky and use strength in numbers to put a stop to the aliens, which at this point are so one-dimensional the movie plays out like an easily sold good vs evil template with nothing left over to put in the bank to accumulate interest.

This is more the former than the latter of the title. The western portion on its own isn't groundbreaking to the genre, and the sci-fi side isn't inventive enough to blow the lid off a long time fan, even if the combination is definitely original. Other aspects to fall back on like the pacing can feel like it revs the engine, then levels at a lower gear. This wouldn't be such an issue but it's not that contemplative of a film to hit the locker room in between for a break, and as a result creates a building list of questions from the viewer that never end up answered about certain plays. It's a film that treads more on mystery when it comes to its antagonists, by at first seeing a shadow, a claw and then a quick full frontal, as well as it only gives little snippets of information for the viewer. Problem is, it doesn't create that intriguing enough of creatures to pull the enigma off--no communication, no interaction with each other, very few distinguishing elements with behavior or appearance--or even go further into why they're on Earth other than laying out a questionable reason at face-value.

Daniel Craig played a simple but commanding presence, as he said little but when it came time for action delivered with full force as if he meant it, and then some. It causes you to focus in on him to not miss his next move, despite getting knocked about with a lesser blow or two on occasion. Clancy Brown plays a memorable role as a tough holy man that adds humor to the situations, but Chris Browning includes cartoon flavor with his crusty chompers and oafish demeanor. Paul Dano, as much as he tried and has the most range, his performance felt misplaced as if he's a tortured man rather than just a fearful kid with no perspective from growing up safe and spoiled. Harrison Ford's character is built up and built up, with other people making not only a legend of him but a power not to be reckoned with, though by the time it comes for him to show his stuff, he falls somewhat short on punch. It's a shame that some of his gruff lines come off as unflattering imitations rather than truly compelling. On an entertainment level, you get massive explosions, O.K. Corral-thumping gun fights, built up thrills, mystery, situational humor, potential love, tragedy, resolution and you get to see two separate genres at the same time. It sounds like a lot, but it didn't always come one after the other or always in a smooth, edge-of-your-seat transition together. The mentioned certainly made this enjoyable and an interesting concept to see but unfortunately it wasn't capable of thoroughly traveling beyond expectations for such a cool premise even with all the budget and all the talent it mustered for a central goal with two contrasting but potentially complementing sides.

Rating: 6/10

Director: John Favreau (Made, Iron Man 1 & 2)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Keith Carradine, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Olivia Wilde, Noah Ringer, Clancy Brown
Website: IMDB

The Devil's Tomb (2009)

Lose the gun soldier and grab a cross

A classified research/archeological station was hit in the desert by an unexplained event. A team of military specialists headed by a Captain Mack (Cuba Gooding Jr.) are instructed by a C.I.A. operative named Cardell (Valerie Cruz) to extract a Dr. Lee Wesley (Ron Perlman) who was seen prior on a security feed with an ambiguous, almost prophetical speech as to what went wrong. Right when they arrive the team encounters an unresponsive priest with unexplainable sores. They head down to a safe room that might house Wesley but come across more strange characters, including another man named Duncan (Bill Moseley) who's off of his rocker with religious tirades. They try and get out but something evil keeps pulling them deeper and deeper back in until they find something out that's above their regular duty as soldiers and is as old as mankind itself.


This plays out something like a second rate "Prince of Darkness" except with military involvement instead of college students to represent victims. For a share of the beginning half the events are conflicting enough as to lose the audience in its hidden meaning, with unexplained inflictions, hallucinations and zombie like people who spit out a fluid that infects others. It feels like a blender of ideas from other horror movies thrown into one except without looking back and measuring them out to fit snuggly to their own story. There are some gory scenarios that occur but the horror angle is far from terrifying. Yeah, shooting at something you can't kill outright or your own team turning on each other is alarming but the way it happens is treated in such a random, unchallenging way as to lose impact. The majority of the characters you could care less about, so when someone does get scared, wounded or killed you can't help but wish they all would. Former Black Flag front man Henry Rollins shows up as a priest named Fulton who seems to be the midway "answer guy" that acts all skittish and only gets in the way. They move from one unmemorable room to the next, sometimes drawn out from the pack as a form of recruitment to the other side. Some of these scenarios include temptations of sex that leads to violence as if they're linked by nature.


There are some quips and banter among the soldiers as if they're nothing but immature teenagers and this is just another bs job that's taking up their precious time. Words like "professional," "intuitive" or "stand up character" are from qualities listed on their resumes. This has some jumpy shifts back and forth between seriousness and joking. The jokes make this more easy and uncomplicated, but some of the transitions to grave matters feel somewhat unpracticed and unrehearsed prior, as if they rushed through this without giving it a moment's pause for reflection. With this many well known names included this surprisingly ended up being an incredibly generic, formulaic movie. I thought it would have had a little more merit than this--something like a lower budget "The Predator" where the action is heart racing and the villains are intimidating and frightening. Or at least give enough elements of amusement to let yourself go. The story itself wasn't the worst part and there are a few worked up scenes that stick out, it was just the overall execution that felt like it was done in passing and as if a share of the people involved didn't take it seriously beyond their contracts and obligations.

"The Devil's Tomb" can't always shake the cliche it walked into. The dialogue can go from preplanned sounding to made up on the spot. Stephanie Jacobson and Ray Winstone just can't escape their accents here with every other word distractingly echoing their homelands. Cuba Gooding Jr. feels like he fell asleep at the wheel and took on the personality of the rock he hit with little passion, conviction or believable command--not sure why he seems so tame and uninspired here compared to his past roles. His character is given flashbacks to a prior event that leads up to its close like bread crumbs for a roundabout message but lost its impact when it feels slipped in as an after thought.

Rating: 3/10

From Black to Red recommends instead: "Prince of Darkness." This John Carpenter film revolves around a secret artifact within a church and a team sent in to investigate.

Director: Jason Connery
Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Valerie Cruz, Stephanie Jacobsen, Taryn Manning, Ron Perlman, Henry Rollins, Jason London, Bill Moseley
Link: IMDB

The Horde (2009)

Power tripping humans face a horde of zombies

This French action/horror movie doesn't waste time with an overly complex plot. A group of cops want revenge for the murder of one of their men. With ski masks and guns in hand, they head over to an apartment complex at night where the Nigerian leader and his thugs that downed one of their own have their small criminal headquarters. Immediately the plan goes wrong and the cops have a few more holes in them than they did before entering the building. Soon enough flesh eating zombies with speed, strength and a building horde behind them jump into the mix and the guns get instead pointed at their new enemy with the cops and criminals forming a tentative alliance.

At times the tension and dramatic moments are overplayed but a share of them do make this more charging than other zombie films that feel tired. The specific rules are only loosely stated, which makes this a little more chaotic, unpredictable and more bloody as the zombies take on more wounds than they have to. The characters have to not only make it down and out of the building, which might be overrun and without hope, but also have to constantly break up arguments between each other for what's the next move. The performances usually involve posturing antics and yelling as everyone wants to be a leader, along with some confusion and anxiety from both situations taking their toll. They meet an eccentric older man who wields an ax and has some kind of post traumatic stress from war that makes him think people are turning into Asians rather than zombies. It gives this a kind of quirky charm amongst all of the seriousness that nearly turns melodramatic in certain scenes.


This not only has action and violence to keep the audience busy, it's able to maintain a steady momentum and keep the events charged despite being an incredibly basic horror story. It's more gritty and natural than stylish and symmetrically lined up. There are jarring sound effects, such as loud gun shots and roaring zombie noises, along with quick edits that help make the experience more impactful and energetic when need be. The zombies themselves aren't always shown in abundance, that way to portray them as uncertain for their next move. There's some gun blazing as well as hand to hand combat with the zombies that brings out some bloody scenes that cause a share of the walls to drip with red remnants. The old building plays to the advantage of the horror angle with deteriorated decor and furnishings, along with dim lighting and abandoned passageways that could be hiding anything in the hungry dark.


This has a somewhat cold tone compared to other films in the subgenre where the zombies seem to bring out the sadists in the characters at a few points the way they want to injure and maim rather than doing it out of pure survival. There's a message somewhere in there to show those who break the rules have no honor or to show the conflicts aren't always solvable between humans in our modern state if a situation did arise as such. This shifts back and forth with if humans should fight for themselves, stick together like a family or go on a power trip to control another person. The final outcome hits somewhat anticlimactically or just as a set up for another film. "The Horde" doesn't deliver anything brand new. Though it has a tried and true formula that still works because there's a balance between the human interaction as well as the zombie, not to mention some memorable scenes that make this returnable. In a way, it almost feels like an engaging videogame at points that's instead played for you due to the simplicity and sense for uncomplicated interaction.

Rating: 7/10

Director: Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher
Link: IMDB

Pandorum (2009)

Where the future reverts back to our past

This is a tale of extreme survival in the distant future for what's possibly to come when over population hits. "Pandorum" is a splice between something like "Planet of the Apes" and "The Descent" with the state of evolution with humans mixed with "The Shining" and "Event Horizon" with the horrors that can happen in an inescapable enclosed area and how the mind can get mixed up. This was actually produced by director Paul W.S. Anderson of "Event Horizon," which I believe is his best film to date. This feels like an apocalyptic future on a ship, where resources are even slimmer than they would be on an impoverished Earth. It uses the uncomfortableness and shock of the horror genre and the speed and physicalities from action to accelerate the story. There's also an element of mystery as the characters are thrown mid-stream into an unknown situation that they have to manage to stay afloat till the deadly pull is over or they can find the shore with solid footing.


It's the year 2174 and the population has grown to such a degree that food and water is scarce. On a ship called Elysium, a man wakes up in a hypersleep chamber with no memory of who he is except the name Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) on the outside glass. Another man with Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid) printed wakes up an hour later and together they try and figure out where everyone else is and what they're doing there. Payton stays in the control center and directs the younger man through the corridors. Bower runs into strange alien looking beings with warrior strength who are trying to kill and eat him. He encounters other humans who treat their dire situation as an every man for himself one. He teams up with a buff, English-less Vietnamese man (Cung Le) who was in the agriculture department and a fierce German woman (Antje Traue) who is protecting the specimens for the planet they were headed to called Tanis that's supposed to be like Earth. Bower has to fix the reactor of the ship that is causing power surges or else they'll get cut off in what could be the middle of space. Meanwhile Payton runs into another man named Gallo (Cam Gigandet) who was part of an earlier team and claims the others went through "Pandorum": a rare condition that makes someone with a tendency for a psychological disorder snap from paranoia due to a side effect of being in deep space.




The movie has an onrushing charge that still manages to take a breather to explain its backstory in steady increments that lead up to a building culmination. The characters run, hide and fight to get through the ship with traps and nests waiting in their way. People aren't who they say they are, things aren't what they seem and some revelations and twists are in store. The performances are more with physicalities and facial expression than with line delivery and the dramatic. With the exception of Payton and Gallo's back and forth banter about making rash decisions, emotions are usually suppressed due to the harsh environment. Though the story and sets act like anchors in this regard to brace the development of the characters and how they interact. There are some grisly scenes when it comes to violence. Some of the fights are choreographed like a martial arts film with high jumps and ferocious kicks and punches, along with makeshift barbaric weapons that cruelly sink into flesh as if this reverted back to the caveman days. The sets are filthy and unkempt, almost like an industrial factory with metal structures and the remnants of everything vile that has crept through. There are some worked up scenes that play on anticipation and the discomfort of it all, such as an incredibly claustrophobic scene where Bower has to crawl through tight spaces with no clue where he's going, little air and no way to turn around. "Pandorum" shows what we're capable of becoming as human beings when adapting to a new situation outside of our normal environment--backstabbers, cannibals, crazed--just taken to the hilt due the unique set of circumstances the film suggests: when space brings out our primal tendencies instead of progress.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Christian Alvart (Antibodies, Case 39)
Stars: Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Cam Gigandet
Link: IMDB

Event Horizon (1997)

The blackness of space

This threw some viewers off when it came out. To set it straight, this is horror first and then an action film that uses science fiction only to set up its diabolical premise. Nothing here projects a utopian society with social commentary or to show progress with science. This is essentially a haunted house like movie except on a space ship in the slightly distant future. All the more reason for not being able to escape the dwelling due to the inside being just as terrifying as the outside. The movie tends to creep up not only on its characters but its audience as well. I mean, a ship displaying supernatural occurrences the moment the crew steps foot on would have most likely made them turn around. It makes sense that there will be pop out scares and random occurrences to make them second guess themselves until it's too late. The horror is psychological in that the characters can't trust their own senses, which are being toyed and manipulated with by a much more devilish force than you can imagine. Instead of making the future a better place, it makes the idea of space exploration about as dangerous as walking down an unknown alleyway in an unfamiliar neighborhood where a presence is lurking in the dark that knows your next moves better than you do.


A crew for the U.S.A.C. is sent out for a search and rescue operation in the year of 2047 near Neptune. A share are of the foul mouthed, joking military kind except with a stern commander named Miller (Laurence Fishburne) to make sure everything goes in order. On board is a guest named Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) who explains that what they're after is the thought to be lost deep space research vessel called "Event Horizon." Seven years ago it was used as a secret government experiment to prove that a vessel can travel faster than light with a gravity drive; essentially it creates a black hole to fold space to get from point A to point B quicker to cut down time on future space travel to reach the stars and beyond. After a seemingly innocent accident, their own ship gets damaged and they have to all board Event Horizon for the meantime. If they don't fix their own ship in time their resources will run out in the remote area of space...but that might not be all that can get them. The crew begins to let their emotions fly and not have each other's best interests in mind. The characters seem like archetypes at first for their specific jobs, though as it moves on the ship has a way of extracting hidden secrets that include their worst fears and nightmares from their past with what seems to be life like hallucinations. The more they find out about the empty Event Horizon, the more their mind wanders into the possibilities of just where the past crew went missing to and where they themselves are headed next.


After setting up its premise, this is a rapidly paced movie that doesn't always get time to truly get inside each of its characters or give them all the depth they deserve which can make it lean a little on the simpler popcorn entertainment side--some one-liners tacked on as well. Though in another regard they display terrified and anxiety ridden reactions for such an incredulous predicament they found themselves in to make it more relating for the audience if they'd potentially do the same. It makes you wonder how much further it could have been taken if it wasn't cut down to make it an R rated film from originally getting NC-17. At times the story is somewhat basic where they move from one place to the next and back again but still with a share of memorable and now classic scenes in between. "Event Horizon" was capable of fully fleshing out its underlying concept as it had the luxury of a high budget with a share of panning shots and amply built sets with unique designs of both the physical and CGI kind.

The gravity drive room is something to really behold with three large rings closely rotating a sinister looking sphere. The orchestral music can go from deep and bombastic build ups to high pitched and racy as if it was scored for a heart-racing thriller instead. The beginning section has some kind of electronic music combination that seems in contrast to the picture but probably purposely so for what's to come. There are some grisly, cruel and downright evil prosthetic effects that are occasionally blended with CG. I seen this film when it came to theaters and still have some of them stuck in my head. The sets are typically cold and gray, with a utilitarian metal design in some regard and grand and futuristic in scope in others. It manages to give this a futuristic hint but not so far distanced that the cold and downcast atmosphere doesn't get through to chill one's bones in the present time.

Rating: 8.5/10

Director: Paul Anderson (Shopping, Mortal Kombat)
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Richard T. Jones, Kathleen Quinlan, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee, Joely Richardson
Link: IMDB

The Bleeding (2009)

Title refers to viewer's eyes

A big, bald, bad-accented man named Shawn Black escapes from a hospital with revenge on his mind. In his Shelby Cobra--blatant advertising of the car commercial kind--he searches for clues as to what happened to his brother who was a solider that went M.I.A. He takes out a gang of thugs only to find a man named Tagg who tells him about vampires. He explains that a king is born every 100-200 years from the soul of an esteemed warrior who died in combat. This select person will lead a troupe to devour and decimate humankind. The current king is Cain who was also last seen in Afghanistan where Black's brother was. Another chosen person known as a slayer--who happens to be Black--is destined to fight the king in an epic battle of good vs evil. Black meets a Father Roy who breaks every other rule in the good book. They partner up along with his side kick Crash to stop Cain and his neck-bitting cronies who've overtaken a town. A woman named Lena and her friend Jenny cross Black's path at Club Mortem: the place Cain uses to recruit other vampires and where a big showdown is going to ensue.

If you thought "Blade" was a little too modernized, fashionable or just exaggerated, then "The Bleeding" is going to be your worst enemy. This also shuffles around vampire mythology where blood suckers can walk by the day, get killed by silver bullets and are also taken out when you destroy their coffin. The movie tries to slap together too many styles at once without giving a chance to concentrate on a single one. At some points it gives this a quick pacing but makes it hard to take it seriously and at times comes across as unintentionally humorous. This is more action than horror, so there's going to a share of shoot outs and hand to hand combat rather than scares. This makes shows like "V.I.P." and "Walker, Texas Ranger" look polished. The lead actor Michael Matthias seems to be all look and no pay out. His lines come off as so neutral and passionless as to think he's in the wrong film if it weren't for his muscles.

The script and on top of that the direction and editing are terrible--there's no sense getting witty about it. The character motivations are all over the place. At times the dialogue doesn't even seem to check what it's saying, "A couple of years ago, back in 1982." So, 27 years ago is a couple of years ago? The actors go from over doing emotions to under doing another at the next moment. The storyline goes from being in-your-face obvious to vague and nonsensical. The lazy narration over top by the main character makes him sound like he's explaining it to someone who is slow on the upkeep, including what sounds like himself. There are flashbacks to remind you of a prior scene as if you weren't paying attention. It feels like an adult movie told to an adolescent, which robs the film of rewards for the audience. How can you possibly think this flick is cool when its mentality dumbs itself down? Random characters appear out of nowhere with no explanation as to how they got there. It makes them seem penciled in at the last moment without care or refinement. The transitions are incredibly jumpy at times, as if you can clearly see they filmed it at different points, not to mention some scenes are over emphasized for no significant reason, as if you think they're building up to something but to no avail. What's surprising is some of the people involved have been in the business a while, including the director, not to mention actors Armand Assante--who plays a bit part as a cop in the beginning--and Michael Madsen as the rule-breaking priest.

"The Bleeding" attempts to be purposely campy and like something of a live action comic book but has trouble at times from tripping over its own feet in the process to make the joke instead turn around on them. It has a share of cliches and pokes fun at a few while at it. But, man, I can take some purposely trashy pictures, such as some Troma and Herschell Gordon Lewis films, for instance, but there's a point where the audience seems to come second here. Either they're having too much fun to check back or don't care to even take the viewers seriously--I'm leaning towards the latter. Who are they hoping to sell this to? Or should I say sucker into this. This does have some amusing scenarios come and go but unfortunately with entertainment in all the wrong places.

Rating: 1/10

From Black to Red recommends instead: "From Dusk Till Dawn": This is part action film/vampire flick that is able to balance campiness, keep a steady measurement and be simultaneously entertaining while at it.

Director: Charlie Picerni
Stars: Michael Matthias, Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, Katherine von Drachenberg, Rachelle Leah, Armand Assante, DMX
Link: IMDB

51 (2011)

Hard up reporters, subservient soldiers and home sick aliens

It's that day at last, folks! The government is letting journalists on a tour of the infamous Area 51 Air Force base for the first time to dispel rumors of hidden extraterrestrials. Before being let in a Colonel Ronald Martin instructs his men that if any of the guests get to the lower levels they are instructed to shoot them, with jokes to follow since a share of them are left in the dark to what's really going on. The two renowned reporters, along with camera person and photographer, are let into the above ground Hangar 18 and are shown some fancy gadgets that are declassified just for them but still think they're hiding something else. Meanwhile, you guessed it, without even beating around the bush, there's an uprising forming with aliens that Big Brother were hiding below all along.

"51" delivers exactly what its premise suggests, though not much more for the experience that already hasn't been done in other films on the subject. In, out, forgotten--a painless delivery. This isn't exactly ponderous stuff or inventive at that, just a what if question with some action and gory violence to show for itself. The most you might get after is the question of if the government has the right to hide aliens if found or have the right to experiment on them in a callous fashion to supposedly protect ourselves from what we don't understand. For TV material, the acting is mostly consistent and adequate at giving momentum to its story even if their personalities don't have staying power or come across as award winning. Even with the B movie script they're given, this is taken somewhat seriously and by its close they come with changed outlooks from the events instead of remaining the same throughout. It tries, though still feels rushed, not fully outlined and like a demo than anything else. If this were, say, a pilot for a TV show, it wouldn't have held water since the concept only takes it so far.

The budget shows with simplistic sets and a small regiment despite guarding one of the US's most secretive military base. I mean, of course, appearance is everything--in that elite guards would send off red flags--but that's why you put elite guards in regular uniforms or possibly have another base as a backup nearby in case something goes wrong or comes under attack. Then again, this isn't "The Unit" when it comes to an engaging military strategy. They're lucky they get by here. This was surprisingly light on CGI compared to some other SyFy/Sci-Fi Channel features that have aired in the past decade. The prosthetic creature effects are still somewhat scrapped together and unabashedly shown in closeups for extended periods, so compensating is a must for a viewer. It could have used some more memorable scenarios and possibly amped up the action, as for a share of it, it tries to get by only with what little it has stretched out--that includes running around possibly the same reused hallways. Some tension is attempted with various issues arising, such as a self-destruct timer ticking down and an alien called patient zero potentially escaping into the population. Three varieties of alien species are shown: cooperative, monstrous killer and chameleon. This frames two teams, with one on the upper floors guarding in case anything escapes and one roaming the bottom levels with the reporters who are both documenting and fighting the enemy as well to get out alive.

As a horror film, it provides no scares--you can't help but notice the similarities that fall short of "Alien" with drippy mouths and strange noises yet without the tension and anticipation--and the blood shed is treated like it comes with the territory rather than building up to it or actually making it cringe worthy. As a science fiction piece it feels undeveloped compared to what's come before it, especially since the history of Area 51 is only briefly taped into, just the current goings on of the secret facility. As social commentary, it doesn't always carry a dual meaning, except to say that possibly one person can make a difference or not to just blindly hide or blindly take orders. The subtext drives at bringing the truth to the light, but, then again, it's about something that does or doesn't exist, so even then it can be taken with a grain of salt. I'd imagine it still got some triumphant high fives from conspiracy theorists around the country who managed to get away from their computers and "X-Files" DVD collections.

Rating: 3.5/10

Director: Jason Connery (The Devil's Tomb, Pandemic)
Stars: Bruce Boxleitner, Rachel Miner, Jason London, Vanessa Branch, John Shea
Link: IMDB

Punisher: War Zone (2008)

Crime pays...with a fist to the face

This is still a frustrating experience to when I first seen this in a nearly vacant theater in the month of December while everyone else was watching warm holiday features. "The Punisher" from '04 took a simple approach and had its sights on pre-CGI films and flashy editing techniques, which I thought worked for what it was. I'm also a fan of gory action films like "The Machine Girl" and "Tokyo Gore Police" that came out earlier in 2008. Whatever it is that's put in front of me I'll judge it accordingly since I'm a fan of films in general. I'm all for what this movie is about, but I still can't excuse the final result. "Punisher: War Zone" took far too many liberties with what it wanted to ambitiously do and it doesn't always feel grounded as a result. Flashy, loud, crude--if it pertains to being excessive, you can count on it to deliver in that mindset, which had potential to be a thoroughly entertaining experience for not holding back and letting loose, but it doesn't always clean up the party wagon that it left behind.

Frank Castle, aka "The Punisher," takes out known criminals that continue to beat the rap sheet of the justice system. He brutally kills the head of the Cesare crime syndicate along with the raspy voiced man's family and most of his henchmen during a dinner party, which leaves Billy Russoti and later his brother Loony Bin Jim to move up the crime ladder with their former boss out of the way. Castle shows up at Billy the Beaut's hideout to finish the job but gets cut short--which makes the thug rise out of the rubble as not a phoenix but a worn catcher's mitt--when the FBI is already there doing a sting operation and he accidentally shoots an undercover agent. It throws a bolt in the machinery of his unorthodox system when the government is actually doing their job and Castle wants to call it quits. Big Brother sends a man over to look into The Punisher's practices when a share of the police look the other way.

Agent Budiansky gets partnered up in the basement on the Punisher Task Force. The actor portraying Budiansky feels so out of place with look and performance, it's as if his character motivation was to just stand there excessively tall and read lines without prep or accommodation to tailor the part to himself. It reminded me of "They Live," due to a particular big-dude-vs-big-dude fight scene, but the rest of the performance fell to the wayside. The head guy--and formerly "only" guy--in charge of the Punisher Task Force named Soap was made out to be strange and eccentric as he works by himself on something no one else takes seriously, but doesn't match with an almost positive, nice-guy, somewhat street un-wise quirkiness to the cold and gritty atmosphere. The Punisher wants to get out of the city but sticks around one last time as the FBI agent who got killed by Castle, Donatelli, has a wife and daughter that he has to protect from the two sadistic Russoti brothers. Budiansky gets in the way but realizes The Punisher is on to something after all, as the Russoti brothers keep on finding different ways to rule the city with their terror.

The dialogue here isn't too far off from what Marvel Comics typically had in their captions, apart from the profanities. Though movies are still another medium and should be translated as such to accommodate the new format because a lot of those lines look much better on paper surrounded by more picture than words for the imagination to fill in the blanks. The art direction and atmosphere comes alive as you finally get to see a three dimensional scope of the city that The Punisher does his, well, punishing. Out of all of the characters, Ray Stevenson fits the part with a crude but comely look and readable expressions on his face. Also Julie Benz does an adequate job even with what little she's given. Instead of being a wise-crackin' antihero who always knows his next move, Frank Castle is a loner who's guns speak more words than his mouth and comes with emotional turmoil that drives him on from an incident years earlier. That portion is still kept fairly simple as this is more concerned with style, physicalities and action than the narrative that trails behind. Towards the end he gets a few more lines in to which should have been left silent as they're downright cringe worthy. The one odd thing that doesn't transition too well is him running around in the open in the streets with full gear on just seemed less cinematic than when he's going from rooftop to rooftop or if he had an actual vehicle.

Other than Punisher, it seemed like the performances and line delivery were farther down on the list of priorities to nail down and it makes you wonder if anyone took it seriously on set or were just told to go for broke and stepped over when more fun got in the way of measurement. Either way, it makes the experience distracting. Performances shouldn't always be an issue with these off-kilter genre films as they're usually more about the action and here grit and violence than pulling off something dramatically poetic. But this just felt all over the place and it didn't cohesively come together in the overall experience. I mean "Dick Tracy" had the crime angle with its share of cliches and exaggerated characters but still came together as out of place as any one of them would have been apart from the film--it essentially made you forget that the outside world exists.

This film has some of the worst accents from this many characters I've heard as a whole since watching "The Sicilian." There are so many misplaced ones going on it makes you wonder if they did it on purpose, but then to "what" purpose? You get cartoonish New York mob men that sound like they grew up in all different neighborhoods, an Irish sounding Rasta and even a hokey "The Godfather" impersonation. The humor feels in such contrast to the dark and dirty settings; it's as if they built all these deplorable sets only to fool about when filming on them. The mechanics can go from flashy and stylish to an attempt at trying to be realistically savage and gritty without always connecting the transmission in between; which makes you think they just borrowed mechanics from other films instead of working up from scratch on their own. The gun fights are all over the place with consistency: sometimes dead accurate, other times you think the guys are blind when the target is right in front, even with two guns in hand or high powered weapons.

Ray Stevenson's portrayal, the violence and the art direction are about the only things to see here that worked towards smooth transitions without having to call foul. This is bloody and I don't say that lightly. There are stabbings through every other soft and hard placing on the body that you can imagine and gun shot wounds that show all of the gory bits--unfortunately in CGI at times. Some might be put off by it since there isn't always a solid reason in the moment or build up to it, then again, it translated how much rage is boiling inside our comic book friend and then sends a bloody message that what they're doing isn't to be tolerated. A slap on the wrist gets turned over to an expensive lawyer. That's probably why, for instance, Lex Luther and The Joker keep showing back up as pesky villains because other superheroes get caught up by their own moralistic rules, whereas The Punisher is a self-admitted walking contradiction who visits the church no less. This has dark, cold and dirty sets to show that greed and corruption is everywhere you turn. There is a share of panning to get a lay of the tenebrous and dank land that needs more than a couple of street sweepers, paint jobs and repaving to clean up. There are cool lighting effects that project neons of the city that give a strange contrast. Though what's so frustrating, is it's a shame that the rest frequently missed the mark.

Rating: 4.5/10

Director: Lexi Alexander (Fool Proof, Green Street Hooligans)
Stars: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Doug Hutchison, Colin Salmon, Wayne Knight, Julie Benz, Mark Camacho, Keram Malicki-Sanchez
Link: IMDB