Reviews by BAMF

Initial Thought: The premise here caught my attention. It's not necessarily original or anything. It just sounded like a fun take on the idea. I'm hearing a lot of mixed feelings about it though. Most people aren't liking it. Some say it's very slow and boring. While others say it's pretty intense in some areas. So I had to check for myself.

Characters/Acting: The casting here is pretty interesting. I don't think I've seen Ed Skrein play a villain yet so that should be interesting. I'm also not a huge Kaya Scodelario fan like a lot of people these days. I just kind of find her slightly above average. Good ole Dougray Scott is here most likely playing the lead robber. I mean it's surely not often he is anything other than evil. I really liked his character here to be honest simply for the personality he gives. Ed Skrein is an interesting villain type. It kind of reminds me of a mixture of some others I can't quite think of at the moment. Kaya puts on a decent performance, but she is definitely not the most interesting character of the film.

Story: An injured gymnast must defend her boyfriend's house from a gang of armed robbers. It's a fairly simple plot, but I'm hoping everything plays out rather intensely. Well with a beginning like that how can you be bored? It's kind of slow moving, but it manages to keep you invested. I kept wondering what would happen next. There were a few things that were a bit cliched and expected, but it did have some originality to it. Wish the death scenes were a bit more interesting. Here they were pretty casual and tame. That was a pretty nice little twist at the end.

Directing/Writing: This is the only film from director Thomas Daley. As for writer Simon Lewis he has a couple other films under his belt included The Anomaly (as one I've heard of).

Final Thought: It was a fairly good one time watch. The characters were interesting. There was a nice tension throughout the whole thing. It may not be for everyone though. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't all that brutal either. I say give it a shot. It's far from bad.

Initial Thought: I like these recent retro style horror films. They are usually pretty funny and rather enjoyable. What pulled me in for this one though is the several actors who were on Degrassi. Yes I am a huge Degrassi geek. Plus you have veteran Robert Patrick.

Characters/Acting: It's going to be interesting to see how the several Degrassi actors are in something else. Let alone have them be in an 80s style teen slasher film. Plus it helps to have a legend like Robert Patrick included as I stated before. The whole group of teens here are quite interesting and pretty well portrayed. Tobe, Sean, Wesley, and Marilyn are my favorites of the group though. Justin Kelly seems to be portraying a lot of jocks lately.

Story: In this clever homage to 80's slasher films, a group of teenagers looking to party get stranded when their ride breaks down, and end up being stalked by a cannibalistic killer. It's pretty much the typical story for these kinds of films which is the fun I'm looking for in something like this. It takes about half the movie before things finally get intense. Some of the deaths were quite unexpected and bring an original flare. There are some great twists and turns rather than the typical 80s cliches. Honestly though it takes place in the 80s, but it still feels somewhat of this decade. The ending was pretty good and reminds me of the freeze frame endings from stuff like Friday the 13th. There is an extra little scene at the end of the credits, but if missing it won't really affect anything.

Directing/Writing: This is the only film to be written or directed by Ian Kessner. Bo Ransdell who cowrites this only has one other credit which is a movie about a princess. That's an interesting choice for a horror switch. I think this duo had fun with this story. They definitely paid attention to what made the 80s enjoyable while still making it their own style.

Final Thoughts: I think this is a highly underrated hidden gem. It's in the style of the 80s, but it plays by its own rules. This really didn't disappoint me. I would watch it again for sure.

Initial Thought: Contracted was such an awesome underrated film. The premise was fresh and original. The way it ended made me hopeful for a sequel. When it was announced I was so excited. I was even more so when I saw the trailer. Now I'm checking it out finally. I'm so hyped.

Characters/Acting: We have the main actors returning here like Matt Mercer who played the friend. Samantha and Alice both return as well. Even Sam's mom is here. They all are here to some extent. I didn't know the writer of the Final Destination series was an actor. He is here too, but I assume as an unnoticeable background character. I enjoyed Riley as the main character here. His love interest was pretty sweet too. The detective seemed a bit odd given her thick accent that didn't match to the locale.

Story: Riley searches for a cure to the virus that took over Samantha before it consumes him and the entire world. Which means this started pretty much where the first one ended. I like that this time around we see the effects it has on a male character. It certainly takes its time with the process of Riley's infection. There is a scene that reminds me a bit of Dead Alive. I think the whole thing with "Patient Zero" or whatever shouldn't have been explored too much. It's better to keep the shroud of mystery. I mean the reason is pretty cheesy. Other than that gripe I quite enjoyed this. I enjoyed that they put in more infected throughout here. The ending seemed a bit odd and at the same time kind of funny. There is a scene midway through the credits. It leaves hope for a third one and makes things a bit more mysterious again.

Directing/Writing: The unfortunate thing here is that both the writer and director of the original aren't here. I'm hoping they still shared their ideas with the new crew who have really done no other films. Although unknown I thought they did a fine justice with this sequel. They could have tweaked some things though. Other than that I respect them for making a fun sequel that didn't destroy the original.

Final Thoughts: This was still pretty awesome, but the original is certainly better. The whole thing with the guy who started the infection in the first one could have been taken out or altered. If you liked Contracted you will still like this one. Don't watch though if you have a weak stomach for disturbing imagery.

Initial Thought: From the trailer I thought it looked like a fun and interesting idea. I usually get a kick out of science fiction stories. I haven't really heard anything good about it though unfortunately. One of my managers kept telling me not to see it. I decided to see for myself if it really is all that bad.

Characters/Acting: It has a pretty excellent cast with Ben Kingsley, Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Goode, and Victor Garber. Ben Kingsley is excellent here even if he is barely in the film. Ryan Reynolds is fun to watch as usual in my opinion. I simply adored Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen who plays the daughter. Matthew Goode always chooses such interesting villains.

Story: A dying real estate mogul transfers his consciousness into a healthy young body, but soon finds that neither the procedure nor the company that performed it are quite what they seem. It's got elements that remind me of Source Code and Total Recall. The concept is neat and interesting. The whole thing does end up feeling a bit cliche. It's not necessarily bad, but it could have done something new with its concept. There are so many twists and turns throughout the entire thing. I absolutely loved the ending. It was a bit predictable, but the way everything plays out was still enjoyable.

Directing/Writing: So this is directed by Tarsem Singh. I really enjoyed Immortals. Cell and Mirror Mirror were watchable, but nowhere near what I was hoping they would be. From the Pastor brothers I have only seen Carriers. That was definitely an enjoyable watch for me. So I don't see how this could really be that bad.

Final Thought: I went in expecting some crapfest. What I got I found rather enjoyable. I was entertained from start to finish. So what it seems like a mash up of ideas and cliches. It still kept my attention until the credits. It's certainly not the best thing ever, but it was from bad in my opinion. I think it's a good one time watch.

Initial Thought: I didn't know anything about this until it showed up at a film festival at my theater. I didn't have a chance to watch it though. I heard it was quite similar to Mad Max, but it was with bicycles. With addition of legendary bad guy actor Michael Ironside and Degrassi alumni Munro Chambers I was hooked. I had to see it ASAP. So now it's finally out and I get my chance.

Characters/Acting: I'm here for Munro Chambers and Michael Ironside like I stated above. I'm sure the other actors here will keep my attention here as well. The character designs and costumes are pretty freaking awesome. So Munro Chambers in a gore fest action in a post apocalyptic world is vastly different than a student at Degrassi. He is absolutely fun here as a hero too. I see a bright future for him as an actor if he keeps this up. As usual Michael Ironside is a force to be reckoned with. You can't go wrong with casting him in a villainous role no matter his age. Laurence Leboeuf whom I've never heard of before this is absolutely stunning. She definitely stole the scene whenever she was on-screen. Skeletron, Frederic, and Bagu also added to the story quite well. I was very impressed by all the characters here.

Story: In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a comic book fan dons the persona of his favourite hero to save his enthusiastic friend and fight a tyrannical overlord. It's in the style of the 80s and takes place in the late 90s. The gore here is fun and plenty. The fight scenes are hilarious and at the same time pretty badass. The story overall is fun and humorous. There is never a boring or throwaway moment here. I liked that they ended this differently than the short it came from. It does take some certain things from it.

Directing/Writing: The trio of writers/directors who filmed the short for entry into ABC's of Death (didn't make the cut unfortunately) return to direct the feature length version. Besides these two pieces of work they haven't done anything. I hope these three continue to make fun films like this.

Final Thought: I always enjoy a nice original take on post apocalyptic stories. This is no different. It pulls you in from the beginning with humor and ridiculous yet enjoyable action/gore sequences. You could tell the actors really enjoyed their time making this film. If you haven't seen this yet I certainly implore you to do so. If you have a sense of humor and don't mind gore it's totally worth it.

Initial Thought: I loved Despicable Me. The second one was a huge let down in my opinion. It felt more like a television episode. I have always adored the Minions though. So when the trailer came out I was a bit excited. So I'm about to be in my late 20s. I will always enjoy cartoons if done with good humor. Let's just hope this is better than Despicable Me 2.

Characters/Acting: We get of course our Minions and the guy who does the voices as well as people who have done voices in the previous films. We also get a few new additions like Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, and Michael Keaton. It's nice to see Michael Keaton making a bit of a comeback lately. One thing that's a bit difficult is making a movie where the main characters barely ever say a word in English. I thought Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm made pretty fun and goofy villains. I was more so surprised with Sandra Bullock as she pulled it off quite well.

Story: Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world. It's a fairly simple plot that seems like it will rely heavily on the humor aspect of the film. The beginning sequence was pretty fun to see all the different bosses they had and watching them become the minions we know. There are some elements of dark humor here that seems likely to be noticed by children. I laughed a couple of times. I always like seeing a film with villains instead of the usual heroes. I liked the pop culture references that were thrown in here and there. There are scenes during and after the credits.

Directing/Writing: So it seems the Pierre Coffin of the first films is returning here along with Kyle Balda for this film. Kyle Balda helmed many of the Minions shorts as well as his Lorax film. Brian Lynch did a decent job writing the spin off Puss in Boots from the Shrek films. Hop however was not so lucky being an original idea. I guess he is only good with preexisting ideas.

Final Thought: This was better than the second for sure. It was funny and actually felt like a movie. It was a nice film that is as much for kids as it is for adults even with some of the dark humor. The only thing is you almost always wonder what it is they actually say. It's worth a watch if you have kids or like a fun cartoon.

Initial Thought: I never saw a trailer for this, but I did read the plot from my movie theater for the movies we play. This one sounded really intriguing. It also helped that basically everyone who saw it was absolutely astonished by it.

Characters/Acting: Most of the people here are German actors I've never heard of or seen. Nina Hoss is the only one I've seen before. Her performance here is captivating. You can still sense the haunting of the camps while she tries to return to a normal life. Ronald Zehrfeld who plays Johnny her husband is really great too. I found it really hard to like him as a person though. He just had this aura around him I didn't like. All the other side characters didn't really add all too much to the story except for maybe her best friend Lene. She had a pretty vital role in the story. She was also very haunted, but she seemed to be much more pulled together than Nelly. Anyways everyone performed here so flawlessly.

Story: A disfigured concentration-camp survivor, unrecognizable after facial reconstruction surgery, searches ravaged postwar Berlin for the husband who might have betrayed her to the Nazis. From the get go this movie pulls you in as Nelly and her friend are stopped at a barricade. After being extremely timid trying to get the nerve to get to her husband he comes to her. He doesn't recognize her of course. He asks to train her to become his wife. That in it's own doesn't seem to make a likable person. Anyways it is so strange that he has no idea who she is all this time hearing her voice or anything. It never feels too slow, but once it ends you felt like you haven't sat there too long. Oh man the ending was just absolutely wonderful.

Directing/Writing: I should have known this was based on a novel. That's deal these days I suppose. This is the first film I've seen of writer/director Christian Petzold. With this magnificent film I may just check out his other films as well. This is also the first time for writer Harun Farocki who has done some films with Petzold. So they are obviously a good team together.

Final Thought: This was such an excellently captured story. It was mesmerizing and at times even haunting. The performances were stellar. The characters were memorable. It kept you watching to see how everything would play out. I definitely recommend checking this out if it's playing near you. You will not be disappointed in it at all.

Initial Thought: I honestly didn't know what to think about this movie. It looked pretty weird and the animation was looking kind of bleh. Also it didn't help that Kristen Wiig played a part here. Anyways we have had it at our theater for a couple weeks so I decided to just go ahead and watch it.

Characters/Acting: I really only had interest in this because Alexander Skarsgard is in it. He didn't disappoint me at all here either. Kristen Wiig was boring as usual for me and when she said the line about her being a piece when she was young just made me laugh. I don't know why but Bel Powley has this attractiveness to her even though she is also quite awkward looking. Her performance here was definitely of the more positive experiences of the movie.

Story: Lonely and artistic, Minnie chronicles her trials through expressive drawings and painfully honest missives confided to a tape recorder. One fateful evening alone with her mother's boyfriend, Minnie is confronted with her burgeoning sexuality for the first time, and suddenly this precocious teen is in way over her head. It's odd how very sexually graphic this movie is. I remember the commercials saying that it doesn't exploit her sexuality. I honestly think that it very much did exploit it. There are numerous graphic sex scenes involving her throughout the movie. It didn't bother me really, but I sure wasn't expecting it. It shared a lot of similarities with the Nymphomaniac films, but by no means as graphic as those films. The artwork was a mixture of really odd and terrible drawings to actually being quite creative. It had some pretty good moments. I didn't really laugh here, but there were scenes people in the theater laughed at that I honestly didn't see the humor of. The ending was pretty good though. It made up for the good chunk of a simple coming of age sex romp.

Directing/Writing: I never heard of Phoebe Gloeckner or read any of her stuff. I do know that the book she wrote is actually a bit more disturbed than the movie went. This is the first film that Marielle Heller wrote and directed. She is fairly decent, but I think she really needs to work on her storytelling aspect.

Final Thought: It was a decent one time watch. I wasn't expecting anything great or horrible. It was pretty much as I expected it would be. It has its moments. It also has its cons. I honestly didn't think this had anything new to offer the world. It's sort of just there. If you do choose to watch this just don't do so with your kids. It would just be really awkward seeing as it seems it should be directed towards them.

Initial Thought: When I saw the trailer I knew this would be something I wanted to see. It kind of reminds me of the likes of Pineapple Express meets The Bourne films. It also felt like an original take on something that could have very easily have been cliched. So when my theater got it I watched it that very day.

Characters/Acting: I always enjoy Jesse Eisenberg on film. He has this certain charisma about him even if it seems his characters are pretty similar. Here I just couldn't help but think that he actually had the ability to pull off the badass persona. Besides a stoner Jason Bourne type of guy I also felt a few similarities to Riddick. The biggest surprise for me was Kristen Stewart who I have pretty much despised from the start. Here I absolutely adored her and might have even developed a crush. She showed great emotion here and has finally surpassed the lame interchangeable stares she is known for. It's good to see Bill Pullman is still in the game. It's too bad he didn't really do that much here. John Leguizamo's character was great and as usual he had excellent comedic timing. Topher Grace as a villain always feels weird. He just feels way to geeky in such roles. It didn't work in Spider-Man 3 or Predators and it still doesn't feel right here. It doesn't take away from the movie though. I think that's what they were trying to go with here. Connie Britton was alright, but she didn't really have my attention like everyone else here. Oh man I loved Walton Goggins here. His character was extremely interesting and even in a way heartbreaking. The other assassins were all pretty cool too. It's cool to see Michael Papajohn actually getting a noticeable role instead of background characters or very brief uncredited parts. My only real fret here is there should have been more Bill Pullman.

Story: A stoner, who happens to be a sleeper cell agent, is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he's too well-trained and too high for them to handle. The action here was brutal, gory, and intense. I honestly wasn't expecting to see as much blood as I did here. That's a good thing though because it just makes everything more badass. There are several laugh out loud moments. The ending was great and leaves me hopeful for a possible sequel. It will surely take on a different style than this one though. The animation is pretty interesting and if you like that you should stay until that ends. It's just a plain action thrill ride with humor and great performances to keep you attached until the end.

Directing/Writing: Nima Nourizadeh only directed Project X before this. So in my opinion this guy has yet to do a film I didn't absolutely love. The same goes for Max Landis who wrote Chronicle. These guys really made a perfect team here. The written humor was directed effortlessly. The action was perfect even with the awkward way that Jesse Eisenberg is built. I hope these two continue on the path they are going. Hopefully neither end up going the path of M. Night Shyamalan.

Final Thought: I thought this was smartly acted and well made. I had a feeling I would like it, but I didn't expect I would like it as much as I did. It's a whole lot of fun and doesn't hold back too much on brutality. If you have a weak stomach I wouldn't really recommend this one though. If you can handle it though I would definitely say check this one out ASAP.

Initial Thought: Night of the Living Dead was my introduction to zombies. Of course it was. From then on I have loved them endlessly. I will watching anything with zombies in it. So I had bought a DVD with the final three Return of the Living Dead films, the last two of the Reanimator trilogy, and this. So I decided to watch this one first.

Characters/Acting: So Sid Haig is the only recognizable face and name for me. The other people I was familiar with were more by the movies I've seen them in. Good lord the acting here was dreadful! Sure Barbara was kind of lame in the original, but in the first remake the made her better. Here she went back to lame as hell again. Johnny didn't even do the infamous line! That pissed me off that he sort of texted it to her in a way. It was lame. Owen was the most annoying pothead ever. He was just plain boring. Where the hell is the correct Ben. Being white really made him an ordinary dude I couldn't care less for. Sid Haig even sucked here. I think the only people I actually liked here were the daughter and father. They were both still kind of obnoxious, but way less than the rest of the characters.

Story: Both an homage to and a re-imagining of the original 1968 film, this update follows a group of survivors trapped in a farmhouse battling a siege of undead zombies! This was a horrible homage! The only part I liked was when they showed them playing Night of the Living Dead on the TV. Other than that this was pure low budget garbage. The zombies really sucked here. The makeup effects looked more like paint than anything gross. They dumped some nudity into this that wasn't even good enough for this to be any more likable. The twist was so stupid and completely unnecessary. The ending was pathetic as well. I just really despised a lot of things here.

Directing/Writing: Jeff Broadstreet and Robert Valding ruined George A. Romero and John A. Russo's classic zombie film. If you pay homage to something please don't shit on it. It looks as if they tried again with a sequel and still failed. I will end up watching it for the Andrew Divoff, but I will not be expecting much from these losers.

Final Thought: This was complete garbage. The acting sucked. The characters were boring and lame. The effects were pathetic. The zombies were unimpressive. It was just a waste of time. I don't understand how a legend like Romero could let someone butcher his idea like this. Do yourself a favor and let it collect dust in the bargain bin. It isn't worth a penny!