Reviews by BAMF

Initial Thought: I enjoyed the first film so I decided to go ahead and watch the second one as well. It seems to follow the same formula. Hopefully the twist is as good and/or unpredictable.

Characters/Acting: It has quite a few more people I recognize than in the previous installment. Also Hyeon-sang Kwon returns here as a new character. For the smartest people in the school a lot of these kids are disrespectful and don't take things too seriously. I honestly didn't find a character that I particularly liked.

Story: A group of high school students and teachers who get locked in the school after the swimming instructor is murdered. It almost sounds exactly like the first one with the only change being a teacher murdered not a student. It doesn't start as strangely as the previous film does. It takes a bit longer for things to pick up this time around. The twist is revealed a lot sooner. I thought it was fairly interesting. The death scenes are much better than the original. I didn't really like the way this one ended. It seemed out of place with the rest of the story.

Directing/Writing: It's a shame Chang didn't return to direct. We have a completely new director that doesn't seem to have any other credits to his name besides this. A stranger thing even is that there is no writer credited for this. I like the mixture of English thrown into the dialogue. The extra title Bloody Camp has pretty much nothing to do with the movie. As to why they added it makes really no sense.

Final Thought: Besides the death scenes this was pretty mediocre. The mysterious qualities weren't quite as entertaining here. The ending felt like it belonged in another film. It's only a one time watch for me. Even as it's own movie it's only alright.

Initial Thought: I felt like watch something different and crazy. What better way to do that than watching an Asian film. They always know how to make things intense without the restrictions of Hollywood.

Characters/Acting: I haven't seen anything from this group of actors, but I am kind of familiar with Bum Kim. He plays one of the main characters and is probably my favorite. The only other character I liked was the lead male teacher. All the other students were just okay. They all make a lot of extremely dumb decisions.

Story: 20 Students must take an exam that requires them to answer a series of questions to seal the fates of others. It starts out much stranger than I had expected. It definitely got my interest though. It kind of elements thrown into the mix. It's a bit hard to focus since everything jumps around in such a strange edit. Half of the twist I wasn't expecting. The other half that I had figured out was still executed quite well. The ending was crazy.

Directing/Writing: I haven't seen anything from either the director or the writer. They only have a few credits between them. They didn't even work on the sequel. For a first time director I thought Chang did pretty well. He did have some weird editing habits throughout, but otherwise it's a fairly solid film.

Final Thought: This was actually quite enjoyable. The mystery of the whole thing is fun to figure out. The characters aren't fantastic, but they are still enjoyable. I always find Asian horror to be one of the most entertaining. In that it did not fail. If you like a good foreign horror film I say give this a shot.

Initial Thought: It took sixteen years for this to be released. At least I didn't have a gap between these last two like I did between the first two. It's a shame it didn't do as well as the first two. Anyways it's still considered good. I hope it offers something enjoyable for me.

Characters/Acting: Most of the cast once again returns. It's too bad Robert Duvall couldn't be a part of this one. He was one of the best characters of the first two. Andy Garcia is a welcome new addition though. I liked that there were people who returned from the first film although I don't quite remember them all. The interactions between some of the characters seems a bit artificial. They almost come off as cartoonish. Sophia Coppola like Nicolas Cage should not be on screen. At least she has the skills behind the camera. A few characters seemed kind of pointless or just faded away. Al Pacino was amazing as expected. I felt Andy Garcia could have done better. At first he came off as a bit amateurish then he started to mature throughout which was good.

Story: In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to vow for his sins while taking a young protégé under his wing. So far this doesn't carry the same charisma as its predecessors. The best scenes here were the helicopter scene and the stuff near the end. Even though it was a fairly long movie it still had a sense of rush to it. Mary's death was more silly than tragic and impactful. I didn't really like the ending all that much. It kind of lowered the quality of the movie as a whole.

Directing/Writing: Most of the time these days you don't see trilogies helmed by the same director and writer. A lot of the time directors leave or writers leave. Anyways it's good to see that both of them stuck around for this part. I think it didn't end up as well as hoped due to time constraints. The writing was okay, but I think with more time it really could have been on the same level as the first two.

Final Thought: This was a good film sure. It did lack the magic of the first two films though. I don't think it was the right ending for the whole series. As it's own movie it was alright. Anyways as for recommending it I say go ahead. The most irritating thing about it though is Sofia Coppola. Her acting just craps on the film in it's entirety. Other than that it's a decent watch.

Initial Thought: It took me several years to get this series started. At least it's only taken me two since starting the series. These are some long films that you have to make time for. It's hard to sit for about four hours to watch things. That's one of the reasons I don't watch as many shows as I do movies. Anyways it's about time I caught up with this series.

Characters/Acting: A lot of the same surviving characters return again here. There are also a few new additions. Also Robert De Niro takes over for Marlon Brando. It was really hard to understand Michael V. Gazzo with his rough voice and accent. Everyone here gives such great performances. Robert De Niro's Vito definitely deserved the Oscar. I would have liked more of John Cazale though. I really liked getting a more in depth look at some of the characters.

Story: The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba. It's start straight to the point. I liked seeing how Vito Corleone came to be such a powerhouse. There were some nice twists and turns. For an almost three and a half hour film this doesn't really drag. It throws in action and suspense into it's story driven plot. I thought the atmosphere of the whole thing was pretty dark and brooding. There were a few points that I felt I missed something, but I could be wrong. The ending was pretty emotional to my surprise.

Directing/Writing: It's Francis Ford Coppola if you aren't familiar with him you are a lost cause. Even before watching his films I had heard his name constantly. Even Mario Puzo who helms the script has several well known films. So with this in mind and how praised this film is I know I made a smart choice. The writing here is just superb. I mean when you have such talent you would expect great things. This could very well be a movie of it's own rights, but they made a fitting sequel. They do excellent work.

Final Thought: This was a really great classic follow up to a classic film. There are some truly great moments throughout the whole thing. Everyone here gives stellar performances. If you haven't seen this yet then you should do like me and get it done. It's very much worth the time.

Initial Thought: It took me awhile to find this one. I have seen every other Fright Night film. I just couldn't seem to find this one before. Now I can finally check this one out. I'm hoping it isn't as horrible as the remake's sequel was.

Characters/Acting: At least the main characters return to reprise their roles unlike the remake where everyone got recast. It also has a few people that I still see quite often in the industry today. Even having the same cast doesn't save this from being a pretty lame watch. The acting from the vampire lackeys is horrible. I have to say at least Julie Carmen kept me watching. She can seduce me anytime haha.

Story: Charlie Brewster and Peter Vincent from the original Fright Night must face more vampires out for revenge. I don't like it when movies start with a recap of parts of the previous film or films. It seems a bit silly in my opinion. The death scenes here really sucked. It tries way too hard to add the comedy like the original. It comes off as a bit ludicrous here. The ending was pathetic.

Directing/Writing: Oh here we have Tommy Lee Wallace again taking on a popular film's sequel as both director and co-writer. He is joined by Tim Metcalfe who goes back and forth between comedies and horror. He has written quite a few well known films like Revenge of the Nerds and The Haunting in Connecticut. The same goes for Miguel Tejada-Flores who even wrote Lion King! The writing here was at times pretty bad which made the acting even worse.

Final Thought: This is nowhere near the same level as the original. I was really disappointed with this. It should have been so much better than it was. The original and the remake are great, but their sequels should be avoided. Hot female vampire leaders do not make them worth it.

Initial Thought: The trailer for this looked really intriguing. It's always sad when someone is killed due to gang violence. I thought I would check it out for the cast. I also always enjoy a good female driven revenge film.

Characters/Acting: The cast here is a bit of a mixed bag of unexpectedness. Jennifer Lopez playing a badass is unexpected. It will be interesting to see how she pulls it off. Viola Davis is pretty much amazing in everything so I don't question her here. Aml Ameen is a pleasure to see as well. The acting here is just excellent. Even J-Lo plays here part quite well. I really like these two together. I thought their chemistry was unexpectedly great.

Story: Two distraught mothers, whose children were gunned down in a drive-by, team up to avenge their deaths after local authorities fail to take action. I keep having this feeling that there will be a twist like Fight Club. Hopefully I am just imagining things though. There was one twist I absolutely didn't expect and was actually pretty well written. Well it looks like I was right about the one twist. That's a bit disappointing seeing as I could tell it from the trailer. It's just a bit way too obvious. The ending was sweet.

Directing/Writing: I have only ever seen Drumline by Charles Stone III and that was a decent watch. Not really all that special though to be honest. This is the first work from Pat Gilfillan. So with a new writer it should be interesting to what happens. The writing concerning the big twist was a bit amateur Who Am I and Fight Club did it better. The rest of the writing though was pretty good.

Final Thought: It's a fairly entertaining watch. The idea just didn't wow me. The writing is at fault here though. The performances themselves were what made this as enjoyable as it was. It's good for a one time watch if you like the actors. Otherwise you can give it a pass and not really miss anything.

Initial Thought: I was a little skeptical about this when I first heard it would be made. I wondered how they could make a good feature length film about a man who can shrink. When the trailer came out it had me more interested. It looked like fun. Yesterday I was invited to an early showing at midnight so I went and watched it.

Characters/Acting: This has a pretty interesting cast. I never would have thought Paul Rudd could pull off a superhero let alone Ant-Man. To my surprise he fit right in. His comedic timing fit perfectly in the role of Scott Lang. He even showed he can pull off the action lead persona. Michael Douglas never disappoints in my opinion. The same applies for him here as well. He plays a great Hank Pym. Corey Stoll as Yellowjacket was awesome. For a first movie villain I think he is one of the better ones. The three thief buddies of Scott Lang were the perfect mixed bag. We have Michael Pena who is absolutely hysterical here especially whenever he explains how he comes up with jobs. There is also T.I. who is pretty damn funny here too. I have seen him in some comedies, but this is by far his funniest role. The hacker guy also has some funny lines. Now I'm not really on the Evangeline Lilly train. I usually find her a bit average to be honest. I did think she played here quite well though. Scott's daughter is so adorable and funny. She is a young one and still fits right in here. The cameos here were pretty great and some were even unexpected. In full there just aren't any characters here that were bad.

Story: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. This concept is interesting for a superhero movie. When you think of heists you usually think of spy films or movies about criminals. This takes that to a new level. It's all three meshed together. The action is both pretty awesome and quite humorous at the same time. I loved the fight scenes where they are ant-sized because they would show from both perspectives. Seeing them large scale always made it humorously less intense than how the characters felt about their battles. The ending was pretty funny and just awesome. Obviously when you watch a Marvel there are credits scenes. This one has two. One is midway and that made me geek out a little inside. The final one is also really cool to see. They are both definitely worth seeing.

Directing/Writing: When I heard Edgar Wright was directing I was ecstatic. He was going to be an awesome and funny watch. It was a bit disappointing when he ended up dropping off as director. The writing though you can tell has a bit of his style in there. So I was glad he was still credited as one of the screenwriters. Three other people worked on the script as well even including Paul Rudd. He has only written Role Models besides this which was a really funny movie. Joe Cornish also wrote and directed the popular British alien invasion movie Attack on the Block. That was a wicked awesome movie in my opinion. Wow Adam McKay was part of the writing group here! That's a surprise seeing as I usually despise everything he works on since they almost always include Will Ferrell. Good on him for attributing to something I actually enjoyed. I see to always enjoy the directing capabilities of Peyton Reed. His movies are always quite funny and fun to watch. I mean I really liked Yes Man and Bring It On. Anyways all this talent working together really paid off. I don't know how much of it everyone had contributed to it, but for so many writers it went rather nicely.

Final Thought: That was freaking fantastic. The acting was on point. The characters were fun to watch and had good chemistry. The action was an unexpected blast to watch. There is never a dull moment even when there is no action going on. If you are a Marvel fan and felt skeptical about this don't be. It's quite refreshing and really proves itself to belong in the cinematic universe. I highly recommend going to see this one ASAP.

Initial Thought: I actually watched some of this awhile back. I'm not sure where I stopped at so I decided to go ahead and rewatch the whole thing. From what I saw it was a pretty fun and intense watch.

Characters/Acting: This has quite a well to do cast for an under the radar film. It even has actors I wondered about like Sean Faris. The acting is quite good, but how could it not be with Forest Whitaker or Stephen Lang in it. All the characters are really interesting.

Story: A petty robbery spirals into a tense hostage situation after three gunmen hold up a diner that's a front for the mob. The twists and turns here are awesome. The action moments are unexpected and brutal at times. So much stuff happens here and it's all done quite fluidly. The ending was pretty good.

Directing/Writing: David A. Armstrong hasn't done any films besides this to my knowledge. With what I've seen of this so far he really should make more. I will be looking out for him in the future. Jay Anthony White has only wrote one film 6 years before this called Project 313, but it wasn't as well received by any means. Anyways hopefully these guys can continue with this level of entertainment.

Final Thought: This was definitely a hidden gem. It has so much going for it. I didn't think it was too predictable. It did have a few things, but overall it was a pretty fresh watch. I think it should definitely be checked out.

Initial Thought: I really wasn't planning to watch this anytime soon. I only somewhat liked the first one and besides the fact they are stripping the dancing is pretty cool. Also you never actually see any naughty bits from the guys which was good. They also at least threw in some ladies for the guys who ended up seeing it. This just seemed way too focused on the aspect of the story that I'm not interested in. Sure of course it's obviously a stripper movie, but I'm watching it for the story. Hopefully it has something for the guys. Also at least it will make me have a good night with the wife which is the only reason I'm seeing this. At least it's free since it's at my theater.

Characters/Acting: Everyone returns minus Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, and Cody Horn (who I actually didn't care for in the first film). We also get a few new cast members who I like such as Twitch from So You Think You Can Dance, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Elizabeth Banks. These new additions were awesome as I had hoped. The acting is fairly good given this is a movie about strippers. It does make me a bit jealous of the capabilities these guys have with their bodies. I feel like Tobias although not quite as funny. I thought Rome, Malik, and Andre were the best of the new and old characters.

Story: Three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance. I swear there are some weird conventions. They have them for all kinds of things and now I hear there are some for strippers too. The world is a particularly strange place sometimes. It kind of feels like a bro movie for women. Like it's a bunch of dudes that hangout together and want to get laid just with the addition of them all being strippers. It's the same basic idea that the first one had. The only downside is we don't get any of lady goods like the first one gave. It does have a few actually pretty funny moments. There doesn't seem to be really any conflicts or even much of a storyline. The dancing wasn't all that awkward this time around to be honest. In fact most of the time it's just amusing. The ending act was actually kind of cool by how well it was choreographed.

Directing/Writing: Steven Soderbergh doesn't direct this sequel. Apparently he doesn't want to direct films anymore or something like that. This time it's helmed by Gregory Jacobs who has only done two other films. One of which I have seen called Wind Chill with Emily Blunt it was fairly entertaining. It is written by Reid Carolin who did the first film as well. So hopefully it will have some redeeming factors for guys. Then again it might only be catering to women this time around. So it didn't really do much for my demographic. It was clearly targeted more towards the women this time around.

Final Thought: It actually wasn't all that bad. It's not as good as the first one though. It has some good moments here and there. It was even a little creative. Now that I got it out of the way I can say I watched it and who cares. It's a decent movie if you aren't feeling insecure.

Initial Thought: I have seen every Howling movie except for this one. I have finally found a copy to check it out. I can finally feel accomplished. You know there is a problem when it takes some doing to find a few pictures on google.

Characters/Acting: Just about everyone in this goes by their own name. That doesn't sound very creative. Also the director/writer is playing a main character. He has done so before in this series for parts four and five. The characters are already quite stupid and it's not even two minutes in. The acting is pretty horrible given that not many people here are even actors. The horrible script doesn't help matters either. Romy Windsor was the only person here that had any interest from me.

Story: The peace of a desert town is shattered by gruesome murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. Wow that starts off pretty awful. This looks like completely low budget garbage. It's probably the worst I've seen of the whole series. It looks like it was filmed in the seventies not the nineties. There is way too much country music going on here for me. Also what's with all the lame ass jokes? I guess they weren't sure of what audience they were trying to obtain. What the hell is with all the dance and music scenes throughout? That was a bit too much. I hated the werewolf attack scenes. I love the color red, but the way it's utilized here was just unnecessary and stupid. That was such a lame ending!

Directing/Writing: This is the first of the series to be directed by a writer of other parts. Clive Turner also writes this entry as well. From what I hear he maybe should have stayed away from this one. Also it's been noted that even though it's stated to be based on the book series it has nothing to do with it. The writing here is atrocious.

Final Thought: I really couldn't stand this. I have seen some really bad stuff. This though I played in the background and still wasn't missing anything. The story is horrible. The characters/acting sucks. The use scenes from the old movies which are probably the only okay stuff in this whole thing. The editing is quite horrible. For most of the movie it felt more like an unfunny attempt at comedy. I wish there was a rating system here that included no stars and below. Worst of the series and probably one of the worst if not the worst film I've ever seen. Do not watch this!