Quick Movie Reviews: Universal Horror Classics

Today I decided to take a look at three classic Universal horror movies. Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. are all names associated with the classics: Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Werewolf. I will now compare which of these horror classics truly still work as effective movie experiences and which ones may fall a tad short.

Dracula

+ Bela Lugosi’s classic performance

+ Grandiose set designs

+ Edward Van Sloan’s performance as Dr. Van Helsing.

+ Dwight Fry’s iconic performance of Renfield

- The complete lack of music during the movie

- Unmemorable lead actor performances

- Anticlimactic finale

3,5 out of 5 – Dracula is a movie that was made by a well-known silent film director and unfortunately it shows in the film’s utter lack of a soundscape. The film has some iconic performances and looks fantastic, but its less than stellar leading cast coupled by the film’s void like pantomime atmosphere takes the most effective bite out of this classic.

Frankenstein

+ Excellent set-design

+ Brilliant and engaging actor performances.

+ Boris Karloff as the monster, both sympathetic and disturbing at the same time

+ Colin Clive’s strong performance as Dr. Henry Frankenstein

+ / - The plot barely resembles the Mary Shelley novel, but is dramatically superior

~ There is very little music in the movie, but the film’s rich audio design ensures that the movie doesn’t suffer from the same void-like state as Dracula.

- Lead actress Mae Clarke’s hammy premonition scene.

5 out of 5 – Frankenstein is still the best mad scientist movie of all time. It laid down the clichés of this type of film, but also worked as a well written and acted character drama which is supported by mostly excellent actor performances. It is still a timeless classic.

The Wolf Man

+ Lon Chaney Jr.’s memorable and likeable portrayal of Larry Talbot

+ Claude Rains’ performance as Larry Talbot’s father

+ Maria Ouspenskaya’s performance as Maleva

+ Excellent atmospheric milieu

+ Well written dialogue

+ Bela Lugosi’s cameo as Bela the Gypsy

+ Psychedelic sequence signifying Larry’s transformation

+ / – No initial transformation sequence, but a decent one at the film’s end

+ / - Lon Chaney Jr. does a decent werewolf performance, the bear-trap scene just looks silly

- Over-emphasis of the werewolf lore

- Hammy performance from Fay Helm

4 out of 5 – Despite some silliness and shortness of full moon scenes, the first Wolf Man is an extremely competent movie and still very moving and enjoyable.

Quick Movie Reviews: Pirates of the Caribbean

With On Stranger Tides coming out next year I guessed it was time for me to give my favorite Pirate film saga the Quick Movie Review treatment. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley will obviously not be returning for the fourth film, which is all fine sinse Will and Elisabeth’s story-arc was already completed in the last movie. I’m looking forward to more playful interaction between Jack, Barbossa, Blackbeard and the lovely, lovely Penelope Cruz in the next film. *drools* Eh? Oh yeah, and the zombies and mermaids too. *hmm… clamshell bras…*

*Ahem!* So on with the reviews…

The Curse of the Black Pearl

+ Character interaction between Will and Jack (makes this one almost like a buddy movie – a good one that is).

+ Jack’s heroic dive (still gives me shivers)

+ Jack gets slapped around

+ Barbossa! That’s a classic pirate right there.

+ “That’s not fair!”

+ “Bloody pirates!”

+ “Why’s the rum gone!”

+ Jack and Barbossa’s duel

- So, Barbossa throws Elisabeth over the pile of treasure and she just slips off without anyone noticing? (Those villains aren’t very observant, are they.)

Score: 5 out of 5 – I was hard pressed to find anything bad to say about the first film. The plot has back story and the whole movie works well on the whole. There’s not a single scene or character I wouldn’t have liked. It’s an awesome swashbuckling adventure that everyone needs to see.

Dead Man’s Chest

+ Davy Jones – Bill Nighy is just brilliant in the role

+ Bootsrap is creepy as all hell

+ The hat-gag

+ “I’ve got a jar of diii-iirt!”

+ The three-way sword fight!

+ The Ending - spoiler: Barbossa’s back!

+ / - Lots of laughs in this one, great comedy. However, I think some of the bits in the cannibal village were a little ridiculous

+ / - The Kraken was great, but a little underutilized.

- Perhaps a few too many action set-pieces.

- The whole movie seems a little wet. I know, it’s a pirate film but the characters just look drenched most of the time.

- Tia Dalma is really just weird side character in this one, rather than a fleshed out character.

Score: 3,5 out of 5 – I’m hesitant about criticizing Dead Man’s Chest even though in my view it was the least story-filled of the films. It really is all just a set up for the next film and as a result the film becomes more about comedy and action. Both areas are handled well but I always feel that the film lacks a strong narrative. If it weren’t for the final shot of the film the ending would have felt like a real let down.

At World’s End

+ Tia Dalma’s character is developed more

+ The insane Jack scenes!

+ The Pirate Lords

+ Homage to Spaghetti Westerns

+ Captain Teague

+ / - Intricate plot with a lot of characters, may make it a little hard for some to follow.

- Norrington’s end – he really would have deserved a better one.

- Cutlerr Beckett really wasn’t a great villain in all.

Score: 4 out of 5 – At World’s End might have struggled a bit in tying the loose ends together but on the over-all I was always happy with how this first set of three films concluded. At World’s End was by far the largest and most epic of the film but it was the little details and the intricacies of the plot that impressed me rather than the huge special-effects (which in my view tend to kill any character that the film might have). It’s definitely a worth while watch even if it has its weak spots.

Quick Movie Reviews: Friday the 13th parts 1-3

The Friday the 13th films are of course considered the classics of the slasher genre – but I myself only watched the first movie a couple of years ago. I liked the reboot film but obviously I had to see the original films that inspired it. However, originally I was planning on getting Halloween II, but the DVD of it has been a bitch to try and track down (because the original Halloween is one of my favorite horror films), so I instead settled on the two first F13 sequels because they came cheap.

Now here’s a run-down of what I thought of the movies…

Friday the 13th

+ Excellent set-up with the beginning

+ The flash-fade on death-sequences, very stylish!

+ No Jason (well, sort of) helps this one stand out.

+ Mrs. Voorhees

+ The Ending (it’ll make you crap your pants)

+ / - Likeable cast but not particularly memorable

+ / - The film isn’t too gory at this point although quite a few of the deaths are gross the movie moves away quickly enough. However, the arrow scene still makes me squeamish…

- The battle with the killer

Score: 4.5 out of 5 - In all I have to say my favorite film in the franchise due to it’s rather humble and simple approach.

Friday the 13th part II

+ Jason’s first appearance

+ Jason’s creepy house

+ It’s a gory movie, but thankfully doesn’t dwell too long on the gory scenes.

+ The “Mother is Talking To You” scene

+ “Muffin!!”

+ The Ending, it’ll leave you puzzled

+ / - Excellent and likeable cast – but unfortunately the worst of the lot survive

- Perhaps a little too much recapping at the beginning.

- The crazy guy who warns the kids gets killed.

Score: 4 out of 5 – The film improved on the likeability of the first one and is all around entertaining but it doesn’t quite rise to the same level of class as a horror film.

Friday the 13th part III (a.k.a. Friday the 13th 3-D)

+ The opening scene is pretty funny and different from the previous films.

+ The 3D effects are good in a cheezy sort of way.

+ The bikers

+ The flying eyeball - it’s gross but funny as hell.

+ / – Jason gets the hockey mask but he looks like douche.

- The first 20 minutes of the film are essentially the last 20 minutes of the previous film

- The title music kills the mood pretty effectively

- The acting is pretty pathetic

- Jason’s face is shown too much

- The ending, it’s too much like the ending of the first film.

Score: 2.5 out of 5 – I believe this movie started the over-all drop in quality for the film series. It’s clearly aimed at being more entertaining and schlocky. As a result you can’t take it quite as seriously and the film lacks any serious plot to speak of. It’s a gimmick film after all and has some entertainment value but it’s my least favorite of the three films by far.

Quick Movie Reviews: The Resident Evil films

With the new Resident Evil film, Afterlife, hitting theatres in my home country this Friday I think it’s appropriate to take a look at the three first films in quick review-form. Paul W.S. Anderson has been my favorite video-game movie director since Mortal Kombat (1995) and I applaud his devotion to the RE saga though it would be nice if he’d actually direct some other VG films as well (and other movies in general, Death Race was awesome).

Resident Evil (2002)

+ Stylish visual look: cold, sterile and creepy

+ Memorable scenes: laser corridor, first and best Dobermann scene in the series, zombies in the sewers, the battle on the train etc.

+ Really nice effects on the Licker, looked really crisp.

+ Creepy Red Queen Computer

+ The absolutely brilliant soundtrack by Marilyn Manson and Marco Beltrami

+ The Ending!!

- Those silly fake scares

- Not enough dialogue and the exposition is a little heavy whenever the movie stops to explain something.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

+ Mike Epps as L.J. – provides much-needed comic relief.

+ The Church Scenes

+ The Nemesis!!

+ The DVD extras (the awesome trailers, blooper reels and Milla Jovovich’s hilarious commentary)

~ Soundtrack was a lot more traditional and not nearly as memorable as the other films.

- Not that impressive story-wise

- A few slightly sloppy scenes (the crooked finger)

- The ending wasn’t perhaps as cool as it was meant to be.

- Is this movie blue or what?

Rating: 3 out of 5

Resident Evil: Extinction

+ The Opening!

+ The soundtrack returns to a sound more akin to the first movie.

+ Likeable supporting cast

+ Memorable scenes: gas station, the crows, Alice’s pyromancy, super zombies

+ The Tyrant!!

~ I really wish this film series would reach some sort of conclusion. I was kinda disappointed when I went to the theater and realized that this one also had an open ending.

+/- The crazy hill-billy scene, but the dogs were awesome.

- Almost all of my favorite supporting characters die. =(

- What is up with everybody wanting smokes?

- They shut Alice’s brain down – somehow wasn’t that convincing a dramatic device.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Quick Movie Reviews: The Dollars Trilogy

Reviews in a few sentences, this time it’s Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name. Excellent, gritty Spaghetti-Westerns with memorable casts and of course music by Ennio Morricone that will stick in your head for days after you’ve seen the film.

A Fistful of Dollars

+ Excellently stylish and keeps you invested on Clint’s character.
+ Memorable dialogue and music.
~ Infamous for borrowing its plot from Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (no, I haven’t seen that one).
- The climax is a tad on the stupid side (why didn’t Ramon just shoot Joe in the head)

Rating: 4/5

For a Few Dollars More

+ The much more gruff Manco (Clint) provides a likeable dastardly main hero for this piece
+ Lee Van Cleef’s likeable, determined and warm main character
+ Excellent and memorable scenes (stopping the train, shooting hats, robbing the bank etc.)
+ Even more stylized than the first
+ More off the wall moments and supporting cast
+/- One of Morricone’s finest themes but over-used throughout the movie
- The pacing has a few really slow points
- Gian Volente wasn’t quite as intense as the villain in this film, when compared to the first
- Palm trees in the old west!!

Rating: 3,5/5

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

+ Angel Eyes , a sadistic evil bastard – perfect opposite to the character Van Cleef played in the last move
+ Eli Wallach as Tuco - it really is his movie
+ Ennio Morricone’s best score to date (Aie-aie-aah! – Wah wah wah!)
+ Excellent pacing makes sure this three-hour epic doesn’t begin to wear out your buttocks
+ The gun-making scene!
+ The introduction of the almighty poncho!
+ The Mexican Stand Off!
+ The Finale!
- Clint’s reduced role makes him seem like a tag-along

Rating: 5/5