The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (movie review)

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Girl_Who_Kicked_the_Hornet_s_Nest/70138618?trkid=496624 


4 of 5 stars for this part 3 of 3 in trilogy; 5 stars of 5 each for parts 1 and 2


I believe all the major loose ends are tied up here, and this is an integral part of the trilogy to be seen in order, to understand what is going on in each of these 3 parts. I plan to watch the other materials over the next week to see if there are any differences or crucial parts missing as some reviewers claim, but as a viewer who has NOT read the books, these movies were & are better than anything in our US cinema in decades. The production quality alone is substantial, the character driven plots, the realism, suspense & resolutions. This 3rd part was a bit less than the other 2 parts, in subtle ways, but it was not in any way slow! No one can ever film a movie from a book & satisfy readers, because the imagery is part of a fantasy for each reader & can never match it completely. I never understand why they then complain as if it were supposed to be made their way. I've enjoyed these 3 films more than any film in a long long time. Worth buying the full set.

Bag of Bones (Movie Review)

Bag of Bones is a Stephen King novel made into a better movie than most of his works have been. One thing you must know going in is that this movie, on netflix streaming anyway, is a TWO-PART two episode film, each roughly 85 minutes long. Called a mini-series, is misleading in that this is just a two part film, not a series. At 1st I was upset because I didn't know it was in 2 parts, then didn't know if 2nd part finished or another season was planned. So for those wondering, the 2nd part ends the story, everyone gets what they deserve except one, and most plot holes are sealed. There were some issues of credibility sprinkled throughout, but overall this was one of the better King screen adaptations. I didn't like the commercial break edits & wish they would just remove those before releasing a film this way. I'd read the book long enough ago that this was new to me again, I think other reviewers have read it more recently & so were disappointed, not I. This was well acted by all involved, an amazing cast who fit perfectly into their roles & balanced each other well. Definitely worth watching & better than most other King books made movies. However, skip the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd episode, it is exactly the same as the 1st episode to the point I wasn't sure it was a new episode at all. Enjoy.

Red State (movie review)

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Red_State/70170045?trkid=496624

Rated 4 of 5 stars

A strange movie to review, wasn't going to see it at all until I saw a Kevin Smith show & he made it sound a lot more interesting than the synopsis did, so I gave it a chance & am glad I did. Original in its way, almost too real, not all all horror or thriller either really, just an action film with a ton of killing, including innocent teens and not so innocent adults. Terrifying on both sides of the fence, the church cult and the govt. authority entitlement to kill "witnesses" who might make them look bad! I really wanted to see those people pay so the ending wasn't satisfying to me overall. Goodman's character was the only one to follow through to the end, for those who complained about not knowing who to root for (really?!). At least the cops weren't torturing teens/people before killing them; not that any killing in this was justifiable really. I recommend seeing this, not worth the buy however.

Three Blind Mice review

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Three_Blind_Mice/60032547?trkid=2431210

Three Blind Mice

You rated this movie: 2

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Hated the ending, abrupt with no resolution or anything answered. More like an end of series cliff hanger than a movie. The computer jargon as some call it, is nothing anyone won't know, nor need to know, nor is this movie hard to follow or confusing in any way, not sure why others had problems. Furlong is too young to fit the character he's playing here, otherwise he did an ok acting job as did most in this film. Great quality streaming except for the web cam captures which I assume were intentionally poor quality. One close up breast shot, the rest was far off & pixelated so no prudes should get up in arms either. Not much offensive here, mid-teens & up could handle this, no gore to speak of. No horror and no real suspense, kind of entertaining but with a horrid ending I felt it a waste of my time really. Definitely won't recommend someone else waste theirs either.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer movie review

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Henry_Portrait_of_a_Serial_Killer/584120?trkid=496624

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
You rated this movie: 3 of 5 stars

For it's day, this was ground breaking, now it's just creepy scary, not horror gore filled fest we've become used to. In fact, the characters drive the story more than the action does which is why some considered it "boring", but it's anything BUT boring especially for those whose brains work well. What makes this horrid is how little emotion Henry has, and how little empathy Otis & Henry have for human beings at all. As for the gore, well most of the dead bodies were obviously still alive with blinking eyelashes, pulsing throat veins & breathing while playing dead, so that ruined quite a bit of it for me. The most grisly scene & sounds were the worst part of it, was Henry chopping Otis up in the tub. Also the end shocked me although where else did I think this could go? Certainly not to a horse farm to live happily ever after. Don't get the cult following status of this movie really, but to each his own. Not worth buying, not renting either, wait for a rainy snowy day & catch on cable.

The Devil's Double movie review

http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_Devil_s_Double/70139562?trkid=496624

The Devil's Double movie review
Rate 4 stars of 5

Dominic Cooper is outstanding playing the twin roles of Uday Hussein and his body double. Well made flick showing the barbaric ways of the Uday during the reign of his dad, Saddam.

An amazing movie & while some of it was based on truth, the special features admit that it is nearly all a fiction, they did not follow the book at all, so these reviewers who keep saying this is absolute fact, are idiots. Also, the actors were too American or white? Nearly every name in the credits was Arab, 98%! What a bunch of small minded whiners, the main actor Cooper is better than ANY one from ANY country as an actor, incredibly talented to switch from one to the other with no diva time to "get in the role" as our actors demand. To play two sides of a coin was not in any way easy on any level--mental, physical or spiritual I'm sure. The movie toned down what really happened, and they cut out tons of torture & rape scenes as it is. The gore and blood were handled perfectly & suited to each scene, nothing over the top at all. Definitely one of the best movies ever made, and it deserves 5 stars from every viewer.

Review: Faces in the Crowd

Faces in the Crowd
You rated this movie: 4 of 5 Stars
I thought that the acting was superb, don't get why others found it lacking, her fear was more real & credible, her reactions & expressions spot on, can't act better than Milla did here without being an actual victim. Yes, reminds me of Momento & has same intensity, psy thriller more than horror unless you count the close ups of sliced necks with their gore. I guessed the killer early on but only from knowing who to look for from previous experience with such movies, the story does NOT give away who it is at any time. While there were many questions left unanswered and a few plot holes, for the most part, this was an excellent script, actors were perfect for their roles & all did fantastic jobs. The mind games with different faces worked well to give the viewer a sense of how disorienting & fearful the condition can be--although if it has a biological base, why did it only happen after a trauma? I'd recommend watching it, but rent before buying to be sure you want this one first.

Review of The Lazarus Project Movie

The Lazarus Project

You rated this movie: 5

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I truly loved this movie & the pacing was not slow at all, in fact if one doesn't watch closely one will miss clues & may end up lost, so I was already considering a 2nd viewing before this one was done, to see what else I could pick up. I love movies with this many twists & turns, always feeling in the dark as to what is really going on, and the ending was perfect! Satisfying in every way, well worth the anger at Walker's situation & the teeny holes in credibility that the setup depends on--a man being involved in a crime yet had no weapon nor did he kill anyone, so he could not get the death penalty. Still it was believable enough to hook a viewer into the story. We discover along with Walker, each truth and hint he comes across is OUR clue too. I'd highly recommend this movie to any one who enjoys psychological thrillers, may even be worth buying to watch repeatedly. A+ easy.

Review of Let Me In

Let Me In

You rated this movie: 5

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The other reviewers assume we've seen the original, and they compare the two, without once actually reviewing for those who never saw the original. I'd not seen this before, so can only compare it to others of its class. The acting was incredibly good, as were the effects, 99% was credible--not going to ruin it by telling you which parts weren't. This is not a romanticized version of vampires such as Twilight and other recent fare--this is old school horror but does not focus on that as much as the relationships between the characters, not to say there wasn't plenty of gore, because there definitely was. I'd agree that children under 17 should not view this without a parent or guardian, or if they are easily frightened. (The motion picture industry seems to have no consistency in its guidelines for ratings). This movie wasn't as predictable as one would think, enough surprises to thrill without the cover-your-eyes, bite your nails suspense, though it has those moments, they are rare enough to make this enjoyable even for those who are easily frightened or dislike anxiety provoking suspense. Definitely worth seeing if one enjoys horror & drama. One feels for the characters, so they are sympathetic even as they may seem evil. I would watch it again and will recommend it to others.

Review of Middle Men

Middle Men

You rated this movie: 5

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The best movie I've seen in years. Moby & Stones music, mob, porn, murder, greed, adultery, lust, envy, one keeps wondering when the lead character play by Wilson, will get out before the getting is gone, but he doesn't and therein lies the fantastic ending. Unpredictable, surprise wrap up, everyone gets what they deserve, very satisfying. Theme of redemption underlying the drama. Nudity but no sex, violence but nothing gory, each element was done perfectly, nothing overdone or unbalanced. What a great script, excellent character building & acting from everyone involved. At 1st I thought this would be like a documentary, but when I saw the stars attached to this, it lent credibility so I took it more seriously, and this is not a funny film. It is a dramatic action film. Definitely worth buying & seeing again. Highly recommend this, it beats anything else released in the last two years, easy.