raif Reviews

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Why?

[1/10 · 17 October 2002]

I find it amazing that TRASH such as Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine gets made. This film was just plain awful liberal propaganda. Why does Michael Moore feel the need to go around and point the finger at various groups? All Moore wants to do is blame, blame, blame. Maybe he should stop for a second and take a look at how much his propaganda hurts the morale of those who find logical reasoning in his little films. If anyone is to blame for the tragedies it is people like Moore who are against social values and anti-American-Culture. When will the public wake up and see that Moore loves to attack and criticize but can't handle the hot seat himself? If there is any justice this film will flop and end up on the $0.99 movie rack. Columbine was a terrible thing. The only people to blame are the dead gunmen who orchestrated the savage killings.

Boogeymen: The Killer Compilation (2001 Video)

Could have been something cool

[2/10 · 25 February 2002]

When I heard about the release of this DVD I got real excited as did most other horror fans. Who could resist a film with all the coolest badguys in it simply killing their poor victims from their movies? Well their choice of some of the characters was questionable. Another problem I had with it was the sequel factor. They showed some great characters from their worst sequels. The less than an hour also was a little disappointing. The trivia was fun for the first ten minutes but then got a little old. this film was a great idea that was rushed and wasn't carefully planned out.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)

Yikes!

[1/10 · 25 February 2002]

I had been a fan of horror movies since I was a little kid. In the early nineties I had quite a little collection of LaserDiscs, so I had access to films that I wouldn't normally be able to get on VHS. I had heard rumors about this Texas Chainsaw movie being made but could not find it in the stores anywhere. I found a site that had it for sale but then the site closed down. About a month later I bought the special edition LD of the original one. On it I saw a trailer for Return of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and thought that it had looked pretty cool. At this point I knew that the movie had in fact been made. I got my hands on a Japanese LD catalog and found it for sale in there. I bought it immediatly. When it arrived in the mail I was so happy. I sat down and started to watch. When I was done I realized why the movie hadn't been released in the theaters or on video. The movie was pure garbage. The acting was terrible and the story was just a total ripoff of the original. A few years later It got released in the theaters after the Rene Zelweger's success in Jerry Maguire. A bunch of my friends wanted to go see it in the theater. I told them to save their money and gave a little show at my house. They agreed with me as did most of the people who saw this movie. It's terrible.

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)

Toshiro Mifune at his best

[10/10 · 20 February 2002]

I have always been fascinated with stories and especially movies that have to do with the Samurai. My first experience was the 47 Ronin. I loved it. I couldn't get enough of it. My second experience was the Seven Samurai. I am going to be bold and admit that I hated it. I don't even like the remakes of it (Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars, etc...). At this point I was worried. The Seven Samurai is a highly praised film and story. If I didn't like the "best" would I like less than the "best"? One day I found myself watching a tape of the Shogun's Shadow which is a cheesy samurai action flick. I enjoyed it a little bit but it wasn't what I needed. Low and behold Criterion answered my prayers. I thought maybe if I didn't like Akira Kurosawa's films maybe I would like his competition, Hiroshi Inagaki. Yes, I was correct. Inagaki had to offer what I wanted. The first part of 3 in the tale of Mushashi Miyamoto was everything I had hoped it would be. It was a true rites-of-passage for Takezo (Toshiro Mifune). It chronicled his days as a young idealistic boy to bandit and finally to enlightenment as a Samurai. My only complaint is that I did not buy all three parts of this trilogy. Now I will have to wait until next month to find out what adventures lay ahead for Takezo.

Ultraviolet (1998)

Vampires in London

[8/10 · 19 February 2002]

What a cool show this was. I have never been a fan of British Sci-Fi or British TV at all for that matter, but after reading some of the comments on here about it, I decided to give it a shot. I sat down and watched all 6 episodes back to back. By the time I was done I wanted more. This show (knowing British TV) had an enormous budget and it shows. The quality of the show is as good as anything here in the states. The acting and characters also are a plus. I could actually relate to the feelings expressed by some of the characters out there. The hero of the show is not a typical hero. He is more like a normal ma who makes choices based on his life and not the "code of the hero". This is a great show about vampires in London and its a shame that there aren't more episodes out there. Maybe if enough people see for themselves how good this show was, there can be a big enough demand for more.

Excalibur (1981)

Great Fantasy Flick

[10/10 · 19 February 2002]

I can't remember the first time I saw this movie. Has it been so long? I have loved this movie for as long as I can remember. The funny thing is, it seems to get better and better every time I watch it. My tape of Excalibur was easily the most watched movie I own. Most of my friends at one time or another have sat down and watched it with me or have borrowed it. I have only known one person who hated this film (my father) but what did he know anyway. How could one not love this movie. Great story, characters and music. It is epic. It follows three generations through turbulent times and greatness. Its King Arthur for crying out loud! What kid didn't grown up without reading Le Morte Darthur? It is easily John Boorman's best movie. I can do nothing but praise this movie.

Suspiria (1977)

The only thing scarier than this movie...

[5/10 · 19 February 2002]

... was the fact that I was duped into buying it without seeing it first. I had read several reviews of Suspiria. Most of them praised the movie. There were a few in there that bashed the movie but by the time I got to them it was too late. I was already hooked. I had taken the bait. I am a sucker for a good horror movie. I had heard about Dario Argento's reputation for being a serious horror film maker. Since none of the movie rental stores in my town carried Suspiria in any format I was forced to buy it sight unseen. I rushed to the closest Video store and found two DVD versions of the film. There the the run of the mill regular DVD and the super 3 disc set. Hey, anything with a special edition set like that can't be that bad. Or so I thought. After serious pleading with my girlfriend I convinced her to sit and watch it with me. By the end of the movie I was just sitting there frowning at the TV while being nagged about buying such a piece of garbage. A story about witches and a dance school... I should have seen the red flags right there. I'm not even going to trash the horrible acting (it is after all a horror movie). I'm going to trash the lame story and lack of... suspense. There was absolutely no climax. The end felt rushed and I was like "Was that it?".

I am usually very easy to please with movies. I can sit through garbage or superb films. This movie not only stole close to 30 bucks from me but also an hour and a half of my life and I want them both back.

If you are like me and are looking through these reviews to find out if it is a good movie or not, don't be fooled like I was, save your money and your time. You'll be happier in the end.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Better than the original

[10/10 · 19 February 2002]

I grew up with this movie. It was one of maybe five movies that my family had back in the late 70's and early 80's. Even though I was probably way too young at the time to fully comprehend the story, I still loved this movie. When I was about 9 the tapes mysteriously disappeared from my house. I didn't see this film for years. About 8 years ago I was in a tape store and saw a copy. There it was, my favorite movie from childhood. I picked up a copy and went home to watch it. I was now going to watch it as an adult for the first time, since I was about nine. I still loved this film. Marlon Brando's portrayal as Fletcher Christian is still my favorite Brando role. Not since The Third Man has Trevor Howard been a character that you want to hate but cannot for some charming reason. Some people attack this movie because the original is "untouchable" and must only be praised. I have seen the original several times and I dare say that even though it is truer to the books, it is dreadfully boring. I have read all three of the books from the Bounty trilogy. I know that this film doesn't even come close to tell the real tale. I don't really care though. This movie is not a non-fiction movie or a documentary, it is an epic adventure of fiction with a true story as the basis. This movie is very entertaining. It is also very "Hollywood" but then again so are more than 90% of the movies out there. If you want to trash this movie for being untrue to the real story than so be it. If you want to be entertained for 3 hours by an exciting adventure, than this is a movie for you.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Wow!

[10/10 · 19 February 2002]

I just saw this film for the first time only a few days ago. Everywhere I looked this movie would constantly pop up in my face. Wherever I would go I couldn't escape this movie. After reading the comments on this site I decided that I would finally see what this movie is all about. After a long struggle I managed to get my hands on a copy of the excellent DVD. I started by watching the film with the dubbing on. Five minutes into the film I got frustrated and put the original Swedish back on and restarted the movie. After the movie was over I couldn't stop thinking about this movie. Its theme and idea paralleled a struggle in my own life. I love this movie. It is not just another flavor of the week I am praising. It has already joined my top 10. It is so good that I have managed to convince my girlfriend to watch it. She has no taste in movies and this isn't even the kind of movie she would have ever dreamed about watching during any point in her life. Maybe this movie will move her like it did for me and open up the door for her to have a better understanding of the world around her.

The Third Man (1949)

Didn't Know What to Expect

[10/10 · 19 February 2002]

When the Criterion DVD came out I bought this movie. I think I remember seeing bits and pieces of it many years ago when I was a little kid. I watched the original trailer for this movie. At first I was a little worried. Anton Karas' rough sounding zither was not what I imagined a movie like the Third Man would have for its theme. It is funny how trailers have evolved just over the past 20 years. I had calmed myself down and prepared to watch this film with an open mind. I had read so many reviews of this movie and heard the praises. So many said that even though it was made in the late 40's it had a look and feel of a film of the late 50's to early 60's. They were right. This movie kept my attention and played with my imagination all the way to the end. It is also funny to look at the scene when Harry Lime is revealed for the first time and to remember standing in that same spot in Vienna at 16 so many years ago and not know why your crazy German Teacher is going nuts and taking pictures. Also at the end I had realized that my initial judgement of Karas' zither was incorrect. It helped define the movie and especially Orson Welles' Harry Lime. This movie is film-noir at its best.