Change Your Image
eshuroger
Reviews
Naked Fear (2007)
Much better than I expected
A guy captures and hunts down prostitutes. How did this concept not get made in the 70s? Maybe because a very similar event actually happened in the 70s, but still surprising.
Nevertheless, you're given this concept, and you naturally expect exploitation trash. It's actually way better than that, so maybe gets a higher score than it deserves just for so completely clearing the admittedly low hurdle of my expectations.
--Minor spoilers-- There were some things that didn't make much sense. The woman is frightened and angry and confused, but still speaking English for the first day or two of her ordeal. Suddenly she's found by a hunting family, and she understandably freaks out, but then, even when it's clear they're trying to help her, she's unable to speak and tell them what's been going on. Really? Maybe this complete retreat into an animal nature would be easier to swallow if it was, like, months, up in the mountains, eating bugs and running from shadows.
The killer seems like a pretty friendly guy, but everything that happens to him in this movie, he's got coming to him, and then some. Not very sporting of him to not leave the women shoes, at least. But I guess he really can't afford for any of them to get away.
The ending was kind of amusing, and almost turned this whole thing into the 70s-style exploitation garbage I was expecting.
Date with a Kidnapper (1976)
Wha?
Despite some fairly decent acting and cinematography, this movie has plot holes you can drive a truck through. These guys at this hotel must just wait around for someone to check in with a woman for them to rape, as there is no other discernible motive for them coming to the room. Even after she tells them that she's the daughter of a rich man, they aren't interested in earning a reward by rescuing her, or kidnapping her themselves as far as the audience is told.
Then there's the amiable old farmer that puts the kidnapper and the girl up for the night. At first he seems to be the first truly decent person seen in this film, then, for no apparent reason, he's a psycho. First, he spies on the lovers at night and is holding a knife. You're waiting for: A. One of them to notice the old psycho pervert with a knife. B. The old psycho pervert to use the knife. C. The old psycho pervert to decide against doing anything and slink away. You don't get any of this, the scene just changes to morning, inexplicably. Then the old guy comes at the kidnapper with a pitchfork. Why? I sure can't tell. He continues to attack the kidnapper who draws a gun and gives the old guy every chance to stop attacking. When the kidnapper is finally forced to kill the old farmer, the girl goes all hysterical about him being a murderer and runs away! What was he supposed to do? Let the psycho farmer impale him on the pitchfork?
Also there's some question about what happens in the final scene. I can't really elaborate without giving away the so-called 'surprise ending', but the DVD calls the scene "Dance of Death", which leads you to wonder if any death actually took place, because, if it does, you don't see it.
I watched this hoping for a good, old-fashioned exploitation sleaze film, and it wasn't that, but it wasn't good either. Make of that what you will.
X-Men (2000)
Better than the comic.
Yes, I've read X-Men, but I'm not a hardcore fan, and hardcore fans will undoubtedly have problems with the movie. I thought that most of the changes were well thought out and beneficial to the movie though. Rogue's powers that were stolen from Ms. Marvel don't appear in the movie, and neither does her constant whining about being forever denied the simple joys of human touch. Anna Paquin makes the character more real by getting the tragic part of the character through to the audience, but not hammering it into them with the overblown melodrama the comic has been known for. Rogue is a much more likeable character in the movie than she ever has been before, though the name "Rogue" is still stupid, being a holdover from her days as an evil mutant, and so named because she "steals" powers from others. It made little sense in this context, but if they didn't call her Rogue, your average X-Men fan wouldn't have known who she was.
Storm was also made likeable in this movie, a herculean feat to be sure. She lost all of the melodramatic lines that made her stale in the comics and came across as more of a real person.
The special effects were great considering the limited budget they had to work with. They didn't overdo any of the power effects, and chose to use them sparingly, but use them effectively. The scene where Cyclops blew the roof off of the train station was beautiful, and the fight on top of the statue of liberty has got to be one of the best movie fight scenes ever, just for the setting if for no other reason.
On the other hand, I didn't feel that Mystique was changed in a positive way. I don't know what the deal was with her costuming, and no mention was made of her relationship with Rogue.
Wolverine was well done, though this comes from a guy who has never much liked Wolverine. Hugh Jackson certainly looks the part, and plays it well, though he is too tall. One is left to wonder why his claws are straight at the end of the movie, after Magneto has repeatedly twisted and bent them. It's clear that Wolverine doesn't like Cyclops from their first meeting, but what isn't clear is why. The rivalry between them could have been expanded on, and explained a little, though the love triangle is still basically there. I have always said that Jean's real mutant power is the ability to make all the male X-Men fall in love with her, and it seems that hasn't changed. The point is that Cyclops doesn't seem to really do anything to make Wolverine dislike him, which causes Wolverine to come off as a jerk, but then, maybe that isn't all that inappropriate.
Cameos from Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake and Jubilee were appreciated by the comics fans, though I was hoping to see their involvement expanded.
I understand that Singer wanted to include Nightcrawler, but budget limitations made it difficult. Maybe the sequel will throw him in. I can only guess that the Hellfire Club will be the adversaries next time around.
Anyway, I thought that the movie was as true to the comic as was efficient, and the changes that were made were mostly good choices. Hardcore X-Men fans are being a little hard on it.
Whistle Down the Wind (1961)
Also a musical.
There is also a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on this movie, and having the same name. The locale was inexplicably changed to backwoods Louisiana, and some names were changed (like Cathy became "Swallow"). The plot remains largely the same, with the children finding the man in their barn and believing him to be Jesus. Instead of turning himself over at the end, the barn is burned and the man disappears without a trace, possibly allowing Swallow to believe that he ascended into heaven. Good music. Better than Lloyd Webber's average.