Simmonz Reviews

F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon (2005 Video Game)

One of the Best Games I have Ever Played

[9/10 · 9 November 2006]

The first thing I will say is the PC I played this on:

CPU: And Athlon X2 4400+ RAM: 2X 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Graphics Card: 2x BFG 7900GT 256MB Hard Drive: 200GB SATAII Hard Drive Monitor: 20.1" Widescreen Monitor

I run F.E.A.R. with all of the details at maximum, soft shadows on, 4x AA, 16x AF, and at a resolution of 1280*960. I tell you this so you understand my interpretation of the graphics may be different than some.

F.E.A.R. has some of the best graphics I have seen yet. The best part in my opinion being the blood. I take time to look at some poor guy I just massacred on F.E.A.R. because it is that pretty. Also the shadows are very well done to. I like being able to see enemies advancing towards me on walls depending on the circumstances. Another nice touch is when I shoot at a wall pieces come off depending on the gun, and there is dust depending on the surface. One last thing, when you blow enemies up with explosives, you can sever limbs, and the stumps you leave him with trickle out blood, very good touch.

The story to F.E.A.R. is also top notch. It sucked me in and made me want to know more about the main players. I liked how you are given little tidbits of what's going on currently by overhearing radio reports, as well as getting back story by listening to answering machines. I won't spoil the end except to say it was very satisfying.

The game play is net to perfect. The enemy AI is very good. They flank you and work together, retreat if necessary. I would say they are second best to the AI on Far Cry. The slow mo effect worked really well. I was worried going into the game because slow mo effects in first person seemed liked a bad idea, but Monolith pulled it off. In fact it saved my ass countless times. One of my biggest praises of F.E.A.R. is that if you set the difficulty higher the enemies get smarter and better, they didn't simply crank up their health.

F.E.A.R. has a lengthy single player campaign, and multi-player. The single player campaign, on extreme difficulty, took me about 15-20 hours to finish. The multi-player is pretty good as well. I don't play it as often as I thought I would, but it's still decent.

I don't have many gripes with F.E.A.R. but there are some slight things I disliked. For instance you have a flashlight, but it's mounted on your head and only lasts about 1 minute before it has to recharge. I'm sure special forces can come up with a better solution. Secondly the multi-player seems to lack the tactical feel the single player had. It seems like a slightly better version of Counter-Strike.

These things aside, F.E.A.R. rocks. I can't praise it enough. If you have a good enough PC to appreciate the graphics, and you like a game that is fun and also can scare the crap out of you, F.E.A.R. is for you.

F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon (2005 Video Game)

One of the Best Games I Have Ever Played

[9/10 · 9 November 2006]

The first thing I will say is the PC I played this on:

CPU: And Athlon X2 4400+ RAM: 2X 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Graphics Card: 2x BFG 7900GT 256MB Hard Drive: 200GB SATAII Hard Drive Monitor: 20.1" Widescreen Monitor

I run F.E.A.R. with all of the details at maximum, soft shadows on, 4x AA, 16x AF, and at a resolution of 1280*960. I tell you this so you understand my interpretation of the graphics may be different than some.

F.E.A.R. has some of the best graphics I have seen yet. The best part in my opinion being the blood. I take time to look at some poor guy I just massacred on F.E.A.R. because it is that pretty. Also the shadows are very well done to. I like being able to see enemies advancing towards me on walls depending on the circumstances. Another nice touch is when I shoot at a wall pieces come off depending on the gun, and there is dust depending on the surface. One last thing, when you blow enemies up with explosives, you can sever limbs, and the stumps you leave him with trickle out blood, very good touch.

The story to F.E.A.R. is also top notch. It sucked me in and made me want to know more about the main players. I liked how you are given little tidbits of what's going on currently by overhearing radio reports, as well as getting back story by listening to answering machines. I won't spoil the end except to say it was very satisfying.

The game play is net to perfect. The enemy AI is very good. They flank you and work together, retreat if necessary. I would say they are second best to the AI on Far Cry. The slow mo effect worked really well. I was worried going into the game because slow mo effects in first person seemed liked a bad idea, but Monolith pulled it off. In fact it saved my ass countless times. One of my biggest praises of F.E.A.R. is that if you set the difficulty higher the enemies get smarter and better, they didn't simply crank up their health.

F.E.A.R. has a lengthy single player campaign, and multi-player. The single player campaign, on extreme difficulty, took me about 15-20 hours to finish. The multi-player is pretty good as well. I don't play it as often as I thought I would, but it's still decent.

I don't have many gripes with F.E.A.R. but there are some slight things I disliked. For instance you have a flashlight, but it's mounted on your head and only lasts about 1 minute before it has to recharge. I'm sure special forces can come up with a better solution. Secondly the multi-player seems to lack the tactical feel the single player had. It seems like a slightly better version of Counter-Strike.

These things aside, F.E.A.R. rocks. I can't praise it enough. If you have a good enough PC to appreciate the graphics, and you like a game that is fun and also can scare the crap out of you, F.E.A.R. is for you.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

A Great Horror Movie for almost Anyone

[9/10 · 6 July 2006]

I had been waiting to see the original Dawn of the Dead for a long time now, and I finally rented it last night. It was awesome. You'll have to forgive me if I reference the remake of Dawn of the Dead often in this review, I saw it first so I was basing my expectations off of that. The original had more gore (which surprised me), a more developed story and characters, and had a slightly better payoff at the end. This is not to knock the remake, which I still love, but to show you how good the original was. It has everything a horror fan could love, lots of monsters ( in this case zombies), lots of gore, and a little bit of comedy thrown in. What I liked about Dawn of the Dead was it conveyed to me what being trapped in the mall was doing to the characters, it wasn't just an intermission to the next action scene. I liked how it built up how they got to the mall, what they did to the mall, it took time to set things up which is rare for most horror movies. Also, maybe it's because I rented the remastered version, but it didn't look or feel to be 28 years old. So just a quick recap of why I loved Dawn of the Dead, a lot of gore, a wonderfully crafted story, and a good set of actors/actresses. I didn't find it scary or creepy, but still enjoyed it nonetheless. I am not giving it perfect because in that story I was talking about earlier I did find it dragged a bit, I think a few minutes could of been shaved off here and there. I recommend to any horror fan who hasn't seen it, and to anyone who wants to see a good movie, and can stand to see gore. I give it 9/10.

Syriana (2005)

Very Enjoyable and Well Done

[9/10 · 1 July 2006]

I will not say that everything in Syriana is 100% true because I just can't do that, but it will certainly make you think. It has the feel of someone writing an essay on their views on the oil industry and how it affects everyone, and then taking that essay and putting it onto film. I was kept interested almost all throughout the film and kept me wanting to see more, which is all I can really ask of a movie. Most of the characters were well enough developed that I cared what happened to them and those who didn't have a lot of explanation I wanted to see more of. I have seen many reviews describe this movie as an "eye opener", I think that is pretty accurate. I really wonder if this is how governments do business and if they will really go to the lengths in Syriana to protect their interests. I can already assume that some companies, especially oil companies, would go that far to make a profit it isn't much of a stretch. I particularly liked how the 3 or 4 stories inter wined and smashed together. Syriana does not have really any action, gun fights, anything like that. It is a thinking mans movie, that might bore some and i'll admit it did drag ever so slightly at a couple of points but it is one movie that is worth seeing by just about anyone. I wouldn't describe it as left wing or right wing, it has elements of both believe it or not. If you are looking for a movie that will make you think about it, and make you want to discuss it after wards, I recommend it. If you expect action, gunfights, I would look elsewhere. I give it 9/10.

Madea's Family Reunion (2006)

Overall Predictable, Cheesy, and Preachy

[6/10 · 30 June 2006]

I think that Madea's Family Reunion could of been better, not a lot better, but somewhat better. I was not a fan of the first film Diary of a Mad Black Women, so I was slightly biased towards this movie, but I really did try to give it a shot, but it failed as a whole. I found some parts of Family Reunion funny, but they were few and far between while the rest was either rehashed, predictable, and uninteresting for me. Here is one thing I found funny, out of about 110 minutes, only roughly 30 of them took place at the actual family reunion. Not only that, but those were the ONLY moments that had anything to do with the family reunion. Is this a big deal ? No, but it does make the title a little pointless. I would of liked this movie a little more if it had of only included scenes with Madea and her brother. Those were the ones that had me laughing. I hate all of the romantic parts about finding love because I couldn't care less about it, especially when I can predict how the scenes going to play out. I also can't stand how much the characters talking about God so much. I don't mean to sound anti-religious, because i'm not, but if I want to hear a sermon i'll go to church. I didn't pay to see this movie, my dad loves this one and Mad Diary... so I watched with him to be nice. I got basically what I expected, something I could of gone without seeing. If you liked Diary of a Mad Black Women then you will most likely enjoy Madea's Family Reunion. If you don't like predictable cheesy romance, and a lot of preaching then you will most likely not enjoy this movie. I give it 6/10.

Submerged (2005 Video)

One Of Seagal's Worst, Just An Overall Bad Movie

[2/10 · 6 September 2005]

This was easily one of Steven Seagal's worst films he has made. The plot was changed so much during the course of making it that I had no idea what it was about going into it, and the film itself at times failed to clarify it for me. It does not even follow the plot line of what is given here on the IMDb site. It was confusing at times because it just seems to follow no logic at all. For instance in "Submerged", the film takes place on a sub for about forty minutes, maybe. The rest is spread out in "Uruguay" and involves car chases, gun fights, and a little hint of political commentary. That is just the first of my many gripes with the film. To add to that, much of the movie where Steven Seagal talks, it is in fact dubbed. There is very little action really, and what little there was was not entertaining. Seagal kicks a few guys, and has a very quick knife fight with a enemy that looked to have been an attempt at copying a knife fight from Under Siege. If it had of been that, then it failed miserably because it sucked where the knife fight from Under Siege was entertaining. I saw two bright spots in the whole film, Vinnie Jones, and Alison King. Vinnie Jones had a lot of funny lines, and overall made me mildly interested for the scenes he was in. He in fact had better fight scenes than "Lord Steven". As for Alison King, she was just extremely beautiful and that was enough. She plays the tough chick of the film, and does it well. Overall, this film was laughable. Steven was fat, had very little fighting, and that fighting he did was crappy. The plot was horrible and flowed even worse. The dubbing just annoyed me and made the whole movie experience worse. The only bright spots were as I said earlier, Vinny Jones, and Alison King. I give Submerged 2/10. I don't recommend this film, although no doubt Seagal's loyal fans will go see it anyway.

24 Hours in London (2000)

A Fun Movie, Keep that in Mind

[8/10 · 10 January 2005]

24 Hours in London was a fun movie for me. It promised Hong-Kong style action and lots of fun, the action isn't quite Hong-Kong, but it was decent, and like I said, I had lots of fun.

This movie is about an ambitious gang-lord named Christian who wants to merge with an American gang to rule the streets of London, only thing standing in his way is one witness that can put him in jail. The next 90 minutes was me being entertained at Christian trying to dispatch of this witness.

There are several well crafted action scenes throughout this film, I have seen better, but I have seen far far worse, so that is a plus in my book. My only complaint about the action was that in one scene in particular it was incredibly unrealistic, was very entertaining, but I couldn't help but mentally note "yeah right" while watching it. Believe it or not there was some very well placed humor in this film, I found some parts to have me holding my sides, I may be exaggerating a bit, but trust me, there is some funny parts indeed. The acting was for the most part pretty decent, I could only point out a few times where I was waiting for that moment to pass because I couldn't stand watching it, but that didn't occur nearly often enough for me to be truly angry at this film. I was intrigued by the variety of odd-ball characters there were, each one was unique to me in some way, a good thing.

Some minor complaints of mine would be the plot. At points it is just fine, not near greatness, but decent enough, but there are parts to this film that just should of been changed to be less cliché. I was expecting this sort of problem with this film so it didn't affect the rating a whole lot, but still, the problems are there. Other than that, and some acting problems that I mentioned earlier, I have no real complaints.

I wanted a movie I could just relax and have fun with, a popcorn movie if you will, and I found one. I recommend this movie to action fans (although it is not excessive on the violence I will warn), or to anybody who likes movies they can just shut their brain off for. I give 24 Hours in London 8/10, an enjoyable movie with some nice gunfights.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Pretty Good Action Movie

[8/10 · 26 December 2004]

I must say that going into seeing Blade: Trinity I was not expecting a masterpiece, I merely wanted to be entertained by this movie. With that said, it did a pretty decent job. People can criticize this film with having a thin plot, being corny at points, heck I know I will, but I don't think the makers were going for a great plot, and great acting, more along the lines of action/comedy and lots of fighting/explosions.

The plot is this: a group of vampires bring back Dracula to help combat Blade, while they also get Blade to the top of the FBI's most wanted, now Blade needs help of his own, this comes from a group of new young vampire stalkers. These are not spoilers by the way, everything I say is included in the trailers. I must say that many times I was saying in this film "yeah right", but most of the time I was having a ball. I will say that one thing I found is that Blade: Trinity was less "dark" than the other two Blade movies, it just had a lighter feel to it. More comedy involved than before, which was nice because it was indeed funny, but I liked the atmosphere set by the other films that this one did not take.

The newest additions, Ryan Renolds and Jessica Beil, do their jobs pretty well. I must say that Renolds had me laughing almost any time he was on screen. Beil was very nice to look at, she is just incredibly beautiful, and she does well considering the lines she is given. Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H makes a decent debut, I guess. He had some funny parts, but really I can't see how his job was that hard considering his role was to beat people up, and that's what he gets paid to do for the WWE so it's not a real stretch. Well overall the supporting cast did a good job and kept me entertained.

On to the meat and potatoes of this movie, the fights. Much of the work was very well done in this film, Snipes is his usual acrobatic self and disposes of vampires in interesting ways while showing off his martial arts skills. Here is a part I didn't like, the fighting involving Ryan Renolds, at times he tries to be like Snipes, and it just doesn't work. I always say, if the actor doesn't know martial arts, don't make him try to pretend, it's just not the same. Beil did some nice fight scenes to. Triple H, well his fights were good, but I see it too much in the ring to really enjoy it, the whole time I was thinking in my head, "now when's he going to break out a pedigree ?", well that moment never came. The gun fights were really well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Overall Blade: Trinity had awesome fight scenes.

So that pretty much sums up my feelings of this film. It was a fun movie to watch just for the action, and comedy of Renolds, but not much else (did I mention Jessica Beil was very beautiful). I will say that out of the three Blade movies, this is my least favorite, but I still like it and recommend it to anybody looking for a good action movie, die-hard fans of the series will probably be conflicted with it. My rating is 8/10.

WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW (2004 Video Game)

A Good Game That Could Have Been Better

[9/10 · 7 November 2004]

I had high expectations of this game for many reasons. After playing through a season of season mode, and countless matches online, as well as doing many challenges I have come to the opinion that while Smackdown vs Raw is a good game, it could have, and should have been better. First lets start with what should have been one of the bright spots of the game, Online mode. I will give THQ and company credit just for finally putting it in, but that's as far as I will extend the praise. The problem is that it has many little things that I can pick apart about the Online mode. There are only 2 match types to choose from, Single and Bra and Panties. I was hoping to have more variety with online mode. The next problem with it was that for a considerable amount of the time, the matches were very laggy and had poor frame rate, at times making play unbearable. This did not happen all of the time, but enough for me to become angry and take notice. The Online mode also has no ranking system, which while it is not a crucial part of an Online game, I still like to have one. I must say that the soundtrack to the game was just awesome, and easily beat any of the soundtracks to previous Smackdowns. CAB and CAPPV were also added for the first time since Smackdown 2 and it is a feature that I and many others really enjoy having. You do need a substantial amount of money to make a belt, but I still feel it is worth it. The story lines in season mode are very interesting so far. I have only played one complete season, but I must say that with the past two Smackdowns the season mode has greatly improved as far as the story lines are concerned. You are sure to find original stories that are not stolen from the real life WWE broadcasts, although there bound to be some real ones thrown in for fun, no harm there. I also like the improvement of the weapon damage because it is now as close to realistic as has been reached in any of the other Smackdown games. I should also mention the addition of the dirty/clean meters that will reflect how you work the match. You fill up either bar and each one gives you something special to do as a result. You can also elect to be 'neutral' and work the match any way you want, you just don't get any special thing to do for it. I will now move on to my other big gripe with the game, besides online play, which was the the new 'ringout meter'. The point of this meter is when you are in a Royal Rumble instead of being punched or kicked out of the ring so quickly like in previous games, this bar must be emptied before you can be knocked out. It is very simple, you engage in a grapple when the opponent is on the ring apron, and the bar starts to go down, when the bar empties you are knocked off. The problem with this is it doesn't work like it is supposed to. I have played in two royal Rumbles so far and each time I have been punched off of the ring apron when my bar is at full. This angers me because the point of this bar was to prevent these quick exits from occurring any more. I would not be angry in the previous games because this kind of thing in Royal Rumbles was common, but this 'ring-out meter' was supposed to change all of that, and it failed. Oh, if I have not mentioned it earlier in this review, the graphics are the best yet in this game and really deserve praise. In conclusion, I really like this game but I feel that it could have been better than it was. Here is my scoring on this game:

Graphics: 9.5

Story (in this case season mode): 9.0

Difficulty: 9.0

Controls: 10.0

Fun Factor: 10.0

Tilt (my personal feeling): 8.5

Total: 56/60

Overall: 9.3

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Has Its Flaws, But Was Enjoyable

[8/10 · 14 August 2004]

Alien Vs. Predator

I had very high expectations of this movie because I, like many others, had been waiting for many years to see this adapted to film. I would like to state right now that I did enjoy this film and think it is an alright addition to both series. Now with that said, AVP does have its problems, some that hampered it very much. The following are my problems with AVP.

1.Lack of violence

I am not saying that this needed to be some kind of epic bloodbath, but almost all violence was committed off-screen and what was done on screen was IMO barely worth a PG-13 rating. Much of what made great shots in previous films like chestburstings, Predator claw kills, and so on were all off-screen. It really did not seem fair to deprive die hard fans of these acts that are common in all the respective films of these series. Going for a PG-13 rating was by far the worst move that Paul Anderson could of done.

2.Lighting

Many of the action scenes were very poorly lit, and I had a hard time to make everything out that was happening. I understand that this took place in a pyramid 2000 feet under the surface, but it could have been a bit brighter for the viewer's sake.

3.Predators

I don't believe that the Predators were adequately represented in this film. First off there should have been more than there were, and they should have been tougher. I wont give anything away but the movie doesn't seem to be fair in depicting which species are better.

Conclusion:

Well, those are my main beefs with the film. I did enjoy it, but I just think it could have been better. The performance of who played Lex Woods was good, and the interaction between Predator and Human was interesting to say the least. I give this film 8/10, and I think any fan of either series should see this film just to see what impact it may have on their series of choice. That and you may end up enjoying this film. I think this is a positive step in both series, and am interested and excited to see where it takes us. I just hope Paul Anderson or whoever does the sequels will take suggestions like mine seriously.

Hackers (1995)

About as Good as Expected

[8/10 · 28 March 2004]

I think Hackers was a pretty good movie. Not worthy of awards, but a good way to pass time. I find this to be a fun movie, and most computer types will enjoy it. The plot is..well..thin. You have to turn on your suspension of disbelief, just check the trivia, I agree that most the stuff that happens with the actual hacking is not possible but it is sure fun to watch. Angelina Jolie is hot as ever, and really does her role nicely. I love Matthew Lillard's character, funny as hell to watch. This movie has it's moments of greatness, but overall I found it to be somewhat corny. The main villain, "The Plague", refuses to be called by his given name. He is an adult in his thirties, but acts like any teenager, got a skateboard, and talks like a teenager. So, I would reccemend this movie, it is very enjoyable, and most will like it. My only warning is this: don't place very high expectations on Hackers, it is a movie for fun, not much else.

8/10

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Easily the Best Horror Movie of Recent Memory

[9/10 · 25 March 2004]

I had wanted to see the original before I saw this remake, but when a friend asked out of the blue if I wanted to see it, I couldn't resist. I still intend to see the original, but this 2004 version was a excellent film in its own right. I didn't find it very scary, but I didn't go to be scared. The zombies were very well done, the added humour really offsets the more graphic scenes well. I found that they took your mind off the theme of the film, so when the action set back in, it would catch you off guard. The ending left me a little disapointed, but it wasn't all bad. I found that as a horror movie, it was better than most of the more recent horror films I saw, like F vs J, and Jeepers Creepers 2. Well, only other thing I can add, is that the action scenes were great, plot was decently done ( I have a few holes I noticed), movie was a bit rushed, but its not a big deal, and as said before, watch the end credits, it will be worth it.

9/10, excellent movie.

Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)

Good For What Its Worth

[8/10 · 11 March 2004]

I didn't expect a spectacular film, just something that would keep me entertained for the majority of it. I got just that. Jet Li's fight scenes were worth my while and quite well done. The addition of Mark D. was a nice addition, he is a great opponnet for Li. I just wish they had more screen time together. The biggest weak spot to this film was DMX. He is not even close to a good actor, and he can't do entertaining fight scenes, and is very weak when emotional scenes are being done (ie. with his daughter here). This film could have been much better if there had been some other angle than a kidnapped daughter. Overall I think this movie while not excellant, was pretty good. Fans of Jet Li might like it, if you can stand most of his other U.S. films, than this will be more of the same.

8/10

Dirty Dancing (I) (1987)

I Hate It

[1/10 · 11 March 2004]

Well first off, I hate musicals, and dancing movies, so its a no- brainer that this movie is not for me. I can say nothing good about it, the acting is crap, plot is as cornball as one can get, and it doesn't appeal to me.I also cannot stand any Patrick Swayze movies to date, that weighs in heavily. The only reason I have seen this movie is because when I was young, there was only one T.V., so not much choice with an older sister and mother who love this movie. I wanted to bust the tape, I cannot ever sit through this movie. This definetly not for anyone who does not like musicals or dancing movies, trust me. Avoid at all costs.

1/10 for this crap.

Se7en (1995)

Better After Each Viewing

[9/10 · 9 January 2004]

I first watched Se7en in 1995. I didn't much care for it at the time, but I was 9 at the time and I couldn't understand many of the more deeper meanings of the film. Ever since then I have understood the film better after each time I watch it (5 times now), and it is now one of my favorite movies. Besides being a very entertaining film, it made me really think and I like that in a film. It provoked me to think on many things such as my views on society. Many people will not understand this film the first time around, I know that I didn't, but thats the beauty of this film, in its complexity. It deserves the praise that it received, and I don't see that often. I would hope that everyone could get a chance to see this movie, for it is wonderful.

I give Se7en 9/10. Not perfect, but as close to it as a film can get.

Pet Sematary (1989)

I Expected Better From a King Book

[5/10 · 9 January 2004]

I own the book Pet Semetary, and while I haven't read it yet, I saw this film on TV one night. It wasn't that good at all. I wasn't scared, wasn't entertained, and didn't really care about what was going on. I was interested at the beginning, when things looked promising, but after Lewis Creed proved to be an idiot over and over I just stopped caring. This idiot after bringing back his dead son, after seeing the results on his cat, then brings back his dead wife, and tries to make out with her ! This guy was just a total moron. I cannot say anything much good about this film. I don't recommend it, I really thought it would be good since Stephan King wrote it, but sadly it is a piece of crap.

I give this 5/10. Avoid it.

Underworld (2003)

Better Than What You Might Expect

[9/10 · 5 January 2004]

I was really hyped for this movies release, and I have to admit after seeing the rating on imdb I got worried that it would be a crappy movie. I was happily suprised as it was one of the best movies I have seen this year. It had plenty of awesome action scenes, an awesome soundtrack, and thats just for starters. I found out afterwards that theres going to be a sequel and prequel, I can't wait. The acting was kinda cliched but I didn't mind, I didn't go to see some drama, I went to be entertained, and it did just that. I was into this movie from start to finish, and I liked how theres history given between the two species. Underworld is not for everyone, but I loved it.

Overall 10/10, just an awesome movie.

In Hell (2003)

An excellant film from Van Damme, best yet

[10/10 · 1 January 2004]

I was very excited when In Hell finally came out. It didn't disappoint me a bit. JCVD actually plays a character with some depth, some emotion, which is rare for him. This movie starts kind of slow, but after that it doesn't let up. It was a great cast too, I was surprised by the performance from LT, I didn't know he had much acting ability. There is a great story here and it can be quite insightful at times, which blends in nice with the awesome fights that happen in this movie. Its not the normal martial arts from most other JCVD movies, but gritty street fighting. Ringo Lam has collaborated on some of Van Dammes best work, and this movie is at the top of the list.

Overall I give In Hell 10/10. It was an awesome movie that I recamend to any JCVD fans, or action fans.

The Core (2003)

Seen it before, it was called Armegeddon

[6/10 · 1 January 2004]

I had very low expectations for this movie going in because quite honestly I thought it would be crap. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it isn't a great movie either. As I was watching it, I was piecing together what bits I thought they stole from Armegeddon, which was alot. I won't mention any here because of spoilers. The plot was weak and overused to say the least. The scientific part of this movie was just insulting, im 17 and I could see through their obvious bullshit. The special effects were pretty nice, which was one bonus. I was entertained for 2 hours though, although I think they could of wrapped this thing up in a shorter timeframe.

Overall I give this 6/10, just too unoriginal and stereotypical to really enjoy fully. Im glad I didn't pay the $5.74 to rent this.

Nothing to Lose (1997)

One of the Best Comedies Ever

[10/10 · 1 September 2003]

Nothing to Lose : Featuring Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence, John C. McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito. Directed by Steve Oedkerek

This is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Quick plot recap, Nick Beam (Robbins) walks in on his wife with another man and just loses it. He leaves to just drive around until some street thug (Lawrence) decides to try to mug him leading the two on many hilarious events. This movie had me laughing almost from beginning to end.

As opposed to many comedies this movie offers a great cast all around. Tim Robbins was what I worried about because I had my doubts as to whether or not he could make me laugh, he exceded my expectations. He is not the same funny as Martin Lawrence using exaggeration and big expressions, instead he is more subtle humour like in Nothing to Lose, "Boy did you pick the wrong guy on the wrong day". It was just the way he says it and how he acts his comedy scenes that made Robbins a great addition to the well known comedien that Lawrence is. I have to mention John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito who give standout performances as robbers. They were just hilarious together.

I like the way this story deals with just what can go to ruin a mans life. Witnessing your wife cheating would drive some to murder, but in this movie, only to robbery and more confidence. It was a given that these two charecters (Robbins and Lawrence) would form a friendship at the end of their ordeal but the climax of the film (IMO) was a bit suprising. Great script for humour and great charecters.

This movie will had me laughing and really made an impact by the end, also one of Martin Lawrence's early movies. I would love to see these two together in some working relationship down the road. Any fans of any of the actors in this film will probably enjoy, or if you love comedies than check this out. I loved every minute of it.

8/10

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

Great Addition to the First

[8/10 · 29 August 2003]

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003): Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck, Directed by Victor Salva

After seeing the first jeepers Creepers I didn't know what to expect because I had a mixed opinion of the first. Fans of the first movie might be disappointed by this installment, due to the fact that I found this "horror film" to be more of a comedy. Maybe its my sense of humour thats out of wack, thats up to others to judge for themselves. On to the film.

For those that don't know the plot, here goes : Bus load of students get stranded on the side of a country road only to be hunted by that ever so handsome Creeper on the last day of his 23 day feeding frenzy. Now this could of been a much worse movie than it was because of such a thin plot. It does go a bit deeper in some points though, we learn some new things that the Creeper is able to do, as well as some more of its history. You don't have to think in this movie so don't worry, just sit back and have fun.

The visuals were quite good, lots of good gore throughout this film from the jocks to the Creeper. What I found nice is that some of the gore you might find yourself laughing at not because its poorly done but just what you find yourself looking at. The soundtrack was well put together as it tries to build suspense as to what will happen next but the problem is this film will be highly predictable to most so not much suprise. My friend that came with me was basicaly predicting everything before it happend.

The acting was nothing special but when do these movies ever have anything special from that department. Their purpose is to further the plot and to die. I like what Victor Salva has done to this script even with the ending and the addition of the grieving father was a good relief frim screaming teens.

I would recamend this movie to pretty much anybody who likes horror movies or who like dark comedies (my opinion of this movie). I think it was just as good as the first movie if not just a bit better in some ways. It is not as scary as the first (which wasn't to scary to start with) but is funnier. Parents who don't know whether to let their kids see this well my advice upon seeing this is that the gore isn't anything that will scar them and most of the language is F this, F that etc, which is nothing that they can't see on normal Cable. IMO let them see it.

In conclusion, great fun film, worth the admission price to theatres ($10 for me). 8/10

The Italian Job (2003)

Good heist film, with the exception of Wahlberg

[8/10 · 25 June 2003]

The Italian Job: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton

Those are just a few to grace this cast. I don't know what it is about heist film always having all-star casts but gotta love it. On to the movie, its about a group of theives who steal $35 million in gold only to have a member of their crew (Norton) double-cross them to take the gold for himself and leave the crew for dead. Well don't you know it the crew survives (minus one) and want payback. Thus introduce car chases, neat gizmos, cool cars, and lots of humour, while attempting to be serious.

I didn't have high expectations for this film because by the trailer it looked rather cheesy, but that doesn't mean that I didn't want to see it. I have to say that I like most of Mark Wahlberg's films, but I don't like him as an actor. He was mostly mono-tone throughout the whole film, even when trying to be saddened or mad. He showed virtualy no personality, no charisma. The rest of the cast was a joy to watch, fitting their characters perfectly. I have to highlight Seth Green and Jason Statham. All of Seth Green's films are just so great because he comes off so slick and smooth in his character. Edward Norton is a great villain and really worked by the response of the audiance at my theatre, I heard one person calling him an asshole after killing someone (won't say who).

The car chase scene was worth the wait, nothing really special but pulled off well. Its a change of pace from SUV's or Ferraris. The one thing that might happen is througout the film you will either say "yeah right, like thats possible" or you will be enjoying the film and not care. I enjoyed this film with a few exceptions, I would of liked to see a lead with more personality but it didn't hinder the film. There is actually a pretty good back plot (won't tell what), and great side characters. I will say one thing, "skinny Pete", you will know what I mean when you see it.

8/10

The Salton Sea (2002)

The best movie ive seen in a while

[10/10 · 24 February 2003]

I absolutley loved this film. It great performances by Kilmer and D'onfornio, as well as others. This is the first film ive seen from D.J. Carusso, but now ill look for others.

This film tells the tale of a Danny Parker/A.K.A. Tom Van Allen(Kilmer) who's wife was murdered and now he has delved into a world of drugs, depression and police snitching. There are far more plot twist in this film but I don't want to spoil it. Vincent D'onfornio once again plays a great role, and for this one he gained 45 lbs. He plays the drug dealer "Pooh Bear", who has a prostetic nose(had a bit to much crank). I didn't know what to expect from this film but I was pleased. The ending was also well done, the hotel scene fooled me as well. I think any fan of cult films, with dark moods, or anybody who like Val Kilmer will like this film. It was one of his best.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

A great Imaginative film, thats funny as well.

[10/10 · 22 February 2003]

I haven't seen the original but this Oceans eleven was great. When I first saw it, I was amazed at how many big budget stars was in the movie, it really helped, but the story was great to. The plot was sorta out there, meaning that most of this film you could sum it up by saying "Yeah right like that would ever happen" but thats whats nice about it, it isnt a serious movie its just one for fun. I havent seen a film yet with so many quick one liners but they worked. The story actually had some twists that made you think. George Clooney was great as the head of the crew, hes suited for this kind of role, I actually like him better in comedy than action. Brad Pitt seems to play the same kind of calm, cool, collective guy almost every movie but it works for him. The crew seems to be made up of a bunch of unique lonnies, especially the brothers(the drivers,played the waiters etc). This movie will make you laugh almost all the way through it. Im surprised that it didn't even get nominated for even one award.

Ronin (1998)

Overall a Great Movie

[9/10 · 5 January 2003]

When I first saw Ronin I expected it to be another corny spy movie but it wasn't. The plot was pretty well put together and their was suspense. I must say that Sean Bean played a rather wimpy guy which he usually doesn't do.

I really liked the plot because it always made you wonder what was in the case and made you wonder who was double-crossing who. the end left me with a few questions but I wont post them here because of spoilers. I could see a sequel being made in the future but its unlikely.

The acting was great. Robert De Niro turned in another great performance, it seems he usually plays the same type, a guy who is careful, Smart, and tough. I also enjoyed Jean Reno. He adds some European flare and can be funny. I was dissapointed that they didn't give Sean bean more to do, I usually enjoy his movies but his character was a wimp.

How can I forget the guns, cars and fights. The car chase scenes were brilliant, and the gun fights weren't half bad either. I especially liked the scene where they actually try to get the case, in Nice. I recamend this movie to anyone who likes a good spy, sort of who done it film. That is if you don't mind guns, car chases etc. This was a fun and enjoyable movie. It left me with some questions but overall I give it 8/10.