Hollywood Hills, cityscapes, beaches, beautiful ladies...

And way too much dialog. And monologue. Static angles. Conversations held from the same stationary angle all the way through. Standard transitions - white fades even sometimes. Bland locales with bland lighting.

And when you maybe start doubting if it really is that bad you get the fight scene with the Asian lady! Who does have some good moves - and looks - but is unfortunately accompanied by sound effects you'd find in a dubbed HK action movie from the eighties - and sped up way too much to be shown without cuts. It's... I mean it's a start! It's entertaining. Could use some polish though.

And then they chop up some actual beef to mimic chopping up a human... come on now. They don't even chop! Seems they don't want to damage the floor.

And then when they flip the coin and the camera slowly zooms in on the floor... beside the coin? Is there something I'm missing here? Focus on the wiped out bloodstain? If there is a reason for the sideways bit it just doesn't come through well. It looks like they totally missed the mark.

Maybe if the coin landed where the blood had been wiped away too?

The filming and scene quality really isn't perfect with this one, nor the acting, but a bit better cuts and directing I reckon it still would've been compelling.

It's the story of a hitman who just wants to be normal. But they also give no points of relatability. He's got plenty of cash, he's got women, he's got no flaws! Or scruples. When he finally falls in love... is he really in love? Didn't he love the first woman he killed too?! So much here makes no sense at all.

It'a both flawed and non-rewarding this one... but at least it ends with a good message huh?

I want to give it at least a two for the ladies, and the actors might've been good in another movie, but really...

 rated 1.5/5: almost decent

This is almost like martial arts porn. The acting's nothing to hang up on your Christmas tree (that's a saying right?), the settings aren't high budget either, but the INTENSITY! That's how they sell it. Don Niam in particular - as the twisted psycho looking for the love of his life, but Cynthia Rothrock and John Miller too. Sunny David's smile, too. They all wield both character and energy. They're fierce.

As are the friends. The gangs. Enemies though they may be it's almost like they're one big family, too.

The gangs maybe come across a little cheesy initially, but there's nothing lackluster about the fights, and they get better. The showdown does not disappoint. The choreography's surprisingly fluent sometimes - even when they're dealing with blades. They sell the eye too. When it matters the most they sell everything. It's a brutal finish. The angles are just right too. The close-up's. The expressions. The blood - when necessary. It's all right.

I think I first heard about this movie in one of Scott Adkins martial art interviews... The Art of Action. Probably in the one with Cynthia. Give that interview a watch if you haven't - you'll both like and respect her even more.

Don Niam though... he's played so iconically psychotic roles it'd be strange to see him as someone who isn't. I wonder what he's like in real life...

I enjoyed this movie way more than I was expecting. It also reminds me of Hard Boiled for some reason. It's simpler, but they've got the same rawness and chemistry. They got that charm. They got the life and passion and perfect soundtrack a backing. They don't have the best acting but...

They're all packing. Takes me back to good ol' HK action.

This was great.

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

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I saw this one at the movies too, right after Renfield, and I thought that one was good?! This was even better! Some may say it's mainstream and cliche, like LOTR meets Marvel, like a solid adventure movie with unfortunately much emasculating mannerisms going on...

Is that a thing though? The only characters with flaws are the male ones sure but... I don't mind it here. The cast complement each other well, gender benders or no.

The sceneries are beautiful. Vast natural landscapes with a little CGI elements sprinkled in, entirely artificial grottos, archaic and wondrous interiors and castles, with strange fairy tale creatures sometimes seen just at the edge of a shot, on a corner leaf or similar... those specific bits feel almost too calculated an inclusion, but overall it's a wonder to behold.

Those Chocobo-like birds too, hmm, wonder which franchise was first with some of these critters, D&D does go back...

The owl bear was so good too. The dragon unexpected (you'll see). The soundtrack epic. The names seemed strange on peeps like Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Pine, but you grow to like 'em after all. The lore almost seems to rival LOTR sometimes, the battles are awesome, the chemistry grows on you and Hugh Grant's a great villain (as is the real one).

The whole movie carries a sense of adventure with a greater purpose too, and not without company. It's witty, fun, daunting and magical... it's an adventure! They capture this so well.

It's made by eOne Hasbro huh. I'm not sure I've seen the name before, but it seems a movie studio to be reckoned with now! If they weren't already.

They really bring the game to life with this one, and I hope it's not the only one they plan on doing, cause I would love to see more. Make it a show show if you want to. Kick out Game of Thrones. I don't mean to hype this movie up excessively but... I loved every second of it.

Great cinema movie too. If you're with a crowd; by a big screen I've no doubt it's at its very best. It's like your all part of the same adventure, or sitting on the bleachers at those final fights...

They really did this one right.

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome

Least creative name ever? But a good movie! Surprisingly so. I recognize some of the actors. Not sure of names...

Was never a big fan of the big blue-eyed guy specifically, but he does alright here. The cast bond and get along. It's a good team. The premise is good. It's creepy. The props realistic. The special effect gun effects maybe not so much - but overall.

Initially I wondered if maybe it'd be like Dead Island. A zombie movie - island style. But it was so much more wasn't it... not bad at all.

I like the Northern Lights effects in particular, although it seems they keep effects on screen for all too short a duration most of the time. Maybe for fear of them actually looking sub-par if you look closely. But they really aren't... and they do a great job portraying the rage in the fights - even if the fights themselves are shamefully choreographed.

Guys with training ought be a bit more adaptable.

Maybe the title's not bad either. It's matter-of-fact. It gives you the premise, but doesn't spoil the twist! I like the mystery. Reminds me a bit of Lost too.

Good watch after all.

 rated 3/5: not bad

I somehow grew away from movies like this, apparently.

I don't mind the sex it's just... way too over the top. I thought. Initially. It does get better though - and it does get extreme! That 'don't be a pussy, just tell me who you are' line got me, and after that... I'm enjoying this more than I really want to. The Abe Lincoln time travel bit too, oh my gawd... they don't hold back.

It's good to see Andy Milonakis here too, and the whole cast's gold. I did not realize Kevin Hart was in this either last time! Small role but... still. And the cellphone skit. XD That, the time travel and Andy's one are most definitely my favorite three.

They have some unexpectedly big names here overall, did not expect to see Michael Cera or or Ryan Pinkston (I think? The guy doing the monologue promo bits) - or the guy from Tenacious D either! Some you recognize from the Scary Movie cast list - though no Anna Faris unfortunately. Nor Marlon Wayans. Nor Regina Hall. Was it made by the same director though? Nope.

Wonder if they've made any other spin-off parodies like this. Maybe the Scary Movie franchise was the only one that really took off.

In the end it's all a mix of sex-related sketches, and characters, and they keep coming back to Sex Ed class for the main cast and continuity. It goes full circle in a wholesome way there when it's over.

It's cheap humor but it does entertain! And it ends in an unexpectedly lighthearted way considering the extreme thing.

Killer musical. Great watch, after all.

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

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I've seen the second Terminator many times already - the one you might consider the best of all, figured it was time to give the true original a chance too, and all these years later - forty years exactly real soon - it still holds up!

The story itself's an age-old one, both timeless and relevant now more than ever - and more and more with each passing day.

The fact that it came out in 1984 isn't lost on me either. George Orwell.

The action's gritty, the soundtrack's memorable, and the scripting's good.

It flows well. It explains well. It breaks the pace occasionally, but never long enough it doesn't still feel panicked - as it should when there's a merciless cyborg from the future on the chase (a theme for many a B-movie both before and after this - just goes to show how well they made this one when not once does that feel like a joke).

The special effects aged well too (if there were any? Maybe they're real effects?). The props aren't always as ageless as the effects - you spot the transition when Arnold's working on his eye all too easy - and there's plenty of stopmotion involved at the end - but it does look good enough to not destroy the experience overall), and the typography, the title screen... everything's thorough. Although most at the start. After a while it's not all as authentic-looking, even if it's still great. The angles are great. The beads of sweat, the spray of gasoline, the blood falling in the water...

Brad Fiedel composed some truly iconic music for this too!

I thought John Carpenter scored this - seemed psychedelic enough to be his style. Plus the same era.

And props Harlan Ellison for the backstory - at least certain inspirations on which they based these movies.

I'm really close to giving this a top score, but it's not all the way there after all. It is initially. For its time it still is a friggin' masterpiece, and though the moments in present time are the ones I enjoy the most I'm especially impressed with how well they manage making the flashbacks so seamlessly dystopian and futuristic. There's not a prop to be spotted there. It looks raw. It looks real.

It's a glimpse into the future that'll make you appreciate what you got, too. The fire in the TV's a nice touch, and how they move the camera to first make it seem like they're actually watching something on it.

I'm impressed with the transitions, and the cast, the chase, the commotion, how well they manage to build the atmosphere and sense of despair that stays with you for the full duration of the film... it's almost friggin' awesome all the way.

Iconic film.

Compared the second one... the Arnold here really is almost not Arnold at all. He's so cold. In some ways this probably was better than the second. Burning his eyebrows really makes him look all the more a machine - completely devoid of relatable facial features and cues of expression, and the scene where he's surveying the scene from the cop car, and faking voices - a simple trick to do post-production but ohmygawd the chilling effect that gives!

They were ahead of their time there too. I could go on but...

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

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