Jumper (2008)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- After a failed attempt to impress his crush, Millie (AnnaSophia Robb), and a run-in with his pesky bully, Mark (Jesse James), a young David Rice (Max Thieriot) accidentally discovers he has the ability to jump. A Jumper can instantly teleport to any place on earth, and David uses his powers to escape his strict and abusive father, William (Michael Rooker).

Years later, David (Hayden Christensen) has mastered his powers, using jumping to rob banks, so he can live a luxurious lifestyle. David finds Millie (Rachel Bilson) working at a bar. He convinces Millie to travel with him to Rome to see the Colosseum, fulfilling one of Millie’s childhood dream vacations. 

But the trip is disrupted, when David runs into another Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell). To make matters worse, David and Griffin are hunted by Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson). Roland leads the Paladins, a secret group fiercely dedicated to capturing and killing Jumpers. David will need Griffin’s help to stop Roland and protect Millie. And David’s situation takes a bizarre turn, when his estranged mother, Mary (Diane Lane) reappears.

My Thoughts- Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Bell easily deliver the two best performances here. Jackson is a mean and relentless jerk, and he does a fantastic job of selling Roland’s hatred for Jumpers. You really believe Roland is genuinely disgusted by Jumpers, and he will do anything to exterminate them. Also, the obsessive religious fanaticism tied into the Paladins and Roland’s character truly helps solidify his status, as a clear-cut villain throughout the movie.

Jamie Bell plays the angsty tough guy type. He’s closed off and refuses to open up to David about his past, and Bell brings believable intensity to Griffin. Griffin can be a loose cannon, but he still has enough common sense to be responsible, when it matters.

The dynamic and the relationship between Griffin and David hits all the right notes. David is reckless and greedy with his jumping abilities. His lifestyle draws too much attention. Griffin? He quietly lives in a cave. Sure, you could say Griffin is a bit unhinged, but he’s careful and far more disciplined than David. 

As the story progresses, we learn that Mary is a Paladins. That’s why she abandoned David and his father years ago, because as a Paladins, she had to make a choice: leave the family, or kill her own son. It’s kind of a somber ending, when David realizes his mother simply moved on and continued living her life without him. She lives in a nice house, and David has a sister named Sophie (Kristen Stewart).

I wouldn’t say they reach eye rolling levels, but Jumper is loaded with a lot of familiar cliches. As a kid, David is shy and socially awkward. He has a crush on his dream girl, but his bully Mark is one of the dark clouds hanging over his life. 

William? He’s the typical verbally abusive drunk father, but it’s possible to have sympathy for him. Mary bailed on the family, leaving William to raise David on his own. That’s a lot of stress and heartbreak to deal with alone, but William changes as David ages. You can see he wants to have a relationship with his son. He wants to understand him, and William lies to Roland in a failed attempt to protect David.

Jumper delivers some good thrills, but they kind of went overboard with showing how cool it is to be a Jumper. David eating on top of a Sphinx’s head in Egypt is one moment that sticks out, and Griffin showing off his advanced skills to steal a Mercedes, jumping through the dealership at full speed without breaking the glass. Early on the movie, it’s easy to understand what jumping is and how David and Griffin do it, so some of the “jumping is so cool and awesome!” scenes were unnecessary. 

Jumper features a solid cast, and it’s a movie that moves at a quick pace. The runtime flies by with consistent action and a good sense of urgency, as David and Griffin figure out their next moves. 

Jumper is a decent and fun action/sci-fi film, but it also feels incomplete. David and Mary accepted they’ll always share an awkward relationship, and they’re also on opposite sides of the never ending war between Jumpers and Paladins, so that’s a cliffhanger. Millie finally accepted David for what he is, and they end the movie with David and Millie in a seemingly happy relationship. Griffin? David left him trapped in the wires (large amounts of electricity hinders a Jumper’s ability to jump) in another country. Will Griffin trust David again? Or is he looking for revenge?

Roland is still alive, stuck in the Grand Canyon with no help to escape. And we don’t know what happened to William after David dropped him off at the hospital. A lot of loose ends, but we’re in 2024 now, and Jumper was released all the way back in 2008. I still haven’t seen it, but the Impulse series has two seasons. The problem is, Impulse is a stand alone series, so it’s not connected to this movie.

They planted enough seeds to lay the foundation for a sequel, and Jackson could’ve been an excellent villain. Jumper wasn’t perfect, but the potential was there, and the premise definitely had more roads to explore.

Rating- 5/10

Lake Mungo (2008)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In 2005, a teenager named Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) drowns during a swim in a quiet town named Ararat. Alice’s mother, June (Rosie Traynor), her father, Russell (David Pledger), and her, brother Matthew (Martin Sharpe) struggle to move on after her death. 

The Palmers want to live a normal life, but after too many strange events, the family is left with troubling questions about the events leading up to Alice’s death. June turns to a psychic named Ray Kemeny (Steve Jodrell) for help, and the Palmer’s investigation to find the truth leads to a series of shocking revelations.

My Thoughts- Lake Mungo’s documentary style approach to found-footage feels genuinely authentic. You get the feeling you’re actually watching a documentary, with the way everything is presented and setup. The interviews with Alice’s family, friends, and neighbors, and they actually blurred out children’s faces to protect the identity of minors. There’s also the tidbits of information in between each section to explain what’s going on with the story. You really get the feeling an actual team worked hard to put this documentary together. 

I also loved the grainy VHS picture quality with the news reports about Alice’s death. The “footage” in Lake Mungo never looks too clean or polished, and it definitely adds a good sense of realism here. The same thing can be said about Alice’s cell phone footage from her trip to Lake Mungo. At times it’s hard to make out what’s going on, because the picture quality is so poor, but that’s exactly what they were going for. You’re not supposed to be waiting for a big jump scare or an attack. No, you’re watching real footage of a teenage girl panicking. She has to run and escape, so you’re not going to see everything clearly.

The performances? Well, if you’re looking different types of charisma, unique personalities, or showmanship, you won’t find it here. June is a broken and grieving mother, Russell is doing his best to hold it together and be the leader and man of the household, and Matthew is the dejected brother who misses his sister. Ray? He just comes off as a normal guy, who looks like he works a nine to five. I’m actually glad they took this approach with Ray. When they introduced him his a psychic, I thought they would make him out to be an eccentric philosopher type, someone who always speaks in riddles about life and death, but that would’ve been too hokey.

As Alice’s story unfolds, it’s revealed she was keeping a lot of heavy secrets from her family. Alice was involved in a sexual relationship with a neighbor named Brett (Scott Terrill) and his wife, Marissa (Tamara Donnellan), and she actually knew and met with Ray long before Ray met with June, a secret Ray kept from the family. The video footage of the sessions with Ray and Alice really shows you just how much Alice was struggling mentally. She expressed her fears about visions she was having, how she felt about death, and an overwhelming sense of dread she couldn’t get past. Alice basically predicted her own death through her visions and nightmares, and there’s a gut punch, when Alice talks about how her mother wasn’t able to save her in the visions she had.

So what’s going to happen at Lake Mungo? Surely, it’s going to be something BIG, right? With some help from Alice’s boyfriend, it’s revealed Alice buried something near a tree at Lake Mungo, and to make things more bizarre, Alice came face to face with her deformed doppelgänger at Lake Mungo. The doppelgänger resembled Alice’s corpse after she drowned, so something chaotic has to happen? Throughout the movie, there’s footage of an emotionless Alice appearing throughout the Palmer’s house, leading you to believe maybe Alice is not dead, or her ghost is possibly haunting the family. But it’s revealed Matthew faked and set up Alice’s appearances throughout the house.

The Palmer’s found Alice’s phone buried at Lake Mungo, containing the footage of the doppelgänger encounter. The Palmer’s went to Lake Mungo looking for answers and evidence, but they eventually found closure together instead. The doppelgänger wasn’t some vengeful demon or ghost, the family wasn’t chased in the darkness, and there weren’t any scenes with the Palmers hiding from a threat, while they did best to stay quiet and not make any noise. After seeing the footage from Alice’s trip to Lake Mungo, I was expecting this exact scenario, but they stayed true to the documentary presentation, without going into the usual found-footage horror hysteria for a big finale.

Alice’s story is filled with heartache. June found the sex tape with the Brett and Marissa and Alice’s diary in her safe. Just think about how that played out for a second. Alice could’ve easily destroyed that tape to keep it secret, but she wanted her family to find it. And it’s obvious she wanted to keep the video proof of the doppelgänger encounter, so no one would think she was crazy or imagining things out of paranoia.

An inappropriate sexual relationship with adults, a doppelgänger, and visions of your own death? Those are heavy burdens for a kid to carry, and you can see just how badly everything affected Alice in her sessions with Ray. Alice had justifiable reasons for not being able to shake the inescapable dread of dying. She had too much going on in the crucial developmental years of her life, and it’s easy to guess Alice was probably apprehensive about telling her parents about the Brett and Melissa situation out of fear for how they would’ve reacted.

Lake Mungo ends with an eerie shot of Alice’s ghost standing by the window, and watching her family, as the Palmers take one last picture before they move out. It’s the same shot from the opening of the movie. Only difference is, they didn’t show Alice standing there at the window at the beginning. So there’s a chance Alice was haunting the house, or her ghost was just watching over the family? Is her spirit trapped there forever? We don’t get definitive answers to these questions, but it’s a genuinely creepy ending. A lot of possibilities for Alice’s ghost that could go so many ways, and it makes you wonder if the Palmer family is actually in a position, where they can truly move on.

If I have to complain about one big thing, it’s Lake Mungo constantly relying on the footage or the pics of Alice’s ghost standing around throughout the house. After Matthew’s hoax is exposed, it’s revealed that new footage of Alice’s ghost is actually real during the tail end of the movie. It just gets so redundant and tiresome after you’ve seen it so many times. I get the whole point of what they were going for. It’s supposed to be spooky and shocking to see Alice in the house, because we’re not sure what her intentions are for hanging around. But you can only get so much out of the same or similar images of Alice standing around with this emotionless and blank expression on her face.

With all that said, Lake Mungo is still a strong mockumentary horror film. The found-footage elements perfectly fit within the story, and director Joel Anderson does a good job of taking a serious approach to this one. News reports, family photos, and home movies are all used to add to Lake Mungo’s strong sense of realism. There’s also that one gruesome image of Alice’s corpse after she drowned. It’s the only image of brutality in the movie, but it’s definitely strong enough to remember.

If you can really suspend disbelief for Lake Mungo, and put yourself in the mindset that you’re watching an actual documentary, it’s easy to appreciate the fine details. In the end, Lake Mungo effectively accomplishes its mission, with a no nonsense style of storytelling, for a somber and tragic series of events involving an innocent teenage girl. 

Rating- 8/10

Gran Torino (2008)(Minor Spoilers)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major character deaths, or big reveals**

In Highland Park, Michigan, an angry and grumpy Korean War veteran named Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) struggles with the thought of adjusting to a lonely life after his wife’s death. Walt’s surly, old school attitude complicates a broken relationship with his alienated sons Mitch (Brian Haley) and Steve (Brian Howe), Mitch’s wife, Karen (Geraldine Hughes), Mitch’s young daughter, Ashley (Dreama Walker), and Mitch’s son, Josh (Michael E. Kurowski).

Honoring a promise from Walt’s wife, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) tries to befriend Walt for a confession at church, but Walt rejects Father Janovich’s kind gestures. On his birthday, Mitch and Karen launch a mission to move Walt into a retirement home, but Walt vehemently refuses, and to add insult to injury, Walt forces Mitch and Karen to leave after the proposal.

Eventually, Mitch encounters a series of problems with a Hmong family next door. Thao (Bee Vang) lives with his sister, Sue (Ahney Her), and Thao is the target of his cousin Spider’s (Doua Moua) gang. Sue tries to protect Thao, but Spider and his crew are determined to force Thao into their gang as a new member, with or without Thao’s consent. After a while, Thao cracks under the peer pressure, and Thao agrees to a risky initiation test to earn his stripes. The test? Thao must sneak into Walt’s garage at night, and steal Walt’s valued treasure: A 1972 Gran Torino. But Walt surprises Thao with a rifle in the garage, and Thao escapes after a crucial mistake from Walt.

With some help from Sue, Walt agrees to a deal with Thao’s family: Thao will work under Walt’s supervision to complete numerous chores with no questions asked. As time passes, Walt forms a bond with Thao, and Walt teams up with his barber friend, Martin (John Carroll Lynch) and other friends in the neighborhood to help Thao break out of his shell.

Walt’s deteriorating health worries Sue and Thao, and to add to his list of problems, Spider and his gang are looking for revenge after a surprise attack from Walt. A nervous Father Janovich wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but Walt is willing to risk everything to protect Thao and Sue……….

Clint Eastwood delivers the best performance in Gran Torino, as the racist and grizzled old codger with a bad temper. At first, Eastwood is this nasty old man, who seemingly hates everyone, and Walt sticks to the codger formula with a familiar demand after a confrontation with Spider’s gang: “Get off my lawn!” That’s right. Walt actually pulls a “Those darn kids are on my lawn!” card, but the grumpy old man moment is good for a few cheap laughs.

Towards the end, Eastwood shows a softer side for the Walt character. Walt apologizes for his mistakes, and Walt embraces his role as a mentor/father figure for Thao. Walt is not an overly complex character. He’s a hard working common man, with the spirit of a scrappy fighter, who never quits, and Eastwood’s charming and charismatic performance is something to admire.

Christopher Carley takes the spot for the second best performance, and Ahney Her is decent as Sue. Bee Vang is passable as the nerdy and shy bookworm. It’s not fair to judge Brian Haley’s performance, because Haley’s screen time is limited to sporadic appearances, and you can say the same thing about Hughes and Walker.

I can’t ignore the logical plot holes during the finale, and I have a hard time buying into Spider and his gang as a ruthless and dangerous group of tough guys. Also, the final moments of the movie feel tedious at times, because predictability kicks in after Walt’s decision.

Still, Gran Torino is a satisfying drama. It’s a touching story about an old grouch, who sees the error of his ways, and Walt corrects his mistakes to be a mentor for a scared and lonely kid, who’s looking for guidance. Gran Torino is loaded with good laughs, and if you’re a fan of Clint Eastwood’s work, Gran Torino is a must-see, because Eastwood delivers a memorable performance here.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Gran Torino (2008)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In Highland Park, Michigan, an angry and grumpy Korean War veteran named Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) struggles with the thought of adjusting to a lonely life after his wife’s death. Walt’s surly, old school attitude complicates a broken relationship with his alienated sons Mitch (Brian Haley) and Steve (Brian Howe), Mitch’s wife, Karen (Geraldine Hughes), Mitch’s young daughter, Ashley (Dreama Walker), and Mitch’s son, Josh (Michael E. Kurowski).

Honoring a promise from Walt’s wife, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) tries to befriend Walt for a confession at church, but Walt rejects Father Janovich’s kind gestures. On his birthday, Mitch and Karen launch a mission to move Walt into a retirement home, but Walt vehemently refuses, and to add insult to injury, Walt forces Mitch and Karen to leave after the proposal.

Eventually, Mitch encounters a series of problems with a Hmong family next door. Thao (Bee Vang) lives with his sister, Sue (Ahney Her), and Thao is the target of his cousin Spider’s (Doua Moua) gang. Sue tries to protect Thao, but Spider and his crew are determined to force Thao into their gang as a new member, with or without Thao’s consent. After a while, Thao cracks under the peer pressure, and Thao agrees to a risky initiation test to earn his stripes. The test? Thao must sneak into Walt’s garage at night, and steal Walt’s valued treasure: A 1972 Gran Torino. But Walt surprises Thao with a rifle in the garage, and Thao escapes after a crucial mistake from Walt.

With some help from Sue, Walt agrees to a deal with Thao’s family: Thao will work under Walt’s supervision to complete numerous chores with no questions asked. As time passes, Walt forms a bond with Thao, and Walt teams up with his barber friend, Martin (John Carroll Lynch) and other friends in the neighborhood to help Thao break out of his shell.

Walt’s deteriorating health worries Sue and Thao, and to add to his list of problems, Spider and his gang are looking for revenge after a surprise attack from Walt. A nervous Father Janovich wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but Walt is willing to risk everything to protect Thao and Sue……….

Clint Eastwood delivers the best performance in Gran Torino, as the racist and grizzled old codger with a bad temper. At first, Eastwood is this nasty old man, who seemingly hates everyone, and Walt sticks to the codger formula with a familiar demand after a confrontation with Spider’s gang: “Get off my lawn!” That’s right. Walt actually pulls a “Those darn kids are on my lawn!” card, but the grumpy old man moment is good for a few cheap laughs.

Towards the end, Eastwood shows a softer side for the Walt character. Walt apologizes for his mistakes, and Walt embraces his role as a mentor/father figure for Thao. Walt is not an overly complex character. He’s a hard working common man, with the spirit of a scrappy fighter, who never quits, and Eastwood’s charming and charismatic performance is something to admire.

Christopher Carley takes the spot for the second best performance, and Ahney Her is decent as Sue. Bee Vang is passable as the nerdy and shy bookworm. It’s not fair to judge Brian Haley’s performance, because Haley’s screen time is limited to sporadic appearances, and you can say the same thing about Hughes and Walker.

Walt’s master plan to eliminate Spider and his gang? A final showdown at the gang’s house.  One day, Thao was the victim of an ambush from Spider and his gang. Walt retaliated with a nasty beating for one of the gang members, but Spider and his gang delivered another crushing blow with a drive-by shooting on Walt’s home and Thao’s home. After the shooting, the gang captures and rapes Sue.

An enraged Walt promises vengeance, with Thao playing the role of his partner in the assault on Spider’s gang. But Walt tricks Thao during a meeting at his house. Walt locks Thao in the basement to protect him, because Walt is trying to spare Thao a lifetime of haunting memories for taking another man’s life.

During the confrontation at the gang’s house, Walt (with a cigarette in his mouth) slowly reaches into his jacket. Walt quickly removes his hand, and the gang murders Walt with a series of gunshots. Walt never had a gun inside his jacket. Instead, Walt pulled out a lighter, because he wanted the gang to believe he had a gun. The gang opens fire on a defenseless old man, eye witnesses in the neighborhood help the police with their statements, and Spider and his entire gang are arrested for murder. After Walt’s funeral, Thao receives the Gran Torino as a gift during the reading for Walt’s will.

I get the point of Walt sacrificing himself during the confrontation with Spider and his gang. Walt had to protect Thao, because Thao was dead set on bloody revenge with no questions asked. On top of that, Walt’s time was running out. Throughout the movie, Walt has trouble with a bad cough, and towards the end, Walt coughs up blood. So Walt was ready to go, he wanted to go out on his own terms, and save Thao and Sue from Spider and his group of thugs.

BUT I have a few problems with the finale. First of all, the foreshadowing is too obvious. Walt gives Martin twenty dollars for a haircut (the regular haircut is ten dollars) and a straight razor shave, Walt leaves his dog at Thao and Sue’s house, Walt shares a polite phone conversation with Mitch, and I can‘t forget about Walt‘s “I finish things, that‘s what I do“ speech for Thao. The constant farewell signs kill any chances for an unpredictable ending, because after the drive-by shooting, you know Walt’s death is coming, and it’s coming soon.

Also, what about the police? Nobody reports the drive-by shooting, and on top of that, no one reports Sue’s rape? And I’m not buying into the intimidating gang as the sole reason for a lack of cooperation with the police. Intimidating? Please. Spider and his gang look like a bunch of high school dropouts, who spend most of their time riding around, while “playing” the role of a tough guy. In the end, they’re just wannabes/posers.

Although, I’ll give a few bonus points for the hilarity during the reading for Walt’s will. There’s a twinkle in Ashley’s eye (and you can say the same thing about Karen), because she’s 100% sure she’ll receive the Gran Torino as a gift from Walt. When the lawyer announces Thao as the recipient for the Gran Torino, you can see the looks of shock and devastation on Ashley and Karen’s faces.

It’s a hilarious moment, because Ashley was foaming at the mouth for her long awaited (Ashley asked Walt about the Gran Torino after the funeral at the beginning) chance to drive the Gran Torino. After Walt’s death, owning the Gran Torino was a surefire deal for Ashley, because she didn’t know about the relationship with Thao. But the lawyer pulled the rug out from underneath her at the last second, and the “You gotta be kidding me?!?!” looks on Karen and Ashley’s faces are just priceless.

I can’t ignore the logical plot holes during the finale, and I have a hard time buying into Spider and his gang as a ruthless and dangerous group of tough guys. Also, the final moments of the movie feel tedious at times, because predictability kicks in after Walt’s decision.

Still, Gran Torino is a satisfying drama. It’s a touching story about an old grouch, who sees the error of his ways, and Walt corrects his mistakes to be a mentor for a scared and lonely kid, who’s looking for guidance. Gran Torino is loaded with good laughs, and if you’re a fan of Clint Eastwood’s work, Gran Torino is a must-see, because Eastwood delivers a memorable performance here.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Nothing But The Truth (2008)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major reveals, plot twists, or character deaths.**

Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is about to risk her career, freedom, and family for a controversial headline story. Rachel works for the Capital Sun Times as an aggressive and persistent reporter, who won’t take no for answer. Rachel crosses paths with Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), a covert operative for the CIA. Unbeknownst to Erica, Rachel and Erica share a bond as soccer moms.

But Rachel is more interested in Erica’s top secret information about a recent assassination attempt on the President Of The United States. Venezuela is at the top of the list for prime suspects, and Erica took a trip to Venezuela, but Erica vehemently refuses to help Rachel with any inside info.

Rachel sidesteps Erica with some help from a secret source to publish the article revealing inside info for the President’s assassination attempt. Rachel receives support from her trusted editor Bonnie Benjamin (Angela Bassett), and Bonnie convinces a reluctant Avril Aaronson (Noah Wyle), the Capital Sun Times legal counselor, to support and assist Rachel. The story hit’s the front page to stir up a frenzy in Washington and the media. Rachel is under fire for treason after revealing top secret information. She’s labeled a traitor to her country, and Judge Hall (Floyd Abrams) throws Rachel in jail for contempt of court, because Rachel refuses to give up her source.

Erica, her husband Oscar (Jamey Sheridan), and her young daughter, Allison (Kristen Bough) are caught in the crossfire after Rachel’s story hits. Erica is a prime suspect, and the CIA won’t stop until Erica tells the truth about her relationship with Rachel.

Meanwhile, Rachel, sticking to her beliefs of journalistic integrity, is stuck in jail for refusing to cooperate and reveal her source. The Capital Sun Times hires Albert Burnside (Alan Alda), a famed veteran with an impeccable record as a defense attorney, as Rachel’s attorney, but Rachel runs into a big roadblock during the proceedings.

Special Federal prosecutor Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) is determined to break Rachel’s spirit until she cooperates with the investigation, and Dubois will do anything within the limits of the law to force Rachel into revealing her source. Months pass during Rachel’s time in jail, and her silence comes with a costly price. Rachel is running a serious risk of ruining a happy relationship with her alienated son, Timmy (Preston Bailey), and Rachel’s husband, Ray (David Schwimmer) questions Rachel’s priorities and her loyalty to the family. Will Rachel give up her source to return to her family and a normal life, and save Erica from a doomed future with no hope?

Kate Beckinsale is the stand out star here. Beckinsale deserves credit for a strong effort and a believable performance, because you can feel everything Rachel’s going through. The sadness, the rage, the frustration, the hopelessness, the anger, everything. It’s all about Rachel, her decision to say quiet and protect her source, and the rippling domino effect in the government, the Supreme Court, and everyone involved in the scandal.

Matt Dillon delivers a noteworthy performance as Dubois. He’s a cold-hearted bully, who won’t stop until Rachel cracks and spills the beans. Vera Farmiga is solid as Erica, and Alan Alda brings his A-game as a seasoned veteran. There’s nothing special about David Schwimmer’s performance. Noah Wyle is decent, as a guy, who’s towing the lines between defending Rachel, and doing what’s best for the Capital Sun Times. And there’s nothing wrong with Angela Bassett’s performance, but she’s limited to sporadic here and there performances throughout the movie.

Nothing But The Truth’s methodical pacing enhances feelings of desperation and hopelessness for Rachel. From start to finish, you see every step in Rachel’s rise and fall story. First, she’s the hot reporter with a controversial story, but as the story develops, Rachel’s life devolves into a never ending downward spiral of misery.

Her family is broken, and Rachel makes a transition from the victimized and sympathetic hero with big headlines to a forgotten hot topic, who lost her fifteen minutes of fame. Albert hits Rachel with the cold, hard truth during a visit in jail. In jail, days turn into months, and there’s a counter (adding up the number of days) at the bottom of the screen in every other scene to keep track of Rachel’s time in jail. Also, Rachel hits rock bottom after a nasty fight with an angry bunkmate in jail.

It’s a saddening series of events to watch. One minute, Rachel is this brave reporter, who’s taking a bold stand against the nasty bullies in suits. Towards the end? That’s a different story. The vast majority of Rachel’s support team (including Albert) hit a point of frustration, because they’re tried of fighting a seemingly unwinnable battle. To add to that, Rachel’s pleas for an unfair and sexist double standard are ignored  by Dubois. Rachel believes a man in her shoes would receive unquestioned support as a hero, but as a woman, Dubois sees a whiny and selfish person, who’s looking for a Pulitzer Prize award.

Nothing But The Truth is a smooth, emotional, and well-executed political thriller, featuring an overall sturdy cast, and a few surprising twists and turns at the end. Kate Beckinsale delivers the best performance in her career here (I love the Underworld films as much as anyone, but it’s the truth), and it’s an impressive feat, when you consider the other noteworthy names (Bassett and Alda as seasoned veterans, and Farmiga ) in this cast.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Nothing But The Truth (2008)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is about to risk her career, freedom, and family for a controversial headline story. Rachel works for the Capital Sun Times as an aggressive and persistent reporter, who won’t take no for answer. Rachel crosses paths with Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), a covert operative for the CIA. Unbeknownst to Erica, Rachel and Erica share a bond as soccer moms.

But Rachel is more interested in Erica’s top secret information about a recent assassination attempt on the President Of The United States. Venezuela is at the top of the list for prime suspects, and Erica took a trip to Venezuela, but Erica vehemently refuses to help Rachel with any inside info.

Rachel sidesteps Erica with some help from a secret source to publish the article revealing inside info for the President’s assassination attempt. Rachel receives support from her trusted editor Bonnie Benjamin (Angela Bassett), and Bonnie convinces a reluctant Avril Aaronson (Noah Wyle), the Capital Sun Times legal counselor, to support and assist Rachel. The story hit’s the front page to stir up a frenzy in Washington and the media. Rachel is under fire for treason after revealing top secret information. She’s labeled a traitor to her country, and Judge Hall (Floyd Abrams) throws Rachel in jail for contempt of court, because Rachel refuses to give up her source.

Erica, her husband Oscar (Jamey Sheridan), and her young daughter, Allison (Kristen Bough) are caught in the crossfire after Rachel’s story hits. Erica is a prime suspect, and the CIA won’t stop until Erica tells the truth about her relationship with Rachel.

Meanwhile, Rachel, sticking to her beliefs of journalistic integrity, is stuck in jail for refusing to cooperate and reveal her source. The Capital Sun Times hires Albert Burnside (Alan Alda), a famed veteran with an impeccable record as a defense attorney, as Rachel’s attorney, but Rachel runs into a big roadblock during the proceedings.

Special Federal prosecutor Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) is determined to break Rachel’s spirit until she cooperates with the investigation, and Dubois will do anything within the limits of the law to force Rachel into revealing her source. Months pass during Rachel’s time in jail, and her silence comes with a costly price. Rachel is running a serious risk of ruining a happy relationship with her alienated son, Timmy (Preston Bailey), and Rachel’s husband, Ray (David Schwimmer) questions Rachel’s priorities and her loyalty to the family. Will Rachel give up her source to return to her family and a normal life, and save Erica from a doomed future with no hope?

Kate Beckinsale is the stand out star here. Beckinsale deserves credit for a strong effort and a believable performance, because you can feel everything Rachel’s going through. The sadness, the rage, the frustration, the hopelessness, the anger, everything. It’s all about Rachel, her decision to say quiet and protect her source, and the rippling domino effect in the government, the Supreme Court, and everyone involved in the scandal.

Matt Dillon delivers a noteworthy performance as Dubois. He’s a cold-hearted bully, who won’t stop until Rachel cracks and spills the beans. Vera Farmiga is solid as Erica, and Alan Alda brings his A-game as a seasoned veteran. There’s nothing special about David Schwimmer’s performance. Noah Wyle is decent, as a guy, who’s towing the lines between defending Rachel, and doing what’s best for the Capital Sun Times. And there’s nothing wrong with Angela Bassett’s performance, but she’s limited to sporadic here and there performances throughout the movie.

So who’s the source? It’s Erica’s daughter, Allison. Yep. In a flashback during the finale, they reveal more footage from the early moments of the movie. Rachel is a chaperone on a field trip for Timmy and Allison. Allison reveals details in an argument (Allison was eavesdropping, unintentionally) between Erica and Oscar, where Erica mentioned her trip to Venezuela. After revealing the information, Allison urges Rachel to keep everything a secret, and Rachel agrees.

But don’t look for any happy endings here. Dubois backs Rachel into a corner, and she’s forced to accept his deal for a two year stint in prison (Dubois promised Rachel he would make her life a living hell in a trial). Rachel alienated Timmy during her time in jail, so Timmy is still holding a grudge against Rachel during a teary good-bye. And a crazy assassin murders Erica in her driveway one day.

A gut-wrenching series of events to close out the movie. In the end, Rachel didn’t break, but she payed a bigger price with a broken family and a prison sentence. Timmy resents his mother for neglecting him, Ray willingly started an affair with another woman, and there’s an awkward sex scene (intentionally, of course) with Ray and Rachel during a visit in jail.

But when you see the clip of Rachel promising to stick to her promise for Allison, you have to admire Rachel’s dedication and loyalty. She was taking a chance of risking her freedom, destroying her family, and she had to worry about the risk of wearing the label of a traitor to her country. But Rachel made the decision, she suffered for that decision, because Rachel refused to break her promise to a little girl, who trusted her with the truth.

Nothing But The Truth’s methodical pacing enhances feelings of desperation and hopelessness for Rachel. From start to finish, you see every step in Rachel’s rise and fall story. First, she’s the hot reporter with a controversial story, but as the story develops, Rachel’s life devolves into a never ending downward spiral of misery.

Her family is broken, and Rachel makes a transition from the victimized and sympathetic hero with big headlines to a forgotten hot topic, who lost her fifteen minutes of fame. Albert hits Rachel with the cold, hard truth during a visit in jail. In jail, days turn into months, and there’s a counter (adding up the number of days) at the bottom of the screen in every other scene to keep track of Rachel’s time in jail. Also, Rachel hits rock bottom after a nasty fight with an angry bunkmate in jail.

It’s a saddening series of events to watch. One minute, Rachel is this brave reporter, who’s taking a bold stand against the nasty bullies in suits. Towards the end? That’s a different story. The vast majority of Rachel’s support team (including Albert) hit a point of frustration, because they’re tried of fighting a seemingly unwinnable battle. To add to that, Rachel’s pleas for an unfair and sexist double standard are ignored  by Dubois. Rachel believes a man in her shoes would receive unquestioned support as a hero, but as a woman, Dubois sees a whiny and selfish person, who’s looking for a Pulitzer Prize award.

Nothing But The Truth is a smooth, emotional, and well-executed political thriller, featuring an overall sturdy cast, and a few surprising twists and turns at the end. Kate Beckinsale delivers the best performance in her career here (I love the Underworld films as much as anyone, but it’s the truth), and it’s an impressive feat, when you consider the other noteworthy names (Bassett and Alda as seasoned veterans, and Farmiga ) in this cast.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Trailer Park Of Terror (2008)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major twists or reveals**

Norma (Nichole Hiltz) is tired of living a dead end life at her trailer park, and Norma’s new boyfriend, Aaron (Brock Cuchna) is the only ray of sunshine in her life. Aaron tries to fight off a pack of Norma’s fellow residents during a heated confrontation, but Aaron loses the fight and his life.

A distraught Norma wanders the back roads for a break. During Norma’s stroll, The Man (Trace Adkins), a mysterious stranger, offers Norma an ancient shotgun for the solution to her problems. Norma is reluctant to accept at first, but Norma’s obsession for revenge on everyone at the trailer park, who ruined her life takes over, and Norma accepts The Man’s gift.

Norma returns to the trailer park, and she uses the shotgun to murder everyone in her path. Norma annihilates every living member of the trailer park, and Norma uses propane tanks and a lit cigarette to commit suicide after the massacre. Norma and her victims disappear from the living world without a trace. As the years passed, the abandoned trailer park failed to attract any new residents, and Norma never had a shot at her chance for a fresh start.

One night, a group of troubled teens from Vertical Trinity Ministries are stuck on the road during a fierce rainstorm. Pastor Lewis (Matthew Del Negro) is responsible for watching over and protecting Bridget (Jeanette Brox), Alex (Ryan Carnes), Tiffany (Stefanie Black), Michael (Ricky Mabe), Jason (Cody McMains), and Amber (Hayley Marie Norman).

The bus trip is cut short, when Pastor Lewis crashes into a parked truck. The group is seeking shelter from the rainstorm, so they follow a sign to Norma’s abandoned trailer park, but there’s one big problem: Norma and everyone at the trailer park are lurking in the shadows. Norma offers the group ice tea as a warm gesture of hospitality, and the group unknowingly walks into a death trap.

As their zombie leader, Norma commands and controls the zombified residents of the trailer park, and Norma devises a plan to kill every member of Vertical Trinity Ministries, because Norma and her zombie followers need fresh meat………

Nichole Hiltz delivers the best performance in this cast, and it’s not even close. Hiltz is head and shoulders above everyone else, as the sassy trailer park “queen” with a dark sense of humor. Jeanette Brox’s Bridget is a distant second, and it’s not fair to judge Trace Adkins as The Man, because his screen time is limited to two appearances here. And if I had to take a guess, you could say The Man is some kind of demonic figure, or another version of the devil, who made a deal with Norma for immortality.

Clichéd characters? Yep. You’ll see plenty of them in Trailer Park Of Terror. Bridget is the angry goth kid with a chip on her shoulder. Alex is the cool rebel in the group, and he’s a bully, and Michael is the geek. And there’s no way around this, but Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with redneck and hillbilly stereotypes (everyone in Norma’s trailer park). 

So when you weigh all the negatives and positives, Pastor Lewis and Bridget are the only two likeable characters in the group. It’s weird, because you’re supposed to have positive feelings for EVERYONE in the group. After all,  the kids at Vertical Trinity Ministries are troubled souls looking for a second chance. Jason is addicted to porn, Tiffany is fighting an addiction to drugs, Amber and Alex are rebellious punks, and Michael is trying to find himself.  For the most part (Tiffany, Michael, and Bridget are the exceptions), the kids from Vertical Trinity are portrayed as unlikable and whiny brats, who wouldn’t hesitate to spit in Pastor Lewis’ face, so it’s hard to sit back and say “I feel bad for you!” most of the time.

Is Trailer Park Of Terror perfect? Nope. Not by a long shot, but I still enjoyed this one. Trailer Park Of Terror is trashy, mindless fun, and this one never hides its identity as a guilty pleasure. Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with gruesome and disgusting gore, you’ll see more than enough cringeowrthy (Miss China’s deadly massages, Alex’s death via a deep fryer during a human beef jerky preparation process, Norma beheading Pastor Lewis during intercourse, etc.) moments, and Trailer Park Of Terror’s campy and ludicrous style of humor pulled a few laughs out of me. And for what it’s worth, the production values and special effects (i.e. the scene, where Norma re-attaches her human face to hide her zombie face) are surprisingly good for a straight-to-video film.

I’ll warn you, if you take this film too seriously there’s a good chance you’ll hate Trailer Park Of Terror with a burning white hot passion. You’ll question the logic behind a solo rock concert on top of a trailer during a chase scene, and watching the reconstruction of a dismembered zombie using duct tape will raise too many questions. If you plan on watching Trailer Park Of Terror, leave your thinking caps in another room to avoid a miserable viewing experience.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Trailer Park Of Terror (2008)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Norma (Nichole Hiltz) is tired of living a dead end life at her trailer park, and Norma’s new boyfriend, Aaron (Brock Cuchna) is the only ray of sunshine in her life. Aaron tries to fight off a pack of Norma’s fellow residents during a heated confrontation, but Aaron loses the fight and his life.

A distraught Norma wanders the back roads for a break. During Norma’s stroll, The Man (Trace Adkins), a mysterious stranger, offers Norma an ancient shotgun for the solution to her problems. Norma is reluctant to accept at first, but Norma’s obsession for revenge on everyone at the trailer park, who ruined her life takes over, and Norma accepts The Man’s gift.

Norma returns to the trailer park, and she uses the shotgun to murder everyone in her path. Norma annihilates every living member of the trailer park, and Norma uses propane tanks and a lit cigarette to commit suicide after the massacre. Norma and her victims disappear from the living world without a trace. As the years passed, the abandoned trailer park failed to attract any new residents, and Norma never had a shot at her chance for a fresh start.

One night, a group of troubled teens from Vertical Trinity Ministries are stuck on the road during a fierce rainstorm. Pastor Lewis (Matthew Del Negro) is responsible for watching over and protecting Bridget (Jeanette Brox), Alex (Ryan Carnes), Tiffany (Stefanie Black), Michael (Ricky Mabe), Jason (Cody McMains), and Amber (Hayley Marie Norman).

The bus trip is cut short, when Pastor Lewis crashes into a parked truck. The group is seeking shelter from the rainstorm, so they follow a sign to Norma’s abandoned trailer park, but there’s one big problem: Norma and everyone at the trailer park are lurking in the shadows. Norma offers the group ice tea as a warm gesture of hospitality, and the group unknowingly walks into a death trap.

As their zombie leader, Norma commands and controls the zombified residents of the trailer park, and Norma devises a plan to kill every member of Vertical Trinity Ministries, because Norma and her zombie followers need fresh meat………

Nichole Hiltz delivers the best performance in this cast, and it’s not even close. Hiltz is head and shoulders above everyone else, as the sassy trailer park “queen” with a dark sense of humor. Jeanette Brox’s Bridget is a distant second, and it’s not fair to judge Trace Adkins as The Man, because his screen time is limited to two appearances here. And if I had to take a guess, you could say The Man is some kind of demonic figure, or another version of the devil, who made a deal with Norma for immortality.

Clichéd characters? Yep. You’ll see plenty of them in Trailer Park Of Terror. Bridget is the angry goth kid with a chip on her shoulder. Alex is the cool rebel in the group, and he’s a bully, and Michael is the geek. And there’s no way around this, but Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with redneck and hillbilly stereotypes (everyone in Norma’s trailer park). 

So when you weigh all the negatives and positives, Pastor Lewis and Bridget are the only two likeable characters in the group. It’s weird, because you’re supposed to have positive feelings for EVERYONE in the group. After all,  the kids at Vertical Trinity Ministries are troubled souls looking for a second chance. Jason is addicted to porn, Tiffany is fighting an addiction to drugs, Amber and Alex are rebellious punks, and Michael is trying to find himself.  For the most part (Tiffany, Michael, and Bridget are the exceptions), the kids from Vertical Trinity are portrayed as unlikable and whiny brats, who wouldn’t hesitate to spit in Pastor Lewis’ face, so it’s hard to sit back and say “I feel bad for you!” most of the time.

So who’s the sole survivor? Well, if you guessed Bridget, you’re right! Norma and her zombie crew murdered the vast majority of the Vertical Trinity Ministries group (including Pastor Lewis) for food. Unfortunately, Michael was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A speeding car hit a caged Michael, so he didn’t have a chance.

But Norma made a surprising decision to spare Bridget at the end. Bridget is all alone, and she’s surrounded by Norma and her crew. Bridget welcomed death, because she was tired of fighting and running. In the morning, Bridget wakes up in the middle of the road near Norma’s trailer park with Norma’s brand on one of her arms (it’s the letter “N” in red), and a motorist helps Bridget with a ride to the nearest hospital.

Honestly, I was 100%  sold on Bridget’s inevitable demise, but Norma’s last second change of heart was a nice surprise. Norma was looking in a mirror, when she made the choice to spare Bridget. She could see the same troubled girl, who was looking for another chance to get her life on the right track, and a generous Norma made the decision to give Bridget the second chance she never had.

After all, Norma had to endure a lot of taunting for being a promiscuous woman, and she witnessed her mother’s death. Norma’s mother was forced into a sleazy porn film with the town sheriff (Sheriff Keys), and when she tried to walk away from a promised performance, Sheriff Keys murdered her with a shot to the back of the head.

Is Trailer Park Of Terror perfect? Nope. Not by a long shot, but I still enjoyed this one. Trailer Park Of Terror is trashy, mindless fun, and this one never hides its identity as a guilty pleasure. Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with gruesome and disgusting gore, you’ll see more than enough cringeowrthy (Miss China’s deadly massages, Alex’s death via a deep fryer during a human beef jerky preparation process, Norma beheading Pastor Lewis during intercourse, etc.) moments, and Trailer Park Of Terror’s campy and ludicrous style of humor pulled a few laughs out of me. And for what it’s worth, the production values and special effects (i.e. the scene, where Norma re-attaches her human face to hide her zombie face) are surprisingly good  for a straight-to-video film.

I’ll warn you, if you take this film too seriously there’s a good chance you’ll hate Trailer Park Of Terror with a burning white hot passion. You’ll question the logic behind a solo rock concert on top of a trailer during a chase scene, and watching the reconstruction of a dismembered zombie using duct tape will raise too many questions. If you plan on watching Trailer Park Of Terror, leave your thinking caps in another room to avoid a miserable viewing experience.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Midnight Movie (2008)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No character deaths, or major reveals.**

A disturbed director, writer, and actor named Ted Radford (Arthur Roberts) is consumed by an unnatural obsession for his cult classic horror movie. Radford is a patient at Safe Haven, a mental institution, and Radford’s doctor plans to cure him with a personal screening of his movie.

Radford’s doctor ignores warnings from Dr. Wayne (Michael Swan). The doctor forces Radford to confront his fears with a private screening for his movie, The Dark Beneath, a black and white slasher film about a group of teenagers unknowingly wandering into a farmhouse and the clutches of a ruthless killer (Radford), but the one night only screening takes a drastic turn for the worst, when Radford snaps. Radford chews through his own skin, and Radford murders everyone in the hospital. Dr. Wayne returns to discover the massacre, and to make matters worse, Radford escaped Safe Haven without leaving a trail.

Five years later, a small town prepares for a showing of The Dark Beneath at the local movie theater. On the staff, Bridget (Rebekah Brandes) is in charge with Rachael (Brea Grant) and Kenny (Shaun Ausmus) rounding out the support team. Kenny is obsessed with the possibility of becoming a manager, Rachel is more worried about her nails, and Bridget is forced to keep a close eye on her younger brother, Timmy (Justin Baric).

Out of curiosity, Dr. Wayne shows up to watch The Dark Beneath, and Detective Barrons (Jon Briddell) is hoping for a Radford sighting. Detective Barrons is obsessed with Radford’s case, and he won’t pass up a golden opportunity to arrest him.

Before the show starts, Bridget’s boyfriend, Josh (Daniel Bonjour) convinces Bridget to watch the movie with their friend, Mario (Greg Cirulnick), his girlfriend, Samantha (Mandell Maughan), and the local movie buff, Sully (Michael Schwartz), so Bridget leaves Kenny in charge as the temporary manager. In the theater, Dr. Wayne, Detective Barrons, Harley (Stan Ellsowrth), and his girlfriend, Babe (Melissa Steach) anticipate the special screening of The Dark Beneath.

During the early stages of the movie, the group realizes something is wrong after a string of mysterious disappearances. The group is stuck inside the theater with blocked exits, and the remaining survivors learn the truth together: Radford is using the movie as a gateway into the real world, and he won’t stop until everyone inside the theater is dead. As the killer, Radford stalks his victims with his trusty weapon (a big corkscrew), and the survivors are running out of time and options. How do you stop a supernatural killer, who uses the real world and the movie world as playgrounds for his killing sprees?

You’ll see a lot of clichéd characters in Midnight Movie. Bridget is the innocent and pure protagonist, Mario is the cowardly jerk in the group, Sully is the nerd, who everyone picks on, and Josh is the fearless voice of reason. Harley? He’s the foul-mouthed biker/tough guy, who’s not afraid of a fight. Babe compliments Harley’s character, Samantha is just eye candy for the most part, and Timmy is the quiet and scared little kid. The performances range from decent to mediocre, and I didn’t see one true standout performance worthy of individual recognition from this cast.

The killer? I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, the killer/Radford is creepy. He’s wearing dirty overalls, his mask is clearly made of parts from a human skull, and he drags one mangled and broken leg behind him during the chase scenes. And the corkscrew was a nice change for a weapon, because we’ve seen enough machetes, knives, and axes in other slasher films throughout the years.

The bad side? The killer/Radford IS creepy, but he’s not intimidating. That’s a big difference. After a quick look, you get the impression the killer MIGHT weigh 115 pounds soaking wet, so he’s too scrawny. The twisted leg is a cringeworthy sight. I won’t deny that, but if we’re going to bring suspension of disbelief into this, I’m supposed to believe healthy people with NO leg problems at all can’t outrun this limping stick figure? Come on now.

Plot holes? Oy vey. Sorry, but it’s hard to ignore them, because one word constantly popped in my mind throughout the film: why? Why is Radford/the killer invincible? Gunshots have no effect on him? Why are all the exits blocked? NOBODY from the outside world can see inside?

There’s a confusing scene with a cop standing outside next to Harley’s motorcycle at the entrance to the theater. Everyone is banging on the door, the cop has a flashlight, and he’s looking inside for Detective Barrons. When the camera shows the cop’s POV, there’s nothing inside. On the flip side, when you see everything from the survivor’s POV, they can see the cop, the outside world, and Harley’s motorcycle? I don’t get it. Clearly, I can see everything happening as the viewer, but Midnight Movie never took the time to explain the reasons behind the supernatural side of this film, so you have to assume everything.

With all that said, I still enjoyed Midnight Movie. Yes, the plot holes are annoying and frustrating, but it’s a double-edged sword for me. Midnight Movie deserves credit for taking the chance to be something different. So many lazy low-budget slashers rely on tons of bloody gore, sex, and nudity for cheap thrills, but Midnight Movie doesn’t take the easy way out. You’ll see a handful of gruesome kills, and nasty moments in Midnight Movie, but Midnight Movie never reaches an overkill point.

Midnight Movie is a bold slasher with an authentic old school feel to it, and when both worlds collide, you’re sucked into a nightmarish deathtrap. There’s a chance you’ll have mixed feelings for the movie within a movie approach, but if you love horror and old school slashers, Midnight Movie is worth a try.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Midnight Movie (2008)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

A disturbed director, writer, and actor named Ted Radford (Arthur Roberts) is consumed by an unnatural obsession for his cult classic horror movie. Radford is a patient at Safe Haven, a mental institution, and Radford’s doctor plans to cure him with a personal screening of his movie.

Radford’s doctor ignores warnings from Dr. Wayne (Michael Swan). The doctor forces Radford to confront his fears with a private screening for his movie, The Dark Beneath, a black and white slasher film about a group of teenagers unknowingly wandering into a farmhouse and the clutches of a ruthless killer (Radford), but the one night only screening takes a drastic turn for the worst, when Radford snaps. Radford chews through his own skin, and Radford murders everyone in the hospital. Dr. Wayne returns to discover the massacre, and to make matters worse, Radford escaped Safe Haven without leaving a trail.

Five years later, a small town prepares for a showing of The Dark Beneath at the local movie theater. On the staff, Bridget (Rebekah Brandes) is in charge with Rachael (Brea Grant) and Kenny (Shaun Ausmus) rounding out the support team. Kenny is obsessed with the possibility of becoming a manager, Rachel is more worried about her nails, and Bridget is forced to keep a close eye on her younger brother, Timmy (Justin Baric).

Out of curiosity, Dr. Wayne shows up to watch The Dark Beneath, and Detective Barrons (Jon Briddell) is hoping for a Radford sighting. Detective Barrons is obsessed with Radford’s case, and he won’t pass up a golden opportunity to arrest him.

Before the show starts, Bridget’s boyfriend, Josh (Daniel Bonjour) convinces Bridget to watch the movie with their friend, Mario (Greg Cirulnick), his girlfriend, Samantha (Mandell Maughan), and the local movie buff, Sully (Michael Schwartz), so Bridget leaves Kenny in charge as the temporary manager. In the theater, Dr. Wayne, Detective Barrons, Harley (Stan Ellsowrth), and his girlfriend, Babe (Melissa Steach) anticipate the special screening of The Dark Beneath.

During the early stages of the movie, the group realizes something is wrong after a string of mysterious disappearances. The group is stuck inside the theater with blocked exits, and the remaining survivors learn the truth together: Radford is using the movie as a gateway into the real world, and he won’t stop until everyone inside the theater is dead. As the killer, Radford stalks his victims with his trusty weapon (a big corkscrew), and the survivors are running out of time and options. How do you stop a supernatural killer, who uses the real world and the movie world as playgrounds for his killing sprees?

You’ll see a lot of clichéd characters in Midnight Movie. Bridget is the innocent and pure protagonist, Mario is the cowardly jerk in the group, Sully is the nerd, who everyone picks on, and Josh is the fearless voice of reason. Harley? He’s the foul-mouthed biker/tough guy, who’s not afraid of a fight. Babe compliments Harley’s character, Samantha is just eye candy for the most part, and Timmy is the quiet and scared little kid. The performances range from decent to mediocre, and I didn’t see one true standout performance worthy of individual recognition from this cast.

The killer? I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, the killer/Radford is creepy. He’s wearing dirty overalls, his mask is clearly made of parts from a human skull, and he drags one mangled and broken leg behind him during the chase scenes. And the corkscrew was a nice change for a weapon, because we’ve seen enough machetes, knives, and axes in other slasher films throughout the years.

The bad side? The killer/Radford IS creepy, but he’s not intimidating. That’s a big difference. After a quick look, you get the impression the killer MIGHT weigh 115 pounds soaking wet, so he’s too scrawny. The twisted leg is a cringeworthy sight. I won’t deny that, but if we’re going to bring suspension of disbelief into this, I’m supposed to believe healthy people with NO leg problems at all can’t outrun this limping stick figure? Come on now.

Who’s the sole survivor? If you guessed, Bridget AND Timmy, you’re wrong, because Timmy is the sole survivor. How does it happen? Well, after a face-off with the killer, Josh figured out the source of the killer’s powers: fear. The killer feeds off everyone’s fears in the theater, and he uses their fears to smoke his victims out of their hiding spots. Prime example, during the confrontation with Josh, the killer chased a petrified Timmy in the ventilation ducts, leaving Josh alone. Why? Because Josh was ready for a fight, and he wasn’t afirad of the killer, so the killer didn’t have any power over him.

Anyway, as the sole survivors, Bridget and Timmy are running towards the gateway into the real world after Timmy murdered the killer‘s deranged mother to save Bridget, but there’s one big problem: the movie is moments away from rolling the credits. As the selfless big sister, Bridget scarifies herself to save Timmy. “The End” pops up on the screen, and Bridget tosses Timmy into the real world. Timmy is safe, but Bridget and the killer’s victims are trapped in the movie with no chance of an escape.

Nice surprise. A finale with Bridget and Timmy escaping together was the ideal foregone conclusion scenario in my mind, but Midnight Movie throws a curveball at you with Bridget sacrificing herself. Also, during Bridget and Timmy’s trip into The Dark Beneath, you get an inside look at the killer’s lair. The mutilated victims from the theater are stuck in limbo, because the movie reel is still running in the real world. In the barn, the killer stores all of his victims together. Everyone is still alive and suffering, and the victim’s bodies are strewn about the barn in this eerie and diabolical tapestry. Nasty stuff.

Plot holes? Oy vey. Sorry, but it’s hard to ignore them, because one word constantly popped in my mind throughout the film: why? Why is Radford/the killer invincible? Gunshots have no effect on him? Why are all the exits blocked? NOBODY from the outside world can see inside?

There’s a confusing scene with a cop standing outside next to Harley’s motorcycle at the entrance to the theater. Everyone is banging on the door, the cop has a flashlight, and he’s looking inside for Detective Barrons. When the camera shows the cop’s POV, there’s nothing inside. On the flip side, when you see everything from the survivor’s POV, they can see the cop, the outside world, and Harley’s motorcycle? I don’t get it. Clearly, I can see everything happening as the viewer, but Midnight Movie never took the time to explain the reasons behind the supernatural side of this film, so you have to assume everything.

With all that said, I still enjoyed Midnight Movie. Yes, the plot holes are annoying and frustrating, but it’s a double-edged sword for me. Midnight Movie deserves credit for taking the chance to be something different. So many lazy low-budget slashers rely on tons of bloody gore, sex, and nudity for cheap thrills, but Midnight Movie doesn’t take the easy way out. You’ll see a handful of gruesome kills (i.e. Josh’s death) and nasty moments (the scene where Samantha’s fingers are stuck in the window, and the aftermath of the killer snatching her corpse from the window……ouch)  in Midnight Movie, but Midnight Movie never reaches an overkill point.

Midnight Movie is a bold slasher with an authentic old school feel to it, and when both worlds collide, you’re sucked into a nightmarish deathtrap. There’s a chance you’ll have mixed feelings for the movie within a movie approach, but if you love horror and old school slashers, Midnight Movie is worth a try.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Character Spotlight- Mahogany- The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

**This post contains spoilers**

So you see this creepy guy dressed in a sharp business suit, quietly sitting on the subway train during the midnight hours, and you're first reaction is to stay as far away as possible, while avoiding eye contact. But there's one big problem: evading Mahogany won't save your life. You can run, you can hide, but there's no escaping Mahogany's wrath.

In The Midnight Meat Train, Mahogany is a merciless murderer, who possesses superhuman strength. During the day, Mahogany works as a butcher. At night? He stalks unsuspecting victims, who board the late subway train. Here, Mahogany hacks and carves his victims, and each corpse is stored inside the messy subway car, with splatters of blood and flesh covering every section. The conductor plays the crucial role of a watchdog, while Mahogany neatly organizes and hangs each mutilated corpse like cattle in a meat locker.

Vinnie Jones is genuinely menacing and creepy as Mahogany, and Bradley Cooper is a nice fit for the pesky adversary, who won't quit. Leon (Cooper) is a struggling photographer, who relentlessly pursues Mahogany, and a sense of morality eventually overcomes Leon, so he decides to fight Mahogany one on one. Yeah, big mistake. Leon eventually gains the upper hand, and he's able to kill Mahogany, but Maya (portrayed by Leslie Bibb), the love of his life, is murdered by the mysterious conductor, who also possesses Mahogany's supernatural powers.

Watching Mahogany's death is a bummer for me. With more time, you have to believe in Mahogany having a realistic shot at becoming a memorable villain in the horror genre. Who knows? In the next five or ten years, The Midnight Meat Train could become the next horror cult classic.

Although, it's hard to ignore the potential flip-side of Mahogany's status as the next memorable baddie. In horror, more film sequels don't equal success. Hell, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are legendary horror icons, but we all remember Halloween: Resurrection and Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, unfortunately. To make matters worse, Resurrection and  Jason Goes To Hell are just a few examples of one too many sequels!
 
Follow this link to read my spoiler review of  The Midnight Meat Train- http://mitchmacready.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-midnight-meat-train-2008spoiler.html

Or you can read the minor spoilers review, free of any character deaths, major twists, or reveals, by following this link- http://mitchmacready.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-midnight-meat-train-2008minor.html

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no big reveals, plot twists, or character deaths**

Leon (Bradley Cooper ) is an aspiring and struggling photographer, who’s looking for his long awaited big break. Leon lives with his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb) in a big city, and with some help from Maya’s best friend, Jurgis (Roger Bart) Leon is introduced to Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields), a stern media proprietor, who’s known for her taste in pictures. Susan pushes Leon to be more bold and take a chance to capture a real captivating moment. Leon takes Susan’s advice, and he’s able to kill two birds with one stone. Leon captures a group of muggers during an attack, and in the process, Leon saves the victim, a young model.

The next morning, Leon pays a visit to Maya’s diner (Maya works as a waitress at the diner) for his routine morning chat with Maya, and her boss, but Leon notices the model in a missing person’s article in the newspaper. Leon’s investigation for the prime suspect leads him to Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), a silent and well-dressed man, who works as a butcher during the day. During the night, Mahogany lurks inside the subway station, waiting for the late train. Here, Mahogany brutally murders unsuspecting victims, using the subway train to store and carve the victim’s carcasses like mutilated cattle in a meat locker........

Bradely Cooper is a solid leading man. The Leon character is kind of dull at first. He’s the typical struggling artist, who’s trying to make it and find his way in the big city, while his girlfriend works a dead end job, and they’re staying in an apartment together. But Cooper shows off his talents during Leon’s descent into madness, as his obsession with Mahogany causes a distressed breakdown. Vinnie Jones is spot on as the primary antagonist. Mahogany is a silent and deadly killing machine, and Jones brings the necessary menacing and creepy presence to this character. Plus, Jones’ scrunched scowls really pull everything together.

Leslie Bibb is reliable as usual, providing a believable performance as the supportive girlfriend, who’s willing to do anything to help Leon and fight Mahogany. And it’s a shame Brooke Shields screen time is limited to sporadic appearances. Shields is fun to watch as this powerful and demanding businesswoman with a superior ego.

The Midnight Meat Train is an electric and tense horror film. Director Ryuhei Kitamura delivers a plethora of brutal and sickening violence, bloody and stylish gore, gross out scenes that are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you, and Kitamura provides the perfect eerie atmosphere for The Midnight Meat Train. Leon’s investigation to uncover the truth behind the massacre concludes with a shocking and diabolical finale, as a gruesome tale of blood and guts ends with a sinister new beginning. Bottom line, if you’re looking for splattery blood-soaked mayhem and jaw-dropping kills, The Midnight Meat Train is a must-see.


Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Leon (Bradley Cooper ) is an aspiring and struggling photographer, who’s looking for his long awaited big break. Leon lives with his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb) in a big city, and with some help from Maya’s best friend, Jurgis (Roger Bart) Leon is introduced to Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields), a stern media proprietor, who’s known for her taste in pictures. Susan pushes Leon to be more bold and take a chance to capture a real captivating moment. Leon takes Susan’s advice, and he’s able to kill two birds with one stone. Leon captures a group of muggers during an attack, and in the process, Leon saves the victim, a young model.

The next morning, Leon pays a visit to Maya’s diner (Maya works as a waitress at the diner) for his routine morning chat with Maya, and her boss, but Leon notices the model in a missing person’s article in the newspaper. Leon’s investigation for the prime suspect leads him to Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), a silent and well-dressed man, who works as a butcher during the day. During the night, Mahogany lurks inside the subway station, waiting for the late train. Here, Mahogany brutally murders unsuspecting victims, using the subway train to store and carve the victim’s carcasses like mutilated cattle in a meat locker.

Leon’s cries for help are ignored by a local detective named Lynn Hadley (Barbara Eve Harris). Meanwhile, Leon unravels a history of brutal murders orchestrated by Mahogany during a killing spree dating back to the early 1900‘s. Fueled by frustration and paranoia, Leon vows to take matters into his own hands to put a stop to Mahogany’s crimes, but Leon discovers a darker secret beneath the subway station during a one on one final battle with Mahogany……..

Bradely Cooper is a solid leading man. The Leon character is kind of dull at first. He’s the typical struggling artist, who’s trying to make it and find his way in the big city, while his girlfriend works a dead end job, and they’re staying in an apartment together. But Cooper shows off his talents during Leon’s descent into madness, as his obsession with Mahogany causes a distressed breakdown. Vinnie Jones is spot on as the primary antagonist. Mahogany is a silent and deadly killing machine, and Jones brings the necessary menacing and creepy presence to this character. Plus, Jones’ scrunched scowls really pull everything together.

Leslie Bibb is reliable as usual, providing a believable performance as the supportive girlfriend, who’s willing to do anything to help Leon and fight Mahogany. And it’s a shame Brooke Shields screen time is limited to sporadic appearances. Shields is fun to watch as this powerful and demanding businesswoman with a superior ego. Oh, and a little message for MMA fans. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has a little cameo here. He plays some random thug, who insults Mahogany on the train with a Forrest Gump wisecrack. Guardian Angel (Jackson) taunts Mahogany with “Life is like a box of chocolates” (Mahogany has a striking resemblance to Gump, including his posture), and of course, Mahogany attacks him. Yeah, Rampage’s screen time might last three minutes before the conductor (more on that later) pops out of nowhere to kill Angel with a shot to the head.

So Mahogany is a cold blooded killer. It’s painfully clear after you witness the intro, but why is Mahogany hacking innocent people on a subway train to bits every night? During the final showdown between Leon and Mahogany, it’s revealed Mahogany possesses superhuman strength as a supernatural being…and there’s more. The conductor is helping Mahogany in his mission to murder every night. Why? Because as The Butcher, Mahogany must kill and feed his victims to cannibalistic creatures, who live beneath the subway station. Mahogany continues to feed the creatures, because without “meat,” the creatures will invade the real world to hunt and attack humans, so Mahogany is trusted to control the separation between both worlds in a never ending mission. And Detective Lynn Hadley is apart of the conspiracy, as a crucial key player, who conceals a lot of evidence.

As a helper, The conductor also possesses superhuman strength, and after the battle with Mahogany, the conductor forces Leon into an inescapable decision: Leon must take Mahogany’s place as the next butcher. After a hundred years of service, Mahogany can’t carry the burden with weakened powers, and after murdering Mahogany in the fight, Leon becomes “The Chosen One.” The conductor rips out Leon’s tongue, he bites and eats the severed tongue (groooossssss!), and the conductor rips out Maya’s (Maya joined Leon on the train to find Jurgis) heart in front of Leon. The conductor offers Maya’s beating heart to Leon, and during the final moments of the movie, we see Leon dressed in a suit. Leon resides in Mahogany’s old apartment, taking control of Mahogany’s signature ring, and Leon quietly boards the late subway train at night to start his new life, as the next butcher.

Great shocker. At first, you’re lead to believe Mahogany is this lone nut, who’s killing for fun, or a need to feed his sadistic desires. But as the film progresses, you can see Mahogany isn’t normal. He uncharacteristically runs out of gas (i.e. coughing up blood) during his fight with Angel on the train, and The Midnight Meat Train drops another suspicious hint, when the conductor pops out of nowhere as a helper to murder Angel. And the reveal of Hadley helping Mahogany and the conductor completely caught me off guard. After a while, you know there’s some big secret surrounding  Mahogany’s slaughterhouse, but it’s hard to guess or pinpoint the details behind the truth. Amazing swerve, because unless you’re a psychic (either that, or before watching the movie, you read the short story this film is based on, written by Clive Barker), it’s IMPOSSIBLE to guess the big surprise at the end.

The Midnight Meat Train is an electric and tense horror film. Director Ryuhei Kitamura delivers a plethora of brutal and sickening violence, bloody and stylish gore, gross out scenes that are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you, and Kitamura provides the perfect eerie atmosphere for The Midnight Meat Train. Leon’s investigation to uncover the truth behind the massacre concludes with a shocking and diabolical finale, as a gruesome tale of blood and guts ends with a sinister new beginning. Bottom line, if you’re looking for splattery blood-soaked mayhem and jaw-dropping kills, The Midnight Meat Train is a must-see.


Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Character Spotlight- John Hancock- Hancock (2008)

**This post contains spoilers**

Muhammad Ali, a fast talking cowboy from the old west, a love doctor, fearless fighter pilot, who fought to save the world from aliens, and let's not forget about Robert Neville aka the "last man on Earth." Looking back on his track record, it's hard to believe it took Will Smith so long to finally portray a superhero.

But John Hancock wasn't your typical superhero. You know the type, the selfless White Knight in shining armor, who fights for the people, risking his life against nasty evildoers in nail-biting fights to the death. No, Hancock was a lonely, miserable, and rebellious jerk. Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America? Those guys took pride in doing the right thing. For them, it was an honor to use their gifts for the greater good.

Hancock on the other hand, sulked and whined, recklessly jumping into action, without thinking about  consequences or the safety of innocent people. Although, as the movie develops, you understand the reasons for Hancock's misery. Invincible, immortal, one of a kind.....and he's an outcast. It's impossible for him to fit in, make friends, form a bond with that special someone, and no matter what, Hancock's actions draw pointed fingers of contempt, not clapping hands of praise.

Enter Ray Embery (Jason Bateman). As a professional PR man, Ray cleans up Hancock's image by forcing Hancock to answer for ignored court appearances and fines linked to his paths of destruction. Hancock serves a self-imposed prison sentence, and upon his release, Hancock is viewed as a true superhero. But Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) jeopardizes  Hancock's newfound happiness. Why? Mary is an immortal being with superpowers.

Of course, Mary's reveal leads us to the twist of Hancock having to leave Los Angeles to preserve his immortality and superhuman strength. Long story short, as the last of a dying breed, Hancock and Mary can't exist in the same living space without weakening each others powers. Decades ago, Hancock saved Mary from an attack, and this attack caused Hancock's amnesia. So Hancock  is forced to leave Los Angeles forever in a dramatic and over the top exit.

From where I sit, Hancock squandered a chance to create something special. With more time to develop, Hancock could've evolved into one of the more unique superheros on the big screen. Instead, they jumped the gun with one film, so they could rush into Hancock's "real hero" transformation. You have Will Smith, one of the most talented and wildly popular actors of our generation portraying Hancock, give him more time to find himself, as he struggles to overcome more pitfalls and hurdles.

I'll always remember Hancock as a wasted opportunity, but it's hard to ignore Will Smith's fantastic performance in the leading role. Not as good Ali or The Pursuit Of Happyness, but a top notch performance from Smith. Also, there's a nifty and funny little scene before the long reel of credits, where Hnacock is standing in a street full of cops, while confronting a panicky robber in his official Hancock superhero gear. Oh, and whatever you do, don't push Hancock's one button by calling him an "asshole."

Alien Raiders (2008)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no big reveals, twists, or character deaths**

Five days before Christmas, a group of raiders invade Hastings Market in Buck Lake, Arizona. Within the quiet little town holding a small population of 25, 012, the citizens of Buck Lake are used to living peaceful and harmless lives, but on this one night, the raiders will change everything forever.

Led by Aaron Ritter (Carlos Bernard), the group of raiders include Sterling (Courtney Ford), Kane (Rockmond Dunbar), Spooky (Philip Newby), Ulrich (Joseph Steven Yag), and Logan (Tom Kiesche). During the calamity, a local police officer named Chambers (Keith Hudson) quietly lurks inside, waiting for the right opportunity to take out the bad guys. With their motives unclear, the remaining hostages beg for answers. As Hastings’ employees, Benny (Jeffery Licon), Whitney (Samantha Streets), and Manny (Derek Basco) try to devise a plan for an escape together, while the store manager Mr. Tarkey (Joel McCrary) constantly whines about everything.

On the outside, Seth Steadman (Matthew St. Patrick), the lead detective and a former hostage negotiator, tries to work out a deal with Ritter, so he can secure the safety of the hostages. But the situation becomes more complex when Ritter reveals the details behind his mission: Ritter is the leader of a secret alien hunting group. Ritter and his team search the United States in a never ending mission to exterminate the alien threat with Logan recording everything. Ritter and his team believe the king of the alien species, who is capable of possessing any human, is hiding somewhere in Hastings Market.

Spooky possesses a unique ability as a clairvoyant, because he’s capable of sensing the alien’s presence, but time is running out, as the alien terrorizes the helpless victims within the supermarket.

Unfortunately,  Alien Raiders features a set of generic characters. Benny is the shy nerd, who’s chasing the dream girl (Whitney), who’s out of his league. Mr. Tarkey is the slimy boss. Ritter is the conflicted leader, who struggles with the dilemma of doing the right thing for his cause, and not crossing  moral boundaries. And Kane is your typical snarling tough guy. No real complaints about the consistent set of decent performances, but the generic characters drove me nuts most of the time.

Alien Raiders feels like a mix of The Thing and The Mist (2007). Survivors are trapped in a tight isolated death trap, while a sneaky alien wreaks havoc. Although, if you remember John Carpenter’s version of The Thing, MacReady and others used blood tests to sniff out the alien, but in Alien Raiders, they use a pinky test. Sterling uses a very big kitchen knife to chop off the test subject’s pinky. If the test subject simply bleeds out, then they’re a normal human, and the severed pinky is placed in a container of ice. BUT the aliens are capable of regeneration, so if the pinky grows back, then there’s another alien to worry about. Sounds like a primitive way of testing, huh?

I’ll admit, Alien Raiders took me by surprise, but this film is not without its problems. I mentioned the generic characters earlier, and this film featured one too many corny moments for my taste. A prime example would be the mushy “I’ll do anything for you!” stuff between Whitney and Benny. I’m not trying to sound like a macho tough guy, but the “moments” between Whitney and Benny are too contrived and fake.

Still, Alien Raiders is a nice little low budget sci-fi horror treat. You’ll see a few creepy moments here and there, and there’s enough blood and nasty carnage to satisfy the gore fiends. Plus, the jaw-dropping twist and the cliffhanger at the end pack a powerful punch. I was prepared to go with a lower score, but the twist and the cliffhanger changed my mind. Yeah, the double-whammy at the end is THAT good. Alien Raiders isn’t perfect by a long shot, but it’s worth a try, if you’re a fan of sci-fi horror.

Rating: 7/10

Looking for a change from Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man? Then get know the world's newest superheroine Freechelle Fantabulous for only $0.99 by following the link- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in my book of short stories, also only $0.99-  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

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