What I Watched - May 26-June 1 2014

Note: I had intended to full reviews of at least two of the movies I watched during this week span, but ran out of time. So here is my weekly update of everything I watched, with a few brief comments of how I feel about each title.

WHAT I WATCHED - May 26-June 1:

 

 MAY-DE TO BE MOCKED: Shocking Dark (1989) AVI
- The final entry in my mockbuster marathon. After enduring so many shitty Asylum efforts, I went back to a Bruno Mattei Italian-Philippine shlocker to finish things off. Although this one was also titled Terminator 2, to fool people into thinking it was a sequel to James Cameron's original, it's actually a rip-off of another Cameron movie, Aliens. Like with Robowar and Strike Commando (which I reviewed earlier in the month) whole scenes and lines of dialogue are lifted from the movie it is copying. This one's not as good as those two Mattei flicks, but still a fun watch.

 Speed Racer (2008) Blu Ray
- Father-son movie night. I've never seen the original TV cartoon series, so went into this with no preconceptions. My son really enjoyed it and at four years old he's probably the target audience. Lots of bright colours and kiddie-friendly goings on. I didn't dislike it, but got bored with it. Definitely style over substance.

 

 True Detective Season 1 (TV series, 2014) AVI
- I missed this when it was on TV so downloaded it to catch up, which I did in the space of two days. All I can say is wow. This is one of the best TV series I've ever seen. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are excellent as detectives investigating murders in Louisiana amidst police corruption, religious cults, inbreeding and incest. The story jumps between three time periods, 1990s, early 2000s and current day. Brilliant acting, great writing, spellbinding cinematography, and an array of intriguing swamp people background characters. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Hitman (2007) DVD
- Having recently taken in the first season of the TV series Deadwood, I've become something of a fan of Timothy Olyphant, the star of this video game adaption. Just like in Deadwood he plays a silent-type character and does a lot of acting with his eyes/face. I've never played the video game this is based on, so again had no preconceived ideas. Enjoyable enough, with a lot of fast-paced action and dazzling visuals, but ultimately another exercise in style over substance.

Compound Fracture (2013) AVI
- Low-budget horror flick written by the husband-wife duo of Tyler Mane and Renae Geerlings (who also star as a couple). Lightweight supernatural slasher about a man who returns from the dead to hunt down his remaining loved ones, who are holed up in a survivalist-type compound (get it, compound fracture?). Mostly predictable but enjoyable enough. Also noteworthy for featuring three actors who've played villians in horror franchises - Mane (Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's Halloween series), Derek Mears (Jason in the F13 reboot) and Muse Watson (Ben Willis in I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequels). [Note: I really wish I'd added the word "DVD" to my Compound Fracture google image search. Yikes]

 

Justice League: War (2014) AVI
- Another father-son movie night viewing. My son loves anything superhero related. In line with the New 52 reboot of DC comics, this retells the formation of the Justice League as they battle Darkseid and his alien invasion. Not as kiddie-friendly as some DC offerings (a few swear words, some brutal violence), this one is still well worth watching for any superhero fans. My only gripe is that I really can't get into animated Batman without Kevin Conroy voicing him.

 

CHLOE GRACE MORETZ DOUBLE FEATURE

Carrie (2013) AVI
- I've said before that I'm a big fan of Stephen King's books. I've read everything he's written. Like most horror fans I enjoy the 1970s movie adaption of Carrie. However, I still tried to put aside all of that and enjoy this new adaption. I think Chloe Grace Moretz did a good enough acting job, and some of the special effects were good (especially a scene involving a face and a windscreen), but it was hard not to keep thinking back to the original movie. Ultimately this one fails to create the same creepy vibe of Brian De Palma's movie.

Kick Ass 2 (2013) AVI
- I downloaded this one a while ago but after seeing a lot of the negative reviews I've been putting off watching it. I really enjoyed the first Kick Ass movie, and found myself enjoying this one too. It's not as good as the original and for some reason has really ramped up the harder-edged content (swearing and gore). The most fun comes from the menagerie of other wannabe superheroes and supervillains. Pure escapism but a rollicking good time.