Comedy

Warm Bodies Review

May 21, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2013

Director: Jonathan Levine

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Synopsis: (from IMDb) After R (a highly unusual zombie) saves Julie from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

My Short Review: Warm Bodies Left me with mixed feelings. On one hand I could not stand the many contradictions the movie had (the biggest one being the zombie hero reminding us that zombies are slow just to show us a scene where zombies are running as fast as humans if not faster) and on the other hand I was drawn in, especially towards the end, thanks to the likability factor of the 2 main characters (and kudos to Rob Corddry’s character as the sidekick zombie who is stealing each scene he is in). To add to the plus list, the Boneys (or skeletons) look very cool and menacing even though they seem to be too easy to get rid of.

There is not much gore in Warm Bodies for a zombie movie but it was to be expected with a PG13 rating and a target demographic of Twilight Fans. So, If you’re a hardcore zombie movies fan you might not enjoy Warm Bodies so much, for others it’s a safe romantic comedy with a twist.

My Rating: 5.5/10

3 A.M. (Tee Sam 3D) Review

May 18, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Original Title: ตีสาม 3D, (Tee Sam 3D)

Year: 2012

Directors:
Isara Nadee
Kirati Nakintanon
Patchanon Thammajira

Synopsis: Three stories set at 3 AM, follow the Thai belief that 3am is the hour that ghosts make their appearances — the hour most haunted by restless spirits.

My Short Review: 3 A.M follows the steps of recent Thai Horror Anthologies, 4Bia and Phobia 2 and offers 3 ghost tales from 3 different directors.

Patchanon Thammajira (Colic) directs the first story, The Wig, which follows two sisters (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk and Focus Jirakul) in a haunted wig shop. It reminded me of the Korean Horror Movie, The Wig, and while that one did not impress me, this short stoy wasn’t better by any means. Very classic ghost tale, lazy script and direction, couple of shots designed for the 3D (the hand reaching shot, that we will find in the two other shorts as well), a weak opening to the movie.

The second segment, The Bride Corpse, gets better though. Kirati Nakintanon directs a story about a man who gets the job of looking after the corpses of a bride and groom. Not many scares in that one again but the story is more original and creepier.

Finally, Isara Nadee (Art of the Devil II, 407 Dark Flight 3d) directs the third story, OT, where two company directors who love playing scary pranks on their employees finally get their comeuppance when they themselves face a real ghost, or do they? By far, the best segment of the whole movie, OT is a typical Thai Horror Comedy when we keep on guessing who is playing a prank on whom and who is a ghost and who isn’t.

As a whole, I would say Tee Sam 3D is good family friendly horror entertainment, better experienced in a theater with friends. It’s never intended to be a classic, there is nothing really original about it but you still have a good time watching it, especially since it gets better with every story and finishes on a high note.

My Rating: 6/10

Stitches Review

May 7, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2012

Director: Conor McMahon

Summary (from IMDb): A clown comes back from the dead to haunt those who took his life during a fatal party mishap.

My Short Review: I hate clowns. Maybe it’s because of reading “IT” by Stephen King (and watching the movie soon after), maybe it’s because of their creepy make-up. I don’t know why they freak me out but they just do.

So, of course, the idea of watching a slasher movie with a Clown as the killer was not on my top priority list but at the same time I secretly hoped that I would get some good scares.

Unfortunately (or not, depending on what you were expecting going into Stiches), the movie is more comedy than horror. There is plenty of gore mind you, and very imaginative kills but it just kinda of fell flat for me because of the attempt at humor.

The problem is it did not work as a horror comedy for me. As I said I applaud some brillant ideas, and the movie is nicely shot as an homage of the 80’s slasher but I never really got into the movie (for me, the pace was way too slow in the first half of the movie and I did not care much about the characters).

Maybe I was not in the right mood to watch Stitches (this movie is most certainly more entertaining if you watch it with a group of friends while drinking beers) or maybe it was just not as good as some critics thought.

My Rating: 4.5/10

A Haunted House Review

April 23, 2013 by Eric S. 1 Comment

Year: 2013

Director: Michael Tiddes

Stars: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins

Synopsis: Malcolm’s girlfriend moves into his house but she brought something with her. A ghost who will start to haunt the couple.

My Quick Review: A Haunted House is a horror comedy that mainly spoofs “Paranormal Activity” and other found footage movies such at “The Last Exorcism”, “blair Witch”….

Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of Marlon Wayans and Scary Movie is one of my all-time favorite spoof comedy. So I had high expectations coming into this movie since I’m also a fan of “Paranormal activity” and “found Footage” Horror movies.

So what’s the verdict: Marlon Wayans is a great physical comedian and the movie has some colorful characters who add to the fun factor: a gay psychic, a swinger couple, some gang members with an attitude, an hilarious exorcist…but “A haunted House” relies too much on poop humor and easy laughs that do not elevate the material. They even recycle one of the funniest moment of “Scary Movie” with the ghost smoking some pot. Add to this a very transparent and unfunny lead actress, quite a few boring moments (despite the movie being about 80mn long) and no scares at all, and you end up with a parody that is mildly funny and absolutely not scary.

My Rating: 5/10

Cockneys vs Zombies

April 12, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2012

Director: Matthias Hoene

My Short Review: Used to direct commercials, music videos and webseries, Matthias Hoene, young English director, signs here his first feature film. And he manages to bring into his project veteran actors like Alan Ford (owner of the wicked pigs in “Snatch”) and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger). With Cockneys and Zombies he gives us another good entry into the Horror Comedy Genre. And plenty of british humor that is: mixing elements such as zombies, guns and random “SHAUN OF THE DEAD” hommage, “Cockneys VS ZOMBIES” is definitively a fun ride.

There is something really exhilarating to watch old people shooting down zombies with powerful guns and the movies play out those scenes creatively, especially when a zombie tries to catch an old man who fled with his walker … It’s stupid, filmed with the utmost seriousness and probably the best moment of the film!

Cockneys vs Zombies is a crowd-pleasing feel-good movie that screams for a sequel, that I hope we will have the chance to see.

My Rating: 7/10