The Final Destination (2009)

I was reluctant to watch this film. The 4th film in a series that should have never been a series. The more of these I see the more I forget just how much I liked the original. The original, which came out in 2000, was a pretty neat concept. Boy has premonition that plane will crash, keeps his friends from getting on, death is "after" them.

The 2nd film was not good and featured a different director. The 3rd in the series was horrendous, and actually brought back the original director James Wong. This film bounces back to the guy who directed the 2nd film, David R. Ellis, who is better known as a stunt man.

Made completely as a 3D gimmick two years ago, the plot is weak and the acting is bad. Then again, it wasn't THAT bad. This cheesy horror film will probably end up defining the genre at its time. When we look back in 20 years we well remember films like this, sadly. Considering how bad the last two have been, it wasn't unwatchable. You have to enjoy the random ways these kids get killed as random objects start moving around them. Imagine an invisible Carrie taking out high schoolers.

I could have done without seeing it, but I actually don't regret the hour and 15 minutes it took to watch it.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1144884/

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Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

As the movie poster suggests, this is the most controversial film ever made. This one of the less gory posters I could find, and I still had to edit it. The film, made by Italian Ruggero Deodato was rumored to actually be a snuff film [meaning that someone died on film], and he was actually arrested on obscenity charges. The actors defended him on trial, and he was let go, but the film remains banned in many countries today.

The plot of the film is that four documentary film makers go into the Amazon to film cannibalistic tribes. When they don't return, a NYU professor goes into the jungle to recover the footage. The two tribes he visits are both very hostile, he is able to win them over and recover the footage, and the footage shows who the real primitives are.

There are scenes of rape, murder, seven animals are killed on film. Some for food, some for sport. The film is pretty sick on all levels and I highly discourage anyone watching it. I'm just going to leave it at that...

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935/

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The Orphanage: El orfanato (2007)

The newest film in the 101 Horror Movies book, and one that I have been putting off for years. For some reason I really thought this was a Guillermo del Toro [Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone] film. Now I feel ignorant because Del Toro is Mexican and the actual director Juan Antonio Bayona is from Spain.


I'm not familiar at all with the cast, which isn't a bad thing, especially in this genre where stars make outcomes predictable. The film is about a mother, who was once an orphan, that convinces her husband to but the home that was once her orphanage years later. She has aspirations of having a large family, and they have already adopted their first son when they first move in.


The boy immediately makes an imaginary friend, and we [as an audience] get flashbacks that lead us to believe their are ghosts. I think that I thought this was Del Toro mainly because it reminds me so much of The Devil's Backbone, but I liked it even more.


For a movie I put off because I wasn't expecting much I really liked the storyline, conclusion, and some jumpy moments in the film. If you are looking for a good ghost story check this one out.


Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/

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Sanctum (2011)

I really didn't think this was a "horror" but I was expecting it to be a thriller. I was under the assumption that this was some sort of combination of The Abyss and The Descent. I was quite wrong.

James Cameron was an executive producer on this film, again I was under the assumption that he directed this. I'm sure others were also since his name is at the top of the movie poster with this last film, Avatar, mentioned. Don't be fooled. This was directed bu Alister Grierson, and he hasn't done anything you've seen.

The film is about a group if scientists that are exploring a cave system that has never been accessed in the history of mankind. While deep in the cave a tropical storm hits. At their depth they have no sign of the storm, and the radio communication to the ground level are out. With no warning water starts to fill up the cave. They are forced to continue to the other side [e.g. - we know the water in the cave feeds a river].

The problem with the film is the horrendous acting. Father [Richard Roxburgh] and son [Rhys Wakefield] were not good, and bad guy Ioan Gruffudd wasn't any better. Wakefield reminds me of the Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars films.

Don't get suckered into watching this because they put Cameron's name on it.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0881320/

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Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (2010)

It has been a tradition of mine to start horror month off with the latest Saw film. Partially because I'm sure it will the gore, bad acting, and runtime of typical movies for the rest of the month. I'm always a year behind, but I'm not going to the theater for films of this quality... so that's fine with me. Looks like next year I'll have to switch to the Paranormal Activity series to kick the month off.

So I have to admit that there have been too many twists over too many years for me to have a clue what is going on. That makes it hard to follow the underlying storyline to this pathetic gore series which gets worse with every film.

The film starts with three people being killed by Jigsaw's invention in a public area, of course this scene is only to show off some 3D killings and has nothing to do with the rest of the film. We've jumped two a new Jigsaw, then to his wife, then back to him not being dead, hell I don't even know. All I know is that the acting is worse that "Days of Our Lives".

The thing that really bothers me about this series is that no one survives Jigsaw's inventions any more. Of course Jigsaw has changed from the old guy dying of cancer wanting people to re-evaluate their lives, to a serial killer using the jigsaw name. The allure of a contraption that only those with the guts to make a sacrifice can escape has turned into everyone dying regardless of how hard they try and get out. If this spoils the movie for you then you haven't seen the last 5 in the series.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Watch the first Saw film and STOP at that.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477076/

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Hachi - A Dog's Tale: Hachiko (2009)

A straight-to-video release in the US, this film was actually in the theaters in Japan. It is very loosely based on a true story of a Japanese professor in the 1930's (maybe 40's I forget), who's dog waited every day for him at the train station even after he died.

Entertainment Weekly made a big deal about this being one of Richard Gere's best performances in years. Boy o'boy that sure is setting the bar low. The film start with Gere getting home from the college in a train and walking home, since I live in Texas with a 45 minute commute I'm not sure how realistic walking to and from a train station and never using a car really is in the current setting that they make this film. He finds this abandoned puppy with no identification, after putting up signs to find the owner he eventually keeps him... which you can tell his wife isn't thrilled about. Joan Allen plays his wife, Jason Alexander plays the train attendant, and Sarah Roemer [Disturbia] plays his daughter.

The film is quite sad, definitely to a cheesy and sappy point. It is hard to not let a tear escape at least once. It is almost cruel that the rest of the family didn't give this dog any love, but the film is trying to make a point, and also following the amazing true story they are bending a bit. Anyways, it was able to sneak onto the modern top 250 and there are worse films.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028532/

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Limitless (2011)

Have you ever heard the scientific study that says that humans actually only use 10% of their brain? Well this movie... that I'll go ahead and call a science fiction... plays to the idea that a drug can allow you to use all 100% and achieve your full potential. Great concept... what can they do with it, especially with Bradley Cooper in the lead who can't seem to do anything better than The Hangover films.

Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a loser who has been unemployed for some time. He lives in a mess of an apartment and aspires to be a writer, but ends up just hanging out at bars telling people how great his writing is going. His girlfriend has given him some time to work things out but just hit the breaking point and breaks up with him. He runs into his ex-brother-in-law who gives him this experimental drug and it is at this point that the movie can clearly make a turn for the worse. We get this cartoon CGI look into what it is like on this drug and able to use your entire brain, I was thinking at this point... more if this and I'll hate this film.

However, the film settles and we get a pretty interesting storyline as we see the side effects of taking this experimental drug. The film becomes a thriller as it becomes clear that others are using it, and what the supply that Eddie has. I was actually quite impressed with this film, it could have been pretty silly but it was done nicely.

A good one to pick up at the video store.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/

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