KWatch Reviews

Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Resident Evil: Underworld

[3/10 · 20 January 2012]

Let me start by stating that I absolutely loved the first 3 Underworld movies and that I've been waiting for this one since I first heard it was being made.

I'm giving it 3 stars because it was an Underworld movie and even if the movie was horrible it still had Kate B. and vampires and Lycans. I was hoping for at least a 9 star movie, but I was sorely disappointed.

The whole entire movie reminded me of how Resident Evil 3D was shot and I hated that look. Please,please, please film the next one for 2D and don't go for 3D just because it's the fad. The first 3 movies looked amazing. The props, the sets, the puppet work... even the CGI that was used was pretty good and doesn't look much worse on DVD. This movie had none of that feel.

The only characters I cared about at all in this movie were Selene and her daughter. The other characters were bland and hardly around for very long. The list of actors in the credits was only something like 15 people long. Don't even get me started on Michael. Movies 1 and 2 were about her and him. To me, you can't have an Underworld movie set after 1 and 2 that doesn't feature him prominently. I haven't heard why they couldn't/didn't get Scott Speedman, but if they don't get him for the next one I'm giving the next one -4 stars without even seeing it. What they did for the 30 seconds the character was in this movie was appalling. I would have rather had them not include him at all. I was actually cheering for the bad guys to kill him off, it bothered me that much.

I was also kind of expecting some sort of return of Lucien somehow. Raze didn't just drop the vampire blood near him and he didn't use it.. but sadly.. no appearance.

Super Lycan.. stupid. In my opinion the CGI used on that character was awful. The whole storyline around that part of the movie also was rather muddled, at least to me.

This whole movie felt like it was just a filler story between movie 2 and a possible movie 5. A bunch of the action was just repeated stuff from the previous movies. More Lycans on walls, shooting floors/ceilings to make them weaker to get through them, etc. It all looks cool, but it's starting to get boring.

It also felt really short. The other movies have always so engrossed me that I felt like I'd been watching them for a long time, which I enjoy. This was so frenetic that just shot by, and not in a good way.

I'm begging the people that make the next one... make it better than this pile o' disappointment. And find Scott Speedman.. stat.

Eragon (2006)

Make a New One Please!

[5/10 · 15 December 2006]

I love the book. really love the book. I hate the movie. Simple as that. They need to remake it and name it "Eragon: We're Sorry About the First One".

I can understand the need to cut parts of the book to make the story fit into the movie. I can understand the need to change parts of the story to fit it into the movie. I can understand that money can limit what can and can't be done. *hint*: Urgal horns can't be that expensive. What I can't understand is why they felt it was needed to remove most of the book and change what was left.

They removed whole races who are important to the storyline. They removed the Urgals' horns. They removed the pointy Elvish ears. They removed Katrina. There was no were-cat. Arya was totally out of character. In the interest of making sure that we could actually tell the movie was based on the book, they threw in most of the major characters for a grand five seconds each. Sadly they were given crud-tastic dialogue and in my opinion, made into jokes.

After I realized the movie wasn't going to be what I'd hoped for, I tried looking at it from the eyes of someone who hadn't read the book. All I saw was a jolting, dismembered story that didn't flow, didn't explain itself. There's Ajihad.. quick everyone.. wave. There he goes.

I was actually quite mad when I left the theater. I felt cheated. I would pay $20 for a ticket to go see the real movie. The one that was supposed to be playing. Heck, the story was worth two movie's worth of time. Split it, make two movies, release them within six months of each other or less. Rake in the bucks. I want my money back for this travesty.

We All Fall Down (2000)

I want to see this one again!

[10/10 · 6 October 2000]

This film is a semi-autobiographical account of a period of time in Martin Cummins' (director/actor) life after his mother died. He's done a spectacular job of bringing this story to life in his first film.

A dark and violent movie, it follows Michael (played by Belsher, based on Cummins), in west Vancouver B.C., as he gets into drug use to escape his problems. His friend Kris (Cummins) encourages him in the drug use so he has some company. Kris has a girlfriend, Ryan, who finds the drugs a bit much to handle and ends up having to choose between the two friends. The ending was a total surprise and worth driving 6 hours to see.

All the actors did a great job of making the characters real and believable. I especially enjoyed Cummins dark/angry/violent portrayal of a man who is losing control of things.

A good portion of the cast was made up of actors Cummins had worked with on the television series 'Poltergeist: the Legacy' and previous Canadian t.v. shows. The part of Sherry the prostitute was written for Helen Shaver. She was hilarious! In an interview I saw before the film she said that she gets to let everything hang out. Boy did she! A side I had never seen and I'm not sure I want to see again. :)

If you get a chance to see 'We All Fall Down', please do!

Love Come Down (2000)

Went out of my way to see this!

[10/10 · 6 October 2000]

I won't be saying too much about what happens in the film as I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Not knowing what was happening was part of the fun.

I just got to see 'Love Come Down' at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It was one of the best films I have seen in a long time. A dark movie, with well placed humor, that follows the transition of two brothers and the people around them. Both lead actors, Cummins and Tate, made their characters people I cared for. The movie was about Tate's character, but Cummins quietly and darkly stole it from him. The film drew me in completely. One of the final scenes, in the kitchen, had me gripping my chair arms from the tension.

The artistic way it was filmed, and the use of flashbacks intertwined (quickly and suddenly) into current events, made it very interesting to watch.

My favorite scene is when the two brothers and their friend are sitting around the new toaster in their kitchen.

I can't wait to see it again!!