dementedforever Reviews

Freak (1999)

a weird mix of "blair witch" and "igor and the lunatics"... ((this might be considered a spoiler))

[3 November 2001]

mostly bland, with just enough scary parts to keep the viewer awake. the film's extremely low budget must not have allowed for makeup effects, however, since we never get to see the "freak"'s allegedly disturbing face (except on the video cover). nor do we ever find out what he did to the little girl that required her to be hospitalized. a promising concept that seemed to have been written and filmed in a hurry...indeed, one wonders why it was made at all.

Simon Birch (1998)

needs more irving and less hollywood!

[19 September 2001]

this film succeeds as a movie, but fails as an adaptation. a lot of the most magical scenes in the book were replaced or taken out altogether, and i'd have liked to see them as a movie. either way, this is a fairly enjoyable movie. gotta love that armadillo.

Monstrosity (1963)

there were no brains, atomic or otherwise, in this movie!!

[19 August 2001]

*this might be called a "spoiler"...*

perhaps the budget of this film did not allow for the making of a realistic brain prop, but then again, would that have stopped them? "monstrosity" is a much more accurate title.. it describes both the film and the mad doctor's little experiment. i've got no real opinion on the movie itself, i just wanted to point out what an incredible misnomer "the atomic brain" is.

Circuitry Man (1990)

beautiful

[10/10 · 2 August 2001]

circuitry man's only flaw was the obnoxious pleasure droid's failure to die.. other than that, i found it stunning and captivating. i fell instantly in love with the darkly beautiful, sadistic "plughead". as a huge fan of dark sci-fi (dark city, a.i., blade runner, the matrix), this was everything i could want in a movie.

Cool World (1992)

brilliant

[10/10 · 26 July 2001]

this is a beautiful piece of animation and filmmaking. the "cool world" is a stunningly sick and twisted universe with deliciously surreal scenery, and as anything and everything can happen in this animated universe, there is never a dull moment; even in times of relative suspense the screen is bouncing with bizarre animated characters and over-the-top cartoon antics reminiscent of early bugs bunny. i only wish i could've seen this one in the cinema. although it's made in 1992, it still retains the characteristics of the dazzling fantasy films of the 1980s.

Unbreakable (2000)

makes no sense!

[3/10 · 21 July 2001]

a great example of sensationalism in modern cinema, "unbreakable" exists solely to manipulate your emotions - and as a money-making endeavor for the filmmakers - with absolutely no emphasis on plot. i was lost in a jumble of murky, dark images and suspenseful music. the characters were unsympathetic, in my opinion: the rat-faced joseph was obnoxious, bordering on psychopathic, and the creepy elijah should, after living with congenital osteoporosis for an unspecified number of years, know better than to chase someone down a flight of stairs using a glass tube for support. most of elijah's "theories" seemed vague and nonsensical, and audrey's circular ramblings about her relationship problems were interminable. what semblance of a plot i could find amidst the haze was far too contrived to constitute a succesful film.

Ratboy (1986)

love it or hate it

[17 July 2001]

i like rats. i like boys. why wouldn't i like this film? i can't rank it as high as "return to oz" or "the neverending story" or any of the delightfully twisted cinematic acid-trips of my childhood, but it has its charm as a modern fairy-tale. one of few "family films" that actually doesn't make me want to wretch. not one of the worst movies ever made, but not one of the best either.

The American Scream (1988)

confusing

[11 June 2001]

i had a hard time following this movie. i rented it b/c i really like pons maar. parts of it were really funny, the baby exploding, for instance, and the cannibal couple eating the baby, but mostly it was just muddled and weird.

Return to Oz (1985)

one of my favorite movies

[6 June 2001]

well, i hate to be a lemming, but i'm afraid i have the same comments as everyone else. i have a habit of rediscovering things from my childhood & falling in love with them all over again, & this is no exception. when i was maybe 3 or 4, i was obsessed with the wizard of oz (as most small children are obsessed with "aladdin" or "the little mermaid") and my mother thought she would rent me the sequel. dear, sweet, well-meaning mother.

well, it scared me. a lot. especially the wheelers, but they're now probably my favorite movie characters ever. i really love this movie, and not just because of its connections with my childhood, but also for its cinematic brilliance. it's scary, but at the same time both dreamlike and intelligent.

what more is there to say?

ratt