Brianweimer73 Reviews

Trapped: Buried Alive (2002 TV Movie)

Entertianing for the most part

[21 May 2002]

Trapped beneath the snow is mildly entertaining if you happen to have two hours with nothing better to do. Jack Wagner (Trapped in Space, Nowhere to Land) stars as a father who is on vacation with his new wife and teenage daughter at a mountain resort. Through a series of planned detonations, an avalanche is triggered, coming right down on the resort where people are inside, including Wagner's wife and daughter. Most of the film is dedicated to Wagner and a group of men trying to rescue the trapped victims. The most exciting scenes involve the avalanche, watching the powerful ice descent down the mountain. The special effects are done very well, and these scenes are very realistic, similiar to those in Vertical Limit. There is also a subplot between the teenage daughter and stepmom. The daughter's real mom has died relatively recently, and she refuses to accept her dad's new wife. There are some good emotional moments throughout the movie. The acting is decent, and the movie has an overall feel of a movie of the week, but it's enjoyable.

Unseen Evil (2001)

Very enjoyable!

[19 May 2002]

This is a very surprisingly enjoyable film for a low-budget horror movie. It stars Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) as the leader of a young archeological team who travels deep into the woods to search some caves for artifacts. Unknown to them, an ancient evil is awakening , guarding the secrets of the burial site. Betrayal also threatens to destroy them from inside the group. I bought this movie on DVD, and was totally hooked after the first ten minutes. The director Jay Woelfel has definitely improved since his last film, Iron Thunder, also starring Hatch. The best way to describe Unseen Evil is to say that it's The Blair Witch Project meets Predator. It has some very suspenseful and entertaining moments, and some pretty good performances. It is a very decent horror movie, and one that I recommend to horror fans, and fans of Richard Hatch. The special effects aren't on the level of say, Star Wars, but are enjoyable. My advice, give it a chance.

Ultimate Desires (1991)

Disappointing to the Ultimate!

[15 May 2002]

Ultimate Desires is the ultimate disappointment to movie watchers with any good taste, unfortunately. I had the displeasure of seeing this straight to video film recently, and deeply regretted the time spent. If I had to classify it, I would almost be tempted to label it a sex flick. Tracy Scoggins is a decent actress, but this movie does little to showcase who acting abilities. Marc Singer, who is always worth watching, is also not greatly utilized. The movie does contain moments of suspense, but it doesn't build properly because of the bad writing and production values. It's obvious that Ultimate desires was intended to appeal to men looking for erotic movies, and it is easily recognizable as such. The video cover is pretty humorous, with this in mind. Remember also that this movie is only one in many sex/suspense movies of the late 80's , and early 90's. I urge the viewer to use caution, as this movie does contian nudity, and sexual situations. Ultimate Desires is by no means the best movie ever, but it also isn't the worst.

Fatal Charm (1990 Video)

Decent suspense thriller

[15 May 2002]

Fatal Charm is a decent suspense thriller, although it's very difficult to find nowadays. The beautiful Amanda Peterson (Can't Buy Me Love) plays a teenage girl who becomes infatuated with a handsome man accused of killing several women. The guy is played well enough by Christopher Atkins. The movie was actually made about three years before it was released, but had alot of production and marketing problems. There are some pretty good suspenseful moments for this low budget film. Fatal Charm does have some weak moments due to the script, but that's to be expected. The performances are pretty good, especially Peterson's. Mary Frann , from Newhart, plays a less than perfect mother. Although she no longer acts professionally, she is one of her best performances. I do suggest renting this movie if you happen to run across, or don't have anything better to do. It won't change the world of filmmaking, but hopefully it will be rereleased on DVD.

Demon Keeper (1994)

Very bad movie, beware!!!

[12 May 2002]

Oh man, what a bad movie, in every sense of the word. I usually like Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica & A-team) in about anything, but not this time. To me, this movie has no redeeming values whatsoever. It's even borderline sadistic, featuring a great deal of perversion, nudity and blatant Satanic referances (hints the title). The acting in this movie is extremely bad, and the budget was most likely the lowest in cinematic history. My advise, stay away from this movie at all costs. It isn't worth watching at any point in the film, and will hopefully diseappear quickly from video shelfs. Perhaps someone can orchestrate some kind of bonfire just to rid the world of copies of this movie. Oh well, better viewing next time.

Shadow Force (1992)

Watchable if you like Benedict

[12 May 2002]

Shadow Force is the kind of movie that one rents only if they like the main star, which in this case, is Dirk Benedict (of Battlestar Galactica & A-Team). This straight-to-video film is definitely a low-budget flick, and is does have some pretty bad acting in it. Because of this, there are some pretty funny moments . If you decide to watch it, look out for any scene involving the Columbian drug lord guy, because this guy has got to be about the worst actor I've ever seen, and I have seen alot. It is interesting to note that Lance Legault, veteran of Magnum PI and other various 80's television shows, is in this movie. I just love his line to Dirk , calling him "Ricky boy". Look out for this also, it's pretty funny. There are some pretty interesting action sequences , that I wouldn't exactly refer to as being first rate. Now unless I am completly wrong on this, please note that Dirk Benedict's love interest in Shadow Force, played by Lise Cutter, is not the woman featured with him on the video box cover. Kind of strange, but OK. Benedict may not be the best actor in the world, but he is always worth watching, and this movie is no exception. It has a fairly interesting plot involving currupt cops in Texas. Unlike the beginning of the movie may suggest, there is actually no nudity . It is suprisingly clean for a movie of this sort. The production values are mediocre at best, and the editing is choppy. Remember, watch this knowing that it isn't a great movie, and try to just enjoy it, with a group of friends , if possible.

Delta Force Commando II: Priority Red One (1990)

Very unenjoyable!

[12 May 2002]

I seriously doubt that anyone can make sense out of this muddled mess of a movie. There is only one redeeming quality of Delta Force Commando II, and that is Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica). He is a very good actor, even in bad movies like this. The plot involves something to do with retrieving nuclear missiles , and hunting down a terrorist in the middle eastern desert. The plot is difficult to determine, even after reading the back of the video box. Evidently this is an Italian production, or something like that. Other than Richard Hatch and Fred Williamson, I couldn't place any of the other actors. The editing and pacing of this film is so confusing, it is hard to keep track of it all. Forget keeping track, it's hard enough to keep interested long enough to care. This is a low-budget foreign film that will probably never,ever be released on DVD, thank God. I haven't seen any of the other Delta Force Commando movies, but perhaps they're better than this one. One can only hope, at any rate. This was very unenjoyable from start to finish, and leaves you feeling wasteful of the 100 minutes you invested in this movie.

Ghetto Blaster (1989)

Hatch is a decent action hero!

[12 May 2002]

Ghetto blaster is a pretty enjoyable movie , and Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) is a decent action hero! This movie revolves around L.A. gangs, and the fear they are inflicting on a neighborhood in gang territory. Richard Hatch steps up to the plate, taking the law into his own hands. Other than him, none of the other actors in the film are recognizable. I enjoyed this movie very much for several reasons. First of all, I think Richard Hatch is a very good, if underrated, actor. It is enjoyable to see him kicking butt in this movie. I also like action movies involving gangs, because most of them do not disappoint action fans. The must that begins the movie sets the tone for the whole film, even if it is more on the low-budget side. Also , there are some pretty humourous moments to enjoy. One of them is the music they play about halfway through the film as the gang members are congretating. I also enjoyed the clown sequence with the motor cycle, definetly an original idea. You will need to watch this to understand what I am talking about because I don't want to give any spoilers. Certian elements in Ghetto Blaster may be dated now, as it was made in 1989, and the title itself is no exception. Richard Hatch is always worth watching, and always delivers a first-rate performance. If you like these unheard of action films, you may like this one. I have seen it several times, and still enjoy it. It does, however, contain some nudity and bad language, just as a warning. Then again, most gang movies do.