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BurntEloi
Reviews
Bushwick (2017)
Must watch, seriously
The Steadicam work alone is enough to want to watch this film. The way it is shot and the content is amazing. I had no expectations going into this and was blown away.
As for the story, if you think something like this is purely fiction, history says different.
The Dark Tower (2017)
Never has a film made me so angry!
Absolutely terrible! I don't even know where to begin, obviously some decent production values, big name actors, none of which can save this abortion of a film.
Seriously the suits have buggered up Mr. King's magnum opus in such a way that I am without the ability to even articulate how stupid a move this was. This could have been 3 movies and a 5 season series at least... the suits left a billion dollars sitting on the table and walked away. WOW!
I have to go back and re-read the series again just to get the sour taste of this film out of my mouth. If you are wise, simply put this film out of your mind, it never happened and doesn't exist.
My sincerest sympathies to Stephen King. You didn't deserve that.
The Mountie (2011)
The way of the Yukon
I have to admit that the alternate (USA DVD) title "The way of the west" doesn't speak to the movies content. I am certain the only reason they created an alternate title for USA distribution is because "The Mountie" or "Way of the Yukon" or some similarly Canadian title would have little meaning or frame of reference for American viewers. Having said that, I can see how it being in IMDb's category Westerns could be a bit misleading and probably why other reviewers were disappointed. I wouldn't really drop it into the drama category either.
The cinematography is predictably well done, and given the raw nature of the Canadian Territories there are some great backgrounds. I agree that the lead actor (Walker) really does lay on the Clint Eastwood a bit thick. And unnecessarily so. he could have pulled off the role just as easily and likely more believably in a less strained manner.
As for continuity, I had no problems following the story line. I might question the historical accuracy of opium cultivation (which seems to be implied) in the Yukon, but there definitely was an opium trade. One also has to take into account that the story basically takes place in the middle of nowhere so character interaction is limited to the few people in the camp (its not a town).
I found the writing competent and the story engaging. I often shy away from Canadian movies due to their track record in terms of quality, but I didn't find The Mountie disappointing. It not a masterpiece either, but it is entertaining. The cast was well placed and the performances believable. Some familiar faces with Jessica Pare (who was awesome in "Suck"), Pastko and Buza.
All in all its worth the rental fee, I won't be adding it to my DVD collection, but it was enjoyable enough for me. I give it a 6/10. Just don't expect "Hang "em high".
Schrödinger's Girl (2009)
Longing for a universe where this film doesn't exist
The most staggering flaw of this film is its lead actress. I haven't seen her other performances so I can't determine if this was her usual calibre or anomalously poor. The role she is cast to is difficult to believe to begin with (the 24 year old quantum scientist professor, really?), then she is challenged with playing her "alternate" selves from other parallel universes. Not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. The funny thing is she wasn't believable in any of the characters. The supporting cast was remarkably two dimensional in their performances. Considering the budget of the film they did a pretty good job I suppose. Special effects were rudimentary, but acceptable. The audio quality was pretty poor overall.
The script had some interesting points to it and could have done better. Perhaps it would have had more success adapted as a two part episode of Torchwood or Dr. Who. So unless you are desperate for your sci-fi fix I recommend missing this one.
Burke & Hare (2010)
Very enjoyable (forget werewolf)
Expectations from other reviewers must have been too high. This movie is thoroughly enjoyable, despite the subject matter, which I suppose is the whole point. I found it to be comically dark as expected. Although in a lighter tone than "I sell the dead" which is another good film in the same vein. The casting was well composed and at times gave me the feel of a Terry Pratchett production. The sets and cinematography were spot on and very believable. I simply wouldn't try to compare this film to any of John Landis' previous works ,it stand on its own and demonstrates the dynamic abilities of both cast and crew. All in all worth a go if you are in the mood for a few good laughs.
Solomon Kane (2009)
Better than Van Helsing, but not Lord of the Rings
I was pleasantly surprised by the performances in this production, some great scenes from all the cast involved. I wasn't particularly caring of the differences from the original works of the Solomon Kane character; overall it was a great production.
As a fan of the genre I can't help but notice the similarities of James Purefoy's protagonist character to Hugh Jackmans Van Helsing, it did really seem like the same character. However the depth of the script was far better than the later. Not so much "Hollywood" if you get my drift.
The musical score definitely reminded me of Lord of the Rings which I'm sure was not accidental. It suited the movie well and amplified the already good performance moments. All in all a good recipe.
The choreography was decent, and many of the scenes were shot in what had to be difficult conditions.
I would have liked to have seen more from Jason Flemyng, and perhaps this is the major fault of the movie is that they left too much on the cutting room floor.
If you enjoy this genre I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I wasn't.
Uncharted (2009)
I've seen worse
I wanted to be more generous with the review as I could see just how hard this film is trying to be taken seriously. However it just falls too short in too many places.
There is some OK camera work and location cinematography is decent. The acting is B grade, but I think the actors/actresses are not totally at fault here. In many scenes I found myself feeling that the actor/actress probably had it in them to deliver a more believable performance, yet they seemed dragged down by dialogue or perhaps how the director wanted the lines delivered. There are also some major issues with what the film expects us to believe, the crash site and the experience level of the young documentary crew are two major issues right off the start.
Other than that I think its good given what they likely had to work with in terms of budget and overall it's a "totally have nothing else to do" time killer.