Quick Movie Reviews

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012)/Rating: 1.5/5

Starring: Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, Carrie-Ann Moss, Radha Mitchell

I completely agree with Miko's thoughts on this movie. If you missed her review, you can find it here. For a fan of this game series, there are far too many flaws in this to be acceptable. Jump scares and fanservice couldn't even help this one. Watch if you feel that you need to, but what I'd recommend is that you go play the games instead.

Dark Tales of Japan (2004)/Rating: 1/5

Starring: Yamada Yu, Endo Shozo, Okada Yoshinori and more

Directed by: Ochiai Masayuki, Shimizu Takashi, Shiraishi Koji, Tsuruta Norio

I should have done this as a separate review because Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of several short films. However, this is much more like the campy, cheesy type of short horror story that one would see on a show like Tales from the Crypt. The most amusing thing for me was seeing Endo Shozo (most famous as half of the comedy duo Cocorico) in the 'Spiderwoman' segment. The bad cgi and subpar writing can't be fixed even with Endo's involvement or the presence of Yamada Yu in the segment 'Sacrifice'.

Alex Cross (2012)/Rating: 2/5

Starring: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols, Edward Burns

There are a few things you need to know about this one. Alex Cross is a character from James Patterson's novels. He was played much better in the past by Morgan Freeman. Matthew Fox goes against his usual hero type to play someone criminally insane. Sadly, the movie fails on plot, dialogue and a lot of other issues. The most glaring was the death of a supporting character that's pretty much almost completely ignored.

Dredd (2012)/Rating: 3/5

Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey

Forget the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie (Judge Dredd). That was a joke compared to Karl Urban's version of Dredd. If you're a fan of the 2000AD comic series, you'll be quite happy with this one. If you're not, you're going to get a gritty, tight action film with an unemotional lead male. No, he never gets any romance from the female lead (or any others). This is how an action film should be. If nothing else, check it out for the use of slow motion effects. It's an effect that fits in with the plot rather than being tossed in to spice things up. Also, how often does your leading man only show his nose and jaw? Karl Urban's handsome face has never been so underutilized!

The Road (2009)/Rating: 3/5

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee

This is a tough one. While this movie is completely soul-sucking, depressing and desolate, the performances by Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Kodi Smit-McPhee help lift it up just a bit. Set in a post apocalyptic world full of cannibals, a father and son are struggling to survive. It's bleak and cold. If they don't freeze or starve, there's illness and potential dangers lurking everywhere. Ultimately, this is a film about the lengths a father will go to in order to protect his child and how far hope can be stretched before it's destroyed.