Amazing Spider-Man, The (2012)

Director: Marc Webb (no that's not a fake name)
Notable Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen

If you follow Blood Brothers often enough, you might already know how we feel about "unnecessary" remakes... or reboots in this case. If not feel free to see my review of "Let Me In" for some insight. Going into "The Amazing Spider-Man," I had similar hesitations. Only a decade ago had we seen a film chronicle the origins of our favorite web slinging hero and Sam Raimi and company did it just fine. Yet here we are with another slightly different origin story and a whole new crew to bring us Nu Spidey. Oddly enough, I was pleasantly surprised with the results of this "unnecessary" reboot as it really takes different focuses to its story telling that make it it's own entity.

After his parents disappear under mysterious circumstances, the life of Peter Parker (Garfield) has been a tough one. He's an outcast at school and despite his smarts and strong sense of moral stance, he finds talking to the girl of his dreams Gwen Stacy (Stone) awkward and standing up to bully flash painful. This changes though when a clue to his father's past sends him to Oscorp to find Dr. Connors (Ifans), where he finds a new destiny when bitten by a radioactive spider...

Remembering to pee before putting on the leotard...priceless.

Perhaps the best part of seeing "The Amazing Spider-Man" in theaters was seeing it with my wife. She had never seen a Spider-Man anything and seeing her reaction to the origin story was uplifting. Even though she tends to heatedly dislike comic book films, she actually enjoyed it and this allowed me to step away from my normally over-informed self and see the film through eyes I have never known...and see that the film does indeed succeed on many levels.

One of these levels is how director Marc Webb and the script really boil down and focus on solid character development and the interactions between Parker and his love interest Stacy. His only previous film was the quirky romantic comedy "(500) Days Of Summer", so he notably knows how to handle this arena of the story. He does it damn well. With strong casting of the only impressive Andrew Garfield and the charming Emma Stone in the leads, he really does take the "Spider-Man" franchise to some new and realistic levels. This matches the darker and more realistic tone of the film as it places all of its focus on Peter's growth and his interactions with his loved ones. It's a very human look at the franchise and even though it doesn't go to quite the dark atmosphere that others have, it works as a character piece.

Who knew that the best part of a "Spider-Man" film would be the romantic plot?

So if Webb and his cast ably navigate the emotional side of the "Spider-Man" universe with rather well paced and focused character development, that does mean there is sacrifice from other areas. Those mainly being the actual over-arcing plot and action set pieces. One of my worries about this film was having The Lizard (or Dr. Curt Connors) as the villain. This worry was only validated as the credits rolled. Where "The Amazing Spider-Man" really succeeds in building a strong hero, it fails in building a strong villain. His decent into madness is quick and dirty and the massive use of CGI to develop the finale (and its very comic book motivation of turning the whole world into lizards! Mwhahahahaha!) gave it a very cartoonish feel that sat awkwardly with the character realism of the rest of the film. Not to mention the connection between Parker, Connors, and the police chief was weakly built for the resolution to fully have the impact it needed to sell the film. Webb does his best to handle all the action pieces, adding in some Spidey POV shots that are guaranteed to have 3D audiences vomiting with motion sickness, but it is rather basic and pulls heavily from what we expect from a "Spider-Man" film.

Not a scene from the upcoming "Step Up: Revolution."

So to place it all in prospective I was pleasantly surprised by the unique ways that this film differed from the original trilogy in tone and focus, but was disappointed by its lacking action set pieces and villain. Although I am anxiously looking forward to it's sequel (which already has a release date set for summer 2014), this film was a mixed bag in the end for this long time fan. Granted, its only the beginning of a new franchise so there is plenty of time to fix the little things and take it to that next level I so desperately wanted from the film.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Top Ten: Top Ten Live Action Comic Book Films

Before I trek out and see the latest (and rumored greatest) "Spider-Man" film in theaters, the urge to craft a 'best comic book film' list drew upon me like a delirious shadow of insanity. Thusly, the Blood Brothers' "Top Ten Live Action Comic Book Films" took shape. The choices made for this list will probably have some of you up in arms shouting obscenities at us and honestly, that's the point. So enjoy it for what it is and feel free to post comments below as we love to hear from our readers. Feel free to click the title of the film for an individual review for each film. Enough explanation let's spit some blood...

10. Blade (1998)

The first "Blade" film makes the list for a couple reasons. First, it was a success despite the massive drop off in quality for comic book films in the late 90s and it certainly does it with charm and a dark streak a mile wide. Secondly, it's perfectly cast (Snipes and Kristofferson are gold together) and it blends just enough horror and action elements to compliment its more cartoonish comic parts that it would sit well with a variety of audiences whether or not it had its "comic" tag on it. It's blend is stellar.

09. Iron Man 2 (2010)

The first of many sequels on this list, you will see a repeated pattern starting here. "Iron Man 2" is just as good as all of the elements in the first film, but it really runs with it. It doesn't have to worry about really setting foundations or characters. That was done and this one, pardon the pun, really takes flight. It has a stronger and crazier villain (a hero is only as good as their villain right?) and the cast of character is simply stronger all around including a brief but awesome secondary role for Black Widow. Downey Jr once again owns a role he was made for and the story is bigger and badder. I might be one of the few that believes that this sequel was better than the first, but I will make that argument until the end of time.

08. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sam Raimi's ability to balance fun and excitement with strong moral issues and characters hits home run in this second film of the web slinging New York superhero. As the scene and genre gradually morphed into darker and more realistic films, Raimi and cast kept it light hearted and family oriented with this series and it was a brilliant counterbalance. The bright colors and visual flair of the film hones in on the goofier elements of the comic book film (that he previously toyed with on the 'faux' film "Dark Man"), but the film's strong writing and fantastically built villain make "Spider-Man 2" one of the best.

07. X2 (2003)

As with the last couple, this is a sequel that simply out performs the original in all manners. Where the original "X-Men" film played hesitant with devotion to its idea and characters, "X2" full on sprints with it. Between it's expertly crafted action set pieces (the opening assassination by Nightcrawler still holds up as one of the best shot action sequences to this day) and the superbly built cast that executes a very massive story, "X2" was the film that truly set the next level of standards for comic book films in this day and age.

06. The Dark Knight (2008)

Nolan's reboot of the "Batman" franchise caught everyone's attention with its significantly darker tones and realistic elements. Yet "Batman Begins" found itself caught trying to still be too comic book like to be truly embraced by its idea. Not "The Dark Knight". Even though it still retains much of its silly comic book elements (the sonar computer anyone?), Nolan really pushed the film into new territory and epic new levels. The film is pushed to the edge by a psychotic and driven Joker (played expertly by Ledger) and the massive atmosphere it creates as something that could happen makes this one hell of a watch.

05. The Crow (1994)

Very rarely does this film ever show up on any 'comic book' list because people forget that it is one. This is due to the fact that despite some ridiculous concepts and a very visual style to the film, it rarely feels like one. Yet, "The Crow" remains the ultimate Gothic tale of vengeance and hope that is centered on a ghostly performance from Brandon Lee and sports a slew of great cult actors in its ranks. Not only that, but the film has a beautifully dark and atmospheric art design that would have earned director Proyas and his film a slot on this list no matter what.

04. Batman (1989)

Following in this trend of epic Gothic films sits Tim Burton's genre defining '89 spectacle "Batman". Now I'm going to probably take a lot of flack for this one, but this is the essential Batman film experience in almost every way. It redefined blockbusters that were engaging, dark, and family friendly while the sheer epic look of the film remains intact even over two decades later. It's eclectic casting and strong sense of symbolic structures of detail make for gobs of unforgettable moments. Although Burton would never be able to top it (even with the charming if not flawed "Batman Returns"), this film remains one that is a must see for comic book films.

03. The Avengers (2012)

You were probably all wondering if this epic film (and newest on the list) would make the cut and I should slap you for even asking that. OF COURSE IT DID! How could it not? Despite my sheer terror that no one could ever pull off a film of this magnitude (with budget, casting, and writing), the first phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe films was built perfectly to set this up and Joss Whedon was the perfect choice to knock it out of the ball park. The only thing stronger than the epic action set pieces featuring all of our favorite charming comic heroes in true form is how fun and incredibly efficient the banter dialogue is. This just goes to show you that a strong writing foundation can really set up great things and deliver results.

02. V For Vendetta (2006)

Here's another one that many of you probably forgot was based on a comic book. The dark dystopian vision of the future is so disturbing and well realized by "Matrix" protege McTeigue, that its hard not to be completely dismayed by the moral issues that are beaten into the completely relatable characters of the film. The film is an emotional roller coaster for those willing to be swayed and its all rightly anchored on the gut wrenching performances of our two leads Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving who does the whole damn thing behind a mask with voice inflection and body language. This is not only one of my favorite comic book films, it's one of my favorite films ever. If there is anything that might dismay people from seeing it, it might be its lacking action. But the film is so strongly written and executed with its moral issues and characters that, to me, its irrelevant.

01. Watchmen (2009)

Even though I ranked "Batman" higher than "The Dark Knight", this will easily be my most controversial choice for the list. People bitched that it didn't follow the critically acclaimed graphic novel enough and people bitched that it followed it too closely (making the film clock in at 215 minutes in its extended form). Yet I have a hard time agreeing with either side. The balance of visual flair, character driven moral choices, and societal commentaries is perfect. It's beautifully cast, expertly executed with visuals, and written like an epic piece of literature that's depth allows for hours and hours of discussion. It never shys away from its darkness by embracing the extreme violence and offensive characters all the while playing it off as something of a giant comic book Shakespearean tale of woe. Instant classic.

There you have it. The controversial, but thought provoking "Top Ten Live Action Comic Book Films" from Blood Brothers. Feel free to spit some blood and leave comments below on what you think I missed or accomplished with this list.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Mardock Scramble The First Compression (2010)

Wow! Is the first word that comes to mind after watching this film. The first of a trilogy, but the only one available stateside. Intense? Indeed it is. Dark? Yes, very dark from the subject matter to the art style. This is not for everyone.

The story:
A 15 year old prostitute named Rune Balot (English voice actor Hilary Haag) is saved by a Dr. Easter (insert resurrection theme) after being basically murdered. She is brought back by the choice to live via the Mardock Scramble 09 which is an ordinance for preserving life by any means. She is then turned into a cyborg with the power to manipulate electronics and since her own vocal system was damaged she speaks through different devices. Which leads to a few creepy yet funny moments. She is teamed up with a golden mouse named Oeufcoque (English voice actor Andy McAvin), but he is not just your run of the mill golden mouse. You see this little guy can basically turn into any weapon she needs him to... thusly creating a soldier given a choice to fight against those that harmed her, mainly the bastard Shell. Shell is a crazy ass head of a casino and pimp. He does what he wants when he wants and to whom he wants. Dr. Easter is building a case against him and he is not going down without a fight.

The art:
I for one like the dark futuristic city setting. It works very nicely with the tone of the film. Kind of like "Blade Runner" type feel to it. I know we can say that about a lot of different anime films and series but I think it really works here.

The film:
The film is well put together. From opening to giant cliffhanger ending (remember trilogy) it all sets up nicely. You learn more about the human side of Balot through a series of flashbacks which pulls things together for the viewer. The building of characters and their relationships was spot on, I actually cared about these characters and wanted to learn their stories. I especially like the build of Balot and Oeufcoque which makes sense being that they are now a team, so to speak. This movie does contain a fair amount of nudity so viewer beware and again I will remind you that the subject matter involves rape, incest, prostitution, and torture. However if you are okay with that stuff then I will highly recommend this series of films. I am left wanting and waiting for the next film.

The voice actors:
This is the English dubbed version and I have not seen the Japanese version so I wont try to compare the two. With that in mind I thought both Hilary and Andy were great. At times it felt like Andy stole the show with his wide range of emotion in this film. There are also other English voice actors to give notice to as well such as Chris Ayres, Andrew Love, and Kalob Martinez as Shell.

At the end of the day I really liked this film. Maybe I am just a weirdo (hey now!) or maybe its just a good movie. Give a look for yourself and you can comment back let me know what YOU think!

 Written By John Price

Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006)

From the opening theme song I kind of got a good feeling about this movie. The song is Giniro No Kami No Agito and from my experience it is one of the few opening songs that really caught my attention. Not because of how it sounded, but more for the content of the song. You learn through the lyrics of this song that the Forest will play a large role in this film.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the moon has been destroyed, the story centers around the young boy Agito whose father helped build Neutral City which is the main setting. While out on an adventure Agito discovers a girl in a pod so to speak. This girl Toola is from a time before the moon was destroyed. Agito accidently wakes the girl and sets out to help her adjust to this new world. Toola has trouble accepting the new world and is convinced by a Colonel Shanuck of Ranga who, like Toola, is from a different time to find a device that will fix all that is damaged. Toola of course is the key to finding this item.  The item known as Istok could just as easily destroy the world as save it, and this is something the forest can not allow.

The story isn't a new one by any means, but its pretty decent. The writing isn't what this movie is about, it is very much an action film. I really enjoyed the art work at the beginning of the film, however when all the action scenes started the director went with two different art styles and I really didn't enjoy it. Actually I found it quite distracting which is a shame because it took away from some really nice fight scenes.
As far as the story goes it was certainly missing depth, they could have gone more into Ranga and the world before the moon was destroyed. However they did not and thusly I felt a little short changed in the story area. All was not lost, I would be doing the film a disservice if I said so. You get just enough story to keep you interested, but a lot of questions go unanswered and character development is pretty nonexistent especially with Toola who kinda feels like a dry piece of toast with no jam or peanut butter. Agito is pretty much a typical young boy anime character who likes adventure and maybe is a bit mischievous. Otherwise non of the other characters were even really touched on. Like i said before this film is mainly for the looks. Which is fine if you just want to watch stuff blow up. For me this is a film I am not likely to watch again.

On the positive side the soundtrack was pretty sweet. I actually really enjoyed it. Keep in mind that I watched the English dubbed version which isn't what I would normally do and I must say the voice acting is pretty solid. We have Chris Patton as Agito and Carrie Savage as Toola and they are very prominent in other Funimation titles. All in all if you are in a mood to watch a film with cool action  scenes and not a loof story then by all means check it out. Thanks for reading, any feedback please share.

Written By John Price

Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil (2002)

KILLJOY 2: DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL

AKA "Killjoy 2"

Hands down the LAST film in the universe  that deserved a sequel is fucking "Killjoy" and I doubt it had enough of a following to warrant one but I guess when a films budget feels like it was only $10 it is guaranteed to make money in the end. Well two years later "Killjoy 2", an even lower budgeted sequel, infected video store shelves and guess what... it's basically as bad as the shit original with one aspect I dug a little more to warrant it a half a blood drop higher in it's dismal rating.

Some inner city troubled youths are taken by their parole officers into the middle of the country to do some therapeutic bull crap. Of course they break down in a non-cell service area (here's a hint, don't take dangerous youths to areas with no cell service!) so one of cops has to hike to a nearby house where one of the fuck-ups gets his ass shot off for trespassing. Needing help they plead with some voodoo babe but not before one of the girls calls upon the demonic clown Killjoy (Why? Still not quite sure) who predictably decides to go on a rampage.

Casting call... no ability to act necessary

It's hard to believe but this sequel even ad a LOWER budget than the original, by about a 100 grand! Even with a much lower budget (which is hard to imagine) the style of this film is a hair better thanks to a director making this look like an actual film (well, maybe more like a film student production) as opposed to a home movie.  They are able to do this by shooting most of the films plot in the woods (a staple of all low budget cinema) and by having Killjoy appear in the 'real' world as opposed to victims being sucked into his demonic realm (hence no shitty computer effects... YAY!). The acting on the other hand is just as shitty as the first and the plot is just as toilet paper thin.

An outhouse... fitting considering that is no doubt where the film was written

What I like about this sequel better (hence the higher rating) is the recasting of Killjoy with actor Trent Haaga. This guy throws all he has into the role making it energetic and he even got me to snicker at a few of  his bad "Freddy Kruger" comedic  one-liners. Even a snicker is better than tying a noose around my neck, which I did while watching the original. Sadly the Killjoy charater doesn't show up until over halfway through the film and when he does, the character feels wedged into a film in which he doesn't belong.

Any chance one of these jars has sulfuric acid to throw on the writers?

I 'enjoyed' "Killjoy 2" ('enjoy' may not the proper term) thanks to the new actor playing the title character, but this is still a shit film in the bottom of the barrel of brown trout. The acting, script and plot holes makes this damn near unwatchable and just when I was about to shut the damn thing off, Trent Haaga as Killjoy appeared to making it barely viewable to the very end. Did they make a "Killjoy 3"? Of course they fucking did but at least it only gets better from here.

 Written By Eric Reifschneider

Want to purchase the "Killjoy" 3-film set? Do so at the link below!

Face/Off (1997)

Director: John Woo
Notable Cast: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, and a cameo by Tom Jane

It's hard not to feel somewhat bad for John Woo. Despite his amazing talent as a director to create fun and invigorating films, here in the US they ditched some of the shittiest action scripts on his shoulders. Prime example: "Face/Off". This duel lead actioner featuring Travolta and Cage at some of their cheesiest is quite simply a horrible idea at its core. Sill, ill-explained with science fiction bits, and overly long aptly describe this film...yet somehow and in someway, John Woo is able to make it massively entertaining.

Sean Archer (Travolta) has been chasing Castor Troy (Cage) for years. After the terrorist Troy killed his son in a botched assassination attempt, the FBI headhunter has been doing his damnedest to track him down and bring him to justice. When they finally do, they discover that he has hidden a massive bomb somewhere in the middle of Los Angeles. So Archer decides to take a massive risk and have his face removed to only have it replaced with that of his comatose nemesis to go undercover to dig out the threat (?!?!). To make matters worse, the monstrous terrorist awakens form his coma only to take the face of the determined hero and turn the tables.

"No one will ever recognize me with facial hair...its camo for the face!"

Despite the critical success of the film (it holds a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes still), don't let anyone tell you that the film is a whole lot more than a gimmick. If they do, pull out some double pistols, do a barrel roll, and give them a thing or two to talk about. This film is so focused and centered around its face switch plot that it often forgets that there are other aspects to the film here. Secondary characters are brushed over, subplots of different interactions and themes are touched on and then ignored, and our leads become caricatures of one another as they are carved straight into the gimmick. Most of the logic is left at the door and I'm not just talking about face transplants that heal in hours or voice modifiers that are implanted in throats. I'm talking about the lightning fast pacing and often lengthy plot progression. Characters are haphazardly thrown about and even some of the settings are beyond ridiculous like a top secret oil rig prison called Erehwon (that's nowhere backwards for those who don't know) where inmates have to wear reject boots from the "Super Mario Bros." movie that are magnetized to the floor. Trying to follow any kind of true emotional arc or logic flow is asinine for the viewer, so I recommend not even trying.

We're just lucky that wall is there or the universe might implode.

Once you decide to toss off the old shackles of logic, then and only then can one truly enjoy "Face/Off" for what it is. Firstly, the action is awesome. John Woo might not be able to make the film feel shorter than it is, but he certainly entertains. Gun fights galore litter the film (it's John Woo, would you expect less from the gun-fu wizard?) and the finale goes from a church shootout, to a standoff, to a boat chase, to hand combat as quick as it can. This is elevated by the scene eating abilities of our two leads. Do their characters really make a lot of sense in what they do? Not really. Do they gobble up the dialogue and inject massive amounts of ridiculous cheese by acting like each other awkwardly? Damn fucking tootin. Cage and Travolta make this movie has memorable as possible with their ability to chew up screen time and their banter on screen easily make "Face/Off" a B-action film highlight.

Perhaps my favorite face Cage has ever made. Ever. Seriously, ever.

Even though "Face/Off" is one of the more gimmicky and illogical scripts that 90s action films had to offer, it's a surprisingly entertaining effort due to some serious charm from our director and two leads. Take the film with a grain of salt, enjoy its ridiculousness, and you might have a great time watching it. I did.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Gringo, El (2012)

Director: Eduardo Rodriguez
Notable Cast: Scott Adkins, Yvette Yates, Christian Slater

There always comes that time in any cult film fan's life when he or she, must debate at whether a film is 'good.' It's an oddly well versed term that often doesn't describe the feelings generated for a person by a specific film. This is the debate I've held for at least a week since I caught "El Gringo". The film is enjoyable as hell with its over the top style, charming lead in Scott Adkins, and rather goofy concept...but its still an ill conceived and often hollow watching experience. So is the film 'good?' The answer is much more complicated than a yes or no, because it is both in the case of this After Dark Action release.

An unnamed man (Adkins) finds himself on the run when his fellow cops are gunned down in a set up. He survives the ambush, takes the money used for the drug buy, and hightails it to Mexico to see if he can make it to his dream vacation. Unfortunately, he stumbles into a run down town where the residents are intent on keeping him there with their corruption and a fellow cop West (Slater) is hunting him down.

"El Gringo" feels like a B-grade action film that went straight to home video. I guess that's fitting since its brief and limited theatrical run was very limited in both those areas. It doesn't help that the film is built on some very shaky foundations either. The plot runs at a very cliche 'by the numbers' pacing and our characters are about as deep as the kiddy pool for toddlers. Half the time I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be invested in either the plot or characters or if I was supposed to laugh at the ridiculousness of their two-dimensional build. Beyond our hero, I couldn't care less for its weak romantic build or the police betrayal whodunnit back story as the motive for all of this action. Not even a normally fun Christian Slater saved that plot line. It was like piecing together a very run of the mill action script that failed to really invest its viewers.

On the other hand, this was one of those movies that fucking kicked its way to being enjoyable with charm and style. I use the term kicked, because a major one of those aspects happens to be leading action star Mr. Adkins. The guy is somewhat of a cult icon already having worked with classics like Jean Claude ("Assassination Games"), as a villain ("Undisputed II"), and on his own ("Ninja") and a film like this certainly carries the screen presence he brings to the table. It would have been nice to see some of the odd running jokes really take off in the film including his somewhat gained dog partner which could have been gold in a film like this, but seems underused. Despite some missed opportunities with the protagonist and his lacking depth, Adkins is perhaps the biggest selling point.

Another solid point is the action of course. If it wasn't, a film like this would be a massive waste of time. Adkins is a stellar martial artist and the director utilizes some Guy Ritchie inspired style to really make the most out of these sequences. Whether our hero is beating in heads to get his satchel of money back on the street, having a fist fight with a cowboy in the desert, or double barrel blasting his way out of a trunk...the action is awesome here. The finale is a bit of a let down as our building duel between Adkins and Slater seems to dwindle out rather quickly, but beyond that its solid.

"El Gringo" is not a great film, by any use of the term. It's even a stretch to call it good. What the film does succeed at is entertaining. The director's quirky style of intense angles and odd moments brings out the charm for the intense action and strong use of Scott Adkins charm. It's not a film for those who critique harshly as it will be hard to get over the film's obviously cliche and poorly written flaws, but enjoy it for its B-grade action awesomeness and its worth the watch.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Grey, The (2012)

Director: Joe Carnahan
Notable Cast: Liam Neeson

There are certain actors that I simply follow because they are awesome. Liam Neeson certainly falls into this category. He can be an amazing actor. He can be awful too although I still don't think "Star Wars Episode I" was his fault, but he is always kicking ass and taking names. That's why watching a pack of wolves and the Alaskan winter try to survive Neeson had to be seen. My hopes were not up considering it was a man vs. nature film and those tend to all follow the same formula, but the stellar direction and the charming manliness of Neeson kick this film up to the next level and make "The Grey" a must see for any cult film fan.

Ottway (Neeson) has had a tough time lately. He pines for his lost wife and finds no comfort in killing the wolves that attack the drilling team up in the harsh climate of Alaska. What he doesn't realize is that his plane ride home, along with all of the other men, is going to be cut short...by the ground. Now a handful of survivors must take the advice of Ottway to try and survive the wilderness. It's not only the cold and lack of resources that are coming for their lives...but a pack of hungry wolves seem intent on their demise too.

The gun is just a nice way for Neeson to kill someone.

It is really hard not to enjoy this movie on some level. It's pretty simple as it doesn't pull a lot of plot twists to trick its audience. The way that director Carnahan takes it at a straight forward pace with only splashes of artistic merit allows it to do its thing and not worry about being something that its not. This is a very respectable way at going about the film. It's man vs. nature and despite some odd almost horror like methods concerning the wolves, it very much embraces that fact. Only to the film's benefit.

"The Grey" really embraces its details in ways that don't feel like its bombarding you with irrelevant information. Just the way that the setting is built with the snow, wind, and desolation instantly throws one into a panic mindset along with the characters. This great build of atmosphere (with a clever score that really uses space to its benefit) is pushed to extremes with believable characters that feel, for better and worse, like real people tossed into this horrible situation. Neeson certainly carries the flick - if I was in a bad situation, I would follow him to hell and back without a single second thought - with his great depth to a simple character, but he is massively supported by a great secondary cast too. Love em or hate em, these guys make you feel like you're there with them. It works so well in this way.

This look says "RUN YOU STUPID BASTARD! RUN!"

Occasionally, the film wants to meander a bit. The wolves make a great antagonist for the film, but it feels like they are filled with more malice than what would be realistic. Not that wolves wouldn't want to eat you in that situation (I hope to never find out), but its as if the conflict is sometimes forced and it feels a bit out of place for a film that stresses a very real environment and characters. It makes for an exciting film, I have to admit. It cooks the pace up to boiling at times and despite my skepticism of the idea, it works.

Don't go into "The Grey" expecting some clever artistic look at the man vs. nature genre (it has its merits particularly with how his memories of his wife and dad play out as a thread right to its controversial ending), because the film plays out much more simply than that. It's graciously effective at building pace and atmosphere even if its somewhat forced and fans of Neeson are going to eat up that character with mouthfuls of smiles. Not for everyone, but it was much better than I would have ever expected.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Ju-On: White Ghost/Black Ghost (2009)

Director: "White Ghost" - Ryuta Miyake, "Black Ghost" - Mari Asato

BLOODY NOTE: Normally I would review each of these hour long films separately, but the consistency that they display between the two a lots them the same rating. They have the same strengths/pitfalls and any differences will be mentioned in the review. So don't flack me for it.

It might surprise some of you to know that the massively successful "Ju-On" series originally received its start on television and despite two great theatrically released films and a series of remakes for the US under "The Grudge", it was only fitting for the franchise to celebrate its 10th anniversary by heading back to where it started. Thusly, we were given two short films under the "Ju-On" moniker as "White Ghost" and "Black Ghost" which take the general concept of the theatrical series and give us two stand alone stories. The quality of these films are hit or miss, but considering they were made for TV its hard not to be somewhat impressed with them.

White Ghost: When a teenage girl begins to see ghostly images of her elementary school friend, she begins to unravel the ghastly events of what happened to her when her brother brutally murdered the entire family and hung himself.
Black Ghost: A struggling family is pushed to further limits when their teenage daughter begins to succumb to odd psychological issues. The doctors are torn about what to do and only a woman with spiritual powers suspects that a begrudged ghost is living in the girl.

If only "Curious George" were a frightening ghost film of this caliber.

My initial reaction to the films was "Oh my, does this look like a made for TV movie." The films have a very cheap look that probably reflects the true budget of these pseudo-spin offs. Just don't let this look bog you down. And while you are at it, don't let anything about the budget get in the way of what the films does well - this includes the hit or miss acting and the some of the lackluster special effects. The acting can range anywhere from atrocious to surprisingly effective depending on the extent of screen time and story while some of the special effects are hindered by the budget including an obvious mask on the old White Ghost and the odd paint/CGI to make the girl in the second film black. This leads to a few moments of unintentional humor (the bright basketball that the ghost carries in the "White" or the odd scream/gurgle collapse of the teenage girl in "Black") that could have been avoided. Despite these flaws though, both films succeed at the the things that are needed for them to work.

Atmosphere. Suspense. Dread.

"Holy SHIT! This is made for TV?!"

For made for TV films, both "Black" and "White" are insanely well directed to promote smart storytelling and atmosphere. "White" mimics the first "Ju-On" with relative effectiveness in how it jumps between characters and time frames to make a rather simplistic supernatural tale much more effective in creating mystery and dread for the characters. We spend the entire film concentrating so much on the details to put it altogether that the scares seem to leap out of nowhere. Even though "Black" takes a much more conventional manner with its story telling (far more streamlined and focused on a few specific characters rather than the slew of the "White"), it still builds a fantastic sense of dread that one feels like they are holding their breath. For TV films, both are quite heart pounding and scream inducing.

The eternal question is answered: what's in the duffel bag?

There is a lot to derail these films and the constraints of budget and solid casts do hinder the films more so than one would hope. Considering that both films were made for TV though, each one does a very impressive job at building great terrifying sequences of mystery and fear whether its the repetitive spooks in the opening of "White" or the exorcism of "Black." For that, I highly suggest fans of J-Horror or the "Ju-On" films take a gander at these immediately. They certainly aren't great due to some lacking money and unintentional humor, but man...these films still make it hard to sleep at night.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2012)

Directors: Neveldine/Taylor
Notable Cast: Nicolas Cage, Idris Elba, and a cameo by Christopher Lambert

I would hardly consider myself a Ghost Rider expert being as I have never really read any of the comics, but I did see the first film and I know that it was quite the atrocious little piece of celluloid. When they announced that the crazy Neveldine and Taylor would be making the second film in the franchise though, it was hard not to feel my pulse race and the sweat pour down my face. Perhaps I was just reliving the "Crank" films again, but I was pumped. It also happened to be written by David S. Goyer which means it could rock or suck (the latter referencing "Blade: Trinity"). Needless to say, if there was a group to get Ghost Rider back on track - it was these folks.

The time of a prophecy has come. A child is being hunted by the Devil himself for a ritual that would make him all powerful even on Earth and the clock is running out. A French religious man Moreau (Elba) has done all he could and failed. Now his only hope to save the child and save the world will be placed into the hands of a rogue cursed man. A man cursed to stalk evil endlessly. A man whose alter ego includes a flaming skull and fiery chains. Moreau must find the Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze (Cage) before its too late, but will the tortured and corrupted angel within Blaze consume them all before he can save the day?

"Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance" is a step up above the first film. Then again if it was worse, that would make it one of the worst films ever made and it isn't. That being said, the film is also very far from being all that good. It still lacks cohesion of elements and styles that bogged the original one and sometimes Neveldine and Taylor forget their focus and start taking tangents with characters and story. What "Spirit Of Vengeance" does have going for it is the fact that its entertaining as hell. That's something at least.

I'm just as confused as you are Mr. Cage. I am. Truly.

The largest obstacle that "Spirit Of Vengeance" has to overcome is it's PG-13 rating. It really struggles with this. Neveldine and Taylor are known for their spastic and often offensive films - did you see "Crank" and "Crank 2"? - and this sequel really wants to go to those really violent and dark places. It can't though and quite often its obvious that their hands were tied in pushing the edges of the film into new territory. It gets away with a few things in its style to get around the violence with some great dark atmosphere and visual cleverness including an awesome scene where Ghost Rider takes a massive digging machine to gorge out some arms dealers. It doesn't stop the film from pushing forward with some great action sequences though with a stunningly awesome car chase finale and some fantastic new dark art design to mirror the tones of the film. If anything, it was hard not to enjoy the film for its renewed faith in staged action set pieces.

Beyond its stronger atmosphere and action though, "Spirit Of Vengeance" tends to fall into the same prat falls that its predecessor succumbed to. The balance of darkness and mainstream friendliness is misguided and the script likes to do a few odd things that create unintentional humor. On one hand, the plot and characters are simplified down for a more straightforward film that allows the action and visuals to become the focus. On the other hand, the film seems too simplified and lacks a humanity to connect to for Blaze and his cohorts. The connection between the child, his mother, and Blaze seems rather forced and underdeveloped while the film takes some odd twists for the sake of padding it out. This includes (and it pains me to say this) a rather pointless and padded detour to some French monks with a cameo from the legendary Christopher Lambert. Although there is some important plot triggers in these moments, they seem unnecessarily drawn out.

Cue Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin' For You".

These derailing script moments are only worsened by a hit or miss cast. Although Elba once again steals the film from his leading actors (he also had a brilliant secondary role in "Prometheus"), the rest are unacceptably cheesy and poorly crafted. Cage is once again a bane for the character as his uneven performance lacks the depth needed to sell it and our two villains (although better than the villains in the first film) once again fail to invoke fear. When Carrigan turns into Blackout it gets fun, but beyond that its straining to try and believe any of it.

There was a lot of hatred for "Spirit Of Vengeance" when it was released and I don't necessarily agree with that. This second film in the "Ghost Rider" series is bad, but at least this time I had fun watching it with its better crafted action and stronger sense of style. It's rarely consistent in anything (where the hell did those animated moments of poor narration come from? And where did they go half way through?), but considering its poor foundations it had something going for it. Honestly, I enjoyed this film much more than I should have and I foresee this one gaining a cult audience down the road.

Written By Matt Reifschneider