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michaelchandler45
Reviews
Knights of the Damned (2017)
Really?
This film was bloody awful. There's really no other way to describe it. Just bloody awful and that's putting it mildly. I mean how does something this amateurish and sad even get funded or distributed? It makes absolutely no sense. None of the actors, if you can call them that, had the talent of your local thespian playhouse. I truly believe someone went to their local bar after work and said "My brother just got this cool new digital camera. Ya'll wanna make a movie?". They must have spent the twenty they had for a budget on a twelve pack instead of expenses. Save your money, time or bandwidth and watch Conan the Barbarian for the fiftieth time instead. Trust me, you'll be much more entertained and satisfied.
Circus Kane (2017)
Can you say "I want to be Rob Zombie"?
The character Kane tried to look and sound like Rob and his circus ring leader vibe. The story rips off the murder world vibe and last man standing plot of Zombies new movie "31" (which was his worst cinematic effort yet.) Even with this it could have at least been mildly entertaining but it flat out sucked. There was no attempt to thrill with cheap gore or jump scares. Nothing at all entertaining. Just a lot of standing around and listening to bad actors try and talk us to sleep. The dialogue sounded like it was from a third graders play. Whoever was responsible for the script certainly didn't do the non talented actors any favors. It was just a flop all around. Nothing positive to say about it at all. I give it three out of ten.
Found (2012)
Best indi I've seen in years
Based on the novel by Todd Rigney, "FOUND" is a refreshing addition to the horror genre. A familiar yet grim coming of age drama wrapped in a very dark and horrific nightmarish shell. The story is told through the eye's of Marty, a typical twelve year old boy who like most of you reading this can probably relate to, tends to escape the turmoil of his daily life by taking refuge in horror films. From early on in the film we learn that Marty (Gavin Brown) is from an average American family with the usual facade of "normalcy" hiding a plethora of underlying social problems. His fathers overt racism and inability to relate to or get along with his older son. His mothers inability to mediate or intervene in the situation, and his brothers (Ethan Philbeck) worsening antisocial behavior. Marty has discovered personal secrets of his family members. His dad's porn stash, mother's love letters to an old boyfriend and the biggest one yet, a bowling bag containing a severed head in his brothers closet. Marty discovers the brother that he loves and looks up to is a serial killer. "My brother keeps a human head in his closet. Every few days it's a new head", "My life is starting to turn into a horror movie." Let me just say that I found this film intriguing and truly disturbing. Director Scott Schirmer has done a truly amazing job on a shoestring budget of a reported $8000.00 dollars, managing to tell a great story and do what most big budget horror films seem to fail at, making you care about the characters. The only drawback of the film for me was the talent level of some of the supporting cast. While Gavin Brown and Ethan Filbeck gave outstanding performances for their first outing, the mother (Phyllis Munro) and several of the supporting members, most notably the father (Louie Lawless) seemed to lack the ability to convincingly pull off any dramatic moments. But this is a relatively minor complaint and hardly a drawback in the ability to enjoy this film. Other indi film makers and directors should pay attention and take notes. This is how it's done, with an engaging story and a lot of heart. With all that said, I highly recommend this film. In the end I was left almost speechless. This film manages to tell a sympathetic yet engaging horrific story. It is severely brutal and gory at times and not for the faint of heart. Four out of five stars!
Septic Man (2013)
High marks for originality and tone.
I liked it and give it good marks for originality story wise. It's got a low score on IMDb but I think thats mostly because of people expecting something else out of it like a serious version of "The Toxic Avenger" or a horror/comedy. Overall I enjoyed the movie although it could have been so much more. It's played a little slow and it's a very drab and depressing scenario. Don't go into it expecting a wild ride or a terrifying revenge flick. Over all I liked it but thought it fell a little short of what it could have been. It's the kind of movie some will love and others will claim was a waste of time. Definitely worth a watch.
Macabre (2009)
One of the most intense I have seen in years!!! Loved it!
After seeing the movie "V/H/S/2" I loved the episode called "Safe Haven". Reading up about the two directors I happened to see these previous horror films called "Dara" and "Macabre". Apparently Dara is a short and I can't seem to get my hands on it at the moment. But I got to see the blue ray version of "Macabre" and man was I blown away! I may seem to over blow it but if you find yourself watching it and saying it's OK but not all that" just keep watching because the horror and the action just keep amping up up up until you think there can be no more and then there is still more! It's one of the goriest movies I have seen but it's done so well and used effectively to shock and disturb/scare you that it really works. Not just gore for gore sake and not like some of the zombie type genre that show so much it gets mundane or even comical. This stuff is intense!!! Best horror movie I have seen in years. It's not in English and you'll have to read the subtitles but it's well worth it for those who have a problem with that. The only thing that bothers me about it is I am spoiled and wan't more. Now I'll go through that phase where I have to watch 20 more junk horror flicks before I find another diamond like this. Hope not. Great movie. 9 out of 10 for me!
V/H/S/2 (2013)
Much better than the first!
With the exception of a few, I just haven't found to much to enjoy about the found footage genre. Even the better ones make you wonder why someone won't drop the camera and RUN! V/H/S/1 was OK. I did like the first segment with th succubus female demon and the last one with the demonic house but the rest were garbage or at least lame as heck and poorly done. V/H/S/2 is the bomb compared to any found footage I have seen yet. It totally surpassed any expectations I had. There was one segment I didn't enjoy which was an alien abduction theme that looked like an episode of scare tactics. Other than that the rest were more than well done and put together so that it made sense for there to be camera footage going on. I think the one segment that really put it over the top and warrants a high score was "Safe Haven". That was one heck of an intense experience. Bad to the bone. If for no other reason, watch this movie just for that segment. If it was the "Safe Haven" segment alone I would give it a 9 out of ten! I say watching V/H/S/2 was time well spent. Big thumbs up!!!
Jacob (2011)
Very well done!
This is my first review and no I am not part of the movie crew, just a horror buff. I just happened on this little jewel of a film last night and was so very surprised at how well it was done and how entertaining and heartfelt it was for an indie film. I saw the low score on IMDb and just could not let this go. I had to register and chime in. The build up and the time invested in getting to know the characters was perfect. The lower budget may have restrained some of the effects but they were actually done correctly, showing just enough and not over showing any bad effects like a sci fi production. Sure some of the acting and dialog was a little stiff but growing up in a small town most of it rang true, even the behavior. The little girl was excellent and you couldn't't help but sympathize with Jacob. I wont give anything away but this was an excellent horror movie. One of the better I have seen in years especially for a low budget film. I hope this director can give us more. I would rate it higher except for a couple of the over acting like the old woman. Great movie!!