Mean Creek - Movie Review

Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes

Staring:
Rory Culkin - Sam
Trevor Morgan - Rocky
Scott Mechlowicz - Marty
Ryan Kelley - Clyde
Carly Schroeder - Millie
Josh Peck - George

5 kids set off for an afternoon boating trip but all is not as it seems. A plan has been set to teach the bully of the group a lesson he wont forget. After a change of heart, a few try to overturn the plan but things take a dramatic twist. One they'll never forget.

I bought Mean Creek at the same time as I bought my Nightmare on Elm Street collectors boxset and Family Guy. The movie has been classed as Deliverance meets Stand by Me (by Total Film magazine), and with that in mind, I really did think I would end up disappointed. The movie starts off good. Giving you the storyline on the reason for the kids plan. Keeping you informed about the characters background in a way that's not too overwhelming I was beginning to think maybe it was worth the statement by Total Film but then the ending was downfall. It would have been good to know what happened with a couple of the characters but in a way I guess it's the way to keep you thinking about it. Overall..it's a good movie and worth watching at least once to see the events take fold. Kickingupastorm rating for it shall be 6/10

Final Destination 3

I was sent a copy of Final Destination 3 on friday and I have to say...If you've not already seen it, then RENT THIS DVD!

A lot of people would say that by the end of a trilogy, a story is played out, and I'm one of those people. There's only a few trilogy movies that I like and now Final Destination is one of them. I have to admit that the second movie bored me but I still own it on dvd. I expected this movie to do the same. How wrong was I?

The movie is about a group of teenagers in their Senior year and the outcome of visiting a theme park. Much like the other two movies..One of the teens has a vision, which leads to some of the kids getting off a Rollercoaster. One by one, they start to die. The pretty much explains the storyline BUT with the dvd version, you can pick what happens at certain points in the movie. I've now watched 3 different versions of the movie and it's bloody brilliant!

Like I said before, I didnt like the second FD. It seemed to move away from the teen horror genre by having mostly Adult characters, which I think took away the thrill of the movie. I have to admit, the death scenes were excellent but I struggle to decide on anything else that was good about it. FD3 is teen death! It completes the trilogy on a high. The death scenes are brilliant. I'm a gore freak, what can I say? It's well worth seeing. So get your asses down to the nearest place to rent dvds and RENT THIS ONE!

My DVD Review: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills and Revelations: Paradise Lost 2

The story:
The award winning Paradise Lost films tell the horrifying true story of the West Memphis Three, the notorious American murder case in which three Arkansas teenagers, with a penchant for black clothes and heavy metal music, were accused and charged with killing three 8-year old boys in a Satanic ritual.
Fraught with emotionally charged testimony, allegations of coerced confessions and a lack of physical evidence, the sensational trial prompted many to claim the teenagers were wrongly convicted in an atmosphere of "Satanic Panic".
The filmmakers spent over seven years capturing these shocking events as they unfolded before their cameras, with unprecedented access to all involved in this real-life human drama.
As an international movement to "Free The West Memphis Three" gathers pace and the three convicted men continue to serve out their sentences (with alleged ringleader Damien Echols on Death Row) difficult questions still linger: are the West Memphis Three guilty of sacrificing three eight-year-olds to the Devil, or are they victims of a modern-day witch hunt? Was justice served, or are the real killers still free?
With the release of both landmark films together for the first time ever, it's time to make up your mind.

A good friend of mine recommended this documentary to me. I was going to hire it out but no one round my area had it. So I took my $40 I had saved and went out and bought it. Best money I've spent in a long time. I sat and watched both DVD's in one sitting. I think the first DVD was over 2 hours, the second near on 2 hours too. I was hooked though.
I didn't know anything about this case. So I went in with an open mind. I sure came out of it differently. I can't see any possible way how these 3 teenage boys can be convicted of this crime with no evidence? The only thing was the "confession" of Jessie Misskelley, who has an IQ of 72, and it's said in the documentary that people with low IQ's are subject to giving false confessions because they are easily influenced. There is no forensic evidence of these boys comitting murder. Because they wore different clothes, listened to the wrong kind of music, read horror novels, studied Wicca, they were condemned. To me, that is wrong. It points to someone else doing the murders, but as not to spoil the story for those who haven't seen it, I won't say who it is.
My friend also directed me to a website devoted to the West Memphis Three, which can be found here. It shows all the updates, how you can help in freeing these innocent boys, who are now men.
It's a great documentary. If anything it delves into the american court system and it shows the injustices that can happen. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

a continue of an earlier post

While shopping lastnight with my mum, I came across a dvd that I was told to watch called Rose Red (Stephan King). Luna had made a post about this earlier on the blog, which can be read here. She gives a very detailed description of what the mini series was about and I've decided to post with my views on it.

When I picked the dvd up, I noticed that the rating for it was a 12. So I thought "maybe it isnt going to be as good as Luna, Michele and others have said it is". I was wrong to think that! I couldnt sleep lastnight and at 1am I put the dvd on. Now I have to admit..I didnt realise that Luna had said it was over 5 hours long and I thought the whole thing would be on the first disc. I finally finished watching it after 6am this morning. I couldn't go to bed. I knew I was tired but I couldn't move myself away from watching it!

This is something that everyone should see at some point. Some special effects (like Luna said) are very basic BUT I can honestly say..I jumped a few times and that doesnt normally happen when I'm watching something. I thought the rating that it has in the UK is quite low. There's a point where a guys fingers are cut off and I was like "JAYSIS! Kids shouldnt be watching this" but kids these days watch anything and everything. So my opinion on that doesnt matter. If you're looking for something that makes you not want to move till it's all finished, then watch Rose Red. It should be added to the list of good screenwork Stephan King has done throughout his time. I was pleasently surprised by it. So either hurry out to your nearest dvd store or for the people in the UK...head to ASDA, where I bought the dvd for £6.97 (pretty good for a two disc dvd). You wont be disappointed!

My DVD Review - The Rose

Directed by Mark Rydell
Starring Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest and Barry Primus.
Release Date 1979

In an Oscar nominated performance, BETTE MIDLER portrays a rock star whose success is laced with so much booze, drugs and hard-living, that it eventually causes her downfall. Trapped in a self created hell, Rose begs her manager (ALAN BATES) for time off from her concert tour. When he refuses, she seeks comfort and love in the arms of a handsome drifter (FREDERIC FORREST), but even he cannot handle her life of excess. Electrifying musical numbers, including the hit song "The Rose" make this film a pop culture classic.
Bette Midler's fictional role bears striking similarities to Janis Joplin, who many say was the film's inspiration. Like Joplin, Midler's character performs while drinking Southern Comfort, she is called "Rose" as Joplin was called "Pearl" and she returns home to flaunt her success, just as Joplin showed up at her high school reunion.

I first saw this movie in the early 80's. On TV of course, and in those days movies like this were cut to shreds. When it first came out on VHS, I bought it. Wore my copy out. I have to say this is one of my all time favourite movies. Ms Midler's voice..all I can say is...AMAZING! She brought pure emotion to the movie. No matter how many times I see it, I still cry at the end. Alan Bates, as Rose's promoter/manager, plays a control freak, and truly, all you wanna do is slap him. It leaves you wondering whether Rose's excessive lifestyle, or her manager's constant harassment of her, gets to her in the end. You can see her knowing her limits, yet he continually wants to make money out of her. You empathise with her character, all she wants is love and happiness. But her eagerness to please her public and her manager makes her question her own happiness in the end. All in all, even though it is an old movie now, it's still a great movie. I don't think it will ever date. If you get a chance to watch it, enjoy it as much as I do.

New DvD

It arrived today and I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!

If you've not seen Monsters Inc, then get your ass down to the store and BUY IT!