It Follows - Movie Review

Walking right towards you, it's walking right towards you.

"It Follows" stars Maika Monroe and is about a young woman who has sex with a guy she's seeing and in turn receives some sort of thing that attracts something resembling a person towards her; it can be someone she knows or a completely random person. From there the film is just about her trying to get away from "it" and trying to find a way to get rid of "it" as well.

I must say the only thing that bugged me was the marketing of the film. I went in thinking that multiple beings were going to be following her, not just one. I actually think if there were two or three beings following her it would be more intense and get a lot more scares but there wasn't and there is nothing I can do about it.

With that being said, this film was pretty good. It had good jump scares that weren't cheesy. The suspense was always there in every scene and it made the hairs on the back of your neck stick up. The acting was very good and I bought the dialogue. It was short, but believable and real.

The score of the film was awesome. It was very techno and reminiscent of the what the film "The Guest" sounded like, which also had Maika Monroe. I am looking forward to seeing her in future films, she was very convincing in this role. But the biggest praise I can give this film was the cinematography. It was shot very well and some creepy angles and pans that made you feel uncomfortable and I believe that what its aim was.

Final verdict: I may only watch this movie once or twice more, but it delivers on every aspect. It is creepy, clever, and well shot. I do recommended seeing this and it is better than most of the garbage Hollywood has came out with in the last several years. Definitely go see it.

4 out of 5.
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Maximum Overdrive - Movie Review

Unplug all your electronics because the machines are taking over.

When a comet passes Earth, something happens to machines and electronics all over the planet and start to operate on their own. When all this starts going down, several people take refuge at the Dixie Boy Truck Stop and try to ride this attack out. Little do they know that a bunch of semi-trucks operating on their own are on their way to the Dixie Boy and guard the area and make sure none of the people inside leave. After a while, they decide to concoct a counter measure and escape.

The plot seems a little lame and the script is atrocious, but this movie doesn't disappoint or impress. If anything this movie is average, maybe a little below but it works. It can be classified in a few genres: action, thriller, comedy, and maybe horror. The film has some subtle comedy, but where it is really funny is how incredibly bad it is. I think Stephen King, who wrote and directed Maximum Overdrive, knew that his screenplay was silly and over the top. Granted, he didn't intentionally want it to be horrible, but at this some of his books and short stories were already made into films so the audience knows what they are going to get with a Stephen King movie.

Emilio Estevez is really the only big name in this film. He plays the parole grill cook Bill Robinson. His performance was decent considering the script and he delivers most of the one liners. Pat Hingle plays the truck shop owner who is selfish and morally insensitive. His performance could be described just like Estevez's, but way more over the top and annoying. There is also a two minute scene featuring a young Giancarlo Esposito, who you may know as Breaking Bad's' Gus Fring. Other than that, this cast is easily forgettable and full of undeveloped characters. It wouldn't be wrong to say that there would be a character you'd feel sad for if they died. The pace of the film moves pretty quickly and was a few exciting, good scenes. When the machines attack and the opening credit's bridge scenes are among my favorites in the film. Also the ending is kind of lame, but I will not spoil it. I'll leave that up to you to determine.

I do like the fact the Stephen King wrote the short story, wrote a screenplay based on the story, and directed the film. It was nice to see the film through the eyes of talent like Mr. King. He also makes a cameo as well, a very funny one I might add. Being known for having a very creative mind, he really just makes this film based on a pretty generic idea. Really, how many movies have you seen about machines becoming self aware and operating on their own. But personally, I still like this idea. He took his idea from Christine and added a bunch of action and traded in the muscle car for a semi.

Look out for the Goblin truck, he'll get ya!!

Overall this film is far away from a great film, but not the worst I've seen. If one statement can describe this film it would be: so bad it's good. I do think it is worth a viewing. It is a cult classic and you will always find it on cable. But it's definitely better if you watch the uncensored version. This is a fun movie and it has its moments, both good and bad, but it works. I don't think anyone will say they wasted their time with it. It has some cool scenes filled with action and comedy. Like I said, its not a masterpiece but its not downright horrible. Maximum Overdrive is just another ordinary Stephen King story: twisted, gory, and thrilling.

5 out of 10.
Watch once, if you like it... watch again.

Planet Terror - Movie Review

Attractive! Don't ya think?!

Planet Terror, the film that made us all want to have an assault rifle for a leg. But if it came with the territory that is featured in this film, I'd have to decline.

When a deadly agent hits the atmosphere and turns ordinary people into zombies, small groups find their own paths which is filled with surprises and come together at a local Texas barbecue restaurant to fight off the zombies. Their goal is all the same: survive this zombie apocalypse and find refuge somewhere.

I have seen a few Robert Rodriguez movies and I'm aware of his style and this film fits right in. I'm not going to lie to you, this film does have a lot of corny one liners and over the top action, but it surprisingly works like it does in some of his other films. The film starts off pretty good, and yes I'm talking about the opening credits scene. Then from there it starts building suspense immediately and that is a strong point of the film. Throughout the film we don't see the zombies attack until about end of the second act while the characters deal with their own problems which again is a strong point.

The dialogue is strong, the script is well made and gives a good ole zombie film that the audience will eat up and enjoy. The tone of the film is suspense, more suspense, and then an all out action thriller. It is more of an action zombie film than a horror zombie film; so don't going expect their to be creaky noises and character's investigating and then a zombie coming out and giving them a bite in the neck Resident Evil style. The score in the film was very good and played a role in building the suspense in the film.

< In summary, I really think this is a well made movie. I loved to see some of the big names that made appearances in this film: Bruce Willis, Michael Beihn, Naveen Andrews (in the midst of his Lost days). Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino coming together and to make this double feature motion picture was great for the industry. They have been friends since From Dusk Til Dawn and it is nice to seem them collaborate. Even though I think that Quentin's Death Proof has the slight upper hand based on the deep dialogue and the performance of Kurt Russell. It's all relative, but both movies are good and I recommend both of them. It's not a bad choice to sit down and watch them like they were meant to be: a double feature

7 out of 10
Worth a watch

For my good buddy Dan the Man's Death Proof movie review, the second half of Grindhouse, please click here. Be sure to visit his page http://dtmmr.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.