My Top 5 Underrated Actors/Actress

There are a lot of actors and actresses there are really good in films and television that in some ways outshine the A lister or Top billed name that are considered the draw.

Here are 5 people that I believe are some of the top tier in class when it comes to acting but doesn’t fully get the credit they deserve.

It took me awhile to narrow it down to 5 and even then I couldn’t just leave it with 5 had to have a sixth/seventh menn or in this case women and my honorable mention is…

Viola Davis

Davis had been nominated for major awards, and has been in quite a few high profile films, weather she is playing a bit part (Out of Sight), or the mother of a child who maybe being abused(Doubt) Viola always brings it on screen. She has always been a solid actress and stands out wheneven she is on screen.

She can be seen now on the new hit TV series How To Get Away With Murder where she is able to showcase her skills. she is one of the actors who should be showcased a lot more then she has been in the past, and with the success of her new show maybe she will be.

Jennifer Connelly 

One of the most vastly underrated actresses of all time, Jennifer first garnered attention for her role in Sergio Leone’s final film Once Upon A Time In America at just 14 she impressed and after watching the film you will remember her, during early in her career she is probably better known for roles in Labyrinth and Phenomena.

As she got older she never really went the main stream route of roles and focused on more smaller mainstream The Rocketeer, Higher Learning, Mulholland Falls and indie films like Inventing The Abbotts where she showcases that she is a top tier talent. 

Her most challenging role (imo) is her turn in 2000s Requiem For A Dream the overall movie is grim and depressing, she is one of the highlights in the film and should’ve garnered more attention for it, but it was with 2001's A Beautiful Mind where she finally got the attention that she more then deserved where she won best supporting actress academy award.

Afterwards she followed it up with Ang Lee’s Hulk which isn’t necessarily a bad film it just doesn’t know if its a superhero movie or a drama, the films she did after a few standouts Little Children, Reservation Road are good films but for the most part everything else was very lowbrow for her and she seemed to play more supporting roles like in the star studded romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You and the comedy The Dilemma.

It would be nice to see her given more dramatic roles in films that are equal to the caliber of actress that she is.

5. Blair Underwood

He has always be one of those actors that has put on good performances weather as a good guy or bad guy Underwood is always worth a watch, In recent years he’s been known more for guest roles on Sex and The City and Dirty Sexy Money, but one of if not his best acting job has been (for me atleast) his turn in 1995's thriller Just Cause where along side Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne, its Blair Underwood who steals the show as Bobby Earl, if you have not seen the movie its a must see for sure.

Underwood to me has always been some what a poor man’s Denzel Washington which isn’t a knock against him at all but its saying that if he was more profiled on the big screen like Denzel then he might have had a similar career because he is that versatile as an actor.

4. Rosario Dawson

Dawson has been one of my favorites for a long time now I first saw her In Spike Lee’s He Got Game where she plays Ray Allen’s love interest and is one of the few that I’ve seen go toe to toe with Denzel Washington and come out the other end a strong actor, she has put in alot of really good performances 25th hour, 10 years, Rent,Trance to name a few, the one thing about Rosario is that with all of the really good performances she still hasn’t had that one true stand out performance that fully showcases her as an actress.

Her most recent film Top Five where she co stars with Chris Rock where she is allowed to show her range which is something that I was truly happy to see maybe after this it will lead to that home run role for her.

3. Ben Foster

What can I really say about Ben Foster, he’s one of the most solid actors that I’ve seen in the last 15 years that can lose himself in any role regardless how big or small it is, he’s just one of those guys that people know when they see his face but doesn’t know his name, he’s has held his own opposite some of hollywood big names Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Bruce Willis.

He has gotten critical acclaim for roles in The Messenger where he starred along side Woody Harrelson and also got high praise for his turn in Lone Survivor along side Mark Wahlberg.

pretty sure if you look at his filmography you’ll see more then a few films that he’s starred in that you’ve seen but didn’t know his name but you’ll remember his role.

2. Jeffrey Wright

If you look up the word underrated in the dictionary you’d probably see Jeffrey Wright’s picture. He’s starred along side some of the biggest names in Hollywood Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, Daniel Craig to name a few.

He has turned in countless award worthy performances but for some reason he is still vastly overlooked, Hollywood insiders and film lover alike appreciate his work and performances weather it be as over the top street wise maniac Peoples Hernandez in the 2000 remake of Shaft, womanizer blues legend Muddy Waters (Cadillac Records) or most recent as Tech Geek BeeTee in The Hunger Games franchise, Wright always brings something fresh to his performances and deserves alot more credit then what he’s gotten.



1.Walton Goggins

Goggins or as I like to refer to him as The Warren Oates of this generation, mostly known for his TV roles FXs The Shield, Justified, Sons of Anarachy, similar to Jeffrey Wright his performances deserves alot more praise then what they have garnered thus far. 

I first noticed Walt as Detective Shane Vendrell where he was a scene/episode stealer for alot of the series, even though he should be an unlikable character Goggins made the character one of those bad guys you liked to watch no matter what.

His turn on Justified as Boyd Crowder has been one of my favorite characters on any show in recent and it’s one of the main reasons Justified is worth a watch, but its what he has done on Sons of Anarchy as the Transgender Venus Van Dam  he shows just how good he really is what started out as somewhat of a comic relief character grew into a well rounded and fan favorite on the series(how he didn’t get any guest award nods here I don’t know)

With Sons of Anarchy done and soon Justified will be ending, Goggins hopefully will become a more sought after actor weather its Television and even on the big screen where he seems to be leaning more towards with big supporting role in 2012's Django Unchained and will once again be teaming up with Tarantino in The Hateful Eight.

All the aforementioned actors and actresses are some of the best who I feel deserve more credit then what they have garnered thus far but even if they don’t I’ll continue to support any and every thing that these quality performers do. run

Top Five(2014)

"Finally famous...now what"




PLOT
A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality TV star fiancee talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show.


MY REVIEW

Chris Rock takes on the big screen this time not only as Actor, but also as Writer and Director of this sleeper comedy, Rock stars as comedian Andre Allen a former standup comedian turned film star who wants to be taken more seriously(sounds familar) Allen spends the day reflecting on his life, career, new movie, wedding, catching up with family and friends.

I must admit I’m not the biggest Chris Rock fan, do I like some of his stuff yes, do i like everything that he’s done no, but I do love Top Five. Rock pulls off something with this film that not to many comedians are able to do anymore which is tell a funny store as well as put a social twist on it(Richard Pryor is somewhere smiling down on this).

This movie isn’t your typical comedy Rock does a fine job as writer/director by telling a multi layered story about Andre Allen(Rock) who spends the day in New York City reflecting on his life and career by visiting old friends and family, doing press for his new film Uprise, getting ready for his up coming wedding to reality star Fiance Erica (Gabrielle Union) all the while being shadowed by Chelsea(Rosario Dawson) who is a reporter for the New York Times.

Top Five makes the audience feel as if they are along for this day in the life of Andre Allen where we learn about personal details about him and makes you think about what exactly the cost of fame can not only do you some one but how it effect the people around him and how he deals with weather or not if he’s consider himself funny is something I’m sure all comedians (Rock included) feels at some point.

The core of the movie is the dynamic between Rock and Dawson who ground the movie from their banter to them relating and helping each other with a few dilemmas that the two find themselves in at different points in the movie, which is probably my favorite thing about the movie and Rosario shows her range and why she is a very good actress who I believe should be doing more high profile type of films.

Gabrielle Union even though she gets a high bill isn’t in the film that much but what she does with this reality star character really speaks about the whole reality star era of Television and how everything that you think is reality isn’t that at all.

I was impressed with JB Smoove as Allen’s bodyguard and really good friend Silk, Smoove who is normally over the top and very animated in other films and TV shows here is more laid back and shows what it means to truly be someone friend.

The cameos from some of Chris Rock friends are nice, funny and aren’t distracting in any way and a few of them have some standout moments in the film. I won’t spoil them for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet but seeing one person in a strip club and making it rain with a stripper is one of my favorites.

Top Five is something that should be seen and enjoyed by fans not only of the actors but to film lovers(Like myself) who enjoy films like this that has a good message in it and makes you pay attention more to things also it makes you think about who your Top Five is.

My Top Five

Rappers

1. Rakim
2. Tupac
3. DMX
4. Public Enemy
5. T.I.

MY RATING 7.5/10

CAST

Chris Rock-Andre Allen

Rosario Dawson- Chelsea Brown

JB Smoove-Silk

Gabrielle Union-Erica Long

Cedric The Entertainer- Jazzy Dee

Tracy Morgan- Fred

Kevin Hart-Charles

Romany Malco- Benny Barnes

No Holds Barred(1989)

"No Ref, No Ring, No Rules"

There are no rings, no refs, no rules…No Holds Barred. this 1989 action/sports film is the World Wrestling Federation (WWF now WWE) first venue into the film world and who better to lead the charge then the man of professional wrestling at the time none other then Hulk Hogan.

Hogan stars as Rip the World Wrestling Federation champion who has millions of fans and is loved by everyone(very similar to Hogan in real life) he’s success in the WWF and on Network television doesn't sit well with Brell, who is a rival TV executive who’s ratings have slipped because of Rip.

Brell decides to try and bribe Rip into signing to his network and after a failed attempt, Brell makes it his mission to bring down Rip, he gets a couple of goons to attack Rip and Rip does what he does best and destroy them. 

Brell desperate for something, anything that will give him a leg up, finds it in the form of a fresh out of jail maniac called Zeus (Tommy “Tiny” Lister) who is a killer,Brell comes up with a concept for a show called Battle For The Tough Guys and he makes Zeus the cornerstone of it, all the while getting Rip’s attention.

It has been years since I last watched No Holds Barred. this virtually being the first movie to actually be about wrestling isn’t really that bad, could it have been better of course, but it has all the elements of an 80s action flick so if you like those types of movies like I do then you’ll enjoy No Holds Barred.

Since I basically went into the movie blind I completely forgot about the cameos from some of the big names in wrestling at the time like Mean Gene Okerlund and Jesse Ventura and the always over the top Stan “The Lariat” Hanson who oddly enough isn’t to much different in the movie then he was when wrestling which is kind of scary when thinking about it.

Hogan does a serviceable job as Rip, who is basically Hogan playing Hogan but with a different name and instead of the atomic leg drop he uses a double axe smash across the face as a finisher, Hogan is at his best when he’s in the ring but is charismatic enough in the more acting scenes to keep you interested in what’s going on when there isn’t any fighting going on.

Joan Severance is worth the watch of this movie alone just because of how beautiful she is and her eyes could put any man down for the 3 count, if I was Rip I would’ve said the hell with fighting Zeus and ran off with her, her stone cold demeanor in the beginning quickly goes away once her and Rip relationship grows and in one bedroom scene basically puts it over the top…did i mention how beautiful she is?

The stand out performance of the entire movie is Kurt Fuller as Brell who I quickly was convinced was playing a version of Vince McMahon for any WWE(World Wrestling Entertainment) fans know exactly what I’m talking about, his over the top acting makes for some of the movies unintentional hilarious moments along with his two stooges played by David Paymer and Charles Levin.

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Jr. as Zeus is one scary guy from the moment he appears on screen he is an intimidating figure and looks as if he legit killed a couple of people before showing up, Lister does a good job as Zeus but looking back on it now there seems to be some off brand racial things about the character that I didn’t really care for but can be over looked.

All in all If you enjoy 80s action with alot of cheese then No Holds Barred is the movie for you, with this being the WWE(WWF at the time) first venture into film isn’t to bad considering that they ripped off Rocky III and IV and thanks to the cult success that No Holds Barred has gained was the launching point for WWE to create their own film company.

MY RATING 6/10

CAST

Hulk Hogan- Rip

Joan Severance-Samantha Moore

Kurt Fuller- Brell

Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr- Zeus

Mark Pellegrino- Randy

Charles Levin- Ordway

David Paymer- Unger

Bill Henderson- Charlie

Stan Hanson-Neanderthal 

New Blood, New Breed:Top Women In Horror

The horror genre has always been one where a lot of women got their starts and used as a stepping stone to other types of films, and left it behind, some have crossed back and forth like Jamie Lee Curtis, Dee Wallace but there have been others that embrace it fully and made huge names for themselves like Linnea Quigley, Danielle Harris,and Katherine Isabelle.

In recent years the women of the genre have became to dominate not just on screen as scream queens but as well behind the scenes and that are on par if not better then some of their male counterparts.

So here are some of the must watch women working in the horror genre today.






Devanny Pinn

Devanny Pinn is fastly rising in the horror genre as one of this era's top scream queens, first appearing in The Lovely Ones(2006), Pinn has been steadily making a name for herself with turns in 15 Till Midnight(2010), Wonderland(2011), The Black Dahlia Haunting (2012) just to name a few. She is not only putting in work in front of the camera but also behind it where she is writing and producing a lot of her own works. her most recent film Truth or Dare(2013) is one that is getting alot of rave reviews and most deserving so. Devanny Pinn should be on every horror fans must watch list.


Heather Dorff

Best known for her 2011 breakout short What They Say not only did she star in, she produced and co wrote, since then she's been putting together a nice resume of horror films. she is one of the new generation scream queens that's taking that moniker and running with it, co starring along side fellow scream queens Jessica Cameron and Devanny Pinn in 2013's Truth or Dare. Heather Dorff is a name to always keep an eye out for.

Tristan Risk

"Little Miss Risk" burst on the screen in 2012's flick American Mary with a break out performance that put her on everyone's radar and her name has been one abuzz every since, I'm looking forward to see what she does next. she does appear in The ABCs Of Death 2 in The Soska Twins segment (T Is For Torture Porn)...really looking forward to see what she does next.


Christa Campbell

She's someone career that's I've followed for sometime now and have enjoyed her work weather its been horror related films(2001:Maniacs, 2001 Maniacs:Field Of Screams) and even more mainstream turns in Drive Angry(2011), The Mechanic(2011), The Iceman(2012).  In recent she's really been producing a lot of  films like Texas Chainsaw 3D, Straight A's, the forthcoming Leatherface prequel, currently her film The Taking of Deborah Logan have been getting a lot of good reviews(mine being of them as well) because its one of the better found footage/possession films and one of the best horror films of 2014.

With her success in front of the camera as well as behind it now, everyone should always be one the look out for any and everything Christa Campbell is involved with.


Jessica Cameron

She's one of if not the hardest working woman in the horror genre, from acting, producing, directing, promoting whatever it is she's doing it. and you should pay attention because Jessica Cameron is a must know name in the genre. she first drew my attention in 2011's camel spiders and since she's been a must watch for me. her newest film Truth or Dare is getting high praise and for good reason. Jessica Cameron is become a tour de force in the genre and I can't wait to see what she does next and beyond.



The Soska Sisters (Jen, Sylvia)

What can be said about The Twisted Twins that haven't been said already, they might be right now the most IT girls in the genre because of their unique style and approach to film making, they have really taken the genre by storm and won't be stopping anytime soon. first coming on the scene with the 2009's Dead Hooker In A Trunk they got people to talking, it was with 2012's American Mary that every one took notice of their talents as filmmakers(check out my review of the film),  Since skyrocketing to the top of everyone's list(mine included) any and everything that The Soska touch draws attention, their latest film the WWE co produced horror See No Evil 2 has been well received and their next film Vendetta seems to be more action then horror, but I'm sure they will add their own unique twist to it and I for one can't wait to see how it turns out.


One thing about all of these ladies aside from the fact that they are all beautiful is that they all have a passion, desire and love for the genre that for the most part gets overlooked or watered down in the mainstream, but its one its one that its true fans enjoy and its very good to see these ladies are leading an resurgence to a great genre.

So hopefully anyone who's reading this if you haven't seen or know of any of the forementioned ladies of horror,I highly recommend that you check out any or all of their works, because they are really good at what they do.

Nightcrawler(2014)

"The City Shines Brightest at Night"



PLOT
When Louis Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.


REVIEW

Grim, Gritty,Sleazy, right in your face are all good ways to describe the Dan Gilroy Directed, Jake Gyllenhaal starring film Nightcrawler. Its the type of film that doesn't come along to often, but when it does you have no choice but to sit back and watch it all unfold right before your eyes.

Not since the opening shots of 2011's Drive has L.A. night sky has a film drawn viewers into what was to come and what follows is definitely not an normal tale.

Nightcrawler  follows the life of Louis Bloom(Gyllenhaal) who is a self educated man, who is desperate for work(some one at first people can relate too) and will do anything to get a job,after failing to get work at a labor yard, Lou on his way home witness a real life heroic scene where two police officers saves a person from a burning car(this has been shown on the news countless times).While Lou is watching everything happen, a van pulls up and two men quickly jumps out with video equipment and hurries over to record the scene.

After the men get what they want, Lou approaches the one who was directing the whole thing Joe Loder(Bill Paxton) and begins asking questions about what he does and tries to get himself hired by Loder, but is shot down.

Louis being the driven individual that he is decides to research as much as he can about freelance crime journalism and starts up his own company, he quickly learns that its not as easy as it looked, but instead of moving on to something else he decides to do better and he gets his break one night where he gets some really good footage of EMTS working on a carjacking victim who was shot.

He takes this footage to a local news station looking to sell it, here he meets program director Nina(Rene Russo) who lives for the bloody and criminal stuff, after an unique conversation with her. The two begins a business relationship.

Louis feelings good decides to hire some one to help him navigate around the L.A. area after an awkward "Job Interview" Rick(Riz Ahmed) becomes his first and only employee.

Nightcrawler doesn't play out like a traditional film and the story is a complex one with a lot of social commentary. On one hand Lou Bloom is just a man who is trying to make a way for himself and live the american dream, He's well spoken, he is career driven and wants an successful and stable lifestyle, but the problem is that Louis is very deceptive, conniving and an shady individual.

There are a lot of themes and motifs that play through out the film one of the main ones being the social commentary of how the media can be very misleading and manipulate the truth for their own gain(ratings) especially during one scene where Nina push News Anchors into using the scare tactic of crime invading the white suburban communities.

The acting here is top notch and led by Jake Gyllenhaal who is in every scene of the film and turns in probably his best performance of his career, the way that he becomes the character Louis "Lou"Bloom can not be praised enough, Gyllenhaal does a perfect job of making you hate him but also being intrigued by him. His performance is very much worthy of any major award nomination. I wouldn't be surprised either if he is snubbed as well because he is just that good and this has happened in the past as well. I can't imagine anyone else in this role.

Rene Russo is surprisingly good here especially since I've never seen her like this before, it was refreshing to see. Maybe only a handful of actresses could have pulled off this role. Russo shows here that she still can give a good performance when the character is written well. The relationship she and Louis have through out speaks a lot about how many relationships not just professionally but personal ones seem to be going these days and a perfect example is the exchange between the two in a dinner scene.

It was nice to see Bill Paxton in this film(any film for that matter) as Career Nightcrawler Joe Loder, sadly he doesn't get enough screen time and seems to only been a plot device for Louis Bloom,even still with limited screen time he is still at his Paxton best, as a fan of his It would have been really good to have seen more of his character in contrast to Louis.

If there are any flaws with the film, it would be what appears to be the major conflict of the third act that seems to come to an abrupt end, with a couple of hints towards weather or not Lou would literally do anything to get what he wants and the Detective that's investigating the case really doesn't bring anything to the table and honestly could've been cut out of the picture since the movie ends the way it does, because of this I do believe it takes away from the movie but not to much to the point that it affects the overall goodness of the movie.

This is really a good film that I could see getting some what of a cult status because of the tone and themes and its real to life approach towards the medias role in today's society. Gyllenhaal's performance alone is reason enough to watch this movie, because he is just that good. so If you haven't seen Nightcrawler yet, I highly recommend it.

MY RATING
8/10


CAST
Jake Gyllenhaal-Louis Bloom
Rene Russo-Nina
Riz Ahmed-RIck
Bill Paxton-Joe Loder
Ann Cusack-Linda
Kevin Rahm-Frank Kruse
Kathleen York-Jackie
Michael Hyatt-Detective Fronteiri

Gone Girl (2014)

"You don't know what you got til it's..."



PLOT
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when its suspected that he may not be innocent.


REVIEW

Gone Girl is a 2014 film Directed by David Fincher(The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) who puts his unique style of filmmaking on huge display here, the film begins like any normal missing persons type of tale but as things move along things begin to not be what it appears to be and a very well cat and mouse tale plays out.

Ben Affleck gives probably his best acting performance here as husband Nick Dunne who struggles with finding his wife(is she dead or alive?), the media circus that follows him as the story progress and he goes from being concerned husband and in an instant becomes public enemy no.1. I know that Affleck has gotten alot of flack in the past, but in recent years and especially here he shows that he is a very good actor and that he'll make a good Batman(Batfleck)

The supporting cast here are some of the best that I think I've seen in recent history, Tyler Perry turns in a fine performance as high power attorney Tanner Bolt, In some ways he put me in the mind of the late Johnnie Cochran not sure if there was any inspiration there Perry is a joy to watch threw out. Neil Patrick Harris goes against type here as Desi Collins, and he is very impressive, also shows that he could/should do more films like this.

Carrie Coon who I wasn't familiar with before the movie is a good ying to Affleck's yang since she plays as his twin sister, the two have good chemistry together and its in my opinion the glue of this film since there is alot of time spent between the two.

Now on to Rosamund Pike aka The Gone Girl, Pike who I've been a fan of for while now finally gets her moment to shine and does she every as Amy Dunne, I won't say to much about her character especially for any one who has seen the film yet, but I will say Pike might not have been on alot of people's radar before but after Gone Girl she most definitely be the IT Girl.

I haven't read the book(I plan too) but I liked the way media was used here and showed just how media can be and just based on public perception how things can shift one way or another, there is a lot of social commentary here.

This is one of those films that I believe everyone should see because of the different themes that play out it, marriage, family, media, etc...I know that its being compared to 1987's Fatal Attraction, but personally I don't see that with how this story is more complex then that film and I see it more a kin to that of another Fincher film 1997's The Game.

Gone Girl come award season should be nominated for alot of awards and would not be surprised if there are a few wins in the acting categories namely Affleck, Pike, Patrick Harris. If you haven't seen this film yet its a much watch with an interesting story with very good performances and just an overall really well made film.

MY RATING
10/10


CAST
Ben Affleck- Nick Dunne
Rosamund Pike-Amy Dunne
Neil Patrick Harris-Desi Collings
Tyler Perry-Tanner Bolt
Carrie Coon-Margo Dunne
Kim Dickens-Detective Rhonda Boney
Patrick Fugit-Officer Jim Gilpin
Missi Pyle-Ellen Abbott
Casey Wilson-Noelle Hawthorne
Sela Ward-Sharon Schieber

The Taking Of Deborah Logan(2014)

"Some things just can't be explained"


PLOT
What starts as a poignant medical documentary about Deborah Logan's descent into alzheimer's disease and her daughter's struggles as the caregiver degenerates into a maddening portrayal of dementia at its most frightening, as hair raising events begin to plague the family and crew and an unspeakable malevolence threatens to tear the very fabric of sanity from them all.


REVIEW

Some things just arent what they seem...The Taking of Deborah Logan is another on a long list of found footage style films that have been released in recent years.

The majority of them have not been worth watching, but this one would be on the most watch list, as someone who isn't a huge fan of found footage films but this one brings a certain aspect that most of the others don't seem to possess(no pun intended)

What starts off as a normal documentary about the daily life of Deborah Logan(Jill Larson) who has been diagnosed with the beginning stages of Alzheimer and how her and daughter Sarah (Anna Ramsay) deal with her changing behavior . For film crew Mia (Michelle Ang), Gavin (Brett Gentile) and cameraman Luis (Jeremy DeCarlos) things start out somewhat on an awkward foot but as things go along they all find that everything isn't what they seem.

The main plot of the movie is something that a lot of people can relate too with an ailing family member going through a similar situation (I myself witnessed a grandparent go through Alzheimer) Deborah when being herself is a nice sweet woman, but when the other side takes over she becomes something very sinister.

I happened to like the overall tone of the movie and how things steadily built and the story unfolded, Jill Larson gives an stellar performance as Deborah Logan how she was able to play the character with great balance, you find yourself feeling for this woman as she is going through everything, Larson's performance reminded me of Ashley Bell's similar turn in The Last Exorcism, both did excellent jobs with their eyes that tells more about what exactly is going on with the characters then words could describe.

Anna Ramsay as concerned daughter Sarah gives a very true to life turn here as she is a strong character and goes to any length to save her mother, I think had an lesser actress took on this part the movie would have fell apart and in the climax of the film I felt myself rooting for her to succeed.

Michelle Ang, Brett Gentile, and Jeremy DeCarlos give fine performances as well, my favorite of the 3 was DeCarlos as Luis, he was the character I felt myself connecting with the most and even though he has the least amount on screen time, most of his lines are some of the best especially during tense situations where they searching around the house for Deborah.

If there were some complaints about the film they would have to be the found footage style of filmmaking. I will never be on board with it when I find myself being taken out of a lot of moments in the film particularly the ones during the finale in the miner where everything is dark and the camera is shaking around, every found footage movie does this and I really don't like it. I never get why its done and why/how this is supposed to make things better from an viewing standpoint.

Despite my feelings towards the found footage style I do recommend this film to anyone who likes a good story with true to life characters and some really good performances by Jill Larson, Anna Ramsay and an overall good horror suspense thriller with good effects and tense moments that will keep viewers interested all the way through the final moments.

MY RATING 7/10


CAST
Jill Larson-Deborah Logan
Anna Ramsay- Sarah
Michelle Ang- Mia
Brett Gentile- Gavin
Jeremy DeCarlos-Luis
Ryan Cutrona-Harris
Anne Bedian- Dr. Nazier
Tonya Bludsworth- Deputy Linda Tweed
Julianne Taylor-Cara

Creature (2011)

"They thought it was safe to go to the swamp...They were wrong"




PLOT

In the back country of Louisiana, a group of friends unearth a terrible secret that unleashes a monster from the depths of the swamp.





REVIEW

Creature is an 2011 creature feature starring Mehcad Brooks (True Blood, Necessary Roughness), Serinda Swan (Tron Legacy, Breakout Kings) and Sid Haig (The Devils Rejects, The Lords of Salem). what quickly starts out as typical road trip for a group of friends quickly turns into a fight for survival.

Creature starts off with a Jaws like homage scene, but instead of the ocean, its set in the swamps of Louisiana which is a nice little nod to a classic film., Which this movie is not. It's not a slight against this movie but this and Jaws are like apples and rotted fruit.

The movie is full of cliques and nods to other films of the genre, but with all of that Creature tries to be different in some ways but not all of the ideas are greatly thought out, the Creature effects are not the greatest either when it is seen and it is seen way to much in this film (less would've made it better) It looked somewhat I Swamp Thing's pissed off cousin or something.

The acting is not the best either but that's to be expected in movies like this but I will say that of the group of friends the stand outs were brother/Sister team of Oscar (Dillon Casey) and Karen (Lauren Schneider) their characters seem liked the most thought out and have probably the biggest shock scene in the movie.

I was surprised that Mehcad Brooks was the lead I mean I get it because at the time he was known for being on True Blood and Desperate Housewives but I always got the feeling that the other actor Aaron Hill might have been the main lead had Brooks not been cast in the lead role.

If you're a fan of backwoods, creature features, wrong turn type of films with  a twist I say check it out. Its not the greatest movie but it's also not the worst either.


MY THOUGHTS

I heard a lot about this movie when it came out in 2011 and none of the reviews were good(my review doesn't give it to much praise either) so with this being October and it being on Netflix I decided to give it a watch. No harm, No foul. Right? I went into the movie expecting it to be one way but it turned on its head in a good way and I ended up enjoying it alot more then I was expecting too but since I  went into it with no expections that's not really saying much.



My Rating
5/10

Cast
Mehcad Brooks-Niles
Serinda Swan- Emily
Dillon Casey-Oscar
Lauren Schneider-Karen
Aaron Hill- Randy Parker
Amanda Fuller-Beth
Sid Haig- Chopper

American Mary (2012)

"She's an artist"



PLOT

The allure of easy money sends Mary Mason, a medical student , into the world of underground surgeries which ends up leaving more marks on her then her so called "freakish" clients



REVIEW

American Mary are a breath of fresh air into the horror genre, the 2nd feature film release by Jen/Sylvia Soska aka The Twisted Twins.

American Mary is a dark, intense film about a Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) who is down on her luck while she's going to medical school, finds herself applying for a job at a strip club owned by a man name Billy Barker (Antonio Cupa) who finds Mary interesting because he actually reads over her resume and knows that she really shouldn't be there because of all of her schooling.

Mary is thrust into the underworld of extreme surgery thanks in large to one of the club dancers Beatrice(Tristan Risk), she has had a lot of surgeries that have transformed her into a real life version of Betty Boop, after witnessing some of  Mary's work that she performed on a guy at the club during her "Interview".

Beatrice brings more work to Mary thanks to a friend of hers Ruby RealGirl (Paula Lindberg) who wants to be transformed into a human doll by having her nipples and labia removed, which at first Mary isn't to comfortable with doing but after being offered a lot of money, she goes ahead with doing the surgery.

Things really take a turn when Mary who now is doing better with her life and has been doing her Residency at an local hospital is invited by Dr.Walsh( Clay St. Thomas) to a party where she runs into her med school professor Dr. Grant (David Lovgren) who drugged and rapes her, Mary herself transforms on the inside.

I really enjoyed this movie, its very well written and acted by the cast who outside of Katharine Isabelle were unknowns to me, standout performance for me goes to Tristan Risk who plays Beatrice, where all of the other characters seem very dark for varies reason, Beatrice is the one light character who even though she might look the oddest, might just be the most normal of the bunch.

Katharine Isabelle does a great job as Mary who transforms a few times threw out the movie not physically but mentality, she's like a sexy angel of torture if there is such a thing. the relationship she has with Beatrice is good and even though at first Mary seems bothered by her finds her to be her friend by the end, which is very well played out.

Antonio Cupa as Billy is a complex character who when first introduced in the film seems like the type of character that has been seen in other films  before but where he differs is that he has feelings for Mary but he never really is able to express himself towards her except for maybe one scene.

Directors Jen and Sylvia Soska make a nice cameo appearance in the film as two very twisted twins who call upon Mary to do some unique surgery on the pair, those two character should have a movie of their own that follows their travels around the world post surgery.

The special effect here are really done well, as a fan of practical makeup effects in films, in a era now where CGI has basically taken over its always good to see real effects on real people, not only are the gore effects done will but the ones done during the surgery scenes are top notch as well, also the makeup work done on Tristan Risk and Paula Lindberg are very realistic.

My only problem or complaint with the film is the ending, I get why it ended the way it did, but It seemed to come to quickly and felt like there were a few loose ends left but it doesn't take away from an otherwise very well made movie.

I must admit this is my first Twisted Twins film but it surely will not be my last and now I'll be going back to watch their first feature film Dead Hooker In A Trunk and also their newest film See No Evil 2 and anything that they make in the future, they have a new fan following their work now.


MY RATING

8/10

CAST
Katharine Isabelle- Mary Mason
Antonio Cupa- Billy Barker
Tristan Risk- Beatrice Johnson
David Lovgren- Dr. Grant
Paula Lindberg- Ruby RealGirl
Clay St. Thomas-Dr. Walsh
John Emmet Tracy- Detective Dolor
Twan Holliday- Lance
Sylvia Soska- Twin # 1
Jen Soska- Twin # 2

Def By Temptation (1990)

"Evil has never been this sexy"


PLOT

An evil succubus is preying on black men in New York, and all that stands in her way is a minister in training, an aspiring actor, and a cop that specializes in cases involving the supernatural.



REVIEW

Def By Temptation is a horror film Starring/Directed by James Bond III and co starring Kadeem Hardison(A Different World), Bill Nunn (Do The Right Thing).  The movie revolves around strange happens in New York that begin with a beautiful woman simply known as Temptress (Cynthia Bond) she sits alone at the bar of a local club, where a lot of hookups are occurring, no one gets to hook up with Temptress as the night goes on, until she allows the bartender (John Canada Terrell) to go back with her back to her place.

As things really get going between the two in her bed, suddenly the fangs come out(literally) The bartender tries to escape but fails and is killed. we don't know exactly what Temptress is as we see her pick up a few other victims one she kills during sex and another she lets live but she disfigures him and it leaves him ashamed for cheating on his wife.

One night in the club K (Hardison) goes into the same bar and notices Temptress sitting alone, before he is able to approach her he is warned by frequent club goer Dougy (Nunn) about Temptress, but K decides to take his chances anyway, and moves in on Temptress who flirts with him but things doesn't really go anyway and lives K shocked by this.

K friend Joel(Bond III) arrives in town and tries to talk K into getting back into the church and leading a better life but K doesn't want to hear any of that, Joel himself has been dealing with dreams of his dead father (Jackson) who was a Minister and who might have been killed by Temptress years ago.

Def By Temptation is probably one of the better in quality of films released by Troma Films, despite it being a low budget film, its is very well made. the subtle social community that is threw out the movie is very good especially dealing with sex and the risk you take meeting strangers.

The only real problems with this film is that James Bond III shouldn't have cast himself as Joel. he does a good job as director and writer but lacks very much so in the acting department, If there was a better actor casted in his role I believe more sympathy would've been with him from any viewer.

Kadeem Hardison does a fine job as K and is something different from his best known role of Dwayne from A Different World, anytime I watch the movie I always wonder how it wouldn't turned out if he was cast as Joel instead.

Bill Nunn is good for a lot of laughs threw out when he is trying to pick up women in the club and a lot of his lines seem improvised because I doubt anyone could've written most of what he says.

If you are expecting to see Samuel L. Jackson a lot in this movie then you will be disappointed even though the DVD cover suggest that he has a bigger role, he's on screen I believe no more then 3 minutes tops and most of that comes near the end of the movie. I would've liked to have seen more of his character not only because its Samuel L. Motherfucking Jackson but because the backstory between him and Temptress I felt should've been shown more then what is shown in the movie.

The real star of the movie is Cynthia Bond (Temptress) not only is this woman beautiful  and sexy, she plays the role perfectly and hits all the right notes about the character and of all of them seems to be the best developed character even though the character origins is least known. Is she Vampire or Demon?

Singers Freddie Jackson and Melba Moore makes cameo appearances, Moore also performs the song that plays during the ending credits.

There are some good gore effects threw out the movie most notable a character get sucked into a tv and is eaten and blood and guts are spit back out onto the floor.


All in all Def By Temptation is somewhat of a forgotten black horror movie that should be viewed more and if you're a fan of these type of horror movies then I highly recommend it, even if your not I still think it should be watched and enjoy it for what it is.


MY RATING

6/10


CAST

James Bond III- Joel
Kadeem Hardison- K
Bill Nunn- Dougy
Cynthia Bond- Temptress
John Canada Terrell- Bartender # 1
Melba Moore- Madam Sonya
Freddie Jackson- Himself
Samuel L. Jackson- Minister Garth

Riddick (2013)

"Survival Is His Revenge"



PLOT

Left for dead on a sun scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators, Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships : one carrying a new breed of mercenary , the other captained by a man from Riddick's past.


MY THOUGHTS

I am a fan of the 2000 sci fi horror thriller Pitch Black where we are first introduced to the anti hero character of Riddick (Vin Diesel) I really liked how the character was developed and the way he was the one audiences connected with the most threw out the movie even though you really shouldn't, after the success of the first film and Vin Diesel action star rise that followed thanks to the Fast and Furious films that followed we got a sequel to Pitch Black titled The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), which at first glance looks good but when watching realizes that this movie is nothing like the original movie and is completely different in its approach.

The Chronicles of Riddick isn't a terrible film its just not a Pitch Black film and after its release most fans like myself didn't really enjoy it as much, almost an decade later another sequel was made simply titled Riddick but unlike the first sequel Riddick fits more line with the original film.

Riddick begins with Riddick(Diesel) stranded on another Pitch Black planet but all of its predators do not wait until its dark to attack, as Riddick fends off some dog like creatures we get a flashback to how he became stranded on this planet. during the Flashback Karl Urban reprises his role from the previous movie.

Riddick wants off the planet and sets out to find a way out, after some time he finds an outpost where he turns on a emergency beacon hoping to attract anybody with a ship there so he can leave, he gets what he wants as a mercenary team led by Santana (Jordi Molla) shows up and his team is dead set on capturing and killing Riddick and taking back his head in a box.

Before this can happen another team shows up and confronts Santana and his crew, but they aren't there to stop them from what they want to do just simply wait for Santana to ask for their help because they know what type of man Riddick is.

Riddick does what Riddick is very good at which is playing mind games with the two groups which further turns the two against each other, but like true Pitch Black form when other threats show up, more dangerous then Riddick himself, everyone must put aside their differences if they want to survive and get off the planet.

I really enjoyed this movie over the previous movie since it took things back to its roots from the original film but at the same time furthering Riddick's journey along,  Riddick himself even makes references to this in voice over which was a nice touch.

Some of the new characters that we meet in this film are very good, the stand outs being Boss Johns (Matt Nable) He is the man from Riddick's Past who wants answers as to what happened during the events Pitch Black namely what happened to his son Johns (Cole Hauser), Dahl (Katee Sackhoff) she is the no nonsense second in command to Boss Johns, Her and Santana has a few fights that Santana probably would like to take back. Diaz (Dave Bautista) he's Santana's right hand.

The action in this movie is more fast paced and looks very good, my only problem with this film is that after the beginning we never really get to see to much of the creatures that show up, even though they are set up perfectly, we don't know exactly how dangerous these things are like the ones from Pitch Black were.

Riddick does bring the franchise back on course with this entry and I wouldn't mind seeing another film made that follows in line with the original and this entry.

All in All if you are a fan of Pitch Black and even Chronicles of Riddick you should like this movie. Its the what the second film should've been more like in my opinion, The special effects are good, acting is good for these type of movies and what we do see of the creatures are good as well.


MY RATING

6/10

CAST

Vin Diesel- Riddick
Jordi Molla- Santana
Matt Nable- Boss Johns
Katee Sackhoff- Dahl
Dave Bautista- Diaz
Bokeem Woodbine- Moss
Raoul Trujillo- Lockspur
Conrad Pa- Vargas
Nolan Gerard Funk-Luna
Karl Urban- Vaako
Keri Hilson- Santana's Prisoner

My Top 10 Horror Films

With this month being October what better time of the year then to give a list of my top 10 horror films are. now I know everyone has their own opinion when it comes to things like this so just remember this Is my list and if you have a top 10 that differs from mine please feel free to comment your list in the comment section.

Alright lets do this...


10. Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott's sci fi thriller burst onto the screen back in 1979 scaring fans with its this isn't Star Wars mentality. it brought us an new a interesting monster that's very different from a lot of other alien creatures even though its been a little over 30 years and this film has spawned 4 sequels and most recent a prequel. probably one of the most iconic character in Sigourney Weaver's Ridley. Alien even though not really looked at as a threw and threw horror film is very much so with the Xenomorph stalks and kills off members of the crew.


9. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) 

Wes Craven's 1984 classic about the dream demon Freddy Krueger played perfectly by Robert Englund is one of those films that sticks with you after watching. the way that Craven tricks not only characters but audiences with not knowing weather your in reality and dream world is done to perfection. A Nightmare on Elm Street has spawn 7 sequels and a unnecessary remake, but this original film is still the granddaddy of the franchise.


8. Hellraiser (1987)

Clive Barker put an brought an unique and interesting concept when he did  1987's Hellraiser. "Angel's to some, Demon's to others" is the best way to describe the cenobites led by fan favorite Pinhead (Doug Bradley) I think the overall theme of this film gets loss when its discussed because even though in this film the Cenobites aren't really the main focus they get the most shine especially during the final act. even though its produced a lot of bad sequels after the first two. Hellraiser is probably the most underrated film on this list.


7.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Before Freddy, Jason,  Michael Myers there was Leatherface (Gunner Hanson) Tobe Hooper's 1974 cult classic turned the horror genre on its head with the "Based On A True Story" film about a group of friends who take a wrong turn and come across the cannibal Sawyer clan. even though Leatherface gets the biggest  praise and does a lot of the dirtywork, its really Jim Siedow as The Cook who steals the show especially during the iconic dinner scene. its spawned 4 sequels, and a 2003 remake starring Jessica Biel. after watching this movie you'll feel dirty because of the very low budget and almost documentary feel it has but after 40yrs this film still stands up today.


6. The Exorcist (1973)

William Friedkin's The Exorcist is one of those movies that every fan of the genre should see, its a very religious film thanks in large to the fact that the main plot deals with a young girl (Linda Blair) being possessed by a demon and two priest Father Merrin(Max Von Sydow) and Father Karras(Jason Miller) try and do their best to save the girl life. In recent years there have been countless imitators with possession themes but all of those fail in comparison to this film. for some the first half of the film might feel slow but the last half hour is where this film keeps fans on the edge of their seats all the way to the final moments.


5. Night of The Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero's little zombie film created a new sub genre of horror in which every zombie film/TV show still follows his formula for success. even though there have been different versions not only of this film but the genesis of the zombie itself has changed in the past 46 years. the impact of Night of The Living Dead still remains intact. the social community has always been the strong foundation for why this film was and still one of the best ever made. the fact that it was filmed in black and white at a time that it didn't really need(but had to be since it was a low budget film) adds to what makes this movie such a classic.


4. Evil Dead II (1987)

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II isn't just any sequel its more of a remake/sequel which is very rare, but if you are a fan of the original you know what I mean, Bruce Campbell returns as Ash but the demons that were released from the book of the dead return as well. I think what sets this film apart from the original is that it takes everything that the 1st film does right and makes it better 100x. Bruce Campbell carries the movie(literally for the first half of the movie) and shows why he probably should've had atleast some what of a better career then what he had but being the best B movie actor isn't such a bad thing either.


3. Dawn of The Dead (1978)

George A. Romero's follow up to hi 1968 zombie film Dawn of The Dead really takes that ball and runs it into the endzone. where Night is very serious in tone. Dawn seems to take some what of a lighter approach but still driving home those social commentary points most notably the craze of consumers(which has even become worse today) this movie is a lot of fun in parts and the special effects are very cool thanks to special effects guru Tom Savini who also has a small part in the film.
the remake of this film is good for the more updated generation but this film is still just as good now as it was back in 78' probably more so when you think about Black Friday type sales that are done every year.

2. Halloween (1978)

What can be said about John Carpenter's Halloween that hasn't already been said. the fact that Carpenter made a film that sums up a holiday to perfection at the same time making the boogeyman real is something that rarely happens anymore. where a lot of other slasher killers either talk or so a lot of emotion with their kills the character of Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is probably the one that stands alone with how Carpenter decided to show him. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is right there along side Myers with Iconic statues with his delivery of lines and his pursuit of stopping Michael Myers before its to late is some of the best in any horror movie. I know Rob Zombie "expanded" Michael Myers backstory which might be good for some but for fans of this film. Carpenters less is more approach is what makes this movie perfect and why every Halloween this films is the one that fans watch.


1. The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter between 78 and 82 made what I consider 3 quality horror entries starting with number 2 on my list, The some what underrated ghost tale The Fog and 1982's The Thing. John Carpenter's The Thing is more then just an horror film its one that a lot of people can relate to by taking human emotions and letting the paranoia run wild. the fact that every character in the film at different points are or could be consider The Thing is what helps make this film the cult classic its become over the years, every character is well written and gets spotlighted threw out but its Kurt Russell as Helicopter Pilot MacCready that steals the show, but the star of the film is The Thing itself, we don't know exactly what it is but whatever it is its weird and pissed off. the special effects(Rob Bottin) in this movie are hands down some of the best and I would put them up to and CGI produced effects that has come along and in a lot of ways has ruined the art of Special Effects.

The Thing takes everything that you would want and blends it perfectly together, even though at the time of its release it didn't connect with large audiences because of its graphic violent alien attacks(people were to busy liking the little nice alien from E.T.) this movie did find its audience on home video and continues to scare years later.

Split Second (1992)

"He's seen the future...Now he has to kill it. He'll need bigger guns"





PLOT

In a futuristic London the rising sea levels mean that large areas are under feet of water. Stone must track down a strange killer that killed his partner. or is the killer stalking him?





MY THOUGHTS

Split Second is a 1992 Sci Fi horror thriller starring Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall and Neil Duncan, the movie begins with a scroll detailing the why the water is rising in future London, 2008 to be exact, also first introduced to Harley Stone(Hauer) who looks like a tough as nails, no nonsense bad ass cop.

He patrols the back streets of London with a purpose looking for someone or something, he stops outside of a club and hears something down a ally way but doesn't see anything. He enters the club and does a typical tough cop routine with a few of club members after this fails, he gets on a pay phone while one the phone a young woman tells him to watch the bathroom so no one comes in on her.

After some time Stone senses the presence of the killer and begins looking around the club until he hears a loud scream from the bathroom, as he rushes inside, he finds the young woman dead, blood all over the place and her heart has been ripped out. It's the killer he's been looking for work.

Back at the police station Stone is being chewed out by The Captain (Alun Armstrong) in his office about not only what happened at the club but other incidents that Stone has been involved in including the fact that he is arm to the teeth with guns. It's revealed that Stone has been after this killer for a few years now because he killed his former partner and best friend.

After some back and forth The Captain pairs Stone up with Det. Dick Durkin (Duncan) who is a very eager about Stone and this killer. after being assigned a new case and more random deaths occur by the killer, the killer begins toying with Stone by sending him half eating hearts.

Stone becomes even more engrossed in his obsession with finding the killer, but things become very personal when the killer sets his sights on Stone girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) who was involved with his partner before his death which adds more tension.

The Killer begins a cat and mouse game to lure Stone and Durkin closer by kidnapping Michelle and leading the two men into the underworld of London.


Split Second Plays on different levels one its a Sci Fi horror but it is filled out with a lot of dark comedy mostly the relationship between Stone and Durkin are played up for a few laughs. most notably being one scene where the two men joke about each others names. also there is a running joke about Stone not believing that Durkin gets laid every night.

One thing about this underrated gem is that its very similar to Predator 2 which was released a few years earlier now I don't know if that was done one purpose or not but if you've seen both movies you'll know what I mean especially with the fact that the killer acts very similar to The Predator  but it kind of looks like an Alien from the Alien movies as well.

I've been a huge fan of this movie since its release and surprised that this movie doesn't get mentioned as much as it should because its a fun movie but has a really dark undertone to it and it blends well together, Rutger Hauer has to be one of the most underrated actors all time, this movie proves that because even fans of his films rarely know about it.

Kim Cattrall is beautiful to look at especially back during the time when this movie came out but I always felt she was miscast as the female lead, maybe it has something to do with her hair cut or maybe its just me but Uma Thurman look in Pulp Fiction is very similar to Cattrall look here.

The Killer is never fully seen until the final act which is a plus because it adds more to what this creature actually is at a few points threw out the movie its mentioned weather or not its a alien from outer space or if its a demon from hell, its never fully known which but I believe its a demon and the luring of Stone and Durkin underground is like having them go to the gates of hell type of thing.

If you haven't seen nor heard of Split Second I recommend checking it out. even though its been out of print for a number of years and its really expensive on Amazon, but someone did upload the full movie onto Youtube where you can view it.


MY RATING

7/10


CAST
Rutger Hauer- Harley Stone
Kim Cattrall- Michelle
Neil Duncan- Dick Durkin
Michael J. Pollard- The Rat Catcher
Alun Armstrong- Thrasher
Pete Postlethwaite- Paulson
Roberta Eaton- Robin
Stewart Harvey-Wilson- The Killer