"The Vomitorium" - Reviews By KMC Members

"Modern Times"

Charlie Chaplin's period piece, "Modern Times" defines the stuggles of the working man during the depression. Taking anything from factory jobs to janitorial positions, Chaplin's struggle is art imitating life. Along the way he finds love and happiness, and despite all his mishaps, there's still a place for him.

This was the second Chaplin film I'd ever seen, and having come off of "Gold Rush", I expected great things. Sadly, I was disappointed. It was ha;f silent, with some spoken lines which somewhat ruined the feel of the movie, from the "silent" era. Secondly, the while Charlie Chaplin's easily the greatest physical comic of all time, and the first half was entertaining, it sort of spiraled into a drama, very melancholy, and not as upbeat as before. There was some situational irony that's signature Chaplin, but it never really regained it's comedic composure, and I gradually lost interest.

All in all, I suggest the movie to those who want to familiarize themselves with Chaplin's prowess, as I did, but save it towards the end of a focus viewing. "Gold Rush" was his crowning achievement, and "Modern Times" more or less signaled the end of an era.

"Saturday the 14th"

Before there was "Scary Movie", there was the original Horror spoof, "Saturday the 14th". Starring Paula Prentiss (The Stepford Wives) Saturday the 14th follows a suburban family that inherits a house that they already know is haunted. In the meantime, Dracula and his wife are also looking to obtain the home, and gain possession of a particular book of spells. As the new inhabitants encounter all the ghoulish squatters, the book is found by the youngest, who opens up a whole new can of worms..and beasts..ghosts..creatures, all of which Dr. Van Helsing must be called into to defeat, given he doesn't have plans of his own for the book!

"Saturday the 14th" was a fun movie. It wasn't an extreme spoof, and it wasn't even saturated with early 80's humor. It was very basic, with some cool special effects and a fun story that was easy to follow, and surprisingly entriguing at the same time. It's a cult classic for sure, and for good reason. I bought it blindly for a mere $8, and would suggest the same should you find it. The DVD is a rarity, and fairly sought after, so give it a look!

"From Dusk Til Dawn"

The Gecko Brothers are travelling through Texas, in the middle of what seems like an all too familiar crime spree. They stumble upon a family of 3 with their ticket to their next destination. Mexico. Kidnapping the trio and their precious RV, the would be kidnappers, including Quentin Tarantino as a violent foot fetisher, and the short tempered, take no shit George Clooney, trek across the border. There they stop at Titty Twisters, a bar in the middle of nowhere, to rendevouz with Cheech Merin. But, until he arrives, he's got some creatures of the night to deal with. Namely, stripper vampires and biker werewolves. Sound like fun?

With Tarantino's script and Robert Rodriguez's direction you know you're in for a pulpy, cult treat. It was a fun movie, surprisingly "tasteful" considering, and Nicotero's special effects put it over the top. George Clooney was BAD-ASS! I was impressed with his bravado, and Tarantino's mellow demeanor, as well as Harvey Kietel's "cool under pressure" approach to their dire situation. The action and dialogue complimented one another flawlessly, both contributors' signature stylings were present, and it was honestly a hell of ride. I'll be purchasing it soon. Makes for great Halloween viewing.

"Following"

Christopher Nolan's debut, "Following" is about a young writer who obessesively follows people to gain material for his stories. One instance, he encounters a burgular who takes him under his wing, and essentially gives him the key to obtaining all the material he'd ever need. Bill, under the spell of a woman he had met earlier at a bar, volunteers to do her a favor. Little does he know of the deadly situation, with imminent repercussions, involving those he already knows.

For a writing and directing debut, Nolan takes the film-noir genre from out of the vault and in the forefront. The chronology is a little confusing, and the DVD features a correctly timed version of the film, which was easier to follow. The characters are smooth and engaging, the plot was easy to follow, but takes hairpin turns, leaving you wondering who was screwing over whom? The ending was genius, very old school pulp noir, and a VERY nice surprise, given the rise to power Bill had enjoyed from his mentor, almost too easily.

Those looking for a solid independent feature, that's sleek and stylish, at a short but powerful 70 minutes, and enjoyed "Insomnia" and "Memento", "Following" is a brilliant introduction into the past of Chris Nolan, who is also the director of the newest Batman feature, "Batman Begins", which was another masterpiece. 👆

Donnie Darko (2001)

Wow, what a great movie. one of Jake Gyllenhaals best performances yet in my opinion. Here's my review.

Donnie Darko is about a teenager who is going through some emotional problems, and is visited by this vision of a man in a rabbit suit. the rabbit suit is kind of creepy to be honest. some great acting by the bunny though, lol. The rabbit-man tells Donnie when the world is going to end, which is aroud 26 days. The film is sunspenseful, creepy, and absolutley amazing. Drew barrymore and patrick swayzee are both in this movie. Drew barrymore is Donnie's english teacher, while Patrick is kind of liek the school counselor. he helps teach the kids how to harness fear and learn how not to be afraid anymore. I loved patrick in "donnie darko" but Barrymores acting was kind of edgy.
I hope Jake Gyllenhaals acting in "Donnie Darko" is as good as it will be in "Jarhead". I've always liked Jake Gyllenhaal scince I first saw "October sky", Another great movie. "October sky" means alot to me because I grew up in West Virginia.

But overall the movie is very good, and you probably wont understand it the first time you watch the movie, and especially if you aren't used to watching that particular genre.

If you liked Donnie darko, I would reccomend: Fight club, the sixth sense, minority report, and Memento.

"Elektra" starring Jennifer Garner

Looks can kill.

Elektra Natchios has experienced death after being killed by the villain known as Bullseye. After being resurrected back to life, she has trained to be an assassin. Now, she's the best assassin in the world. When she is given an assignment to kill a father and his daughter who she has become acquainted with and refuses, Elektra finds herself protecting them from the assassin team known as the Hand. The war between good and evil has been raging on for centuries, will Elektra choose which side she's on and throw off the balance?

After Daredevil, comic book fans were angry about the portrayal of Elektra, for it wasn't true to the comics. This spinoff, Elektra, is much more true to the original character, leaving Daredevil in the past and having almost no references to it. Though the character development and inner conflict wasn't as strong as Daredevil, it still held the movie together.

Elektra is a bitter woman who has isolated herself from the outside world. She has her reasons. Her mother was killed by a mysterious assassin as a kid. Her father had been killed in Daredevil. Even she herself had been killed. Garner's anti-social acting was really believable and noticeable.

The villains in this film are just amazing. They're all unique from one another, each with a special ability. There is the leader, Kirigi, played by martial artist turned actor, Will Yun Lee, who is a great fighter with a superior speed. There's Typhoid Mary, who, similar to Batman & Robin's Poison Ivy, has a kiss of death and looks to kill. There's Stone, who is built like a rock. Bullets and blades do not affect his hard skin and superior strength. Finally, there's Tattoo, who is covered in tattoos which can animate into supernatural creatures such as birds, snakes, and wolves. This is quite a team.

Throughout the movie, Elektra finds the daughter, Abby, turning more and more into a younger version of herself. She doesn't like seeing this, wanting more for the thirteen year-old than a life as an assassin. This aspect of the movie was played very well.

Great martial arts action, great special effects, very creative, not a bad storyline. Being a superhero movie, don't expect an Oscar winner. There are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and thirty six minutes.

Originally posted by Mandorallen
[b] Donnie Darko (2001)

Wow, what a great movie. one of Jake Gyllenhaals best performances yet in my opinion. Here's my review.

Donnie Darko is about a teenager who is going through some emotional problems, and is visited by this vision of a man in a rabbit suit. the rabbit suit is kind of creepy to be honest. some great acting by the bunny though, lol. The rabbit-man tells Donnie when the world is going to end, which is aroud 26 days. The film is sunspenseful, creepy, and absolutley amazing. Drew barrymore and patrick swayzee are both in this movie. Drew barrymore is Donnie's english teacher, while Patrick is kind of liek the school counselor. he helps teach the kids how to harness fear and learn how not to be afraid anymore. I loved patrick in "donnie darko" but Barrymores acting was kind of edgy.
I hope Jake Gyllenhaals acting in "Donnie Darko" is as good as it will be in "Jarhead". I've always liked Jake Gyllenhaal scince I first saw "October sky", Another great movie. "October sky" means alot to me because I grew up in West Virginia.

But overall the movie is very good, and you probably wont understand it the first time you watch the movie, and especially if you aren't used to watching that particular genre.

If you liked Donnie darko, I would reccomend: Fight club, the sixth sense, minority report, and Memento. [/B]

Is it tru that its one of those movies that requires a second viewing?When I first saw it I found it kind of boring and confusing but I think a second viewing would be appropiate for myself.

Originally posted by Cringe
Is it tru that its one of those movies that requires a second viewing?When I first saw it I found it kind of boring and confusing but I think a second viewing would be appropiate for myself.

most likely.

If you thought it was boring, than maybe you didn't follow the story. if you were following it correctly, I dont think you would have found it boring.

No,I followed the story but found it boring.Mostly because I didnt know where the story was trying to go.I had never heard anything about except the talk about it.I didnt know the summary or anything.

So... you found it boring because you didn't understand it?

I didnt know where it was trying to go or what it was try to do so I got kind of uninterested about halfway threw the movie.I kept watching to see how it all turned out.I thought it was dumb.

Originally posted by Cringe
I didnt know where it was trying to go or what it was try to do so I got kind of uninterested about halfway threw the movie.I kept watching to see how it all turned out.I thought it was dumb.

Different people, different opinions I guess.

But I would watch it again.

"Swamp Thing"

A research scientist named Dr. Alec Holland is tucked away in the swamp, engineering a plant and animal hybrid that can adapt and live in the worse of mother natures wrath. The evil Arcane is after Hollands experiment, and after a fluke accident in a near death encounter, Holland himself transforms into the beast that would be known as Swamp Thing!

I've said before, some movies I liked back in the Eighties were for good reason. I was a young, impressionable punk with no taste. Now a hardened, critical old man, this movie was crap. Everyone's roles were so hokey and over the top, better suited for a television show, and even Adrienne Barbeau bathing nude couldn't have saved this "thing". Stupid characters, silly premise which was stretched to far, and one of those typical horrible early comic book movie adaptations.

Please do yourself a favor, even you kids of the 80's, find another outlet with which to relive your childhood. This is a skidmark in Wes Craven's early career.

"The Corpse Bride"

During a routine wedding rehearsal, Victor, who was forced into an arranged marriage, who can't remember his vows, takes to the woods to practice. There, thinking he had placed the ring on a twig, he is unknowingly wed to Emily, the corpse of a bride who was left at the alter. Now, Emily takes Victor to her world, where things aren't as bright and shiny as his pampered life. He's given a choice, and must decide wether here hand in marriage is worth dying for.

As what would serve as a precursor to the rest of the film, I fell asleep almost immediately. It was old school Tim Burton, but mainstream. Gone was the stop motion animation, replaced by CGI. The actual movie was just too dark. The characters were all black and white, and what little color there was to be found wasn't enough to hold my interest. Their personalities were equally as drab and uninteresting. There also seemed to be plenty of recycled NMBC themes as well. Personal conflict between two worlds, a love interest that was both there then gone, 3 dead kids, a skeleton dog, etc.

Through my catnaps in the film, I never really found anything I liked about it, honestly. It's obvious he was trying to recapture the spirit of NMBC through Elfman's score, which failed to delight me as well, and that hardly ever happens given the man's track record. Just a bunch of rehashed Nightmare tracks, so it seemed. It's a dark, dark movie, with hardly any life, and a total 180 from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" which I found to be miserable as well.

"Herbie Fully Loaded"

A college grad, and part of a racing heritage, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) is the first in her family to have graduated from college, as a present, she's given her choice of any car from a junkyard lot. It just so happens she's conveniently paired with Herbie, after he having been dropped on her 350Z. Once again, Herbie has a mind of his own, taking on NASCAR legend Trip Murphy, defeating him in a street race. Determined to find out the secret to Herbie's vivacious racing spirit, Trip does his sluething while Lohan prepares Herbie for the ultimate test rematch; the Daytona 500!

Not much to say here, really. "Herbie", as always, is a safe little family film that I viewed for one reason, and one reason only.

Spoiler:
I hate when people ask me if movies are good, and I haven't seen them, because they're usually kiddie/family flicks, so, I watched this one reluctantly.

If you have kids, the film's available Tuesday, otherwise, unless you're a Lohan fan, even of the digitally altered version(the rumours look to be true), there's nothing to see here.

Gone was the stop motion animation, replaced by CGI.

It was stop motion animation filmed on digital photography this time around. No gone about it.

It wasn't as raw as NMBC. It was too polished, and looked very CGI. What was so appealing about the process is that you could see a lot of the breaks in the film, and the intricacy of the voice work in sequence with the stop motion. This seemed too animated and looked like it was all computerized.

"I'm Not Scared"

Michele, a boy residing in a remote Italian village stumbles upon Filippo, who's been relegated to a hole in the ground, his origins unknown. The two befriend one another. Once Michele's father plays host to Sergio, a scruffy no nonsense shady businessmen, the younger ones begin to wonder. The tension found in the relationship is merited, and Michele comes to find that Filippo and he have more in common than their age and school grade.

Italian directors have a way with cinematography. It's a given, and this movie is no exception. With some beautiful sweeping shots of the wavy grainfelds in the seemingly desolate countryside of Italy, paired with the haunting blacks surrounding the inhabitants of the holes, it was a gorgeous movie. Right down to the pouring rain and first person POV's.

The storyline ended up throwing me for a loop. Expecting a more exploitative, dark, and gruesome film, I ended up seeing something intriguing, realistically tense, and human. The Michele character was infact the one to carry the film, which he did almost flawlessly, save the end, which seemed a little contrived and didn't exactly fit the title.
It was moderately paced, allowing a lot of the human emotion to flip-flop, considering the position the adults of the film were put in, gradually building up the tension, which I appreciated, not going over the top.

In closing, it was a enveloping and beautifully shot film, with some passionate directing and camera work. I'd certainly recommend it, especially given it's somewhat of a cellar dwellar.

Originally posted by Cinemaddiction
[b]"Herbie Fully Loaded"

for a Pontiac enthusiast such as myself, was seeing Murphy's 2005 Pontiac GTO. droolio

[/B]

I prefer 68.

Originally posted by Cinemaddiction
[b]"Herbie Fully Loaded"

A college grad, and part of a racing heritage, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) is the first in her family to have graduated from college, as a present, she's given her choice of any car from a junkyard lot. It just so happens she's conveniently paired with Herbie, after he having been dropped on her 350Z. Once again, Herbie has a mind of his own, taking on NASCAR legend Trip Murphy, defeating him in a street race. Determined to find out the secret to Herbie's vivacious racing spirit, Trip does his sluething while Lohan prepares Herbie for the ultimate test rematch; the Daytona 500!

Not much to say here, really. "Herbie", as always, is a safe little family film that I viewed for one reason, and one reason only.

Spoiler:
I hate when people ask me if movies are good, and I haven't seen them, because they're usually kiddie/family flicks, so, I watched this one reluctantly.

Anywho, it was nice updated version of a Disney family classic, very squeaky clean, very safe, and kids would most definately enjoy it. Aside from the funny NASCAR driver cameos by Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon, I think the best part of the entire film, for a Pontiac enthusiast such as myself, was seeing Murphy's 2005 Pontiac GTO. droolio

If you have kids, the film's available Tuesday, otherwise, unless you're a Lohan fan, even of the digitally altered version(the rumours look to be true), there's nothing to see here. [/B]

It was not Bad