The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

"The Midnight Meat Train" is a horror film from a short story by Clive Barker.  Barker is well loved in the horror community, but I have never been a big fan.  I have read a few of his things and I have seen "Hellraiser", but it really didn't strike my fancy.  "The Midnight Meat Train" didn't either.

"The Midnight Meat Train" is just an average story about a guy who kills people on a subway train.  He kills people so he can feed some creatures human meat.  When it is revealed that he is killing to feed creatures, it was not very clear what these creatures were.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters.  They were all standard and boring.  The lead's girlfriend was annoying and during the final action scenes, she just seemed to disappear during a fight and return at the end.

Some of the film was extremely gory and uncomfortable to watch.  The toughest scene to watch involves the removal of teeth, fingernails, and eyeballs.  There are also several special effects shots showing things like heads being smashed in and eyes popping out.  These were some of the worst effects I have ever seen.

There is also another scene where the killer takes his shirt off to reveal these boils all over his body.  He cuts one off and puts it in a jar.  I don't understand what the point of that was.  Maybe I missed something...

There is nothing new about "The Midnight Meat Train".  It's very average, but it will keep you interested if you are bored one night and want to rent a movie.

C+

The Road (2009)

**

"The Road" is a very good movie about a father and son surviving a post-apocalyptic world.

The film was very moving, emotional, sad, and depressing.  I really connected with the father and son.  Viggo Mortensen was great.  He is always good in everything he does, but this is my favorite performance I have seen of his.  He seems like the perfect Dad that will do anything for his son's safety.

The film also had a very distinct look that I had never seen before.  Everything is dead and gray.  It is depressing from the very first frame to the last frame.  

There are a couple thrilling parts of the film that deal with people who have resorted to cannibalism.  It is scary, but very realistic at the same time.  All of the survivors are starving, but cannibalism is not an option for the father and son.  They just hope to find food.  The appearance of Viggo and his son really sell that fact that they are indeed dying of starvation. 

It is never told how the world ended up this way.  Everything is dead and only a handful of people are still living.  It doesn't matter why this happened though.  The movie is about a father and son relationship and it is one of the best I have seen in a while.

A-  I recommend it.

Toys (1992)

"Toys" is a very strange movie.  It is sort of like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" except this time it's toys and Slugworth is really trying to steal the company.

The best thing about the movie would be the set designs and locations.  The whole film is beautiful and some of the sets are amazing.  They are especially amazing when movement is used.  For instance, there is one set inside a brick room.  The room becomes smaller and smaller before your eyes.  The bricks move toward the actors in the room, sort of like a Tetris game.  It finally stops leaving the actors only a few feet to move.  I really liked that one.

The acting in the film was good, which surprised me.  I am not a big Robin Williams fan.  He is way too over the top and not funny.  He seemed a bit laid back in this one, even though he was supposed to be eccentric and fun.  It was a good characterization on his part.  Joan Cusack was also very good.

Even though "Toys" has a lot of good visuals and some good acting, the story is just a little slow.  It isn't the best movie, but I wouldn't call it bad either.  I can understand how a kid could love it, but viewing it for the first time as an adult, makes it enjoyable, but not an all time favorite.

B-  I recommend it.

The Fly (1958)

"The Fly" is a great film of science fiction.  It is incredibly unique and if you don't know anything about the film, you will truly be shocked.  

I wonder what it was like to see this film in its first run.  Even though I know the ending and what actually happened to this scientist, the film still did scare me.  The last scene where the fly is crying for help is one of the scariest scenes in motion picture history.  

Everything is good about the film.  The acting is very good, especially from Vincent Price and Patricia Owens.  The make-up is good too.  The human with the fly head is a good make-up.  The fly from the sequel is more widely known, but this make-up is better in many ways.  

Not only was that last "Help me!" scene scary, but having the scientist walk around with a sheet over his head was too.  It was eerie watching him eat his food and all you would hear is a slurping type sound.

"The Fly" is a classic of science fiction for good reason.  I much prefer this version to the Jeff Goldblum remake.  If you haven't seen it, do so.  You will be on the edge of your seat, especially because of the way the film plays out.  Not only is it a science fiction film, but it is a sort of murder mystery as well.    

B+  I recommend it.

Targets (1968)

This is one of Boris Karloff's last films and it is also one of his best.  

Karloff basically plays himself.  He is an old horror star who wants to retire.  A side story is going on about a seemingly normal man, who turns crazy.  He kills his family and he ends up killing people randomly.  He ends up shooting people at the drive-in where Karloff is making a personal appearance.

I couldn't believe how violent this film was.  There were some pretty graphic things shown.  When the sniper is killing people randomly, he even kills kids.  No one is safe.  There is one scene in particular that is very disturbing.  

The acting in the film was good, but Boris Karloff was excellent.  He was perfect and he was very funny at times.  The funniest part is when Karloff jumps of fright from his own reflection.  This has to be in Karloff's top 10 performances.

What I also liked about the film was that it was filmed in the San Fernando Valley.  This is where I am from so it was fun to spot out different locations.  True a lot has changed since 1968.  There are no drive-ins anymore, but I did still recognize a few locations.

"Targets" is Karloff's last triumph.  There is suspense throughout the entire film.  It is very realistic to what a modern day serial killer is like.  After the film was finished, it was put on hold due to the murders of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.  It was later released and viewed as an issue of gun control.  

B+  I recommend it.

Quarantine (2008)

I haven't heard much about "Quarantine", so I didn't expect much.  I finally watched it and I was pleasantly surprised on how good it was.

It is all shot from the perspective of a News cameraman who was doing a story on firefighters.  They all end up going to an apartment building where their services are needed and authorities lock them inside to contain a virus.  A serious case of rabies has caused people to go insane.

The film was really a zombie movie inside a contained area where no one can leave.  When someone tries to leave, police snipers kill them.  This makes the film very scary.  You know there is no way for anyone to survive.  You want them to find a way, but the reality is they will die.  

The acting in the film was good, but Jennifer Carpenter, who is also on "Dexter", overacts for some of the film.  She is good in the beginning, but when all hope of surviving is thrown out the window, she just overreacts beyond any sort of realism.  It got kind of annoying.

"Quarantine" is a remake of a foreign film called "[.REC]".  I haven't seen that one so I can't say which one is better, but this remake is very good.  It was was much better than a similar type movie: "Paranormal Activity".  Eh...  That movie still bugs me.  Watch "Quarantine" instead.

B  I recommend it.

The Vampire (1957)

"The Vampire" is made by the same company that produced "The Return of Dracula".  Like "The Return of Dracula", this film is very fun and worth while.

"The Vampire" has a different take on what a vampire really is.  A doctor becomes a murderous monster after accidentally taking pills that contain blood from vampire bats.  The doctor becomes addicted to the pills, but he knows there is a cost.  He knows he will kill when under the influence of the drug.

This was a very good story.  It is a nice parallel to life on drugs.  The doctor was a perfect father and a popular fella, but by the end of the film, he loses everything.  He sends his daughter away, he loses all of his friends, and he eventually loses the battle against the drug.

While not the best vampire film, "The Vampire" was very enjoyable.  It had some good monster make-up and sympathetic characters I cared about.  It was fun spotting several good character actors also.  If you are a fan of "I Love Lucy", you will recognize the police officer that saves the day.

B-  I recommend it.