Depressing, but that was what it was intended to be.  Trouble was, it didn’t engage.  Lots of voice over (“In 1982 I went to Somalia…”) that distanced me from the story.

FF=4

Pretty good.  Thought I had the twist scoped early on but I was wrong. (That’s the only time I like being wrong.) Didn’t see it coming.

FF=1

If you’re a dive geek like me, this is a beautiful film to watch – and not just because of Jessica Alba’s butt.  The underwater photography is superb, shot by someone with a genuine appreciation for the startling colors and natural grace of marine life.  Schools of eagle rays…I’ve seen them up close…felt like I was in the water with them and…what?  Oh yeah, there’s a decent plot (with clunky dialogue) though I’m not too sure of the details because I tended to FF toward the next underwater scene.

FF=2

This updating of The Sons of Katie Elder has a lot going for it – some good action and a satisfying finale – so why didn’t I like it more?  Wish I knew.  But my thumb rarely strayed to the dreaded button.

FF=1

What a cast, what a terrible movie.  Just…awful.  I hung in because I kept thinking, It has to get better, it’s GOT to get better.  Wrong.  What the hell were they thinking?

FF = 5

A film on this subject will always be compared to The Exorcist and inevitably found wanting, but this was pretty good.  I could have done with fewer scenes of threatening hallways, but it took a serious look at a case of supposed possession from inside and out, with a minimum of exploitation.  Talky in places, but good talk.

FF = 1

The water imagery is cool, but I was not engaged. Single parent with child moves into haunted house / building / apartment.  How many films have been premised on this situation? Been there, done that too many times.

FF= 6

Quit at the halfway mark.  Would have bailed sooner but I dozed off.  Did not care a whit what happened to these people.

FF= 6

I’d seen this 1982 B-movie before but had a hankering for another look.   Written and directed by Larry Cohen, starring David Carradine, Richard Roundtree, and a scenery-chewing Michael Moriarty.  A weird mix of police procedural and giant monster movie that gets lots of bang from few bucks. Cheesy fun.

FF=0