Rapid Fire Reviews (#6-10)

...in which I continue the segment...

Welcome back to the second installment of my Rapid Fire Reviews. This time I've got a strange mix of movies to review, from disastrously bad horror to disastrously bad mockumentary.

You'll also notice that I've added more specificity to my "Source" category. Since the vast majority of the films are going to be from Netflix Instant, I'm going to elaborate and tell you how the movies were chosen. Some, like #6 below were chosen at random (go to a category, choose a film by die roll or random number generator), others will just be chosen on a whim (I'm whimsical like that), and others will have been placed on my instant queue.

Here we go.

 #6. Death of a Ghost Hunter

            Source: Netflix Instant – Randomly Chosen

            Released: 2007

            MPAA Rating: NR

            Running Time: 105

            My Rating: 0.5/5

            Comments: This movie is so poorly made…I mean, it's on par with an amateur high school level production. It's trying very hard to be something like Paranormal Activity, but with wooden actors and a bland script, it falls flat on every conceivable level.

#7. The Man From Earth

            Source: Nextflix Instant – Queue

            Released: 2007

            MPAA Rating: NR

            Running Time: 87 min

            My Rating: 3/5

            Comments: A movie with a fascinating premise, but only decent execution. The filmmakers did their best to liven up the plot, which basically took place in a single room, with subtle changes in setting, but the film still feels a bit confined. It doesn't help that the acting is, at times, either forced or stiff. The premise alone saves this film from what would have been a poor rating.

#8. I'm Still Here

            Source: Netflix Instant - Whim

            Released: 2010

            MPAA Rating: R

            Running Time: 107 min

            My Rating: 1/5

            Comments: This story might have been compelling if it were told through different means. This Joaquin Phoenix mockumentary was, at no point, believable or worth becoming emotionally invested in. There is credence to be given to a Riches-to-Rags story such as this, but in the end, nothing was gambled, nothing was lost.

#9. Blazing Saddles

            Source: Netflix Instant - Whim

            Released: 1974

            MPAA Rating: R

            Running Time: 93 min

            My Rating: 4/5

            Comments: This was definitely a childhood favorite. Though, when I was growing up, I apparently only caught the highly censored TV edit of the film. But now, adult James is seeing the Adult version of the film (and I'm catching a lot more of the in-jokes this time). It's a classic, and one of the best of Mel Brook's works. 

#10. Poltergeist

            Source: Netflix Instant - Whim

            Released: 1982

            MPAA Rating: PG

            Running Time: 114 min

            My Rating: 4/5

            Comments: Anything that Stephen Spielberg touches is GOLD. By all accounts, I shouldn't like this film. I'm not particularly into horror (tell that to my viewing history, I know), the effects are dated, they use real cadavers in the filming (!), but this movie somehow transcends those reasons to become a really entertaining flick. The actors sell the scenes well, and it's shot beautifully.

[As always, credit goes to GentlemanBeggar for inspiring the segment.]