11/29/2006

Dot.Kill (2005)


Dot.Kill (2005) -* * *

Directed By: John Irvin

Starring: Armand Assante and Tony Schiena










On the surface, Dot.Kill doesn't have a lot going for it. First, there's the title, which is ridiculous. So many lame jokes can be made from it. ("www.itsucks.com"), or "Dot.Kill Me Now"... then I realized the movie had different titles like "Digital Reaper" and "Digital Jesus" which make no sense. I was ready for the worst...

Thankfully, Dot.Kill is an entertaining mystery. Charlie Daines (Assante) is a morphine-addicted cop on the edge, who doesn't have much time to live. Daines has his own demons, but a serial killer is on the loose, killing people over the internet. Can he stop him in time before his next fix?

The best part of the movie is Assante's performance. He goes over the top and back. At one point he is confronted by one of his partners about his drug addiction. Daines starts going insane. He picks up a hot poker (which comes out of nowhere) and says "Do you want to burn me!??!!"

The drawbacks to Dot.Kill are the similarities to Fear Dot.Com (2002) and the ending. But if you like Assante's work, you’ll have a fun time.


The Hunt For Eagle One: Crash Point (2006)


The Hunt For Eagle One: Crash Point (2006) -* * *

Directed By: Henry Crum

Starring: Mark Dacascos, Theresa Randle, and Jeff Fahey











The Hunt For Eagle One: Crash Point is a step up from the first one.

The plot this time around is about Al-Qaeda. They have a nuclear device and only Lt. Daniels and Jennings (Dacascos and Randle) can stop them. Jeff Fahey plays their Commander.


Dacascos gets to use his martial arts skills this time around, as compared to the first one, even when his character can just shoot people. Randle handles the clunky dialogue well. The climactic chase with a helicopter and a bike, while very silly, works on a B-movie level. Fahey just yells a lot, but does a good job at that.

Overall, Crash Point is better than the original, and I wouldn't be surprised if they made a third one. Because this is Eagle One Two, it could be called Eagle One Three. Not confusing at all.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty

11/27/2006

The Hunt For Eagle One (2006)


The Hunt For Eagle One (2006) -* *1\2

Directed By: Brian Clyde

Starring: Mark Dacascos, Theresa Randle, and Rutger Hauer









The Hunt for Eagle One doesn't live up to its B-movie potential.

Capt. Jennings' (Randle) plane gets shot down over enemy territory. She is then kidnapped by terrorists. Only Lt. Daniels' (Dacascos) team can save her from certain doom.

That's it for plot. So if the synopsis is short, how about the war action? Unfortunately, it's not good. Don't forget this is a Roger Corman production which means: cheap! But they did the best they could with a low budget. It looks like Black Hawk Down (2001) but it's not. The only thing saving this are the performances. Dacascos, Randle, and Hauer all put in decent work. The last gunfight was satisfactory though.

Overall, It's not worth watching unless you like the actors. The sequel is better.



Comeuppance Review by: Ty

11/20/2006

Cobra (1986)






Cobra (1986)-* * * *
Directed By: George P. Cosmatos
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Brian Thompson, and Marco Rodriguez


"This is where the law stops and I start!"

Thank you for reading the review for one of the all-time Comeuppance fan favorites! Cobra is awesome for so many reasons and the standard by which all other like-minded movies are judged.

Cobra is a classic 80's film and everything about this movie is a recipe for success.

Here's a rundown\plot description:

1. First, Sly does a voiceover consisting of lines like: "In America there's a burglary every 11 seconds, an armed robbery every 65 seconds, a violent crime every 25 seconds, A murder every 24 minutes, and 250 rapes a day." This was clearly added after the fact to pad out the running time. That being said, I'm glad the movie ran short because this opening sequence is both hilarious and sets the mood perfectly. And it's downright informative! Isn't that why you watch films like this?

2. Next, start with a "Cop on the Edge" name like Cobra.... but with a trademarked Stallone twist his first name is Marion! He also cuts pizza with scissors, among other quirky actions such as putting his daily newspaper under his grill for safe keeping.

3. The first scene has Marion blowing away a robber in a supermarket. The one-liner is: "I don't shop here!" Genius!


Intermission! Can you feel the heat?





4. The bad guy must have no lines (until the end), and no motive for killing anybody, but does it anyway.


5. There are no other stars in Stallone's film and he casts his previous wife Brigitte Nielsen as his love interest.

6. The chase scene consists of Cobra shooting bikers for 20 minutes! The infamous "orange grove chase" is padded out so ridiculously long it's laugh-out-loud funny. It's like an old-school video game where bad guys that are all dressed alike and look alike just keep coming and coming endlessly. Do these people honestly believe they can kill COBRA? Come on!

7. Also, Cobra's car is awesome. You have to see it to believe it.

8. Cobra contains every action movie cliche yet devised by the human brain. But it's all delivered so perfectly, so beautifully, and with such style and energy by Stallone, you would have to have a heart of stone not to love it.

9. Last but not least, we have to mention the soundtrack. I own it on CD. You should too, if you don't already. The theme of the movie is "The Voice Of American Sons" by John Cafferty. It makes no sense at all during the course of the film. Cobra doesn't even have a son...he just has beard stubble and shoots people.

In the end, if you have an attitude problem ("just a little one"), you need to own the DVD of Cobra!




Comeuppance Review by: Ty & Brett

Return To Sender (2004)


Return To Sender (2004) -* * *

Directed By: Billie August

Starring: Connie Nielsen, Aidan Quinn, and Kelly Preston










Return To Sender aka "Convicted" is a first-rate drama. The plot is: Charlotte Cory (Nielsen) is on death row. There's only a week until her execution. Her lawyer (Preston) is running out of options to save her. Then Frank Nitzche (Quinn) comes into the picture. He wants to prove Charlotte's innocence, but he has a lustful attraction for her that's derailing the investigation. Can Charlotte be saved?



The main problem with the movie is that it feels forced to go cliched. I say that because the mystery aspect of the film doesn't work. It overcomes that because of the acting and directing. The whole cast is great. Aidan Quinn stands out. Connie Nielsen and Kelly Preston do a fine job. There was no reason for this movie to go direct-to-video. It should've had a shot in the theaters. In the end: Watch for the actors and get annoyed that studios dump hidden gems into the video market.




Comeuppance Review by: Ty

11/13/2006

Mindhunters (2004)


Mindhunters (2004)- * * *

Directed By: Renny Harlin

Starring: Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Clifton Collins Jr., Kathryn Morris, and Christian Slater












Mindhunters is a silly, but highly entertaining mystery. The real mystery is why the movie was delayed for two years by Dimension Films.



Seven FBI profilers are put on an remote island for training about serial killers. Little do they know that a real killer is on the loose tracking them one by one. Not killing them outright, but setting traps. The mystery aspect of the film is different and there are a lot of twists. The deaths are also original. Spoilers Below!!!!!



Slater's and Kilmer's death are the standouts. Slater's character is the first victim who gets frozen by liquid nitrogen and shatters into pieces. Kilmer's character was strung up with hooks like a puppet.




The only problem with the movie is the ending. It's very lame and it hurts the film greatly. But if you don't take the movie too seriously, you'll enjoy it.




Comeuppance Review by: Ty

Rogue Force (1998)


Rogue Force (1998) -* * *

AKA: Counterforce, Renegade Force

Directed By: Martin Kunert

Starring: Michael Rooker, Diane Di Lascio, Louis Mandylor, and Robert Patrick








Rogue Force is brainless action at its best. The plot: FBI Agent Matt Cooper (Rooker) has to stop renegade cops who are killing mafia members and other assorted bad guys. It doesn't seem like a problem, but they have gone too far, because innocents are also being targeted. He is saddled with a partner: Helen Simms (Di Lascio) to bring down the ringleader Jake (Patrick).

What Rogue Force excels at are the action scenes. All the action is brisk and exciting. The climax in particular is very well executed. It's just non-stop bullets and mayhem. Rooker, Di Lascio, and Patrick put in good performances too.

In the end: Rogue Force is 90 minutes of cool FBI\SWAT action. The plot is routine but who cares when you're having a good time?

Comeuppance Review by: Ty

11/09/2006

Sabotage (1996)


Sabotage (1996) -* * *1\2

Directed By: Tibor Takacs

Starring: Mark Dacascos, Carrie Anne-Moss, Graham Greene, Heidi Von Palleske, and Tony Todd



"The Dark Heart Of The Black Ops Beats To A Secret Agenda..."






Sabotage is a fantastic action movie. Michael Bishop (Dacascos) is an ex-army commando, who after almost getting killed, is asked to become a bodyguard for an arms dealer. After a routine pick-up at the airport, the dealer is killed by Sherwood (Todd), an assassin for the government. Bishop is blamed and he's on the run.



The plot description above doesn't do it justice. This movie is an action-packed thrill ride. This is one the first movies to use the "bullet time" effects. This was made three years before the The Matrix (1999). The whole cast does a great job. The standout is Tony Todd as Sherwood. He's so evil, you just want to kill him every time he's on screen. This is one of Dacascos' best movies. (Drive is another one of his Direct-To-Video classics).

There is a lot of energy and thought put into the action sequences. The ice rink fight and the climax are just so cool.

Sabotage is highly recommended!




Comeuppance Review by: Ty

11/03/2006

Sin (2003)


Sin (2003)-* *

Directed By: Michael Stevens

Starring: Gary Oldman, Brian Cox, Gregg Henry and Ving Rhames










Sin is a uneven but entertaining revenge film. Ex-Cop Eddie Burns (Rhames) wants revenge for the rape of his sister. He encounters all sorts of seedy types when he realizes his old nemesis Charlie Strom (Oldman) was in on it. A cat and mouse game begins, and secrets are revealed. Who will escape?



Here are the good points to the film: The performances. Oldman and Rhames do a good job with what they are given (Which is very little). There's one scene where they stop fighting and reflect on their actions. It's a well-written scene and you wish the whole movie was like that. But unfortunately, the script is rife with plot holes and complete strangeness. First of all, I forgot to mention is that Burns has ONE arm. Okay, that's great, but don't show the character using both his arms numerous times. The ending is so bad, it has to be seen to be believed. SPOILERS BELOW!


After a car chase, Burns and Strom start fighting in a desert, Then Strom falls into quicksand. The writers couldn't think of anything else? It makes the already mediocre movie worse.

Besides those shortcomings, Sin is worth watching for the actors but that's it.




Comeuppance Review by: Ty