Awaken (2015)

Awaken (2015)- * *1\2

Directed by: Mark Atkins

Starring: Natalie Burn, Daz Crawford, Robert Davi, Edward Furlong, Jason London, Michael Pare, Daryl Hannah, and Vinnie Jones

A woman named Billie Kope (Burn) wakes up on a tropical island and has no memory of how she got there. She eventually meets other people held captive in this mysterious place, including Quentin (Davi), Berto (Furlong), and Stitch (Crawford), among others. While Billie relies on her combat training - by her father, played by Benny The Jet - to stay alive, she does remember she’s searching for her missing sister. Unfortunately, the island dwellers are at the mercy of Rich (London), and his goons such as Sarge (Jones) and Xander (Pare) - who are holding them there so they can harvest their organs. 

When an important client, a woman inexplicably named Mao (Hannah), shows up with her ailing daughter, Rich tells the island doctor, Walsh (Keith) to snap into action. However, by this time Billie and her compatriots are fighting mad and are intending to get off the island by using lethal force against their captors. Much like Gilligan’s Island and/or The Prisoner, will our heroes get off the island?

Awaken is sort of a modern-day DTV cross between Avenging Force (1986), The Condemned (2007), and Death Ring (1992). We’re glad movies like this are still being made, but it seems the only place for them to go are cable channels (some might describe them as “deep cable” channels) such as Showtime Extreme. The solid B-Movie cast goes a long way towards sustaining its entertainment value, and main star Natalie Burn certainly has the potential to go far, in our opinion. 

Not only did she star in the movie, she has co-story, co-producer, and stunt credits, and even is solely credited with casting. So I guess we have her to thank for getting all these familiar faces together. She even sings the end titles song, “Awaken”, and is/was a ballerina, just like Assassins Run’s Sofya Skya. Is this becoming the new trend in DTV action? Hopefully Skya and Burn will be co-stars in a movie together soon. They could be ex-ballerinas/cops who bust a lot of heads and fight their way up a drug ring to the evil mastermind. If anyone reading this produces these types of movies, give us a call. 

There are also some similarities to Gina Carano’s In the Blood (2014) - and even the recent Van Damme movie Pound of Flesh (2015). Maybe it’s not just ballerinas turned action stars that are the new trend, evidently organ donation is hot now too. Thankfully, Awaken combines the two. While the movie as a whole looks good, and you can see Burn’s fights well, there are some poor editing choices which mar the overall pretty cinematography. These are especially evident when someone gets tasered, the scene with the shark attack, and the Michael Pare-Vinnie Jones fight. Sadly, not only was the latter edited badly, but it should have gone on longer and been more built up in the movie. That’s the match-up we’ve been waiting for, and it’s over in a flash.

Fan favorite Robert Davi wears a John Travolta/Nicholas Cage-style wig, Daz Crawford is likable, and Vinnie Jones is his usual head-butting self that we all love and enjoy. Pare isn’t in it all that much, nor is Edward Furlong, who...let’s just say it’s a good thing that people stranded on the island are supposed to look disheveled and tired. Daryl Hannah, fresh off of Death Squad (2014) adds...something, but we’re not sure what. It looks like she’s finally joined the ranks of us lowly DTV dwellers. But I blame Hollywood for that. Because Hollywood sucks and seemingly only releases remakes, sequels, and superhero movies, there’s no place for actresses like Hannah there anymore. And if Hannah’s not going to the theater any longer, Furlong et al. certainly aren’t either. But they’ll always have a home in DTV - surely they can give Natalie Burn a call anytime.

It all ends with a very, very silly shootout, just as the audience’s patience is wearing thin. Awaken is by no means a bad movie, but it ultimately fails to capitalize on all the assets it had at its disposal. We’re hoping Burn goes up to the next level for her next outing. 

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)

The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)- *

Directed By: Lance Mungia

Starring: Edward Furlong, Tara Reid, David Boreanaz, Macy Gray, Danny Trejo, and Dennis Hopper










The Crow: Wicked Prayer is another weak sequel to "The Crow" series. They should've stopped while they were ahead. (Meaning the First One).

The plot this time around involves Jimmy (Furlong) who gets murdered by Luc Crash (David Boreanaz) and Lola Byrne (Reid) (Get it? "Crash and Byrne"! Wow, the script was very prophetic with the end result...) and is resurrected to be "The Crow". He wants revenge. Does he succeed?



The movie is rife with silly dialogue and terrible casting. Who in their right mind thought Dennis Hopper could be a gangsta who spouts lines like: "He'll be your homey now and forever more!"? There's no way that could be taken seriously. Furlong looks like he's trapped in the headlights and there's no way out.



Boreanaz goes way over the top. When his voice starts to deepen for no reason when he says dialogue like: "Sorry folks, I'd slit all your throats, but I gotta get to the burial grounds..." you know something's wrong. Reid was trying, even straining to make her character work. The movie has endlessly quotable lines for the wrong reasons. The action scenes are poorly edited also. They couldn't get that one right either?

In the end: The Crow: Wicked Prayer should be avoided like the plague it is.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty

The Covenant: Brotherhood Of Evil (2005)

The Covenant: Brotherhood Of Evil (2005) -* *

AKA: Canes

Directed By: Michael Bafaro

Starring: Edward Furlong and Michael Madsen






The Covenant: Brotherhood Of Evil has basically the same title as the "gay" The Covenant (2006), but it's different.

David Goodman (Furlong) is a young businessman on the rise. He's blinded by a random criminal and he wants revenge. He then meets Guillermo List (Madsen) who gives him an evil cane (yes, a walking cane...) to exact his vengeance. But it gets out of hand and now the powers of evil are after him!




As you can tell, the plot to this cinematic sludge is silly. If you want a good laugh, watch this. Furlong is miscast and he looks awful. He's packed on some weight and the suits he wears in the film are so tight on him, they're bursting at the seams. Madsen is okay, but once again he's there for a paycheck. He does have obviously fake facial hair. It looks glued on.




Overall, "The Covenant: Brotherhood Of Evil" is a very ridiculous film that's worth watching for the unintentional laughs.


Comeuppance Review by:Ty

The Visitation (2006)

The Visitation (2006)-* * *

Directed By: Robby Henson

Starring: Kelly Lynch, Edward Furlong, and Randy Travis











The Visitation is a well-made supernatural thriller. The plot is: Brandon Nichols (Furlong) comes to a small town. He was touched by God and wants to relive it to other people. But Brandon has something more sinister in mind... Reverend Jordan (Martin Donovan) and Morgan Elliot (Lynch) figure out the secret of Brandon and try to stop him.

This movie is very good because it was so low-key. It doesn't have fancy effects. (It has some, which look decent). The film is fueled by the acting. Donovan and Furlong are excellent. The both show the sadness and evil in both characters. Randy Travis was also a surprise. He has an interesting role as a paraplegic. Kelly Lynch was okay. She doesn't do much except stand around. She's better in Road House (1989).

The Visitation is worth looking out for.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty