Gangs of New York (2002) | Film Review

Gangs of New York is Martin Scorsese's epic tale of old New York's general thuggery. Focused on a central point of the lower end called the Five Points, we're introduced to a myriad of different gangs all with colorful names like the Plug Uglies and the Slaughterhowsers (sp). However, our focus for this feature are the Natives lead by Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) and the Dead Rabbits lead by Priest Vallon (played by Liam Neeson). These two clans are at war over control of the Five Points, and the war can only end when one of them is dead.

Of course, this is just a setup to our actual main story which takes place sixteen years later, when Amsterdam (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from boarding school a man hellbent on avenging his father's death. I call it a stroke of genius to cast a heavyweight like Liam Neeson as Priest Vallon, given his short stay in the film. His death comes as a shock, and the reverence shown to him by Bill adds much needed layers to what could otherwise be looked at as a common antagonist.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) | Film Review

When I first saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I didn’t like it. Having been a big fan of the first film, my anticipation was high for the sequel. However, it didn’t take long into the film for me to start feeling a sense of unease. Hellboy II is brighter lit, the character designs are good but Hellboy looks cheaper than the first film, and the writing… oh the writing. While everything to do with Prince Nuada is dark and broody and everything I had signed up for, everything with the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) was overly goofy — almost sitcomy. I didn’t like it. 

I know that humor has always had a place within the Hellboy universe, but this felt lazy — cheap. It felt like a string of gags rather than natural comedy being woven into the story. So upon this revisit, I was wondering if my original feelings would still hold weight, or if perhaps I had been too critical before.

Ancient Evil 2: Guardian of the Underworld (2005) | Film Review

(Originally published on LivingCorpse.com on March 18, 2005) - Ancient Evil 2: Guardian of the Underworld (originally titled, Anubis: Guardian of the Underworld) is an extremely low-budget horromedy about a group of apathetic teens who accidentally summon Anubis, the Egyptian God of Death, and ultimately pay for it, with their lives. However, it is not a sequel to Ancient Evil, another low-budget mummy movie. (The name was changed for distribution purposes.)

Paul (Christopher Kann) and his girlfriend—and town prude—Jen (Victoria Campbell) are experiencing your typical teenage relationship woes. Paul wants to get it on while Jen wants to wait for marriage. Paul’s sexual frustration isn’t the only thing that tries Jen’s nerves; his best friends, Mark (Alex Whall) and Wheezer (Adam Lipskey) aren’t much better.