Jason and Shawn review The Shrine and Needle

The Shrine

Jason: The last 20 or so minutes of this movie owned! Creepy. Gory. You name it. Good on Aaron Ashmore's character for stepping up like he did. Good on the Polish villagers for being who they are. And good on Cindy Sampson for never once hesitating to show her cleavage. We love sexy in The Basement, and she brings it. This is a solid, eerie horror movie with one of the creepiest statues put on film. A Good for The Shrine from me.

Shawn: The first 12 minutes of this movie captivated me and gave me chills. We had a naked shower scene and a great scare. If the movie had ended there, it would have been a Good. The middle of this movie left me yawning, bored and not entertained at all. But the ending brought the thrills back. I though the whole concept was alright, but the execution was a bit sloppy. This movie had potential; potential that was not realized. A Bad for me.

Needle

Jason: Needle is a passable enough time waster. Something to watch on a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon with a few beers and no regrets. But you'll never watch it again and likely forget about it soon after the credits roll. The film tried too hard to make us believe one character is the killer. So much so that we're actually looking for a possible killer elsewhere. I wanted more from Needle. More gore. More scares. More of Tahyna Tozzi's boobs. I'm giving it a Bad, but there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

Shawn: This is a fairly original movie. Not completely original as ideas are spun off of other ideas, but kudos for trying. There's some cool deaths, a magic voodoo box and hot lesbians. Cool! Because of the cool ideas alone I almost gave this a Good without consideration. But I felt indifferent to who lived and died and figured out who the killer is right from the get go. I won't watch this again, so I'm giving it a Bad. I recommend it for some gore and a little originality, but it won't blow your skirt up.

Comments

#CocktailHour: Slushtail

Summer approaches, inspiring thoughts of sunshine, backyard parties, and having a tip and sip with friends. With that in mind, I bring you this week sunny beverage. To make a slushtail, mix a can of frozen orange juice, a can of frozen lemonade (or limeade), a can of pineapple juice, a couple cups of black tea (or English Breakfast), and two cups of bourbon- such as Southern Comfort, in a pitcher. When it's all nicely mixed, put it in the freezer until it's a nice slushy consistency. Scoop the slush into a cocktail glass, and pour in some Sprite or 7-Up. Add a little umbrella for some frivolous fun, and a straw. Voila! Ready to enjoy. This is a very refreshing drink. The fruit juices, Sprite, and bourbon- when chilled makes for a great punch-like drink. The bourbon doesn't overwhelm juices. In fact, they are all nicely balanced in terms of flavors. The sourness of the citrus fruits contrasts well with the slightly sweeter Southern Comfort. It was refreshing enou

Unlock your fate with The Puzzle

When my dad wasn't working, building stuff or being my dad, he was making puzzles. It was a guaranteed way for him to unwind. So it was with great interest that I sat down to watch Italian filmmaker Davide Melini's award-winning short The Puzzle. You see, the mother in the five-minute film likes to relax with puzzles just like my dad. Unfortunately, her good-for-nothing son keeps harassing her for money. Losing herself in her favourite passtime, the mother soon discovers that completing this puzzle might unlock a nightmare. The Puzzle has been an official selection at more European film festivals than you can shake a stick at, and was voted Third Best Italian Film at the Rome International Film Festival in 2008. Having watched it, I'm not surprised. It's a tight little film that hits you hard in the final few seconds. You can tell Melini cut his teeth as an assistant director for legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. But enough chit chat on my part. See if yo

The Animated Addict: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011)

If you're a 40 + white dude, like myself, you may remember a comic series called " The Adventures of Tintin ". I know I remember them. This series, dating back to 1929, got turned into a animated feature film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. After buying a model of ship called The Unicorn, teenaged journalist Tintin finds himself on adventure that will take him from the high seas, to the low deserts, and from the distant past to the present. With his trusty dog, Snowy, by his side, Tintin uncovers a story connecting two men across the centuries.. . The story is really quite good. It's well crafted, and high paced- with just enough slow moments to build and develop the world and the characters. This is the sort of adventure story you'd find in the old serials of the 1930's and '40's. In fact, it felt like it was the sort of tale that you'd find Indiana Jones undertaking. I found myself swept up, and swept along as our hero swung from one e

Search This Blog