© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc. This feed is subject to our terms of use: http://www.epinions.com/help/rss_terms http://www.epinions.com/user-Mike_Bracken Recent reviews written by member Mike_Bracken en-us 121 37 http://www.epinions.com/ http://img.epinions.com/images/epi_images/logos/epinions_121.gif http://www.epinions.com/content_490167766660?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - It's been almost two decades since Friday the 13th: The Series left the airwaves (unceremoniously dumped despite having good ratings-particularly for a syndicated show) but horror fans have never forgotten it. Many of us (myself included) still... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~490167766660 Sun, 1 Nov 2009 01:27:05 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_490167766660?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_490111864452?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - If you saw the DVD case for Tom Shankland's The Children and passed it by after assuming it was just another direct-to-DVD flick in the vein of Children of the Damned or Cronenberg's The Brood, I couldn't fault you. When I first... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~490111864452 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:58:12 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_490111864452?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_489351122564?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - It's no secret that I'm tired of the Saw franchise. What started out as an edgy horror film with a mesmerizing antagonist (Tobin Bell's Jigsaw) and some truly squirm-inducing death scenes (at least partially because they allowed audience members... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~489351122564 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:39:19 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_489351122564?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_489008303748?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - It's not exactly a profound revelation to say that novels rarely translate well to film. The history of cinema is littered with movies that have failed as even shadows of their literary inspirations and the exceptions to the rule are so rare that I can... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~489008303748 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:12:32 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_489008303748?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_488499875460?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - I've been a fan of Dave Parker since I first saw his zombie flick The Dead Hate the Living way back in 1999 (which seems like a lifetime ago at this point). A lot of people didn't enjoy TDHtL as much as I did, but if you were horror... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~488499875460 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:53:00 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_488499875460?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_487387336324?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - After years of previews, delays, hype, and anticipation, Michael Dougherty's ode to Halloween, Trick ‘r Treat, is finally here. Normally, I'd draw out the suspense on whether or not the film lived up to the lofty expectations set by fanboys... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~487387336324 Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:27:04 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_487387336324?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_487043403396?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - There's an alarming trend afoot when it comes to Hollywood movies-and that trend is the new tendency studios have for ruining movies through trailers and marketing. The most egregious offenders are the clips which feature images that ruin the ending of a... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~487043403396 Sat, 3 Oct 2009 13:00:47 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_487043403396?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_486750523012?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - If I've learned one thing over the years of watching trash movies, it's that gore cinema may have started in America and been perfected by the Italians, but the Japanese make some of the sickest movies ever committed to celluloid (or, in some cases,... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~486750523012 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:48:37 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_486750523012?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_486750260868?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - I had the distinct pleasure of playing Revelations: Persona back when it debuted on the PlayStation. While the game wasn't perfect (in fact, it had a whole lot of issues) it's always remained near and dear to my heart. There were two main reasons... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~486750260868 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:38:10 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_486750260868?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_486626594436?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - I'm a few days late with this review of Pandorum, and that's solely attributable to the fact that nearly a week after seeing it, I'm still not really sure what to make of it from a critical perspective. One can make the case that Christian... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~486626594436 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:33:35 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_486626594436?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_486386732676?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - If you've ever wondered (and god knows there have been nights where I've pondered this very thing...) what would happen if you crossed the period horror aesthetics of Hammer's classic cinema with the more inventive and slapstick stylings of Sam Raimi,... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~486386732676 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:48:46 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_486386732676?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_485710663300?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Deadgirl may very well be the first and only coming of age film ever made to feature zombie rape and borderline necrophilia-which means it's something that should be right up my alley. As someone who counts Nacho Cerda's short film Aftermath... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~485710663300 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:10:52 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_485710663300?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_485061725828?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Horror's gone global these days-if a country has a film community, then you can bet someone's working on a horror flick. And with distribution being easier to achieve than ever before, odds are you'll actually be seeing movies from countries you probably... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~485061725828 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:18:03 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_485061725828?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_484515090052?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - I'm actually embarrassed that it's taken me the better part of seven years to finally get around to writing about Dylan Kidd's debut film, Roger Dodger. I wish I had some sort of explanation for this oversight, but I have none. I can't claim that... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~484515090052 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:04:45 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_484515090052?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_484084780676?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - It is a commonly held (albeit wrongly, in my opinion) belief that gore and exploitation cinema exists solely to appeal to the lowest common denominator in terms of its audience. These films aim to shock, titillate, and ultimately repulse their audiences... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~484084780676 Mon, 7 Sep 2009 11:13:52 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_484084780676?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_482658651780?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - It's hard to determine when, exactly, the concept of the "snuff film" (a film wherein someone is murdered on camera and the resulting material is sold for profit) entered the collective consciousness. If I had to guess, I'd go with the book The... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~482658651780 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:26:32 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_482658651780?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_480488754820?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - At first glance, Chris Garetano's 2005 documentary Horror Business looks like something I'd heartily recommend to anyone truly interested in the genre. It's a labor of love for Garetano (who did pretty much everything involved in the production on... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~480488754820 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:21:14 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_480488754820?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_479567318660?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - I really wanted to like This Hollow Sacrament going into it. I'm a typical American, I suppose-I root for the underdog, and there aren't many guys who are more underdog than those who spend their time making independent horror films. As I've said... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~479567318660 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:51:46 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_479567318660?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478991126148?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - For years, the Japanese have had the market cornered on technophobic horror flicks. From the videotape of Ringu to the cell phones of One Missed Call, the Japanese have made it pretty clear that while they love technology and gadgets,... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478991126148 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:10:16 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478991126148?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478757752452?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - On the scale of dorkiness, Live Action Role Players (better known as LARPers) rank just below CosPlayers (the guys and girls who dress up as videogame and anime characters at every comic and anime convention they can find) and above Furries (the guys who... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478757752452 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:52:59 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478757752452?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478757555844?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - If nothing else, Horsemen (which is alternately known as The Horsemen in some circles) proves that production company Platinum Dunes is capable of more than just screwing up remakes of classic horror films-they're equally adept at ruining... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478757555844 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:46:32 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478757555844?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478530604676?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Reviewing documentaries has always been something of a challenge-you don't have as many things to discuss as you do with a fictional film (there's no acting for starters, and the script is an entirely different beast than it is in a traditional movie),... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478530604676 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:49:02 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478530604676?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478406217348?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Back in 1999, when The Blair Witch Project became something of a cultural touchstone, I remember thinking that it was all but inevitable that we'd see a flood of similar shot-on-DV, shaky-cam first person narrative horror films. Everything was... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478406217348 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:32:28 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478406217348?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478276718212?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Running a scant 77 minutes, Them (or Ils in its native French) is a shining example of horror cinema done right. It's a taut and suspenseful stalker film that takes about fifteen minutes setting things up and then jumps right into the crux... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478276718212 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:40:10 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478276718212?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_478143221380?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Mike_Bracken - Love or hate Grand Theft Auto, it's hard to deny that Rockstar deserves a whole lot of credit for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Managing to take the full-on GTA console experience and shrink it down to the point where it fits on... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~478143221380 Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:45:02 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_478143221380?linkin_id=8003929