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Showing posts from February, 2014

Psycho 2 (1983)

Normally, sequels tend to get a bad rep- though there are a few rare ones that either do as well as (or better than) the first installment. After 22 years in a mental institution, Norman Bates is finally coming home.  As he tries to put his life back together, and move forward into a healthier future, a shadow stalks him and the house.  Soon, the killing begins.  Has Mother returned as well? Considering that the original " Psycho " was such a hit- and is considered one of THE greatest horror/suspense films of all time, you certainly wouldn't be able to blame Universal for wanting to see if they could capture lightning in a bottle again.  But would someone OTHER than Hitchcock be able to pull it off? Fortunately, Director Richard Franklin does a great job tackling this franchise.  Of course, it helped that the story itself was interesting, and took a look at Norman from a totally different angle: as the victim.  This approach brought a depth and fullness to the ch

Alone in the Dark (2008)

You wake up after having been drugged, with no memory of who you are.  Soon afterwards, people start dying, and you are in a race against a dark organization to control the release of demons of Hell.  Who are you- and what is your connection to the evil that is razing New York? This is going to be a very short review for " Alone in the Dark ".  Why?  Because, to be honest, I wound up violating one of my rules for reviewing.  I became so frustrated with the game that I stopped playing. It didn't take me all that long either, actually. In fact, I didn't even get out of the building I woke up in at the beginning of the game. Why? It wasn't the story.  The premise was great: solve the mystery of who you are, and stop Hell from coming to Earth.  I'm down with that. It wasn't the graphics.  They are phenomenal- especially the fire.  The way it looks, and the physics of how it interacts with the environment, etc was really good.  The details in sid