Flashback Review: THE GLIMMER MAN (1996)

Seagal's first foray into mystery/thriller territory, and his first film after his first box-office failure On Deadly Ground (1994), is a fast-paced, endlessly entertaining hodgepodge of genres, with Seagal in fine form as a Buddhist cop after a serial killer targeting families and with a penchant for Catholic imagery. The film finds Seagal (who also co-produced) relaxed, apparently having lots of fun with the role, while his on-screen chemistry with co-star Keenan Ivory Wayans is fun to watch. As for the fight sequences, they are thrilling and show Seagal at his best. The only fault the film has is a plot that is nigh incomprehensible, but strangely it doesn't take away from the fun of the whole thing. Recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Quick Review: SLASHER: SEASON 1 (2016)

Despite having one of the coolest posters I have seen in a while, Slasher: Season 1 (2016) proves to be a disappointment. After a disturbing, tense and violent opening scene, Slasher quickly devolves into a glum, unevenly paced, and overplotted mess. Its main faults are unimpressive leads, a heavy handed approach, and an overly nihilist streak that makes it a dull watch. When you watch something called Slasher, you expect a smattering of that genre's main ingredients, namely a fun, fast, and violent story with likable characters and a memorable villain. The makers of Slasher fail to include any of the above. Forgettable and unpleasant.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Book Review: RUNNING WITH THE DEMON (1997) by Terry Brooks

Brook's finest work, Running With The Demon is the best dark fantasy/horror novel you've never read. The prose is lean, the autumnal atmosphere hypnotic, and the evil strange and frightening. This is a grand tale of good versus evil, with terrific characters and a whopper of an ending. Unmissable.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2015-2016.

Quick Review: BELLY OF THE BEAST (2003)

Proof positive that Steven Seagal made some good movies in his direct-to-video (DTV) era, Belly of The Beast (2003) is one wild ride full of action and extravagant stunt-work. Directed by Honk-Kong cinema master Ching Siu Ting, Belly of the Beast is visually stylish, moody, with some ridiculously fun action and fight sequences, and Seagal seems to be having loads of fun delivering one-liner after another and some truly impressive fight moves. This is also one of Seagal's higher-budgeted DTV efforts, resulting in some fierce action set-pieces and shoot-outs and some dazzling wire-work. The story even has some intriguing mystical undertones, with magic battles, sorcerers and powerful monks!

Conclusion: If you are looking for some mindless, stylish, fast-paced action fare, look no further than this. This is vintage Seagal.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Review: DOMINION: Prequel to THE EXORCIST: The Truth Behind The Scary Production of A Unique Horror Film

The Exorcist series has proven to be fascinating over the past 30 years or so. The original, released in 1973 changed cinema and horror movies forever. The sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic, released in 1977, was a polarizing, controversial film, while Exorcist III: Legion, released in 1990, was a flawed masterpiece that took the series in a different direction.

And now we come to the prequels Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist, both produced in 2004.

But the making of both of these prequels is a tremendous story in itself. Dominion was supposed to be directed by John Frankenheimer, who actually started to helm the picture, when he fell gravely ill and left the production. Paul Schrader, the brilliant, always controversial filmmaker stepped in to complete the film, only to be fired after submitting his final cut to producers. The producers then hired Renny Harlin to re-shoot almost the entire film with the same crew and basically the same cast, and the result was Exorcist: The Beginning, released in 2004.

But Exorcist: The Beginning was a critical and financial failure, and Morgan Creek, the production company behind the whole debacle, decided to bring back Schrader to finish editing his version, giving him very little money to complete the post-production process. Schrader’s version finally saw the light of day in 2005 as Dominion.

So, after all this trouble, which version of the film is better? Surprisingly, the answer to that question isn’t that easy to come by. On the one hand, Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning is seemingly much more commercial, with a lot more bells and whistles, and the cinematography by Vittorio Storaro is nothing short of sumptuous. One goes in expecting a crass, mind-numbing commercial horror movie, and what one gets (with the exception of the hysterical exorcism sequence near the end of the film) is a relatively subdued, polished and compelling supernatural thriller.

Paul Schrader’s Dominion is a completely different creation. It is not a horror film by any means, there are no bells and whistles (which is understandable, since Schrader was given very little time and money to complete post-production) and the special effects are kept to a minimum. But these are the same factors that make Dominion such a compelling film. With emphasis on mood, long master shots, and nuanced performances, this is a slow, hypnotic and strange psychological thriller.

In terms of how it fares compared to the other films in the series, Dominion is somewhere between an art film and the metaphysical musings of Exorcist II.

So, which version is better? Arguably, both versions, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion, have merit. But Dominion is much more haunting, and, therefore, more memorable.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2014- 2016.

* This article originally appeared on Bitlanders.

Review: OUT FOR JUSTICE (1991)

Original Theatrical Poster

Released right before Steven Seagal hit it big with Under Siege (1992), Out For Justice (1991) is considered by many to be one of his weaker efforts. I disagree. While Steven Seagal has always been an acquired taste, fans of american action movies from the 80's and 90's know that Seagal is the real deal, and it can't get any realer than Out For Justice. The film has one of Seagal's better performances, as a cop with mafioso roots caught between being the good guy and unleashing his darker side, while the plot is original and the writing much better than expected. Add some thrilling fight sequences and a mesmerizing performance by William Forsythe as a coked-up spree killer, and you got one helluva an entertaining action pic from the Golden Age of Hollywood action movies.

N.B. The film's choppy editing and slightly uneven pace is a result of studio interference during post-production, as studio executives reportedly wanted a shorter, faster film than the one Seagal and co. presented with their original cut.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Review: TWIXT (2011)

Original Poster

When Francis Ford Coppola announced that he was making another horror movie, his first since 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, many rejoiced, including myself. When released, Twixt (2011) proved to be a polarizing effort. On the one hand, in terms of technique, it's mostly unpolished, with the Hi-Def cinematography looking occasionally drab, while the editing and pacing are on the uneven side.

On the other hand, this is Coppola the master filmmaker enjoying the freedom of making a low-budget movie, and one that is both fiercely atmospheric and surprisingly personal (the plot touches upon the tragic death of Coppola's son in a boating accident). As for the plot (a washed out horror novelist investigating a mystery involving vampiric murders in a sleepy little town), it's basically fodder for creating some striking Gothic visuals and playful performances by all involved, especially Val Kilmer and Bruce Dern. And then there's the ending: a haunting, confusing, scary final touch that caps a horror film that is flawed, ambitious, and a welcome return to a genre that Coppola obviously loves.

N.B. The plot, especially the ending, bears some minor similarities to author Richard Laymon's masterpiece, The Stake (1990).

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.