Michael Scrutchin Movie Reviews & Previews

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Michael Scrutchin

"Good... Bad... I'm the guy with the gun. --Ash (Bruce Campbell), Army of Darkness"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 71% of the time.

Biography:: Michael is a writer and film buff from Houston, Texas. In early 2000 he started Flipside Movie Emporium (www.flipsidemovies.com), a film website that covers current Hollywood films as well as the indies and B-movies that don't get any respect in mainstream media. A former member of the Online Film Critics Society (accepted in October 2001), he resigned in March 2004 for not keeping up with the society's required review quota (although he intends to return to the OFCS in the near future when he's back up to speed). He also writes screenplays and short stories, some of which are available at cinemascribe.com, his personal site.
Favorites:: The Apartment (Wilder, 1960)
The Best Years of Our Lives (Wyler, 1946)
Bride of Frankenstein (Whale, 1935)
Brief Encounter (Lean, 1946)
Carnival of Souls (Harvey, 1962)
Carrie (De Palma, 1976)
City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)
Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)
Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1978)
Dazed and Confused (Linklater, 1993)
Heavenly Creatures (Jackson, 1994)
The Lady Eve (Sturges, 1941)
Magnolia (Anderson, 1999)
Manhattan (Allen, 1979)
My Life to Live (Godard, 1962)
Nashville (Altman, 1975)
Playtime (Tati, 1967)
Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)
Say Anything (Crowe, 1989)
The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
A Simple Plan (Raimi, 1998)
Something Wild (Demme, 1986)
Stolen Kisses (Truffaut, 1968)
Sunrise (Murnau, 1927)
Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Lynch, 1992)
Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (Craven, 1994)
Wild Strawberries (Bergman, 1957)
Written on the Wind (Sirk, 1956)
Publications:: Flipside Movie Emporium

Total Reviews:: 166
Total QuickRatings:: 2

Location:: Pearland, Texas

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 51 - 100 of 166

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
C+	——	531 ()	" This indie film's fusion of psychological drama and silly humor doesn't quite work, but at least it's an interesting failure." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 26, 2002
B-	——	Don Juan (Or If Don Juan Were a Woman) (1973)	" Surprisingly compelling, partly thanks to stylish cinematography and, more importantly, [Brigitte] Bardot's ice-cold performance." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
B	——	Dead and Rotting (2002)	" A gleefully wicked black comedy." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
D+	——	Hell Asylum (2002)	" The gore flows like wine, showering us with a nice supply of spilled innards, but the violence has very little impact." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
C+	——	Play-Mate of the Apes (2002)	" There's many lengthy lesbian sex scenes peppering the lowbrow comedy antics. I shamefully admit I laughed more than I thought I would." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
D	——	Mummy Raider (2002)	" For those of you looking for your softcore lesbian porn fix, I'd suggest looking elsewhere." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
B+	——	Townies (1997)	" It never looks down its characters -- however weird they may be -- and instead views them with a kind of curious affection. I think John Waters would be proud." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
B	——	Evilmaker ()	" A surprisingly accomplished and creepy ghost story with enough twists to keep you guessing until the final frame." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
C+	40%	The Tunnel ()	" It's like a weird dream -- the kind you just have to tell your best friend about after waking up, but then can't seem to remember much about an hour later." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
C	58%	Fade to Black (2004)	" A darkly comic thriller with a good script and some kick-ass dialogue, but it's hampered by its budgetary limitations." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
B	——	The After School Special ()	" A low-budget teen comedy that has cult classic written all over it." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
C+	——	Blood for the Muse ()	" Many of the actors in bit roles are pretty bad and render moments of an otherwise somber horror film laughable." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
A-	——	Scrapbook (2003)	" Scrapbook is often as brilliant as it is brutal." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jun 25, 2002
B	——	Track 16 ()	" A highly enjoyable, intriguing thriller." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted May 23, 2002
B	——	Drainiac (2008)	" Writer-director Brett Piper crafts a genuinely creepy mood that has faint echoes of the original Evil Dead." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted May 22, 2002
C-	——	Alien Agenda: Under the Skin ()	" This one has charm in a Mystery Science Theater kinda way, but it's not enough to let me recommend it." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted May 22, 2002
B-	——	Addicted to Murder (1995)	" Addicted to Murder has an uneasy, nightmarish quality that never lets up." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted May 20, 2002
A-	——	Hardcore Poisoned Eyes ()	" May be the scariest film since The Blair Witch Project." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted May 2, 2002
B-	21%	Jason X (2002)	" Jason X is the kind of mindlessly fun action-horror romp that Resident Evil could have been if it hadn't taken itself so seriously." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Apr 29, 2002
D-	——	Third Society ()	" There are a few moments of laugh-out-loud bad movie hilarity that almost make it worth it. Almost." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Apr 26, 2002
B	——	Evil Laugh (2005)	" As far as cheesy '80s horror movies go, Evil Laugh is one of the long-forgotten gems." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Apr 25, 2002
B	41%	Big Bad Love (2001)	" It doesn't seem like it's following a fixed path to the finish. Unlike so many movies, it feels alive." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Apr 5, 2002
B-	76%	Panic Room (2002)	" A sly game of cat and mouse that's intense and thrilling at times, but occasionally stretches believability to its limits and relies on predictable plot contrivances." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Mar 29, 2002
A	100%	Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) (1951)	" Though I'd been meaning to see it for years, watching the Criterion Collection DVD was my first time. I'm almost at a loss for words." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Mar 28, 2002
C-	34%	Resident Evil (2002)	" A loud, annoying, and gloriously dumb action-horror movie that might have been a good popcorn flick if it were more fun." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Mar 24, 2002
C	——	Scary Tales ()	" Admirable attempt at making a good old-fashioned comedic horror anthology, even if the results feel distinctly run-of-the-mill and lacking punch." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Mar 13, 2002
C+	——	Witchouse 3: Demon Fire (2002)	" Well-made forgettable fun and not much more." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Feb 20, 2002
B-	——	Cremains (2001)	" A few missteps can't obscure the film's thick atmosphere, which just drips of dread and unease." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Feb 14, 2002
B+	——	Addicted to Murder: Tainted Blood (1999)	" A dark, clever, and amusing horror film that actually breathes some fresh life into the vampire subgenre." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Feb 12, 2002
B+	53%	Storytelling (2002)	" This is a movie that one will grow to appreciate more with subsequent viewings -- or that one will grow to hate more passionately, as the case may be." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Feb 8, 2002
A-	95%	Peeping Tom (1960)	" A memorable performance by Carl Boehm as one of the most pitiful and sympathetic psycho-killers you'll ever meet in the movies." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Feb 3, 2002
B+	——	American Nightmare (1983)	" One of the best American slasher films since Scream." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 31, 2002
B-	——	The Night Heaven Fell (1958)	" A shameless melodrama that takes itself way too seriously. But that's precisely why it's so engaging." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 21, 2002
B-	——	Plucking the Daisy (En effeuillant la marguerite) (1957)	" This screwball romantic comedy is as good an introduction to the charms of Brigitte Bardot as I could have asked for." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 16, 2002
A-	88%	Ginger Snaps (2001)	" Really cares about its characters and isn't afraid to tell a story that has real emotional resonance -- along with a wicked sense of humor and a few gallons of blood." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 15, 2002
D	——	The Double-D Avenger (2001)	" It's a bad movie and it's supposed to be, but it never reaches the point where it becomes so bad that it's good. It's just bad. Period." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 2, 2002
B+	72%	Fat Girl (À ma soeur!) (2001)	" Fat Girl has the disturbing ring of real life, with all of its staggering cruelty, and it remains haunting long after it's over." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Jan 1, 2002
A+	94%	Notorious (1946)	" I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say that it's as thrilling and suspenseful a romance as you're likely to see." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Dec 3, 2001
A-	90%	Amélie (2001)	" Probably the most easily enjoyable movie of the year. It's a ragtag blend of surreal images and good-natured, quirky charm that's both visually and emotionally intoxicating." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Dec 3, 2001
A-	100%	Spoorloos (The Vanishing) (1988)	" Genuinely chilling." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Nov 2, 2001
A	88%	American Beauty (1999)	" A haunting, hilarious, and heartfelt masterpiece." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 30, 2001
A	——	Hall of Mirrors ()	" A gripping and suspenseful modern-day film noir." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 30, 2001
A+	81%	Mulholland Drive (2001)	" May be the best film David Lynch has ever made... It's more potent and mesmerizing than any film in recent memory." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 29, 2001
B	——	Strawberry Estates (2001)	" Despite being released on the heals of 1999's Blair Witch Project, it holds its own and provides a similarly chilling (if less effective) experience." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	Hell's Belles ()	" An enjoyable and often creative excursion for fans of cheesy B-movies." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	The Dead Hate the Living (2000)	" Chock full of in-jokes and horror movie references (kinda like a low-budget zombie version of Scream, but not as clever)." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	Bone Yard (1991)	" It turns into a gooey monster fest about halfway through and the creepy atmosphere it established in the beginning is lost, making way for that hilarious mutant poodle." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	——	Alien Agenda: Endangered Species (1998)	" Just wait till you see the computer-generated flying saucers. Ed Wood would have been proud." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	Zombie Bloodbath II: Rage of the Undead (1998)	" A fast-paced and extremely sickening shot-on-video gorefest." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C-	33%	Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)	" Most of the acting is pretty poor, but Ice-T seems to be aware that this is nothing more than a lame B-movie and he has fun with it." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	Alien Agenda, The - Out of the Darkness ()	" Worth a look for low-budget sci-fi and horror junkies." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	Witchouse 2: Blood Coven (Witchouse II: Blood Coven) (1999)	" Although there's much to like about Witchouse 2, it's not all that scary." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	——	Killing of Bobby Greene ()	" While the movie isn't close to making the ranks of great botched-crime films like A Simple Plan, it's a respectable effort." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	——	Violent New Breed (1999)	" From the atmospheric, quirky opening to the silly but satisfying ending, Violent New Breed is a fun ride, full of gory violence and welcome gobs of nudity." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	The Vault (2004)	" The screenwriters follow the kids-trapped-in-a-big-scary-place formula to a tee." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
A	92%	Ghost World (2001)	" One of the best films of the year. Or, hell, any year." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	Horrorvision (2001)	" HorrorVision has enough energy and visual pizzazz to ensure that it's never boring -- though it's never quite engaging, either." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	——	Stitches (2002)	" While the film sustains a pretty creepy atmosphere, it has a whimsical sense of humor that compliments it nicely." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	Creep (2001)	" Creep is no Citizen Kane, but as pure exploitative slasher-movie trash, it serves its purpose." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
A	78%	Requiem for a Dream (2000)	" The film's climactic montage is probably one of the most harrowing sequences in the history of cinema." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	83%	Six Days in Roswell (1999)	" Has a few decent laughs, but most of the time it just wobbles along on a lightly amusing note." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	11%	Boys and Girls (2000)	" So breezily enjoyable that it won me over early on and never once lost its irresistible charm." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
D+	48%	Me, Myself & Irene (2000)	" Sure, toilet humor, dildo jokes, and gags about big boobs can be funny -- so why wasn't I laughing?" — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C-	85%	Chuck & Buck (2000)	" It seems the filmmakers are shooting for that Todd Solondz brand of twisted dark humor, but here it just feels really, really wrong." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	24%	Loser (2000)	" Perfectly watchable, sometimes sweet, but ultimately forgettable." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	33%	Ice From the Sun (1999)	" Often achieves a fever-pitched nightmarish quality." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	47%	The Perfect Storm (2000)	" Only occasionally achieves the edge-of-your-seat queasiness that it tries to maintain throughout it's turbulent second half." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	56%	Groove (2000)	" Suffers from one-note characterizations and a paper-thin script." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	59%	Human Traffic (2000)	" You don't get to know some of the characters here as well as you'd like to, but it sure is fun hanging out with them." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	57%	Road Trip (2000)	" I laughed a few times during Road Trip, but not nearly as much as I should have." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	69%	Keeping the Faith (2000)	" Mildly amusing most of the way through, but its laughs are few and far between." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C-	39%	Black and White (2002)	" A sprawling mess of a movie hampered by its own clueless ambition." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	63%	Me Myself I (2000)	" Rachel Griffiths' sparkling performance makes it worthwhile. It's just too bad the movie and the other characters around her aren't quite as interesting." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
A-	67%	American Psycho (2000)	" Director Mary Harron keeps this witty satire briskly paced and stylish, while Christian Bale delivers a wonderful performance as the ultimate soulless yuppie." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	68%	Timecode (Time Code) (2000)	" Some people will call Time Code pretentious. And, sure, it is. But it makes for a breathtaking experiment." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	55%	Pitch Black (2000)	" Fry, played by the attractive and talented Radha Mitchell, has a lot more depth than your average sci-fi heroine chick." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	33%	Final Destination (2000)	" A scary, fun, and stylish teen horror film -- the best of its kind since the original Scream." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
D+	17%	Whatever It Takes (2000)	" A dumb, derivative teen comedy." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	33%	Inbred Rednecks (1998)	" The humor falls flat more often than it hits the bull's eye, but there's an admirable enthusiasm on display here that's rather infectious." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	9%	Eye of the Beholder (2000)	" A tragic and strangely touching love story between two very disturbed individuals." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	36%	Scream 3 (2000)	" Seems more like a straight-up parody of its predecessors than a true sequel." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	19%	The Beach (2000)	" Parts of the movie are so great -- particularly the first 40 minutes -- that I wish the rest of the movie lived up to its potential." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	67%	Boiler Room (2000)	" Giovanni Ribisi's performance is excellent." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	41%	The Ninth Gate (1999)	" Has more class and style than any other Hollywood thriller you'll see this year." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C	71%	Bringing Out the Dead (1999)	" When the credits start rolling after Bringing Out the Dead's final gloomy shot, it feels like Scorsese just ran out of film." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	22%	Stigmata (1999)	" With a lesser cast and director, it may have been hilariously bad." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
A	88%	Boys Don't Cry (1999)	" One of the most emotionally devastating endings I've ever seen. No kidding." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	85%	The Sixth Sense (1999)	" The Sixth Sense isn't much more than a cool concept -- with a very well executed start and finish -- in search of a good film." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	43%	Best Laid Plans (1999)	" Doesn't have any real lasting impact, but if you're a fan of the "perfect-crime-gone-wrong" genre, this might be worth renting." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C-	——	Shivers (1999)	" Even ambition can't save this one from its clichéd origins and long stretches of dull." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	Good Book (1999)	" There's much to admire here, but it ends up falling a bit short." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	——	Satanic Yuppies (1996)	" It's even got former Playboy lingerie model Lucy Frashure kicking ass in her underwear. Now tell me, how can anyone dislike this movie?" — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
D+	16%	The Astronaut's Wife (1999)	" It's eye candy that'll lure you right to sleep." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	80%	Fight Club (1999)	" Fight Club is a pretty funny movie." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
A-	93%	Being John Malkovich (1999)	" One of the most insane, wildly funny, and excitingly creative movies that has popped up in recent years." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B-	67%	Dogma (1999)	" Dogma isn't great, but I liked it." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
C+	——	The Erotic Witch Project (1999)	" Delivers pretty much what it promises. The girl-on-girl action is more explicit than the softcore romps on late-night cable." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B	64%	Joe the King (1999)	" Not as hard-hitting as it could be, but it's still honest." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001
B+	81%	Wonder Boys (2000)	" Crackles with offbeat energy and literary wit." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 24, 2001

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