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Mike Bracken

Agrees with the Tomatometer 69% of the time.

Biography:: I'm a 34-year-old film freelance film critic who specializes in Euro-horror, cult exploitation, and Asian action cinema. When not writing about film, you can find me expounding on the latest videogames at GameCritics.com. I think games are an artform that have the potential to become like film--and it's very interesting to watch the medium develop from its infancy. You can also catch me as The Horror Geek on Comedy Central's pop-culture game show, Beat the Geeks.
Publications:: Flipside Movie Emporium , Mike Bracken's Horror Films , The Horror Geek , ToxicUniverse.com
Critics' Group:: Online Film Critics Society

Total Reviews:: 592
Total QuickRatings:: 1

Location:: Oakland, CA

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 51 - 100 of 592

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
5/5	52%	Martyrs (2008)	" The film's sense of philosophy is what elevates Martyrs from the "torture porn" ghetto and places it alongside more intellectually unsettling films by men like Michael Haneke, Pier Pasolini, and Gaspar Noe." — The Horror Geek Posted May 11, 2009
4/5	71%	Splinter (2008)	" Splinter is another reaffirmation of my faith that horror can be more than boring remakes and sequels. It's proof that there are still good ideas out there." — The Horror Geek Posted May 3, 2009
4/5	82%	Chugyeogja (The Chaser) (2008)	" The Chaser is one of the better Korean films to emerge since Park Chan Wook's Oldboy." — The Horror Geek Posted May 3, 2009
3/5	38%	X-Men Origins - Wolverine (2009)	" Wolverine isn't on the same level as The Dark Knight or Iron Man, but it does just enough things right to justify the price of the ticket." — The Horror Geek Posted May 1, 2009
3/5	——	Autopsy (2009)	" I suppose the best way to describe my reaction to Autopsy is this: casual indifference." — The Horror Geek Posted Apr 27, 2009
4/5	72%	Stuck (2008)	" Fans who like their films darkly humorous and filled with scathing social commentary (both subtle and obvious) should find Stuck to their liking." — The Horror Geek Posted Apr 26, 2009
3/5	88%	Adventureland (2009)	" There are some funny moments in Adventureland (most of them in the first half). None of them are of the "laugh uncontrollably" variety, but the chuckles are there." — ToxicUniverse.com Posted Apr 3, 2009
3/5	17%	The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)	" The Haunting in Connecticut is never particularly scary--making it a horror film for people who don't really like horror films." — The Horror Geek Posted Mar 27, 2009
3/5	41%	The Last House on the Left (2009)	" Last House on the Left stands as the second Craven remake where the new filmmaker manages to get more right than wrong." — The Horror Geek Posted Mar 13, 2009
3/5	——	Dead in Three Days (In 3 Tagen bist du tot) (2007)	" Dead in 3 Days isn't a particularly effective genre film, but it is more interesting than the DVD cover description would lead you to believe." — The Horror Geek Posted Mar 8, 2009
3/5	——	Attack Girls Swim Team vs the Unliving Dead (2008)	" It's no Tokyo Gore Police, but it gets the job done when you just wanna kick back and watch Asian chicks simulate sex between bouts of zombie slaughtering mayhem." — The Horror Geek Posted Mar 6, 2009
4/5	71%	Osoi hito (Late Bloomer) (2004)	" The Japanese have a gift for making uncomfortable (yet compellingly watchable) films, and Go Shibata's Late Bloomer might be the best of the bunch." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 2, 2009
4/5	39%	My Name Is Bruce (2007)	" My Name is Bruce is not only a movie-it's also a celebration of the cult of Bruce Campbell." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 26, 2009
1/5	——	Against the Dark (2009)	" A paunchy and bored looking Seagal (who's barely in the movie) fights generic vampire-zombies. Not nearly as cool as it sounds." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 25, 2009
4/5	100%	Alien Raiders (2009)	" Those who get past the lame title will be rewarded with one of the better low budget horror/sci-fi films to turn up in the past few years." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 22, 2009
3/5	25%	Friday the 13th (2009)	" Could it really be worse than Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan?" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 15, 2009
4/5	——	His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009)	" A fun, if somewhat lighthearted, look at how the Friday the 13th franchise continues to endure even after three decades of slaughter." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 8, 2009
3/5	——	Midnight Movie (2008)	" Midnight Movie is an entertaining piece of low-budget slasher cinema that succeeds despite some problems." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Feb 6, 2009
2/5	49%	Donkey Punch (2008)	" Donkey Punch opens strong, but loses its way at the first major plot point. A potentially intriguing thriller devolves into a generic "last man standing" movie that borrows liberally from better films." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 29, 2009
3/5	29%	Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans (2009)	" Not deep or particularly good, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is the kind of innocuous fluff that will appeal to fans of the earlier entries. Everyone else can safely skip it." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 23, 2009
4/5	57%	My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009)	" My Bloody Valentine is a fun throwback to the golden era of slasher movies--packed with gore, nudity, and the classic gimmick of 3D." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 18, 2009
5/5	90%	Tôkyô Zankoku Keisatsu (Tokyo Gore Police) (2008)	" Tokyo Gore Police is sure to be one of the best cult films of 2009. Fans of Versus and Machine Girl will want to check this out." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 15, 2009
3/5	——	Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008)	" Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead isn't as good as its predecessor, but manages to entertain almost in spite of itself." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 8, 2009
3/5	——	Dead Space: Downfall (2008)	" Dead Space isn't particularly original, but fans of the game should find this animated prequel engaging." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 8, 2008
3/5	55%	Sukiyaki Western Django (2008)	" Sukiyaki Western Django is a far-east-meets-western that could have only sprung from the mind of Takashi Miike." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 3, 2008
2/5	——	Last House in the Woods (Il Bosco Fuori) (2008)	" Last House in the Woods is a throwback to the days when Italian horror was a vital component of the cinematic horror universe, but it works better as an homage than an actual movie." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 22, 2008
4/5	71%	The Midnight Meat Train (2008)	" The Midnight Meat Train is a real horror film-one filled with dark imagery, disturbing violence, and an ever-present sense of dread." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 12, 2008
1/5	0%	House (2008)	" House wears its religion on its sleeve-and like the pushiest Jehovah's Witnesses, it's going to try and convert you to its cause come hell or high water." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 8, 2008
3/5	38%	Zombie Strippers (2008)	" Unfortunately for fans of the burgeoning "walking dead eat the patrons of the champagne room" subgenre, Zombie Strippers never manages to become the classic of this particular cinematic movement." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 4, 2008
1/5	3%	The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)	" Makes Saw V look like Citizen Kane." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 31, 2008
5/5	70%	Red (2008)	" Red is the best Ketchum adaptation to date, just edging out The Girl Next Door. It earns this achievement thanks to Brian Cox's amazing performance." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Oct 30, 2008
2/5	——	Trailer Park of Terror (2008)	" Trailer Park of Terror never manages to find the balance between humor and horror--but it does give it the old college try." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 27, 2008
2/5	12%	Saw V (2008)	" About the only thing that really interested me about Saw V was the fact that it shares this odd parallel relationship to the fifth installment of Friday the 13th." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 24, 2008
1/5	——	Brotherhood of Blood (2007)	" In a word? Awful." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 20, 2008
2/5	16%	Max Payne (2008)	" Max Payne spends a great deal of time building a unique visual look--at the expense of narrative and character development." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
3/5	31%	Trauma (2004)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
3/5	73%	The Mist (2007)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
4/5	55%	Evil Aliens (2007)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
5/5	14%	Black Christmas (2006)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
4/5	100%	Them! (1954)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
5/5	67%	Versus (2003)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
2/5	10%	Eaten Alive (1976)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
4/5	49%	Hatchet (2006)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
5/5	63%	Bulletproof Heart (1995)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
3/5	——	Zombie Cult Massacre (2004)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
3/5	——	Wicked City (Yôjû toshi) (1993)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
5/5	82%	In Bruges (2008)	" All in all an excellent film from a filmmaker with a promising future." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 18, 2008
4/5	80%	Dance of the Dead (2008)	" While not without some minor flaws, Dance of the Dead was far more fun than my senior prom." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 17, 2008
3/5	58%	Quarantine (2008)	" Quarantine isn't an awful film--just an unnecessary one. It may well be the most pointless remake since Gus Van Sant's Psycho" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 10, 2008
4/5	60%	Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007)	" Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer has cult classic written all over it." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 10, 2008
4/5	96%	[Rec] (2007)	" [Rec] is one of the few genuinely creepy horror films to come along in the past few years." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 8, 2008
2/5	71%	Fido (2007)	" Don't believe the hype when it comes Fido" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Sep 30, 2008
2/5	——	Welcome to the Jungle (2007)	" If Disney re-made Cannibal Holocaust, it would probably look something like Welcome to the Jungle" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Sep 12, 2008
4/5	——	Gusha no bindume (Hellevator)(Gusher No Binds Me)(The Bottled Fools) (2004)	" Hellevator may have a stupid title, but the end product is plays like a Japanese version of Cube reimagined by Shinya Tsukamoto." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Sep 4, 2008
3/5	100%	Rogue (2008)	" Rogue subverts genre conventions at numerous points in the narrative--which is both its greatest strength and weakness." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Sep 4, 2008
4/5	43%	Death Race (2008)	" Death Race is a big dumb action flick and it wears that title like a badge of honor." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Aug 24, 2008
3/5	83%	Tropic Thunder (2008)	" Tropic Thunder won't go down as a comedy classic, but compared to the rest of this summer's fare, it succeeds almost in spite of itself." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Aug 14, 2008
4/5	——	Dreams on Spec (2007)	" Dreams on Spec is a fascinating look at a part of the filmmaking process that has largely been unexplored up until this point." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Aug 4, 2008
3/5	32%	The X-Files: I Want to Believe (The X Files 2) (2008)	" One gets the feeling that after six years of no X-Files Carter wanted to cram everything he could into this film in order to please the fans and hopefully lure in new disciples. The problem is that the approach left him with a film that satisfies no one." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jul 27, 2008
5/5	94%	The Dark Knight (2008)	" With The Dark Knight Nolan has crafted what may be the greatest superhero film to date." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jul 16, 2008
2/5	57%	The Signal (2008)	" The Signal has an incredibly interesting premise, which makes it all the more disappointing that filmmakers David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, and Dan Bush really have no clue what to do with it." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 27, 2008
3/5	63%	Kataude mashin gâru (The Machine Girl) (2008)	" Machine Girl is a creative Japanese splatterfest that has just enough heart to make up for its numerous shortcomings." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 17, 2008
4/5	67%	The Incredible Hulk (2008)	" The Incredible Hulk is the film I was hoping for a few years ago before Ang Lee screwed it all up." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 13, 2008
5/5	83%	Inside (À l'intérieur) (2007)	" Inside is the new heavyweight champion of French horror films." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 8, 2008
4/5	60%	Them (Ils) (2007)	" A lean, mean, and extremely focused French horror film." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 4, 2008
3/5	62%	Diary of the Dead (2007)	" Diary of the Dead fits quite nicely into the modern zombie film renaissance that's been rocking the horror world for the past few years." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 3, 2008
3/5	55%	Frontière(s) (Frontier(s)) (2007)	" Frontier(s) is just an average horror film with some above average gore." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jun 2, 2008
2/5	——	Black Roses (2007)	" Black Roses has a great idea at work in terms of the story. It's just too bad that Fasano didn't have the budget and the talent to bring out the full potential inherent in the film's premise." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted May 21, 2008
3/5	78%	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)	" When Crystal Skull is kicking the action into high gear, it's pretty entertaining. The problem is, Spielberg (who's usually spot on with the pacing of his movies) lets the film bog down far too often." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted May 19, 2008
3/5	——	Wrestlemaniac (El Mascarado Massacre) (2008)	" Baget is another up-and-coming horror filmmaker to keep an eye on." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Apr 21, 2008
4/5	84%	Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)	" The Judd Apatow comedy train gets back on track." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Apr 17, 2008
2/5	80%	The Lost (2008)	" Ketchum's weakest novel makes for a meandering and unfulfilling movie experience" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Apr 10, 2008
3/5	14%	War (Rogue Assassin) (2007)	" War has a ton of problems, but it manages to overcome most of them...barely." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 24, 2008
2/5	7%	Shutter (2008)	" Another day, another Asian horror film remake..." — Flipside Movie Emporium Posted Mar 21, 2008
2/5	25%	Drillbit Taylor (2008)	" Drillbit Taylor is predictable, unfocused, and painfully unfunny." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 20, 2008
4/5	66%	Shoot 'Em Up (2007)	" With nary a nod to plausibility Michael Davis has crafted one of the more entertaining action films to come along in recent years." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 17, 2008
4/5	88%	Darkon (2006)	" Darkon provides a fascinating look at a subculture most of us never knew existed." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 10, 2008
3/5	40%	State's Evidence (2006)	" Bolstered by assured direction and fine performances from most of the ensemble cast, State's Evidence manages to become greater than the sum of its parts." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 8, 2008
4/5	79%	The Bank Job (2008)	" Based on a true story, The Bank Job has something most modern day caper films are missing--a sense of verisimilitude." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Mar 6, 2008
4/5	37%	Rambo (Rambo IV) (2008)	" This is Rambo for a new generation--bigger, more violent, and yet somehow a little smarter and nuanced too. It's not high art, but who expects that from a Rambo movie to begin with?" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 24, 2008
1/5	6%	Chaos (2005)	" Chaos is a brutal viewing experience--for all the wrong reasons." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 24, 2008
2/5	——	San cha kou (Divergence) (2005)	" You can't polish a turd--a point that Divergence drives home quite handily." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 23, 2008
3/5	——	Heartstopper (2006)	" Heartstopper features a hodgepodge of ideas stolen from better films, but it's still watchable...sort of like a car wreck." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 22, 2008
5/5	77%	Cloverfield (2008)	" Cloverfield is an intense and engaging monster movie that may very well breathe life back into a dead genre while demonstrating that there's fertile soil left to be tilled in this particular cinematic field." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 16, 2008
5/5	67%	The Girl Next Door (2007)	" The Girl Next Door is the best horror film of 2007" — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 14, 2008
1/5	4%	In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2006)	" Far more Dungeons & Dragons than Lord of the Rings, In the Name of the King is your typical Uwe Boll flick." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 11, 2008
3/5	54%	Reeker (2007)	" Reeker doesn't stink nearly as much as the title might suggest." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 4, 2008
5/5	81%	Fong juk (Exiled) (2006)	" To call Exiled Johnnie To's finest film would be an understatement." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Jan 2, 2008
4/5	——	Hatchet (1990)	" Adam Green's feature film debut, Hatchet, isn't anything we haven't seen before as genre fans--but it's one of several films this year that actually tries to do something besides "reboot" an old franchise." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 16, 2007
3/5	86%	Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (Plane Dead) (2007)	" Horror fans looking for a zombie flick that's more concerned with action than out and out scares should give Flight of the Living Dead a look." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 14, 2007
3/5	70%	Black Sheep (2006)	" Black Sheep isn't perfect, but director Jonathan King certainly shows a lot of promise." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 10, 2007
4/5	81%	Live Free or Die Hard (2007)	" This outing won't replace the original as anyone's favorite of the series, but it is a worthy addition to the Die Hard canon." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Dec 4, 2007
4/5	92%	Election (1999)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 17, 2007
3/5	——	Bone Sickness (2004)	— Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 17, 2007
1/5	33%	Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)	" Sometimes you can watch a bad film and say "well, there was a good movie buried in there somewhere". Rise: Blood Hunter is not one of those movies." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Nov 16, 2007
5/5	100%	The Shark Is Still Working ()	" The Shark is Still Working is essential viewing for Jaws fanatics and anyone interested in filmmaking in general." — The Horror Geek Posted Oct 31, 2007
4/5	86%	Election (Hak se wui) (2005)	" Not To's greatest film, but an interesting examination of the inner workings of Hong Kong's triad gangs." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 30, 2007
3/5	——	Masters of Horror - John McNaughton: Haeckel's Tale (2006)	" Haeckel's Tale isn't amongst the best episodes of the first season of Masters of Horror, but it's not amongst the worst, either." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 22, 2007
4/5	44%	The Hunger (1983)	" A fine example of style over substance -- but the style is so good that it rarely matters." — Mike Bracken's Horror Films Posted Oct 20, 2007

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