Audience Member
There's a certain B-movie nuttiness to "The Surgeon" that I really enjoyed, a blatant disregard to logic that gleefully wallows in ridiculous horror movie cliches. It's the kind of film that normally I can get behind whole-heartedly, but eventually the red herrings and lack of logic stop being fun and begin to get aggravating.
There's a decent premise here, and I have the feeling that when the makers dumbed down the title (it was originally called "Exquisite Tenderness"), they dumbed the film down as well. Like so many other films from the '90's ("The Temp", "The Dentist", "The Nurse", etc.), they boiled this down to the lowest common denominator to appeal to the masses when it could have been so much more.
The plot is intriguing and there's a great cast, especially Malcolm McDowell doing what he does best. The gruesome special effects really are quite good, a little too disturbing at times but effective nevertheless. Sean Haberle has the right look to play the title role, and his motivation is fresh but the screenwriters Bernard Sloane and Patrick Cirillo didn't give him much of a personality. It's an hour into the picture before he even gets to really speak.
Still, it's the senseless plot developments and illogical scenes that kill the promise the film opens with more than anything else, such as the ease with which psycho killer Haberle roams the halls of this hospital with so much ease. No one gives him a second look. "The Surgeon" isn't so much bad as it is a wasted opportunity for something better. The film that was released is one we've all seen before.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
5.5. This film almost has what it takes to be great. It has some genuine tense moments, but it is sloppily made, fair acting and the plot is just a little too far fetched. Nice camerawork. Pretty decent, just not really good.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
[b][i]Rabid[/i][/b]
Starring: Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver, and Howard Ryshpan.
Written and Directed by David Cronenberg.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for bizarre violence and gore, sexual content/nudity and language).
Running time approximately 1 hour 32 minutes.
[center][img]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/NuBz86/rabid.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]EEK! She looks all moldy...[/i][/center]
David Cronenberg is pretty much a maniac, his maniacal tendencies only increasing over the years. [i]Rabid[/i] has behind it a gloriously original and incredibly strange (of course - it's Cronenberg) idea, but a great deal of the film is silly and completely nonsensical. Apparently, skin grafting can cause an anus-like opening in one's armpit, from which a snake-like appendage emerges, poking its victims with a needle and infecting them with what could only be described as rabies. Ha! I love it. [b]*** (out of ****) B[/b]
[b][i]The Surgeon[/i][/b]
Starring: Isabel Glasser, James Remar, Sean Haberle, Peter Boyle, Malcolm McDowell, and Charles Dance.
Directed by Carl Schenkel.
Written by Patrick Cirillo.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for strong violence and gore, and for sexuality and language).
Running time approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.
[center][img]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/NuBz86/surgeon.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]Ummm...hmph...meh.[/i][/center]
I never thought I'd ever see James Remar's penis, and I never wanted to. Thanks to the glorious masterpiece of schlock horror [i]The Surgeon[/i], I have now been both let down and shocked at the sight of said individual's genitals. Great. Not only does the film blow but I get to see the unattractive Remar's dingaling. Please wait while I jump up with effing joy. ACK! [b]* (out of ****) D[/b]
[b][i]The Ninth Gate[/i][/b]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, and James Russo.
Directed by Roman Polanski.
Written by John Brownjohn, Enrique Urbizu, and Roman Polanski.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for some violence and sexuality).
Running time approximately 2 hours 13 minutes.
[center][img]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/NuBz86/ninthgate.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]Aw...Johnny's so cute when he's hunting maniacal Satanists.[/i][/center]
Roman Polanski is, as I've stated before, a master of his craft. This does not mean, though, that he is immune to failure, however slight it may be. [i]The Ninth Gate[/i], an overlong gothic thriller starring the ever-reliable Johnny Depp, is a mild failure if only because it retains a sort of deliberate pace throughout. There is not a point at which the film's pace quickens. The film does remain interesting, though, with wonderful descriptions and a sort of Hardy Boys mystery at work. I liked it, but it could have been so much better. [b]**1/2 (out of ****) B-[/b]
[b][i]Bruiser[/i][/b]
Starring: Jason Flemyng, Peter Stormare, Leslie Hope, and Tom Atkins.
Written and Directed by George A. Romero.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for sexuality, violence, language and some drug use).
Running time approximately 1 hour 39 minutes.
[center][img]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/NuBz86/bruiser.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]I guess I don't know what to think...[/i][/center]
George Romero has faltered before, and he will undoubtedly falter again (news of his latest zombie effort makes the film sound as though it will be quite the bomb...but I could be wrong). With [i]Bruiser[/i], a strange, unsavory and quite nasty little film, he has created his least impressive film to date. The performers deliver the awkward lines in awkward ways, all of them acting in a rather awkward manner. I have no idea what the film was about or what I gained from watching it. [b]*1/2 (out of ****) D+[/b]
[b][i]From Hell[/i][/b]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson, and Jason Flemyng.
Directed by The Hughes Brothers.
Written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for strong violence/gore, sexuality, language and drug content).
Running time approximately 2 hours 2 minutes.
[center][img]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/NuBz86/fromhell.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]The Ripper's gonna RIP YA![/i][/center]
I remember hearing a bunch of hubbub about the Hughes Brothers' apparently rockin'good action film [i]Dead Presidents[/i], which I unfortunately/fortunately never got to see. If [i]From Hell[/i] is any indication of their talent, I'll be seeing the older film as soon as I am able. This one, fueled by one hell of a lead performance from Johnny Depp, is a brutal, bloody mystery sporting gorgeous cinematography and a surprisingly adequate performance from eather Graham. I really, really enjoyed it, even if the revelation was a bit underwhelming. [b]*** (out of ****) B[/b]
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
There is only one word for this. Repetitive.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Gripping medical chiller about a deranged ex-doctor stalking a hospital killing off patients. There's the arrogant, suspiciously named Dr. Stein, and the hospital administrator who runs afoul of the mad doctor.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A mostly stupid slasher film, The Surgeon features decently brutal death scenes and somewhat surprising nude scenes, but, aside from that, it is a wholly forgettable piece of 90s slasher cinema. It pales in comparison to The Dentist, and that is saying quite a bit...
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
01/27/23
Full Review
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