One Rarely Seen, One That Should Be Seen Rarely

UNDERWORLD-2003-Yes! Werewolves and vampires have been duking it out in a war for over 1,000 years! Didn't know that, didja?

A lot of overacting, snarling and whispering goes on amid CGI sfx, crashes and gun battles. All the actors try to be dark and moody way too much. Star Kate Beckinsale (who's husband Len Wiseman directed this; it was his first film but unfortunately he directed a sequel in 2006) looks fine as the main vampire trying to help a human who gets bitten by a werewolf foe (there's more to the plot but that's all you really need to know...) but it's just a big to-do about nothing. And despite this premise there really aren't that many werewolves hanging around. Shane Brolley as a vampire called Lucian is the worst actor of the bunch. Bill Nighy is pretty funny as Viktor, the head vampire.

A good idea wasted in a big smash 'em up Hollywood non-epic.




COLE JUSTICE-1989-A high school film teacher named Cole Justice (Carl Bartholomew who also directed) goes around town killing rowdies because his girlfriend was raped years before. He uses a six gun and a Bowie knife to dispatch scumbags while dressed in a long coat and cowboy hat. He also kills by hanging and sticks a pool cue in the barrel of a gun when it's fired at him. When he dynamites a bar some imitation "spaghetti" western" guitar music plays. He seems to get much of his inspiration from the movie SHANE. Scenes from that and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST are shown and the script contains many western quotes. He gets shot at the climax but gets away while a cop asks:
"Who was that guy anyway?"

As far as I can tell Bartholomew (who was also a co-writer) never did anything else....

Thanks for reading!