Reviews (34)

Addressing The "BULLY" Issue and Good Suspense
I am amazed that some non-Christians have tried to knock this movie based upon it's content. This is NOT a movie inteneded to convert people to follow Christ.

The main focus of this movie is to convert a very good novel to the silver-screen. I think it is done quite well. The movie has a great plot, good sub-plots and plenty intense moments.

I agree Frank Peretti over-acted in this film, but hey, the film's good points far outweigh its bad points. The acting was very believable, and the bullying scenes could have been pulled right out of any high school, today. I used to be one of those ignorant bullies myself...

Leighton Meester plays Elisha Springfield flawlessly, and she is one of the most beautiful people on the planet.

David Keith (playing Nate Springfield) did a great job, after the "drug bust" scene, which I think was a low point in the movie's acting.

Andrea Morris was excellent in her role as the tormented Crystal Sparks. She really added a lot to this movie. I actually felt sad for her character during the movie.

Jake Richardson was good as Ian Snyder.

All and all, I think this movie was way better than Arachnophobia, and I think it is not a movie that tries to push Jesus on anyone. I believe anti-Christians find that a threat in any action a believer takes; even if they ask you to pass the salt...

Buy the movie, it's good!

God Bless. :-)

www.therunninggirl.com

It's a start
As a fan of Frank Peretti's novels, the idea of one finally becoming a movie thrilled me. While I found "Hangman's Curse" a good book, it wouldn't have been my choice for a first movie. Still, they manage to adapt it reasonably well. It's a little slow-paced in parts, and yes, some of the acting is a little off, but it has its redeeming points. It's a family film that should keep the interest of teens and kids (though the adults will probably find themselves going to the kitchen for popcorn quite often).

The Christian message isn't overt. As a matter of fact, this couldn't really be considered a "Christian movie". Yes, one of the main characters prays during a crisis, but that's what most Christians do. There is no "Romans Road to Christ" laid out in the film, and it shouldn't offend anyone who's not a Christian. The special effects are good, especially for the budget they had to work with.

All in all, this is a movie I'm glad I watched, but I doubt I watch it again any time soon. I look forward to another Frank Peretti film in the future, but I hope it's "The Oath" or "This Present Darkness", either of which would be incredible. Don't judge Frank's works by this movie. Read his books instead.

best movie ever
i think this movie is so great i want to see it again
i saw it at a church camp
and it was so good scary but good
i rate this 5 out 5 stars because the beginning of the movie makes you want to watch the whole movie

A good lesson against taking revenge
The only reason I did not give this movie five stars was because of the spiders. I'm severely arachnophobic, and if I'd known what was to come in the last half hour, I would probably never have hired this film.
That aside, I was disappointed to read so many negative inferences into the film. I did not see it as perpetuating the whole 'Jocks/mainstream is good - Goth is evil' thing. It was, however, a strong effort to warn both mainstream students about the evil in oppressing someone just because they are a little bit different (karma always comes back to bite you in the back), and a warning to anyone suffering at the hands of bullies about the dangers of trying to take revenge.
I also believe people have completely mis-interpreted the thanksgiving prayer right at the end of the film. It was a young man who was making his first effort at saying a prayer, and if anyone thinks God wouldn't have had a smile for him needs to take a good look at their own attitudes.
There is plenty to be positive about with this movie. One of my favourite points was when one of the Goth students tries to hang himself, and one of the jocks that had previously been harassing him ran to help and save him.
Hangman's Curse is a good story. My only concern is the lack of emphasis on the family's Christian beliefs. It is worth watching, though - assuming you're not arachnophobic.

good story with good morals
I'm not usual interested in watching Christian films. mainly bc there put on a low buget and aren't done very well. But this one caught my eye cause i loved the book. I put it on and it was done really well, it followed the book (not to the letter no). It isn't something for little kids to watch, it kind of creepy. The lesson in the movie are good sure as consequence for bullying and what happens when you take revenge. All and all a great film! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Duh, this movie isn't supposed to make sense
I read a lot of reviews of this movie and they all say pretty much the same thing, it's unintelligable, but i think that's kind of the point. The first time I saw this movie it was on TNT at 1:00 in the morning, which is the time i recommend people watch this movie if they want to get the full effect, because when you are extreamly tired, you don't care about a plot, you just say hey, that's a cool movie, which is what this movie is. There's some great visuals like sam and dave's split apartment, and plastic figures hanging from wires that are apparently suspended in mid air. You must keep an open mind when watching this movie, don't ask how sam and dave get from a bus stop bench in a dark ally to an island in the blink of an eye, just go with it...and watch out for the snake

A very funny movie
This movie was a very good movie, I can not belive anyone would give it a bad review, but then again some people in this world must not have a since of humor, I belive that evey time you have Feldman and Haim paired together you are in for a very entertaning movie, and this movies proves that to be true, I would tell eveyone reading this that you to should watch this movie!

This movie's SUPPOSED to be stupid.
This movie was written with every intent to make you role your eyes and laugh. And, for me, it succeeded very well; I didn't stop laughing through the entire thing. It takes nothing seriously, especially itself (that's called a farce). It pokes fun at the film industry and itself. If you want to take a break from reality, be thoroughly entertained, and learn nothing of redeaming value, this is the perfect movie.

WOW! WHAT A HORRIBLE MOVIE!
Ok, first off, I love Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, and I love movies, but I almost couldn't even finish this movie. They get fired from their job and kicked out of their apartment, so Feldman's uncle that is an ex-pirate actor magically warps them to his island to become scuba instructors, but his uncle's old on screen nemesis tries to take over the island and blah blah blah. I would like to meet the guy that wrote this script and thougth he had something special. The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because the two Corey's are in it, and both of them rule, they just got caught in a very bad movie.

Great Movie
Not only is this a great movie, but it has Corey Feldman! Now Corey Feldman can do no wrong by me. I think every Corey fan should see this movie. And I think Corey is one of the most talented people out there and I don't care who knows it! So make fun of him all you want because to the people that really like him it doesn't matter. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Duh, this movie isn't supposed to make sense
I read a lot of reviews of this movie and they all say pretty much the same thing, it's unintelligable, but i think that's kind of the point. The first time I saw this movie it was on TNT at 1:00 in the morning, which is the time i recommend people watch this movie if they want to get the full effect, because when you are extreamly tired, you don't care about a plot, you just say hey, that's a cool movie, which is what this movie is. There's some great visuals like sam and dave's split apartment, and plastic figures hanging from wires that are apparently suspended in mid air. You must keep an open mind when watching this movie, don't ask how sam and dave get from a bus stop bench in a dark ally to an island in the blink of an eye, just go with it...and watch out for the snake

A very funny movie
This movie was a very good movie, I can not belive anyone would give it a bad review, but then again some people in this world must not have a since of humor, I belive that evey time you have Feldman and Haim paired together you are in for a very entertaning movie, and this movies proves that to be true, I would tell eveyone reading this that you to should watch this movie!

This movie's SUPPOSED to be stupid.
This movie was written with every intent to make you role your eyes and laugh. And, for me, it succeeded very well; I didn't stop laughing through the entire thing. It takes nothing seriously, especially itself (that's called a farce). It pokes fun at the film industry and itself. If you want to take a break from reality, be thoroughly entertained, and learn nothing of redeaming value, this is the perfect movie.

WOW! WHAT A HORRIBLE MOVIE!
Ok, first off, I love Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, and I love movies, but I almost couldn't even finish this movie. They get fired from their job and kicked out of their apartment, so Feldman's uncle that is an ex-pirate actor magically warps them to his island to become scuba instructors, but his uncle's old on screen nemesis tries to take over the island and blah blah blah. I would like to meet the guy that wrote this script and thougth he had something special. The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because the two Corey's are in it, and both of them rule, they just got caught in a very bad movie.

Great Movie
Not only is this a great movie, but it has Corey Feldman! Now Corey Feldman can do no wrong by me. I think every Corey fan should see this movie. And I think Corey is one of the most talented people out there and I don't care who knows it! So make fun of him all you want because to the people that really like him it doesn't matter. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Duh, this movie isn't supposed to make sense
I read a lot of reviews of this movie and they all say pretty much the same thing, it's unintelligable, but i think that's kind of the point. The first time I saw this movie it was on TNT at 1:00 in the morning, which is the time i recommend people watch this movie if they want to get the full effect, because when you are extreamly tired, you don't care about a plot, you just say hey, that's a cool movie, which is what this movie is. There's some great visuals like sam and dave's split apartment, and plastic figures hanging from wires that are apparently suspended in mid air. You must keep an open mind when watching this movie, don't ask how sam and dave get from a bus stop bench in a dark ally to an island in the blink of an eye, just go with it...and watch out for the snake

A very funny movie
This movie was a very good movie, I can not belive anyone would give it a bad review, but then again some people in this world must not have a since of humor, I belive that evey time you have Feldman and Haim paired together you are in for a very entertaning movie, and this movies proves that to be true, I would tell eveyone reading this that you to should watch this movie!

This movie's SUPPOSED to be stupid.
This movie was written with every intent to make you role your eyes and laugh. And, for me, it succeeded very well; I didn't stop laughing through the entire thing. It takes nothing seriously, especially itself (that's called a farce). It pokes fun at the film industry and itself. If you want to take a break from reality, be thoroughly entertained, and learn nothing of redeaming value, this is the perfect movie.

WOW! WHAT A HORRIBLE MOVIE!
Ok, first off, I love Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, and I love movies, but I almost couldn't even finish this movie. They get fired from their job and kicked out of their apartment, so Feldman's uncle that is an ex-pirate actor magically warps them to his island to become scuba instructors, but his uncle's old on screen nemesis tries to take over the island and blah blah blah. I would like to meet the guy that wrote this script and thougth he had something special. The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because the two Corey's are in it, and both of them rule, they just got caught in a very bad movie.

Great Movie
Not only is this a great movie, but it has Corey Feldman! Now Corey Feldman can do no wrong by me. I think every Corey fan should see this movie. And I think Corey is one of the most talented people out there and I don't care who knows it! So make fun of him all you want because to the people that really like him it doesn't matter. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

the dvd quality is no fun
Warning! Great movie but the dvd is no fun at all. The dvd looks cheap and my first though was that I bought some kind of copied version. The only extra related to the movie is a trailer.

The movie itself has no chapters, so if you want to see something in the end of the movie you'll have to use the fast forward button from the beginning of the movie. There are no subtitels. The movie is full screen and the quality of the picture isn't great either.

I'm happy that i finally got a dvd version of this movie. Not that happy on the dvd itself. Four stars for the movie. If the dvd was better, and had extra's like a commentary, i might have rated it five stars.

Not a great DVD, but the film is superb.
I've been looking for this film on a good format for years. I even shelled out first-run prices for a rental VHS copy years ago, just to have a good copy for keeps. So I was very happy upon discovering this release of Fun on DVD.

My response to the DVD itself is mixed. Not much in bonus materials -- this is of course a by-product of how low-budget the production was. I had interviewed a key member above the line who said that this shoot was literally scrapped together, so it's a marvel the film came together at all.

Though director Rafal Zielinski is known mostly for trashy exploitation flicks (Screwballs, Jailbait), this was his moment of greatness. Much credit, however, should go to writer James Bosley. The screenplay was adapted from his stage play and the dramatic scenes and characters are so compelling that the film was already halfway there. The dialogue moves with a relentless forward momentum and there's never a boring moment with the characters' internal life. The vital central scene between tough-as-nails counsellor Jane (24's Leslie Hope, giving her career-best performance) and hyperactive teen Bonnie (a staggering performance by Alicia Witt) literally crackles with life and pathos.

Fun was rightly celebrated for its acting (two acting awards at Sundance Film Festival), or it is the four performances that hold this film together. Witt is a marvel, a whirlwind of energy that gives way to unexpected intensity and sorrow. Renee Humphrey gets the more conventional brooding role and does a fine job, but it is Witt's erratic, lovable, yet internally seething Bonnie which embodies the spirit of the film. She had brought many elements of herself to the role (Witt herself was the one who had learned to speak at the age of one month), and while that strays from the original play (where the character was far less precocious and much more of an everygirl), it works wonderfully in the context of the film. Hope has never been better, her steely resilience anchoring the film's perspective, and William R. Moses is great as visiting journalist John, and the audience's way into the psychological world of Bonnie and Hilary.

One more honorable mention to cinematographer Jens Sturup, who executes the dual visual style of the film beautifully. The scenes in colour look assured, warm and expressive, making it hard to believe this film was shot in a matter of days. And Sturup's handheld camera work in the black-and-white sequences is superb, where he executes a degree of "editing in camera" which made me believe, for the first several years since seeing this film, that there was far more intercutting in those dialogue scenes than there actually was.

The gripes I have about this DVD is that though the film was made low-budget, the release is really a bit too cheap. The DVD sleeve, for example, looks like a low-res colour photocopy, and the layouts are quite amateurish as well, far worse than the VHS release from the mid-'90s. That wouldn't have been a problem, but the DVD itself also suffers from jumps and lapses. While this could be a one-off problem on my personal copy, I somehow got the feeling that this release wasn't done by pros.

If another superior edition of this film comes out on DVD, I'll definitely be first in line. In the meantime, I think it's still worth owning this DVD, if only to see one of the best, most emotional independent films made in the '90s, made against the odds in true guerilla fashion.

horrifying look into the minds of two young girls
Hillary and Bonnie are two teenaged girls who meet and decide, just for the fun of it, they will kill an elderly woman. They don't even know this woman beforehand, they just select her to be their victim. The story is told in flashbacks from the juvenile detention hall where the two girls are held (separated from each other) and meet with a therapist/counselor Jane.

This story is reminiscent of "Heavenly Creatures", one of Kate Winslet's first films and based on a true story. I recommend both films, but warn the potential viewer that there are pretty gruesome scenes in both movies. So much for sugar and spice -- one wonders if these girls are anything other than pure evil ....

A Few Words... Of Warning? Of Enthusiasm?
I am both driven to warn people about this movie, and to be enthusiastic about it. Definetly not for the faint of heart, it is terribly disturbing. I watched the film with my best friend and we both kept staring at eachother in amazement, which could be a true sign of how masterful the piece is. Great characters and story line. If you think you can handle the psychological implications and chilling plot of this movie, then go for it!

Not bad... but not "Heavenly"
The performances of Renee Humphrey and especially the amazing Alica Witt are the main reason to watch this movie. However, yes, it IS a whole lot like Heavenly Creatures, which was much more powerful in the writing and directing categories. The ending was especially odd and contrived. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A dissapointment to Lorenzo Lamas fans!
This movie only had 2 offical fight scenes! And there were some additional "fight scenes" where Lorenzo gets jumped, and one where he goes into this guys night club and beats up a few men. Not incredibly bad storyline, but almost no fighting! Lorenzo doesn't even do his jumping pump roundhouse (a move which he is most notable using in his TV show Renegade). The movie came out one year before his show started, so I guess he was desperate for a role, so he didn't mind starring in this film. Lorenzo plays Miles Keane, a night club owner and photographer. He payed off his loan to the guy who gave it to him by fighting for him. His employer wants him to fight again, he refuses, and then gets framed for murder. Lorenzo has to fight again to save his mom and his girlfriend. This movie only gets one star because Lorenzo Lamas is in it.

An action movie for the intelligent movie goer.
This a kickboxer movie with a story line, in - depth character studies and some downright good acting. Throw in some great music numbers for background and you've got a winner. Kathleen Kinmot and Lorenzo Lamas are at their sizzling best.Anthony Geary is someone you love to hate and Arlene Dahl is super as the star lost in the past. All the actors are at their best. ... Read more