Ghost Rock

Rating:
Summary: Trying To Give The Western A Good Kick In The Britches!
Review: Always A Critic, But Never A Filmmaker... That is what comes to mind when I read these last two reviews. I have been in the film business 25 years and have never ceased to be amused by those wana "bees" who think they can just go out and make a better movie. Only people that have made films will never say they can make a better movie and those who have no idea how will always talk about how their Beer Buddy "college films" were better or how they "often think about writing and producing a low budget movie"....OMG, if life were just that easy.

I think it is worth noting that below the comment was made that there was "no lap dancing in the old west". THE WHOLE JOKE OF THE SCENE IN THE FILM IS THE GIRL INVENTS LAP DANCING (a defining moment of one of the characters).... And the poker chips were WOOD, not plastic. Again when I read a review from people that were obviously not even watching the film, it makes it a little tough to take seriously...

But, back to the matter at hand. I bought this not expecting Unforgiven or Tombstone because there is generally a huge difference between 30 million dollar films and probably a 1 million dollar film. Ghost Rock is far from perfect but at least it has a story and gives us characters with an arc, unlike the majority of straight to video films. Remember, if you are buying a film that is just mindless action, forget about it. This is really a drama with several action scenes (the last 15 minutes being one big one). The scenery is nice (and yes that includes Michael Worth, Jenya Lano, Christa Sauls, Jeff Fahey and the shirtless Indian guy), the action scenes are well choreographed and the acting is better than normal for these independents.

Actor Worth (also the writer) is not afraid to be vunerable, which is unusual in these films as the good guy is generally comic book-like in being the hero. Plus, instead of writing himself in every scene, he turns over much of the heroics to a female character which from a feminists point of view shows a secure fella : ) But, Worth is more of an actor and not an "action star-type" so that twist on the character is not surprising. The female lead (Lano) is sort of a reverse Eastwood (but not the scene mugging Sharon Stone in The Quick And The Dead) and she and Worth have great chemistry though they spend too little time on screen together. Busey is...well, Busey. You love him or hate him, either way, he's himself. You can tell Worth and director Dustin Rikert were not taking everything so seriously as Busey makes references to his Buddy Holly days in one scene.

The film has it's holes and it's shortcomings no doubt, but reading their web site, it seems obvious this was due to producer cutting and not the writing or filmmaking as most holes (How a Cowboy knows martial arts, where the Japanese prostitue came from, etc) was all in the original story. But, without knowing that, I can see where they have left some problems with their film. But there is some really nice music and the cinematography is far from being as bad as some have described it elsewhere. I just wish the DVD had some more features as aside from the trailer it is pretty barebones and some deleted scenes, making of, etc. would have made this a much higher recommendation.

So, if you are looking to rag on a low budget western, might as well rent it so you can go for it. If you are loking for production value of Open Range or Tombstone, look elsewhere (but remember some great low budget westerns like The Hired Hand...?). If you are a fan of Busey, Worth, Lano or Fahey, all four of them show here they can act (and write....) and though I have seen little of Lano and Worth before, I hope to again. Ghost Rock will not appeal to everyone obviously (ie: below) but if more of the straight to video type films were like this, we would all be buying a lot more films. Three stars for genre bending, Worth's ass, Lano's ass, a heroic love story and yes...lap dancing!

Rating:
Summary: Martial arts Shoot 'em up.
Review: Based on the reviews I've read about this film here on amazon and on other sites(imdb,etc.) I knew I'd either love or hate the film. If you're a fan of westerns or martial art movies then you'll appreciate how Ghost Rock tips it's hat to many of the old and new classics. But beware. This is a B-movie with C-list actors. If you can only watch A-list movies then stay away. Cheers! To Lions Gate for giving a fairly average movie a chance to find it's audience.

Rating:
Summary: Martial arts Shoot 'em up.
Review: Based on the reviews I've read about this film here on amazon and on other sites(imdb,etc.) I knew I'd either love or hate the film. If you're a fan of westerns or martial art movies then you'll appreciate how Ghost Rock tips it's hat to many of the old and new classics. But beware. This is a B-movie with C-list actors. If you can only watch A-list movies then stay away. Cheers! To Lions Gate for giving a fairly average movie a chance to find it's audience.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I did not think a movie made this poorly could actually make it through production and be released. I picked up a copy because I witnessed a few sceenes being filmed in Old Tucson....I thought I would keep the DVD as a novelty. No way. Bad movie. Bad acting, camera work, cinematography, and especially bad writing. A few actors looked as though they could have done better with higher quality writing...I felt a bit sorry for them. Maybe good to view for a quick chuckle at low-quality movie making. Otherwise, avoid this flick.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I liked this movie a lot. I'm definitely going to buy it in the future. I guess I don't know the difference between good acting and bad acting, because I watch a lot of movies that I think the acting was just fine, yet others seem to find the acting bad. I liked the story, the action, the fighting, the scenery, etc. I say it is a great movie, but I'm in no position to recommend movies I like to others, because most people are too picky and have high standards. I loved this movie because it entertained me. If you like independent movies, then you should like this, I think.

Rating:
Summary: I don't think lap dancing was invented in the wild west :(
Review: I've often thought about writing and producing a low budget movie, but hesitated do to lack of cinematic quality. After the release of this movie, the bar has been set very low. I've made better films in college with part-time actors (beer buddies).
Bad writing, bad cinematography, bad editing, but ok acting. I think that this movie was way too low budget and must have been made by a bunch of actors who were out of regular work...ie. Gary Busey...and that other guy...what did star in? Sad, sad, sad.
The only positive thing that I can think of about this movie is that there were some good looking men like Jeff Fahey...and that other guy :)

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Oh my. I don't know where to start. What good things can I say about this movie? Other then it was in focus, not very much. There were so many "jump cuts" (dialog, clothing and items that are out of time in a peirod movie)I was sure this western was supost to be set in the 1880's. Now I'm not a history expert, but I'm kinda sure they didn't have plasic poker chips in the 1880's. There are too many others to mention
The plot was weaker then watered down drink in a cheap bar. The acting was...bad, very bad. This was not even a B movie. The only good thing I can say was it had some ok kung fu...but what white guys knew kung fu in the 1880's? Maybe this was just a tax right off for some studio head. Who ever green lighted this should be sent back to the mail room, or worst, producing day time soaps.

Rating:
Summary: Ghost Rock: Chop Saki meets Man Thats Cocky
Review: This movie is a combination of a western, a kung fu flick and a mixed up melodrama that takes place during the lifetime of some young kids who watch a town get wiped out. One kid watches two of his friends get shot down, but grows up to find out that the girl is indeed alive and well and also seeking vengeance against the ne'er do wells who shot up their loved ones. Jeff Fahey gets top billing in this movie, but that was the same kind of scam that the movie "The Faculty" ran on Usher Raymond; use the name, get the crowd's attention so that the crowd can find out, much too late, that the person only appears for a few minutes. Fahey appears on screen for all of three minutes, all told. The remainder of the cast appears as confused about what's going on as the viewer. People are getting shot, hand-to hand combat degenerates into name-calling -- here's what I think happened. The guy who wrote it had a of ideas and only a little bit of money. So he sold the rights to somebody who had some ideas and very little money. The product is 'ghost rock.' And now, the final point which should prove how goony this flick is, and I can tell you in two words: Gary Busey. This man has issues. He hasn't been the same since he appeared in "Predator 2." In this movie he's the super cocky town power baron who wants everybody to know he's running things. But in one scene when he's in the bar, having just gunned down the bartender, and shouts "who's town is this?" not one person responds! And from there, it only gets worse. Do yourself a favor: let "Ghost Rock" remain on the shelves of the video store.