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Shredder

Shredder

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Death to Snowboarders: Stay Away and Don't Waste Your Time
Review: "Shredder" is a supposed horror flick about the young students who unwisely (as always), against the advice of the townspeople (so typical), spend the days at a local mountain hut, where they got killed one after another while they are supposed to be enjoying snowboarding, or in their words, shredding. Pity that they didn't shred the film instead.

The familiar idea and the banal plot is not a problem at all. After all, it is the direction that matters, and I can say it's simply bad. The effect leading up to each kill is weak and lazy, and the gore is as cheesy as Ed Wood's films.

Besides the bland acting, the film suffers from the bad editing, which only helps diminish the scare. Actually, the film sometimes wants to be a comedy, when a suspicious-looking guy (obviously a killer) in black mask stalks behind a unsuspecting girl, and shows her not a shining knife or drill, but a small pamphlet about how to behave on the mountain. Apparently, the hapless students must be killed for breaking the rules of the place, or snowboarding instead of skiing.

The film would have been better with more tongue-in-cheek attitudes; as it is, with its straight-forward approach, "Shredder" looks like the slasher horror version of not-so-good "Extreme Ops." At least, the latter had a good stunts.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Train Wreck of a Movie...So Bad but So Compelling to Watch
Review: "Shredder" is so completey out of touch with reality one just has to wonder: were the filmakers trying to make a horror parody or were they just failing miserably at making a serious slasher film?
What can you say about a film with plot holes so big you could drive a snow plow through them? Or that has its characters walking around in the snow in just their underwear?
To add to the ridiculousness, at one point the killer trips and falls over a corpse. And we're supposed to be afraid of this klutz?!
I could go on, but you should really watch this one yourself to fully appreciate the absurdness of this whole mess. This movie was a riot to watch. The fact that this came from a major studio(MGM) just boggles the mind.
"Shredder" completely fails as a horror film, but it succeeds as an unintentional comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie... but probably for all the wrong reasons.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Death to Snowboarders: Stay Away and Don't Waste Your Time
Review: "Shredder" is a supposed horror flick about the young students who unwisely (as always), against the advice of the townspeople (so typical), spend the days at a local mountain hut, where they got killed one after another while they are supposed to be enjoying snowboarding, or in their words, shredding. Pity that they didn't shred the film instead.

The familiar idea and the banal plot is not a problem at all. After all, it is the direction that matters, and I can say it's simply bad. The effect leading up to each kill is weak and lazy, and the gore is as cheesy as Ed Wood's films.

Besides the bland acting, the film suffers from the bad editing, which only helps diminish the scare. Actually, the film sometimes wants to be a comedy, when a suspicious-looking guy (obviously a killer) in black mask stalks behind a unsuspecting girl, and shows her not a shining knife or drill, but a small pamphlet about how to behave on the mountain. Apparently, the hapless students must be killed for breaking the rules of the place, or snowboarding instead of skiing.

The film would have been better with more tongue-in-cheek attitudes; as it is, with its straight-forward approach, "Shredder" looks like the slasher horror version of not-so-good "Extreme Ops." At least, the latter had a good stunts.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Train Wreck of a Movie...So Bad but So Compelling to Watch
Review: "Shredder" is so completey out of touch with reality one just has to wonder: were the filmakers trying to make a horror parody or were they just failing miserably at making a serious slasher film?
What can you say about a film with plot holes so big you could drive a snow plow through them? Or that has its characters walking around in the snow in just their underwear?
To add to the ridiculousness, at one point the killer trips and falls over a corpse. And we're supposed to be afraid of this klutz?!
I could go on, but you should really watch this one yourself to fully appreciate the absurdness of this whole mess. This movie was a riot to watch. The fact that this came from a major studio(MGM) just boggles the mind.
"Shredder" completely fails as a horror film, but it succeeds as an unintentional comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie... but probably for all the wrong reasons.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What Are You Doing? He's the Killer!
Review: Ah yes. The ski lodge. A perect place to get away from it all, have fun, sleep with "foreigners" with fake accents, and dodge axes thrown at you by a psychotic skier. The done-to-death slasher genre gets nothing new added to it except for a new location in this entry.

Bad actors go on a skiing trip only to find that there is a maniac on the loose near their lodge. Scott "Whine"ger leads the horrible cast as they try to solve the mystery. Who ever could it be? WHO CARES?! The quote from my title is what Weinger says when he finds the blonde bimbo sleeping with the foreigner in their hot tub. This just gives you an idea of what this is like. I haven't given anything away though...Oh, and by the way, there's no nudity in that scene either. (I know what you're thinking...)

This is not COMPLETELY horrible, it's just not good. If you're in the mood for a low-rent movie, this is for you.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Blah
Review: I am continually amazed to discover movies like "Shredder." Just when I thought I saw it all, yet another film comes down the pipe ripping off the tired clichés of the slasher genre. I mean, how many masked killers can there possibly be roaming the highways and byways (and ski slopes) of America? There isn't a single place left where we can go without running into a psychopathic killer avenging some perceived wrong. Thinking of going to summer camp? Think again lest Jason Voorhees pops up to wreak mayhem. How about trick or treating on Halloween? Nope, Michael Myers. Feel like golfing this weekend? Look out for "The Greenskeeper." A nice trip to the beach sounds great until you remember "Jaws." Don't even think about going camping up in the mountains if "Wrong Turn" is any indication. And thanks to Leatherface and his cronies, the entire state of Texas is off limits. Skiing sounded like the only peaceful and safe activity left until "Shredder" emerged on the scene. Well, maybe it still is as long as you don't plan on using a snowboard since the maniac in this film focuses his or her grisly attentions on a batch of mouthy kids looking to "shred" the slopes during a short stay at an abandoned ski resort.

The plot of "Shredder" is, sadly, inanely simple. A rich, shrill gal by the name of Kimberly (Lindsey McKeon) wants to acquire a rundown ski resort for her wealthy father. Since a few unfortunate incidents occurred at the place in the past, Kimberly resorts to a bit of dishonesty to convince her boyfriend Cole (Scott Weinger) to go along. Her claim that the jaunt is a romantic getaway quickly collapses when Cole learns that his woman invited along a trio of obnoxious snowboarders. These three individuals, Kirk (Peter Riggs), Pike (Juleah Weikel), and Skyler (Billy O'), ultimately rank as the most annoying characters to ever populate a horror film. Also along for the ride is Robyn (Holly Towne), a woman whose promiscuity knows no bounds. Cole angry about the inclusion of so many strangers, and becomes even madder when the group agrees to let Christophe, a member of that much vaunted social category known as "Eurotrash," tag along after meeting him at a rest stop. Anyway, the kids get there, run into the obligatory hostile locals, slum around in the lodge playing drinking games, and finally hit the slopes. And that's when the trouble begins. A masked killer resembling the bad guy in "My Bloody Valentine" starts picking off the snowboarders one by one. The stalker's anger seems to stem from the string of fatalities caused by snowboarders over the preceding years. Too, the propensity for these kids to not follow rules sends this predator over the edge.

Aside from a few minor points, nothing in "Shredder" elevates the slasher canon in any way. In fact, the movie is simply one of the many horror pictures that have been heading to store shelves at the local video store for the last couple of years. Almost all of these films revel in their hideousness, which, while a boon for lovers of bad cinema, sends waves of nausea through all other viewers. Here's a list of pertinent points that should acquaint you with what monstrously idiotic things you'll see in this film:

1) A bumper sticker on a city snow removal truck that reads "Death to Snowboarders" in no way deters this group of kids from heading to the slopes. They never even comment on it, in fact.

2) You can answer the question "What country are you from?" by saying "Europe" and no one calls you on it.

3) Hanging by the neck on a ski lift won't get you noticed for hours.

4) Fatalities are a common occurrence at ski resorts.

5) Highly accomplished athletes in the field of snowboarding rely heavily on illicit substances. I'm sure real snowboarders can't say enough good things about this depiction.

Repeatedly, annoying things like these five points kept popping up throughout the film. The Skyler character is one of those annoying Jeff Spicoli wannabes who is always yelling things like "Dude!" at the top of his lungs. Kirk spends his screen time smoking and giggling. The requisite romance between the two young adults who will survive in the end hits you over the head with sledgehammer force early on, thus effectively removing any mystery about the movie. So does the identity of the masked maniac, which came as little surprise when the great moment of revelation arrived. What did work is of such minor importance that I hesitate to mention it, but might as well since I'll probably give the movie two stars instead of one. I found two of the gore effects, specifically the closet scene with Kimberly and the atrocity with the snow blowing machine, effective in theory. Regrettably, the technical aspects fail so miserably that they look cheesy rather than completely gruesome. But the two scenes are inventive and should merit a grudging nod or two.

Extras on the DVD include trailers for "Jeepers Creepers 2," "Jeremiah," "The Howling," and "Board Heads." The inclusion of several deleted scenes adds nothing relevant to the plot. I'm willing to recommend "Shredder" to lovers of low budget horror if for no other reason than to allow someone else to figure out whether the movie is a turkey or a cleverly disguised spoof of the slasher genre. After all, a few of the shenanigans unfolding onscreen are so hilarious that it's difficult to imagine the producers of the picture took their movie seriously. No matter what the case, "Shredder" is definitely a movie one should rent first before deciding whether to acquire a copy. Good luck; you'll need it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Blah
Review: I am continually amazed to discover movies like "Shredder." Just when I thought I saw it all, yet another film comes down the pipe ripping off the tired clichés of the slasher genre. I mean, how many masked killers can there possibly be roaming the highways and byways (and ski slopes) of America? There isn't a single place left where we can go without running into a psychopathic killer avenging some perceived wrong. Thinking of going to summer camp? Think again lest Jason Voorhees pops up to wreak mayhem. How about trick or treating on Halloween? Nope, Michael Myers. Feel like golfing this weekend? Look out for "The Greenskeeper." A nice trip to the beach sounds great until you remember "Jaws." Don't even think about going camping up in the mountains if "Wrong Turn" is any indication. And thanks to Leatherface and his cronies, the entire state of Texas is off limits. Skiing sounded like the only peaceful and safe activity left until "Shredder" emerged on the scene. Well, maybe it still is as long as you don't plan on using a snowboard since the maniac in this film focuses his or her grisly attentions on a batch of mouthy kids looking to "shred" the slopes during a short stay at an abandoned ski resort.

The plot of "Shredder" is, sadly, inanely simple. A rich, shrill gal by the name of Kimberly (Lindsey McKeon) wants to acquire a rundown ski resort for her wealthy father. Since a few unfortunate incidents occurred at the place in the past, Kimberly resorts to a bit of dishonesty to convince her boyfriend Cole (Scott Weinger) to go along. Her claim that the jaunt is a romantic getaway quickly collapses when Cole learns that his woman invited along a trio of obnoxious snowboarders. These three individuals, Kirk (Peter Riggs), Pike (Juleah Weikel), and Skyler (Billy O'), ultimately rank as the most annoying characters to ever populate a horror film. Also along for the ride is Robyn (Holly Towne), a woman whose promiscuity knows no bounds. Cole angry about the inclusion of so many strangers, and becomes even madder when the group agrees to let Christophe, a member of that much vaunted social category known as "Eurotrash," tag along after meeting him at a rest stop. Anyway, the kids get there, run into the obligatory hostile locals, slum around in the lodge playing drinking games, and finally hit the slopes. And that's when the trouble begins. A masked killer resembling the bad guy in "My Bloody Valentine" starts picking off the snowboarders one by one. The stalker's anger seems to stem from the string of fatalities caused by snowboarders over the preceding years. Too, the propensity for these kids to not follow rules sends this predator over the edge.

Aside from a few minor points, nothing in "Shredder" elevates the slasher canon in any way. In fact, the movie is simply one of the many horror pictures that have been heading to store shelves at the local video store for the last couple of years. Almost all of these films revel in their hideousness, which, while a boon for lovers of bad cinema, sends waves of nausea through all other viewers. Here's a list of pertinent points that should acquaint you with what monstrously idiotic things you'll see in this film:

1) A bumper sticker on a city snow removal truck that reads "Death to Snowboarders" in no way deters this group of kids from heading to the slopes. They never even comment on it, in fact.

2) You can answer the question "What country are you from?" by saying "Europe" and no one calls you on it.

3) Hanging by the neck on a ski lift won't get you noticed for hours.

4) Fatalities are a common occurrence at ski resorts.

5) Highly accomplished athletes in the field of snowboarding rely heavily on illicit substances. I'm sure real snowboarders can't say enough good things about this depiction.

Repeatedly, annoying things like these five points kept popping up throughout the film. The Skyler character is one of those annoying Jeff Spicoli wannabes who is always yelling things like "Dude!" at the top of his lungs. Kirk spends his screen time smoking and giggling. The requisite romance between the two young adults who will survive in the end hits you over the head with sledgehammer force early on, thus effectively removing any mystery about the movie. So does the identity of the masked maniac, which came as little surprise when the great moment of revelation arrived. What did work is of such minor importance that I hesitate to mention it, but might as well since I'll probably give the movie two stars instead of one. I found two of the gore effects, specifically the closet scene with Kimberly and the atrocity with the snow blowing machine, effective in theory. Regrettably, the technical aspects fail so miserably that they look cheesy rather than completely gruesome. But the two scenes are inventive and should merit a grudging nod or two.

Extras on the DVD include trailers for "Jeepers Creepers 2," "Jeremiah," "The Howling," and "Board Heads." The inclusion of several deleted scenes adds nothing relevant to the plot. I'm willing to recommend "Shredder" to lovers of low budget horror if for no other reason than to allow someone else to figure out whether the movie is a turkey or a cleverly disguised spoof of the slasher genre. After all, a few of the shenanigans unfolding onscreen are so hilarious that it's difficult to imagine the producers of the picture took their movie seriously. No matter what the case, "Shredder" is definitely a movie one should rent first before deciding whether to acquire a copy. Good luck; you'll need it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: So Bad, it's...bad!
Review: I blame no one but myself. I've seen enough direct-to-video horror movies by now to know that for every one that is decent, there are 10 more that should only be viewed in Dante's Seven Levels of Hell! This movie lacked it all, and gave us terrible acting, lame kills (most of which happened off-camera), weak story, and unsatifying ending. Since this movie has nothing going for it (besides unintentionally funny moments), I'll instead review this by mentioning what annoyed me the most.

1. Whodunnit that never makes us wonder whodunnit - This is a trend I see more and more in slasher films. About halfway through, all the suspects are present when the killer appears... with one notable exception. Thanks for ruining any semblance of a mystery!

2. Girl who hangs around with the most suspicious character- Not since "Urban Legends Final Cut" have I seen a "heroine" so determined to get herself killed. The blonde snob finds out that a mysterious stranger (who they just met right before people started getting murdered) has been lying to her about who he was, so what does she do? Why, strip down to a bikini (in the snow, mind you) and purr about how much she loves bad boys, of course! Why bother killing this character when she'll probably wind up drowning from staring up at the rain with her mouth gaping open...

3. That guy with the camera - Do horror-movie writers just have no concept of "funny" anymore?? When the "comic-relief" character doesn't say anything that even resembles something amusing, that's not a good sign. And if I heard the word "karma" one more time, I would have turned into a serial killer myself.

4. Weak motive - What's scarier than a killer who enforces mountain safety rules? Just about anything, really...

The only reason I'm giving this loser an extra star is because I thought the legend of the ghostly girl skiing down the mountain that killed her was fresh... too bad it never translated into anything we see on camera. Don't bother with this one, because 5 minutes after you watch it, you'll have trouble even remembering what happened...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A snowboard-hating skiier's wet dream caught on film
Review: I got really excited when first hearing about this movie. It's not every day one stumbles across an odd pairing of two of their favorite pastimes, in my case horror films and snowboarding. Upon examining the DVD box at the rental store however my enthusiasm dimmed somewhat as it become obvious to me just what kind of horror film this was going to be: a straight-to-vid dime-a-dozen self-referential cookie cutter slasher film. The sort of horror film that's pumped out by studios such as Fox Home Entertainment and Artisan Entertainment with inhuman regularity and readily available at your local chain video store since it contains very little amounts of graphic gore and lots of pretty faces who unfortunately can't act their way out of paper bags.

The "Rocky Summit" was a popular family-owned ski resort that has been closed for many years now due to an ugly incident where three drunk snowboarders inadvertently led a young girl to her death by making her ski straight into a tree. The ski resort went bankrupt but the property was bought by a rich investor, Mr. Van Arts. His daughter Kimberly decides to round up a few of her friends and head out to the abandoned resort for a weekend of partying and "Shredding", as the young daredevils like to put it. Unbeknownst to them a maniac is on the loose in the resort, someone who despises snowboarders and hasn't forgotten about the murder of the little girl several years ago.

Anyone considering renting this film strictly for snowboarding elements should definitely reconsider as the film has next to no snowboarding maneuvers, just a gang of teenagers lazily cruising down the slopes. There is one member of the gang named Kurk who apparently won a high-profile local context and who is a runner-up to qualify for the next Olympics. Curious then that in a two-minute demo the only tricks he is able to pull are a couple of 540's and a bunch of uninspired tail grabs. Obviously the filmmakers didn't spend too much money on trying to attract quality stunt doubles. Besides the lack of tricks there are stereotypes about the sport in this movie that will make any experienced rider cringe and grit their teeth such as juvenile pop-punk music playing throughout, a horde of product plugs(everyone in the movie wears "Dragon" snowboard goggles even the killer who supposedly hates everything associated with the sport) and of course the requisite hyperactive tweenie geek who keeps uttering outdated lingo like "gnarly", "rad" and can't finish a sentence without uttering the word "dude" whether he is speaking to someone male or female.

There are a couple of positives that I must point out however. Shot on location in Kellogg, Idaho, the viewer is treated to stunning mountain locales. When the snow falls, we know that it's real. And of course there's also plenty of eye-candy although the film's quite conservative in the nudity department. Amazingly, Shredder starts off quite promisingly. We are treated to a high-speed chase down the slopes, a snowboarder on the run from the maniac killer. The snowboarder dies a gruesome and gory death in very creative fashion. Then the opening credits roll and that's the end of the gore, really. Many of the murders are off screen and very little blood is shown, even when someone's head is chopped right off their neck. Some of the scenes are cheesy beyond belief, especially since the tone of the film is serious. It's too bad because I liked the concept but Shredder managed to disappoint both the snowboard and slasher fan in me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awsome ne movie
Review: I love this movie, the killings are prety good but you have to bypass the kinda corny actiung but it srealy good


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