Pretty Good

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Released in 2000, "Urban Legends: Final Cut" details the events of a university in the NE USA where a mad killer starts murdering students of the film school. Jennifer Morrison plays the main protagonist who teams up with a student played by Matthew Davis to solve the murders. Loretta Devine returns as Reese, the security guard at the university. Other students are played by Jessica Cauffiel, Eva Mendes, Anthony Anderson, Michael Bacall, Marco Hofschneider, Joey Lawrence and Anson Mount. Hart Bochner is on hand as a professor.While this is the sequel to 1998's "Urban Legend," Reese is the only character that returns (with another surprise re-appearance). Like the first film, this one takes place at a NE university and involves a killer who imitates various urban legends. The big difference is the focus on a group of film school students and their endeavors competing for a coveted film award that would open doors for future Hollywood success. This is the only movie I've seen that deals with film school and I found it interesting and even informative. Whereas this angle is original and the cast is good, the story's only fairly engaging. It's rarely horrifying and sometimes downright cartoony, although thankfully not as bad as the first film in this regard. The slasher's costume this time isn't a hooded parka, but rather a fencer's mask and hooded cloak (rolling my eyes).The cast is highlighted by the attractive Jennifer Morrison, who's just as good as Alicia Witt in the first movie and arguably better. Jessica Cauffiel is another highlight, but her role's too short. Unfortunately, Eva Mendes' obnoxious lesbian character detracts (Eva is fine but her character, as written, is unattractive, although she becomes less obnoxious as the story progresses). Almost the entire film takes place on an isolated university campus, shot at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada, NE of Toronto, which is where some scenes in the first film where shot. The exception is a long carnival sequence in the second act shot at a Toronto amusement park.I've watched "Urban Legends: Final Cut" three times now and my appreciation has increased with each viewing. While the climax is cartoonish and overlong, like the first movie, the picture's worthwhile for the Scooby Doo-ish elements and the film school angle, plus the quality cast, particularly Jennifer Morrison and Marco Hofschneider.The film runs 97 minutes.GRADE: B- (6.5/10)

I kind of enjoyed the first film "Urban Legend" and probably my favourite of that long list of "Scream" imitators to follow. Straight to video "Final Cut" uses the same concept on a serial killer (donning a fencing mask) on campus using urban legends to dispatch students, but using a film within a film structure. However it lays it out in such a banal manner, still quite nasty delivering the shocks and twisty in its reveals. But it's moronic and generic as can be. At the time of its release the cast was virtually unknown with some just starting off, but now being quite well known. Loretta Devine (somewhat comic relief) is one of two to return from the original in a very unbelievable manner, while Rebecca Gayheart has a neat little reference to her original character. Jennifer Morrison is acceptable in the heroine role, with the likes of Mathew Davis, Eva Mendes, Anthony Anderson, Joseph Lawrence and Hart Bochner (who horror fans might remember in the 80s slasher "Terror Train"). The script really does like to throw about many movie references, which is never too distracting ("Digital sucks. Latex rules.") But it doesn't hide how contrived and silly it turns out to be. Not as clever as it thinks, when trying to blur the lines between reality and fantasy and the stalk and slash elements are very run-of- the-mill with little to no tension sustained. Slickly directed by John Ottman, but foreseeable and vanilla. "Urban legend my ass."

Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) I not seen this movie for years, i can't not remember I how felt about it when i first watch it.This movie is not as good as the first one but it no were near as bad as 3rd movie in series, which i really hate.This movie did start of really good and must say first death scenes in the movie was really good and creative as the movie goes on the deaths scene a little tame and boring. So did the rest of the movie felt a bit tame as well, nothing really got me into the movie at all and normal I love guessing who the killer going to be but this movie didn't even bother, i didn't really care who it was or about anyone in this movie.I didn't really like who the killer turned out to be at all but I really enjoyed the very last scene of the movie, which I thought was great way to end this movie.5 out of 10 (only because of the last scene of the movie).

"Urban Legends: Final Cut" is much similar to the first movie of the franchise, but in here we don't see that lazy plot holes. We can see some clichés of course, but they don't spoil the movie's quality as they did in the first one. The acting is good, the scenes aren't predictable (at least for me) and I doubt anyone knew who was the killer until it was revealed. Moreover, the action wasn't that exhausting never-ending scenes that makes the audience sleep, they were quickly and terminus leaving the spectator satisfied instead of bored. Bottoms up for Eva Mendes for being so sexy and bottoms up for Loretta Devine for being so funny as an incompetent police officer.