chud50's film reviews

Catfish

2010-12-16T19:26:00.002-07:00

very absorbing documentary

on the surface catfish seems like a very slight story of an internet romance, but while watching this documentary unfold you get sucked in and it turns into more of a mystery/thriller than anything else. nev is a photographer whose pictures strike the fancy of an 8 year old Michigan artist who starts to paint many of them. the two form an online friendship and her family befriends nev. eventually nev forms a relationship with abby's older sister also online and on the phone. as the movie plays you realize that something isn't quite right about the whole situation. i went into this film knowing almost nothing, and i think that's why i enjoyed it so much. excellent film about facebook relationships, internet life and love, and much more.

The Tale of Despereaux

2010-12-16T19:21:00.003-07:00

great animation, but very weak plot

so despereaux is a mouse who's not afraid of stuff, he's brave and curious... so he ends up reading stories of knights and honor and saving princesses... he ends up going on an adventure with a rat and they try to save the kingdom because the king is so grief stricken he outlaws soup. pretty lame, and not much happens honestly. the best part of the film is the great animation style and design.

The Town

2010-12-16T19:13:00.002-07:00

ben affleck showcases his talents

the town is an excellent crime drama/thriller written by, directed by, and starring ben affleck. he plays doug, an amazing bankrobber in Charleston Massachusetts (the town). along with his gang of experts they pull off jobs like clockwork. doug ends up falling for a hostage (rebecca hall) he takes and they form a relationship. all the while the FBI is on their case and trying to use any resources they can to catch them. the film is very well made, and it's not some silly CSI style crime drama. this film is intense and realistic in almost every way. the romance and stuff is predictable, and the narrative shifts from affleck to jon hamm (FBI leader), and it's hard to tell who we should root for. imagine a better version of heat, that's more realistic. that's the town.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

2010-11-27T21:23:00.002-07:00

awesome

i'll admit i hadn't heard of scott pilgrim before this film, but it was awesome nonetheless. michael cera plays scott, a canadian twenty-something year old who's in an indie band and having girl troubles. he's in a relationship w/ a 17 year old asian girl, but he's secretly in love with a new mysterious dream girl. in order to date the new girl he must overcome her seven evil exes. the film plays out like a video game stylistically. it's awesome and fun overall. i loved it.

The Social Network

2010-11-27T21:18:00.002-07:00

david fincher directs the interesting true story of facebook

mark zuckerberg created facebook and lied/cheated his way to the top in many ways... the story is played out rather well in this film. i don't understand why it got praised as one of the best films of all time though. it's interesting to be sure, but not as thrilling and dramatic as i was expecting. well written and acted, the film was quite good, just not quite as amazing as i was expecting.

Machete

2010-11-27T21:12:00.002-07:00

robert rodriguez's latest spoof of grindhouse

does it feel like it's been done already? yes, because it has. this is just a follow up to death proof, a spoof of grindhouse filmmaking, not really a homage. danny trejo (who should never be a leading man unfortunately) stars as the titular character who's on a mission to kill anyone in his way. the film is fun, sexy and funny, but the over-the-top nature of it all gets old fast.

Get Him to the Greek

2010-11-27T21:08:00.002-07:00

good buddy comedy with heart

get him to the greek is a hilarious comedy about jonah hill trying to get russell brand to the biggest concert of his waning career at the greek theater. through lots of sex, drugs and rock & roll the two become close, although brand nearly destroys hill's entire life. the film is hilarious in a lot of scenes, especially the music lyrics, and there's a fair amount of poignancy as well towards the end that doesn't kill the lulz.

Iron Man 2

2010-11-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

lots of special effects, nothing groundbreaking

i liked the first one better.

The Switch

2010-11-27T21:03:00.002-07:00

standard romantic comedy

i really like jennifer aniston and jason bateman, but this film is just a standard story about a platonic relationship that turns into romance. aniston wants to get pregnant, but can't seem to find the right man... she decides to get artificially inseminated, and somehow jason bateman replaces the sample with his own. some hilarity ensues, the end.

Inception

2010-11-27T20:56:00.002-07:00

christopher nolan delivers again

is anyone really surprised that a film featuring leonardo dicaprio and joseph gordon levitt that's directed by christopher nolan is pure win? nolan is the master of psychological thrillers, ever since following and memento, it was clear that the genre was his. inception is no different, the film is beautifully shot and the special effects are superb... but the plot itself is pretty damn good too. there is a new breed of criminal in the future, ones who access your mind to steal and implant thoughts. leonardo dicaprio is cobb, and he's hired to such things... but he's having trouble distinguishing reality from unreality. the premise is awesome, maybe not quite as brilliant as many have claimed, but still impressive for a big budget film. definitely worth watching.

The Other Guys

2010-11-27T20:51:00.002-07:00

dumb to be sure, but funny

will ferrell and marky mark star in this buddy cop film. their characters aren't original or anything, but wahlberg steals the show in one of his few hilarious roles. eva mendes plays ferrell's smoking hot wife for no reason, but she's incredible eye candy so i aint complaining! also the rock and samuel l. jackson have small roles at the beginning and are pretty damn funny. the film isn't anything groundbreaking, but funny and entertaining.

Hard Eight

2010-11-27T20:46:00.002-07:00

good slight drama

hard eight is paul thomas anderson's first feature film and it's a good drama about a young man (john c reilley) who's down on his luck outside of meets up with sydney (philip baker hall) who teaches him how to make money at gambling. he becomes like a father figure to john, but he may have some ulterior motives for this. the film is kinda slight in nature, but well acted and paced. very good early film from reilley and PTA.

Mr. Nobody

2010-11-27T20:39:00.002-07:00

excellent thinking film

jared leto stars as nemo, the world's oldest man in the world. somehow he has survived longer than any other 'natural' human in the world and is recounting his life to journalists because he is on the verge of death. the film is extremely stylistic and intriguing as we do not know what from nemo's life is real and what would have been had he made changes in key situations. he can see what his life would have been had he made different decisions, and it all blurs together. it's an amazing premise and excellent film that deserves multiple viewings.

The Crazies (2010)

2010-08-01T20:59:00.003-06:00

totally different from the original, but still good

the crazies remake is pretty damn good for a horror remake, and i really liked the realism and intensity, even though they made it more of a straight up thriller/horror film. the crazies were easy to identify, and the scares took the main stage, but it was really well executed so i like it. i also liked that there weren't any really big name actors or too many cliches. good job.

The Crazies (1973)

2010-08-01T20:52:00.003-06:00

pretty good thriller from george romero

although george a. romero doesn't stray too far from the zombie genre, he does tend to do a good job no matter what. the crazies isn't a zombie film, but rather a story about a virus outbreak that turns people insane and a small town that gets infected. the military swoops in and keeps the people in the dark while rounding them up and killing many of them. a good theme in this film is, 'who is really crazy?' and even though the special effects are dated and not impressive, it's still a good story and decent film. we'll see how the remake turned out.

Operation Endgame

2010-08-01T20:43:00.002-06:00

great cast, horrible script and execution

man this looked like a winner. rob corddry, zach galifinakas, bob odenkirk, and more, problem is that the film has more drama/action than comedy, and the script is so slight and almost nothing really happens. a bunch of funny people got together and threw this film together with almost no real ideas at all. it's based on a government secret agency that is operating behind the scenes and the leader gets killed or something and then operation endgame is engaged. now the guys need to kill eachother and end the operation before the world ends or something. it's lame. corddry is funny as usual though.

Cop Out

2010-07-24T20:14:00.002-06:00

kevin smith continues to prove he's a worthless hack

yes i said it, kevin smith is a one trick pony, and his trick wasn't even that great. this movie blows. he can't direct an action sequence to save his life, and the film isn't very funny. even with bruce willis (one of my alltime favorites) this film can't be saved. tracy morgan is meh as usual, and the story is unoriginal to say the least. they're 2 brooklyn cops, one black and one white. willis needs to recover his stolen baseball card to pay for his daughter's wedding, meanwhile morgan believes his wife is cheating on him and there is a mexican gang trying to recover a stolen mercedes benz. it's not fun, funny, action packed, or at all enjoyable.

Cyrus

2010-07-19T23:59:00.001-06:00

Black Devil Doll

2010-07-19T23:58:00.000-06:00

Captivity

2010-07-19T23:57:00.002-06:00

The Departed

2010-07-19T23:57:00.001-06:00

The Cat Returns (Neko no ongaeshi)

2010-07-19T23:56:00.002-06:00

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2010-07-19T23:54:00.000-06:00

Avatar

2010-07-19T23:53:00.000-06:00

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

2010-07-19T23:52:00.000-06:00

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2010-07-19T23:51:00.000-06:00

MacGruber

2010-07-19T23:50:00.000-06:00

Gentlemen Broncos

2010-07-19T23:49:00.000-06:00

The House Bunny

2010-07-19T23:48:00.000-06:00

How to Train Your Dragon

2010-07-19T23:47:00.000-06:00

Hitch

2010-07-19T23:46:00.002-06:00

Youth in Revolt

2010-07-19T23:46:00.001-06:00

Kick-Ass

2010-07-19T23:45:00.000-06:00

Sex Drive

2010-07-19T23:44:00.001-06:00

She's Out of My League

2010-07-19T23:41:00.001-06:00

Puddle Cruiser

2010-07-19T23:40:00.000-06:00

Happy, Texas

2010-07-19T23:39:00.000-06:00

Hot Tub Time Machine

2010-07-19T23:36:00.001-06:00

Club Dread

2010-07-19T23:31:00.001-06:00

The Slammin' Salmon

2010-04-10T04:45:00.004-06:00

another good broken lizard film

i personally love broken lizard (even though i've only seen super troopers and beerfest) and their comedic style. sure there are some misfires here and there, but overall the characters are usually likeable and funny. the 5 guys are waiters at an upscale restaurant named after and owned by 'the slammin salmon' a former heavyweight boxer. he ends up owing $20k that he doesn't have on hand, so the restaurant has to earn that amount in one night or else! lots of funny stuff, even if it's a lot like the film waiting. slight but funny stuff here.

Defendor

2010-04-10T04:38:00.002-06:00

good mix of action, comedy and drama

woody harrelson stars as arthur poppington, a 'slow' adult who believes he is a superhero fighting crime. at night he dons the persona of defendor and uses his skills and gadjets to bring petty criminals to justice. he is in constant search of 'captain industry', the man whom he believes sells drugs to the city, and that killed his mother. despite his limited mental capacities, defendor is actually successful as a crimefighter, although he keeps getting hurt and into trouble. the movie is very original, and i always love woody harrelson. the filmmakers don't make many mistakes and there aren't loads of cliches like in traditional superhero movies. highly recommended.

Paper Heart

2010-03-25T22:36:00.003-06:00

unique, but not too interesting

charlyne yi (actress/comedian/musician) is the star of this 'documentary' about love and how she doesn't believe in it. the characters are thinly veiled versions of themselves as this is kinda a mix of documentary and behind the scenes footage, but a lot of it is scripted. the interesting/touching parts involve real people talking about love. that's the documentary part of it. things change when yi develops a relationship with michael cera (her real life boyfriend at the time) and the "filmmakers" think she's falling in love. yi is likeable to be sure, but she's not feminine at all, and the fact that she doesn't believe in love gets annoying. i don't see what cera sees in her, other than she's quirky and funny.

Miss March

2010-03-25T22:30:00.004-06:00

dumb raunchy comedy that has some great moments

i've never seen 'the whitest kids y'know' or whatever the show is that launched these guys, but they have talent. the 2 main dudes in this film were unknown to me, but they are pretty damn funny. zach cregger plays eugene, a straight laced virgin in high school. his best friend tucker (trevor moore) is a playboy obsessed sexaholic. the 2 play off eachother well like any other comedy duo. basically eugene goes into a coma on prom night right before he's about to have sex with his long time girlfriend for the first time. 4 years later he comes out of the coma and discovers his woman is now a playboy centerfold, so he and tucker go on a roadtrip to find her at the mansion. hilarity and grossout moments ensue. plenty of win, but also plenty of gagworthy moments (including explosive diarrhea).

North Face (Nordwand)

2010-03-25T22:23:00.002-06:00

amazing action, incredible true story

north face is the true story of a german mountain climbing team trying to be the first ones to clmb the north face of the auger mountain during world war II. friends toni and andreas are extremely skilled alpinists who decide to make the attempt, along with other climbers from other countries. their childhood friend luise is a journalist assigned to cover the story. her role was kinda over-emphasized, but not too damning. the real treat in this film is the action and intense edge of your seat thriller moments. the film is intense and gripping, and it's a story i wasn't even aware of. great stuff all around.

Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo)

2010-03-25T22:16:00.002-06:00

cute, but beautiful anime film

once again i am amazed by the films of hayao miyazaki. his films (and plenty of other anime features) are so much more impressive than the pixar/dreamworks crap they keep churning out. i was once again reminded why i love traditional animation. ponyo is a young goldfish in the ocean who wants to be human like her new friend sosuke. she tastes his blood while healing his cut, and she begins to transform into a mermaid/girl. she and sosuke have an adventure trying to get to his mother during a major flood caused by the father of the sea. it's a little too childish for my tastes, but it's a fun heartfelt film by a unique master.

Stranger Than Fiction

2010-02-25T22:13:00.002-07:00

good idea...

will ferrell is great in this film as harold crick, a fictional character made up by an author (emma thompson) who's a very boring mild mannered IRS worker. his organized life starts spiralling out of control when he hears emma's voice narrating his life. there is a lot of win in this film, but sadly some fail. films like this always have a strange need to fill casting spots with weird out of place actors. like having queen latifah as the author's assistant. her character was completely unnecessary and just annoying. dustin hoffman was actually pretty good as another quirky professor (similar to his role in i heart huckabees). the unexplained stuff was kinda weird, like how did harold become real and was the author some sort of god? who cares, will ferrell was great in a mostly dramatic role, and his romance with maggie gyllenhaal's hippy character was enjoyable. more good than bad overall.

The Invention of Lying

2010-02-25T22:07:00.005-07:00

great setup, but almost no plot

ricky gervais is great, and in this film he's charming, likeable and funny. but this almost plotless movie about a world where no one ever lies, except him, falls flat after about 10 minutes. mark is a loser in this fantasy world of all truths, until one day he is able to lie and get everything he ever wanted. this is a funny set up, but then they bring god/religion into the mix (which isn't funny at all) and it becomes a rehash of life of brian, but not funny. i can't stand jennifer garner anymore, and louis C.K. and phillip seymore hoffman are thrown in as pointless unfunny characters. this shouldn't have been made into a feature film.

Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story

2010-02-17T21:17:00.004-07:00

really low budget improv mockumentary

blackballed isn't a bad film, it's just not a very good one. rob corddry and a bunch of other really funny people (the human giant guys, rob riggle, ed helms, etc.) made this mockumentary about bobby dukes (corddry), a paintball player who was the best, but due to cheating, was banned for 10 years. now 10 years later, he's back and wants to get back on top. so he assembles a team of ragtag paintballers and they go play in a tournament. there isn't much substance here, and most of the jokes are so slight and not really funny. it's humorous to be sure, and the absurdity of it all carries the film along... but the talent is wasted in this basically plotless improv fest. christopher guest films have done way better with the same kind of limited plot idea.

Titan A.E.

2010-02-17T21:12:00.003-07:00

very meh animated feature

wow, this is a forgettable animated film. don bluth's sci-fi thriller kids film titan a.e. (after earth) is boring, predictable, and lifeless. the earth is destroyed, and it's up to matt damon's character to find the titan space craft that his dad built so they can restore humanity. lots of weird alien creatures and some explosions ensue. decent animation, but it's incredibly dated already.

Eastern Promises

2010-02-17T21:04:00.002-07:00

cronenberg's most "mature" film

david cronenberg is one of my favorite directors. ever since i saw existenz (probably one of his worst films), i was hooked. he's fascinated by human skin and gore and awesomely unique things you don't see featured in good films often. eastern promises is an awesome russian mob movie with viggo mortensen at his usual best. he's a gangster working his way up the ladder, meanwhile naomi watts is a midwife trying to find out the past of a 14 year old patient who arrived at the hospital beaten and bruised and in labor. the woman died and left a diary with important information about the russian mob boss and how he raped her. the mob is desperate to get the diary from naomi, and viggo gets involved. it's pretty impressive stuff. the big part of the film is the tattoos that the mobsters all get as part of the ritual, and how accurate they are and everything. good stuff from one of my favorite actors, and directors.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

2010-02-17T20:55:00.002-07:00

weird, disjointed, and not good

terry gilliam's latest film (and heath ledger's last) has a promising plot. doctor parnassus (christopher plummer) is a man with eternal life and plays various games with the devil (played by tom waits) throughout the years. in modern time the doctor is a travelling carnival man with a show that gives participants the chance to enter their imagination. his daughter is about to turn 16, and when she does her soul will belong to the devil, but he decides to play another game of chance with the doctor. whoever gets 5 souls first wins! seems simple enough, especially when the dr. meets heath ledger and he helps him recover souls in some weird choice the person makes inside the 'imaginarium'. the setup is interesting, and it's a typical terry gilliam weird-fest... but for some reason the emphasis is all on heath ledger's character, and not on dr. parnassus and his daughter (the hot lily cole). it's all weird and disjointed, probably because heath died during filming, but even if he lived to complete it, it'd be pretty crappy by gilliam's standards.

Up in the Air

2010-02-17T20:43:00.002-07:00

great performances, and unique perspective

going into 'up in the air' i was expecting another hollywood type movie with little plot and some quirkiness. i was pleasantly surprised by this film however. george clooney plays ryan, a guy who's job is to fire people. he travels all over the country firing people who get laid off. he loves travelling, and is a loner with no real home. his life is great, until the company he works for decides to keep him grounded and have the people do the firing through teleconferencing. ryan hates this idea, but is forced to take the brainiac woman who came up with it on 'tour' with him to see what he does. the plot seems really thin, but it's actually really interesting. the film is sometimes funny, poignant, and often sad. there is no hollywood ending, and that's a great thing. overall this is a great sleeper film with some great performances, especially from george and the 2 female leads.

Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta)

2010-01-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

another amazing hayao miyazaki animated feature

i simply love good anime films. especially miyazaki's masterpieces. porco rosso is the story of porco, a seaplane fighter in the 1920's who looks like a pig-man. he ends up in need of repairs to his plane in order to challenge curtis,an american pilot, for his honor, and ends up meeting a young girl engineer named fio. the plot is simple and not that important. the animation is amazing and the action is great. just a wonderful animated film that is more mature in nature.

The Lovely Bones

2010-01-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

good moments, but overall crappy

peter jackson has been one of my favorite filmmakers since i saw the frighteners as a kid. my favorite films of his also include dead alive, meet the feebles, bad taste, and the first lord of the rings. this latest opus of his has some great elements, but seems too much like a shitty knock off of 'what dreams may come'. susie salmon is a young girl who gets murdered, and the film is about her journey through the afterlife trying to lead her father to the killer. it's original and all, but not necessarily a great setup for a film. the scenes with stanley tucci (the killer) are great and all, but all the afterlife stuff is lame and played. mark walburg breaks a bunch of class bottles with model ships in them in an obvious act of rage. it's just not a good original film at all.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2010-01-08T02:11:00.002-07:00

guy ritchie makes a more commercial film

robert downey jr. seems to be able to do no wrong these days. he stars as sherlock holmes in this action packed film based on the classic detective character. he and watson (jude law) are through with their final case as partners, a supernatural satanist serial killer is finally brought to justice... but days after his execution, he rises from the dead and it's up to holmes to figure it all out. the funny parts are funny, the action scenes are cool, and overall it's a well made film. it just feels a bit too 'hollywood' and commercial. i really enjoyed guy ritchie's early films, and this one has elements of his style, but quite mainstream. this is a good start for a new series of sequels to come though.

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-12-27T21:48:00.002-07:00

good dramatic adaptation of a classic kids book

where the wild things are is a reimagining of the classic maurice sendak kids book. the film is almost nothing like the book, other than the monsters look amazingly similar. max is a rambunctious kid who is having a rough time growing up. he is kinda a loner with few friends, and he feels like he's being ignored by his mom and sister. one night he goes 'wild' and runs away... he sails to a new land where the wild things are. he meets carol, douglas, kw, ira, the bull, and others. they eventually make him their king and all is great, until max starts playing favorites and doesn't rule properly (he is a kid after all). he finds out that carol (voiced by james gandolfini) is in love with kw, but wants everything to be a certain way. he eventually finds out that max isn't a real king, and flips out, forcing max to hide. he realizes that life isn't all fun and games, and that he misses his mom. the dramatic elements are amazing in this film. i teared up watching carol the monster express his feelings. it's quite impressive. it may not be how the book goes, but this version of the classic childrens book is a very good artistic achievement.

I Heart Huckabees

2009-12-27T21:41:00.002-07:00

existential comedy that isn't funny

i heart huckabees is a film about some existential philosophical stuff... 'is everything connected', 'is nothing connected', etc. bottom line, it's not funny. i love jason schwartzman, and that's my main reason for seeing this... but this film sucks. jason is a guy who's trying to make sense of some coincedences in his life, so he seeks help from an existential detective duo, dustin hoffman and lily tomlin. they basically lead him on a journey to discovering the truths about his existence, meh. all the characters are annoying and unrelatable, and like i said, it's not funny.

The Road

2009-12-27T21:33:00.002-07:00

heartbreaking, well acted, but not perfect

obviously no movie is perfect, but the road has a lot going for it. it's nearly flawless in my opinion. the biggest problems are the ending, and the kid that gets more annoying as the film goes on. viggo mortensen stars as the man, along with his son they are navigating their way through post-apocalyptic america in search of heat, shelter, and warmth. the world they live in is always cold with very little light and almost nothing is alive. we don't know what happened to the world, but almost everything is now dead. the man was married to a woman (charlize theron) who couldn't handle the hopelessness that this new world brought, and eventually ended her life. now the man and his son are on the journey to survive. they encounter gangs of cannibals who are searching for any food available. the film is very dark, and plays out kinda like a thriller. the kid gets very annoying as the film goes on... he says 'papa!' in almost every scene, and it gets very cliche. overall a good movie, but the ending also isn't that satisfying.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

2009-12-15T21:06:00.003-07:00

flawed, cliche, but not too bad

precious is a fat black teenage girl who's pregnant with her second child. she's illiterate, and her babies' daddy is her father. her mom is abusive, and she discovers she has HIV. talk about overkill! precious isn't even that much of a likeable character, despite all her problems. it's a sad movie, and one genuinely tearjerking moment... overall the film has lots of cliches, such as the overly sympathetic teacher who thinks education is the most important thing. the movie is sad, but also kinda funny in parts. the 'daydream' scenes are kinda weird, they break the story so much and interrupt the flow. i think it's a good story that should be told, but the problems facing precious are too immense, and makes everything unbelievable. gabby sidibe, the woman who plays precious, does a great job, and so does mo'nique as her mother. mariah carey however is horrid. she can't act. removing your makeup doesn't make you believeable, it just makes her annoying and pretentious. she shouldn't make a career out of this.

The Messenger

2009-12-06T22:04:00.002-07:00

amazing military drama

will montgomery (ben foster) is an iraq war veteran who was injured in action. his newest assignment is to inform the next of kin when their child/spouse is killed in action. his partner for this assignment is tony stone (woody harrelson). as the film plays out we learn more about the characters and why they are the way they are, and lots of insignt into war in general. the actors are amazing, and this is the best 'war' film since the hurt locker in my opinion. the acting is superb, by everyone involved. will gets too involved with one widow played by samantha morton. their relationship is realistic and intense... she misses her husband, and what he was like years ago, and will is looking for someone to love. the film isn't much more than seeing the two go from house to house on missions, and seeing them chat about life and stuff at the bar... but it's really emotional stuff. well made overall.

A Film with Me in It

2009-12-06T21:57:00.003-07:00

british black comedy...

'a film with me in it' is a black comedy that is quite similar to 'very bad things', but not quite as funny. the premise is funny, mark is an out of work actor who lives with his girlfriend and paralyzed brother in a shitty apartment with tons of problems. one day everything falls apart for mark... his girlfriend leaves him, the chandelier falls on his brother and kills him, the landlord whom he owes plenty of money to gets killed trying to fix a light, and so on. the apartment amasses many dead bodies, all by accident! mark's friend pierce, who also claims to be a film writer and director, comes over and the 2 try to come up with a plan. the idea is funny, and the story plays out like a thriller more than horror, but the payoff just isn't that great. mark isn't exactly a likeable guy, while the guy who plays pierce (dylan moran) is funny and entertaining.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009-11-30T00:51:00.002-07:00

wes anderson's fantastic mr. fox

i've loved wes anderson's films since seeing rushmore in theaters years ago. i couldn't quite explain why i loved them back then... and i still can't quite tell you now. my favorite is probably the life aquatic. the feel of his films, the characters, dialogue, and just overall style are so great. the films have a pleasing quality to them. fantastic mr. fox is certainly one of those films... even if it is a stop motion animated film based on the book by roald dahl. i remember reading the book as a kid, but the story was really just a blur to me now. this film is fun, funny, and even poignant at times. overall a highly enjoyable movie for kids as well as adults. unlike 'up', this film has jokes that adults can enjoy, and lots of fun for kids too. the voice acting is pretty good too... george clooney is mr. fox, meryl streep is his wife, jason schwartzman plays the son ash (my favorite personally), and bill murray, willem defoe, and others join in as smaller roles. i just really enjoyed this film, and i'm glad wes anderson is sticking to making his style movies.

Up

2009-11-30T00:43:00.003-07:00

fuck norman rockwell...

up is just like a fucking norman rockwell painting... utter bullshit. the story is about an old man whose wife of 50+ years has died, now he wants to go on an adventure he wanted to pursue with his beloved... i can't stand pixar films anymore... they're all the same. so much syruppy bullshit about friendship and what's really important and shit. fuck disney for making their films so manipulative. the film accomplishes what it sets out to... make us care about the characters. that's what they specialize in... they made us care about toys, fish, and cars for fucks sakes... why not an old man who never realized his dreams? i don't care how preposterous the plot is... i can get over that stuff, like the audience is supposed to... but the way they present life, it's so fucking phony. it's either a kids movie, or an adult movie... don't try to be both pixar!

another thing i hate about pixar... the shitty sense of humor. they're kid jokes, but they want adults to laugh at them. wtf? the funny stuff involves dug, the talking dog... but the jokes get old fast. this film is so similar to wall-e, finding nemo, monsters inc., etc. for some reason i keep seeing them too... just like the rest of the world. that's what i hate too! they have so much power over us! lol. the animation is amazing as usual, but i am just sick of their bullshit overall.

Stargate

2009-11-30T00:36:00.002-07:00

boring and meh

so i finally saw stargate, and i was disappointed. i didn't know what i was expecting, but i was hoping for something better than this... i mean this spawned some tv shows and stuff, right? plot: james spader is great with heiroglyphics and shit, so the government hires him to decipher this ancient circle thing from egypt. turns out to be a stargate that teleports you to another planet on the other side of the galaxy or some shit. he breaks the code and goes with hard boiled army guy kurt russell to see if it's safe on teh other side. they go through and can't make it back.... meet some natives, and fucked up shit ensues. the story is predictable, and the acting is good, but the behavior of the characters makes no sense whatsoever. the effects are cool, and the egyptians from the other planet have awesome pharoah masks and shit that are cool. i like spader and russell, so i can't hate it too bad, plus it's 15 years old.

Astro Boy

2009-11-25T23:01:00.002-07:00

low expectations, wasn't too disappointed.

i've been a fan of astro boy for years now, and when this movie came out i was kinda excited to see the characters come to life. the reviews were poor, and i figured my beloved memories wouldn't be realized in this modern 3d film. i was pretty much right, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. nicolas cage sucks in general, but he's even worse as a voice over actor. he's HORRIBLE as astro's scientist father. freddie highmore is great as astro however. the plot is fairly predictable, and they use so many cliches from kids movies of old... evil politicians, environmental problems that must be addressed, and friendship... there are many similarities to the film artificial intelligence... so it's obvious that we're not getting originality here. but the action is fun, and astro boy is just awesome in my opinion anyways.

Funny People

2009-11-15T19:42:00.002-07:00

good and bad

judd apatow has good stories to tell in his films. like the 40 year old virgin and knocked up before it, funny people has a good premise, and i'm sure it's at least somewhat close to his heart because that's how the other films he directed were. adam sandler stars as george simmons, a comedian not that much unlike himself in real life. he's a comedian with tons of money. george however doesn't have a family or many friends, and he recently found out he's dying of a rare form of leukemia. he decides to get back into stand up comedy and befriends seth rogan's character, ira, a struggling stand up comic who has to work at a deli just to pay the bills. the 2 form a unique friendship... meanwhile george is still in love with his ex (leslie mann, apatow's real wife) who's now married to eric bana and they have 2 kids (apatow's real kids). well, guess what... george gets better, and his ex wants to get back together with him, but ira knows it'll fuck up a family... this film is more drama than funny, and extremely long. it's almost 2 and a half hours. the funny parts are funny, especially the scenes with seth rogan and his roommates jonah hill, and jason schwartzman. the important parts of the film are rushed through, while the funny but less important parts are dragged out quite a bit. the acting is good, premise is good, but it's execution is meh.

Irreversible (Irréversible)

2009-11-15T19:27:00.002-07:00

disturbing. dark. harrowing.

gasper noe's film irreversible is a roller coaster ride through one fucked up night in france. the film is shown in reverse chronological order, like memento, and it works extremely well for this story. the film starts with a dead body and leads us through the actions that led up to a murder... 2 friends, marcus and pierre, are searching for a pimp who raped and beat their girlfriend/friend alex. they search a gay club where tons of sex acts are being performed, and i imagine the director has some unique thoughts on sex and homosexuality... anyways, one of the most fucked up/disturbing scenes in all of movie history is a 5 minute long anal rape scene involving said girlfriend, alex (played by the gorgeous monica bellucci). the scene (and overall film) was easy to watch for me, but i'd be curious to see others' reactions though. i've seen my fair share of fucked up shit on the internets by now. the rape scene however was more disturbing because it was almost like a love making scene... the man was making love in a way, while alex was in agony and pain the whole time. i imagine this is what real rape is like. anyways, the film is well acted and has some good long scenes that must have been difficult to film. the ending (or beginning of the story) is up for interpretation, but i didn't think it was as good as a story like this deserved.

Casshern

2009-11-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

epic anime style action movie, but...

casshern is a beautiful movie, and it's obvious that it was made by a music video director. the action is intense, and pure style over substance, like an mtv music video... but there is a lot of good in casshern. the story takes place in the dystopian future, where mankind is at war and a scientist, dr. azuma, is working on 'neo-cells' that will revive any human body parts and heal people. his son tetsuya goes and dies in the war. dr. azuma's liquid works and he accidentally creates a new breed of neo-sapiens who vow to destroy mankind, and tetsuya is revived as casshern, an incredible warrior who must take down the neo-sapiens and end the war once and for all. the film is epic, and for the most part it's awesome... but i think they tried to cram too much into this film. there is drama, romance, war, action, sci-fi, animation, etc. all in one film, and i think they shoulda focused more on the action personally. casshern is a badass, and the scenes with him are awesome, but some of the drama is so over the top, soap opera-ish that it takes away from the cool stuff. like i said, the film is style over substance, and that's fine if they stick with it. when they try to half ass the substance, it shows.

Cannibal Holocaust

2009-11-14T14:19:00.008-07:00

other than some poor acting, this is a great film

cannibal holocaust is a very disturbing horror-drama film. there are scenes of extreme violence against humans (fake) and animals (REAL!). the story is really, really original. there is a documentary filmmaking crew that goes to south america in search of uncivilized man, but they go missing, so an anthropologist goes in search of them. what he discovers is that they were killed and eaten. he finds their film cans and takes them back to the states and he discovers the true horrors. honestly, if this wasn't a grindhouse horror movie, it'd be a masterpiece. the acting is often crappy, but not bad enough to ruin the great story. the animal killing doesn't bother me as much though. i mean, those animals were killed and the images live on forever... when we kill animals for food, it lives on for a few meals. the turtle death scene was crazy, and the true horrors of the film that i mentioned are shocking and gives the story such an amazing twist that is much better than the shit we make today. this film definitely isn't for the squeemish, or animal lovers. truly terrifying shit lies within.

Whispering Corridors (Yeogo goedam)

2009-11-14T14:11:00.004-07:00

stale korean horror film

after seeing lots of good asian horror films, one like this just doesn't compare. a high school is being terrorized by the ghost of a former student who commited suicide. her former friend, and new teacher at the school is investigating what happened, and meanwhile 2 girls are trying to contact spirits... a few people end up dead, and overall it's kinda confusing. i just didn't like it as much as other more recent asian horror films involving ghosts. this is somewhat of a classic now, and has inspired some sequels.

High Tension (Haute tension)

2009-11-14T14:03:00.003-07:00

holy shit it's suspenseful!

marie and alexia are 2 college friends who go on a trip to alexia's parent's farm to get some school work done. in the middle of the night a psychotic killer comes and kills her whole family and takes alexia away in his van, while marie hides and attempts to free her. the title is perfect, there is so much tension in the film, and the way the filmmakers did it is amazing. there IS a twist in this film, and some people think it's horrible, but i love it! this is a great horror film in my opinion!

Hard Boiled (Lat sau san taam)

2009-11-14T13:56:00.002-07:00

john woo and chow yun fat do it again

chow yun fat stars in this cop action extravaganza directed by john woo. it's not as good as 'the killer', but it still has plenty of good action and explosions. tequila is a hard boiled cop who's after gun smugglers after his partner got murdered by mobsters. the main showdown takes place at a hospital with a high body count, and tons of explosions. kinda ludicrous, but overall a good action flick.

Thirst (Bakjwi)

2009-11-05T23:13:00.003-07:00

unconventional vampire tale

chan-wook park, director of oldboy and i'm a cyborg, but that's ok brings us a unique horror/dark comedy about vampires. father sang hyeon volunteers to get infected by a virus because he believes in the power of prayer and wants to prove it for research. he dies, but comes back from the dead as a vampire. now he isn't a typical vampire with fangs and no reflections, but he does live on human blood and can't go out in daylight. most of the story is about how he develops a relationship with a troubled young woman tae-joo. now that father is a vampire, he can't control his urges and the 2 have amazing sex and passion, until she decides to become a vampire too. the 2 of them eventually go on a killing spree and father decides it must stop. this film is great, and very similar to i'm a cyborg. the special effects are often amazing, and the camera work is so unique that i appreciated it the most out of all aspects of this film. there are quite a few funny parts, and the gore and 'slurping' noises are gross, but totally add to the twisted ambiance that park has created.

Supervixens

2009-11-02T00:33:00.002-07:00

big tit thriller from russ meyer!

supervixens is the tale of clint ramsey and his misadventures with women. he's in a relationship with superangel (played by shari eubank in a dual role), she's a nagging jealous bitch of a woman... but a policeman ends up murdering her and frames clint for the murder. now clint is on the run and keeps meeting buxom women who want to fuck him... but he refuses each one. until he meets supervixen (also played by shari) and they have a wonderful life, until the pig shows up again to ruin it all. not much to the story, mostly just lots of hot chicks w/ big breasts. it's overall very entertaining and sexy, and pure russ meyer.

A Serious Man

2009-10-29T21:38:00.007-06:00

best coen brothers movie ever?

the latest film from the coen brothers is certainly one of their least marketable. surprisingly with all their success, they still can make great low budget films with more artistic style and less conventional plots. michael stuhlbarg stars as larry gopnik, a jewish man in the 60's who is basically getting shit on from all over the place. he is searching for answers from neighbors and rabbis, but nothing is adding up. much like how god seems to act in reality (if he exists). the film overall is amazing to watch, there is some great black comedy and amazingly poignant moments. so much of the plot and dialogue involve judaism, and i love that the coens didn't dumb it down for mainstream audiences. i didn't understand a few things, but that's fine. the acting, cinematography, and scenery are amazing, and the ending is perfect imho.

first 10 star review since starting this blog. yusss

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

2009-10-18T01:24:00.003-06:00

fast cars, hot women, and violence.

faster pussycat is an epic cult classic, and one of russ meyer's best. varla, rosie, and billie are 3 hot chicks who drive fast cars, and are looking for trouble. varla, played awesomely by tura satana, is the leader who is making all the decisions. they end up getting into trouble by killing a guy whom they encounter racing his car in the desert. they kidnap his distraught girlfriend and head on the lam until they encounter an elderly crippled man who has a stash of money in his house. the film is very talky, with some of the most campy yet awesome dialogue i've ever witnessed. the film is quite quotable, there are some horribly awesome action scenes, and of course a few gorgeous/buxom violent women seal the deal. truth be told this is the first russ meyer film i've ever seen all the way through, and i'm glad i started with this classic. i liked it in the same way i enjoy john waters' films. it's campy.

Zombieland

2009-10-18T00:59:00.002-06:00

woody harrelson killing zombies on an epic quest for some twinkies

yes, the fatty snack food... anyways, zombieland is a fun action packed zombie film similar to shaun of the dead. jesse eisenberg stars as columbus, a loner college kid who somehow is still surviving the zombie apocalypse. he meets up with a somewhat unbalanced psycho zombie killer (woody harrelson) and they continue their quest through 'zombieland' together in search of unblemeshed land, and twinkies. they meet up with 2 girls, emma stone and abigail breslin (whom i can't stand btw) and horror/comedy ensues. a really fun and cool movie, with some originality even, which is weird since there are so many damn zombie films now (george romero has to be up to 20 now, i swear). there are some really good scenes, and great use of high FPS camera. the product placements were a bit much though (fedex ffs) but not horrendous. also, the celeb cameo (which i guess is supposed to be a big secret) is awesome!

Street Trash

2009-10-11T00:42:00.003-06:00

street bums, napalm hooch, necrophilia, and much more!

street trash is a decent 80's b-movie. freddy (our protagonist) is a bum who runs around trying to score cheap alcohol, cash, and easy women on the streets of new york. meanwhile a liquor store owner uncovers some really old bottles of booze called 'viper'. turns out this stuff turns anyone into liquid from drinking just a sip! so, bums start melting all over, and some shitty cop is hunting down a killer. meanwhile freddy is just trying to get his fuck on with a drunken whore whom he eventually date rapes! once he's done with her the other bums (who behave more like zombies than actual humans) rape and kill her... then this fat ass junkyard owner finds her dead body, and he rapes her! more people end up melting in an awesome display of b-movie special effects. lots of liquid body parts, ooze dripping from people's bowels, etc. one of the funnier scenes was when the leader of the bums gets peed on and he instinctively cuts off the pee'er's dick and the bums play keep away with it! awesome. the filmmakers probably had some deeper message with this film, probably about homeless people and alcohol or something, but it isn't too prevalent. this is entertaining, but the acting and dialogue are so horrible at times.

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex)

2009-10-09T22:07:00.003-06:00

well made, but...

the baader meinhof complex is based on the true story of anarchist rebels andreas baader and ulrike meinhof, and their rise to power in 70's germany, and their international following. the film is very well made, and good. the subject matter however is aggrevating. the filmmakers however seem to idolize these people, and i found them to be completely reprehensible. sure the world was full of shit at the time (still is by the way), and these people stood up against it in their own fucked up way... but what did they actually change? nothing. they were terrorists with giant egos and no true sense of reality. i noticed that several terrorists (RFA fighters) shot at cops, but the instant that they were wrestled to the ground we heard them moan in agony from the pain! wtf? dude just killed a bunch of guys, but we're supposed to feel sorry for them when they're taken down and handcuffed? i think the filmmakers failed to make a strong enough case for these people. they all came off as ignorant idealistic college kids who we should love and respect. i didn't buy it. we were supposed to feel sorry for them when they were jailed in solitary confinement. the people fucking used pipe bombs and stole cars!

like i said though, the film was very well made, especially the special effects. there are some great bullet wounds that are incredibly realistic. the movie also goes very long, around 2.5 hours!

9

2009-10-09T21:57:00.004-06:00

awesome animation, design and concept, but......

9 is a cgi animated film about 9 ragdolls, created by a scientist, living in a post-apocalyptic world trying to survive. the final ragdoll creature '#9' (voiced by elijah wood) has just awoken in this strange place and he meets up with some of the others. they all can speak and think like humans, but are small and have different personalities. they are on the run from an evil creature, until #9 accidentally unleashes something much larger and fierce. the leader #1 (christopher plummer) is stubborn and refuses to let the others try to save #2 (martin landau) when he is captured, blah blah blah. the story is slight, but full of good action and beautiful animation. the main problem is the fucking ending! jesus, it was horrible. i won't give it away, but let me say that it was not at all satisfying. that's not necessarily the point of this film, but damn it was a letdown.

on the plus side, the voices are good, especially john c. reilly (#5) and crispin glover (#6). anything crispin is in becomes instantly improved, so i can't fault this film too much.

Big Fan

2009-10-04T21:02:00.004-06:00

patton oswalt impresses

in big fan, patton oswalt plays (quite convincingly) paul aufierio, a 30 something man whose only real passions in life are the new york football giants, and calling in a local sports radio show to talk smack on the air. along with his friend sal, played by one of my favorites kevin corrigan, they devote all their time to cheering for their favorite football team. paul is a pathetic loser to most, but he doesn't see himself that way. he lives with his mother still, doesn't own a car, and has a shitty job as a parking attendant on staton island. he doesn't want a life like his brother, who is a seedy lawyer that dumped his wife for his mistress. things change drastically for paul when he and sal follow their favorite giants player to a strip club, and he gets his ass kicked by his hero. now he doesn't want to press charges, because this will hurt his team! the film is mostly a drama, even though the material is often humorous. paul is a great character. he is a total loser, we hear people like him on the radio every day, but 'big fan' gives him depth. paul goes so far for his passion on the radio and for the giants that he takes some drastic measures towards the end of the film. the only problems i had with the film were the unresolved conflicts in the story. i really like how true to football fans this movie is. they don't do the typical hollywood bullshit, the filmmakers know their stuff and the details are spot on. overall it is worth a look.

The Killer (Dip huet seung hung)

2009-09-29T20:00:00.005-06:00

the way action movies should be

the killer is one of john woo's best films. it's an action drama about a hitman with a heart. chow yun fat stars as ah jong, a long time contract killer who believes his victims are guilty of something so it is justified. he accidentally blinds a beautiful singer named jenny, whom he loves from afar. he cares about her so much and feels guilty, so he takes care of her and they fall in love. ah jong agrees to take one final contract so he can pay for jenny's cornea transplant surgery. this is where things go out of control! lots of gunfights, some explosions, blood and guts, and plenty of awesome. there are car chases involving the sergeant who is hot on the chase of ah jong. eventually the 2 become friends against a common enemy, new killers out to kill the titular character. ah jong learns that people all deserve to live, and what he's done is wrong. this doesn't stop him from killing a shit load of guys in the awesome final act though! this is my only complaint: the 2 main guys expressing their respect and friendship with eachother goes on too long... and the film in general is a little too long. it doesn't get boring at all however, which is great.
john woo sure can make a good action film, and the killer is a great example of this. even though it's 20 years old, it still kicks modern action movies asses.

Alice (Neco z Alenky)

2009-09-27T01:30:00.003-06:00

jan svankmajer in wonderland

i have always enjoyed stop motion animation, especially when i was young. now i still like and appreciate it, but it isn't as magical and amazing as when i was a kid. alice is a live action/stop motion animation film by jan svankmajer. i'll admit that the only other films of his i've seen was little otik and faust. i've always heard how dark and disturbing his films were, but i didn't get that from them at all, and that disappointed me. alice isn't much different in my opinion. it's mostly just repetative stop motion action set in the small world of alice in wonderland. the film seems so small, like we're stuck in a little house with a few tiny rooms, and hardly anything happens. the film follows the basic story of alice in wonderland and through the looking glass (i believe), and offers little new to the many many versions out there. the stop motion animation is good as usual, but it's almost just a gimmick. like i said, there is a lot of repetition, and little adventure to be had.

Cold Souls

2009-09-26T17:34:00.006-06:00

paul giamatti continues to annoy me

cold souls is a quirky little film that is very similar to being john malkovic. paul giamatti plays himself, a "famous" actor who is having trouble seperating his acting from his real life. he discovers a new company that is able to store humans' souls for them. somehow he thinks this is the solution to his problems. he gets it removed and he feels empty, so he gets a soul transplant from some russian poet. eventually he wants his soul back, but the russian black market has stolen it and given it to some soap opera actress who thinks it's al pacino's soul. sounds quirky and funny, but it's mostly just boring and annoying. the MAIN thing that bugged me about this film... why the fuck would anyone want to remove their soul? temporarily or otherwise? this made no sense, and they didn't explain that part at all. sure it's an interesting concept, what if our soul was tangible and we could change them with eachother... but the filmmakers don't even know what a soul is, or what it means to have it removed or replaced, so it's a pointless exercise in bullshit. paul giamatti may be a good actor, but how can anyone take that creepy little fucker seriously? honestly? he looks like a goofy little bastard in everything he does.

OH, and what the fuck is up with emily watson's hair in this? she has man bangs or something. fucking atrocious looking.

Inglourious Basterds

2009-09-21T00:48:00.004-06:00

jews killin nazis

quentin tarantino's latest opus started off as a remake of the italian film 'inglorious bastards', but i guess he decided to make an entirely different world war II film of the same title. the film is kinda 2 stories in one. one involves the said 'basterds' who are american jews on a mission to kill as many nazis as possible, and the other story is about shoshanna dreyfus, a jewish woman who escapes certain death and is plotting to kill the german elite. see, she now owns a movie theater in france where hitler and his cronies are going to screen a new propaganda film and she has the idea to burn it down with everyone still in it. meanwhile the allied forces have a similar plan and get the basterds to pull off the ambush. it's a tarantino film, so there's tons of dialogue, lots of it seems to be for no reason, but he built suspense rather well in this one. there was plenty of gore and funny moments, but not real comedy. i loved this film throughout... even though it was long as fuck. some of the best parts were the gore effects, like when the "bear jew" kills a guy by bashing in his skull with a baseball bat. pure awesome, and i love seeing jews kill nazi fucks...like in 'defiance'. brad pitt and christoph waltz shine as the 2 main leads. i should also add that the style of the film is all over the place, and i like that. there is a good mix of english, german and french as well.

Extract

2009-09-17T22:21:00.002-06:00

good, not great

i like mike judge's movies... not so much the cartoons, but movies are good. extract isn't as funny as office space or idiocracy unfortunately, but it is enjoyable to be sure. jason bateman (who i really like for some reason) stars as joel, the really likeable owner of a flavor extracts business. the business produces, bottles, and distributes the stuff in one building that joel basically built himself. unfortunately he's in a now sexless marriage and his life is getting kinda shitty. he meets a flirty girl (mila kunis) who he wants to maybe get with, but to feel comfortable about it he tries to get his wife to cheat first. turns out mila is a conwoman who is causing all kinds of problems for joel and his company when one employee gets his balls shot off in a freak accident at the plant, and she convinces him to sue for millions. gene simmons has a role as the greedy accident lawyer, and david koechner plays the incredibly nosy/annoying neighbor (rather well btw). the movie is very likeable, somewhat predictable, and never really hilarious or groundbreaking.

Tetro

2009-09-17T22:01:00.003-06:00

it's francis ford coppola, what did you expect?

tetro is the latest film from hit and miss "legendary" director francis ford coppola. other than the godfather I and II, i think all his films have major flaws that detract from the overall work. tetro is no different. vincent gallo plays the titular character who has obvious family issues to deal with. he fled his family and home when he was young to buenes aires, now his younger brother benny (played by alden ehrenreich) has gone on a trip of sorts to find him and understand his family better. when the brothers meet, tetro wants nothing to do with benny, or his family, and it's a mystery as to why. benny discovers tetro's secret writings and begins to learn more about his father (a famous composer) and their uncle. sibling rivalry is a big part of this film, and just family dynamics in general. the plot is very good, but goes on too long. there are at least 3 scenes where benny tries to confront tetro and tetro throws a fit... we get it, he wants to be left alone!
there is a twist in this film, and it's very good... but towards the end of the film it all falls apart. alden overacts, the script becomes way too convoluted and pretentious, and it just kills the goodwill they built up during the entire film. the film is in black and white, with flashbacks/dream sequences in color. i thought the music was often too upbeat for such a serious movie, but not too big of deal. i saw this film mostly cause i LOVE vincent gallo. everything he is in is better because of him. he's seriously my favorite, and he is great in this as well... even when the script gives him some shitty lines here and there.

Kenny

2009-09-16T01:32:00.004-06:00

the best mockumentary ever?

kenny is a mockumentary, but if you didn't know that going in, you may never know it. it's the story of kenny, an australian plumber who delivers, installs, and services porta-johns. he takes us on a journey through his world. from the small details of the toilet business to his real life problems with his ex-wife and having a not so respectable job. shane jacobson plays kenny, and fleshes him out brilliantly. the character is so real and fleshed out, it's amazing. there were plenty of times where i laughed, and at least one time where i almost cried. a big part of the film is paying respect to those who do the world's dirty jobs, and that they should be given their respect. i have had less than perfect jobs and assignments, and i completely sympathize with this character. great job all around.

Halloween II (2009)

2009-09-14T00:38:00.005-06:00

crappy sequel

rob zombie isn't exactly a stellar director in my opinion. he does however make entertaining splatter films with lots of cameo appearances by old b-movie actors and somehow manages to flesh out characters rather well. halloween II is the sequel to the 2007 reboot of the michael myers saga which i rather enjoyed. this halloween gets a little more trippy with dream sequences, some bizarre white horse imagery and some random weirdness. michael is back (did anyone really believe he was dead?) and he's on a quest to find his kid sister, laurie, who "killed him" in the last movie. most of the kills are standard horror fare, and not really shocking by this point. the only original stuff involved the white horse and michael's dead mom and michael himself as a kid. they appear only in michael and laurie's heads.
malcolm mcdowell returns as dr. loomis who is now nothing more than a money grubbing asshole author looking to exploit the victims and entire michael myers story. he gets his in the end however. what sucked the most is that they featured young michael a lot in this film, but the original kid (the incredibly creepy Daeg Faerch, was replaced. apparantly it was because he got too old, but still, that killed the mood of the the scenes he was in. also there wasn't much of the classic halloween music in this one and that was a shame. overall a pretty poor sequel to a film that had potential to be better than the original.

Management

2009-09-09T00:46:00.003-06:00

disjointed romantic comedy/drama

steve zahn stars as mike, a lonely motel manager in a small arizona town. he meets sue (jennifer aniston), and falls in love with her immediately. mike is socially awkward and tries way too hard, but somehow sue sees something in him and the 2 hookup. once she goes home mike follows (more like stalks) her for the next few months. the 2 have chemistry, but both need to change in order for the relationship to work. eventually sue ends up with her ex-boyfriend jango, an ex-punk played by woody harrelson who provides stability. anyways, the film has some hilarious moments, especially when zahn meets his new friend al, who is especially funny. the film has some decent drama, but a lot of the plot elements seem tacked on especially when steve zahn becomes a buddhist monk. it's a good idea, but seemed to be added at the last minute, because it was almost pointless to the plot. also the characters seem to not act the way people would in the same situations, and that was kinda annoying. overall i enjoyed this film despite the flaws.
also, management features one of the worst uses of product placement i've ever seen was when sue and mike hand out burger king coupons and powerade to the homeless. that's so dispicable. 'omg burger king is saving the homeless! and we get to advertise to the world in a really cute way!' that really pissed me off too.

Repo! The Genetic Opera

2009-09-07T12:48:00.005-06:00

if not for the singing, i woulda loved it

repo! is a musical from Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. it's obvious that they put lots of effort into the screenplay, songs, and music for this highly ambitious film. the story is great, visuals are stunning, and a lot of the music is good too. it's just too campy, in a rocky horror picture show way. this can be good, but with a plot as good as this i just don't think it works that well.
in the future people get organ transplants often, and one company supplies them: GeneCo. if people can't make payments on time for these organs, geneco sends in the repo men to remove them. rotti the geneco owner is dying and must leave his company to one of his 3 rotten children (one of which is paris hilton ffs), so he tries to find a new heir, shilo. she's the daughter of rotti's true love who died years ago. he was responsible for killing her but pinned it on her husband and shilo's father, nathan. nathan is forced to be a repo man which he keeps a secret from shilo. this all sounds complicated, but gets explained pretty well through comic book flashback sequences. i liked the whole idea of the repo men, all the other stuff doesn't do it for me, but i appreciate how ambitious the entire plot is. i mostly just don't like musicals all that much, and the singing in this gets rather annoying quickly. some dialogue is spoken, then sung and back again. i didn't like that whole aspect of the film, which is a huge important part.

In the Loop

2009-09-07T12:38:00.004-06:00

very good political satire

in the loop is somewhat a behind the scenes expose of what happens in the modern political process, but it's a hilarious comedy! the leaders of the US and UK want to go to war in the middle east, and the only thing stopping them are facts. the film is very talky, and a lot of it is funny as hell. one british minister has an innocent remark about the possibility of war, and he gets thrust front and center in the debate. meanwhile he has seemingly miniscule problems with his few local constituents that may cost him his job. the film is very funny and well acted, other than james gandolfini who unconvincingly plays a peaceful general. it is easy to miss some dialogue because they all speak so fast, and there are plenty of british accents, but overall this film is great.

The Isle (Seom)

2009-09-07T12:29:00.004-06:00

erotic, disturbing, and weird

the isle is a korean drama about a suicidal man trying to escape from his problems. he flees to a small vacation community of small floating houses, ran by a mute woman who may have mystical powers. the woman and man form a unique love/hate relationship, and develop deep feelings for eachother. well, as the story goes on at a slow pace, some people die, others attempt suicide, and lots of sex. there are some disturbing scenes involving fish hooks and rape, but you'll have to watch it to understand. the ambiguous ending is indeed weird, but that's what makes it good. the weirdness quality and good acting make this one worth seeing for sure.

Dead Snow (Død snø)

2009-08-30T02:29:00.017-06:00

there are no winners when you fuck with nazi zombies.

dead snow is a norwegian zombie film. the film is nothing new or original, except for the fact that the zombies are former nazis. a group of 20 something year old kids go to a cabin in the mountains for a vacation, then the encounter a bunch of zombies and they kill eachother for a while. some fun stuff, plenty of good special effects, and some bad ones... but it's enjoyable enough. i'll probably forget about this one in a few days tbh.

The Lookout

2009-08-30T02:18:00.013-06:00

good crime drama

joseph gordon-levitt stars in the lookout as chris pratt, a 20 something man who got in a car accident (completely his own fault) and has severe head trauma. this leaves him with some memory loss and an inability to lead a normal life that he wants. before the accident he was the big man on campus, with a very bright future ahead of him. he works for a bank as a janitor, and gets involved with some criminals looking to rob the bank. the film has a lot of implausible circumstances, and a few cliches... but overall it is entertaining and has just the right amount of tragedy/drama to make it deeper than your average bank heist movie. joseph levitt is good as usual, and jeff bridges (who plays his blind roomate) is good too. isla fisher is not convincing as a hooker pretending to be chris' boyfriend, but i generally don't like her anyways.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

2009-08-28T22:47:00.006-06:00

will ferrell is losing teh funny

the goods should be a funny movie. it's jeremy piven and a bunch of funny people playing sleazy car salesmen. good premise to be sure. but the movie isn't funny at all! the least funny person in the whole fucking movie? will ferrell, who also produced this piece of shit. how does that happen? he figures, "i'll show up and wear some silly facial hair and do something completely unfunny, and it'll be a blast!" his character is the worst ever. but anyways...
this film is a typical cliche fest. there are 4 car salesmen who travel around helping struggling dealerships move cars. it's kinda like the group of 4 anchormen in 'anchorman', but not at all funny. jeremy piven is the main dude who can sell anything to anyone, but is looking for a family now that he's getting older. of course he gets the girl and the dealership they're trying to save in the end does well. nothing original to the story at all... and like i said several times, IT'S NOT FUCKING FUNNY. wtf is going on now? they figure we'll get a bunch of telented people in a movie and not even worry if the audience is laughing or not? this is awful.
4 stars cause craig robinson is kinda funny, and i like jeremy piven for some reason. also, what the fuck was with james brolin and alan thicke? they were in the movie for no reason, cause they didn't provide any lulz at all. horrible waste of cameo spots.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2009-08-27T20:26:00.005-06:00

blah love story featuring 2 annoying leads

i still really like michael cera, even after seeing him in year one. however, in nick and norah's infinite playlist (such a pretentious title btw) he is annoying as holy hell. he stars as nick, an indie hipster who is into music, but he just had his heart broken by tris... a heartless bitch who cheats on men often. he's uber sad and in search of closure. along comes norah (kat dennings) an equally annoying hipster who is in love with nick even before she ever met him. the whole film takes place one night when one of norah's friends needs a ride home cause she's hammered, and nick's friends want the 2 love birds to hang out together all night... really dumb stuff, and i swear i've seen this film many times under different titles. i certainly didn't hate this film, but it was very predictable, kinda silly and quirky, and like i said the leads were annoying. the only funny stuff involved michael cera's gay bandmates/friends.

The Cove

2009-08-19T21:24:00.008-06:00

intense and gripping, but manipulative

for a documentary, the makers of the cove sure do a lot of tampering with their subject matter. richard o'barry (the trainer/actor from the flipper tv series) is a dolphin activist. he's been saving, or trying to save dolphins for years and has a deep love and connection towards them. it's easy to understand, they are gorgeous creatures and very smart. in taijii japan they gather up dolphins for sale to museums and sea world type theme parks around the world. they are very valuable to the city. the ones who don't make the grade are suprisingly killed and sold for meat.
richard and his friend gather up some experts to attempt to expose the small village in japan for their anual brutal slaughter of dolphins in a secret cove. the group of activists go on a covert mission to place hidden cameras in spots where no one, other than the fishermen and government, has seen. the footage they get is shocking and brutal to be sure. the film documents the mission, the killings, and plenty of background on the issue, including detailing the very high mercury levels that dolphins contain. the japanese government hides this secret from the world and the cops/fishermen in the area are very testy when it comes to outsiders seeing what they do there.
now don't get me wrong, killing these creatures sure seems awful and horrific and wrong (which it surely is in my opinion)... but it isn't nearly as bad as factory farming, and the practice brings in shit tons of money for these people. how and why would they stop doing this? it would damage their economy tremendously. the cause is noble, but the only solution is to make them quit. that's not good enough. the only way to end atrocities like this would to end the demand, and that may never happen. the filmmakers manipulate the film in such a way that it becomes unreal and that is troublesome. how much of their footage is real? they created the action themselves. i admire the guerrilla filmmaking style, but i think they probably left out a lot which is sad.

Halloween (2007)

2009-08-17T02:15:00.008-06:00

entertaining, over the top splatterfest

rob zombie adds some background and depth to michael myers in this reboot/remake of halloween. the opening scene is so entertaining and over the top that it got me hooked real fast. the rest of the movie however went a bit slower and after the first few slashings it wasn't too original. even with the added backstory, we still don't know much about michael myers. in some ways that's good, but it also left me feeling cheated a bit for caring about his childhood which revealed little.
still, this is a fun remake, much like the new friday the 13th and my bloody valentine. i hope zombie doesn't take this film too seriously, because it was more silly than disturbing. also, it's always fun seeing classic b-movie stars in rob zombie's films, and of course his wife has a big part too.

District 9

2009-08-16T23:09:00.005-06:00

the way sci fi action should be

district 9 leaves us with plenty of questions, but that's a good thing. aliens arrive on earth and they can't leave cause their ship is broken. us caring humans give them a home and supplies for 20 years, until they become too much of a burden so they must be moved. the alien affairs people must relocate them, but the aliens aren't having it. the film touches on a bunch of social issues, as well as issues of the past involving the aparthied and holocaust, not to mention the importance of human life and monetary gains.
the film makes us care about the nameless 'prawns' in a way that most films don't even attempt. in independence day we didn't care... they were just here to kill us. but in district 9 they have human elements and i think it is awesome. the special effects are incredible, and it didn't seem like a typical hollywood big budget cgi fest. the film was made by south africans, with local talent, which was a good thing too. this is a smart action film with awesome visuals that don't overpower the story. there is an equal amount of style and substance in my opinion.