damn, I really need to start being more vigilant about posting. anyway . . .
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)
Masked killer returns in this remake. I wanted to see this movie as much for the 3D as anything else. I like the novelty of it, although it's probably better suited to short films, or maybe just certain segments in a feature length film. The movie itself is alright for a slasher, decent amount of gore, boobs (all slashers should have 'em), but I wasn't crazy about the plot changes they made. The original worked a bit better for me.
Harold
The adventures of a balding 13 year old boy. Hilarious. This movie could have easily been a pile of shit, but as it turns out it's the best comedy I've seen so far this year. Great cameos and bit parts, Spencer Breslin is awesome as Harold, and i have a new found respect for Cuba Gooding Jr. It's pretty light on plot, but it never gets boring. Awkward humor at it's finest. Definitely worth watching.
Underworld & Underworld: Evolution
Vampires vs. Werewolves. Underworld 3 just came out, so I rewatched these to get myself back up to speed, because honestly I couldn't remember a damn thing that happened in either of them. The first one is ok, but the second kinda seems like it's just getting going when it ends. I'm pretty indifferent to both of them, and I probably won't see 3 in theatres, so hopefully by the time it comes out on dvd I won't have forgotten everything again.
Max Payne
Dude looking to avenge his wife's murder. I've never played the video game, so i don't really know if the plots are similar, and I don't care to look it up. I expected this movie to be chock full of action, and it isn't. Kinda boring actually, the casting is weird and it doesn't look all that great. Disappointing, but I guess I probably had too high expectations in the first place.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Mall cop protects mall. What can I say, it had a few funny jokes, I didn't hate it, but #1 movie two weeks running is a bit much. I'm not a Kevin James fan, he was alright though. Jamal Mixon was funny, and it had Mike Vallely(woo). My big question is: after seeing a joke a zillion times in the trailer is it still funny enough to warrant laughing out loud during the actual film? My answer: no. The answer of practically everyone else in the audience I saw the movie with: LOL. Anyway, I can only hope that the success of this convinces the makers to do a sequel starring Jamal Mixon.
I also recently watched the MST3K versions of Laserblast and Time Chasers, both hilarious.
1.29.2009
1.18.2009
Movie Threesome
Pineapple Express
Dude witnesses a murder and he and his drug dealer have to go on the lam. Definitely funny, but not something I'm dying to watch again anytime soon. I don't really have a lot to say about this movie, the humor is pretty similar to most of the movies from the Apatow crew. It's pretty violent for a comedy, not just slapstick, but real blood and gore and death type stuff. On the whole I didn't think that meshed very well with the silliness of most of the movie, but in the end it's still pretty good.
In The Heat Of The Night
Detective traveling home gets caught up in murder case in a small town. Just re-watching a classic. Sidney Poitier is great, and Rod Steiger kills it as Police Chief Gillespie. Amazing supporting cast too, really gives the feel of a seedy, isolated small town. Quincy Jones does the music, and that's awesome as well. One of my favorite movies, and I loved the book too. This is one of the few movies that actually does justice to it's source material, and some might say, surpasses it.
The World According To Monsanto
Documentary about the Monsanto corporation. Lots of interesting, and scary facts and points-of-view in this movie. Tends to be fairly bias, talking mostly to people can be considered anti-monsanto, but I'm not going to fault it for that. My major problem with this film was the segues, and presentation of facts, and quotes. A lot of it is done in a blacked out studio, where you can see only the director and a Mac infront of her. She introduces and segues to different topics by typing keywords into google, and looking at various webpages and search results. I felt that cheapened the movie a bit. I would have even preferred the more traditional, and kinda boring voiceover with stock footage approach. One other thing that's not necessarily a flaw, but maybe a missed opportunity is the voiceover itself. The director is French, but can and does speak english to interview most of the individuals in the movie. Since she speaks quite a bit anyway, and most of the voiceover is read like she was speaking it, I don't see why she didn't just narrate the whole movie. I think that would have resulted in a much better flow.
Dude witnesses a murder and he and his drug dealer have to go on the lam. Definitely funny, but not something I'm dying to watch again anytime soon. I don't really have a lot to say about this movie, the humor is pretty similar to most of the movies from the Apatow crew. It's pretty violent for a comedy, not just slapstick, but real blood and gore and death type stuff. On the whole I didn't think that meshed very well with the silliness of most of the movie, but in the end it's still pretty good.
In The Heat Of The Night
Detective traveling home gets caught up in murder case in a small town. Just re-watching a classic. Sidney Poitier is great, and Rod Steiger kills it as Police Chief Gillespie. Amazing supporting cast too, really gives the feel of a seedy, isolated small town. Quincy Jones does the music, and that's awesome as well. One of my favorite movies, and I loved the book too. This is one of the few movies that actually does justice to it's source material, and some might say, surpasses it.
The World According To Monsanto
Documentary about the Monsanto corporation. Lots of interesting, and scary facts and points-of-view in this movie. Tends to be fairly bias, talking mostly to people can be considered anti-monsanto, but I'm not going to fault it for that. My major problem with this film was the segues, and presentation of facts, and quotes. A lot of it is done in a blacked out studio, where you can see only the director and a Mac infront of her. She introduces and segues to different topics by typing keywords into google, and looking at various webpages and search results. I felt that cheapened the movie a bit. I would have even preferred the more traditional, and kinda boring voiceover with stock footage approach. One other thing that's not necessarily a flaw, but maybe a missed opportunity is the voiceover itself. The director is French, but can and does speak english to interview most of the individuals in the movie. Since she speaks quite a bit anyway, and most of the voiceover is read like she was speaking it, I don't see why she didn't just narrate the whole movie. I think that would have resulted in a much better flow.
1.15.2009
Double Feature: My Best Friend's Girl, Tokyo Gore Police
My Best Friend's Girl
A guy falls in love with the girl his best friend wants to marry. Frankly, I expected better from Howard Deutch, but maybe I'm kidding myself. His first three movies were excellent(sez me), but after that it was kinda a downward slide. Dane Cook stars, and as cliche as it is to say, people tend to either love him or hate him. In terms of his stand-up, I am of the former, but most of the movies he's been in leave something to be desired. Jason Biggs I am indifferent too, and I don't like Kate Hudson. Alec Baldwin is funny, no surprise, but he's barely in the movie. Overall, there are very few laughs, but most of it is pretty boring. Maybe Dane Cook should try doing something besides these romantic/vulgar comedy fusions he keeps churning out.
Tokyo Gore Police
Cops have to hunt down evil mutants. Retarded, over the top gore for gore's sake. Pretty good as long as you don't expect much more then blood spraying all over the place every few minutes. It'd be too hard for me to try to do the movie justice with a written description (that's a cop out, I know), so just watch it and see for yourself. Be warned, there's massive amounts of gore (it's right there in the title) and other bizarre shit, but I don't think any of it looks real enough to be too upsetting. At first I was kinda unimpressed with this movie, but as it went on it grew on me, and I ended up liking it, proving that sheer ridiculousness is enough to sell me on something.
A guy falls in love with the girl his best friend wants to marry. Frankly, I expected better from Howard Deutch, but maybe I'm kidding myself. His first three movies were excellent(sez me), but after that it was kinda a downward slide. Dane Cook stars, and as cliche as it is to say, people tend to either love him or hate him. In terms of his stand-up, I am of the former, but most of the movies he's been in leave something to be desired. Jason Biggs I am indifferent too, and I don't like Kate Hudson. Alec Baldwin is funny, no surprise, but he's barely in the movie. Overall, there are very few laughs, but most of it is pretty boring. Maybe Dane Cook should try doing something besides these romantic/vulgar comedy fusions he keeps churning out.
Tokyo Gore Police
Cops have to hunt down evil mutants. Retarded, over the top gore for gore's sake. Pretty good as long as you don't expect much more then blood spraying all over the place every few minutes. It'd be too hard for me to try to do the movie justice with a written description (that's a cop out, I know), so just watch it and see for yourself. Be warned, there's massive amounts of gore (it's right there in the title) and other bizarre shit, but I don't think any of it looks real enough to be too upsetting. At first I was kinda unimpressed with this movie, but as it went on it grew on me, and I ended up liking it, proving that sheer ridiculousness is enough to sell me on something.
1.12.2009
The Week In Movies
Ping Pong Playa
Basketball loving kid has to win the big ping pong tournament. I rolled the dice on this one, looked like it could be terrible or awesome. Turns out it leans more toward awesome, but not quite there. Good cast, pretty funny, didn't drag too much. One thing that kinda annoyed me was the swearing, which was bleeped out by sound effects. I didn't get that, either write it without cursing, or just let it be said.
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond The Arcade
A documentary that catches up with some of the great video game players of the early 80's. Great stuff, really interesting and funny, plus erotic art. Kind of like King Of Kong, except with a broader scope, and less manufactured drama. Probably not for everybody, but I enjoyed it.
My Bloody Valentine
Masked killer hacks up people on Valentine's Day. Watched this in preparation to see the 3D remake coming out soon. I like my slasher films with plenty of gore, but this didn't deliver. Apparently a lot was cut out by the MPAA (bastards), but will be restored for the first time in an upcoming dvd release. One of the best parts is the song that plays over the end credits. I liked the killer, and the concept, so I'll be checking out the uncut version, but as it stands, the old version just isn't that great.
Shred
Washed up snowboards try to get back on top by opening a training camp. Tom Green (say what you will) was the main reason I rented this movie. Turns out that even though he gets top billing he's really only a supporting, almost minor, character. The ol' bait and switch. I like Dave England ok too, but either way this movie is bad. Not very funny, kinda slow, overused plot. A waste of time.
Up The Yangtze
Documentary about a family affected by the damming of the Yangtze river. I really liked this one, but I may be a little bias because of my interest in (fetish for?) asian culture and such. Looks great. Kinda sad, even though everything seems to sort of work out in the end. I acutally watched a lot of the special features on the dvd, which is something I quite rarely do. Maybe the focus could have been a little broader, but over all, pretty awesome.
Basketball loving kid has to win the big ping pong tournament. I rolled the dice on this one, looked like it could be terrible or awesome. Turns out it leans more toward awesome, but not quite there. Good cast, pretty funny, didn't drag too much. One thing that kinda annoyed me was the swearing, which was bleeped out by sound effects. I didn't get that, either write it without cursing, or just let it be said.
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond The Arcade
A documentary that catches up with some of the great video game players of the early 80's. Great stuff, really interesting and funny, plus erotic art. Kind of like King Of Kong, except with a broader scope, and less manufactured drama. Probably not for everybody, but I enjoyed it.
My Bloody Valentine
Masked killer hacks up people on Valentine's Day. Watched this in preparation to see the 3D remake coming out soon. I like my slasher films with plenty of gore, but this didn't deliver. Apparently a lot was cut out by the MPAA (bastards), but will be restored for the first time in an upcoming dvd release. One of the best parts is the song that plays over the end credits. I liked the killer, and the concept, so I'll be checking out the uncut version, but as it stands, the old version just isn't that great.
Shred
Washed up snowboards try to get back on top by opening a training camp. Tom Green (say what you will) was the main reason I rented this movie. Turns out that even though he gets top billing he's really only a supporting, almost minor, character. The ol' bait and switch. I like Dave England ok too, but either way this movie is bad. Not very funny, kinda slow, overused plot. A waste of time.
Up The Yangtze
Documentary about a family affected by the damming of the Yangtze river. I really liked this one, but I may be a little bias because of my interest in (fetish for?) asian culture and such. Looks great. Kinda sad, even though everything seems to sort of work out in the end. I acutally watched a lot of the special features on the dvd, which is something I quite rarely do. Maybe the focus could have been a little broader, but over all, pretty awesome.
1.07.2009
Double Feature: Sukiyaki Western Django, Disaster Movie
Sukiyaki Western Django
Like most of the other Takashi Miike films I've seen this was violent, bizarre, and entertaining. It's doesn't try to be an authentic western, but I didn't expect it to anyway. Having the whole cast speak english is an interesting idea, but it gets pretty annoying at times. It's definitely worth a watch but the dvd I rented was a cut version, missing about 20 minutes as far as i can tell, so I don't want to make a final judgement just yet.
Disaster Movie
I guess I'm a gluton for punishment, because I've watched most, if not all, of the " _______ Movie" titles that have been released. This one is no different then most, on paper there's a lot of potential, but went it comes to the actual movie the laughs are few and far between. Shit's just poorly written and poorly acted. Half the reason I watch these movies is to see just how bad they turn out. One of the few parts I genuinely liked was the "Juno" parody character, but thats probably because I really didn't like Juno, and just enjoyed seeing that movie get shit on. I really wouldn't want to pay any money to see this movie, but for free i can deal with it.
Like most of the other Takashi Miike films I've seen this was violent, bizarre, and entertaining. It's doesn't try to be an authentic western, but I didn't expect it to anyway. Having the whole cast speak english is an interesting idea, but it gets pretty annoying at times. It's definitely worth a watch but the dvd I rented was a cut version, missing about 20 minutes as far as i can tell, so I don't want to make a final judgement just yet.
Disaster Movie
I guess I'm a gluton for punishment, because I've watched most, if not all, of the " _______ Movie" titles that have been released. This one is no different then most, on paper there's a lot of potential, but went it comes to the actual movie the laughs are few and far between. Shit's just poorly written and poorly acted. Half the reason I watch these movies is to see just how bad they turn out. One of the few parts I genuinely liked was the "Juno" parody character, but thats probably because I really didn't like Juno, and just enjoyed seeing that movie get shit on. I really wouldn't want to pay any money to see this movie, but for free i can deal with it.
1.06.2009
Double Feature: Hamlet 2, Bangkok Dangerous
Hamlet 2
I went into this movie with high expectations, based on not a whole lot really, and came out a little disappointed. Too much time was spent on the set up and creation of the play, and the actual staging of Hamlet 2 was really short. I think it would have been much better to have the bulk of the film be the Hamlet 2 performance, and just bookend it with a short set up and conclusion. Steve Coogan was hilarious, but most of the supporting cast were kinda boring and forgettable. Worth a look, but I probably won't be watching it again anytime soon.
Bangkok Dangerous
The basic plot of this movie, ruthless assassin has a change of heart, has been done plenty of times before, so pretty much the main reason, for me at least, to watch this movie is for the action sequences. Unfortunately, Bangkok Dangerous falls pretty short in that department. For one, there aren't that many action sequences to begin with. In a movie about a hitman I expect the bullets, or blades, or whatever, to be flying frequently. My second complaint is that the quality of the action that is in the movie varies greatly. Some scenes are awesome and fun to watch, while others seem very poorly planned and executed(almost a pun.) I wouldn't recommend this one, also, Nic Cage's kinda long, greasy hair is gross. Cut that shit.
I went into this movie with high expectations, based on not a whole lot really, and came out a little disappointed. Too much time was spent on the set up and creation of the play, and the actual staging of Hamlet 2 was really short. I think it would have been much better to have the bulk of the film be the Hamlet 2 performance, and just bookend it with a short set up and conclusion. Steve Coogan was hilarious, but most of the supporting cast were kinda boring and forgettable. Worth a look, but I probably won't be watching it again anytime soon.
Bangkok Dangerous
The basic plot of this movie, ruthless assassin has a change of heart, has been done plenty of times before, so pretty much the main reason, for me at least, to watch this movie is for the action sequences. Unfortunately, Bangkok Dangerous falls pretty short in that department. For one, there aren't that many action sequences to begin with. In a movie about a hitman I expect the bullets, or blades, or whatever, to be flying frequently. My second complaint is that the quality of the action that is in the movie varies greatly. Some scenes are awesome and fun to watch, while others seem very poorly planned and executed(almost a pun.) I wouldn't recommend this one, also, Nic Cage's kinda long, greasy hair is gross. Cut that shit.
1.01.2009
The Big List of 08
In 2008 I tried to keep track of every movie I watched, and for the most part I think I succeeded. There may be a few missing, but overall it's pretty comprehensive. So, on to the list . . .
Theatre
Juno
Meets The Spartans
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E
The Dark Knight
Tropic Thunder
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Saw V
Zach & Miri Make A Porno
Quantum Of Solace
DVD/Computer
Half Baked
Men In Black
Men In Black 2
Porn Star: The Legend Of Ron Jeremy
Hell House
Devil's Playground
Word Wars
Billy Madison
Grandma's Boy
Good Luck Chuck
High School High
Bully
Sydney White
The Ten
Helvetica
The Comebacks
Waiting
The Invasion
The King Of Kong
Hitman
Dragon Heat
Shoot 'Em Up
Zapped!
Best In Show
Art School Confidential
We Own The Night
Wedding Daze
Tekkon Kinkreet
Johnny Mnemonic
30 Days Of Night
For The Bible Tells Me So
Con Air
The Rock
My Kid Could Paint That
Face/Off
Fuck
In The Shadow Of The Moon
The Matrix Reloaded
No Country For Old Men
I Am Legend
The Mist
The Reaping
Automaton Transfusion
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Amazon Women On The Moon
The Groove Tube
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Kids In The Hall Brain Candy
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem
Roadhouse
Death Sentence
Cloverfield
Prom Night
Storm Warning
Akira
Surviving The Game
Philadelphia
The Golden Compass
Under Siege
Iron Man
Untraceable
The Godfather
The Silence Of The Lambs
Red Dragon
Hannibal
The Godfather Part II
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Strange Brew
The Cottage
Rambo
The Onion Movie
The Exorcist
Jason X
Jumper
Wieners
Be Kind Rewind
Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
Lake Of Fire
Drillbit Taylor
Vantage Point
The Legend Of Billie Jean
3:10 To Yuma
Superhero Movie
Bank Job
Batman Gotham Knight
Freddy Got Fingered
Desperate Measures
Hellboy
21
Survival Quest
Rock School
Fully Flared
Finishing The Game
Lost Boys: The Tribe
Wanted
Doomsday
Punk's Not Dead
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Triloquist
CJ7
The Orphanage
Prom Night(2008)
Outpost
The Dead Zone
Son of Rambow
The Philadelphia Experiment
My Darling Clementine
Next Avengers: Heros Of Tomorrow
A/K/A Tommy Chong
House
The Fly
The Fly II
Cool Runnings
Forbidden Kingdom
star Wars The Clone Wars
Playing Columbine
Baby Mama
Speed Racer
Risky Business
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Babylon A.D.
Planet B-Boy
The Strangers
The Incredible Hulk
Halloween II
Million Dollar Baby
Mystic River
Bender's Game
Flags Of Our Fathers
Mitchell (MST3K)
Five Easy Pieces
Taxi Driver
It
War Inc.
The Burning
Hancock
The Substitute
Wall-E
The Transporter
Gonzo
Step Brothers
Transporter 2
Wrong Turn
Anchorman
MST3K: The Movie
Man On Wire
Poultrygeist
Ghostbusters
Christmas Vacation
Ghostbusters II
Death Race
American Teen
Aliens
Alien Resurrection
Werewolf (MST3K)
I gotta say that I'm a little disappointed in myself, at the beginning of 2008 I figured I'd be watching way more movies during the year. Oh well, that just gives me a goal for 2009.
Theatre
Juno
Meets The Spartans
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E
The Dark Knight
Tropic Thunder
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Saw V
Zach & Miri Make A Porno
Quantum Of Solace
DVD/Computer
Half Baked
Men In Black
Men In Black 2
Porn Star: The Legend Of Ron Jeremy
Hell House
Devil's Playground
Word Wars
Billy Madison
Grandma's Boy
Good Luck Chuck
High School High
Bully
Sydney White
The Ten
Helvetica
The Comebacks
Waiting
The Invasion
The King Of Kong
Hitman
Dragon Heat
Shoot 'Em Up
Zapped!
Best In Show
Art School Confidential
We Own The Night
Wedding Daze
Tekkon Kinkreet
Johnny Mnemonic
30 Days Of Night
For The Bible Tells Me So
Con Air
The Rock
My Kid Could Paint That
Face/Off
Fuck
In The Shadow Of The Moon
The Matrix Reloaded
No Country For Old Men
I Am Legend
The Mist
The Reaping
Automaton Transfusion
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Amazon Women On The Moon
The Groove Tube
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Kids In The Hall Brain Candy
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem
Roadhouse
Death Sentence
Cloverfield
Prom Night
Storm Warning
Akira
Surviving The Game
Philadelphia
The Golden Compass
Under Siege
Iron Man
Untraceable
The Godfather
The Silence Of The Lambs
Red Dragon
Hannibal
The Godfather Part II
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Strange Brew
The Cottage
Rambo
The Onion Movie
The Exorcist
Jason X
Jumper
Wieners
Be Kind Rewind
Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
Lake Of Fire
Drillbit Taylor
Vantage Point
The Legend Of Billie Jean
3:10 To Yuma
Superhero Movie
Bank Job
Batman Gotham Knight
Freddy Got Fingered
Desperate Measures
Hellboy
21
Survival Quest
Rock School
Fully Flared
Finishing The Game
Lost Boys: The Tribe
Wanted
Doomsday
Punk's Not Dead
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Triloquist
CJ7
The Orphanage
Prom Night(2008)
Outpost
The Dead Zone
Son of Rambow
The Philadelphia Experiment
My Darling Clementine
Next Avengers: Heros Of Tomorrow
A/K/A Tommy Chong
House
The Fly
The Fly II
Cool Runnings
Forbidden Kingdom
star Wars The Clone Wars
Playing Columbine
Baby Mama
Speed Racer
Risky Business
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Babylon A.D.
Planet B-Boy
The Strangers
The Incredible Hulk
Halloween II
Million Dollar Baby
Mystic River
Bender's Game
Flags Of Our Fathers
Mitchell (MST3K)
Five Easy Pieces
Taxi Driver
It
War Inc.
The Burning
Hancock
The Substitute
Wall-E
The Transporter
Gonzo
Step Brothers
Transporter 2
Wrong Turn
Anchorman
MST3K: The Movie
Man On Wire
Poultrygeist
Ghostbusters
Christmas Vacation
Ghostbusters II
Death Race
American Teen
Aliens
Alien Resurrection
Werewolf (MST3K)
I gotta say that I'm a little disappointed in myself, at the beginning of 2008 I figured I'd be watching way more movies during the year. Oh well, that just gives me a goal for 2009.
starting things off wrong
I'm jumping into this face first, and it might fail horribly. But it's worth a try, at least for a little while. I figure I'm gonna try to make this some kinda of movie review type thing, since I don't really have anything else very interesting to write about, but that's not to say i won't just be posting random crap sometimes.
For entertainment purposes only.
For entertainment purposes only.
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