Movies

Some Movie Distraction

Chas.2 Comments

Irreversible
Irreversible (2002, France)
Gaspar Noé’s revenge thriller, “Irreversible,” is like a kick in the head. The opening credits set the stage for the camera work of the movie … twisting, turning shots that never really make you feel like you are on “stable” ground. Yes, motion-sick people should beware. The plot works backward from the revenge to the attack to the lead into the evening. The two set pieces of violence in this movie are brutal (the fight at “Rectum” and the rape). Noé is ballsy. His camera doesn’t flinch at all. The rape sequence is almost reverent in the fact that the camera (after all the movement that precedes this scene) settles on the floor of the tunnel and doesn’t move. You witness the horrific rape full-on with no cut, no edits. And that sort of “in your face” film making is what makes “Irreversible” a must-see for movie fans.

Stop-Loss
Stop-Loss (2008, USA)
While not the greatest movie ever made, I really enjoyed “Stop-Loss.” The story is a little uneven in spots but overall it holds together. Ryan Phillippe does a pretty fine acting job as well (and he’s hot too!). I would recommend checking it out.

Some Movie Distraction

Life Imitates Art

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And not in a good way either …

“Woman’s Baby Cut from Womb”
Police said a pregnant woman was killed after being stabbed multiple times in the chest and her nearly full-term baby was cut from her womb. A 23-year-old woman has been arrested …

Seems like I just watched a movie about this subject a few days ago. Franke gave the heads up about this because I have been trying to get her to watch “Inside.” It’s her kind of movie (said with tons of sarcasm).

Life Imitates Art

Horror Double Shot!

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Inside (“À l’intérieur” 2007, France)
Inside
Inside
Recommended by Dave … I just had to check out “Inside,” a movie I hadn’t heard about until I read his blog.

Still grieving over her recently deceased husband, a pregnant woman becomes haunted (and hunted) by a mysterious woman.

Watching this movie made me feel like I had been hit in the stomach … really hard. The violence is brutal (probably even more brutal than “High Tension,” another excellent French horror film). By the time the movie hit its climax I was curled on the sofa in a ball like I was at the end of “Audition.” I would think that women would have a hard time with “Inside” as the whole plot revolves around a woman literally wanting to rip the baby out of another. Hell … I had a hard time with it and I’m a guy. “Inside” is dark, brutal and very (and I mean VERY) disturbing.

Black Sheep (2006, New Zealand)
Black Sheep
Black Sheep
“Black Sheep” is just straight up horror/comedy silliness!

An experiment in genetic engineering turns harmless sheep into blood-thirsty killers that terrorize a sprawling New Zealand farm.

Yes … Killer Sheep!!! I don’t think I really need to say anything more than that. Ya gotta love those wacky Kiwi’s. “Black Sheep” gets bonus points for having the super cute Nathan Meister (see above) as the hero.

Horror Double Shot!

WALL-E

Chas.3 Comments

Wall-E
It’s another slam dunk for Pixar. I loved it!

Of note is the actual set-up for the story. It’s a pretty damn bleak commentary on social, environmental and political issues.

Also of note is that the fella taking tickets must have liked me as I was able to snag one of the free Wall-E Wrist Watches they were giving out to kids. Whoot!!!
Wall-E Wrist Watch

WALL-E

Crystal Skulls: Some Thoughts

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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls
*Hated* it!

Maybe if I were 10 years old I would have been all gung-ho for this movie.

There was just too much bad that outweighed what little good there was.

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!*

– Stupid CGI groundhogs for a little humor. BAD!

– Brief glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant. SUPER BAD!
It just reminds us of the far, far superior (and more serious) “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

– Mutt’s Marlon Brando entrance. BAD!

– Karen Allen’s part in the movie. BAD!
She’s really only window dressing to help tie Mutt to Indy. Karen Allen was so woefully underused in this movie.

– Mutt playing Tarzan??!?! SUPER, DUPER BAD!!!

– Mac as a double … no, wait … triple agent. BAD!

– Most of the action sequences. BAD!
Rocket Fridge! Tank Chase Through the Amazon! Three Waterfalls of Doom! All super silly and way, way, way over the top (and past any remote possibility of believability).

– Russin Baddies. PRETTY LAME.
As much as I love Cate Blanchett … her character has nowhere near the menace of Toht in “Raiders.”

– Guardians of the Temple of Akator. BAD.
Where the hell did THEY come from and how many years were some of them encased in those columns?!?!

– Aliens. BAD! BAD! BAD! BAD! BAD! BAD! BAD!
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this plot point destroyed the movie for me. They must have thought that they should touch on the “alien” theme since the movie was set in the 50’s. But, honestly, they could have thought something else up. I can buy the “religious” element of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It’s mysterious. It’s supernatural. It’s scary. To me Aliens and Indiana Jones just DON’T go together.

– The “Happy” Wedding Ending. BAD!
Even with the rest of the movie being pretty lame … this was such an anticlimax. They don’t even give you Mutt putting the hat on (thus shifting us into him being the main character of any potential sequel).

They should have called this movie “Close Encounters of the Indiana Jones Kind.”

Could this movie have been any worse?!?!!?

Crystal Skulls: Some Thoughts

The Ruins

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The Ruins
While not the greatest horror movie ever made, “The Ruins” is quite a nice little thrill ride. I read the book in 2006 and really dug it. The movie holds up very well against the book even though some of the events and characters have been switched around somewhat. I don’t guess we can really complain since the author of the book (Scott Smith) also wrote the screenplay. My main complaint would be the new ending that was added for the movie. It just really didn’t work for me. Otherwise, we get to enjoy a fun roller coaster of traditional scares and some pretty intense gore sequences. I think that Carter Smith has done a fine job with his first time major motion picture. The cast is really solid as well. I really bought into the characters and actually cared what was happening to them. Plus … who would have guessed that Jonathan Tucker was so freakin’ hot?!?!~

The Ruins

The Mist

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The Mist
Stephen King stories very rarely adapt well into major motion pictures. The man with the most success has been Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption and “The Green Mile”). And now he has tackled “The Mist,” a favorite novella amongst King fans.

Well, he has pulled it off in spades … in my humble opinion.

Darabont’s screenplay sticks very close to the source material up until the final moments. We are given a movie that has equal parts nasty monsters and nasty human monsters. I am not even gonna touch the plot here. I don’t want to spoil anything for those not familiar with the original novella. Let’s just say there are some great, great set pieces … the loading dock, outside exploration, the first night, the pharmacy and the escape. There are so many tense and scary moments in this movie. The tension is helped by Darabont’s decision to shoot the film in a hand-held documentary style. It just keeps building and building until you hit a resolution (added to the story by Darabont with King’s blessing) that is so incredibly bleak you really have to see it to believe it. I suspect that the resolution is gonna be the make or break for most people watching “The Mist.”

Marcia Gay Harden rocks the movie with her portrayal of religious nut Mrs. Carmody. Thomas Jane does a pretty nice job as the story’s protagonist David Drayton. The rest of the cast is rounded out by some really solid performances by Laurie Holden, Nathan Gamble, Frances Sternhagen (yes!), Andre Braugher, Toby Jones and William Sadler.

I really do regret that I didn’t see this one on the big screen last year. I can only imagine that it was even scarier in a darkened theater … as opposed to my living room couch with my 42″ flat panel. Oh well.

I highly recommend that you get wrapped up in “The Mist.”

The Mist

The Mist

Movie Weekend

Chas.4 Comments

As with most weekends now-a-days, I watched waaaaaaay entirely too many movies.

In Bruges (2008, At the Movies)
I loved it! It’s extremely funny (in a sick way) and shockingly violent in spots … exactly what you would come to expect from a Martin McDonagh movie. All the actors in the movie give really fine performances … especially Colin Farrell who has now really gained some respect from me as an actor. You should check it out!

Cannibal Holocaust (1980, On DVD)
I am fairly certain that I saw this waaaay back in the high school days. So, I decided to give it another watch and all I can say is “Meh.” The film is still pretty controversial and definitely not for you if you happen to find the actually killing of animals on screen distasteful. All the other gore is pretty much “by the books” ’cause you know they weren’t out there slaughtering the actors. Kinda worth seeing just so you can say you sat through it.

Mala Noche (1985, On DVD)
I have a love/hate relationship with the films of Gus Van Sant. I can put “Mala Noche” in the love category. It’s Gus Van Sant‘s first feature film and deals with one of his standard themes (unrequited homo love). Good performances and gritty black and white photography make this an awesome indie feature from the mid-eighties.

Into the Wild (2007, On DVD)
I have some really mixed feelings about this movie. I really liked it (after all it’s based on one of my favorite books) but I also didn’t like some aspects of it. Emile Hirsch is quite good in the lead part and has a solid cast backing him up as the supporting characters. The major problem I had with the movie is that it sometime visually inconsistent in the style of shots, etc. Personally, I don’t think that you should use fancy camera tricks just for the sake of fancy camera tricks … and that’s how some of the movie felt. It might not bother some folks but it did me.

Monster House (2006, On DVD)
I saw this at the movies and finally picked it up on the cheap yesterday at Best Buy. I re-watched it last night and loved it just as much when I saw it the first time. It’s fun (and kinda scary in spots)!

Movie Weekend