The Cave (2005)
Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Bruce Hunt
Starring: Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, Lena Headley, Piper Perabo
From: Screen Gems
I know, I wasn't planning on watching this film until I saw that it was on the Encore channel Wednesday night, but I figured that I should as I have been interested in watching it since it originally came out. No kidding. It was about time I saw it, right? Why not do it on an HD channel? As sometimes happen, quite similar movies come out at around the same time and it happened here with this film and another cave horror flick, The Descent. I saw that already and you can read that review here.
To steal the plot description from the IMDb: “Decades after a rock church in communist Romania's Carpathians caved when an expedition caused a landslide and buried everyone, Dr. Nicolai's scientific team exploring the associated Templar Knights monster fighting-legend discovers a deep, flooded cave system and hires the brothers Jack and Tyler's brilliant divers team to explore it. Another explosion traps them, after finding a mysterious parasite turning all species carnivore, and later an independently evolved predator species...”
There's actually not too much to say about this film. Unlike with The Descent, this movie has paper-thin characters, a lame stupid story and while it tells you that the scientific team is oh so great, in the movie they act like buffoons who can't even get along with each other.
There's the old adage of “show vs. tell” where it would have been better if the movie would have SHOWN them being great rather than them TELLING us they're great, then when they don't do anything to show that they are proficient at their job, it's just laughable and embarrassing. Then, the creatures just look silly and are CGI creatures and aren't like what you got in The Descent, where you have strong characters, tense situations, claustrophobia (you don't have tense situations or claustrophobia here, where the caves are unrealistically well-lit) and the creatures look good.
As other people have noted, the movie is similar to Sanctum; not only does it concern underwater caves, but the characters are also bad and paper-thin and they acted like total clowns when we are told they are awesome. I saw it on the big screen and the images looked nice but that was about it. You can read that review here.
In short, never see this movie and stick with watching The Descent.
I'll be back Sunday night where I'll review two of the four Oscar-nominated Best Pictures I'll be seeing on Saturday that I haven't seen before and Monday will be the other two. It'll likely be in order so it'll be Nebraska and Captain Phillips then Her and American Hustle but that isn't for certain.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984)
Runtime: 105 minutes
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (RIP), Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson
From: Columbia Pictures
Well, as this was on Netflix Instant, I figured I should watch it again so I can finally give it a review I promised to a few years ago and this also counts as my way to pay tribute to the late Ramis.
To steal the plot description from Letterboxd this time: After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.
This movie has droll humor for sure (look at who's involved, after all) but even 20 years later it's a pretty funny and entertaining movie. There is a variety of humor with the lead characters, from the late Ramis being a total nerd to Aykroyd being child-like, and Bill Murray at his Bill Murray-est. As I've heard elsewhere, the humor is timeless and not dated at all, which is why it can still inspire many chuckles and laughs.
Sure, the story is wacky with entities living in refrigerators and ancient Sumerian gods (not to mention the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man finale), but when it's so many entertaining and it has so many one-liners that still work today, you go with it. The same goes with the special effects; sure, they may look goofy in 2014 but they're fine with me and they have a certain charm to them. It's really not a surprise this movie still has many fans and even after Ramis died, you'll hear for who knows how many years to come rumors of a Ghostbusters 3... sigh to that, by the way.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (RIP), Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson
From: Columbia Pictures
Well, as this was on Netflix Instant, I figured I should watch it again so I can finally give it a review I promised to a few years ago and this also counts as my way to pay tribute to the late Ramis.
To steal the plot description from Letterboxd this time: After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.
This movie has droll humor for sure (look at who's involved, after all) but even 20 years later it's a pretty funny and entertaining movie. There is a variety of humor with the lead characters, from the late Ramis being a total nerd to Aykroyd being child-like, and Bill Murray at his Bill Murray-est. As I've heard elsewhere, the humor is timeless and not dated at all, which is why it can still inspire many chuckles and laughs.
Sure, the story is wacky with entities living in refrigerators and ancient Sumerian gods (not to mention the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man finale), but when it's so many entertaining and it has so many one-liners that still work today, you go with it. The same goes with the special effects; sure, they may look goofy in 2014 but they're fine with me and they have a certain charm to them. It's really not a surprise this movie still has many fans and even after Ramis died, you'll hear for who knows how many years to come rumors of a Ghostbusters 3... sigh to that, by the way.
Oh, and what an 80's-riffic soundtrack it has, which to me is a good thing. I'll forever laugh that the great theme song got sued for Huey Lewis & The News due to how similar it sounded to their song I Want A New Drug (and let's be honest here, they do sound a lot alike). Oh, the 1980's.
I will return Friday night.
Monday, February 24, 2014
RIP Harold Ramis
I was going to watch something last night but I had to do other things so that did not happen. Then, today was the launch of the WWE Network. Yes, World Wrestling Entertainment now has their own online streaming network where you can either watch what's on their 24 hour a day channel or go through their archives to watch such things as old TV shows and old pay per views. There are the opening day hiccups but with that in mind I can't do too much complaining about it. Yes, I signed up. You had to sign up for the next 6 months instead of month by month but I did it, as I've been a longtime pro wrestling fan. The product is pretty bad now and has been for too long but I can watch plenty of old stuff to keep me occupied and entertained. Once they get it working on the 360 I may be having that on often.
Also today was the news that Harold Ramis unexpectedly passed away. Like many others I was very saddened by the announcement. I've seen a good amount of his work in my life. It hasn't been recently so not much of it has been reviewed here but unfortunately I don't really have anything easily at hand to do reviews in the near future. I may have to watch it by other meansillegally to do so. A few years ago I watched Ghostbusters on the big screen. Looking back I don't know why I didn't give it a proper review here; I screwed up. That is still a pretty entertaining comedy. Sometime in the future I'll have to give him his proper due.
I shall return Wednesday night.
Also today was the news that Harold Ramis unexpectedly passed away. Like many others I was very saddened by the announcement. I've seen a good amount of his work in my life. It hasn't been recently so not much of it has been reviewed here but unfortunately I don't really have anything easily at hand to do reviews in the near future. I may have to watch it by other means
I shall return Wednesday night.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Grave Encounters 2
Grave Encounters 2 (2012)
Runtime: 98 minutes
Directed by: John Poliquin
Starring: Richard Harmon, Dylan Playfair, Leanne Lapp, Stephanie Bennett, Howie Lai
From: Death Awaits Cinema/Twin Engine Films/Pink Buffalo Films
Oh, I really should have listened to what other people said about this film... this came out rather quickly after the first film was released and that is usually not the best sign. They went a different route by making this really meta. They also spent a lot of time saying that the first Grave Encounters was not a good film. Curious.
To steal the plot description from the IMDb: "For people who don't believe the events of Grave Encounters, film student Alex Wright is out to prove them wrong. Alex is as obsessed with the first film as the 20 million people who viewed its viral trailer on YouTube. While he and his friends research the events and visit the real psychiatric hospital depicted in the original film, they find themselves face-to-face with unspeakable evil, banking on the hope that their knowledge of the original film will help them survive the sequel." To elaborate, this movie says that the first Grave Encounters movie (yes, the thing I watched and reviewed last night) was real (!) and Alex Wright and his buddies try to prove that this is the case, which is why they go to the location where it was filmed in British Columbia (the Riverview Hospital, which always gets bleeped out when its name is said). Like I said this is real meta.
The rest of this review is taken from my Letterboxd review, only it's augmented:
Earlier in the night I watched the first Grave Encounters and to be brief, I rated it as a 3 star affair. (I rated 2 as only 1 star) I took a break to review the first film here, then I started up the second one, as it's also on Netflix Instant.
A few times before here, I've used the word "asstagonist". I got it from the Bad Movie Fiends podcast and their review of 80's teen sex comedy Pinball Summer (incidentally, also a Canadian production), where the "heroes" of the movie are awful repugnant people. It's a great term and unfortunately, I've had to use it more often than I like when describing films I've seen.
Folks, this movie is full of asstagonists! From the two leads to the rest of the cast, the characters you see are horrible vile douchebags. I couldn't stand any of them. The movie starts off with our two lead "protagonist" guys, who are Alex the pretentious arrogant wannabe film maker and Trevor the pot-smoking doofus. Both are A-holes. You see Alex get so obsessed with the case that he ignores his potential love interest Jennifer; real lovely. You see those guys and their friends and they're all obnoxious loud douchebags. It takes time getting to the main setting; before that you see them party and do stereotypical college meathead things.
Like many of you, I am tired of remakes, "reimaginings", and all that other baloney. This sequel certainly had a different idea. "Different" doesn't always mean "good", though, as this proved loud and clear.
A terrible story, awful characters, a lot of stuff that makes zero sense, the scares meaning nothing because they're used wrong/too often... then that ending... everyone involved in the production might as well have mooned the camera like Trevor mooning people from the passenger seat of the car.
If you enjoyed the first one, please avoid this meta bulls***, as it just sucks. Some of the ideas were wacky but they didn't work as well as they should have and while I did chuckle at some of the juvenile humor, this is still a must-avoid. There's a fart joke involving thermal cameras and Trevor walks in on Alex pulling his pud as he's watching porn on his laptop. I was amused by those gags but otherwise... never see this film.
I shall return Monday night. As today is my birthday, I want to relax this weekend.
Runtime: 98 minutes
Directed by: John Poliquin
Starring: Richard Harmon, Dylan Playfair, Leanne Lapp, Stephanie Bennett, Howie Lai
From: Death Awaits Cinema/Twin Engine Films/Pink Buffalo Films
Oh, I really should have listened to what other people said about this film... this came out rather quickly after the first film was released and that is usually not the best sign. They went a different route by making this really meta. They also spent a lot of time saying that the first Grave Encounters was not a good film. Curious.
To steal the plot description from the IMDb: "For people who don't believe the events of Grave Encounters, film student Alex Wright is out to prove them wrong. Alex is as obsessed with the first film as the 20 million people who viewed its viral trailer on YouTube. While he and his friends research the events and visit the real psychiatric hospital depicted in the original film, they find themselves face-to-face with unspeakable evil, banking on the hope that their knowledge of the original film will help them survive the sequel." To elaborate, this movie says that the first Grave Encounters movie (yes, the thing I watched and reviewed last night) was real (!) and Alex Wright and his buddies try to prove that this is the case, which is why they go to the location where it was filmed in British Columbia (the Riverview Hospital, which always gets bleeped out when its name is said). Like I said this is real meta.
The rest of this review is taken from my Letterboxd review, only it's augmented:
Earlier in the night I watched the first Grave Encounters and to be brief, I rated it as a 3 star affair. (I rated 2 as only 1 star) I took a break to review the first film here, then I started up the second one, as it's also on Netflix Instant.
A few times before here, I've used the word "asstagonist". I got it from the Bad Movie Fiends podcast and their review of 80's teen sex comedy Pinball Summer (incidentally, also a Canadian production), where the "heroes" of the movie are awful repugnant people. It's a great term and unfortunately, I've had to use it more often than I like when describing films I've seen.
Folks, this movie is full of asstagonists! From the two leads to the rest of the cast, the characters you see are horrible vile douchebags. I couldn't stand any of them. The movie starts off with our two lead "protagonist" guys, who are Alex the pretentious arrogant wannabe film maker and Trevor the pot-smoking doofus. Both are A-holes. You see Alex get so obsessed with the case that he ignores his potential love interest Jennifer; real lovely. You see those guys and their friends and they're all obnoxious loud douchebags. It takes time getting to the main setting; before that you see them party and do stereotypical college meathead things.
Like many of you, I am tired of remakes, "reimaginings", and all that other baloney. This sequel certainly had a different idea. "Different" doesn't always mean "good", though, as this proved loud and clear.
A terrible story, awful characters, a lot of stuff that makes zero sense, the scares meaning nothing because they're used wrong/too often... then that ending... everyone involved in the production might as well have mooned the camera like Trevor mooning people from the passenger seat of the car.
If you enjoyed the first one, please avoid this meta bulls***, as it just sucks. Some of the ideas were wacky but they didn't work as well as they should have and while I did chuckle at some of the juvenile humor, this is still a must-avoid. There's a fart joke involving thermal cameras and Trevor walks in on Alex pulling his pud as he's watching porn on his laptop. I was amused by those gags but otherwise... never see this film.
I shall return Monday night. As today is my birthday, I want to relax this weekend.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Grave Encounters
Grave Encounters (2011)
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: The Vicious Brothers (not to ruin the illusion or anything, but those two aren't even brothers, let alone have the surname Vicious)
Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir, Juan Riedinger, Mackenzie Gray
From: Digital Interface Productions/Twin Engine Films
Tonight, I decided to finally go back to watching stuff on Netflix Instant; after all I have the service for less than 2 weeks until my month is up and I won't renew it and who knows when I'll next get it for another month. As it's been awhile since I've seen a horror film, I picked out one I've heard about pretty much ever since it was released. Most seemed to enjoy it. There's a sequel, and I plan on watching that later and reviewing it tomorrow, but I wanted to get up a review before midnight so that's why I'm taking a break between the two films.
Yeah, this is another found footage type movie; to steal the plot description from the IMDb... “Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, where unexplained phenomena have been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and begin a paranormal investigation, capturing everything on camera. They quickly realize that the building is more than just haunted - it is alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave...”
While I do think that the movie drags at times and I wonder if maybe if it should have been a little shorter, for a found footage horror movie and its tropes and the sort of things you come to expect from it, I thought it was pretty entertaining. At first, you see the 5 who are involved with the production of that TV show, and it's a standard ghost-hunting reality TV show, meaning that things are staged and the hosts are douches. I have only seen a small amount of those programs as I detest “reality” television with a passion, but you probably know what I'm talking about. They aren't so loathsome you can't stand them but you enjoy laughing at how douchy they are so you are amused when things go bad after they get locked in.
The movie is more thrilling than scary, although you may be startled a few times and there are some gross moments. I was entertained and I wasn't bored or insulted, which has happened in the past with certain movies of this style. I will note that once they get into the building at night things get real odd, as if time is warped and they're in an alternate dimension... or something like that. It's just speculation and it's a good thing that wasn't explained, you know.
Overall, like I said I was entertained by it. It isn't the best found footage horror movie but it still is fun to watch and it does have effective moments for sure. I will be back tomorrow afternoon as I talk about its sequel, which I've heard is rather odd.
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: The Vicious Brothers (not to ruin the illusion or anything, but those two aren't even brothers, let alone have the surname Vicious)
Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir, Juan Riedinger, Mackenzie Gray
From: Digital Interface Productions/Twin Engine Films
Tonight, I decided to finally go back to watching stuff on Netflix Instant; after all I have the service for less than 2 weeks until my month is up and I won't renew it and who knows when I'll next get it for another month. As it's been awhile since I've seen a horror film, I picked out one I've heard about pretty much ever since it was released. Most seemed to enjoy it. There's a sequel, and I plan on watching that later and reviewing it tomorrow, but I wanted to get up a review before midnight so that's why I'm taking a break between the two films.
Yeah, this is another found footage type movie; to steal the plot description from the IMDb... “Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, where unexplained phenomena have been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and begin a paranormal investigation, capturing everything on camera. They quickly realize that the building is more than just haunted - it is alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave...”
While I do think that the movie drags at times and I wonder if maybe if it should have been a little shorter, for a found footage horror movie and its tropes and the sort of things you come to expect from it, I thought it was pretty entertaining. At first, you see the 5 who are involved with the production of that TV show, and it's a standard ghost-hunting reality TV show, meaning that things are staged and the hosts are douches. I have only seen a small amount of those programs as I detest “reality” television with a passion, but you probably know what I'm talking about. They aren't so loathsome you can't stand them but you enjoy laughing at how douchy they are so you are amused when things go bad after they get locked in.
The movie is more thrilling than scary, although you may be startled a few times and there are some gross moments. I was entertained and I wasn't bored or insulted, which has happened in the past with certain movies of this style. I will note that once they get into the building at night things get real odd, as if time is warped and they're in an alternate dimension... or something like that. It's just speculation and it's a good thing that wasn't explained, you know.
Overall, like I said I was entertained by it. It isn't the best found footage horror movie but it still is fun to watch and it does have effective moments for sure. I will be back tomorrow afternoon as I talk about its sequel, which I've heard is rather odd.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
I'll Take A Break Tonight
I thought I'd have the time to do this but I was mistaken. That is OK, though. I did some other things today and I am fine with that. I can tell you that Batman: Arkham Asylum is a pretty fun game to play although it can be a pain even on "baby mode" and I wish the game saved more often; it would have saved me some aggravation, for sure.
Whether I decide to watch programming later tonight or sometime tomorrow, I do plan on returning tomorrow night with a review.
Whether I decide to watch programming later tonight or sometime tomorrow, I do plan on returning tomorrow night with a review.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Ernest Goes To Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: John R. Cherry III
Starring: Jim Varney, Victoria Racimo, John Vernon, Iron Eyes Cody, Lyle Alzado
From: Touchstone Pictures
Yep, tonight wasn't a Netflix Instant night. There actually is a story why I chose the movie to watch. I've had it on Blu-Ray for awhile and in fact I've watched it since I've had this blog; I just decided not to write about it. However, because of a messageboard thread... really, that's the reason why.
There's a poster in that thread who I haven't had much of a problem with, but this week through several comments he's caused an uproar. He insulted people who didn't enjoy the film Haywire, which I thought was unfair as that movie is definitely polarizing and for whatever reasons there are plenty who really don't like it. I think it's great but if you don't, that is OK.
Also, out of nowhere he bragged about having never seen a movie with the Ernest P. Worrell character. I thought that was a rather strange thing to be proud of. Sure, that character is goofy but he also is rather harmless. Many children around my age thought he was great... including me. I saw and enjoyed some of his films and I do fondly remember him from that and the various ads he was on back in the day. When he passed away in early 2000, I was definitely sad. I don't want to say that guy sounded totally snobby by making such a statement, but that is how it came across as.
Anyhow, the plot description from the IMDb: “A group of juvenile criminals is sent for vacation to Kamp Kikakee. The clumsy Ernest has to care for them, although he doesn't even know how to take care of himself. The other children at the camp show enmity against them, but the group knows very well how to defend themselves. They do also help the Indian owner of the camp when a brutal mining corporation wants to tear down the camp to mine a rare mineral.”
Yep, this movie concerns a campground for kids that is on sacred Native American ground; the main chief is Cody, who actually was Italian and pretended to be a Native American for his adult life. Say what you will about the deception, he DID do a lot to advance Native American causes so he should be commended for that even if he played “redface”, if you will.
The movie is silly and juvenile, but it is fine for kids and inoffensive for adults. This is the Ernest film I saw the most when I was young so it is the one I am most fond of and I remember a good amount of it from memory for the amount of times I saw it as a kid
It teaches some nice things to the youngsters now and in the future. The juvenile delinquents are nice to each other but they lash out when people bully them and unfortunately they treat Ernest like crap in the beginning due to his buffoonish ways. But, they come to learn that he truly cares about them and they change their tune. It also teaches a respect for Native American ways and culture and that's always cool.
For the adults, they can still enjoy the slapstick you see throughout the movie and encompasses much of the humor. It still made me chuckle as a guy who is about to turn 33 in a few days. Nostalgia is part of it but I still like this movie despite its faults. There's such wackiness as snapping turtles on parachutes being used as a weapon, along with an unstable filthy toilet. The people that are against the Ernest character, they can chortle and laugh at how large ex-football player Alzado (playing the greatly named BRONK STINSON) beats the crap out of our hero.
Oh, and I almost forgot, Ernest singing a very memorable but sad song, which shows off Varney's legit stage and theatre experience. Here's Gee, I'm Glad It's Raining.
I will return tomorrow night.
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: John R. Cherry III
Starring: Jim Varney, Victoria Racimo, John Vernon, Iron Eyes Cody, Lyle Alzado
From: Touchstone Pictures
Yep, tonight wasn't a Netflix Instant night. There actually is a story why I chose the movie to watch. I've had it on Blu-Ray for awhile and in fact I've watched it since I've had this blog; I just decided not to write about it. However, because of a messageboard thread... really, that's the reason why.
There's a poster in that thread who I haven't had much of a problem with, but this week through several comments he's caused an uproar. He insulted people who didn't enjoy the film Haywire, which I thought was unfair as that movie is definitely polarizing and for whatever reasons there are plenty who really don't like it. I think it's great but if you don't, that is OK.
Also, out of nowhere he bragged about having never seen a movie with the Ernest P. Worrell character. I thought that was a rather strange thing to be proud of. Sure, that character is goofy but he also is rather harmless. Many children around my age thought he was great... including me. I saw and enjoyed some of his films and I do fondly remember him from that and the various ads he was on back in the day. When he passed away in early 2000, I was definitely sad. I don't want to say that guy sounded totally snobby by making such a statement, but that is how it came across as.
Anyhow, the plot description from the IMDb: “A group of juvenile criminals is sent for vacation to Kamp Kikakee. The clumsy Ernest has to care for them, although he doesn't even know how to take care of himself. The other children at the camp show enmity against them, but the group knows very well how to defend themselves. They do also help the Indian owner of the camp when a brutal mining corporation wants to tear down the camp to mine a rare mineral.”
Yep, this movie concerns a campground for kids that is on sacred Native American ground; the main chief is Cody, who actually was Italian and pretended to be a Native American for his adult life. Say what you will about the deception, he DID do a lot to advance Native American causes so he should be commended for that even if he played “redface”, if you will.
The movie is silly and juvenile, but it is fine for kids and inoffensive for adults. This is the Ernest film I saw the most when I was young so it is the one I am most fond of and I remember a good amount of it from memory for the amount of times I saw it as a kid
It teaches some nice things to the youngsters now and in the future. The juvenile delinquents are nice to each other but they lash out when people bully them and unfortunately they treat Ernest like crap in the beginning due to his buffoonish ways. But, they come to learn that he truly cares about them and they change their tune. It also teaches a respect for Native American ways and culture and that's always cool.
For the adults, they can still enjoy the slapstick you see throughout the movie and encompasses much of the humor. It still made me chuckle as a guy who is about to turn 33 in a few days. Nostalgia is part of it but I still like this movie despite its faults. There's such wackiness as snapping turtles on parachutes being used as a weapon, along with an unstable filthy toilet. The people that are against the Ernest character, they can chortle and laugh at how large ex-football player Alzado (playing the greatly named BRONK STINSON) beats the crap out of our hero.
Oh, and I almost forgot, Ernest singing a very memorable but sad song, which shows off Varney's legit stage and theatre experience. Here's Gee, I'm Glad It's Raining.
I will return tomorrow night.
Monday, February 17, 2014
The Tower
The Tower (Ta-weo) (2012)
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Ji-hoon Kim
Starring: Sang-kyung Kim, Kyung-gu Sol, Ye-jin Son, In-kwon Kim, Sung-kee Ahn
From: CJ Entertainment
Here's another Korean film for me to watch; it's one I've heard of before from a messageboard but I don't recall too many people having talked about it, so I wasn't sure what to expect aside from hearsay. This was the reason why I watched The Towering Inferno a few nights before, because they are pretty similar. To steal the plot description from the official press release:
“On Christmas Eve at Tower Sky, an ultra-luxurious building complex, a White Christmas party is held to dazzle its equally high-end tenants and VIP guests. Dae-ho, the manager of the building and single father, is forced to cancel plans with his daughter Hana to work the event. His Christmas is saved when Yoon-hee, the food mall manager with a secret crush on Dae-ho, offers to babysit Hana during the party. Meanwhile, Young-ki the legendary fire chief of Yoido Station has finally promised his first holiday date night to his long suffering wife. The party is in full swing with the spectacular sight of two helicopters flying overhead just to spray snow on the partygoers and make everything perfect. When unthinkable disaster strikes, Dae-ho and Young-ki must summon all their strength and courage to save the lives of thousands but at what cost to themselves and their loved ones?”
Note that there are high winds during this act-which was deemed dangerous but it was demanded it happen anyway-and of course, one of the helicopters crashes into one of the two towers (yes, they are twin towers connected at the 70th floor by a sky bridge. Despite the twin towers thing, don't worry about any 9/11 memories while watching this. Anyhow, after the crash things get real bad real quick in those 108 story towers.
Sure, there's a goofy odious “comic” relief character and there's a precocious little girl (two tropes I am rarely a fan of) and they can be rather annoying; still, even with that this was an effective movie. There are certainly goofy scenes and even some parts that I would call preposterous... that said, it's a thrilling movie where along with the action/excitement stuff-there are some pretty sweet and exciting setpieces-there is surprisingly good melodrama. If you're real sensitive you may even shed many tears.
Like with The Towering Inferno, it can be ruthless in who it kills. It's not a spoiler to say that not everyone you meet in the opening section of the movie (where you get to meet everyone & that was done well) will survive by the time the end credits roll. The Tower does borrow some elements from The Towering Inferno, besides the obvious things. Thankfully, the special/computer effects mostly looked fine. If it wouldn't have... the movie would have been hampered, for sure.
But, the effects are nice overall and most of the characters are actually done well-enough, so you rarely get annoyed by them and you actually do worry about some of them... meaning this movie worked. I would take this over many Hollywood blockbusters, especially the disaster ones from Roland Emmerich or crap like Armageddon or Volcano. Watch this on Instant or elsewhere if you want to see a modern disaster picture, and I don't mean disaster as in atrocious.
I shall return Wednesday night.
Runtime: 121 minutes
Directed by: Ji-hoon Kim
Starring: Sang-kyung Kim, Kyung-gu Sol, Ye-jin Son, In-kwon Kim, Sung-kee Ahn
From: CJ Entertainment
Here's another Korean film for me to watch; it's one I've heard of before from a messageboard but I don't recall too many people having talked about it, so I wasn't sure what to expect aside from hearsay. This was the reason why I watched The Towering Inferno a few nights before, because they are pretty similar. To steal the plot description from the official press release:
“On Christmas Eve at Tower Sky, an ultra-luxurious building complex, a White Christmas party is held to dazzle its equally high-end tenants and VIP guests. Dae-ho, the manager of the building and single father, is forced to cancel plans with his daughter Hana to work the event. His Christmas is saved when Yoon-hee, the food mall manager with a secret crush on Dae-ho, offers to babysit Hana during the party. Meanwhile, Young-ki the legendary fire chief of Yoido Station has finally promised his first holiday date night to his long suffering wife. The party is in full swing with the spectacular sight of two helicopters flying overhead just to spray snow on the partygoers and make everything perfect. When unthinkable disaster strikes, Dae-ho and Young-ki must summon all their strength and courage to save the lives of thousands but at what cost to themselves and their loved ones?”
Note that there are high winds during this act-which was deemed dangerous but it was demanded it happen anyway-and of course, one of the helicopters crashes into one of the two towers (yes, they are twin towers connected at the 70th floor by a sky bridge. Despite the twin towers thing, don't worry about any 9/11 memories while watching this. Anyhow, after the crash things get real bad real quick in those 108 story towers.
Sure, there's a goofy odious “comic” relief character and there's a precocious little girl (two tropes I am rarely a fan of) and they can be rather annoying; still, even with that this was an effective movie. There are certainly goofy scenes and even some parts that I would call preposterous... that said, it's a thrilling movie where along with the action/excitement stuff-there are some pretty sweet and exciting setpieces-there is surprisingly good melodrama. If you're real sensitive you may even shed many tears.
Like with The Towering Inferno, it can be ruthless in who it kills. It's not a spoiler to say that not everyone you meet in the opening section of the movie (where you get to meet everyone & that was done well) will survive by the time the end credits roll. The Tower does borrow some elements from The Towering Inferno, besides the obvious things. Thankfully, the special/computer effects mostly looked fine. If it wouldn't have... the movie would have been hampered, for sure.
But, the effects are nice overall and most of the characters are actually done well-enough, so you rarely get annoyed by them and you actually do worry about some of them... meaning this movie worked. I would take this over many Hollywood blockbusters, especially the disaster ones from Roland Emmerich or crap like Armageddon or Volcano. Watch this on Instant or elsewhere if you want to see a modern disaster picture, and I don't mean disaster as in atrocious.
I shall return Wednesday night.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Alex Cross
Alex Cross (2012)
12% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 119 reviews)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Tyler Perry (LOL), Matthew Fox, Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno
From: Summit Entertainment
Yes, I actually watched this piece of crap last night. Once again I'll copy and paste what I wrote on Letterboxd about this but I'll expand on it. To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“A homicide detective is pushed to the brink of his moral and physical limits as he tangles with a ferociously skilled serial killer who specializes in torture and pain.” That's really all the description that is needed.
Oh, why did I decide to watch this last night? Sure, I wanted to see how bad it was & if it was as awful as I had heard from multiple reliable people. But, they were right. At least I saw it for free on a Showtime channel.
This is the first time I had seen the Alex Cross character on screen (he was played previously by Morgan Freeman in films I hadn't seen before) & aside from his brief role in Star Trek, I have never had the "pleasure" of seeing Tyler Perry act. I avoid his movies as if they are AIDS! But, I can tell you that he was really awful in this role, either overacting or underacting. This big lumbering oaf as a super-smart detective with seeming psychic powers... I did not buy him in the role at all. Besides that, the other roles and acting jobs are pretty blah too. Fox as the villain was just more strange and odd than anything else. He was like a sinewy Henry Rollins, but believe me he was no Henry Rollins.
The fact that the movie reveled in doing bad things to quite a few female characters... pleasant, real pleasant. Then again, the whole film has a stench of unpleasantness attached to it so I can't really recommend it even to laugh at all the stupid sh*t that happens. My personal favorite was being in the back seat of Sinewy Henry Rollins' Cadillac CTS-V Coupe as he leaves a parking garage. What was up with that? It looked like it was filmed on a crappy handheld camera and it stuck out in a bad way.
Not shockingly, this was badly directed. An important battle is ruined by a horrid case of shaky-cam BS. But what ruins everything is a crappy overly convoluted mess of a story where you don't give a damn about any of the characters. No matter the famous actors in it (besides the people mentioned already there was also Cicily Tyson and John C. McGinley), they can't help make the bad story any good.
I was able to watch it in full without wanting to turn it off. Still, you don't need to ever watch this. I've complained on sites other than this one how stupid modern Hollywood is, filled with corporate bean-counter BS and other awfulness that leads to so many wide release theatrical movies in the United States being mediocre at best. To think that some geniuses decided that a movie with this lead star and director would be better than one that would have starred the awesome Idris Elba and been directed by David Twohy. Imagine those two with a non-awful script... sigh.
I shall return tomorrow night.
12% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 119 reviews)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Tyler Perry (LOL), Matthew Fox, Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno
From: Summit Entertainment
Yes, I actually watched this piece of crap last night. Once again I'll copy and paste what I wrote on Letterboxd about this but I'll expand on it. To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“A homicide detective is pushed to the brink of his moral and physical limits as he tangles with a ferociously skilled serial killer who specializes in torture and pain.” That's really all the description that is needed.
Oh, why did I decide to watch this last night? Sure, I wanted to see how bad it was & if it was as awful as I had heard from multiple reliable people. But, they were right. At least I saw it for free on a Showtime channel.
This is the first time I had seen the Alex Cross character on screen (he was played previously by Morgan Freeman in films I hadn't seen before) & aside from his brief role in Star Trek, I have never had the "pleasure" of seeing Tyler Perry act. I avoid his movies as if they are AIDS! But, I can tell you that he was really awful in this role, either overacting or underacting. This big lumbering oaf as a super-smart detective with seeming psychic powers... I did not buy him in the role at all. Besides that, the other roles and acting jobs are pretty blah too. Fox as the villain was just more strange and odd than anything else. He was like a sinewy Henry Rollins, but believe me he was no Henry Rollins.
The fact that the movie reveled in doing bad things to quite a few female characters... pleasant, real pleasant. Then again, the whole film has a stench of unpleasantness attached to it so I can't really recommend it even to laugh at all the stupid sh*t that happens. My personal favorite was being in the back seat of Sinewy Henry Rollins' Cadillac CTS-V Coupe as he leaves a parking garage. What was up with that? It looked like it was filmed on a crappy handheld camera and it stuck out in a bad way.
Not shockingly, this was badly directed. An important battle is ruined by a horrid case of shaky-cam BS. But what ruins everything is a crappy overly convoluted mess of a story where you don't give a damn about any of the characters. No matter the famous actors in it (besides the people mentioned already there was also Cicily Tyson and John C. McGinley), they can't help make the bad story any good.
I was able to watch it in full without wanting to turn it off. Still, you don't need to ever watch this. I've complained on sites other than this one how stupid modern Hollywood is, filled with corporate bean-counter BS and other awfulness that leads to so many wide release theatrical movies in the United States being mediocre at best. To think that some geniuses decided that a movie with this lead star and director would be better than one that would have starred the awesome Idris Elba and been directed by David Twohy. Imagine those two with a non-awful script... sigh.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno (1974)
Runtime: 165 minutes
Directed by: John Guillermin for the drama scenes and Irwin Allen for the action scenes
Starring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain
From: 20th Century Fox/Warner Brothers
While I've seen this movie more than once before, last night was the first time I saw it on Blu-Ray, where it looks and sounds nice. This is one of those disaster movies from Irwin Allen, who was involved with several movies in that sub-genre in the 70's and the early 80's. It relates to something I'd like to see soon, which is why I decided to watch it when I did. The rest of the review is basically what I wrote about it on Letterboxd, but expanded upon a bit.
To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“Doug Roberts, Architect, returns from a long vacation to find work nearly completed on his skyscraper. He goes to the party that night concerned he's found that his wiring specifications have not been followed and that the building continues to develop short circuits. When the fire begins, Michael O'Halleran is the chief on duty as a series of daring rescues punctuate the terror of a building too tall to have a fire successfully fought from the ground.”
While at times I did feel its length, otherwise I was able to watch this 165 minute movie in one sitting with little problems. The initial fire that starts everything off happens soon after the movie starts and things are paced pretty well in that you get to meet all the important characters and spend enough time with them to where you care about them and their fate.
A lot of calamities happen (cutting corners while constructing the tallest building of all time... a pretty stupid and yet unfortunately not hard to believe move) and it's fun to watch how they deal with all that goes wrong, and how the brave fire department changes plans when something new pops up. There are memorable setpieces, for sure.
It was nice to see a large cast of memorable actors in action (besides the names listed there was Robert Vaughn, Jennifer Jones, Faye Dunaway, Robert Wagner and in a small role Dabney Coleman; I don't put O.J. Simpson into this category, by the way) doing their thing, even if there were rumors of on-set drama at times. The two biggest stars (who caused some drama themselves, mainly on McQueen's end... they staggered the credits for when their names appeared so that one name wasn't deemed as "being set higher" than the other... talk about petty and ridiculous) had some big heroic moments.
The visual and special effects still look nice and realistic today; who needs CGI to make an effective film with a lot of spectacle and ballyhoo?
This was a big production with two major studios, two major books being put into one story (that is why the two studios came together... they each had rights to a book and the two were very similar so Irwin Allen used his power to make the studios work together) and two big stars who didn't really get along. Yet, everything came together to produce a memorable disaster picture that is still effective and fun 40 years later.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Runtime: 165 minutes
Directed by: John Guillermin for the drama scenes and Irwin Allen for the action scenes
Starring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain
From: 20th Century Fox/Warner Brothers
While I've seen this movie more than once before, last night was the first time I saw it on Blu-Ray, where it looks and sounds nice. This is one of those disaster movies from Irwin Allen, who was involved with several movies in that sub-genre in the 70's and the early 80's. It relates to something I'd like to see soon, which is why I decided to watch it when I did. The rest of the review is basically what I wrote about it on Letterboxd, but expanded upon a bit.
To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“Doug Roberts, Architect, returns from a long vacation to find work nearly completed on his skyscraper. He goes to the party that night concerned he's found that his wiring specifications have not been followed and that the building continues to develop short circuits. When the fire begins, Michael O'Halleran is the chief on duty as a series of daring rescues punctuate the terror of a building too tall to have a fire successfully fought from the ground.”
While at times I did feel its length, otherwise I was able to watch this 165 minute movie in one sitting with little problems. The initial fire that starts everything off happens soon after the movie starts and things are paced pretty well in that you get to meet all the important characters and spend enough time with them to where you care about them and their fate.
A lot of calamities happen (cutting corners while constructing the tallest building of all time... a pretty stupid and yet unfortunately not hard to believe move) and it's fun to watch how they deal with all that goes wrong, and how the brave fire department changes plans when something new pops up. There are memorable setpieces, for sure.
It was nice to see a large cast of memorable actors in action (besides the names listed there was Robert Vaughn, Jennifer Jones, Faye Dunaway, Robert Wagner and in a small role Dabney Coleman; I don't put O.J. Simpson into this category, by the way) doing their thing, even if there were rumors of on-set drama at times. The two biggest stars (who caused some drama themselves, mainly on McQueen's end... they staggered the credits for when their names appeared so that one name wasn't deemed as "being set higher" than the other... talk about petty and ridiculous) had some big heroic moments.
The visual and special effects still look nice and realistic today; who needs CGI to make an effective film with a lot of spectacle and ballyhoo?
This was a big production with two major studios, two major books being put into one story (that is why the two studios came together... they each had rights to a book and the two were very similar so Irwin Allen used his power to make the studios work together) and two big stars who didn't really get along. Yet, everything came together to produce a memorable disaster picture that is still effective and fun 40 years later.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Drug War
Drug War (Du Zhan) (2012)
Runtime: 107 minutes
Directed by: Johnnie To
Starring: Louis Koo, Honglei Sun, Ka Tung Lam, Yi Huang, Suet Lam
From: Hairun Movies & TV Group
This is a film I heard quite a bit of buzz about on a messageboard late last year and while I hadn't seen any film from popular Hong Kong director To, I figured I should kill two birds with one stone and check this out via Netflix Instant. Turns out, this won't be the last film I see from To. To steal the plot description that I think its American distributor put out:
“Long considered the master of the Hong Kong crime thriller, Johnnie To's first mainland production turns an eye on China's rising, ultra-violent drug epidemic. In China, manufacturing just fifty grams of meth will get you the death penalty. Timmy Choi has manufactured truckloads of it, and after a violent lab accident he's in the custody of Captain Zhang. Now, he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang's undercover team take down the powerful cartel he's been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced to compress months of police work into 72 sleepless hours, things begin spin wildly out of control, the line between duty and recklessness is blurred, and it becomes unclear whether Zhang or Choi actually has the upper hand.”
I will note that this is a police procedural thriller. I mean, you literally see nothing besides the undercover cops working on this case. Talk about being focused. Throughout the very interesting case that has twists and turns, you get to learn who everyone is just from seeing them in action; there usually isn't any exposition to speak of. Things are grounded and in fact they seem realistic as to what Chinese cops would experience on this kind of case. To list some cliches, things are tense and you're almost always on the edge of your seat. But it's true.
It isn't action-packed but when you do see it, it's done real well. It's shot cleanly and you always know what's going on. I know I talk about that all the time but it can't be stressed enough. The final 20 or so minutes, though... that is an exceptional ending to the movie, I say. It's a greatly done setpiece all around from the surprising setting to all that happens, to how most of it is realistic, at least by movie action standards. It was a satisfying way to end everything, I say.
This will end up on my Top 10 of 2013 list, coming out early next month. It was released in the U.S. last year so that's why it qualifies for the list. That's how great I thought it was. I gave it 4 ½ out of 5 stars on Letterboxd. The movie also proved to me that what I had heard was true: Buick cars are VERY popular in China. You see many of them here. I shall return tomorrow night.
Runtime: 107 minutes
Directed by: Johnnie To
Starring: Louis Koo, Honglei Sun, Ka Tung Lam, Yi Huang, Suet Lam
From: Hairun Movies & TV Group
This is a film I heard quite a bit of buzz about on a messageboard late last year and while I hadn't seen any film from popular Hong Kong director To, I figured I should kill two birds with one stone and check this out via Netflix Instant. Turns out, this won't be the last film I see from To. To steal the plot description that I think its American distributor put out:
“Long considered the master of the Hong Kong crime thriller, Johnnie To's first mainland production turns an eye on China's rising, ultra-violent drug epidemic. In China, manufacturing just fifty grams of meth will get you the death penalty. Timmy Choi has manufactured truckloads of it, and after a violent lab accident he's in the custody of Captain Zhang. Now, he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang's undercover team take down the powerful cartel he's been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced to compress months of police work into 72 sleepless hours, things begin spin wildly out of control, the line between duty and recklessness is blurred, and it becomes unclear whether Zhang or Choi actually has the upper hand.”
I will note that this is a police procedural thriller. I mean, you literally see nothing besides the undercover cops working on this case. Talk about being focused. Throughout the very interesting case that has twists and turns, you get to learn who everyone is just from seeing them in action; there usually isn't any exposition to speak of. Things are grounded and in fact they seem realistic as to what Chinese cops would experience on this kind of case. To list some cliches, things are tense and you're almost always on the edge of your seat. But it's true.
It isn't action-packed but when you do see it, it's done real well. It's shot cleanly and you always know what's going on. I know I talk about that all the time but it can't be stressed enough. The final 20 or so minutes, though... that is an exceptional ending to the movie, I say. It's a greatly done setpiece all around from the surprising setting to all that happens, to how most of it is realistic, at least by movie action standards. It was a satisfying way to end everything, I say.
This will end up on my Top 10 of 2013 list, coming out early next month. It was released in the U.S. last year so that's why it qualifies for the list. That's how great I thought it was. I gave it 4 ½ out of 5 stars on Letterboxd. The movie also proved to me that what I had heard was true: Buick cars are VERY popular in China. You see many of them here. I shall return tomorrow night.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (a.k.a. Ninja II)
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Isaac Florentine
Starring: Scott Adkins, Kane Kosugi, Shun Sugata, Mika Hijii
From: Millennium Films
Finally, I was able to watch this movie last night via Netflix Instant. The previous night I used my first-ever Redbox rental to rewatch the first Ninja and what I said about it back then still largely applies now. You can read that review here. I heard a lot of buzz about this movie, so I was eager to check it out. To steal the plot description from IMDb, but edit it down somewhat:
“Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory.”
Before I say anything else, I have to say that indeed, the action scenes are great. They are filmed perfectly (i.e. no shaky cam or that quick editing crap, a lesson that I wish Hollywood would learn), have some bitchin' fighting and they're all interesting and fun to watch.
That said, this story... I thought it was no good. I'd have to go into major spoilers to list specific reasons why I had issues with it so I'll be vague, but it was no good. It starts off with Casey and his wife Namiko (who was in the first film and they ended up getting married and she got pregnant between the first film and this one) and well, she just acted real dumb and was annoying! I'll be honest and say they did not wait long to kill her off, which was the “savage act of violence”.
After that, the way the story progresses and how they get from plot plot to plot point... nonsensical and it seemed like there was stuff missing. There were “surprises” that were pretty obvious. The story structure is just bad; it's random scenes strung loosely together. Sure, there's humorous stuff like Casey being a mean drunk in one scene who engages in a bar fight, but that was about it for that... and that's how the film goes. And once you find out what the whole plot is about... no, just no. It's ridiculous and it brings up logical fallacies and plot holes. And no, the strange title is never explained in the film itself.
I can't say I hated it; after all I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, almost entirely due to the action scenes. I had to be fair there. It's just that I still felt disappointed because the story was so bad and harebrained. I wish that 2013 wouldn't have had so many films that let me down compared to what I was hoping for. Hopefully 2014 will have less of that.
I shall return tomorrow night and I may actually review more than one film.
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Isaac Florentine
Starring: Scott Adkins, Kane Kosugi, Shun Sugata, Mika Hijii
From: Millennium Films
Finally, I was able to watch this movie last night via Netflix Instant. The previous night I used my first-ever Redbox rental to rewatch the first Ninja and what I said about it back then still largely applies now. You can read that review here. I heard a lot of buzz about this movie, so I was eager to check it out. To steal the plot description from IMDb, but edit it down somewhat:
“Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory.”
Before I say anything else, I have to say that indeed, the action scenes are great. They are filmed perfectly (i.e. no shaky cam or that quick editing crap, a lesson that I wish Hollywood would learn), have some bitchin' fighting and they're all interesting and fun to watch.
That said, this story... I thought it was no good. I'd have to go into major spoilers to list specific reasons why I had issues with it so I'll be vague, but it was no good. It starts off with Casey and his wife Namiko (who was in the first film and they ended up getting married and she got pregnant between the first film and this one) and well, she just acted real dumb and was annoying! I'll be honest and say they did not wait long to kill her off, which was the “savage act of violence”.
After that, the way the story progresses and how they get from plot plot to plot point... nonsensical and it seemed like there was stuff missing. There were “surprises” that were pretty obvious. The story structure is just bad; it's random scenes strung loosely together. Sure, there's humorous stuff like Casey being a mean drunk in one scene who engages in a bar fight, but that was about it for that... and that's how the film goes. And once you find out what the whole plot is about... no, just no. It's ridiculous and it brings up logical fallacies and plot holes. And no, the strange title is never explained in the film itself.
I can't say I hated it; after all I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, almost entirely due to the action scenes. I had to be fair there. It's just that I still felt disappointed because the story was so bad and harebrained. I wish that 2013 wouldn't have had so many films that let me down compared to what I was hoping for. Hopefully 2014 will have less of that.
I shall return tomorrow night and I may actually review more than one film.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
I've Finally Used Redbox
I'd write more about it now but I better get going real soon and return the disc to Redbox that has Ninja and Ninja II on it; the weather is supposed to be pretty crappy where I live tonight; it's thunderstorms and I know that other parts of the country have ice/snow to worry about so I shouldn't complain, but I'll wait to watch Ninja II on Netflix Instant sometime later as I'd rather not drive around in bad weather, you know.
Unless things go haywire I'll be back tomorrow night to talk about how I still enjoy the first Ninja and I'll give my review on Ninja II and say if it's as great as I've heard from multiple people.
Unless things go haywire I'll be back tomorrow night to talk about how I still enjoy the first Ninja and I'll give my review on Ninja II and say if it's as great as I've heard from multiple people.
Monday, February 10, 2014
War Of The Arrows
War of the Arrows (Choi-Jong-Byeong-Gi Hwal) (2011)
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Han-min Kim
Starring: Hae-il Park, Ryu Seung-Ryong, Mu-Yeol Kim, Chae-won Moon, Han-wi Lee
From: Several different companies, including Dasepo Club
In short, this is a movie I've known about for awhile and I've heard praise for it from various sources, yet it wasn't until tonight that I finally got to watch this Korean film via Netflix Instant. To steal the plot description from someone on Letterboxd:
“13 years after the King Injo Revolt, the Chosun Dynasty is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China. A young man named Na-mi leaves his demolished village to find his young sister, Ja-in, and her finance Su-koon, who were to wed on the very day of the attack. While on his mission to rescue her, he is being traced by Jushinta, a fierce Chung Warrior, and his band of malicious men who are out to stop him. Na-mi has but a day to rescue his sister before she is taken away to be a slave.”
To elaborate, the opening of the movie is the aforementioned Revolt; brother and sister are escaping a village, where their father is killed for being a traitor. That fact weights heavily on Na-mi, as you might expect. They go elsewhere and that's where they grow up and you go to present day.
I agree with the praise I've heard; this is a quality film. At first the protagonist seems like a real loser and not a cool guy despite his great archery skills. This is due to the guilt he's always had over his background. But, once the Mongols attack and they do some awful things, Na-mi rises to action and he becomes an honorable dude and someone you're happy to cheer for. Really, you're happy when all the people connected to the village at least try to fight back against the antagonists and you see quite a few bitchin' and awesome things done by not just Na-mi but also from Ja-in, Su-koon and some others; heck, even the villains have some badass dudes and they do some impressive things. That makes their battles real interesting. A lot of it is bow & arrow action from multiple people, but there's also sword action. You often see blood spraying out, which was good times to me.
Besides the quality action scenes (which are done well and as they're all interesting and not what you see everyday, they are always intriguing to watch) that are filmed well, the story doesn't always go where you think it will (cliches are not always on the menu) and the score isn't what I usually hear but it fit and it was nice.
Overall, I definitely did enjoy the movie and I am glad I finally saw it. I will return Wednesday afternoon; it may be real late in the afternoon but I'll try for that not to happen.
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Han-min Kim
Starring: Hae-il Park, Ryu Seung-Ryong, Mu-Yeol Kim, Chae-won Moon, Han-wi Lee
From: Several different companies, including Dasepo Club
In short, this is a movie I've known about for awhile and I've heard praise for it from various sources, yet it wasn't until tonight that I finally got to watch this Korean film via Netflix Instant. To steal the plot description from someone on Letterboxd:
“13 years after the King Injo Revolt, the Chosun Dynasty is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China. A young man named Na-mi leaves his demolished village to find his young sister, Ja-in, and her finance Su-koon, who were to wed on the very day of the attack. While on his mission to rescue her, he is being traced by Jushinta, a fierce Chung Warrior, and his band of malicious men who are out to stop him. Na-mi has but a day to rescue his sister before she is taken away to be a slave.”
To elaborate, the opening of the movie is the aforementioned Revolt; brother and sister are escaping a village, where their father is killed for being a traitor. That fact weights heavily on Na-mi, as you might expect. They go elsewhere and that's where they grow up and you go to present day.
I agree with the praise I've heard; this is a quality film. At first the protagonist seems like a real loser and not a cool guy despite his great archery skills. This is due to the guilt he's always had over his background. But, once the Mongols attack and they do some awful things, Na-mi rises to action and he becomes an honorable dude and someone you're happy to cheer for. Really, you're happy when all the people connected to the village at least try to fight back against the antagonists and you see quite a few bitchin' and awesome things done by not just Na-mi but also from Ja-in, Su-koon and some others; heck, even the villains have some badass dudes and they do some impressive things. That makes their battles real interesting. A lot of it is bow & arrow action from multiple people, but there's also sword action. You often see blood spraying out, which was good times to me.
Besides the quality action scenes (which are done well and as they're all interesting and not what you see everyday, they are always intriguing to watch) that are filmed well, the story doesn't always go where you think it will (cliches are not always on the menu) and the score isn't what I usually hear but it fit and it was nice.
Overall, I definitely did enjoy the movie and I am glad I finally saw it. I will return Wednesday afternoon; it may be real late in the afternoon but I'll try for that not to happen.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Truck Turner
Truck Turner (1974)
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, Nichelle Nichols, Alan Weeks, Annazette Chase
From: AIP
I decided to continue on the path of watching blaxploitation films and despite hearing a lot of praise for this in the past, it was only tonight that I checked this out, via Netflix Instant. This was a wise decision on my part. To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“Truck is a bounty hunter who gets a job to track down a guy named Gator. When he and his partner find him, a chase ensues and Gator is killed. This makes Gator's woman, Dorinda, very angry and she puts a hit on Truck. The man who agrees to kill Truck is named Blue. The question is whether Truck can survive with Blue and his gang on his trail.” A little awkwardly said, but that is the general plot.
This movie is loud and profane... which is fine with me. The same people that produced Black Belt Jones produced this (both movies share a few actors), and like with that, there's plenty of both intentional and unintentional humor. Truck is a disgusting slob with trash all over his apartment and he likes to curse out the cat owning to his criminal girlfriend (who spends part of the film in jail), and sometimes acts like an ass... but in a good way. He is still a character you think is awesome, and he spends time pal-ing about with his fellow skip tracer buddy (Weeks) and they exchange witty banter.
Gator happens to be a pimp and his girlfriend Dorinda is played by Nichelle Nichols. If you only know her as Uhura from Star Trek then this role will be a HUGE shock. She's pretty much very angry throughout and I think that every sentence she speaks has either a curse word or a racial slur. Her yelling at whores is incredible. It was quite the performance, for sure. It's the shame it's the only blaxploitation film that she wanted to do. But, there were nice performances throughout.
To go along with the entertainment value there's nice action scenes. People get blown away in bloody fashion. The highlight there is a long scene that starts off as a car chase and it ends not only in a foot chase but there's also a bar fight. That was great. Best of all, though, is the funeral for Gator. Many other pimps appear to pay tribute to him and their outfits are as awesomely stereotypical as you'd expect; their ho's are there too and one has a rainbow colored afro! Thankfully that scene is on YouTube, along with a compilation of Nichols in the movie. Both are below. This movie is highly recommended, especially if you dig the genre.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, Nichelle Nichols, Alan Weeks, Annazette Chase
From: AIP
I decided to continue on the path of watching blaxploitation films and despite hearing a lot of praise for this in the past, it was only tonight that I checked this out, via Netflix Instant. This was a wise decision on my part. To steal the plot description from the IMDb:
“Truck is a bounty hunter who gets a job to track down a guy named Gator. When he and his partner find him, a chase ensues and Gator is killed. This makes Gator's woman, Dorinda, very angry and she puts a hit on Truck. The man who agrees to kill Truck is named Blue. The question is whether Truck can survive with Blue and his gang on his trail.” A little awkwardly said, but that is the general plot.
This movie is loud and profane... which is fine with me. The same people that produced Black Belt Jones produced this (both movies share a few actors), and like with that, there's plenty of both intentional and unintentional humor. Truck is a disgusting slob with trash all over his apartment and he likes to curse out the cat owning to his criminal girlfriend (who spends part of the film in jail), and sometimes acts like an ass... but in a good way. He is still a character you think is awesome, and he spends time pal-ing about with his fellow skip tracer buddy (Weeks) and they exchange witty banter.
Gator happens to be a pimp and his girlfriend Dorinda is played by Nichelle Nichols. If you only know her as Uhura from Star Trek then this role will be a HUGE shock. She's pretty much very angry throughout and I think that every sentence she speaks has either a curse word or a racial slur. Her yelling at whores is incredible. It was quite the performance, for sure. It's the shame it's the only blaxploitation film that she wanted to do. But, there were nice performances throughout.
To go along with the entertainment value there's nice action scenes. People get blown away in bloody fashion. The highlight there is a long scene that starts off as a car chase and it ends not only in a foot chase but there's also a bar fight. That was great. Best of all, though, is the funeral for Gator. Many other pimps appear to pay tribute to him and their outfits are as awesomely stereotypical as you'd expect; their ho's are there too and one has a rainbow colored afro! Thankfully that scene is on YouTube, along with a compilation of Nichols in the movie. Both are below. This movie is highly recommended, especially if you dig the genre.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Yes, Blaxploitation Films Are Neat
I figured this should be the only thing I talk about tonight. Last night I rewatched Coffy, a film I've seen a few times before and I reviewed it back in 2010. You can read that review here. Then, just earlier tonight I watched Foxy Brown, a rather similar movie (it was made to cash in on Coffy's success and you have both the same star and director and even some returning cast members) that in its own ways is about as fun as Coffy. I briefly talked about it in a review you can read by clicking here.
Both movies are over the top but hey, they are fun to watch. You have despicable bad guys who do awful things, so you love it when there's a badass woman that gets revenge on them in glorious ways and you have wacky fights, groovy soundtracks, wild clothing, and just a high level of awesomeness in general.
I WILL be back tomorrow night with a review, and barring any problems, it'll be another blaxploitation film, this time one I haven't seen before.
Both movies are over the top but hey, they are fun to watch. You have despicable bad guys who do awful things, so you love it when there's a badass woman that gets revenge on them in glorious ways and you have wacky fights, groovy soundtracks, wild clothing, and just a high level of awesomeness in general.
I WILL be back tomorrow night with a review, and barring any problems, it'll be another blaxploitation film, this time one I haven't seen before.
Friday, February 7, 2014
A Night Where I Rewatch Films...
is what tonight is going to be. I was going to watch something to prepare me for a highly regarded sequel that I really want to see but I am having problems viewing that first film; I suppose it serves me right as I would view it in a "less than ethical" manner and I understand that I can go to a Redbox and hopefully it still has the one disc which includes both films. I've never used Redbox before but I'll have to go to some early next week and with any luck I'll find it and watch both.
Anyhow, I now have Netflix Instant again after not having it for at least the past 6 months. It does look a little different and what was in what was then called the queue has dwindled down due to films being banished from there, but hopefully I'll be more active and actually watch movies while I have the service for the next month, and it'll add some variety to what I write and review.
Barring any complications I'd like to be back tomorrow night with a review. If not... I'll still write something.
Anyhow, I now have Netflix Instant again after not having it for at least the past 6 months. It does look a little different and what was in what was then called the queue has dwindled down due to films being banished from there, but hopefully I'll be more active and actually watch movies while I have the service for the next month, and it'll add some variety to what I write and review.
Barring any complications I'd like to be back tomorrow night with a review. If not... I'll still write something.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
American Crime
American Crime (2004)
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Dan Mintz (more on him later)
Starring: Annabella Sciorra, Kip Pardue (the Taylor Kitsch of his time?), Cary Elwes, Rachael Leigh Cook
From: Several companies, including Lightning Entertainment
Yep, after a LONG time, I finally decided to watch another movie that featured Ms. Cook. I figured it was about time; the last one was way back in May. Things definitely weren't like in the second half of '12, when I blew through quite a few of her motion pictures in only a few months. Since the last time I did one of those, she became a mom to a daughter named Charlotte. Thank goodness the child has a good, normal name and not one of the many atrocious celebrity kid names that have proliferated like ditchweeds; you know, like Apple or Bronx Mowgli, or North West or Audio Science or Moxie Crimefighter or all the other awful ones out there.
Anyhow, the plot description, via the IMDb: “A young smalltown reporter, Jessie St. Claire, begins investigating a killer stalking his victims making video tapes. This might just be the career opportunity, which she has hoped for. When she herself becomes a target and suddenly disappears, the case attracts a colleague from the nationally syndicated television show "American Crime" as well. Together with Jessie's camera-man and later joined by her producer he tries to solve the mysterious case.” Yes this is true, although it doesn't show how the movie is presented.
From what I know the movie isn't so well-received online but me, I thought it was average. It's just that it's more odd and strange than anything else. Not that it's off-putting or anything, which unfortunately some of Rachael's movies have been. It's just different. The first half of the movie, much of it is presented as if it was an episode of the American Crime TV show. I have enjoyed watching true crime shows on cable TV, back when they were actually on and before the scourge of reality TV hit and those shows vanished to the more obscure cable channels out there. Think of the American Crime show as like one of those programs you'd see on A&E back in the day. You see a host narrate the story and all that.
Well, the host of this show is Elwes, who may have delivered his strangest performance he's ever done. It's over-acting and just odd, but I was amused by it so it worked for me. The recreation of one of those programs was accurate. It seemed to fit in with the rest of this motion picture. You have wacky editing, transitions, moments... like I said the movie is just eccentric in nature. At least it was better than what I was led to believe. This is mostly a drama/thriller but there are moments of dark and daffy humor throughout. I was not expecting to see such things as one of the main characters being a touchy-feely lesbian, or Elwes cursing at some geese.
Not everything works; that has to be noted. I mean, besides how things don't always make sense, for one thing there's the obvious fake blonde wig that Rachael wears. It doesn't even look like it properly fits her head. She still looked quite pretty but it was still goofy.
Probably the most noteworthy thing about this movie is that it was the last film directed by Dan Mintz before he went on to be the CEO of DMG Entertainment, a Chinese company that did TV commercials before moving on to producing movies and they were the ones who co-produced the likes of Looper, Iron Man 3 and the upcoming Transcedence. No kidding. It does explain why some of the producers of this film had Chinese names.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Dan Mintz (more on him later)
Starring: Annabella Sciorra, Kip Pardue (the Taylor Kitsch of his time?), Cary Elwes, Rachael Leigh Cook
From: Several companies, including Lightning Entertainment
Yep, after a LONG time, I finally decided to watch another movie that featured Ms. Cook. I figured it was about time; the last one was way back in May. Things definitely weren't like in the second half of '12, when I blew through quite a few of her motion pictures in only a few months. Since the last time I did one of those, she became a mom to a daughter named Charlotte. Thank goodness the child has a good, normal name and not one of the many atrocious celebrity kid names that have proliferated like ditchweeds; you know, like Apple or Bronx Mowgli, or North West or Audio Science or Moxie Crimefighter or all the other awful ones out there.
Anyhow, the plot description, via the IMDb: “A young smalltown reporter, Jessie St. Claire, begins investigating a killer stalking his victims making video tapes. This might just be the career opportunity, which she has hoped for. When she herself becomes a target and suddenly disappears, the case attracts a colleague from the nationally syndicated television show "American Crime" as well. Together with Jessie's camera-man and later joined by her producer he tries to solve the mysterious case.” Yes this is true, although it doesn't show how the movie is presented.
From what I know the movie isn't so well-received online but me, I thought it was average. It's just that it's more odd and strange than anything else. Not that it's off-putting or anything, which unfortunately some of Rachael's movies have been. It's just different. The first half of the movie, much of it is presented as if it was an episode of the American Crime TV show. I have enjoyed watching true crime shows on cable TV, back when they were actually on and before the scourge of reality TV hit and those shows vanished to the more obscure cable channels out there. Think of the American Crime show as like one of those programs you'd see on A&E back in the day. You see a host narrate the story and all that.
Well, the host of this show is Elwes, who may have delivered his strangest performance he's ever done. It's over-acting and just odd, but I was amused by it so it worked for me. The recreation of one of those programs was accurate. It seemed to fit in with the rest of this motion picture. You have wacky editing, transitions, moments... like I said the movie is just eccentric in nature. At least it was better than what I was led to believe. This is mostly a drama/thriller but there are moments of dark and daffy humor throughout. I was not expecting to see such things as one of the main characters being a touchy-feely lesbian, or Elwes cursing at some geese.
Not everything works; that has to be noted. I mean, besides how things don't always make sense, for one thing there's the obvious fake blonde wig that Rachael wears. It doesn't even look like it properly fits her head. She still looked quite pretty but it was still goofy.
Probably the most noteworthy thing about this movie is that it was the last film directed by Dan Mintz before he went on to be the CEO of DMG Entertainment, a Chinese company that did TV commercials before moving on to producing movies and they were the ones who co-produced the likes of Looper, Iron Man 3 and the upcoming Transcedence. No kidding. It does explain why some of the producers of this film had Chinese names.
I shall return tomorrow night.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
I Hate Doing This, But...
I hate having to postpone things AGAIN, but to be perfectly honest today has turned to shit; I don't want to go into details but it's other people's incompetence that has done it, as is usually the case. The way that today's going (I got up later than usual and that doesn't help matters either), I wouldn't be surprised if crappy things keep on happening to me; the plan for me is to return on Thursday night and at that time I'll talk about a film as I have plans for tomorrow, but with the way Tuesday has been and with all the shit rolling downhill, who knows if tomorrow's plans will happen...
But most importantly of all, I hope that when I return on Thursday things will improve and I will be in a better mood.
But most importantly of all, I hope that when I return on Thursday things will improve and I will be in a better mood.
Monday, February 3, 2014
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman
I always feel bad whenever I have to talk about someone passing away. But, this is especially sad. Someone who was a drug addict at a real young age but then cleaned himself up for 23 years, before falling into the same habit last year. He went to treatment; sad to say it did not work. He OD'ed and considering the amount of heroin found I've heard the rumor that it was actually a suicide but who knows. Either way this is awful, most of all because he had a wife and 3 kids.
I haven't seen but a few of his movies and it's lame that it took this happening to make me want to rewatch the stuff I've seen before and check out all the films I haven't watched yet. Even from what I've seen I of course recognize how he was a great actor and to think that an Average Joe (at least in terms of appearance) was great at his craft and he at least got some nice paydays once in awhile to pay the bills (such as Mission Impossible 3 or with the Hunger Games movies) when he didn't do his usual independent dramas or stage work at Broadway or elsewhere.
Unless tragedy strikes again and I have to write about someone else who had their life end too soon, I will be back tomorrow night with a review and it will be of a Philip Seymour Hoffman movie.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Well...
Late last night I decided not to watch a film and instead I caught up on messageboard posts. I know, I know... it was something I needed to do, though. It was movie-related posts so there's that. There's also me cleaning my room, having to go to Office Depot to purchase containers to put crap in, and finally I stayed home to watch the UFC show. So, I'll be back either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, and this time I hope I'll be able to have a review up and ready to go.
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