Toby, Sluder and myself caught Lord of War at the AMC 30 last night. Kal-el's pappy did a great job as a gun runner who made a shitload of money from weapons obtained from the fall of the Soviet Union. The film was very well put together with a story that never slowed or got dull. It sorta romanticizes the whole death merchant occupation your guidance counselor failed to mention but hey... at least it was entertaining!
October 05, 2005
October 03, 2005
Serenity made me blubbery
The weekend I watched Serenity not once but twice! On Friday I caught it with Toby and then again on Sunday with Sluder. Having watched the entire Firefly series during Hurricane Rita Weekend I was so stoked to see the follow up film. Needless to say this movie was the bee's knees. I laughed. I cried. Josh Whedon ripped my heart out Mola Ram style.
There were so many unanswered questions that were finally resolved in the film. In fact, I couldn't imagine watching the film without having watched the TV Series. By watching the TV show I learned to love the characters and thus obtain a deeper emotional connection to the story. I'm already a big sap when it comes to tearing up during emotional scenes. Serenity gave me the big baby lip quiver something fierce. Damn I love a movie like that! Uh, well... As long as no one notices me getting all emotional :)
September 19, 2005
Korean Cinema is Wack!
I found out about Old Boy from a guy from Film Threat magazine who recommended it as a twisted psychological thriller. Since I'm always up for something different I added it to my NetFlix queue and gave it a watch.
All I gota say is good lawd. What a jacked up flick! Hats off to Chan Wook-park for directing a movie where someone's teeth are removed like a bad nail with a claw hammer. It's a fair assessment to compare Old Boy's twist to The Crying Game. After watching it the moral lession I learned was that a person with a ton of money can hatch a really twisted vengeance plot. It also helps if you're batshit nuts!
September 12, 2005
The Constant Gardener
Once again Toby and I sojourned to the local AMC 30 to partake in the latest that Hollywood had to offer. This time we watched Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes in the latest film by the same badass director who filmed City of God (which btw was redundantly bad ass).
The Constant Gardener felt more like a documentary than a typical Hollywood flick. The locations were 100% authentic which means a lot when you consider how much traveling was involved. Africa never looked so beautiful with it's untouched landscape and colorful natives. My African geography is pretty shoddy but I think the majority of the action took place in Kenya.
The acting was top notch and the story was non-linear without being confusing. Unlike other movies that deal with political and social issues with the subtly of a Brahma bull wielding a rocket launcher (I'm looking at you The Life of David Gale), The Constant Gardener is more subtle which makes the intertwined mystery that much more enjoyable.
If you're looking for a film with more substance than your usual Hollywood bling then I highly recommend you give The Constant Gardener a try.
August 29, 2005
Grimm is good!
To hell with the critics I say! Brothers Grimm was the shit! Toby and I caught this bad ass flick on Saturday night and it was money well spent There was no denying the dark wit and humor of Terry Gilliam. The violence and grime reminded me of the Jabberwocky and Holy Grail. My favorite character had to be the wacked out Italian inquisitor (at least I think he was supposed to be Italian). Fear a nervous guy who is good with knives!
August 16, 2005
Saved By the Bell with Tights
Toby and I caught Sky High on Sunday at the AMC 30. The flick was your standard cute Walt Disney affair with a story line you could predict about a hour in advance. It wasn't so much a bad movie as it was a safe movie. The writer took your stereotypical high school staples such as bullies, cliches, homecoming and lunch table politics and simply threw in super powers. It was great to see Dave Foley and Bruce Campbell obviously having such a great time with their rolls. Dave Foley as a sidekick school instructor was genius. To me the movie was a sanitized version of The Tick's universe. I dug it but could really have used more zany antics.
August 05, 2005
Jackass n' Stifler do the Duke's proud
Toby and I caught the Dukes of Hazard flick at the AMC 30 today. Was it a good movie? Well, not really. It was rife with cliche duologue and hammy performances not to mention more hillbilly stereotypes that you shake a coon at. But did I dig it? Well, yeah I guess I did. Unlike Starsky and Hutch and Charlie's Angels, the Dukes of Hazard movie actually tries to be somewhat faithful to the TV show. They managed to update the show in a modern setting while keeping Hazard county somewhat frozen in time. Hell, the script probably came from an unaired episode. Aside form the spectacular car chases (a given) my favorite scene was how folks in Atlanta responded to the rebel flag on top of the General Lee. Funny stuff.
Oh yeah, Jessica Simpson may be hot but she can't fill those Daisy Duke's like Catherine Bach could back in the day. Booyah!
July 31, 2005
I got a stage-five clinger!
Dave, Sean and myself caught the 12:15 show of The Wedding Crashers today at the AMC 30. Ol' Vince Vaughn does it again with his rapid fire jabs of biting wit and cutting sarcasm. The Wedding Crashers takes Vince and sets him loose doing what he does best. No offense to my good friends whose weddings I've attending but from my personal experience they're usually snooze fests. Yet Vince and Owen make weddings look like the social event of the year. I just wish I had the balls to crash weddings like these wild guys. This flick is a definite own when it comes out on DVD.
July 24, 2005
When Michael Bay says run you best run!
Toby and I caught the noon showing of The Island today at the AMC. Out of all of Michael Bay's flicks I must say this one is the best. Mind you the whole thing is basically one big ass chase scene but woah what a run! Lee Majors doesn't hold a candle to the hard workin' stunt men in this flick. I've never seen so many guys get smacked around by so many blunt objects. Running full speed into a stationary object is gonna hurt no matter how well you roll with it. Unknown stuntman I salute you. Your pain brings me pleasure.
