Every now and again a movie comes along that evokes the mood and flavor of a film that could have walked out of another era.
This movie reminded me very much a drama / revenge type of movie that would have been right at home in 1981 or around there.
It didn't feel Hollywood at all, and I wasn't aware of the background of the movie or it's director before I went in.
I was recommended to avoid the movie several times before I went in, people didn't like the movie, etc etc..
But I liked the movie, as mentioned it was just like a film from another era. And in no way seemed to fit the typical Hollywood mold. Whether this was what turned people off, or the fact that it had a 'R' rating and was being described as an action movie (Which I wouldn't describe it as) and were disappointed when they didn't get it, I don't know.
But when there is violence, they don't shy away from it. It's quick, and brutal. And even though there weren't any real big stars, I was more than happy with the cast. A cast who could act. Even though Goslings character was pretty dry, the two mobsters and the old mechanic (From Breaking Bad) were great.
Definitely recommended. But if you don't like the style, you will be disappointed. And in that regard reminds of M. Nights Unbreakable.. I got a lot of bad recommendations about that one too, and people seemed to be going looking for the Sixth Sense 2. And were upset when they didn't get it. And got a wholly different kind of movie altogether.
4 stars out of 5
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Contagion
Right off the top I will say that this movie reminded me a lot of the old original version of 'The Andromeda Strain'
It was like watching a documentary of sorts. It's not a gross out movie, or anything of the sort. It's a medical documentary / drama.
It was a good movie, but it's dialogue heavy, no action to speak of. And could almost be compared to a zombie movie (And some reviews have)if you think of the virus as the spread of the zombie horde infections, with the break down of society.
The part of the movie that seems to fall apart for me, is when we find out that something like 5% ( I don't remember the exact number that was mentioned) of the world was susceptible to the virus. Little hard to believe that modern society would collapse with that number. But then again, whenever there is a holiday you can't go to the grocery stores because of the people. You'd think they'd all starve if the store was closed for a day.
But then when you start to think that way, most people only have a few days to a week of supplies at home. And stores maybe a little more. And if trucks and supplies stop moving then things could rapidly spin out of control..
Which I guess is where this movies horror really is.
3.5 stars out of 5
It was like watching a documentary of sorts. It's not a gross out movie, or anything of the sort. It's a medical documentary / drama.
It was a good movie, but it's dialogue heavy, no action to speak of. And could almost be compared to a zombie movie (And some reviews have)if you think of the virus as the spread of the zombie horde infections, with the break down of society.
The part of the movie that seems to fall apart for me, is when we find out that something like 5% ( I don't remember the exact number that was mentioned) of the world was susceptible to the virus. Little hard to believe that modern society would collapse with that number. But then again, whenever there is a holiday you can't go to the grocery stores because of the people. You'd think they'd all starve if the store was closed for a day.
But then when you start to think that way, most people only have a few days to a week of supplies at home. And stores maybe a little more. And if trucks and supplies stop moving then things could rapidly spin out of control..
Which I guess is where this movies horror really is.
3.5 stars out of 5
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Upcoming Weekend
I was planning on going to see Apollo 18. I was looking forward to it, the trailers didn't look too too bad. And the premise sounded interesting. Am getting a little tired of the lost footage thing though..
Once I discovered that the release date had been moved something like 6 times this year, and that there were no advance copies or releases made available.. That's never a good sign. Obviously I know, that the mainstream reviews sometimes leave you scratching your head so what does it matter that no advances were made available.
That usually means that the studio knows the movie has problems in one way or another. And they want to make sure that word of mouth doesn't get around to kill it, before the droves rush that first weekend to spend their bucks.
So I ended up passing on it.
I plan to go and see Contagion this weekend. It looks pretty interesting.
Once I discovered that the release date had been moved something like 6 times this year, and that there were no advance copies or releases made available.. That's never a good sign. Obviously I know, that the mainstream reviews sometimes leave you scratching your head so what does it matter that no advances were made available.
That usually means that the studio knows the movie has problems in one way or another. And they want to make sure that word of mouth doesn't get around to kill it, before the droves rush that first weekend to spend their bucks.
So I ended up passing on it.
I plan to go and see Contagion this weekend. It looks pretty interesting.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
I had higher than average expectations for this movie based on who was behind it. Del Torro has been doing some fantastic stuff. Especially his vampire novels.
But this movie by no means being a bad movie just didn't seem to be all that great at anything.
I didn't find the movie to be very exciting, scary, creepy, weird, surprising or anything else you could use to describe it. I did find the back story mildly interesting. And not the flashback at the beginning either. But the sequence of exposition with Holmes and the Librarian when they basically link the creatures to the tooth fairy..
The performances were ok, the house was suitably old and ancient looking.
And they manage to keep the creatures in shadow until the end.. When they just get stupid. Prime example being when they set the trip wire on the stairs to trip Holmes who basically cracks her head on the floor and passes out. Now, I will admit it's unclear if they slices her leg to hinder her, or if she did it in the fall. But either way they proved earlier they were capable of murder and could have killed her, and dragged Sally to the basement. But.. they left Holmes there so she could wake up and follow them down.
Just like the sequences with Pierce. They had the opportunity to kill him as well, but didn't. Instead opted to try and gas him to death with the car. Not too mention, all his skulking around staring into key holes just so the director could try and gross out the audience with the needles to the eye attempts.. Made no sense to me, with what he knew he should have been kicking down doors going to his kid and girlfriend, not taking his time staring into keyholes..
If anything was creepy it was Sally. I don't know the actress, but if she was acting, and not genuinely creepy she was doing a good job.
I feel this movie could have been much better than it was. It had all the pieces but they just didn't seem to click. I didn't care about any of them. Except maybe Mrs. Underhill (If I remember the name). And I had no sense of dread as Holmes discovered the houses' secret. And most of that you could see a mile away. The fact that she would be the one to believe while the father was so wrapped up in work, and not paying attention the details. Give them credit for making the Mom a deadbeat and the father dealing with it all though. As well as Holmes dying in the end instead of some sort of noble male sacrifice. I did like how that ended.
So basically overall I didn't hate the movie, but didn't particularly like it all that much either..
2.5 stars out of 5
But this movie by no means being a bad movie just didn't seem to be all that great at anything.
I didn't find the movie to be very exciting, scary, creepy, weird, surprising or anything else you could use to describe it. I did find the back story mildly interesting. And not the flashback at the beginning either. But the sequence of exposition with Holmes and the Librarian when they basically link the creatures to the tooth fairy..
The performances were ok, the house was suitably old and ancient looking.
And they manage to keep the creatures in shadow until the end.. When they just get stupid. Prime example being when they set the trip wire on the stairs to trip Holmes who basically cracks her head on the floor and passes out. Now, I will admit it's unclear if they slices her leg to hinder her, or if she did it in the fall. But either way they proved earlier they were capable of murder and could have killed her, and dragged Sally to the basement. But.. they left Holmes there so she could wake up and follow them down.
Just like the sequences with Pierce. They had the opportunity to kill him as well, but didn't. Instead opted to try and gas him to death with the car. Not too mention, all his skulking around staring into key holes just so the director could try and gross out the audience with the needles to the eye attempts.. Made no sense to me, with what he knew he should have been kicking down doors going to his kid and girlfriend, not taking his time staring into keyholes..
If anything was creepy it was Sally. I don't know the actress, but if she was acting, and not genuinely creepy she was doing a good job.
I feel this movie could have been much better than it was. It had all the pieces but they just didn't seem to click. I didn't care about any of them. Except maybe Mrs. Underhill (If I remember the name). And I had no sense of dread as Holmes discovered the houses' secret. And most of that you could see a mile away. The fact that she would be the one to believe while the father was so wrapped up in work, and not paying attention the details. Give them credit for making the Mom a deadbeat and the father dealing with it all though. As well as Holmes dying in the end instead of some sort of noble male sacrifice. I did like how that ended.
So basically overall I didn't hate the movie, but didn't particularly like it all that much either..
2.5 stars out of 5
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Fright Night and Conan The Barbarian 2011
Fright Night 2011 is a remake of a 1980s somewhat teenage vampire horror movie. Not all that bad really. It went to have a sequel, which I don't remember at all, and since it's not on Netflix yet, probably won't see until who knows when.
I will say that this is a rare movie, where the remake is much better than the original. And hopefully it does well. And from what I have read it seems to be.
It's that odd mix, of comedy with horror without becoming too much of a joke. They managed to update the film sensibly to 2011 from 1985 or so.. without it all coming apart.
And this credit I will place squarely before the feet of the writer. The one person that every movie and show needs, but usually get's the least respect and attention.
Which now leads me to my second part..
Conan The Barbarian 2011.. I mean, after almost 30 years and zillions of rewrites they still couldn't seem to make anything but a mess.
I liked the cast, it's an action movie after all. Sword and Sorcery (Not Fantasy)so I wasn't expecting Shakespeare regardless of your opinions of Momoa (See Game of Thrones or SGA)
But when you have $90 million dollars, and all the backing in the world. And the movie is simple.. And they still couldn't get the job done.
Which should be of no surprise really.. When was the last time they could make Fantasy or Swords and Sorcery anyway?? Lord of the Rings almost a decade ago, and then the original Conan movies before that.
After all, they couldn't even make a Dungeons and Dragons movie work. And that should have been easy.
They can make good action movies with cars and guns in them. But make that horses and sword and it all falls apart.
But anyway, we had one movie with a low budget $18 Million, relatively small cast. And a great writer being a 1980s remake vs another 1980s remake with $90 million budget, larger cast all the sets and backgrounds in the world. And apparently no writer to speak of And years of developement time and both in 3D and guess which one comes out ahead??
Yeah, when will they learn to start with a great writer and a better script. And stop short changing where it counts. Just because it's an action movie doesn't mean it shouldn't make any sense.
Fright Night 2011 3.5 stars out of 5
Conan The Barbarion 2011 2 stars out of 5
I will say that this is a rare movie, where the remake is much better than the original. And hopefully it does well. And from what I have read it seems to be.
It's that odd mix, of comedy with horror without becoming too much of a joke. They managed to update the film sensibly to 2011 from 1985 or so.. without it all coming apart.
And this credit I will place squarely before the feet of the writer. The one person that every movie and show needs, but usually get's the least respect and attention.
Which now leads me to my second part..
Conan The Barbarian 2011.. I mean, after almost 30 years and zillions of rewrites they still couldn't seem to make anything but a mess.
I liked the cast, it's an action movie after all. Sword and Sorcery (Not Fantasy)so I wasn't expecting Shakespeare regardless of your opinions of Momoa (See Game of Thrones or SGA)
But when you have $90 million dollars, and all the backing in the world. And the movie is simple.. And they still couldn't get the job done.
Which should be of no surprise really.. When was the last time they could make Fantasy or Swords and Sorcery anyway?? Lord of the Rings almost a decade ago, and then the original Conan movies before that.
After all, they couldn't even make a Dungeons and Dragons movie work. And that should have been easy.
They can make good action movies with cars and guns in them. But make that horses and sword and it all falls apart.
But anyway, we had one movie with a low budget $18 Million, relatively small cast. And a great writer being a 1980s remake vs another 1980s remake with $90 million budget, larger cast all the sets and backgrounds in the world. And apparently no writer to speak of And years of developement time and both in 3D and guess which one comes out ahead??
Yeah, when will they learn to start with a great writer and a better script. And stop short changing where it counts. Just because it's an action movie doesn't mean it shouldn't make any sense.
Fright Night 2011 3.5 stars out of 5
Conan The Barbarion 2011 2 stars out of 5
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Summerslam 2011
What can I say, it didn't live up to the event that was Money in the Bank. Which was a fantastic PPV which is saying a lot based on all the crappy ones this year.. Wrestlemania included. The only other great one I saw this year I would say was The Royal Rumble. And that is probably more to do with the gimmick of the Rumble match itself.
Anyway, the main event for SS is what got my interest. And the way it ended, has got me interested. Seeing as how bored I was for the last several months or more.
And with RAW in the books now, they seem to have some questions and mystery cooking. And hopefully they will take their time resolving it all. And not bring it all to a conclusion too soon (As in bringing Punk back after virtually no time at all, who should have stayed out for months and just popped up all over with the WWE Title. Maybe came back for The Rumble. Kinda like the wheres Cactus Jack vignettes from WCW way back in the early 90s or so)
And I would actually like to see Nash work a few matches. But no more than that.
So here's hoping we can have some heat going between Nash, ADR, CM Punk, Cena and Triple H and really get some stuff cooking for a change.
Anyway, the main event for SS is what got my interest. And the way it ended, has got me interested. Seeing as how bored I was for the last several months or more.
And with RAW in the books now, they seem to have some questions and mystery cooking. And hopefully they will take their time resolving it all. And not bring it all to a conclusion too soon (As in bringing Punk back after virtually no time at all, who should have stayed out for months and just popped up all over with the WWE Title. Maybe came back for The Rumble. Kinda like the wheres Cactus Jack vignettes from WCW way back in the early 90s or so)
And I would actually like to see Nash work a few matches. But no more than that.
So here's hoping we can have some heat going between Nash, ADR, CM Punk, Cena and Triple H and really get some stuff cooking for a change.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Hard to believe it's been so long since the last time we had a movie about apes taking over the world.
It seemed that I was in the minority when I thought that the trailers for this one were looking worse every time I managed to see one. But I am pleased to report that it was a pretty good movie.
They seemed to set a small focus, didn't try and get too out of hand. And played it small. Which let them keep things mostly believable. Because watching the trailers, there was no way I was going to believe that the apes were gonna take the city. But what we got in the movie was much smaller in scope.
And there was lots of seeds about for I've since heard will be possibly two sequels. With the hints at the missing Astronauts, and one infected person not dealt with by the end of the movie. And anything else I may have missed.
I heard a lot of complaints about Franco phoning it in, and acting like he may have still been on another project. But, I liked the cast. And Franco just seems to be one of those actors who mostly plays himself in the roles he takes. Admittedly I haven't seen him in too much, so maybe he's better than that and needs a good director to draw a performance out of him. But, mostly playing yourself in movies hasn't seemed to have harmed Tom Cruise, Arnold or Sly one bit in over 20 years. Ok, maybe Tom can actually act, but not usually.
3.5 stars out of 5
It seemed that I was in the minority when I thought that the trailers for this one were looking worse every time I managed to see one. But I am pleased to report that it was a pretty good movie.
They seemed to set a small focus, didn't try and get too out of hand. And played it small. Which let them keep things mostly believable. Because watching the trailers, there was no way I was going to believe that the apes were gonna take the city. But what we got in the movie was much smaller in scope.
And there was lots of seeds about for I've since heard will be possibly two sequels. With the hints at the missing Astronauts, and one infected person not dealt with by the end of the movie. And anything else I may have missed.
I heard a lot of complaints about Franco phoning it in, and acting like he may have still been on another project. But, I liked the cast. And Franco just seems to be one of those actors who mostly plays himself in the roles he takes. Admittedly I haven't seen him in too much, so maybe he's better than that and needs a good director to draw a performance out of him. But, mostly playing yourself in movies hasn't seemed to have harmed Tom Cruise, Arnold or Sly one bit in over 20 years. Ok, maybe Tom can actually act, but not usually.
3.5 stars out of 5
Friday, August 5, 2011
Life on Mars
I'm just wrapping up the U.S. version of the show. And it's a crime that it didn't get to at least finish out a 20 episode season, let alone get a couple renewals.
Basically what we have is a cop show, about a guy who was in an accident in 2008 and wakes up in the exact same spot but it's 1973. And he keeps doing his job in this new reality that is like being on another planet for a guy that is from 35 years in the future.
With the exception of a few oddities in every episode which are generally nothing major, we have a period piece. A great 70s cop show. That has just an incredible cast behind O'Mara. Gretchen Mol, Michael Imperioli who steals every scene he's in. Not too mention the LT played by Harvey Keitel who is just perfect, down to the fresh faced rookie on the team. As well as the soundtrack. And the weekly guest stars as thugs and cops from other precincts. Not too mention more than a few returning compatriots of Imperioli's from The Sopranos. And that's weird seeing some of them as cops.
The show is based on the UK series of the same name. And they are also somewhat different. Especially in the ending of the US version which is coming up.
But the show was so good, that I figured I'd write some stuff down before I get there. Only a couple episodes left. But another show that deserved to get a few seasons at least under it's belt.
Tune down the odd stuff a little bit, and it plays as a great period piece cop show.
And it's great fun having O'Mara there when he knows what some things are that the others don't, or when he remembers something from the 'future' and wins a bet or two with his smug co-worker. Or has to explain what he meant when he was talking about laptops or cell phones..
4 out of 5 stars
Just to point out, the below trailer is from the Pilot I presume. The cast has totally changed for the series. Although Colm Meaney would have be an awesome LT as well. But I think I prefer Keitel just by a small margin..
Basically what we have is a cop show, about a guy who was in an accident in 2008 and wakes up in the exact same spot but it's 1973. And he keeps doing his job in this new reality that is like being on another planet for a guy that is from 35 years in the future.
With the exception of a few oddities in every episode which are generally nothing major, we have a period piece. A great 70s cop show. That has just an incredible cast behind O'Mara. Gretchen Mol, Michael Imperioli who steals every scene he's in. Not too mention the LT played by Harvey Keitel who is just perfect, down to the fresh faced rookie on the team. As well as the soundtrack. And the weekly guest stars as thugs and cops from other precincts. Not too mention more than a few returning compatriots of Imperioli's from The Sopranos. And that's weird seeing some of them as cops.
The show is based on the UK series of the same name. And they are also somewhat different. Especially in the ending of the US version which is coming up.
But the show was so good, that I figured I'd write some stuff down before I get there. Only a couple episodes left. But another show that deserved to get a few seasons at least under it's belt.
Tune down the odd stuff a little bit, and it plays as a great period piece cop show.
And it's great fun having O'Mara there when he knows what some things are that the others don't, or when he remembers something from the 'future' and wins a bet or two with his smug co-worker. Or has to explain what he meant when he was talking about laptops or cell phones..
4 out of 5 stars
Just to point out, the below trailer is from the Pilot I presume. The cast has totally changed for the series. Although Colm Meaney would have be an awesome LT as well. But I think I prefer Keitel just by a small margin..
Friday, July 29, 2011
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Went to see Captain America this week. Was looking forward to this one. Figured it would be a simple, straight forward action movie. Shouldn't have been anything that they could totally screw up. Keep it simple, basic and just get things done.
And I can report that they pretty much accomplished that goal. The movie was a nice period piece, World War II story. Essentially a war movie. With just enough twist to make sure you never forgot that there was super heroes and villains involved. And you wouldn't miss that with the Nazi Pseudo Science, Steampunk type stuff running around.
I was perfectly happy with the cast, especially Red Skull. Who looked great as well. Caps costume translated well on screen, and I liked the supporting cast mostly as well.
If I had anything I would complain about, I guess it would have to be the ending. As a friend pointed out.. Why didn't they shoot up the flying wing so Cap would have to crash it. It just seemed a little too contrived for the reason to dump it. By the time we get to that point, it's hard to believe someone couldn't have come up with a plan to get him down. Except that we know he has to be frozen in the ice so that he can wake up in the future to lead the Avengers.
But, other than that It was a great comic book action movie. And I would only add I wish I could have seen it on 2D instead. This 3D crap is just that.
3.5 stars out of 5
And I can report that they pretty much accomplished that goal. The movie was a nice period piece, World War II story. Essentially a war movie. With just enough twist to make sure you never forgot that there was super heroes and villains involved. And you wouldn't miss that with the Nazi Pseudo Science, Steampunk type stuff running around.
I was perfectly happy with the cast, especially Red Skull. Who looked great as well. Caps costume translated well on screen, and I liked the supporting cast mostly as well.
If I had anything I would complain about, I guess it would have to be the ending. As a friend pointed out.. Why didn't they shoot up the flying wing so Cap would have to crash it. It just seemed a little too contrived for the reason to dump it. By the time we get to that point, it's hard to believe someone couldn't have come up with a plan to get him down. Except that we know he has to be frozen in the ice so that he can wake up in the future to lead the Avengers.
But, other than that It was a great comic book action movie. And I would only add I wish I could have seen it on 2D instead. This 3D crap is just that.
3.5 stars out of 5
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Haven Season One
Finished up with Season One. Wasn't sure what to expect, and in the first few episodes I wasn't sold. But as the show carried on, and we got introduced to more of the cast and the events it managed to sell me.
How many of these supernatural, weirdness shows can we get invested into anyway?? They all seem to be variations of one another.. The X - Files, Supernatural, Fringe, Haven.. Same base idea with some twists to make it their own.
This show is supposed to be based on some of Kings work. But from what I was able to read from Wikipedia I don't see much but a thin thread of a connection really. But what makes this show different for me than the others of it's kind I guess would be the fact that it's grounded on one location.
Everything is happening in Haven. Whether it be the place or the residents. And the down home rural 'Murder She Wrote' feel of the show, or the casting. The show is apparently done near Halifax, Nova Scotia really seems to bring this out. Being about a place or fixed location makes it different. And seems to be setting a tone of mystery to the show. Let alone a 'creature' of the week routine that seems to be a staple of the genre. And something I was concerned about when I first started to watch the show. And they have done. But theirs is just weirder events, no vampires or werewolves here. And hopefully won't be coming up.
And with the finale, and premiere of season two really throwing the things on it's head about the lead character. I'm looking forward to the next episode to see if anything she thought she knew was true or not..
So getting back to all these shows that seem to be cousins with one another, it's doesn't seem so much about whether they all have similar ideas. But how they decide to execute these ideas. So I guess this may mean a vote of confidence for Hollywood not having any original ideas and just rehashing everything. As long as they rehash it well.. And that means good writers.
3 stars out of 5
How many of these supernatural, weirdness shows can we get invested into anyway?? They all seem to be variations of one another.. The X - Files, Supernatural, Fringe, Haven.. Same base idea with some twists to make it their own.
This show is supposed to be based on some of Kings work. But from what I was able to read from Wikipedia I don't see much but a thin thread of a connection really. But what makes this show different for me than the others of it's kind I guess would be the fact that it's grounded on one location.
Everything is happening in Haven. Whether it be the place or the residents. And the down home rural 'Murder She Wrote' feel of the show, or the casting. The show is apparently done near Halifax, Nova Scotia really seems to bring this out. Being about a place or fixed location makes it different. And seems to be setting a tone of mystery to the show. Let alone a 'creature' of the week routine that seems to be a staple of the genre. And something I was concerned about when I first started to watch the show. And they have done. But theirs is just weirder events, no vampires or werewolves here. And hopefully won't be coming up.
And with the finale, and premiere of season two really throwing the things on it's head about the lead character. I'm looking forward to the next episode to see if anything she thought she knew was true or not..
So getting back to all these shows that seem to be cousins with one another, it's doesn't seem so much about whether they all have similar ideas. But how they decide to execute these ideas. So I guess this may mean a vote of confidence for Hollywood not having any original ideas and just rehashing everything. As long as they rehash it well.. And that means good writers.
3 stars out of 5
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