December 2011
62 posts
400. Dale and Tucker vs. Evil [Craig.2010.US]
In one of the most clever horror comedies to come out in the past 10 years or so it’s an absolute pleasure to declare Dale and Tucker vs. Evil as my 400th movie of the year. Flipping the switch on nearly every horror cliche in the book, the movie is genuinely hilarious and incredibly gory to boot. The film’s plot centers around a backwoods duo (Dale and Tucker) who are caught up in a...
399. Dive! [Seifert.2010.US]
Leave it to a proactive LA hippie/hipster (hippiester?) to make a documentary about dumpster diving. All joking aside though, this was a really well done movie with a socially conscious message that remains ever-prevalent. The shear numbers (which are dissected and discussed at great length) are truly staggering. Moreover, the lengths grocery stores go to to ensure that the food they throw out...
398. The Last Circus [Iglesia.2010.Spain]
I’m at a total loss of words. Just a complete and utter loss. The Last Circus can best be described as the most beautifully insane piece of cinema I have seen since I first started watching David Lynch films. The cinematography alone exhibited in The Last Circus is some of the most amazing filmwork to come along both stateside and overseas in quite some time. The story is so absolutely...
397. Takedowns and Falls [Hickey.2010.US]
When I read, “…a high school wrestling team wants to win a state championship for their coach who was recently diagnosed with skin cancer” I strapped myself in for a heartfelt tear jerking. To my surprise, no such flood of emotions occurred, instead I was welcomed with a sincere portrait of teenage americana. In a world where we’re surrounded by Degrassi and Teen Mom...
396. The Last Word [Quackenbush.2008.US]
Having seen the amount of documentaries that I have over the past year, I am shocked to find myself still totally gushing over them. The Last Word is poignant, driven, and devastatingly sad. It was Halloween in 1983 in Amarillo TX, the site of one of the most disturbing murders ever conceived where two nuns were raped and brutally murdered. To make a sad case even sadder was the conviction and...
395. Weekend [Haigh.2011.UK]
Weekend wins the ZZZ award of the year, nearly putting me to sleep with its banality. There’s a fine fine fine line between an understated film and a boring film. Weekend just so happens to be one of those movies that strives so hard to be a pretentious understated type movie, but instead is just painfully dull. The plot revolves around a pair of gay men who stumble into a one night stand...
394. Vamp [Wenk.1986.US]
Grace Jones and the asian dude from all those John Hughes films in a vampire horror comedy. Yup, that about sums it up really. This totally ruled by the way. It’s slid completely under my radar for so long. It’s legitimately a solid horror comedy with awesome looking vampires and loads of nudity to boot. What more could you possibly want? Dare I even mention my birth year yet...
393. Dear Mr. Gacy [Ristovski.2010.US]
Being keen on pretty much all things serial killer related, I was immediately intrigued by the story behind Dear Mr. Gacy. Based a on true events, the film is about a college student’s mission to meet and have a discussion with infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Having been imprisoned for nearly a decade with his execution date rapidly approaching, there is no better opportunity to...
392. After Innocence [Sanders.2005.US]
A documentary on the advancements in DNA testing and how they’ve influenced the judicial system. The doc focuses upon a group of individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned (some for up to 15-20 years) and recently released thanks to DNA testing proving them innocent. It’s a great social commentary on a problem that has exploded out of control. More people now than ever are being...
391. Hellraiser: Revelations [Garcia.2011.US]
Upon reading up on the newest installment in the Hellraiser anthology, all signs pointed to this being the worst one yet. Nearly every review panned it completely, writing it off as part of Dimension’s licensing agreement. The movie was made in 3 weeks for $300,000 and is the first in the series not to include Doug Bradley as Pinhead. For all it’s worth, this movie didn’t...
390. Terri [Jacobs.2011.US]
Terri was pretty uneventful for the most part, but that appears to be purposeful in nature. I suppose I was just expecting more after having heard such rave reviews. The film is an understated dramedy ala Everything Must Go. It reminded me of a modern day Angus…only you know…not perfect in every conceivable way. John C. Reilly, more so than any other actor, has completely won me...
389. Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead [O'Brien.2009.US]
Having now seen all four movies in the Wrong Turn series, I can safely say that the third one is in fact my least favorite. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, other than to note that it’s simply not as fun as the other three. The first 5 minutes start off promising enough with full-scale frontal nudity and everyone imaginable getting killed…but it was all downhill from...
388. Mighty Joe Young [Schoedsack.1949.US]
Unlike Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young has absolutely nothing to do with King Kong other the common theme of a giant ape run amock in the big city. It’s a similar story as King Kong only focused more upon the human condition. It delves into animal cruelty, feminism, immigration, and a slew of other socio-political themes which was interesting. Only, the story itself is a little drab. ...
387. Son of Kong [Schoedsack.1933.US]
Son of Kong is the sequel that simply shouldn’t exist. Although, it goes to show that cash grabs existed even as early as 1933. Made in the same year as the original King Kong, Son of Kong lacks all the heart and whimsical nature that makes it’s predecessor so captivating. It was nice to see how Carl Denham was effected by the destruction in the first film, but this was clearly...
386. King Kong [Cooper,Schoedsack.1933.US]
I realized a couple weeks ago while combing the aisles of Disc Replay, that I had never actually seen the OG version of King Kong in its entirety. Of course, I had been schooled in the finer techniques exhibited with the stop motion animation and what not, but had never sat down at watched it out of leisure. Luckily, I snagged up a deluxe special edition anniversary box set while I was...
385. Special When Lit [Sullivan.2009.UK]
Special When Lit does for pinball what Fistful of Quarters did for Donkey Kong. The premise is simple; it’s a pinball documentary…but at it’s core is a movie about a lost American art form. I don’t think I ever realized the enormity of pinball in America in its heyday. Before arcade style video games came along, pinball was essentially all the rage for pre-teens and...
384. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie [Amateau.1987.US]
Considered to be one of the worst films ever conceived, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is truly an amalgamation beyond description. Not only does the plot truly make little to no sense, but it’s probably the most ill conceived concept ever pitched. Based upon the cult popularity of the collectible playing cards of the 1980’s, the movie takes a pop culture phenomenon and expands upon it...
383. American Drive-In [Shah.1985.US]
Movies like American Drive-In are very near and dear to my heart. The perfect mix of 80’s camp, schtick comedy, and gratuitous nudity. I suppose the sole intention of the film is to depict the average night at an American drive-in circa 1985. All-American couple Bobbie Ann and Jack are out for a good time, little do they know a gang of miscreants is out to pillage her womanly stash....
382. The Education of Shelby Knox...
Upon doing some research, apparently this doc is part of PBS’s P.O.V. series The series airs about a dozen episodes a year, each highlighting a first person perspective with a strong social message. The Education of Shelby Knox focuses upon a 15 year old’s mission to bring sex education to the schools in her town of Lubbock, TX. A town that boasts the highest percentage of chlamydia...
381. Mystery of the Sphinx [Cote.1993.US]
Despite essentially being a movie that I would have watched in 7th grade History class, Mystery of the Sphinx is surprisingly compelling. Perhaps being far enough removed from High School I was actually able to enjoy a movie intended for a classroom. Hosted by motherfuckin’ Charlton Heston, the doc explores the true origins of the Sphinx. There are basically two schools of thought when it...
380. Short Circuit [Badham.1986.US]
With catch phrases such as “Way to go CANHEAD” and “We be Jammin’!”, Short Circuit is the quintessential 80’s movie. I was working on this theory earlier in the year that the year of my birth (1986) released exclusively rad movies. Short Circuit throws somewhat of a wrench into my theory, but nonetheless I’d like to argue the positives for a moment. 1. ...
379. Everything Must Go [Rush.2011.US]
In Will Ferrell’s most depressing movie to date, Everything Must Go is a portrait of American life in it’s truest form. Hapless drunk Nick Halsey is having a bad day, and by bad day I mean WORST DAY EVER. Having recently lost his job, Nick returns home to find all his stuff strewn across the lawn. With an impending divorce looming and having basically everything torn out from...
378. Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings...
Having seen Wrong Turn and Wrong Turn 2, I saw that Wrong Turn 4 was in the Red Box so I snagged it up (Wrong Turn 3 to be seen at a later date). The Wrong Turn series is a head above most horror franchises that seem to just wear themselves into the ground. These are by no means examples of groundbreaking filmmaking, but instead just a fun, ridiculous, bloody good time…which is all I...
375. Bridesmaids [Feig.2011.US]
I realize I’m late to the party, but Bridesmaids is right up there with the funniest movies of the year. I’d rank it right next to Cedar Rapids in fact (another one of my personal favs of 2011). It’s basically the female equivalent of every Will Ferrell buddy movie ever made. It was refreshing to see a somewhat rehashed plot set from a female perspective. I’ve come to...
377. Horrible Bosses [Gordon.2011.US]
I’m just gonna go ahead and proclaim 2011 the year of the comedy. Never before have I seen this many comedies that I’ve loved since…well EVER. I am a difficult man to please when it comes to yucks, but for whatever reason I have been really impressed with the output of comedies this year. Horrible Bosses is not in the upper echelon with the likes of Bridesmaids and Cedar...
376. REC 2 [Balagueró.2009.Spain]
The follow up to the best horror movie of 2007 (shit, the best horror movie of the 2000’s) was in fact great but nowhere near as perfect as it’s predecessor. REC 2 picks up pretty much right where Rec left off. Same overall look and feel in terms of the shaky cam stuff, but the sequel manages to tie up any loose ends from the first one. Pretty much all the unanswered questions...
374. Mothman [Wilson.2010.US]
My obsessions with all things Mothman-related came to a grinding hault with this made for TV disaster. I often give low budget horror movies the benefit of the doubt, seeing as their my proverbial first love, but this was just plain bad. It had little if anything to do with the actual Mothman mythos, aside from the glowing red eyes. Although, I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from...
373. My Afternoons with Marguerite...
My Afternoons with Marguerite is a French comedy that came out last year but just recently arrived stateside. It is incredibly understated in terms of it’s comedic timing, which is not uncommon to French humor. Moreover, the story is painfully charming. The movie is almost TOO cute for it’s own good in fact…ALMOST. A local oaf finds companionship in 90-something year old...
372. Deja Vu [Scott.2006.US]
In the storied pairing of Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott, few films come as putrid as Deja Vu. One part crime mystery and two parts sci-fi thriller, the film fails to retain any sort of directed focus. Jumping from a somewhat interesting murder plot to time traveling to action sequences is quite the dizzying experience to say the least. As soon as I saw Adam Goldberg I knew that I...
371. Warrior [O'Connor.2011.US]
Warrior bolsters some of the most bro qualities a film could conceivably have. It’s a movie about UFC fighters, supporting our troops, and brotherhood (literally). Given all these terribly lame motifs, the film actually manages to be great. The film’s cover compares it to a modern day Rocky, let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. While great, Warrior lacks the grounding...
370. Ride the Divide [Weeks.2010.US]
Continuing my foray into inspirational adventure documentaries, I was turned on to Ride the Divide via my bike enthusiast roommate Matt. As you probably have guessed, Ride the Divide explores one of the world’s toughest (if not THE toughest) mountain bike race which traverses along the Continental Divide from Canada into Mexico. Consisting of 17 riders in total, by about halfway thru that...
369. 180° South (Malloy/2010/US)
Watching sincere and heartfelt travel documentary was not how I expected to spend my morning, but I’m certainly glad it panned out that way! 180° South is a storied tale of friendship, solidarity, and what it means to be free in this world. Traveling from Mexico to the coast of Chile, Jeff Johnson and co regale their 1968 journey accompanied with found footage from their actual voyage and...
368. Dragon Hunters [Ivernel.2008.France]
I was unable to watch Dragon Hunters in it’s native tongue, and by watching it in English I broke my number 1 solemn rule of movie-watching which is to NEVER EVER EVER watch a film in anything but it’s intended language. Fortunately, when it comes to animated films there is no bad dubbing to be had, and the premise remains relatively unchanged, but still I had some pent up guilt that...
367. Ghost Dad [Poitier.1990.US]
The words “Sidney Poitier” and “worst film ever made” should never be in the same sentence, but unfortunately that was before I saw Ghost Dad. Poitier isn’t in the film, but instead is the director in what stands to be his final film as such. Way to go out on a low note there Sidney. The single best thing to come of this film is the Simpson’s Treehouse of...
366. The Marinovich Project...
Watching the 30 for 30 series is a lot like getting into obscure punk bands , where you need to know a guy that knows a guy that’s friend’s with a girl in order just to catch new episodes. The Marinovich Project is apparently a new entry to the series that aired just this past week. It’s about wonder child Todd Marinovich who was molded from birth by his father to be a...
365. House II: The Second Story [Wiley.1987.US]
Diving right into the sequel of House, aptly named House II: The Second Story, I was immediately bummed to find out that Dekker had nothing to do with it…and it certainly shows. House II is a mere shadow of it’s funtastic predecessor. Don’t get me wrong though, it certainly has it’s moments but overall it’s a hollow sequel. They even got a Cheers cast member to do...
364. House [Miner.1986.US]
For me, the name House is synonymous with that shitty FOX show with the dude that walks with a cane. Fortunately nearly 25 years before that shitty House, there was a fantastical little horror film baring the same name. It’s over-the-top nature reminded me a lot of Waxwork which came out around the same time. The plot is your basic haunted house motif coupled with Nam flashbacks and...
363. Into the Abyss [Herzog.2011.US]
Werner Herzog’s newest documentary is an exploration of the death penalty here in America, and the plethora of complications that are inherent in such a system of punishment. Unfortunately for me, I was three beers deep with heavy eyes and fell asleep for about 20 minutes there in the middle. Yet, the rest of the film which I did stay awake for was exquisite. It’s a documentary done up in a...
362. Final Destination 5 [Quale.2011.US]
In what appears to be the fifth and final installment in the Final Destination franchise, this final entry manages to successfully blend everything that made this an above par horror movie franchise. Obviously, the concept behind every Final Destination film is to concoct the most devilishly absurd death scenes ever imagined. Whether or not that was the intention of the first one, it is...
361. The Glass House [Sackheim.2001.US]
I’m gonna make a blanket statement here and just state that ALL American thrillers from the turn of the century are nothing but shit. I mean, it’s just a painful time for movies, specifically of the thriller variety. The Glass House is no exception to that rule. Starring Leelee Sobieski and Trevor Morgan (AKA the kid from Jurassic Park 3 who has been haunting me as of late), the film didn’t...
360. Pururambo [Barabas.2005.Slovakia]
Slovakian filmmaker/explorer Pavol Barabas brings us into one of the least explored territories on the globe, the jungles of Papua New Guinea, in this globe-trotting documentary. The native people of New Guinea are as mysterious as the title of the film. As expected, Barabas is often met with drawn bows and arrows rather than open arms in nearly every new village he comes across. By gaining...
359. If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth...
Continuing my onslaught of documentary films I ventured into this poignant documentary on the ELF (Earth Liberation Front). More so than any other doc that I’ve seen this year, If a Tree Falls left me feeling absolutely conflicted. In one sense you have these rogue outcasts who have grown fed up with peaceful protests and have taken it upon themselves to systematically start blowing up...
358. The Sitter [Green.2011.US]
The babysitting subgenre was essentially conceived and perfected in one fell swoop with the release of the 1987 gem “Adventures in Babysitting”. To throw Jonah Hill and a ragtag group of misfit kids into a similar premise is certainly a solid foundation for a comedy, but unfortunately “The Sitter” was unable to recreate the magic of Elisabeth Shue and Co. in 1987.
This is by no means a...
357. Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the...
I wish I had the time and patience to fully immerse myself into Scrabble, but I simply don’t. Being a fan of word puzzles myself I am partial to crosswords and Boggle mainly, but for whatever reason I have never really delved into the Scrabble world. Word Wars is a very punny (pun intended) look at the seedy underbelly of the competitive Scrabble circuit. Not unlike any other competitive sport,...
356. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill...
In one of the cutest documentaries that I’ve seen all year, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill has everything I love and everything I hate all wrapped up into one movie. What I love: tiny exotic birds dancing to music. What I hate: hippies. Hippies aside though, the wild parrots are the true stars of the show. The documentary is about a gaggle of parrots who have somehow made their way into...
355. Another Earth [Cahill.2011.US]
Less than 24 hours after watching the sleek-looking Blu-ray edition of “Another Earth,” I was startled to hear in the news that an Earthlike planet was discovered orbiting a sunlike star some 4 million light years away. In a curious twist of life imitating art, the film holds more meaning now given its not-so-fictional plot.
Eerie coincidences aside though, “Another Earth” would make the ...
354. BMX Bandits [Trenchard-Smith.1983.Australia]
BMX Bandits is famous for one reason and one reason only, and that reason is Nicole Kidman. Starring in what I believe to be her first movie role ever, the bright eyed young starlet manages to be cute as all hell, but provides little in the way of being able to drudge the movie out from mediocrity. BMX Bandits is full of plenty of SIQ bmx stunt montages set to the most edgy stock music Australia...
353. When We Were Kings [Gast.1996.US]
A sports doc that’s not a 30 for 30, When We Were Kings actually predates the 30 for 30 series by nearly 15 years. In any regard, it has the look and feel of a 30 for 30 entry, so that’s the only real reason I bring it up. When We Were Kings is the story of Ali vs Foreman in what was dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle”. The fight which took place in Africa was a publicity stunt more so than...
352. Double Dragon [Yukich.1994.US]
Factoid: Double Dragon is the WORST video game film adaptation to ever be made. That’s not just an opinion of mine, I’m talking in terms of both financial gain and critical reception as well. It took me a while to come to the realization, but the chairman from Iron Chef plays the role of Jimmy Lee. If that weren’t crazy enough, Alyssa Milano stars in this as well looking...
351. North Shore [Phelps.1987.US]
If Thrashin’ is the street version of Point Break then I don’t even know where the fuck North Shore would land in the grand scheme of things other than a subpar surf movie. Comparisons aside though, North Shore is the story of the trials and tribulations of surfing on Hawaii’s north shore. Of course the main deterrent of surfing in such waters is having to face Da Hui, a locals...
