April 2011
27 posts
128. Super [Gunn.2011.US]
As of right now, Super is probably my favorite 2011 film. It stars Rainn Wilson as a sort of every man’s superhero and Ellen Paige as his excitable yet loyal sidekick. The film’s INCREDIBLY dark humor sets it apart from any comedy I’ve ever seen. It’s being compared to Kick Ass due to it’s dark themes and overall take on the superhero genre, but having never seen...
127. The Conspirator [Redford.2011.US]
This is probably the first “quality” film I’ve seen in terms of 2011 releases. Robert Redford directs this period piece about the trial and consequent execution of Mary Surratt, the first female to ever be executed by the government…and the only woman to ever be hung in the US. She was of course convicted of conspiring to assassinate Lincoln with a slew of other men. ...
126. Easy A [Gluck.2010.US]
This was everything Mean Girls was, only not funny or original. Seriously, this was painfully unfunny; the film’s tongue-in-cheek humor is at times demeaning in fact. I suppose I just hate nudge nudge, wink wink type jokes. Emma Stone of Zombieland and Super Bad fame stars in this and she’s actually great in the lead role, too bad her surrounding cast is sub-par. The film acts as a...
MOBSTER WEEK
Starting next week (May 2 - May 9) I will explore one of my most unfamiliar film territories, the art of the mobster genre. I’ve always had a general disinterest towards most mobster movies, they typically run through the same general plot structure and are incredibly daunting in length. Yet, in order to embrace a wider film scope and expand my horizons yadda yadda yadda, I’ve...
125. Striptease [Bergman.1996.US]
The legacy of an iconic film often times far exceeds the actual quality of the film itself. In the case of Striptease, it is embarrassingly outdated (high-waisted thongs galore) not to mention any and all shock value has long since been lost in time due to an ever growing desensitized culture. Burt Reynolds is absolutely positively unbearable in this, and even more shockingly sans mustache. ...
124. The Other Guys [McKay.2010.US]
I wasn’t expecting to like this movie as much as I did, but it was in fact really funny. Will Ferrell plays one of his best roles in recent memory and Mark Wahlberg is fantastic in the supporting role; they play off each other perfectly. The running TLC joke throughout the movie was particularly hilarious, as was the narration provided by none other than Ice T. Yet, despite the minimal...
123. Countdown to Zero [Walker.2010.US]
If you’re at all fearful of the ever impending nuclear apocalypse, this documentary will probably terrify you. It’s an all inclusive look at the history of nuclear weapons and what threat they pose for us today. A plethora of experts on the subject are interviewed in this including former presidents and nuclear scientists. It’s an informative piece but moreover it’s a...
122. The Tillman Story [Bar Lev.2010.US]
If you’re not familiar with the Pat Tillman story, it is truly a depressing and eye-opening look at the lengths the U.S. military will go to protect it’s best interests. Tillman gave up his NFL contract to serve with the Army Rangers, but was unfortunately killed by friendly fire. The entire affair was maticulously covered up by “higher ups” in order to save face. Given...
121. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse...
I think I’ve officially had my fill of Apocalypse Now footage, having now viewed this in depth documentary on the making of the film. This was a fantastic and incredibly detailed documentary about the trials and tribulations Coppola had to endure while making Apocalypse Now. Originally adapted into a radio broadcast starring Orson Welles from a novella entitled Heart of Darkness, Welles...
120. The Runaways [Sigismondi.2010.US]
There’s something inherently lame about Kristen Stewart in a torn Sex Pistols shirt and a leather jacket but I have long accepted the over commercialization of punk. I wasn’t familiar with the entire backstory behind The Runaways prior to viewing this. What I DID know was that they were an incredibly young all female rock n roll outfit and that Joan Jett was one of the main members. ...
119. Scream 4 [Craven.2011.US]
I wonder if there will ever come a time in my life in which Wes Craven won’t trick me into fishing out my wallet and shelling over my own hard earned cash for his personal gain. I heard very mixed reviews about this fourth installment in the Scream series, so I said what the hey and took my lady friend to go see it. The opening was particularly funny and a send-up of the entire series. In...
118. Apocalypse Now Redux [Coppola.2001.US]
My accounts of Apocalypse Now are a little clouded, I saw it for the first time in a film class about 5 years ago. Suffices to say, watching any movie at 8 AM is not entirely the best environment for a film screening especially while nursing a hangover. Coppola’s original epic was great by all recollection, so I decided to venture forth with Apocalypse Now Redux, the 2001 re-release of the...
117. Machete [Rodriguez,Maniquis.2010.US]
Machete is of course the fake film trailer from Tarantino’s Grindhouse movies turned real film project. It’s got the look and feel of Planet Terror and Death Proof but without the heart. The film just felt hollow, but I can’t really pinpoint as to what exactly was lacking. It was a great over-the-top action movie with an all-star cast, but I wouldn’t ever feel inclined...
116. MILF [Wheeler.2010.US]
What’s to say about a movie entitled MILF about a group of proverbial losers tired of striking out in college and therefore they start targeting older women upon which sexual escapades abound? Well, that about sums it up really. Albeit, this actually wasn’t half bad. Sophmoric humor aside, this elicited a handful of chuckles out of me. It’s American Pie meets Revenge of the...
115. Freakonomics [Ewing,Gibney.2010.US]
This played out more like an episode of Dateline than an actual film. Yet, I still really enjoyed watching this. Freakonomics is based on a book and compiled into a series of vignettes that take a look at everything from economic mythos to societal constructs and a variety of things in between. It’s a really fun/interactive movie and each vignette is incredibly engaging due to the fact...
114. The Fog [Carpenter.1980.US]
I haven’t seen The Fog. Is that weird? I feel as if this is something I should have gotten around to, but I just never have. In any regard, it was great as anticipated. Carpenter is truly a cinematic horror genius. The cinematography in this film is just absolutely amazing. I haven’t seen a horror movie that was this visually enthralling since Let the Right One In. The fog takes...
113. It Came From Kuchar [Kroot.2009.US]
When it comes to independent filmmakers, none come as true and passionate as George and Mike Kuchar, also known as the Kuchar Brothers. At the very core of independent filmmaking is this idea of hobbyism, where making money and achieving popularity is off the radar and doing what you love comes first and foremost. The antithesis of such an art form is what is known as the...
112. Hot Tub Time Machine [Pink.2010.US]
With the aid of my roommate and some marijuana I treated myself to a stoner comedy last night. I’m not particularly fond of comedies so the weed was much appreciated. Barring the fact that I despise John Cusack and the overall concept of this film is pretty stupid, I actually enjoyed myself. Cusack was completely tolerable, Rob Corddry was probably the comedic highlight of the film but...
111. Billy Jack [Frank.1971.US]
Billy Jack is the quintessential “dad” film. I was introduced to it by my father when I was a kid, but only the scenes in which Billy Jack is regulating on some bigots via roundhouse kicks. I’ve since bought the film but never actually sat down and soaked it all in. Recently, I did just that and gained a new found appreciation for it. It’s equal parts camp and...
110. Eyes of the Mothman [Pellowski.2011.US]
The popularity behind the residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and their alleged “Mothman” has been well documented (RE: Richard Gere). This extensive documentary takes a look at all the conspiracies behind the hysteria that befell this quiet little town in the mid 1960’s. To say that this movie is incredibly detailed would be quite the understatement. If anything, the...
109. Storm Warning [Blanks.2007.Australia]
Eh. This was kind of a stinker. It’s a predictable slasher flick in pretty much every sense of the word. Anybody with even a rudimentary knowledge of horror movies could pinpoint the plot twists in this. It is in fact predictable to the point of being incredibly annoying. I felt stupider for having watched it, I just can’t fathom how little the director must have thought of his...
108. Road Games [Franklin.1981.Australia]
Stacy Keach and a fresh-off-of-her-Halloween-success Jamie Lee Curtis star in this Australian thriller about life on the open road. Keach plays truck driver Pat Quid who witnesses a murder and as he comes to find out, the killer is playing mind games with the sleep deprived Keach. Curtis suprisingly has a small role in this, playing a hitchhiker picked up by Quid about halfway through the...
107. In the Mouth of Madness [Carpenter.1994.US]
I assuredly thought this was gonna be an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness, unfortunately that wasn’t EXACTLY the case. Instead, writer Michael De Luca borrowed heavily from basic Lovecraft themes (paranoia, nihilism, the inevitable apocalypse) to create a rather unique screenplay. Horror genius John Carpenter then went ahead and adapted it into a rather...
106. I Am Curious Yellow [Sjöman.1967.Sweden]
In all my years of studying and watching films in college, I never once came across this infamous cinematic gem. It’s rather surprising given the amount of new genres and directors I was introduced to in those 5 years. Throughout my teachings I learned that there is an extremely fine line between art and drivel, but I Am Curious (Yellow) unequivocally uses elements of both. As boring as...
105. Basket Case [Henenlotter.1982.US]
This was a TON of B-movie horror fun!!! My god, I wish I had watched this ages ago but instead have overlooked it for all these years. Basket Case is a quintessential B-movie in practically every way. The premise is absolutely absurd, the acting is quirky and over-the-top, and the overall feel of the film is pure camp. Yet, it has plenty of horror and gory kills to go around. They TRULY...
104. Lake Placid 3 [Furst.2010.US]
Sometimes you just gotta go to a supermarket at 1 AM, stock up on twizzler pull ‘n’ peels, and raid the RED BOX machine. Unfortunately, I dove right into this made for TV SYFY channel original with a sober mind and a reluctant heart. To say it let me down would be quite the understatement. Having never seen the first two films in the trilogy was seemingly a non-issue. What peeved...
103. Sucker Punch [Snyder.2011.US]
The works of Zack Snyder are pretty hit or miss for me. While I thought the Dawn of the Dead remake and 300 were great, I didn’t much care for Watchmen at all. So, per the request of my well meaning girlfriend I had to sit through Sucker Punch (which will probably end up being in my top 3 worst films of 2011 list if not a lock for #1). This was a conceptual nightmare and just all over the...
