July 2011
29 posts
196. Pelt [Swindell.2010.US]
Welp, this was quite the chore to sit through. An extremely low budget / extremely run of the mill DTV horror movie. I was zoned out on facebook for a lot of it, and still managed to keep up with the plot. It’s essentially every slasher film ever made rolled into one unrecognizable shit heap. All the while set to a butt rock soundtrack like none other, which according to the credits was...
195. Cedar Rapids [Arteta.2011.US]
I’m gonna call this right now, Cedar Rapids is THE funniest movie of the year. In fact, it’s probably the funniest movie I’ve seen in recent memory. I am really picky when it comes to humor, and my taste is pretty much all over the place. Bill Murray is of course my guiding light for humor, but other than that I tend to prefer really dry wit over “stoner” humor. ...
194. Winter in Wartime...
It took nearly three years for this Dutch war drama to be released stateside, but I’m really glad Sony Pictures brought it in and decided to distribute it.
“Winter in Wartime” takes place in the final months of WWII in picturesque Holland, which is Nazi-occupied at the time. The lead role is that of a 13-year-old boy named Michiel (played brilliantly by Martijn Lakemeier) who befriends a...
193. Glory Daze [Wilkes.1996.US]
Somehow I let this classic punk influenced college comedy flick slip under my radar. It’s like SLC Punk meets PCU. The soundtrack to this is RIDICULOUS: MTX, NoFX, Bouncing Souls, The Vandals, Tilt…just to name a few. Not even shitty Ben Affleck could ruin this, although he certainly tried with the half-assed performance he put forth. The plot revolves around a group of punks who...
192. The Hustler [Rossen.1961.US]
On my quest to watch more Paul Newman movies I happened to stumble across The Hustler on my instant queue. Little did I realize, it is actually the precursor to The Color of Money. In fact, Paul Newman plays the same role of Fast Eddie Felson, only this time he’s young and learning the ropes of the pool shark trade. Obviously this film predates The Color of Money by 20+ years, so...
191. The Lost World [Hoyt.1925.US]
One of cinema’s earliest epic film feats. The use of (presumably) claymation dinosaurs in conjunction with live action must have been quite the treat in 1925. It’s over the top and about as epic as anything I can imagine coming out in the 20’s. The silent era was at best, a monumental surge of creativity and at worst, a garish good time. It was an explosion of bright eyed...
190. I Saw the Devil [Ji-woon.2010.South Korea]
If I were to describe the essence of this movie it would be the physical equivalent of getting your heart ripped out of your asshole. It’s a cerebral film that unfolds at a crawling pace, which I think that’s what makes the movie so frustrating as a viewer…which is a good thing. I suppose frustrating isn’t the right word for it though; painstakingly thrilling? Haha, in...
189. There Will Be Blood [Anderson.2007.US]
A little over 3 years ago I was shown a clip of There Will Be Blood in one of my film classes. I thought to myself, “Huh, that looks pretty awesome I think I’ll check that out soon”. Fast forward to today, and I’m just now getting around to completing that thought. It’s a slow mover, clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. I was surprised at the simplicity of the...
188. The Color of Money [Scorsese.1986.US]
When it comes to my favorite actors of all time Paul Newman lands somewhere in the Top 5. In an ironic twist, I actually haven’t seen as many of his films as I would like to have. The Color of Money is one such glaring omission. I’m not a big fan of Scorsese, but this wasn’t in the same vein as his usual repertoire. It was made at a time when Tom Cruise was still a reputable...
187. Girls Just Want to Have Fun [Metter.1985.US]
The 1980’s was consequently the best AND worst time for movies. Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an example of 80’s film making at its worst. Good girl Janey (Sarah Jessica Parker) combines forces with rocker chick Lynne (Helen Hunt) to get on a local dance TV show. It’s kinda like Footloose, only the complete opposite. A city-wide dancing ban would probably have helped this...
186. Sid & Nancy [Cox.1986.UK]
Probably one of the worst biopics I’ve ever seen. I’m by no means a Sex Pistols enthusiast, but it seemed that a majority of this film was dedicated to overblown truths and exaggerated myths regarding their band. The girl who played Nancy was particularly unbearable to watch. Gary Oldman was great as per usual as was the dude who played Johnny Rotten. The movie dragged on longer...
185. How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company...
A pretty solid documentary on one of exploitation’s greatest visionaries, Melvin Van Peebles. If you’re not familiar with Peebles, he essentially single-handedly made it cool to have African Americans in film. Prior to Peebles, Mammies, Toms, Coons, and Mulattoes were the norm for blacks in film. His iconic and controversial film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was a...
184. Rock-A-Doodle [Bluth.1991.US]
I assume that this is Don Bluth’s worst film? I mean…I’m wracking my brain to think of a worse film in his filmography, and I simply can’t think of one. Rock-A-Doodle is a mashup of live action and Bluth’s signature animation. Unlike All Dogs Go To Heaven and The Secret of NIMH, this film has little to no underlying social commentary. Infamous drunk Glen Campbell...
183. Rubber [Dupieux.2010.France]
Possibly the strangest concept for a film that I’ve ever heard of. A killer tire blows up a series of inanimate AND animate objects using telepathy while a group of people look on, each equipped with a pair of binoculars. Yup. That’s pretty much about it. One would think it would be near impossible to fill an hour and a half with such a premise, but Rubber manages to pull it off...
182. Hobo with a Shotgun [Eisener.2011.US]
WOW!!! Movie of the year? Probably! A throwback 70’s exploitation film done up to perfection. It’s an absurdly over the top, cheesy, violent, blood-soaked, thrill-ride. Rutger Hauer (The Hitcher, Blade Runner) plays a renegade hobo hellbent on taking back his corrupt city with a shotgun and a prostitute in tow. It’s a gritty, dirty, filthy flick done up with Grindhouse...
181. Brain Dead [Tenney.2010.US]
This is quite possibly one of the best low budget indie zombie movies that I’ve seen since The Dead Next Door. Which says a lot, because I can’t think of too many independently produced zombie flicks that are worth revisiting more than once. Brain Dead recognizes the kind of film it is, and executes accordingly. It doesn’t try to take on more than it should, but instead...
180. Cliffhanger [Harlin.1993.US]
Oh Renny Harlin, you truly are the king of action schlock. I hadn’t seen Cliffhanger in probably over 10 years, so I decided to revisit over the weekend. I can’t believe how embarrassingly 90’s it is. I suppose I just never noticed before. Sylvester Stallone LITERALLY only stars in either really awesome or really terrible movies. Cliffhanger is absolute shit, but in a way...
179. The Third Wave [Thompson.2007.US]
I’m not afraid to admit that there are more than a handful of films that have managed to reduce me to tears. So with that being said, The Third Wave is definitely a tearjerker. The Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami of 2004 wreaked havoc on almost all of southeast Asia, India and even parts of Africa. Its destruction was well documented, but unfortunately the relief effort wasn’t as well attended...
178. Let Me In [Reeves.2010.US]
Let me get one thing straight, Let the Right One In is one of the greatest horror movies of the past 25 years. Nevertheless, I was pretty pissed to find out it was being remade stateside so shortly after the release of the original. Matt Reeves had directed Cloverfield, which I loved, so I had a glimmer of hope. Having said that, Let Me In is a really solid horror remake. Yet, it’s...
177. True Grit [Coen Brothers.2010.US]
Fresh off the heels of watching the original True Grit, I watched the Coen Brothers remake the following night. It pulled a lot of my favorite lines from the original, which I enjoyed. They made some minor plot adjustments, but for the most part it followed the same pace as the John Wayne version. What I didn’t like was the willingness of Cogburn to open up to Mattie, I thought it felt...
176. True Grit [Hathaway.1969.US]
I dragged my feet a bit, but I finally got around to watching both versions of True Grit back to back. An ageing and grizzled John Wayne stars as Rooster Cogburn, a US Marshall hired by a 14 year old girl (Mattie Ross) to avenge the death of her father (Frank Ross). This duo is eventually joined by Texas Ranger La Boeuf, played by Glen Campbell, who is in it for the reward money. The trio...
175. A Screaming Man [Haroun.2011.France,Chad]
This is the second of my two IIFF reviews. “A Screaming Man” is the type of film that makes you appreciate the simple pleasures in life, especially for those fortunate enough to live in a first world country. The film takes place in the African nation of Chad, which is one of the most impoverished nations in the world. Amidst the genocide and widespread corruption, exists a heartfelt story of...
174. Ding Dong Dead [Creepersin.2011.US]
Ding Dong Dead is an expression of minimalism to a degree that even Jim Jarmusch would be envious. Shot on a shoestring budget using fewer than a dozen actors, it’s pretty much nothing like I expected it to be. It’s extremely slow-paced and lacking in all the departments that make a schlocky film fun to watch. It’s not terrible enough to be funny, it’s not particularly gory, in no way is it...
173. Shut Up Little Man! [Bate.2011.US]
This is the first of two IIFF (Indianapolis International Film Festival) entries that I had the pleasure of screening. Consequently, this was also my favorite of the two that I watched. Shut Up Little Man is a wacky little documentary about two punks (Eddie and Mitch) who moved out west in the 1980’s after finishing up college. The apartment complex to which they stumbled upon was aptly...
172. The Secret of NIMH [Bluth.1982.US]
Don Bluth kinda rules…he rules a bunch actually. Turning his back on Disney and creating his own animated studio was the best move of his career. I loved All Dogs Go to Heaven and Land Before Time, but I’d never actually seen The Secret of NIMH. It was certainly great, but nowehre near as perfect as his other works. His animation is top notch and so is his choice of voice actors,...
UPDATE: 07.11.11
UGH. I haven’t updated this in a bit…I’ve been pouding out reviews for the IIFF (Indianapolis International Film Festival) over at www.TheFilmYap.com. That’s been taking up a majority of my time. We will have those reviews up hopefully on Tuesday, so go ahead and check those out. There’s a bunch of rad films premiering at the festival which starts on July 14th, so...
171. Night of the Hunted [Rollin.1980.France]
Rollin is a French filmmaker best known for his vampire flicks and underground fantastique films. Night of the Hunted is supposedly where he strays from the familiar beaten path to make a psychological thriller. This cheese fest is marred with terrible acting, even worse dialogue, and a seemingly nonsensical plot. Rollin actually used porn actors to round out the cast, which is funny cause at...
170. For the Bible Tells Me So [Karslake.2007.US]
If you’re looking for a compelling documentary on Netflix instant, this is one of the better movies on their right now. It focuses on the debate over homosexuality in religion. For The Bible Tells Me So takes an interesting take on the subject, choosing to focus on the gay offspring of a slew of pastors and ministers. It logically breaks down the inconsistencies that exist in the argument...
169. Belle de Jour [Buñuel.1967.France]
Belle de Jour is an erotic French drama about a bored housewife (Séverine) who dreams of a sex life filled with S&M and bondage. The film blurs the line between her frequent daydreams and reality. Amidst her lucid sex dreams Séverine yearns for more excitement in her day to day life. Eventually she stumbles into the world of prostitution which proves to be quite the dark path. The plot...
