Red State
Two things allowed me to appreciate this film.
1. Cop Out– This is one of the worst movies ever made and Kevin Smith directed it. Any film Smith made after this would seem great by comparison.
2. Kevin Smith is a likable guy. I listen to his Smodcast and enjoy all of his commentaries and live appearances. Kevin told a story about a screening he did for Clerks. Smith previewed the movie, then he and producer Scott Mosier discussed the film afterward. After everything Smith overheard a person say “I didn’t like the movie but Smith is a cool guy.”
I’ve listened to Smith talk about Red State a lot. I knew everything about it before I watched it. I know it is a hybrid flick about a crazy religious group based on the Phelps family. It was made on a shoestring budget of four million and Smith promoted it himself.
What I like is that he tried something different. This still is not a complete film but you can tell a lot of love went into it. The cinematography is much better than his latest flicks and he coaxes some excellent performances.
I’m not saying this is a great film or one that the mainstream audience will enjoy. However, I was glad to have finally watched it. This is a Kevin Smith I didn’t think existed after Cop Out. That movie was so safe and boring. Red State is far from boring.
Expect the word F*^* to be used 700 times, expect Michael Parks preaching craziness for a ten minute scene, Expect blood and little bit of torture.
The best part of the film is the ending. I won’t ruin the surprise but it is hilarious and adds welcome levity to a dark subject.
Watch this movie when it comes out on DVD later this month. Let me know what you think. I’d love to hear other peoples opinions.
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The Burrowers
This film is a perfect example of horror filmmaking on a smallish budget.
I’m not saying The Burrowers is a great western/horror film that every horror director should watch before they attempt a low-budget film. People can make a good-looking movie and need not spend millions upon millions. Get a good director of photography, create some unique monsters and build some tension. Horror movie fans are incredibly forgivable if it all doesn’t come together.
This film feels like a Sherman Alexie poem. Monsters kill a family, Settlers and Calvary think it is the indians. They hunt the indians, the indians are the only ones who know how to defeat the burrowers. The monsters put a hurting on everybody in cool ways that build a neat mythology.
The biggest issue I have with the film is the tagline on the poster. It says “Evil will surface.” I’m not sure what makes the burrowers evil. I would make the tagline “Jerky subterranean creatures eat people at night.” To me evil is Michael Myers, the demon from The Excorcist or Rachel McAdams from Midnight in Paris. I would compare these monsters to Jaws, Tremors or the punk creatures from Aliens. They are not evil. They are creatures who do what they do.
Watch the movie on Netflix. Enjoy some new creatures. Let me know what you think.
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Win Win
I love interesting characters. All of my favorite movies feature a plethora of interesting personalities. These are my favorite films. Jaws, Dr. Strangelove, The Royal Tennenbaums, Say Anything, Once and Hot Fuzz. The things that made these movies great were the insistence of creating a world with original humans.
With his three films as proof Director and writer Tom McCarthy knows how to create three-dimensional characters. The Station Agent was a nice film involving three loners played by Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Williams. The Visitor showcased Richard Jenkins and focused on identity and immigration.
Win Win is the story of Paul Giamatti trying to stay afloat. He has a nice family, coaches a wrestling team and has to deal with recently divorced Bobby Cannavale.
The problem is that his law practice is going under. So, he lies and takes an elderly gentleman into his care. He puts the man into a retirement home and keeps the $1,500 a month to himself. Eventually, the older man’s grandson comes into town and Giamatti takes him into his care. The kid happens to be a great wrestler. The rest is a nice story about a guy who has clouded his sense of right and wrong to survive.
Win Win is a small film that manages to create big laughs and small moments that stay with you. The only issue I have with this film is that it ends too easily. It is too neat. However, I’m glad it didn’t end badly because I didn’t want to see any bad things happening to these people.
You like all of the characters. There is humanity in all of them. Jeffrey Tambor is the funniest man alive. Watch this film.
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Safe Men
Hello all. Mark here.
I love Safe Men. Steven Zahn and Sam Rockwell are perfect together, Paul Giamatti looks great in hammer pants and Mark Ruffalo perfected the perfect mustache.
My wonderful girlfriend wrote up a quick review for the film. Enjoy!
Safe Men
That is five reasons to see this movie already! Here are some more:
- Flammable pants, they are no joke kids
- Little Big Fat
- Peter Dinklage cameo For The Win
- and Mark Ruffalo’s mustache…look out for this line “Sweet ‘stache”
Watch Rockwell and Zahn sing and dance, learn about love and death in the hot goods business and laugh your little toosh off at this quirky comedy!
Fun Stuff:
- Get the dvd for this special feature- a short film by the director John Hamburg about independently contracted bomb defusers
- Along these lines (great cast, smart crime comedy, Sam Rockwell) you should definitely watch Welcome to Collinwood
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Taking Chance
Taking Chance
Fact:
- Strobl lived these experiences and wrote the essay that would become this movie. When watching the special features on the dvd, you see that exact quotes from Chance’s friends are woven into the film.
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Bad Movie Tuesday: Tekken
I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but 99% of the time movies based on video games are bad. I’m thinking there must be a curse or a conspiracy.
You’d think if it came down to simple odds one of these might be good. Some of them are guilty pleasures….the rest are cringe inducing.
House of the Dead, DOA, Mortal Kombat 1 & 2, Super Mario Bros, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chung Li, Bloodrayne, Alone in the Dark, Tomb Raider 1 & 2, Prince of Persia, Doom, Hitman, In the Name of the King, Resident Evil 1-4, Postal and Max Payne.
The problem with Tekken is that the characters in this film are so blah that you couldn’t care who wins or loses. You have a bunch of assassins and warriors fighting in a post apocalyptic society run by a generic evil company..It should be fun. However, it is super boring due to the fact that it is only mediocre. I can’t even remember the general plot of the film.
Also, I don’t remember who these people were.
This is why Tekken is bad. I can sit through a bad plot with poor writing if the movie has memorable bad characters. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li had Chris Klein’s character called Nash.
You can’t forget about Michael Madsen’s bloated character in Bloodrayne:
I’ve come up with a few fighters that would make Tekken 2 (direct to DVD) a better film.
Sweet Sugar– He fights out of generic corp and has a fighting record of 72-0-8. Sweet Sugar gets his name because he is the prettiest fighter to ever grace a cage. He is the master of the jab because with his reach it is very hard to hit him. In all of his fights Sugar has never been punched in the face due to the fact that he throws at least 7000 jabs a fight and has mastered the use of angles.
In a current fight to the death he hit his opponent with 799 jabs before he finally died.
Mood Swings- Mood Swings is the best Bi-Polar fighter in the world. His constant mood changes make it impossible for his opponents to make a game plan for him. In one fight he cried, laughed, slept, cried, yelled, danced, cried and spun kick…That was in the first round. If anything the drama he provides will give the Tekken tournament a boost.
Ham Sandwich-Despite his girth Ham Sandwich is a violent opponent when he makes weight. He has only done this three times in his ten-year fighting career. However, he won those three fights in 29 seconds combined.
Ham Sandwich was last seen making a triple layer sandwich featuring Black Forest, Honey Baked and Canadian Bacon. He put this on rye, pumpernickel, and wheat. The odd thing is that he included cottage cheese.
Juice Box– The king of smack talk. The original Rock & Trolla, The Catapult of Insult. The only problem with Juice Box is that he spends so much time in front of the computer insulting people he doesn’t train much. His best hope at Tekken will be his ability to psyche out other fighters and cause them to melt down in the cage.
Glass House-The most dangerous fighter in the world….He is also the most injury prone fighter. Two years ago he blew his knee out walking to the ring. His last fight he attempted going to the ring in a bubble but he got lost in the arena and managed to roll down the upper deck stairs. This fall did not injure him. When he tried to step out of the bubble he fell and broke his arm in 17 places.
Mo-Zilla-She is the cutest fighter on the planet. Fighters refuse to punch her. Mo always goes for a nice hug but quickly knocks out the fighter when they have outstretched arms. Floyd Mayweather Jr. picked up this move from her.
I’m not saying these characters will make the movie better. I’m just saying it will make it more memorable. That is what makes a truly bad movie good.
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You Gotta See This
I love the film Once. I love the soundtrack. I love the Swell Season. Glen and Marketa are great together….However, they broke up. This documentary chronicles their time together. Can’t wait to see this@
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Warrior
The best film of the year so far.
This film almost made me shed man tears. You like the characters, the fights are realistic and Warrior features easily the best scene of the year.
Warrior is a film about a broken family putting themselves back together. One brother is a teacher who is deep in debt and needs to keep a roof over his families head. Tom Hardy is an Iraq war vet who is fueled by anger and can punch through six feet of metal. Nick Nolte is a reformed drunk who is trying to piece together everything he broke apart.
I am a huge fan of MMA. Warrior features great fights. The only odd thing is that none of them go to the judge’s decision. I love the film Rocky and its sequels but the fights are cartoonish. In this film you feel each punch due to the realistic choreography and the use of actual MMA fighters.
The director Gavin O’Connor was able to collect young and old talent. Tom Hardy is a force of nature. Joel Edgerton is a rising star and Nick Nolte is the best he has been in years. What I loved about Edgerton’s character is that he is a teacher/fighter/bouncer who fights for family. I used to be a teacher/bouncer and it is great to see similar characters making it big.
Watch this film. It needs the support. You won’t be disappointed.
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Legend of the Tsunami Warrior (2008)
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: This is a mediocre Asian saga movie. It’s like they tried to combine Pirates of the Caribbean without the comic relief and Red Cliff without the awesome. I’ll give this an unsensational C. WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD: Here is a list of my Thai action favorites…Chocolate, The Protector, Ong-Bak. For those looking for a more solid Asian saga, stick with Red Cliff.
The most confusing part of this movie was the plot, or plots, or understanding the direction the story and its motley plots are taking. In the beginning these giant, powerful cannons are lost in battle and sink to the bottom of the sea. Some Princess anticipating more of an unending battle with her nemesis wants to retrieve them, but they’re just too gosh-darned deep. So this princess’ engineers try to recreate the technology, but fail. Our attention then begins to shift between a love story of sorts, a fisherman-sorcerer whose powers grants all the insights offered by your local weather forecast and allow communication with sea life, a sundered tale of betrayal and revenge, a sorcerer who employs a cadre of pirates and Thai-style ninjas, another maybe-not-bad sorcerer, flashbacks involving some Dutchmen and the cannons, and a Dragonball-like sorcery training session. Basically a whole lot of sorcery and a whole lot of random crammed into a whole lot of generally slow-paced movie. Two hours of it to be exact. But wait, towards the end we come full circle back to the cannons in a siege battle.
Just about everything in this movie is of inconsistent quality. The combat choreography is not complex, some of the moves are filmed crisply while others seem poorly executed, and a few solid acrobatics are snuck in among other lethargically-wired maneuvers. This movie features beautiful underwater shots and gorgeous set design. However, the CGI effects (when they are not CGI sea creatures) are of inconsistent quality and the wardrobe follows suit, ranging from stunning to uninspired. Most outfits are dull and maybe authentic, but then the team of assassins in the beginning had the most impressive garbs of the entire movie. What gives?
That said, it appeared that they were trying really hard to make this a Thai mega-adventure movie. I can respect that. I’d never watch this movie again, but I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that you never watch it. I have a feeling that you’ll either love it (like many an Amazon reviewer seemed to) or just feel “eh” after watching it (like me). Here’s the trailer. The trailer is not high quality, but the movie’s production value is well above average.
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Everything Must Go
A nice little flick about a guy overcoming alcoholism, depression and an expensive love of koi.
The problem with this film is that it all feels too easy. He loses his job, sleeps on his lawn, meets a nice kid, becomes friends with the new neighbor and drinks gallons of PBR…….. Then he gets better.
After working in a bar for three years, listening to former alcoholic Craig Ferguson’s audiobook and watching The Beaver I know that alcoholism is never this cute.
This is a nice film. You like Will Ferrell, Christopher Jordan Wallace is a nice kid actor and Michael Pena has a sweet stash.
Watch it if you are craving a breezy little flick about a guy putting himself together by getting rid of everything.
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