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Also, thanks for the heads-up on Dance Flick.
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I really just want you to expand on that. I've seen both movies as well & have no clue how one reminded you of the other.
Be warned about Imagine That, its still just a cute kiddie flick. And thanx for the laughs.^NOOOO
awesome use of the joker gif.
I might ask my mom to rent it again just for that. I didn't watch it the first time, but her, my stepdad, and my sister did...
Also: "it's as if he stops by moms to get it on" was priceless... from the blaxplotation film you were reviewing. And fuck it, I'm paraphrasing, but that was still one of the funniest things you've ever said... er typed. LOL.Comment
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Ah, I always love it when your review lines up perfectly with my thoughts on a movie.
Zombieland
2009. Rated R, 88 minutes.
Director: Ruben Fleischer.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin.
Plot: A virus that transforms people into zombies has infected most of Earth's population. Columbus (Eisenberg) is among a handful of survivors and tries to survive and wants to make it back to his hometown in hopes of reuniting with his estranged family. Strangely enough, love intervenes.
The Good: It's downright hilarious. It perfectly spoofs zombie flicks and road movies, alike. A little commentary on society is thrown in for good measure. Woody Harrelson give his best performance in years, getting back to his roots as a comedic actor. His never-ending search for what remains of the world's supply of Twinkies is way funnier than it should be. Even better is the cameo by Bill Murray (playing himself). His time on screen is hysterical and some of his best work in a few years, as well. Story-wise, it moves along at a nice pace and includes some really well done flashbacks. There are also some very fun and funny action sequences.
The Bad: Our two females are rather bland. They're both serviceable characters but not particularly memorable. In a movie where there are only four humans, the two ladies (one of whom is a preteen) should do more than just be chased (including by our heroes). So other than just being really horny due to a dearth of women, I've no clue why Columbus is head-over-heels for Wichita (Stone), the older girl. Speaking of Columbus, I have the same problem with him as I did James in Adventureland: he's played by Jesse Eisenberg. I don't necessarily dislike him, he just reminds me so much of Michael Cera, its distracting. Finally, we needed more zombie stuff.
The Ugly: How Bill Murray's scene ends. Comedy gold.
Recommendation: My faith in the future of spoofs has been revived. It was trampled nearly to death by the unrelenting crappiness of Dance Flick. Thankfully, this one's actually funny. As far as zombie spoofs go, it's not quite as over-the-top or gory as the recent Planet Terror half of Grindhouse but its even more tongue-in-cheek and delivers more consistent laughter.
The Opposite View: Scott Foundas, Village Voice
What the Internet Says: 8.1/10 (#233 all time) on imdb.com (11/14/09), 89% on rottentomatoes.com, 73/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 9/10
Edit although I do have to ask. What were your thoughts on how they handled the rules by actually integrating them into the scenery as opposed to just plopping them on-screen?Last edited by Ralnakor; 11-15-2009, 12:52 AM.Comment
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co sign.....dell's review summed up my thoughts on this movie.Comment
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Couldn't agree with your review more, Dell. At the end of it I left the movie theater saying to my wife "That ending blew". She agreed but I think she too liked it more then me. You nailed it, a movie that's great the first time through. And not 1/10th as enjoyable the second go round.
Also the Cell Phone call, I seen it coming but the scene itself still made me jump a little.Last edited by Vinsane; 11-15-2009, 03:34 PM.25-02, 23:16 Yawkey Way celtics fucking suckComment
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You need to see Meet Bill. An review it. lol.Comment
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It's funny how women tend to enjoy these types of movies much more than men.This...
Law Abiding Citizen
2009. Rated R, 109 minutes.
Director: F. Gary Gray.
Starring Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Colm Meaney, Viola Davis.
Plot: Clyde Shelton (Butler) is promptly imprisoned after killing one of the men who brutally murdered and raped his wife and daughter. However, it becomes apparent that even from behind bars he's responsible for the ongoing murders of people involved in the case.
The Good: It is a fairly unique cat-and-mouse because the mouse has already been caught yet somehow keeps stealing the cheese. This makes the movie easy to get caught up in as your theories get shot down one by one. Our two leads do a nice job. Butler provides a snarkier version of Jigsaw from Saw mixed with Kevin Spacey's John Doe from Se7en. Jamie Foxx ably morphs Morgan Freeman's and Brad Pitt's characters from the latter into one character. Yes, this movie borrows heavily from both of those but does so in a manner that still allows it to stand on its own. It helps that the twist and ending, while a bit of an eye-roller, are handled well.
The Bad: It's one of those movies where whoever is doing all this killing would either need an army of helpers (like a movie crew, perhaps) or have to be omnipotent. There are other major loopholes as well. For instance, the amount of time it takes to get from one place to another clearly depends on who's doing the travelling and what the plot needs at a given moment. The movie gives some explanations but they don't quite add up. Instead we start to think the killer has some sort of super-power. I suppose that's partly the point but it seems like overkill.
The Ugly: That's what you get for answering your cell phone during a meeting.
Recommendation: This is a fun but silly entry into the thriller/suspense genre. Even as implausibilities mount, you tend to let them slide while watching because it manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. The problem comes after its over and you start to think about it a bit. Scrutiny is not its friend. To quote famed critic Roger Ebert's review of the film, it is "One of those movies you like more at the time than in retrospect."
The Opposite View: Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
What the Internet Says: 7.4/10 on imdb.com (11/3/09), 24% on rottentomatoes.com, 34/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 6.5/10
PS: Apologies to my wife who loved the movie and peruses my reviews at least enough to see the scores. After it was over she began pleading her case for me to give it a '10'.
Sidenote: Every time I see Gerard Butler I think to myself, 'This can't possibly be the same guy who played King Leonidas in 300, can it?'
My feelings for this movie are similar to yours, while my girlfriend shared your wives'.
I thought it was entertaining and a good action flick but a bit over the top, she thought it was great because of the guessing game aspect of it.Comment
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Dell have you ever seen/reviewed Carnal Knowledge? We're watching that tonight in my Film class and I'm going to have to write a paper on it before next week. Can't go wrong with Jack Nicholson, though, which helps.Comment
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The Darjeeling Limited
2007. Rated R, 91 minutes.
Director: Wes Anderson.
Starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Amara Karan.
Plot: Three brothers try to come to grips with their father's death, their mother's apathy and each other during a train ride across India.
The Good: This is a sufficiently odd comedy that's more about quirks than wackiness. The idiosyncracies of not only our three leads themselves, but of their relationships with each other drive the movie. Later, when their mom (played by Anjelica Huston) is thrown into the mix things get even more interesting. What helps is a script that rarely looks for the easy answer or even the easy laugh. Therefore, the performers never have to overexert themeselves to sell a joke. They can play it straight and laughs come from time to time organically, the way they do for most real people, not manufactured by unrealistic hijinks and shenanigans.
The Bad: For most comedy fans, its too slow and a bit repetitive. Like I said, it doesn't really go all out with any slapstick and the repetitiveness of how they interact with one another does add realism but will make some viewers groan. This will make the plot seem like its meandering and its point will be lost. Even for people completely into it, its point might seem overblown. That's because the reason for all the anymosity between them is a bit murky. We're shown what has happened but why it should cause such a rift among brothers isn't clear.
The Ugly: Could we not find even a 30 second scene for Bill Murray? He appears very briefly on screen at the beginning and end of the movie and says nothing.
Recommendation: It's one of those movies I like but don't feel real comfortable recommending. Its got that dry style that only plays well to certain people. By the way if you rent the DVD, select the option to view the movie with Hotel Chevalier. It's technically not part of the movie but a short billed as "Part 1." Essentially, its a 13 minute prequel. Watching it adds some context to the final scene. To convince you horndogs that its worth your time I'll divulge the following: Natalie Portman (who also has a two second non-speaking cameo in the actual film) gets naked. For my personal tastes, she could definitely use a meal but I know lots of you are into that sort of thing.
The Opposite View: Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide
What the Internet Says: 7.3/10 on imdb.com (11/16/09), 67% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 7/10Comment
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Dell have you seen Black Dynamite yet? I just watched that last weekendComment
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Dug back a bit in the thread, and stopped at this
I can't believe you gave this a 9.....but then I can't believe how the reviews for this movie were mostly good.....my review score was, "damn I'm glad I downloaded this shit and didn't pay to go see it!"
I hated the guy who played her boyfriend......like you said, he seem to just "be there" in the movie....woulda been better if the demon smacked his ass up a bit to wake him up lol....btw, is that the same dude who's in that mac vs PC commercial? looks like him a bit
In fairness though, I guess I'm jaded with horror flicks these days....I haven't been truly frightened by a movie since the Excorcist or Night of The Living Dead....
I thought Paranormal Activity had a chance....all I can say is BLAH about that movie...all the hype to be severly let downComment
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Dell's Classics Presents:
Rear Window
1955. Not Rated, 112 minutes.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr, Thelma Ritter.
Jeff (Stewart) is a photographer confined to a wheelchair in his apartment thanks to a broken leg and passes time by spying on his neighbors as they live their lives. When suspicious events lead him to believe that the man across the courtyard has murdered his own wife he enlists the aid of his girlfriend Lisa (Kelly) and his buddy Det. Doyle (Wendell Corey) to help him get to the bottom of things. Did he or didn't he? That question drives the latter half of the movie. Our hero's logic and sanity come into question as does his near fetish for voyeurism. That last trait, along with Jeff's relationship with Lisa means that Hitchcock gets lots of mileage out of sexual tension and frustration, as usual. Sexual innuendo abounds, hanging over the movie and tempting the audience with thoughts of what they might see or hear next. If made today, such a movie would either water down their affair with goofiness and cute jokes...ahem...Disturbia...ahem...or include a somewhat explicit love scene. That scene might be a very sexy one but all sense of mystery would be lost and the movie would be less romantic for it. Yes, it is a murder mystery on the surface but the idea of what could be doesn't only pertain to the possible killing but to the love lives of the characters as well. This leads us to the real magic of Hitchcock, so eloquently demonstrated by this movie. Ostensibly, his films are about uncovering the horrors beneath our perversions. In this case, the perversion is that voyeurism, especially apt given that 50 plus years after this was made we're now, more than ever, a nation of watchers. James Stewart, with his All-American image and "aw shucks" demeanor is perfect for the role. He easily appears to be a utilitarian everyman. Hitchcock carefully peels back his layer of normalcy but keeps him relatable for us. If someone who's already creepy plays the role, say Vincent Price, the whole thing would feel overdone. We couldn't identify as easily with a guy who's mere voice symbolizes terror. Using a perceived nice guy like Stewart illuminates the lech in all of us.
MY SCORE: 10/10Comment
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