Buttered Popcorn: Buzzmans Movie Review Thread

[Buzzman]

I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

In this horror remake, young writer Jennifer (Sarah Butler) finds life at her rented retreat perfect for working on her first novel. But her enthusiasm is shattered by her vicious rape. Now, the local thugs responsible will face an excruciating fate. Jennifer's attackers command developmentally disabled Matthew (Chad Lindberg) to kill her, but he fakes the murder, leaving the scarred writer to carry out a gruesome plot for revenge.

I Spit on Your Grave isn’t a film you should ever take even remotely serious. It tackles issues with over the top material that is not only gruesome, but very vulgar. It seemed as if the film wanted to get its viewers completely turned off by its villains with its rapes scene, then sit back and cheer as you watched the victim get her revenge, person by person. That’s fine, some movies can make that entertaining, but I Spit on Your Grave could’ve been much better if it would have drawn out some of its characters backgrounds.

The moral compass on the film is pretty straightforward. It’s a revenge flick where you’re supposed to root for the victim, but two of the attackers presented intriguing moral dilemmas. One was a “retard” who was forced into the rape and the other was a cop who had a daughter with another one along the way. The film should’ve given some more story time for these two to give the audience something to actually think about. Instead, we get short violent conclusions that while creative, aren’t enough to warrant a recommendation. A film of similar taste and also a remake, The Last House on the Left (2009), is a much more entertaining revenge flick that focuses less on killing and more on tension.

Overall Score: 3.5/10

 

[TimsGiants]

Dilemma was a great comedy. 5/10 is way to low.

 

[Buzzman]

Dilemma was a great comedy. 5/10 is way to low.

It's the best comedy of 2011 so far

 

[SOS4Prez]

Might be the best wide release this year considering how shitty this year in mainstream cinema is so far. lulz.

 

[SOS4Prez]

Double post. <_<

 

[stevsta]

Might be the best wide release this year considering how shitty this year in mainstream cinema is so far. lulz.

it's only been 1 month lol

 

[Buzzman]

This January has been most dreadful though. Normally there's at least 1 good one, but fucking January and February look like complete shit with everything shoved into March.

 

[stevsta]

This January has been most dreadful though. Normally there's at least 1 good one, but fucking January and February look like complete shit with everything shoved into March.

I would have to agree with that

 

[SOS4Prez]

It might be so bad of a start to the year that the first fresh on Rotten Tomatoes might not come until late-February/early-March. There's no upcoming movies that really stand out to me as anything remotely special. MAYBE I Am Number Four, but I'm not buying into the hype of that movie.

 

[Buzzman]

Blue Valentine (2010)

Once crazy about each other, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) have now grown apart. Cindy is bored and disenchanted with her life while Dean languishes in the emotional emptyness of their sexless, routine life in rural Pennsylvania. As they muddle through their marriage, they hearken back to the golden days when life was filled with possibility and romance.

Do you know when you have created something special? You take a subject nobody would want to watch, like a deteriorating marriage, and turn it into something that not only connects heavily with its viewers, but makes it one of the most entertaining watches of the year.

The film never tries to win you over. It doesn’t want you to root for anyone one person; the goal it seems to have in mind is to show you the brutal truth of what majority married couples end up going through. This relationship of theirs is not the worst of situations, but it’s far from happy. Through the use of timely flashbacks, you watch how the relationship has changed, how these two people changed, how fast everything seemed to die. At some point, people go through an experience like this to some degree. Blue Valentine doesn’t show you the answers; it leaves itself for you to decide.

It wouldn’t have worked if it weren’t for the phenomenal performance of Ryan Gosling, who was completely snubbed at the Oscars. In the course of the film, his transformation is nothing short of amazing. He couldn’t have put himself out there anymore then he did. It’s career defining. His spouse, Michelle Williams, does a great job herself, but feels very underwhelming in scenes with her better half. The thing that makes this film and characters work is both are the villains here. They let this happen to themselves and their flaws got the best of them. It’s one of the rare times when the film ends abruptly, but leaves you completely satisfied.

If Blue Valentine had a flaw it’s that it’s a bit one-sided on the perspectives of every relationship. In the film’s world, every relationship is doomed to fail, but every day we witness otherwise. It’s a small splinter on an otherwise giant surface. While I do recommend this to just about everyone, don’t expect any excitement at all. There hasn’t a more depressing movie since Leaving Las Vegas, and could turn a few heads off.

Overall Score: 9/10

 

[Palooza]

The joke on the bus had me laughing my penis off.

edit - The Academy is dumb. Blue Valentine doesn't work unless you credit both Gosling and Williams equally for their brilliant portrayals. it makes no sense to me to nominate Michelle Williams but neglect to nominate Ryan Gosling. Go big or GTFO.

 

[Buzzman]

Stone (2010)

Edward Norton plays a convicted arsonist who hopes to get out of prison early by putting to work the seductive talents of his beautiful wife, Lucetta (Milla Jovovich). Robert DeNiro plays the parole officer who is the target of the couple's cat-and-mouse scheming.

A few years ago, Norton and DeNiro got together for a film called The Score. It was a much hyped up movie that never quite met those lofty expectations. It was such a missed opportunity with two dynamic leads. When Stone was announced, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to give it another attempt and redeem themselves.

Right from the start you just sense something isn’t right with Stone. Norton walks into the office sporting a weird “wigga” accent and some awful looking cornrows. He just looks god awful; maybe he should have gone American History X on our asses and actually look the part.

Once you get past that anomaly, you enter into a game of cat and mouse with the two leads. You won’t be witnessing much action at all. Mostly dialogue about life, ethics, and deception that really are smoke screens to the real story. DeNiro is being influenced with sexual favors by Stone’s wife in order to grant Stone an early release. You sit and watch, hoping it ends up getting better. When Stone experiences a religious moment, something changes within him sparking what may be either the films saving grace for some and the fall into mediocrity for others. The film tries to sell a theme that felt a lot thinner then they intended.

While I never came to love Stone, I did come to love the ambiguity of its characters. They flipped flopped between the line of good and evil and by the end of the film; one could argue their roles 180’d each other. Unfortunately, its two characters couldn’t find a more plausible story to hold your attention and falls into another disappointment in the collaboration of two great actors, who might just want to stay away from each other for the near future.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

 

[SOS4Prez]

I hate the religious undertones. I feel as though if they just stuck with the "not taking responsibility for your actions" as opposed to throwing all sorts of religious nooks and crannies in there then it'd be better.

I agree on Norton looking awful in the beginning. Eventually, I grew to like and appreciate the character, but at first I actually thought "oh God, not even Edward Norton can pull off this character."

 

[Buzzman]

Winter’s Bone (2010)

In director Debra Granik's unflinching noir drama set deep in the Ozarks, resilient teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) goes on the trail of her missing, drug-dealing father when his absence jeopardizes the family's safety. Her deadbeat dad has a key court date pending, and Ree is determined that he show up -- despite the objections of the insular Dolly clan.

Winter’s Bone’s tale of young woman trying to find her father can be boring and frustrating, but at the same time becomes truly mesmerizing watching the bizarre world this woman lives in. This isn’t the same world any of us are accustomed too. There’s not one decent looking spot in this entire place they call home. They still eat what they catch, get warm with self-made fires, and live entirely in filth. This setting was so well captured; I wouldn’t believe these people could live any other way.

Searching for her father creates a dilemma for herself. She must either betray the code of silence that keeps her extended family firmly and proudly on the wrong side of the law, or else face destitution. Through courage, she searches vigorously all by herself until she finds what she’s looking. It combines a disturbing climax with a depressing conclusion that just feels right for this film and everything it represents.

The characters didn’t feel like the stars of the films. This environment was the star, but Ms. Lawrence did a hell of a job selling herself into the role. Her search ended up becoming yours. Everyone else did good job as well, but the greatest achievement is they all looked like they belonged and lived like scum their whole lives. Just a remarkable feat.

Winter’s Bone is the year’s indie film that could. It is a movie that against all odds, works. Did it deserve to be nominated for a best Picture? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it’s an undeserving choice. Years from now, it will be a forgotten gem but at least right now it’s getting some of the attention it demands.

Overall Score: 8/10

 

[Rivers17ncsu]

I loved Winter's Bone, I gave it a 8.5, but that is a great review.

 

[Buzzman]

Just Go With It (2011)

After commitment-phobic Dr. Danny Maccabee (Adam Sandler) falsely tells his young girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) that he has a wife and family, she eventually grows suspicious and demands that he provide proof of his purported wedded state. Backed into a corner, the doctor recruits his divorced office manager (Jennifer Aniston) and her kids to perform as his wife and family -- generating a flood of farcical results and unintended consequences.

It’s a given that since Just Go With It is a typical romantic comedy, its plot is ridiculous. It can be overlooked though because that is what’s expected. Only hopeless romantics and stupid twats who want to believe these stories can happen actually enjoy them. The key to a film of this genre is to provide enough laughs to make it endurable. Just Go With It wins in that field.

Adam Sandler is genuinely funny. In my mind, he hasn’t been funny in a film in a very longtime. He had me laughing early and often, despite the ridiculousness of the character he was playing. His chemistry with the two leading ladies was a bit off, which might have ended up being better for him anyway, adding awkward pauses that brought a snicker. Aniston wasn’t her terrible self, but she just felt there. Sure she was trying, but I can’t bring myself to recall a single scene where she makes a noticeable difference. Her typecasting roles have become numbing I guess. There is the obvious Mrs. Decker who was cast to be the sex of the film, but she managed to get a few more laughs then Aniston.

At the end of the day, Just Go With It was funny. It’s not easy to find one nowadays so what more could you ask for out of this genre? It’s a film you can laugh to despite the awfulness of most of it. Sandler fans should get a kick out of the film and even Aniston/Rom-Com haters should be able to get through it. This Valentine Day gets one of its better cash grabs films of the holiday.

Overall Score: 5/10

 

[Buzzman]

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

Financially on shaky ground yet determined to send her son to a top private school, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) teams up with her unreliable sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to start a new company that specializes in biohazard removal and crime scene cleanup. Tired of doing all of the work for other people, whether in her job cleaning homes or in her failed relationships, Rose is finally ready to use her entrepreneurial spirit to tidy up her own life.

Sunshine Cleaning has the great advantage of being exceptional in its film’s plot device. Crime scene cleanup, or biohazard removal as the film calls it, is a very fascinating profession that seems to be very difficult to handle on an everyday basis. It’s funny then to have two complete opposites force their way into the profession when they already have so many problems of their own. It seems to only bring on a whole slew of more problems stacked on, but as they being to get better at it, their lives seem to improve.

For the characters, each handles it in fairly different ways. Rose (Adams) looks at it as a way out of her miserable life and something she can be proud of. Adams handles this fairly well, bringing a determined, yet fogged up representation of a single mom struggling from a day to day basis. Her sister, Norah (Blunt), already struggling on answering who she is, becomes distraught on the impact the crime scene’s casualties have on their loved ones, which works it’s way back to her own personal problems. Blunt stands out as a depressed gal, who comes to terms with her issues and frees herself to the world she has ignored her whole life. They both take their experiences with this business and turn it into something that can move them forward for the rest of their lives.

Sunshine Cleaning isn’t a great film, but it does create a unique movie that is very relatable too, making it a very enjoying watch. The plot takes a step back to its characters and their own issues, and at times they can be incredibly frustrating with their choices, but they aren’t perfect. The film shows them in a very realistic manner. It was a movie that seemed to come and go in 2008, but it shouldn’t be overlooked when looking back of some of 2008’s most underrated movies.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

 

[Buzzman]

Faster (2010)

On the very day he's released from a 10-year prison sentence, convicted bank robber Driver (Dwayne Johnson) hits the streets to take revenge on the men who bungled the job that got him busted and his beloved brother killed. But close on Driver's tail are a driven cop (Billy Bob Thornton) on the one hand and a flamboyant contract killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) on the other.

Faster takes absolutely no time jumping into the action. We see The Rock get released from prison in the first five minutes of the film and immediately know he’s a badass as even the Warden fears him. Once he steps outside that jail, he literally walks a few miles to his car, and immediately gets started on his list of people he needs to kill.

They waste no time trying to shine any light on these guys, Driver just points and shoots. It seems like a bad idea to just move from guy to guy without giving the audience a real chance to know any of them, but it works out pretty well on screen. There isn’t any real down time when you’re with Driver. No time to ponder about what he’s doing. He’s just going around doing what we’ve always wanted to see Dwayne Johnson do. He really did take you back to the action heroes of old that are a dead breed nowadays.

The struggles with the film come from everything else. The two side characters, the cop hunting him down (Billy Bob) and the hitman hired to kill him (Jackson-Cohen) are either boring as shit or an annoying little child. They feel like they don’t belong or match-up well with Driver. The development of the cop slowed the pace down that thye film didn’t need and ended up dragging it down a bit.

Faster hopefully marks the return of Dwayne Johnson to less family oriented shit because he has the “it” factor that Stallone, Schwarzenegger and the action stars of the 90’s had. It’s a shame it didn’t do very well at the box office because it ended up being one of the better action films of the last few months. Unless you despise Johnson as an actor, there is no reason to really pass up on a film like this.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

 

[dell71]

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Glad you watched this. Solid, and unique flick.

 

[Maynard]

i thought Fast was the next installment of the fast and the furious and that they were using the rock, vin diesel and paul walker

?