Truck Turner Bad ass blaxploitation flick. Before I get started on the comments for this, just want to add, that tonight I decided to do a double blaxploitation feature. My friend Ramon's daily movie question reminded me that this month is Black History month. So, that's the reason for tonights presentation. Back to my comments on this: At first I thought, this was going to be boring, but the story sucked me right in after 20 minutes. And what also did it for me was the awesome chase scene. And there was some good moments where the dialogue was fun, for example, Truck Turner slaps this girl silly for stabbing his friend and he yells all of a sudden: "Bitch!!" Also, nice shots.
Blaxploitation fans, this is a must if you haven't checked it out. The theme song for this movie is also featured in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
T.N.T Jackson Since the first feature was about this guy kicking ass, for the second feature, I wanted a girl doing all the ass kicking. So, out of the I Luv Video archives, I found this movie. I said to myself, "what the hell, let's do it." Big mistake. I didn't enjoy this for shit. The lead actress wasn't good, the story wasn't interesting, and all the fights were lame. But, this is a grindhouse movie, that's understandable. Even with that in mind, I didn't like anything in it. The good thing is that this last only 70 minutes. Stay away from this. Stick with a Pam Grier movie instead.
"Catching Up With A Director" Segment This month's director is Stanley Kubrick. I saw The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, and Barry Lyndon this month. Now for the last Kubrick film to see this month. Lolita I been wanting to see this movie for some time now. I always see artwork for it at I Luv Video. Now, the wait is over. Brilliant performances. That's all I have to say about this movie. That's what Kubrick is all about, bringing great and realistic performances in people. I wasn't too fond of the story, but good and decent work. To me, this is another movie that was good for its time (1962). It was long and slow, but what can we expect from a Kubrick drama? Now, that I've seen all of his films (except Killer's Kiss and Fear and Desire), here's my most favorite to least favorite: 1. A Clockwork Orange 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey 3. Full Metal Jacket 4. The Shining 5. Dr. Strangelove 6. The Killing 7. Spartacus 8. Paths of Glory 9. Lolita 10. Barry Lyndon 11. Eyes Wide Shut
New Release Tuesdays Presents: The Box Another Richard Kelly film has passed us by without being as good as Donnie Darko. I'm one of those people who actually thought Southland Tales was alright. Here with "The Box," Richard Kelly's credibility remains the same (maybe a little drop). I'm a big fan of the original story. I was curious to see how this one would play out. I like some of the changes. The story wasn't that bad. I like that it turns more mysterious. But the performances and the pacing of the film are ridiculous. I also didn't like that they threw in some weird scenes just to be different. It was a little annoying at times. There's not one scene that stood out for me that made me say, "Wow." Overall, it was okay to see once. I should of listened to my heart and should of chosen "The Informant" for tonights movie. But, I wanted to get this one out of the way to ease my curiousity.
The Collector This is another movie that came out at Fantastic Fest 2009. This is advertised as the same creators of the Saw movies. So basically, if you like Saw, then this is for you. It's the same kind of torture and kill scenes. Nothing new to offer. My favorite part was the cat kill scene. That's probably my only favorite part. I like the concept of the story: Thief breaking into the house then moments later, he has to be the one to save the people he went to rob. This is the kind of story that can have a lot of potential. The movie, in another hand, didn't deliver the goods. There's suspense but I was wanting something else and more. The gore was alright but not enough for this kind of story. If Eli Roth would of directed this movie, then it would of been bad ass. I was expecting something different and original.
New York, I Love You I'm a big fan of Paris, I Love You. That's the reason why I rented this one. Needless to say, I was very disappointed with this one. Most of the stories don't make any sense. There's not one story I actually enjoyed. The only story I thought was okay was the story about the guy taking the girl in the wheelchair to the prom. I just got to nod my head to the rest of them. Don't recommend this at all. Paris, I Love You it's the movie to see if you haven't seen it. It's worth to buy in my opinion. This movie, however, it's not even worth to rent.
"Catching Up With A Director" Segment This month's director is Stanley Kubrick. I saw The Killing, Paths of Glory, and Spartacus this month. The fourth Kubrick film to see that I haven't seen is Barry Lyndon.
Before we get to it, just want to say, I'm not a big fan of costume period pieces. I have to be in the mood to watch them. Not that they're bad, just that they don't interest me. I rather put my focus on some other genres. Barry Lyndon As far as this being a long ass period piece, I think this film it's one of the best in that department. Kubrick's trademark is all over this sucker. From the dialogue to all the camera movement. The story was decent. I always enjoy stories that deal with the rise and fall of a certain individual. Kubrick did good expressing that here. Now, I'm going to be bias, because once again, I'm not a fan of these kinds of films. This movie runs a little bit over 3 hours. That's way more than enough that I personally need. So unfortunately, I couldn't stand most of it. I was losing my patience. I'm sure if I was into period pieces, this would be on my top 5. Since this ain't my cup of tea, I have no choice but to write, that this is my least favorite Kubrick film. I'll apologize ahead of time for disappointing many fans who love this movie. By the way, I would like to add that my least favorite Scorsese film is Age of Innocence for that same reason.
Spirited Away Sorry, I'm writing this late (it is Friday the 19th of Feb). I been working a lot of overtime this week and that takes some of my time from movies and blogging. But here are my comments on this second Animation Night of the year. This is one trippy but alright Japanese animation. I love all these weird characters. I didn't like the story that much. But the characters and some of their actions made this a little more pleasant. The fact that this deals with a fantasy world made it alright. Kudos for the sounds. Them Japs do know how to make some crazy animation. This is no exception. Recommend only if you're a fan of Japanese Animation. If not, I recommend another great Foreign Animation called, "The Triplets of Belleville."
"Catching Up With A Director" Segment This month I'll be watching five films that I've never seen before by Director Stanley Kubrick. I already saw "The Killing" and "Paths of Glory" this month. The next Kubrick film to see that I haven't seen, believe it or not, is: Spartacus This is a long ass epic that you need a whole day off to see. It felt longer than all Lord of The Rings combined. But, the story is very good. It's easily one of the greatest epic movies I've ever seen. Not necessarily the best. But, it's up there for me. I had no clue about any of the story before watching this. I always admire epics where the main character starts off with nothing and later becomes something. Kinda like the story of Ghengis Khan in the movie, "Mongol." Both Khan and Spartacus start out as slaves and later they lead a big army to fight the big dogs. My favorite scene in this movie, is when all the men in his army say, "I am Spartacus." The battle scenes are good considering that this movie came out in the 60's. Next time I see this, I'll make sure to start it early on a lazy Saturday morning. It'll make a good start for the day.
New Release Tuesdays Presents: Law Abiding Citizen For those who haven't seen this yet, just know that I didn't like it overall. But, there was some good scenes. The rest of my comments contain many spoilers. So don't read anymore if you haven't seen it.
(Spoiler Warning)
What can I expect from a too Hollywood movie? A disappointed ending with Jamie Foxx walking by the explosion, like the ultimate badass, it's what I can expect. I tried liking this movie. There was some good scenes. Like the torture scene being videotaped and the judge scene where she answers her phone. But, Jamie Foxx's character, was getting on my nerves. This guy is a lawyer who's all over the place. I didn't think lawyers can be detectives and bomb experts. And what killed it for me was, in the end where he surprised Clyde in his cell. Man, he got there quick. The intro was rushed. The first act was good pacing. Then, during the second, it literally went downhill for me. In my opinion, I would of blew up some more people while I'm at it (like Nick Rice's daughter playing the violin towards the end. Baaam! A final surprise). I understand, what they were going for, but I didn't like the direction. So, there was some good stuff in here that could of been so much better in the end. That's just my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
This month I'll be watching five films that I've never seen before by Director Stanley Kubrick. Last week, I saw, "The Killing." The second Kubrick film this month is: Paths of Glory Short but complex. Like all the images and shots. I personally wasn't feeling some of the story. But I enjoyed the message behind it. The climax was unpredictable and the ending was fantastic. To me, this is a movie that was good for its time.
Mermaid Linda's pick for this month is this independent Russian artsy movie. Linda's a big fan of the french movie, Amelie. So when she saw the trailer and heard that this is like a Russian Amelie, she had to see it. I went for the ride. The movie starts out good. It was a little weird, but good in its own way. I actually like some of the concept. But overall, this was a little boring drama, especially the second half. There's some good creative scenes, but not to hold something special. I did however, liked the ending. But, if you ask me whether I prefer this or Amelie? I prefer Amelie.
Bronson This is another film that played at Fantastic Fest last year. It's a psychotic independent movie from the U.K. I loved it. The first half was fantastic. The second half was okay. It has good acting and crazy schizophrenic scenes. It's like Clockwork Orange mixed with Fight Club. Only, those two movies are way better, but this one is a decent substitute. If you feel like punching the crap out of something, just put this sucker on, and you'll get your fix without ever hurting your hand.
Spaghetti Western Night Presents: Return of Sabata Tonight's movie is the last movie of the Sabata Trilogy. It was my least favorite of the three. The opening sequence with the circus was awesome and original. The rest was okay with a few scenes that didn't quite belong in the story. Most of the main actors from the previous movies return, but in different roles. The main element missing that would of made this badasss is a little music from Ennio Morricone. I highly recommend Sabata and Adios Sabata for fans of this genre. I couldn't find an official trailer to this movie, but here's a fan made trailer using a Pulp Fiction song with clips from Return of Sabata.
New Release Tuesdays Presents: A Serious Man This latest treat from the Coen Brothers had some great moments. Like all their films, the quirky characters and the smart dialogue is present here. Love the restaurant scene where Larry, Judith, and Sy were discussing divorce arrangements. Love the introduction scene before the starting credits. It has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but sets the tone. The ending was good, I like that there are certain moments where they leave it to the audience to interpret. Overall, the story was okay. I know that this is somewhat of a personal film to the Coens. And for that, I give props. It's not up there with their best, but not a disappointment either. I recommend it to fans of the Coens. But, at your own risk, if you aren't a fan.
PTU Crazy, a little slow, and little bit funny Hong Kong movie. The chinese restaurant scene towards the beginning was one of my favorite parts. Another favorite, it's the shootout at the end. I like some of the unpredictable parts. As far as the story as a whole, some of it was confusing, and some of it was okay. I like that it all takes place in one night. My only complaint would be the music. Could of been better. Worth to check out.
This month I will catch up with Director Stanley Kubrick. How could I call myself a cinephile when I haven't seen half of his films? That's pathetic. I love most of his films I've seen, which are: A Clockwork Orange 2001: A Space Odyssey Full Metal Jacket The Shining Dr. Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut.
He has 7 other feature films I haven't seen yet. Thanks to this segment, I'll be watching five of those this month. Kubrick is a director that I have a lot of respect for. So, this is going to be a fun month.
The first Kubrick film to see this month is his third feature film:. The Killing Brilliant film we got here. This is clearly one of the best heist films I ever seen. I'm a complete A-hole for not seeing this earlier. At first glance, it looked like it was going to be a little boring, but when the story moved along, it was precious. Love the way Kubrick put this together. We go back and forth in the timeline with different point of views from different characters. The actual heist reminded me of how Tarantino did the heist in Jackie Brown. Regardless if you're a Kubrick fan or not, this classic is worth to buy.
Dog Day Afternoon This is a movie I waited a long time to finally see for the first time. Now that I saw it, it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, the intro and the whole first act was awesome. Every shot, every word was genious. About halfway through, I lost some interest. It felt a little long. I know that this is based out of a true story but I just didn't feel it. But, I do want to give props to all the performances, especially, Al Pacino. This is one of his best roles. Love all the improvs. Other than that, this is a little bit overrated in my opinion. I'm sure most people have seen this already, and they probably love it. I don't feel the same way, but, I liked it as a whole.
Nun of That This low budget nunsploitation modern flick had some alright moments. Most of it kinda sucked. I mean, that's the point from the beginning. It's supposed to suck. But, we're supposed to have fun with it. I like some of the cheesy dialogue. Don't recommend it unless you're a fan of Troma films. This is not a Troma film, but it shares the same kind of style. There's a cameo by Troma's president, Lloyd Kaufman. He plays "The Pope." So, to sum up my comments: Overall, I don't think this is a movie that's worth watching again.
The House of the Devil This movie is a movie I missed out on during Fantastic Fest last year. I vowed to watch it on the day it comes out on dvd. That day was today. One word: Intense. I haven't been this terrified in my life since the first time I saw the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I love this independent film. It has an 80's classic look and even has 80's music, mainly because it takes place during the 80's. It has a grindhouse feel to it. This movie is easily on my top 2009 horror list. Majority of the film is slow and not much action. It works here for the character development and to build the intensity for the climax. Fans of horror, check this out. Just don't turn off the lights.
The Cove I'm not the save the planet/recycle kind of guy, but this documentary about saving dolphins was touching and well worth my time. It's one of the best documentaries I've seen. Damn those dolphin killers. Hope they get what they deserve one day. I don't know if I want to go to Sea World. This had some dramatic moments, little bit of comedy, and little bit of graphic stuff. I wouldn't recommend eating any kind of fish while watching this. The ending was alright. It left me wanting more. Worth to buy for any documentary collection.
