Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom When they say this is a very disturbing movie, they weren't lying. Very freaking disturbing. Original but disturbing. We got non-stop sexual acts throughout the film. I know it's only a movie, but some of the acts were really crazy. We got this one part where this guy leaves his feces on the floor and makes this girl eat it all. The movie gets old after a while except for that crazy ending. I wouldn't buy it and I don't really recommend this movie to anybody. Why is this on Criterion? I have no clue.
Jack Goes Boating Great dramedy directed and staring Philip Seymour Hoffman. Great scenes, acting, and music. Very original. Sweet stuff like Jack learning how to swim and cook for Connie. Great performances by everyone. The awkward moments were believable. The dialogue and conversational scenes were awesome. Right from the start, I truly enjoyed this film. I didn't think I was going to like it this much. A good movie to drink red wine and eat chinese food to. A couple of beers and some hookah don't hurt either. I'll definitely buy this in the future. Kudos to Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Barney's Version Decent drama. I'm a fan of Paul Giamatti but this film didn't appeal to me at all. Nothing else interesting came out today that was available in my area. So I went with this one. Enjoyed it more than I expected. Not a movie I would buy. But it's a nice drinking movie with drama and romance. A little tragic. The first half was funny but serious. The second half was just serious. Felt like drinking a nice old bottle of Scotch with this. Alright to see.
Maldeamores I thought I wasn't going to like this at all, but after giving it a chance, I thought this was alright. The reason I saw this was because a Puerto Rican friend of mine mentioned this movie to me a few times. I eventually had to see it. There's three stories in this movie. Each of them has to do something about love. My favorite story is the story of three old people. The other two was so and so. I like the second half of the film the best. I like the authenticity of the film. It feels like I am in Puerto Rico (which I need to visit one of these days). According to my friend here, a good menu for this would be: Pastelon de Amarillo and Arroz con Habichuelas. Alright to see once in your life and alright for my first Puerto Rican film.
The Adjustment Bureau Excellent film we got here. Love movies that mess with your head even if it's just for a bit. This is no exception. Good chase sequences. Well put together. This is based from one of the stories by Philip K. Dick who wrote stories who later became movies such as Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. My favorite part is the choice Matt Damon's character was given towards the end. Tough decision. You have to see it to see what was the options. A must see movie.
Cedar Rapids An alright quirky comedy. There's some good moments I enjoyed in this, like the pool scene and the smoking crack scene. Overall, this didn't fulfill me. It was a bit rushed towards the end. But I do respect this film. The characters had good chemistry. A lot of awkward moments. Alright to see once if you're in the mood for an independent quirky comedy. If you do see it, make sure to have a Cream Cherry drink.
Fight For Your Life This month I was going for the father takes revenge theme. This one is not quite like that but it's close enough. This movie is supposed to be very controversial and was banned in a lot of countries. There's only one scene that I found it to be messed up. It's the scene where they killed a young kid. Other than that, the rest wasn't so bad. This reminded me a little of The Last House on The Left. So it's not just the father but the family as a whole take revenge on these escaped convicts for what they did to other family members. A little cheesy. Alright to see for Grindhouse fans.
Death Wish Now this next one here is total badass. I mean I knew I was going to like a lot. I've always heard about this movie and seen clips of all Death Wish movies but I never actually sat down to watch it. This second grindhouse feature is what made the night for me. It has a similar plot to Vigilante (which came out after this one). Don't mess with Charles Bronson. I don't get these punks. They see Bronson alone and they want to take his wallet all the time. Too easy, my friend. But we have fun with it. Of course, Bronson doesn't let these punks take his wallet. I love, love the ending. You know, where Bronson uses his hands as a gun and points at these bullies at the station. Very cool. So, this one is about a father taking revenge (mostly because his wife died but daughter was also affected). Here, he doesn't take revenge specifically to the attackers but to all crime in general. A must see and a must buy for Grindhouse fans and collectors.
True Legend Great kung fu flick. Loved everything about it except for the last part. The revenge plot was going good but it was over 30 minutes before the movie was over. The last 30 minutes were battles with these American fighters. That was okay. The ending sucked a little. Other than that, I love the kung fu on here. Especially the scenes where our hero gets into training mode again and seeks revenge. That part rules. Some good old fighting sequences. You can't go wrong with any late night kung fu movie. Even if the story was alright, the fighting scenes are worth it.
Unknown Slow ride that delivers towards the end. But it was all over something not that exciting. So, in a way, this was just a typical thriller drama. Doesn't offer anything new. Put Liam Neeson in any thriller, and he kicks ass. Nothing wrong with that. Just the story wasn't fulfilling for me. That's all. I did like that last explosion.
If you're fan of the Bourne movies, then this might be alright. It's almost like a clone of the Bourne series, but not as great. I did like Adolph Hitler making a cameo (not really Hitler but the guy that played him in Downfall).
Stone Nah! This was a little bit too dramatic and too preachy for my taste. But thanks anyways. Could of been something else but I just didn't feel it. I mean, the first half was going good. I got tired in the second half. I got nothing else to say about this movie.
Hereafter Clint Eastwood's latest is alright. Slow drama revolving three stories that connect towards the end. I didn't think the story of the boy and his dead brother connected well with the others. While I thought the story was somewhat sweet especially with the ending, I didn't think the characters were well developed. My favorite part is the typhoon or tsunami, whatever it was, that destroyed this village. Good scene that got my interest right away.
Must be in the mood for a drama if you want to check it out. And if you haven't had enough rest, it's not a good idea to see this. I kept falling asleep throughout the film. I kept on rewinding back to where I left off. Not very fun when I have to do that.
Man, this was SURPRSINGLY funny. I mean, I heard lots of negative things about it, so I went in with low expectations. I was laughing throughout the film. The same amount jokes as in "The Hangover 2." The masturbating in the car scene and the golf cart stoner scenes are among some of the hilarious scenes. On their first night of having a "Hall Pass" they go to Applebee's. That's funny! I don't know about them majority of the people that didn't like it, but, to me the Farrelly Brothers did awesome. The ending stuff was cool too.
I recommend this movie to those who have a good sense of humor and don't mind dirty jokes and silly moments.
Every third Thursday of every month of this year, I'll be watching a yakuza flick. Love the yakuza genre but haven't really seen a whole lot. There's a lot of classics out there. This will help me explore these Japanese movies. I'll be watching a few from directors, Kinji Fukasaku, and Takashi Miike, as well other yakuza flicks from the 60's and to the present.
Female Yakuza Tale Now this was surprisingly bad ass. I thought this was going to be cheesy and sleazy all the way, but no, this has some cool sequences. First of all, the music gets props. 70's japanese music rocks. Second, the story is great. Most of the yakuzas here are not likeable because of what they do. Luckily we have the main female character slicing and dicing these people. Short and simple, this is a must buy for sure. Adding it to the list right now.
Machine Gun McCain McCain is a cool badass guy. This was a little fun. Had a great grindhouse feel. It's been a crazy night, so this movie gave me a little of what I needed. Yeah, it could of been a whole lot better. But, it is what it is. Some cool sequences. Cool music. Grindhouse fans: check it out.
Jackass 3.5 This was way more fun than Jackass 3. This is supposed to be the unused footage of part three. So many great stunts. Good flow and good music. I didn't think I was going to like it as much. Then again, I was drinking a 40 oz of Olde English when I saw this. Very entertaining. Cameltoe lady was cool. Double kicking Bam in the head was cool too. Good freaking music. If you're a fan of Jackass, this is a must.
Paper Man A little boring independent movie. I mean, I like the concept. But, it didn't deliver for me. I'm not a fan of Ryan Reynolds. So I been delaying this screening for a while. But, I do like stories with characters who have imaginary friends. Eventually, I had to put this movie in the schedule. It wasn't really funny. It's just a drama about a writer overcoming some obstacles and meeting another person who helps him with that. Jeff Daniels did pretty good. Not a movie you want to see very late. Not anything special for me but I can say that at least it's worth a rental (if you like these kinds of movies).
Just Go With It Sweet and a little funny. Not as funny as I hoped it would be. But there you have it. What a coincidence that this weekend has been a Jennifer Aniston weekend. I used to be an Adam Sandler fan back in his earlier films. After a while, I wasn't entertained with his movies anymore. But, decided to give this one a try. Maybe because Father's Day is approaching and this is somewhat of a Father's Day movie in a way. It was okay. Nothing I would want to see again and again. Favorite part: Kevin Nealon as a guy who had one too many plastic surgeries. The ending was sweet. I know my wife enjoyed this movie a whole lot more than me. Alright date movie to watch with your better half. Nothing else.
We were out of town all day on Saturday with our family. By the time we got home, it was late to start this movie. We decided to watch this early Sunday morning.
The Bounty Hunter This movie sucked. Linda agrees with me as well. After 15 minutes into it, she regret it her selection. It was a little too easy. Gerard Butler should stay away from Romantic Comedies or comedies period. I wasn't buying it. They used cool music for stupid sequences. I don't want to complain anymore. It's a waste of my time. Bad, in a bad way.
Super 8 Wow!! Don't want to hype this movie up, but, this movie exceeded my high expectations. This is the movie I wanted to see this Summer the most. It brought me back to the 80's. Back to those times when I first saw movies like Poltergeist, Monster Squad, The Goonies, and E.T. Love the soundtrack (including the score). So many things told in a simple straightforward way. Great experience from frame one to the very last frame of the credits. This has to be my number one favorite movie this year so far. The kids are likeable. Each of them has their own distinct personality. Not giving away any spoilers. Lots of favorite moments such as: the bus scene, the stoner scene, the underground escape scene, and the kids making their movie scenes. Some good emotional scenes as well.
Highly recommend this movie. Especially if you grew up in the 80's. This is a good throwback to those times. I currently have 3 alien movies in my top five this year. Paul and Attack the Block are the other two. As a matter of fact, Super 8 would make an excellent double feature with Attack the Block (another throwback to the 80's movie).
The Slumber Party Massacre It's not Friday at the Grindhouse, but I had to watch this slasher grindhouse picture the day before Super 8 officially comes out. You see, Super's 8 director (JJ Abrams) stated that the following four films inspired Super 8: The Thing, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Scanners, and The Slumber Party Massacre. The Alamo Drafthouse and AICN had free screenings to these films but I was unable to go because of my work schedule. I've seen the first three, so tonight was this movie. Not bad. Easy straightforward story kinda like other slasher flicks (Halloween and Pieces). We get some nudity stuff in the beginning and then we go into some alright killings. I like the ending where the killer speaks for the first time and says, "I love you." Good gothic 80's music. This one is a must have for the Grindhouse section. I would play this is a double feature with another alright slasher flick, Torso.
[The second Wednesday of every month I'll see a movie that I am ashamed to admit I've never seen before. A movie that most have seen and it's usually referenced in pop culture. As a fan of cinema, I shouldn't have missed these movies, but I did, so shame on me. This will give me the chance to catch up on those movies.]
The month of June is the month for Action. The following three Action movies I've never seen before:
Dirty Harry Lethal Weapon The Road Warrior
Dirty Harry wins by majority votes from my film experts.
Runner Up: The Road Warrior
Dirty Harry Very shame on me for this one. It's a classic. I always wanted the Alamo Drafthouse "Badass Cinema" shirt with Dirty Harry on it. I haven't bought it yet because I've never seen that movie, until tonight. "You gotta ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do you punk?" Man, love the beginning. Love the camera movements. The villain is psycho. Our main character is a badass character. Has the grindhouse feel that I love. I'm definitely buying this one. It's a big shame for not having seeing this in my early years. I mean, I always hear about this movie. But thank goodness for Shame on Me Night.
Carancho A movie that starts out okay and gets a little better and better as it goes. This crime drama is from Argentina. It's also a movie that received some good praise from Cannes and Fantastic Fest last year. I like the main actor, Ricardo Darin, who plays Sosa. He does good performances in his films. I've seen him in Nine Queens (awesome flick), The Secret in their Eyes, and The Aura. Good story about car accidents and fraud. Favorite part: the ending scene. It was intense. This movie is only recommended if you like crime dramas with a little bit of romance If not, you're not missing anything special.
[To expand my knowledge in this genre and for the sake of trying something different, every first Monday of every month this year, I'll be checking out a musical I've never seen before.]
Musical Monday was changed from yesterday to this early Tuesday morning due to my work schedule.
The Producers This was surprisingly alright. Enjoyed the first half the most. A part of me thought that I wasn't going to like it. But, I didn't mind. Yeah, it was silly and absurd. What's there to complain about? The only thing was this comedy musical was way long (over 2 hours and 15 minutes). Didn't even know Will Ferrell was in here. I love his nazi/German accent. I'll won't buy it for the Musical section but good to check out.
The Orphanage Spooky and Brilliant film. I was literally getting chills and goosebumps there towards the end. Love the slow build-up there. Love the ending!! Of course, my favorite scene is when our main character (Laura the mother) knocks on the wall and counts to three and the children kept getting closer to her each time she did that. Beautiful cinematography. Man, this should be like a shame on me. Can't believe I just saw this movie. I mean, it came out a couple of years ago, I kept putting it off. I don't know why it took me this long. This is produced by Guillermo Del Toro. I can tell why. This would make an excellent double feature with another ghost story of his, my favorite Del Toro film, Devil's Backbone. This is a must buy for the Foreign section.
