The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


The Sorcerer's Apprentice
First of all, this isn't my kind of movie.
Of all the movies that came out today,
this was the only one that sounded a little interesting.
Went in with low expectations,
I came out somewhat satisfied.
I didn't like the flow of the movie.
Felt rushed throughout.
Would of wanted more character and relationship
development among "the sorcerer" and his "apprentice."
Instead, they met, they trained a little,
and the majority of the movie, they battle bad guys.
There were some good moments and
some good special effects.
If that's all you need, then this might be
okay to check out.
I'll tell you my favorite part of the movie was
the subway scene where "the apprentice" recovers the stolen jewelry.
Would of wanted more of that.

Definitely a one night stand movie.
Don't know if I'll ever see it again, but that's just me.

I'm Still Here (2010)

I'm Still Here
Great mockumentary.
Well acted by J.P aka Joaquin Phoenix.
The less you know the better.
It fooled me all the way through.
My favorite scene was the P. Diddy scene
where he's listening to JP's demo.
And of course, how can we forget the
David Letterman show?

Decent entertainment, at least for one night.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

The Disappearance of Alice Creed
I didn't know what to expect at first.
I was hoping this wouldn't be predictable.
But there were a few twists.
I was disappointed towards the end.
The suspense level wasn't there as much.
Overall, a little too boring for me.
Maybe all it needed was better actors.

If this movie interest you, don't expect a thriller.

Cannibal Ferox / Motel Hell

FRIDAY AT THE GRINDHOUSE

Thanksgiving Special: Two Cannibal movies.


Cannibal Ferox
This is a Cannibal Holocaust rip-off but
with even more bad acting and more
cheesy moments.
Most of the moments were so bad that it
was only natural to laugh at it.
Gore was cool.
The animal deaths here weren't as bad
as the animal deaths in Cannibal Holocaust.
I like the music.
Favorite part: Mike gets his wig split. Lol.

Overall, don't recommend this if you haven't seen it.
It was okay for Grindhouse night.
See Cannibal Holocaust, if you're in the mood
for a sick disturbing film.




Motel Hell
Now this was fun.
I first heard about this through the
"100 Best Kills" event from Fantastic Fest.
This is not your straight up cannibal flick,
but, the element is there.
It comes at you every few scenes.
This is more about this crazy family.
Now I know where Rob Zombie got part of his inspiration
for "The House of 1000 Corpses."
I wanted to see more slaughters.
But they hold all the good stuff for the climax.
Love the country music that plays here and there.
Good snack to eat with this: any kind of beef jerky.

Motel Hell is a must.
Can't believe I've never seen this before.

127 Hours (2010)

127 Hours
You have to have either a water, Pepsi, Coke, Orange Gatorade,
or even any bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (wink, wink) while seeing this movie.
Trust me, all these things are referenced in the movie.
After watching this, you will appreciate of what you have.
Excellent film.
Also good to watch on Thanksgiving weekend
for the message.
Danny Boyle has done it again.
Beautiful shots.
My favorite shot,
it starts off with our character, Aron Ralston, stuck in the rock
and the camera moves up to show the length of where he's at
and it continues going up to reveal the canyon and the surroundings.
I smell an Oscar here.
The editing style was great.
The cutting of the arm scene was brutal.
Based on a true story.

This is a movie that I can't stop thinking about.
Would make a good double feature with
"Into the Wild."
Simple story told well.
If you see this, put yourself in Ralston's shoes,
and you'll be in for a ride.
Definitely in my top 10 of 2010.

The Expendables (2010)

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY

The Expendables
This movie was everything I thought it was going to be.
Met expectations.
Good stuff here and there and then
the last 30 minutes blew me away non-stop.
Love the little references.
Favorite kill: when Stallone uses his knife
against two guys who were messing with the general's daughter.
This movie would of been a lot more better
if they had "The Expendables" crew in action
more often together.
We saw them in action in the beginning
and during the climax.
But the rest of the movie they were gone and we stayed
only with Stallone, Jet Li, and Staham.
I also didn't know they all rode motorcycles until the end.
Needed more background.
No biggie, this isn't about the characters, this is about the action.
Good popcorn adrenaline movie.

Worth the time if you're in the mood for Action.
r

Munich

CATCHING UP WITH A DIRECTOR

November's Director: Steven Spielberg

#5:

Munich
Another great Spielberg flick.
The story sucked me in right away
and didn't let me go until the end.
Very smooth.
This is another very long Spielberg flick
but it didn't feel so long.
I was kind of wanting more (that's a good thing).
I can't believe I waited five years to see this movie.
Great moments.
My favorite was the assassination of the dutch girl.
Love the cast here:

There you have it. I've caught up with Spielberg.
The only movies I haven't seen from Spielberg is
a movie called, "Always," and his early made for tv movies.
I now officially will put Spielberg on the waiting list
for my Director's section.
Here's my most favorite to least favorite Spielberg films
(this is so hard to do since there's different types of movies
but worth a shot):

1. Jurassic Park
2. Schindler's List
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Jaws
5. Munich
6. Empire of the Sun
7. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
8. War of the Worlds
9. Minority Report
10. 1941
11. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
13. Artificial Intelligence: AI
14. Duel
15. Raiders of the Lost Ark
16. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
17. Catch Me If You Can
18. Hook
19. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
20. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
21. The Color Purple
22. The Terminal
23. The Sugarland Express
24. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
25. Amistad

Amistad

CATCHING UP WITH A DIRECTOR

November's Director: Steven Spielberg

#4:

Amistad
Strong scenes for a strong movie.
But, this movie is not for me.
For the record, this is now
my least favorite Spielberg film.
It wasn't because it was bad but
because it was boring for me.
It didn't catch my attention.
The only reason for watching this is,
to fulfill my Spielberg commitment.
Too freaking long and I was waiting for this to end.
Just want to make it clear for the sixtieth time,
me personally, didn't like the film.
I'm sure other film buffs who enjoy history dramas
(especially during the African slavery times) would
say this was great.

So if you're a big fan of the movie, Roots, and
you're in the mood for another movie kinda like it,
check this out.

Empire of the Sun

CATCHING UP WITH A DIRECTOR

November's Director: Steven Spielberg

#3:

Empire of the Sun
Believe it or not, I've never ever seen this movie
until tonight. I thought I saw pieces of this
back in my early years, but, I was wrong.
Great flick.
I didn't know John Malkovich was in it.
Young Christian Bale does a wonderful job here.
This is probably his best role.
I liked the movie as a whole.
The people starving moments is up there with
the starving moments of "The Pianist."
Would make a good double feature with that.

Another great Spielberg flick. I still can't believe
I've never seen this before.
Most likely you've seen this already, but, if you haven't:
I recommend this if you're in the mood for war/drama.
Got to add this to the WW2 collection.

1941

CATCHING UP WITH A DIRECTOR

November's Director: Steven Spielberg.

#2:

1941
This was surprisingly good.
With all the low ratings to this movie,
I didn't know what to expect.
Man, this is underrated.
A lot of wonderful moments here.
Beautiful shots.
The only complaint is that this was too long.
Love John Belushi's entrance.
We needed more Belushi screen time.
Love the music.
Favorite moment: A japanese pouring
prune juice to an American.
My favorite scene was the Jitterbug contest scene.

This is a Spielberg classic.
Enjoyed it. If for some reason you haven't seen this,
go in with low expectations, and you'll have a good time.

Ninja Scroll

ANIMATION NIGHT

Ninja Scroll

I'm not a fan of Anime, I'll most likely not see

another Anime in a while, but
this movie kicked serious butt.
Love the whole experience.
All the kills were awesome.
My favorite kill was the first demon that got killed:

This reminded me so much of the Anime sequence
found in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
It also felt like the "Tales of the Black Freighter"
from Watchmen.
Kudos to Ramon Sanchez for recommending this awesome Japanese flick.

A must buy for the Asian collection.

I couldn't find the original trailer, so

here's the english dubbed version.

The images speak for itself.

The Sugarland Express

CATCHING UP WITH A DIRECTOR

This month's director is Steven Spielberg.
I've seen most of his films.
All the classics like Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones,
Schindler's List, E.T. and etc.
Out of all his films that have been released,
I haven't seen six of them.
This month, I will see five out of those six.

#1:

The Sugarland Express
This is Spielberg's first theatrical feature film.
Based on a true story in Texas.
This reminded me a lot of "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry"
but with a more tragic results.
It's kind of stupid that this guy escaped jail knowing
that he only had four months left on his sentence.
He should of put his foot down.
Now, he must suffer the consequences.
While I did like some of the shots on the road,
most of the time, it felt like the story was dragging
on too much. In real life, this chase would of ended quick.
My favorite moment: when all the troopers pulled over
to gas up.
Ridiculous moment: They had to deliver a portable potty
for Lou-Jean to go to the bathroom in the middle of the chase.

Would make a decent triple Spielberg feature with
Duel and Catch Me If You Can.
This is alright for a flick made in 1974
from the same guy who made Jaws right after.
Nothing to be excited about.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


The Kids Are All Right
Great dialogue in this drama/comedy that,
according to internet buzz, this might
be nominated for best movie at the Oscars.
If it does, it'll piss me off if it wins.
I thought the movie was good for its story.
But, I don't think it's good enough for
"Best Movie of the Year."
Some good scenes, like when
the lesbian parents found out that their
kids had met their father, that was a hilarious scene.
Like I said in the beginning, great dialogue.
As far as the negative aspect, it was kind of predictable.
I mean, if you see the trailer, you kind of
know how it's going to end.

If you're curious about this movie, just rent it.
Me personally, had a great time with it over some
good old wine, but to be honest, not a movie I would
buy or see again (that's what I call a one night stand).

The Living and The Dead

The Living and the Dead
Crazy independent flick.
I thought I was going a little crazy halfway through.
But after the second half, I lost some of my sanity.
I imagine it can be boring with its slow narrative but
I was on a sugar rush that I didn't feel it boring at all.
It gets really interesting after a while.
My favorite scene: James (the schizophrenic)
takes a big bowl of different pills to his mother.
He argues with her outside her door.
Intense scene: James sticking four needles in his arms.
The story changes at the end of the second act.
The ending was confusing.
Kudos for being a little different.
This won the Jury Award at Fantastic Fest 2006.
The director came out with another film this year
that I saw called, "Red, White, and Blue."
That movie was a little better than this movie.

If you're in the mood for an independent drama
that's kind of out there, this is for you.

Mutants

Mutants
This is a zombie/viral flick from France.
There was some bad ass parts like
the intro.
Overall, it was mediocre.
There was some okay gore.
The "zombies" here were the fast kind
and infected with some rage-like virus.
I like the storyline.
The only part that pissed me off a little
was the part where two "zombies" fight each other.
It all started because one of them was attacking
our female lead and then the other "zombie" came
to defend her. They could of just omit that
and made the movie a little better.
Favorite part: This other girl gets left behind
by her tough boyfriend and "zombies" come to attack her.
We just see blood and guts flying towards a glass door.

This is okay to have for the zombie section but
don't pay full price.

The Fourth Kind

LINDA'S CHICK FLICK NIGHT


The Fourth Kind
This month's pick, Linda decided on a non-traditional chick
flick. She, being a big fan of alien abduction and ghost stories,
picked out this one for that reason.
And to pretend that this was real, while watching it,
we were entertained.
Some crazy scenes of people having seizures and
owls staring at you in the middle of the night
was just enough to bring some nightmares.
This is like Paranormal Activity, but better.
I thought it was decent but
I wasn't scared as Linda was.

This is alright to have for an alien section
or for alien based movie fans.
Would of wanted to see just a glimpse of the alien(s),
but, the U.F.O glimpse was good enough.

Detroit Metal City

Detroit Metal City

Leave it to the Japanese to make things weird.
I kinda enjoyed it, especially, the first half.
Then it gets old for me after a while.
Like how they exaggerated on the death metal songs.
Then again, that's how death metal is.
The "Power Ranger" scene was cool.
That was the only part that actually made me laugh out loud.
Overall, kinda weird.

Nothing special here. Just alright for a one time
view only. Now, it's time to summon the beast.

The Maid (La Nana)

The Maid
Brilliant film.
This Chilean flick took me by surprise.
I always pass by this movie at the store,
and I never get the chance to actually research on it.
Well, tonight, I didn't know what movie to get.
I'm glad I made the right choice and decided to
gamble on this one.
From the opening scene until the end, the performances
were the best I've seen in a while.
This is mostly a drama with little bit of comedy.
There was one scene that had me cracking up big time
(the scene where "the maid" locks the second new maid
outside).

This is a must buy for the Foreign Film section.

Take A Hard Ride

SPAGHETTI WESTERN NIGHT



Take A Hard Ride
Lee Van Cleef rules.
Would of wanted more Cleef screen time.
This is a mix of spaghetti western and blaxploitation
directed by Antonio Marghetti.
It wasn't bad.
Simple story and some bad ass scenes.
I've seen better spaghetti westerns
and I've seen worst.
This one lands right smack in the middle.

One more Spaghetti Western Night to go.
In the next one, I will list my favorites (from most to least) of all
the spaghetti westerns I've seen this year.
See you at the second Wednesday of December.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Sweet.
That's about all I have to say.
Not really. This was sweet and cool.
It's not a comedy, it's not action, it's not a musical,
it's fantasy. But, it does cover all those other
types. To me, it felt like I was watching
one whole comic unravel.
Part video game but overall like a comic book.
Love, love the editing.
It was a little different.
In the end, I came out satisfied.
This is not Shaun of the Dead classic
but I enjoyed more than I did Hot Fuzz.

I have to let this settle in nicely. It could be on my top 10
of the year, but, nothing is certain at this moment.
Have yourself a pizza party and enjoy this flick.

Ex Drummer

Ex Drummer
Gritty film.
Crazier than what I was expecting.
This played at Fantastic Fest in 2008 and was
runner up for Best Fantastic Film.
I like the concept of a handicapped band.
The story, as a whole, didn't impressed me as much.
But, it was still interesting to experience.
The mood here is totally schizophrenic.
Which, I like.
Just, it was more than I can handle.
Love certain scenes for its over the top
dialogue and action.
Punk rock feeling.

For being different, this gets extra points.
But, not necessarily a movie I would want to see again.
At least, not in a while.
At your own risk.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire
Great drama flick.
Good for being a sequel.
Love that it slowly unfolds for that climax.
Just like part one (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
this has wonderful performances.
My favorite scene is a spoiler so I wont spoil it here.

This requires a lot of attention, so my suggestion is,
find time where you won't be disturbed in order to
see this. Same goes for the first one.

Coisa Ruim (Bad Blood)

Bad Blood
A little creepy independent horror from Portugal.
Very slow and character driven.
Man, if I would of saw or experienced some of these
things that this family encountered, I would of
left that house right away. But, of course,
this is a movie, so the family took longer to leave.

If you're in the mood for either a ghost or exorcism story,
then give this a try. But, must be fully awake, this tend
to be boring at times. Other times, were a bit interesting.

Return of the Living Dead Part 2

Return of the Living Dead Part 2
I can handle stupidity and cheesy zombie films,
but this one tested my limits.
Didn't like it.
It didn't have the specialness from part one.
I remember seeing part 3 back in the day,
from what I remembered, part 3 was more
enjoyable than this one.
There's some good scenes here towards the beginning.
Love some of the zombies, but,
other zombies pissed me off.
There this one zombie who rose from the grave
and couldn't see right, so it put on a pair of glasses,
and it smiled. Tell me, that's not stupid.
And we have more moments like that.
Some I can handle, others, are too ridiculous
for my taste.

Not recommended. Glad, I don't have this on my zombie section.
Part 1 is the best cheesy zombie film ever.
This one sucks.