The Other F Word

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


The Other F Word
Great documentary for those fans of Punk Rock.
The main focus is how these punk rockers deal
with their everyday fatherly duties.
All of them are mostly out on tour so they hardly
see their kids physically but they're still there
emotionally.
Strong bonds between kids and their punk rock fathers.
The main person that comes out a lot in this doc
is the lead singer of Pennywise.
He's awesome.
This documentary gets off track a little bit
when they talk about financial crisis and the digital music
revolution.

If I ever see this on sale, I'm adding it to my Documentary section.
Good documentary to see with your kid or kids.
My son knows the L.A. handshake now thanks to Daddy.

North By Northwest

North By Northwest
Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense.
I saw this movie for the first time last night.
It was a little long but suspenseful.
Just wanted to know what was going to happen.
Great cinematography.
Great scenes like the small plane attacking our main character
and of course the auction scene.
Can't trust no one.
Or be careful who you trust.
Some scenes here were a little cheesy but
gotta give them credit.
This movie was made in 1959.

Decent way to start the week.
I'm considering a Hitchcock night special for next year.

The Grey (2012)

The Grey
Liam Neeson kicks ass as usual in this
badass Man Vs. Nature movie.
This one made me jump a few times during the movie.
Which means, the sounds were brilliant.
The wolves are one crazy pack of animals.
This is a scary situation to be in.
The movie works for me.
It kept me in there.
There's a bit of emotional scenes.
One crazy scene (has to do with cutting a wolf,
that's all I got to say about that).
Good start for what looks like it's going to be an awesome
year for movies.

This would make a killer triple feature with "Alive"
and "Frozen."

Kung Fu Friday: Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

KUNG FU FRIDAY

Every fourth Friday of every month this year,
I'll be checking out a kung fu movie of any period.
Gives me an excuse to kick the walls and break
blocks of wood. Also gives me the excuse to
go to I Luv Video or Vulcan Video and catch up on
some great kung fu flicks out there.


Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Very badass and funny kung fu movie we have here.
Very cheesy.
I think because it's because I saw the dubbed version.
This is a hard to find movie.
It's with Jackie Chan and directed by Woo-Ping Yuen
who choreographed lots of movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,
Kill Bill and others. Actually, this is his first movie
he's ever directed.
This reminded me a lot of Drunken Master.
Maybe because they both have Chan and that old dude that
trains him.
Love the silly fights.
I first heard about this one about two years ago
when Fantastic Fest brought a special screening of this
with Woo-pin Yuen in attendance.

Must buy for Kung fu fans.
Typical stuff but this one has a unique cat style.
Cover your private parts at all times.

Real Steel

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Real Steel
Better than expected.
Distant bad father slowly bonds with his son
by robot fighting. Okay, that's an idea.
I like that it wasn't all about robots fighting.
Cute little moments between the son and his robot.
Straight movie that moves quickly.
Another good thing is the soundtrack.
Other than that, nothing special about this movie.
A good one time Redbox deal.

Maybe if the robots had a mind of their own and they took over,
that might make it a little awesome. But they've done that
before already. It is what it is.

The Help

The Help
Sad but a little charming drama on a Sunday morning.
We've all seen movies like this before.
Segregation, segregation, segregation!!
All men are equal but separate.
Yeah, you know those sayings.
This one is no different.
Good believable performances.
Some of these racist characters are so believable
that it makes me want to make a chocolate pie
with a certain special ingridient taken from the toilet
and make them eat it. Wait, that's already in the movie.
Good for them.

If you're in the mood for a heart and soul movie
that could be a tearjerker as well, look no further.

Home Invasion Thursday: Funny Games

HOME INVASION THURSDAY


Every third Thursday I'll comment on a
home invasion movie I've never seen before.
When I saw Kidnapped from Spain last year,
I decided to start a home invasion section for my collection.
Might as well do a special on this.


Funny Games
I saw the American remake to this in 2008
also by the same director with Naomi Watts playing
the lead.
This German original is exactly the same.
Nothing is different from this and the remake.
I forgot how actually crazy this story is.
I mean, I remember some things but
I forgot little details.
Details like, the bad guys stare at the camera
and play with us (the audience).
This is one crazy home invasion movie.
Love that in the first 15 minutes, there's lots
of close ups and we don't see the whole surrounding.
It has similar ending results like The Strangers
and Kidnapped.

Worth buying for the home invasion section.
Worth checking out for sure.
Doesn't matter which one you go with.
The remake would be easier to find in stores.

Fish Story

Fish Story
Wow!!
Another badass Japanese movie.
I kid you not, this made me feel really good.
Not a lot of movies do that.
I first heard about this back during Fantastic Fest 2009.
It made a great buzz.
It just came out on DVD a few weeks ago.
This is the same director who did two other movies
I liked (A Boy and his Samurai and Golden Slumber).
I love the song on here.
I need it for the ipod.
It's the song that helps save the world in this movie.
Very unique.
The song is similar to the song used in the opening credits song
from "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World."
Except, this one is way better.
We have different stories here and they all tie together
at the end.

Must buy for fans of Japanese cinema.

The Ides of March

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


The Ides of March
Good movie.
I was entertained and interested throughout the whole thing.
They threw in a few surprises and
a few turns that kept me in.
George Clooney kicked ass playing a "good" politician.
Love the casting:
Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and etc.
We all know politics are dirty.
Whether we're dealing with Democrats or Republicans,
in the end, they're all the same.
This movie covers a few things such as,
loyalty and trust.

Overall, I liked it a lot.
Worth watching at least once or twice in your life.

A Better Life

A Better Life
Excellent Father and Son drama.
I like that this wasn't too preachy like
other Mexican American movies.
I also like the use of Spanish and English on here.
That usually gets annoying in other movies
but when you have good actors, they know
what to do.
This takes place in Los Angeles California.
Lots of great shots.
A few surprises.
The actor that plays the dad was awesome.
He also plays Fidel Castro in the movie, "Che."
I was waiting for the emotional moment
and it came right at the end.

Of course, most dads want nothing but the best for their sons.
I absolutely agree with that.
I've learned from own family history dealing with a distant father.
So I know firsthand the importance of having a father.
And I want nothing but the best for my little guy.
For him to have a better life.

South American Cinema Night: Central Station

SOUTH AMERICAN CINEMA NIGHT

Every 2nd Wednesday of every month
I'll be checking out a movie from any country in South America.
My goal is to see one movie from each country.
This excludes any films I see at film festivals.

Tonight's movie is from Brazil

Central Station
Beautiful movie we got here.
Nice imagery.
The train station scenes reminded me somewhat of Scorsese's Hugo.
We can see some of the violence
that happens in this country.
Moving story about this lonely lady helping out
an orphan boy locate his father across country.
We see some of the beautiful landscapes and
meet some interesting people.

If I ever see this on sale,
I wouldn't mind having it in my Foreign Film Section.

Moneyball

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Moneyball
Very good.
I'm not a fan of baseball, but
I liked it.
My favorite part is the ending, of course.
But don't want to spoil it here since this
movie just came out on DVD and Blu-ray today.
This movie made me appreciate baseball a little
and that's a big improvement for me.
Brad Pitt nails it as the owner of the Oakland A's.
Jonah Hill plays a good first time economist.
Snap your fingers and point at him
if you have a math question to needs to answered.

Good drama to check out with some hot dogs, popcorn,
and cracker jacks.
Must buy for fans of baseball movies, of course.

The Devil's Double

The Devil's Double
Somewhat entertaining film.
The trailer makes it out to be some kind
of comedy/action but it's more serious than that.
I like how Dominic Cooper was able to pull
these two roles.
Uday is a crazy son of a gun.
If this is supposed to be based on a true story
and Uday's character is at least a little
bit true, then this guy was very crazy.
I like the attitude and actions the double
takes towards the end.

There was some things that didn't make sense
but overall, this was worth my dollar at the Redbox.

Cold Fish

Cold Fish
Very crazy Japanese film from
the guy who brought us Suicide Club.
Didn't know what to expect.
But crazy stuff happens within the hour.
It's a long movie (almost 2 hours and a half).
This is one weird couple.
Weird all the way until the final scene.
I like the choice of using a fish store rather
than any other business.
You'll never expect fish stores to have owners like these.
Maybe shoe stores, but not fish stores.

Good with some Kirin Ichiban and lots of sushi.
Must buy for fans of Asian cinema.

Bunraku

Bunraku
At first I liked what this had
going but then it was all a big
mess for me.
Yeah I like the colors and the western
and samurai theme.
I like some of the characters.
But for some reason, everything gets old.
It didn't have anything special holding
it together.
We just had some fights here and there then
we jump into something else.
And it was too long.

It was trying to be a little like
Sin City but with color and more sets.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Afraid of the Dark
Very stupid movie.
Didn't like the story that much and I lost interest
30 minutes after these creatures hurt the old man
that "specifically" told Sally (the little girl) not to go near things.
It should of been Sally instead.
Man, if I hear creatures saying my name
and telling me in evil voices that they want to be friends,
I would run the freak out of this house.
The ending to this movie wasn't good either.
The only part I did like was when Sally
smashed one of these creatures like a cockroach.
I can't believe Guillermo Del Toro was involved in this.
It personally let me down.

Fans of Del Toro, stay away.
Go stick with his other stuff he's been involved in like
Julia's Eyes and The Orphanage.
Also, anything he's directed is good too.

80's Monday: Weird Science

80'S MONDAY

[Every first Monday of every month is 80's Monday.
There's a lot of movies that came out
in the 80's that were so popular that I haven't seen.
I'm an 80's kid, so this segment will give me a chance
to catch up on some of those popular typical movies from this period.]


Weird Science
We kick off 80's Monday with this John Hughes classic.
I've never seen it.
I've seen clips on this on shows before.
This was very 80's for sure.
Very weird and very cheesy.
I enjoyed it, especially the quirky moments.
Some of my favorite moments are:
the smiling grandparents in the pantry moment,
Bill Paxton's nerdy but tough character,
and some of the party scenes.
Who comes up with this stuff?
Another cool moment was the chase scene
towards the end and our main character beats
a moving train and escapes from the cops.
It's short but sweet.

Yeah, this brought me to the 80's for sure.
Cheesy and stupid and memorable.
I can't believe they had computers that can create
women back then. I don't think they have them anymore.
Lucky bastards.

****Changes for 2012****

Happy New Years Everyone!!!

Here are the new movie specials for this year:

1st Monday of every month will be 80's Monday.
I'll be watching a movie from the 80's that I've
never seen before. A movie that's so popular among the 80's generation.

Every Tuesday will still be New Release Tuesday.
I'll comment on any movie that officially comes out
on DVD that Tuesday.

2nd Wednesday of every month will be
South American Cinema Night.
I will see a movie each month I've never seen before
from any South American country.
This will of course exclude any films I see at film festivals.

3rd Thursday of every month will be Home Invasion Thursday.
I wanted something more specific.
When I saw Kidnapped from Spain last year,
I decided to start a home invasion section for my collection.
Might as well do a special on this .
Every third Thursday I'll comment on a home invasion movie
I've never seen before.

4th Friday of every month will be Kung Fu Friday.
I been wanting to do this segment for a while.
This year will be my first year without Friday at the Grindhouse.
Want to take this year a little slower.
So I'm making way for some Kung Fu.
I'll be commenting on kung fu movies I've never seen before.

So let the year begin.
Another challenge for my "stupid" addiction.
I try to make things hard for me.
Staying true to myself and to this blog.