A Better Tomorrow

A Better Tomorrow
I remember my best friend Ramon let me borrow
the John Woo original of this movie about 8 years ago.
I was blown away with part one and part two.
Next year, I'm thinking of having a special night
for Original Vs. Remake. I would watch
an original movie and the remake back to back.
And both movies have to movies I haven't seen.
Tonight, I wanted to do a taste of that.
I put on the original John Woo movie and
after I put this Korean remake.
They were both bad ass.
Now for my comments on this remake:
I like the Korean take on the original story.
The story is the same but had an entire different feeling
to it.
Of course there were some major differences in the
beginning and especially the ending of this movie.
But, it worked really good for the remake.
Them Koreans are really hardcore with their stuff.
But, majority of the plot remains the same to the original.
The original came out in the 80's.
So of course, the original was cheesy and fun.
This remake is more modernized.
A lot more gunshots and a lot more action.
I enjoyed it a lot.
I didn't think I was going to like it as much.
I had okay expectations for it since I'm a big fan of the original.

I say, this one does justice to the original movie.
Even John Woo is listed as one of the Executive Producers.
Which means, he gave the Koreans his blessing.
Worth seeing!!!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Evening Brunch Special:


Breakfast at Tiffany's
This is supposed to be Audrey Hepburn's famous role.
A classic!!
I liked the movie a little.
I didn't know Truman Capote wrote the novel for this movie.
My favorite part of the whole thing has to
be when Holly and Varjak try to steal something at a store.
They try to be smooth in front of people watching.
Then, they decided to put on masks.
That's my favorite part.
Everything else was so and so.
I didn't like the ending that much.
That guy was an idiot wasting all his time
waiting for her and they end up together.
It was a Hollywood happy ending,
which I don't mind in some movies.
Despite of this, I enjoyed the movie with a nice
evening Breakfast.

If you ask me, I prefer Hepburn's Wait Until Dark better.
Not only was her performance really good there, but the whole
movie is clever.


This movie was served with sunny side up eggs, sausage hash,
biscuits, and mimosas.

About Schmidt

About Schmidt
This is another movie that's been sitting in
"DVD's To See" shelf.
I own it but never ever seen it until tonight.
Directed by Alexander Payne (Sideways and The Descendants).
This is a pretty decent dark comedy/drama
with Jack Nicholson himself.
I was entertained through the whole thing.
The first half had the tone and feeling you get
when watching a Coen Brothers movie.
It was a bit depressing.
Now that I think of it, Alexander Payne likes
to use a lot of depressing characters in his films.

Good to see.
This movie is sitting in my Comedy section now.

New Release Tuesday: Monsieur Lazhar

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Monsieur Lazhar
I thought this was from France but it's actually
from Canada. They speak French in the whole movie.
This film was nominated at the Academy Awards this year
for Best Foreign Film.
The trailer looked interesting.
The movie was more towards the depressing side.
It was okay to see.
Had some cute moments with the kids.
Them kids are damn good actors.
It was a nice and simple short movie.
This movie deals with some complicated issues:
suicide, refugees, and loss of a family.
But it's about accepting and letting go.

As a fan of Foreign films, I had to see it.
I wouldn't buy it, though.


This movie was accompanied by a French white wine
with Artichoke Dip and French Baguette:

Clash

Clash
Picked out this Vietnamese Action flick at
the last minute tonight.
I remember watching "The Rebel" at Fantastic Fest 2009,
so I said, why not give this one a try?
Well, I take it back.
This was just another typical action flick.
A little confusing with the flashbacks with finding the daughter
stuff. But, I did like some of the fighting scenes.
The first half had a lot of stuff happening then
it slowed down for a long time.
But nothing new was added.
I lost interest in it.

In the mood for some good action Asian cinema,
check out City of Violence or Mad Detective.
This one, not recommended.

The Three Stooges (2012)

The Three Stooges
This movie sucked.
That's it.
No more wasting time on it.
Well, just to fill up this post with more comments,
I guess I should say a bit more.
I like some of the stuff that the Farrelly Brothers put out.
Their last film, Hall Pass, was unexpectedly funny for me.
So I thought this one was going to surprise me as well.
But everything that people have said, is true.
This movie is lame.
And we'll leave it as that.

Stay away, period!


This movie was accompanied with homemade
Three Bean Turkey Chili:

Kill List

Kill List
We got ourselves a crazy horror here from the U.K.
There's even a poster to this movie saying,
"The Scariest Hitman Movie I've ever seen."
That describes this movie.
It's not all in your face horror.
But all the elements are there.
It's better to not know much about the movie.
The surprises and mystery should be
part of the movie experience.
I liked it to some extent.
It was a little weird.
But after knowing the twist,
there's no reason to watch it again.
I like that every person these hitmen have to kill,
they put the title on the screen for them.
Like, "The Priest" or "The Librarian."

Pretty crazy messed up ending.
If this interests you, it's worth a peek.
I don't think I would buy it.

Kung Fu Friday: Tai-Chi Master

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.


Tai-Chi Master
Wow!!!
Usually when I start my comments with "Wow!!!"
it means don't read further and go watch or buy this movie.
I was so impressed with it.
Definitely, one of my favorite kung fu movies to see this year.
Directed by Woo-ping Yuen (choreographer of Crouch Tiger Hidden
Dragon and Kill Bill).
Jet Li kicks a lot of ass in this one.
This movie was a big mix of comedy and action with some drama.
The story flowed good.
Lots of good scenes.
The girls in this movie also kick some good ass.
It made me jump and kick in the air a few times.
That's another sign of a good kung fu movie for me.

Adding this one to the Kung Fu section for sure.
Dragon Dynasty released it to their library.


This movie was served with Asian Beef Noodle Soup:

The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang

The Life and Death of a Porno Gang
Finally got to see this crazy movie from
last year's Fantastic Fest.
My friend Mike got a digital copy of it.
I went to check it out at his place.
This was a crazy film from Serbia.
Not as crazy and hardcore as "A Serbian Film."
But comparing to most other films, this is pretty disturbing.
Two of my favorite scenes were the
forest group raping scene with beautiful music
and the "Timber!!!" Chainsaw scene.
The whole story was okay.
Now, I'm not into these kinds of films.
I watch them simply out of curiosity.
In no way do I plan to buy these movies.
But, glad to get this one out of my system.

Just like the title of the movie, this is literally
the life and death of this gang. Lots of tragedy, rain,
snuff, and sexual acts. This is just a warning.

The Dictator (2012)

The Dictator
This was pretty funny.
Sick and toilet humor sometimes makes me happy.
I was laughing throughout this.
I laughed to most jokes except to the ones
that were on the trailers. The trailers to this movie
ruins the joke when it comes to finally watching the movie.
For example, the joke where John C. Reilly's character
talks about visiting the Empire building in the trailer,
it wasn't a bit funny in the movie.
But luckily, there were a lot of other funny stuff
that makes up for it.
My favorite part that made me crack up is when
they talk about the Menudo kids.
The ending was so and so. A little cheesy.
Other than that, pretty good stuff.
I like the political jokes.
I haven't seen a movie talking crap about politics
in a while.

This met my expectations.
A lot more better than Bruno (which I didn't like).
This one is par with Borat (for me).

New Release Tuesday: Bernie

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Bernie
This movie was really good.
Jack Black's best performance yet.
He was so right for this role.
This is based on a true story
about a murder that took place in East Texas.
I like that this was shot part documentary style.
Directed by Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slacker,
A Scanner Darkly).
I really enjoyed this movie.
I like how the flow of the story and the ending.
This had some dark humor in it that
made me giggle a bit.

Highly recommended.
I might need to add this to the collection.


This Texas movie was served with a traditional Southern meal,
Chicken and Waffles and Local Iced Tea.

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada
This was a decent drama about
working in the fashion industry,
but most importantly, working as an assistant
for Miranda Priestly (Runway magazine editor).
This is a cold blooded business that ruins
relationships and friendships.
Our main character played by Anne Hathaway,
is a girl who sells herself to the devil.
I'm not a fan of Hathaway so I'm going
to be bias about her performance.
But, I do like Emily Blunt.
And she's pretty cool here playing a stuck up assistant.
I liked the overall message of the movie.
Didn't like some of the actions that
took place towards the end of the movie but
that's how the real world is.
It's a cold blooded world where no one can be trusted.

It was an okay movie to see,
especially if you're into fashion, unlike me.


This movie was served with Grilled Cheese
w/ Jarlsberg cheese and strawberries and Red Wine.
The Jarlsberg grilled cheese sandwich is mentioned in
the movie. Hence, why I ate this tonight:

Paranorman (2012)

Paranorman
Took my son to see this movie today.
Cute animation, especially for grown ups.
I like the beginning stuff.
The opening scene had the 80's zombie grindhouse
feeling to it. The music was cool.
I enjoyed the story.
A kid who sees ghosts and then zombies come out
and everything gets crazy.
I like some of the characters on here.
The second half of the movie was so and so.
Would of wanted some more clever and cute moments
like the first half. But, oh well.

Definitely my favorite Animation this year, so far.
But, The Lorax came pretty close.


My little man (2 and half year old) was mainly tripping
on the zombies and eating cookies.
No screams.

The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games
I heard all the hype on this movie and
I heard how it was like Battle Royale but for a
younger American audience or Twilight fans.
That's just what I heard.
I had to see it to see what the big deal is.
I went in with a fair expectation for the movie.
Didn't want to expect a lot from it.
After watching it I like to say that
this movie was pretty cool.
Didn't blow me away, but it was okay.
I would of wanted a lot more with the story.
I would of wanted to see revolution and beginning
of a new era.
But instead, I got a lot of training and preparation for
the actual game with some drama between
the main character and her "love" interest.
I guess I was hoping for a lot of chaos.
But, it was okay for this type of story.
The action stuff was pretty good.
So no disappointment here.

For those who haven't seen it yet,
see Battle Royale better.
Now that one is more brutal, cold, and crazy than this
movie could ever be.
This one is good to check out for entertainment purposes.
But, I wouldn't exactly get it for my collection.

Merantau / The Raid: Redemption

An Indonesian Action Double Feature

Merantau
Pretty good action flick with a lot of drama.
This is my first Indonesian movie to ever see.
I first heard about this during Fantastic Fest in 2009.
Decided to check it out tonight because it's the same director
and also the same star as The Raid: Redemption.
This movie reminded me of The Protector.
But this one had scenes that were a little too dramatic.
I would of wanted some more action.
The action scenes here were badass, though.
I didn't like the main bad guy.
Still, this was decent.

Okay movie to see. I wouldn't buy it.



The Raid: Redemption
Now for the second Indonesian film to see.
This one was freaking badass.
Non stop action.
Lots of bullets, violence, and great fighting scenes.
I knew I was going to love this since the first scene
we see the bad guy.
And speaking of bad guys, Mad Dog was a good villain.
Lots of good moves and kills.
This reminded me somewhat of Elite Squad.
They might even make a video game out of this.

This is definitely a must buy for the Asian section.
Can't wait to see it again.

This double feature was served with an Asian Chicken Burger
with Sriracha Mayo and Sweet and Sour Orange Glaze
and lots of Coke to keep the adrenaline rush going.

Home Invasion Thursday: Desperate Hours

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.


Desperate Hours
Here we have a home invasion movie
starring Mickey Rourke before he changed his face.
It was cheesy and a little boring.
But in a positive note, the leader of these home invaders
(Rourke) was a nice guy.
He always kept his promises to the family
and respected stuff.
Hell, he even let the family have their alone time
together. That's so nice of him.
How could this guy here be a very
dangerous criminal?
The whole movie was more dramatic than
a typical home invasion thriller.
It's probably my least favorite home invasion
to see this year (not counting Silent House because
Silent House turned out not to be a home invasion movie).

Next month, I'll be checking out a home invasion
movie from France.


This was served with a nice juicy steak with my
usual typical homemade grilled sides
(weenies, jalapeños, and asparagus).

Hick

Hick
This isn't the movie I thought it was going to be.
I thought it was going to be "Hit Girl"
going gun crazy for some reason.
This was more drama and some of the
story didn't make sense.
The only parts I liked were the seizure robbery
scene and the cheesy shootout towards the end.
But, that's it.
I didn't really connect well with the characters
so I didn't care for them throughout the movie.
There was okay country music playing.

Not worth your time.
If you want to see a drama about "white trash,"
go see Gummo. More realistic.

New Release Tuesday: Snowtown Murders

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY


Snowtown Murders
Brutal movie from Australia.
This is a movie that came out at Fantastic Fest last year.
It is based on Australia's most notorious serial killer.
The whole thing felt raw and real.
The chopping of the kangaroo's head
and the bathtub torture murder scene
are two of the crazy moments in the movie.
The performances here were awesome.
You can tell the director did very good
in bringing out the best in every shot.
I like that they kept most of the murders
off screen and you can just imagine what
was happening.

If you're into crime movies, this one is a must buy.
But beware, this is no happy movie to watch with family.
It is dark and realistic.

21 Jump Street (2012)

21 Jump Street
Funny movie.
I expected less than what I got.
I found myself laughing a little bit in the first half.
That's a good compliment when it comes to a comedy/action
movie. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact
that I was under the influence while watching this film.
I'm not familiar with the popular tv show so
I can't really compare.
There were a few predictable moments
and a few surprises.
I liked it a lot.

If you're interested in this movie, give it a shot.
It won't disappoint or it shouldn't disappoint.

Griff the Invisible

Griff the Invisible
Sweet superhero movie from Australia.
There's Kick Ass, Mirageman, Super, and among others.
And now there's Griff the Invisible.
This time, for sure, our superhero does not really
have any kind of strength. No powers, no fighting
ability. Instead, it's all in his head.
Crazy, huh?
But our hero falls in love with a girl who shares
the same interests as him.
And together, they become a sweet cheesy couple.
This movie has its flaws but
it holds its charms.
I liked the music.
More drama than comedy.

Okay to see.
I still have Kick Ass and Mirageman as my favorite movies
in this vigilante category.