What We Do Is Secret

What We Do Is Secret
This is a movie I never heard about until my brother, Enrique told me about it.  My two older brothers grew up in the L.A punk scene.  I got into some of the bands they liked later in life.  This is about the band, "The Germs." Not just about the band but about its lead singer who was a homosexual and who died from a heroin overdose.  Didn't know he died the same day John Lennon was killed (December 8, 1980 (3 days before I was born)).  This movie focuses on the drama and crazy stuff this band used to do.  I like some of the music here.  Besides a lot of cool late 70's punk, there's also some David Bowie in here.  This would make a good double feature with S.L.C Punk.  While I do prefer and love S.L.C Punk a lot, this one was good to check out especially if you respect or if you're a fan of punk rock music. If you're not, "eat shit and die!!!!" 

John Dies At The End

John Dies At The End
This was freaking fun in a weird and absurd kind of a way.  Lots of crazy dialogue.  Lots of scenes that don't make sense but you're dealing with a story about two guys who take strange drugs and start hallucinating an alternate universe and dimensions and see dead people as well.  It's hard to take seriously.  With that said, this was pretty cool.  This is the kind of film I would probably like more and more each time I see it.  The ending wasn't all that.  Everything else was pretty good.  John dies at the end and that's no spoiler.  You're just going to have to take a risk.  There's a little bit of Gregg Araki in here.  Little bit of Donnie Darko.  Little bit of The FP.  If you like cheesy sci-fi/hallucination movies, give this a try.  Not awesome but not bad.  One of my favorite parts is when John says "Eric is not dead yet, so we're still here in the past somewhere" (somewhere along those lines).  He says that in front of Eric and Eric freaks out "What???"   Good times!

New Release Tuesday: Lore

Lore
Today is New Release Tuesday.  I gamble with new movies I've never seen before that get released on Tuesdays.  I didn't feel like watching Dark Skies tonight.  So it was between this German/Australian flick or an Irish movie called "My Brothers."  I went with this Post World War 2 drama.  I thought it was interesting to see the other side to this, not just the jews.  During the last months of WW2 and after, nazis and their families were being hunted and either killed or taken to prison.  This is about one of the families.  The main girl, Lore, was left alone by the parents to take care of all the kids.  She has to take them across the land to a family house.  A lot of stuff happens during that trip.  This is a survival movie.  The first half was okay, but I lost interest in the second half.  It's hard to watch these movies late at night without a coffee.  It was hard to stay alert. From most of the scenes I saw, it was a bit boring.  I'm going to watch the second half in a bit to see if there's anything I liked.  If there is, I'll post additional comments below. Usually, I see these movies in the morning.  It's always the best time for me and I end up enjoying the movie a lot more. 

Oscar Sunday: The Sting

The Sting IMDb
Awesome movie.  Love the big heist these guys pulled off.  Clever.  It felt kind of like the first time I saw Ocean's 11.  Robert Redford rules in this.  There's something about the characters he plays that always makes him cool. I haven't seen many of his roles but there's just something there.  Here we have two con-men teaming up (one of them is in for revenge) to rip off a big criminal banker.  For its time, this movie holds up cool.  It takes place in the 30's and they even use music that could go with that period.  Of course my favorite scene is the ending when they succeed with their heist.  There's also another favorite scene that happens in the middle of the train.  Paul Newman's character pretends to be drunk when playing cards against the big criminal banker.  The banker tries to cheat him but he's one step ahead and he also cheats.  Boom!  We have ourselves a card came.  Good entertaining movie. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey IMDb
I loved this movie.  It was very very hard to not compare this to the Lord of The Rings trilogy but I couldn't help it.  It's the prequel with some of the same characters.  I remember Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring blew my mind away.  I didn't want to get into it because I thought it was going to be one of those silly Harry Potter kid movies.  Boy, was I wrong.  This was a whole new level of awesomeness. I liked the rest of the trilogy but not as much as the first one.  Now comes this new Hobbit trilogy.  The battle scenes and story here doesn't compare to the Lord of the Rings.  So, in order for me to give this a fair series of comments, I'm treating it as if I never seen The Lord of the Rings.  This story was pretty enjoyable.  The adventure is about the hobbit helping out the dwarves on their journey to take back their land from a greedy gold loving dragon.  For that simple story, we need to extend this as much as possible.  Let's fight some Orcs, some trolls, and meet new characters like the Brown wizard.  Let's throw in Gollum and the ring in there to remind us of future stuff and there we go, we have ourselves another adventure story.  For what the story is, this was good.  The few battle scenes here were okay.  Now, can't wait to finish this trilogy and watch Lord of the Rings again.  So, I guess I won't be watching LOTR until 2015 or so.

Ping Pong

Ping Pong IMDb
This Japanese flick was somewhat funny and weird.  The sport of ping pong never looked any better than this.  It made me want to go buy my own paddle and start swinging.  Other than that, I didn't really care for this movie as a whole.  Lots of the scenes dragged on a bit.  Some scenes didn't make sense.  We have two best friends here who started playing ping pong as kids.  They get older.  One of them sucks.  The other one is pretty good but he's depressed.  They have flashbacks when they were kids learning the game.  The depressed guy does good beating some main opponents.  The one that sucks (who has a big passion and considers himself the best) starts training and becomes a hero.  The tournament scenes were cool.  Everything in between and flashbacks during tournaments I didn't really care for.  These are my personal comments and I'm sticking with them. 

New Release Tuesday: Stand Up Guys

Stand Up Guys IMDb
I knew this wasn't going to be anything special but it has Christopher Walken and that's enough for me.  Don't care too much about Al Pacino these past 10 years but Walken still holds the magic.  I screened The King of New York earlier today just for kicks.  It's not a very good Gangster movie but it's short and sweet.  This movie is supposed to be a comedy/gangster movie.  It has its okay moments but kinda didn't like that it all takes place in one long night.  Maybe because it wasn't believable.  These characters eat dinner three times throughout that whole night. That's a lot for these old men.  One of the characters dies and the others bury him all in the same night.  I mean, if they wanted to include all this in the movie, just make it take place in course of a week or something.  Cheesy ending.  So, no, I wouldn't recommend this movie.

Bye Bye Birdie

Bye Bye Birdie
Believe this or not, I own this musical (because of my girlfriend) and it's been sitting in my "To Watch" shelf for a while.  Now, I finally put it in my Musical section.  While I admit, I am fond of musicals.  It took me a while to appreciate them.  I guess it wasn't until I moved to Austin, TX and I went to see a bad ass screening of "Across The Universe" at the Dobie Theatre (before they closed down) that I finally liked a musical.  From there on out, I been watching musicals left and right.  Some are really awesome, and some are so and so, and most are not for me.  I guess Bye Bye Birdie falls in between so and so and not for me.  I like the first half.  Some of the musical numbers are awesome with their satire.  It felt like they were making fun of musicals in a way.  Most of the scenes here are probably better if you're under the influence of marijuana.  As a matter of fact, that's not a bad idea if you're going to see this movie.  I can already imagine all the moments that would erupt in laughter.  So, overall, not bad, but you must love musicals or be high. 

The Impossible

The Impossible IMDb
They say this is a tearjerker movie.  I almost cried twice.  Both times in unexpected times.  So this is an emotional movie.  It's hard for a movie to make me tear.   Some movies that made me cry in the past were: The Elephant Man, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, Children of Heaven, and Lion King.  This was pretty good and powerful until the last 30 minutes.  The last part was just a typical Hollywood movie trying to be overtly dramatic.  I don't want to spoil it in my comments but the last part was not sad at all.  I don't know the story or the real people this is based on so I assumed the worst but that wasn't the case.  It didn't disappoint me.  My favorite part is when the main boy helps finding people and reconnect them with their loved ones.  That was pretty sweet.  The two parts that made me almost tear up are when the dad makes a phone call to his father in law and when the little brothers reunite.  As much as I love Naomi Watts and her acting, she did okay here.  Not as great as I expected (due to the hype).  Good one time movie to see.

The Corridor

The Corridor IMDb
Man, this sucked.  I wasn't expecting anything great but at least somewhat bearable.  This came out in Fantastic Fest 2011.  That's how I heard of it.  It was an open night last night and I started watching this.  About halfway through, I stopped it.  My friend Quentin came over and we saw Cabin in the Woods (my second viewing).  I pulled Dead Snow and Cabin Fever off my collection to possibly watch all of these cabin horror movies.  Didn't make it.  Finished watching The Corridor this Sunday morning.  The acting sucks first of all.  Second, the characters are so stupid.  Our main guy (the guy that looks like a cross between Travis Barker from Blink 182 and that Maroon 5 guy) was annoying.  He sees his friends getting killed and in danger and instead of running or getting help, he just stands there.  Everyone was so mesmerized by this corridor but the scene didn't convince me.  I was confused after they all got out of the corridor.  They all seem to love it but had no idea what it was.  I'm so sure that if you take some pills, all this will go away. I just didn't like the story. 

Cult Classic Friday: Mommie Dearest

Mommie Dearest IMDb
What a crazy movie this was.  I always hear and see clips about it.  I think every parent should see this one and get an idea of what not to do.  I picked this movie this month obviously because of Mother's Day.  It went good in the first half.  I just wanted for the kids to get older and kill their mother.  Maybe if they ever remake this, they should consider that.  I lost interest in the movie in the second half when the kids were adults already.  Damn, this crazy woman.  Crazy moments include the famous moment: "No wire hangers!" and brushing the daughter's hair very hard, and the swimming pool scene.  I never knew this was considered a cult classic until I researched it.  Okay to see especially for Mother's Day.  Hahaha!

A Monster In Paris

A Monster In Paris
Cute okay animation I saw tonight with my son, Nates the Shakes.  I admit this is more for adults but it was still rated PG.  It's about a singing big ass flea that people mistakingly think it's a monster.  It's a lighthearted movie set in old Paris.  It has its charms.  Nice dance sequences.  Overall, it wasn't a strong enough movie that will hold its magic in the test of time.  So, I guess not worth buying but good to check out.   It starts out interesting with one of the main characters looking for a belt for his film projector.  Good vintage cinema moments.  Funny stuff happens then the "monster" gets introduced.  People are scared.  Then we find out that this is no monster but a big flea and not just any big flea, he sings too.  The voice done by Sean Lennon.  We've seen this kind of story before especially in Tim Burton films like Edward Scissorhands.  The whole village is against this thing and they want to kill it and then we find out who the real "monster" is.  There you have it.  I usually don't comment too much on the plot like critics do but I had nothing else to say so here are my comments and I'm sticking to them.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek Into Darkness IMDb
Enjoyed another big summer blockbuster movie. I'm not a Star Trek fan (at least not yet).  Not familiar at all with the shows and all the 10 movies before the J.J. Abrams reboot.  I remember seeing the first one to this in 2009 and I was very entertained and surprisingly loved it.  This one was also cool.  I recall enjoying the first one more but this one is kind of close.  My co-worker and friend, Casey (probably the biggest Star Trek fan I know), schooled me in today before the movie about characters and some stuff I might need to know.  I guess he kind of spoiled it for me because when they revealed some information in this movie, everyone was shocked and excited.  That was pretty cool.  A big special effects action movie can do no wrong with its silly jokes and moments, lots of cgi, and Hollywood dramatic performances towards the end.  This is in par with Iron Man 3 for me.  Simon Pegg's character and the doctor were my favorites. Chris Pine? Not a fan.  The good thing is that this movie revolved around the other characters not just Captain Kirk. I was going to originally wait for this on DVD but peer pressure from my girlfriend Yari and Casey, I decided to give in.  I might need to watch all the old Star Trek movies someday.

The Guilt Trip

The Guilt Trip
This is a guilty pleasure kind of a movie.  Decided to give this a try for kick just because today is Mother's Day.  If it wasn't for this special day, I probably would of seen this in a year or so.  The trailer to this movie convinced me that this was going to be a stupid movie.  So now we know what expectations I had going into this.  My verdict?  This was an okay movie after all.  Barbara Streisand didn't annoy me as much as he annoyed Seth Rogen here.  This was a nice (a little funny too) Mother's Day movie.  I wonder how it would be like if my son and his mom would take a road trip some day in the far future?  It might not be exactly like this but it would still be cool and interesting.  Some cute moments here.  Flowed okay for a comedy.  This movie can be paired with lots of M & M's (Peanut) and lots of water.  Okay, maybe an all you can eat steak dinner.  

The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Great Gatsby IMDb
This should of been a musical in my opinion.  I read the book in 11th grade and saw the original  Robert Redford a few times.  I am a fan of the story.  As far as the story goes, this movie did justice for it, I think.  I expected this to be more exaggerated and fun but it the second half became too dramatic.  Still, I think it got the message across somewhat.  Leonardo DiCaprio did alright as Gatsby.  Joel Edgerton was awesome as Tom.  Mulligan also did pretty good.  Tobey Maguire plays the same old character as always.  It's like Peter Parker narrating this story.  I think I would of love this a lot if it was exaggerated and musical like.  Other than that, this didn't really add anything special for me.  It just made me remember the original story and how much I liked it.  A poor guy goes out of his way to become rich and powerful all to impress and get a high class girl but money doesn't buy happiness.  Movie about hope.  This version is just about the visuals.  That will be the only reason to see it and of course, if your're a fan of the book.  Others, stay away. 

Vampire Thursday: Day Watch

Day Watch IMDb
I saw the first one (Night Watch) last year I believe.  I had to see the sequel to this Russian vampire story for Vampire Thursday this year.  I have to admit, I love the weirdness of this movie but it was way too much for me.  Overall, this didn't feel like a vampire movie at all.  It felt way too long as well.  Movies are not supposed to put you in a bad mood and annoy you to the point that you just want to turn it off.  The last 15 minutes of this movie tested my patience and frustrated me.  It was okay that they connected the first movie to this one in the end but the rest was confusing for me.  The only good thing this had going was the awesome Russian music.  From what I recall, the first one was pretty good. 

The Day

The Day IMDb
Went to Vulcan Video last night deciding which movie to watch.  It was a free night.  Anything goes.  Either watch an old movie from the collection, see something new, or don't watch one at all.  Decided to go with this apocalyptic movie.  This was shown at Fantastic Fest 2011.  Directed by a guy who has worked for Robert Rodriguez on a few projects.  I didn't know what to expect with this one.  I don't know what to say except that this was half boring and half badass.  In this apocalyptic story, we are dealing with cannibals and other people.  Love the set up to this.  There are also some cool death scenes on here all involving gunshots and a few stabbings.  Some unexpected stuff happens.  A few scenes made me say out loud: "No wonder Fantastic Fest showed this one."  Worth checking out.  Expect nothing great and you'll be entertain with this movie.  I actually enjoyed this one more than "The Road."

New Release Tuesday: Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher IMDb
Action pack, Pee-Wee! Action Pack.  For this type of movie, this was pretty good.  I like that they reveal who isn't the killer early on and kept me interested in who's bad and how Jack Reacher can figure everything out.  There's a few badass moments here like Jack Reacher beating the crap out of five people.  He warned them not to mess with him.  This movie would make an awesome double feature with the movie, "Shooter."  Both movies share the same vibe.  I expected a cheesy stupid action movie here.  I ended up getting a semi-smart and entertaining action flick.  Just ignore all the sappy sexual tension between Jack Reacher and the DA's daughter and you'll be alright. 

Samurai Monday: The Twilight Samurai

The Twilight Samurai
This samurai movie is mentioned in a lot of lists.  It also won an Oscar for Best Foreign.  Decided to give it a try late tonight. It was mostly boring for me.  There was two samurai battle scenes total. Not that I expected more out of a samurai movie, but the rest of the story wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be.  It's sweet and awesome that a samurai father would sacrifice a lot of things in order to be with his family more.  I just didn't think all those emotions were captured in this film.   I must admit, I saw this around 11pm.  Bad time to watch a samurai film unless I'm all sugared up.  I did have some hot tea to go with this one but must of been so tired that I dozed off throughout the film.  It's too bad because I might not give this a chance again.  It is followed by two movies as well with different stories.  I won't be able to watch the other two anytime soon.  Maybe another year I have samurai night. 

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 IMDb
Went in with low expectations with the first summer blockbuster of the year.  I was pretty entertained.  I enjoyed most of it.
The last 20 minutes were the only disappointments.  Everything else was pretty awesome for a comic/superhero movie.  Tony Stark is back with his usual sarcasm and stupid one liners.  Ben Kingsley was bad ass in his role.  Love the little twist there.  Caught me by surprise.  Then again, I'm not familiar with the original comics.  I also like the little kid that they throw in there to help Tony out with things.  There was one or two bad ass moments that made me cheer for the movie.  Once again, I wasn't thrilled with the last part of the movie.  It was trying to be too romantic and Gwyneth Paltrow's character kind of ruin it for me.  Overall, better than expected.  I still love part one more.  The tease after the credits sucked big time.  Speaking of credits, how about those awesome 70's grindhouse looking ending credits? That was awesome.  Wish the rest of the movie was like that.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi IMDb
We been wanting to have a great sushi night and watch this this documentary for a while.  Never had the chance until tonight.  We got sushi from Central Market.  We should of went all out and got sushi from high rated places like Uchi and etc.  It was late at night so we settled with this Central Market (owned by H.E.B).  When I go to Japan, I'll make sure to stop by Jiro's restaurant and make a reservation for the following year.  This documentary is about the art of sushi by a legendary sushi chef. People make reservations years in advance because his restaurant is always full.  They only seat about 10 people each night, I think.  The experience is very personal and awesome from what I see on this doc.  I want to try most of the things on here.  Must have some sake to have guts and try the rest.  Highly recommend this doc.  Might make a great double feature with "The Cove."  Ha ha ha!

Robot and Frank

Robot and Frank IMDb
For a robot movie, this was pretty good.  I thought about having a robot night this year.  This would of been one of the movies.  This was definitely different.  As a whole, it is not a big deal.  Just a light-hearted story about an old man and his robot caregiver.   The cool thing about this movie is that the old man likes to steal and plans a big heist with his robot to steal his neighbor's jewelry.  Pretty much straight-forward.  The movie throws in a little twist towards the end that could of been better if they threw it towards the beginning.  That way we feel more sympathetic with the old man.  I need me to get a robot like that.  I love the way it remember to say that it will self destruct in 10 seconds, the way Frank told him to do when people are messing with the machine.  Decent movie to see.  Maybe not to buy unless you're collecting Robot movies.