The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies IMDb 

Well I finally saw the last Hobbit movie the other night.  Funny that they killed the infamous Smaug the dragon in the first 10 minutes of this film.  I personally think they should've killed him in part 2 since he's not a big deal in the third film.  Fuck it.  So I thought a few action scenes were awesome but all this could have easily been one long three hour movie.  Good popcorn movie though.  Can't compare to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Which reminds me, I love the ending to this and how it starts tying in to the Lord of the Rings.

Must see to complete The Hobbit trilogy, other than that, nothing special.

Life Itself

Life Itself IMDb 

Saw this sad but interesting documentary about the world's most famous movie critic, Roger Ebert.  Learned a lot of things.  Genius man.  I can never be a full on critic.  It's not my thing.  I don't like it when people call me a film critic.  I have a movie blog and I write short comments but it's all in great fun.  Sure, I wouldn't mind getting paid just to write short comments but to write long reviews, that takes away the fun sometimes.  Not for me.  Roger Ebert was an important human being in the film world.  Love the Martin Scorsese soundbites on here.  Also, there's a part where they talk about the production of "Beyond the Valley of Dolls" (a crazy exploitation film that Ebert was a part of).  I been wanting to see that movie for a long time, I gotta visit Vulcan soon and rent that one out.  This documentary of course gets sadder as we see Ebert fighting cancer and getting worse and worse health-wise.  Didn't know he had thyroid cancer (my mom had that too).  Scary fucking thing.  Anyways, this is a good documentary on the film critic.

  As a fan of movies, this is worth checking out but not a priority.

Hector and the Search For Happiness

Hector and the Search for Happiness IMDb

I was disappointed with this one.  I like movies about travelling and about finding yourself.  That was one of the main reasons for watching this one.  That and Simon Pegg.  I felt like everything was too easy for him.  One lucky situation after another.  Too much of a coincidence.  But it is what it is.  Love the first half and the second half was a downer for me but good for Hector.  He found his happiness.

A movie that comes to mind that I would recomend better than this is: Into The Wild.

Girl on a Bicycle

Girl on a Bicycle IMDb

Well, I decided to watch this on Netflix last night.  It's the romantic side of me.  But, I didn't enjoy it. It started out promising but then it got lame.  I definitely didn't enjoy the last 30 minutes of it.  Yeah, there were some sweet scenes but not enough to carry the movie.

 

So, if you're thinking about checking out a movie with your romantic partner, know that there are lots of other better options than this one.

Bicycle Thieves

Bicycle Thieves IMDb 

Went to Vulcan Video the other day to pick up my Hitchcock Thursday movie and as a free
rental, I chose this one.  Why?  Because I'm planning on my buying a bike before the month is over. I almost bought one over the weekend but I decided to wait a little longer.  This movie is also known as The Bicycle Thief.  It's an Italian classic about a father and son who go onto a journey to search for their stolen bike.  A bike the father needs in order to work and provide for his family.  I don't know if it was the wine I was having but this movie was depressing.  The struggle is real!
The ending was depressing.  But that's the whole point of the movie.  You see the struggle people in the lower class go through.  I enjoyed a lot of the scenes.  Not bad for a film that was made in the late 40's.  I love the restaurant scene towards the end.  The father asks his son if he wants pizza.  His son smiles and they go to a fancy restaurant.  They don't serve pizza so the father orders a mozzarella sandwich and bottle full of wine.  Everyone around them are eating big pasta plates.  Such an awesome scene.

This one was okay to see.  I can see why it's special to many.  It didn't touch my heart as I wanted to but I did appreciate it.  A movie that comes to mind that did touch my heart that is somewhat like this is: Children of Heaven.

Researched the movie beforehand and found out about the mozzarella sandwich order in the restaurant so that's exactly what I made.  A grilled mozzarella cheese sandwich, some pasta, and Italian salad.

Strange Magic (2015)

Strange Magic IMDb 

It was a relaxing Sunday morning with my son yesterday and he pitched going to the theatre.
I checked the discount theatre and this was playing.  It was a strange coincidence because we were already planning on hitting the "Faerie Trail" at the Botanical Gardens.  This movie is about fairies.  After watching the trailer, my son wanted to watch the movie.  So on we went to our adventures at the trail followed by the movie.  Good experience.  This is my first Animation of 2015.  It was okay.  It's a musical.  I love musicals but this got annoying after a while.  Maybe because I didn't like some of the songs.  I did like some parts of the story.  True love conquers all kind of a story. So, I wouldn't exactly recommend it.  But if you must take the little ones, go in with low expectations. For the record, my son loved the movie.

Giving this a 5 out of 10.

 

Going to this "Faerie Trail" made the experience worthwhile.

Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby IMDb 

I finally got to see this horror classic.  It was pretty good.  The ending was a little messed up but I get it.  It's not your typical happy ending.  I didn't know anything about this movie except that it has something to do with the devil.  I like the paranoid scenes towards the end.  It made me want to hate these satanists.  Wish the ending was better but then again, this is based from a novel.  From what I read, this is a good portrayal of the novel.  Fun Fact:  This is directed by Roman Polanski.  His pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson Family.  The Manson Family called their mission "Helter Skelter" taken by the song from The Beatles.  John Lennon from the Beatles lived in the same building they shot this movie at some point.  Coincidence?  Hmm!  

A lot of classic horror fans may have seen this already but if you haven't, it's worth a peek.  

Hitchcock Thursday: Spellbound

Spellbound IMDb 

Another classic from the master of suspense.  There wasn't much suspense until the last 20 minutes but I thought this was pretty good.  Twist after another.  Ingrid Bergman plays a psychoanalyst who falls in love with a crazy guy who may or may not have murdered another psychoanalyst.  Gregory Peck plays that crazy guy.  At times, his schizophrenic swings bothered me.  Thought that could have been better.  But, then I reminded myself that this was made in 1945.  I love the POV shot during the last scene.

Not among my Hitchcock Thursday favorites this year but it was okay mystery movie to see.  Shadow of a Doubt was more awesome.  This one is in par with The Lady Vanishes.  Next up in April: Dial M for Murder.

SXSW: Turbo Kid (2015)

Turbo Kid IMDb 

Ridiculously fun movie.  I should stress the "ridiculously" part.  RIDICULOUSLY fun!!!  Enjoyed it.  I've seen my fair share of over the top Japanese gorefest movies.  This one is right along those lines except this is all a big throwback to the 80's.  Big tribute to films like Mad Max, Big Trouble in Little China, The Terminator, Neverending Story.  Hell, one of the main characters looks exactly like Indiana Jones.  The score is all 80's like.  I had fun with it.  I would have wanted just a tad more to the story.  I also had a few moments where I disagreed with some of the plot.  I'm not going to pin point those out.  I did however like some of the characters and some of their dialogue.  The gore?  This wasn't anything new or special but it had a shit load of gore.  Lots of guts and bloody fountains.  Enough to satisfy the midnight gorehounds. So for you fans of Mad Max and ultra violent gorey films, this is worth your time.  Others, avoid or better yet, run far away and keep your head attached.  

This marks my third and final film at SXSW 2015.

This is a 7 out of 10.

The creators were there as well as the director of "Hobo with a Shotgun" (who was the executive producer for this film).

SXSW: We Are Still Here (2015)

We Are Still Here IMDb 

Went to another SXSW midnighter.  This time with my buddy Casey (his first film festival experience).  Took a chance in line to see this creepy haunted house movie.  It's a decent throwback to the classic Italian horrors such as movies by Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento.  It's supposed to be very scary and serious but came out with a lot of cheesy moments.  Like most haunted house movies, we have stupid characters who make bad decisions.  But, that's all part of the plan, right?  Don't go to the creepy basement when you know the house is haunted.  Why?  Plot raised a few questions. Anyways, the movie is silly at times but I thought it was okay for an homage to the 80's giallo flicks.  Love the exaggerated blood spatters.  Some good gore.  Other than that, I'll most likely not see this again.  A lot of people seemed to love it.  Rented at your own risk but remember: low expectations.

5 out of 10.

The cast and crew were present.

SXSW: The Invitation (2015)

The Invitation IMDb

Whoa! My first "2015" movie of the year delivered.  It's an indie thriller/horror I saw at SXSW last night at midnight.  I didn't know what to expect.  A lot of poor acting and the story ended up being unoriginal but still, it surprised me and I enjoyed it.  This will come out on DVD/Blu-ray someday but without spoiling too much, I'll describe some of the plot here.  So this couple's son dies and during their mourning, the wife decides to leave and disappear.  That's the backstory.  The movie starts two years later after her disappearance.  The husband (Will) and his new girlfriend are invited by his now ex-wife and her husband to their old house for a reunion dinner.  She invited a lot of other close friends and two strangers.  Lots of talking and intereacting in the first hour.  Will gets suspicious that his ex-wife and her husband are up to something.  Something deadly.  Well, a lot of crazy shit happens.  The last 20 minutes is pure madness.  Let's just say this is like modern horror take on the Jim Jones's story.  You know, that crazy guy who brought thousands together and had them all drink special punch.  Similar twist.  Be afraid of fucking cults, man. That's the horror.  I had no idea they were going to go that route, so it surprised me.  Good ending for a good midnight movie.  Seeing this in the big screen made it really awesome.  I doubt I would've enjoyed it this much at home.  I mean, common sense.  Being there was just a taste of being at Fantastic Fest, except the crowds here are not as awesome.  I'm planning on checking out two or three more midnight movies at SXSW, which are the crazy genre ones.

Giving my first 2015 movie a 8 out of 10.

The director, writers, and some of the cast were present at the screening.

Straight To Hell Returns

Straight to Hell Returns IMDb 

Straight to hell is where I sent you!  Straight to hell.  When they killed the preacher, that was
too much for me.  I'm just kidding.  That actually doesn't happen until in hour into this film.
I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.  The plot was lazy but that didn't bother me for liking this film. It was the moments, it was the spirit, it was the coffee drinking cowboys.  A lot to say.  First of all, this movie is actually called Straight to Hell and it was made in the 80's.  They added the "Returns" to the title because the director added a few more scenes and digital blood to it.  This is practically the director's cut.  I never heard of this movie until I went to Vulcan Video the other day.
I researched punk movies and this came up. Director Alex Cox did Repo Man and other cult classics.
I'm glad I gave this a shot.  Terrible movie to love.  A band of robbers (who look a lot like they're from a Tarantino movie) go into hiding in this small town.  It's a stereotype western town.  The cowboys there don't drink beer.  They drink coffee and lots of it.  A lot of funny moments.  To top it off, the cowboys wear silly customes Three Amigos style.  There are a lot of other bizarre characters
including one that sings "Delilah" (Tom Jones cover).  Oh, and a three minute cameo by Mr. Dennis Fucking Hopper.  Fuck yeah.  I'm adding this to my Western section.

I recommend this to those who love their cult films and even exploitation fans.
Good Friday morning!  I'm writing more than I should.  It's the coffee.  I'm going to stop right....now!

Filmage: The Story of the Descendants/All

 Filmage IMDb

Awesome, awesome documentary about the first pop punk band, the Descendents.  I saw this late last night after a big coffee rush.  What a coincidence that this band sing about love, angst, and coffee?!  They sing about other things as well like fishing and etc.  Didn't know they were from Hermosa Beach, Ca.  I love that place.  I first got introduced to Descendents by my brother Robert back when I was living in L.A.  I was a little kid loving "It's a Hectic World."  I have a lot of respect for them and even more so now after watching this doc.  It covers their beginning, their name transformation to ALL, and troubles.  And also how they influenced a lot of other bands like Green Day and Blink 182.  A lot of interviews here with not only the band members but other well known people in the punk world as well as Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters, Mark from Blink 182, and Mike from NOFX.

Great documentary I would highly recommend to punk fans.  It's a must.  Hell, even if you aren't a fan of punk, this is good as a history piece itself for rock music in general.

Zatoichi and the Fugitives

Zatoichi and the Fugitives IMDb 

Zatoichi, motherfucka!  Put this on late last night on the quest to finally finish my Zatoichi box set.  Man, this was another badass one. It starts with a bloodshed scene.  Literally, Zatoichi strikes
a bully and a bloody fountain erupts.  That was the only blood spraying scene in this movie but there were a lot of other awesome battles.  As with every other Zatoichi film, Zatoichi wanders into another village full of trouble.  This time he is targeted by a group of fugitives who are hiding for a few days.  Zatoichi saves a female servant from a yakuza, kills a random snake, and drinks sake with his enemies.  The usual.  He comes very close in getting killled in this one.  Zatoichi is golden though.

7 more Zatoichi films to see before placing the box set with the rest of my collection.  Fuck yeah!

St. Vincent

 St. Vincent IMDb

Sweet, sweet dramedy we have here.  Some cool charming moments and some dramatic ones.  Bill Murray does his usual mean sarcastic awesome performance except he has a Brooklyn/Irish accent in this one.  And speaking of accents, I was bothered with Naomi Watts's Russian accent. That was one of the few things I didn't like about this movie.  I wasn't into it at first but after 30 minutes in or so, it picked up for me.  Awesome story about a "father figure" teaching some things about life to a young boy.  This "father figure" is one drunken jobless cold son of a bitch but somehow he is recognized as a saint to a pair of young eyes.  That's not a spoiler, after all, the movie is called St. Vincent.   Love the soundtrack too.  

Good recommendation if you're in the mood for a dramedy.  If you can get past Naomi's accent, you'll enjoy it a lot more.

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

End of the Century IMDb 

I'm going to be very bias here.  Wait a minute, this is my movie blog, it's supposed to be bias.  I grew up with two older brothers that are big fans of the Ramones.  It wasn't until I reached my teens when I realized how good they really were and it took over from there.  This documentary shows some of the highlights.  From the beginnings and their rise to fame in the punk rock world.  Would've wanted more details but that wasn't the focus of this doc. I did learn some new things.  Joey Ramone had OCD.  I did not know Phil Spector was at one point their producer.  I got to learn some of the drama.  Enjoyed it.  

Definitely worth watching for you punk rock fans out there. My brother Robert and my niece Stephanie hooked me up with this doc.  Kudos!  Can't wait for the Ramones biopic directed by Martin Scorsese (it might be a while).

The Knights of Badassdom

 Knights of Badassdom IMDb
I, personally, never played Dungeons and Dragons.  I would watch the occasional medieval movie here and there but not a hardcore fan.  I do love Willow, though.  I didn't mind watching this one.  Actually, I enjoyed it.  There were a lot of cheesy moments but enjoyable.  I like the setup, some of the characters, and the plot.  The only thing I hated was the ending scene.  All these guys are supposed to be nerds cosplaying different medieval characters.  Things get twisted and sooner than you can fly, you have demons and dragons.  Spoiler Alert: The ending scene is when our main character all of a sudden shows off his muscular body and performs a metal song in order to destroy the beast.
Nope, didn't like that part.

Kudos on the horror aspect to this.  And Peter Dinklage rules.  Now, this is coming from a guy who is not a hardcore fan of Dungeons and Dragons and etc.  If you are a fan, then this is worth watching.

Time Travel Tuesday: Predestination

Predestination IMDb 

Pretty clever time travel movie.  That's all I have to say about this movie.  Actually,  the less you know,  the better.  The first half was somewhat annoying and it dragged on for a while but that second half though.  Clever twists for a pretty clever time travel movie. Reminded me of one of my favorite time travel movies: Timecrimes. 

Worth checking out for sure.

Rosewater

Rosewater IMDb 

Can you believe Jon Stewart directed this very serious film?  It's based on a true story of an Iranian that was interviewed by the Daily Show and because of that, he was captured and accused of being a spy.  Gael Garcia Bernal, a Mexican, plays that Iranian.  Now that was hard to believe.  He did okay.  I've seen lots of films about imprisonment, terrorists, and torture.  I thought this movie could have been better as a whole.  I couldn't feel for the character.  Such a shame because I really wanted to like it.  There was some good scenes towards the beginning but it felt flat later.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.  A good recommendation would be: Road to Guantanamo.