Nightcrawler (2014)

Nightcrawler IMDb

Woke up this Halloweeen morning to this psychothic drama.  It was the closing film at Fantastic Fest this year but I missed it due to work.  I thought it was okay.  I was wanting something else.  It's psychotic, alright.  It gets pretty damn crazy towards the end.  But, it didn't do it for me and I usually like these types of movies.  Maybe it has something do with my work.  I cover crime scene stuff and see some crazy shit every once in a while with work.  The story here didn't feel too authentic.  Then again, I'm not a freelancer in Los Angeles driving around looking for crazy shit to videotape.  So the story was entertaining for what it was but nothing special that left me satisfied.  Jake Gyllehaal plays one mean heartless bastard.  Kudos for that.

Man, when a movie kind of leaves me not fully satisfied, I tend to write less.  If a movie blows my mind away, I usually can't stop writing about it.  I'm done.  Happy Halloween!!!!!

Room 237

Room 237 IMDb

I been wanting to do this documentary paired as a double feature with The Shining for a long time.  Well, since Fantastic Fest 2012.  Today, the opportunity came.  Woke up this Halloween's Eve morning with hot tea (it's been a while since I had hot tea) and experienced this mystery.  I heard a lot of bad shit about Room 237 and I can see why.  Most of the things presented here are just pure coincidences, I think. Some people take them very seriously.  I, personally, feel that some of the stuff are just interpretations.  I don't think Kubrick had a lot of secrets up his sleeve.  There are some stuff on here that I do find interesting and I do believe Kubrick was saying something.  But, majority of it are just b.s.  We're all humans and we make mistakes.  Some stuff on here are movie mistakes like certain continuity errors.  The people narrating this, which we never see who they are, are just fanatics over analyzing things.  That's just my opinion.  Now this was okay if you're a fan of the movie.  I enjoyed some of what these people tried to explain.   It is entertaining.  The Shining experience with forwards and backwards part was interesting.  I believe Kubrick didn't do that intentionally.  It is the same notion as playing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon with The Wizard of Oz.  There's a cut out there, and it played at Fantastic Fest in 2012, where the movie screens forward normally with a cross dissolve the whole way playing backwards. It shows how most scenes reveal lots of mysteries.  I would love to see that version one day.  

I would only recommend this to fans of the movie just for entertainment purposes.  Nothing to take seriously.  Not a documentary to buy.

Watching The Shining again after this documentary was awesome.  Fucking Classic!

John Wick (2014)

John Wick IMDb

How can an action packed revenge flick go wrong?  Well, there are some out there that kind of do but this movie here delivers the action b-movie goods.  It's almost comic book like.  It was a hit at this year's Fantastic Fest but I knew it was going to come out in the theatre so I decided to skip it there and see something else that I'll probably never get to see on the big screen.  Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, an ex hitman who is mourning his wife.  He gets one last gift from her: a precious dog.

Well, some assholes invade his house to steal his car and they end up killing his dog. 

That's it.  They mess with the wrong dude.  Coincidentally, these assholes belong to a Russian Mob that John Wick used to work for.  It's an all out bullet fest from here on out.  Those were my favorite moments:  all the smooth but hard gunshots to the face

of everyone standing in his way.  It gets a little weak towards the end there but I can't expect a big masterpiece for this kind of movie.  Awesome late night action flick.  Kudos for the awesome new Marilyn Manson track on here. 

Recommended for a good action night.  Not a priority to buy unless there's a special packaging for it.

Crave

Crave IMDb

This indie thriller wasn't good.  It had potential but the performances ruined it and the story became too predictable.  I did like some of the violent scenes here.  This was shown at Fantastic Fest two years ago.  It was on Netflix so I figured why not.  I'm planning on seeing Nightcrawler at the end of the week.  So I wanted to start this week with another movie about a crime scene photographer.  I didn't like the ending to this.  Edward Furlong and Ron Perlman are on here.  They were okay.
I guess I was wanting more out of a psychotic vigilante story.

Not recommended!  Let's move on.

Birdman (2014)

Birdman IMDb

I Am Birdman!  No, that's not a quote from this movie but it's something I been saying out loud since watching this trippy insane drama.  This was one of my most anticipated movies this year and I'm proud to have seen it at the Alamo Drafthouse. It has a similar vibe and tone as the movie, "Black Swan."  Instead of Natalie Portman and her psychological issues, it's Michael fucking Keaton and his crazy psychological issues.  Keaton delivers an awesome performance.  I think everybody else did as well.  It's a serious movie dealing with serious issues but with a touch of comedy in there as well.  I love the way they shot this.  It was shot as if it were all done in one long continuous take.  Almost like a play itself.  Awesome experience all the way through.  Now, the ending was a trip and it's one of those that are left for interpretation.  This is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu (director of Amores Perros, 21 Grams).  Keaton plays a washed up actor trying to make a comeback by writing, directing and starring in a play in Broadway.  He's known only for a superhero character he played 20 years ago:  Birdman!  He has to fight his personal demons throughout the whole thing.  Fucking great.

Worth watching and worth buying.  Now knowing what happens, I can't wait to watch this movie again for another trippy awesome experience.

Robot Friday: Hardware

 Hardware IMDb

This robot movie was pretty cool.  It's a little different, which I love.  It takes place in a post apocalyptic world.  Someone finds a robot arm and a head.  This other person takes the head to his girlfriend who does sculptures.  Little do they know that this robot head is a certain prototype that has the ability to rebuild itself.  So let the nightmare begin.  It mostly takes place at the girlfriend's apartment.  It's a fight for survival with some cheesy moments here and there.  I enjoyed it as a late night movie.  

I wouldn't necessarily buy it unless I ever start a Robot section.  Good to check out, though.

Neighbors (2014)

 Neighbors IMDb

This was pretty funny especially the setup and the first half.  The second half kinda got old.  Cool stoner moments, though.  Love the Batman comparison debate and the Robert DeNiro theme party.  Seth Rogan is pretty much Seth Rogan. That Zac Efron guy is, well, I've never seen anything he's done before but he plays good as a fraternity brainless leader. I think this is okay to see just one time.  Nothing special.

I am a little too drunk to write some more so I'll just call it a night and pass out.  Good fight and good night.