09.18.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday, Film analysis at 12:29 pm by Administrator
This week The Weinstein’s are single handedly going to sell you half of a movie for the full-suggested retail price of your average DVD. I understand that they were foolish enough to release a three hour R rated movie on Easter weekend but in a mad rush to get back a lot of lost money they are splitting up the two films that make up Grindhouse to sell extended cuts of each film separately. This film was made up of two movies, one directed by Robert Rodriguez, titled, Planet Terror, and the other made by Quentin Tarantino, Death Proof. Both movies are an homage to the 70’s exploitation cinema where you could see two terrible movies for the price of one. Fortunately this time around they offered two good movies that made up one great movie-going experience.
What starts to become painfully obvious when watching Death Proof on its own is that without Planet Terror’s over the top excitement this movie cannot really stand on its own two legs. What was once forgivable is now incredibly cringe inducing. Tarantino needs to cut back on the self-referential dialogue. I am tired of him name-dropping movies just so that he can snub his nose at the very audience who paid to see his movie. What really hurts Death Proof is the second set of girls who are loud-mouthed caricatures. You see I was able to look over these faults when I could think of Death Proof as half of one awesome movie. Planet Terror is looked down upon simply because it has more gore and less talk, if you ask me I’d take that over Death Proof’s asinine conversations any day, especially when all of that talk ultimately adds up to nothing.
My recommendation is to wait until the Weinstein’s release both films as they were originally intended to be watched; as one three hour experience where one film compliments the other. After the 90 minutes of bullets and blood I welcomed QT’s far more relaxed pacing and slow build up to the car chase scenes. Now you must sit and wonder why Zoe Bell thinks squinting is acting or how many times one black character can say “bitch
Grindhouse: Death Proof – 2/5
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08.14.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday at 1:24 pm by Administrator
This week we see the release of David Lynch’s three-hour journey into a crack in the wall that he so aptly titled David Lynch’s Inland Empire (Limited Edition Two-Disc Set)
(yes the caps are part of the official title.) While some would love to charge Mr. Lynch with just throwing three hours of abstract craziness at his audience I would argue he is doing nothing of the sort. What you may not recognize right away can develop into a form of understanding the more you allow the film to settle in your mind. The trick is not to be so easily thrown off by some of his outstandingly intuitive visuals. If you think of it was as art-in-motion then you are taking the first step to discovering what’s so beautifully complex about this film. INLAND EMPIRE should not be your first David Lynch film and its a wonderful companion piece to his previous masterpiece Mulholland Dr.. Dare yourself to move beyond comprehension and you may at last discover it.
My second recommendation this week is also another esoteric piece aimed at those who love the grossly underrated technique of random humor. I’m not going to stand here and defend the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD
as a piece of pop art but theirs something alluring about its fearless nature to move pass your expectations and drop unexpected bombs all over you during its slim running time. Watching this film in theaters was a very interesting social psychological experience because everyone found something different to laugh at on screen. Some moments you’d hear one person laugh and it would continue to spread itself out in this manner. ATHF lays it all out there for you and leaves it up to you to pick the bits that you find amusing. Its like a comedy buffet where you choose when to laugh. This is another one that should truly be for fans only but perhaps it’s fitting to see this film and INLAND EMPIRE released in the same week. Theirs something randomly humorous about that, and yet I’m not sure why.
INLAND EMPIRE – 4/5
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD – 3/5
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08.01.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday at 1:59 pm by Administrator
This week one of the biggest films of 2007 does for Blu-ray what the original Matrix did for DVD sales. I have noticed a slight trend to turn on the film, despite how fans rallied behind it during its release, and it’s sad to see that happen because 300 [Blu-ray]
is extravagant spectacle at its best. It’s an experience that remains fully on the surface for its brisk two hour running time. Bringing Frank Millers book to life as perfectly as his last successful adaptation; Sin City. Gerard Butler makes a name for himself as King Leonidas and gets the award for catch phrase of the year.
Now you can enjoy that infamous scene and all the others at home any time you want. Hopefully you’re going to watch this in HD, as it rightfully deserves to be seen. The picture quality is unmatched and it makes watching movies at home exciting again. Plus with the wide screen TV you get a far more adequate theatrical experience without a projector or the sticky floors. I’m sure you’ve seen it so getting this one is a no brainer but do yourself a favor and watch it in Hi-Definition.
This week’s other release is the unofficial non-zombie non-related sequel to Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz (Widescreen Edition)
. I would label this one as a must-see rental for the week. Fans of Shaun will find plenty of laughs and the action movie references are inspired. Its only downfall is its over long running time. Much of the middle of the film could be cut down especially some of the more unnecessary plot twists. Still I can’t harp on the film too much for giving you quite a good number of old’ fashioned belly laughs but after 90 minutes you may be all laughed out with 30 minutes left to go. I can’t wait to see what genre this great team takes on next. Check out my film review section for a more detailed look at this movie. 300 – 4/5 Hot Fuzz – 3/5
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06.26.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday at 2:40 pm by Administrator
This week’s recommendation is an easy one, in fact it’s so easy I don’t have to write too much about it. Just click on the Film Review link on the side and scroll down until you find my review. Black Snake Moan is a little piece of pulp magic with a premise so deliciously absurd it will intoxicate you with its luring eroticism and eye raising racial tension. Samuel L. Jackson has that instant on-screen presence most actors only dream of having. Christina Ricci melts into her role. It may seem exploitive at first but reveals itself to be much more complicated. These two characters will make you uncomfortable in the best way. The only weak link and the reason I didn’t give this film a perfect score is Justin Timberlake, his performance is labored and he manages only to bring the film down every time he’s on screen. Other then that the music is goose-bump inducing and is as important to the film as the actors themselves. All these elements add up to make this one of the most unique film experiences you will ever have.
Rent it, buy it, or just find a way to see it.
4/5.
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06.14.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday, Film Review at 3:21 pm by Administrator
One can’t help but feel that Hollywood is scraping at the bottom of the Marvel comic book barrel when you have films starring C-grade comic book heroes that can somehow still manage to attract A-list actors. Nicolas Cage has created an interesting mythology about his long time love affair with comics and how he tried ever so hard to get to play Superman on the big screen. Alas it was not meant to be so I suppose he settled for Ghost Rider instead and for better or for worse this is how history saw fit to give Nick his life long dream.
Ghost Rider can be easily lumped in with the likes of Daredevil and its no coincidence that they are both directed by Mark Steven Johnson, a director who tries so hard for the epic genius of Batman Begins or Spiderman but it seems that no studio will let him make these movies with any dignity. Instead they force huge stars to fill some awkward boots and lace the film with all the classic clichés you find in some of the worst comic to big screen adaptations. With all of the films flaws there is a glimmer of enjoyment to be had the first being Nick’s over the top performance. The second is the Rider himself who does indeed kick ass every time he is on screen and lastly Eva Mendez in outfits so tight you wonder how they even got her into them in the first place.
Ghost Rider is camp but unfortunately nobody goes to the movies for camp they go for top quality entertainment. Unless you are willing to laugh with the film (and at times at it) then you are just going to sink into your sofa mumbling angrily to yourself that you should’ve spent your time watching something else. I admit to being a comic book to film apologist and it’s hard to truly defend or recommend a very flawed release such as Ghost Rider. The FX are top notch and the action could be enough to get you through this experience as painlessly as possible but for some it will just be another Hollywood turd squeezed out simply to gain profit from a trend that could very well be on its way out the door.
2/5
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05.30.07
Posted in DVD Tuesday at 3:30 pm by Administrator
Two of my favorite films of 2006 are released on the same day. As the great Stimpy would have said, OH JOY! I have been meaning to do a DVD recommendation section, as seems to be the trend these days, but their hasn’t been anything really worth mentioning for quite some time. At last month or two drought of quality titles comes to screeching halt with two films that are already preordained classics. Two hands-down masterpieces that will stand the test of time and have already culminated a cult following that will only grow substantially over time.
Guerrmo Del Toro is from the Peter Jackson School of filmmaking. He is one of those rare talents who can elevate a Hollywood blockbuster from your typical action drivel to a film you don’t have to be ashamed to enjoy. He can easily direct Blade II or Hellboy and give you the most exhilarating action but at the same time he mixes it with reverence for the material and characters that are three dimensional and richly layered. He has also done some smaller films that prove he can tackle those just as brilliantly as the bigger films.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” is the story of a young girl who travels with her pregnant mother to live with her mother’s new husband in a rural area up North in Spain, 1944, after Franco’s victory. The girl lives in an imaginary world of her own creation and faces the real world with much chagrin. Fascist repression during the first years of Franco’s dictatorship is at its height in rural Spain and the girl must come to terms with that through a fable of her own. Written by Ben McIntosh
Pans Labyrinth comes from this other half of his brain and serves as a great double feature with his previous film The Devil’s Backbone. Both films share the same time period and themes and where they differ from his better-known efforts. Hellboy and Blade II are films that are heavy on the fantasy but his smaller ones are actually far more heavy on the human drama and very light on the fantasy aspects. That is where Pans Labyrinth succeeds and becomes far more than just another re-telling of Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz. The only flaw is that you may want a little more of the fantasy world then Guerrmo gives you but that should be considered a testament to how well he sprinkles the film with those elements without saturating the film with it.
Next up is Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain; the long awaited follow up to his eerily brilliant sophomore release Requiem for a Dream. The Fountain is a film that shoots for the stars, literally. Aronofsky so early in his directing career wants to hit the height of films such as 2001 A Space Odyssey or Solaris (1972). The film is an existential meditation on death and the possibility of eternal life. This film is smart, perhaps too smart since it was mostly ignored when released in theaters last year.
The fountain tells the story of a doctor who is trying to find a cure to save his dying wife. His struggle of dealing with her death will serve as a parallel to the films other two universes. One has our hero trekking through space, traveling on a rock with the tree of life, seeking out a dying star. The other takes place in the past as a conquistador seeks out the tree of life for his Queen. These three stories converge into a meditation on all of life’s greatest questions. Aronofsky sheds all of his previous techniques and tells this story from a fresh new perspective. Gone are the rhythmic editing jumps from Requiem and instead he paces himself giving way to subtlety and allowing the beauty of the film to lay before you giving you time to think. This film is not for those with short attention spans and it’s certainly not for anyone who is easily confused by abstract images.
The Fountain: 5/5
Pans Labyrinth: 4/5
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Posted in DVD Tuesday at 3:05 pm by Administrator
Just released on DVD today is the second best comedy of 2006, Borat. A film where a foreigner comes to America to learn all of our great customs and traditions so he can bring them back to his country of Kazakhstan, where they too can hopefully learn to be as civilized as us. Unfortunately what he learns isn’t all that positive and hopefully that reveals to us quite a bit on how we are truly seen by other countries.
The beauty of the film is that it educates and entertains all at the same time. The film is very straightforward and quite simple. Borat’s ignorance of things such as sexism and racism may shock us but the things he learns from us should also be quite shocking. It’s a give or take and theirs just as many positives as there are negatives. You have to love everything about America even the aspects that aren’t all that charming. Without it we wouldn’t be so wonderfully hilarious. This film is about being able to laugh at yourself and that is the most important thing about this world. Life isn’t getting any better but if you can laugh the horrors away then perhaps we can last just a little longer in this universe.
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