Movie and Television Reviews
Clash of the Titans
I was very skeptical when I first heard that Clash of the Titans was going to be remade, and the early trailers I saw for it tended to focus more on the CGI than anything else. As it would turn out, I did actually like this movie and found it to be entertaining, but it lacked the heart that made the 1981 film so great.
Hardware
I had never heard of Hardware (1990) before it popped up on the list of new releases a couple of months ago on Netflix. Some of the comments and reviews left behind talked it up like this was some kind of classic science fiction movie that was really hard to find. Since the story concerned a post-apocalyptic setting and killer robots, I had to see this movie.
Pirate Radio
About half an hour into Pirate Radio, I started playing with my BlackBerry and even debated stopping the Blu-ray and putting it back in the slip to send back to Netflix. A half hour more into the movie, it finally started to catch my interest, and the last forty minutes of it managed to redeem the whole thing. I can see why this movie bombed at the box office, but it's still worth sitting through to the end.
Solomon Kane
I was really excited when I first heard about Solomon Kane and then saw the trailer. Unfortunately, it never got picked up for a wide release and I've had to wait until it came available on home video before I could see it. This movie is based on a character created by Robert E. Howard, who was best known for creating Conan the Barbarian.
Nothing but the Truth
Rod Lurie's Nothing but the Truth is an interesting movie about journalism and national security, and it has a basis in the real-life scandal involving Valerie Plame a few years back. I liked the movie to some degree, but I was able to figure out the main twist before it was even halfway over, and that made getting to the end a lot less satisfying.
Taking Chance
Taking Chance is probably one of the most respectful movies I've ever seen made about the military. It stars Kevin Bacon as an officer on escort duty, meaning that he travels with the body of a deceased soldier being sent home for burial. This is based on a true story written by the officer who did the escort duty.
Bones: Season 4
I thought Season 4 of Bones was a mess. In fact, I think Bones has officially jumped the shark with this season. It lacked a season-long plotline and ended up spinning off the character stories in too many different ways that didn't hold my interest. By the time the season was over, it had gotten a little too silly and lost the punch that made it worth watching. I'll probably hold off on watching the next season now.
Dolan's Cadillac
Dolan's Cadillac is a neat little movie starring Christian Slater and Wes Bentley, and it's based on a short story by Stephen King. The original story appeared in a collection called Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which I think I may have read many years ago, but I didn't remember this particular story. It's nothing that will blow you away, but it's worth checking out just for the way it all ends.
Splice
Splice is not a knock-off of Species. I wanted to put that first because many people see the previews and immediately are reminded of the movie Species. This film is far more disturbing on many levels. It is science fiction that relies quite heavily on science and a mix of strong storytelling and realistic characters make it a very engrossing film despite it not having much action.
High Plains Invaders
High Plains Invaders stars James Marsters (Spike from Buffy and Angel) as an outlaw who winds up helping save the survivors of a small mining town from giant alien bugs. It's sort of like a western version of Starship Troopers and is pretty entertaining if you don't think about it too much.
Armored
Armored is a dumb movie with an all-star cast and a really bad message about truth and consequences. It tanked at the box office. The director, Nimrod Antal, is also going to direct the upcoming Predators movie, and after having seen this I am not really looking forward to seeing how bad Predators is going to be.
The Lovely Bones
I told a friend that I didn't care for this movie, and he told me that he'd also seen it and that the story went nowhere. He was absolutely right. This movie goes nowhere and leaves the viewer very unsatisfied. I got what director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) was trying to do with the story, but it did not work.
Green Street Hooligans
This is an interesting and violent movie about a bunch of crazy sports fans. Imagine a mixture of Fight Club and Braveheart, but based around football (soccer) fans in England. It stars Elijah Wood and is from Punisher: War Zone director Lexi Alexander. There had to be at least 200 uses of the F-word in this movie.
Robin Hood
The new Robin Hood movie from director Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe is a misfire. It's a prequel to the Robin Hood story, and therefore mostly devoid of all the staples that make for a good Robin Hood movie. Being that it is set after the Crusades and sort of a revenge story, another name for this one could have been Kingdom of Heaven II: Gladiator.
Where the Wild Things Are
I normally enjoy most of Spike Jonze's work. He's one of the few directors who truly brings originality to what he commits to film and although his movies aren't often so easy to stomach, they are still fun to watch in a ‘scratch your head' kind of way. Being John Malkovich is a good example. That being said, I thought this movie sucked.
H.H. Holmes - America's First Serial Killer
H.H. Holmes is considered America's first serial killer, and very few killers have come close to the evil deeds that this man did in his lifetime. I love to watch horror movies and supernatural thrillers, but it has been years since I had a nightmare. The night after I viewed this hour-long documentary, I woke up twice in the middle of the night because of my awful dreams.
District B13: Ultimatum
This is the sequel to the excellent action movie from France called District B13. This movie takes place shortly after the end of the first one, and features tons of great stunts and fight sequences. Acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Besson (The Professional, Taxi) was a writer on both movies. If you like action movie, you need to see this.
Behind Enemy Lines III: Columbia
For a B-grade action movie, I was pretty impressed with Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. This is the third part of the Behind Enemy Lines series, which began with a theatrical release starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman and now has two direct-to-video sequels. What I liked most about this movie was its reliance on old school action movie techniques instead of a bunch of CGI.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
I once read that if you are making a movie and need an actor who can reliably portray bats--t crazy, you need to go with either Nicolas Cage or Willem Defoe. For Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call New Orleans, director Werner Herzog went with Nicolas Cage. The results are disturbing, so consider yourself warned before you watch this one.
The Strangers
I enjoy horror movies because I find them more funny than scary. When it's a monster movie, I find the monster much cooler than scary, and I like to laugh at the idiotic behavior exhibited by would-be victims in slasher movies. The Strangers is one of those horror movies that almost works, but winds up falling flat because the characters behaved stupidly.
Meet Bill
This stars Aaron Eckhart as a man who decides to reinvent himself. The problem is that he's got a wife who cheats on him, a job he hates, in-laws who hate him, and a business deal that is going to make or break him. Talk about mid-life crisis! This movie is like watching a middle-aged hippie's pornographic fantasy play out on screen.
Paranormal Activity
I really enjoyed Paranormal Activity for two reasons. First, it cost less to produce that what you'd need to buy a new car. Second, it relies on genuine creepiness and clever filmmaking instead of cheap thrills and overdone CGI. This is old school horror, and it worked very well. If you like scary movies, then you need to see this one.
Triangle
Have you ever been watching a movie when suddenly something happens that really catches your attention and draws you in even further? It's like you got hit. You sit up a little straighter and pay better attention from that moment on. Triangle is one of those movies. The first half of it sets things up to be what you think is haunted ship story, then it spins off into a whole new and profound direction.
Red Sands
Red Sands is a pretty entertaining supernatural horror movie about a group of soldiers who encounter an evil spirit in the deserts of Afghanistan. I didn't find the movie to have any kind of underlying political agenda, so it's not a thinly disguised anti-war film or anything like that. Instead, it's just a low budget horror movie with a few cool scenes.
Splinter
Splinter is a fine example of how you can still make a decent monster movie without CGI. Had the creature in this been done with computer animation, I probably would not have sat through the whole thing. Instead, it uses old school techniques to create a taut thriller that never let up on the relentless tension. Definitely check this one out.
The Crazies
The Crazies is a remake of a classic George Romero movie from the 1970's. I've never seen the original, so this review will offer no comparisons. Although it is based on a Romero movie, whose name is synonymous with zombies, this isn't exactly a zombie movie. As far as gory horror movies go, this one is actually quite good. It's extremely dark and violent, too.
Surrogates
I didn't have very high expectations for Surrogates for several reasons. It was a box office bomb that didn't even make back in the U.S. half of what it cost to produce. This was from the director of Terminator 3, which is considered the worst of that series. On top of all that, it is less than 90 minutes long.
Law Abiding Citizen
Law Abiding Citizen is a crazy movie about a man who got screwed over in court after his family was murdered and the killer cut a deal with the district attorney's office. It stars Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, and was a pretty decent hit at the box office. The problem is that if you've seen the trailer, then you've seen the movie.
The Taking of Pelham 123
I have never seen the original Taking of Pelham 123 with Walter Mathau, but I'm going to assume it was way better than this stinker starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington. This was directed by Tony Scott, whose previous effort with Denzel resulted in the modern day masterpiece called Man on Fire. Same writer, too! This box office bomb is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Away We Go
This is a completely awful and boring movie about a bunch of people I couldn't stand to be in the same room with, much less watch a movie about them. It's a hippie road trip movie about an unwed interracial couple who are just a few months away from having their first child. I hated this movie and found not one thing to like about it.
Moon
Moon is a very interesting science fiction movie starring Sam Rockwell as an astronaut reaching the end of a solitary three-year stint working on the surface of the moon. It was directed by Duncan Jones, who just so happens to be the son of singer David Bowie. This movie has been nominated for a wide variety of film awards, and I think die-hard science fiction fans will love its originality.
Public Enemies
Public Enemies is the latest movie from Heat director Michael Mann. This is a gangster movie about John Dillinger and his crew during the height of their crime spree. I thought it was pretty good although it could have been a little shorter. I also thought it tried too hard to make Dillinger look like a good guy when the truth is that several people died because of his actions. I have no sympathy for criminals who point guns at people.
Sniper 3
I remember going to see the original Sniper movie in the theaters back in 1993, but I'm not sure if I ever saw Sniper 2. When I was browsing the online queue on Netflix and came across Sniper 3, I couldn't resist. I was in the mood for an action movie and it clocked in right at 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it's not that great of a movie.
Rome: Season One
I have always been interested in the Romans and was naturally drawn to this show called Rome. The fact that it originally aired on HBO was enough for me to know that it would be totally uncensored, and it sure as hell was. It depicts Rome in all its gratuitously naked, murderously violent, and politically complicated glory. This is a soap opera in togas, and every cast member is excellent in their role.
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