Movie Review Thread

[Mitch Henessey]

The Frozen Ground (2013)

Spoilers........

In 1983, Sergeant Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage) leads an investigation in Anchorage, Alaska to catch a merciless serial killer. The killer targets young women and prostitutes by luring them to his home with money. Here, the killer beats, tortures, and rapes his victims. To fulfill his sadistic blood lust, the killer forces his broken victims into the wilderness for a hunting game with no realistic chances of escape.

Sergeant Halcombe is stuck on a dead end road, until a young Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) changes everything. At the age of seventeen, Cindy is a runaway, who works as a prostitute, but Cindy refuses a polygraph, and Cindy is terrified at the thought of testifying in court. Halcombe reopens closed cases for murders linked to the killer, and Halcombe’s research leads him to one man. Robert (or “Bob”) Hansen (John Cusack) is the prime suspect, but Hansen is a respected and popular member of the community. Hansen is a married man with two children, and he’s the owner/manager of a local bakery, so Halcombe’s going to have a tough time trying to convince his peers of Hansen living a double-life as a cold-blooded killer.

Cindy is stuck in the clutches of her pimp, Clate (50 Cent), and with two weeks left in his tenure as Sergeant, Halcombe races against the clock to put Hansen behind bars. Holcombe promised his wife, Allie (Radha Mitchell) a new life after quitting the force, but after his conscience kicks in, Halcombe refuses to leave the case unsolved.

Hansen will do anything to stop Cindy from talking, and Halcombe runs into some trouble for acquiring the essential search warrant from the District Attorney, Pat Clives (Kurt Fuller). Meanwhile, Cindy descends into a downward spiral of drug abuse, and misery at her new job as a stripper. Will Halcombe catch Hansen before it’s too late?

Nicolas Cage leads the way for this cast with a solid and convincing performance in the leading role. Hudgens deserves a lot of credit for a strong effort as Cindy. Embracing Cindy’s trashy look and persona helped, and Hudgens was able to show some believable welded tears. 50 Cent? Yeah, I can’t say too much about him. His character is the stereotypical street pimp, and that’s about it. And Mitchell doesn’t receive a significant amount of screen time, just a few sporadic appearances here and there, that’s it. Cusack is menacing, as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He showcased his versatility with the portrayal of a seemingly innocnet father and husband, and Cusack smoothly switches gears to the callous murderer in the blink of an eye.

Hard to pick out a true “moment” in The Frozen Ground, but if I had to go with one, I would choose the scene where Cindy finally confronts Robert after the rape. We’re in the final moments of the movie, and Halcombe has Hansen backed into a corner, but Cindy is the clincher. Hansen is forced to endure INTENSE pressure during the interrogations……and Cindy walks through the door . Cindy wanted to prove she wasn’t afraid of Hansen anymore, and the sight of Cindy enraged Hansen. During a nasty tirade, Hansen was disgusted at himself for letting Cindy slip through his fingers, and after Hansen’s outburst, Halcombe finally had the (unintentional) testimony he was looking for.

There was a sense of relief during this scene, because The Frozen Ground constantly teased the possibility of Hansen escaping without any problems towards the end. Hansen thought he was brilliant. He was confident he would walk as a free man with no problems, so watching this despicable lowlife crumble under his own diabolical ego provided the highlight for rewarding moments in The Frozen Ground. Hansen’s lawyer has this shocked look on his face, everyone in the room is speechless, and Cindy refuses to break eye contact with Hansen. You can feel the tension, and it’s almost impossible to ignore the disturbed mood in this scene.

I didn’t have a big problem with The Frozen Ground, but I can’t ignore the truth: The Frozen Ground is another generic and formulaic murder mystery/drama film based on true events. You can see every twist and turn coming from a mile away, and they slowly go through the motions step by step until the credits start rolling. At times, The Frozen Ground is a laborious chore to sit through, and the one hour and forty five minutes runtime feels like a LONG three hours, because I can’t count the number of times I checked the clock with an exasperated “Is it over yet?” look.

Still, I won’t go with a negative score. The Frozen Ground is harmless, and more importantly, without a strong and admirable effort from Hudgens, and two solid performances from the veterans (Cage and Cusack), The Frozen Ground could’ve been a lot worse.

Rating: 5/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I, Frankenstein (2014)

Spoilers........


Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Aden Young) creates a monster (Aaron Eckhart) in the 1700’s. Eventually, Dr. Frankenstein rejects his creation, and he tries to destroy the abomination, but the monster survives. The monster returns to Dr. Frankenstein’s home to murder his wife, Elizabeth (Virginie Le Brun). Dr. Frankenstein pursues his creation, but Frankenstein freezes to death in a snowstorm during his quest for vengeance.

Out of respect, the creature tries to bury Dr. Frankenstein, but the creature is forced to fight of an attack from an invading group of demons. The demons try to capture the creature for the demon prince, Naberius, because Naberius is obsessed with the creature and Dr. Frankenstein’s journal. But two gargoyle warriors named Keziah (Caitlin Stasey) and Ophir (Mahesh Jadu) rescue the creature.

Keziah and Ophir force the creature into a meeting with the gargoyle queen, Leonore (Miranda Otto), and the commander of the gargoyle army, Gideon (Jai Courtney). Leonore explains the detailed history of the hidden war between gargoyles and demons. Gargoyles are the protectors of earth, and Leonore offers the creature a spot in the gargoyle army to help in the fight against Naberius and his minions. He refuses the offer, but Leonore humanizes the creature with a name: Adam. Adam takes a set of gargoyle weapons for protection from demons during his journey for desolate land, and Adam wanders the earth for centuries, fighting off Naberius‘ forces to develop his skills as a warrior.

In the modern world, Adam is still a loner, who dedicates his life to fighting and eliminating demons. Naberius disguises himself as Charles Wessex (Bill Nighy), a wealthy businessman, who’s obsessed with reanimating corpses. Wessex uses his top scientist, Terra (Yvonne Strahovski) to follow in Dr. Frankenstein’s footsteps, but Naberius needs Adam and Dr. Frankenstein’s journal for the final steps in his master plan.

Adam and Dr. Frankenstein’s journal are the blueprints for Naberius’ plans of world domination, and Adam needs to fix his broken relationship with Leonore and the gargoyle order to fight off Naberius’ forces, including Zuriel (Socratis Otto) and Dekar (Kevin Grevioux). But Adam’s obsession with Dr. Frankenstein’s journal forces Leonore to make a tough decision…….

What happened to Aaron Eckhart’s promising career? This one question constantly pops up across the internet year after year, and it’s almost impossible to ignore the outcries for Eckhart’s mediocre run over the past couple of years. Why? For some strange reason, a lot of people believed in the possibility of a future full of Oscars and major leading roles for Eckhart.

Of course, Eckhart’s role as Two-Face/Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight sparked all the hoopla for Eckhart’s future. At best, Eckhart is a decent supporting player. He was lucky enough to land a role in one of the most praised and celebrated superhero films of the past twenty years, and that’s it. Eckhart was the leading man in Battle Los Angeles, and I enjoyed the movie, but Eckhart doesn’t deserve too much credit for his work in the leading role, because Battle LA was a spectacle of flashy and intense battle scenes.

Need more proof? Eckhart is not a draw, because I, Frankenstein flopped with a debut at #6 in the top ten box office standings. AND on top of that, you won’t see the best performance from Eckhart here. In the acting department, Miranda Otto and Bill Nighy carry this film (especially Otto) on their backs, and Yvonne Strahovski upstages Eckhart, especially during their scenes together. Eckhart’s performance is limited to tough guy stares, snarls, and a slow, raspy style of speech.

Eckhart is not on a fast track to stardom, so his supporters need to put a lid on all the “Hollywood is dropping the ball, because Eckhart is destined for greatness!” talk. Can’t think of too many reasons for individual recognition for the rest of the cast. Courtney and others all fall into the category of one-dimensional enforcer drones, with stilted lines of dialogue.

So Naberius needs Adam and Frankenstein’s journal. Why? Well, in order for Naberius to complete his plans for world domination, he needs vessels for trapped demon souls in hell. Long story short, after their deaths, demon souls descend into hell. On the flip side, gargoyle souls ascend into heaven. Anyway, for years, Naberius (as Wessex) used all of his money, time, resources, and Terra to perfect the reanimation process, but Naberius needs a firsthand “How to do” manual from the only man in history, who succeeded.

With Frankenstein’s journal or Adam’s body (Naberius doesn’t need both), Naberius plans to use reanimated corpses stored in an underground lair as vessels for returning demon souls. With a larger army of demons, Naberius can kill off the vast majority of the human race, and enslave the remaining human population.

Of course, Adam rejoins Leonore for the big battle against Naberius at the end. Adam overcomes the seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat Naberius, and Leonore orders her gargoyle clan to destroy all the corpses in Naberius’ lair. Leonore (in her gargoyle form) rescues Adam and Terra from Naberius’ crumbling building, and to close out the movie, Adam finally accepts his role as a warrior in the fight against the demons.

Eh, okay. A few problems here. First, the “big showdown” between Naberius and Adam is underwhelming. Second, why is Adam helping Leonore again? Before the invasion at the demon headquarters, Leonore ordered a hit on Adam. Gideon was supposed to kill Adam and collect Frankenstein’s journal. Adam is obsessed with the journal, because it’s the blueprint for his life, and the journal could give him the answers he’s looking for, so he refuses a direct order to hand over the journal to Leonore. But Adam turns the tables on Gideon during their fight, and Adam kills Gideon.

Also, what happened to the love story between Terra and Adam? Adam risked his life to save Terra after Naberius’ goons kidnapped her, and I, Frankenstein leads us in the direction of a developing love story between the two, because Terra could be Adam’s only companion on earth. But after Leonore saves Adam and Terra, I, Frankenstein completely abandons the love story without a follow up explanation? Ugh.

Looks play an important part in believability. Eckhart’s look doesn’t scream intimidating lethal bad ass, who can destroy anything in his path. In reality, Eckhart looks like a dirty bum. Seriously, who had the bright idea to dress Frankenstein’s monster in a trench coat, fitted jeans, and a hoodie? And the scars across Adam’s body don’t help the problem.

I, Frankenstein is trying to mimic the Underworld films? It’s almost impossible to ignore the similarities. The rogue outsider (Selene), who’s caught in the middle of a deadly blood feud between two races (the vampires and the werewolves), who hate each other? Yep. You’ll see a few familiar faces from the Underworld franchise with Bill Nighy and Kevin Grevioux, and you have Underworld producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi returning for producer credits in I, Frankenstein. Yeah, if they were trying to create a gargoyles VS demons alternative to Underworld, they failed miserably, and there‘s no way to sugar-coat it.

It’s a shame, because I, Frankenstein had a nice story to build on for future films, but it’s a misfire on so many levels. The list of problems include poor execution, too much unintentional hilarity, terrible CGI, an overall mediocre cast, and an anticlimactic final battle. And if you’re looking for a decent amount of guilty pleasure fun, you should find another movie, because I, Frankenstein will disappoint you. I’ll give I, Frankenstein some credit for cool 3D effects, and the fight between Gideon and Adam is fun to watch, but that’s it.

Without the snazzy 3D effects, I wouldn’t hesitate to go with a lower score. Unfortunately, I Frankenstein is not the one film that can breathe life into or provide a refreshing take on Frankenstein’s story. I, Frankenstein is not worth the price of a theater ticket. Just wait for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases for a rental, or you can wait for I, Frankenstein’s inevitable two or four pack (a pairing with Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing sounds like an ideal release for the two pack) DVD releases. Or you can wait for the non stop marathons on FX or TNT next year, but don’t waste a trip to the theater on I, Frankenstein.

Rating: 2/10

 

[nightmare]

I'll probably start doing these more because I have a bit of free time. I have been on a somewhat retro kick lately so I am going to start with one of the films I grew up watching:

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988)

Yup, that's right. I said return as in they're back. This is the second & in my opinion the best of the series. Two more followed this and were so terrible all copies should be burned. I did not mind the first movie so much but it seemed to be lacking a certain charm that this movie has. This sequel is simple. Tomatoes are bad. The story from the first film carries over & the world has banned tomatoes in fear they will rise again. Confused? You should be. Here is the plot for the first movie to catch you up to speed.



From IMDB: "After a wave of reports of mysterious attacks involving people and pets being eaten by the traditionally docile fruit, a special government task force is set up to investigate the violent veggies and put a stop to their murderous spree."



Obviously the silliest of silly movie plots, but that is what they were aiming for. Now 'Return' is set after the Great Tomato War in a world where kids have grown to fear the fruit & have never known a pizza or noodle that has touched a tomato sauce. (quite depressing really) The hero of the first movie has opened Finletter's Pizza. A wonderful place that serves the worst pizza imaginable. Along with traditional pepperoni, etc.- Peanut butter, jam, gummy bears & coconut are on the list of toppings due to the fact that tomatoes have been outlawed.


Professor Gangreen played by John Astin is working away in his secret lab attempting to turn tomatoes into humans for the next great tomato uprising. He is teamed with a giant blonde newscaster & a sexy housewife (who knows 637 different sexual positions)- both of which are actually tomatoes. Chad Finletter - played by Anthony Starke- is the basic hero here & is the nephew of the original hero. He works as a delivery boy for his uncle's pizza place & falls in love with Tara- the tomato girl. Smoking hot by the way. When Tara escapes the professor Chad takes her in & begins to suspect things are a bit off with her. The movie follows Chad on his journey of the truth behind Gangreen & Tara. There is really no more to it than that.




It is a pointless plot\story, but the reason the movie has charm is the cheesy jokes & eventual product placement scenes. It is full of late 80's humor that you come to expect from these type of films. That is where the fun is at & the whole reason to watch. These movies were never made to be taken seriously & even in the film itself there are scenes that break the 4th wall to prove it. The movie uses 'attack' footage from the first movie throughout this one, as kind of a running joke. Giant tomatoes are replaced in this film by Rambo-esque carpenters\gardeners who are really tomato men grown in preparation for the uprising by the Professor. Again- cheesy. There is a little furry tomato reject that is kind of like a pet & eventually helps save the day in sorts. Other than that- the movie is just more about the jokes than the tomatoes.



The saving grace? George Clooney. That's right- the George Clooney. One of his first roles & he is just as charming as always. Who knew he would go on to be a huge star-especially when films like these tend to kill any career. Although there are a few films from this time that boast some stars who go on to make it big (ex- Depp in Nightmare on Elm St.), for the most part they are a black hole for upstart actors.



I like this film based on nostalgia alone. You know what you are getting going into it so you cannot expect too much & that makes it fun. If you have a bit of time to kill I would recommend giving it a shot for a few laughs. By no means is it the best from the time, but it has its place among some of the better comedies from the late 80's.

Verdict:

Fun Factor: Thumbs up

Plot\Story: Thumbs down

​

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Trailer Park Of Terror (2008)

Spoilers.....

Norma (Nichole Hiltz) is tired of living a dead end life at her trailer park, and Norma’s new boyfriend, Aaron (Brock Cuchna) is the only ray of sunshine in her life. Aaron tries to fight off a pack of Norma’s fellow residents during a heated confrontation, but Aaron loses the fight and his life.

A distraught Norma wanders the back roads for a break. During Norma’s stroll, The Man (Trace Adkins), a mysterious stranger, offers Norma an ancient shotgun for the solution to her problems. Norma is reluctant to accept at first, but Norma’s obsession for revenge on everyone at the trailer park, who ruined her life takes over, and Norma accepts The Man’s gift.

Norma returns to the trailer park, and she uses the shotgun to murder everyone in her path. Norma annihilates every living member of the trailer park, and Norma uses propane tanks and a lit cigarette to commit suicide after the massacre. Norma and her victims disappear from the living world without a trace. As the years passed, the abandoned trailer park failed to attract any new residents, and Norma never had a shot at her chance for a fresh start.

One night, a group of troubled teens from Vertical Trinity Ministries are stuck on the road during a fierce rainstorm. Pastor Lewis (Matthew Del Negro) is responsible for watching over and protecting Bridget (Jeanette Brox), Alex (Ryan Carnes), Tiffany (Stefanie Black), Michael (Ricky Mabe), Jason (Cody McMains), and Amber (Hayley Marie Norman).

The bus trip is cut short, when Pastor Lewis crashes into a parked truck. The group is seeking shelter from the rainstorm, so they follow a sign to Norma’s abandoned trailer park, but there’s one big problem: Norma and everyone at the trailer park are lurking in the shadows. Norma offers the group ice tea as a warm gesture of hospitality, and the group unknowingly walks into a death trap.

As their zombie leader, Norma commands and controls the zombified residents of the trailer park, and Norma devises a plan to kill every member of Vertical Trinity Ministries, because Norma and her zombie followers need fresh meat………

Nichole Hiltz delivers the best performance in this cast, and it’s not even close. Hiltz is head and shoulders above everyone else, as the sassy trailer park “queen” with a dark sense of humor. Jeanette Brox’s Bridget is a distant second, and it’s not fair to judge Trace Adkins as The Man, because his screen time is limited to two appearances here. And if I had to take a guess, you could say The Man is some kind of demonic figure, or another version of the devil, who made a deal with Norma for immortality.

Clichéd characters? Yep. You’ll see plenty of them in Trailer Park Of Terror. Bridget is the angry goth kid with a chip on her shoulder. Alex is the cool rebel in the group, and he’s a bully, and Michael is the geek. And there’s no way around this, but Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with redneck and hillbilly stereotypes (everyone in Norma’s trailer park).

So when you weigh all the negatives and positives, Pastor Lewis and Bridget are the only two likeable characters in the group. It’s weird, because you’re supposed to have positive feelings for EVERYONE in the group. After all, the kids at Vertical Trinity Ministries are troubled souls looking for a second chance. Jason is addicted to porn, Tiffany is fighting an addiction to drugs, Amber and Alex are rebellious punks, and Michael is trying to find himself. For the most part (Tiffany, Michael, and Bridget are the exceptions), the kids from Vertical Trinity are portrayed as unlikable and whiny brats, who wouldn’t hesitate to spit in Pastor Lewis’ face, so it’s hard to sit back and say “I feel bad for you!” most of the time.

So who’s the sole survivor? Well, if you guessed Bridget, you’re right! Norma and her zombie crew murdered the vast majority of the Vertical Trinity Ministries group (including Pastor Lewis) for food. Unfortunately, Michael was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A speeding car hit a caged Michael, so he didn’t have a chance.

But Norma made a surprising decision to spare Bridget at the end. Bridget is all alone, and she’s surrounded by Norma and her crew. Bridget welcomed death, because she was tired of fighting and running. In the morning, Bridget wakes up in the middle of the road near Norma’s trailer park with Norma’s brand on one of her arms (it’s the letter “N” in red), and a motorist helps Bridget with a ride to the nearest hospital.

Honestly, I was 100% sold on Bridget’s inevitable demise, but Norma’s last second change of heart was a nice surprise. Norma was looking in a mirror, when she made the choice to spare Bridget. She could see the same troubled girl, who was looking for another chance to get her life on the right track, and a generous Norma made the decision to give Bridget the second chance she never had.

After all, Norma had to endure a lot of taunting for being a promiscuous woman, and she witnessed her mother’s death. Norma’s mother was forced into a sleazy porn film with the town sheriff (Sheriff Keys), and when she tried to walk away from a promised performance, Sheriff Keys murdered her with a shot to the back of the head.

Is Trailer Park Of Terror perfect? Nope. Not by a long shot, but I still enjoyed this one. Trailer Park Of Terror is trashy, mindless fun, and this one never hides its identity as a guilty pleasure. Trailer Park Of Terror is loaded with gruesome and disgusting gore, you’ll see more than enough cringeowrthy (Miss China’s deadly massages, Alex’s death via a deep fryer during a human beef jerky preparation process, Norma beheading Pastor Lewis during intercourse, etc.) moments, and Trailer Park Of Terror’s campy and ludicrous style of humor pulled a few laughs out of me. And for what it’s worth, the production values and special effects are surprisingly good (i.e. the scene, where Norma re-attaches her human face to hide her zombie face) for a straight-to-video film.

I’ll warn you, if you take this film too seriously there’s a good chance you’ll hate Trailer Park Of Terror with a burning white hot passion. You’ll question the logic behind a solo rock concert on top of a trailer during a chase scene, and watching the reconstruction of a dismembered zombie using duct tape will raise too many questions. If you plan on watching Trailer Park Of Terror, leave your thinking caps in another room to avoid a miserable viewing experience.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Devil's Due (2014)

Spoilers.....

Zach (Zach Gilford) and Samantha McCall (Allison Miller) are two newlyweds, and they’re on their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. One night, Zach and Samantha take a wrong turn during the trip back to the hotel room, and they’re lost in the streets until a cab driver shows up. Zach and Samantha want to go to the hotel room, but the cab driver takes a detour to an underground club. At first, Samantha refuses, but Zach convinces Samantha to go to the club, because Zach wants a memorable send-off for the honeymoon. At the club, Samantha and Zach pass out after too many drinks. In the morning, Zach and Samantha awake in their hotel room with no memory of what happened after the night at the club, but Samantha remembers an awkward encounter and the foreboding warning from a fortune teller.

Back in the US, Samantha and Zach prepare to start their lives together as a happily married couple, but Samantha’s unexpected pregnancy changes everything. Samantha is unnerved by the pregnancy, because she regularly uses birth control pills as a deterrent. Eventually, Samantha accepts the arrival of her first child. Zach is excited about building a nursery, and his new role as a father, and together, Zach and Samantha announce Samantha’s pregnancy to a group of family and friends.

During the countdown to Samantha’s delivery date, the pregnancy takes series of bizarre turns. Samantha’s erratic behavior raises some serious questions, and Samantha can’t fight cravings for raw meat. Zach notices Samantha’s odd changes, random strangers watching the house, and Zach suspects something fishy in the old abandoned house down the street.

Samantha’s due date is weeks away, and Samantha secretly carves a large symbol into the floor of the nursery. Zach tries to solve the mystery of Samantha’s descent into madness, and his investigation leads him to one troubling question: Is Samantha carrying the spawn of Satan?

Allison Miller delivers the best performance, but it‘s a default choice. Miller deserves credit for some believable temper tantrums, and creepy stares. There’s a scene, where Zach is recording Samantha while she’s sleeping. Samantha suddenly wakes up out of nowhere, and she squeezes Zach’s arm with this emotionless look on her face, but I have to give an assist to the CGI for Samantha’s eyes. The rest of the cast ranges from tolerable to mediocre, and Gilford is annoying at times.

Remember the cab driver from the Dominican Republic? Well, he’s apart of a secret satanic cult. He lured Zach and Samantha to the club, and when they passed out from too much alcohol, more cult members prepared Samantha for a ritual in a secret chamber.

And the cult members are using the old abandoned house down the street as a hideout to monitor Samantha’s every move with hidden cameras. Zach uses a hidden camera and microphone to expose the cult, but he left Samantha alone with his sister during the mission.

A possessed Samantha murders Zach’s sister. Zach tries to save Samantha, but Samantha uses her powers to stop him. An incapacitated Zach is helpless to save Samantha. Samantha uses a magical tool to cut open her stomach. Samantha dies from the wound, but the doctor from the cult returns to retrieve the glowing baby with some help from the cab driver.

After the massacre, Zach is sitting in a police station, and he’s trying to point fingers at the cult, because he’s the prime suspect for Samantha’s murder and his sister’s murder. The police aren’t buying his story, because they can’t find any traces of the cult at the abandoned house. And Samantha‘s new doctor can‘t verify Zach‘s story, because he mysteriously disappeared. Long story short, Samantha’s original doctor vanished out of nowhere, and a new doctor took over. They don’t come out and say it, but you have to assume the new doctor is working for the cult.

To end the movie, the story shifts to another newlywed couple on their honeymoon. They’re in Paris, and they’re lost until the Dominican cab driver shows up. He talks with a French accent this time around, and the couple wants to go to their hotel room (any of this sound familiar?). But the cab driver promises a wild night of fun, so the couple agrees to a detour for another club.

A strong finale for Devil’s Due. You knew there was a good chance Samantha wouldn’t make it to the end, but the hellacious carnage during the finale is amazing. Splatters of blood throughout the nursery, the gruesome sight of Samantha cutting herself, and the death of Zach’s sister. To give you a visual for the death of Zach’s sister, she walks into the nursery, and she’s trying to stop Samantha. Samantha is putting the finishing touches on the carving for the satanic symbol, and Zach’s sister tries to snatch the carving tool out of her hand. Big mistake. Samantha uses her powers to push Zach’s sister through the door, and you can see the door crash into the wall from the POV of a hidden camera.

The stupidity in Devil’s Due? Oy vey. Why, WHY would you trust a random cab driver? On top of that, this guy takes you to an underground club in a bad neighborhood, and you STILL ignore the warning signs? Seriously? And speaking of warning sings, Zach ignores Samantha’s weird pupils, and her violent mood swings (i.e. the scene in the trailers, where Samantha smashes the car windows with her bare hands)?

On top of that, Zach waits until it’s too late to do something about Samantha. Yeah, you have a bunch of creepy strangers watching your house 24/7, and you wait until the end to call the police? To make matters worse, you leave your sister alone with a psychotic Samantha? Unbelievable.

Devil’s Due is loaded with problems, with stupidity from the main characters as the number one problem. Still, Devil’s Due is a passable found-footage horror film, if you’re trying to kill some time. The pulse-pounding finale is full of blood, carnage, and it’s fun to watch the chaos unfold step by step. You’ll see a few good jump scares here, and the nasty stuff never reaches the overkill point. The restrained approach works, because the cringeworthy stuff (the priest’s bloody nose, Samantha’s unnatural bulges from the baby’s kicks, etc.) is capable of pulling a reaction out of you every now and then, and that‘s enough.

Plus, there’s a freaky scene, where Samantha uses her demonic powers to eliminate a group of teens in the woods during a feeding (live animals) frenzy. The obligatory home movies phase is frustrating and boring, and Devil’s Due stumbles out of the gate, but the pace picks up, as Samantha succumbs to her newfound evil powers.

Oh, and it’s almost impossible to ignore the similarities to Rosemary’s Baby here. In fact, Devil’s Due feels like a quasi remake for Rosemary’s Baby with a found-footage POV. Avoiding a remake or a “loose remake” approach and tagline is a smart move, because Rosemary’s Baby is worshiped as a great horror classic, and hardcore horror fans would trash this film with venomous hatred. I know. Devil’s Due flopped, and the vast majority of critics slammed Devil’s Due with negative reviews. Still, you can say Devil’s Due had a chance to stand on its own. As a full-blown remake, Devil’s Due can’t escape the enormous shadow from Rosemary’s Baby. Not a chance.

Rating: 5/10

 

[Akhilleus]

Death Sentence (2007)
​

In this film Kevin Bacon plays Nick Hume, an upper middle class executive who lives peacefully with his wife and two teenage sons Brendan and Luke. Brendan is a star hockey player and the joy of Nick's life. Until one night after one of Brendan's hockey games when the two are forced the stop at a local gas station. Nick stays outside, but Brendan goes in. The two end up being at the wrong place at the wrong time when the store is robbed by a dangerous and violent group out outlaws. Brendan is killed, and Nick chases the robbers off as he holds his dying son in his arms. The rest of the film revolves around a thrilling revenge plot that had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through.

I read the back of the box before I watched the movie, so I knew what was going to be coming early on. With that said it definitely didn't help in preparing me for the emotional roller coaster this movie was about to take me on. The opening scene made me automatically feel connected with Kevin Bacon's character and his family. It was almost as if I had watched five seasons of one of my favorite tv shows, and one of the supporting characters was about to be written off. For a movie to do that to me in just the first two minutes is astounding and rare. However I will say right before the big scene where Bacon's son is killed, the subtle death references were a little corny. The camera showing road signs that read "Dead End" just seemed a little Final Destination-ish to me. It gave me a giggle, and leading up to such a tense scene I don't think comic relief should have been the way to go for this sort of movie. Yet that really didn't matter because when the scene did play out, all that tension was still there. I was sitting there hoping that it didn't play out the way it did, even though I already knew it was going to. The even more frightening thing about the entire thing is that it wasn't that unrealistic of a situation. Gang initiation killings happen all the time, and can happen to anybody. That is the point of them, they are supposed to be random killings. Centering the plot of this movie around that was a good move. Kevin Bacon's character plays a very mild mannered, and actually relatable guy. He's a family man, he works in an office. He isn't some New York City cop like John McCain or some Ex-Marine killing machine like Rambo. He's an every day person that simply snapped after such a traumatizing event.

Bacon's character in the movie at one point tells one of his coworkers that "you never really know what you would do until it actually happens" which is quite true. It is hard to say what I would do in that situation. One of my favorite quotes is an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but if I lost my son and the killer got away scott free than I most definitely might get the urge to go and kill the man who did it. Would I? Probably not, but that's what makes this a movie. One of the things I disliked is when Bacon gets his first revenge, the death isn't as brutal as I had wanted it to be. Like I addressed earlier the film did a fantastic job of attaching me to the characters, and because of that I wanted to see his son's killer die just as much as he did. For me the way it went down just wasn't as brutal enough, but I definitely understand why they made it that way. For Bacon to go nuts and slaughter someone would have taken away from the impact. The fact that his character immediately feels regret and sorrow for what he did makes what follows even better and more thrilling. He starts an all out war between himself and the gang that killed his son. It almost reminds me of the movie Changing Lanes where each side has to have the last word. If you do something, they do something back. And it just escalates more and more to the point where everyone involved is completely destroyed physically and emotionally. The movie is called Death Sentence, and yet who that death sentence is actually for changes back and fourth throughout the film. This just isn't a movie where one person is control the entire time, but rather a film where momentum is shifting at every moment.

One negative that I can think of about this film is of Bacon's other son Luke. There's a predictable and cliche subplot where Luke claims his father doesn't love him as much as he loved his other son. As true as that could have seemed in the film, it just seemed like an easy background story to build around. Another negative I have is the portrayal of the gang in the film. They really don't give us a lot of information about them early on, and as they show them more and more it just seems more awkward. They put a lot of attention into them at times, but yet that attention doesn't reveal a whole lot and it just makes those scenes end up being useless. John Goodman plays an important rule in the movie as he is sort of the boss of the men. Although he isn't in the movie a whole lot his does a fantastic job with the role, and it was good to see him in it.

A big plus for me was how realistic some of the fight scenes were in the first half of the movie. There is a deadly game of cat and mouse early on that was thrilling and suspenseful, and the way Bacon is able to evade and take down his enemies is not only creative but also very realistic. There is an amazing scene that takes place in a parking garage that had me not knowing what was going to happen, and the way it ends was fantastic. Like I said the kills are not only realistic, but they're also creative. Kevin Bacon kills his enemies in this movie with ways I hadn't even thought of. There are some movies under the Thriller genre that just aren't "thrilling" to me. I'm the type of guy that laughs at slasher films, and roots for guys like Robert De Niro and Edward Norton when they play the bad guy. Those movies aren't thrilling, but come off more as comedies to me. That was not the case with this movie, and the score playing throughout that only makes it even more intensifying.

However, one of the worst parts the film to me was the ending. The ending to me just seemed very rushed, as if they didn't realize how much time and money they had already spent and decided they needed to get things over fast. The way it played out was still set up very well for the plot, but the ending scenes reminded me of the last mission of a game like Grand Theft Auto. When I say it's rushed, I mean that Kevin Bacon might kill two or three of the gang members throughout the movie, but then in the final scene he seems to take out all of them at once. I would have rather had a montage where Bacon would hunt down each and every one of them, and kill them all gruesomely. That didn't happen, but it didn't take way from how great of a movie this was either.

This film has somehow found the perfect combination of thrills, violence, twists, and suspense. The positives far outweigh the negatives in this one. Kevin Bacon does a superb job playing a role that is actually different from the gross son of a bitch I'm used to seeing him play. While he still has that Kevin Bacon edge, he's actually someone that you want to root for and someone you want to see win in the end. This is the sort of film that you watch over and over. It's featured more emotion than I've seen from a movie in a long time. Of all the movies I seen from Kevin Bacon this might be one of the highest on the list.


Rating: 8.5/10

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

The 39 Steps (1935)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Charles Bennett and Ian Hay, Based on the 1915 novel by John Buchan
Produced by Michael Balcon
Starring: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Wylie Watson and Lucie Mannheim as Annabella Smith​

Synopsis: Richard Hannay (Donat) unwillingly becomes involved in a game of espionage as Annabella Smith (Mannheim), a freelance spy, is murdered in his apartment before she can get state secrets to a rural village in Scotland. He takes her place, being pursued not only by murderous foreign spies but the police who believe he committed the murder.

Review: The 39 Steps is considered a British Hitchcock classic. It comes as the second of six thrillers that captured the attention of US producers and brought him across the Atlantic, a move that eventually lead to his recognition as one of, if not the, greatest directors of all time. But is it any good? Well, yes. There is plenty to be fond of here. Robert Donay's performance is charasmatic and convincing even though he is presented with a distinct lack of character depth. We sympathise with his varying plights and fall for his charm whilst opposite him is Madeleine Carroll as Pamela, someone we initially loathe but grow to appreciate and respect as she becomes an adequate partner for our hero.

The plot is typically Hitchcockian, working with what academic Robin Wood describes as the "double-chase structure" (the hero chases the villains whilst simultaneously being pursued by the police who believe he committed a crime he is not responsible for) and indeed it has all the hallmarks of the Hitchcock thriller; trains, a charismatic male lead, mistaken identity, deception, guns and representations of relationships (some less favourable than others). That said it owes a significant amount to the "Screwball Comedy" genre that emerged following the hit It Happened One Night (1934) as evidenced by the Hannay/Pamela relationship.

Time has not been totally kind to this film though and it has begun to show its age after nearly 80 years. Some jokes are truly of the time while the British humour will no doubt be lost on many non Brits. Even Scots like myself may find the film humourless ("Boy! Spreken ze English?"). However there is an eerie atmosphere that is clearly influenced by the German Expressionist movement and the relationship between a Crofter (John Laurie of Dad's Army) who takes Hannay in and his wife (Peggy Ashcroft) built on religious hypocrisy is richly incestuous and sinister, rivalling even the bizarre relationship between the two Charlie's in Hitchcock’s 1943 Shadow of a Doubt.

Overall The 39 Steps is worth catching. True it looks and feels dated but there's enough here to keep your attention for the mere 85 minutes of running time with plenty of adventurous fun and great thematic ideas. This is Hitchcock working with a fairly small budget and delivering an enjoyable evening's entertainment: 4/5

If this is your cup of tea then other Hitchcock films like Strangers on a Train (1951) and North by Northwest (1959) as well as both versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934, with Peter Lorre and 1956, with James Stewart) are well worth checking out as well as the after mentioned It Happened One Night and other "Screwball Comedies" like Bringing Up Baby (1938).

 

[Akhilleus]

The River Wild (1994)​

Just a heads up I'll probably reveal a few important details in this review, so beware if for some reason you don't want anything ruined. The River Wild is supposed to be an adventure crime-thriller film. Meryl Streep plays the main role as Gale, a white water rafting guide and mother of two. She's married to workaholic Tom with who she has two kids with, Roarke (Who I assume is around the age of 10-11) and Willa (4-5). Gale and Roarke are getting ready for a huge yearly white water rafting trip, but things get ruined when they find out Tom will be staying home for the third year straight in order to work. Gale and Tom's relationship has become strained even more, and their love for each other appears as a question early on in the film. So Gale and Roarke go by themselves, and drop young Willa off with Gale's parents. At the camping ground they meet Wade who is played by Kevin Bacon. Wade and his friend Terry played by John C. Reilly are going on a trip with their rafting guide. Right before Gale and Roarke about to take off they find out Tom has unexpectedly joined them. So Wade and his friends take off, and awhile later Gale and her family goes too. Yet things take a turn when it turns out Kevin Bacon and his friends aren't as friendly as they first seemed, and this family vacation turns into quite a thrill ride.

You could easily see that something wasn't right with Wade and his pals early on in the movie. Wade seemed like a real nice guy at first when talking to Roarke, but gradually as the movie progresses there is an increasing amount of awkwardness from the two. After they lose their tour guide Wade and Terry manage to convince Gale and her family to ride along with them, to which young Roarke loves as he considers Wade and Terry new friends. Tom doesn't get the right vibe from the start, but Gale isn't one bit suspicious until she experiences one of those scenes herself. The rest of the film consists of Tom and Gale trying to get Roarke and themselves away from the two crazies, with Wade showing just how dangerous he can be.

To me I wouldn't consider this a thriller in anyway. I will admit that at the climax scene it was slightly thrilling and exciting, but that was the only part. The rest of this movie plays more into what I was talking about with thrillers in my previous review with Death Sentence. By that I mean it features one of my favorites, whether it be someone like Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, or in this case Kevin Bacon, and that guy just acts as gross as they can be. Yet for some reason I'm rooting them on because they are just so gross and so humorous in the film that I feel I must. Now in this movie I will say that I wasn't rooting for Bacon's side. Despite me getting many laughs out of some of the gross things that Bacon said, there is one character that made me want to root for the other side in this film. Now that character was definitely not the one played by Meryl Streep. I tend to avoid a lot of Streep's movies as I find her annoying, but I will say she wasn't all that bad in this one. Still if this movie didn't have Kevin Bacon in it I wouldn't have even touched it. Back to the reason why I was rooting against Bacon though, is because of young Roarke. I couldn't find the heart to root against a little kid, and there was something about Roarke that made him seem familiar. It could be that the actor who played him also played a huge role in the Jurassic Park series, but I'm not sure if that's it. Anyway had Roarke been dropped up with Gale's parents like his sister was and it was just Tom and Gale on this trip, there is no doubt in my mind I would have been rooting for the evil Kevin Bacon to win in the end. So he played an important role, at least for me.

Yet the best acting job (Other than Kevin Bacon) to me was the one from Tom, played by David Strathairn. Tom is a very cliche, he's the nerdy workaholic dad who's son finds the other guy more fun than him. He's the guy who's right from the start but nobody believes him, and is the guy who has to save the day in the end. I thought he played his role very well despite most of it being cliche like I said. There were actually a lot of cliche parts in this movie, and it actually reminded me of a newer movie called Without a Paddle. Other than the characters in Without a Paddle not being held hostage for the majority of the film, the two films just seemed to remind me of each other. Cape Fear is another fair comparison, as the father in that reminds me of Tom from this film. Another big plus for this movie was the filming and scenery. Filmed on the Kootenay River, there were a lot of very beautiful scenes that worked well on the eyes.

This movie was not all that bad at all. It was a fun watch, but notice how watch is singular. It's not something I would want to see more than once. There were some cliche parts, and it was hardly thrilling. Kevin Bacon makes this movie. Like I said had his name not been on the box I wouldn't have even touched it. It wasn't Bacon's best, but it's a nice B movie to watch on a rainy day.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Akhilleus]

In this post I'm going to be doing things differently than I normally have. I'm going to be reviewing three specific movies. All films in which I've seen for the first time. The difference is I watched them all last month, and so my memory on them is not the strongest. So the reviews will not be detailed, but I'm going to try to remember what I can and give a rating on them. Readers beware there I may reveal some details about the films, I usually try not to talk about important ones but just a warning for those who don't want to be spoiled. Like I said I just saw all of these films for the first time in the month of January. Later on when I have more time I will review the other three movies that I watched last month, but for now we'll start with...


Training Day (2001)

Training Day is a classic film where everyone who's seen it seems to love, and I was no different. It's been on my list of movies to watch for a long time, and for whatever reason I just never got around to it. After catching Remember The Titans on TV one night I got the urge to watch more Denzel Washington material, and Training Day is what I started on. Training Day is about a rookie recruit Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) who rides along with undercover narcotics detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) in hopes of becoming the new member of Harris' squad. However things go unexpected for Hoyt as he comes to find just how twisted but charismatic Alonzo Harris can become.

I like films like these where the movie is just set in one day. Movies like Die Hard with a Vengeance or even that cheesy 12 Rounds movie with John Cena. Training Day is pretty much like that. It starts right where Jake Hoyt wakes up, and takes us throughout Hoyt's entire day as he rides along with Harris. What makes this movie to me is probably the superb performances by Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington. Washington's portrayal of the Alonzo Harris character is strong and superb as he plays a crooked and vindictive burn-out. While Hawke plays the greenhorn rookie who does everything by the book. The scary thing about this movie is that there are cops like Alonzo Harris out there, and that's what makes Denzel's acting so real. You don't have to look that much into it to see that Denzel's character was a good guy at one point of his career, and was simply turned the way he was by the streets.

Not only that, but the transition of Jake Hoyt from the beginning of the film to the end is a beautiful thing to watch if you pay attention to it. His transformation throughout the day is a special one, and one of the great things about this film.

What made this movie great was that it was just the type of movie that shoved everything right in your face. The realism that is. There were no cliche subplots, no comic reliefs, just straight up brutal truth. It's one I wish I didn't put off seeing for so long, because I don't know how I lived my life prior to it.

Rating: 9/10



The Firm (1993)

The firm features a young stud lawyer who's full of potential. Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is getting interviewed by all sorts of law firms after graduating from Harvard University until he's finally given an offer he cannot refuse. So he and his wife Abigail (Jeanne Tripplehorn) move to Memphis to look for a new prosperous future. Yet things just don't seem right in this perfect little Memphis town, and the two soon find things very wrong when Mitch uncovers murder and corruption from the firm he is now locked into.

This movie is loaded with talent. Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Gary Busey, there's even a small role featuring Breaking Bad's Hank Schrader in there, which was quite fun to see when I recognized it as him. I will say that Jeanne Tripplehorn was one of the more negative things about the film. She was annoying and hard to listen to, but luckily the acting from the rest of the cast far outweighs any of the negative parts from Tripplehorn. Tom Cruise does an excellent job portraying the young and intelligent lawyer, and Ed Harris did another good job of playing an FBI Agent in the film.

There were some parts where things may have gone over the top. For example during a big chase towards the end of the film, Cruise escape out of a multi-story window, where there was conveniently a pillow truck waiting for him at the bottom. Things like that were slightly cartoonish, but it was all around a good film to watch.

Rating: 7/10



Sleepers (1996)

Sleepers follows the story of four young boys who live in a small part of New York called Hell's Kitchen. Their biggest mentor is Father Bobby, a priest played by Robert De Niro. However after a prank by the boys goes disastrously wrong the boys are sent to a detention center where they are mistreated beyond all belief, and years later they get their chance for revenge. This story hit home for me. It kept me thinking about it for the rest of the day. It shows the corruptness of a group of prison guards led by Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), and in detail shows us how much these four boys are beaten abused both physically, emotionally, and sexually.

This story is definitely split into three clear parts. The first part shows the boys all as kids, at home in the city of Hell's Kitchen. They are playing around, having fun, and simply just being boys. This is the part of the movie where Robert De Niro's character is the most prevalent. Now this was a very different role to see De Niro in, much more different than I'm used to. I'm more used to see De Niro play some rough and gross bad guy looking to get his way. Where in this film while he plays someone who is an implied tough guy, he has became a man of the lord and is a very strong father figure to the boys. The second part of the film is the part at the detention center. This part is where Kevin Bacon's character is highly featured. Bacon does his usual fantastic job of playing an extremely gross and extremely violent guard who makes any boy's life at the detention center a living hell. He rapes, and abuses the boys. Then the third part is where all four boys are all grown up, and have moved past it. Brad Pitt plays one of the boys who is now a District Attorney, and Jason Patrick plays another who is now a newspaper reporter. The other two boys are known criminals already being suspected of several crimes. This part features a huge trial against the two boys, and it's where the four get their revenge for all the wrongdoings that happened to them as kids.

One thing that hits me in this film is in the middle part, after everything that happened to them, the boys all made the decision to never talk about it again. Not only does this happen way more often than one would think with crimes like this, but it's also the entirely wrong way to go about doing it. That's why this hit me right in the heart. Them not telling someone once they finally got out of there is what allows them to keep doing it, and keep getting away with it. But then again they are all just kids, and they are all full of shame.

This was a great film, and a heartbreaking one to watch. It's a sad story with a fulfilling ending. My only negative is that I wish three out of the five names on the cover of the box were in more than one third of the film. In fact even Bacon and De Niro don't have a very large portion of screen time. Yet it's alright because there is so much star power in this one that it all balances out, and the four young men who played the boys all did a fantastic job doing it.

Rating: 9.5/10

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

The Wrong Man (1956)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Maxwell Anderson and Angus MacPhail, Based on the Book 'The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero' by Maxwell Anderson
Produced by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle​

Synopsis: Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero (Henry Fonda) is a musician who plays in smoky rooms and hip jazz clubs in 1950's New York. He's a family man who lives day to day, trying to get by. He pays back whatever he borrows and all in all, he's a decent, hardworking human being. Then, one day he is mistaken for a bank robber. From there, things spiral out of control as his guilt appears greater and greater and mental health is called into question.

Review: Opening the film is a sound stage draped in darkness with a shadow figure entering. It is Alfred Hitchcock. He tells us that what we are about to witness is true. Indeed what we witness is not just another Hitchcock case of mistaken identity or the Robin Wood coined "double-chase structure", but rather a story of one's descent into a hellish nightmare that is claustrophobic and inescapable. The city of New York is a living breathing, all-devouring beast and stuck in the middle is Henry Fonda's Manny Balestero.

What Hitchcock does with this picture is give an air of injustice and mental crushing that is usually offset by blackest humour and beautiful stars. True, Henry Fonda is unquestionably a star, but he's hardly a glamouress character like Cary Grant and he doesn't have a stunning leading lady like Grace Kelly or Kim Novak to bring the glamour like his pal James Stewart did. No, what Fonda brings is that sense of reality Hitchcock appears to be seeking and along with a sensitive and quiet performance from Vera Miles (whose role is rather heart-breaking) brings the film crashing down to Earth.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of The Wrong Man though is the scenes inside the prison cells where you feel not only deep sympathy for Balestero but also a sense of surreal terror experienced previously in Spellbound (1945). The scene where the camera moves around in circular motions as if close to collapse and of Fonda experiencing a proper prison cell for the first time (where the still above comes from) are truly beautiful pieces of surreal direction that Luis Buñuel would be proud of.

I have a great respect for Hitchcock taking on a film that is hard hitting and oozes an urban viciousness. It's a top-drawer piece of filmmaking if not at times a little preachy and complete with some hammy acting from thespian Anthony Quayle as a good hearted lawyer. Whereas The 39 Steps (1935) was great fun, this is blackest seriousness. Filmed wonderfully in black and white I give it: 4.5/5

New York the urban beast is something echoed in the works of Martin Scorsese, particularly his 1970's works like Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976). Henry Fonda is the great good guy of cinema and that sincere likability is used to great comedic effect in The Lady Eve (1941, Preston Sturges), dramatic effect in 12 Angry Men (1957, Sidney Lumet) and to a stunning villainous turn in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, Sergio Leone).

2001: A Space Odyssey(1968)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, Based in part on Arthur C. Clarke's short story 'The Sentinel'
Produced by Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Keir Dullea, William Sylvester, Gary Lockwood, Daniel Richter and Douglas Rain as the voice of HAL 9000​

Synopsis: Spanning millennia and broken down into four principal segments, this is an exploration of man's evolution and a quest for truth in humanity.

Review: It was essentially a cardinal sin that I, a film student, had never seen Stanley Kubrick's 2001. It's the seminal, "smart" science fiction classic and a father in many ways to my beloved childhood favourites Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) and its various sequels. Indeed for a science fiction fan and card carrying nerd I truly had disgraced my creed. I corrected this mistake last night.

Going in, I knew the major details about 2001; it used Also Sprach Zarathustra (Ric Flair's theme), centred on a journey through the ages, was filled with brilliant designs and featured a psychotic, nearly more human than human villainous sentient computer in HAL. What I didn't know was quite how this would all unravel or quite how the film would emerge on the other side of this.

My initial response to 2001 is pretty simple: I have no idea what to make of it. Well, that's a lie, I made a lot of it, but I didn't know whether I liked it or not. You see, while I loved Star Wars (1977, George Lucas), I was afraid of a lot of other sci-fi. The Terminator character scared the bejeezus out of me as a kid. Xenomorphs of the Alien franchise still freak me out. David Cronenburg's The Fly (1986) scares the ever loving fuck out of me. Out of all this though, 2001 haunts me the most.

Perhaps it's because it's the freshest in my mind. Maybe it's because it's got no concrete answers but rather suggestions and unspoken ideas, but I find the future suggested in this film as well as the answers it seems to lead us to to be outright terrifying. The notion of sentient robots scares me. A lot. As I mentioned, I was horrified by The Terminator and I read Isaac Asimov when I was younger, his ideas and stories, sticking to my gooey centre ever since. I also work in a supermarket where the self-service machines are capable of turning their sound back on after they've been muted. It all makes a shiver run down my spine.

The fact that HAL is arguably the most human of the characters involved here scares me a lot. His speech about feeling fear (without spoiling anything) is one of the most distressing things I think I've ever seen. I feel true empathy for what is in essence the most inhuman character in design and yet still he expresses the most humanity seen in the film (with the possible exception of Kubrick's daughter in a cameo).

Like he would do later with The Shining (1980), Kubrick really, really gets deep under your skin, piercing through with classical scores and beautiful design that makes you appreciate the films artificial creation. He stays there though and plants ideas and visuals in your mind that question God, human nature and our role in the universe. What Kubrick does is essentially craft a response to religion and science fact. He expresses what the universe is truly; a vast, indifferent monster that is filled with life and death, including human beings who are but tiny specks of that life.

I cannot fathom another film quite as creepily sinister and yet so grand and colossal that it encompasses the beauty of reality and imagination. I'm not sure I can give 2001 a rating that reflects it in terms of enjoyment, but I can give it a rating for both ambition and effectiveness. I will have to view it once more (and I highly recommend the blu ray for this purpose, the quality of image is amazing) in the near future, but for now: 5/5

If you like spanning epics about life, creation and all that jazz, then The Tree of Life (2010, Terrence Malik) should tickle you in a familiar, though for some not as enthralling, manner. Indeed if you want encounters with nature and humanity at its rawest, then the works of Werner Herzog are certainly worth a look in, particularly his documentary Grizzly Man (2006) which focuses on the collision of ideas about the nature of the universe. And of course, Star Wars as well as the sci-fi works of Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and the originally Kubrick headed A.I. (2001) spring to mind) are descendants of this picture.

 

[Akhilleus]

Rush (1991)​

Rush is about two undercover narcotics cops from the 1970s who are assigned to catch a major drug dealer. Yet the deeper they go into their investigation, the deeper they get sucked into the drug world. The two main characters are Jim Raynor and Kristen Cates, played by Jason Patrick and Jennifer Jason Leigh respectively.

I'll start by saying that the beginning of this film was just very slow for me. If you're looking to watch a thrilling action film Rush may not be the best choice. While it does have some intense scenes, the majority of the movie just seemed really dragged out to me. The start was incredibly slow, and although Jason Patric did a fair enough job portraying the role of Jim Raynor, he just didn't seem to have a whole lot of emotion at least in the early parts. He constantly talked with this very quiet monotone voice, which resulted in me actually getting bored of the film quite early. Then at that point after all of my attention was lost the movie just seemed as if it was going to drag out forever. Towards the end is when things finally start to pick up, but it's almost like too little too late. So for this type of film with such a great actor like Jason Patric, it really is a shame that I just didn't get on the right page with this movie from the getgo. I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood for this type of movie today, or if it was the movie itself. Maybe a combination of both, but either way I was just left with this empty feeling the entire time.

I think one of the biggest reasons for that, and one of the things that does make this film a blockbuster for some, is because of how realistic it is. It's not exactly like your average Michael Bayish film. It is very realistic, and the way it tells the story is more so following someone's actually life rather than some sort of movie plot. So while that was a big plus, I think the way this movie went about doing that is where it lacks. At first I thought the film was hard to follow, but later I realized that it wasn't hard to follow instead it simply lacked a solid plot. I just think they didn't go about this movie the right way, and it is really a shame because the performances from the two main roles were very well done other than some of the more boring parts from Jason Patric. I read that Tom Cruise was actually wanted for the role of Jim Raynor, and I actually think had he not turned it down then this movie would have been better off. Nothing against Jason Patric like I said I don't think he did a terrible job, but there was something about his character that didn't seem right. The filming just seemed too static and far away from all the good facial expressions, and while the ending was surprising it just didn't come off as very climatic.

Focusing back more on the positives of the film. The story arc of the movie while realistic wasn't done right, I think how realistically the rural drug culture was for that time and how they portrayed the kingpin of it all was very realistic and well done. Where Jason Patric lacked Jennifer Jason Leigh made up for it, as her performance was off the charts great. The last time I saw her was from when she played the role of Jill Price in Weeds, and it was quite a refreshing change of character (Even though this movie is about twenty years older).

All in all while the plot did seem to lack in parts, I was able to get the gist of the film and it wasn't bad at all. It's more so I was expecting something ten times better and I just didn't get that. This movie reminded me a whole lot of a watered down version of Beyond The Law without the biker gangs, except Beyond The Law did put up while this movie didn't to me. I know it's well liked by a lot of people, but it just unfortunately didn't play out that way to me. It was a good one time watch, but it's not something I'd watch a second time or even flip on if I saw it playing on TV.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Akhilleus]

So this post is going to be the second part of my six movie review posts. Like the last time I'm going to review three movies that I saw just last month, but because it's been awhile I'm not going to remember every single detail. As such each review will be on the small side, but usually as I get going I start to remember more about what I thought for each movie. As always keep in mind I'm probably going to be revealing some spoilers of the films. I normally don't reveal the important parts of the movie, but if you don't want to be spoiled in anyway then you should keep that in mind while reading. So for the fourth movie...

Unbreakable (2000)

Unbreakable is a superhero thriller film directed by the one and only M. Night Shyamalan, so right off the bat you know there is going to be some sort of twist at the end. The main characters are Elijah Price played by Samuel L. Jackson, and David Dunn played by Bruce Willis. Price is a comic book enthusiast who was born with glass bone disease, and Dunn is a security guard who's football career was ended after a car accident. Price's theory is that if his bones are as fragile as they are, then there must be someone on the opposite end of the spectrum with bones that are "unbreakable". After a tragic train accident that leaves only David Dunn alive, and not a scratch on him, Price decides that Dunn must be the person he's been looking for.

I am not a big fan of the superhero movies. I was never much into comic books, or the Marvel tv shows. Superman, Spider-Man, Batman. None of them were ever my thing. Yet this movie is entirely different. I would not categorize it with them. This is more of a thriller story, and it's a good one too. I actually read that Shyamalan wanted to do a series for it, but they ended up scratching it for whatever reason. I'm glad though because I almost feel like the movie would be ruined if they continued to make more.

Most of the plot consists of Bruce Willis' character denying the fact that he has any "superpowers" with his young son entirely convinced that his dad is in fact a real superhero. After more and more clues David Dunn does come to terms with the possibility that he may be a superhero, much to Elijah's delight. Now there is like a said a nice little twist at the end, and this twist is actually something I half expected. I knew that Samuel L. Jackson's character was a little off his rocker, but I didn't fully expect what Shyamalan revealed at the end. One twist that I would have loved, and keep in mind spoilers, is if it turned out Bruce Willis wasn't a superhero, and his character died trying to act as one. Sadly that didn't happen, but the ending was still unexpected. It's nothing like the Sixth Sense or anything like that, but it made sense once the film was all said and done. The only thing I didn't like was that instead of filming the concluding scenes they just threw some white text on the screen telling us what happened after. I think this goes back to where I said they wanted to make it a series, but when they realized they weren't they just did that at the end.

All in all it was a very fun film to watch. It was thrilling, dramatic, and actually did have some logic despite the film being in the superhero genre. I'll probably end up watching it more than once. Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis due their usual acting jobs, and they were nothing less than superb. It's almost as if Shyamalan had those two in mind when he wrote the screenplay, and so it just worked out perfectly in the end when he got them.


Rating: 8.5/10



Striking Distance (1993)

I'll give this movie credit. I thought I saw the ending coming from three miles away, and they pulled a huge Russo swerve on me that had my mind blown. Striking Distance is about a Thomas Hardy, a Pittsburgh homicide detective that is moved to River Patrol after suggesting it was a police officer who was the serial killer who they've been chasing, and the guy who killed his father. They put the guy who they think did the killings away based on the testimony of one witness, much to the anger of Hardy who was convinced it was not him and instead a police officer based on several clues. Two years later and the killings happen again, and Hardy makes it his goal to solve them this time.

I'll start out by saying I am not a big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker. I find her incredibly annoying in most of the movies she's in, and this one wasn't too much different. I will say she wasn't as bad as she usually is, and she didn't look as awful as she usually does, but she still got on my nerve at times. This is also sort of the same movie that Bruce Willis has done many times before. A tough cop with a past. It's a bit of an overused character, but it didn't take away from anything and Bruce Willis does it well anyway. One last thing that bugged me was how all of Willis' fellow officers were all very ill towards him. They all acted like assholes, and I'm hoping that it is very unrealistic because if that's how officers like that would react to the situation with Bruce's character then I might have to change my major and think of a new career.

One of the best parts about this film is the setting. They offer something fresh by setting it up in Pittsburgh, PA. Instead of one of the more cliche cities like New York, LA, or Detroit, Pittsburgh seems to fit this movie well. It adds some sort of freshness to the movie, at least for it's time. I mean nowadays with Pittsburgh low filming prices more and more movies are coming to Pittsburgh to film, but for this 1993 film the setting works well, and the filming is beautiful. For all the scenes that take place on the rivers Pittsburgh is perfect considering that is such a major part of their city.

Other than SJP the cast is also well stacked. You've got Bruce Willis as the star, and then Dennis Farina and Tom Sizemore play great supporting roles. Let me tell you hearing Tom Sizemore yell "Tommy!" in that classic Itallian accent was a bit of a blast from the past for me. I thought I was playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City all over again. Like I said the ending threw me off. I was about half right with what I thought was going to happen, but there is a twist that I did not see coming and big props for that. This movie gets a lot of flak for reasons I'm not sure of. While it's still probably only a one time watch for me, I enjoyed it and I'll put it up there with some of the better ones. It's maybe not one of Bruce Willis best, but it's up there with them.


Rating: 7/10



American Beauty (1999)

American Beauty is about a depressed middle age office man who hates his job, is shunned by his wife and daughter, and is going through a major mid-life crisis. After seeing the attractive friend of his teenage daughter and developing a crush, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) decides to turn his wreck of a life around and does so without caring about the consequences. Meanwhile Ricky Fitts and his strict homophobic military father (Chris Cooper) and his mentally sick mother move in next door, with Ricky becoming attracted to Lester's daughter Jane.

This film was not only funny, deep, and entertaining, but it's also one that makes you think. It drops subtle questions about the nature of us as human beings, and makes you ponder the difference between reality and fantasy. The things that Kevin Spacey's character does are things that everyone would just love to do. Just quit their job, shut up their controlling lives, and simply live without consequences. And Spacey does just that, and it's extremely fun to watch him do that. The things he does and says specifically to his witch of a wife are purely hilarious. There is one scene where he's talking, and Caroline his wife keeps yelling and talking over him, and Spacey simply stands up and whips his plate at the wall to get her to shut her mouth, and it worked. It gets to the point where his wife would love to get a divorce, but she simply can't without Spacey winning in court and taking everything they own due to the circumstances.

This is the type of movie that I'd not only watch twice, but probably more than that because I think it's the type of film where you'd find something new every time you watch it. I think if two people watched this movie together, then they'd both walk out of the theater with different philosophies on what it was about. Everything about this film is just so dark, but it's also so clear. It's meaningful, but to the right sense of humor it's funny as well. There is so much that I could go on about with this film, but I simply can't because I would be typing all night. It's a classic, it's up there with some of the best, and it is well deserving of the recognition it has gotten. While it's not some thrilling action packed blockbuster, it's unique and deep, and it's by far one of Kevin Spacey's best.


Rating: 9/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Forgot about this for a while, but I was looking at an older Coming Attractions thread a few days ago.

Hell (2011)

Spoilers......

In 2016, earth is a ravaged and desolate wasteland after solar flares destroyed the atmosphere. Together, Marie (Hannah Herzsprung), her little sister, Leonie (Lisa Vicari), and Phillip (Lars Eidinger) wander the deserted streets of Germany in a beat up and covered car. The group embarks on a mission to the mountains, so they can follow a rumor about a reliable source of water, but the car is on its last legs.

One day, the group stops at a seemingly abandoned gas station for more fuel and supplies. Suddenly, a stranger captures Leonie, but Phillip rescues Leonie during a fight with the stranger. After the fight, the stranger reveals himself as Tom (Stipe Erceg). Phillip allows Tom to join the group, and Tom agrees to lend a helping hand with his skills as a mechanic.

During a roadblock dilemma, the group unknowingly walks into a trap, when Phillip and Tom search an abandoned cabin in the woods for more water and supplies. Leonie is kidnapped, and after a botched rescue mission for Leonie, Tom is captured by the mysterious group of strangers.

Phillip was injured during the rescue mission, so he can’t walk. Marie leaves Phillip in a dark railroad tunnel for safety, but an exhausted and dehydrated Marie stops at an abandoned church for rest during the search for Leonie. In the church, Marie meets a local named Bauerin (Angela Winkler). Bauerin provides shelter and water for Marie at her farm, and Bauerin sends her son, Micha (Yoann Blanc) to help Phillip, but Marie discovers a horrifying secret at the farm……..

Well, I’ll get the stupid stuff out of the way first. Why would you leave Leonie, a girl, who’s barely in her teens, ALONE in a car with no weapons or protection? Phillip and Tom are still searching the abandoned cabin together. Marie carries an empty gas can to Tom and Phillip, and she leaves Leonie in the car alone? Ugh.

And to make matters worse, Hell throws in a clichéd relationship with Marie and Leonie. Marie fills the role of a protective big sister and a mother figure for Leonie, because their mother passed away after the solar flares. Of course, Leonie is a rebellious brat, who defies Marie’s authority, and Leonie is jealous of the relationship between Marie and Phillip. They never come out and say it, but it’s heavily implied Phillip and Marie are in a relationship in the beginning.

Remember Bauerin? Well, Marie unknowingly walked into Bauerin’s trap. Bauerin’s livestock perished after the solar flares, so Bauerin, her family, and another family living under the same roof found a solution for food and survival: Cannibalism. That’s right. With some help from Micha and other members of the farm, Bauerin uses the abandoned cabin to lure and kidnap fresh meat for food. The victims are forced to live inside a barn like cattle until their time comes, and Marie revealed Phillip’s location to Bauerin, because she trusted Bauerin as a new friend. Big mistake. Phillip is sitting out in the open at the railroad tunnel for an easy capture, and Phillip suffers a brutal death at the farm. Tom is a prisoner in the barn, and Leonie is still alive, but she’s trapped with Marie at the farm.

Tom’s fate is sealed as the next meal, but Bauerin has different plans for Marie and Leonie. Bauerin wants Marie as a wife for Micha in a forced marriage, and Bauerin has plans to groom Leonie as the next bride for Flori (a young boy at the farm). Marie tries to escape after she refuses the offer and a meal of people at the dinner table, but Bauerin’s group catches her before she can reach the door.

After Phillip’s murder, Marie takes a second shot an escape, and she succeeds. Marie rescues Tom and the other prisoners inside the barn. Tom and Marie escape the farm during a nasty chase, and Marie catches Bauerin, Micha, and Leonie in the woods.

A disappointed and disgusted Bauerin scolds Marie during a confrontation, and she promises Leonie will be the next bride for Micha. An infuriated Marie stabs Bauerin in the stomach. Bauerin dies from the stab wound, with a grieving Micha holding her corpse. Marie takes advantage of the situation. Marie frees Leonie, and together, they join Tom. To end the movie, Tom, Marie, and Leonie continue their journey towards the mountains to search for safe shelter and more water.

The finale is full of suspense and a few good surprises. I thought Phillip would make it to the end, but Tom was the sole survivor for the men. And Micha ignoring Marie was strange. I expected a fierce fight to the death from a vengeful Micha, but he didn’t care about Marie or Leonie anymore. Mourning his mother’s death was the top priority, and it’s as simple as that.

I enjoyed the finale, but it’s hard to ignore Marie’s stupid decision. You’re living in a post-apocalyptic world, where people are literally waiting to stab you in the back for a small cup of water, and you trust this strange woman you just met with Phillip’s location? Seriously? Marie is solely responsible for Phillip’s death, because Bauerin didn’t know anything about Phillip.

Director Tom Fehlbaum deserves credit for creating Hell’s eerie and desolate atmosphere. Rotting animal carcasses, ominous empty buildings, and the unnerving sound of sand crackling in the wind. You never know what’s going to pop out from around the corner during the glaring daytime scenes, and you can say the same thing about silent attackers lurking in the shadows during twilight hours and nighttime scenes.

Although, Hell relies on a handful of redundant post-apocalyptic clichés. The main group (Marie, Leonie, Tom, Phillip) of protagonists are lured into a trap, because they’re looking for supplies. One member of the group (Leonie) is kidnapped by the main group of antagonists. Usually, the main group of bad guys are a pack of deranged nutcases, or they’re cannibals. One brave survivor (Marie) decides to fight the odds, and they attempt a daring and seemingly impossible rescue mission to save the fallen comrade. Unfortunately, Hell sticks to the predictable formula step by step for the most part.

Still, Hell is an enjoyable post-apocalyptic film. Yeah, Hell won’t set the bar for post-apocalyptic films, but Fehlbaum deserves credit for sporadic moments of suspense and tension, and the tense nail-biting finale is fun to watch. Plus, Hell features a rock solid cast overall, the one hour and twenty-six minutes runtime is a breeze, and Hell never falls into a tedious slump during the smooth ride to the end.

Rating: 7/10

 

[Akhilleus]

Lone Survivor (2013)​

I'll start off by saying that Lone Survivor may be one of the best war films I have ever watched. It is without a doubt up there on my list. As always keep in mind I'm probably going to reveal some details about the film that could be considered spoilers. I'll try to refrain from the big juicy ones, but just be aware of that. Lone Survivor is a true story about a group of soldiers who are sent on a mission to kill an infamous Taliban leader during the War in Afghanistan. The movie is mainly focused on the four soldiers of Seal Team 10, and their mission gone wrong, and how they fight with their backs up against the wall trying to get out alive. It doesn't take a genius to figure out from the title that most of the soldiers aren't going to survive the film, which makes it hard going in to get emotionally attached when you know you're going to end up getting heartbroken later on. That didn't make a difference to me though because the film still did an excellent job of attaching me to all four characters.

Mark Walhberg does an excellent job playing Marcus Luttrell. I haven't read the real Marcus Luttrell's book, but it's actually something I may want to do after seeing this movie. The fact that this movie is actually based on a true story is what makes it even more heartbreaking to watch, and the most impressive thing is most of the details in the film are actually historically accurate as well. There were a few small things here and there that I read were different, but it was only a handful and it was really nothing major whatsoever. That says something in itself as most true story films get remodeled by Hollywood to the point where it's hardly even the same story anymore. This movie doesn't do that, and it makes it all that much better. Plus at the end of the film before the credits they showed a very nice memorial slideshow of all the real soldiers from Operation Red Wings, and it was a nice touch to a very emotional film

I do not think there was ever a moment where I got bored watching this film. It does not take very long to get into the action. The opening scenes do a great job introducing us to the characters and the way of life for the Seals, but it does not last more than ten or fifteen minutes before the Seals are finally given their mission brief. From that point on it is all drama. Once the action starts however it never stops. It is brutal from every single step of the way. If you cringe easily this film would be a cringe fest for you. There are a lot of very close bloody shots, and it is jam packed with gore. This just made the movie that much more authentic. One thing many people complained about with this film is that they thought it was too cheesy for some reason. That it was impossible for someone to get shot as many times as they did in this movie and still be able to do what they did. Yet not only is it possible, it did happen. The real life autopsy reports showed how many times all of them were shot, and how they did keep on fighting. Like I said the differences between what happened in the film and what actually happened are so slim, it's almost less than a handful and they're hardly big things. This movie is so historically accurate, and yet so perfect at the same time that it is unbelievable how well they did.

All four actors do a fantastic job playing the roles of the four soldiers. I really cannot think of any negatives for this film, as it was such a great movie all around. They didn't add anything extra to the story. While to the average eye it may seem like a classic Hollywood rendition of a war/action flick, but the scariest thing is it wasn't. That is what makes this movie so much better, and so well done. It was so real, and yet it keeps you entertained. Not only that but it makes you leave the theater appreciating the freedoms you have, and appreciating what the soldiers out there do to protect that. It takes you along the journey of those very soldiers, and gives you the opportunity to see the decisions they had to make, and the moral challenges they came across. They are truly heroes in my book, and the love and pride they show for their fellow brothers only amplifies that. Lone Survivor was intense, it was filled with action, it had drama, suspense, it was heartbreaking. There are so many positive adjectives I can find for this film. It was one of Mark Walhberg's most successful acting jobs, and like I said it may be one of the single best war films I've seen.


Rating: 9/10

 

[Akhilleus]

Four Brothers (2005)

So with my last review being Lone Survivor I have decided to go on a bit of a Mark Wahlberg kick. I will admit that I have a bit of a man-crush on Marky Mark, so one of my life goals is to see every single feature film he has been in. Whether it is one of his awful movies like The Big Hit, or if it's a home run like Lone Survivor, I want to see it. Four Brothers is a home run, and I am definitely it's up in one of the higher tiers of Mark Wahlberg movies. Keep in mind now that this review will probably reveal details that some may consider spoilers, so beware while reading. This movie is about Four Brothers (hence the title) who were all adopted by the mom who nearly everyone calls "the sweetest mother in the world", Evelyn Mercer. In the movie all four troubled boys have grown up, but they are brought back together after Evelyn is gunned down one night during a seemingly random convenience store robbery. The brothers soon find out that their mother's death may not have been by chance, and set out to avenge her.

I'll start out by saying I did not like the very beginning scene of the movie. It starts out right with the murder of the mother, and it doesn't seem last anymore than two minutes. It does do a fair enough job showing us just what type of person Evelyn was when she's teaching a young boy a valuable lesson about shoplifting in the convenience store, but it just seemed rushed and almost too brief to me. I would have much rather they started at least the first ten ten minutes of the movie with the brothers as kids, and how Evelyn raised them. It just didn't show us enough about her to get connected. It does do it's job like I said by showing the candy bar part, but that was one moment and it was a quick one. Why they decided to start things out this way I'm not sure, but it was one of the more negative parts of the film. None the less like I said it does it's job, and we do get a good idea of how nice and caring of a woman Evelyn was.

So the next scene shows the mother's funeral, and it introduces the four brothers. I will say that the four did play their parts very well, and Mark Wahlberg was the centerpiece of that. They all do a great job of showing their connection to not only their brothers, but their adoptive mother as well who they all recognize as their savior. Garrett Hedlund actually plays one of the youngest of the four brothers, and it was interesting to see him in this role as he played the main antagonist in Death Sentence which was one of the first films I reviewed, and yet another revenge thriller. He's different and this, and does a good job with his role. Although I will say I saw what happens to him towards the later part of the film coming miles away. Another thing about this film that I loved was the soundtrack. There were songs right from the start that I already had in my collection, so they made some good choices as far as the soundtrack goes.

Something else I liked was the setting of the film. It takes place in the city of Detroit during late November, and the winter/snowy scenes gave the film a really nice vibe. It was a nice touch to the background of the film, and something I took notice of. Another con for this movie however is the unrealistic parts. I understand that it's a movie, but there were just some scenes and some holes that were big enough for me to notice. For example I found it a little funny that there could be such a huge shootout in the streets with multiple killings, and yet no one is even arrested on firearms charges. Add on the scene where Wahlberg just strolls into a high school gym with a gun and starts waving it around yelling at them all, then again maybe that's okay in Detroit. Again though that's Hollywood for you, so it's not like this isn't the only film that does it. Even the best films have some pretty unbelievable parts.

I really liked the resolution of the film though. The play the brothers all came up with to solve it all and get revenge was fun to watch. It seemed like something Jax Teller would come up with on the tv series Sons of Anarchy. By that I mean it was just one of those moves where your back is up against the wall, yet you have this great plan that plays out perfectly and with brilliance. The whole scene where he pretended to be wearing a wire to get the dirty cop to confess was good, even if it was very much identical to The Recruit which was released two years prior.

All in all it wasn't a bad film at all. I wouldn't say it's as great as a lot of people say it is, but it was a pretty sold action/thriller flick. It had a good touch of comedic one-liners while still keeping the tension along the way. It's a nice gritty revenge film that's a good watch if you see it playing on TV. I probably won't watch it twice, but at the same time it's one I'm glad I won't die without seeing. The question now is which Mark Wahlberg movie is next on my list to watch?


Rating: 7/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Cry_Wolf (2005)

Spoilers..........

Troubled teen Owen Matthews (Julian Morris) receives one last shot at redemption, when his powerful father, Charles (Gary Cole) pulls some strings for Owen’s acceptance into Westlake Preparatory Academy, an exclusive and upscale private school for teenagers.

Upon his arrival, Owen is invited into a circle of friends by Dodger (Lindy Booth) and his new roommate Tom (Jared Padalecki). During a night in the campus’ chapel, Owen meets Mercedes (Sandra McCoy), her boyfriend, Lewis (Paul James), Randall (Jesse Janzen), Regina (Kristy Wu), and Graham (Ethan Cohn). Owen is thrust into the group’s weekly lying game of sheeps VS The Wolf. The object of the game is to sniff out the liar, and each participant is required to put some money into the pot. The Wolf is the liar, and The Wolf receives a hidden marking for his identity. The sheeps have to pick out the liar, and a false accusation automatically eliminates said participant from the game. The first sheep to point out the liar (The Wolf) wins all the money. If The Wolf survives, The Wolf wins all the money.

After a while, Dodger decides to spice things up by bringing The Wolf to life, using a real life local tragedy as the inspiration for his backstory. Together, Dodger and Owen create The Wolf’s attire, his weapon (a knife), and The Wolf’s mission: After murdering a local girl named Becky, The Wolf stalks Westlake for his next victim. Tom, Mercedes, Lewis, Randall, Graham, and Regina agree to play along, and each member of the group creates a storyline for the deaths of their characters in The Wolf’s killing spree.

Owen sends out a batch of fake emails to the entire school about The Wolf’s plan, and the group has some fun trying to uncover the identity of the killer at first, but the game takes a turn for the worst after a series of bizarre incidents, including Randall‘s mysterious disappearance. Unable to dismiss his past and troubled track record, Owen is a prime suspect for a series of real close-calls involving the game, including bringing The Wolf’s knife into a classroom, and Owen being solely responsible for a police officer’s last second decision to aim a gun at Mercedes disguised as The Wolf.

Along the way, Owen butts heads with one of his teachers, Mr. Walker (Jon Bon Jovi), who targets Owen as a fall guy for The Wolf conspiracy. Owen is facing expulsion for his involvement in the game, but Mr. Walker’s connections to a deceased Becky leads Owen to one troubling question: Is Mr. Walker The Wolf?

Cry Wolf features your usual set of characters in a teen style slasher film. Dodger is the seemingly innocent sweetheart, Tom is the cocky pretty boy/jerk, Randall is the “bad boy,” Mercedes is the attractive and clueless airhead, and Lewis is the dopey boyfriend. Owen? He’s the new kid, who tries too hard to fit in, and in the end, his never ending quest for acceptance costs him, big time.

I’ll give the nod to Lindy Booth for the best performance, and although it doesn’t last long, Booth is able to showcase a believable devious side to Dodger character. Morris is okay in the leading role, but his character has a few head shaking moments as this gullible doofus, and without Booth to prop him up, I can’t picture Morris maintaining serviceable status as the leading man. Padalecki and Wu are good for a few cheap laughs, and Janzen doesn’t receive a significant amount of screen time. Jon Bon Jovi is solid as Mr. Walker. Throughout the movie, Bon Jovi is convincing as a walking quandary, because you’re never sure of Mr. Walker’s true intentions and the motivations for his allegiances.

Cry Wolf constantly toys with the audience during the chaos to find The Wolf. Is The Wolf real or not? It’s the one question I had trouble answering during my first viewing of Cry Wolf. For me, Cry Wolf didn’t disappoint during the double swerve at the end.

Okay, so we’re in the final moments of the movie, and after the parking lot incident with Mercedes disguised as The Wolf, Owen is sick and tired of playing games. With no doubts to hold him back, Owen believes the real Wolf will strike on Halloween night during a full moon. In an attempt to expose The Wolf, Owen invites everyone involved to the chapel on Halloween night to finish the game. Here, Owen points the finger at Dodger for being the culprit behind it all, but a heartbroken and disappointed Dodger dismisses Owen’s claim. Owen struggles to think of his next move…until the remaining members of the group discover Randall’s dead body in a confession booth. Meanwhile, Mercedes is attacked by The Wolf in the girl’s dormitory on campus.

Searching for help, Owen rushes to Mr. Walker’s office after following Dodger’s instructions. Owen goes to Mr. Walker’s desk drawer to find his car keys, because Tom left with Regina in his car, and the campus is basically deserted. Instead of car keys, Owen finds a gun. This is the same gun that was used to kill Becky, and Owen suspects Mr. Walker as the killer, because after Dodger’s confession, Owen knows Mr. Walker shared an inappropriate student/teacher relationship with Becky before her death. Believing in Mr. Walker’s “crime of passion” motives, Owen refuses to relinquish the gun during a struggle with Mr. Walker, and Owen accidentally shoots Mr. Walker in the chest, killing him.

During the finale, it’s revealed the VAST majority of the group pulled a secret prank behind Owen’s back. Covered in fake blood, Randall was playing dead in the confession booth long enough for Owen to see him. Disguised as The Wolf, Graham scared an oblivious Mercedes in the shower. And Dodger faked her death outside of Mr. Walker’s office after The Wolf (disguised as Tom) “murdered” her. Mercedes and Lewis were the only ones, who didn’t know about the hoax.

The twist? Dodger deceived Owen into murdering Mr. Walker, because Dodger also shared an inappropriate relationship with Mr. Walker. Out of jealously, Dodger is the one, who murdered Becky in the woods, and Dodger planted the gun in Mr. Walker’s desk, and she purposely revealed the location, because she knew Owen would use the gun against Mr. Walker in self defense.

Suspension of disbelief is crucial for buying into this twist. Some will say it’s too far fetched to believe in all the steps for Dodger’s master plan. And using hindsight, there’s one scene with some obvious foreshadowing. Others might go with a different choice, but for me, it’s the scene with Dodger wearing the Red Riding Hood costume. Big hint. Still, I LOVE this twist. During the flashback reel at the end, you can see how Dodger easily manipulated and tortured Owen. Dodger saw an easy target for a sucker in Owen, Dodger used Owen’s infatuations against him, and she toyed with Owen until the very end.

Cry Wolf opens with the scene featuring Becky’s death in the woods. Of course, they don’t show Dodger as the killer. But at the end, you can see how Dodger stalked Becky in the woods at night, and when the time was right, Dodger murdered Becky in cold blood with the gun. Again, I know others might have trouble buying into it, but Dodger was the ideal choice for a shocking reveal. Booth took control of the Dodger, as this innocent young girl, who’s conflicted about her inappropriate relationship with a teacher. Seriously, Dodger is the sweet hometown girl with a mother, who teaches sixth graders, and her father works as a janitor at Westlake. WHO would suspect her as a murderer? Dodger’s nonchalant and cold response to Owen openly accusing her of orchestrating the murder of Mr. Walker? “Who would believe you?”

Is Cry Wolf perfect? No. No it’s not. As I said before, you’ll see a set of generic slasher characters here, and Cry Wolf’s replay technique annoys me to no end. Throughout the movie, Cry Wolf constantly replays footage for the murders involving certain participants in the game. You’ll see the footage for the first time after the group comes to a final decision on how everyone involved is supposed to die. As the murders happen, Cry Wolf replays the same footage in the brainstorming scene over and over again. Yeah, I get the point of splicing the “This is how it happens” footage with real time events, because this technique is supposed to pull a shocking reaction out of the audience. After all, you’re seeing the nightmare come to life before your very eyes. Problem is, the footage is not shocking anymore after the first time, and after a while, the replays feel unnecessary, lazy, random, and annoying.

Still, Cry Wolf keeps you guessing until the very end with a back and forth game of whodunit, and the constant teasing is more than capable of keeping you on edge, as Cry Wolf bounces between harmless hoax territory and the possibility of a real killer stalking everyone.

Rating: 7/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

My Soul To Take (2010)

Spoilers.........

One night, Abel Plenkov (Raul Esparza) struggles to silence the voices in his head. Abel, suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, tries to fight his murderous alter ego The Riverton Ripper. The Ripper terrorizes the small town of Riverton, as a ruthless killer by using his personalized knife with the word “vengeance” engraved across the blade. Abel eventually loses the internal battle, allowing The The Riverton Ripper to take control.

As The Ripper, Abel murders his pregnant wife, Sarah (Alexandra Wilson) and his psychiatrist, Dr. Blake (Harris Yulin). Abel tries to murder his young daughter, Leah, but a local police officer named Frank Paterson (Frank Grillo) saves Leah’s life at the last second. During a ride to the hospital, Abel takes one last desperate shot at an escape before the ambulance crashes in the woods. Leaving his blood soaked stretcher behind, Abel disappears into the woods without a trace. On the night of Abel’s rampage and disappearance, seven children are born at the same time, including Sarah’s baby.

Sixteen years later, the seven children born on the night of The Ripper’s death celebrate their birthdays together during an annual ritualistic ceremony as The Riverton Seven. Bug (Max Thieriot), Alex (John Magaro), Brandon (Nick Lashaway), Penelope (Zena Grey), Jay (Jeremy Chu), Brittany (Paulina Olszynski), and Jerome (Denzel Whitaker) share an infamous legacy together as The Riverton Seven, but the teens are forced to deal with a serious problem after pulling the usual pranks to celebrate The Ripper. A member of the Riverton Seven meets a gruesome end after a brutal murder, and eventually, Bug (or “Adam”) learns the details behind an old urban legend about The Ripper. As The Ripper, Abel’s soul is capable of jumping into a body of a Riverton Seven member, and Abel’s soul possesses the unknowing victim, transforming the victim into a cold-blooded killer.

Frank returns as a detective to investigate the murders. At school, Bug is more worried about capturing Brittany heart’s, and receiving a higher score on Fang’s (Emily Meade) popularity rankings, but the order of Bug’s priorities change after he learns a devastating secret about his mother, May (Jessica Hecht). While everyone else is trying to figure out the identity of the killer, Bug experiences some odd changes for his personality, including schizophrenic behavior. Someone is determined to kill every member of The Riverton Seven, and with a limited number of options left, Bug shoots to the top of the list for primary suspects, as the reincarnated version of The Riverton Ripper.

Emily Meade delivers the best performance here, and Jessica Hecht deserves the spot for runner up. Hecht is a legit contender for the top spot, but her screen time is limited here. Thieriot isn’t bad in the leading role, but he’s overshadowed by Meade, and the separation of quality is more obvious during their scenes together. And Zena Grey is good for a few laughs as the obsessive religious nutcase. The rest of the cast ranges from decent to mediocre.

You’ll see the typical bunch of high school characters in a horror film here. Bug is the shy nerd, and he’s going after the hottest girl in school (Brittany), who’s supposed to be out of his league. Alex is Bug’s best friend, and he’s regulated to the sidekick role. Brandon is the star quarterback/jock, and he’s a bully. And Brittany is the airheaded blonde.

Although, I’ll admit, the Penelope character is a refreshing change, and yeah, Fang is the dark and angry goth chick, but there’s a twist to her character. Fang isn’t an outcast, she’s the most popular girl in school. At nineteen years of age, Fang decides, who’s cool and who’s not. She sets the standards for popularity with her rankings, and Fang has her own little clubhouse in the girl’s bathroom titled “The Fang Zone.” On top of all that, Brittany answers to Fang, not the other way around. Without Fang, Brittany is lost and helpless, and she won’t make a big decision without Fang’s guidance.

My Soul To Take tries to surprise the audience with a series of twists, but there’s only one twist that caught me off guard: Fang is Bug’s sister. It’s shocking, because as the most popular girl in school, Fang should do everything in her power to protect and help her little brother’s reputation, right? Nope. Instead, Fang HATES Bug, and she’s the one, who convinces Brittany stay away from Bug at all costs.

Why does Fang hate Bug so much? Well, as brother and sister, they share a dark bond, because Abel Plenkov is their father. Fang is Leah, but over the years, she took the nickname Fang as her real name. Bug is the baby, who was born after Sarah’s murder, and May isn’t Bug’s real mother, she’s Sarah’s sister. May became the legal guardian after the deaths of Abel and Sarah, and Fang resents Bug, because for sixteen years, Bug was worshiped as a miracle baby. Fang, on the other hand, is nothing more than a living, breathing reminder of the atrocities committed on that one tragic night.

Okay, so we’re in My Soul To Take’s final stages, and at this point in the film, we know all about the family history. Now, we’re waiting for the big reveal. Who is the modern day Riverton Ripper?

**Drum roll**

It’s Alex! Alex is the new Riverton Ripper, Alex murdered the others, and for revenge, Alex killed his abusive stepfather, Quint.

Eh, okay? To be honest, I did not anticipate Alex as the killer. Still, revealing Alex as the killer didn’t do anything for me. Throughout the film, you’re expecting some big shocking reveal for the identity of The Riverton Ripper, and I’m sorry, but Alex is not that guy. First of all, Alex is a very uninteresting and dull character. Think about like this. You’re at a restaurant salivating at the thought for your main course of steak and lobster. Instead, the waiter messes up your order, and you see a plate of canned tuna and crackers in front of you. Alex is the canned tuna and crackers.

Second, putting SO much focus on Bug as the leading candidate as The Riverton Ripper devalued a lot of the shock value for Alex’s reveal. Why? After a while, it’s more and more clear Bug isn’t the killer, because Bug as the killer would’ve been way too obvious for a shock. So all the teasing for Bug as the murdering lunatic didn’t make any sense, because again, you’ll quickly realize there’s no chance he could be the killer.

Plus, I got the feeling Wes Craven (the director and writer for this film) was trying to recreate a Billy and Stu moment from Scream, because once Alex reveals himself as The Ripper, he proposes a plan to Bug. Alex wants to pin all the murders on a dead Jerome, so Bug and himself can emerge as the “heroes.” Call me crazy, but this setup is eerily similar to Billy and Stu's plan to pin the killing spree on Sidney’s dad in Scream.

The Riverton Ripper? He’s a complete joke. His costume is borderline cartoonish, and I can guarantee you, The “Ripper” would have a hard time scaring a five year old. And to make things worse, The Ripper’s croaky voice brought one too many laughs out of me. Sorry, but when your primary antagonist, who’s supposed to inspire fear and intimidation is nothing more than a laughing stock, the movie is doomed for failure.

I appreciate a few cool horror winks here. First, there's the one with Alex watching Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds on TV, and the second wink is for Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Bug and Alex nickname a pet raven "Edgar." Well, technically it's not their pet. Bug and Alex see the raven on their daily walk to school in the woods every morning, so they befriended "The Raven" over time.

Still, My Soul To Take is a dull and boring horror film. No scares, a lack of tension, a series of underwhelming twists, and too many unintentionally funny moments kill any chances for a passable guilty pleasure film. Also, My Soul To Take squanders a unique supernatural premise. As the story progresses, My Soul To Take devolves into another generic slasher film, with a manic running around hacking teens to bits, and to put the icing on the cake, they had to throw in a predictable scene, where The Ripper chases two victims through the woods. Ugh. It’s a frustrating disappointment, because My Soul To Take had the potential to be a solid horror flick. Instead, it’s a chore to sit through, and the one hour and forty-eight minutes runtime feels like an eternity.

Rating: 2/10

 

[Akhilleus]

We Own The Night (2007)​

This will be the third and final film in my Mark Wahlberg review trilogy. We Own The Night is about a night club manager who tries to remain neutral during war between the Russian mafia and the NYPD where his brother is a police officer. I'll start by saying I originally DVR'd this movie because I saw Wahlberg's name, but this movie is not based around him. In fact he does not contribute that much to the film at all. This one is all on the shoulders of Joaquin Phoneix, and he takes that all in stride with the performance he gives in this film.

I'll start by saying it was a little slow for the first ten minutes, but it didn't take too long to pick up. Once it did it didn't stop as I was sucked in from that point on, but I'm not exactly a patient guy so it almost made me lose interesting. Luckily it didn't, and I'm glad I continued watching as it was a pretty good film to say the least. The thing that makes this film great is it sort of strays away from the more recent structure of films. To me it had more of a story arch of one of the classical plays written by Shakespeare or Anton Chekhov. It's emotional, and tragic, and has a lot of weight and depth, but it also seems well written and not even that cliche. That's hard to do, and that makes this movie a little better in the long run.

With Phoenix, Wahlberg, and Duvall the cast is pretty solid. In fact it's one of the biggest aspects of the film, but the fact that I think this film could have done just as well with three different equally known actors is what makes it better. Not to take away from the great performances from any of those three, but it just goes to show what a great job James Gray has done with writing and directing this film. I will say that the connection that Wahlberg and Phoenix have on and off screen is something that benefited this film big time, and would have made an impact without it. Things do get a little too heavy and somber at times, and I wouldn't have minded a little well played comic relief at certain points. I also didn't exactly appreciate the air time Mark Wahlberg got through the entire film. He really doesn't get much of a chance to show what he's got, but he provides well in the time he does get.

This film is highly relied on the characters, and the story that builds around them. While there is some action, specifically a car chase in the later half of the film, most of the movie is centered around the three main characters and their relationships with each other. This film wasn't predictable, but at the same time there weren't many twists or unforeseeable turns I didn't see coming. A betrayal or turn would have made this film a great one, but that didn't happen and it made things a little disappointing. To add onto that the ending wasn't exactly great either. It seemed rushed, and the dream sequence at the end seemed out of place.

Overall this wasn't a bad film at all. I enjoyed it, and would probably watch it again if I saw it on TV. It's not one of my all time favorites, but it's one of Joaquin Phoenix's bests and that means something, along with Gray's. It's a good cop drama/thriller that isn't hard to follow, and tells a great story. Would have loved to see more out of Wahlberg and something that would have made me mark out at the end, but other than those cons I can't think of anything that brings this film down.

Rating: 6.5/10

 

[Akhilleus]

The Scout (1994)​

With baseball season just upon us, my next few reviews will be all baseball films. Starting first is The Scout. I caught this movie late on MLB Network, and I had never seen it before. Staring Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser, this movie is about a baseball scout (Brooks) who is banished to the Mexican country side after bringing in a huge bust to the Yankees organization. Though when in Mexico he stumbles upon a baseball god (Fraser), a player who can strike out every batter and hit home runs on every at bat. So Brooks brings him back to New York where he becomes his unofficial agent, but it turns out this baseball stud has some personal problems he has to deal with before he can take the mound.

Albert Brooks is hilarious in this movie. Well he's hilarious in every movie. He just has that voice, and when he makes a joke it just means so much more. His personality fits his role as Al Percolo well where he makes witty and funny comments. This shows more in the first half of the film, although the second half seemed to stray away from that a little more when things got more dramatic and serious. I would have preferred that didn't happen, but there were still some funny parts from Brooks and the rest of the cast that made up for most of it. It's important to note that this isn't a movie to take very seriously. It's a very light comedy/fantasy that centers around baseball and a father-son sort of relationship. Obviously no player will even be as perfect as the one played by Fraser in the film, but that's what makes it a movie. It's fun to watch, and it reminds me of when I create myself on MLB The Show and max myself out in all the stats.

Like I said there are a lot of comedic parts in this film, but there are also some very feel good parts where the film focuses on the father and son relationship between Al and Steve Nebraska (The character played by Fraser). Things get emotional at points, and it's almost like a reversal of comic relief put in so the film isn't purely comedy. At the same time it kind of shows how psychological problems can impact the way an athlete plays. That can be related right now to the situation with former Miami Dolphins lineman Johnathan Martin and what he went through. Another thing with this movie is you really don't have to know a lot about baseball to enjoy it. In fact other than the first fifteen minutes and the last fifteen minutes of the movie, there really isn't any baseball being played at all. So it's a very easy film for anyone to follow.

An interesting thing with this movie as well is the constant connections to the classic King Kong. Constantly through the film Al says he's looking for his King Kong. In fact right at the very beginning of the movie he is watching King Kong. There are a lot of connections that the writers through in there that reference that story. Like how Brooks finds such an unbelievable gem out in the middle of nowhere, or how Fraser's character flips out at all the cameras and media attention, and even when Fraser climbs up to the top of Yankee stadium at the end of the film. All similarities to King Kong, and it was a fun thing to pick up on for those to paid close attention to the film.

This movie was cute and light-hearted. It's almost to the point where it would make a fantastic kid's movie if the swearing was cut out, and that isn't a bad thing either for those manly-men wanting to see a good baseball flick, because it still provided for all of that. This isn't a movie like Moneyball or The Natural where things are serious and dramatic. I would probably rank this around or right below A League of Their Own or The Bad News Bears (The later makes since considering it was directed by the same man). It's the type of movie as well that doesn't get worn out either. If I saw it on TV in a few months, I'd probably flip it on again. That's something I couldn't do with even some of my favorite films. Would I have gone to theaters to see this back in 1994? Possibly being a baseball fan, but chances are I would've just caught it when it came on TV, and that's what this film is perfect for. If you're looking for a very light and fun baseball film to get you in the mood for the upcoming season, this film wouldn't be an awful choice.

Rating: 5/10

 

[Akhilleus]

Little Big League (1994)

Continuing my baseball series, This is a movie I've had on DVD since for about ten years. Yet for whatever reason I've just never watched it, but I had always seen it around. Anyway I can't remember where the actual copy of that is, I probably still have it somewhere. None the less I saw this late on MLB Network one night and decided to have it DVR'd. So let's start this review out. Little Big League is another one of those from the flock of 90s baseball movies, a family film centered around a 12 year old who finds himself in full control of the Minnesota Twins. Billy Heyward (Luke Edwards) inherits a major league baseball team after the former owner, Billy's grandfather, passes away. Though after firing the team's manager and realizing that there aren't many managers out there who want a little kid as a boss, Billy takes on the role of manager himself. But will Billy be able to handle all the pressure and responsibility that comes with the job?

While this movie isn't exactly one as serious as say Moneyball, or isn't as funny as Major League, or maybe isn't as popular as The Bad News Bears, it's definitely one I enjoyed watching even at my age. Despite the fact that it centers around a twelve year old and is more of a family film than anything, it's definitely a movie anyway can watch. There are a lot of funny scenes, and more often than not they're ones that adults would be able to relate to even more than children. It's actually a bit of a shame that this movie is as underrated as it has been, because the writing is just so much more sophisticated than some of the other films in it's class. Although looking on the outside the story of this one may seem dumb and unrealistic, it's one of those don't judge a book by it's cover sort of things. In fact speaking of the realism, this movie actually is very realistic. As far as a 12 year old being the owner and manager of a Major League baseball team, I mean yeah chances are that won't happen. Although who's to say it can't for an owner? An owner could easily say they want their grandchild to be the next heir to their franchise. Of course there would be acting adults there to take the place until they're old enough, but that's essentially what they had going on in this movie too. Now as far as the child becoming a manager, that is a little more unrealistic. Not only because of his age, but also because there's actually a rule in MLB where an owner cannot manage his own baseball team. Yet I'm not even talking about the story when I applaud the realism of this film, but rather the actual baseball and gameplay. The games just looked so real in the film. The stadiums were great, the plays were great and seemed to just flow out so authentically, and just everything about the game looked so great.

Usually with these Hollywood films you have actors playing where everything just looks fake, and it's to the point where you can tell. That's not the case with this film, and it's one of it's biggest positives. Of course that's aided by all the actual Major League star power the film had. Guys like Ken Griffey, Randy Johnson, Lou Piniella, and so many other active stars from the time. That adds to it, and while with baseball movies it's usually more often than not where they feature the real teams rather than some made up teams, I'm glad this is one of those films. I know with the football films when they focus on the pros and aren't allowed to use real names or likenesses, it sort of waters down the whole movie. I don't think baseball films ever have that problem, but it's just something I've begun to notice. Going back to the realism though, I think they also do a very fine job of capturing what a normal season for a major league team would be like. By that I mean there's a lot of up and downs. At one point things may be going your way, and the next thing you know you're on a five game losing streak. That's just the way it goes with baseball. There are so many games that it's impossible not to go into a losing slump or a winning streak every now and then. With this movie they show that, and they show that things can change at every minute. It shows how a team, especially a team like the Twins, can have so many ups and downs throughout a season. And yet they didn't exaggerate the ending that much either. Rather than making them looking like some super team going all the way and winning the whole series, they end it with them losing their last game and falling just short of the playoffs.

I really think Luke Edwards does a fantastic job with the main role, and how his character Billy Heyward is portrayed just once again adds to the realism. He isn't some snot nosed, smart alec cliche, but rather seems like how any kid that age would be. He is somewhat shy sometimes when addressing situations early on, and noticeably lets the pressure and stress get to him more and more as time goes on. One of my favorite parts from the entire film is when Billy is walking through a city, I wasn't sure if it was Minnesota or just a city they were in on the road, but he's walking through a city and finds a couple of kids playing stickball in the street. At this point in the film the stress had been getting to Heyward, his friends were annoyed with him, and he was really sort of feeling alone. So he ends up joining these kids in their stickball game, who had initially thought they recognized him but believed Billy when he said he wasn't the well-known manager, and just goes out and has fun like he used to do before it all started. There's also some other big roles like the one from Timothy Busfield, who does a pretty good job playing the well liked all star first baseman (and Billy's mom's love interest), and there's even a smaller role from Dennis Farina early in the film as the manager who Billy fires. Farina does an excellent job of getting gross as always. Although Ashley Crow, who played Billy's mom, was a bit annoying at times. Oddly enough I always seem to find the middle aged woman in 80-90s movies annoying as they're also so cliche. But there were times where she got on my nerves, and I found it interesting that she nearly didn't let Billy go to a baseball game with his Grandfather, but was suddenly just fine with him taking over and managing the whole team.

Overall this movie is classic baseball film to me. It's easy to follow, fun to watch, and just all around a good story. The acting while isn't filled with star-power does a pretty good job of holding up, and the realism of the game in it is just off the charts great. While I can't say I'd see this movie in theaters unless I was taking kids, it's one I'd watch on TV and probably one I would watch again if I see it on again.


Rating: 6.5/10

 

[HBKistheHOF]

The last few movies I saw in 2013...
- Thor: The Dark World: A really solid sequel & one of the better movies I saw in 2013. If you're a fan of the Marvel Universe then this installment fits in very nicely with Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel: Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., etc. 8/10
- Bad Grandpa: Not really what I expected. Less disgusting/potty humor type jokes which was nice but simply a more tame version of "Jackass" with an awkward narrative. 4.5/10
- Frozen: A fantastic & entertaining film for the entire family. Probably the best animated film since Wall-E IMO. 9/10
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: So much better the the 1st film! My only issue with the sequel (besides the hardcore cliff hanger ending) is the same with the rest of The Hobbit movies & really all Lord of the Ring's films, they are all WAY too long. 7/10
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: A surprisingly solid plot for a sequel that came out almost 10 years after the original. Any diehard fans of the orginal will most likely enjoy it. 6.5/10

What I've seen in 2014 so far...
- The LEGO Movie: A great family film that surprisingly translates rather well for adults too, especially if you grew up with LEGO's, enjoy LEGO cartoons, etc. 8/10
- Son Of God: An enjoyable retelling of the biblical stories of Jesus. Not the most amazing film but it features some very nice visuals & some very touching moments that are portrayed well. I would recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in Christianity, The Bible, religion in general, etc. 6.5/10
- 300: Rise Of An Empire: I thought the sequel actually featured a more polarizing story arc than the 1st film in some ways & a lot of the action sequences were on par with the original. But certain aspects like the somewhat poor acting, the cinematography not being nearly as good as the 1st film, the creepy rape/fight/sex scene, etc. kept it from being anything more than the usual testosterone filled action flick. 5/10

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Need For Speed: Not a bad outing for Aaron Paul's first leading role on the silver screen. The scenery is gorgeous, the action packed car scenes are pretty cool & the acting overall wasn't bad but a few duds in the acting department, overly simplistic characters & an extremely cliche & predictable storyline made for a film better suited for background noise, not for getting emotionally invested in. 6.5/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel: A wonderfully enchanting film & easily the best movie I have seen so far this year. It's a little slow to start off but once it get's going you really feel like a part of the films universe. & I loved the films simplicity with the ending, so very light but could also keep you thinking for hours, absolutely incredible. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson then I don't see how you couldn't enjoy this film, one of his finest works IMO. 9/10

 

[Akhilleus]

So as sort of a grand finale for my baseball trilogy, I was going to review The Natural. But I got sick, slacked a little bit, and haven't posted in a long time. So what I'm going to be doing instead of a big review, is rank a top 10 for all of my favorite baseball films. It's going to be a two part post. This post won't be the Top 10 countdown, but instead I will be talking about the movies that didn't make the list. These films did not make my Top Ten baseball films list because I either didn't think it deserved to be there, or I never saw it so I can't judge. There are some films that I'm going to name in this post that I can probably bet would make the list had I did see them, and I'll give credit where I think it is due, but like I said I really can't give them a spot on the list if I never saw the movie. You'll probably be saying to yourself things like "Wow, he hasn't seen that yet"? So bear with me because there are a few classics that I've yet to watch.

First however I'm going to talk about some films that I did see, and simply didn't make the cut. None of these movies were particularly awful, at least most of them weren't. However there had to be some reason or another that I left them off the list, and I'll tell you why.

6. The Benchwarmers (2006)

When I said that none of the movies that didn't make the list were particularly awful, this one was the exception. This movie was one of the stupidest baseball films I have ever seen in my life. I'm not a huge Rob Schneider fan, and I hate Jon Heder even more. These types of stupid comedies are hit and miss with me, and this one was definitely a miss. The whole "bullying" thing made me want to puke. This film came out in 2006 too, so it was even before the United States got on the stomp out bullying train and started shoving it down our throats. Granted it's been a long time since I've seen the movie, but I can promise you I don't resent that. The idea of three grown men playing baseball against a bunch of kids and kicking the crap out of them, yet being portrayed as the heroes...it just doesn't work with me. Awful movie.

Rating: 2/10

5. Home Run Showdown (2012)

Home Run Showdown is probably not a very well known movie at all, in fact it doesn't even have a wikipedia page. But it starts Matthew Lillard (One of his many baseball movies) who was a former star baseball player. I can't remember the details, but this movie was basically a mix of Little Giants (a football film) and the Bad News Bears. It was Lillard and his brother competing against each other, and the winning team got to go to the MLB Home Run Derby to shag fly balls, and the winning coach their Dad's bar or something like that. I can't remember the details like I said, but it was an alright flick. Not something I'd watch again but Matthew Lillard isn't bad at all he's pretty underrated in my book. It's not something I'd watch twice, but I remembered it so it must not have been that bad.

Rating: 5/10

4. Little Big League (1994)

Now Little Big League is a movie that I actually already gave a whole review on, so I'm going to keep this one short. This one was actually a classic to me. It was fun to watch, and the filming was great. The baseball gameplay in it was actually authentic, and it didn't seem as fake as it does in other films. It was realistic, and laid back. The story was a little outstretched, but it wasn't all the bad at all. The reason it doesn't make my list however is because it's still not something I would go see by myself. While an adult can watch it, they really wouldn't and because of that it falls. It's something I'd watch on TV in preparation for baseball season, but not something I'd see in the movies.

Rating: 6.5/10

3. The Scout (1994)

Again this is another movie I already reviewed in full here. I enjoyed this movie. It was really light hearted and laid back, and yet Al Brooks makes it hilarious. It's a good movie to watch on TV, but again why it doesn't make the list. First of all it isn't very realistic. A player who hits home runs every at bat and gets strikeouts every batter he faces? I can't even do that when I play on easy setting on MLB The Show. That tarnishes the plot, and while it wasn't something that ruined the movie being the tone it sets, it's something that would hold it down from being a serious contender in my top ten.

Rating: 5/10

2. Angels in the Outfield (1994)

Now this movie is arguably a classic. It's a good film starting a very young Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Danny Glover playing the manager of the team. Even for someone who's agnostic, I still enjoyed the concept of the film. Problems are for starters it's still a little bit too feel good of a story for me. There's only two movies in my top ten that could even be considered feel good stories, and even then that's not the reason there in there. Sometimes it's hard for feel good and baseball not to mix, but there's a difference between a motivational story and a story about a couple of orphaned boys who see angels and get a new Daddy. Another problem I have with this movie is, the original was way better. Also off topic, but this is the third movie on this list so far that came out in 1994. What is with the year 1994 and baseball movies? Maybe because of the strike?

Rating: 5/10

1. The Natural (1984)

Last but not least I will talk about The Natural. Like I said I was originally just going to review this movie and talk about it, but I ended up slacking and pushing it back and just never got around to it. I know some people who have this movie number one of all time on their baseball movie list, or at least pretty high up there. For me it doesn't make the top ten. First of all I don't care for stories that take place past the 60s. That goes for any story or movie. So that was an automatic thing. This movie just bored me, I constantly strayed away from watching it, and it turned into something that was more so in the background. Granted though the movie does tell a very good story about a baseball player who's career is ruined before it starts after he's shot. Years later he gets on a team, and becomes a huge star. The biggest problem I had with the film is how it strays from the actual book. In the book it ends with the main character actually taking a bribe to throw the game. He ends doing it, and he hits rock bottom and loses everything. It's a lot more realistic and meaningful. In the movie however it goes back to that feel good sense, he doesn't take the bribe and he hits a big home run at the end and everything's okay. Didn't like that at all. Good film, but it just misses my top ten.

Rating: 6/10



Okay, now I'm going to list the films that I haven't seen yet. I'll talk about the ones that probably wouldn't have made the list anyway first, and further down the list I'll get into the ones that would.

7. Rookie of the Year (1993)

The plot for this movie is very similar to Little Big League. When I was watching that I came across this movie as well, and saw that the two had a lot of comparisons. If Little Big League didn't make the list, then this one likely would have missed it as well. Granted I still want to watch it some time because it seems like a good one to sit down and check out on a rainy day when I'm in the mood for something fun and laid back.

6. Mr. Baseball (1992)

I actually have this one DVR'd, but it's something I haven't gotten around to watching yet. I'm not really sure whether I like Tom Selleck or not. I'll be honest I haven't seen a whole lot of his stuff, but he sure does have the mustache for an early 90s baseball player. This one is apparently about a player who is traded to Japan. I'm worried I won't be able to get into this being that it's set in Japan and all, but I'll give it ago. It too probably would have missed the list.

5. Mr. 3000 (2004)

Now I can't say I'm a Bernie Mac fan, but this film is a little newer and that would make it a little better. Judging from the plot I actually think it's something I'd like to watch, and plus it features real teams in the Major Leagues. I haven't seen it, and I don't have it DVR'd so I probably won't for a good while. While the story doesn't seem bad, I probably can't see it making the list either.

4. Field of Dreams (1989)

Now this movies is in between for me on my predictions. I know it's well liked, but for some reason I don't feel like it would have made my Top Ten. It's Kevin Costner, and like I'll say more later I like Kevin Costner, and the fact that Ray Liotta is in it as well makes me really want to watch it I actually didn't even know he was in it. But I don't know how much baseball is actually in it, like actually gameplay. From what I've gathered I feel most of the movie is just the farm guy living his life, and that's what I'm afraid of. Because of that it would probably be kept off of the list. But again I can't say anything until I've actually seen it. Not sure when that'll happen though, but I do hear it's a good one so it'll be on the list.

3. 42 (2013)

Now this movie is a movie that probably would have found it's way onto my Top 10 list in some form or another. Now I mentioned that I don't like movies that are set this early in time, and it's really the only reason I didn't rush to go see this one in theaters. But from what I hear it's really good, and it really does a great job of telling Jackie Robinson's story. I still haven't gotten around to watching it though so I really don't know if I would have liked it or not.

2. Bull Durham (1988)

I couldn't decide if I wanted to make this the last one on this list, or the one that I actually made last. But either way they're both up there, and without actually watching them I can probably predict they would both squeeze their way into my top 5. As far as Bull Durham goes I definitely know this is my father's favorite baseball movies, at least it's one of them. I'm a big Kevin Costner fan so I can probably dig it just as much as he can. He's also quoting lines from this movie. Yet I still haven't seen it. Like I said though it would probably rank pretty high on my list had I actually seen it.

1. Trouble With The Curve (2012)

The reason I put this above Bull Durham is because I actually like the cast better, and it's more modern. The plot of this movie just sounds good, and from what I've heard it's a great film all around. Matthew Lillard is in this one as well, like I said he's in a lot, but the main star is Clint Eastwood. You can never go wrong with Clint Eastwood. I for one am not a fan of his cowboy stuff, but as a baseball scout I can definitely dig him. Others in here are John Goodman, Robert Patrick, and even Justin Timberlake who I like much better as an actor as opposed to a singer.


So these are the movies that did not make the list. Either because I haven't seen them or they weren't good enough. Like I said this was sort of a prequel to my post later on, so you will all just have to eagerly wait until I'm ready to type up the actual Top Ten list for my favorite baseball movies.

 

[Akhilleus]

Top 10 Baseball Movies
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Here it is, the post all of you have been anxiously waiting for. Today I'm going to be going over my Top 10 Baseball Movies list. Now I have already mentioned all the great movies that didn't make the list, whether it was because I haven't seen them yet or because they just weren't as good as the others. Although there were a couple movies that I had not seen that I did not mention. I won't exactly talk about them the way I did in my previous post, but those movies are Eight Men Out, 61, Cobb, and For Love of the Game. As far as Eight Men Out and Cobb, they probably wouldn't have made the list anyway due to the time they are set in, but 61 would have been OK and For Love of the Game definitely had potential to make it somewhere pretty high on the list. This list is just based on personal preference. I had trouble towards the top deciding between a few, so I had to put a couple factors into it which I'll talk about. Everyone's list is different.

So I'll start this list at number 10...

10. Chasing 3000 (2008)

Chasing 3000 was a story about two brothers who travel across the country to see Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit. It barely made my list because it doesn't really have much baseball in it, and is more of a road trip story than anything. Yet the movie is good and emotional enough that I had to put it on here anyway. From what I know it's actually very under the radar. It was an independent film that went straight to DVD. Ray Liotta's name is on the cover even though he's not in the film more than fifteen minutes, but the movie is actually based on a true story. Interesting note. I enjoyed it enough.

Rating: 6/10


9. Summer Catch (2001)

So coming in at number nine on the list is a little more well know by baseball fans, Summer Catch. It stars Freddie Prince Jr. and Jessica Biel, and it's also another one of the many baseball movies that Matthew Lillard is casted on. It's about a young college player who plays in the Cape Cod League during the summer. The Cape Cod League is a real league, and many college prospects and stars have played there in the past. This movie is alright. It's definitely a can't miss for baseball fans, but it also isn't the best baseball movie you'd ever see. Prince Jr. is as he always is, and while Jessica Biel plays a good supporting role as the cliche love interest. But it's just a tad too Rom-Com ish to be any higher on the list.

Rating: 6.5/10


8. The Babe (1992)

This is one of those films that is good enough to outweigh the fact that it takes place so early in time. Like I've mentioned a good bit I'm not a big fan of these films. I just prefer more of a modern look at things. Yet this movie wasn't bad. It was well done, and John Goodman is good as always in it. How can I leave The Bambino off the list? This movie is more of a biographical film about the great Babe Ruth, and it doesn't exactly show him in a true light. Goodman does a great job of portraying how gross Ruth apparently got, but also shows a sympathetic side as well. From what I've heard Ruth was actually a little worse than how the movie portaryed him, but none the less it's a classic film.

Rating: 6.5/10


7. Bad News Bears (1976)

So next on the list is a favorite among all, but a little lower than most would probably rank it. That is the Bad News Bears. Now I'm talking about the 1976 version. The remake is alright I suppose, but it doesn't amount to the original. Now I'm not just talking about the first movie here, this is the whole series that gets grouped into one. Now those sequels weren't anything near as good as the first one, but they were still pretty decent flicks, and I've seen them all. The one where they go to Huston is probably the second best one, but after that it gets a little more watered down with the Japan one. But overall it's a classic.

Rating: 7/10


6. The Rookie (2002)

Based on the true story of Jim Morris, a 35 year old pitcher who tried out and made a Major League team, this Disney flick was good enough to make number six on my top ten list. Not that bad. It stars Dennis Quaid, and it all around tells a pretty moving and emotional story of how age is no difference. Of course it was one of those Disney feel good stories, but it's not bad at all. It's true, and Quaid does a good job of portraying the role.

Rating: 7/10


5. The Sandlot (1993)

The Sandlot is an absolute classic. There's no doubt in my mind that if anyone is to make a top ten list, this movie would be on it. I rank it right in the middle here at number five. It's a more of a coming of age movie that reflects you back on your childhood, but it's still centered around baseball and it's still a great funny flick. Who could forget Smalls or Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez? The sequel wasn't as good. It made more sense for a baseball movie that it was a baseball they were trying to receive, and not a rocket. Although it didn't take anything away from it, because the remake wasn't all that bad either. And quite honestly the third movie The Sandlot: Heading Home they made I enjoyed almost as much as the first. It doesn't have the same plot, but keeps some of the character names the same.

Rating: 7/10


4. A League of Their Own (1992)

Another 1992 baseball movie, I swear that's the year everyone just decided to make a baseball flick. This is one of those rare ones on my list that take place way far back in time that I prefer. Not to mention that the main plot centers around an all girls baseball team. Those are two factors that probably would have turned me off, but yet not only odes it makes the list it makes the upper half. That's definitely not bad. Tom Hanks is absolutely great in this film. He's hilarious, and he plays the role well. The best line in the entire film is "There's no crying in baseball" although there are many other gems this film has to offer. It's a good one, and if you haven't seen it you should. I'll also throw in the fact that the women's baseball league actually did happen during that time. When the guys were gone for WWII, that's what they did.

Rating: 8/10


3. Major League (1989)

If the only bad thing I can say about this movie is the main team the movie is focused on is Cleveland, than that's pretty good. This movie was actually number one when I first sketched out my Top 10 list, but I ended up moving it down to the three slot. This movie just adds to the list of classics that I already talked about. One negative about it is the romantic interests they throw in. I hate the cliche romantic interests that these movies always have have. The last two movies on my list, their main character's only romantic interest is baseball. Any Major League has a pretty decent cast with it being one of the earlier films in Charlie Sheen's career. Sheen was also in Eight Men Out, so he's done a couple baseball movies. Wesley Snipes is also another one in this film who's been in quite a couple baseball movies. The thing about this movie is it's not only great in itself, it has so many iconic characters. Lou Brown, Rick Vaughn, Jack Taylor, Pedro Cerrano, Willie Mays Hayes. The sequels are pretty solid too. The second one is almost as good as the first, although the third is pretty blah. The biggest thing about the second one is Wesley Snipes is replaced by Omar Epps. Other than that it's got a solid bit of the returning cast and offers a pretty good follow up story to the first film. Now the third movie hardly retains any of the same cast. Roger Dorn and Pedro Cerrano are it I believe. This movie is just fantastic, it can't be left off of any baseball list and even if you aren't a baseball fan you have to watch it. It's a baseball movie, but it's just too good to miss out on.

Rating: 8.5/10

2. Moneyball (2011)

Moneyball very much had the potential to be number one on my list. It's definitely pretty damn close. First of all Brad Pitt is pretty damn high on my top actors list, so having him in it alone is enough. The rest of it's cast is pretty rock solid as well with the rising Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Like many other baseball films it features real teams, but it's also a true story so it features well known players too. A couple that still play in the majors today. Anyway this movie tells a great and real story about a huge problem in the MLB. Teams with payrolls that are way lower than other teams. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox who have all the money in the world, compared to teams like the Oakland A's who have none of it. Yet this movie shows the way Billy Beane managed to still put a winning team together. It's true, and it stays accurate throughout the film. It's one of Pitt's best, and it is definitely one of the best baseball movies. Granted it's a little newer so it won't make it high on many other's list, but to me it was pretty damn good. The A's are one of my favorite teams, I might rank them third or fourth, so it was also enjoyable to me personally in that aspect. It's a good film, one I've already seen many times in the three years it's been out.

Rating: 9/10

1. The Fan (1996)

So you may be thinking what the number one movie on my list is, and that is none other than The Fan. It's probably not the number one movie on many people's lists, but it is for me. It's right around the same as Moneyball and Major League, but Robert De Niro is one of my favorite actors of all the times, so I had to make this one numero uno. Plus I just watched it a couple days ago, it's what sparked me making this list in the first place. The Fan is about an obsessed knife salesman San Fran Giants fan, who's favorite player is the newly acquired center fielder Bobby Rayburn, played by Wesley Snipes. It's one of Snipes' couple baseball movies in his filmography, and he plays the role well. He looks like a baseball player in it that's for sure. Anyway this movie shows De Niro as he goes further and further into insanity, and it's a question of how far is too far. Well if you've ever seen any other Robert De Niro movie, you know there is no such thing as "too far" for him. He gets pretty close, and in this one it's no different. It's one of the best, and it's one that even someone who isn't a baseball fan could enjoy.

Rating: 9/10

 

[The Butcher]

In preparation for the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, I've been watching the movies from the X-Men flim series recently. I'm excluding X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however, on fanon grounds. Tonight I will review one that I feel gets a bad rap from many- X-Men: The Last Stand. Maybe as the new film's release gets closer I'll do the others as well.

The X-Men film series (an adaptation of the X-Men comic book series, obviously) began in 2000 with the Bryan Singer directed X-Men. The series has been hugely popular, however some of the liberties the filmmakers have taken with the characters and stories have divided fans of the source material. Singer returns to the series as a director for the first time since X2 with next month's highly anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past. Personally, I'm a fan of the series except for the aforementioned X-Men Origins. I also don't think that the first film has aged particularly well, and throughout the series there are some changes from the comic book that annoy me; none of which have been deal breakers, clearly.

Simply put, for a comic book series with the wealth of characters and history that the X-Men series has, I feel that the movies have done an admirable job of bringing fan favorite characters and arcs to the big screen. They also feature some quality acting and great action sequences which smooth over a lot the faults. No movie the series typifies that last sentence better than X-Men: The Last Stand.

X-Men: The Last Stand

Released in 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand was at the time the final film of a trilogy. X-Men and X2 were directed by Bryan Singer, and were met with acclaim. The first film reinvigorated comic book film adaptations, and the second is in my opinion still among the best comic book movies of all-time. This movie, however, was directed by Brett Ratner due to Singer opting to instead make a boring Superman movie, and Ratner wasn't a popular choice. Actor James Marsden, who portrayed Cyclops/Scott Summers in the series, took a role in Singer's eventual Superman Returns, and had a reduced role in The Last Stand as a result. The Last Stand is very divisive among fans, and I'm on the side that enjoys it.

To recap (spoilers) Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who died sacrificing herself to save the X-Men team in X2, mysteriously reappears. Her powers and alternate personality, The Phoenix, are unlocked after previously having been kept in check by Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Worthington Labs, run by the father of the newly introduced Warren Worthington III/Angel (Ben Foster), has created a mutant cure based off of a young mutant named Jimmy (Cameron Bright) who has the ability to negate the mutations of others. Magento (Ian McKellen) and his Brotherhood cohorts Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford), take the development of a cure as a clandestine declaration of war against mutants and set out to recruit in preparation. Xavier Institute student Rogue (Anna Paquin), having long struggled with her mutation, leaves the school to get the cure in order to be closer to her boyfriend, Iceman (Shawn Ashmore). In a showdown with X-Men Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), and Professor X, Magneto and his crew are able to recruit The Phoenix. Professor X is killed by Phoenix during the encounter; The Phoenix had earlier also killed her boyfriend and X-Men leader, Cyclops, as well. The X-Men are shaken by these losses. Storm, Wolverine, and original X-Man and current government official, Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast (Kelsey Grammer), consider closing the Xavier Institute. Angel's arrival at the school causes them to be reaffirmed in the Institute's stated goal of being a safe haven for mutants, and the X-Men, with new members Iceman, Colossus (Daniel Cudmore), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), and a returning Beast, have a climactic battle with The Brotherhood and a U.S. Army contingent on Alcatraz Island.

As that recap might indicate, there is a lot going on in this movie, and unfortunately that works to its overall detriment. This is mainly due to new characters being introduced hastily and minimal exploration of the themes and issues raised by the cure plot. Things move fast, and knowledge of the first two films is a must. Having read the comic book storylines that influenced the movie helped my understanding and appreciation of The Last Stand. It's competently made, and despite the change of director retains the look and feel that Singer established. Same for the musical score, which saw John Powell taking over for John Ottman who scored the first two.

The movie is ambitious, simultaneously attempting to introduce significant new characters, explore the social and political issues of the X-Men universe, and bring the events of the series to a climax. As I mentioned, those ambitions aren't fully met, as the characters (old and new) and issues get the short shrift in favor of action. The action is exciting, though. The special effects are good, not great (save for the digital touch-up used to make McKellen and Stewart look younger-- that was indeed very well done), and The Juggernaut looks goofy. All-in-all, though, it's a good looking movie that, like I said, fits with the first two.

The cast does a good job, which considering the talent on hand is not surprising. Hugh Jackman had more than settled in to Wolverine's claws by this point, and Halle Berry's Storm finally really comes into her own. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are as good as ever in their roles as Xavier and Magneto. Famke Janssen's Jean Grey/Phoenix is a little restrained for my liking. The use of the character's powers is fine (nowhere near the scale of the comics, but that's fitting with the film universe), but I would have liked to see her portrayed with a little more Carrie-at-prom unhinged-ness at times. Vinnie Jones' portrayal of The Juggernaut fits the look the character was given. Eric Dane's Jaime Madrox/Multiple Man is one of the characters that suffers from the overcrowding in the movie. Dane seems to be having fun as the character and between that and the Multiple Man's interesting mutation, I think I would've enjoyed more Multiple Man. Beast is one of the few series newcomers who gets ample time, and Kelsey Grammer nails the role.

Expectations hurt this movie's reception a lot. The Dark Phoenix storyline is revered among X-Men fans. Fans of the Fox animated series will likely remember how Fox advertised the story arc in a way that made it feel like a big deal. The quality of X2 and the way it set up the Phoenix story drove anticipation for The Last Stand, and it didn't quite live up to either the established Dark Phoenix story or to its film predecessor. That doesn't make it a bad movie or a bad sequel, though. I've already copped to the fact that it's overcrowded and doesn't delve deep into many of its characters and themes. Those factors hurt it, but they don't cripple it. The movie moves so briskly that one isn't inclined to think too deeply about it while watching unless their intent is to analyze. If you're out for entertainment, X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty.

Cyclops and Professor X being killed off also bugged a lot of fans. I got over the death of the former quickly as it was apparent that the series' writers had little interest in the character. The death of the latter is addressed in a post-credits sequence, before the post-credits scene became a Marvel comics movie cliché, and I think that small addendum actually helps the movie. That scene, along with the tease of Magneto's returning power at the proper end of the movie, send the viewer home excited for more. Now that the sequel that that bonus scene hinted at is finally nearing arrival, I suggest that anyone who hasn't seen X-Men: The Last Stand in a while go back and watch it again. If you liked it, odds are you still will. If you didn't, maybe time will have eased any fanboy rage you may have had (Juggernaut isn't supposed to be a mutant, we know), and having had three X-Men films come out since it may give you perspective.

So on a scale of expired Slim Jim to perfectly cooked filet mignon, X-Men: The Last Stand is a plate of barbecued ribs. Enjoyable, but messy.
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