Reviews!
Here's the latest batch of movies I have seen recently, and how they stand out.
The Wolfman - (C): Remake of the classic Wolfman movie, with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins starring. The movie is decent enough. Nothing oo memorable, nothing terrible. It drags in some spots, and kind of takes a big to get to the point. The movie shines whenever the actual Wolfman creature is on screen though. By the end you wish he had more screen time as opposed to the human characters. The wolfman effects and make up are also outstanding. The movie is worth a watch or two. I say netflix it if your bored one day and in need or something to watch.
Law Abiding Citizen - (D): Gerrard Butler stars as a man who watches as his wife and daughter are brutally murdered in front of him. Jamie Foxx plays his attorney, who seems more interested in his career then justice. In a ridiculous move that would never actually happen in real life, one of the killers is give a softball sentence. Butler goes mad. 10 years later, he begins to extract his revenge on the killers, as well as the justice system as a whole. His character, the plan he is committing, and the way he executes it are all absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, everything else in the movie is shit. Jamie Foxx character is an unlikable prick from start to finish. The worst sin the movie commits however, is in being chicken shit. Foxx character is so unlikable, you immediately empathize with Butler's character. But, somehow, he is supposed to be the villain of the movie. I think. This is what ruins the movie, it doesn't know who to root for, and in the end, it makes its choice, and it's a cop out chicken shit effort. It's a terrible shame really, cause Butler's character and everything about him were great. He deserved a better movie then this. I say skip it. No real need to waste your time ona movie that is all build up that falls to pieces in the last 20 minutes.
Black Dynamite - (A+): This movie is essentially a full on parody of a blaxploitation movie that also happens to be a blaxploitation movie. Sort of like how Shaun of the Dead was a parody of zombie movies while being a zombie movie. Or Planet Terror was a parody of Grindhouse movies while being a Grindhouse movie. Or Scream a parody of slasher films while being a slasher film. This is one of the funniest movies released in the past decade. It's that good. It's a movie who doesn't tell flat out obvious sight gag jokes. Everything is nuance. It's all the little details of the movie, strung together in the whole, that make it utterly hilarious. Everything in this movie is done bad. The acting is bad, the directing is horrid, the story and witting is ridiculous. It's all done bad and on purpose. The movie also demands repeat viewing's. There are so many details, so many one liners, so much absurdity you will not catch the first time out. In it's aim to reach sheer absurdity, the movie manages to be brilliant and intelligent. This is a must see movie.
Shutter Island - (A): FIrst movie from Martin Scorsese since The Departed. Leonardo Dicaprio stars as a federal marshall investigating the disappearance of an inmate at a mental institution. Things immediately appear to be somewhat off, as the guards, the doctors, basically everyone starts acting a bit, strange. As if they are all hiding something, but you cant figure out what. The movie is basically a mind fuck, but a very to the point, easy to follow mind fuck. It isn't one you have to piece together yourself, by films end everything will make perfect sense. It's a mystery film that focuses more on what is happening in the mind, rather then the surrounding. It's a fascinating movie though, and it's tone is constantly dark and brooding. Sort of feels like a Silent Hill game only populated with humans not creatures. The story remains engaging, and the twists are fascinating, and genuinely surprising. It's also perfectly directed, of course, and extremely well acted. One scene toward the end is almost unwatchably tragic, due mainly to the acting. I say see this. Just don't expect your average crime mystery. That's not what this is. This is in the end an exploration of the mind.
The Wolfman - (C): Remake of the classic Wolfman movie, with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins starring. The movie is decent enough. Nothing oo memorable, nothing terrible. It drags in some spots, and kind of takes a big to get to the point. The movie shines whenever the actual Wolfman creature is on screen though. By the end you wish he had more screen time as opposed to the human characters. The wolfman effects and make up are also outstanding. The movie is worth a watch or two. I say netflix it if your bored one day and in need or something to watch.
Law Abiding Citizen - (D): Gerrard Butler stars as a man who watches as his wife and daughter are brutally murdered in front of him. Jamie Foxx plays his attorney, who seems more interested in his career then justice. In a ridiculous move that would never actually happen in real life, one of the killers is give a softball sentence. Butler goes mad. 10 years later, he begins to extract his revenge on the killers, as well as the justice system as a whole. His character, the plan he is committing, and the way he executes it are all absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, everything else in the movie is shit. Jamie Foxx character is an unlikable prick from start to finish. The worst sin the movie commits however, is in being chicken shit. Foxx character is so unlikable, you immediately empathize with Butler's character. But, somehow, he is supposed to be the villain of the movie. I think. This is what ruins the movie, it doesn't know who to root for, and in the end, it makes its choice, and it's a cop out chicken shit effort. It's a terrible shame really, cause Butler's character and everything about him were great. He deserved a better movie then this. I say skip it. No real need to waste your time ona movie that is all build up that falls to pieces in the last 20 minutes.
Black Dynamite - (A+): This movie is essentially a full on parody of a blaxploitation movie that also happens to be a blaxploitation movie. Sort of like how Shaun of the Dead was a parody of zombie movies while being a zombie movie. Or Planet Terror was a parody of Grindhouse movies while being a Grindhouse movie. Or Scream a parody of slasher films while being a slasher film. This is one of the funniest movies released in the past decade. It's that good. It's a movie who doesn't tell flat out obvious sight gag jokes. Everything is nuance. It's all the little details of the movie, strung together in the whole, that make it utterly hilarious. Everything in this movie is done bad. The acting is bad, the directing is horrid, the story and witting is ridiculous. It's all done bad and on purpose. The movie also demands repeat viewing's. There are so many details, so many one liners, so much absurdity you will not catch the first time out. In it's aim to reach sheer absurdity, the movie manages to be brilliant and intelligent. This is a must see movie.
Shutter Island - (A): FIrst movie from Martin Scorsese since The Departed. Leonardo Dicaprio stars as a federal marshall investigating the disappearance of an inmate at a mental institution. Things immediately appear to be somewhat off, as the guards, the doctors, basically everyone starts acting a bit, strange. As if they are all hiding something, but you cant figure out what. The movie is basically a mind fuck, but a very to the point, easy to follow mind fuck. It isn't one you have to piece together yourself, by films end everything will make perfect sense. It's a mystery film that focuses more on what is happening in the mind, rather then the surrounding. It's a fascinating movie though, and it's tone is constantly dark and brooding. Sort of feels like a Silent Hill game only populated with humans not creatures. The story remains engaging, and the twists are fascinating, and genuinely surprising. It's also perfectly directed, of course, and extremely well acted. One scene toward the end is almost unwatchably tragic, due mainly to the acting. I say see this. Just don't expect your average crime mystery. That's not what this is. This is in the end an exploration of the mind.