The Girlfriend Experience (2009) Drama

The Girlfriend Experience (2009) - Sasha Grey plays Chelsea, a high end call girl who tries to balance a relationship with Chris (Chris Santos) and look after her business. Written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman and directed by Steven Soderbergh it is a movie about intimacy and pretend intimacy and whether we can tell the difference. Do we need there to be a difference or is the act of seeming intimate equivalent to actual closeness? Chelsea played with very little affect is struggling with this question and I think Soderbergh sort of leaves it for the audience to decide at the end. There are a mix of relationships to look at here, a trainer to his clients, a call girl to her clients, the call girl to her boyfriend and the call girl to a client she hopes will be more. Shot in beautiful digital the movies is edited uniquely and I am not sure the best order. My personal reaction to the movie was that I didn't really care about the characters. I recognized the questions being posed but really don't connect to the world created to explore them. So I was left a bit flat, interested in the subject but not the story.
Rating (6.0)

Coffy (1973) Drama

Coffy (1973) - This is a "blaxploitation" vengeance film starring Pam Grier as a nurse, Coffy who pays back the Mother F$%^ers who hurt her little sister by selling her drugs. Coffy tries to balance her life as a nurse with her night time activities posing as a prostitute in order to get close enough to the drug traffickers to kill them. The story is pretty straight forward and Coffy has little trouble infiltrating the crime organization. Being an exploitation movie the script written by director Jack Hill does not try very hard to have more than one level. There are some common blaxpoitation lines about how society won't defend minorities so they have to do it themselves. It has the standard black man drug lord, King George (Robert DoQui) but naturally the guy really in charge is white. This is common for this brand of movie. The higher up is a mobster named Arturo Vitroni played by Allen Arbus, a great character actor who was in some of my favorite M.A.S.H. episodes as Major Sidney Freedman, an army psychiatrist. Also playing a thug is legendary horror actor Sid Haig. The film is straightforward and there is enough street justice to make it enjoyable, but as a film it leaves a lot to be desired.

Rating (5.4)

Dead Snow (2009) Horror

Død snø (Dead Snow)(2009) - The opening shots of a girl, Sara (Ane Dahl Torp) running through the snow, with dark human shapes coming, and eventually capture her, for lunch. She owns the cabin that she is going to meet her friends at for a snowy spring break. She doesn't make it but her friends do, poor souls. Dead snow is about this group arriving and partying as they wait for their recently eaten hostess. While they are enjoying themselves a strange guy, The Wanderer(Bjorn Sunquist), comes by the cabin and gives us a premise for what will happen the rest of the movie. He tells the kids of the Nazi occupation during WWII. The soldiers were cruel and greedy. They stole the gold of the villagers and treated them poorly. When the war turned the village rose up and killed many of the soldiers. The Colonel escaped with their gold and some of his soldiers into the mountains and are rumored to still be there. Then the wanderer is off to find his own fate at the hands of the zombies. Why is it people always ask if there "Is somebody there?" when they are alone and hear a noise? In the cabin The Group finds the German gold in the floor and now we all know what is going to happen.
The next day Sara's boyfriend decides to head out on the snow mobile to look for her. He comes across the tent of the wanderer and realizes bad things are about. He continues looking for Sara instead of heading back to warn his friend, but does not get too far before falling through the snow into a snow cave.
From here on the movie gets better and better with the Zombies coming after the kids. The tension and action take step after step up, through the third act all the way until the final survivor realizes the way to obvious conclusion. Included is the death of some characters, splitting up when they shouldn't, fighting back and a snowmobile with mounted machine gun.
Now I really liked this movie but of course there are those hanging questions left that take off some points.
1. If the German Gold draws the Germans how did it get under the cabin and why wasn't Sara's family slaughtered by them years before?
2. Why was Sara killed? Did she prior to the start of the movie find the gold? If so why hike across the mountain to the cabin, she must have known the story of the Nazis?
3. Why did Sara boyfriend keep looking for her instead of getting back to warn friends and get help? The Wanderer was obviously murdered and help was needed instead of looking for a needle in a haystack.
Rating (7.7)

Run fatboy Run (2007) Drama / Comedy

Run Fatboy Run (2007) - How do you prove to the women you left at the alter that you have changed and should get a second chance? Train and run a marathon in three weeks. This is the basic premise as Dennis (Simon Pegg) tries to win back the heart of Libby (Thandie Newton) after leaving her pregnant on the alter seven years earlier. She has met a new guy Whit (Frank Azaria) who runs and through a bunch of comic scenes Dennis promises not only to run the marathon but to finish. First there is that whole smoking, drinking and not being in shape at all thing to deal with. Dennis's best friend Gordan (Dylan Moran) and neighbor Mr Goshdashtidar (Harish Patel) help him train and his landlady ups the stake by saying he can stay at his place even though he is behind on the rent if he does it. This movie is about upping the ante and Gordon does his part by making a bet on Dennis with his bookies for 5000 pounds at good odds. So the pressure is on for Dennis, save his place to live, save his friend from his bookies, and get the girl, but when whit becomes engaged to Libby he is going to give it up. Only the arrogance of Whit brings him back to the race. In the race Whit trips Dennis as the too struggle to beat each other in the first mile. they both go down. Whit is carted off to the hospital but Dennis gets up and continues the race on a badly sprained ankle. You can probably guess the rest as the local TV stations pick of the story of the lone injured runner trying to finish the race.
There was very little surprising about this movie and I have to say I was a bit bored by it at times. Dramedy is a tough sell and when it is this formula it is doubly tough.
Rating (6.0)

Space Jam (1996) Comedy

Space Jam (1996) - Michael Jordan stars as himself, playing alongside of a host of Looney Tunes characters from Warner Brothers trying to defeat the Monstars in a game of basketball. If the Tunes lose they become slaves on an off world amusement park. If they win the basketball talent stolen from NBA players Shawn Bradley, Mugsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley get returned and the aliens go home. This was one of joy's favorite movies as a kid and inspired her to be both Patrick Ewing and Mugsy Bogues one Halloween. Naturally I was the bottom half of Ewing. The movie is cute and fun although the acting by the athletes, including Larry Bird were so rigid. Still the movie is enjoyable.

Rating (7.2)

Tenebre (1982) Horror

Tenebre (1982) - Dario Argento wrote a great murder mystery in 1982 and it is worth the time to watch and enjoy. In this wonderful movie we have author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) going to Rome to promote his latest book Tenebre. Quickly he is questioned by the police because a murder has taken place following the description of one in his book. We are left to puzzle at who the murderer is and I have to say through the movie I had several suspects. This movie is more complicated than average and my guesses were wrong. The camera angles are really well done and the killing scenes tense and brutal. There was this one strange sequence where we get an external view of a cubist house the second murders will take place in but we spend way too much time covering the outside of the house. weird? When the murderer is revealed more twists ensue. In the end I was just delighted that I could be so wrong and that the plot was so well put together. It is rare to have such a well filmed and plotted movie from this era. I purposely did not give anything away because anyone who reads this blog should go out and get this movie.

Rating (8.8)

Dead & Rotting (2002) Horror

Dead & Rotting (2002) - When three men accidentally cause the death of the son, pet of a local witch, she seeks vengeance. They hire a couple stoners to scare the old lady but the druggies instead boil the old women's cat, who transforms into her son at times. So she transforms from an old hag to a very hot Debbie Rochon, fucks their brains out of the 3 guys who hired the stoners, to acquire some vaginal gue to raise rotted corpse henchmen. Then captures each of the men and turns them into living but rotting captives in her house. One of the stoners and the last of the three men get some mojo to use against her from another local witch, a former stripper named Rose (Tammi Sutton). They do away with the witch and live... well not happily but they survive.

There is not a lot here and the filming is less than Hollywood standards. Lots of Blue light for night and candle light for interiors. The acting is not great but everyone is trying and the story is standard fair. No nudity unless you count the one flash of Debbie's breast in the beginning, and that is countered by seeing the hags breasts so that it is a wash.

Rating (3.3)

Fido (2006) - Horror/Comedy

Fido (2006) - This lighthearted take on life after the zombie wars is a real pleasure. Set in a idealized 1950's after a war not with the Germans but with the undead is a pleasure to watch. Space dust brings the dead back to life and society is now living in fenced in Ossie and Harriet communities where everyone pretends everything is fine. They also prepare their children at an early age to be ready in case a grandparent dies and needs to have their zombie brains blown out. Zombies have been domesticated with special collars the blocks the need to devour human flesh. This makes the zombies a servant ready to order.

K'Sun Ray is Timmy Robinson a boy who befriends his domestic zombie Fido (Billy Connolly). Introduced into the family by Helen, Timmy's Mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) Fido is a great playmate for the picked on little boy. When things in the community go horribly wrong Fido helps protect the family. This was a very funny and enjoyable movie with just the right tone to play off the 50's. Wonderfully directed by Andrew Currie.

Rating (7.9)

Halloween (2007) Horror

Halloween (2007) - This 2007 Rob Zombie remake of the original 1978 John Carpenter classic explores the childhood or Michael Myers, how he got to be the unstoppable killer he became. Incredibly brutal in the violence Zombie is unflinching in showing a killer without conscience. What we do not get is really how young Michael got to be the heartless character he is portrayed as. Other than a neglectful mother but one that does care there is not real abuse, or violence so why does he turn out so evil? It would have been better if the impacts of early childhood trauma, showed a causation to the murderer in adulthood. It is also impossible that the escaped Michael would have such an easy time tracking down hius now adopted sister, Laurie Strode (Scott Taylor-Compton) while she is baby sitting. Also wasn't she the one person he didn't want to harm as a child killer? There is more nudity in this one than the one I remember and the basic message the movie portrays is... "If you are a teenager and having sex, a bit maniac will come and butcher you." Still the movie does carry some punch for what it is, a slasher movie.

Rating (6.1)

Les démoniaques (Demoniacs) (1974) Horror

Les démoniaques (Demoniacs) (1974) - "Curse of the Living Dead" Jean Rollin creates a story of revenge but really an exploitation movie designed to show T & A. A group of thug pirates, Tina (Joelle Coeur), Captain (John Rico), Bosco (Willy Braque) and Paul (Paul Bisciglia) set lights on the shore to draw ships to the coast and crash on the rocks. Then they steal the flotsom that washes ashore. On the night of this story two young blonds (Lieva Lone & Patricia Hermenier) stumble to the shore in there night gowns exhausted from surviving the shipwreck. The pirates rape them on the shore before they escape. Making it to a local island that is supposedly haunted the girls meet the devil (Miletic Zevomir) who will help them get revenge. Most of the movie is barely watchable and pretty much there so you can see Tina's body. It is a fine body but the movie is just really poor. The character are bad and the acting and action worse.

Rating (2.2)

Star Trek (2009) Sci-Fi / Action

Star Trek (2009) - Director J. J. Abrams creates an alternate timeline where Star Trek can live without all the baggage of the past while still respecting those past stories. After some origin stories for Kirk and Spock we get into the meat.

In this time travel tale we see an alternate version of how the crew comes together in Star Fleet. All ending up at the academy and then after a crisis calls the cadets to service early to the starship Enterprise. There was plenty of lore for Trekies and a compelling story of revenge to create a good action movie.

In this one I do not need to complain about the certain outcome because frankly I was too occupied with my geeking out about the crew to feel the inevitable success and tidy wrap up of the story. I was taken out a couple time by the silly comedy bits thrown in to break up what was a fairly tense story. First was Kirk getting on the Enterprise with the help of McCoy who injects him with a vaccine that will make him seem sick so McCoy can take him to sickbay. The Mickey Mouse hands and other symptoms were dumb. It happens just when the tension needs to be ramping up and cuts that in a negative way. There is also a sequence when Scotty is transported into a cooling tank and Kirk frantically tries to get him out as he travels the tubes holding his breath. It is played for comedy but I did not like the timing. Nero (Eric Bana ), a Romulan who in the future watched his planet destroyed by a supernova and blames Future Spock for not acting quickly enough to stop it. Both Future Spock and Nero are pull into the impossibly quick to develop Black hole that the Supernova becomes and are transported back in time instead of obliterated by the pressures of entering a black hole. Nero has a plan to destroy Vulcan to punish Spock by making sure he is in a position to watch but not stop it. The story was decent enough and the pacing was excellent a real tribute to Abrams. The cast was very capable and captured the essence of the original characters without over doing it.

Kirk (Chris Pine)- Right on as the younger more rebellious James T Kirk. I loved at the end when he nailed an imitation of the William Shatner Kirk entering the bridge.

Future Spock (Leonard Nemoy) - This is Spock, All Hail Spock!
Currant Spock (Zachary Quinto) - Played nicely with a bit more emotion which is appropriate in the Spock timeline and besides he is banging Uhura, that's bound to illicit some emotion.

Uhura (Zoe Saldana) - More outfront than in the series and well played. I liked that her confrontation of Spock about ship assignment she won with logic very appropriate.

Scotty (Simon Pegg) - Too tiny a role. Real shame.

Bones McCoy (Carl Urban) - The most right on portrayal that was living and breathing McCoy. It was just a joy to watch.

Checkov (Anton Yelchin) - eh, mostly just okay.
Sulu (John Cho) - Okay I guess, did you know Sulu fences?

Rating (8.2)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Sci-Fi / Action

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) - Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is back for another go round with his mates, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones)trying yet again to save the world. In this episode the villian is Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) an underworld elf trying to piece together the three pieces a crown that will give him control of the indestructible mechanical Golden Army. When this happens he plans to take over the world above. Naturally this will not sit well this the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense so Hellboy and his friends are sent out to stumble upon the plan. Although I did not dislike this movie I have to say it was much the same as the last. Liz and Hellboy are having relationship problems, there are seemingly unbeatable odds that get beat in the end. Blah blah blah. Still director Guillermo del Toro made a serviceable Sci-Fi action movie and could be worth your time. Unfortunately the action formula does not give the viewer the dread that the hero can fail and thus the impact is dulled.
Rating (7.5)

Altered (2006) Horror/Sci-Fi

Altered (2006) - In this dark little horror film, four guys connected to an alien abduction get back together when three of them capture one of the aliens years later. Trying to survive the repercussions of that capture is what this movie is about. Wyatt (Adam Kaufman) is the abductee that the aliens were afraid of because of his resistance to there experiments. When his friends bring an alien to his door and being followed by scores more Adam is in the position of having to stop running from this horrific past.

All in all this was okay, with the story being somewhat original and the cast doing their jobs well enough. Still in the end though I was not particularly taken with the plot and outcome. I kept having that what are you stupid, reaction to the situation.

Rating (5.1)

Dance of the Dead (2008) Horror

Dance of the Dead (2008) - Ghosthouse fast becoming a "go to" company for inexpensively made but decent horror brings you Dance of the Dead. It is prom night in the small nuclear powered town in middle America. Girls in gowns guys in tuxes get together for that most special of big let downs. Something is happening though in the cemetery near the nuke plant and it is more than kids making out. Somehow the plant has the dead rising from the grave and looking to feast on flesh. Jimmy, Lindsey and a group of Sci-fi geeks first try to save the prom and then destroy the Zombies and in the end maybe find love.

This is a fun little movie with many of the cliche high school stereotypes, but in a way it works. It never takes itself seriously and make a fair comedy/horror movie out of the simple subject matter. There isn't anyone you know here but the movie is fun and passable.

Rating (6.3)

Lips of Blood (1975) Horror

Lips of Blood (1975) (Lèvres de sang)- Jean Rollin directed this slower story a man seeking to reconnect to his childhood and the vampire he is destined to be reunited to. Frédéric (Jean-Loup Philippe) is haunted by the images of some ruins he visited as a child and starts a journey to find them. Someone is trying to prevent this from happening, who could it be? His over protective Mother (Nathalie Perrey) advice is to forget the past but Frédéric can't do that. His dreaming leads him to a tomb where he releases a group of scantily clad female vampires who seem to aid him and terrorized him in his quest. When he finally finds the vampire from the past, Jennifer (Annie Belle); his mother comes to him and says that she has been protecting him from the Vamps and he must help her put an end to them. She and her friends had long ago trapped the vampires and now wish to burn them. He is assigned to get Jennifer's head for this purpose. He does not bring the real head and instead frees the beautiful Jennifer to be her lover. She turns him and they sail away in a coffin. (not kidding here)
The movie making is standard for the time period with heavy music and blue and red lighting for effect. There are no special effects besides the lovely bodies of the beautiful vamps. The nudity is more casual than pornographic. Subtitled pay attention or you will miss the reveals. Very straight forward compared to some of Rollin's more abstract work.
Rating (6.5)

Hatchetman (2003) Horror

Hatchetman (2003) - This one is about a group of strippers who work and live near each other, who are being picked off by a hatchet killer. Boyfriend of stripper Claudia (Cheryl Renee) and cop Sonny Banner (Jon Briddell)works somewhat in trying to solve the murders before all the strippers are dead. The movie has gratuitous breast shots from attractive stripper actresses. Would loved to see more of the lovely Molly (Nina Tapanin). The plot is thin and if you watch many horror movies like I do you knew who the killer was after about 15 minutes. The acting if you can call it that was dreadful and the gore affects were just awful.
Rating (2.4)

The Zombie Diaries (2006) Horror

The Zombie Diaries (2006) - This is a loosely put together piece made to look somewhat like found footage of a Zombie outbreak in England. Although I get the whole found footage approach the production, sound in particular played against that. If you are sound tracking it why make us put up with shakes and purposely poor camera work to tell the story. You couldn't tell the story and have it look good? Directors Michael Bartlett and Kevin Gates have a decent idea but never fully tell it with the footage they use. Anyway the story jumps around letting us live through the outbreak of the Zombie disease and follow survivors, ending with the really cruel sad ending that left you wondering why they bothered. Since it was done piece meal story wise you never really invest in anyone and often wonder why a camera is running at all. Since some of you may want to see this less than exciting movie I will not give away the mean and useless ending. Let me just say many more zombie movies have been done better and actually told more interesting stories.
Rating (4.7)

Sugar (2008) Drama

Sugar (2008) - Made in 2008, but playing this year Sugar is the story of Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto), a Dominican baseball player in the Kansas City Royals minor league system. The story follows Sugar from his humble roots to an Iowa minor league team and onto NY city. The story was compelling enough relaying the machine that is Dominican baseball. Players are plucked before they graduate high school to attend baseball school. They are worked and worked and if not high enough quality dumped back into the poverty of their home towns. The players see baseball as a way to move their families into a better life and so the players and families see it as a real opportunity.
Sugar raises from the Dominican camp to sign and play in Iowa for a single A team. He is put up with a family, Earl (Richard Bull)and Helen Higgins (Ann Whitney) entering a world where he does not know the language so the simplest things are difficult. The directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck do a nice job of showing how alien Iowa is to Sugar. I thought it was a nice touch to stop the subtitling when Sugar was telling Anne Higgins (Ellary Porterfield) the story of his scar in Spanish. We get to share the her disorientation with not knowing the language.
Sugar after some initial success begins to have trouble and at the same time sees how the system chews up and spits out players. His friend Jorge Ramirez (Rayneil Rufino) is cut loose while fighting through an injury. When sugar is injured he decides to leave the team before they cut him. He heads to NY City following Jorge. Again the direction is great here. Since the city has a large Dominican and immigrant population Sugar walks into a world where he fits in. The rest of the movie is about Sugar struggling to find a new balance in NYC. Ending with him playing city baseball with Jorge and many other former minor league players.
The messages about the baseball machine was a bit cliche at times but Sugar's story was compelling and I enjoyed the movie even with its slower pace.
Rating (7.8)

Witch's Sabbath (2005) Horror

Witch's Sabbath (2005) - Horror movies come in all shapes and sizes and this one pushed the limits of what I appreciate. I see value in all movies, people making movies work hard to get stories made and distributed. BUT it is difficult for me to find too much positive about this one. Witch's Sabbath is about a coven of witches who run a strip joint called "Sin and Skin". They need to kill 666 victims with a weird metal glove in order to bring into this world their dark lord. We join the story as they close in on the magic number. Skin maven Syn DeVil plays the leader , Auriana and they story centers around customer couple Damien (Eric Coffin)and Eliza (Christine Cowden), and their friends Seth and Amber? Can I even remember? Anyway The dialog was stunted and didn't flow, the actors read there lines and in the end the monster Lord was a horribly done piece of crap. The video was cheap and the lighting primitive, mostly red and blue hues cast on the background. There is a significant amount of booby in the strip club scenes. This one was not very good I am afraid.
Rating (0.7)

Stitches (2001) Horror

Stitches (2001) - A low budget horror movie which takes the tried and used story of a Demon trying to take the souls in a boarding house to prove herself to the Devil. She takes the form of Miss Albright (Elizabeth Ince) and goes after each persons soul through their weaknesses getting them to agree to give up "anything". The story is pretty bland in execution with very little tension or even a bit of concern about how it will all come out. You know from the beginning that the demon will find a tricky way to get them all and she does. Mostly because the demon is the main character and everyone else is a bit player. If the story had focused on the people in the house you may have been fool more about how the story would end. Still Tempe and Full Moon does a competent job at making horror movies so it had some value.
Rating (3.7)

The Fanglys (2004)

The Fanglys (2004) - This was my second low budget horror movie of the weekend and this was seriously low budget. The story centers around a myth and reality of a family called the Fanglys who each Halloween go on a killing spree in a small Texas town. This was extremely low budget with camera work and feel of a high school video class. What is remarkable is the plot and executions was better than my first more accomplished movie "Demonic". At least the simple myth come to life plot made sense and the characters moved through it with an attempt at doing something good. It wasn't good but that I think is just the nature of this super low budget horror. A group of people attempt to spend the night in the haunted woods as a Halloween prank. The Witch Fangly and her crazy family do their best to kill them, so it is a "Who will survive" story. There is a second really unexplored plot of the Sheriff and his deputy wanting to cover up the killings. Why you ask? because he didn't want no outsiders from the State police snooping around asking questions. Through this subplot you learn the Fanglys have been around for generations and the town has hidden the deaths. Really no good reason was ever given.
Rating (1.7)

Forest of the Damned (2005)

Forest of the Damned (2005) - I saw a version of this movie called "Demonic" and I have to say of the two horror movies I watched this weekend this was worse. The plot is basically a roadtrip gone wrong. A group of young adults off on a camping trip get lost and end up stuck in the forest. Unfortunately for them the woods are occupied by angels gone bad. Thrown out of heaven and because they are lustfull, the angels kiss and then rip your throat out. Now normally I wouldn't complain about a movie where a bunch of women walk around naked looking for love and food but this particular execution of the idea was just awful. The star Tom Savini plays a strange part of a man who saw his parents killed by the sirens but for some reason stays in his house hoping to see them himself. He comes across as just a crazy warning the kids not to look in their eyes. Of course this was not needed since there was a crazy man character who already warned them. He also spent a good part of his part capturing a couple kids to use as bait so he could see the sirens again. What? Makes no sense I know. The angels were not very attractive and the characters of the victims were not very likable. The plot went no where and without any character arcs for any of them. Just wierd.
Rating (1.5)

El Norte (1983) Drama

El Norte (1983) - This stunning movie is about the decision of two Central American (Guatemalan) Mayan indians to travel north to the United States put a human face on immigration. Beautifully shot I recently viewed the BluRay edition. Although the film was innocent in its approach, it captured the idea that all illegal immigrants are not here for economic reasons, and thus we have to be more nuanced in thinking about our borders. There are a couple of scenes that were over the top in how simplified they were or that had over done music, but in general it is a touching and sad story of a brother and sister struggling for a better life.
Rating (7.9)

Hellboy (2004) Action / Sci-Fi

Hellboy (2004) - Another comic adaptation with more personality and likability than the Watchmen but without the depth or intelligence. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) centers around the title character, a demon who was brought to this work while young in WWII. He now works for the FBI in a unit that includes an aquatic being Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and a girl with blue fire Liz Sheman (Selma Blair), who fight mystical beings on earth.
The story is about Hellboy of course and he in the end can choose to be what we have seen in the early movie or a Demon who brings hell onto earth. In the middle is a plot that will get him to that choice. There are nasty monsters and fighting and explosions and running and screaming. It is a fantastic story and the action is grand. I can't say I loved the movie but I have some respect for the skill of the director Guillermo del Toro and actor Ron Perlman. In the end though it is just a comic book action flick enjoyable but not filling.
Rating (7.6)

Watchmen (2009) Action

Watchmen (2009) - Depth of story, action and a world close to real but not entirely makes this adaptation work for the most part. Watchmen is a comic collectors classics for its layered allegory. Written in the eighties it takes the action hero of comics and turns it on its head. Heroes are not the superhuman variety we see in Superman, X-men, or Spiderman, instead they are thrill seeking, sociopath vigilantes dispensing there own justice. One true superhuman exists,created in classic experiment gone bad style, Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) sees the workings of the universe and can manipulate matter to his will. His existence changes the geopolitical America of the movie, instead of losing in Vietnam, we win with his help. Nixon wins reelection and then changes the law so he can stay in office five times. The Russians seeing the limitless power of Dr. Manhattan redouble efforts to build a nuclear deterrent against the US. This is where the story starts, with the USA and Russia moving ever closer to while mutually assured destruction.
The movie begins with the death of a vigilante named The Comedian (Jeffry Dean Morgan), a nihilistic ass wipe who has been working for the government over the years doing black ops. Someone breaks into his apartment and beats him before throwing him out the window. Masked heroes have been on the outs in society with the passing of the Keene Law outlawing then but one who refused to stop was Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), who wears a mask of changing black blobs pattern, thus the name. He is the black and white of our story and the main protagonist in trying to solve the death of the Comedian.
Dr Manhattan become less human as the years go on and thus less interested in the destiny of the race and after breaking up with his girlfriend, and masked adventurer Laurie Jupiter (Silk Spectre)(Malin Akerman) he leaves earth for Mars. The Russians seeing the chance to gain some dominance move into Afghanistan bring them toe to toe in a risky nuclear showdown with the US.
Meanwhile Rorschach, Silk Spectre, and Night Owl (Patrick Wilson)try to solve the death of the comedian. Their paths move closer and closer to billionaire Adrian Veidt known as Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). He is the worlds smartest man and another former hero. Behind his plot is a plan he sees as for the good of human kind. The Comedian found him out and had to be eliminated. His plan is to have a Dr. Manhattan imitating explosion in NY City, with the desired affect of having the entire world unite against him and forgetting there distrust of each other.

It happens just like this, and our three hero protagonists are powerless to stop him even though they get to his Antarctic headquarters in time. Veidt who idolizes Alexander the Great sees his actions as similar to how Alexander approached the Gordian Knot. He is thinking outside the box and although great sacrifice is being made, 7 million people killed, he sees it as a way to end the nuclear threat and unite the world.

In the end only Rorschach can not tolerate this approach and declares he will never compromise and keep his mouth shut about the events. He loses his life for this as Dr. Manhattan eliminates him leaving a blood angel in the snow.

So the movie was well made and although it did not have the depth of the book I though it did a fine job anyway. It was beautiful to look at and the action was crisp and well thought out. They change a couple things, in the book Ozymandias creates an alien creature who he sends to destroy NY City but here we have him setting Dr. Manhattan as the alien. This somewhat works. What was unfortunate was the choice to have the masked avengers be more superhuman than they were in the book.

In the theater I saw the movie in the sound was so loud I had to wear earplugs the entire movie. The movie craft being good I think some of what turned me off was the same as when I read the book. It is outdated, with the big Russian, US conflict not being today's primary theme. Also the characters in the book and movie are just not very likable. I was not cheering for anyone to succeed and in an action movie this is an essential need.

The ending leaves you thinking but you may ask who cares.

Do not fear the blue penis.

Rating (7.7)

Paris, je t'aime (2006) Drama

Paris, je t'aime (2006) - This collections of 18 stories about Paris was an enjoyable morning watch. Like most multi-part features some of the stories are hits and others misses. I loved that the threw in a vampire story (segment "Quartier de la Madeleine") staring Elijah Wood and Olga Kurylenko. Most of the stories did a great job of not only showing the lovely city but giving unexpected twists in the 2-5 minutes they had to tell their tale. I also liked the sad story of the young mother having to drop her child off in daycare so she could travel across the city to care for another persons child. Included the lovely actress Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Rating (7.8)

Hell on Wheels (2007) Documentary

Hell on Wheels (2007) - This interesting doc about the start of the Austin Texas roller derby league, is a testament to how shared love and hard work can make dreams happen. The league started and then split as a few of the women could not share leadership. As the league grew in popularity the original founders and team captains closed the leadership and created a corporation. The skaters each paying $25 a month to participate revolted with 65 of the eight women leaving and forming an alternative league, The Texas Rollergirls. The original group continues as the Texas Lonestar Roller Girls, but what is important is both groups continue to succeed.
I saw this film atthe Regent Theater in Arlington MA with Local Roller girls the Boston Derby Dames league. It is good to support local women in whatever sport they choose to do and roller derby is one cool sport. The movie itself was interesting in showing the conflict in the leadership of the league and how easy it is to have a love of a sport become an intractable disagreement in who and how it should be lead.
Rating(7.7)

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Sci-Fi Marathon

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - The second and best Star Trek movie. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the crew are in battle against Khan (Ricardo Montalban) in a great tale of revenge vs. strategy. Khan was stranded on a planet 15 years before but escapes when Chekov (Walter Koenig) comes across his group while surveying the planet in the hopes of using it to test the Genesis device. Khan captures and uses Chekov to get off the planet and capture the ship Reliant to use to hunt down and kill Kirk. The battles scenes are great and Star Trek is so classic. It was amazing to hear 700 people at the marathon yell "KHAN!" with Kirk. Just excellent.
Rating (8.7)

I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1958) Sci-Fi Marathon

I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1958) - A young man is taken and an alien that looks like him takes his place. His bride notices the difference, even though those around her tell her it sometimes happens after marriage. Like in the other pictures eventually the townspeople figure things out and the day is saved.
What I liked: This movie fit the alien invaders theme and the aliens taking shape of people we know.
What bothered me: Wow the ideas about the PAINS of marriage are all over this flick. Guys commiserate about the old ball. The women act as if a prize is caught and there never seems to be true love in the relationships.
Rating (3.6)

Transformers (2007) Sci-Fi Marathon

Transformers (2007) - Michael Bay's painfully hollow action movie based on the children's toy set / cartoon characters who come from outer space to hide in our society as gas guzzling muscle cars, trucks, tanks and jets. When the robot need to not be vehicles they transform into robots with weird eyes. The story centers around a cube that contains energy that turns normal electronic devices, cell phones toasters etc. into little evil killing machines. There are two groups of robots, one good and one evil looking to get their hands on the cube. Caught in the middle of this war are the humans. Shia Lebeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel do there parts to aide the good robots. There is lots of vehicle chases, transforming, explosions but remarkable little death. You can guess how this vacuous piece of crap ends.
Rating (3.6)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) Sci-Fi marathon

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) - Several people go to investigate a meteor sighting but instead find a spaceship in the shape of a circus tent. In this tent are aliens who look like clowns. They capture humans with their cotton candy guns. Once in the cotton candy cocoons, the humans break down into a fluid the clowns can drink through a silly straw. Our heroes, Mike (Grant Cramer), Debbie(Suzanne Snyder), and Officer Dave(John Allen Nelson), with the help of the goofy Terenzi brothers (Michael Seagel & Peter Licassi), attempt to fight the Klowns and save their town.
What I liked: I have to admit this is one of my favorite silly sci-fi movies. I own it and watch at least twice a year. Creative, original and full of humor it is a pleasure for me. Now most people I know are not so enamored so take it as a warning that my rating is higher than everyone Else's for this movie.
Rating (8.6)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - This first remake of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) where we are left with the feeling we can fight the aliens, this is the pessimists view of the story. More paranoid and frightening than the original, this 1978 version leaves no doubt we lose this battle. Staring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright, it is a suspenseful version of a classic. Aliens invade the earth in the form of plants whose pods develop into a human with a shared consciousness and no emotions. Our heroes wage a battle to get the word out but it becomes more and more apparent that you can't trust the government. The final scene of the yell will stay with you for a long time.
What I liked: This is a great remake, paranoid and futile for the characters it really lives my my personal ball park. The acting is pretty good and you can't beat the story. Where the first may have been a metaphor for communism this one seems more of a metaphor for the US.
Rating (8.4)

Repo Man (1984) Sci-Fi Marathon

Repo Man (1984) - Punk Otto (Emilio Estevez) falls into a job with a group of auto repossession professionals and through this work gets wrapped up in the plot to get a car that has alien bodies in the trunk. Naturally there are many people looking for the car. It is also a story about growing up and making choices about your life.
What I liked: The movie is funny and philosophical. It also capture a real punk attitude, has a great soundtrack including, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop and Plugz. So many great characters showing a unique profession to tell a story.
What didn't work: Ending was out there. Debbi, (Jennifer Balgobin) was just dreadful.
Rating (7.2)

Thing From Another World (1951) Sci-Fi Marathon

Thing From Another World (1951) - What a good story, not as good as the John Carpenter remake "The Thing" but still this is a great story about a group of airmen and scientist on the North Pole who find a spaceship and then an alien in the ice after a meteor (ship) crashes into the ice. When the alien who is brought back in a block of ice is accidentally thawed, it soon becomes a struggle for survival.
What I liked: The story works very well with a very good struggle for the characters who have to not only battle the alien but the elements of the North Pole.
What didn't work: The acting is eh, and the female character is written poorly.
Rating (6.7)

Alien Raiders (2008) Sci-Fi Marathon

Alien Raiders (2008) - A supermarket at the end of a day in small town of Buck Lake Arizona is invaded by an armed group. They shoot a stock boy and start rounding up customers, each checked by the armed men. Unfortunately before they can check everyone the local police are notified and a stand off begins. The "Raiders" hold the remaining citizens and workers hostage while trying to figure out which ones are actually aliens from out of space. These parasitic invaders attached to the brain stem of the human victim and look for others like them so they can mate and spread across the earth. Raider leader Aaron Ritter (Carlos Bernard) with his crew, Kane (Rockmond Dunbar) and Sterling (Courtney Ford) and others try to find the aliens before they run out of time and the police storm the store. Captives, Whitney(Samantha Streets) and others attempt to find a way to escape before the test to see if they are aliens which involves milk and losing a pinkie finger. Will the Raiders find the remaining aliens in time or is the earth doomed.
What I liked: Taught and suspenseful this was a really well done movie. Other movies have been done in a supermarket, a small space. This one does it well. It is also a who will survive as the monsters fights back trying to survive.
What didn't work: Well I would have liked more possessed human monsters. You didn't get a lot of the special effects shots.
Rating (8.1)

At the marathon the director Ben Rock came in for a Q&A. This was an entertaining piece where we got to hear about his luck in getting actors and getting the movie shot in 15 days. I heard him say as he was signing mini posters and giving out swag (severed fingers) that this was the first time he has been asked to sign autographs. BONUS: Ben Rock stayed the whole Sci-fi marathon, this was excellent and shows his love of movies.

Runaway (1984) Sci-Fi Marathon

Runaway (1984) - In the near future policeman Sgt. Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck) and his new partner Officer Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes) have the job of stopping runaway robots. Usually a mundane job things get hairy when Dr. Charles Luther (Gene Simmons) starts making killer robots. As the police close in Dr. Luther goes after a whistle blower, Jackie Rogers (Kirstie Alley)and then Ramsay's son Bobby (Joey Cramer). Ramsay must beat the Doctor and his fiendish inventions before his son is killed.
What I liked: Gene Simmons in his totally over the top bad guy. The movie holds up okay over time and has a bit of decent action in it. The robots are not great but in the end the good guys win and the truly bad guy is done in by his own robots.
What didn't work: Robots simple, Simmons was over the top but really bad.
Rating (6.3)

Logan's Run (1976) - Sci-Fi Marathon

Logan's Run (1976) - Logan (Michael York) is a "Sandman" in a futuristic society where people live in Domes and life is forcibly ended at 30 years old. Sandmen hunt those people who attempt to run instead of committing the accepted suicide in the "Carosel". Logan is given the assignment of becoming a runner in hopes he can find and eliminate the "Sanctuary" successful runners have created. With a rebel, Jessica (Jenny Agutter) Logan runs and is chased and there is much of that and eventually makes his way out of the dome and into the outside world. Seeing that the world had healed since the events that required the domes, Logan returns to tell the society people no longer need to die at 30 and can leave the domes.
What I liked: I liked Farrah Fawcett, first acting badly and then dying. I loved this movie...as a kid.
What didn't work: Oh this film was slow and just has not aged well. From the poor miniatures of the dome cities to the robot "Box" the effects are just awful. There is no humor and little suspense. Really didn't like it that much.
Rating (4.8)

Chrysalis (2008) Sci-Fi marathon

Chrysalis (2008) - In a future earth the government is collapsing as the environment has gotten so bad nothing grows. A group of scientists work to modify plants to grow in the new world. On of them, Smith (Glen Vaughan) falls sick and a Chrysalis forms over his body. As he is transformed scientist argue over should he be killed with Hartley (John Klemantaski) saying he should because you do not know what he is being transformed into. Rockwell (Darren Kendrick) saying they should let him develop and possibly the evolution that saves the human race.
What I liked: It ended
What didn't work: Everything! It was a story in a small space, it had poor acting, it sucked eggs and did not really have very good arguments either way. Just boring and plodding all the way through.
Rating (0.9)

It Came From Outer Space (1953) in 3-DSci-fi marathon

It Came From Outer Space (1953) - This is a classic and in the Red and Green 3D it was just wonderful. A meteor crashes near an old mine and soon people are acting strangely and disappearing. It is a spaceship. The Sheriff in town eventually does something and a couple John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) keep the climax from becoming horribly violent by entering the spaceship.
What I liked: One of the great Sci-fi classics of all time. The 3D was very good, I first saw this movie flat and never noticed it had 3d framing but you could not miss it in this print and boy it really worked.
What doesn't work so good: Well it is choppy and the acting is not great.
Rating (7.8)

Alien Trespass (2009) Sci Fi Marathon

Alien Trespass (2009) - This wonderful ode to "It Came From Outer Space" wonderfully done with the love of old style Sci-Fi shining through in every frame. Aliens are invading a small town in the Mohave desert and astronomer Ted Lewis ( Eric McCormack ) sets out to investigate. Aliens capture and impersonate the towns citizens. These Ghotas are bad news, good thing there is another Alien out trying to hunt them down. Urp, the alien hunter helps to solve the problem of the ghotas and fix his ship so he can leave the earthling alone with the lessons they have learned.
What I like: Since I like old sci-fi I really liked the feel of this film. Not played for laughs but definitely with an eye on the movies of the past this film was a fun visit to the past.
What didn't work for me: It was good fun but the acting was just okay. Since it was in the more corny Sci-Fi style there was not allot of room for the actors to work. The story really determined the acting.
Rating (6.5)

Burning the Future: Coal in America (2008) Documentary

Burning the Future: Coal in America (2008) - I am so conflicted by this good documentary about mountaintop removal coal mining and the effects of this activity on the people of West Virginia. It is a crime the toxic poisoning that is going on in coal states with the invention of mountaintop removal mining. Slurry ponds that contaminate water, coal dust that sickens residents, loss of jobs as the innovation requires less people to perform, it is all bad. I push down that little part of me though that is cold and uncaring, the part that says "You get what you vote for." I must not listen to the part of me that knows these same people boldly and proudly supported the Bush administration. His policies sped up the development of this type of mining and those people who thought he was so great are now paying for that folly. I push those negative thoughts down and keep thinking about the fact we are born into our lives they don't choose where they come into this world. Coal is all these people have know and it is horrible that the new methods are ruining their lives. The US gets 51% of its electricity from coal and this movie reinforces that we need to move to wind and solar sooner better than later. Although the movie is heavy handed, the harm done in the name of coal is staggering.
Rating (7.8)

Jam (2006) Documentary

Jam (2006) - When I was a kid in the late 60's, early 70's roller derby was bigger than baseball and on television every week. A mix between the theater of wrestling and a sport it inspired the movie Rollerball. In this documentary which follers former player and now promoter Tim Patten from 1998-2004, as he tries to save a sport he loves. Playing tiny venues and high school gyms Tim and a group of original aging stars perform their magic on the oval. It is a sad tale with Tim and his partner having to overcome the fading popularity of the sport and their on personal challenges with HIV. The player too doing each event for only $25 and the love of skating derby. It is a good time for this documentary as a revival of a kind is taking place in Roller Derby. Women's leagues are playing all over the US, not the revival Tim was wishing for but still the sport is reborn. This is a sad but enjoyable look at a small group struggling for something they love and worth seeing.
Rating: (7.5)

Some current Roller Derby leagues:
Boston Derby Dames
TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls
LA Derby Dolls
Gotham Girls Roller Derby

I hope to see the documentary "Hell on Wheels" about the birth of modern day roller derby at the Regent theater in Arlington MA on Feb 20th

Commune (2005) Documentary

Commune (2005) - Written and directed by Jonathan Berman this was an interesting film about the hippie started Black Bear ranch in the wilderness of Northern California. Started loosely in 1968 the film uses old footage and present day interviews to tell the story of the ranch and those who made it happen. Founded on the a commune with the motto "free land for free people." The Ranch survives today as a trust so it can never be sold and developed. It has a famous actor in Peter Coyote as a former member. Very interesting story showing how an idea can become something even without much planning but how ideals are not all you need for a sustainable life.
Rating (7.8)

Manufactured Landscapes (2006) Documentary

Manufactured Landscapes (2006) - The film is really a blend of photography and political insights about the effects of industrialization on the landscape. Directed by Jennifer Baichwal. Beautiful and devastating at the same time, Photographer Edward Burtynsky captures the effects of the industrial worlds from massive factories in China to Bangladeshi shipyards where ships are taken apart in pieces. Not as informative as some documentaries but certainly visually stunning.
Rating (7.1)

East of Havana (2006) Documentary

East of Havana (2006) - This lackluster music documentary does little to capture the vibrant Cuban hip hop movement. Instead it is an exercise in how finding one's place in a failed country gets you through the tough life. More interested in making a statement about Cuba, but still showing some of the life in the hip hop community the film sort of just makes a good try but does not hit the mark. Not daring to explore the politics in a detailed way it only touches the topics of the 40 year embargo and its affect on everyday Cubans. It should have either chosen to show the music in detail or the plight of everyday Cubans instead of the mishmash of a bit of each. We never get the detail to invest in either.
Rating (4.5)

Push (2009) Action PG-13

Push (2009) - There are people among us with special powers, telekinesis, thought control, seeing the future. Since WWII the governments around the world have been trying to harness these abilities to make super soldiers. It is a cruel use of these people against their will and has killed thousands over the decades while trying to develop a drug to enhance abilities. It has to stop!
This is the basic premise of Push, starting with a flashback to define the main character as a man who in childhood watched the government agency in charge of specials (The Division) kill his father. The movie leaps to the present ten years later as the man, Nick (Chris Evans) hides out in Hong Kong trying to avoid teams Division "sniffers", agents who can find specials by touching and smelling there personal belongings. (We would call them perverts) Nick is contacted by a clairvoyant named Cassie (Dakota Fanning), a 13 year old who has seen in visions that Nick can help her get to a women who escaped the Division with a syringe of r-16(?), a drug that will boost abilities. The plot only gets more complicated from there. Division is looking for the girl and has seen Nick finding her in visions. The Chinese are also seeing this with their clairvoyant and are after the pair. Actions sequences ensue with running and screaming by "bleeder" who kill you by yelling and making you bleed with the sound.
The pair find the girl who escaped, Kira (Camilla Belle), a former girlfriend of Nick, who was helped to escape by Cassie's mother the best clairvoyant in the Division. They have to recover the case that has the drug and was hidden by Kira before she had her memory cleaned by another kind of special. This part was sketchy as the Chinese clairvoyant was better at it than Cassie so could track our heroes. They involve several other specials to help them. Nick comes up with an idea that he will write notes to all the people involved in getting the case, not tell Cassie what is in them and the team using there special abilities will successfully get the drug and take down the Division saving Cassie's mom. Since the Chinese are tuned to Cassie what she doesn't know they don't know. From there there is action and thrilling effects. Each person plays there part perfectly. In fact you could say that it was a one in a billion chance that people would open there letters at the right time and the plan would work. Magically this is what happens, even though Nick can't see the future he guesses just right, they get the case and the movie ends.
What I liked: hmmm... it was a story, I mean I was not wishing it was over. I liked Djimon Hounsou as the leader of the division but he was underutilized.
What bothered me about it? Well there just was not a big stake for the audience in this one. The characters were one dimensional really only developing Cassie and Nick and even that was limited. The bad guy, has to be a real bad guy. You have the wonderful actor Djimon Hounsou play Henry carver the Division's head guy but he just was not evil enough to make you want to hate him and thus pull for our underdogs. In today's action films they never, NEVER kill off the main characters, everyone always comes out unscathed, why bother creating back story from past trauma if everything we see now does not change the characters at all. It is all just an adventure with no consequences to the character, just to their circumstances. Where is the growth arc? Physical harm does not count, sure when the action is done the characters are often bruised and battered but they have won, and those scars heal. Where is the damage to their souls? The last thing that bothered me is the non ending, they win in an obvious way but it is never clear that they accomplished "taking down the Division" or getting Cassie's Mom out of their hands. We have a reveal about Cassie's Mom but that does not stop the filmmakers from stopping in a place that would allow a sequel if this movie does well.
Okay I said a lot about what bothered me but let me restate something I have said in the past. I am not a real fan of today's style of action film. I am always it seems left a bit empty by the lack of depth these films have. During the movie I was mildly interested and could easily ignore the stupid "buddy movie" writing they did between Nick and Cassie. That said they rating may be worse than expected. If you like action movies you may enjoy this. I didn't but it seems to be a predisposition.
Rating (5.8)

Grip - A general-purpose handyman, the movie set's counterpart of the theater's stagehand. His duties include laying dolly tracks, moving flats, setting up parallels, building platforms, placing reflectors and gobos, doing light carpentry, and generally performing tasks that require brawn.

Key Grip - The head grip on a film set, in charge of a group of men, usually numbering from five to fifteen.

Key Grip: W.C. "Chunky" Huse although IMDB fails to list him under the movie.

P2 (2007) Horror

P2 (2007) - Psycho security guard Thomas (Wes Bentley) decides to drug and kidnap workaholic businesswoman Angela (Rachel Nichols) trapping her in the parking area of the high rise they work at because he wants to get to know her better? Oh wait it was because her wants her to share christmas with him. He has gifts after all, like getting to watch him kill the guy that tried to feel Angela up in the elevator. WTF! I am having a hard time making sense of this one. It was a painful experience watching this limited thriller that was so far from thrilling. You can guess the outcome, she wins he dies and nothing is learned about anyone or anything. It was just this happened and then that happened until she wins. Can you boo on a blog? BOOOOOOO!

Grip - A general-purpose handyman, the movie set's counterpart of the theater's stagehand. His duties include laying dolly tracks, moving flats, setting up parallels, building platforms, placing reflectors and gobos, doing light carpentry, and generally performing tasks that require brawn.

Key Grip - The head grip on a film set, in charge of a group of men, usually numbering from five to fifteen.

Key Grip: Christopher J. Toudy
Rating (1.0)

The Uninvited (2009) Horror pg-13

The Uninvited (2009) - So this is the second pg-13 horror movie I have seen in a row. The audience was 3/4 to capacity and I would say 70% of them were girls between the ages of 12-16. It was loud with the chatter of girls and the glow of cell phones as the texting was fast and furious. Who knows maybe there was a twitterer or two. This is important to note for the fact that all this activity is quite distracting. It was also good because I think that this was the audience this film was written for. The reaction of the crowd were frequent and honest. Some of these girls were scared many times, mostly through sudden appearance of apparitions or noises. They were also murmuring when the big reveal happened. Unlike me who figured most of the reveal out in the first 35 minutes the kids were surprised and I think most of them went away thinking this was a cool smart movie.

The uninvited appears to be a film about a girl Alex (Emily Browning) returning home after a 10 month stay at a mental institution after a suicide attempt. We learn that her mother was killed in an explosion but was already dying of cancer. The sudden death lead the girl to the suicide attempt. When she returns she has her sister Anna (Arielle Kebbel ) to help fill in the goings on at the house over the last year. The nurse Rachael (Elizabeth Banks ), for their mother is now the girlfriend to Dad (David Strathairn). The sisters don't like her and suspect she has something to do with the Mom's death. Alex starts having visions of her mom. She is trying to warn her about Rachael. More and more we are asked to guess whether Alex is imagining things or if there really is something happening and that Rachael wants the girls out of the way so she can have the Dad for herself. There is a duel revelation at the end that is well put together, we will have to see if audiences are tired of clever twist endings. I for one liked it. I had figured out the sister relationship at the 35 minute mark and guessed about the condition of Alex but still there was some originality in the end. No detail so I don't give it away.

Grip - A general-purpose handyman, the movie set's counterpart of the theater's stagehand. His duties include laying dolly tracks, moving flats, setting up parallels, building platforms, placing reflectors and gobos, doing light carpentry, and generally performing tasks that require brawn.

Key Grip - The head grip on a film set, in charge of a group of men, usually numbering from five to fifteen.

Key Grip: Kim Olsen
Rating (6.8)

Burn After Reading (2008) (Drama)(dramedy)

Burn After Reading (2008) - Comedy and tragedy are lovers in this odd story about a couple quirky gym employees who find a disk containing the memiors of a former CIA agent. Thinking they have discovered valuable information they attempt to sell it back to the agent, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich). It would be easily if the characters fromthe gym were not so flawed, Brad Pitt plays the witless Chad Feldheimer and Frances McDormand the self improvement obsessed Linda Litzke. When Cox refuses their offer they head down a rabbits hole that there really are going to be consequences for entering. Mixed in this mess are the relationship side stories, Cox and wife Katie (Tilda Swinton), she is cheating on him with Harry Pfarrar (George Clooney), Pfarrar is cheating on his wife with anyone including Litzke, Cox and anyone else who will say "yes". There is more of this but lats just say no one can win in this movie. I think the message of this movie speaks the lengths people go through to find a connection with other but also how we are never just satified in those relationships, it also shows us the tangled webs we weave, will more likely catch us. There we will be stuck.
What I liked: Brad Pitt was great. McDormand was a bit of typecast for the part but she does it so well.
What bothered me? Well this is a not a movie about particularly likable people. Maybe that is the intent but in the end there really are no innocent bystanders besides the manager of the gym.

Grip - A general-purpose handyman, the movie set's counterpart of the theater's stagehand. His duties include laying dolly tracks, moving flats, setting up parallels, building platforms, placing reflectors and gobos, doing light carpentry, and generally performing tasks that require brawn.

Key Grip - The head grip on a film set, in charge of a group of men, usually numbering from five to fifteen.

Key Grip:None Listed
Rating (7.7)

Sheitan (2006) Horror

Sheitan (2006) - This is a gritty horror flick from France about three horny guys and two girls lured to a country estate of one of the girls. Unfortunately for the guys the estate is out in satanist country and soon the guys are trying to survive the night.
What I liked: The raw characters were real punks and it came across in spades. Eve (Roxane Mesquida) the seductress was sharp and appealing. Although the story was a bit strange with the crazy Shepard Joseph (Vincent Cassel)excellent in his role. Overall it got the strange story told doing a nice job of not giving too much away too soon. What didn't work: It was slower than it should have been. The bizarre nature of the story was off putting. Characters were not very like able.
Rating (6.2)

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) Horror

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) - In a mine collapse miner Harry Warden survived by killing the other eight men trapped with him thus leaving more air for himself. He is found in the mine with the dead and in a coma. The person who caused the collapse, young Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) is at a party in the mine four years later when Warden awakes from his coma looking for revenge. What follows is a gruesome killing spree with a pick axe. Warden is wounded and is lost in another mine collapse stopping the nights killing. Tom survivor of the massacre returns to the town of Harmony ten years later, to close the book on the chapter by selling the mine. Reconnecting with other survivors including his girlfriend Sarah (Jamie King) he strives to close a disturbing chapter in his life. Soon though people start dying again in the small town and it seems Warden is back. The town folk struggle for survival from the Valentine killer. He leaves the hearts of victims in heart shaped candy boxes.
All this and more in 3D, The writer (Todd Farmer and Zane Smith) attempt to create dynamics between the characters, setting up that Axel (Kerr Smith) does not like Tom since he caused the mine collapse and then in the present having Axel the local sheriff be the husband to Sarah. They also take some time to wait to reveal a secret about Harry Warden and Tom. Using stares and circumstances to lead suspicion away from and to characters. They attempt to make it hard to know who is really behind the killing, Warden or some copycat.
Unfortunately 10 minutes into the part of the story that was in the present I knew exactly who the killer was. So the rest was watching the impressive 3D and gore. The gore is plentiful and gruesome so be prepared. This is an R rated movie and does include a woman (actress Betsy Rue) running around naked for 5 minutes.
What I liked: The special effect were excellent, 3D very enjoyable with the new technology very easy to watch without that motion sickness feeling. Jensen Ackles brought a bit of life to a somewhat poorly written part. The body count, impressive and unrealistic just like a slasher movie should be.
What I did not like: The interpersonal storyline was a drag on the movie. I know there has to be something there to make characters have conflict but it all sounded a bit cliche. Still it did move the movie forward. I knew who the killer was in the first half hour. This is never a good so any twist that came later did not matter. Stupid ending leaving it open for the sequel on purpose so if this movie hits they can make another.
Rating (5.7)

Sjunde inseglet, Det (The seventh Seal)(1957) Drama

Sjunde inseglet, Det (The Seventh Seal)(1957) - A really compelling film where a knight returning home from the Crusades meets death on a beach in Sweden and buys time to get back home to see the wife he left 10 years earlier by challenging Death to a game of chess. Through the journey home we see a country side rotting with the Black Plague, and the people and the knight deal with the questions of the meanings life and death.
It is a really remarkable movie and worth every one of the 105 minutes it took to watch. I will re-review this at a later date and try to give it the time and thought it deserves.
Rating (8.4)

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004) Documentary

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004) - Well if the utter devastation this film predict will happen in the next 30 years actually happen then these fine folks will be able to say "I told you so." The movie focuses in on the unsustainable of the suburban way of life in America. The culprit that will end this sprawl and gridlocked rush hours? Peak Oil, this is when the demand for oil passes the ability to produce. The makers of the film say it is happening now. People in the peak oil movement are focusing on ways to localize their lives, from moving to eco-communities to controlling there food production. Ending their oil dependence before they have that forced on them. Because the movie is from that side the closest they had to another view was a guy who seemed unsure and thinks new technologies will solve the coming crisis. The movie is a good informational piece exploring a subject I think will be real to most of us in the next ten years. My question is about the early adopters thing. Do you need to be an early adopter of technology or moving away in this case or can you wait until the masses are calling for change and it is more likely to happen?

Rating (7.7)