sexdrugsandcinema

The Darjeeling Limited

2008-03-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wes Anderson is a filmmaker I'm glad to love. He's a filmmaker that always seems to have the last say in his projects, you can obviously tell he loves what he's doing and that his films are very personal. All while being personal, Wes also entertains us with his unique cinematic vision. No one has the style he has, people have tried to imitate but his personality can never be copied.

The Darjeeling Limited is no different in the sense that you can feel his personal touch. The more this film goes through my mind, i continue to find little aspect that i remember and it just puts a smile on my face. Limited is his most innocent film since Bottle Rocket which was Anderson's feature debut. Bottle Rocket and Darjeeling both really center on Owen Wilson's character no matter if it has an ensemble cast or not. Owen makes both of those movies his own. From all of Anderson's films, i've come to the conclusion that my favorite character is Dignan (played by Owen Wilson) in Bottle Rocket. Dignan, a petty criminal that wants to do big things. I'm sure it's well written on paper but Owen Wilson has a certain charm to him that makes the character.

Owen Continues to make the character his own in Darjeeling as the brother that wants to get his family back together. The innocence that Owen portrays is just wonderful, every sigh, every soft spoken word, i don't see why he doesn't get the attention he deserves especially while working with Anderson. This post has digressed from an actual write up of the Darjeeling Limited into a somewhat love letter to Owen Wilson. It just saddens me that we came pretty close to losing him. I'm glad he's still with us and everything he comes out in is worth watching just for what he brings to the character.

______________________

I also recently purchased The Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack. In my opinion it's the best soundtrack Wes has put together. Yes, even more so then the amazing Life Aquatic which features Seu Jorge covering David Bowie in his native language. Also more so then The Royal Tenenbaums which is coated with lovely Beatles instrumentals and assorted pieces by the always great Mark Mothersbaugh. The Soundtrack is worth getting just for the amazing music by filmmaker Satyajit Ray, The Kinks and what is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs of all time "Where do you go to (My lovely) by Peter Sarstedt.

Before Rambo...WALKER!

2008-03-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

My friend at Cinemaisking just reviewed this film. You can find that here.

I do agree with him but at the end of the film I actually enjoyed what I saw. I suppose i looked more at the little pieces of genius that are spread throughout the film. I also must say that i did watch it twice. The first I was more questioning what i just watched. It is a very ambitious film and it does fail but not to the extent where it's so horrible i disliked it.

I've also noticed many similarities with this film and "There Will Be Blood". A few scenes have very similar set ups, the main characters also have same characteristics, the obvious posters looks similar (the Criterion dvd cover) and also Joe Strummer's music seemed to be used a bit like how Jonny Greenwood's music. I may be tripping but i saw this film twice and the similarities are there.

*I was stoned while watch this film* (Just to let you guys know.)

Radiohead/ Pink Floyd

2008-03-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Two of the most influential bands of all time. Pink Floyd has it's name in music history set in stone. As for Radiohead, they are still making music history with every new album. Radiohead has just hit the second highest peak of their career with "In Rainbows", the album that turned the industry on it's head.

"Ok Computer: A Classic Album Under Review" is a very good documentary about the renowned Radiohead Album that hit the airwaves in 1997. The film centers around a few people in the music business, music majors and close people to Radiohead. It's spread out with interviews and demonstrations of the songs itself with a very informative deconstruction of the album. I don't really need anyone to tell me how great an album is but it's enjoyable to see what other people have to say about the album. "Ok Computer" same as with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the moon" is somewhat a concept album. The themes of a society reaching it's end runs through "Ok computer" at a beautiful melodic pace but the album as a whole is always taken in differently by the listener. It can be a hopeful album or a simple "we are fucked" type of look on society. The documentary is a fun watch and it's interesting to see how many different ways the album can be viewed.

"The Making of the Dark Side of the Moon" is a wonderful documentary about what some consider to be the best album ever made. The hard work and technical achievements that went into making this album is just insane. It literally becomes a math course into how to make groundbreaking music without the help of the technology that we use now. This is literally a "Making of" and it's just amazing to watch. Anyone who likes music in general should watch this, it truly is a must see.

New Tony Gilroy film.

2008-02-29T00:14:00.000-08:00

moar funny pictures

The Brothers Coen.

2008-02-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

moar funny pictures

Rainydayz

2008-02-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

I'm just right here listening to Amplive's version of Radiohead's "Nude". Too short has some lyrics on it and it's just a fun song. I love the way Amplive flipped the beat to sound like a classic 80's hip hop beat. The rest of the album is pretty good for the exception of his "All I Need" remix which is just horrible. Del The funkee Homosapien has some amazing lyrics on his rendition of "Videotape".

It's an interesting listen but obviously the original Radiohead "In Rainbows" work is far superior to what any genius beat chopper can come up with in his kitchen.

Just felt like typing this.

http://www.myspace.com/amplive

That's the myspace, peep game nigga.

It's also been raining alot lately. Interesting?

Yes.

Alright, Oh snap.

I'm about to flip it right now.

It was pouring like a bitch last week so what did I do? I listened to some Guero by no other then the always amazing Beck. I'm starting to think that Beck is honestly the most consistent artist ever. Everything he's put out is just amazing. How can you not love "Sea Change"? It's one of the very best albums i've ever heard and surprisingly my favorite Beck album. It was his departure from all the electronic hip hop spoken chicken wire word that he would usually put out. Everything that guy does is just brilliant and to think he believes in aliens that sprouted life from a volcano is just as weird as his music.

Beck <3

moar funny pictures

My first "lulz" picture.

2008-02-26T23:04:00.000-08:00

moar funny pictures

Yes, i made that one.

Eddie Adams doesn't have shit on these pictures!

2008-02-08T19:16:00.001-08:00

(Oh hey look it's Tim Burton looking all crazy and Helena Bonham Carter who is not far from behind the crazy train, they made a little film called "Sweeney Todd", it's badass)

(Oh snap, it's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead at a film awards party?!?! That's right because Jonny Greenwood has the best score of the fucken decade, they are badass)

(Oh hey, it's Helena Bonham Carter and Jonny Greenwood hanging out...oh wait...THATS INSANELY BADASS!!!!!)

(Oh hey.....holy fucken shit....it's Thom Yorke and Tim Burton fucken kicking it. BEYOND BADASS)

Honestly, some of the most badass pictures of all time.

But i saved the best for last.

(Oh hey..it's radiohead...but a bus boy in the background getting into the picture and awkwardly smiling. BADASS)

Peter Jackson, why did you not do this?

2008-02-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

You had the opportunity to make an amazing Rock Opera adaptation of J.R.R Tolkiens "Lord Of The Rings" but you went for gay undertones. It's cool, whatever. I'm just hoping if Del Toro gets the chance to direct he does it the right way. The way J.R.R would have done it. A Rock Opera.

Citizen Gangsta

2008-02-05T19:06:00.001-08:00

This is the best thing i will ever see.

An open letter to Mr. Stallone

2008-02-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Stallone,

I've been a fan of your work ever since i can remember. My dad and I spent our father/son relationship watching the film's you've made. Some bad but most badass. Rocky and Rambo will always stay with me, on my death bed, i will make sure my memory replays those films back to back for the ultimate double feature. You've always got shit for reasons i honestly don't know. I recently discovered the greatness of "Cobra" a while back which i wrote about. I love Cobra and i said something in my write up in which Cobra is probably your best role. I am sorry Mr. Stallone, i was wrong. Rambo is your best role and he is the best cinematic hero of all time. I honestly believe that, most people will read this and say that there is slight sarcasm in what i say about your work. The truth couldn't be further away from that. I am a genuine fan of yours and this is my love letter to my favorite hero of all time, not Rambo but Sylvester Stallone.

When word got around that you were thinking about bringing back Rocky, i became a little bit nervous. I didn't want to see one of my childhood icons become a laughing stock which at the beginning it was. People then shut their mouths when Rocky Balboa hit screens, the film is filled with heart and passion, something that you have for the Character of Rocky, something that Rocky has. I was very pleased with Rocky Balboa even though it's not the best of the series, it certainly is a great closer to the Rocky Saga.

Lightning hardly ever strikes twice and when you announced a new Rambo film, i began to get nervous again. Back to square one for myself as a fan and for you as a filmmaker. With this go around, my nervous hit a peak where i thought there was no way you can make an action film at the age you are now. The laughter came back once again, no one thought you could do it. Out of nowhere, the trailer. The trailer hits the internet like a one two punch from Rocky Balboa himself. You gave us what we wanted, the best trailer to ever reach my eyes. It was pure action, the titles in bold red which originally said "John Rambo". You have now changed the title to "Rambo" which i think is the far more superior title and I'm glad you changed it.

The time came, Rambo hit the screens and i was there to witness it. The film begins and i didn't know what to expect, the trailer was amazing but that doesn't mean the film will be. "RAMBO", in bold red letters then hit the screen. I was home. The rest of the film left me in awe. I couldn't believe what i was seeing, i didn't think it was possible. You have made the best film of your career. Every action scene is just superb and your acting is just great. Everyone is solid in the film, the original Rambo Score is intact which just brought a smile to my face. Before the first images of Rambo came to the screen, i can honestly say i have never been more nervous and anxious about a film. I didn't want you to disappoint and by god, you didn't.

Mr. Stallone, you have saved the action genre. Before "Rambo" we didn't have anything worthy to be under the "action" section at my local dvd rental store. This is indeed a badass movie that met all my expectations and literally blew them up. I am the first to say that the action bits wouldn't work without a character that was up to par. What you've done with Rambo is made him an old man, you didn't bother hiding your age, in this film Rambo is just like anyone else. He has a job, a shit job at that, he goes around gathering snakes just to make them fight and i'm sure he gets paid jack shit. On second thought, gathering snakes does sound pretty badass. Also in the film, you become nothing but a tour guide, you have to take religious preachers across the river so they can help the people less fortunate. You don't really care because life just kicked you while you were down. In the first film, you just wanted to get something to eat and go home and all hell breaks loose but what we call hell, you call home. This is your home and you've taken it back.

While thinking back on "Rambo", i always have a smile on my face because not only did you save the action genre but you gave us a hero. These days a hero consist of a costume and having to be beaten by some form of animal in which they model their costume after. Rambo is human, his strength comes from within and not from a far off planet in which your father wraps you in a cape with a huge "S" on it. The first time we see you in the new film, we see a man that has been through so much and he remembers everything. Things go wrong on the way to the end of the river, you have to decide whether to keep the "fuck the world" attitude or go and help these people out. You do more then help, you take down everyone of the sick bastards that touched these innocent people. You don't have the same beliefs as the people that are being tortured but yet you help them because it's the right thing to do. I salute you Rambo, you are indeed an American hero.

Sylvester Stallone, thank you. Thank you for bringing back a true Hero to cinema, we haven't had one in a long long time. Thank you for making the best action film i have ever seen. Yes, i said it, the very best action film. Thank you for having the passion and heart for going back and ending the Rocky and Rambo sagas. Last but not least, thank you for being a filmmaker. A filmmaker i can trust, a filmmaker i can enjoy, a filmmaker that puts a smile on my face and lets me reminisce back on my childhood. Thank you so much Mr. Stallone, thank you.

Your Fan,
Greg Lazcano

Final Grade - A+ (The best action film i will ever see)

Spooky shit.

2008-02-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

This shit is creepy.

The Orphanage is a film that centers around memories and fucked up ones at that. The main character Laura played wonderfully by Belen Rueda plays a mother who adopts a young boy who vanishes after a party. She was also an orphan in her youth and has always wanted to help those in need of families. She is your all around nice lady that doesn't need the shit that the rest of the film brings to her.

Mysteries unfold throughout the film which kept me at the edge of my seat just wanting to figure out whats going on. It's not so much of "Hey, it's a twist" but the film is just so interesting and well made that you just want to keep on reeling it in. It's wonderfully shot and put together. The film comes from director Juan Antonio Bayona which "The Orphanage" happens to be his first feature film. I can see nothing but great things from this young filmmaker and i hope Guillermo Del Toro is with him every step of the way. The directing styles are very similar with the tones and looks of the films but where Del Toro is set in a fantasy/reality world, Juan Antonio Bayona brings the horror elements into a real world that adds to its creepiness. There isn't any evidence that we are watching a horror film, the first 20 minutes of the film doesn't seem like it would even go to the lengths that this film goes to and trust me, it goes to some far out lengths.

Bayona seems very confident behind the camera and i am very anxious to see what he has next up his sleeve. I hope he stays in the same universe of The Orphanage because we need some good creepy films right now and i think he is the person we've been waiting for. He has conceived some of the most haunting scenes that I've seen in a long time. He just doesn't creep you out, he has a scene that come out of no where and just grosses you out with one shot in particular. I won't describe it because the scene literally comes from left field and i mean that in a very good way.

This just goes to show that the Hispanics are making some of the most interesting and best films of the past years. I am glad to say that we have a new talent to look out for from the amazingly talented Hispanic filmmakers.

Grade A

So...Sarah Silverman is fucking Matt Damon.

2008-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

This video is out right now circulating the interwebs and apparently everyone is doing some hardcore LOLing over this. I'm not a fan of Sarah Silverman at all, i have no idea why but it just doesn't click with me. That being said...she still isn't funny but you know who is? Matt Damon. It's just insanely awkward to see Matt Damon play an acoustic guitar that is producing a heavy distorted sound and watching him play pillow fight. Matt should do this more in his film work, i can see him doing great things. He should follow up The Departed role with a film about pillow fighting and playing acoustic guitars. I'd pay to see that. Hopefully you had a look at the video and had a laugh with Matt Damon saying "Let's go fuck Matt Damon".

Sarah Silverman though...i just don't see the appeal.

Here is Matt Damon in the form of an animal character from the hit television show "Arthur", a show about a teenage aardvark and all of his LOLing mishaps.

Heath Ledger

2008-01-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

I still can't believe he's gone.

Utter Fucken Bullshit.

2008-01-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

You can suck my fucken cock you piece of shit academy.

Turns out the academy will not be nominating the most brilliant score in probably the last 20 years. Jonny Greenwood's score for "There Will Be Blood" will not be nominated for the oscar because the "majority" of the music was not composed for the film. This is fucken bullshit because only 2 tracks were composed for something else which was Jonny Greenwood's side project "Popcorn Superhet Receiver". Really? That's the majority of 11 tracks? You fucken old fucks have your numbers wrong, lost your fingers in a war? Count again.

This is bullshit at it's highest level. I just hope Guy Hands isn't buying out the academy. Stupid fucks.

It was a good day.

2008-01-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin? Where do I end? It's impossible to critique an experience because this isn't a film. Cloverfield is much more, something big, something special. The premise is simple, a tape found which contains the last day of Manhattan. A monster moving around the streets destroying everything in it's path. The film gathered much hype from the marketing smarts of J.J Abrams, was there any possible way of it at least reaching the point of it's such great hype? It surpassed it on every level.

Cloverfield is a fresh look at a genre film that I've loved ever since I was a child. I expect a lot out of a monster movie, I want something more then just a monster, I want a film. Cloverfield has taken itself out of a film and made it completely real. The characters seem like people you've known all your life even though we are only treated to a glimpse of their lives. A glimpse that is filled with running, carnage, parasites and falling buildings. In previous monster movies we get the military men and the scientist but with Cloverfield we get the people running away from the monster, The Japanese people screaming out "Gojira" at the top of their lungs. We get the real people. It amazes me that we get to know these people so well when all they are going is just running away from a creature and then once stopping to call a loved one.

The cinematography which is absolutely amazing and not just a "shaky hand held cam" look, these shots are planned perfectly but yet they seem very natural. It lends itself to the film, to the collapsing of a city, to the chaos which is happening within the characters not knowing what is going on. This is real. While the camera lends itself towards the experience, the other half is the incredible sound design. People say that the film doesn't have any music but that's false. It does, it's the buildings crumbling towards the ground as they slowly grind downward against another building which makes it sound like a screeching string ensemble. The monsters deep thumping as it gets ever so near towards us is the deep sounding bass as the notes begin to get lower, lower and lower. Then the creature roars, this is when the brass section would let the audience know it's in danger. It's absolutely terrific and jaw dropping.

All of these pieces of filmmaking are very normal but director Matt Reeves and his crew orchestrate it to create something new, something big. Cloverfield clocks in around 80 minutes and yet it feels as epic as it's creature. The film is one huge memorable experience made up of terrifying tense, hilarious and emotional scenes. The characters are all solidly played, our main character Rob played by Michael Stahl-David is surprisingly very effective and i can actually see him moving onto great things. The woman in this film are strong female leads but not action stars, they tear up like anyone else but when push comes to shove, they don't back down. As for our camera man Hud played by T.J Miller, all i can say is that he is possibly one of the best comedic characters in recent memory.

I tend to critique monster movies very harshly because these are the kind of films that i grew up with. The original Godzilla film is possibly my favorite film of all time and everything that has come after just doesn't matched it except for my immense love for Joon-Ho Bong's "The Host". As for Cloverfield, we have an experience. We are witnessing something big. This ranks up and goes toe to toe, head to head and tooth to tooth with Godzilla. Cloverfield is pure.

As for the monster, it's fucken sick!

Grade A+

The Genius

2008-01-17T00:53:00.001-08:00

HELP!

2008-01-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

So, i finally saw "HELP!" and i honestly don't know what to think. The Beatles being silly just doesn't work but i laughed. Why? I thought it was insanely awkward. Ringo falls through trap doors, gets shocked and nearly gets eaten by a tiger. This film just basically showcases how much Ringo sucks. They even mock his drumming. It's AWKWARD.

I love The Beatles, they are my favorite band with Radiohead and Los Angeles Negros. I know everyone has the right to be silly sometimes but when Paul McCartney becomes shrunk to the size of a button then it just leaves me scratching my head. Yet, i'm still laughing.

I don't know what to think about this film at all. I laughed my ass off though but for all the wrong reasons.

Pringle Starr.

Viewing Log (From what i remember...my legs hurt real bad)

2008-01-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

Angel-A - Luc Besson made "It's a wonderful life" but made it all trippy, it's entertaining. Some good performances but easily forgettable.

Grade- C+

First Snow - Guy Pearce is insanely fucken paranoid. J.k Simmons can read the future by touching you in all the right places. Great performances is what hold this very little film together.

Grade- B-

The man with the screaming brain - Bruce campbell stars, writes and directs in this little odd but very fun film. Bruce always gives 100 percent in every role no matter how off the wall it is and this is probably the most off the wall film i've seen by the legend Campbell. I loved every second of it.

Grade- A

The Tripper - David Arquette, who would have thought? Honestly, this is the best film of it's kind since Evil Dead 2. It is just insanely entertaining. The kind of film you can just pop in and have a great 90 minutes. It's hilarious and the lovely red gore is there also. Seriously...who would have thought David Arquette?

Grade- A-

Hatchet - Now this film. It has gotten so many horror fans loving it to the point where it's insane. Harry (piece of shit) Knowles said that this film should be in the rankings of Halloween and the Friday the 13th films. You know what? He was fucking wrong. This film is horrible. The script is shit, it tries so hard to be funny. The only thing this film has going for it is the gore which is great. For myself, i want something more then gore. I need something else and this film doesn't have it. Why does this film get all the attention while The Tripper didn't?

Grade- F (Don't write a script adam, just direct the damn thing. Your atleast good at that)

There Will Be Blood - The best film of the year and maybe the decade. Everything is perfection. I will write up about Jonny Greenwood's score in a later date. I have something to say about it that most people may not know. I'm just a big radiohead fan and i want to give insight why i think PTA should get even more credit as a great director because of the score. That will be later though. I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!

Grade- A+

This Filthy World - I can watch this anytime of the day. It's absolutely terrific in every way. John Water gives so much insight to his films, personality and life in general all while making me laugh out loud. Even if you don't like his films, you will love this.

Grade- A+

Sunshine - Read the review over at Cinemaisking.blogspot.com It basically is everything i felt. Ramses...he knows his shit.

Grade- B

(These last three films go WAY back)

Takeshis' - Takeshi Kitano has so much style in one hand that it will make other directors weep. This is basically Kitano's "Muholland Dr" if you will. It is also much easier to follow then "Muholland" but the reason why i loved Muholland was the sense of mystery. Kitano has came out and even given away what it's about. A very deep and personal film by Kitano but surprisingly also very entertaining.

Grade - A

Mala Leche - A very very very little film about two drug users that just want to get out. A hispanic film that is shot on a shoestring budget. Surprisingly very effect when it's not trying even though it seems to have the cliches of every drug movie but what was that line said about cliches? Something like "It's a cliche because it's true." Well with that to the side, i loved the lighting in the film. I later found out that they didn't use lights. Interesting.

Grade B

Joe & Joe - The most innocent, modest, original film i have ever seen. It's insanely small and it doesn't try to be anything. The film characters aren't played in anyway you've seen before. They aren't quirky, the film literally takes you to a different place where these characters would exist living in a shed just loving to cut lawns. Yes, this film is about two guys just loving to cut lawns. I really really love this film with all my heart, so much so i even put it on my top 10 list now. Everytime i watch Joe & Joe it just puts a smile to my face. Here is the cover of the to the film so you can know what i'm talking about.

Oh, i lied. It's not just about cutting lawns but thats the only information i knew about the film and thats the best way to view it. God, i love this film. The definition of a small perfect film.

Grade - A+ (This is in my top 10)

That is all for now. I know I'm missing so many films. I just can't think right now because my legs are broken. When my memory recovers from the freak semi accident i will update this. Thank you for being patient.

So, where was i?

2008-01-15T22:41:00.001-08:00

I've been gone. I was here but i wasn't there. Catching up on tons of music and have purchased many films. I will be getting back to this. Everyday, i will post something. It maybe an actual write up on a film, something from youtube which is stupidly hilarious, a quote or maybe even a video of myself break dancing.

I do plan on the break dancing video, i hope you will be tuning in to see that.

Tuning in. haha. Chicken of the sea.

A little dry humor.

So, I'm back.

One last thing, the reason for my departure was actually because I happened to be in a car accident. I was on the 405 while a semi pulled into the lane next to me. It was raining and I couldn't see pass the windshield that reflected the blinding lights from the truck in front of me. Both my legs are broken and I am in a wheelchair now.

This is for Ramses

2008-01-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/index.php?module=see&lang=uk&code=5e15d458d974ce7a2c8688e8dae1c85e

hopefully that works.

(I guess it didn't, i will fix this later)

The Closest Shave You'll Ever Get

2007-12-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

Wow.

I will have my write up tomorrow in the morning for this film but seriously, just WOW. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I may now have a new favorite Burton film. I'll have to watch Ed Wood once more to have a final thought but seriously, just WOW.

Can't get better then this.

2007-12-17T23:26:00.001-08:00

I hope i am not the only person that is just looking over The Dark Knight cast list and is just floored. I seriously can't believe that cast. Just amazing. Amazing + Badass = The Dark Knight cast. Seriously just take a look at that cast. Can't wait.

Also saw the Joker 6 minutes in Imax which can well be defined as William Fichtner and Heath Ledger fucking shit up for 6 minutes. Watching the Fichtner/Ledger fucking shit up for 6 minutes in Imax also means i saw "I Am Legend". I will have a write up for that film tomorrow. All i can say is that i did not expect what i saw. Does this mean i liked the film? Hated the film? Thought i was alright, kinda tight? Hmm...find out tomorrow...if you dare.

There Will Be Bud

2007-12-09T23:03:00.002-08:00

Yes, my friends I just did that. I put Bud instead of Blood for the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film. All in great fun i must say. This is the "I gotta get really blazed and watch this film" List. Let's start off shall we? The premise is simple, get high and watch these movies when they come out. This list will show the top contenders to the upcoming films which will be hilarious and/or awesome to see stoned. So everyone, grab your bong and laugh along.

5. Jumper

The film in which Hayden Christensen teleporting and kicking ass while...teleporting. This is going to be hilarious. How you can not laugh at the fact that Samuel L Jackson needs to rope up Hayden with some teleport restricting device just so he can calm the fuck down and stay in place. Then he befriends Jaime Bell and they just teleport to Egypt and kick it on a sphinx. This shit is going to be hilarious.

4. Cloverfield

This is where the 3 M's come into play. Monster Movie Marijuana. Having weed while watching a monster movie is the perfect time to be stoned. A huge creature fucking shit up for a good hour and a half and you aren't high? Why the hell are you watching a monster movie then? This is also going to be a great experience because i believe the hand held camera will greatly heighten the effect. It'll make it feel real and just awesome.

3. Alvin and the chipmunks

You know damn well this is going to be hilariously stupid. Alvin and the chipmunks singing Funky Town. I'll be first in line and also ALVIN EATS THEODORE'S SHIT!

2. Rambo

John Rambo just blew someone up with a machine gun. How is that possible? Do you really care? This film is going to be AMAZING. I really truly believe that. It's going to be absolutely great. This is also my most anticipated film right now. Even more so then There Will Be Blood and Sweeney Todd. You might be thinking to yourself then why isn't this your number one on the "THERE WILL BE BUD" list. Well my friends...just scroll down and see what Number 1 is.

1. The Water Horse: Legend of the deep

Just watch the trailer. Trust me. This will be the best film to watch stoned.

THE BEST FILM EVER MADE.

2007-12-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

This is the trailer to the best film ever made which means this is the best trailer ever made.

If you would turn to your webster's dictionary and look up "Badass", you would see that trailer there. This films is AMAZING. It makes no fucken sense. So many people get caught on fire, people get shot and fall off of cliffs and guess what? It's about the lost city of ATLANTIS. Best Movie Ever.

Grade- A+ (I tried to find the symbol of infinity but i couldn't find it...damn you wingdings!)

What's Up Fatlip?

2007-12-09T22:32:00.001-08:00

Fatlip is arguably the most underrated rapper of all time. The lyrics that this man spits are very heartfelt and realistic. He doesn't paint a picture of himself being a thug and shooting up people, he tells us that he wishes he was that people so he can rap about those things. Fatlip's writing technique is filled with honesty, he doesn't have the ability to create a story so he gives us the truth which is a hundred times more effect in lyrical terms.

Every song on the album "The Loneliest Punk" is a personal view into what he has been doing since the break up of the classic hip hop group "The Pharcyde". The line "I could have been a legend like Big or Pac/but i got a bad case of writers block" is one of the most saddest lyrics in music. It's truthful because this man has the talent like the legends Tupac and Biggie but in a different way. Tupac and Biggie created, Biggie never got into huge gun shoot outs like his songs depict. He would create in which people thought would be the image of the normal hip hop artist.

What Fatlip gives us is the bare bone essentials and that is all we need. A truthful artist that speaks his mind and isn't afraid to let anything out. The Loneliest Punk is one of the most personal albums you will ever listen to. It's sad, humorous and very moving at times. I didn't mention any track titles because all of them are just amazing. Some might find that the album may have a to many "skits" but it's a deeper look into Fatlip. Those skits are answering machine messages of Fatlip calling his producers and managers while he would think of a new idea for the album. We get to hear Fatlip at his lowest and creatively highest while he personally plays a beat with his mouth, its just very beautiful. He get to hear the excitement in his voice as he manipulates his voice to sound like a bass and drums. This is Hip Hop at it's greatest.

The Loneliest Punk - A+

(Yes, that was the voice of Spike Jonze at the beginning of that video because he directed it. He also made a short documentary called "What's up Fatlip?" which is an amazing documentary.)

Two Layers of Cake.

2007-12-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

Cake is one of the best bands out right now. They don't get as much credit as they truly deserve. A band that has such a great range from Jazz, hip hop to rock and with a dash of funk all while being driven by John McCrea's amazingly mono tone voice in which threads all the music genres together. They have had a few hits every now and then, most notably "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" and "The Distance".

I've always been a fan of their work but never really listened to a complete album all the way through. I decided to pick up "Fashion Nugget" (1996) and "Pressure Chief" (2004), both albums vastly different. Sadly to say, one being completely amazing and the other horrible.

Fashion Nugget is filled with amazing music, fun and somewhat poetic lyrics. The album starts off with the an amazing track "Frank Sinatra" which gives the rest of the album the perfect feel. It's fun, smart and filled with great music. Then we have what could be Cake's masterpiece entitled "The Distance". A song about a man driving towards the finish which has been already crossed but yet he is determined to finish. It can also be about a man who has lost his significant other and is wanting her back even though she has already gone on with her life.

Cake has a fascination with cars, every album uses them as metaphors that can trick the listener into thinking the song is a joke or can pull something deep from within and make the track completely personal. Fashion Nugget uses the vehicle metaphor to it's advantage and uses it only when is needed. On the other hand Pressure Chief uses the motor metaphor until it runs out of gas and dies.

The problem with Pressure Chief is that the music doesn't give the listener the opportunity to pick which way he or she wants to listen to the album. It can't be taken in a serious or fun way because the music isn't up to par. Ofcourse they have a few exceptions with the a great rendition of Bread's classic ballad "The Guitar man". Other then that the album falls flat. To many car references, every other song uses it and it gets tiresome.

Another problem with Pressure Chief is that John McCrea attempts to sing. His singing voice isn't bad but it's his powerful one note voice that made so many people fall in love with this band. His voice doesn't stand out as much and is lost between the notes of the music that he is trying to hit. That being said, Pressure Chief is their latest effort and i hope to death that John goes back to his mono tone voice. It's very commanding and like the music gives you the choice of which way you want to listen, fun or personal.

Fashion Nugget- A
Pressure Chief- D+

Delicious Vinyl

2007-12-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

If you know Fatlip then you know where my title is from. I will start doing write ups for music now since i have been listening to alot of complete albums lately. These are some that I have listened to.

Cake- Pressure Chief
Cake- Fashion Nugget
Jay Z- The Black Album
Fatlip - The loneliest Punk
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare
Bjork - Volta
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams

About two of the albums i have listed above are just me doubling back on them. I have already listened to them but i would just like to put my two cents in.

Oh, I'll write them up before the weekend is finished. So nothing just yet. A tease...just a tease...for now. I suppose i can leave you with this.

If you don't love Rowan Atkinson, I don't believe we need to be friends.

(I'm sure this is the first post in history that started off with a picture of Ol' Dirty Bastard and ended with Rowan Atkinson playing invisible drums. Saw it here first)

No Country like this Country.

2007-12-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

I just came back from what might be the best film of the year and is definitely one of the best I've seen in a long time. I'm not going to give a write up on this film because i think it's impossible to accurately describe what this film is truly about. I've read many and none prepared me for what i witnessed.

I was lucky to see this at a theater that was hardly full. Many empty seats, the coldness of the theater gave this film a wonderful loose lonely atmosphere like how the wide open deserts in which Josh Brolin is hunting gave an effect for the film. The quiet noises, no sounds, the film literally only has two or three scenes of music. Two which include the now infamous "coin scenes" and one is a piece of music coming from a car which only leads to a bad sign of things to come. The music is never prominent in the film, it hides under the breathing of Javier Bardem's character "Anton Chigurh", under the quiet mellow voice of Tommy Lee Jones' Narration. Everything is quiet until when things no longer need to be quiet.

My eyes glued to the screen as this magnificent story unfolds. The Coen brother's giving you enough slack to hold onto, then before you know it, everything changes as the scene ends. It's a wonderful piece that is filled with intelligent characters, no matter how crazy some are. Amazing dialogue, wonderful performances where its hard for someone to stand out because everyone is so damn good. It's simple for someone to point out Javier's work which is astonishing but it's because he is a psychotic mad man that kills people with air. The Smaller performances work just as well, especially with Woody Harrelson's character which i absolutely loved. How can you possibly bring someone flowers while they are recovering at a hospital and basically tell them that they don't have a chance of living from the heartless insane "Anton Chigurh". Something very surreal and off but that is all attributed to the Coen Brother's style.

It is going to be very hard to top this film. I have never sat in a theater having the cold feeling of someone behind me getting ready to murder me with compressed air. I recommend seeing this in a empty theater so you can experience every little detail in the sound. When things are quiet and the sound is non existent, your brain will do the work for you and create a paranoia that films these day's just don't do anymore. The sound of someone dropping a coin will literally make you jump out of your seat.

I didn't want this to be a write up. I just needed to say something about this amazing, amazing film.

Grade A+

Wet Sponge?...WE ARE DOOMED!

2007-12-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Zero Hour (Hall Bartlett, 1957)

Hilariously bad. This is going to be very brief because i don't want to talk shit about this film because i absolutely loved it. Let me give you the rundown.

(For the ill educated, this is what "Airplane!" parodies.)

Fighter pilot crash lands only to discover that his fellow pilots are dead.

Fighter pilot is now traumatized from flying.

10 years later, his wife is sick of him and decides to take his son on a plane to get away from him.

Fighter Pilot goes on plane to get them back.

Bad Fish.

Ugh...my stomach hurts.

WET SPONGE?!

I'm going to buy you a drink and shake your hand.

Grade-AWESOME (real grade C-)

So call me a liar.

2007-12-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

I suppose i lied. Hopefully this sets the mood right.

Will you forgive me for not putting up those reviews?

How can you say No to bearforce1?

This would go well with some bangers and mash

2007-12-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

Radiohead's In Rainbows Disc 2 is just magnificent. Some of the best work Radiohead has ever put out is located on it. Last flowers and Down is the new up just left me speechless.

Tomorrow I'll have some write ups on films that I've been watching and ALSO I'll be doing write ups on some music that I've been listening to. So drop by tomorrow so you can agree or disagree with my opinions. It's the beauty of a blog. Internet shit talk.

Hmm...Internet Shit talk, sounds like a rather good band name.

I need a drummer.

Music to my ears.

2007-11-24T23:35:00.001-08:00

I have seen two musicals "Hairspray (2007)" and "Across The Universe". Both of these films are very different, the only thing that they have in common are that they are both in fact musicals. Where they differ are the way the films express themselves.

First we have "Across the Universe" which is the Beatles musical about a group of kids in the 60's where many things are changing. Activist on the streets, the drug scene is exploding and the Vietnam war is beginning. The Beatles music which i love is a period piece of this era, it's very significant to the young minds that opened their ears to the music of The Beatles. Everything should fit perfectly but sadly it doesn't. Julie Taymor makes a lovely feast for our eyes to gorge on but she leaves out all the characters. Everyone in the film seems so dead, the actors try so hard to add some life into them and it just comes off as way too cute. The cuteness that is conveyed is very distracting when the film turns into a serious tone when we have a wonderful rendition of strawberry fields forever being set to visuals of Strawberry shaped grenades exploding in glorious bright reds. It's beautiful but after the injecting of life given by The Beatles music we then go back to the lifeless characters. Across The Universe is an amazing disaster of a film.

A musical is a very fragile type of film. One false step and everything can go wrong. Things need to be very leveled to keep the audience believing that in this world people can break out into song and dance then gently slide back into reality, in of course which the film sets out to be. The film "Hairspray", the 2007 version directed by Adam Shankman is a far more superior film in every aspect because he knows the structure of a musical. He fills the screen with Dances that will make you want to get up yourself and join them. The characters are so wonderful you actually feel for them. You smile when they smile, you feel down when they feel down. The film is very well structured and paced. It literally doesn't miss a beat when it has an opportunity to go for broke and just be a well entertaining film and that is exactly what this film is. Pure Entertainment. I loved every second of it. Travolta is just great as Edna, Walken is amazing as always and the rest of the cast give it their all. Hairspray also has a scene that is very quickly becoming a favorite of mine where we have Travolta and Walken's dancing under a starry night. It's just beautiful.

After watching both films i noticed that i never thought this would be the outcome. I honestly thought Across the Universe would be the better film. It just goes to show you that just because you have a director like Julie Taymor who directed "Frida" and "Titus" can drop the ball. It just astonishes me that Adam Shankman who made the critical bashed "The pacifier" and "Bringing down the house" can make such a terrific film.

Across the Universe - Grade C-

Hairspray - Grade A+ (Not the best film of the year but definitely my favorite)

More Movies

2007-11-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

You honestly can't get more fun then this. Everything is in this film. They go 70's style, de palma split screens, awesome music and even a "Warriors" reference. This is hands down the best Action film i have seen in a long long time.

Grade A

Fun but really doesn't bring anything new.

Grade C

This is NOT a kung fu film. This is just a really really great film. I absolutely loved it. Sonny Chiba at his best. This man is probably one of the first actors i followed as a teenager even before i got into cinema. Just great.

Grade A+

Many Movies

2007-11-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Fun Solid Thriller...like i said...very brief.
Grade B

Very Beautiful looking film. Ken Loach and his cinematography do wonders in this piece. Acting is very top notch. The only thing that really hurts this film is that we don't feel the relationship of the brothers in it. When the climax comes we just watch blandly just agreeing with what happens and not really feeling for them. It goes back and forth a bit on whether being a political drama or a story of family. Very good but had the opportunity to be great. In my opinion it shouldn't have won the Palm D'or but still good.

Grade A-

This film is just great, absolutely terrific in every way. The Characters are just amazing and Verhoeven is superb behind the camera. Loved this film. This is exactly the kind of films i wish were made often. You feel every kind of emotion in this epic telling of a women on a mission. Very Dramatic, loving and surprisingly comedic. One of the Best of 2006.

Grade A+

I've been rather busy...

2007-11-24T22:55:00.001-08:00

As of late many things have been coming my way. Most all good things that hopefully will take me places in the long run. I've been listening to tons of Radiohead, most notably the new album "In Rainbows" which i can't get enough of. December 3rd can't get here quick enough, it's Christmas for every Radiohead fan that went out and purchased the Discbox. Can't wait for that, need it now.

I Have been watching many films on my hiatus from this blog stuff. Most of the films will turn up around here with a brief summary on what i thought about it, very brief mind you. I want to catch things up and log all this shit. I've been gone for too long and it feels rather good writing these kind of things down. No one necessarily has to read this but it feels comforting knowing you have your memories somewhere.

The following...brief reviews...thing's that I've been doing...more personal...not to any stupid extent. Thank you.

In Rainbows

2007-10-10T23:23:00.001-07:00

Radiohead, the group that most people consider the best band in music today. I myself for one am a devoted Radiohead fan and have been for years. The music, concepts, themes, emotions all trigger something within many listeners which turn us into Radiohead fans. Since the debut of "Pablo Honey" and more specifically the track entitled "Creep", Radiohead has always been in the eye and ear of many music lovers. For those fans of the acclaimed band, we have a new album, a new sound, a new image. We have "In Rainbows".

"In Rainbows" is the follow up to "Hail to the thief" and Radiohead's seventh album in their discography. The 10 track album has literally been in the making since what many call Radiohead's masterpiece "OK Computer". The track "Nude" featured on the new album was being played regularly during the touring of the "OK Computer" which is ten years prior to "In Rainbows". Not only does this new album have the guitar driven, lyric heavy songs like "OK computer", it has song's that take that sound and build on top of it. The song "Bodysnatchers" which is a live favorite sounds like it would also have been in the "OK Computer" era. A song that simply captures the sound and vibe that first drew music fans to Radiohead.

The album is completely filled with beautiful pieces of music and some of Thom Yorke's best lyrics. The opening track "15 steps" is a beautiful mixture of pop music and an artist at work. In this day in age we have hardly any musicians that understand of the concept of artistic entertainment. We either have very artistic music which isn't anything to dance to, let alone bob your head or we have the musicians which all of us have heard on the radio which just play music for a paycheck. The producers write the songs and they do as they are told. Radiohead was never brought up that way and I know for a fact they won't conform to this new "style" of music.

Themes, Emotions and the creative sound of this album are all carefully blended together like a rainbow itself. It never shifts gears and doesn't have any song that comes completely out of left field, the album is amazingly structured even though none of the songs sound anything alike. Everything from "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" which may be Radiohead's most amazing achievement lyric and music wise to the hauntingly beautiful closing track "Videotape" which is guarantee to stay with you long after the song has ended are all completely different sounding songs. This is Radiohead's best structured album hands down.

The Production of the album has been talked about since the release. The sound is amazing for a download, it surpasses most Cd's in a technical aspect. Jonny's Guitar and ambient sounds have never sounded better. His older brother Colin's bass is just beautiful, you can literally feel the bass traveling from his strings to your ears and into your brain where it resides. Ed's haunting guitar is the last jigsaw falling into place making everything full and rich. As for Thom Yorke's voice and song writing, it has never been better. Everything is top notch which leads me to Mr. Phil Selway.

This is Phil's album completely. Every beat of the drums is absolutely perfect, Phil has always been an amazing drummer but on this album we get so many subtle offbeats and drum rolls that are just jaw dropping. The brilliant track "Reckoner", not to be confused with the previous and more rock track also entitled "Reckoner" has some of the most amazing drums on any album I've heard. The faint Snare rolls in the background towards the last third of the song are just genius. Also I must say I have never heard anything like the drum patterns that are playing in the last parts of Videotape. A drum pattern which adds a beat after every roll, I was literally floored.

"In Rainbows" is genius. An album filled with nothing but amazing songs and top notch production. Radiohead may have well gave us their masterpiece. I also say that in a literal sense due to the revolutionary "Pay what you want" album price that they gave to their fans. More lightening's of this album will provide us the answer if this tops "OK computer" as Radiohead's Crowning achievement, for myself it's already on par with it. How can you not love the slowly paced melody and rock out ending of "All I need"? How about the beautiful and lovely "House of cards" which i will admit didn't sit well with me when i first heard the live recording but Radiohead seemed to make it into one of their most beautiful song's in years. Last but not least the very mysterious "Faust Arp" which no one knew about is literally one of the most brilliant things Radiohead has ever done on acoustic. "Faust Arp" would make Red hot Chili Pepper's John Frusciante wish he would have written that song. "In Rainbows" is a perfect album which will definitely go down as a great step forward in marketing for music but more importantly a huge step forward for the greatest band in the world.

Thank You Radiohead.

Ebert, we love you.

2007-10-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

"Anderson is like Dave Brubeck, who I'm listening to right now." That is a line from Roger Ebert's review on Wes Anderson's new film The Darjeeling Limited and I couldn't agree more. This is why you are the best critic around.

When the play begins, please lower the volume and let Brubeck take over.

(The opening Snare should hit right when Max let's go of the microphone)

Read Ebert's full review.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/REVIEWS/710040303

A girl made the dude eat vomit...and?

2007-10-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Audition (Takashi Miike,1999)

This is a film that many have recommended me. Friends and critics loved this film and couldn't stop talking about it. I decided to watch the film for myself and those people can't be more wrong. Most people know the plot so I'm not going to get into details. Guy holds audition, girl that he picks is insane. Well, that's actually pretty much it.

Takashi Miike starts off with a premise that can be a passable horror film but yet fails in every aspect. The film starts off very slow and boring but Miike himself says that he deliberately structured it to be boring. No filmmaker wants their film to be boring, that's literally one of the stupidest things you can say and do. What he needs to accomplish because he obviously wasn't trying is to build suspense between the characters, make the characters interesting to watch, feel for the characters. Miike takes a ordinary nice guy that has a son and wants us to feel for him. Just because he's a nice guy doesn't give him character, Miike also has his wife die in the first scene to add more sadness and it doesn't work.

Audition then goes into shock horror, not jumps but shock. Miike believes that having a girl vomit into a bowl and making her slave eat it is horrifying. For myself, i didn't even find it disgusting like so many people have. I just watched the scene play out and i told myself "was i supposed to be disgusted by that?", i suppose if the audience is weak enough then they would find that scene disgusting and just because of that call it a masterpiece. That's the only reason why i could see anyone calling it a good film because there's obviously nothing else to it.

So many people cherish Miike for gross out scenes like the one i described in the paragraph above and i honestly don't see why. It's not that i don't get it because i obviously do but there is no basis for it. The scene comes literally out of left field and not only that, they have dream sequences that also come out of nowhere. Come on, he even has a dream sequence within a dream sequence. There's no reason for the dreams either, he tries to give explanation in the commentary but he doesn't even know what he's talking about.

Grade D-

Two Amazing films.

2007-10-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

The best film of the year by far. Everything in the film works, the colors, direction, characters, writing and music. I absolutely loved this film and it will be hard to top. Also after going back and watching Se7en and Fight Club which were my two favorite Fincher films, Zodiac comes out on top. I would also love to see a double feature with Zodiac and Memories of Murder which is a Korean film that basically has the same plot. Both are amazing and can't be compared because they take them in two very different directions and then come to the same conclusion. Flawless films in my opinion.

The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)

A film that is so well structured, not one line of dialogue is wasted. Everything that is heard in this film has to be heard, everything that is seen has to be seen. The best scenes within the film are when our Main character just puts on his headphones and listens to the people he is observing. We listen with him, we notice every little creek in the wooden floors, our ears are open for dialogue that is important to our main characters observation and many films these day's cant take you to a place like that. Right when he removes his headphones we then start to observe him and feel what he is feeling. Our main character hardly says a word of dialogue but yet we know exactly what he's thinking. Amazing film.

Please take off the mask little mike, you look awkward.

2007-10-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween (Rob Zombie, 2007)

This film fails on so many levels it's just hilarious. We get the same premise as John Carpenter's Original but with unnecessary back story, profanity and music. Instead of writing my write up on this film, i will show you. The video below was is literally exactly what Rob Zombie's Halloween is. It's hilarious and cringe worthy.

Yeah...I really wanted to like this film because i loved his previous effort "Devil's rejects" which i found absolutely entertaining but this just blew up in his face.

Grade D

Note: i actually saw the screener version of this film but I've heard the one that hit theaters is actually worse...sorry Zombie, better luck next time.

Pretend like nothing ever happened...

2007-10-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

"In Rainbows" is the title of the new Radiohead album. If you know me personally you know that i am a huge Radiohead fan. You can get the album at www.inrainbows.com for as much as you want. Yes, you can pay as much as you want.

I have already purchased the discbox set which brings exactly what the picture shows above. It cost around $82.00. For Radiohead, i would have paid much much more.

Today out of all days

2007-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998)

A film about a group of characters living out there lives in the last six hours left until the World ends. Pretty intense stuff right? Well it is, any movie that is about the end of the world gives off some kind of depression afterwards. Just thinking about how our own personal world will end when we die. The World may not go with us but yet the world and everyone leaves when we are the ones pushing up daisies.

Don McKellar gives us a film that seems so real yet very surreal at the same time. Looking at the world in it's final conclusion and the how people are reacting towards it. Mckellar is amazing with the characters he has here, they seem like very real people that are just living life and it happens to be the end of the world which brings me to the most important line in the whole film. The line is towards the beginning of the film and it's said by Patrick Wheeler's father who is played by Robin Gammell. The line goes something like "Today, out of all days". He says this because Patrick doesn't really agree with something his family says. For myself this line is very unsettling and i just couldn't get over it. There are comedic scenes throughout the film but i didn't laugh at all because well, it's the end of the world. It's very dark comedy and I'm a huge fan of it but yet this didn't seem right.

The other thing that i believe is very important to this film is a very specific music cue that comes out when the films title is shown on screen. The 10 second piece of music is completely haunting and gives a huge dark cloud over the film and i can't help but think this is probably the most important thing about the film. Don McKellar knows his music and he put that specific piece of music over the title for a reason. Whatever that reason may be is still a mystery to me and leaves this as probably one of the most hardest write up that I've ever written. After the scene with his family that I've written about in the previous paragraph i was left thinking about the music and it left me very uncomfortable.

Last Night's haunting tone revolves around the somewhat narration of a Radio DJ that plays a countdown list of his favorite songs throughout the film. Every song played by this phantom DJ fits perfectly with whats going on screen. I believe this film would have worked even better if the film would have used the radio Countdown of songs instead of the title cards to show the passing of time.

It might sound like i hated this film but thats far from what i thought about it. This film left me absolutely stunned. So stunned that I'm not sure how much i loved the film. Something entirely original that I'm going to have to watch it several more times. I know my appreciation for this film will grow after repeated viewings but it's just so hard to come to a conclusion right now but yet i have to. A film thats so hard to describe in words but yet so easy. Hey, It's just the end of the world.

Grade A-

Great Directing + Insane story = Cult Classic

2007-09-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974)

Phantom of the paradise is an insane musical ride that leaves you loving it or hating it with a passion. I doubt there is actually a middle ground for the people that have seen this film. It's not really one of those films that you can say it was just mediocre. I happened to find myself loving this insane little gem of a film.

Phantom revolves around Winslow Leach a composer that has written an amazing piece of music that a producer named swan steals from him so he can open his new Paradise palace with. Swan also then kidnaps a woman by the name of Phoenix who is the only person that Winslow will let sing the piece of music he's written. Winslow Leach gets horribly disfigured and takes up revenge upon Swan. If you love what you hear so far then i recommend for you to go check this film out.

This wonderfully weird story is brought to life by De Palma's keen eye for Wonderful choreography and amazing long takes. Towards the middle of the film we get an amazing split screen shot where both shots go on for a long period of time then both meet up at one place.

De Palma fills this surreal world with great characters like "Beef" the flamboyant heavy metal singer which steals absolutely every scene. Also we can't forget the incredible band "The Juicy Fruits" where every member seems to love to put on a dynamic show whenever on stage. Every piece of music is amazing especially the piece written by Winslow Leach. For myself this is on par with Rocky Horror even though it's nothing like it because its not really a musical. It just has music in it. I absolutely loved it.

Grade A+

I know what I want to be for Halloween now.

Show me the way to the next whiskey bar

2007-09-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991)

I'm not going to write that much on this film. I'm a huge Doors fan and have been holding off on this film for the longest due to many people hating this film. Well, i saw the film and all i have to say is that i loved it. It's a really great biopic and Val Kilmer gives us Jim Morrison. My hat has to go off to Oliver Stone as well. He gives us a very great and artistic version of a biopic. Jim Morrison would have been proud. It really is a wonderful film and tribute to the days when The Doors were King.

Grade A

(I guess the reason why people didn't like it so much was because the film isn't just about The Doors. It's about everyone that lived during that time. That specific group that this film revolves around were united as one. I want to thank Oliver Stone for giving us more then just a film about The Doors but a film about a generation)

Eddie Murphy's best film.

2007-09-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Harlem Nights (Eddie Murphy, 1989)

Harlem Nights is written and directed by Eddie Murphy, most people these days would see that and just laugh it off. Well my friends, those people are all wrong. Harlem Nights is one of the funniest films i have ever seen and surprisingly its a really great film. Eddie Murphy captures the early years of Harlem perfectly. If i blind watched this movie not knowing Eddie Murphy was directing then i would have never guessed he was behind the camera. We have some wonderful shots and some fancy well thought out editing tricks that are really enjoyable.

I honestly have to give it up to Eddie for this one. I was pleasantly surprised by how much i loved this picture. Yes, it even has the right to be called a picture not just a movie. This is a picture that is set out to be serious and hilarious at the same time. For most films it would seem to be off balance to have an approach similar to this but Eddie Murphy weaves through comedy and serious scenes perfectly. One scene is comedic and the next is serious and there is some very great editing transitions from such scenes.

With a film like this filled with three generations of comedic talent it's pretty obvious the laughs always hit the mark. Every time Redd Foxx is on screen is a guarantee laugh, same goes with Pryor and Murphy. Most people might not agree with me on this but i honestly do believe that Pryor missed out on a nomination for this one. He is amazing in this film. Nothing falls flat, every second he's on screen you just want him to stay there. Eddie Murphy uses Pryor as the father role in the film and it really shouldn't work at all because Pryor being the foul mouth comedic talent that he is should just bring laughs but yet at times we find ourselves smiling at his kindness. I really really did love this film alot. It showed me how great Eddie Murphy can be when he wants to and also let me remember two of comedies finest contributors. Here's to Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. One last thing, please get back behind the camera Eddie. I would honestly love to see another film with you directing.

Grade A

Eddie Murphy + Ghost = Hilarious

2007-09-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Haunted Mansion (Rob Minkoff, 2003)

This movie is pretty bad...bad ass. I'm not going to say anything except that i was laughing throughout the whole film for all the wrong reasons. Eddie Murphy getting scared by ghost, need i say more?

Grade C

(Yes, a "C" but trust me i love this film to the fullest, just for all the wrong reasons.)

Cinema's greatest achievement

2007-08-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

Creatures of the Abyss (1994, Al Passeri)

On of normal day if someone were to ask me what is the greatest film I've ever seen i would say either Citizen Kane, Aguirre The Wrath of God or City Lights. On a great day i would say Shark Attack 3: Megalodon. I will no longer say that Shark Attack 3 is the greatest film I've ever seen. Not even that masterpiece of cinema can amount to Creatures of the Abyss.

This is hands down the greatest film ever made. I honestly could not believe what i was watching throughout this whole film. A group of people in their early 20's go on a boat in the middle of the ocean late at night for no apparent reason and end up running out of gas. They find a dead body in the ocean, get scared and decide to go on an abandoned ship that is filled with all kinds of weird shit. The ship seems to have a retarded version of "HAL" from 2001: a space odyssey that has the most stupidest voice ever. A scientist that looks exactly like Albert Einstein but always foaming at the mouth that swears to one of the characters that he will find more pussy. Last but not least we get to tell which of the characters is the total dumbass in the first 5 minutes of the film...he gets trapped in a net.

Yes, I absolutely loved this film. Everything is just amazing and you seriously won't believe one thing that your watching. Money was actually spent on this and i am glad it was because i will be watching this film over and over again. Cinema's most greatest achievement.

Grade MASTERPIECE

I would also like to add that this was the film that made me decide to write another entry in my blog. I've been watching films but i wasn't inspired to write anything. So whoever reads this can thank Creatures of the Abyss. A thanks that is well deserved on so many levels.

Now for Pictures of this MASTERPIECE.

If you liked the video i posted earlier with the fish jumping out of the water and hitting a guy in the nuts then you will love this film. Tons of fishes jumping and hitting people. Amazing.

Well...Um...

2007-08-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Cashback (2006, Sean Ellis)

Cashback is a little short film that got an academy award nomination. The director then decided to turn his little short into a feature. With a very promising visual style that seems to be done by everyone these days gives it a pretty look but yet the project falls within the characters.

The film is about an art student who breaks up with a girl. The art student can also stop time so he can undress girls and watch them. Yes, the same exact idea that magneto had for the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant show "Extras". Now here is the kicker, this film takes it seriously. A voice over goes throughout the film that is suppose to sound very meaningful and artistic but yet just sounds like a pervert stopping time to check out chicks naked.

Sean Ellis fills his film with characters that really don't belong in the same universe as the main character. He gives his main character two co workers that seem straight out of a teen comedy and another third member that thinks he's a ninja. Yeah, this film is everywhere. It really is a mess of a film that tries to depend on a voice over narration to give it depth. I don't want to say it but this is one of the few films where you can see the director actually trying really hard to make something brilliant out of a stupid idea.

Cashback could have been something good if pulled off just right. It just goes to show you what a director thinks he can do when he gets a nomination for his short film. I really wouldn't talk so much shit about this film but it really did piss me off. Sean Ellis obviously copies Gondry in sequences that don't really need a "Gondry touch" to them. While Michel Gondry uses his crazy in camera tricks to push the story along, Ellis uses them for eye candy not eye protein.

Grade C-

I don't need to explain myself.

2007-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

QUICK WRITE UPS!

2007-07-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting anything on this blog here because I've been way to fucken lazy. I'm sorry to anyone that reads this blog, if ofcourse anyone does. Well for your entertainment I'll leave you with some quick write ups of the films I've watched. I won't be going into detail because I'm still in the lazy mode and i have some other writing to do. Well here they are.

Volver (2006)

Pedro Almodóvar gives us a chilling, comedic and all around amazing film. We get characters thrown into problematic events that where as in any other movie we would focus all our attention on. Yet with Almodóvar's eye for story telling we get something completely fresh. We get the realistic side, we don't get the hollywood film. Loved every second of it, amazing writing, great direction. Just loved this film.

Grade A+

The Number 23 (2007)

A film that i was looking forward to in its preproduction stage. Jim Carrey playing a guy who is insane in a horror/thriller film. This sounded amazing. Sadly, the film is pretty much just stupid. We get a great fun Jim Carrey that makes the film watchable but with its weak script it all falls apart. The thing that leaves me a bit confused is that the film itself seems to know how stupid it is.

(So many people trying to commit suicide by jumping off buildings and Oh that darn dog!)

Grade C

Renaissance (2006)

Man...What the fuck? The story is cool, the acting is fine but the thing that i thought i wouldn't complain about is my biggest problem. The look of the film isn't bad, it's annoying. When i first saw the poster and the trailers it looked amazing. My problem is that you can't really set apart which character is who. Everyone looks the same, everything is way too dark or just too bright. It does take away from the film because it's trying to be stylish and give off a noir type of film but it just doesn't come across and you're just wanting to turn on a light bulb.

"It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."-This is Spinal Tap

Grade C-

Holy Shit!

2007-07-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Hellbenders (1967, Sergio Corbucci)

This isn't your normal Eastwood western, this is entirely something different. The director Sergio Corbucci was the man who brought "Django" to life. I haven't seen Django but after seeing this film I'm sure to watch it very soon. Don't go into this film thinking that your going to get a stylized beautiful film. This is as dirty as they come, which in a way gives it its own style.

We get a band of brothers out with their Father who massacre an army convoy to retrieve money so they can invade the north. Have you ever seen a cowboy film where they throw grenades at soldiers? Go get this film now! That is literally in the first 10 minutes of the film. An all out battle between 6 guys against a small army. The film has so many little cool twist and turns that fit just perfect. These guys think they got it made but the film itself is just trying to stop them. These guys are ruthless, they actually lie to people saying that their dead brother is in the casket. That's pretty fucked up if you ask me.

The film goes everywhere from there, we have a great shoot out between the brothers and the Mexican outlaws and also a face off between them and those gosh darn Indians. These shoot out scenes are filmed so simple with wide shots to let the viewer choose to pick out which fight he wants to see. The reason for this is because the star of the film isn't really revealed until the end. All these guys are bad guys and we are left with them. It's not like the Eastwood films where he's an Anti-hero. These guy's aren't Anti-hero's, just bad mother fuckers.

The Hellbenders does one thing that takes itself completely out of the western genre and actually out of any genre. The Mexican stand off is in nearly every western but we always see it play out the same way. He get them standing around each other, take a long pause and then shoot. This film basically says Fuck that and they shoot. This is a film that doesn't know it's a film. It's completely unaware of itself and that's the reason why i loved this film so much. It's amazing fun with great storytelling and the actors are great. Everything is perfect.

Grade A+

The Astronaut Farmer

2007-07-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

The Astronaut Farmer (Michael Polish,2006)

I've been waiting for this film for a while now. Billy Bob Thornton as a farmer that wants to go into space? I'm there. This film being made by The polish brothers who i haven't seen any of their work until this film left me a bit excited. I've heard some great stuff about these guys especially with their film "Twin Falls Idaho". So ofcourse, i was ready to be taken into their world of filmmaking.

Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) is your everyday type of guy, you know the ones that have spaceships in their barns. The film starts while the ship is near completion and Mr. Farmer already has a launch date. This didn't suit me so well, how the fuck did he get that huge rocket in his barn? But hey, thats not what this film is about. It's about following your dreams and this over the hill man's dream is to go into space. We never really get to know why Farmer wants to go to the great beyond so badly. We get a few hints of it every now and then but it never really unfolds.

Farmer also has a family, two girls that love the idea that their daddy wants to go to space and his wife who thinks he may be already there. We never really get to know the family either. The polish brothers give us this really cool sounding concept and throws the audience in the middle of it. I was digging it, i really was but the lack of character just brings the film back down to earth.

We do have some great scenes that makes you feel like this ridiculous film can actually exist but they come every once in a while. The pacing of the film is a bit way too fast, doesn't let the viewer get to know these people at all. Some people may be reminded of "Forest Gump" but this is its own little film. Remember The challenger? Yeah, the spaceship that exploded. Well this film is like that. It sucks that it exploded but it's interesting to look at. I mildly liked this film.

Grade B-

Citizen Able

2007-07-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Able Edwards (Graham Robertson,2004)

Able Edwards is the first film to be shot entirely on green screen. It's in the Guinness books of records, the real deal. This film being executive produced by Mr. Soderbergh and directed by first time filmmaker Graham Robertson left me kind of interested. I'm always up for an interesting sounding film that is about to break ground in the cinema world so this one had my name all over it.

The plot is like Citizen Kane but instead of a newspaper mogul we get someone that is reminiscent of Walt Disney. Did i mention that it takes place in the future and they have to clone this guy? Yeah, this movie's plot is awesome. The biggest weakness is the execution of the film. The filmmakers seem to be more on the lets just make the first film entirely on green screen then making a decent film.

The character's never really get to take off except for Able but then again he is the main one to look at. Everyone else is simply telling his story just like in Citizen Kane. It's very interesting to watch Able because he's a nice guy but also an asshole at the same time. It's interesting but not rounded out.

The budget was i believe under one million dollars but i could be wrong. The look of the film is dated but a kind of cool dated unlike when you see some CGI from a long time ago. We know this film isn't going to be spectacular with the spaceships and they don't quite have that retro feel but yet it doesn't look retarded.

Able Edwards has such a great premise to it that you can't help but make up the film that you wish to see. The filmmakers just didn't know what they had going for them. They were to caught up in being the first green screen movie then actually trying to make a good film first.

Grade C

No one knows how much i love this film

2007-07-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow,1991)

I've seen this film many years ago and i decided to watch it again. I remembered key scenes but not the whole thing. I love this film, i can honestly say i can watch this film anytime of the day. This is the "go to" film, that film that you know is just so damn good that you can watch it when there's nothing to watch and not be disappointed.

I'm not going to go into detail about this film or even give it a grade. This film is way to amazing for a grade. Everything is just so great, the way the actors play off each other, the chase scene between the houses, the sky diving scenes, and the amazing finale.

The thing that i loved about this film so much is that it plays off as a buddy cop film but yet it's not. The actors play off each other so well it makes you feel like they are actually friends and not an F.B.I agent going undercover as a surfer to capture bank robbers that dress up as presidents. Yes, that's the plot.

Grade Amazing

One last thing, i just want to point this actor out. He is in my opinion one of the most under appreciated actors working today. Every scene he is in he absolutely steals and this goes for every film that I've seen him in. I really hope one day this man can land a lead role because he deserves it. This man is John C. McGinley.

This is a fan made trailer. The only reason why i put this one up is because the actual trailer to this film doesn't do it justice. Trust me, this one does.

Man...

2007-07-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (Steven Shainberg, 2006)

I heard nothing but bad things from this film and i couldn't help but think, those people must be on drugs. How can a film with Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr can even be in the same sentence as "bad film". So i took my chances and decided to watch this film and all i can say is that they were absolutely right.

This is one of those films that people that don't really know anything about cinema but try to be all that tend to love. The cinematography is beautiful, the score is wonderful, the acting is top notch but yet everything that is suppose to compliment that isn't. The script is very weak and the characters aren't there. This is a biography of a photographer so it really shouldn't be so hard. The outline is out there for them but yet with this film they completely threw that out the window and decided to make a fantasy biopic. I hope this is the first and last of it's kind.

The main character Diane played by Kidman is a woman with very little responsibility and happens to be weird. That isn't character, that's just a skeleton of a character. We never really get to know why she's the way she is. Kidman does one hell of a job but yet even her acting abilities can't save this character. Sadly goes the same with Robert Downey Jr's character which is a take on the beast from "Beauty and the beast". That's also pretty much the film, "Beauty and the beast" as a biopic.

It's a beautiful film to look at thanks to Bill pope but the rest is empty. This film is equivalent to a beautiful girl at a bar. Gorgeous on the outside but dead on the inside but there are people that like that kind of thing. You know, the guys that don't really appreciate girls just like with the "film buffs" that don't really know true cinema.

Grade D+

LETS GET READY TO CRUMBLE!!!

2007-07-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Godzilla 2000 (Takao Okawara, 1999)

It's a Godzilla movie, you know your going to have fun. Godzilla 2000 starts off with our giant anti hero stomping vehicles and burning down buildings. We move onto a mysterious rock that is found by scientist deep underneath the ocean. After investigation the rock is then found to be an alien spacecraft that contains a type of monster that can absorb energy. Yes, the monster uses it's power against Godzilla and leaves us with a great climax.

I'm a huge fan of Godzilla like most people are. Everyone knows the name and that name always delivers. This film does just that. It starts off very dark with hardly little intro and all mayhem. This reminded me of the original 1954 Godzilla film which the darkest of the franchise. After we get a few good moments of dark kaiju terror we get the playful human characters that most of the Godzilla films have. The Godzilla franchise wasn't really suppose to end up the way it is now. Godzilla was a metaphor for what was going on in the world at that time but now he is a monster in pop culture. Doesn't bother me one bit, i just love watching this guy on film.

Godzilla 2000 doesn't really have much monster on monster action. It focuses on the city trying to get rid of Godzilla and not try to use him for help. When the alien arrives they still try to kill Godzilla. Really dark stuff going on here but as i said before the human characters tend take us away from that just to remind us that it's not that 1954 Godzilla anymore.

At the final scene of the film we are left with a great battle and also a little social commentary but it really doesn't get its full point across. We've heard it many times before in previous Godzilla films but yet it still works.

Grade B

A Masterpiece

2007-07-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

El topo (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970)

El Topo and his son fall upon a village that has been torn apart by bandits. El topo rescues a woman who leads him to four gunmen that must be defeated. Trust me, that's just a piece of this film.

This film can not be debated. You either accept it or you don't. The reasons for liking or disliking the film can vary from a huge amount of reasons. You can find it beautiful, disturbing, offensive, symbolic but what you can not find in this film is a dull piece of cinema. This film left me in awe.

I was a bit confused with Jodorowsky's "The Holy Mountain". Not because of the symbolism but because of the amazing creativity that was brought into the film. Jodorowsky has some of the most beautiful disturbing images ever caught on film. After viewing this film i have gained much more respect for "The Holy Mountain" and i will defiantly raise the grade that i gave it before. The Holy Mountain isn't perfect though but El Topo is.

You can see these films as amazing pieces of cinema or just a man that is on LSD making a film. Either way you take it you can easily tell Jodorowsky loves cinema. He loves it to the point where he is trying to still change the world. I believe there is a quote by Goddard that goes something like "It's over. There was a time maybe when cinema could have improved society, but that time was missed". Goddard quickly became one of the people that left cinema while Jodorowsky still believes that Cinema can change the people. It's just beautiful to see something that i love so much be handled with such care and creativity.

Grade A+

Hot Rods...to hell?

2007-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hot Rods to hell (John Brahm, 1967)

What can i say, a film with a title like this should deliver. It compiles the most beautiful words in the English dictionary to create this amazing title. With that just said, I'm going to say i was a bit disappointed. It's not horrible, it's a good film and I'll get into those reasons in a bit but i just got to say one thing. That title should belong to the hands of Roger Corman and not a 60's era "old man hates teenagers" type of flick.

In Hot Rods to Hell we get a very fun Dana Andrews playing the father who recently got into a car accident and becomes tormented by driving. Sounds great so far, his two kids and his wife all decide to move from their home to go live in a motel to start a new life. Alright cool, we are getting a sweet road rage movie. Hot Rods to Hell, still remember the title? The pacing is really good within the film but it feels like it should be filled with much more. When we should be getting an amazing car chase we get an older man complaining about his back and why he can't drive.

We do however get to see some great car stuff especially within the final minutes of the film. The car stunt is amazing especially since it was done in the 60's. It's very simple but how it is captured is just breathtaking. This film does have Great parts which makes you feel like the movie is amazing but towards the end of the film we are left with a bit of emptiness. The title just doesn't deliver.

With the bad things said about this film being empty there is one aspect of this film that everyone needs to take into notice. This film was made in the late 60's before films starting going over the edge and taking cinema to a different level. If you are a fan of grindhouse and 70's film making in general, you must see this film. This is a perfect example of a film that COULD be that film but yet since it was made a few years earlier it has its restrictions. You can see where this film could have went and I'm not saying that you are making a different film in your head as it plays along.

This is a perfect example of a film lost between two periods of cinema. The film goes into the grittiness of the 70's with its plot and directions but the characters seem to be grounded into the years prior. It's just amazing to see that. This film is literally on the edge of two separate times in cinema and it's just weird and interesting to see.

Grade B-

This is one deadly Cobra

2007-06-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Cobra (George P. Cosmatos,1986)

Sylvester Stallone, a cult of serial killers, a sidekick named Gonzalez. This is one amazing film. Lieutenant Marion 'Cobra' Cobretti (Stallone) is on the hunt to track down the insane criminals that are committing random acts of violence. Cobra then meets up with a witness who quickly becomes the new target of the mass murderers. He has to take her to a safe house and make sure she gets out alive because she is the only person who has gotten a glimpse of who might be running this "cult" of criminals.

The film sounds like a throw away plot and it actually is but what this film contains is just a truly great action film that also ventures into a bit of horror. Stallone was also the writer of this film and you can tell he loved writing every single second of it. He knew he was writing an all out action film but knew that he can also throw in some character for Marion Cobretti which is a relief to most of the action films coming out around this time. Cobretti isn't a bad ass at all, he made himself out to be a bad ass. His birth name is "Marion" and he thought it wasn't manly enough so he changed it to "Cobra". It's just great to see a character that seems real while still blowing things up, setting people on fire and shooting women. Cobretti is awkward with women and tells horrible jokes. He is a cop with a heart that cares for the people he's protecting but to bad because that heart is laced with barbed wire. One false move and this man will kill you five times over.

The film is non stop action from beginning to end. It has an amazing car chase at the mid point of the film. A great all out attack scene schemed out by the cult on Cobra, the witness and his partner Gonzalez. A climax that will leave you shocked from how much action you just received in the amount of time and a line about Gummy Bears.

I've always been a Stallone fan, I'll watch anything he's in. I grew up with this guy, i even own "Eye see you". Come on, how many of you can actually say you even heard about that movie. Stallone does a great job with this character and the action scenes are amazing like I've said before.

I'm going to have to go out and actually say this is my favorite Stallone film. For me it beats out Rambo, i can see why people would favor Rambo over Cobra but for me this is just a better film. People would be turned off by this film because of the "cheesy" soundtrack and type of wardrobe some of the characters have while Rambo is all decked out in camouflage and has a score instead of songs with that would also fit on the "Flashdance" soundtrack. Please don't let that take away from the film, it's actually really cool to see that preserved in a film like this.

Grade A

Paul Naschy doing it VooDoo Style

2007-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Vengeance of the Zombies (Leon Klimovsky,1972)

Paul Naschy, I officially love you. In this magnificent film we get Paul Naschy as three characters, Krisna, Kantaka and a Demon. All of which he does an amazing job. Just to give you an idea what your in for, we have someone on the loose raising the dead with the help of his Voodoo powers. Yes, we got screams, chills and lots of blood.

Mr.Naschy is quickly becoming one of my favorite horror actors. He is the perfect fit for horror, someone that takes his acting seriously while it still looks like he is having fun. He is the Hispanic version of Vincent Price. This man literally gives life to his projects. Every frame that he's in he is always commanding the scene. It's just wonderful to see an actor so dedicated to his craft no matter how insane some plots are. Without Naschy these would just be good films but he makes them great.

This is my second film starring Paul Naschy and i have another one right here next to me. I simply can't wait to see what else this guy has. One thing that i mentioned before in my write up of the first Naschy film that i saw "The night of the werewolf", is that he has the best credit sequences. This film is no exception, it has probably my favorite end credit sequence of all time. Great music going to all these images, a funky bass line that drives all of them. Just tons of fun from beginning to end and a few creep outs here and there.

One last thing about this film, my friend warned me about films that contain actual animal cruelty. This film has a chicken getting it's head cut off. I read about it at some message boards about this film and i thought i was going to be disgusted when i would see it. Well when it came around i just brushed it off. I don't think I've ever been offended by anything or disgusted so it didn't phase me. The way i see it is if they eat the chicken after production wraps, it's all gravy. So if you get offended by that kind of thing just fast forward it. An animal being killed shouldn't stop you from watching a damn good film.

Grade A-

Great Day

2007-06-23T01:42:00.000-07:00

Today was just a blast. Really calming day, nothing bad happened just an all around great day. Two of the main highlights of the day were the hilarious "Knocked Up" that i finally checked out and the other one i'll get to in a bit.

Knocked up is just one of those films that leaves you talking about how funny it was hours after leaving the theater, even days. The characters are so loveable and seem so damn real it's insane. I feel like these guys are my friends and i can talk to them. Not to many films these days can do that especially to a group of people like film lovers and film buffs. We get all the cinema in jokes, we get all the obscure music references. It's just wonderful to be a apart of that. Also another thing is that the regular movie going audience can love it also. The jokes are just perfect for any type of audience. A great comedy. Loved every second of it.

Now, for the second thing that just really made my day. Well it looks like i got myself a coffee maker. Not just a regular one, a Mr. Coffee Maker. Talk about making the perfect blend of coffee in the morning. Such an amazing feeling to just make yourself a cup instead of going out somewhere and wasting tons of money. I love Mr. Coffee. He treats me right. He is the fucken shit.

Here is a picture of My Mr. Coffee Maker.

Mr. Coffee is pretty bad ass and if that picture didn't make you think the same well feast your eyes on how Bad ass Mr. Coffee is now.

Yes, that is a picture of Mr. Coffee with "Hard Times" and "Roadhouse". So, now do you think Mr. coffee is one bad ass dude? I do.

Mr. Coffee Grade-A++

Steven Seagal vs William Forsythe

2007-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Out for Justice (John Flynne,1991)

Out for justice is a great name but Steven Seagal vs William Forsythe would have been better. That is basically the film and trust me, it's amazing. This is also a John Flynn film and also is what most people say is Seagal's best performance. I would have to agree, i was raised on Seagal. My dad being one of the biggest Seagal fans ever, honest to god. I know i have seen this film before but i just didn't remember it.

Forsythe is the biggest drug addict you've ever seen and his come downs consist of kicking ass. He kills anyone, dads in front of there kids, people driving by, anyone. This guy literally walks down the street and just starts shooting just because he's bad ass. This is one of the best villains in history. He also looks Hitler but a fat version and less gay. So, who comes to our call for help? Steven Seagal, the only person that can take care of a drug loving trigger happy Hitler look alike. I forgot how much i used to love this guy's movies when i was younger.

Seagal's acting ranges from good guy that breaks the rules to good guy that shoots people's legs off. There is no time for character in a Steven Seagal movie. We get a cop that has to deal with something. That's it and that's all i need to have a fun time. I lost myself in this film, i honestly did. There is no character, no original story just great action scenes. I absolutely loved this film, everything from Forsythe hitting the pipe to a montage of Steven Seagal and his puppy set to Beastie boys music. Turn your brain off and have a good time.

Grade A-

Please release this on DVD

2007-06-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Defiance (John Flynn,1980)

Defiance is a film that deserves to be on DVD. It was made in 1980 from Director John Flynn. The film has a good cast that is just having a blast acting in this film. Jan Michael Vincent is amazing as the new guy in town with his one million dollar smile and deadly fists. Danny Aiello was hilarious and awkward as an old guy that wants to take his town back from the Souls which are a group of thugs. The leader of the Souls is Angel Cruz played by Rudy Ramos who does a great job as well. It's hard to pull off a gangster that looks like prince but he does it.

On top of the surface this is just a slow building action movie. There is hardly any ass kicking in the beginning, it slowly builds to a damn good climax that takes place between new work apartments. When really paying attention to this film we get something fresh, we get characters that are suppose to be a great hero and a hardcore villain yet they aren't. They are absolutely afraid of each other. Jan Michael Vincent's character "Tommy" doesn't want to go head up with "Angel Cruz". This isn't Tommy's town and he doesn't want to have apart of it. Angel Cruz is also a very weak thug, we see this in a scene with an older man that goes to receive money from the gang leader. The old man begins to tell him that he could have actually done something with his life but yet he wasted it. Angel Cruz then takes a deep breath and gets a bit frightened of the words that the old man said. It's really subtle but wonderful when you catch it.

I had tons of fun with this film, the jokes hold up perfectly and the chemistry between the actors seem real no matter how far fetched there wardrobe is. Who would have thought that Jerry Bruckheimer could do something this good? Yeah, he produced it...i was also shocked.

The last thing i want to say about this film is that it has the greatest character of all time. The character is "Whacko" played by Lenny Montana. Whacko is a champion boxer turned retard. Best Character Ever.

Grade B+

Scarface

2007-06-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

The other day, i had my first viewing of "Scarface" by Howard Hawks. I'm not going into detail with this one because it's a classic and there is so much stuff written about it. I absolutely loved the film. Paul Muni was amazing and great directing by Mr.Hawks. Just a classic in every sense of the word. I will say one thing though, I'll have "The Public Enemy" over any gangster film any day.

...Wow...

2007-06-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Deep Red (Dario Argento,1975)

I didn't know what this film was about. I saw "Dario Argento" and i thought to myself, well I'm getting into fulci so i might as well check out Argento. Deep Red is considered masterpiece by many people and everyone who has seen it love it. I had no idea that this film had a following, i just thought the cover looked pretty cool and it was directed by Argento. Was i glad to buy this film.

A jazz pianist witnesses a murder and is going to get to the bottom of it. That's the basic premise but the way Argento went with it is just great. This could have been a simple slasher/thriller type of film but instead we get a well rounded film with actual characters. We don't wait to see them die or want the "cool" guy to live. We want all these people to end up out of this alright because they are normal people. There is no loser chick, Smart detective, Suave dude, we get real people in a real situation.

The music is absolutely fantastic and is provided by "The Goblins" from which most of you know from "Dawn of the dead" which they also did music for. One thing that i can't stress enough is the amazing direction in this film. Everything from the actors to the camera work. Especially the camera work, it's just amazing and something that we haven't seen in a long long time. If you want to be surprised then watch Deep Red. It's just amazing.

It might seem like im just giving all these crazy grindhouse 70's horror films all "A+'s" but after you see them, you'll know why.

Grade A+

Not for Everyone.

2007-06-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowsky,1973)

This film is not for everyone. You have to have an open mind for this kind of film. There is no plot unless you really think about it. To some people it will be a series of beautiful disturbing images and to others it will...well, be a series of beautiful disturbing images but with a meaning. I like films like these, i don't love them but i find them extremely interesting. As for this film, Alejandro Jodorowsky's "The holy Mountain", i couldn't have prepared myself for what i would be watching. There is no way that you even guess what's coming next.

I really want to try to stay off the topic of what kind of scenes are actually in this film because this is a film that should be talked about. You can't really write anything for this. Either you find it interesting and profound or you found it a waste of time.

Throughout the whole film i seemed to be going back and fourth between rather i believed this was art or just a director hopped up on LSD, which he was by the way.T he film also seems to contradict itself and if you break it down, everything is clear in the last scene. The thing that really took me back and i mean this in a good way is that Alejandro comes out and tells the audience what the meaning of the scenes happen to be. A voice over begins to guide you through the middle portion of the film and is then lost and never to be heard from again.

I recommend this to any film buff. A kind of a bravery test just to see what you think about it. I would love to hear feedback on what anyone thinks. It's a very interesting film and beautifully shot. As for myself, i had my problems with it at the beginning but after the first portion we are treated to some very classic scenes. Watch out for the infamous "Glass eye Scene" which is probably the one and only beautifully disturbing scene in cinema.

Grade B+

I was quiet about this film...

2007-06-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

"The Gates of Hell" A.K.A "City of the Living Dead" (Lucio Fulci,1980)

I saw this film about two weeks ago and I haven't really said anything about it to the people i talk films with. I have two reasons for why i did that, the first one is that i didn't want to say what i thought and let people check it out for themselves and the other is that this film scared the living shit out of me. I have never been so scared of a flick in my entire life. City of the Living Dead literally made me feel like i was watching this with some friends when i was 9 years old. The kind of film that your parents would put on the top shelf just so you can't reach it. It's that terrifying.

A zombie film where the gates of hell are open due to a priest that committed suicide. The small group of people that are affected by this happen to be a woman that is into dark rituals, a journalist and a man that is caught up in the middle of it. This group of people have to find the grave site of the priest before midnight on "All Saint's Day" or else the gates of hell will remain open and the world will be run by the living dead. Please tell me that's not the best plot idea you've ever heard.

The film holds up so well, hence why i was so horrified by it. The gore is amazing and so is the suspense. While you feel someone is about to meet there doom, you can't help but put your hands in front of your face. This is also the best directed film I've seen in the horror genre. First Lizard in a Woman's skin, now this? I can't wait to see what else Fulci has. I also have seen two of his other films, Zombie and The Beyond. Zombie is good and The Beyond is amazing but this film surpasses both of them. I won't compare this film to Lizard because it's not the same genre. City just left me speechless.

Most people claim that The Exorcist or Halloween are the scariest films ever made. They are amazing horror films but both of them lack at least one of the three things that make a horror film truly great, Terrifying Horror, Fun Horror and Gross Horror. Those are the three ingredients to make a perfect horror film. The Exorcist doesn't have the Fun but yet it really doesn't need it. As for Halloween, it doesn't really have any big Gross out scenes but also both of those films happen to get laughed at by today's audiences. As much as i love both of those films they are a bit out dated especially The Exorcist. Now for City of the Living Dead, all those ingredients are there in clear sight and Fulci just makes you gobble it down to the bare bone.

One other thing that i simply loved about this film is the ending. It has a very ambiguous closing that leaves you thinking that maybe everything isn't alright. The film itself starts and ends with a scream while we are screaming throughout the whole thing. This is by all means a masterpiece and the best horror film i have ever seen.

Grade A+

"He penetrated her vaginally and anally"

2007-06-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tightrope (Richard Tuggle,1984)

Clint Eastwood sleeping with dogs, getting blowjobs from prostitutes and having to track down a serial killer that likes to wear oriental themed masks and commits murders in his Puma Sneakers. Yes, this film has it all and surprisingly it's really good. Tightrope is a film that seems like a bizarre throwback to cop flicks and film noirs but still feels like it's in it's own little world.

The set up is simple, Wes Block (Clint Eastwood) has to track down who's been killing prostitutes in his neighborhood. A very simple premise that has been done a million times before. The only thing that makes this film different is that it is driven by character. It's not just a normal guy out on the lookout for a killer. The protagonist and the antagonist actually have the same characteristics. Both Wes Block and the mysterious killer are fueled by sex. The character that we're suppose to feel safe with even makes us sick, a divorce cop that has two children and goes out to have sex with prostitutes. Something that hasn't been done in this genre before and it's actually refreshing. We get to see this character change from the beginning of the film to the end and it's amazing even with all the weird off beat things that are going on.

I had no idea what i was in store when i started watching this film. I was actually going to see "Escape from Alcatraz" (another Eastwood film) but this one caught my eye. I'm not really sure why it did but i just picked this one up instead. I'm really glad to have chosen this one also because this seems to be a very under appreciated film. Everyone seemed to be all hopped up on Dirty Harry to give this one a chance. The Dirty Harry films are great fun but the character is pretty one sided, just a bad ass with a gun. Very few films actually have the brains to do something like this and with the insane context of the film, it shouldn't work at all but yet it does.

On a side note, the heading of this little write up is actually in the film. Yes, this film is pretty awesome.

Grade A-

Cocky Ass Mother Fucker at it again.

2007-06-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hostel 2 (Eli Roth, 2007)

First off, let me start by saying i loved cabin fever and really liked Hostel. When Roth first came on the scene with cabin fever he seemed like a cool humble guy then he started getting cocky which really doesn't bother me. Assholes can be cool too, like Vincent Gallo or Bill Murray at times. Now for the second installment in the "Hostel" franchise we get what it suppose to be Eli Roth's new masterpiece which is obviously self proclaimed. Roth has talent, he really does but i just have to say the self proclaimed genius finally caught up with him. I didn't mean that in a good way, this film is not a success by any means and it's not a total piece of shit.

We get a new set of characters after a 10 minute intro with jay Hernandez from the previous film and we follow this new group throughout the film. The film then splits into two stories. A group of girls that are just visiting the area and two guys that are there to kill. The story of the girls is the same bullshit over again, people we don't care about getting into bad situations that they don't deserve. The other group is where I applaud Roth in what he was trying to do. One of the men wants to kill someone really badly because he thinks it will change his life and his friend is a bit afraid of what might happen to him when he does kill. Wow, Eli put a little character in them, a change that he should start using from now on.

The rest of the film is actually rather boring, you can tell he is trying to concentrate on characters but they aren't fleshed out enough, honest to god i wasn't trying to make a pun with that. Only a hand full of people are killed and they aren't in such cool ways. The death's aren't memorable or scary for that matter. They just come and go, they won't be in a classic death thread on some website anytime soon. Well, maybe because there are people out there who actually thinks this kind of crap is cool.

Eli really did have something going with the story line of the two male friends but then he just fucks it up towards the end. If your looking for blood and guts, this isn't your film because there is hardly anything in it. The only big ups i would have to give to Mr. Cocky ass Mother fucker Roth is that he used luc Merenda (gambling city) in one of the most coolest scenes in recent horror films. It's the opening scene with Jay Hernandez and what made me love it so much is that it's very cliched and just a fun little scene. After Merenda gets off screen, the whole thing begins to drag to its shallow grave of the glory that is Eli Roth. Three films and you think your a genius and leading horror into new territory? Your no horror legend, Mr. Roth. You still have time to prove yourself though.

Grade C

Original in every sense of the word

2007-06-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Lizard in a woman's skin (Lucio fulci, 1971)

The basic plot line for this film is about a woman being accused of murdering someone after dreaming it. It's the whole did she do it type of film. That may turn a few people off from this film but trust me, you have never seen anything like this. Hands down one of the most original films i have ever seen. I can't even put this masterpiece into a category, it's considered a giallo and that's understandable but there's something about this movie that separates it from that. Most people would agree that this is also the best giallo film ever made and they also are not sure why it's classified under that term.

The direction of this film is beautifully insane. Lucio Fulci made sure that his camera was a character in the film, taking the audience for a ride that no one is sure where it will end up. The film is very artistic and surreal due to the dream states and drugs taken by the characters. The shots are great, the camera is everywhere. The characters are as lost as we are and it's wonderful.

This is a film that i want to recommend to everyone but i know that some people will be caught off guard by it. Just let this film over take you and enjoy it. This is something that shouldn't be missed by any fan of the Grindhouse genre even though it's not really grindhouse, well kind of.

Grade A+

Night of the living dead in color

2007-06-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Let sleeping corpses lie (Jorge Grau,1974)

The title sounds like it would be a bad thing, well it's not. This is one great zombie film from beginning to end. It's your normal zombie, dead come to life and people die. The filmmakers behind this film saw night of the living dead and fell in love with it. They decided to have a go at a zombie flick and this is what came out. It's nothing like night of the living dead except for a few themes but this film stands alone. It's nearly as great as the Romero films. The only thing that sets this film apart from George's films are that his zombie films have a brain and don't just eat them. Not saying that this isn't a smart film, it just doesn't feel like it has any social commentary behind it.

The Characters feel real and not like someone that they just threw in there just to see the undead rip them limb from limb. One of the greatest things about this film is that it's not an infestation zombie flick like most of the ones that we see. It's really hard to have a film with just several zombies and have it work. The undead are slow and stupid but yet the tension builds high in every scene in Let sleeping corpses lie.

I have to give it up to Jorge Grau, the director of this film. The film is very atmospheric and keeps you watching. This film isn't about the cool zombie eating mayhem, it's about anticipating it. One of the few zombie films that i can literally call Great. I loved it and i know any other undead fan will also.

Grade A-

Underworld with Class

2007-06-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

The night of the werewolf (Jacinto Molina AKA Paul Naschy,1980)

Where to begin, this is my first paul naschy film. Mr.Naschy is famous for two things, he's a legend in the horror business and he has the best opening title sequences ever. This film could have been a simple vampire/werewolf right film but it isn't. It's actually a more romantic film between paul naschy's character the werewolf and an unsuspecting woman. It completely goes from there with romance and violence that never stops.

The film has surprisingly great cinematography which gives the film its richness and just adds to what's happening on screen. Long takes of werewolf rampage and beautiful camera movement that swerves in and out of the castle where the film takes place. Just a beautiful looking film with good editing and great effects for its time.

As for people that want blood and guts, this isn't your film. I went into thinking that this was going to be all out gore and instead i actually god a film with a brain. It's simple but the characters seem real in the world that they take place in and its great fun to see Paul Naschy go all out on screen.

One thing i would like to add is that this film has the best title sequence of all time. It's a still frame of Naschy in an iron mask while the blood red titles appear over one of the best Bass driven songs i have ever heard. After you hear the music you just get hyped up and have no idea what is in store. A pleasant surprise and i think I'm in for some more because i have another naschy film next to me right now. Vengeance of the Zombies, how can this possibly go wrong?

Grade B+

Sorry

2007-06-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

i havent posted for a while because i've been watching films non stop so expect atleast 10 new write ups on some films ranging from "Lady in alizards skin" to "The hawk is dying". I was also going to write about a film called "Grizzly" but ramses took the words right out of my mouth. *pounds it* Stay tuned,gangstas.

One of the best films you haven't seen

2007-05-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Baxter (Jérôme Boivin,1989)

This has to be one of the most unique films in recent years. The story seems very over the top and completely stupid if you really think about it but yet it works and it works in such a way that left me amazed. Baxter is about a dog who wishes that he was a human, it's simple and very unique. Baxter is the dog voiced by Maxime Leroux but only through voice over narration. The narration is really beautiful and dark at times, he speaks of seeing the flowers and wishing that he was human so he can have sex with a woman. Yes, it seems really out there but it works.

"Baxter" also gives us very simple scenes that gives the audience time to settle with such a far fetched plot. The direction is straight to the point, nothing flashy, not huge crane shots, no intense close ups, very simple direction. It was a very original approach to a very original story. The filmmakers knew they had something on their hands that would either work really great or just horribly.

This is just one of those films that you have to see to believe. I deeply loved it, every single second of it. It also haves one of the great shot with Baxter in the middle of the frame and the title credit comes out. The ending is also very emotional and something that i didn't quiet suspect. By all means, see this film. If it wasn't for the John waters who put this film on his television show that runs controversial films then i would have never seen. Even if you don't like john waters this is a film that must be seen.

Grade A+

A wonderful Surprise

2007-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Bolivia (2001,Adrián Caetano)

Bolivia is a film that knows what it's doing. A very simple concept with wonderful direction. The film is about a restaurant and a bolivian man named freddy who works there. It's his first day on the job and the locals are against him due to mainly because he is bolivian. Most of the film except for about 2 or 3 scenes take place in the restaurant. The direction by Adrian is wonderful, we get all of the background we need on all the characters that roam around the restaurant and the best thing is that he does it in under 75 minutes. Something that most directors can't even do in a 2 hour film.

The acting is well acted and doesnt go over the top. Freddy is played by Freddy flores which gives a wonderful performance that suits him well. Oscar bertea also gives a stand out performance as Oso, a man filled with many problems and just can't get back on his feet. The actors dont go for this huge oscar tear jerking performance but just a simple one that makes the characters realistic.

I was pleasently surprised by this film because i had no idea what i was in for. Some people may compare it to clerks for reasons that are pretty idiotic. It's black and white and nearly takes place all in one setting. Well it's nothing like clerks which i also love. I've also been hearing that Argentina which this film is from is having a little new wave going on but im not really sure on the details of the filmmakers that are coming out from there. After seeing this film which most critics and film buffs say is the best argentinian film to come out in recent years then im all up for seeing more of there work. A great simple film that knows what it's doing.

Grade A

Disappointing...

2007-05-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Good German (Steven Soderbergh, 2006)

Wow, what is there to say about this film. No one knows how bad i wanted to love this film. I remember sitting in the theater and seeing the trailer to the good german and was absolutely floored. Sadly, that brings me to the first flaw that i didn't expect at all. All the best looking scenes in the film are in the trailer. The lighting in every other scene is horrible. Everything is either to bright or just way to dark, it gives it like a muddy feeling which isn't film noir. Film noir is all about shadows and i thing soderbergh thought just darkening the room would be okay, well it's not. This was such a shock to me, my jaw was literally hanging. I sat there thinking what the hell happened. Every once in a while throughout the film we get a good looking scenes (which come rarely) and i applaud them but rest is just bad. The scenes inside the car feel like a student film which don't even come off as film noir. This was something i didn't expect.

The other flaw that this film has was something that i saw coming from way before the film's release and that was the approach to the film. Soderbergh had good intentions by wanting to make a film noir (great idea) that contained profanity and sexual content (bad idea). He said that he wanted to make the film that the original film directors wanted to. In the film noir era the directors wanted to put sex and profanity in their films but didn't because of producers and shock to audiences. This gave the directors a way to be creative and use metaphors for sex and give the leads great one liners instead of using words like "Fuck" and "Bitch". That's the charm of film noir, everything is hidden in shadows, the dialouge, the sex and the tone. Film noir's are so memorable because of the sexy dames that the actress protrays without having a single sex scene and the great bad ass male leads that don't have to say a single bad word while still keeping a bad ass persona. The way Soderbergh made this film and approached it was just a bad idea from the beginning. It had the slight chance of atleast being entertaining but comes off as awkward and doesn't have the same feel of film noirs.

I don't know what soderbergh did because he always stated that while making the film he would constently watch film noirs 24/7. It just goes to show you that you have to study these films and understand them, not just watch them and try to copy them. Soderbergh tried and when he did it right, he nailed it but that only comes about three times throughout the film. One more thing i have to say about Soderbergh is that he needs to stop experimenting and make a film again. I understand that he wants to try to break into new things and do everything but he has to keep a mind set that we can concentrate on and not jump to project to project. The only person that can do that and pull it off (occasionally) is richard linklater. Also with soderbergh's experiments such as bubble in this film, bubble only succeeds because it's something fresh, something original in it's experimentation and content. Where The good German fails is that it's trying to be something else and obviously from viewing the film Soderbergh wasn't ready because this film just blew up in his face.

Grade C

DOOM!!!!!....sucks.

2007-05-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Doom (Andrzej Bartkowiak,2005)

Every now and then i decide that i'm going to watch a movie that i already know i'll hate. The reason for this is to remind myself how bad cinema is right now and to not take for granted the good young directors out there. To name a few Gondry, Jonze, Chan wook park, Wan Kar Wai, Wes Anderson, Paul thomas anderson, tarantino, joon ho bong, the tequila gang trio and the other talented filmmakers that i'm missing out.

So "Doom", horrible lines, pretty bad acting, shit direction, bad movie. Not even an enjoyable popcorn movie. The only "cool" thing was in the beginning when a girl gets her arm ripped off by closing doors. Everything from there goes downhill.

Grade F

Peter O'toole is the film...literally

2007-05-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

Venus (roger michell, 2006)

5 reasons to see this film

1. Peter O'toole and his two friends

That's basically it and some good little music every now and then. Oh and also the poster is cool but yeah, that's about it.

Venus, i can see why people talked so much about Peter O'toole's performance and not the film. O'toole gives a great performance as a loveable old pervert. Yes, he's kind of a pervert in the film...just a bit but his past tells us that he was a famous ladies man. The film starts off really great with O toole and his two friends just talking about people that they knew who have passed away. They laugh about things, call each other fucking bastards and clip each other's toe nails. The film also has many great comedic parts but only i can see O'toole pull off.

Yes, Venus starts off really great and has bits of greatness throughout the film but the thing that gives the film it's scretching hault is leslie phillips. The actress who is opposite of O'toole. It's obvious that we can't expect to much from someone going heads up with O'toole in acting but they should have atleast gotten someone better. Her acting is pretty bad and her accent which is probably her real accent is annoying.

Another flaw in the film is that the filmmakers are clearly trying to say something but they never get there point across. They try to give a little social commentary on how different the youth is from the old, well that's pretty obvious but yet they try. Also some of the interactions between O toole and Phillips are a bit awkward, maybe if they had a more experienced actress it would be passable but yet how the scenes are written out, it is still a bit odd and awkward.

The film is good, not a masterpiece, not great but just good. Leslie's character isn't that well thought out in comparision to O'toole's character. Great performance by O'toole and his two friends and a few great scenes but that's it. I recommend it just to see Peter give one hell of a performance.

Grade B

Evil is Amazing

2007-05-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Evil (Mikael Håfström, 2003)

5 reasons to watch this film

1. The way the camera moves
2. Great performances
3. Loved the source music
4. the intro
5. The interaction of the characters

Evil is a film that i had no prior knowledge of, i didn't know the director, the actors,the plot, nothing. I simply got it because of the name. It just grabed my attention so i decided to rent it and am i glad i did. Turns out it was nominated for best foreign film in 2004, i guess this was a film that i overlooked and im kind of pissed that i did because i simply loved it.

The film is about a male student named erik that is considered evil by his step father and his teachers so they send Erik to a boarding school. Erik is played by andreas wilson who does a great job and to my surprise has only been in a handful of films. The direction of the film itself is also amazing and same with adreas wilson the director has only directed a few films. One thing that i loved about it is the use of the camera. It seems that it's actually apart of the directors body. The camera is always on the move trying to reach the main character, kind of trying to help him out in a way. It's just something that i haven't seen before and just simply loved it.

Another note about this film is the director Mikael did a hollywood film, derailed, the clive owen film. Just goes to show that hollywood can break a director's career, hopefully mikael gets back on his feet but i heard that his new film 1408 isnt that great either. Hope the same doesnt happen with Wong KAi wai and my blueberry nights.

Grade A+

One of the best films you will ever see

2007-05-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Turtles Can Fly (Bahman Ghobadi,2004)

I'm not going to write anything on this film. I feel that writing a review for it just wouldn't give it justice even if you say hands down this is the best film ever. This is a film that excites me so much and from people that have seen it, they all say the same. Turtles can fly has a certain magic quality to it that so few films have these days. The last three that i can name are Pan's labyrinth, The host and Children of Men. The magic that im talking about isn't like a happy well rounded ending or uplifting characters but something more, something that i honestly can't put into words but this film has it. It's just a feeling that happens after you watch a great film. My three favorite films of all time have the same quality but are very different films, City lights, Citizen Kane and Aguirre the wrath of god. These films just make you feel like cinema was created for them personally.

Please, watch this film. It's beautiful on every level. The only thing i can say about this film is that it's a fairy tale caught in the tragedies of the real world. One of the best films that you'll ever see.

Grade A+

A film that leaves you feeling great

2007-05-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979)

5 reasons to see this film

1. Peter Sellers
2. Hal ashby's beautiful direction
3. The music of the film
4. Melvyn Douglas
5. Shirley maclaine's performance that got her an oscar

This is just a masterpiece and there has been so much said about this film, so i'm going to keep it brief. The reason's why i loved this film so much is because it parallels "Harvey" the Jimmy Stewart film that i also loved. It's just a film about a simpleton that changes so many lives. It's better to live life pleasent then smart. Jimmy Stewart plays the simpleton wonderfully in "Harvey" and so does Sellers in "Being There" but they play them both very differently. Seller's love his T.V and Stewart love his giant rabbit "Harvey".

The thing that most people get angry about is that Sellers was robbed for his oscar. They also say the reason why he didn't get it was because of the credits while showing a blooper of himself stumbling on a line because he's laughing hysterically. In my opinion, that's why he should have gotten the oscar. I love that ending, it just makes me smile. It's also breath taking to see Sellers go in and out of his character so easily, one second he's laughing the next he's back as the gardener. It just truely shows Sellers comedy genius and great acting.

The film is just beautiful, great story, great acting, great direction, great film. I just can't stop loving the end where it has it's own version of a "walking into the sunset" type of scene. The scene also goes hand in hand with the ending to "Harvey" and how that film has a "walking into the sunset" scene. It's just a perfect ending, cliched but when it's done in such a beautiful way it's amazing. I just love those endings that make you feel that movies have a type of magic on them. That's also the reason why i love the ending's to both "City lights" and "Manhattan", they both end the same way, with a very touching smile on both the main characters faces. Woody Allen's film "Manhattan" just happens to end with the smile then a little montage of manhattan which kind of feels that Allen loved the ending to City Lights but felt that he couldn't measure up to it so he hid it in the scenery of Manhattan but i believe Allen did a perfect job. Just Beautiful films, Classic Cinema and "Being There" falls into this category.

Grade A+

One of my new favorites

2007-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Gambling city (Sergio Martino,1975)

5 reasons to see this film

1. Some of the most fun you'll ever have watching a film
2. Great direction by Sergio Martino
3. Amazing and dangerous Cinematography
4. Lovely acting by Luc Merenda
5. The greatest chase that i have ever seen

This is a night at the movies right here. This is the type of film that just leaves you thinking about why you love films so much. This is a genre film by what some people say to be the most over looked director of the 70's Sergio Martino. This film is basically the Italian answer to "the sting" but this is just so much more, not putting down the other film at all. This film is twice as fun and twice as stylish.

We get the basic poker player cool guy marvelously by Luc Merenda. The set up is simple, guy is a cheat and guy gets hired by the criminal underground to win them money. Well the thing that sets this film apart from those films is that everything goes haywire in a matter of seconds. Gambling City doesn't have a dull bone in it's body. Everything is stylish and happens for a reason.

The direction in this film is just great. Sergio Martino set out to make a fun action film but did more then that and he knows it. The film goes from having seriously one of the most over looked cool good guys that i've ever seen and just being fun to having one of the most depressing endings of all time. I don't want to spoil anything but i just love the way it ended. It end's in the way that all the other crime films of that era were afraid of ending. Sergio just thought this was the way it should end and it fits perfectly.

I honestly can not love this film enough. This is now in my top 20 favorite films that i've ever seen. It's just amazing fun with great filmmaking in it. This is a film that you can say " you had a night at the movies".

Grade A+

One of the most painful experiences of my life.

2007-05-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, 2006)

5 reasons to see this film

1. To experience this film
2. To see a film literally be taken away from a director
3. The sometimes good look that the films has...sometimes
4. To say you have atleast seen this before you criticize it unlike how most people have
5. Honestly, nothing more to say...

Darren Aronofsky, a director recogonized for his visual flare that he gives to thought provoking films such as his diretional debut "Pi" and Acclmained film "requiem for a dream" has been wanting to make "The fountain" all his life. This was suppose to be his masterpiece, a film that came deep down from the heart and created from passion. The passion is there, obviously if he took him nearly a decade to get it made but this just didn't turn out the way he had planned it. Many people have said that this is Aronofsky's "dune" so to speak, the David Lynch film that was raped and edited by producers and studio execs. When you see the film you can not help feel bad for Darren but yet you still have to criticize what the ending product was and well it's just one of the worst films that i have ever seen.

Darren completely loses his sense of scale throughout the whole film. He doesn't know wheather to make an epic or an intimate love story that surpasses the sands of time. The Story literally goes everywhere and it just slips away from Darren's hands and throughout the whole film your sitting and thinking when this film is going to get back on it's feet but sadly it never does. Like i said, the passion is there but the film isnt.

The film doesn't even seemed to be directed by Aronofsky at times. The audience who has loved his films in the pass should notice it by just the overall feeling of the film. The characters are the most one dimensional characters i have ever seen the his visual flare is hardly even there. I'm not talking about how "pretty" it looks but the way he uses his camera. It's one of the few times that i sat through a film and cringed just waiting for it to finish. I wanted to stop the film atleast 3 times throughout but just couldn't, i was hoping that some how it would magically turn around.

This was suppose to be Darren's film. A personal film that shouldn't have had any executive say from other people. It's just a very sad and painful experience to see the finish product. What could have been a masterpiece seems like a student film with a higher budget even though the budget was actually cut down while filming. Nothing really works in this film, the characters , the story telling, nothing. They basically show you the same exact scene three times, literally and metaphorically speaking and if i'm wrong and Darren is actually proud of this film then i won't be anticipating his next project because this was just horrible.

Grade D-

This is just amazing.

2007-05-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

This photo left me speechless.

New York Stories

2007-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything recently because well...i've been going to sleep really early. I'm not so sure why anymore but the last few films that i did see all have tons of things written about them so i wouldnt even bother.

Taxi Driver (martin Scorsese 1976)
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola 1979)
Manhattan (woody Allen 1979)

I have been familiar with all of these director's works but not to the extent that i wish i have been. All three of these films absolutely blew me away. I have already seen apocalypse now atleast twice before but i recently watched it again, still amazing. It's a film that i honestly can't believe was filmed at that time. Just amazing.

Taxi Driver and Manhattan on the other hand, i have never seen. Yes, i have never seen taxi driver or manhattan but im actually kind of glad that i didn't watch them until now. The film knowledge that i have now which was given to me from a friend of mine (you can find at cinemaisking.blogspot.com) im glad i watched these films at this time because of the information i already know about these directors and also seeing some of the films that they love all thanks to my friend. But honestly there is nothing to say about taxi driver and manhattan that has already been said. Both amazing films, Woody allen was actually the director that got me into cinema. Annie Hall and Sweet and lowdown just made it all click.

Cinema is something that is more then just entertainment, it's art, it's beautiful. I have been into films for about 4 years now and i hope one day i can be at the level that my friend is at and we can have deeper conversations about film but honestly...i just love cinema. I don't know where my head was at until i got into film. So thanks to all the great filmmakers out there that keep setting the example for younger filmmakers and helping the art grow. Also a big thanks to my friend at cinemaisking. Thanks.

2007-05-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Dolemite (D'Urville Martin,1975)

5 reasons to see this film

1. It's Dolemite mother fucka!
2. Hy Pyke! (the greatest actor alive) *slithis*
3. The good ol fashion soul music
4. The boom man that is literally in the shot. not just the boom.
5. Insanely Funny

Dolemite...wow...what can i say? He's just a bad ass that doesn't take shit from the man. That's pretty much it. He like's to have lots of sex, rap about the man and kung fu round house kick two face cops. This film is just amazing. I can see why it's such a classic in the grindhouse blaxploitation world. The film has it all.

One of the big reasons why this film "works" is Rudy Ray Moore. His acting in this film is just straight. Rudy is acting to the fullest and we get to have some great laughs at some of the situations he's in. A Church house or just hanging out at his night club. Every line that comes out of dolemite's mouth is just hilarious. He's hardly ever in a good mood because that man is always trying to bring him down and his authority in the film is just awe inspiring. Everyone knows that dolemite is a force to be reckoned with.

This is a film that you can only talk about with someone that has watched it. I don't want to spoil any of the great laughs or "amazing" action scenes. I can't wait till i watch "The human tornado" which is the sequel to dolemite. Yes, i have the dolemite box set that is dissaproved by the man and i must say..so far it was worth every penny. It just proves that Dolemite is the baddest jive talking mother fucker to walk the planet.

Grade A-

Shit just got real.

2007-05-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)

5 reasons to see this film

1. The best buddy cop film ever
2. One of the funniest films i have ever seen
3. A man has his face painted as spiderman
4. The line "Shit just got real"
5. Edgar Wright's direction

I would just like to start off by saying that i loved shaun of the dead. I was one of the few people that saw it in the theaters and didnt wait till dvd. I was going to do the same with this and i wasn't let down. Hot fuzz is one of the funniest films i have ever seen. It has a very awkward suttle sense of humor that i just can't get enough of. The same kind of humor that runs in "The office" "Arrested Development" and "Allan Partridge show". This is indeed a spoof on every level but it isn't like the scary movie films where the jokes are begging for a laugh. If you think the buddy cop films like lethal weapon and bad boys 2 are completely hilarious by themselves then you would see all the inside jokes in this film. Even if you thought the bad boys films were great action well then this one has one of the greatest action scenes filmed in recent years.

I have to give it up to Edgar Wright though, his direction is completely insane and it's hilarious to see how well he has the action genre down. Everything is perfect, right down to the characters played by simon pegg also the writer of the film and co star nick frost who gives one of the best comedic performances i have seen in this type of genre. Every joke is on time and every action scene is amazingly filmed.

Plain and simple, this is a film that should get much more attention in the states. Over seas it is getting great box office numbers but here...just nothing.Every other comedy that is out right now is just plain crap compared to this. If you want laughs and action go see this film. I suppose the americans are waiting for bad boys 3, even though i wouldnt mind it. I loved bad boys 2. "Shit just got real"- Martin Lawrence (bad boys 2)

Grade A+

A fun "not" zombie film

2007-04-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

28 weeks later (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007)

5 reasons to watch this film

1.Robert Carlyle in his most amazing role
2.Great soundtrack
3.Zombies..but not zombies
4.A fun film from beginning to end
5.One of my favorite helicopter scenes (Helicopter scenes are always amazing)

So i got to check out 28 weeks later at a screening because of a friend of mine. He's a critic and a great one at that, he's the one that got me into films. He's kind of my teacher in a way. Well we had the honor of getting a preview screening and i have to admit, after the film ended i didnt know what to think. I did have fun throughout the whole movie but i just feel like it didnt live up to the first 28 days later.

As i went into the film i had a feeling that it would remind me of Aliens and it actually did feel like that. The thing that made 28 days later great was the feeling of being alone, the scenes were very quiet while we got to know the characters and then out of nowhere the infected attack. It just felt like Ridley scott's "alien" and that is a compliment. With 28 weeks later we have an all out horror/action escape film that literally doesnt slow down at all. You never really get to know the two main characters which happen to be children and it seems flawed. That's where James Cameron's "aliens" succeeds because of Sigourney Weavery reprising her role. We already know this character and we actually care if she makes it or not. With 28 weeks later, we dont have any characters from the original, an all new cast where the main characters are a 12 year old boy and a teenaged girl.

After i left the theater i began to think to myself, that wasn't a flaw if you look at it in the sense that these children are just getting back to Britain from being sent out of the country for school. The Kid's have no idea what is really happening except for what they hear on the news. They are tossed into this infected frenzy that just goes insane. There is no time to get to know these characters and that is why we should actually feel for them. They are just innocent people that are trying to escape from something they are completely unaware of. The film leaves it up to you if you want to feel for these characters. It doesn't over do it with sad music over a sad scene. It doesn't have dramatic close ups. The film knows it's bounds of being just mindless fun and smart filmmaking.

The film does something that i highly respect, throughout the film we have heros that never really become heros. People that should live in a normal film get killed of out of nowhere. Also letting us know that we should feel for this kids because no one is safe in this film.

It had to sink in for a while but i finally understood it. Many people have already gave this movie a bad name without watching it just because Boyle and Garland aren't the creators this time but Juan Carlos Fresnadillo does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the original except for one thing that annoyed me. The constant shutter effect, an effect that honestly doesnt have a purpose and no one can pull it off except...yes, except Kar Wai Wong in Chungking express but then again, it's Kar Wai Wong, he can get away with anything.

This film is great fun and a breath of fresh air from all the so called "horror" films that have been coming out lately. Put "the reaping" and "the grudge" to the side and check out this film, you won't be disappointed. Non stop horror/action from beginning to end. Every act literally starts with a infected rampage. Great fun and a great follow up to the original.

Grade B+

A film that made me smile

2007-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Zatoichi, The blind Swordsman (Takeshi Kitano,2003)

5 reasons to see this film

1. The beautiful camera work
2. The acting and direction of Takeshi Kitano
3. The excellent music
4. The sword fights
5. Enjoyable film with great filmmaking

Yes, this film made me smile. It might seem a bit odd that a film with so much blood and such a high body count would make anyone smile but it's not because of that. It's because of how well directed this film is. It's just a great feeling so see a film that was made with so much passion, it just leaves you knowing that there are filmmakers out there and not just money studio whores.

Zatoichi is directed by Takeshi Kitano, a man who is suppose to be one of Japans greatest filmmakers working today. After viewing this film, you know this man has talent in more than just the directing field. His acting in this film is just amazing to witness. A blind character that sees so much and he pulls it off like it's nothing. Takeshi's acting in this film is all in the face. His suttle smiles and laughs here and there just give life to the character. One thing is to play a samurai but it's another thing to play a samurai who can make you laugh and smile.

The sword scenes are some of the most well directed sword fights i have ever seen. The camera moves everywhere the sword moves, not just paying attention to the character. With a samurai, the sword is every bit a part of him and takeshi knows that. Other scenes that left me stunned here the simple but very effect scenes of the field workers dancing and adding sounds as music to the soundtrack. People might think it's just a cool little moment but it actually is a part of the story.

Zatoichi is a film that gives me hope in cinema. A film that Kurosawa would be very proud of. Film's like this should get more attention, i honestly don't see why they don't. If the audience likes blood well Zatoichi has it. If they like romance, Zatoichi has it also. Entertainment? Zatoichi is filled with it. Great filmmaking? It can be a definition of great filmmaking. I just absolutely loved this film.

Grade A+

Great Forgotten Kaiju

2007-04-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

The War of the Gargantuas (Ishirô Honda, 1966)

1.RUSS TAMBLYN!!!
2.A serious look at kaiju. No Baby Godzilla type laughs
3.The monsters actually EAT people.
4.Great scenes of the monsters attacking
5.Fun from start to finish

This has to be one of the greatest forgotten kaiju films of all time. No one hardly talks about this film, it is always forshadowed by Godzilla. No disrespect to the Godzilla films which i absoluetely love and are the best kaiju films out there but this is just a forgotten classic of big monster cinema.

It's really hard to go into depth about a movie that is filled with just monsters eating people. So there hardly isnt anything to say but it's just great fun. I remember when i first saw it when i was a youngster, i absolutely loved the film. Now as i am older, i can honestly say i do appreciate this film for taking a serious tone as like the first Godzilla films. There aren't any jokes in this film, the monster may make you laugh but when the first scene that comes around when they take a human woman and munch them up, you are left stunned. This film has so many great scenes in it, litearlly great scenes such as with the first attack from a giant squid and a unlucky boat. It is just greatly filmed and the monsters happen to look real in some scenes. How could anyone miss this? I honestly have no idea, just the godzilla factor comes to my mind.

What else can i say? The film is just great fun and shocking at the same time. Just seeing what they got away with in 1966 while the other godzilla films were dumbed down a bit for the children. I personally really enjoyed this film and if you are a kaiju fan, this is a must. Just to give you a taste of something different from Godzilla and Gamera.

Grade B+

Another trip into the mind of David Lynch

2007-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Lost Highway (1997, David Lynch)

5 reasons to see this film

1. Directed by David Lynch. Hate him or love him, his work is always interesting.
2. Beautifuly directed
3. Great music for the exception of rammstein (a band i never got into)
4. Patricia Arquette and Robert Loggia give great performances
5. Richard Pryor's last feature film.

David Lynch, what can I say? You either love him or hate him. I try to keep an open mind about film because so many filmmakers have there own vision of cinema. David lynch has one of the most original and interesting takes on film that I have ever seen. A true visionary even if you dislike his films, the originality is there. My first David Lynch film was eraserhead and i absolutely loved it. One of my favorite films. I have only seen 3 others, Muholland Dr, Blue Velvet and Inland Empire. All of those films absolutely left me amazed. I loved every single one of them and i will soon write a little critique on his filmmaking after i have seen all his films ofcourse.

Now for Lost Highway, a film that lynch wrote with the author of "Wild at heart" Barry Glifford. The film that won the palm d'or at cannes. This film is another one of lynch's convoluted take on dreams. For myself, this was also one of the easier Lynch films to understand but then again my interpretation might not fit lynch's. The film is beautifuly directed and i can't help think that lynch knew exactly what he was doing on this project. Some people may say that he just shoots randomly and puts things together but i just don't buy it. Lynch is a true artist and i respect him for what he has done for the art of cinema.

The plot of Lost Highway is simple compared to muholland dr or inland empire but feels just as deep. The narrative also seems to be a bit everywhere but then you can counter that by saying that the second half of the film is just a dream. It just depends on how you interprete the film, which is another reason why i love lynch's films and also this one. It leaves everyone with there own interpretation of the film which sparks conversation among the viewers, which i believe is the best part of any film. The endless conversations about what you have just seen.

The music and sound in this film is great as with every Lynch film that i've seen. Lynch has always said that the sound in his films are very important to his story telling. The sound and his images just pull you right into the center of the dreamlike film and never lets you go until hours after the credits end. It's near impossible to leave a lynch film by not talking about it or having it go through your mind. Even when you sleep you can't help but feel you will experience the film once again. Something that many filmmakers can not do as easily as Lynch.

My final grade for this film is an A-. The only reason why i give it an A- and not anything higher is because i feel that with this film lynch is still perfecting his form. Something that i know Lynch will always have room to perfect. No great director can ever perfect his art and yes, Cinema is art. As for myself, it is the highest of any art form, combining images with sound which is something that lynch is a master at.

Grade A-

The film that just is.

2007-04-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Touch me in the morning (Giuseppe Andrews, 1999)

5 reasons to see this film

1.one of the most unique approach to filmmaking i have seen in a while
2.Giuseppe Andrews
3.Bill Nowlin (one of the best underrated non actors alive)
4.The often hilarious dialouge
5.The whole cast

Giuseppe Andrews, Winston the party cop from Cabin Fever as most of you know him has directed some of the most underground talked about films in a long time.The plot is simple, just a teenager that wants to talk to his dad who happens to be a giggalo that just got out of jail. This being considered his best of Andrew's films just floored me when i saw it.This is probably the most low budget film i have ever seen, true shoestring budget. The cast is filled with prostitues, drug addicts, homeless peole and alcoholic...no those aren't the characters, they are the actors. After viewing the film i have read many people say that Andrews exploits them and films them just to make fun of them. This didn't come across my mind at all. The way i saw it, Andrews truely loves making films with these people hence why he has a box set that includes all his films which have most of the same "actors" in them. One actor that stands out in the film is Bill Nowlin.

Bill Nowlin used to be a owner of a chain of Mcdonalds resturants, also a heavy drinking and obvious alcoholic. The thing that amazed me about Bill Nowlin's performance is that everything he said is improvised. All the "raps" that he gives to "Coney Island" (played by giuseppe). Yes, Bill does rap and surprisinly speaks the truth when he does.

The cinematography is also by Andrews and so is the editing. The camera is just a cheap 200 dollar camera you can find at cicuirt city but gives the true gritty look that film deserves. It tells the story of the misfits, the people that get kicked to the curb and Andrews loves every single one of them.In behind the scenes features, he speaks with Bill and you can tell he truely is amazed by this man.

This is just the film that is. A very obscure little film with hilarious moments.It might have a meaning behind it or maybe it doesn't but that's the point of this film. It's just a trip into Andrew's head and how much he loves making films with people that he is close with. Making a film at any cost would be the better definition behind Andrew's obscure off beat genius. I loved it but i warn everyone, you should have a very open minded view on film with this one.One of a kind.

Grade A

I saw Harvey, he's real I tell ya!

2007-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Harvey (Henry Koster, 1950)

5 reasons to see this film

1. Jimmy Stewart is amazing as always
2. Co stars a giant 6 foot invicible white rabbit
3. The story is ahead of it's time
4. The beautiful suttle cinematography
5. The Dialouge

"Harvey" is just one of those films that you can not hate. The characters are great and so is the plot which seems quite simple but very ahead of it's time. Harvey stars Jimmy Stewart in another one of his nice guy roles with a dark side kind of like with Capra's "It's A wonderful Life". The difference with this film is that Stewart doesn't see angels but a 6 foot tall white rabbit named Harvey.
The dark side that lurks in Stewart's character is that he's an alcoholic even though in the film we only see him drink once. The way Stewart plays the character is just simply amazing. The little movements he does while talking to his best friend "harvey" who is never seen present only in a oil painting. Not too many actors can make you believe you are seeing something that isnt there but Stewart does it perfectly.

Another great little suttle choice that the film has is the cinematography. Notice how every shot seems a bit wider and larger them most films. The cinematograper William Daniels ("cat on a hot tin roof" and "Winchester 73") gives room to have the audience believe that Harvey is there. Stewart looks towards the sky and begins to speak and we automatically know that it's Harvey he's talking to. I did a little quick research on this film and to my surprise Stewart himself was the one who came up with that idea. Obviously Stewart wanted this to be one of his personal films with some great suttle input as that he gives.

The reason why I love this film so much is that it doesn't try to be anything huge. The story isn't anything larger than life, just a man living life. There is no true deep meaning beneath the surface of this film. The film comes straight out and tells you what it's about. It's better to be pleasent than smart. A line that Jimmy Stewart says in the film. I truely love this film and im just glad to have the pleasure of viewing it.

Grade A+

It's not where he stops but who stops him.

2007-04-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Vanishing Point (Richard C. Sarafian, 1971)

5 reasons to see this film

1. The Amazing Car chase Sequences
2. Barry Newman as Kowalski (the fastest jew in the world)
3. Cleavon Little as Super Soul the blind DJ
4. The Cinematography By John Alonzo from Scarface and Chinatown fame
5. The Ending

"Vanishing Point" plain and simple is just great fun. The car chases will leave you stunned, jaw dropped and all. This also left me thinking, why do we need cgi when we obviously have great car scenes in such films as this. The Car chases aren't just all that's in the film even though i assure you the whole film is one huge car chase. This film has some pretty good music in it as well. I'm kind of pissed of with myself because i can't figure out the artist of a soul song towards the beginning of the film but i swear i have heard it somewhere before. The whole soul music leads me into my favorite part of the film. Yes, I actually did like something in this film other than the amazing car chases and that is Cleavon Little.

Cleavon Little plays "Super Soul" the blind Dj. Should i say more? Every single scene with Super Soul is just basically him listening to some damn good soul music and thinking that he's talking to kowalski. There is also a great scene in this film with Super Soul's radio station and a little mishap with some white folks. Some people may find his little side story annoying but i couldn't help but wait for his blind as a bat look on his face come up on screen.

All in all, this is just a great ride from start to finish. Hardly any dull moments, if any actually. Definetely go check out this film with a bunch of friends while drinking a beer or getting mashed. If Super Soul doesn't do it for you maybe it might be the man who catches snakes and sells them to christian groups or maybe even the gay bandits..yes gay bandits. (only in the uk version)

Grade A

Nazi Zombies...nah...that's just The Aquabats

2007-04-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Shock Waves (Ken Wiederhorn, 1977)

5 reasons why to see this film.

1. Peter "Kush"ing. Grand Moff Tarkin himself running away from so called "nazi Zombies"
2. John Carradine as the captain
3. Has a very awkward death involving a fish tank. Hilarious
4. A very very awkward row boat.
5. Zombie emerging from the water.

This film really just isn't that fun. The Zombies aren't zombies at all and that really didn't get to me that much. You kind of figure it out at the 30 minute mark, where you know...no one dies. They also aren't nazi's..i expected hitler to be mentioned a few times...nope didn't get it. The thing that really got me is that the film which has an amazing poster got me really excited. Maybe i expected too much. I was wanting gore and nazi zombies, sadly instead I got a group of zombie's that look like the Skank Loving, horn totting "Aquabats".

The only reason that kept me watching was mainly just because of the emerging of the zombies. Like how i said before, It looks cool at first then becomes hilarious. You are just sitting down waiting to see some more zombies come out of the water hoping that one would have an awkward smile on his face. The other reason for seeing this film is number 3. The most awkward death I have seen in a while. I like to over analyze these grindhouse films to give myself more laughs. So whenever you get to watch this little film. Please...Please...really think about how awkward the fish tank death is.

Grade C

What this is all about.

2007-04-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ahoy Squirts, Quint Here...nah fuck that. This ain't no ain't it cool news bullshit. I've decided to make a blog just mainly to communicate what films i have watched with a friend. Anyone else that visits this can visit and check out what i have seen. Everyone is welcome. I'm going to do things a bit differently from other blogs so bare with me. I'm going to watch as many films as possible in a single day, give 5 things on why to watch the film and finally give it a grade. At the end of the week, i will do a full blown out critique on one single film that i have seen the whole week. The week's film will not be picked because it is the best film that i have seen that week nor that it was my favorite. The week's film will be picked because i feel that there is an importance for writing about that film. Sometimes it may be a Kurosawa film and the other times it may be a Andrew davis film. Just whatever film that i feel has importance of actually taking up my time and writing about it. The only true reason why i am not going to critique every film i view with a bunch of paragraphs is basically because i would rather spend time watching films instead of writing about them. So...that's what im going to do.