With a title like that, I couldn’t help but think, “Man, is this a movie about whiny white kids who kill themselves over love?” My thought couldn’t have been any closer to what the film is about, only there is so much more to it. What sounds like a mundane drama ends up being a rather good film about the afterlife of suicide victims. It’s a bizarre road trip I found myself wanting to be apart of. Wait, I don’t mean I want to kill myself or anything, but this is a group of people I’d want to hang out with, despite their whining. Read the rest of this entry »

Are audiences going to be interested enough this weekend to venture out and see the film that may have somewhat inspired Owen Wilson’s recent bout with depression? Maybe but the film also has something else going for it. It was produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen, two names which cause fanboy glee and excitement every time they are mentioned. But that corralling of emotion isn’t without merit. They have created some of the best comedies of recent years (The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up). So how bad could a film involving these fine talents and John Hughes? Read the rest of this entry »

Many months ago, I was waiting in line at a local gas station when I noticed they sold gift cards to bookstores. Interested, I noted my curiosity to the other patrons in the line. “Who comes to a gas station to by gift certificates to book stores?” The toothless fellow behind me (let’s call him Cletis for story sake), aged around 30 years-old, replied, “I have no idea man, I ain’t ever read a book in my entire life.” Puzzled, I asked, “Not even Green Eggs and Ham when you were in school?” He concluded, “No man, I ain’t make it too far in school.” Read the rest of this entry »

Director Neil Marshall loves the films of John Carpenter so much that he decided to put his own stylistic spin on them with his post-apocalyptic adventure, Doomsday. It follows the mold of a Snake Plissken adventure so closely, it barely has anything original of its own to offer. The film begins with opening narration (by Malcolm McDowell) describing the collapse of Great Britain by way of a deadly virus. A wall is erected to surround the country so anyone within its walls basically has no chance of survival. There is even Carpenter-esque 3D mapping to show you such things. Should I also mention Marshall’s use of the “Carpenter font” during the opening titles? Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t remember the last time an animated film didn’t look good. It seems that filmmakers these days have the visual splendor aspect down. Just look at the recent Beowulf for example. That movie looked so good, you might think it’s real in some parts. So why did they even animate it then? No matter though, because Bee Movie didn’t take the approach towards realism. Instead, it looks exactly like an animated film should, which means it looks animated. Redundancy aside, Bee Movie isn’t exactly the comedic hive you’d expect from co-writer and voice supplier Jerry Seinfeld, but it won’t exactly bore you either. Read the rest of this entry »

The story goes that during a long London evening, a group of unknown bank robbers dug a tunnel under some neighboring businesses and into a Baker Street bank. They dug through the floor and cleaned out the safe deposit boxes. Everything about this film, from its marketing materials to its presentation, promise it be based on the true story of a 1971 bank robbery where no criminals were ever arrested and no suspects were ever followed. It was one of those crimes that just came and went, and vanished without a trace, just as quickly as the assets seized. Read the rest of this entry »

So yeah, why no updates? Simple really. All of the press screenings for the week all took place on the same night - yesterday - and I had to work that night. So I missed the chance to screen 10,000 BC and The Bank Job. But don’t worry, I’ll get on them this weekend, as well as, perhaps another commentary. So for now, enjoy this sweet video in my absence (the don’t like embedding so click these words). You’ll never forget it.

It’s the 70s all over again. Michigan’s favorite minor league basketball star, Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), also happens to be the coach and owner of his own team. Based out of Michael Moore’s old stomping ground, the Flint Tropics aren’t a very good team in terms of the sport of basketball, but they certainly are an entertaining bunch. Moon himself even has a somewhat popular disco song making its way around the club circuit. Only the public are starting not to care about him anymore. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Seagal continues his out-of-shape crime fighting techniques, by way of a straight-to-dvd release, entitled Pistol Whipped. Seagal plays Matt, an ex-cop whose life spiraled towards darkness ever since he was kicked off the force, who now spends his time gambling and drinking. After he loses a hand in poker worth thousands and thousands, he is recruited by a mysterious an old man (Lance Henriksen in his most phoned-in performance ever) to kill off some scum involved in various corrupt crime schemes and such. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2002, Fernando Meirelles (with the assistance of Kátia Lund) directed one of the best films of this decade, City of God. Cinematic experiences are rarely as surprising, intense, and shocking as this picture. The film followed a group of kids as they grow up in one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent neighborhoods and effects it has one them. And like any film this unforgettable, a follow-up was certain to follow. No one could have ever imagined it to be this unnecessary. Read the rest of this entry »

The job of any film reviewer gets more and more difficult with the more films they subject themselves to. Are there enough adjectives out there to last for a lifetime of criticism? Films like this prove the thesaurus’s magnificent cornucopia of wordage eventually runs out fruit. Scribe Peter Morgan tackles the brutal task of adapting Philippa Morgan’s dry novel and succeeds in making it just as uninteresting. The Other Boleyn Girl is almost too indescribable for words. It’s one of the most visually boring films I’ve seen in some time. Even writing this introductory paragraph took me half the evening. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a list you’ve probably never seen before. And don’t think this list is some sort of congratulatory fodder for the pedophiles of the world. This list isn’t to celebrate that sort of scum. Instead, it was designed for our appreciation towards some amazing films with plot lines involving such foul play because, let’s face it; this is a subject that has been responsible for some amazing films. So why not celebrate them? After all, what other films give you that “I need to take a shower desperately” feeling after they’re over? Read the rest of this entry »

The Darjeeling Limited is the first Wes Anderson picture to hit DVD shelves without the Criterion label since his debut (Bottle Rocket). It’s not like it is super important to have to wear that crown or anything but those editions but this lacks the artwork of his brother, Eric, who provided wonder artistry for Rushmore and the others (like The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tenenbaums). Perhaps I am showing off my geekiness by providing such an unimportant detail to many of you. After all, it’s just a DVD release, right? Who cares about the cover art. Read the rest of this entry »

Hard Candy director David Slade returns to the cinema and attempts to adapt 30 Days of Night, a graphic novel from Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, and succeeds in nearly every facet. The end result is a dark, violent and thoroughly entertaining fright-fest in perfect spirit of its source material. It’s the first enjoyable film about blood-sucking vampires in recent memory. Sadly, the sweet theatrical poster art (which was inspired by the artwork from the actual book) is destroyed here with one of the most unpleasing DVD covers ever. But who cares about that? Don’t let that sway you away from its goodness. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s commentary (or podcast if you want to call it that) is to accompany director Michael Davis’ film, Shoot ‘Em Up. We couldn’t found a more perfect film to dissect and celebrate. Hear James Gregory and Michael Ferraro (with guest Adria Borek) discuss everything about it - from mise-en-scène to the intricacies of the narrative structure - and then some. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, pull yourself away from your computer and check it out. It’s that good.

 

 B5: Shoot Em Up Commentary [82:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1354)

Be Kind Rewind follows two friends, Mike (Mos Def) and Jerry (Jack Black), during their misadventures at a video store (where they only rent VHS tapes) in Passaic, New Jersey. Mike has been put in charge while the manager, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), goes out of town for a few days. Fletcher leaves him with one rule: Don’t let Jerry in the shop. If that simple instruction was followed, there wouldn’t be a film. Read the rest of this entry »