Bent

An intense movie loosely based around a gay man (played by Clive Owen in one of his first major roles) doing what he can to survive the Holocaust.  There have been several truly gripping films made based about the Holocaust, and if I were to recommend only one to someone it would probably not be this one.  However, that being said this movie takes a slightly different take on the horrendous event by following someone discriminated against not because of being Jewish, but because he is gay.  Now I am not one to comment or verify the truth in this statement, but according to this film it was worse to get a pink triangle than a yellow star. 


Clocking in just under two hours, this movie probably has only about ten pages of dialogue.  It relied primarily on visuals to tell the story and, like any with this subject matter, is heartbreaking.  No imagery was as powerful as the last scene...  

Chronicle

This movie was shot entirely "documentary" style, and in that I mean that every shot was part of the film, being shown from the point of view of someone's video camera in the movie itself (a la the most famous example, Blair Witch).  Makes it feel a little disjointed and slow at times, but also gives you a more unique perspective into the characters themselves.  Very "fly on the wall".

The basic premise is that three friends absorb telekinetic powers from a mysterious source (never explained) and the movie proceeds to show the evolution of these powers, and how they decide to use them.  Predictable, in the usual unfortunate ways (one of the kids as a shitty home life, so he of course steers towards using his powers in destructive ways) but overall I enjoyed the movie.

Battle Royale

Screw Hunger Games, if you want to see a movie about young people being forced to kill each other until there is just one man left standing, this is the movie you should watch.  Now I will admit that Hunger Games is flashy, and delves more into the background of the government and the training of those chosen to battle, but when it comes to the actual battle itself this movie wins hands down.  It is hardcore and brutal, and everything I wanted the soft fluffy Hunger Games to be.  Also, keep an eye out for Gogo from Kill Bill, who plays one of the students.

Just have patience with the subtitles... clearly the person who created them either did not speak Japanese, or more likely was simply not fluent in English.

HOP - Rock of Ages and Prometheus

Two very different movies, which makes for quite an interesting hop.  I am just happy that it ended on the film it did, otherwise that would have just made the first seem even worse.

ROCK OF AGES - The audience niche?  Female teenie bopper rock junkies.  Great music, decent actors (excepting the two leads), fun choreography, horrible high cheesy factor.  Although it was almost almost worth it for the duet between Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand, and the stripper pole scene... dang were those women Cirque du Soliel quality pole dancers!

My advice to you?  Buy the soundtrack.

PROMETHEUS - Lots of theories surrounding this movie, primarily revolving around the question of God and how life on Earth came to be.  Which is of course what this movie is all about.  But you know what they say... curiosity killed the cat.  If I have learned anything from the Alien films it is this - whatever that mysterious substance is, don't touch it!

A lot of attention to detail was put into every frame of this film.  Ridley Scott is God.

Sleeper

Not a big fan of Woody Allen, I have to say.  I like some of his more recent work, like Match Point and  Scoop, but most of his work is a bit too "old-guy-hooking-up-with-girl-way-too-young-for-him" uncomfortable.  Yet on the other hand how can I not enjoy his sarcastic-nervous-jewish-guy act?  haha His films can be so... odd... and this one certainly fits that profile.  The [loose] plot is essentially dorky jewish guy (played by himself of course) gets awoken out of cryostasis to be manipulated into overthrowing an oppressive government.  This film is awash with weirdness - slapstick humor, low-budget set pieces, gigantic vegetables, orgasm-machines, and a poetry-reciting Diane Keaton.  Maybe quirky is the polite way to talk about it...

The Sicilian Girl

An Italian film about what happens to a young girl who dares to defy the mafia.  I thought that it was quite good, if not a bit long.  It delves deep into this girl's life, what it was like for her growing up in Sicily's mafia and what it took for her to get the courage to defy them.  This film is a strong character study, and the main actress takes the challenge in stride.

HOP - Moonrise Kingdom and Snow White and the Huntsman

We continue my catch-up game with a halfway decent hop...

MOONRISE KINGDOM - The new Wes Anderson film, need I say more?  You know, usually I don't like Anderson, but this movie was a real gem.  Typically I find his films too disjointed; I am a very linear person and his movies would just sporadically jump all over and just when you would think "hey, I know what's going on" all of a sudden you wouldn't.  This movie still had a bit of that, as well as his strong emphasis on color and his theatrical shooting style, and it was expertly cast.  I can confidently say it is my favorite film of his thus far.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN - In response to seeing this movie someone said to me "you know if the best actor in the movie is Chris Hemsworth, you have a problem" and that pretty much sums up this film.  Usually I am a fan of Charlize Theron, but she sank into Overacting Overload which has put our "she's a good actress" relationship in jeopardy.  And don't get my started on Kristen Stewart.  UGH.  Moving on... Let me move on to what was truly awesome about this movie - everything but the actors.  Costumes.  Set Design.  Graphics.  A truly eye-catchingly beautiful film.  But be aware - there are several scenes in this movie that will remind you of very specific scenes from other films (most noticeably The Neverending Story, and Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter's patronus).

Underworld: Awakening

Holy cow was this movie bad.  I have seen all the others, so not sure why I expected this one to stand alone as a shining beacon of halfway decent vampire movies, silly me.  Just, please don't.  If you ever heed anything I write, heed this - stay away from this movie that can possibly count as even more ridiculous than the Twilight series.

Hmmm on second thought, not sure even this can beat Twilight as worst vampire movie of all time.  This at least has a sexy Kate Beckinsale, although why she keeps agreeing to do these movies is beyond me.

To End All Wars

A movie about Allied soldiers at a Japanese POW camp forced to build a railroad, starring Kiefer Sutherland (bad American who turns good), Robert Carlyle (bad Britain who is pretty much bad the whole way through), and Mark Strong (good to a fault).  It delves into how they survived such harsh conditions, banding together against their captors in a way you wouldn't necessarily expect.  A tad long in my opinion, but some great character development.

Everything Must Go

A quasi-serious Will Ferrell film, in which a down-on-his-luck guy who just lost his job, his wife, and access to his house, camps out on his front lawn with all his belongings.  Ferrell is at best mildly amusing.  There is a hot across-the-street neighbor.  There is a spunky loner kid.  There is a yard sale.  The End.

So Far Behind

As you may guess, "So Far Behind" is not the name of a movie (or is it?...) but instead refers to the TEN movies I am behind on entry posting.  In trying to decide what to do (options include: ignore the movies I watched like it never happened, write one post commenting on all ten, stop the blog altogether, procrastinate some more) I have come up with a middle-of-the-road solution.  The following blog entries are going to be what I will refer to as a "quickie", starting with the movie:

ANONYMOUS
Ummm watched this months ago.  Thought it was going to be awesome.  It was decidedly not.  If you really like Shakespeare then give it a go, but otherwise not worth your time.