The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer

Genre: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 152 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Why so serious?

[IMDb]

Comments: I have been pretty selective so far as to what DVDs I've been upgrading to high definition. Ghostbusters was the first, as it's my favorite film, but the transfer was poor and very grainy. So now, if I buy something on Blu-ray that I already own, I better really like the film, and it better look awesome. The Dark Knight easily fits the bill. I still find the ending a little drawn out and somewhat duller than the awesome two hours that came before it, but it's a great film nonetheless.

The Hangover Part II (2011)

The Hangover Part II (2011)

Directed by: Todd Phillips
Screenplay by: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong, and Todd Phillips

Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 102 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

Bangkok has them now.

[IMDb]

Comments: It's a bit hard for me to classify The Hangover Part II. In terms of the comedy aspect, I laughed heartily during many parts of the film, especially Zach Galifianakis' scenes. If I'm being honest, this is completely Galifianakis' film, and he could make a lucrative career playing this character over and over. But in terms of the overall story, I was totally unimpressed. The structure and plot points are so similar to the first film that it's ridiculous. I appreciate a good callback, but a little variation would've been nice. The Hangover Part II is a funny diversion, but overwhelmingly lazy and uninspired in the grand scheme of things. It's a solid rental, but that's about it.

Man from Deep River (1972)

Man from Deep River (1972)

Directed by: Umberto Lenzi
Screenplay by: Francesco Barilli and Massimo D'Avak

Genre: Adventure | Drama | Horror
Running Time: 93 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned DVD

He dared the forbidden river where adventure ends and hell begins!

[IMDb]

Comments: I've wanted to see Man from Deep River for some time now. I've always really liked the Italian cannibal films of the '70s and early '80s, and Man from Deep River is one of the originators of the genre. The film is generally more tame (sans the continuous animal violence) than others like Jungle Holocaust or the granddaddy of them all, Cannibal Holocaust, but there's so many ideas and themes that were later borrowed to make other films (and Lenzi reused a ton of footage from this film - the scenes where the snake poison is removed along with where the savages rape and eat the one girl I've seen at least twice before in separate films). Because of the tameness (and general lack of horror; it's much more of an adventure/drama flick), I didn't like Man from Deep River as much as something like Cannibal Holocaust. It's a pretty decently constructed film, but it takes a little more craziness for me to really enjoy a '70s cannibal flick. Once you've seen the wacky shit, it's hard to get the same kick out of something less... awesome.

Also Known As: Sacrifice!, Deep River Savages, Il Paese del Sesso Selvaggio

The X-Files (1998)

The X-Files (1998)

Directed by: Rob Bowman
Screenplay by: Chris Carter

Genre: Crime | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 121 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned DVD

Discover the past, live the present, fight the future.

[IMDb]

Comments: I've always been a big fan of The X-Files film - it delivers the grandeur of a major film while still being directed towards fans of the television show. Mulder and Scully's relationship is portrayed so much better here after the disjointed fifth season, which is refreshing. I always enjoyed the romantic aspect of their glances and touches, but I also appreciated the fact that it never became a major plot point (I have shit like The O.C. for that). Anyway, Fight the Future (as it later became known) is a great film and shows just how well The X-Files concept transfers to the big screen. As I said, Season Six will wait, but it will be lurking in shadows, waiting to give me another dose of sci-fi goodness.

The X-Files - Season Five (1997-1998)

The X-Files (1993-2002)

Created by: Chris Carter

Season: Five (1997-1998)
Genre: Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Number of Episodes: 20
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD

The truth is out there.

[IMDb]

Comments: It's been a few months since I watched Season Four of The X-Files, but there's a definite drop in quality in Season Five. There's several episodes where either Mulder or Scully isn't featured because they were shooting Fight the Future concurrently. There's also a notable lack of series-defining episodes. The only episode I found to be truly great was the vampiric pseudo-comedy "Bad Blood." It's been a couple of years, but I distinctly remember loving the film, so perhaps the lack of quality episodes is worth it. We'll find out soon, as I plan to watch the film tonight. However, I think there will be another few-month hiatus from The X-Files; the show's quality by all accounts is going to drop further, and there's just too much other stuff I have to watch.

There's Nothing Out There (1992)

There's Nothing Out There (1992)

Directed by: Rolfe Kanefsky
Screenplay by: Rolfe Kanefsky

Genre: Comedy | Horror
Running Time: 91 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned DVD

A horror film of comic proportions.

[IMDb]

Comments: There's Nothing Out There's claim to fame is that the film does what Scream did (be incredibly self-referential) - only five years earlier. And in that respect, it's a pretty decent and entertaining flick. My main gripe comes from our protagonist, who is the one warning the rest of the cast about how everything is setting up exactly like a horror film. He could be a fun character, but he's actually fucking annoying and a complete asshole. I would not have minded if he got gloriously eviscerated halfway through There's Nothing Out There. Troma put out a great two-disc edition with some great special features also. I'm not big into special features, but I did skim through the set. There's Nothing Out There is worth a watch if you're into this sort of thing. It's nothing great, but it's a fun excursion.

Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five (2011)

Directed by: Justin Lin
Screenplay by: Chris Morgan

Genre: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 130 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater

Get the fifth gear!

[IMDb]

Comments: I'll admit to The Fast and the Furious series being one of my guilty pleasures. I highly enjoyed the first film when it came out - come on, I was sixteen at the time with a new driver's license. It was a hell of a fun summer film. The next two are generally forgettable (I own them on DVD nonetheless!), but the series returned to form in 2009 with Fast & Furious (I incorrectly theorized that the fifth film in the franchise would logically be called FAST FURIOUS!). Fast Five, however wrongly named it is, delivers what the franchise does best: high energy, abysmal acting, and a shitload of completely implausible and over-the-top stunts. While the film shifts the focus of the series from straight up car porn to a heist film with a side of car porn, it still is a fun and mindless excursion for a Saturday afternoon. See you in two-to-three years for Furiously Fast (that's my official guess, clocked in at 1704 EST, 14 May 2011).

Thor (2011)

Thor (2011)

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay by: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne

Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
Running Time: 114 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater (Digital 3D)

Two worlds. One hero.

[IMDb]

Comments: Really, when you look at any superhero movie, they're all quite silly. Grown men dressed in latex-esque suits, flying around big cities whilst saving the world. It's up to the writers, directors, and actors to make you forget all of that and buy into what's happening onscreen. Luckily, Thor is able to do that, because it's definitely one of the crazier stories for a superhero (I guess it's quite similar to Superman in a way). But the film is certainly good, and it's both exciting and funny, so I bought into all the crazy shit going on. And I can't express enough how much I love Natalie Portman. She's definitely in my upper echelon of women I'd like to marry (with the one and only Alison Brie at the top), and she's great in Thor. I really bought into her obsession with Thor, and I thought they had great chemistry together.

Luckily, I read the reviews for Thor because I really didn't have plans to see it in theaters. I wanted to watch it, but it seemed like more of a rental for me. The effects looked awesome and were great to experience on the big screen; I was a little bored by the generic score, sadly. But this actually brings me to my one major complaint: 3D! Thor wasn't filmed for 3D, so for fuck's sake, please let me watch it in 2D (I guess that's more directed at the theater than anything, because some theaters had the 2D version available). It wasn't terrible 3D (cough*Piranha*cough... which hurt my eyes at times), but it's just completely unnecessary. Fucking studios jumping on fads like a drunk chick at the bar. OK, enough rambling.