Police Story (1985)

Police Story (1985)

Directed by: Jackie Chan
Screenplay by: Edward Tang

Genre: Action | Comedy | Thriller | Crime
Running Time: 101 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned DVD

You may know the name, but the game has changed.

[IMDb]

Comments: So after I finished watching The Raid: Redemption, I checked out a few of the special features, mostly because I was curious to see the director, Gareth Evans, who had a very white-sounding name. Sure enough, he was a pasty white dude directing an Indonesian film that has serious East Asian influences. Anyway, while talking, he listed of few of his favorite films he watched growing up. Among them, he named Jackie Chan's Police Story, a film I owned but never watched (like 50% of my collection). Anyway, since I had nothing better to do this afternoon, I decided to pop in Police Story while riding a violence high after watching The Raid.

Police Story wasn't exactly what I expected. While bookended by some amazing fight sequences, most of the narrative has more of a comedic tone. While I enjoyed the style originally, I was soon ready for the film to progress forward (I'm mainly looking at the scene where Chan answers four phones at once). The movie is described as a good cop (Chan) who needs to clear his name after an officer is murdered, but none of this happens until about 75 minutes into the film. So when there's a relatively pointless comedy scene, I began to get a little antsy waiting for the real action to pick up. Regardless, Police Story is worth a watch for the fucking tremendous action sequences. It's amazing people weren't killed when they were performing these scenes (although reading through IMDb's trivia suggests that Chan had the absolute shit beat out of him). No wonder he retired from action films recently.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Directed by: Gareth Evans
Screenplay by: Gareth Evans

Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 101 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

When there's nowhere left to run or hide... you fight or die.

[IMDb]

Comments: This. Was. Fucking. AWESOME.

The Snowtown Murders (2011)

The Snowtown Murders (2011)

Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Screenplay by: Shaun Grant

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 119 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

[IMDb]

Comments: The Snowtown Murders is kind of like an artfully made torture porn film. Well, at least some parts. The movie chronicles Australia's "worst serial killer," and the teenager that he involves in the killings. I had read a number of good things about this dark film, and being one that likes heavier cinema, I was ecstatic to learn Netflix was streaming it. While parts of The Snowtown Murders are well done, I found the movie a bit disjointed, which was only compounded by the fact I had a difficult time deciphering the heavily accented Australian dialogue. (One of the things I dislike about Netflix is the lack of subtitles.) But other scenes were very powerful and made for an affecting viewing experience. I can't freely recommend the film, but for those interested it's certainly worth a look.

Looper (2012)

Looper (2012)

Directed by: Rian Johnson
Screenplay by: Rian Johnson

Genre: Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 118 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

Hunted by your future. Haunted by your past.

[IMDb]

Comments: I was a huge fan of Rian Johnson's debut film Brick. I thought it was an outstanding piece of work that took an odd gimmick (a film noir where characters talk like it's 1940, even though it's the twentieth century) and made it work completely. His follow-up film, The Brothers Bloom, didn't make the same impression on me. It was well-acted and well-written, but I never was able to fully invest myself in the film. Unfortunately, I felt the same about Looper. It's a really good film, but it just left me cold after it was over. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and especially Emily Blunt (goddamn you John Krasinski!), but I could never get into any of their characters. I didn't feel the burning and drive that set each individual on their course of action. And while I never thought Levitt's facial prosthetics would bother me, I do wonder if they made me less invested in his character, simply because I knew it was fake. Either way, the fact that was I thinking about them proved to be a distraction regardless.

From a distance, I appreciated what Rian Johnson created. But up close, I felt the entire film was a little cold to the touch. I really like and respect Johnson, as his occasional guest spots on Filmspotting have made me realize his passion for filmmaking. However, there's something about his movies that just don't resonate with me. This could be entirely a "me" thing, but I do wonder if others feel the same. Despite this, I heartily recommend checking out Looper. Cold or not, it's a damn fine film.

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers (2012)

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 143 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Some assembly required.

[IMDb]

Comments: Original review:

Granted, my expectations for The Avengers were pretty goddamn high, but I think the movie delivered... for the most part. The first hour was handled relatively well, considering the mammoth task of reintroducing a shitload of characters. It was slow at times, but a few action scenes and jokes here and there helped move it along. The real meat of the film is the final act, which is the Mecca of superhero gratuitousness. And it was fucking awesome. If some of those scenes didn't get your blood pumping wishing you could fight along with the team, then you aren't a true... nerd(?).

I think that Tom Hiddleston completely stole every scene he was in. While he was great in Thor, Loki transforms into a completely different beast in The Avengers (and his interaction at the end of the film with The Hulk might have been the funniest scene). Speaking of the green guy, Mark Ruffalo is pretty awesome stepping into the role of Bruce Banner. I'm always a fan of consistency with actors, but if the new actor is a better fit (see: Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight), it's usually for the best.

So in the end, Joss Whedon did pretty damn well with The Avengers. He successfully managed six heroes, gave them all pretty equal screen time, and somehow managed to make Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner not seem completely worthless in comparison to the overwhelming superiority of the other superheroes. People have been going gaga over The Avengers, and even though I don't think that it's the greatest thing ever (sorry, but The Dark Knight Rises is going to blow this out of the water), it's still rather good and awesome as hell.

And that's without seeing the 3D version - amazing! (This is referencing my complete disdain for everything 3D, excluding real life.)

Safe (2012)

Safe (2012)

Directed by: Boaz Yakin
Screenplay by: Boaz Yakin

Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 94 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

She has the code. He is the key.

[IMDb]

Comments: I had trouble finishing Safe. Not that there was anything wrong with it, mind you - I just happened to start watching it last Wednesday and fell asleep. Then I picked up again Thursday night and fell asleep again. I was gone for the weekend and busy with other crap yesterday (and by busy, I mean catching up on NCIS for today's premiere, watching the season premiere of Castle, and checking out Monday Night Football in between for good measure), so I didn't get around to it. I made a point to watch the film tonight, and I rewatched a good bit of what I'd seen last week to refresh my memory.

Despite the overwhelming ridiculousness at times, I quite enjoyed Safe. There's a few Jason Statham films that do nothing for me, but every once in awhile one reaches out and grabs me. Take, for instance, Transporter 2 - a film that out-sillies pretty much all other Statham joints. Yet it's one of my favorite of his action films. Safe works much in the same fashion: every time there's something that makes me rolls my eyes and think how stupid it is, here comes an awesome fight or action sequence. My attention shifts, and now instead of rolling my eyes I'm thinking how bad ass that last part was.

Safe's not going to to get much respect and will probably be in the $5 bin soon. But whatever, I liked it.

End of Watch (2012)

End of Watch (2012)

Directed by: David Ayer
Screenplay by: David Ayer

Genre: Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller
Running Time: 109 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

Watch your six.

[IMDb]

Comments: I was really happy when I saw the reviews for End of Watch start to roll in this week. Not only were they positive - they were ecstatic (at least, the ones I've read). I've really liked David Ayer's other films, Harsh Times and Street Kings, and the films he's written haven't been half-bad either (the classic Training Day along with solid titles like The Fast and the Furious and S.W.A.T.). Fortunately, End of Watch falls right in line and is a great addition to the man's catalog.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as partners in the LAPD. They work in South Central, one of most notoriously difficult places to be a police officer. Gyllenhaal and Peña really work well together, and you feel the bond between the two as brothers. They rip on each other just as much as they count on each other in the line of duty. The film really takes care to establish a trust and friendship between these two; it's something you don't always see.

One of the things I liked most about End of Watch was how well-rounded the screenplay was. For all the police work and gunplay, there's a lot of attention paid to the officers' lives and significant others (Natalie Martinez and Anna Kendrick). The humor plays well too as it's competently woven into a well-plotted story.

I did find the finale to be a bit predictable (if nonetheless effective), and a few of the extraneous escapades of our two officers made the film a tad long in the tooth. But ultimately, End of Watch was a gritty, realistic, and well-made piece of filmmaking. Anyone that enjoys cop movies as much as I do should give this one a look.

The Telling (2009)

The Telling (2008)

Directed by: Nicholas Carpenter
Screenplay by: Joe Lessard

Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Running Time: 84 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

Everyone's dying to be them.

[IMDb]

Comments: Gah, this was fucking terrible. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to watch a horror anthology film that was mostly filmed at the Playboy Mansion, starring a number of Playboy Playmates (including 2/3 of The Girls Next Door), I want this movie to be basically about boobs. Is that too much to ask? Because The Telling desperately needs something going for it, because the acting, writing, and direction is horrible. It's all horrible. Boobs, people. Boobs.

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Screenplay by: Brock Norman Brock and Nicolas Winding Refn

Genre: Action | Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 92 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

The man. The myth. The celebrity.

[IMDb]

Comments: Nicolas Winding Refn + a fucking beastly performance from Tom Hardy = one interesting and often awesome film.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Directed by: Rupert Sanders
Screenplay by: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein
  Amini

Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
Running Time: 132 Minutes (Extended Cut)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Snow White and the Huntsman. I don't know if it was the fact that I was let down by the last "big" pop culture movie I watched, The Hunger Games, or I simply just didn't expect much. Either way, I bought into this fantasy world and enjoyed the two hours I spent there.

- I don't want to jump on the "I hate Kristen Stewart" bandwagon, but I can't say I'm the biggest fan of hers. While her range as an actress isn't the greatest, I never thought that she was terrible. But I do wonder if another actress would have really brought Snow White to life more than Stewart. Actually, I'm pretty confident a number of actresses would have.

- On the other side of things, Charlize "Sex Goddess" Theron and motherfucking Thor bring it; Theron specifically. That woman is so goddamn talented and so fucking gorgeous and so awesome in general... and I'm rambling. And I definitely have a man-crush on Thor too.

- I think my favorite moment was when I realized the actors who were playing the dwarves weren't little people at all. I had no idea beforehand that normal sized men would be playing them (thanks to some great CGI). But then I saw Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, and motherfucking Nick Frost. I won't lie, I geeked out a bit.

- I really liked the look of the film too. The special effects were excellent and the cinematography was rather great as well.

- Outside of my slight distaste for Stewart's acting, I really enjoyed Snow White and the Huntsmen. I don't much care about the shenanigans that went on outside of the film (Stewart's affair with her married director, Rupert Sanders), but it does bum me out that it pretty much killed any shot of a sequel with the entire cast (a rumored Huntsman-only film is in the works). Either way, I dug this updated fairly tale. Give it a shot if you're interested.

- OK, I lied. I chuckled a little when I found out that Stewart cheated on Team Edward.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)

Directed by: Edward Neumeier
Screenplay by: Edward Neumeier

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 105 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

It's a good day to fry.

[IMDb]

Comments: For the first half or so I found myself enjoying Starship Troopers 3 - much like its predecessor. It was a fun science fiction film that, despite its cast and budget limitations, was decently enjoyable. But during the latter half of the film, writer/director Edward Neumeier (who also wrote the previous two films) takes the film in this crazy religious direction. Like the first film, Neumeier attempted to incorporate satirical elements into Starship Troopers 3. However, this time I couldn't decide if he was advocating for or lashing out against religion and it's use to control humanity. Add this to the fact that there was no good action going on, and you have a recipe for me completely checking out of the film. It's a shame too, because Starship Troopers 3 was close to being a solid DTV sequel.

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)

Directed by: Phil Tippett
Screenplay by: Edward Neumeier

Genre: Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 92 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

They're coming back to wipe us out!

[IMDb]

Comments: I don't know if I should be ashamed or not, but Starship Troopers 2 wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It definitely reeks of being a low budget made-for-Syfy film, but the played up horror qualities along with the lovely naked Kelly Carlson (drool...) made me enjoy this flick a lot more than I should. I had hoped to get to Starship Troopers 3 this weekend too, but I'll gone tomorrow and fairly busy Monday, so it looks like this may be a Tuesday thing. Until then, I'm out.

The Possession (2012)

The Possession (2012)

Directed by: Ole Bornedal
Screenplay by: Juliet Snowden and Stiles White

Genre: Horror | Thriller
Running Time: 92 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater

Fear the demon that doesn't fear God.

[IMDb]

Comments: When I decided I would go see The Possession this weekend, I had a fairly good idea that it wasn't going to be very good. Considering the mediocre reviews and the fact that I've seen every "bigger" possession film of the last decade or so, I pretty much was certain there would be nothing new in this film. And there wasn't. Despite this, I was entertained enough by The Possession during my two hours in the theater.

- There were two things I enjoyed about the movie. The first was some of the camerawork and stylistic choices that Ole Bornedal made. Some of the shots looked really good, and the lighting was really well done. In particular, I liked red lighting used toward the end of the film. It gave a mediocre film a bit of style and worth.

- The second thing I enjoyed was Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He's by no means the greatest actor ever, but I always like the guy. His personality is easily relatable, and I always find myself enjoying the oft-mediocre films he's in. (Morgan's also in the upcoming remake Red Dawn, so I'll probably have to go see that now too.)

- By far, the worst aspect is the shitty script. The screenplay has absolutely no flow, and the whole film constantly felt jumpy. There's no real build to the girl's possession, and then BAM! - there's some full force Exorcist shit going on. Plus Kyra Sedgewick's character is awful. She's supposed to be an overprotective and somewhat vindictive ex of Morgan. However, she ends up coming off as a complete cunt due to the writing. I not-so-secretly hoped that she would've been killed during the proceedings.

- And finally, as I realized toward the final act that this film had no hope at actually being good, I was hoping that Bornedal would take The Possession toward the ridiculous rather than the conventional (the film was produced by Sam Raimi, after all). Toward the finale, Morgan picks up a Jewish exorcist dude to rid the demon from his little girl (who the crew had so much demon make-up on that it looked like she was auditioning for one of The Crow sequels). Said exorcist was played by none other than Matisyahu, that Jewish reggae dude who had that one song back in the day. I was really hoping the two would show up to the exorcism bumping this while loading up with yamakas and getting ready to kick some demon ass. Come on, tell me that wouldn't rule.

Starship Troopers (1997)

Starship Troopers (1997)

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Screenplay by: Edward Neumeier

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 129 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

The only good bug is a dead bug.

[IMDb]

Comments: I've never been able to determine what kind of a movie Starship Troopers is. Is it a political satire? Is it a big-budget action flick? Hell, given some of the dialogue, is it a comedy? What I do know is that no matter the classification, I fucking love the film.

- I just bought the Starship Troopers Blu-ray last weekend, and wouldn't you know - my player won't play this either. That's two titles in as many weeks. What the hell? Other discs I throw in work fine. Luckily, Netflix is streaming this bad boy in HD, so problem solved.

- While the acting may leave a little to be desired, I thought the special effects held up remarkably well. Sure, they show some age here and there, but for a 15-year-old film, I was impressed.

- There's so many awesome quotes in this film that it's not even funny. The best part is that one of my favorite bands, Minus the Bear, has used a bunch of them as song titles.

- "Damn bugs whacked 'em, Johnny."

- "You're some sort of big, fat, smart-bug, aren't you?"

- OK, that's all I got. I love Starship Troopers. I'm going to test that love by checking out the sequels. I think I'm going to wish the smart-bug would suck out my brains after I'm done.

Sherlock - Season One (2010)

Sherlock (2010-????)

Created by: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss

Season: One (2010)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Mystery
Number of Episodes: 3
Episode Running Time: 90 Minutes
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

A new sleuth for the 21st century.

[IMDb]

Comments: After a very compelling debut episode ("A Study in Pink"), I was left underwhelmed by the first season of Sherlock for a few reasons. The main issue I had was that the show was produced so close to the theatrical version, and I'll admit to being more partial to Downey and Law. Secondly, with only three episodes, it's hard to get really become invested in the characters. That means we must rely on the cases, and "A Study in Pink" was the only story that stood out to me. I did love the actors chosen for the roles; Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Andrew Scott as Moriarty (even though he's only in the last episode) were inspired choices. And I can't forget to give love to Martin Freeman - Tim Canterbury will always have my respect.

Though I'm in possession of the second set of episodes from Sherlock, I may just wait until they're available on Netflix. I just can't find a TV show to really latch onto lately; hopefully that trend will end soon.

The Arbor (2010)

The Arbor (2010)

Directed by: Clio Barnard

Genre: Documentary | Biography
Running Time: 94 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

A documentary reinvented.

[IMDb]

Comments: I discovered Clio Barnard's documentary The Arbor through one of my favorite podcasts, Filmspotting (I know I've mentioned them before). They championed the film as their 2011 Golden Brick winner (the Golden Brick is a film made by a newer director that may not get as much recognition as it deserves; past winners include Dogtooth and Moon), so I was immediately interested in checking it out. The film expires on September 6th on Netflix Watch Instantly, so I wanted to catch it out before I lost the opportunity.

The Arbor is an odd yet interesting documentary. Barnard takes the typical "talking head" format and flips it, using actors to lip synch the dialogue that the original interviewees provided. The story of The Arbor is of British playwright Andrea Dunbar, who used her experiences growing up in "The Arbor," a poor lower class neighborhood, to write a play as a teenager. She had a turbulent, alcohol-filled life, having three kids to three different men before dying at age 29. The story then shifts to her children, and how Dunbar's lack of parenting affected them. Needless to say, it didn't turn out well.

The use of actors is interesting. At times it works, as the actors are able to play out certain scenes that create a distinct visual representation of what's going on. At other times, however, it feels false - mainly during the film's more emotional scenes. Hearing the actual people crying made me really want to see their faces - not the actors' portrayal of it. Regardless, The Arbor is a solid film that really had me invested in the story of the Dunbars. It's rough at times, but oddly compelling - enough to warrant a solid recommendation.

Lawless (2012)

Lawless (2012)

Directed by: John Hillcoat
Screenplay by: Nick Cave

Genre: Crime | Drama | Western
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

When the law became corrupt, outlaws became heroes.

[IMDb]

Comments: I fucking love Tom Hardy. To be honest, I never really noticed him until Warrior, but now that I have he's quickly becoming one of my favorite actors (I think this is probably the second or third time that I've mentioned how I really need to sit down and watch Bronson). Hardy owns Lawless, though it doesn't hurt that I really don't care for Shia LaBeouf. LaBeouf's performance is fine in the film, and I honestly believe him when he says he's done doing big Hollywood shitfests. But I can't help but think of him in drek like Transformers and Indiana Jones Part Quatre every time his little idiot face was onscreen.

LaBeouf annoyances aside, Lawless was a damn fine film. The pacing was off at times (something that seems like it plagues all of John Hillcoat's films), and it took a little bit to get moving. However, once the film hit its stride I was hooked. Lawless comes recommended to anyone looking for a solid late-Summer film with some top-notch performances. Yes, even LaBeouf.