Strike Back - Season One (2011)

Strike Back (2011-????)

Created by: Chris Ryan

Season: One (2011)
Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller
Number of Episodes: 10
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD

Diplomacy is overrated.

[IMDb]

Comments: Strike Back has the distinct honor of being the first Blu-ray (in this case, set of Blu-rays) to not work on my player. My firmware is up-to-date and my laptop plays the discs without fail, yet for some reason the 'ol Sony just locked up and had to be unplugged to get the disc out - no matter which disc I inserted.

Luckily, Strike Back also has the distinct honor of being the only Blu-ray TV set I have that also comes with a DVD copy. Because I'm lazy as shit and didn't feel like hooking my laptop up to my TV to watch the Blu-rays, standard definition was how I forged ahead. To be honest, the picture quality wasn't terrible so it never really hindered my experience.

Strike Back is a show I knew nothing about until a few weeks ago. When I first read a review, I was informed that this release was labeled "Cinemax Season One," when in all actuality this was the second season of a British show that Cinemax acquired the rights to broadcast. I immediately ignored it, as I can't stand watching anything out of order. However, a few days later I learned that the show was almost completely overhauled, and there was only one character from the first season to make it into "Cinemax Season One," and that was essentially a cameo in the first episode. This knowledge, combined with the fact that Strike Back was described to me as 24 with more sex and violence, was all I needed to hear. Yes, that's the sound of me spending more money on Blu-rays.

Strike Back was pretty goddamn entertaining. The "first" season runs ten episodes, although the episodes are two-parters (i.e. episodes one and two are one story, three and four are another, and they all play into the main over-arcing plot). There's definitely an element of 24 at work here, but there's a lot more fun to the show as well. I can't tell you how many times I got pumped up when our two main heroes got into gunfights or told their would-be captors that by the end of the ordeal, they were going to kill them. With a show like this, you know the good guys are coming out on top. Combine this with the fact that the American lead (played by an Australian, of course), is banging some random chick every five minutes and you've got yourself a recipe for one hell of an entertaining show. Everyone that said Strike Back was like 24 with more sex and violence was pretty much right. If you've ever read anything else on this blog, you know that those are two of the things I enjoy most in my entertainment.

If you're at all a fan of "big" (read: lots of explosions and unrealistic scenarios where the good guys miraculously survive) military-based action films and shows, I highly recommend Strike Back. The "second" season is currently airing, so I'm looking forward to grabbing that Blu-ray when it's released (hopefully this one will actually work). The show's a ton of fun and has a really engaging storyline to go along with it. And boobs. Plenty of boobs. How can you go wrong?

From Hell (2001)

From Hell (2001)

Directed by: Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes
Screenplay by: Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias

Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Running Time: 122 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Only the legend will survive.

[IMDb]

Comments: From Hell is one of those films that certainly has issues, yet my overall fondness for the material makes me like it more than I probably should. I first developed a fondness for the film when I was in high school; I'm not sure what stood out most, but the dark seedy world combined with the incredible set pieces really immersed me in late 19th century London. The style and look of the film (and the surprisingly abrasive violence) really make up for an occasionally meandering plot, and I always find myself drawn to the horror-esque aspects that really enhance the film. From Hell may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really dig it. I'm happy with my $6 purchase from Walmart.

The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games (2012)

Directed by: Gary Ross
Screenplay by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 142 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

The world will be watching.

[IMDb]

Comments: This past weekend I picked up the Blu-ray of The Hunger Games. Why, you ask? Well, each major store had their own exclusive, and I'm a sucker for cool packaging, so I grabbed Target's three-disc edition. It's pretty nice looking. Secondly, despite me thinking this was a Twilight-infested blatant rip-off of the classic Battle Royale (which it generally was), the number of solid reviews the film received certainly peaked my interest.

To be fair, I liked The Hunger Games. It wasn't great, but it held my attention. The film certainly has its share of issues (namely the pacing, my overall give-a-shit level about the characters, and the hugely anti-climatic finale), and so often the characters' actions made no sense to me as they only acted in that fashion to suit the film and placate the audience. Plus, the whole idea behind The Hunger Games is such a waste for a PG-13 film. (Camera tricks. Camera tricks everywhere!)

And as my parting thought, I was reminded early on of John Cusack's character in High Fidelity when he asks, "is that Peter fucking Frampton?" When I saw the character Cinna, the first thing that popped into my mind was, "is that Lenny fucking Kravitz?"

Father's Day (2011)

Father's Day (2011)

Directed by: Adam Brooks, Jeremy Gillespie, Matthew Kennedy,
  Steven Kostanski, and Conor Sweeney
Screenplay by: Adam Brooks, Jeremy Gillespie, Matthew Kennedy,
  Steven Kostanski, and Conor Sweeney

Genre: Action | Comedy | Horror
Running Time: 99 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Lock up your fathers.

[IMDb]

Comments: I don't think there was much of a doubt that I'd pick up Troma's latest, Father's Day, soon after it was released on Blu-ray. It's a nasty comedy/exploitation flick often compared to Hobo with a Shotgun (a film I loved) and comes in a sweet package (a 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD/soundtrack bonanza). I happened to have some gift card money for Amazon I received for my birthday, so I was all over this. Luckily, Father's Day delivers what I was expecting (for the most part).

The film revolves around a killer that goes around grotesquely raping, murdering, and often de-penising fathers. Yep. (There's actually an extremely heavy homoerotic undertone to the entire film.) The dialogue is pretty funny at times, but I did feel the premise was stretched a tad thin; a few parts could definitely have been shortened. And while it's not as good as Hobo with a Shotgun (even if it's quite a bit more nasty and over-the-top), the film is really well made and looks fantastic for a $10,000 budget.

I think there was some kind of issue between the filmmaking collective Astron-6 (all the guys listed above) and Troma, which saw Father's Day delayed for quite some time. Lloyd Kaufman even half-trashes them in the special features because they didn't want their behind-the-scenes documentary on the disc. I'm entirely too lazy to look up the whole story, but I've also read there's another cut out there somewhere. If that's the case and it gets released at some point, I'll definitely check that shit out.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season One (1997)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Created by: Joss Whedon

Season: One (1997)
Genre: Action | Drama | Fantasy
Number of Episodes: 12
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD

Get home before dark.

[IMDb]

Comments: I know Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been quite the cult hit since it debuted, and it's definitely a show I've been interested in. But that doesn't mean the first season couldn't be rather terrible. And for the most part, it is.

- OK, let me say that the first few episodes are GOD-AWFUL. Slowly, the show finds its footing and I found the last three-to-four episodes to be pretty decent. But it's really rough early on, to the point where there were a few weeks where I didn't watch a single episode. I have no doubts that the show will only get better, but it certainly didn't have the best start.

- My favorite part of the whole season was how many people at Buffy's high school were killed... and no one seemed to care. I'm pretty sure there would have been a major investigation when multiple faculty members and even more students show up dead. It's generally treated as an everyday occurrence.

- While elements of Joss Whedon can be found early on, I really started to pick up on Joss' signature style toward the final few episodes (any wonder why I enjoyed them more?). I can only expect this will continue in future episodes.

- That about sums up my thoughts on Buffy. When I watch a show I'm not completely addicted to form the get-go (i.e. Breaking Bad), I feel like I always say "I'm going to take a short break, but I'll be back." And then I never come back. Well, I have fucking six other seasons to watch (plus five of Angel), so I better goddamn comeback. But I just bought Strike Back the other day and I've been itching to watch that, so it'll be a bit...

- See what I mean?

The Expendables 2 (2012)

The Expendables 2 (2012)

Directed by: Simon West
Screenplay by: Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone

Genre: Action | Adventure
Running Time: 102 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

Back for war.

[IMDb]

Comments: I broke my cardinal rule with The Expendables 2: I watched the sequel without seeing the original film. I own The Expendables on Blu-ray and was planning to watch it this week, but I didn't think I was going to make it to the theater this weekend. Luckily, plans changed this afternoon, and my buddy was only able to go at that time, so I went in as an Expendables virgin.

The Expendables 2 was a blast. It's almost too self-referential at times (I'm pretty sure Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger only spoke in '80s catchphrases), but I couldn't help but be entertained throughout. The action scenes are well done, though it's easy to see that the movie was filmed with a PG-13 rating in mind as there was a lot of CGI blood and effects that were added in post-production. From what I've heard, the film's a lot more comical than its predecessor; I guess I'll find out soon enough.

In the end, The Expendables 2 works. The one-liners start to run a little thin by the end and I wish there was a little more backstory on the other cast, like Lundgren, Crews, and Couture. But otherwise the film's entertaining as hell and a great way to pass the time. And there's even a "Chuck Norris joke" that's worked in to Chuck's dialogue. How could you go wrong?

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Directed by: George Nolfi
Screenplay by: George Nolfi

Genre: Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 106 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Cinemax HD (DVR)

Fight for your fate.

[IMDb]

Comments: I had dinner at my father's house tonight, and afterwards we checked out The Adjustment Bureau, a movie that despite its flaws I fucking love. See my earlier review (which in turn contains an even earlier; that's some Inception shit right there):

"I really, really like this movie. Everything I said in my original review still stands (see below): it's ludicrous, silly, and at times overly religious. But Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are just terrific together, and their relationship just feels so powerful that The Adjustment Bureau just gets to me.

Original review: If you go into The Adjustment Bureau for the sci-fi aspect alone, then you may come out disappointed. The film feels a bit gimmicky, as The Bureau has all this unreal power, yet these crazy limitations to control said power (which only exist to allow Matt Damon to do what he does in the film). But the reason that The Adjustment Bureau works is because I totally bought into the Matt Damon-Emily Blunt relationship. They have great chemistry together, and enough time is devoted to them that I felt their love was real. The pair is the definite driving force of the film. I also wasn't a big fan of who is behind The Bureau. While it's never explicitly stated, it's completely fucking obvious. However, this aspect of the film probably won't bother 92% of the American population. Anyway, The Adjustment Bureau definitely comes recommended from me; it's worth a watch, even if you wait until it comes out on Blu-ray."

High Fidelity (2000)

High Fidelity (2000)

Directed by: Stephen Frears
Screenplay by: D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, and Scott
  Rosenberg

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance
Running Time: 113 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love   and other pop favorites.

[IMDb]

Comments: I was ecstatic earlier this year when I learned High Fidelity was coming out on Blu-ray. It's one of my absolute favorite films - it's so funny, yet so unbelievably poignant too. John Cusack is terrific; he makes the act of breaking the fourth wall continuously throughout the film feel so natural. However, Jack Black is the one that really steals the show. The early 2000 time period is my favorite for Black; films like Orange County and Saving Silverman are so much better because of his involvement. But when it comes to High Fidelty, it's not just Black and Cusack - literally everything in this movie works for me. It's fantastic and easily one of my all-time top ten films. And yes, that is Peter fucking Frampton.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Screenplay by: Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy

Genre: Action | Adventure | Thriller
Running Time: 135 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater

There was never just one.

[IMDb]

Comments: I took a couple vacation days from work this week, as I've gone pretty much the whole year without using any. One of the main things I wanted to do was to go see The Bourne Legacy, even though some of the early reviews I read were a bit so-so on the whole thing. I went into the film with tempered expectations, but I was happy to realize that I really enjoyed myself over the two hour period. There's two negative things that stuck out to me: it's a little too long, and parts of the film felt like they were copies of the earlier Bourne films (and I had hoped Matt Damon would've at least made a cameo). Beyond that, however, I fucking enjoyed myself. I've been a Jeremy Renner fan since The Hurt Locker, and after seeing him in the latest Mission Impossible film I had no doubts he could hold his own in a frenetic action thriller like The Bourne Legacy. The interactions between Renner and Rachel Weisz felt eerily similar to Damon and Franka Potente, but I enjoyed the film enough that I was able to overlook it.

If you've enjoyed the Bourne film franchise so far, I highly doubt that you'd leave The Bourne Legacy disappointed. It's pretty fun, and if it leads to a fifth film with both Damon and Renner, I'm all for it.

Trouble the Water (2008)

Trouble the Water (2008)

Directed by: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin

Genre: Documentary
Running Time: 93 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

It's not about a hurricane. It's about America.

[IMDb]

Comments: Trouble the Water is a documentary chronicling the plight of aspiring rapper Kimberly and her husband during Hurricane Katrina. The film is aided by home footage Kimberly shot that is truly terrifying of the flood waters invading her home. It's pretty spectacular stuff that really drives the point of how insane the hurricane was. Seeing Scott (the husband) taking a punching bag through the flood mid-storm to help people was incredible. As a whole, the documentary is pretty good, though I have my issues.

Trouble the Water is decidedly one-sided - though with how bungled the entire FEMA response was, it's hard to mount any type of counterpoint. Regardless, this is how the film portrayed its facts.

I think my biggest issue though, and one that I think divided many viewers of the film, were the film's protagonists, Kim and Scott. They are poor and uneducated former drug dealers. Neither of them have a job and it's fair to assume they survive on government sustenance. Kim can barely speak intelligible English, and at times she's even subtitled because it's so hard to understand her. But I found them (along with others along the way) to be very unsympathetic for the subject of a documentary. And let me make this clear: IN NO WAY IS THIS A RACE ISSUE, NOR AM I SAYING THEY DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE HELPED. I know that sounds harsh considering the absolute shit that they went through, but this is just how it came across to me in the film.

Despite my complaints, I did enjoy Trouble the Water. The footage provided was incredible and the overall story made me feel even more terrible for the shit that happened to the Gulf Coast. It's definitely worth a watch on Netflix, though hardcore right-wingers may want to proceed with caution.

30 for 30: June 17, 1994 (2010)

30 for 30: June 17, 1994 (2010)

Directed by: Brett Morgen

Genre: Sport
Running Time: 52 Minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

The day sports took a backseat to surreal.

[IMDb]

Comments: June 17, 1994 covers a number of major sporting events that occurred on one day: the New York Rangers victory parade, Arnold Palmer's last PGA event, the beginning of the World Cup, Game 5 of the NBA finals (also in New York), and most famously the OJ Simpson slow-speed chase. While the documentary's mainly focused on OJ (and rightfully so), I almost wish it was entirely devoted to him. I found the other sporting events to be completely uneventful and bland when compared to the OJ case, and outside of seeing how it impacted the coverage of the NBA Finals, I could've done without them. Still, I really enjoyed the documentary and how it only used news footage, raw feeds, and phone conversations rather than "talking heads" (much like the brilliant documentary 102 Minutes That Changed America). June 17, 1994 is a good one to check out.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Directed by: José Padilha
Screenplay by: Bráulio Mantovani and José Padilha

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: Pretty damn good too.

There's your hard hitting analysis for the evening.

Elite Squad (2007)

Elite Squad (2007)

Directed by: José Padilha
Screenplay by: Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha, and Rodrigo
  Pimentel

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

On the streets of Rio only the elite survive.

[IMDb]

Comments: Fan-fucking-tastic.

Hack Job (2011)

Hack Job (2011)

Directed by: James Balsamo
Screenplay by: James Balsamo

Genre: Comedy | Horror | Thriller
Running Time: 96 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned DVD

Get hacked!

[IMDb]

Comments: After going to a movie, I almost always stop and browse around FYE, a music/movie store located in the same mall. While generally overpriced, they have a wider selection of items than most other physical stores. I like them because they often get in various low budget horror films, like Hack Job. The film didn't look particularly good, but we all know how much I like watching this shit.

Hack Job is terrible beyond words. It's a complete amateurish mess. I "get" that it's supposed to be a bad spoof of horror films, but it fails so terrifically at that. I have no idea why any company looking at this would say, "yeah, this is something we should distribute to people." (Probably because suckers like me will buy it.) Everything is so poorly done that it's hard not to laugh pitifully at James Balsamo (and maybe send him a note that he should try his hand at something else). Yep, this is god-awful.

Total Recall (2012)

Total Recall (2012)

Directed by: Len Wiseman
Screenplay by: Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 118 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater

What is real?

[IMDb]

Comments: In the grand scheme of things, Total Recall gave me exactly what I wanted: two hours of solid entertainment. Beyond the core story of Hauser, a lot was changed when compared to Paul Verhoeven's 1990 classic. And despite a few aspects feeling really silly (and telegraphed), I found the updated story to be well done. The action scenes, most of which were composed of chases, were well shot and clear enough for me. The effects were awesome, as expected, and Colin Farrell was good enough (though I always found he's much better in low-key roles, like In Bruges). Kate Beckinsale one-ups Jessica Biel in the bad ass scale, but maybe that's because Total Recall was helmed by her husband.

So yeah, Total Recall isn't horrible and provided two hours of mindless escapism, which was all I asked.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

Directed by: Rodman Flender

Genre: Documentary | Music
Running Time: 89 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

[IMDb]

Comments: I'm not exactly sure what the point was of Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. I've been a huge fan of Conan's for years now, and he's the only late night host I've kept up with. For this documentary though, while there's some insight into what it's like backstage, the only lasting impression I got was that Conan's sort of a dick. Most of the time, I understand it. After being on tour for weeks and just performing an exhausting show, who would want to go do meet-and-greets all night? But on the other hand, why would anyone want to film that and show people that you're annoyed by it?

On the other hand, Conan fully owns up to this. I've read in interviews where he spoke about being hard on both himself and those around him as he always wants everything to be perfect. Unfortunately, that really shows at times in Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. He's not exactly painted in the best light.

I really don't understand what the purpose of this film was; while entertaining, it failed to be particularly insightful or funny. It doesn't affect my enjoyment of watching Conan every night, but it certainly didn't endear me to O'Brien either. It's at least worth a watch though.

30 for 30: Four Days in October (2010)

30 for 30: Four Days in October (2010)

Directed by: Gary Waksman

Genre: Sport
Running Time: 52 Minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

There was no answer to why not us.

[IMDb]

Comments: I've never been the biggest baseball fan. I blame that mostly on the fact that for most of my life, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been terrible (though I've been a huge bandwagon fan this year - playoffs or bust!). But for four days in 2004, I was the biggest fan of the Boston Red Sox. That's the magic of sports, and why I, given that I'm mostly a hockey and football fan, can become emotionally invested in any sporting event, given the right backdrop.

During this time I was in college and had roommates that were baseball fans. Without them, I'm not even sure how involved in this classic Red Sox/Yankees series I would've gotten. The story is classic: the Red Sox, often considered cursed since (literally) selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees, had an excellent team and their first shot at winning the World Series since 1918. However, playing against their hated rivals in the ALCS (one step before the world series, much like USA/Russia game in the 1980 Olympics), the Yankees had taken a three-games-to-none series lead in a best-of-seven series. One game at a time, often in extra innings, the Red Sox clawed back and won four-in-a-row to win the series. They'd go on to win the World Series.

I remember hanging on every pitch for those four days. Total immersion. Outside of the Penguins and Steelers, I'm not sure I've ever been as invested in a playoff series before. It was awesome and completely satisfying. (It's a shame now that the Red Sox have essentially turned into the Yankees in recent years, but I digress...)

ESPN's 30 for 30 series recently was added to Netflix, so there's a bunch of titles I want to check out. Four Days in October was my first choice for nostalgic reasons, and while it wasn't the greatest sports documentary I really enjoyed it. I've added a bunch of these documentaries to my queue, so expect some more in the future. (I know it's technically a TV episode, but they play like mini-films and so I'll write them up as such.)

The Big Doll House (1971)

The Big Doll House (1971)

Directed by: Jack Hill
Screenplay by: Don Spencer

Genre: Action | Drama
Running Time: 95 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

White skin on the black market.

[IMDb]

Comments: The Big Doll House is the last film from Shout! Factory's The Women in Cages Collection (which consists of three Roger Corman-produced WIP films) that I needed to watch. It's along the lines of the other film in that collection that came out the same year, Women in Cages. Both tease more graphic and deprave acts than they actually produce, but both are reasonably well-made and worth a watch. My biggest complaint with the film was the schizo relationship between the main characters. The group of six women go from harming each other to friends and back again for essentially the whole movie. It was weird. But otherwise, The Big Doll House wasn't half-bad. No recommendations here, because just by looking at the film you'll know whether or not you want to watch it. Quality doesn't really matter with a title like this, right?