This is a movie that either did not hook you with the preview or you missed hearing about it altogether. If so, then the joke is on you.

I’ll admit that the preview didn’t do much for me. In fact, after seeing this movie, I can say that the trailer does not provide a very good basis for what the movie is like. However, it did leave me curious, curious enough to seek it out and watch it.

I don’t know why, but I really like movies that look like they were shot in the 80’s or 90’s. There is something about them that is…comforting, almost novel in a way. The House of the Devil felt very 80’s, and rightfully so. In fact, now that I think about it, The House of the Devil was delightfully 80’s and I loved it.

First of all, this movie isn’t about gore or quick and sudden scares. This movie was all about suspense, a slow building suspense and impending sense of doom. Creepy is probably the right word. The film follows a college student, Samantha Hughes, who is in desperate need of funds to pay the first month’s rent on her new place. She finds a babysitting ad on campus and, essentially, the movie begins.

Samantha and her friend Megan drive out into the country to a large and isolated farm house where the babysitting job will take place. There, they find Mr. & Mrs. Ulman, an elderly couple that lives in the house. The creepy vibe takes on a slow pulse at this point in the movie due to the fact that Mr. Ulman is freakishly tall. Not to mention, Mr. Ulman tells Samantha that they actually do not have a child and would like her to take care of their elderly and ailing mother. Suspicious right? Well, Mr. Ulman is quite the snake and manages to present a believable case for his lie. Plus, Samantha is a starving and money hungry college student, so the offer goes up and she decides to stick around.

Anyway, Megan leaves her friend behind to a quiet night with the TV, pizza, and a satanic demon. Speaking of the whole Satanic aspect of the movie; what I liked best is that we (the audience) know all, while Samantha, knows nothing. That is basic horror and suspense 101, but this movie does something unique, either unique or completely lifted from actual movies filmed in the 80’s. Either way, I liked it. Most of her time at the house is spent doing nothing, as in calling Megan, ordering pizza, flipping on the TV, and popping in a cassette to dance to around the magnificently huge and seemingly abandoned and haunted farmhouse. What would an 80’s movie, or Quasi-80’s movie be without an 80’s carefree jam and dance session with the headphones on?

The last ten minutes of the movie are similar to the division of wealth in America. The smallest percent is getting all the action. I’ll put it this way: If you go into this movie having seen the trailer, then you will at least have the gist of what is about to go down. However, if you watch this movie willy-nilly, no trailers or synopsis or anything, then you will be wondering what is going on for the first 80% of the time. You will know that something ominous is afoot, but there won’t really be a good clue until the latter half, which brings me to my point. Everything is revealed in the last ten or fifteen minutes. It’s like being paralyzed from the waist down most of your life, then on your 75th birthday, bursting out of your wheelchair and doing the 100 yard hurdles through a half a mile of an active war zone. The tone completely changes in a split second. During this shift I’m speaking of, both we, the audience, and Samantha, are on the same playing field. We all know just as much as the other. Another great thing about this movie was that the villains were so real. They were involved in a satanic cult and sick in the head, kind of.

I recommend this movie because I enjoyed it. Watching it in the dark even proved quite challenging, leading me too do that thing where I don’t look at the screen, but look through it like I’m spacing out. I can’t say that I would take a babysitting job like that with people like that in a place like that, being that I am a guy and parents tend to lean towards girls when choosing babysitters, but it is also because of the fact that I don’t trust anyone. Chances are that if I’m doing so much as meeting a stranger off of Craigslist to buy a mountain bike, I’ll carry a pair of scissors in my pocket. Not those child’s safety scissors either, the real deal. I am extremely paranoid though.

If you had the chance to see a movie like The Strangers, then I would give this one a shot. They’ve both got that eerily suspenseful feeling and audio that allows you to hear the pad of each footstep and cackle of the fireplace. They really give you that sense of quiet and solidarity that one feels when completely alone. Check it out.

Rosemary’s Baby. Just sayin’.

Make no mistake. The French will take you down.

Pure Adrenaline is a good way to describe this movie. Here’s what its about. The year is 2010 and Paris has turned into a slum, a ghetto of sorts. So, the government built walls around the cities. There are no police, schools, or hospitals. Drug lords run all of the business and control anyone and everyone. However, Leito (David Belle), is somewhat of a leader himself. He has his own small army of henchmen that he pays to keep drugs out of the neighborhood. In fact, the first time you see Leito in the movie he is dumping a million Euros of heroin down the drain. He’s a good guy. Well, to move along, Leito’s sister, Lola, gets kidnapped my the drug dealer who lost all of that heroin and Leito gets arrested by some corrupt police officers. 6 months later. Captain Damien Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli), an undercover cop, teams up with our good friend Leito to diffuse a neutron bomb that was stolen inside of District B13. Also, if the plot sounds a little fishy to you, then that’s a good thing. It should.

First off, the fight scenes are superb. I’m pretty sure many of the actors were free runners, or urban acrobats. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it. The opening scene alone, where Leito destroys all the heroin, has enough action to be spread throughout an entire movie. It’s not just the way he fights though. It’s the way he escapes. He is a master of escaping, a slippery guy that no one can keep their hands on. Not to mention, he is a good guy. His character is well acted and you truly feel that he is a hard ass with a heart of gold underneath.

Captain Tomaso is similar to Leito, almost too similar… They are both really muscular, well built, smaller guys who know how to kick ass. There are differences though. Captain Tomaso plays by the book. He wants to protect and save the world and is willing to risk life and limb to do it, but there are rules and plans to follow. Leito is more of a spontaneous, willy nilly, figure things out on the fly type guy. So, one can only guess what effect this might have. Two mismatched men trying to save two million people with their own ideas? Of course. Some humorous fight scenes, silly one liners, and good back to back fight sequences.

The action is definitely hard to beat in this movie, but there is still more to it. The acting and casting was extremely well done. The drug lords are ruthless, the henchmen are easy to fight off in packs, and the good guys joke about their impending doom. It sounds formulaic, but there is so much more. The twist at the end proves that.

Just a random fact: David Belle invented this discipline known as Parkour, which consists of moving quickly and efficiently in any environment, using only the abilities of the human body. Also, Cyril Raffaelli has quite the resume. He was the stunt coordinator for The Incredible Hulk, Hitman, Transporter, and Transporter 2. That means he was laying the choreography down for Jason Statham. Ya. Everyone knows he’s the ultimate badass. So, that says something about this Raffaelli guy.

This movie made me laugh and yell at some points. Trust me. There is a scene in the beginning where Leito totally owns a police officer. Not to mention, their whole “duo of crime fighters from different backgrounds but common goals” thing they’ve got going on. It’s classic. If you like action and love the French, or like action and don’t like the Frecnh, or don’t like action and like the French, or don’t like action and happen to also not like the French, then see this movie. It will change your opinion on both.

Oh man. I just remembered the cars these gangsters roll around in. Holy shit! Big guys like K2 in tricked out Honda Civics. Ya. This is definitely a must watch. Definitely some tricks up this movie’s sleeve.

You think you know, but you have no idea.

Oldboy is full of twists and turns that no one could ever expect, or at least not me. I had heard that it was a good revenge flick, so I had to check it out. After all, there is nothing as satisfying as a good old fashioned ass kicking, revenge is best served cold movie. However, this movie was not just satisfying. It was not old fashioned at all and the only revenge in this movie was served flaming hot with a heaping spoonful of traumatic mental anguish and ingenious fight scenes.

The setup in the beginning of the movie is enough to keep you seated and intrigued. Basically this guy, Oh Dae-Su, is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years with no explanation. He spends over a decade in the same room, eating the same food, going through the same routines of getting drugged and gassed, until, one day he is set free. Again, with no explanation. He is given a cell phone and a nice suit. You would think that the unexplained imprisonment would be the worst part for Oh Dae-Su, but this movie has some crazy ass tricks up its properly starched and cuff linked sleeve. Anyway, after getting out, Oh Dae-Su learns that he has five days to get revenge on the man who imprisoned him, a man who keeps consistent contact with Oh Dae-Su. So, with the help of a young female accomplice, Oh Dae-Su sets out to find the man who stole fifteen years of his life.

I would have to say that this movie had the most cinematic fight sequence that I have ever seen, just perfectly done. With fifteen years of  imaginary training that consisted of punching and kicking drywall and brick, Oh Dae-Su takes on a swarm of henchmen in the coolest fight scene that I can think of. This alone would make the movie worth seeing.

Another aspect that makes this movie seem so flawless is that it seemed believable. Don’t get me wrong though. Some of the ideas were so far fetched and utterly insane that I had a hard time wrapping my head around them. However, the movie managed to make Oh Dae-Su look so…human. He wasn’t a superhero, a badass, or a genius. If anything, he was pissed off and fueled by rage. He makes mistakes. He takes names and kicks major ass, but then has the tables turned on him. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the script had no formula. It was as if a mad scientist had thrown seemingly random elements into the same boiling pot, and through many skin scorching and limb losing explosions, he discovered the exact mixture for a comedic, gut wrenching, romantic, and calculated revenge bomb to be dropped on your head. Then at the end of the movie, you’re left wandering through the fallout blast wondering what happened to life as you knew it, movies as you knew them.

This movie may not be for everyone, but I highly recommend that you see it simply for its originality and execution of a story that most would not have the heart or balls to make. The acting is phenomenal, as is the action. Plus, the ending will send you through a flurry of mixed emotions and a late night of pondering that makes you question the meaning of what you have just seen. It is actually quite deep. Beautiful in a sort of sick and twisted manner, but also touching.

Props to South Korea for a slam dunk movie.

Seriously, crazy ass shit goes down in this.

This is what I call a movie!

There were many great movies of 2008, but Rachel Getting Married would have to rank as one of my favorites, either 1 or 2. I can’t decide.

Hathaway definitely deserved the Oscar. I had never seen her play a role like this before. Her character, Kym, was raunchy, uncomfortable, damaged, confused, witty, and relentlessly unforgiving to herself and others. She plays a recovering addict who returns home for her sister’s wedding. She must attend Addicts Anonymous meetings, pee in cups, and deal with the joining of two families that feel like strangers. While watching this you will find yourself cheering for Hathaway’s will to fight the doubt in herself, cringing at her dinner toasts and constant need for attention, and hoping that no one kills themselves.

All of the characters in this movie, and there are many, create a great dynamic. This is a movie that depends just as much on its actors and their performances of the script as it does on the brilliant directing. I swear. Some of the scenes in this movie could me movies by themselves. There are beautiful colors, beautiful people, and beautiful words.

I really do want to give props to the casting director. Every single one of the actors and actresses selected to play in this movie was perfect. They all made it seem so real, so much like life itself. Not only are all of the characters amazing, but you learn more about them as you go. The father, the fiance, Rachel, Kym, their mother, the fiance’s family; it was all so…mind blowingly awesome. The characters unravel, break away, and come together as life goes on. I even found myself clapping during some of the scenes. Not to forget, I had a hard time wiping the smile off of my face, almost as if I was there with the characters and didn’t want them to see me grinning at some of their awkward situations.

On a side note, it was a truly lavish and fantastic wedding. Clearly the families had some money. In fact, after seeing this movie, I don’t know that I could settle for any less of a wedding for myself, maybe except without the main drama. Varieties of exotic music, strange and magical dinner toasts, true and raw emotion, people from all walks of life, contests revolving strictly around the dishwasher: this was truly awesome.

The director deserves an award..or 3. Some of the scenes, even with no dialog, feel magical. They make you feel as if you have come upon some secret and fantastic ritual amongst people, that when together, know all of life’s most beautiful secrets.

It seems that my favorite words to describe this movie have fallen along the lines of beautiful, fantastic, awesome, magical, awe inspiring…synonyms basically.

This is a feast of a movie. It is dramatic, cinematic, witty, charming, and sometimes heartbreaking. If anything, I do hope that people will give this movie a chance. Also, if anything else, disregard all of my advice for the simple reason that: attempting to describe this movie will probably not do it justice and ultimately lessen its cinematic genius.

By the way, I managed to laugh in the first two minutes. Thought I would throw that out there.

I have a bias for James Franco.

Just thought that I would throw that out there.

I only saw one preview for this movie. I think I was at home and only caught the end of it. Still, it intrigued me enough to actually look it up. I must say that in the beginning I was skeptical, but by the end, I was pleasantly surprised.

Sienna Miller is extremely underrated and hot. She plays Camille. She plays a positive Polly, one who only sees the good in life. She is somewhat naive, but I think that only makes her more attractive. However, James Franco, who plays Silas, her newly wed husband, thinks she is a bit of a chatty Kathy. Basically, they are polar opposites. Silas is a badass who has already had two strikes and is on parole. He is mostly into petty theft, but he manages to surprise you throughout the movie. Anyway, Camille wants to go to Niagra Falls for their honeymoon, but, being that Silas is on parole, he can’t leave the state. So, there is some conflict. Now we’ve got a movie.

While traveling in their sidecar, the couple hits a snag and wrecks when Camille drops her wedding ring. This is where the movie takes some seriously insane turns. Keep watching though. This story is really like nothing you have ever seen before.

I wouldn’t exactly tell you to set aside a Saturday night to watch this movie. Maybe, try to see it whenever you have time. It is pretty light and may not make sense, but that is what makes it great. Sienna Miller is gorgeous. Her and Franco speak in southern accents. David Carradine, from Kill Bill, plays Cowboy Bob. That says enough. You’ve got painted horses, neon colored wigs, a blurred reality between life and death, and a newly wed couple on their honeymoon running from the law. What more can I say?

It’s a short romantic comedy that might get a few laughs out of you. At least, it can show you a different way of looking at love and life.

They could call it the dopeness.

First off, if you haven’t seen an Olsen twin in a while and are really craving one, then check out Mary Kate in this. She only has a small part as an experimental drug using, slow dancing hippie with an attraction to older men, but she pulls through. Not to forget, you also get to see Method Man who plays the supplier.

To get to the point. Josh Peck plays Luke Shapiro, a high school senior who has just graduated and awaits his summer as a pot dealer. Now, I had only ever seen Josh Peck in a Nickelodeon show called Drake and Josh, and was wary of how he would perform, but he definitely surprised me in a good way. He is somewhat of a loner, but an extremely nice guy that you would probably want to know. This is how IMDB sums up the movie:

It’s the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Set against this backdrop, a lonely teenager named Luke Shapiro spends his last summer before university selling marijuana throughout New York City, trading it with his unorthodox psychotherapist for treatment, while having a crush on his stepdaughter.

You might be wondering who this “unorthodox psychotherapist” is played by and I will tell you that he is  Ben Kingsley.  This is quite possibly the chief reason as to why you should give this movie a chance. Kingsley is a crazy ass kook. He has seen the 60’s and continues to smoke the good stuff. He is an MD and has the ability to prescribe himself a cocktail of many mind and body numbing pharmaceuticals. He is in a loveless marriage with a beautiful woman who is a good deal younger than him. His stepdaughter buys weed from the same dealer. He wants to party and have affairs and break the mold of being a saggy old weird guy. Have I intrigued you?

Olivia Thirlby plays the stepdaughter and love interest of Mr. Shapiro, Stephanie. She is not only popular, but rebellious. A sex goddess that will share a 40 oz and a joint with you.  She can party hard, smoke cigs, and  be a carefree and thoughtless teenager…kind of the opposite of Shapiro. Perhaps this is where the story comes from. Also, she is absolutely gorgeous. Whenever there is a movie about young people, there must also be young love along side it along with young heartbreak. She looks like she could provide a little bit of both.

If you want to witness one of the freshest and quirkiest triangles of all time, then this is a movie to see. Teenage pot dealer trades pot with over-the-hill therapist for therapy. Therapist smokes pot and pops pills, all the while offering advice and revealing woes to  teenage pot dealer. Teenage pot dealer has crush on therapist’s teenage stepdaughter. Along the way, therapist and pot dealer become friends, colleagues, and confused. Sex happens. Love happens. Notorious BIG changes music as we know it. A Tribe Called Quest is the hottest thing on the radio. Teenage pot dealer sells weed out of an ice cream vendor’s cart with a stereo on the side. Juliana serves his first term.

You could call this a coming of age flick. You could, and I wouldn’t argue. Really though, you can learn a lot from this movie. There is more than just insane adventures through the streets of New York City, marital problems, and the embarrassment of premature ejaculation, even though those situations can teach you a great deal.

The characters in this movie have depth and feel, and you feel for them. You know what you want to happen, but you don’t know what will happen. Trust me on that. There is many a surprise in this movie. Let this movie show you something about life that everyone can relate to.

“Sometimes it’s right to do the wrong thing, and right now is one of those times.”

I’m not sure how many people have heard of this movie.

Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly. Who would have guessed? Chances are that you have probably seen the formula before, and by the formula I mean the story.

So, Sean William Scott plays Doug Staber, an assistant manager at Donaldson’s Grocery who is ready for a promotion. He is 33, married to Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office), and ready to buy a house. There is a new store opening and Doug’s boss says that he is a shoe in for manager…but if that was true there wouldn’t be a movie or a need for John Reilly, who plays Richard Wehlner, a transfer from Canada who is married with a daughter, addicted to self motivation tapes, and formerly addicted to drugs.

Being that Richard Wehlner is from Canada, you can expect some good Canadian cracks, which there are many. They are quite funny. However, there are many more funny elements to this story. The Donaldson’s grocery staff, an unruly bunch of young Hispanic men, lazy security guards, and mentally challenged chronic masturbating bagboys make for some good scenes that most people could relate to, especially concerning the everyday monotony of working in a grocery store. You’ve also got a gang that hangs out in the parking lot, Donaldson’s corporate assholes, homo-erotic banjo playing, and Jason Bateman.

As I said before, you have probably, most definitely seen the plot before. These two guys compete with silly tactics for the same promotion, throwing each under the bus and showing mutual understanding of each other’s personal woes and problems whenever possible.

It wasn’t made to win an Oscar. Put simply, it is entertaining and will make you laugh. It is a light romp. It is a movie that you could watch on a Tuesday night or a Saturday afternoon. If you have seen Trust the Man or Run Fat Boy Run, then you might know what I’m talking about.

There are some memorable lines and many humorous scenes, so be sure to check this highly unnoticed movie out if you get the chance.

Plus, who gets the promotion?

“We’re all just out here trying to get some food… sometimes, we bump into each other.”

The anthem for some.

The dream for most.

The reality for many.

I dig this guy. He kind of reminds of Rick Astley. Not in  his music style or anything, just that I didn’t expect  him to look the way he did.

I didn’t know what to expect, but expectations were definitely met.

First of all, I did not know that there would be a narrator, Christopher Evan Welch, but I enjoyed that aspect of the movie. I do have somewhat of a bias in favor of narrators, but it really did help in this movie.

The story goes like this: Two girlfriends go to Spain for the summer and end up falling for the same guy who just happens to have an insane, and insanely gorgeous ex-wife, Penelope Cruz. In fact, all of the women in this movie happen to border on the insanely gorgeous - extremely beautiful range.

Scarlett Johansson does an excellent job as the more promiscuous, misunderstood, and experimental friend. She appears to be one of those misguided and naive women who want to tour with rock stars and have threesomes with darkly mysterious Spanish painters, when compared along side her friend and opposite, played by Rebecca Hall, the considerably more well grounded realistic, and engaged of the two.

Javier Bardem plays the Spanish hunk in the movie who creates turmoils between friends, newly married couples, and overly eccentric and dark ex-wives. I do not recall seeing him in any other movies, even though he does share a devilish similarity to Denny Duquette of Grey’s Anatomy. Still, he seems like the perfect guy to play Juan Antonio Gonzalo, an extremely charming and sexual painter.

Penelope Cruz is a bombshell, in all possible and imaginable ways. She is actually not in most of the movie, but when she does appear things definitely get interesting. She plays Juan Antonio Gonzalo’s ex-wife, a woman that has an intense attachment to him, death, love, painting, drama, and sometimes, suicidal attempts.  She is phenomenal in this movie. This was the perfect role for her and she played it wonderfully.

Woody Allen made a slam dunk when he directed this movie. He was subtle and in your face at the same time. There are many elements in this movie that sneak around the main plot, but add a great deal of drama and understanding to the story itself. Scenes involving any one of the four main cast members, Scarlett, Rebecca, Javier, or Penelope are enthralling, romantic, and real.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. It is romantic and dramatic, but it is also dark and humorous. Plus, it will really make you want to go to Spain.

Visually Stunning!

I saw it in 3-D recently, and it really did blow my mind. The stop motion animation really pumps up the movie. There’s something so familiar about it. Not to mention, the 3-D factor leaves you smiling and awestruck under the plastic framed lenses.

The movie also reminded me of a video game that was geared towards kids. There was this goal/quest/adventure in the movie. I can’t really remember the script, but the characters were amazing. I still have these crazy visuals burned in my head.

There also may be a message withing this film, if you are one of those people who looks for the deeper meaning in things. For me, I just like to be entertained, which this movie did a great job of but, there is some meaning. Maybe, you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone, or nothing is what it seems, or we are or we are, an ode to individuality and all of life’s little quirks, mishaps, letdowns, and discoveries. Perhaps a combination of various common knowledge and original wisdom, cliches and philosophical one liners. Still, that is why this movie works so well. It is simple and fun.

The surprising aspect of this movie was the humor. It had me laughing with some extremely awkward and creative visuals. For instance, a busty (emphasis on busty, as in back problems larger than life), elderly woman who performs on a stage with only stars covering her nipples. A surprisingly shocking and hilarious scene for a movie like this. The use of buttons as eyes was genius. A simple yet clear image.

If you liked The Nightmare Before Christmas or James and the Giant Peach, then you will definitely fall in love with Coraline. They all share those similar and strange, sometimes creepy ideals that we have yet to think about in such a fresh way. If anything, go see it for the visual feast that will leave you satisfied and smiling goofily all the way home.

Just a random slightly related, but not really, link: