To be perfectly honest, the whole "bungled heist that rips a family apart" routine has been done before. There is little in this movie that presents something new to the genre (genre???) and the directing is nothing to get all excited about.
What the movie has going for it: the acting. As expected, Seymour-Hoffman and Hawke are exceptional. Surprisingly, Tomei does a good job as well. She is cute as a button even though her character can be described as two dimensional at best.
What sucks about the movie: Nothing "sucks" too much about the movie, really. However, it doesn't have that much going for it either. I don't regret spending $5.50 on it, but if I had paid full price, I would have been disappointed.
If seeing some of the private parts of the actors above gets your rocks off, then be the first in the queue to grab a ticket. Otherwise, you can seriously give this one a pass in lieu of DVD rentals.
Rating: 3/5 slices
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A Mist: ...take
Watched Stephen King's "The Mist" tonight and geez, he has made an awesome horrid mess of Lord of the Flies, the Harvest and Sally Kern.
There is no redeeming value in the film other than a few cheap thrills, the random foreign language singing female (aren't they sick and tired of that style by now??? She sung her snatch out in Braveheart and 300, and she's still belting it out with the best of 'em), the creative creature effects and the awesome old woman who plays the gutsy school teacher.
The ending is so unexpected though. Hehehe. Made me chuckle.
Anyway, don't watch it unless you are super shallow mode. 2 out of 5 slices.
There is no redeeming value in the film other than a few cheap thrills, the random foreign language singing female (aren't they sick and tired of that style by now??? She sung her snatch out in Braveheart and 300, and she's still belting it out with the best of 'em), the creative creature effects and the awesome old woman who plays the gutsy school teacher.
The ending is so unexpected though. Hehehe. Made me chuckle.
Anyway, don't watch it unless you are super shallow mode. 2 out of 5 slices.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
A Doll of a Movie: Lars and the Real Girl
At first, I didn't want to watch it. Given its main premise, I imagined a comedic romp about a man who has an obsession with sex dolls to the point of wanting to marry one. Although it was a unique premise to say the least, I wasn't too keen on really venturing into Ryan Reynolds territory.
Oh, hold on. It's Ryan Gosling, the same tortured soul from Half-Nelson. I haven't watched the movie myself, but people have been raving about him left and right. I still haven't recovered/forgiven him for The Notebook, so I really was umming and ahhhing, but I said to myself, what the hey. Nothing to lose.
The movie was astounding.
The premise was not exactly what I envisioned. Gosling played Lars, a dysfunctional chap who has intimacy issues and his "girlfriend", Bianca, is a reflection of that. I was fearing that the movie would fall into slapstick territory, but not once did it do so. The comic relief came mostly in the form of Lars' workbuddy whose screen time barely lasted 5 minutes. The movie itself was highly dramatic, with excellent performances from Gosling, Patricia Clarkson and Emily Mortimer.
It's not a movie about sex dolls and perverted twists. It's about growing up a few years later than expected, facing your demons and embracing the lovely things in the world, even the ones that can hurt you. Yes, there are a few giggles here and there (given the premise, kinda hard not to), but mostly the movie is still a lot of heart. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4.5/5 slices
Oh, hold on. It's Ryan Gosling, the same tortured soul from Half-Nelson. I haven't watched the movie myself, but people have been raving about him left and right. I still haven't recovered/forgiven him for The Notebook, so I really was umming and ahhhing, but I said to myself, what the hey. Nothing to lose.
The movie was astounding.
The premise was not exactly what I envisioned. Gosling played Lars, a dysfunctional chap who has intimacy issues and his "girlfriend", Bianca, is a reflection of that. I was fearing that the movie would fall into slapstick territory, but not once did it do so. The comic relief came mostly in the form of Lars' workbuddy whose screen time barely lasted 5 minutes. The movie itself was highly dramatic, with excellent performances from Gosling, Patricia Clarkson and Emily Mortimer.
It's not a movie about sex dolls and perverted twists. It's about growing up a few years later than expected, facing your demons and embracing the lovely things in the world, even the ones that can hurt you. Yes, there are a few giggles here and there (given the premise, kinda hard not to), but mostly the movie is still a lot of heart. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4.5/5 slices
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A Deadly Combo: Death Proof & Planet Terror
We decided to humour ourselves this weekend and rented the Grindhouse flicks Death Proof (by Quentin Tarantino) and Planet Terror (by Robert Rodriguez).
Although we watched Planet Terror first, this review will start with the Tarantino movie Death Proof.
In a nutshell, it was awful - absolutely atrocious and worthless. The acting was done better in this movie, but without a script that had some semblance of direction, not even the best actors could pull this one off. I understand that Tarantino had a vision for this movie, a homage to Grindhouse movies of old. However, surely he could have done it with a little bit more twists and turns. A homage without structure just doesn't sustain my interest (Superman Returns, anyone?). From my point of view, Tarantino redeems himself only in the last 9 minutes of the film, which means I just lost an hour and 37 minutes of my life.
For pete's sake, I'm already 34. I can't afford to lose any more time.
Planet Terror, however, is another thing altogether. It was silly and camp and just atrociously wonderful. It was so ridiculously cheesy that one automatically puts down one's guard and because of that, it was easy to enjoy this silly ride. Watch this film without any expectations and you will enjoy it. By the time it got to the rocket launcher scene, I was just slackjawed in utter shock.
The best thing about this movie is its sheer camp appeal and its playful tongue-in-cheekness. The bad thing about this flick (both flicks, actually) is Rose McGowan. She executes a finer acting job in Death Proof, which only proves one point - she REALLY can't act. Even her pole dance scene was numbing - it was as enticing as watching a dog taking a poop in Centennial Park.
Planet Terror - 3/5 slices
Death Proof - 1.5/5 slices
Although we watched Planet Terror first, this review will start with the Tarantino movie Death Proof.
In a nutshell, it was awful - absolutely atrocious and worthless. The acting was done better in this movie, but without a script that had some semblance of direction, not even the best actors could pull this one off. I understand that Tarantino had a vision for this movie, a homage to Grindhouse movies of old. However, surely he could have done it with a little bit more twists and turns. A homage without structure just doesn't sustain my interest (Superman Returns, anyone?). From my point of view, Tarantino redeems himself only in the last 9 minutes of the film, which means I just lost an hour and 37 minutes of my life.
For pete's sake, I'm already 34. I can't afford to lose any more time.
Planet Terror, however, is another thing altogether. It was silly and camp and just atrociously wonderful. It was so ridiculously cheesy that one automatically puts down one's guard and because of that, it was easy to enjoy this silly ride. Watch this film without any expectations and you will enjoy it. By the time it got to the rocket launcher scene, I was just slackjawed in utter shock.
The best thing about this movie is its sheer camp appeal and its playful tongue-in-cheekness. The bad thing about this flick (both flicks, actually) is Rose McGowan. She executes a finer acting job in Death Proof, which only proves one point - she REALLY can't act. Even her pole dance scene was numbing - it was as enticing as watching a dog taking a poop in Centennial Park.
Planet Terror - 3/5 slices
Death Proof - 1.5/5 slices
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A Movie with Heart: Be Kind, Rewind
I personally didn't want to see this movie at first, and I think it had a lot to do with its two lead stars: Mos Def and Jack Black. For me, these two "actors" should be shot, a punishment for all the films these two have starred in and a grim reminder to all the young children that they should not emulate these less than ideal people.
However, this movie was also directed by Michel Gondry, the directorial equivalent of Bjork, and who doesn't like Bjork? :-) So I watched it, thinking that finally, Mr. Gondry has sunk to the low that is Jack Black.
To my surprise, it turned out that the two have risen to the level of Michel Gondry. The movie is quite quirky (not to my surprise) but it has a strong cultural commentary on film making and the companies that capitalises on it. It touches on the money-grubbing film companies and directors who churn out film after film of crapilicious proportions.
But more importantly, it tells of a story of how, in the hands of the right director, movies have the power to transform people, which I think is the strongest point made by the film. It shows how even the
Given the erratic pace of the film, I don't think this film will win Best Picture anytime soon. However, the ending makes up for the wait. Also, it does get points for having a beautiful message and -in all honesty- the directorial vision is nothing short of breathtaking.
I would definitely recommend it. 3.5 / 5 slices.
However, this movie was also directed by Michel Gondry, the directorial equivalent of Bjork, and who doesn't like Bjork? :-) So I watched it, thinking that finally, Mr. Gondry has sunk to the low that is Jack Black.
To my surprise, it turned out that the two have risen to the level of Michel Gondry. The movie is quite quirky (not to my surprise) but it has a strong cultural commentary on film making and the companies that capitalises on it. It touches on the money-grubbing film companies and directors who churn out film after film of crapilicious proportions.
But more importantly, it tells of a story of how, in the hands of the right director, movies have the power to transform people, which I think is the strongest point made by the film. It shows how even the
Given the erratic pace of the film, I don't think this film will win Best Picture anytime soon. However, the ending makes up for the wait. Also, it does get points for having a beautiful message and -in all honesty- the directorial vision is nothing short of breathtaking.
I would definitely recommend it. 3.5 / 5 slices.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A Recipe: Mikey's MegaMagnificent Mangria
It's actually a sangria, but I wanted the 4M effect - also, I may have stolen this recipe from Princesse who doesn't know this blog exists, so tough luck.
This makes a pitcher of Mangria. I suggest half everything and start from there.
750 ml of Red Wine
22.5 ml of Triple Sec (roughly 7 jiggers)
22.5 ml of Brandy (roughly 7 jiggers)
135 ml of lemon juice (a bit more than half a cup)
675 ml of Sprite / Lemonade
135 ml of Grenadine (or any nice cordial that you have. I like raspberry)
Mix these up in a jug, add tonnes of chopped fruits. Put this is a fridge. Enjoy!
This makes a pitcher of Mangria. I suggest half everything and start from there.
750 ml of Red Wine
22.5 ml of Triple Sec (roughly 7 jiggers)
22.5 ml of Brandy (roughly 7 jiggers)
135 ml of lemon juice (a bit more than half a cup)
675 ml of Sprite / Lemonade
135 ml of Grenadine (or any nice cordial that you have. I like raspberry)
Mix these up in a jug, add tonnes of chopped fruits. Put this is a fridge. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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