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Shame (2011)
Masterfully crafted film!
I'm not quite sure how Steve McQueen does what he does. The obvious subject matter could have faltered in less capable hands, yet he weaves scene after scene of irresistible viewing pleasure. He makes the tiniest details the most interesting thing to watch. Case in point; social meeting between Brandon and Marianne is easily my favorite scene. The uncomfortable silences and delicious pauses in the conversations during dinner. Every intricate moment at the table exactly captures the mood of awkwardness - even with the ever-present waiter lol (how often does THAT happen?). I completely enjoyed watching two people flirting and conversing about anything and everything and much of nothing at all, steadily moving towards a knowing destination. It was something familiar, very common, and thoroughly entertaining. I am a fan of single-shot scenes when done effectively. This is great film-making :)
Entourage (2004)
one of the all-time funniest cable series!
"Fame. It's more fun with your friends!"
Entourage is unlike any other show before or since! A laugh out loud comedy that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Queens bred Golden boy Vincent Chase makes the jump from indie-star to box office superstar in the Hollywood limelight, but not without bringing his New York homeboys along for the ride! Vinny, E., Drama, Turtle and super-agent Ari Gold (with his eternally faithful assistant Lloyd!) have way too much fun navigating the Tinseltown madness - rubbing shoulders with the Who's Who of every celebrity imaginable, from Mandy Moore to Hugh Hefner to Andrew Dice Clay to James Cameron!
My favorite guest celebrity episode was when they moved next door to Bob Saget of 'Full House' fame - who was NOT the family version of Bob Saget we all remember lol! Some other notable celebrity run-ins were when Turtle was dating Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano), and Eric's ongoing feud with Seth Green :D! This was one of those shows that you wish would last forever. Every season had its own identity, although the whole storyline with Vince dating real life porn star Sasha Grey was a low point of the series, IMO.
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
Simply one of the most amazing shows of all time!
Spawned from Spartacus' c**k comes shows like 'Game of Thrones' and the like. But SPARTACUS really raised the bar and kicked the ladder out from under it! This is pure entertainment. The blood/gore/sex/nudity level is cranked up to level '10', but the storyline is one that sticks with you forever. The characters are all fleshed out a lot more in 'GOA' than 'BAS', so we know how Crixus became Champion of Capua, how Oenomaus became Doctore, how Batiatus rose to power, we meet the extremely sexy Gaia! - but most importantly, we are introduced to Gannicus - Possibly the most talented and charismatic of all champions (really? blindfolded?!) Charming, playful, and absolutely deadly with two swords (or without any!), Gannicus actually made me forget about Spartacus not being there. All the characters are well written and of the course the dialogue is memorable and a lot of times laugh out loud hilarious! ("Once again the Gods see fit to shove c**k in a**!") hahahahah LOVE IT! Never been a show like this in the history of TV and anything after will be a copycat. Truly a Starz ORIGINAL!
Looper (2012)
Not entirely original but a smart sci-fi film!
Time-travel is a messy endeavor and making movies about time traveling usually leaves gaping plot holes. Make no mistake about it, Looper is not entirely original but it is the freshest take on time-traveling in movies since the Spanish thriller 'Timecrimes'. In fact, pay close attention and you'll see the DNA strands of 'The Terminator', NBCs 'Heroes', and yeh...even 'Timecrimes'. But that's not a bad thing. Rian Johnson manages to take his original idea and borrow small elements of those aforementioned works to make his creation that much more compelling.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is THE go-to young actor of this generation. Not only does the incredible makeup job transform him into a younger Bruce Willis, but JGL's acting BECOMES a Bruce Willis of sorts - all the way down to his smarmy grin :-). JGL's performance alone is worth the price! Bruce Willis is perfect as a well-aged John McClain Everyman.
The mind-numbing problem of time traveling is well addressed in this movie and I thought that the loose ends tied up well enough to keep the most jaded viewer involved
(SLIGHT SPOILER) What I really liked about Looper was the blending of two separate genres into a broader set-piece: Time-travel and superpowers. I won't say anything more about the plot, but any lifelong fan of sci-fi movies will recognize a little bit of the original Terminator (thats a high compliment), and other meta-physical movies.
LOOPER was my 3rd most anticipated movie of 2012. The 1st was 'Prometheus' - which underwhelmed me. The second movie was 'Marvel's The Avengers' which was everything I was hoping for and more. LOOPER definitely delivered as a treat for the eyes and the mind. A thinking person's action film.
Chronicle (2012)
A true GEM among the found footage rubble!
Being a fan of comic books and super heroes and (good) found footage movies, 'Chronicle' was a surprise that came seemingly from out of nowhere! I didn't see ONE commercial for this movie, yet saw an ad on the tomato movie website and after watching the trailer I knew this movie was gong to be AWESOME :) :)! This isn't your ordinary superhero origin story: this is REAL kids who gain phenomenal powers MINUS ANY responsibility! that alone made for the greatness of this unflinching look at 'what would YOU do if you had this power?' That pretty much sums up 'Chronicle'.
The characters are believable. The script and dialogue is refreshingly realistic (doesn't sound forced for the sake of making the movie plausible). I mean, the character talk, act like, and say things that actual boneheaded teenagers would say given the circumstances (those circumstances being the ability of telekinesis). No high-reaching noble acts here; no one is saving the world and fighting super-villains. These kids are demi-gods walking the earth and they are out to have a helluva time and capture it all on camera :)
The camera work is truly inspirational! The flying scenes - in their remarkably simple execution- are some of the BEST special effects I've seen in a very, very long time, considering the film's low budget. But in the final act of the movie, the multiple camera angles that capture the climatic events was definitely inspired work. Kudos to the director! Finally - watching a troubled kid go from tortured soul to nigh-unstoppable villain with an agenda was definitely disturbing to watch unfold and worth the price of admission. Early on, you want to feel bad for the kid from all the undue hardship he goes through.... that is, until he starts wrecking havoc and turning into something nearing evil. Suddenly, your sympathy turns to creeping dread, and by the third act you're hoping that some way, somehow, someone can stop this kid.
If you haven't seen or even heard of Chronicle - WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! :)
V/H/S (2012)
Nothing 'horror'-able about this horror movie.
SHORT VERSION: The concept is actually scarier than the movie itself. After watching it alone in a dark room I got to the end and thought to myself...'That's it???!' Was not impressed and felt let down. It's as if the screenwriters simply took their favorite horror genre movies and converted them to shaky, grainy, video format. Blahhh.
LONG VERSION: I was so stoked to see this when I first watched the teaser trailer, thinking to myself 'finally, some real horror!' after years of being offered torture-porn disguised as horror (Saw, Hostel, and the like). I AM a fan of found footage movies dating back to the seminal 'Blair Witch Project' - which by now, love it or hate it, is the godfather of the entire genre. But what made 'BWP' so eerily effective was the fact that the evil was never actually SEEN, only implied, so in effect we viewers all freaked ourselves out at the thought of what happened. 'Cloverfield' worked because we never got to see the monster in its entirety (for 95% of the movie), but we could see and live through the real time terror felt by the party-goers. '(REC)' and '(REC)2' (but not Quarantine)- worked because of the apocalyptic claustrophobia and sense of hopelessness being captured on film in the apartment building (and of course the shocking revelation of the infection, which scared the crap out of me!) None of these elements are found in 'VHS'. VHS is essentially 'Creepshow' for the hand-held generation. But where Creepshow was truly icky and tongue-in-cheek and at times campy - VHS simply revisits everything that has been done time and again (vampire, killer in the woods, haunted house), only to the tune of shaky camera work. I mean, really - how many ways can you kill teenagers in the woods? How scary is found footage anymore? I was waiting to be grossed out or at least disturbed. I found myself staring directly at the screen, waiting for that jumping feeling that never happened. The found footage genre isn't exactly dead YET; little seen 'Chronicle' was a delightful surprise! And 'Catfish' wasn't horror, but was definitely unsettling for stripping away the reality of online profiling. The first 'Paranormal Activity' had me covering my eyes because it just looked so real it got under my skin.
But for me, 'VHS' does nothing new to this over-saturated market. It declares the found footage horror genre dead in the water.
Leonard Part 6 (1987)
Surprised that this has a 2 star!
This was the most stupefyingly horrible movie EVER! Even as a kid growing up in the 1980s who would waste Saturday afternoons watching cheesy HBO movies (Super Fuzz, Buckaroo Banzai, Remo Williams, et al)...THIS is especially so bad that my buds and I could never finish watching it! LOL This is a 1-star movie across the board; but I'm not even sure what the 1 star would be for. Considering that this a total Bill Cosby vehicle, you have to wonder what kind of bet he lost, and to WHO (Satan, maybe??) that he would make this drivel. Which is too bad because at the same time he was on top of the TV world with the wild success of The Cosby Show. He could have taken any kind of safe bet on the silver screen and it would have been a hit. instead, he released this stinker - which is on par with Eddie Murphy's historical brick 'Pluto Nash'. Makes you wonder what REALLY goes on in the minds of stars and actors....
Alice in Wonderland (1985)
Overall infinitely better than new Johnny Depp version!
Since the new beefed-up 3D Hollywood spectacle came out I had to go back and REMIND myself and others about this excellent made-for-TV version from 1985!
This version was a charming yet extravagant 4-hour tale told in 2 parts, 2-hr prime-time slots. The 1980s 'Alice' featured the ENTIRE Alice storyline - 'Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass'(with the Jabberwocky). I emphasize this point because the 'alice' saga told in it's entirety is, as far as I'm concerned, the only way to tell the story. Far more enjoyable and entertaining! The cast consisted of a veritable Whos-Who of 80's actors, including jeff and beau Bridges and Sammy Davis Jr. (!).
As far as TV movies go, the production was very good. The ensemble cast, the costumes, the landscaping, everyone involved does an excellent job bringing to life EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER from Lewis Carrol's all time classic. IMO, the 80s version simply has more heart, more charm, whimsy, wit, and danger that the new-er version simply lacks. You could spend $15 for all the bloated CGI and 3D FX and over-the -top acting from Johnny Depp -OR- you can grab this from Netflix or Redbox (?) and introduce the young ones (and reacquaint yourself) to this superbly delightful, nostalgic treat! :-)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Only sin? It came out after 'Die Hard'.
Honestly, it isn't that the movie is so, so terrible (tho it does have its moments)- it's just that it was released AFTER 'Die Hard'! 'DH' was such an amazingly kick-azz movie that Willis became THE new iconic action hero of modern cinema (making 'DH' the definitive action movie). For him to follow up with a bumbling comedy caught moviegoers way off-guard.
Had this movie been made BEFORE 'DH' - when Willis was coming fresh off of his run on the hit dramedy series 'Moonlighting' - 'Hawk' probably would have fared better at the theater.
Besides, the 1980's were chock-full of bumbling caper-comedies.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Dark Phoenix!! Fastball special! Juggernaut! Beast!
First, this movie was much better than I expected! Had a lot of tense emotional moments that caught me off guard - in a good way.
I'm not understanding why fans and norms alike aren't liking this film?!?! What more can be done? The good guys won. They paid a heavy price, but they won! Any fan of the books KNOWS that every member of X-Men has died at least ONCE and no death in the Marvel Universe is ever final....so why get upset becuz Professor X 'dies'?? I thought that was bad-azz!!
What I loved about the movie: Jean Grey obliterates Professor X! Wolverine/Colossus 'fastball special'!, Juggernaut, Storm toughens up, Magneto as always, Mystique, Beast!
I looooved watching Jean Grey go absolutely apes##t evil and damn near destroyed the world. In the story 'Dark Phoenix' she actually threatens to consume the entire galaxy! Of course, they had to downplay that for the movie.
My only major disappointment is the exclusion of GAMBIT!! Gambit, Gambit, Gambit!! How can producers bypass this extremely popular character altogether?? - but yet add such lame mutants like Toad or Artie!?? If Gambit were in this movie It would've been PERFECT!!!!!