Monday, July 23, 2012

A Short List Of Movies Or Films Without Full Reviews: part 14

As a lover of cinema, I watch a lot of stuff. Sadly, I don't have the time, energy or even desire to write reviews for everything I see. Rather than to just continue to let these movies sit on a list, I've decided to post them here with a rating and maybe a little word or two. If you trust my judgement or agree with me on my decisions, then maybe this will be helpful to you in finding some keen new stuff to watch. I think it will also free up my mind a bit to see a much shorter list of things to review in the future. That being said, here we go!

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Brutal Massacre: A Comedy

It's been months and months since I'be seen this, but it still sticks in my mind. A funny, little indie comedy about making a low budget horror film. With some names you'll recognize and a decent script, this is a fun way to spend an evening or afternoon. Very enjoyable and something that may have slipped under your radar! 3 out of 5 stars


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Extract

Mike Judge is a damn talented guy. 'Beavis and Butthead' started his ball rolling, but 'Office Space' and 'Idiocracy' cemented his place in live action comedy film making. That's what makes it such a surprise to me that this came out with no real fanfare. It has several A-list actors, it's a pretty damn funny script and it's right on par with his previous work. You may have not heard of it, but you have now and I highly recommend that you check it out. Good stuff from a proven talent. 4 out of 5 stars.


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Hot Tub Time Machine

What an incredibly stupid plot! That's what I was thinking when I first heard of this. I actually thought it was a fake movie, until I saw a real trailer for it. Because of my preconceived notions about this movie, I stayed away from it for a long time. When it finally popped up on Netflix OnDemand, I figured it was finally time to take a chance. The end result? A hilarious movie that, sadly, had such a weird premise, it may have turned off a lot of potential viewers. If you're willing to check your brain at the door and just enjoy a big hunk o' stupid, this is the movie for you! (Also, it has some good stuff too.... that's not so stupid.) 4 out of 5 stars.


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Skyline

This is the first of 3 reviews all about alien invasion films. They all came out around the same time and I waited to watch them, until all around the same time. First up is 'Skyline'. This one has a simple story line, aliens invade, a small group of people fight to survive. The twist? Love. You'll understand once you see it. A lot of people were really turned off by the ending of this film. I think it was made to have a sequel and I think I'd watch it, if they made one. Granted, it was a bit strange and a little silly, but the rest of it made up for any of the bad taste left at the end. I really dug it and I now own it. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Monsters

I must be a sucker for alien films. The second one out of three is 'Monsters'. This one has a much lower budget than the other two, but I don't feel that it suffers because of it. This has more of a story about the two main characters and the aliens are kind of secondary. You do get some alien sequences, but they're few in number. I loved this for what it was and it felt like a breath of fresh air, after all the other GIANT CGI aliens from the other films. A very satisfying piece of cinema. 4 out of 5 stars.


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Battle: Los Angeles

The final film in this set is 'Battle: Los Angeles'. Not too be confused with the knock-off "mockbuster" 'Battle of Los Angeles'. This is more on par with 'Skyline' than 'Monsters. Big budget, big explosions, big guns and big aliens. Think world war III, but with aliens. There's not a huge amount of intelligence in this opus, but I loved it anyway. This is the kind of film you make a big bucket of popcorn for and watch on a rainy afternoon. If you have a giant TV and a good surround sound system, I'm guessing you'll enjoy this more than people without those things. I dug it quite a bit and would add it to my collection, if I had the spare cash. 4 out of 5 stars.

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The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Morgan Spurlock came out of nowhere several years ago and changed the face of documentary film making, kind of like Michael Moore had done years before. He made them fun again and got people who didn't like documentaries before, to watch them now. There is no denying that the man is charismatic and very entertaining to watch. This somewhat recent outing from him takes an interesting turn. He sets out to fund a documentary with nothing but ads from sponsors. The two things really don't go together, but he makes it work and asks a lot of really smart questions along the way. I love everything he does and this was no exception. Highly recommended for fans of Morgan. 4 out of 5 stars.

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13 Assassins aka Jûsan-nin No Shikaku

I LOVE Takashi Miike. I think he's a modern day auteur and highly underrated in the states. I, however, am not a huge fan of old school samurai films. When I heard that he was making one of his own, I kind of balked at the idea. I'm sorry that I did. This film was awesome. I'm not even sure how else to describe it. The first two acts of the film are the build up to one hell of an amazing finale. This film has everything and you should stop reading this blog no and go and watch it! 4 out of 5 stars.

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I Saw The Devil aka Akmareul boatda

This is a serial killer film for people who love serial killer films. It may be Korean and it may be subtitled, but don't let that keep you away from it. (if that's something that bothers you.... i know a lot of people have issues with subtitles.... i'm not one of them.) Anyway, this film is pure genius. From the opening sequence, it grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the bloody climax. It's two and a half hours that zips by like it's going 100 miles an hour. This sets a new standard for the serial killer genre and is one that's not too be missed. 4 out of 5 stars.


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Super

The last review here is reserved for a film I was going to go more in depth with.... but I need to get the word out about it, so I'm just going to give you a brief over view. 'Super' is a superhero film about a guy who isn't really very super and may or may not be a hero. This is dark, bloody, comical and twisted. The creator, writer, director and mad genius James Gunn is at the helm and all you need to know is that he's a graduate of Troma Studios and is a close friend of Lloyd Kaufman. That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. There is nothing bad about this film. It has great actors, great action, great story, great music, great everything! The only reason to stay away, is if you have a weak stomach for violence and Kevin Bacon. I own it and love it. 4 out of 5 stars.

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