my thoughts on.... 'Red, White & Blue' (2010)

This film is not an easy one to watch.

This film has characters that have not very many redeeming qualities.

This film presents you with a large number of morality questions, with no real answers.

This film ends ambiguously, but it ends amazingly strong.

This is an amazing film, but I feel strange saying that based on the subject matter.

This is one of the best films I've seen in a while, end of story.

This film has been written about and puzzled over in many online blogs and publications. It's been in my queue for quite some time and I've been putting it off, as I was waiting for the right moment to settle in to watch it. Last night was that night. The reason it keeps coming up, is that it's such a unique storyline with characters that seem to have no likable characteristics.... however, they're very watchable characters. These are characters that you have to find a common ground with in order to watch the film. I spent the entire, almost 2 hour run time, puzzling over how everyone ended up in the situation they were in and if they were justified in their actions. To be honest, I'm still asking myself the same questions. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this film since it ended. I can't say it's a recommended watch, perhaps only to those with a strong stomach and an open mind. This is a film that doesn't come along everyday, it can't be.... not based on the storyline. It's so dark and so harsh.

Enough of my babble, on with the storyline....

Plot taken from Wiki: "Erica (Amanda Fuller) spends her nights trawling the bars and beds of Austin. Emotionally withdrawn, her only form of human contact is a series of one-night stands, until she meets the mysterious Nate (Noah Taylor), who claims to have been honorably discharged from Iraq. Despite his air of danger, Nate’s the only man who seems to want for more than sex, and the two form a hesitant bond. But one of Erica’s casual sexual encounters, Franki (Marc Senter) — a young, hot-headed wannabe rock star — is about to return dramatically into her life." And when he does, things go straight to hell for all three people and everyone in their radius. That pretty much sums it up, although there is so much more to it than just what's writte here. It's such a hard film to sum up in a paragraph.For all of the horrible things that happen during the course of this film, there is still an underlying love story (in a way) and true caring and concern for someone else. It's what makes this all that much more of a difficult film to dissect. Case in point, the violence is focused on in the reviews you read.... but in reality, a lot of is it implied. Granted, there is some horrific stuff presented on the screen, but only snippets of it is visual and the rest is left up to your own imagination. That creates a visual far worse than anything Simon Rumley could have created. There is also some confusion on the backstories in the film and the ending. What I have to say to that is that if you're paying attention and going along with what the characters believe and say, then you'll understand everything that happens. However, if you're left feeling unsatisified at the end.... there are plenty of sites attempting to crack the final scenes. I think it was done in such a way that it doesn't treat the audience like idiots. It allows some interpretations, but is pretty concrete.... however subtle it may be.

All in all, I am very close to a 5 star rating, but after my inital viewing, I am going with a very strong 4 out of 5 star rating. This film has a unique voice that screams out to have all of the directors other films added to the queue and watched as soon as possible. I am so happy that I finally took the leap of faith to watch this and that I waited to be in the right mood. This is not your Saturday afternoon pleasure viewing film, this is for the thinking person with an open mind and a bit of a sadistic side. If you have the time and the desire, this is a film that deserves a wide audience and all of the people involved in this put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it and it shows. Amazing.

There is a great scene early on in the film where Nate is talking to Erica and telling her a story about when he was a kid. He talks about how he used to do horrible things to animals, but when he was given a kitten to take care of, he treated it like his own child and would never hurt it and would protect it to the death. However, it didn't stop him from hurting other animals. This is just an example of the beautiful way that things are forshadowed in the film and you almost have to take everything said and done in the film as more than what it appears. Everything has a meaning a purpose. That's why I love this flim.

If you like this, check out: 'Death Sentence', 'The Brave One' and 'Death Wish'

my thoughts on.... 'Machete' (2010)

It's been awhile since I posted a review, but things have been hectic with school and I've been sick.... possibly more on that in another post. That being said, I continue my 'Grindhouse' film festival with the Robert Rodriguez opus 'Machete'. I think this is the first starring vehicle for Danny Trejo and after watching 'Machete', I can see why he doesn't generally carry a film all by himself. It's not that he's bad in it or un-charasmatic, it's just that he's more of a character actor than a leading man. (sorry Danny.... don't hurt me.) [Side note: If you want to see one of my favorite roles for Danny Trejo, check out his portrayal of the young Michael Myers caretaker in Rob Zombie's 'Halloween'. He is spot on perfect in that role.] He does, however, sell the character of a former federale that has been forced into a situation he doesn't want to be in. He may not be the tallest guy in the world, but what he lacks in size.... he makes up for in attitude. He is such a menacing presance when he wants to be. He is a guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark ally, especially if he's packing some sort of a weapon. What was a bit of a shame was that the rest of the cast just wasn't as strong as Danny was. Especially Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan, they were just so dull and uninspired. I don't understand their appeal and no matter how much I tried, they just kept drawing focus away from the movie and not in a good way. On the flip side of that, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey and Cheech Marin stole the show. I only wish that Cheech couldn've done more double shotgun wielding action throughout the flick, he was pretty badass.

The plot of this shakes out pretty much like the 'faux' trailer from the original 'Grindhouse' film. Robert Rodriguez actually used the original footage to tie it all togther and then, of course, added a whole lot of new stuff. I'd say that he got about 90% of the original actors from the trailer to make the final film. Anyway, Danny plays a man nicknamed 'Machete'. He's a former federale from Mexico who's life was destroyed by a very overweight and akward Steven Seagal. Fast-forward a few years and we find that America is at war with the illegals pouring over the border from Mexico. We establish several characters that will tie in directly with Machete's primary plot. We have Jessica Alba's Mexican girl gone illegal alien hunter. Michelle Rodriguez's taco stand vendor/illegal alien warrior. Don Johnson's over the top border patrol agent gone bad. And of course, Danny's relative and priest Cheech Marin. Danny is hired by Jeff Fahey to kill Robert DeNiro's politician character, but is double crossed. He becomes a man hunted, but he vows to get back at those who wronged him. The rest of the film is an all out, over the top action flick for those who love their films big and silly.

The thing that I love and hate about Robert Rodriguez movies are the fact that he pumps them out so quickly and with such reckless abandon. He does it in such a way that he doesn't have time to second guess if his ideas are original and fun or over the top and stupid. That is left up to the viewer to decide in the end. I know that he's capable of amazing things, we've all seen the 'El Mariaci' trilogy or 'Sin City' right? He has skills. He just gets so wrapped up in trying to make every single idea that he has into a movie that he loses sight of quality vs. quantity. I think he needs to learn that sometimes less is more. Take his movie 'Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3D', this was a movie that was literally written because of a dream that his kid had. He made an entire movie based on the imagination of a child, no filter. I think this is charming and sweet and could have been something pretty keen, but instead.... he just spit it out at top speed and ended up with a big turd of a movie. A really big turd.

All in all, I think 'Machete' suffered a bit of Rodriguez-itis. It was put out as an after thought to a one off faux trailer that people loved and he felt obligated to make the full feature. With a bit more time, I think he could have tweaked this to be legendary. I still feel it deserves 4 out of 5 stars for it's ridiculous campiness and bloody action. I think he also deserves a lot of credit for calling in a bunch of favors to get a pretty big cast of stars. I also want to thank him for giving a character actor the chance to shine in a leading role and he couldn't have picked a nicer guy to give that chance. Who doesn't love Danny Trejo? So if you're bored and want to check out on real life for an hour and a half, this is THE film to watch. If you're looking for a film with minimal death's caused by lowrider's and fat Steven Seagal portrayal's of Mexican bad guys, than you should probably stay away from 'Machete'. Now let's see if Robert sticks with his promise at the end of this to make 'Machete Kills' and 'Machete Kills Again'. If I know him like I think I know him, he's already dreaming up the storylines and will have them both out before the end of 2013.

If you like this, check out: 'Planet Terror', 'Death Proof' and 'Hobo With A Shotgun'

my thoughts on.... 'Hobo With A Shotgun'

4 years and 3 days ago, a film was released that proved to be one of the best movie going experiences that I've ever had. The film was 'Grindhouse'. It was a fun ride that lasted several hours and the entire audience was involved, not something that is seen too often these days. One of the fun little side effects of that film was the 'faux' trailers that were at the beginning and middle of the films. Robert Rodriguez's trailer for 'Machete' has already been made into a full length movie and released to some pretty good reviews. One of the other trailers was a fan-made one that only played in certain cities.... it was called 'Hobo With A Shotgun'.

It was a sweet little piece of heaven written and directed by a gentleman named, Jason Eisener. Due to the reception of this 2 minute opus, Mr. Eisener was given the greenlight to make a full length version. I had the pleasure of seeing it last night and I have to say, I loved it! I can't think of the last time I saw a Rutger Hauer movie that I enjoyed. I also wasn't sure that this concept could carry a full one and a half hours and still be worthwhile.... I was wrong.

Today it seems like studios are cranking out remakes and reboots and very little original material. And when it is original, it's not always 'original' if you know what I mean? That's what made 'Hobo With A Shotgun' so damn fun! Not only was it original, but it was truly an original concept and one that was so incredibly simple that it was genius. It just proves the point that there are new ideas still out there in Hollywood and you don't have to create the next 'Star Wars' saga to make a good piece of cinema. What I mean is that this is a film, literally, about a hobo with a shotgun. No more, no less. You don't have to find a deeper meaning, although I think there is one here.... you can just sit back, eat some popcorn, root for the vigilante and check your brain at the door. You get as much or as little out of this film as you want. It's not begging for your approval, it just is what it is. It's chock full of blood, guts, gore, violence, comedy, one-liners, 70's style cheese, pretty ladies, nasty villans, gritty cinematography, big guns and a hero for the new age. I may be heaping way too much praise on something so basic, but I had so much fun watching this from the get-go that I can't help but want to pass the joy along to anyone else who'll listen. This film is an example of why I love film and why I love to write about film.

The plot? Read on....

An unamed hobo wanders into town on a railroad car. What he finds is a town in ruins. The law is currupt, criminals are everywhere, money is scarce, people are willing to do anything for a dollar and there is little to no hope of a future. The few people that still have a good heart are forced to do terrible things or are so afraid of the bad guys that they have to hide. Despite all of this depression and gloom, our hero only wants to get enough money to buy a lawnmower and make a decent living cutting peoples grass. After he wittnesses one too many violent crimes, he decides that he's had enough and he has to step in. So while being held up at a pawn shop, he takes down a shotgun off the wall (that he eventually pays for) and proceeds to blow away the three criminals that are robbing the place. From this point forward, he's out to clean up the town one shell at a time. Along the bloody path towards redemption, he meets a good hearted prostitute and she befriends him. Meanwhile, the head villan turns the entire town against him by having them all go out to kill the hobo.... not just the one hobo, but all the hobo's, just in case. Things go from bad to worse as two hired killers get involved and things turn into a bloody battle for justice. What happens in the end? You'll have to find out for yourself! Watch, 'Hobo With A Shotgun'.... Rated R.

If you decided to delve into this film, think 'Mad Max' meets 'Death Wish'. Rutger Hauer turns up the intensity factor in this film.... all the way to 11. As a matter of fact, this entire film is at an 11, the whole time. It starts out with a 5 minute intro that lulls you into a comfortable place, but then all hell breaks loose and it doesn't let up for another hour and a half. I felt exhausted by the time it ended, but in a 'cigarette after sex' kind of way. Something that you may be thinking by the simple plot is that this can't have a good script, you would be wrong. I don't know how Jason was able to pull something so smart out of something so basic, but he does. I also figured that the acting would be sub-par since this is a kind of throwback to a simple time, I was wrong there too. Everyone in this film turns in a quality performance. It's as good as anything that you'll see in a "serious" film. This might just mark the return of Rutger Hauer and the rise of Molly Dunsworth. I can only hope that the critical reviews of this film are as glowing as mine, however I kind of doubt that everyone will see this the way I did. Hell, maybe you won't even agree with me about this. I just hope that if you do watch this little gem, please have an open mind and a clear head.... that's all I ask. Also, make sure you have a strong stomach, this has some VERY graphic content. Lots of blood and things being broken or ripped off of bodies. That's about all I have to say, I guess. Let me just sum this review up by saying that I give this a rare 5 out of 5 star rating. It deserves nothing less than that and I cannot wait to see what Jason Eisener has coming out next. That and I want to see where this takes Rutger Hauer. Even if neither of them do anything else for the rest of their lives after 'Hobo With A Shotgun', this film will stand as a testament to all that is right with filmaking and all that is wrong with the world.

Since there are no other films that I want to relate to this, I'll leave you with the classic speech from this film:
Hobo: [to a group of newborn babies] "I used to be like you. A long time ago. All brand new and perfect. No mistakes, no regrets. People look at you and think of how wonderful your future will be. They want you to be something special, like a doctor, or a lawyer. I hate to tell you this, but if you grow up here, you're more likely to wind up selling your bodies on the streets, or shooting dope from dirty needles in a bus stop. And if you're successful, you'll make money selling junk to crackheads. And don't think twice about killing someone's wife, because you won't even know it's wrong in the first place. Maybe... you'll end up like me. A hobo with a shotgun."

Side note: This film has officially been added to my list as one of my top 50 films of all time. Nuff' said.

my brief thoughts on.... 'Doghouse'

Zombies, zombies, zombies.... I love zombies. It's so nice to find a new twist on an old theme, especially one involving the undead. I've been lucky enough to have several zombie movies that have found their way to my TiVo or DVD player in the past few weeks that are new and different. It has re-ignited my love affair with the flesh eating corpses. (not that it ever went away really.) I remember seeing the trailer for 'Doghouse' quite a while ago and thinking that I wanted to add it to my Netlfix queue, but it wasn't available at the time. This little gem came out in 2009 and hit Netflix just recently. Most of you will probably recognize the star, Stephen Graham. He was Jason Statham's partner in 'Snatch'.... the one looking for the caravan. He's spot on in this movie and is equal parts funnyman and the hesitant hero. His friends are all likeable characters and you can find at least one that you'll relate too. They're a nice cross section of the male gender. The special effects are well done and each zombie is unique and a character all by themself. It seems in the zombie films of the past, zombies were all kind of interchangeable and a lot of them just blended together. Nowdays, zombies are as much of a main character as the main characters. They're all done as though they'll be the main focus of the movie. You can quickly identify each one. Granted, they may not have a specific name.... but like the 'Baseball Girl' in 'Land of the Dead', you remember who they are.

The plot here involves six guys who all leave their significant others to go to a little town called Moodley for the weekend. They take a little bus and leave one guy behind, who just couldn't get away. When they arrive in the quaint little town, the guys are let down that it looks like a little mountain town from the old days. Afraid that they will die of boredom, they begin to rethink coming. One of the blokes notices a woman walking down the street, when he approaches her.... she turns on him and he discovers she's a zombie. But she's not the only one, every woman in town has been affected by a government made virus that only turns females into the walking dead. There is not a single man in sight. The boys make a run for the bus, but their female bus driver has turned now and they make a 180 turn back towards the town. While seeking shelter, they have to dodge hordes of zombies. Soon they get seperated and it's almost every man for himself. Things get cranked up at this point and build to the finale. See what I mean about a new twist on an old theme? It's not quite re-inventing the wheel, but if it ain't broke.... don't fix it, right? Regardless, it's still nice to see something different. The zombies are, as always, disgusting looking. Each one has an obvious look to them that leads you to draw a conclusion about who they were before they turned. Like the butcher that one guy runs into. Even if she hadn't still been in the butcher shop chopping up a victim, you'd still be able to tell who she was. That's kind of a nice little touch that they've added here. There are a few fun little 'inventions' that they create to fight the undead. Like a remote control car with model plane fuel or the old fuel in a water gun trick. Some of these things are more effective than others, thus lending itself to some funny moments. All in all, a solid story with solid characters and solid zombies.

I couldn't say this was nearly as good as 'Shaun of the Dead', but it has a similar feel to it. Maybe it's because it was made across the pond? It's not nearly as clever or as strong as that movie was the whole way through. I wouldn't be surprise, however, if it was a strong influence on the writers of 'Doghouse' and I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. I narrowed it down to a 3 out of 5 star attempt. One that probably won't make it into my DVD collection, but one that I might watch again in the future. It's available to rent from Netflix, but not OnDemand sadly. It's worth the rental and worth your time to watch it. I don't know how readily available it is from any other source, but I'm sure you can find it if you dig around. So before you head out for a boy's weekend out, think about 'Doghouse' and make sure you're prepared to defend yourself if they female gender takes a turn for the worse.

If you like this, you'll dig: 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Dead Alive aka Braindead' and 'Cemetary Man'

my brief thoughts on.... 'Trouble Every Day'

Ah, yes.... the French horror cinema. Yet again another movie from across the pond. It stars Beatrice Dalle and Vincent Gallo in a story of erotica and canniblism. Sounded like an interesting mix and I am a fan of Vincent Gallo, so it seemed like a no brainer. Well, what I didn't count on was the fact that this was from the first half of the 2000's. At that time, the French still felt like a movie had to be pretentious to be good and by my count there hasn't been one good horror movie that was pretentious. I'm not saying that they don't exist, I'm just saying that they're like oil and water.... they don't mix. Now this movie isn't in French, not the whole thing anyway. It's a mix of French and American.... I suppose so Vincent Gallo wouldn't need to learn the language. The cover for the DVD, the stills from the movie and some certain scenes in it were just beautiful. Very well done images of a bloody woman doing different things. All things pointed to a good movie going experience. Well, things didn't work out that way. If this movie had been made last year and was like this, then I might have lost faith in the French horror cinema. Luckily it was from long enough ago that I can forgive the error in judgement.

The plot is simple. A man, who becomes cannibalistic when he's aroused heads to France with his girl. He's taken a job over there and is moving to start a life there. Meanwhile, a woman with the same afflection is basically a prisoner in her own home. The doors and windows are all sealed up and she is almost an animal. A couple of guys come by there very often and try to get in. She keeps enticing them to break in, but her intentions aren't pure. The man is doing everything he can to contain his urges, however it eventually overwhelms him. Soon he meets up with the woman in the house and things kind of get messy. This movie was not good. Maybe I missed the point, I hope that was the case. It was just so slow and there was hardly any dialouge and when people did speak, it didn't seem to move the plot along much. A lot of things are implied and a lot of that leads to confusion. The scenes mentioned earlier of blood and the woman are the only parts of this movie that were worthwhile. They're shot in a way that's very flattering even with the subject matter involved. I really wanted to like this movie. It had the recipe for something that could have been great. It's not because it was slow, I like movies that build to a climax no matter how slow. It's not because it was a bit pretentious, movies can be pretentious and still be good. It's not because of the actors, they're good actors.... it was just that they were in a bad movie.

This is something that I never need to see again. A 1 out of 5 star movie will, generally, always be a 1 out of 5 star movie. This just had nothing worth talking about. I wish I could pinpoint the reason it was so terrible. There are a lot of reviewers out there that thought this was a great movie. Maybe I'll never understand why that is and to be honest, I don't know that I care to understand. I don't want my money back, nor do I regret spending the time on it. This movie has been on my radar as something to see for a long time. I just finally felt it was the right time to watch it. Now I can move on with my life and it's one more free space in my Netflix queue. I'm not a fan of cannibals and this just adds another nail in their coffin.

Good French horror films: 'Haute Tension aka High Tension', 'À l'intérieur aka Inside' and 'La Horde aka The Horde'

my thoughts on.... 'Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever'

i've been the first in line to say that Eli Roth is one of the savior's of the horror genre.... along with a few select others.... he wrote and directed the original 'Cabin Fever'.... this movie has nothing to do with him.... and Ti West who directed it, wanted no association with it once the producers got done with it.... he felt they ruined it.... granted, i have no idea what it would have been like if they never got involved.... but i'm not so sure it would have been that much better....

if you saw the original then you know the basic premise.... a flesh eating virus is killing off people one by one.... and luckily it hasn't spread outside of the small town where it started.... in the sequel, it picks up RIGHT where the last one left off.... and continues the story.... but not for long.... and once the plot of this movie begins, the movie bears little resemblance to the original.... in this case.... the water that is contaminated with the virus has been shipped out.... and the first place it goes is to the local high school.... the rest kind of writes itself.... ie: bloody high school kids, attempts to stop the virus, the government getting involved.... etc.... your typical virus scenario. the first point where this movie fails is that it goes to much for the humorous side of the storyline.... granted the original was satirical and had it's comedy moments.... but it never went all out for the ha ha funny.... this one does.... or seems to.... and it doesn't do it very well.... the virus has no real rhyme or reason and doesn't react the same with everyone, like in the original.... and they go for the gross out factor in a major way in this.... and turn it comical.... whereas the original never took the effects of the disease as being funny.... those parts were always serious....

would i recommend this....? well, if you're a completionist like me.... then you'll want to watch it.... just be warned that it really doesn't hold a candle to the first one.... the only worthwhile thing is the return of Officer Winston.... i would give this a solid 3 out of 5 stars.... but no more than that.... i would love to see the directors cut.... and find out what he was really going for.... because i can't imagine what he could do differently to salvage the script for this.... i mean, the disease at prom....? save your time and watch 'Dance of the Dead' instead.... MUCH better movie about the prom and zombies....

if you enjoy this movie, check out: 'Dance of the Dead', 'Prom Night' and 'Return of the Living Dead' (not really virus movies, but prom themed and i guess you can qualify zombies as a virus based reaction to something nasty.)