Quick and Dirty Movie Reviews
July 25th, 2011 — Biography or Based on Truth, Drama, Family
Basic Plot: Based on the story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his inner-city students to learn calculus.
Outburst: An alright movie, probably my least favorite of the ‘mentor’ films. It is a pioneer of the student-teacher genre, which holds a special place in my heart.
— Classic of the ‘troubled youth and mentor’ subset of movies. Also great for learning Spanglish and for discussions about discrimination against Latinos.
July 20th, 2011 — Crime Drama, Documentary
Basic Plot: Reflecting on the fact that the average US prostitute enters the life at 13, this is a documentary following human trafficking and female child sexual exploitation in NYC.
Outburst: When a young girl doesn’t get along with her folks and runs away from home, she can’t legally get a job. She can’t legally find a place to live, and from there it’s an easy step toward an illegal occupation such as prostitution. If a pimp grabs her and makes her sleep with several men, would her parents even take her back once they find out she’s been tricking? If she goes to the police, she’ll probably wind up in jail for prostitution. And if no one loves her except her pimp, who do you think she’ll turn to for help? None of these tales are a surprise to me, but they may be a surprise to you.
NOTE: this only covers a subsection of sexworkers. Not everyone in sexwork is exploited, and many are boys or transgender.
— This documentary is probably best viewed in an activist setting or among a group of people who can discuss the film afterward. Viewing it with current or former folks from ‘the life’ is probably ideal.
Official Site: GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services)
July 17th, 2011 — Action, Adventure, Drama, Family
Basic Plot: A Menard County sheriff uses tough love on his troubled teen grandson. He can stay out of jail if he takes a solo canoe trip down 60 miles of Pecos River.
Outburst: For a low-budget film, the C-list acting is better than expected (with the notable exception of Caroline Goodall, whose talent tragically nosedives for the duration of this film). Sam Huntington does well in the main role despite absurd plot convolutions forcing him to play the role of Mick in Crocodile Dundee II while dressing like a punk Karate Kid. The soundtrack is as appallingly synthesized as you’d expect; the special effects (including some obviously plastic insects) are laughable.
— Remember those ABC after-school specials? If you liked those and think that the only real men are cowboys wearing white hats, you’ll enjoy this film. It’s a good clean family movie with lots of morals included.
July 16th, 2011 — Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
Basic Plot: An amnesiac war vet, mistakenly sent to an institute for the criminally insane, is subject to cruel experimentation. The idea is loosely based on a Jack London story, which is based on the tale of Ed Morrel.
Outburst: From the intro’s juxtaposition of chaotic war footage and classical soundtrack, I knew I was in for a dark, surreal ride. This is the unintentional doppelganger of the movie Jacob’s Ladder, with a science-fiction, mystery slant instead of demonic horror.
— Charlie Kaufman fans, and folks who have always wanted to see Jacob’s Ladder but who don’t see merit in pissing themselves with fear, will appreciate this film.
Wikipedia Entry: The Jacket (film)
Wikipedia Entry: Ed Morrell
July 16th, 2011 — Drama, Horror
Basic Plot: A traumatized Vietnam veteran finds out that his post-war life isn’t what he believes it to be.
Outburst: Kinda irritating when the main spoiler for the movie is in the title. But I guess this isn’t supposed to be a mystery, rather it’s a discovery of a different viewpoint of life and what (if anything) comes next. This is a horror movie with a happy ending, good for a creepy scare that doesn’t stay with you.
/CULT — Guillermo del Toro fans will feel right at home and the Silent Hill followers already own a copy.
Wikipedia Entry: Jacob’s Ladder (film)
Wikipedia Entry: Jacob’s Ladder (Biblical reference)
July 16th, 2011 — Comedy, Drama, Romantic
This movie was previously titled previously titled both “The Dream of the Romans” and “Arlen Faber”.
Basic Plot: Self-help writer and closet misanthrope falls for neurotic single mother/chiropractor in this indie romance.
Outburst: The characters are wonderful, but something unidentifiable makes this feel flat. There doesn’t seem to be enough romantic tension for a romance movie, enough ridiculousness for a comedy, or enough cynical wit for a ‘dramady’.
— It’s a nice movie; I wish I could say it was better than okay. May be slightly offensive to those who are deeply religious.
July 7th, 2011 — Drama, Fantasy, Horror, X / Adult Themes
Basic Plot: Loosely based on the classic tale by Oscar Wilde, a young man trades his soul for eternal youth with the aide of a supernatural painting.
Outburst: Colin Firth shines as an almost demonic version of Henry while Ben Barnes sometimes captivates with piercing dark eyes and lots of steamy sensuality. It’s a slightly different portrayal of the character of Dorian Gray, on a different path towards sin and redemption.
— Some of the expository scenes water down the tale for those intellectuals who have read Wilde’s work. Otherwise it’s a wonderfully twisted and dark horror of a movie.
BUY THE BOOK: The Picture of Dorian Gray (Unabridged)
Kindle eBook: The Picture of Dorian Gray – Unabridged Ver.
July 5th, 2011 — Action, Drama, Family, Martial Arts
IMDB: Karate Kid (1984)
IMDB: Karate Kid II (1986)
IMDB: Karate Kid III (1989)
Basic Plot: A martial-artist handyman agrees to teach a bullied boy karate. In the second movie, the two are embroiled in a family dispute after they journey to Okinawa so Master Miyagi can visit his dying father. In the third movie, the rival karate master from the first film attempts to gain revenge with the aid of an old army buddy.
Outburst: The first movie is a family drama classic. The second movie is a worthy sequel. We’re going to pretend the third movie is a nightmare that goes away when you wake up. That shouldn’t be too hard considering the plot makes about as much sense as a fever dream.
/DVD — The first two movies are gems and collectibles, worth watching at film festivals and at home.
0 stars — Ignore the third movie as truly awful with a terrible premise, nonsensical plot, and lackluster testosterone-fueled scripting.
BUY IT NOW! The Karate Kid I & II (Collector’s Ed.) [Blu-ray]
BUY IT NOW! The Karate Kid (Spec. Ed. DVD)
July 4th, 2011 — Biography or Based on Truth, Drama, Musical
Basic Plot: Biography covering a portion of the life of Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s.
Outburst: I chose to watch the movie because I enjoy rockabilly and Jerry Lewis, while knowing nothing about the scandal surrounding his life. Considering this musical biography centers around the marriage that nearly ended his career (to his underage first cousin, once removed) it’s one of those details that’s nice to know beforehand. Dennis Quaid feels overacted to me, but the young Winona Ryder is stunning.
— A great movie for dancing and rockabilly music, but not for the incestuously squeamish. This is a sensationalized, Hairspray-style version of the actual events, and not tied solidly to facts.
Wikipedia Entry: Great Balls of Fire! (film)
Wikipedia Entry: Jerry Lee Lewis
Cousin Relationships — explanation of ‘first cousin, once removed’
BUY IT NOW! Great Balls of Fire! (DVD)
But don’t take my word for it! You can compare Dennis Quaid’s acting with an original Jerry Lee Lewis performance on our Facebook fan page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Movie-Outburst
July 3rd, 2011 — Comedy, Drama
Basic Plot: Family drama about a young genius, trapped between the wants of his mother and the rich director for a school of gifted children who wants to cultivate him as her next project.
Outburst: While she did a credible job as director (rather impressive for a debut), I don’t think Jodie Foster was the correct choice for the role of mom. True to real life, child psychologists should never raise children. And something is seriously missing in the character development during the falling action phase of this movie — as if some crucial scene had been cut out just after the climax of the film.
— It’s short and totally watchable, but nothing that is going to blow you away. A nice family discussion movie, both for families and sociology classes.
