November 15th, 2009 — Horror
Basic Plot: Werewolves battle each other over a child fated to bring about an end to lycanthropy.
Outburst: It wasn’t a terrible movie, because it would have been funnier. Not very good, weak premise and mediocre acting.
— Only if you are truly bored and really like werewolves.
September 7th, 2009 — Drama
Basic Plot: The inner workings and actions of a truly dysfunctional family in South Boston.
Outburst: This movie made me think there must be a better way to structure families in general. The traditional nuclear family with two parents and a horde of kids only works for the Brady Bunch (and see how they really turned out offscreen). It just seems to crack under stress when you add in outside influences, illness, disaster, financial difficulties, volatile tempers, or alcohol abuse, let alone any combination of those things.
— A good film, it might make you cry.
September 5th, 2009 — Drama, Horror, Musical
Basic Plot: Based on a hit Broadway musical, the story of Sweeney Todd, a murderous barber, and his devious accomplice Ms. Lovett, a seller of suspicious meat-pies.
Outburst: Everything we love about Tim Burton wrapped into a wickedly sinister horror film. It’s always fun to see a film for the first time and know it to be an instant cult classic.
/CULT DVD — Unless you are adamantely opposed to horror films or musicals (in which case you win a pass) you must see this film. Go ask your cult-film-loving friends to borrow a copy of their DVD.
Official Website: Sweeney Todd, The Movie
Wikipedia: Sweeney Todd, original musical
Wikipedia: the character of Sweeney Todd, who originally appeared as the main protagonist in a penny dreadful serial titled The String of Pearls.
September 3rd, 2009 — Documentary
Basic Plot: Documentary taking you inside the world of Vogue magazine. It focuses on editor Anna Wintour, whose inscrutable demeanor inspired the movie The Devil Wears Prada.
Outburst: She really is like her fictional movie namesake. While I am not a fashionista, the artist in me caught the visual message in the prints portrayed. The cynic in me was able to laugh along at the ridiculousness of it all. If you like fashion, you will love this documentary; it casts a surprisingly deep glimpse into the world of a woman not known to be kind to the press. If you don’t like fashion, you will still love this documentary. It is one of the best pieces of non-fiction work I’ve seen in some time.
— Highly recommended, but go see The Devil Wears Prada first if you haven’t already.
August 29th, 2009 — Drama, Foreign with Subtitles
Basic Plot: A young African mother discovers she is HIV positive.
Outburst: This is a powerful, simple tale. It will not leave you puzzled or guessing at motivations; it may make you cry. The landscapes and visual imagery are stunning.
(2 of 3 stars) — The movie as a whole is worth two stars. The artistry of the filmmaking, however, is exemplary. If you are drawn to visual masterpieces this is a must-see.
August 28th, 2009 — Drama, Romantic
Basic Plot: Three Irish Catholic brothers deal with love, values, and their relationships with women.
Outburst: I really just couldn’t get into this movie, partly because of the grainy film (it was a very low-budget affair) and partly because of the intermixed story lines. Three separate stories is just one too many.
(1 of 3 stars) — Not bad, but not exceptional.
August 26th, 2009 — Biography, Crime Drama, Uncategorized
Basic Plot: The biographical tale of Dublin criminal Martin Cahill. Based on a book of the same name.
Outburst: The director did a masterful job here, cutting slickly through Cahill’s life to all its highlights. I saw the black-and-white version, which still baffles me as to why they’d release this when the movie was shot in color. Some of the accents do make the speech unintelligible, but the gist of the actions comes through loud and clear. The movie defines the very genre of anti-hero thriller, where the audience silently applauds the antics of a lovable Robin-hood style crook.
(2 of 3 stars) — An entertaining romp of a movie, especially for a biography. If you like to watch criminal capers and wacky bank heists, this is the film to see.
Sony Pictures Official Website: The General
Wikipedia: The General
John Boorman–The Lybarger Links Interview
August 26th, 2009 — Drama, Foreign with Subtitles
Basic Plot: The life of a poor airport janitor becomes deeply mixed with the neighborhood children’s when they mistake him for a pilot. From the Kingdom of Jordan.
Outburst: This is a simple and touching tale, about hope in the face of all that is hopeless. It faithfully keeps to the wonder and mystery present in everyday life without resorting to the fantastical.
(3 of 3 stars) – I highly recommend seeing this.
August 24th, 2009 — Drama, Western
Basic Plot: It’s a retelling of the San Patricios story, about a group of Irish immigrants who deserted to Mexico during the Mexican-American War, after encountering prejudice in the U.S. Army.
Outburst: Purists will detest this movie as it is historically very inaccurate. You can’t call it “based on true events” so much as “inspired by true events”. The acting won’t leave you breathless and the budget-less fight scenes may leave you bored. Despite this and overall bad ratings, I still feel this is an important movie to watch. It touches on themes that are relevant to America today, such as how we deal with immigrants, minority groups, religious affiliations, and war between culturally different societies.
(2 of 3 stars) – Those interested in political policies, minority groups, immigration or social activism should see it.
August 23rd, 2009 — Martial Arts
Basic Plot: A fighting monk must find the new protector for a magical scroll. Based on an obscure comic book.
Outburst: What starts as a fun, fighting frolic develops into hokey nonsense plagued by the bad acting of supporting characters. It makes no sense for him to get the girl at the end. Why do the bad guys have to be Nazis? Who scripted these girls? The point of any woman in a kungfu movie is to look hot, kick butt, and take names, not make me cringe when they try to act.
/CULT (1 of 3 stars) – It is obligatory that all Chow Yun-Fat fans watch (and possibly own) this movie, and it’s a good time waster if you are a kungfu movie fan. For the rest of us, there are much better movies out these days.