August 23rd, 2009 — Horror
Basic Plot: A skeptical writer spends the night in an evil hotel room. Based on a story by Stephen King.
Outburst: True to form, King’s short stories seem to create better movies than his novels. This is a horror flick, creepy in nature but without much blood, death, or destruction. You will be pleasantly freaked out, not jumpy at small sounds afterward… unless you watch it in your hotel room.
/ (2 of 3 stars) – Be prepared for psychological weirdness, not gruesome mayhem.
August 21st, 2009 — Drama
Basic Plot:A grieving mother switches homes with a woman in Ireland whose husband is unfaithful. Based upon a novel written by Maeve Binchy.
Outburst: Wherever else it has played, it now lives on the Lifetime Movie Network, if that gives you any hint. Two women lose, two women gain, and there’s a fuzzy feeling somewhere at the end. So grab a bucket of popcorn, a box of tissue, and a handful of chocolate bars.
/ (1 of 3 stars) – The line about needing a box of tissues is an exaggeration, you only need one tissue. This movie will make you cry only if you are fresh in heartbreak.
August 21st, 2009 — Drama, Sinister Comedy
Basic Plot: Your basic “whole mess of people thrown together in a movie” plot, with one couple as the significant center of the film.
Outburst: Take Pulp Fiction, strip it of the awesome soundtrack and magical shots, then replace all the characters with every Irish actor known to American audiences. Give them shitty retail jobs and even worse relationships with each other. The movie was billed as a dark comedy, but it’s more accurately a cynical drama with a few humorous quirks. You’ll have to strain at first to understand the thick Irish accents unless, of course, you are from Ireland. It’s a great watch if you like gritty realism.
(2 of 3 stars) — This movie probably won’t change your life, but it might make you feel a touch better about it… unless you are a little too much like these fuckups.
August 2nd, 2009 — Comedy, Musical, Romantic
Basic Plot: Bride-to-be tries to discover her father’s identity by inviting the three potential candidates to her wedding. It’s a musical featuring hit songs by ABBA, does it really need a plot?
Outburst: For the standard moviegoer, it will be cute and tolerable, but really — what significant other dragged you to see this? Now if you love musicals or are a groupie for ABBA – this might be the greatest experience since your first orgasm. See this in as large a venue as possible; the energy and laughter of the crowd will keep you soaring (and singing) along.
/CULT (2 of 3 stars) — Exquisite fun for musical and ABBA fans, pretty good otherwise.
Official Website for film Mamma Mia!
Official Website for Stage Production
July 16th, 2009 — Drama, Foreign with Subtitles
IMDB: The Song of Sparrows
Basic Plot: An Iranian ostrich farmer loses his job when a bird escapes. Through chance he starts working as a motorcycle taxi driver in the city, but the new environment brings with it a new set of values. This film is a metaphor depicting how materialism destroys the integrity of the honest man.
Outburst: The movie plays out at a different pace than I am used to – slow and very, very deliberate. The main actor is absolutely superb, able to convey intense emotions subtly and believably. This is the kind of movie you have to think about and discuss, so watch it with your analytical friends.
(2 of 3 stars) – While I was very pleased with this movie and intuitively grasped what the makers were trying to convey with each scene, my companion found some of the symbolism confusing.
Official site: The Song of Sparrows
Wikipedia: The Song of Sparrows
July 3rd, 2009 — Drama, Foreign with Subtitles
IMDB Okuribito aka Departures
Basic Plot: A cellist loses his job and goes to work in a funeral home.
Outburst: This well-paced movie is inspiring, dramatic, and the musical score will put flight to your soul. The acting is superb and it ends with that ‘crying and smiling’ feeling craved by independent moviegoers. But don’t take my word; it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
/DVD (3 of 3 stars) – Worthy of the bigscreen, but if you see it in theatres bring a hankie. Bring two. A better option might be to rent it or download it so you can cry indiscriminately. I will be adding it to my personal collection because I find the ceremony depicted in the film to be downright fascinating.
June 23rd, 2009 — Family, Fantasy
IMDB The Secret of Roan Inish
Basic Plot: A mythical Irish tale following the selkie legends. Based on the novel The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry.
Outburst: I love Irish mythology, folklore about the sea, and stories involving selkies. So I’m just a little biased when I see a traditional selkie tale made real through the magic of the screen. It’s wonderfully done and highly recommended for anyone who finds Ireland or folktales fascinating. Otherwise, you mind find the story too cutesy. In some aspects it is perfect for the family (non-violent, non-scary), but some prudish-types might be put off by the little naked boy running around briefly in some scenes. You’ll have to listen closely to understand everything being said, the accents are authentically Irish.
/DVD (2 of 3 stars) – If you savor retellings of popular folktales, it is worthy of your collection. For the regular movie-watcher, it’s worth watching once and moving on.
June 21st, 2009 — Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
IMDB Star Trek
Basic Plot: Your basic Star Trek movie plot.
Outburst: As a born cynic, I could probably nitpik all day about trivial things (why does the Romulan ship look like something out of the Matrix; is all that Uhura ‘romantic interest’ nonsense necessary) but that would just be my fault-finding nature on overdrive. The movie certainly paid lip service to its fans (whether Trekker or Trekkie) in a humoristic series of lighthearted camps that didn’t pretend to be anything other than fan-pleasers… and yet I was still pleased by them, ridiculously so. Who would want a Trek movie where Kirk doesn’t tangle with a hot alien girl, get into fist-fights with alien baddies, and no one gets saved ‘unexpectedly’ just in the nick of time? Those aren’t even spoilers on my part; they are so much a part of the franchise.
And just as I was enormously pleased by the slightly campy, action-packed futuristic fun, so too will you be, even if you are only a moderate Trek fan. The latest edition of the popular series is a romp of a movie and certain to be a real crowd pleaser.
/DVD (3 of 3 stars) — A totally awesome movie you should definitely check out in theaters AND add to your Star Trek collection.
June 21st, 2009 — meta
I would like to thank everyone for stopping by my new weblog of movie reviews.
Movie Outburst assumes you already know the plot of the film you want to see; you just want to find out quickly if it sucks. Posts will cover a variety of old and new movies, but we specialize in the esoteric.