Movie Tab II

The Losers



On a mission in Bolivia, a special CIA team is sent to kill a target. Special circumstance happen when they see kids in the target zone. After rescuing the kids, they put them on their rescue helicopter and wait for a different extraction. Then they see their helicopter hit with a missile, the kids are dead and they are suppose to be too. Now they must make their way back to the States in order to get their lives back and kill the one who set them up.

The Losers is based on a comic of the same name. It was a limited issued series that I had never heard of, but after seeing the film, wouldn't mind checking out. The Losers is the type of action flick that surrounds itself with comedy and absurdity. You can't really take the things that happen seriously and the film knows this, it also pokes fun at itself. The Losers consist of Clay (Jeffery Dean Morgan) the leader, characterized by a guy who wears suits with no tie. Roque (Idris Elba) second in command and a hot head. Jensen (Chris Evans) who runs tech and is the comic relief. Pooch (Columbus Short) the driver and Cougar (Óscar Jaenada) the sniper expert. Each one has their own typical character trait, from rebel to wise-ass. The leader is obviously a troubled guy, who wants to do good and then you'll have your quiet but deadly assassin. Nothing new by any means, but going in expecting this, I had a fun time.

Zoe Saladana plays Aisha, the ass kicking chick who discovers they are hiding in Bolivia and offers them a chance to kill the guy who set them all up, Max (Jason Patrick). She tells them she will fund their operation as long as they get Max for her. Hmm, sounds like she has something of her own agenda. Can we trust her? We don't know, neither do they. But they have nothing else to lose right? The villain as I mentioned earlier is Jason Patrick, whose last memorable film was 2002's Narc. He doesn't have much of a résumé, so I kind of found it odd that he was the villain in this piece. I don't know how well he does comedy since it was pretty lacking here. You read that right, comedy. The villain is comedic and his routine is the straight face bit. His lines were delivered awkwardly for me and it really was an awkward performance.

I kind of expected more action from this film, it doesn't wow you in anyway. The action sequences used are entertaining enough though, mainly because of who the characters are and what they do. Seeing Evans do some of the things seemed odd though, I didn't expect him to have much of an action background for his geek/tech character. Although it was interesting watching him with having Captain American on in the back of my mind. The Losers doesn't try to do anything new, instead it tries to simply entertain the audience that it is targeted at. To say this is a no brainer action film would fit it perfectly.

There are some twists and turns in the plot that I personally didn't like. It makes sense, but for me I wanted things to turn out differently. I'm told that the same thing happens in the comic, but I didn't want the dynamic of the group to be changed. I found myself disappointed with that aspect. The use of music in points is odd, Journey pops up in one sequence that might be the most memorable part of the film. That scene alone should tell you that the film is not just an action junkie film, but for people that want to laugh.

Can I recommend The Losers? I sure can, it seems to be getting beaten by the critics. I can see it from both sides of the looking glass. It's far from perfect and has a lot of things that would make people question it. Some of the comedy doesn't work, some people might not like the action sequences and again, the lead villain is odd. But I had a hell of a time watching it. The film is going to do very little business at the box office, mainly because there was no big name to draw people in and things that are based on anything that is not popular usually just has that small cult crowd. Kick-Ass was the victim of this last time, The Losers is the victim this time. I can totally see this film going into obscurity and no one remembering it. Which is a shame, because I liked it.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Raising Arizona 1987

The Coen's first (second) comedy work is unique in all the ways you'd expect from their filmography and unexpectedly conventional in it's humor and tone. Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter are a brilliant pair and John Goodman is very loud.





Hercules 1997

One of many animated musicals from Disney, although I always felt Hercules had a little more effort than some of their others. It does get points though for being one a few films that captures Greek mythology in a fantastical way.





Pan's Labyrinth 2006

Unfolds very much like your one of a lot fairy tale children's film, just with some extra gore and grim. With it's incredibly over the top villain and often crass blending of the real and surreal, it shouldn't take long to grow out of this one.





Spider-Man 2 2004

Before Nolan would set the gold standard on comic films, Spiderman blew the lid off of comic book movies. In retrospect, the story is full of mind blowing dialogue ("it's a web") and familiar plot devices. Spiderman 2 does a lot of things wrong, but it doesn't waste story arcs, characters, or a chance to give you a giant CGI brawl.

"I've been reading poetry"
"Whatever that means ..."





Spider-Man 3 2007

It's easy for me to point here as the high point in the series and for one reason, more action. Of course the story telling exceedingly ramps up the melodrama, for the better (I mean it was pretty damn high up already) - unto a breaking point of hilarity. Spider-Man 3 is the 260 million dollar blockbuster, that knows how to cash in on it's animation.





Cop Out 2010

Bruce Willis feels like Smith is filming him at gun point and Tracy Morgan talks funny. There are some funny bits hidden in here, but you'll most likely be getting the biggest kick out of how terrible it is.





American Gangster 2007

It's at it's best once both men assemble their teams. It's not afraid to borrow from the great crime films to meld it's own unique spin on the genre, which many bash American Gangster for. Looking past what's been done already, there is a lot of smart writing, original scenes, attention to detail, and great performances - all the guts of a great movie.





The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 2010

Now here's a refreshing spin on the buddy crime solver flick. The biggest problem with the movie is the episodic weaving of it and what do you know, it's the first part of a trilogy. I'm sure I'll be checking back in on these characters when the next two come to the states.





Red Riding : 1974 2009

Here's another first entry of a three. As a stand alone film it just doesn't have enough surreality and flair for it's own health. Red Riding's exploration of corruption and aesthetics don't hold nearly as much value as the reporter at the heart of the story.

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Yet again Meaty goes so against the grain you can hear trees falling in distant cinematic forests. You want more surrealism from your fact-inspired grit? Political subtlety from Guillermo del Toro? John Goodman to be quiet? You are a funny reviewing cube of meat so you are

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)



One of the 'reviews' on IMDb says "There won't be a dry eye in the house!" ... and I thought "Oh yeah?" .... Not only were mine dry... they were fighting sleep... and I just don't get it. Normally I love Eastwood and Streep... but... this will not go on my favorites list... or on my DVD shelf....

I'll be nice though and give it /


Smoke Jumper (2008 - TV)



Pretty predictable and forgettable... which is kinda sad as it had the potential to be a good movie about what it takes and the hazards of being a Smoke jumper...

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Over-the-top? How so?

He loves his job... ultraviolence. Of course, I don't think he's over the top because he loves...

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

thats 2 strikes, as the previews made it seem kinda pretentious as well. mmm wont be seeing it!

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something witty goes here......

He treats his wife (and her daughter) bad, it's a little more than evident what he's after in this relationship - and he enjoys torturing and killing people. Just a completely villainous character with no believability, and that's exactly how the movie wanted him to be.

Yeah, he is a bigger boogie man than all the goat-gods put together. I did wonder whether it was deliberate, but if so I can't see what he achieves by it (other than to undermine claims to truly represent oppression of the time).

Reckon they just overplayed it, you're right meaty. (But does it really ruin the film that much for you?)

The Men Who Stare at Goats (Heslov, 2009)

There's so much weird, funny stuff in this movie, even if the ending kind of fizzles, I don't mind one bit. A war farce like MASH but since it's a post-modern film it has a special focus on media fantasies. Even after you get past the goofs on Star Wars mysticism and Evil Commies torturing Kittens, though, this movie goes further by boldly offering us the "true story" of the Iraq-war (even if we can never hope to understand how that true story relates to anyone.)



Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Leslie Nielsen is a great Dracula, but he's the only person in this who doesn't seem to be acting (while everyone else is trying really hard to pretend that they're actually funny, including Mel Brooks). There's one point where Dracula has a nightmare, that the movie breaks from its set narrative (which is the same as the Lugosi version) and seems to have a life of its own. Sometimes it feels like a checklist of references with token gags.



Where the Wild Things Are

I felt very sad or just very emotional while watching this movie, which I liked, but I'll have to come back to it some time. I wonder if it doesn't have much to communicate with my closest friends -- who don't really care about their families. So I had a personal and self-concious viewing, in which it's hard to find standards that apply generally. I liked it a lot though.

On a good day I'll enjoy Pan's Labyrinth and on a bad day I'll hate it, but the captain has such a major part in the story and pretty much all the big twists are by his doing.

That is the nature of the fairy-tale itself, where the Captain is a clear exaggeration into being pure evil.

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your point, but it worked for me in that way.

The Princess and the Frog (Ron Clements and John Musker, 2009)



Beautiful Disney 2-D animation crammed with yummy scenes, locations in and around New Orleans, a newfangled take on the classic fairy tale and some solid new jazz songs; it all adds up to a good additiion to the Disney canon of such films. The supporting characters are especially good, and they include a crocodile, a firefly, two lead characters who are so perfect for each other that you probably think that they'll never get together, and several wacky characters who believe in JuJu or Voodoo or HooDoo. They make this a fun stroll down Memory Lane by the creators of The Little Mermaid and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The Mask of Zorro (Martin Campbell, 1998)



Slam-bang action/mass entertainment keeps the Zorro character and reinvents the world surrounding him in early 19th-century Alta California. Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) almost turns into a Count of Monte Cristo-ish character after the tragic opening when he's imprisoned after the evil Spanish Governor Don Rafael (Stuart Wilson) kidnaps his daughter and takes her back to Spain. About 20 years later, he returns with the daughter Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) at just about the same time that Zorro has escaped and is training young thief Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) to follow in his now-aging footsteps. Alejandro puts on the airs of a Spanish fop to ingratiate himself to Don Rafael while still finding time to romance Elena and reawaken the hearts of the people who believe him to be the real Zorro. The photography and musical score are lush, the action is well-staged, there are plenty of laughs and it's a bigtime romance, so it should basically appeal to everyone. The only real flaw I find with it is that it's slightly-overlong with one ending too many, but that's a minor quibble.

C.I.D. (Raj Khosla, 1956)



Bollywood murder mystery/musical shouldn't really be compared to American movies, but an American viewer may well have a tough time not doing that. On its own, the film is a simple story with obvious characters and situations which seem patently silly, even when it tries hard to be deadly serious. Its saving grace is the staging of the musical numbers which are all catchy and propel the romantic angle of the film. Unfortunately, none of the lyrics are subtitled, but it's easy enough to tell what they're about since the lovers are singing them to each other. If the rest of the movie was photographed as well as the songs, then I'd think more of the film. As it is, it seems almost like an extended American sitcom with lots of winking at the camera. Another problem is that my DVD was the "American/English-language" version where all the credits and newspapers are in English. This version appears to be cut a bit (five to ten minutes) and the print itself is not in good shape.

Barbarosa (Fred Schepisi, 1982)



I've always liked this quirky western ever since I first watched it in the theatre. It's gorgeously photographed and Willie Nelson and Gary Busey make such a great team that it's a shame that they didn't make more films together. What sets this western apart from most is that it evolves from a revenge flick into a sly fairy tale about families and the lengths a man will go to try to protect his and perhaps reinvent himself to find true happiness. Willie Nelson is great as Barbarosa, a bandit who married into a Mexican family but was immediately cast out and has been hunted by that family for about 20 years. Gary Busey is a "farm boy" who accidentally killed an in-law and is on the run from the dead man's father and brothers. Busey comes across Barbarosa, becomes his partner and learns the ropes from the wise veteran, but even more important, he learns about family life and the unfortunate truth it can sometimes present as well as the beautiful rewards it can lead to depending on one's outlook on life. Just in case it sounds like I'm painting this film as too dark, I have to mention that the quirkiness extends to its sense of humor which is also quite generous and gives Willie Nelson an all-time great line when he first meets up with "Angel Morales". Gilbert Roland also delivers a strong performance as the stern patrician of the Mexican family who is actually Barbarosa's father-in-law. The film's climax is also just about perfect.

Through a Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, 1961) ; Art House Rating:



Bergman's first "chamber drama" is also one of his most accessible, telling the story of schizophrenic young Karin (Harriet Andersson) who has recently left a mental hospital to return to the island home of her family, her doctor husband Martin (Max von Sydow), her novelist father David (Gunnar Björnstrand) and her younger, awkward brother Minus (Lars Passgĺrd). The siblings have a problem with their father because he always seems to be off somewhere writing his latest "popular" novel and never seems to have time for them. Besides that, Karin seems to be getting worse, she's become frigid, cannot sleep and honestly believes that she's living in two worlds and is beginning to feel that she prefers the one which nobody else can see or hear. Harriet Andersson goes through staggering emotional range in this powerful film, beautifully photographed by Sven Nykvist. There are a couple of scenes in this film which are the equal of Bergman's best. For me those would be the scene with the voices coming through the cracks in the wall and the possible arrival of Karin's God in that second-story room near the film's climax. This was the first film of a trilogy which also included Winter Light (1962) and The Silence (1963).

Odd Obsession (Kon Ichikawa, 1959) ; Art House Rating:



Odd Obsession is a slow and subtle film which gradually reveals itself to be about infidelity and murder. The color photography is striking as well as the appearance of the wife at the center of the events, the amazing Machiko Kyô, who was basically the Japanese Movie Queen during the 1950s. Her aging husband (Ganjiro Nakamura) is receiving injections from a young doctor (Tatsuya Nakadai) to increase the old man's virility. This doctor is also betrothed to the couple's daughter (Junko Kano), but it turns out that the doctor and the wife are having a torrid affair, and the wife is also trying to "love her husband to death" during passionate sex. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story, but it's not a total success in that it takes its sweet time getting to the point and it's not quite as well-staged as many similar-type films have been. Still, it's worth watching if only to see the beautiful Machiko Kyô in all her glory.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)


Just came back from viewing the new Nightmare on Elm Street. Let me just start by saying this was the best redux of a franchise I've seen since Batman Begins. Out with the old and in with new as they say. Jackie Earle Haley did a superb job as Freddy Krueger. Sure Robert Englund was great as the title role, but haley genuinely outshines Englund in every way. The character of Krueger here is more creepy, sick, disgusting and repulsive..the way he should have been in the first place. Bringing new blood into this franchise did wonders, and choosing Jackie as Freddy broke that mold. I agree with Harry at AICN when he said that Haley did to Krueger, what Heath did with the Joker.

The film had nice homages to the original, which I kind of liked. The rest of the cast did a fine job as well. I'm glad they didn't take the usual teeny bopper type route that they usual use with kids in horror films. The climatic scene to the new nightmare film went a totally different direction as well. The final cutscene before the credits though was cool to watch yet expected. Originally when this was announced I had my doubts. But when it was announced who'd play the lead role, images appeared then trailers and clips were shown my expectations grew into pure excitement and impatience. Freddy is back, and he's better (and freakin nastier) than ever !!

Based on a journal written by Lt. Col. Michael Strobl about what he experienced escorting the body of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps (1984 - 2004), a fellow Marine killed in Iraq, Taking Chance leaves the politics behind and is just a profoundly moving film. Kevin Bacon gives an extremely touching performance as Lt. Col. Strobl... possibly one of the best I've seen from him... but this isn't Strobl's story... it's Chance's... and all the other soldiers who have been lost... It's a story about honor...

Kudos to HBO for making this one...

Careful (Maddin, 1992)

After mark f described this movie a few months back I felt had to see it. It's a pretty straightforward tragedy but just covered with all sorts of weirdness and Maddin's cheap but effective style. By "straightforward tragedy" I mean it's convoluted and completely over the top and sort of deterministic in a familiar way.

On the other hand the stuff that's weird is weird in a way that if you've seen any of Guy Maddin's other films you'll know is completely unique. So for example when two character duel to the death in the freezing cold, the ceremony has their daggers covered in elaborate layers of clothing so they have to undo about a billion buttons while intensely staring each other down before they can actually fight.

It has dialog that sounds like it was written by Ed Wood, like "We can live off of berries and small animals that we'll kill with sharp sticks."

Careful is also full of really weird but coherent little details and explanations for everything that happens, so it makes sense even if it's completely fantastic. The town where it takes place, Tolzbad, is high in the mountains where there's a constant threat of avalanches that start from the smallest of sounds, so they remove the vocal chords of all the animals; when a dog barks all you can hear is the clicking of its teeth. The sound of tears falling in a cave could bring death to the entire town. The occupation that everyone aspires to is being a butler whose chief quality is being quiet.

which might be a little high, but I really enjoyed it. I think I missed the explanation for why they have to puncture the hearts of the dead.



Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (Imamura, 2001)

I really enjoyed this one too. I watched it several years ago and thought it was somehow disappointing for an Imamura film, but it's actually really good even if it might appear too "quirky" for some people. Not a lot happens, plot-wise. It starts with an unemployed office worker ostensibly looking for a job in Tokyo so he can support his son and his nagging, belittling wife. Actually he spends most of his time hanging out with bums, including a bookish old guy who tells him about some stolen loot he hid in house by a red bridge, at the end of the war. He goes to the house in Toyama Prefecture (on the west coast of Japan, basically on the other side of the same island as Tokyo) where he shacks up with the resident of the "treasure" house, a woman with a bizarre sexual condition.

As I said there's not much plot. His wife divorces him via phone. There's a conflict towards the end of the movie that seems kind of perfunctory and unresolved, but really it's about a man who doesn't give much conviction to his choices (he was formerly a peon in an architecture firm). When he settls into a new life you could say it's mainly because, well, the sex is good, he gets a paycheck (as a fisherman) and he doesn't really have anywhere else to go. The point is he's like most people not a maker or even a doer in the world. The one choice he makes (to stay with the woman and try and get her to stay with him) seems to have already been made before he ever gets there.

Imamura's view of people is always pretty objective, as largely a collection of animal urges acting under artificial socio-economic constraints. The woman's body periodically fills with water and she needs to do "wicked" things (like shoplift) unless she can be brought to orgasm and release all that warm water. There are a bunch of scenes where she sprays water all over her room, flowing down the stairs, into a gutter running through the main living area of the house, outside under the bridge and into the river (then presumably out into the ocean), making the fish and fishermen get so excited they start leaping for joy.

Rather than focusing on the orgasms we get a lot of flowing "water", and it's hard to say if that choice makes it more or less perverse.

Overall on my second viewing this is one of the simplest and most sublime and entertaining portrayals of Imamura's "animal urges" thesis.

I remember watching Careful and not knowing what to think after it was over. But I think I liked it and I'd give it about the same rating as you did.

I enjoyed Brand Upon The Brain a lot more, though. Overall, I like Maddin's style for the most part, but it sort of gets a little tired after awhile. Although I really liked My Winnipeg....

heh, usually if i don't know what to think after a movie i rate it as a good experience at least the first time around, and i tend to get that a lot with maddin.

i haven't seen either of the ones you mentioned, i'll check them out.

so far my favorites have been heart of the world and dracula. i also liked the saddest music in the world, and saw a couple of earlier ones that i had more-mixed feelings about.

The Making of Fellowship of the Ring 2001

I don't know why it took me so long to get to watching this (on the extended DVD), but now I don't regret it. Unfortunately it's a lot of repetitive talk (like asking everyone what they think of Tolkien) and rarely insightfully or in depth like the much funner Empire of Dreams. You get brief looks at how the effects were created, but never anything comprehensive.

From what I understand director Costa Botes made a brief 85 minute documentary (included in the newer limited edition DVD's), so in a sense the one on the older extended edition is an extended version of his documentary. Who knows, maybe his smaller one just gives us the best bits - or maybe the compilers of this extended and original documentaries missed the mark.

My Winninpeg left me in a quandary as to how to rate it. It almost seemed more fitting to rate it <->, which is kinda what I settled on (almost felt more fitting than most flat ratings for a film. Rewatching Saddest Music a while back made me think his style might be the one key constant in his films - and that that kinda works against him - but then again, I've only seen two )

Gots a review of Wini over here.