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Super (Gunn, 2010)


After seeing it land at an impressive #2 on Skepsis' list, a MoFo whose tastes and opinions have gained my respects, I figured it was time to check this movie out, and this is what I have to say about it.





Let me start this review by saying this is unlike any film I have seen......in my life. Of course, you can say it is a "comic book/superhero" offspring, in the same class as Kick-Ass, but this is something different. This movie was a visual explosion.





Of course, I got the same feelings as I always do in these kinds of films.....simply put, you root for the good guy. But, let's delve deeper.....just how good was Frank, and how much of it was delusion and in a sense panic towards being alone and an outcast again as he was in school and so forth, an idiot, and a man who doesn't understand how, in his words, someone this moronic and stupid can exist? You feel for his personal relationship with his wife, but, more importantly, you feel for him and his past, and what has lead this man to the actions he has came to.





I was literally blown away by Page and Wilson, who had their awkward moments together, but you could tell they were meant to be a team from the jump. It truly was the teacher and the student.


I cannot believe how amazed I was with this film. Nothing I have seen recently has compared. I just had to see what the big deal was to make someone choose this movie over American Beauty and other great films, but now I know. This truly is a diamond in the rough, and I am forever grateful to Skepsis for leading me on to what will definitely be in my top 100 list revised in about a year, that I promise you.


I feel like I have learned something from this movie, it wasn't just your average shoot 'em up Hit Girl in the corridor with a katana and killing 30 people with no problem bloodfest, THIS MOVIE MADE ME FEEL. I wanted redemption, I wanted clean streets, and I WANTED CRIME TO SHUT UP!


"All it takes to be a superhero is the choice to fight evil."


This is what the genre has been missing. This is what is between the panels.


Great action, great performances, great soundtrack, superb experience.









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Films I plan to watch this week are....

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Looper
Killer Joe
Life of Pi
Django Unchained (revisit)
Se7en
Argo
Dredd


Send me some recommendations of anything you want to know my opinion on and I will try my best to review them for you guys.



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Goon (Dowse, 2011)

This is my third time watching this, and the first two times I gave it a high review, but I wanted to make sure I felt the same way after this time, so read on to find out!






This story is about a young local bouncer who, after a series of events, gets a shot at organized hockey. Sean William Scott plays the role of Doug Glatt to perfection, which is rather phenomenal, because I usually look at him as a one trick pony.





Upon more viewing, I actually adore this simple film even more the third time, and am willing to toss this the title of my favorite all-time sports movie, right now. I almost want to press play all over again. The tension towards the inevitable climax is amazing, and all of the characters are memorable, especially the powerhouse that is Ross Rhea, brilliantly cast by Liev Schreiber.





I can honestly say that this is my favorite film in recent history and doesn't seem like anything is going to knock it off it's spot, besides possibly Super, which I plan to revisit very soon, but that is a different story. Grade A fight scenes, hilarious and awkwardly sweet, this film is perfect for me.









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Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Gelb, 2011)


"Jiro is like the maestro of an orchestra."

I have heard different things about this sushi documentary. I figured it was time to check it out myself.







A passionate story of a man with superb work ethic and unrivaled sushi expertise, Jiro is a reminder to everyone where hard work and patience can get you. One thing I like about this film is the attention to detail, not only HIS attention to detail, but the editing and beautiful photography and scenery throughout this film. I love the message of parenthood, also, and his story of coming up from a tougher family and how his tough uprbringing led him to where he is today. You feel like this is not a film about Yiro himself, but his legacy he will leave behind, and I can safely say I have learned a thing or two from this man.





I will say it is kind of boring at times. A large proportion of the film is just seeing sushi and reading subtitles, so you can only go so far with that, but I had an idea what I was getting to from step one, so I have no one to blame.

Also, there are issues brought up of overfishing and the lack of good fish these days because of the expansion of worldwide sushi, which in turn leads to a larger difficulty in finding good fish. I think that makes his achievements even more impressive.






"When I ate the sushi, I felt like I was listening to music."

I had a good time learning about this man and his business, even if I lost interest a couple of times during the second half, when it became more about his past and his son's future with the company. A great looking film, and a decent story. It is definitely worth checking out, and I wouldn't have a fit towards watching it again sometime.





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Seven (Fincher, 1995)

This was my first viewing of what I have heard is a must see thriller, and this is what I have to say about it.





"Even the most promising clues only lead to others."

This movie kicked my ass left and right. I had no idea where it was headed at any time, and was so damn thrilled by the acting and brutal imagery of the victims. What an original concept, and I can see that a lot of thrillers these days take bits and pieces from this movie. I do not know how to explain that, I just know this 1995 thriller is a timeless example of the genre.





Kevin Spacey is a legend for this role in my eyes. I am terrified of his character, because you honestly cannot tell if he is crazy or if his actions are justified, but what a haunting ending to a brilliantly crafted masterpiece.





Freeman and Pitt turn in amazing performances that will go down in history of thrillers, but this was Spacey's film, even with such little screen time. He literally stole the show. Swept me right off my feet and knocked me on my bottom, and held me down until the credits rolled.


Brilliant performances, amazing ending, and the quickest two hours of my life. I want more. I may watch this again at this very moment, it is that damn good.






John Doe is neither crazy nor can his actions be justified. That's why the character is so effective.
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.



I'm glad you liked Se7en. It's the movie that first got me interested in studying serial killers. I'm looking forward to your review of Killer Joe.



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Looper (Johnson, 2012)


I have heard mixed reviews on this one, so figured it was time I checked it out for myself.





First off, let me say I came into this film with high expectations, mainly from cast. Never seen anything else from the director, so I did not know what to expect.

The story takes place in the year 2044, where time travel has been figured out, but outlawed. These "loopers" are the only mean of body disposal, because bodies are now being tracked, so the old cement shoes trick doesn't work too well anymore. Instead, they use time travel to take them back to the past and they are greeted with a nice bullet to the body and disposed of in the past.





After the looper has completed his assignment, there is a reward of silver on the backs of the victims. But, all good things come to an end it seems. You must never see the face of the victim, because, sooner or later, it is you. There must be no loose ends, so, the powers that be must "close your loop", leaving you with a large sum of gold instead of silver and the next 30 years to live your life to the fullest until you meet your demise.






There were so many things that impressed me about this movie, from the acting to the futuristic setting. It is always good to see Jeff Daniels getting work. The fact that Levitt must play a younger Willis really got me on board for this movie, because I see him doing great things in his career, and this is one of them.

The story has a few well-placed twists, which I did not see coming, and was a visual treat, especially when they catch his friend in the beginning. I will not go into detail, but that was an awesome idea.

There were a few plot holes I noticed, like how they always knew the coordinates on where the bodies would come, and other small kinks that I saw, but all in all this was a fun movie with a solid cast and a great ending. I thoroughly enjoyed both leaders' performances and hope to see more original sci-fi films such as this one in the future, like Elysium.

Definitely a solid rent!






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Killer Joe (Friedkin, 2011)


I heard from a coworker that this was worth checking out, so I went ahead and popped it in, and let me tell you about this film!





This film was spectacular. What an amazing cast, from a surprising performance from Juno Temple, to a redneck dimwit in the form of Thomas Haden Church, to a slick and cunning Gina Gerson, to a force to be reckoned with in Emile Hirsch, to the centerpiece of this redneck murder mayhem, the always powerful Matthew McConaughey.The story is beautifully written by Tracy Letts, and the brute force caught on screen in this black comedy is wonderfully orchestrated by William Friedkin.





We start this story with Chris, a young man caught up in gambling and looking for money to pay off the sharks, so he devises a plan to have his mother, whom he despises, murdered by a Dallas detective who also just happens to be a hired gunman, Killer Joe.

I will not spoil the story too much for anyone who has not had the pleasure of seeing this, but it really does unravel at an alarming pace, which forgives a slower, more comedic first half.





I think with a stronger first half and a little deeper look into some of the second halfs key ingredients, this could be a perfect movie, because the last 45 minutes or so is so feverishly brilliant that it deserves a second look, and soon. That being said, I did purchase this film, because it does have a high rewatch value to me, and I highly recommend it to any dark comedy fans.






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QUICK REVIEWS




End of Watch (Ayer, 2012)

What a fantastic film. Other than the reasoning for the officer filming all the time, which I honestly did not catch, it was one of the best cop movies I have seen to date, and Gyllenhaal and Pena really have some amazing chemistry on screen. I would love to see them work together again some day. I think Pena is severely underrated as a lead actor, and hope to see a lot more of him in the future. Definitely a must see.









Life of Pi (Lee, 2012)

This movie was such a visual masterpiece, but the first 45 minutes or so was just too boring for me to be honest. Once the story got moving, though, I was really impressed with the growing relationship between Pi and the tiger, as well as their knowledge that they need each other. Also, *SPOILER* wasn't that big of a fan of the ending, where he gave the second story about the sailor and the chef and whatnot, just seemed a little tossed in there. Never read the book, but this was a real visual treat with some brilliant companionship moments, just a few small nitpicky problems I had with it, but still well worth it.






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More Quick Reviews





Dredd (Travis, 2012)

I have been dying to see this, heard it was an alright movie, and, being a fan of the comics and the original Stallone flick, I had to give it a chance. It was......well, different. It was a fun graphic ride, but other than that, no real story and I never once felt any danger towards our one dimensional lead, although that is Dredd in a nutshell, so I cannot gripe about the character, it was flawless. Karl Urban really took care of business, and I loved how he never took off his helmet. Also, the Slo-Mo ending was pretty impressive! I just wish for a second that I would have felt some fear towards their situation, but it was still a fun flick!








The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2011)

This movie was brilliant. I loved it from beginning to end, and have since last Friday watched it 3 times. I love The Director at the end, the story was riveting, characters were horror film must-haes, which was kind of the point, but also very likeable, and being a fan of some of Whedon's past work, it was good to see him bring in some of his actors from other titles of his! Very original concept, awesome spin on the genre, and I am now terrified of elevators! Great ending. Awesome cast, especially Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins. What an awesome chemistry they had! I woluld love to see them together on the screen again. Amazing movie! Damn near perfect!






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Law Abiding Citizen (Gray, 2009)

This is one twisted ass movie. One of the most original revenge flicks I have seen in awhile. It truly shows how corrupted our judicial system really is, if not a bit exaggerated. Jamie Foxx is pretty much the cliche "let's find the bad guy" character, but Gerard Butler is far from the ordinary killer. This film is quite stylish in it's simplicity. At times you know what is coming, but it is still a tense situation, and no one is safe. I won't give much away, but he is one smart puppy, and it is good to see him get out of bad rom coms and into an intriguing role like this one. Great flick!






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The Meyerowitz Stories



I saw the trailer for this film a couple months back, and being a big fan of the cast, I figured I would give it a shot.



I absolutely loved Sandler in this, although his screaming fits in his more serious roles are becoming a bit too expected. Hoffman worked for me, as well. Van Patten was a welcomed addition as well, and gorgeous to boot, Stiller seemed to just sort of be there, definitely the weakest link in my view in the ensemble cast, although his speech was pretty heartbreaking and showed he has chops when need be.

Sandler really owns his role, and takes this film by the horns. The story was pretty generic if I am being honest, but it worked. Simple direction, some great scenes, Danny and Eliza on the piano, which was a heartfelt moment. Although the story was simple, the dynamics between the siblings and the way their father neglected them growing up and what that had made them was interesting to watch.

All in all I would watch this again, if not just for Sandler and a few well directed scenes. Not a bad film at all, and Netflix keeps impressing me with their exclusives.




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The Babysitter




I was rather blown away by the fun factor in this Netflix original! Me and my girlfriend had a blast and I would DEFINITELY recommend it and watch it again!! Very welcomed addition to the horror comedy genre!! I would watch it again just for the use of one of my favorite songs, We Are The Champions!! Very fun flick, perfect run time, no real dry moments, packed with memorable scenes and some great synergy with Cole and the babysitter.




Very fun flick for a weeknight!!!



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I had a good time watching this movie. I have heard great things about it, and loved the simplicity of the story, the acting, everything was just crisp and refreshing!

One thing that I like a lot about this movie is the transition from black and white to color when Anna was actually happy and not so depressed. I usually do not like movies I have to watch with subtitles, but it actually didn't take away from the experience. The small battle scene was well shot and impressive. All around, the movie caught me in my feels a few times, was beautifully directed, and a solid film I would watch again.