Movie Tab II

I really enjoyed Drag Me to Hell. Specifically because there were no false scares.

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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

"Unarmed but Dangerous" - (for the head in a bucket joke)


Originally called...wait for it..."Kung Fu Flid" (it stars Mat Fraser, born with stunted arms after his Mother was one of those given Thalidomide in the 60's) this British Gangster/Martial Arts flick certainly has a great central idea and shows a welcome relish to wallow in the bizarre and outrageous.
But....
There is nothing else here remotely welcome or worth relishing. It's truly awful.

Shot on a video it looks ugly and cheap and this lack of technical shine is not only visual either as every aspect of the film is technically awful.
From the sound, the acting, the script, the editing and the laughable action all is so bad the film often becomes a genuine chore to sit through.

Despite the original title Martial Arts (Flid-Fu or not) is only a tiny part of the film and is staged, filmed and performed with all the effectiveness of a bucket with holes at both ends.
Fraser might be able to kick his legs up and do a bit of (very) close quarters fist pummeling but his blows never carry any power or force and the camera spends most of time trying to cover up (and often failing to do so) the fact that most punches and kicks never actually connect.

Nothing here is done well in fact, guns fire with almost no noise, people slump off camera when shot to save money on actually doing anything to imply a bullet hit and even when the violence is effective and genuinely bloody (and I mean bloody!) the actors are so awful (and the director so blind and deaf it seems) at portraying the realistic effects of such violence that even the few technical things that are okay are ruined.
When Fraser's Wife is shot, twice to the chest, she not only moves around as if nothing has happened but then holds a shouting conversation with such vigor and energy that you'd think she was just received a vitamin shot, not a gun shot.

The Gangster characters are all the same old cliche geezers we have come to love or loathe (me, I loves 'em) but the appalling screenplay shows just how bad and annoying such characters can be when not handled carefully at the script stage and by a director who can guide the actors during the often essential broad performances that come with essaying such characters.
Fraser is okay as an actor and "Lock Stock" bad guy Frank Harper as the gangster boss is fun (if outrageously hammy) and delivers the better dialogue moments well.
But everyone else is dire and too often mugs for the camera.

The screenplay is messy, rushed and badly plotted as it bogs us down in really bad dialogue sequences and 'crazy' characters that actually show just how damn good Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino are at delivering these aspects.
The basic formula is that poor characters, played by poor actors, deliver poor lines before each of these poor set-pieces ends in a brief burst of poorly staged action...and repeat.

The film is also unsure on what it actually is. The taglines, title and basic plot make the film look like a Martial Arts revenge film with an unusual setting, but most of the film is a a time hopping crime/gangster film that suddenly turns into "Hostel" during numerous nasty torture sequences.
One such sequence involves a Scottish psychopathic serial killer (with really false looking tattoos that loo like paint) who suddenly takes over the film with much overacting as he tortures Fraser's Wife and friend in a blood spattered room full of sharp objects and power tools dripping gore.
This extended sequence then cuts back and forth to Fraser taking a taxi, driven by a mad Jesus preaching driver who gets lost, in cinema's least energetic and exciting rescue plan.
The mad Scot is then, after all this build-up and screentime, simply dispatched by a punch in the nose by the Wife whose two bleeding bullet holes STILL don't seem to exist outside of a visual make-up effect.

The finale is an utter mess as well and is nothing but a ranting, swearing chaotic stew of bad acting, silly plot mechanics and the worst Kung Fu yet seen.

Now I love my British Gangster films, and I love my mockney/Cockney geezers (yeah...I admit it!), I love it when everyone shouts and call each other c*nts, and I love a bit of blood and nastiness, and I love the idea of a whacked-out Kung Fu set-up...and I had all that in "Unarmed but Dangerous"....and yet I still ended up hating the film.
Avoid!!

The Men Who Stare at Goats Thoroughly enjoyable light hearted romp kind of Coenesque but it kept me entertained and laughing throughout. There was one joke that I chuckled to but later on in bed had me buckled when the outrageousness of it hit me. Defintely worth a watch

Screw that. For Amy Adams, I'm cutting line.

Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2009) +
I don't venture out to the cinema that often these days, but the prospect of seeing British institution Michael Caine follow in the footsteps of Charles Bronson, and most recently Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) was too good to pass up. Yes we're back in vigilante territory again, with Caine on blistering form as the Harry Brown of the title; a recently widowed pensioner and ex marine, who dishes out his own brand of justice to a gang of hoodies after they murder his best and only friend (played by David Bradley).

Set in and around a nameless London high rise council estate (indeed this could be any inner city ghetto), Harry Brown is a simple tale, given an extra shot of gritty social commentary from relative newcomer Daniel Barber. It's an approach that admirably steers clear of sensationalism in favour of grimy realism, and heart wrenching emotional depth. This is largely thanks to Caine's wonderfully measured performance as a man who once patrolled the Ulster streets, and now lives in the hell hole that is modern inner city Britain whilst mourning the loss of his wife after a long term illness. His only social contact is fellow pensioner Len (Bradly) who meets Harry for games of chess at the local pub. Both reside on the afore mentioned estate, and Len Confides in Harry about living in fear of the local thugs who regularly push dog muck through his letter box, openly deal drugs, and assault passers by in the street. The next day he's dead, leaving Harry completely alone in the world with seemingly nothing to live for, or lose. Predictably the police arrest the culprits but are unable to charge them with anything more than manslaughter because Len had been carrying a knife for protection.

Familiar as Barber's film is, and not without it's problems (the teenage yobs for example, are all portrayed as stereotypical, irredeemable low lifes); Harry Brown still manages to touch upon many of the hard issues plaguing modern Britiain. From the insensitive, dismissive police sergeant who describes delivering bad news to victims of crime as a 'death-o-gram'; to his out of touch superintendent who places more importance on statistics than individual cases. Most notably there's the skunk growing gutter trash who sell Harry the inevitable hand guns, a hoodie who films the murder on his mobile phone, and the repellent irresponsible mother of vicious gang leader Noel (excellently played by Ben Drew). Then there's Harry himself. A vulnerable pensioner living amongst the intimidation and violence of the estate; too scared to take a short cut through the local subway because of the skunk smoking, knife wielding scum who loiter there. Harry regularly uses an inhaler for his emphysema, almost as if Barber wants to reinforce in us a feeling of suffocation at the hands of this decaying modern society.

Elsewhere the film moves at a leisurely pace with Barber clearly taking extra care to flesh out Caine's character and what motivates him to do what he does before the immanent explosion of violence. Unfortunately this comes at the expense of the gang members who despite the authentic performances, never rise above cliche. The estate itself however serves as a satisfyingly authentic backdrop and plays as big a role as any of the cast. From the grubby nicotine stained local pub, to the filthy graffiti daubed walls, and chintzy interiors. Barker's bleak palette is all dull greys, dirty sepias, and grubby yellows, as this is a world of constant gloom and filth. For unlike Clint Eastwood's similar Gran Torino; the humour in Harry Brown is only ever briefly hinted at ('make it work' Caine's inability to operate a mobile phone for example). No the emphasis here is on the hopelessness of a social problem where it seems the only answer is violent retribution. In fact the inevitable revenge is restrained only in it's unglamorous depiction, and plays out in the third act of the film. This is a far cry from Charles Bronson, Robert Ginty, or Zoe Lund's exploits in more notorious genre entries. There's no 'if you're lying...I'll be back' style catchphrase, or flamboyantly gratuitous murders. No. Harry's vengeance is laboured, clumsy, and disappointingly predictable; though well handled by Barker. The nearest anyone will come to cheering and punching the air during this movie, is at Harry's proclamation 'tell me where he is, or I'm going to shoot both your kneecaps off'.

So there you have it. A well made, extremely well acted, but sadly predictable entry into the vigilante/revenge genre. Probably worth it for Caine's performance, and the social commentary alone. Though if you've already seen a glut of these types of movies already; it's unlikely you'll find anything new beyond the UK setting.

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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED

Nice review, Matt.

Saw it myself this afternoon and was very impressed. A wonderfully noirish, chiaroscuro vision of Brown's legacy of escalating knife/gun crime.

Oh and Sleezy, good shout with Sunshine Cleaning. Lovely little movie. And I must echo your love of Amy Adams too.

Just tell me there's no 'taking the law into your own hands is not a good thing to do' moralising at the end of "Harry Brown". Please!

There's no 'taking the law into your own hands is not a good thing to do' moralising at the end of "Harry Brown".

The Honeymoon Killers (Leonard Kastle, 1969)



Don't let my rating fool you. This movie is one of the most unique films ever made, even though it's based on a true story which mostly took place in the eastern U.S. during the 1940s. I would say that this film is even at least semi-responsible for such films as the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Remember that this film was made in the '60s and the director never made another flick, but it's often listed in the Top Horror films of all time, and I dare say that the hammer used in this flick is a lot scarier than the one used in Chain Saw. The basic reason I don't give this a higher rating is that it's a very low-budget flick ($150,000) and much of the cinematography is incredibly "contrasty". In other words, for every perfectly-lit shot, there's one overexposed and one underexposed, but in many ways, it adds to the immediacy and believability of the flick. After all, this was the first feature film shot by Oliver Wood, who went on to do Die Hard 2, Rudy, Face/Off and the Bourne Trilogy.



What really sets the film apart and basically makes it a must-see for lovers of horror and cult films are the two lead performances. Shirley Stoler totally encompasses the incredibly-insecure Martha, a 40-ish nurse who weighs about 250 pounds and has never remotely ever found any kind of love in her life. She plays Martha from inside-out and totally goes off the deep end every single time she feels that her miraculous lover Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco, in his first decent role, two years before The French Connection) pays any attention to all the other women he tries to take advantage of. You see, Ray has a job, and that job is to woo and sometimes marry lonely old women in order to get their money. Now Ray has never really gotten violent with any of his "victims/sweethearts", at least until he hooks up with Martha. For some reason, Ray has the hots for Martha and even confesses the truth to her, even while making constant love to her (which is obviously a first for Martha). Eventually, Ray allows Martha to join him in trying to flim-flam all the other lonelyheart women he encounters, and Martha brings out the murderous side in Ray and vice versa. Therefore, the couple, playing brother and sister, travel around the U.S., bilking lonely women and eventually killing them and any children or relatives they may have living with them.



I'll be the first to say that I am a "morbidly-obese" (oh how I hate that phrase since I'm never morbid until I read it) person who I hope you would give the time of day if you didn't know me. I already know that those of you who'll meet me in person will have no problem seeing me because you already know me, but there's always those superficial people out there who like to treat people as somehow lesser beings because they aren't superficially "normal". This may seem like me blowing off steam, but no, this is actually the theme of The Honeymoon Killers. Ray is Spanish and insecure about his ethnicity even though he's very happy about his bod and his overall looks. Martha is totally insecure about her looks, but once Ray proves to her that she is his woman, she gets EVEN MORE insecure because Ray is one of those damned Latin Lovers. He's great in bed and can screw all day and all night, so maybe he will cheat on Martha. In fact, no matter how real the psychology of the movie is in a dramatic sense, it works even better as a black comedy. I mean, how many different times can Ray show up to marry his latest sweetheart with his "sister" in tow? One thing's for sure though, and that's that Ray loves Martha, at least as much as he can love anyone other than himself; otherwise, he would never have tried to bring Martha along with him because he could always get as much nookie as he wanted without her. But Ray and Martha are soulmates, and that's why they share equally in what eventually happens to them. Although Martha is a whining Cry Baby when she thinks that Ray is cheating on her, it's Ray who is the weakling and needs Martha to carry out most of the murders and dirty work to get him "clean" from all the dirt he mucks around with. The ending of the film is both shocking and predictable, depending on whose perspective you share.



If you watch this flick, make sure you post your thoughts where I can see them. (Movie Tab II should be good enough.)

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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Thanks Mark, this sounds interesting so I've just ordered a widescreen copy on Amazon for a mere £2. Tony Lo Bianco from God Told Me To is in it too .

Thanks USED.
Tis all I need to know. I do like my vigilante films, but I'm very fussy (Me? Never!) over how they play out.


Excellent review Mark!
I have "The Honeymoon Killers" on my 'to watch' list (thought I'm sure I saw it years ago on TV) and have now moved it up.

Angel Heart

A twist that arrives suddenly, feels deviously apposite, and yet also contrives to fall strangely flat. Perhaps it's because Rourke's detective drift into a heart of darkness itself was involving, but not entirely compelling, that lets the film down a bit? Bobby D is full of feral grace as Rourke's employer, and Rourke does convince as the raggedy dick dancing between easy street and a hard place, but there was still something missing. There are fun eccentrics, some nicely arranged shots of locations and light, and at least one sex scene dripping with symbolism, which is all fine. The 50s scenario is visually all there, but the 80s synth games with heart rates take you out of that world a bit. Their dopplering presence does provide disquiet, along with the sweaty pre-Mississippi-Burning heat our PI gets exposed to, but somehow the voodoo still didn't quite cast its spell.

(+)

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

2012

I want to preface this by saying two things:

1. It was not my idea to see this movie.

2. I had a free pass.

Judging by the trailer (and by the fact that, most of the time, I don't like John Cusack movies even though I like the actor himself), I expected this movie to... well... not be good. As a general rule, I don't like disaster movies. They're usually too over the top and corny. Just absolutely full of cheese but I wasn't expecting the lactose overload that I got with this one. It was so over the top that it was almost a caricature of other disaster flicks. As for the special effects - which is what this movie sells itself on - quite frankly they looked really bad to me. Like something from a video game. I just couldn't get into it at all. Definitely not worth seeing.

However, I will be generous and give it 1 1/2 popcorns because I do really like John Cusack and because Woody Harrelson was really good for the whole ten minutes he was in the movie.

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Thanks for the warning. You have confirmed my worst fears. Since, unlike you, I don't have a free pass, I'll have to give this one a...well, a pass.

Moon

A nicely paced reverie on a near future juiced by moon fuel. Rockwell's well at home as the angry but playful miner going slightly stir crazy, while Spacey's alternate-Hal character explores another form of limited AI. To the extent that it touches on real issues, beyond generic corporate greed, there's a glimmer of 'ages of man' preoccupations, a smatter of relationship challenges, and some short talk of men being more than machines, even if we might use ourselves as such. And there isn't much extrapolation beyond that, or need for it, as the film is confident enough to let its scenarios do the talking.

Not sure if this rating is cold or not, as it's certainly a warmly acted, succinctly presented, enjoyable film.

++

Excellent Drama! I didn't go into this with very high hopes even though I am a big Cary Grant fan. I was very impressed. He was great in his role. I thought Carole Lombard gave a very good performance. Perhaps, most memorable for me was Kay Francis' down right cold-hearted character. She was superbly evil. The story leaves you wanting the characters to wake-up already and see how she's manipulating them. But I think that creates a great deal of suspense. Romance throughout with some top-notch dialouge.

In Name Only:



Part of a Grant double feature I was so lucky to have. The script in this one really impressed me and there were many laugh-out-loud moments despite some silly gags that didn't quite work. Debra Kerr is flawless and Grant is charming and funny. Betta St. John was perfect as the princess. The storyline is quirky and it's just kind of a fun little movie.

Dream Wife:



My whole family got together to watch this favorite of my aunt's. A tragic love story turns into a hilarious comedy. The cast was all very good, and even though Minnie Driver was okay, I thought someone else might have done better. Jim Belushi does a lot with a small role. The script is great and the movie is loaded with laughs. While the storyline is pretty unrealistic, it doesn't take away here. This definately belongs in the category romanic comedy, but the romance isn't too mushy and doesn't overwhelm. I had a lot of fun watching this one.

Return to Me:



Very inspirational story. This one wasn't my pick, but I enjoyed it alot. I thought Rob Brown was excellent as the lead. I thought Dennis Quaid was perfect in his role. I don't know how closely the film follows its true story base, but it was a very entertaining story. The dialouge was pretty good, holding a few moments of comic relief when needed. I thought Fleder should've found a different way to do some of the shots during the games. When the action broke out, the angles seemed kind of choppy and made me almost dizzy. I loved the musical score though.

The Express:

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9 2009

Entirely uninspired, from the extremely tight limited animation to the flimsy apocalyptic setting. The cold characters, mathematical writing, there's really no redeeming factor here other than the premise.





Ink 2009

A very ambitious sci-fi story with B-movie restrictions set upon it. Even for the prohibitively low budget it gets by on neat camera tricks and homemade special effects. The acting is a mixed bag of no-name actors, the overall cinematography often uses annoying blur effects to mask it's not so brilliant framework, the action scenes are cut and pasted together through editing which sort of works. It's a treat to see an idea come together with such an apparently small amateur team behind it.





Black Dynamite 2009

A collection of hilarious ideas, although Black Dynamite doesn't entirely transcend it's own bad-movie imitations, it becomes one of the best pieces of crap of all time. Awesome performances and a theme song that will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life.

"TAKE THIS YOU D**K SHRINKING ISLAND!"

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i always think that minnie driver gets cast when andie mcdowell turns the part down

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Undercoverlovers 100 REDUX

A wonderful story! I chose this one because my English class is about to read the novel and I wanted to have some idea of what was going on. I don't know how closely the film followed the novel, but I greatly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the classic. The film is filled with gorgeous props, locations, costumes, and set pieces. A polished script from Francis Ford Coppola has no flaws.

The acting is superb down to the smaller supporting roles. Mia Farrow is excellent as Daisy and Robert Redford is a perfect match. Think how beautiful their children would've been! You couldn't find a better choice than Bruce Dern for his part, and Sam Waterson is very impressive in one of his early roles.

The storyline is a love story but also has many twists and turns to it that keep you very intrigued. I'll definately be revisiting this one day and I'll be seeing the remake. I'm certain it couldn't hold up to this classic!

The Great Gatsby (1974): +

What I watched this week:

Ministry of Fear (1944, Fritz Lang)

Man Is Not a Bird (1965, Dusan Makavejev)

Take Aim at the Police Van (1960, Seijun Suzuki)

Red Psalm (1972, Miklos Jancso)

Dreams (1955, Ingmar Bergman)

A Face in the Crowd (1957, Elia Kazan)

Ballast (2008, Lance Hammer)

Revolutionary Road (2008, Sam Mendes)

Kings of the Road (1976, Wim Wenders)

Funny People (2009, Judd Apatow)

Fanboys (2008, Kyle Newman)

Monsieur Verdoux (1947, Charles Chaplin)

The Great Silence (1968, Sergio Corbucci)

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."