Sunday, April 29, 2007

HOT FUZZ


This movie was extremely funny! If you saw Shaun of the Dead and loved it as I did, then this one is a must see. It's almost a sequel as it reunites Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as police partners in a sleepy English village where all is not as it seems.

I was chuckling (not giggling, that's what girls do.) at the opening scene as Simon Pegg comes marching into the police station. Nothing funny about it, I just knew the absurd comedy was coming and I was anticipating laughing my arse off.

Despite being a bit slapstick, the film actually has a decent plot, er well a decent story. And the British actors played their roles brilliantly. Even defunct bond, Timothy Dalton does a superb job as a wacky, off kilter supermarket manager.

The climax of the film is worth the full price of admission. It was freaking amazing and totally hilarious! If you are in the mood for some absurd humor and non-stop laughs check out Hot Fuzz as soon as possible. Don't get pulled over for speeding!

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Perfect Stranger

I knew who the killer was before the preview trailers ended. I had it all figured out. I was wrong. They got me. It was a great twist at the end that I did not see coming. Was Perfect Stranger a perfect murder mystery movie? Maybe it had all the elements of a whodoneit, but they dropped off the "thriller" part.

I never felt tense the whole movie. In fact I was just relaxed watching the story unfold, still confident I had it solved. I like Halle Berry, and I love Bruce Willis, so the film had that going for it. I also thought the characters were well developed. There was quite a bit of exposition, some of which was shown in flashbacks, but once that was out of the way, the character interaction began.

Halle Berry's character, Rowena Price is an investigative reporter that is convinced Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), a powerful Ad Executive has killed her childhood friend and she is determined to prove it. I felt the chemistry between Bruce and Halle was forced. It didn't come naturally. Bruce really needs to stick to what he does best. Kill bad guys.

Several supporting roles pop in and out of Rowena's hectic life, most notably her tech savy partner, Miles Hailey played by Giovanni Ribisi whose character has a glaring crush on her. (Who doesn't? Why don't stars ever stalk anyone? "I was at the market yesterday, picking up some perogis, and there was Halle again! She followed me from the ice creme cases to fruits and veggies! Sheesh!")

Well as I said this movie was no thrill ride like Vacancy was. (Go see that one!) The only cool part was the twist at the end and perhaps smarter people than me saw it coming and if so kudos to you!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Vacancy

I loved this movie! If horror flicks of the "Psycho" genre are your thing, then Vacancy is a must see! It was an intense thrill ride. A bit predictable, but director Nimrod Anatal (I'll have to think twice before calling someone a nimrod now), more than made up for it with an excellent cast, Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, and he never let the suspense die down from start to finish.

Amy and David Fox are lost on the back roads in the middle of nowhere. We quickly learn their marriage is falling apart and as it turns out, so is their car. They end up stranded at a flea bag, roach infested motel managed by Frank Whaley (Mason).
But they don't get any rest here as they soon learn that guests literally check-in but don't check-out. Mason is running a little snuff-film factory at his motel, and Amy and David realize they are the stars of the next film.
I was a little afraid Luke Wilson would revert to his usual sleepy eyed and dim witted drawl when he spoke, but I was pleasantly surprised he sounded like a normal married man on the edge of divorce. He did a great job and casting him turned out to be a good call. Same goes for Frank Whaley being cast in his role. He usually plays snarky side kicks for comedy relief but he pulls off the snarky psycho bit rather well. I guess it wasn't much of a stretch to go from laughs to screams!

If you're looking for a good jump out of your seat scream flick, check out Vacancy!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Disturbia

This is a movie that takes place in the middle American suburbs. This is the scary version of the Tom Hanks movie, The Burbs. Which is a must see comedy by the way! Disturbia stars Shia LaBeouf (what a name) who plays Kale, a high school student that lost his dad in a car crash a year ago. Kale was driving and saw his dad die, so he has issues.

Kale punches a teacher in the face at school near the end of the year and is ordered to spend the summer under house arrest. He is fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet that won't allow him to leave his yard, or else the cops come running. The real horror begins as his mother, Julie played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity/Matrix), closes his itunes account (gasp), snips the power cord to his Hi-Def TV in his room (scream!), and cancels his XBOX LIVE account (run from the theater in terror now!!).

Fortunately she didn't take his PSP! But with all his other entertainment laid to waste Kale soon busies himself with spying on the neighbors. The most interesting of which is the hot new neighbor, Ashley (Sahra Roemer). She has just moved in from the city with her parents and he quickly becomes obsessed with watching her. (who wouldn’t?). She catches him peeping with his buddy from school and oddly they all become fast friends.

I was an hour into the movie and I was like where is the psycho path? Where are the dead bodies? The Horror? Was this a scary movie or Napoleon Dynamite? They tease us with a couple of scenes where Kale discovers a few clues and starts to suspect his neighbor is a killer, but they keep us guessing till the climatic end. Until then it’s just a coming of age flick and a spoiled teenager fighting his demons (and two or three little neighborhood kids.) That’s why I give it a 3 out of 5. David Morse does a fair job of being the creepy guy next door, and the film picks up a little bit at the end, but to steal a line from the girlsonfilmshow, catch it on cable!

Friday, April 06, 2007

TMNT

Okay, Okay...no funny remarks....oh wait, I never get ANY remarks! Yes I saw an animated film this Friday! I got two boys that love ninjas, mutant turtles, and lottsa of fighting!! The boys were outta school so it was only fitting to raise them in the Friday tradition of catching a flick.

As to the TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for those of you not in the know) movie, I thought the animation was amazing! Not that bubble-gum looking eye candy that PIXAR and DISNEY usually shovel. It was dark and REAL looking. Loved it. IMAGI Animation studios did a superb job.


I liked the rockin soundtrack as well, scored by Klaus Badelt. There were a few powerhouse voices provided by the likes of Patrick Stewart (Maximillian Winters), April O'Neil gets an upgrade in this version and gets to kick some bad guy butt with the Terrapin Tornadoes. She is voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar, (Go Buffy!). The film is narrated by Lawernce Fishburne.

The story was mediocre. I had hoped they would avoid the infighting between the reptilian brothers, and just let them fight stuff, but it was not to be. Mostly Leonardo and Raphael are at each other's throats. But there is plenty of fighting monsters and of course their arch enemies the Foot Ninja Clan. Thankfully Shredder was not the big bad guy of the film.

Well if you want to see some great animation and you have some mutants of your own at home. Load em up in the mini van and head to the movies!