Capitalism

This review is on Michael Moore’s new movie Capitalism: A Love Story. Ironically, it is anything but a love story; it is his new attempt to show how much he really hated Bush, while ripping the large companies of America a new one.
A lot of people don’t like this man, AT ALL! Even people he sometimes gets onto film tell him to quit making movies. Well, after finishing this movie this morning, I hope he doesn’t. People say that he doesn’t have facts or that he just says his own opinion, well yeah he says his own opinion, like everyone in the world, he also shows other side to things. He will take hard facts and throw it at you and say this is how it is and what I think. People are afraid of that, they are afraid of the truth, that’s why most people don’t like him.
In his last movie Sicko, he tried to rip healthcare a new one also. He said and showed us things that are hard facts, again, and people still disagree and say he is a bigot and anti-American. He has never once said that he hates America, he just hates people that run it, and the road that it is going down. If you say you hate him then you are just consumed by the lies that are told by you by the media and government. I am not putting this up here as a rant on government or conspiracies or anything like that, I am only to say that this man makes great documentaries that get the job done.
So, if you have seen Fahrenheit 9/11 or Bowling for Columbine, and you enjoyed them, then rent or buy this today, it will really open your eyes.

Oscar Night!

So with the most disappointing Oscars thus far behind us, why don’t we take a little time and see how bad some of the choices actually were.

Best Animated Film
This section is always a given of who will win. Whenever Disney/Pixar has a movie out, the Academy might as well just give it to them. So with that said, Up was the winner here; this movie is for sure the one that deserves it though. The movie is the best one Pixar has come out with in a very long while. It is very deep and dark and touches audiences in a way they have in any movie.
The closest thing I could say that could have won was Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Not just because it was Disney, but because it was a return to original style animation movies of being drawn rather then computer generated.

Visual Effects
We all know which one is supposed to get this one. Honestly who else other then Avatar. This is only like one of three awards that it actually got. If it hadn’t have gotten it, I would went on strike.
In close second though, District 9 would have been a close contender. With how much money that movie was made on and how realistic they made it, it was a definite thing to be deserved for them.
Star Trek, while this movie had great effects, it was all stuff we have seen before; nothing special going on there.

Sound Editing and Mixing
This one really pissed me off; why Avatar didn’t get this one is beyond me. While The Hurt Locker had great sound in this movie, Avatar had much better going on. The sound mixing and editing is what really put you into the world of Pandora.
On the good side of the winner, Hurt Locker does have spectacular scenes where bombs exploding and everything make it AWEsome. This was very spellbinding movie that kept you on edge. I just feel that Avatar was better in scoop and entertainment.

Best Song
I never saw any of the movies that were nominated in this section. But from what I understand Crazy Heart was well worth the win and is highly recommended.

Best Music
Of course for this one was hoping for Avatar, but it can’t win everything of course. Up was a good win, although Sherlock Holmes had a very good score that fit the time period perfectly. So all in all, Up deserved this one.

I am going to lip over some of the boring stuff and get to screenplays.

Screenplay Based on Material Previously Published
Precious is based off a book called Push by Sapphire. This is being highly acclaimed right now. I have yet to see it but once I do I will review it on here. If this had not won In The Loop really should have. That was a quirky, British/English, government comedy. The humor is very dry but is paced so well you just can’t help but laugh at the one liners.

Screenplay Written for the Screen
Hurt Locker took this one; yes it well deserved this one for sure; but, Inglorious Bastards REALLY deserved it. The humor in it and the alternate history universe is what really made this movie; but thumbs up for Hurt Locker for winning.

Best Director
I was way upset about this one. James Cameron’s Ex wife won this one. Kathryn Bigelow, she directed Hurt Locker. While I am happy for win since it was a very well done and it was a great job on her part, I really wish Jim had won. I say this because of how much he put into it, and how much he revolutionized film making.

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique won this one as the mother of the girl in the movie Precious. Form what I I have seen in previews and clips, this is very much deserved. Her performance looked so strong and emotional that really beat any of the other choices.

Best Actress
Here is one I was very proud of, Sandra Bullock. I am happy that for her first Oscar Nom she won it. We can now finally say Oscar Winner Sandra Bullock. From what I have seen of the Blind Side, she did a fantastic job. While yes, Meryl Streep did a fantabulous job as Julia Childs in Julie and Julia, how many awards can one woman have, honestly.

Best Supporting Actor
This was the best win I think that happened all night; Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Bastards. This was the best performance in this category I had seen. He portrayal as ‘The Jew Hunter’ was suburb; he made you laugh while you just wanted to punch him out. Stanley Tucci also was fantastic in the Lovely Bones; he was a close second in my list.

Best Actor
All I know is that finally the give Jeff Bridges a friggin award. This was the best role, though, that he has done since playing ‘the Dude’ in the Big Lebowski. I just can’t wait until Tron Legacy, which looks like the best movie of the year.

Best Picture
This is the first year since the 40s where they had more then five nominations and the first year since Beauty and the Beast where they had an animated movie up for best picture. This was tough year, though, for movies.
Of course the one that won was the one that I didn’t want to win, Hurt Locker. While it deserves it, it is a great movie, but there are others that deserve it this year that would never had a chance later on. Avatar I really wanted to, but I would have liked to have seen Inglorious Bastards, only because Quentin Tarantino deserves an Oscar after all these years of making spectacular movies. Or even District 9 deserved it, just how well it was made, and how great of a movie it is, it really could have had a chance.

So all in all… this year really had some good movies, but the Academy being predictable like they are, gave it to movies that have a anti-war message like they do whenever there is one out there.
I am not saying Avatar should have won best picture, but at least the visuals and sound for how well it was done in that department.

The Wolfman

Who doesn’t like a good old school horror movie? Well this is a great old school horror movie redone. The classic, which was released in 1941, was scary to audiences but not to us these days. While the idea of remakes makes people shudder, they have to realize that older movies like that classic Wolf man or Dracula doesn’t scary people today who see so many horror movies now where something big and loud has to jump on the screen. Also, some movies do deserve a good update.
The story, Benicio Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot; a man who goes back to his home town after finding out his brother had been killed. When he gets there, he learns that the townsfolk are frightened of a beast that they say killed him. We later learn this beast is a, of course, werewolf. This werewolf attacks Lawrence and he starts feeling the change, to add to complications, a detective Abberline comes to town to try and figure out what exactly is going on, and also, his father isn’t helping things by keeping secret of what is going on. Complications arise more when Lawrence starts to fall for his brother’s widow.

I saw this movie in August in a special sneek peek and was amazed at how good it was. The acting by everyone is phenomenal; Anthony Hopkins plays Lawrence’s father, and he plays it so well. Benicio is suburb as the Wolf Man and Hugo Weaving , or as most of you know him as Agent Smith, plays the detective very well.
Overall, the movie is very good, there are some slow points but that’s to develop the story further, maybe even too much though. The special effects are amazing; it shows a real werewolf transformation rather then todays ‘twilight’ werewolf crap where all they do is walk around shirtless and can change whenever they want and can change almost instantly. This is the true werewolf story here; the man changes on the full moon, it is a slow and painful looking process and it looks like a wolf – man rather then a giant dog.
The other cool thing I found about this movie is that the climax looks and feels like the original; it has a black and white hue to it while the damsel in distress is being chased through the woods.
Overall, the movie is a three star out of four stars; it is a very good movie, the only thing holding it back is the slow parts that kind of drag on and on. But, it is still a very entertaining movie to watch. Warning for kids though; this movie is very violent, there are scenes of limbs being chopped off and blood and gore. These scenes can get very brutal at times, so if you are thinking of taking the kids, be warned.

Bronson

Hello all… it has been awhile since I was last on…
So I am back… and my first movie back will be the best movie of 2009.
Bronson is about Charles Bronson; no, not the actor, but the most violent man in England. He spent 34 years in prison and 30 years of that was in solitary confinement. Even though all he had on his mind was violence and punching the crap out of people, he was very artistic. All he wanted was to be famous.
The movie which shows him as a kid briefly, follows him from when he first goes into prison to when he gets out of prison to only then go back months later. While in prison, he would start fights with guards, with other prisoners, just to get a rise out of people. He loved to be hit so that he will hit back harder.
The movie can easily be compared to A Clockwork Orange in the way it tells the story and the style of the film making. For example, there are scenes where the camera will just pan across a room or follow characters in one take just like Kubrick did in his films. While it is like this, the movie takes on its own feel, its own life. While the movie is very violent, has a few scenes of male nudity and lots of language, it is very entertaining to watch. There are scenes that you just cant help but laugh at, and scenes that you just squirm at. I recommend it to anyone who likes violent movies, but it is defiantly not for kids.

Psycho family

So in light of the recent DVD release of The Stepfather, I will list a few of the greatest movies of psychotic family members.

The Shining
Who doesn’t love this movie? As a kid, this scared the ever living poo out of you; and it still does to this day. Don’t lie. It is a classic story of family moves to hotel for winter, son has psychic powers, mother is fugly as hell, father loses mind slowly, son writes redrum on a door, and “Heeereee’s JOHNNY!” as an axe goes through the door. This movie is a classic and is one of the few ‘epic horror’ movies. No other like it; that is why it is top of psychotic family member list.

Mommie Dearest
Not really a horror movie, but when you see Faye Dunaway play someone as psychotic as Joan Crawford, you have something scary. The movie is based off a book written by one of Crawford’s daughters. In it, she claims that her mother abused her and treated her and her brother like crap, to say the least. Whether it happened or not, we will leave it to you, but remember, “NOOO WIRE HANGERS”


Orphan
Here is a good one; a story about a Russian girl that is adopted by a family who can not have any more children. She seems nice and innocent at first, but, Ester has a secret. The movie is paced very well and keeps you one edge wanting to know what exactly this secret is. The opening is a little weird but gets you into. This movie may startle you into wanting to adopt, but don’t let it; just stay away from Russian children.


Psycho
Here is the mother of all horror movies and psycho families. More like F***ed up families. The story of Norman Bates may look like he is a normal, quiet hotel manager taking care of his sick mother. But when Janet Leigh checks, she learns that mother is a bitch and that mother is a boys’ ONLY friend. But wait, didn’t mother die some odd years ago? Hmmm… I wonder who it is then.

Carrie
A classic 70s movie of a insecure catholic girl, secluded form the world by her overprotective mother. She gets picked on by the kids at school and has no friends because mother thinks everyone is the devil. When she finally is let to go to prom, it’ll be the last prom that everyone will attend.

The Stepfather
This is a remake of a movie of the same name. This one stars the guy from Nip/Tuck and Congo from years ago. He plays a killer who changes his look and hooks up with a woman who is a single parent, to only end up killing them and moving on. Only this time, he finds a family that is a little smarter. So what is he hiding in the cupboards in the basement?

Surrogates

Lately, Bruce Willis really hasn’t been in any memorable movies. But recently, he has made my ears perk up with Surrogates, a new Sci Fi movie that is labeled action but is way much more then that.
The story takes place about 50 years into the future, in a world where people no longer live their lives through their own bodies, but through robots. You can create a robot to look how you want and have it be perfect, but you will be the only one that will be able to use it. With this, there hadn’t been any murders or crime in a long time, until someone kills the son of the creator or surrogate. To solve this murder, who else other then Bruce Willis, whose surrogate is rockin some good hair, is called on to it. As he gets closer to solving it, the closer he is to seeing the meaning of life.
The plot may sound silly or what have you, but it is actually a very deep movie. It isn’t a rock em sock em action flick, it shows how living life through your own eyes is more precious then through someone or something else’s eyes. I highly recommend this to anyone, it has enough action that moves it along, the story is great and the acting is very well done.
I recommend it on blu ray if you have a player.

ZOMBIES!!

Ok, so today I think it is time to review some movies of a sub genre that was started by a man who has made some of the biggest cult classics. His name is Romero; and the genre I am referring to is the zombie genre.
So to start off the list, I will review the best of the genre, the Living Dead series.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This is the first Romero movie and the best. To be honest it is the best zombie movie ever. It is an old movie, but the way it is made makes it so gruesome. The effects are done so well, and with the black and white make it even creepier. This is how zombies were originally done and should be to this day.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)
This is defiantly the best in the series and also the all time best zombie movie. When some people watch this, they say the SFX are stupid and whatnot; the makeup for the zombies is very simple, for the extra zombies they basically covered them in blue paint and some blood and with zombies with close ups they added more makeup.
While the makeup is cheesy, the quality of the movie and of the story is not.

Day of the Dead (1986)
This is the third movie in the series. It is not as popular as the first two, but it is really worth watching. The story is much better then that in Night and Dawn and the SFX and makeup is so much better and gruesome. The meaning, though, is not as strong as Dawn and that’s why this is not as good.

Land of the Dead (2003)
This, I have to say, is the worst of all the series. The story and message behind it are very good, but ultimately, the movie fails. It would have been very good had Romero stayed to his roots and kept to being independent rather then selling out to Universal and having them take control and making it THEIR own rather then HIS own. This is not the only time a major company has screwed up a movie.

Diary of the Dead (2007)
This is one of the most recent Dead movies and probably the second best in terms with story. The concept of the hand held camera use is getting a little old, but is done very well here and adds more to it. The acting is all right for the most part, some actors could have been replaced. The best part of the movie, though, is the message. The message has to do with human nature and the whole internet craze. If you like the others in the series you will really like this one.

Coming Soon…
Survival of the Dead
Release Date TBA




Here are some remakes of the Dead movies…

Dawn of the Dead (2003)
Here is one of the best remakes of a movie. Remaking a Romero zombie movie is very hard; you have to do it new while keeping the message across. While this is a great movie, there are a few things to say about it.
One thing that is really bugging me about new zombie movie these days, running zombies. It is a cheap way to make zombies scary when all it does is make the movie senseless and brainless. This is a prime example of that.
With that said, this movie is still great. It keeps close to the original story and message while making it its own movie.

Night of the Living Dead (1993)
This remake was directed by the makeup artist of the Dead movie, among others, and actor for other movies. This is a colorized version of the original basically. There is nothing new or original in this movie, but it is gorier and in color. It is not a horrible movie but not one to rush to see.



Here is a list of other great zombie movies…

28 Days Later
This is probably one of the best zombie movies ever, not including the Dead series. This is one time where running zombies fits. The reason: because it adds to the concept of what the virus is, which is the Rage virus. When your angry, you run and twitch, that’s why it fits perfectly compared to decaying, dead people running like the are Kenyans in a race.
This has a new look and feel for not only the zombie genre but movies in general. It is scary but also is very deep. I highly recommend this to almost anyone.

Zombieland
This movie is a recent one. This spot was reserved for Shaun of the Dead, which is also a great movie, but because this movie I think is funnier, I put this here instead. The humor of this movie is just so funny, you start to cry. It has the running zombies, but it adds to the chaos of what’s happening. It is pretty gory, is the funniest comedy of ’09, next to The Hangover. If you like zombie movies, you’ll love this movie, if you don’t, well you still might like it.

Dead Alive
This will be the last on the list. This is one of Peter Jackson’s earliest movies, this is when his style was different and quirky rather then epic on scale. This is probably the best zombie movie in terms of humor and gore. It is very hard to get into because of how weird it is, but once you get into it, strap in for a bumpy ride of humor and mayhem.