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Reviews
Masters of Horror: Incident on and Off a Mountain Road (2005)
A good opener for Masters of Horror
This episode seemed to take a rather reflexive look at horror, so that we see the results of a female protagonist who actually knows how to defend herself and is resourceful enough to actually take out the antagonist(s). After crashing into another car, Ellen finds herself being hunted by the local, serial killing ghoul. But instead of making the typical mistakes of women in horror films on the run from death, Ellen uses her defensive training that she learned from her obsessive and abusive husband, who lies dead in her trunk. The irony in the story lies in the fact that after Ellen uses her training to kill Bruce, she then gets pulled into a horrible situation requiring all her skills to survive. What's really great in the episode that made the whole thing worthwhile was that Ellen was able to leave Bruce's body at the home of the now dead psychopath, strung up on a crucifix like all of the ghoul's victims, washing Ellen's hands of the revenge she took on her husband. Quite nicely done.
The Carter (2009)
Just saw the carter at Sundance
When going into a documentary about Lil' Wayne, one of America's most popular rappers today, it wasn't at all surprising to see that most of the people at the premiere, even though it was at Sundance, were mostly in the age range of about 15-25. And it was probably a good thing too, because if you're not a fan of rap or hip-hop, and you're not really sure who Lil' Wayne is, then this movie is definitely not for you. If you don't like Lil' Wayne then this movie certainly won't change your mind. In fact, it will probably only make you hate him more. But if you do like him, then this is definitely a movie worth seeing.
The film basically follows the life of Wayne for several months, capturing concert footage, interviews, recordings, and everything in between. And the everything in between usually includes smoking large quantities of pot and constantly drinking cough syrup mixed with A&W. While I certainly enjoyed the footage of watching him spit, the concerts, and all the good music that goes along with it, it was hard for me to really care about Wayne. Not that this was the fault of the filmmakers, but rather Wayne himself constantly says and does things that are incredibly arrogant, self-centered, and naive. From blaming George Bush for Hurricane Katrina (he suggests that it should be called Hurricane George), to sporting his ridiculous amounts of diamond studded bling, to saying that he doesn't care at all what anyone thinks, to wearing his robe which says "The Greatest Rapper," it's hard to care about someone who seems so wrapped up in himself.
But it's hard to deny a lot of the creativity that has earned Wayne his fame. Last year, he recorded over 250 songs. For Wayne, it's a necessity to take his mic with him everywhere, just in case he gets an idea or needs to let a song flow out, he has it with him, as he never writes down his lyrics. He just turns the mic on and starts rapping. The footage of this is great, and the director managed to get a lot of personal insight into Wayne's life. Wayne's daughter also made several appearances in the film, and she was very cute, but it felt like the director was trying to inspire sympathy by adding her in. And none of the footage even showed the two of them together, so we never really get to see if he's actually a good father or not. Wayne is also very contradictory at times, saying that alcohol is bad for you and that he never drinks it, but then openly supports cocaine and ecstasy. The film also tended to get a bit repetitive, but for the most part it was fun to watch. So overall, if you enjoy Lil' Waynes music, then i would recommend seeing this to get some insight into his life, but otherwise the movie might seem like a more in-depth version of MTV Cribs, in which you can either envy or be disgusted by the excesses of Lil' Wayne.
Guinea Pig: Ginî piggu - Akuma no jikken (1985)
this isn't worth watching, except for the last scene
this movie has no plot, no character development, and no budget. it really sucks to put it in short terms. Since there is no development for the movie, it really can't even be looked as trying to be artistic or trying to make a statement against torture. Which leaves two other reasons to possibly watch it. To be shocked or to get off on it like a sick little freak. Well it falls short here too. The girl's reactions just seem dumb. it's extremely easy to tell that it's fake (honestly professional wrestling looks more realistic than the crap they try to get by with in this movie. They throw innards on her, but she's asleep for most of it, so it's just kinda dumb. The only really kind of worthwhile part is the end when they quickly cut from scene to scene just before the needle goes into her eye. But honestly the girl is extremely ugly and everything is incredibly fake, with the exception of the eye. if you want a good movie about torture, go watch Hostel and Hostel 2. Not only do they both contain realistic violence, but there is also an actual storyline that draws you in and makes you care about the people. Plus the tow movies really work on a deeper level considering themes like American fears of foreigners, issues of morality, testing how far a person can go, human instincts vs. civilization, and many other things. Plus they are carefully written and contain some good humor when the story isn't focused on the violence. These are much better choices over this piece of crap
The Mist (2007)
one of the best horror movies ever
I liked this film a lot. It built up the suspense really well. Al of the creatures in the mist are creepy as hell. All of the scenes with these creatures are really disturbing and kept me on the edge of my seat for sure. really scary stuff. I read the novella a few years back and really liked it a lot. I was really happy to see that one of Stephen kings horror novels has transitioned well to the big screen. I really really really hope that Frank will continue to direct King's stuff. He really does it justice. With that said, i thought the ending was very good, for all you wussies out there who felt like it was sacrilegious or some BS like that. I think King's ending was good, leaving things ambiguous, but i also liked this ending too. I'm glad to see that some really good horror movies are coming out recently. I feel like this one worked perfectly in building up the horror, and it really draws you into the characters, which is essential to a horror movie if you really want to build suspense. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good horror movie.
Cabin Fever (2002)
Not for everyone
The first time i watched this movie, i had bought it cheap from blockbuster and being a fan of hostel, figured that it would be good. But when i watched it, I was kicking myself for watching it. The plot was bad some of the characters were just ridiculous, and I can't remember being scared once. With that said, I decided to watch it a second time and give it another chance. But instead of looking for a scary horror film, I sat down just enjoying the humor and laughing at all the ridiculous amounts of blood and gore. This movie really doesn't aim to be high quality, but it can be a really enjoyable experience. Just don't expect horror.
The Fountain (2006)
don't believe the critics this movie is awesome
I had been eagerly awaiting this movie ever since I saw Darren Aronofsky's film, Requiem For A Dream. Suffice to say I was not disappointed. Before I saw The Fountain, I listened to what people were saying about the movie and a few friends of mine said it was excellent, but after reading and seeing how many of the critics said that the movie was awful, I felt very disheartened.In fact,a lot of my previous anticipation had worn off by the time I got to see it. As I sat in the theater, I wasn't drawn too much into the story at the very beginning (which is also how I felt while watching Requiem), but as the movie progressed I got more and more into it By the end of the film, I was completely in love with it. The visuals are simply amazing, even with the budget cuts that they had. The movie is simply beautiful to watch. The story is complex and inter-woven between three stories each staring Hugh Jackman, who is trying to save the woman he loves, Rachel Weisz. Many critics have said that the movie was confusing and made no sense. I couldn't agree less. While admittedly the story is complex, I didn't find it at all confusing, in fact the story at its core is very simple and the complexity only arises as the three stories begin to connect together. I also felt that both of the performances were very convincing, despite the fact that many other critics have tried to denounce their performances. The fighting sequences in the film were edited down both because of budget and to give the film a Pg-13 rating, but the film hardly lacks because of it, so as the strength of the film holds up because of the main character's relationship.
To understand this movie you have to see it from different angles, but it all adds up to the same point,of life and death, that is what this movie is about, dealing with death and the question of immortality. If you had a dearly loved one who was about to die, how would you react? how would you react in the face of your own death? The film lets you ponder these questions as you watch the on screen.
The first part of this story involves a conquistador searching for the fountain of youth, because he wants immortality for his queen. The second story deals with a doctor who is trying to find a cure to his wife's disease, but he spends so much time away from her to try to save her that he can't really appreciate the little time he has with her. He loses sight of what he has doing, so he must learn accept the eventual death of his wife. The third part is the most confusing, but it's really not that complex. Essentially Hugh is living in a bubble that is ascending into a star that is about to be reborn. When they reach the star they will be reborn as well, but for now Hugh depends on the tree for survival as a means of nourishment. The tree is an obvious representation of his wife Izzy, and the significance of this isn't revealed until the end.
The film interestingly pulls together different answers to death, different responses to it, and philosophies after life it combines scientific beliefs, Christian beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, and other philosophies. And it does it so beautifully. Both Rachel and Jack should have received more attention for picking up these roles that had been dropped by other big actors, because they were willing to play difficult roles (3 roles in fact..well two for Rachel) in a script that is completely different from anything else and a very risky move. The music in the film hooks you in and is an incredible strength in the film. it all fits perfectly. Even with a large cut in budget Darren still pulled through to make the film and the visuals are amazing. Watching this movie is like watching a piece of art. It's simply stunning! If you enjoy philosophy, and like involving movies than there is really no reason why you shouldn't enjoy this film. IT'S EXCELLENT.