Love & Other Drugs

 Love is a Hard Sell

Director: Edward Zwick
Release Date: Nov 24, 2010
Rated: R
Run Time: 113 mins
Genre: Romantic Comedy

One type of film I have never really been a big fan of over the years has been romantic comedies, More so because come on.... Romantic films of any sort just dont turn out very good when you are romantically challenged. But for my love of movies I do give them a shot to impress me with their mushy mush and laugh out loud moments.

This past week I found myself sitting in a theater with a (lady)friend and we happen to buy tickets to see Love & other drugs, in hopes to see some well....Things that the movie has been hyped around, In which case we also hoped it would bring some laughs and maybe something more.

Based off a book called "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman" in which we find the rise of one man and the popularity of the miracle sex drug Viagra. This part of the movie caught me off guard a bit but it was a different story than i was expecting in a  good way.

I must say It is one of the better romantic comedies i have seen in awhile. It may not be because of the character development and how much we know about Anne Hathaways character, Since we never really dive into her life it seems, We do find out she has Parkinson's disease and loves to mingle. But not much else is learned over the length of the film, But honestly I didnt care much about that as what Ann gave us in the screen time that she had, Was just enjoyable.

Of course the main reason I went to see the movie was for Anne's role in the film but I also was wondering how Jake Gyllenhaal would do as he has kind of been on a down slope as of late for me in film( Was not a big Prince of Persia fan and I failed to see Brothers as i heard mostly negative on it, Its on my to watch list however) but surprisingly Jake does a vibrant job as the slutty drug dealing playboy that he is. He plays Jamie Randall who cant manage to keep a job and to make matters worst his brother has struck it rich in life. But his brother has a connection to a company that is looking to make it big in the pharmaceutical business.

Right off the bat Jake does a solid job making you see how charming he is and how all the ladies just fall for him, but sure enough there has to be that One lady he just cant seem to trap. For a man that cant seem to find love...Love my just happen to find him.


Yeah so Love & Other Drugs is mostly just a Boy meets girl type of love story but deep down it has a bit more with the issues of true love winning out and taking care of some one you love, giving up things for love and well so on. It may not be my type of film but for some reason it hit the right spot for me, it might have been that viagra or it could have just been the great cast but something was done right.

Parkinson's disease is fairly known in the mainstream thanks in part to one of the best actors of my life time, Michael J. Fox, but still many people dont seem to know about the disease and how it can effect peoples lives even if they dont find themselves with the disease. This helped make the movie a step above other films in the genre in my opinion.

It has its flaws of course but i didnt mind over looking them and finding myself laughing at multiple jokes from different characters or at a moment in the film i realized i had a chill run down my spin. Anne hathaway has been nominated before for awards and i must say if she does not get a nod for her role in this I will be sad as she really shines.

In closing of this hard and yet quickie of a rant my final words to sell you hard on this movie(notice what I did there? yeah you did, didnt you?)

The movie might have some very cliche things in it but at the same time if you give any romantic comedy a first date this year, I really see no reason not to give Love & Other drugs a run at your heart.

The Human Centipede

 

100% medically accurate.

Director: Tom Six
Release Date: Oct 5, 2010
Rated: Unrated
Run Time: 92 minutes

Have you ever sat down with friends and thought about making a movie before? Come up with some stupid or insane ideas that "no one will ever think of?" I think most people have had some crazy idea and some twisted discussion when it comes to horror films.

One man that had an idea Tom Six, Who wrote and Directed this twisted tale of tourists visiting a nice charming Doctor. I have to admit with all the ideas i have ever had when thinking about making a film, the concept behind "The Human Centipede" never seemed to crawl into my mind.

The cast was nothing to stand up and shout to your friends about, Some people may know Akihiro Kitamura as he did make a small appearance in the TV Show "Heroes" and has a few other credits to his career but nothing that stands out to the everyday movie goer.  The star of the film is without a doubt Dieter Laser who plays Dr. Heiter, He has that dark and twisted look that just fits the role, Kind of reminds me of Saw star Tobin Bell. He just has that dark side that can freak you out with the most calm of looks. We also have two young ladies who are seemingly our main characters in Ashley Williams and Ashlynn Yennie.

The start of the film focus on the two woman who happen to be traveling around Germany, They go out looking for a nice fun adventure since they happen to be so far from home, why not try and get into some trouble? Of course this means the girls have car trouble and soon find themselves running around in some storm trying to find shelter.  I must say the acting from the girls at the start seemingly bugged me but I soon forgot about their acting.

Finally the movie starts to pick up as the woman find their way to Dr. Heiters home, which from the looks of it is a very nice place, minus the creepy art work hanging from the walls. Soon enough the doctor takes advantage of the cold, wet and lost women with his smooth skills.

The movie kicks into full on twisted gear from this point on, Im not sure what to really say from this point on because its just one of the movies you have to witness for yourself. It has already gained a cult following and for solid reasons. The basic idea and the twisted feel of the movie demands a view.

But with that said the movie does seemingly fail to be more than just another tourist/gore porn type of film. The Dr has his own twisted room to torture his lovely guest and thus they must try and escape without him noticing. Things get pretty tight and tense as the movie pushes on but the outcome does seem pretty simple to figure out but that might not be something that is on your mind as you watch this film.

If you happen to enjoy twisted films, Torture porn, Americans being screwed over or just something a bit different than what happens to be playing at the local cinema. Then i say why not give The Human Centipede a try, it is by no means a movie for everyone it will have a select group of fans but could you find yourself in that group?


If you happen to fall victim to Dr. Heiter what did you think of his work? was it worth the pain or was it boring you to death?

On a side note i must say I really do like the poster for this film, nice and creepy.

Freaked

 A thinking man's stupid comedy

Director: Tom Stern & Alex Winter
Release Date: 1 October 1993 (USA)
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 86 min | USA:80 min | 79 min (Netflix edition)

Movies come and go all the time, As do the actor and actress that we see each and every day talking about how they have reached that moment in their career that they will never forget and that it was their moment in time.

Freaked is not that moment for anyone really. Its more so a film that brought in some big named stars just to see what they could do with the star power but at the same time the movie ended up with a limited release and no one ever witnessed the freak show. Until it became a cult classic.

The movie "Freaked" stars Alex Winter as a former child star "Ricky Coogin" who becomes the spokesman for the EES(Everything Expect Shoes) to try and promote the toxic experimental goop called Zygrot-27 which of course has been banned in the US and Europe. Ricky finds himself and his best friend Ernie(played by Michael Stoyanov) in Santa Flan to calm the people and get the EES a good name. They run into a protestor named Julie (Megan Ward) For some odd reason they end up in Freak World that is owned by Elijah C. Skuggs(played by non other than Randy Quaid) Of course Skuggs turns out to be the bad guy and has been turning tourist into Freaks. Thus the adventure of our group becomes one of escaping...

Other wise I dont really know how to explain much else that happens in this movie from start to finish. It does have one of the best roles i have ever seen Randy Quaid in and that is no joke. He was a perfect fit in this film. We also have a few other random actors appear in the film such as Mr T and Brooke Shields. Along with a crazy appearance by "Ted" as a crazy dog man.

The special effects in this movie are some of my personal favorites, its the kind you hardly see these days because of al the computer generated stuff has become so cheap and has taken over hollywood. The costumes and make up are awesome on many of the Freaks( Beast Boy of course) and you also have the typical we didnt try make up (The sockman) but all of the costumes fit so well and just make you laugh or in some cases freak out.

If you like trippy out of this world campy films that might make you think,You should enjoy Freaked. They take little shots at cult films or just do things you may not find in films these days (The Troll character) You may also enjoy seeing how much things have changed and have focused more on CGI than actual costumes(which is a big deal to me but might not be for others) over the years. Of course some people still make cheese some what like this today but its never as good as the 90's

It is on Netflix Instant watch at the time of this rant review so who knows maybe you might get bored and check it out.. Is it a B Reel Classic?

The Walking Dead

Based on the Hit comic series by Robert Kirkman

Release Date: Debuted Oct 31, 2010 on AMC
Rated: TV MA
Run Time:  60 Minutes
Episodes: 6(at this time)
Genre: Horror


A television series involving zombies? How could anyone pull this feat off? No way they could take what Robert Kirkman has been splattering on the pages of his hit comic series "The Walking Dead" over the past several years. The blood is not a rarity nor is the maturity of this series so could anybody really bring this to the small screen and make it worth the time of day?

The first episode is in the books now, things could easily change but my thoughts from this first hour and a half that we have been given is not something to be scared of.

I must say that without a doubt anything can happen in the next five episodes that could change my thoughts on this debut series, but I want to just give this series a review based off its first episode, which is a bit crazy to do, But i have my opinion and I dont mind sharing my braaaaaiiiiinnnns with you all.

TV is one thing I dont often check into, I have no currently active series that i truly follow, After "Lost" finished up I wasnt sure if i would have anything to really put my Tivo to use with. But Now that Frank Darabont (Man behind  "The Shawshank Redemption and most recently one of my personal favorite films "The Mist" Not a bad track record) has put plenty of effort into the 90 minute pilot for AMC.

But has the thought of a zombie tv series sunk in yet? Think about all the violence that is in movies such as "Dawn of the dead" or "28 days later" Could you imagine a show like that? Maybe on Showtime or HBO right? But not on cable.... Well AMC seems to be the go to channel for your mature content these days.

The series opens with a bloody child zombie and a nice headshot to finish her off, It instantly told me that AMC doesnt plan to treat this show poorly it will put all its effort into making it a worth while series with all the same content that you may see in popular zombie films and of course the hit comic series.

Without spoiling much the first episode introduces us to the main character of Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincoln who isnt a house hold name, So right off the bat the casting may not get peoples attention, This actually might be the downfall to the series is the lack of true star power, Could it be that new stars are bore from the tragedy of the undead? Only time will tell when it comes to a TV Series, but not much you could really tell from one episode but I have to say Andrew has the look and seemed to fit the role thus far.

Rick Grimes is a sheriff's deputy from a small town who ends up getting shot while stopping a car chase, he awakes in a hospital alone with no answer to his cry for help. As he makes his way around the abandon hospital he slowly realizes the world has changed since the last time he was awake. Soon enough he finds his way to the streets which are just as lonely as the hospital was, Until we meets up with a father and son duo who inform Rick that the world has been infected by the Walking Dead.

As hard as it is to believe he must find his family as any hero knows his family is waiting to be rescued from this nightmare. The show seems to cover issue one of the comic pretty well.  Rick finds himself in search of his family only to end up in the big city. He is not alone.

The soundtrack looks to be a winner as the very calm and creepy music or lack of fits the new world that rick finds himself in now. The background sound is amazing at times you can just tell that the character is not alone that something is hiding in the shadows, The music is not about ripping your face off its more so a slight stabbing that just adds to the horror of things.

Something that plenty of people had brought up was the Comic series is black and white and how would that effect the TV Series if at all? Well of course the show is not black in white by any means, The red flows as crimson as you'd expect it to. But at the same time the series has its own feel to it, It has a very gritty feel to it, not your normal viewing experience it brings things more so down to earth, things dont seem to pop out oddly its more of a real effect that keeps you in the world of the dead.

Either way the Story, Sound, Look and Maturity are all things that make this series a Must watch thus far. Things could change as Days go by.

The only thing that might worry me is some of the casting with no huge names to hold the cast together these guys need to bond and bring each other together as family we will care about. We want to see them survive and keep on breathing. Hopefully Carol(the son) can be a stand out actor as he has plenty of air time ahead to shine bright.

I have Faith. Thus far it is an amazing adaptation of a great comic series. If you enjoy Zombies or end of the world situations or maybe just want a more mature series to watch, this would be the one to keep your eye on.


This is defiantly a hard little rant to post as its only based off the pilot episode and my fandom of the comic series but of course as always I would like you to judge it for yourself.
one thing is for sure....I hope the dead keep on walking.