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.

Netflix is Go!

As most everyone that read's The B Reel knows, Im a huge fan of Netflix and their Watch it Now feature. Earlier this summer they had announced the app would be coming for the iPhone and Ipod touch, Finally that day has come.

Yesterday Netflix mobile app for iOS hit the market place, I instantly downloaded it. Its pretty slim down easy to work app, I could see some upgrades down the line that include your DVD Q as well. But as it is right now, its all about the instant streaming baby!

It works over wifi of course but as some what as a surprise to me it does allow 3G streaming. Sadly AT&T is very poor in my area so trying to stream over 3G will hardly ever happen. But even so I'm glad to finally have my Netflix instant in my pocket.

If you have an iPhone(or a Ipod Touch) and happen to be a member of netflix, I say why not have this app?

Worst of Comic Con 2010

I have already done a small post on some of the standout moments of this years Comic Con so I have figured why not do some of the big let downs or just horrible moments of this years biggest geek event.

Lack of Costumes: Comic Con is famous for its cosplay, Its a place that anyone can dress up and basically feel at home. But this year I noticed that the costumes seemed to be far and few. Given with the amount of people that attend comic con you still see a solid amount of Jokers and Deadpools and whatever else but at the same time I was not alone in thinking this year had a lack of costumes. I hope that it was just brought on by the semi cold and dark weather that surrounded San Diego this year.

 One of my personal favorites Toph

Swag Hags: As much as I love Swag it has become more and more about the straight up Marketing then it has been about the cool swag. Instead of putting thought and imagination into what they are handing out, We are just being splattered with papers or stickers which for the most part no body wants. What happens to all this junk they are feeding the thousands of people who are entering the Con? It all finds its way onto the streets on San Diego. What a waste. Plus I really dont care about being handed a paper about a restaurant that has a "special comic con menu" because I already know the prices have been raised and the menu has been shortened. This is just a waste of space, time and paper.

Hall H Scheduling: I know this was a big one among most anyone that attended Hall H let alone Comic Con period. The Panel scheduling was just bizarre this year. Thursday was packed pretty well with Tron but then we found our way to Friday which for some reason had Not a single Huge event. Instead Saturday was packed full. You had to be in line even earlier then normal in terms of Hall H waiting. Marvel also ended the night on saturday so you know the line was solid all day long. I just dont know why they wouldnt have scheduled something like Harry Potter on Friday instead of cramming it in with all the other Saturday events. One little Pro to this was my group was able to just walk right into Hall H on friday for the Super and suckerpunch panels, Which i have never seen before. That was pure shock.

 Waiting line for Hall H.

Lack of Surprises: Not everyone would agree with me on this one, specially after we had the stand out Marvel panel. But i must say it was a very sad time after i realized we never heard news on "Spider Man" "Star Trek 2" "Super 8" or "X-Men: First Class" Which i know i really shouldn't have expected any of these things but I really wanted one of these to surprise me and make my day. But that just didnt happen this year. Nor did much of any other huge announcements. We did reached the news about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates 4 and so on but that stuff didnt hit as hard as it should have.

Harry Potter Panel: By no means do i think the footage they gave us was poor. I honestly can not wait to finish this movie series off. The preview they gave us was very cool and the first time I have seen much of anything for the Deathly Hallows, But the sad thing about all of this was. None of the main cast attended the panel. Which I felt bad for all the folks who waited in line to attend only to see some footage(That most die hard fans had probably already seen) and to see Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy, The kid did a nice job but seriously He was the only person to care enough to show up? Not even a producer of the film let alone the Director David Yates? Horrible play on WB's part or whoever is to blame.

Resident Evil Afterlife: I dont really know how to put into words how horrible this panel was. Simply put I've never watched a worst car wreck in my life. I feel a bit bad for Milla Jovovich, Who i seriously enjoy as an actress for the most part. But this film series is only getting worst as it goes on. Milla came out with Ali and Paul to show off a clip from the movie, in which she had stated how awesome this clip is. We then watched a horrible CGI filled Slow mo green screen? Something. We watched as Milla and Ali killed off I would guess one of the main villains of the movie and probably one of the main fight scenes against (Resident evil 5 the video games) "The Executioner" which was shot in 3D with water falling down and so on. Nothing was well done in this clip and once it had stopped Milla told the audience that this wasn't the clip she thought would be playing and she was thinking of another awesome scene. Horrible.

Milla Knows somethings wrong!

Hall H Stabbing: So right after the worst panel in comic con history we had the worst incident in Comic Con history as about five rows in front of me some guy Knocked another man out and they went to the floor in a brawl. It took 5 minutes just to get the ushers to the fight scene. Then another 10 or so for the security to show... Then finally the cops. This whole event killed about an hour in Hall H. It ended up being worst then i had thought even after i walked over to the fight (I didn't get involved as it seemed others had already did so) A man was stabbed in the face with a pen. Yes a flipping Pen. As the guy was taken out on a stretcher right past me about a half hour after the start of the incident, I could see his face clearly. It looked as if he was crying blood. Crazy event to nearly end Hall H for the year(thankfully we received some great stuff after this including the marvel panel)

The Incident.

I think that this is enough Cons for  Comic Con 2010. I know I skipped other things but for me these are all the big downers of the year. I hope some of this stuff will be fixed next year and i hope stuff like this never happens again( Harry potter with nearly no cast or crew, Really?) Hope for a better and less Stabby event at Comic Con 2011.

With this post I do feel as If i should point out that Comic Con 2010 was still amazing and full of fun and great times. But everything always has a dark side.

The Visitor Review

Connection is everything

Director: Thomas McCarthy
Release Date: 18 April 2008 (USA)
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 104 min



This Tom McCarthy Drama popped into my must watch list after comic con as the leading man in the movie is Richard Jenkins who will be playing "The Father" in the American remake of Let the right one in(Let me in) and he looked perfect for that role. After watching The Visitor i must say he is a splendid actor.

Dr Walter Vale's is asked to head to New York City to attend a conference about a book he helped co write. He doesn't feel the need to attend this conference but his boss gives him no other choice but to travel to NYC.

When Walter arrives at his old place in New York he finds that some one has turned it into their home. Zainab played by Danai Jekesai is taking a bath and is scared to have Walter walk in on her. Tarek played by Haaz Sleiman is introduced in this scene as well. As the movie goes on we see Walter change as a character, Something I dont often see in movies these days or at least not done as well as it was here. Going from an old lonely man to someone who has found new meaning in his life.

The cast is wonderful and plays well with one another, The musical scenes add a nice touch of depth to the movie. Going from one music type to another as the story unfolds.

Tarek and Walter are bonding well until the cops take Tarek in after jumping the broken turnstile in the subway. The story takes another turn this time into a political crime movie, but dont let that scare you away. Tarek's mother joins us late in the film to yet again build another character and complete another.

Very hard for me to tell you about this movie as its something of character that just unfolds as you watch it, The drama part of it will definitely turn people away but if this is your type of movie it will keep you in. The music that brings the whole film together is amazing. As is the acting of Richard Jenkins as Walter.

Tom's writing is amazing given the depth of the script and the things he was able to play across in his characters is just amazing in of its self, He can make you feel emotion within the people he has in front of you without needing to really tare your heart out like most drama films do. Add that he has some fine camera work that shows of the beauty of New York City as well as nice frame work.

Learn to love and accept could be the motto in this film, Connection in people is something it does well. for this reason alone i highly recommend movie goers to enjoy the character build that this movie brings and to enjoy the bond of the visitor.

It is a crime movie of sorts as i also noticed IMDB listed it as one but dont expect it to be more crime then drama.

I understand i said Character alot in this review but that was because this movie is full of it and most people will over look it because it isnt about the Blood or sex or violence in this movie. Also a bit of a strange film to review post Comic Con but as i stated above I did have a reason because of Mr Jenkins getting the role in "Let Me In" which i think will be a perfect character for him.

Let me know if you connected with the movie or was it something you would ship away.

Best of Comic Con 2010

Well I have returned home after a great week of geeky events, they all took place in San Diego California. As comic con ruled the world for the short amount of time it was open. I want to share my favorite parts of this years comic con with you guys. SO here is my favorite moments of Comic Con 2010.

Comic con is all about Hall H and of course that means I spent most of my time in this giant cluster of geekgasm fun. Some very awesome things happened here.

The Avengers. Honestly I really should just put The Marvel panel as a whole because we kicked things off with Caption America which we actual received a tidbit of footage and shots of Capt in costume. Nice way to kick things off, Then we saw pure awesome video of Thor, Which heading into comic con i was pretty down on this movie. But after seeing the footage i must say Very impressed.
The CGI was still a bit underwhelming in scenes but given the time before release i think this could work out very well. Plus the movie still seems to have that nice mix of serious and funny that made Iron Man such a great film.

But the best moment of the Marvel panel was at the end when star after star came out on strange including Sam Jackson, Robert Downy jr and the director himself Joss Whedon. This moment was just insane, Words nor even video could tell you how things went down. Watching the video is cool and all but being there Live when it all happened was just something you had to be here live. Thank you comic con for that.

Paul. This is a little movie staring these british dudes, Simon Pegg and Nick frost from Shawn of the dead and Hott Fuzz fame. I can not put into words how awesome this movie looks. The CGI was pretty clean for being this early on. Also of course having something to do with Comic COn in the movie is always a plus. Seth Rogen is going to be an Awesome Alien. Seeing these guys on sage together to show us such a funny looking movie was a highly without doubt. If you dont know anything about this movie check it out.

Ryan Reynolds. Movie stars are cool an all but something they step above and beyond the typical "Hey" to fans or whatever makes them cool. Well Ryan Reynolds first of all was asked to speak the Green Lantern Oath from a young fan(I would say around age 6) that was simply way beyond adorable and Ryan went ahead and agve us the Oath. Which sounded Awesome. His voice is dead on for that Oath. Then he went onto sign some comics and stuff for the kid. So awesome. Really made me like Ryan even more as a person. I just hope this movie is as cool.

Live Totally Rad Show, Most everyone that reads TheBreel more than likely knows what TRS is but if you dont head over to www.revision3.com to check it out. But comic con every year is about one thing to me. Family. That is my revision3 or my TRS family and the live shows are always a time of happiness. This live show didnt disappoint as the creators of the devil with in and Lost room both made appearances, As did the TRS moms(awesome ladies that brought swag) Hanging out with everyone who waited in line and sat around me was really cool. Cant wait to do it next year as well.

Cowboys & Aliens shocked me more than probably any movie that was shown at this years comic con, It was pure awesomeness that has just begun filming. Most people expected to see director Jon Favreau come out and show us some photos from the set and what not but instead he brought out the cast of the film including for this first time ever Harrison Ford. To which the whole Hall H stood on their feet and applauded. Amazing moment in Comic Con history. Also add in the fact that we saw 8 minutes of footage, Not horrible footage either. Some people might complain that the alien attack was poor but remember people that this has only been filming for a very very short amount of time. I think it was Dave from www.geeksofdoom.com said the alien lights looked like a ride from universal studios. I would agree but given the chance to have fine cgi worked on it, this movie will be amazing.


Many many awesome things happened at comic con, but that is a very solid given. But I among others at first thought the show was going to be pretty weak, with a horrible Friday event(well lacked the huge movies of previous years) The show ended on a good note on Saturday night, not after horrible events took place.

But if you went to this years comic con what was your favorite thing?

I think i will write up a Worst of comic con as well.

The Crazies (2010) Review

 

Fear Thy Neighbor

Director: Breck Eisner
Release Date: 26 February 2010 (USA)
Rated: R
Runtime: 101 min

This is a remake of the 1973 movie of the same name by George A Romero (Night, Dawn and Day of the dead films and others) so in this fact alone it has a lot to live up to in my eyes. But then again the remake of Dawn of the Dead by Zack Synder in 2004 proved to me that you can change a classic and give it your own personal take, So will Breck Eisner be able to do the same in 2010?

The movies plot is near the same, This time around our main character is the town sheriff played by Timothy Olyphant (Hitman, Die hard 4, Deadwood) instead of a firefighter. Anyways we start out with what we mostly saw during the commercials and advertising campaign, Baseball. We see almost the whole town is in attendance for the home towns baseball game where everyone is have a great time until a local farmer walks onto the field holding a shotgun. Things get a bit tense and end up with a dead farmer in front of everyone in attendance.

We find out pretty fast that something is indeed in the water at Ogden Marsh, The sheriff tried to warn the mayor and get things figure out but of course things go horribly wrong. People start going crazy and kill each other.

The one thing i do want to point out this isnt a zombie film from my point of view, i see it more as a 28 days later type, They may or may not act or look as the Undead but they are more or so infected by a deadly virus. This virus that spread in the towns water supple doesn't take any time to bring the town to its knees.

Quickly the Government comes in to get their mess under control, People are taken to camps and others that are infected are taken to the high school, which leads us to one of the better scenes in the movie, A pitch fork is involved.

I dont want to go too much into the movie then i already have but it does have plenty of worth while scenes. Including the funeral home or whatever it was, the crazy doctor was a very creepy guy and one of my favorite earlier scenes in the movie. Also the Bus stop area towards the end of the film. The deaths in the movie may not really be the best or at the top of the gore factor but still some pretty decent showings.

The make up design is really good, specially as the virus spreads and infects the body for a longer period of time, thats when things get truly crazy. We get a scene later in the move at the Sherrifs house with some infected and i must say the make up was truly freaky. The CGI wasn't have bad towards the end of the film, but we did get a satellite view off and on in the movie that did seem to kind of take me out of the movie a bit but it wasn't anything horrible.

I really enjoyed the sidekick deputy played by Joe Anderson, i think he stole the show in the whole movie hands down. if for any reason i would just recommend the movie for the relationship of the sheriff/deputy that takes place in this movie. For a horror ish film i think they did a very excellent job.
We dont see too much new in this Horror thriller but we get a solid amount of action/thriller and freaky bits off and on in the movie to keep most peoples attention but toward the later half of the movie things defiantly pick up. I would have to say after the pitch fork scene things get fun and crazy.

I'm happy that George A Romero was brought on as a Producer for the movie as that made it feel a little bit more alright with me to have a remake, not that most people would even notice a thing like that.
This isnt a great movie but its a decent remake, with a solid pacing that gives us story over more gore then most films, its a movie that wants to more or so tell you a story instead of shoving blood and guts in your face at all times. Which i really like that in a movie.

I would say over all give this movie a try if you enjoy Thrillers with a bit of Zombie ish action, But remember its more along the lines of 28 days later then it is Dawn of the dead.

If you dont check out the crazies I wont hunt you down or put anything in your water supple. But no harm in giving it a chance.

Kontroll Review

Murder. Mystery. Romance. Just another ride on the subway.

Director: Nimród Antal
Release Date: August 30, 2005 (DVD)
Run Time: 105 minutes
Rated: R
Language: Hungarian
-Subtitles: English
*Alternate title: Control

This is the Directorial debut of an American director born Hungarian,Nimrod Antal. Its very interesting to note that his first movie is a Hungarian film. Something most people dont seem to know even exists.

The film is crafted around the dark world that grows from the Budapest underground metro. With that said the whole world we are pushed into is stunning. The camera work is near perfect, always showing off every aspect of the surreal lighting and gloomy tunnels that are beneath the earth. I can not tell you how wonderfully shot this movie is, At first all the close ups and the way the film is was...Nothing special but it surly became more.

Kontrol was not the movie i expected going in at all, I thought it was something else and I was greatly surprised by the movie in all parts. I was indeed expecting a type of crime thriller but what i received was indeed different.

The story of the film is that Bulscu is a Control ticket agent working in the Budapest Metro, His job is to ask everyone if they have a ticket to ride the subway and if not he must cite them. He has a team that we grow to know in such a short time period, The rookie of the group Tibi, is without a doubt my favorite character, As we follow his story to learn his new job. Of course the focal point of the movie is not about Citing people for lack of a ticket but figuring out this world we are now living in.

Action scenes are not rare in the movie, We meet a character named Bootsie, who is pure adventure and action. A very fun character that brings the team together in a race of whose better. Without a doubt the best part of the movie comes from this character for multiple reasons.

I really dont want to dive all that much into the movie but i must say they do give us a bit of everything, With the action i have already mentioned we also get a slight knock of a love story as well, For some reason it just fits perfectly, very limited to what happens but it brings things together.

Horror is something I was not really expect but I guess this is also the area that the Thriller aspect comes into play and I must say it played excellent. The creepy lighting in the tunnels add to the hooded villain perfectly. Some place that someone like this could grow.

Music is a very strange thing in this movie, but at the same time everything seems a bit out of place but manages to crawl together to help us understand what in the world is going on. The costume party rave scene wouldn't be the same without the music or the lack of clarity in the scene, Adds a great amount of tension to the scene. As does the music in the scenes with Bootsie. Perfect use of music and the sounds from the Metro work so well together its perfect.

This movie is from Nimrod Antal, Which i had stated already, the reason I bring it up again is because he has a movie in theaters at the time of this review called "Predators" Which i have also reviewed earlier on the site. Nimrod is at his best in Kontrol and i would highly recommend this movie over Predators any day.  Nimrod shows he can give us a bit of everything in a low budget film not of the Hollywood standards. I'm glad he has been given the chance to do other things in Hollywood and he did a solid job with Predators but i wait for his Great American hit still.






Get in Kontrol and let the subway run free on your mind.

Dead Snow

Ein! Zwei! Die!

Director: Tommy Wirkola
Release Date: 23 February 2010 (DVD premiere)
Runtime: 91 min
Rated: Not Rated
Language: Norwegian
-Subtitles: English

Zombies, Teens, Nazi's and in the Snow, What more could you want in a movie? Dead Snow is the latest Zombie movie to make my Must own list. Its not too hard to honestly do that because i very much just enjoy zombies period. But thankfully this movie is better then alot of the other stuff.

Normally you wouldn't really need a story for a zombie movie or well a horror movie even, This time around...Well okay so its nothing groundbreaking when it comes to the plot of the film. But....

The plot of the movie is a group of friends head out to a snowy cabin in the Norwegian Alps to party it up, drink and have all the sex they can imagine. This of course changes when the teens find out that the they have planed their party on an old battle ground from World War 2. The Nazi's are not very happy about this...Maybe if they had invited them to the party it would have been cool.

The run time on the movie is about and hour and a half in length, just long enough to build a tad bit of character and to give us a backstory into the zombie's mind. Then they bring on the gore. Plenty of time to bring us some exciting movie magic.

Cast isnt very big as we have a group of friends, but one of the friends doesn't make it in time for the party and the other decides its in his best interest to go find her. We also have the Zombie Nazi's of course along with the crazy old man who must tell the story of the snow covered land.

The story does have a few solid laughs from time to time, Almost a perfect blind of laughs and gore for a zombie film.  the Make up effects are pretty solid for a low budget zombie film and some of the scenes shine over others, as do most kills seem to get worst as time goes on. Without spoiling it too much, The amputation scene is amazing and is my favorite part of the whole movie, This scene alone i think is worth the view of the film.

I really enjoyed the last act of the movie, it makes the movie stand on its own by not really falling victim to the same old story, Given the very end might still make you smile and remember a few classic films, but it still added its own flair to the party.

I do want to point out that this movie is not on the level of say "Shaun of the dead" as that has a way different type of humor and of course a more laid back comedy side to it then Dead Snow has. So if you are heading into this movie expecting Simon Pegg to make you cry...You will be deeply saddened.

This is also the first movie I have reviewed that is Not in English, it happens to be in Norwegian,  As i enjoy foreign films alot and do plan to review more in the future. I know this sadly limits the views the movie will get but it still has English Sub's which i hope will allow people to give it a go.

Over all the movie is worth a solid view, I also do plan to buy it, As i find myself to be a die hard zombie fan. But the movie does seem to dance around the idea that it is a parody or typical teen party film. I found plenty of laughs and solid gore in the movie to give any Horror or zombie fan the go ahead view.



Nothing beats The UnFrozen Dead, let them warm up to you.

Stan Helsing

The most feared monsters in cinematic history have met their match

Director: Bo Zenga
Release Date: 27 October 2009 (DVD premiere)
Runtime: 108 min

Helsing of a parody, or was it? Stan Helsing falls into the parody films such as Scary Movie and its off shoots. With its focus on the horror gene with characters based from Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and others but the over all parody rest on the shoulders of the movie "Van Helsing"

Plot of the parody is Stan has to deliver some movies on the other side of town, He gets his friends to take him, along the way they get lost and horror icons of some sort start to stalk the heroes. They get to an old movie studio an they must face the monsters. Parody follows.

The movie has more laughs then some of the other films of its kind, Of course everyone has their own pick when it comes to these types, I wouldn't say the movie has a very great rate of laughs per minute, but it doesn't leave you hanging the whole time.

Load of the little jokes come from just bringing up classic horror movies or common sexual jokes. Movie lovers of the genre should get a solid amount of enjoyment out of it.

A small cameo from comedy legend and parody man Leslie Nielson was a nice touch for me, His small part may not have really added too much to the film but he is always at his best in parody films. Thankfully tho he doesn't play the same character from say the Scary Movie franchise.

As far as the acting may go, for parody films I would say everyone plays their little roles fine, nothing really stands out but i must say it was very nice seeing Kenan Thompson in something, But he also seems to have the best lines of the movie which is a good thing. Steve Howey does a fine job as our lead character.

Costumes used in the movie are pretty funny and way beyond dumb, Pinhead has needles, thumbtacks, and darts in his head, Chucky is a creepy dude in some one piece looking outfit and scars on his face. Freddy is basically flava flay with his gangster clock and so on. At times it might bring a laugh. A CGI raven did give me a laugh but the CGI(or whatever it was) did seem horrible, but at the same time who cares much in this type of movie?

The camera work wasn't bad for what its worth, nothing horrible or wonderful but the main focus is on the one liners in the movie other then anything else.

My final thought on the movie is, I wanted to dislike it just like the rest of the parody films we have seen over the past few years but watch it with a group of friends and it will bring some laughs to a crowd, However watching it solo will no doubt limit the enjoyment of the film, I would highly recommend this over Date, Epic, Superhero, Dance movie. Also knowing a thing or two about horror films will lead to a bit more enjoyment in this parody, I know it did for me.


A fine pick for Horror buffs and parody lovers looking to kill time on a random lazy night.

Shuttle Review

Never ride with a stranger.

Director: Edward Anderson
Release Date: 8 March 2008, 7 April 2009 (DVD premiere) USA
Runtime: 107 min

This movie falls under the Thriller category of which i really do enjoy watching, The movie didn't let me down with hoping it would keep me in the whole time.

The plot of the film is about two young ladies who are coming back from a fun trip, while in the airport they meet up with two young guys that happen to find our girls cute, So what happens? The guys are dumb enough to get on the same Shuttle as our lovely ladies have chosen.

The shuttle has The two girls as well as the two younger males we meet at the start of the movie, as well as the Driver and another man, All looking to get to their destinations. Which of course is put on the side as the Driver decides to go on a Detour.

The movie does a decent amount of build to whats going on, We dont just jump straight into the bad guy is going to kill us deal, instead we slowly walk into it. Which some folks may not enjoy but it built plenty of tension for me.

The cast starts off doing a seemingly decent job but as the movie goes on people start to shine, without a doubt Tony Curran does an amazing job in his role as the driver. We also get a good showing from Cullen Douglas, which both roles alone make the movie a worthwhile viewing. But the rest of the cast even makes a sold movie for people who enjoy thrillers.

I have to say some of the scenes we are given make you wonder why they didnt just go for it, or pull the trigger, cut the cord...Do something, But at the same time they give you a reason to think to yourself "Would I really do it?"

From other reviews i had read i could tell people really enjoyed some of the twists and turns that the movie put in front of us, Something I saw very early on while others happen to unfold as the movie goes, You just cant figure out if its this or that until right near the end. I like that about the movie alot. Guessing. Tension. Thrilling.

Overall the movie has a nice dark and gloomy feel to it, very fitting for a thriller. The Blood and gore, or what we do see is pretty decent, one scene looked to have used CGI, which happens pretty fast but either CGI or not i wasn't a fan of it, but the scene its self was still done fairly well.

A solid movie for anyone who likes to travel or loves thrillers, or maybe just a friend type movie.
The movie may speak louder to some people more than others too of course. I found myself to enjoy almost every bit of it.

Run! Bitch Run! Review

Payback's A Bitch!

Director: Joseph Guzman
DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009
Run Time: 86 minutes

The plot of the movie is a very simple revenge flick, Two catholic school girls are out in the world selling bibles to anyone who will answer the door. But of course one of the houses holds a dark secret, Drugs and hookers.
When the two girls show up at the drug house they are welcomed with a murder. They are then captured for what they had seen and are raped. then one of them is killed, leaving the other to be left to seek revenge on the people who had left her to die in the woods.

The movie is less then 90 minutes long, So you would think we would jump into the action/revenge part of the film fairly quick. That doesn't happen. We are stuck with about 60 minutes of sexual acts(mostly boob shots at random, Shower scenes or stripper joints) and all this stuff about a plot or something.

We spend a solid chunk of time walking around in this movie or just showing off boobs, without a doubt it could have been cut down but then again the movie is already pretty short, So adding boobs and tree's helps lengthen the movie.

Then with you know about 20 minutes left in the movie we start to see some revenge, Which is pretty mild, as is the rest of the film In my opinion. But at the same time you can tell the director of the film wanted to go with a more throw back version then a modern day tell(think of this as "I spit on your grave" vs say the remake of "Last house on the left" thus making this the bit more cheesy film)

That being said even with the film being unrated you can tell it would still receive a pretty hard R, With all the nudity, drug use and blood that is splashed onto the screen, no doubt we would see the MPAA give this a Hard R rating.

The Gore is pretty mild, the best death scene might have to go to the guy taking a poo and then being shot point blank with the shotgun. But the kicker at the end of the film(which i wont spoil it just incase you decide to see the movie) is pretty darn funny and pretty nasty if i do say so myself.

The acting is cheesy and very on par with the 70's exploitation films, But i do have to give credit to our star girl at the end when she starts kicking some butt, her facial reactions and what not are a bit on the cool side.

The cinematography had a nice feel to it, the director defiantly got what he was looking for in the part of the movie. The old school grain filter gave it that awesome grindhouse feel to it. The amateur shots how ever did not help the film, Never did it stand out with anything you would see in a mainstream film. I've seen better camera work in other films of this kind.

The audio seems to be off in parts or louder in some areas and then back to normal here and there, I'm sure this was done on purpose for the whole old school film and all, but for some reason it just bugged me more then it should have.

The main selling point, and possibly the only real saving grace of this film is the soundtrack, Simply put it is awesome. I wouldn't mind owning it. Perfect way to keep the movie going from scene to scene.

But over all this movie is strictly for people who enjoy the classic 70's exploitation films and stuff along the lines of Grindhouse, Last house on the left, I spit on your grave or even the movie Dead Girl.

Predators Review

Fear is Reborn.

Director: Nimród Antal
Release Date: 9 July 2010 (USA)
Runtime: 106 min

That tag line fits pretty well if i do say so myself. The Predator franchise was dragged in the mud for the past few years with the Craptastic take that was Aliens vs Predator. Making our Ugly Mother's look like weak little has beens.

The film has a very solid eighties feel to it without having the over dose of cheesy-ness that some films may look to exploit(The Expendables looks to do that later this year) but unlike most crazy Action packed movies, this one does not star a huge muscle headed freak as the leading man, Instead we have Adrien Brody jumping into a very fitting pair of military boots.

The cast did a very good job with the limited time they did to build any type of character, but being that this is a action film I wasnt expecting too much.
Topher Grace actually shocked me as i had no clue he was in the movie until he magically fell out of the sky. He was a perfect fit to be the odd man out of the group.
But if i have to bring up anyones role in the film it would have to be Laurence Fishburne as I honestly forgot that he was in the film, His role played a solid part in the movie and his acting was the best part of the Human race in this film.
Otherwise, the cast did a fine job meshing together, the script didnt give us much in the way of backgrounds other then what they had been doing before they magically appeared in the jungle.

The jungle has that creepy and freaky undertone that the first film made so famous back in the eighties. The whole scenery felt very right for this planet, The waterfall scene and the area that they shot it in was just really pretty for a movie that is about An alien hunting down humans and collecting prizes from the fallen.

With that said the plot is basically that, Humans are dropped in and then hunted by the Predators, But the humans are of course the best at what they do. Killing. Our team of badasses need to group together and figure out where they are and what is going on.
We are introduced to multiple versions of the Predators(which some people may already know from the other media they appear in) to other little surprises.

The film is on the short side of time running in at just a bit over 105 minutes. But for the most part you are dropped inside the jungle and are expected to stand side by side with Adrian Brody and fight to survive.

I would say it was a bit on the fast pace of things, as i never found my self to be bored. But it was also pretty short so that does help matters.

The special effects seemed to be pretty solid updates from the first film, With the classic "predator vision" to the Cloaking system and the weapons they fight with. The gore didnt really seem to have as Hard of an R feel to it as i would have expected but it didnt let me down either, it felt right.

Robert Rodriguez and Crew did not let me down with this refreshing, retelling of the ugly alien known simple as... The Predator.

If you liked the first Predator, or Action adventure movies with a chunk of Sci Fi and thrill of the hunt type of films, then i really think you should give this movie a view on the big screen.

Seeing the Green blood again made everything feel alright.

My top 20 films.

I have always wanted to sit down and think about movies, I love movies more then most anything really. So if i was asked to name some of my favorite films it would take alot of thinking.
I Dont know if i could ever really list them in order but i do want to try and attempt some type of Top 20 favorite films. So Here is my list i have tried to put together, No matter what something will always beforgotten, or just over looked. But this is what came to mind.

1. A Clockwork Orange (1971) One of the main films I list when someone ask's "What is the best" It has some of the most twisted and greatest acting in any film and the world that we are forced to live in seems like it could be a twisted day away.
   
2. Night of the Living Dead (1968) Normally this is the first film I spit out of my mouth as being my favorite film of all time, It is Zombies. It is my childhood scare. My adventure and just great film making that left a spot in my heart. Easy, Simple, Amazing. With this said, You can kind of see my list is not in a real order.
   
3. Let the Right One In (2008) A vampire tale with some coming of ageness mixed in with a dark undertone and a twisted and cold tale that always catches my interest. Its so good it is already receiving an American remake later this year (Titled Let me in)
   
4. Children of Men (2006) Talk about a scary thought. Talk about a beautiful yet close world, Amazing camera work and pure rad acting. Keeping with my love for dark films, This also gives us hope in all the fear it builds with it. Nothing is wrong in this movie.
   
5. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) I have noticed i seem to really love Dark toned movies. I love the world they are set in and the hope they may give us or take from us. The story of a little girl on the edge of losing all hope. The world we travel to in this fantasy film is scary yet beautiful and Del toro shows he can do great work without Hollywood.
   
6. Scream (1996) One if the first movies i learned everyline to. I loved it that much. The opening scene with the "star" was a nice twist in a time with no twists, Which set up the killer at the end for a nice big oooh my god moment, Plus it was so funny and realistic to me, I know alot of people will never put this on a list of best of. But its on mine.
   
7. Shaun of the Dead (2004) British humor at its best. Everyone can enjoy Zombies when Simon Pegg is bashing their brains in with a cricket bat. Pure Awesome horror action comedy.
   
8. The Graduate (1967) This movie was something i remember seeing parodys of as i grew up but never saw it until college. But this has aged so well. With a wonderful soundtrack and a great Star, Its uneasy story is slowly rubbing your hand as it reaches to take advantage of you. Let it.
   
9. Toy Story (1995) Childhood, Plain and simple. This is also the time i can say, A trilogy could easily take up 3 spots on my list, But i figured I would just place the one that started it all. But also Go see Toy Story 3, As it could easily be the best film of 2010.
   
10. The Lion King (1994) I remember this as the movie that i learned to swim so i could see it. Also one of the few films i saw with my dad, Of course it also has one of the saddest moments in any movie ever. I was one heart broken little guy watching this film. It hasnt aged bad at all, Still love the music to this day.
    
11. The Wrestler (2008) This movie seemed to surprise everyone that watched it. Pro Wrestling has one of the biggest slices to my life. With this movie it made it more enjoyable that i still love watching Pro wrestling when i can, They give their all and it does effect them. The camera work, The soundtrack, the acting(Mickey is pure gold) The end leaves something to think about, Fantastic.
    
12. Spirited Away (2001) Dont like Anime do ya? Well even if that maybe the case i still say you must give Hayo a chance with Spirited Away, The world, the colors, the story and cast of lovable or hate able characters is Animation at its best. Anime at its best.
    
13. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)I'm not 100% sure but i think this was the first R rated film i ever watched. Seeing his skin peel away...The eye of something not of this time. A bodyguard anyone would kill for. Wild adventure of survival. Crazy super-villain that still freaks me to this day. CGI still looks good to me. Nice Nod to the first film as well.
    
14. Dawn of the Dead (1978) Some people say it is the best zombie film, Best Romero film, Best horror film...Best film. And ya know i can easily agree it is among the best of all of that. It could easily be my favorite sequel of all time. Creepy...Different cuts of the film add to the different views you could give the movie as well.
    
15. Remember the Titans(2000) My favorite sports film of all time, I love football and i love the coming of age, Becoming a family, Fighting as one. Story that is told with some of the best acting ever. I just cant hate on this movie. Some may disagree but this story is wonderful.
    
16. The Dark Knight(2008) I really wanted to stay away from being a total geek but Im sorry i just cant pass on one of the greatest villains of all time. Chris gave us a perfect gotham In my mind. Its tragic we wont see Ledger again or the Joker of this caliber but he left us with one of the best "Other halfs" you could think of, it still makes me said that The real star of the film wasnt better but everything else in the movie was perfect.
    
17. Léon (The Professional) (1994) Easily Reno's best film. And Portman makes her career at an early age. Just for both of them its a must watch. The best French film ever.
    
18. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Jim's best role. He can still breath being who he was to begin with but we also get to see an amazing new persona that i just fell in love with. The idea behind the movie...Heartbreaking and mind blowing. Also one of the best romantic films ever.
19. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father(2008) Real story. Real film making. Real heartache. Best documentary ever. Beat out Murderball(also a fantastic film) But if you do not cry....Give this film a shot. I will be honest with you i cried like a little girl. Tragic story but told in such an amazing show of film making.
20. Ghostbusters(1984) Who ya gunna call? best team ever on screen? Most likely. The cast gelled so well that the script could have been crap and the film still would be awesome, But of course it is a great script/story and the music and cgi are both some of the best, specially for the time. I still love Staypuft to this day. I remember watching this movie all the time as a kid, I still enjoy a viewing yearly without doubt.

Well That was my top 20 films, As i went on i noticed stuff i didnt put on the list which i have no doubt you have noticed as well, What are your favorite movies?

If i was to keep on going of course i would have to add Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Jaws, King Kong, Lord of the rings, Back to the future, Oldboy, Princess Bride, Godfather, Goodfellas, Wizard of Oz, Rear Window, North by Northwest, A tale of two sisters, 2001: A space odyssey, Aliens, ET, Blade Runner, Rocky, Mad Max, Evil Dead, Idle Hands, Milo and Oddis, Homeward bound.

And so on.... I film as if i could take something off my list and put one of these on it as well. But this is the list i put together for now.

On a sidenote, I have seen every movie on my list at least two times.