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Reviews
Z Nation (2014)
Great show - Zombie show with a mission
This is a great show! This show has plenty of action, episodes have good plot lines. I like that it does not take itself too seriously, in fact the corny humor is a nice change of pace.
I like the two running plots where DJ Qualls is radio narrator "citizen Z" while the rag tag of survivors is trying to get a science experiment from the east coast to the West coast.
The special effects are pretty good for a TV show. In fact some of the best zombies I have seen in low budget shows and movies. Some of the episodes are quite creative and every now and then give a proper hello to other SyFy shows and movies. And the set producers are doing a great job of finding new locations for each show.
Now I must say, yes I love Walking Dead but that does not mean I am not allowed to like other shows. So give this show a chance, Z nation has a different feel.
The Town (2010)
WOW...awesome movie...will be re-watched
Wow...I mean really wow, this movie is one of the best character driven action films in a long time. This is right up there with Young Guns, Public Enemies and Heat as far as excellent cop vs bank robbers. If you liked The Departed or Public Enemies...you will love this movie.
First a warning, mild nudity, violence and Lots of F bombs. Not that I am complaining in fact the way this part of the world (Massachusets) uses the F word is almost an art by itself.
Props must be given to Ben Affleck here, He Wrote this movie, Directed this movie and Stared in this movie. Jeremy Renner fits perfectly into his role as "pain in the A$$ always in trouble best friend". And Jon Hamm is brilliant as the FBI guy out to get Affleck. Even the smaller parts Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper are outstanding.
The plot is flawless, moves at a nice pace while not giving itself away. The prep and shooting of this movie shows off the greater Boston Area in a great way including giving props to Fenway Park. The action is outstanding without being ridiculous (hard to do with today's action hungry audiences).
Faster (2010)
The Rock, Fast cars, big Guns...great storyline
Awesome. Mix Fast cars, big guns and tough guys
throw in a simple but outstanding story line, you got one bad A$$ movie. I saw this movie in Red Box and said
ahh what the heck, give the Rock a chance. Whoa buddy fun movie to watch. As a bonus the rock drives one wicked early 70s chevelle.
I do not want to give too much away but simply put Dwayne Johnson "The Driver" gets out of prison and goes on a hunt for people. You do not know what is going on until the "cop" played by Billy Bob Thorton pops into the picture. I love the little extra touch that most of the characters have no name they are simply known as their role: "Warden" played by Tom Berenger, "Killer" played by Cohen, "Uniform" played by Clark and "Cicero" played by the lovely Carla Gugino. There are not a lot of lines in the story but all the actors absorbed their roles. You could smell the anger and fury of Johnson's character.
George Tillman did a great job directing this movie, he gave the movie a great "get the hell out of my way" flow which I have not seen since some great 70s movies. (like Bullitt or Gone in 60 seconds). The Gayton bros ( Tony and Joe) wrote a fast action packed lone gunman script that shows some of their best work since The Salton Sea. Another great example of their work is Murder by Numbers.
This movie is a must own guy movie. Chicks may like it also. Not appropriate for kids under 17.
Groundhog Day (1993)
My all time favorite Bill Murray movie
When I first saw this movie in the theater, it just made me laugh. Bill Murray is his regular smart mouth slightly obnoxious self...and he is brilliant at it. If you have not yet seen this movie you owe it to yourself to watch it. Harold Ramis could have just written this about any day, but by centering it around Ground Hog Day Feb 2 he has ensured we all get to watch this great movie every year on some cable channel.
While humorous this movie has a serious side of a man who is stuck in a endless loop (dilema or opportunity...you decide) tries to find a purpose and cause to better himself.
After you watch this movie, you can't help but think what would you do in this situation.
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Great fun and awesome blend of sci fi and western
This was a fantastic adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's comic book. This movie used a perfect combination of old west cowboy setting and aliens shock factor. The western theme of the story is so good it could stand on its own. The sci-fi addition of the aliens was not overdone yet they spared no expense making the aliens. (This is NOT some cheap low budget low light syfy TV movie) All the actors involved were great. Story was solid. Action is continuous and special effects are brilliant. This movie is safe to take younger kids if they are not afraid of monsters or too much violence.
I like the twist of Aliens visiting 1800s USA, kind of reminds me of Predator and FireFly. The actors all did a great job Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine, Adam Beach, Paul Dano and Olivia Wilde. Each brought their A game. Cinematography and set design was outstanding; like I said even the little details sold me on the western.
This movie deserves to be seen on the big screen due to the great action scenes and special effects. Not worth IMAX or 3D, so you can save a few bucks there.
All in all Great movie worth watching in the theater and buying on Blue Ray.
Vision Quest (1985)
Much more than a wrestling movie
This is a must see movie for teenage boys in their guiding years. It is geared more for boys than girls. There is a bit of bad language and sex innuendos but not a big deal by todays standards. So much more than a wrestling movie.
Story revolves around a teenager who is fairly independent. He keeps his grades up, has a part time job, lives with a single parent and has decided to make his mark by dropping weight to wrestle another kid who is considered unbeatable.
Modine does a great job of being a low key teenager (a lesson for kids that you can be great without loudly bragging like so many kids do) in one of his early movie roles. Fiorentino was at the peak of her attractiveness, not sure why she was in this movie...the movie was so good that she was not needed, but the eye candy helped sell tickets.
Ponicsan did a great job of adapting the book by Terry Davis. Harold Becker directed with fluidity and patience. Add on top of that a Awesome soundtrack. You get one of the greatest movies ever to showcase a individual young mans desire to better himself in a positive way.
The Air I Breathe (2007)
Destinies collide
Pretty good movie. If you liked Crash, Babel and Grand Canyon then you will like this movie. I do not want to tell you too much. There is some violence and nudity so not appropriate for under 18.
First of all Jieho Lee wrote and directed this movie and did a brilliant job especially considering that it was his first full movie. He must have been very persuasive, or the screenplay did, because he scored some top notch actors. Andy Garcia does a brilliant job of being a bad guy Brendan Fraser has a emotional character even with minimal lines. Forest Whitaker as always reels in a dramatic performance. Toss in Kevin Bacon, beautiful Julie Delpy and it is a movie that draws you in and keeps you there.
RED (2010)
Funny, clever action movie with excellent actors
Ohh yeah this was good fun. Take a action adventure, comedy, conspiracy and sprinkle top tier actors with a brilliant script
a classic in the making. Bruce Willis pulled a "Whole 9 yards" performance, ML Parker looked as good as she does on Weeds, John Malkovich is always a standout, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Brian Cox and even Ernest Borgnine all had parts that blended yet still allowed their screen personalities to shine through. I love how the aging actor reflects into the aging assassin
well done. The story has plenty of violence to please the action fans, lets say safe for 13 and older. There are many things I liked about this movie, but the stand out is the visual and audio special effects, they were great without being too "aww come on" as done in many over the top movies. This is a movie I will definitely add to my collection.
Le Mans (1971)
movie for racecar lovers
A movie for racecar lovers, with astounding cinematography of live LeMans racing.
I recently went on a Steve McQueen binge and this is one of the lesser known, yet brilliant works. Think of it as the original version of "Days of Thunder" except this movie is just one race and is much lower key and does not have the fake drama. A warning to non-race fans, this movie is short on dialogue and long on scenes with cars in them. In fact I doubt the dialogue would fill two pages. The main star in this movie is the race itself set to simple background music. The movie is family friendly with only auto accident violence, which may serve as a warning for teens to drive carefully.
For those willing to give this movie a shot, enjoy. For today the cinematography is great
for 1971 when this movie was filmed the cinematography is outstanding! The scenes at driver level and ground level with cars moving toward you are almost IMAX good. To avoid spoiler stop here.
McQueen does a great job acting with so few lines. And the supporting cast do such a good job that the movie almost feels like a documentary. A small quibble of the accuracy of the history, Porsche did not take the torch directly from Ferrari. Ferrari dominated from 1960-1965, but then FORD dominated from 1966-1969, including the pivotal 1966 where FORD GT40 (aka Pantera) took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Porsche won half of the races in the 70s and 80s. But I guess the movie was made for the euro audience
still a good movie.
The American (2010)
Focus features "action" film
The American is one of those few "action" movies that you can take chicks to. The ladies will like it because it has Clooney (even if he is getting a bit grey). It has enough lovey dovey drama to keep the skirts in their seats, and BARELY enough action to keep the dudes from getting up for raisinets. It is like Focus Features version of an assassin movie
ohh wait that is exactly what it is. A good date movie, but not for kids due to obvious violence and nudity.
I do not want to give away any of the good stuff but I will press a few points. I think it is a Focus Features thing to make quiet movies, which compared to most movies are almost like silent movies. There are lots of scenes where Clooney says nothing and lots of scenes where his character says as little as possible to keep his low profile. This movie gets close to being annoying with the dramatic pauses and extended silence. I really did like Clooney's character, he seemed to channel 60's era Steve McQueen, into his quietly tough persona, I just wish they would have given him more lines. And the gun building craft was a cool addition. The story line is solid; I just wish it had a little more action.
Worth paying for a date movie, or rent for home.
Runaway (1984)
A great 80s sci fi cop flick
This is a great cop science fiction combo movie. If you liked Robocop or Blade runner then you will dig this movie. Tom Selleck plays a cop from the special Police Robotics division, like a bomb expert except with robots. It has some bad words, violence and complimentary nudity, so caution with kids under 16.
Wow I am surprised this movie is not more appreciated. It has great action for a 80s movie. And it is kind of set in the future where everybody has robots in their home. And even for the era the sci fi looked cool, even had some heat seeking mini missiles that were fired from a gun.
Tom Sellek does a good job and Gene Simmons takes a break from KISS and is a awesome bad guy. Even Kirsti Alley is young and hot.
Crazy Heart (2009)
Better than I expected...washed out western singer finds purpose
Pretty impressive movie, storyline was great and it had a meaningful plot. Story of a washed up old western signer/song writer builds himself back up. The movie is not recommended for under 18, due to sex, alcohol and language (unless you want to warn your teenager of drinking and life as a musician).
The story is quite simple, but I do not want to give too much away. All the actors did a great job of being natural and Jeff bridges enveloped his part as aging country western singer. I was impressed they got some serious actors for relatively small parts, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal. They have enough western music to please most CW fans but not too much to turn non CW fans off. But you could pretty much substitute any musician, Jazz, Blues, Rock
and the story would fit.
Way better than I expected, I can see why it received Oscar nominations.
Eraserhead (1977)
Wow...so that is what erasers are made of
Whoa
this is a trippy movie. This movie is classified as a surreal horror film. But to me it is more of a experiment in cinematography, plot symbolism and imaginative sets. If you can appreciate movies for art, sound, lighting and cinematography then you will enjoy this, but you must have a seriously open mind. David Lynch makes Kubricks movies look like normal films. If you liked movies like Pi, Twin Peaks, Dreams May Come or 30s German Cinema then you may like this movie. If not well then at least you can say you have seen it.
I found Lynch's usage of black and white with subtle lighting and surreal sets incredible. This movie may be freaky and disturbing for many, particularly those under the age of 16. I bet this movie gets a lot of play in film appreciation classes.
The plot of the movie? Hard to tell but my opinion is dreams, regrets and horrors of a dying man. The purpose of the movie? Who knows, practical joke by Lynch or desire to experiment. Watch it see what you think.
Most of the positive in my rating is due to the sheer imagination and creativity of this movie.
Braindead (1992)
Lots of gory fun
Ohh wow
woo wee is this a great horror/gore/fun fest. If you liked Evil Dead 1 and 2 or Return of the Living Dead then you will love this movie. A brilliant combination of campy horror story, creative monsters and lots of fake blood.
Lots of horror movies rely on dark scenes and endless suspense with very little payoff. This movie has a simple creepy rat monkey creates monsters, effective and lots of monsters where no two are alike. Lots of lame horror movies use the combination of fast camera scene change + loud sound to startle you. No this movie uses the fantastic imagination to create bad guys that discover new ways to kill others. Lots of horror movies only have a couple of money shots
this movie has money shot after money shot. And for low budget the gore and special effects is outstanding. One of the most fun horror movies I have seen in a long time
and this was made a long time ago, 1992, I do not know how I did not discover this before. There are lots of outrageous gore scenes, which were great, after all it is already unrealistic so why not have some unrealistic gore scenes.
This movie showcased Peter Jackson in only his 4th movie directing. Jackson also did visual effects with miniatures and stop motion, Also the tandem of Richard and Dominic Taylor in special effects was showcased.
This could easily become a cult classic. Lots of fake blood but I could recommend for non squeamish teens and older.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Kids did not like it, slow and depressing
My two daughters liked the book but found the movie long, depressing and "did not make sense". This book takes about 5 min to read...yet Spike Jones tried to turn this into a 2 hour movie. Anyone who has read the book...should already know the ending.
What puzzled me about this movie is why it greatly exaggerated and swayed far away from its original story line. The movie turns into some dark examination of a child's behavior during a attention deprived lull in family life. The writer of the Movie decided to start attaching all kinds of parallels for child tantrums to the wild things.
Graphics, costumes and sets were very weak. I think Seasame Street had a better production than this movie. The plot plods slowly in multiple directions as if written by a sleepy 5 year old.
This movie will test the adults ability to stay awake while trying to imagine what the point of the plot is? Barely worth the $1 Redbox rental. But you are better off checking out the book for free from your local library, and let your child imagine a story.
The Whole Wide World (1996)
Fascinating story about the creator of Conan
This movie is a incredible insight to one of the greatest pulp writers ever. Almost everyone knows who Conan is, very few people know Robert Howard is the writer and even fewer know about his life. This movie is a very good character drama with a bit of a love story.
Vincent Donofrio is a outstanding actor and did a brilliant job portraying the late great Robert Howard. Renee Zellweger had a excellent part playing Howards "love interest" Novalyne Price who was also his life long friend.
It is incredible to see how fragile of a human Howard was even though he pen created powerful killers that had no remorse. The only disappointment I had was that there was little seen of the letters he wrote to Price which were at times poetic and tragic.
A movie that will surprise you. Not recommended for children under 15.
The Blind Side (2009)
Inspirational...deserves Oscars
A homeless black teenager, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in, transforming Michael's life and theirs. With help from his new-found family, tutors and coaches, he realizes his potential as a student and football player
These movies are rare and beautiful. This is one of the best examples of what the kindness of the human spirit can do when it helps another person. What makes this movie that much more special is that it is a true story. This story will make you appreciate the things that really matter in life, people who love you, health and simple necessities. This movie has Oscar potential written all over it. Screenplay and directing are top notch. The casting is outstanding, down to the small characters. Sandra Bullock is at her prime and Quinton Aaron did a brilliant job delivering a struggling young man. If this movie does not win multiple Oscars I will never watch the Oscars again.
This is a movie to take the whole family. It is entertaining and makes you feel good. Worth watching, and tell your friends
Burn After Reading (2008)
Waste of a Rental...I want my $1 and 2 hours back !!!
If you are the kind of person who enjoys watching OTHERS play chess. This movie is for you. If you are actually wanting to see a movie with a plot, story and a Ending...this is not the movie for you.
The movie starts interesting with Malkovich sounding off as he is being fired. (NOT a spoiler since it happens in the first 5 min of the movie).
It pretty much slowly staggers downhill from there. There was some potential here some characters were complex and interesting such as Clooney, McDormand and of course Malkovich. But all the actors were part of this weak web of a story.
Imagine Fargo, but remove the good story. Imagine Lebowski, but remove the quotable lines.
You wanna watch a Coen movie...Rent Raising Arizona, Fargo, O Brother where art thou or No country for old men.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Good family movie, could have been better.
Not bad for a family movie. Nerdy kid Hiccup finds a injured dragon, turns him into a pet and friend. The nerdy kid is the son of a Viking village leader, voiced by Gerard Butler, who is learning how to fight dragons. On his off time he helping the dragon fly again and learning good things about his new pet dragon. Story was good but not great. It was missing the little side jokes and pop culture that is usually in kids movies now days. The voice acting was good with some new names
but it mostly feels like a long Saturday morning cartoon, it is only about hour and half. The graphics were a little on the cheap side and the soundtrack felt low budget also.
My 8yr old liked it but my 10yr old found it OK. It is still a solid movie for family fun. My rating is based on the RE-watch-ability factor. Like the movie Robots, Space Chimps or Meet the Robinsons
you know good but not great.
Worth watching at a discount theater or buy it used.
Toy Story (1995)
One of the greatest family movies EVER!
My kids are now 10 and 8, they have been watching this movie since they were able to sit up. They still watch it, and I still watch it with them. This is a movie like Dumbo, Snow White and Monsters Inc that you will keep forever.
The idea of toys being alive and having the simple desire to be played with. The story is excellent and filled with humor for both kids and adults. The art and sound of the movie are absolutely top notch.
My favorite part of the movie, does not even happen in the movie, it happens when your kids go to play in their room. This movie TEACHES kids how to play with toys again. Sadly due to nintendos, computers and other electronic gadgets, kids no longer know how to pretend or use their imagination. The pure brilliant fun of making a house out of a cardboard box, parachute out of a grocery bag and using your imagination to make a story. I saw my daughters taping pieces of cardboard together and creating a story with her ponies and plastic dogs. It brought a tear to my eye.
I hope to one day watch this movie with my grand kids, and play after.
One of the greatest movies ever.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Funny Heartwarming Family Fun...Outstanding!!
Just as good as the first two. Outstanding family movie, funny for kids with bits that adults will love. It is amazing how Pixar/Disney finds new way to keep the story fresh. It has been 15 years since the first Toy Story, and they found a way to work that into the movie.
We saw it in 3D
the 3D did not add many items flying at your face. So save some money watch the regular version, in fact avoid the 3D glasses eye strain.
I do not want to give anything away, but I have to point out some of my favorite parts. The part of Andy growing up and outgrowing his toys, reminds me of my own kids who are growing up and loosing their childhood ways. And the "Buzz Lightyear Spanish mode" was brilliant. And the extra music done by the Gypsy Kings was fantastic.
It is amazing how many great actors lend their voices to these movies, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Joan Cusak, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenburger and others. Ned Beatty did a brilliant job of voice acting for Lotso, he reminded me of Phil Harris (Baloo, Jungle book). Blake Clark did a great job on Slinky Dog paying homage to the late Jim Varney.
Worth watching in the theater with family, and definitely worth buying.
Roger Dodger (2002)
Jeez buy a camera tripod!
This movie starts interesting then takes a continuous downhill roll. My biggest irritation on movies is the sHaKy CaMeRa. I understand if a camera shakes in action scene or while people are moving
but this movie has the shaky camera when people are sitting at a table talking
man spend $50 and buy a camera tripod.
The movie is filmed in New York by new yorkers and staring new Yorkers, so they will probably watch it to support their own no matter how bad this is. It is centered around Campbell Scott trying to mentor his virgin nephew (Jesse Eisenberg) on how to be a ladies man. Campbell Scott does a great job being a fast talking, irritating self proclaimed ladies man. Eisenberg plays his normal insecure stuttering self. Not even beautiful Jennifer Beals, Elizabeth Berkley, Morena Baccarin or Isabella Rossellini could provide enough eye candy to save this movie.
The movie has a only a few minutes of clever man/woman behavior observations and pickup methods. Just about everything else will only get you slapped.
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
Rebellious Underdog movie for cyclists
If you are a fan of cycling or a fan of underdog movies...this movie is for you. This is a TRUE story of Graeme Obree, cyclist from Scotland who had very little funding, built his own bike and redefined the methods for time trial cyclists.
This movie is safe for all ages and may serve as inspirational to some people.
The movie does a pretty good depiction of young Graeme life. Acting was good without being too mushy for a sports movie. Plot could have been trimmed a little, but no major complaints. The movie looks like it was filmed for UK TV so it does not have the polish big movies may have...but does not take away from the goal of the movie.
The only real complaints I had about the movie was that they did not use an accurate replica of his bicycle.
Rent this movie with Breaking Away and American Flyers to prep yourself before July's start of the Tour De France...Go LANCE ARMSTRONG!
Precious (2009)
Hard to watch
This movie is NOT for children, unless you want to show your rebellious teenager what a REAL dysfunctional family is. This movie will not make you laugh or smile or feel better in any way. The previews have given most of the movie away...I will not give you the ending but I will comment.
First the positives: Acting was Outstanding by everyone. Monique found a hard dark acting role and pounded it to make you forget she does comedy. Gabourey Sibide, Paula Patton had solid roles. They even gave serious drama work to Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey. Lee Daniels did a great job directing this movie, flow was good and it felt fresh. ART direction was stellar, Particularly liked the Gabourey dream sequences.
Negatives: Well as I said this movie is rough on the soul, to me only could serve as negative reinforcement for mother daughter relationships. Got a very strong feeling the writer has a very pro lesbian with male hatred thing going on. Myself a father of 2 daughters did not appreciate the demonizing of males and glaringly obvious absence of a positive father figure anywhere in the movie. Ohh no wonder Oprah loved this movie...she gets all kinds of plugs in this movie.
Personally I would rather recommend you watch The Blind Side, The Color Purple or Monsters Ball.
A Serious Man (2009)
Boring...just plain boring
What a LOUSY, Boring movie with absolutely no payoff at the end. There is NO WAY this is Best Picture material. I have to stop letting myself get suckered in by Oscar nominees. Another Focus picture reaching new lows of boredom (also did Lost in Translation, 21 grams, Burn after reading, Evening...)
There is nothing funny about this movie, I did not even crack a smile. It is not a drama since NONE of the characters have any cause there is no story purpose. The story is all over the place, yet it goes nowhere. Guy has trouble with students, wife wants a divorce, has uncomfortable relations with the neighbor, and he can not find the answers he wants from the Rabbis. Ohh and as a bonus...Richard Kind has a lousy role of a slump cousin with some giant back pimple or something.
I guess the Coen bros were trying to score points with Jewish community, which is VERY powerful in the movie industry. Man...you can not just like a movie because it is Jewish... it should still be good!
You wanna watch a good Jewish movie...rent Lost in Yonkers, Biloxi Blues, The Pianist, Life is Beautiful, or anything from Adam Sandler is better than this!