After a short hiatus the “Iron Man Movie Challenge” has returned. 300, an adaption of the Frank Miller graphic novel is one of my favorites. I originally saw the film in IMAX and am happy to know that the film still stuns on DVD. It’s hard to put into words the awesomeness and sheer manliness that drips from this movie. Of course, the film is known for its memorable one liners and the now iconic crushing kick into the pit of doom. However, what really wows me about this film is the amazing art direction and photography in this film. The mix of CGI effects and live action along with some top notch editing and creative camera work makes this film sheer eye candy.
I’m not going to waste a lot of time and energy pointing out plot or acting quality. The film stands alone as a contemporary achievement on how a graphic novel can be adapted into a stunning and compelling piece of cinema. If you have actually still not seen this movie rush to the store now and pick it up, you will not be disappointed.
This is one of my wife’s movies so I had never watched it before. I went in with a pretty negative attitude and actually wound up enjoying it quite a bit. Granted, the movie is shallow, hokey, and poorly written but the overall feeling of the film is lighthearted and fun.
I haven’t really liked Adam Sandler since Happy Gilmore so it’s always hit or miss when he’s involved. However, this film manages to keep him under control and keeps his over the top stuff to a minimum. Drew Barrymore is “there” although as expected in this kind of film she doesn’t exactly do any major performance.
For those who don’t know the general plot, Adam Sandler’s character falls for a girl who every night loses her short term memory. This forces Sandler to re-woo her each day. The movie has a simply plot and there never is really any question as to the final outcome. The jokes are your basic one liner comedy with a little physical humor provided mainly by Rob Schneider. The movie had me chuckling at a few points but overall it’s the kind of comedy you just smile through.
I wanted to hate this movie, but, I have to confess I actually enjoyed it and would be willing to watch it again. The film fails in almost every way this genre can, however, by the end you can’t help but admit that you had a good time endulging in cliche cinema.
I absolutely love 28 Days Later. I’ve always been a big fan of zombie movies and this was my first experience with one that introduced “fast” zombies. There is something so much more terrifying about a threat which moves quickly and relentlessly as opposed to slow moving masses that you can shove to the ground like a small toddler with ice cream that should have been yours if they hadn’t cutted in line…
Not only is the premise of 28 Days Later attractive to me, I also love the way the director, Danny Boyle, uses camera position and absence of soundtrack to drive home the suspense. The shots of England empty and destroyed are breathtaking and horrifying at the same time.
Overall, despite the few intense action sequences, the film moves quickly but uneventfully. The isolation and threat of violence seems to be much more stressful than the actual payoffs. The ending I found to be a little weak but I understand what they were trying to drive home. I love this movie and will continue to watch it over and over.
I don’t even remember where I picked this movie up. What I do know is that it isn’t very good and it’s in full screen which is enough to drive me up a wall. I really can’t explain what makes this movie suck as bad as it does but I think it mostly hinges on the fact that it is a poorly made biography. The only attempt the writer made to mask the fact that it’s Eminem’s story is to rename the character Jimmy. Not that I have anything personal against Eminem but his life story is hardly a compelling subject for me. The acting is spotty although he does a great job of playing himself.
Something I did not remember was the horrible awkward sex scene set inside of a steel stamping factory. While it’s hard to imagine a sex scene involving Brittney Murphy being unenjoyable, it’s hard to get past the fact that they are humping against a bunch of rusted steel girders and they both look like they might be chewing on glass. As if this wasn’t enough Murphy’s character at one point licks her dirty ass hand and places it between her legs for I assume, lubrication…insert shudder here. Below is a link if you would like to subject yourself, I would imbed it but they have disabled that option due to copyright stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlOLQ3lyWBg
The only redeeming aspect of the film comes at the end when Jimmy enters into the rap battle. It’s hard not to get caught in the moment as he rips into the guys that have been beating him down the whole movie.
Overall this movie is watchable. At least to say, I didn’t want to gouge my eyes out during the film. I still don’t know why I own it unless I picked it up when my wife used to work for the video store.
I have made a momentous decision. I have decided that starting today I will begin watching every DVD owned by my family. This will include my childs films as well as my wife’s “chick flicks”. I then intend on posting updates and reviews via my blog and twitter account. Being that many of these films have been out for years, hell, even decades it should make for some interesting information that you already know. I don’t intend on taking a serious critical eye so things should be fun. I will be going in alphabetical order for organizations sake so all you OCD people have no fear. First up on the docket will be 8 Mile. I am somewhat bummed this is already going to start out challenging, but have no fear! I will prevail!
As we already know the Democrat written stimulus package was passed through the House despite the absence of even a single Republican vote. Now as the Senate begins debating the 900 billion dollar bill Republicans are once again expressing outrage for it’s “huge spending”. Republicans have already warned that the bill will not pass in its present form despite facing a huge gap in actual party votes. Republicans claim that the only way this bill will be viable is to remove “wasteful spending” and instead use tax cuts to stimulate the economy. We are already aware of the huge gains this caused under the Bush presidency so it is easy to see how many are skeptical.
But the purpose of this entry is not to delve into the stupidity of GOP tactics or their willingness to beat a dead horse. Instead it is to point out their complete inability to understand that the American people recognize when they are being swindled, most specifically that the Republicans claim that their bill is not a spending increase.
Tax cuts by definition are an increase in spending. When the government limits the taxes they collect we are then shorting the budget dollars that would normally be in the Treasury. Couple this with the fact that the Republicans rarely ever offset their tax cuts by curbing spending and we are looking at not only limiting government income but also increasing the debt we accrue at a much faster rate. The idea of spending money into infrastructure or propping up poor or middle class Americans seems to be a foreign idea to the GOP. Why support the backbone of the economy by increasing jobs and building more efficient transit when we can instead add an extra $100 to our yearly salary through tax cuts. This all comes back to the idea that funneling money into corporations is supposed to somehow, forgive me, help “Joe the Plumber”. American needs a massive spending infusion to bring us back on level with the necessary infrastructure and social programs to curb the exact kinds of economic problems we face. Contraception? Yes! Controlling unwanted pregnancies in lower income areas is vital for decreasing the need for government aid. Consider the cost, we can pay for education and contraceptives from inner city youth or we can pay their welfare and medical bills for the next 18 years. A relatively small investment now will yield incredible results in the long term.
As this bill enters debate in the Senate the Democrats should ignore the Republicans for the partisan hacks they are. The American people have spoken and they desire a change from the last eight years of poor policy. Let the Republicans yell out their sound bites and crawl to Limbaugh. At the end of the day the American people come first.
Nine Inch Nails has released over 400 GB of concert footage in HD format for fans to download and distribute for the purpose of fan videos. Check out the bands site for additional information and the link to the torrent.
After a short hiatus the “Iron Man Movie Challenge” has returned. 300, an adaption of the Frank Miller graphic novel is one of my favorites. I originally saw the film in IMAX and am happy to know that the film still stuns on DVD. It’s hard to put into words the awesomeness and sheer manliness that drips from this movie. Of course, the film is known for its memorable one liners and the now iconic crushing kick into the pit of doom. However, what really wows me about this film is the amazing art direction and photography in this film. The mix of CGI effects and live action along with some top notch editing and creative camera work makes this film sheer eye candy.
