TheBabblingFool Reviews

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Makes up for the crap that was Spider-Man 2

[10/10 · 5 May 2007]

Spider-man was one of the best movie experiences I had in my life. Then Spider-man 2 hit. I hate that movie. Why? Well I just found it to be overall ripping off the plot of Superman II...just without Zod, and the awesome presence of Christopher Reeves. Spider-man 2 felt like a wannabe Superman movie with the wrong guy in red and blue tights. That's the short end of why I hated Spider-man 2, there are other reasons.

So I wasn't all that psyched when Spider-man 3 started rolling around. I felt like I had to see this movie...because it was required, like jury duty.

I went to the midnight showing at my local theater with my Spider-man and general Marvel comics nut of a roommate, and zero expectations. I expected to maybe have a good time.

I was generally blown away.

Everything I felt was lacking is back in the 3rd movie. I actually care about the characters again. Peter isn't frustratingly stupid and Mary Jane and Harry are not obnoxious like they were in Spider-man 2. The humor works, even if it is over the top sometimes. Watching the three of them interact was entertaining for me.

The fights finally felt like something out of a Spider-man comic. Spidey and his villains whizzing, swinging, punching, flailing around. Pure glee for me.

Some people claim that the movie was overstuffed with plot. I think that's a pretty subjective argument, and will depend on the viewer, I was never confused, bored, or felt like the plot was being rushed.

I also found it refreshing that more time was spent with the hero than establishing the villains. You know enough about them, that's it. They're the villains, they are not any different from any other villains, even if one is a space alien and the other is made from sand, they are still just nuisances.

It's like this trend since Tim Burton's Batman to spend half the film with the camera squarely on the villain, taking away focus from the main protagonist. Batman Begins broke this trend and thankfully Spider-man 3 does the same.

To sum it up. Spider-man 3 is going to be argued about, some will hate it, some will love it. I loved it and I am surprised I did.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Boring for those who haven't read the books.

[5 June 2004]

Just to let you know, I have not read a single word of any Harry Potter books.

I recently rewatched this Harry Potter flick before diving into the second Harry Potter film. The first time I watched this flick a year or two ago I bashed it, and considered it one of the worst films I have ever seen. I basically rewatched it because I heard that the second film, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, was an improvement but I felt it was nessesary for me to refresh myself with the Potter universe before delving into that film. Watching it a second time, I don't consider it one of the worst films I have ever seen, just a flawed and boring one.

The problem with this film is that it spends no time with furthuring the plot, not at least until the last forty minutes or so. Until then the audience is subjected to introducing every single minute detail of this Hogwarts school. The film does this by simply throwing little scenes together where some magical stuff happens and they expect any of us watching to gaze and wonder in awe about this magic. I'm sure people who read the books are sitting there, recognizing this scene and that scene from what they have read and are having a jolly old time. I sit there and wonder what this has to do with the plot and why I should care.

A movie has the problem that it expects everyone to have read the book, and a movie can't do that. That is the fatal flaw of this film.

Other than that, the film is full of decent performances by the kids, sometimes good, sometimes their lack of acting made me want to cringe. The supporting cast, made up of probably every character actor in England, are well played and enjoyable to watch, especially Alan Rickman who with that black wig on looks like the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails. The film also has lavish sets, some both great and horrid special FX, and yet another fantastic score by John Williams (the man can do no wrong).

So in the end, if you love the books memorized every page, go see this, you'll enjoy it. If you just want to watch the movies, skip this flick and see The Chamber of Secrets, it's much better, it actually has a plot.

Brokedown Palace (1999)

Worth my cash.

[8/10 · 5 June 2004]

I saw this film at a store in the cheap section. I actually vividly remembered seeing the commercials and trailer for it years ago. I thought "What the hey' and bought it, basically because the plot sounded interesting and Claire Danes has always been someone of talent in my eyes (this was also before I became a huge Kate Beckinsale fan).

So it's about two girls who sneak off to a vacation in Bangkok, get busted for narcotics (which they are innocent of) and then are sent to a Thailand prison. The film follows what will happen to them and at times questions their innocence.

Both Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale give great performances, and the plot of this film wraps itself up unconventionally, and raises some nice moral discussion questions.

I think this is a solid good film, but there could have been some improvements. It could have been longer...it would've helped to solidify these characters and more insight into the politics of Thailand's justice system would've helped.

Nevertheless, other than that, it's a good film with some great performances.

P.S. For all you pop-culture junkies be on the lookout for a two-minute role by Paul Walker. I didn't even notice him the first time I saw the film.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Well, I laughed.

[10/10 · 11 February 2004]

**SPOILERS LIE WITHIN**

Freddy Got Fingered has almost become folklore in its 3-year existence as "The Worst Movie of All Time"; of course, "Gigli" might have taken its thunder. I remember when it was first coming out my local theater didn't screen it, because the manager hated Tom Green. I was a fan of Tom Green, but I avoided this film, after seeing the onslaught of critical bashing this film received. I heard person after person bash this movie.

It wasn't until one of my coworkers gave me a praise review of the movie, I realized that I am a big Tom Green fan, and he has to do very little to make me laugh. So I saw this movie for cheap on DVD, bought it, and made a deal with my friend to sell it to him if I absolutely hated this movie. I can say that my friend isn't going to get his hands on my copy anytime soon.

I found this movie HILARIOUS, I was consistently laughing the whole time, and that's a big deal because it is INCREDIBLY hard to make me laugh, just ask my friends.

I think it was inevitable for me to love this comedy; I seem to flock to any oddball comedy. I love stupid humor like "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist" and "Baseketball" but also like more sarcastic Kevin Smith films or crazy genre spoofs like "Austin Powers", "Undercover Brother" and "Not Another Teen Movie".

I'm not the type of person who even likes "gross-out" humor. I disliked "American Pie" and I think "Scary Movie" is one of the biggest piles of feces on the planet. But here it was funny, because it was either completely random, or it purposefully made no sense. Take the infamous scene with the horse. It just comes out of nowhere, Gord (Tom's character) is just driving down the road, sees an aroused horse, sends his car to a screeching halt, jumps the fence and starts messing with the horse, and about as quickly as the scene started, it stops and he's back on the road again. It's one of those things where you go "What the !@#$ was that!" and laugh.

Most people complain about a bunch of stuff in this movie being gross or offensive. They whine that Tom beating the legs of a woman in a wheelchair with a bamboo stick isn't funny. I found that really funny because I got the joke, this woman is a masochist who gets sexually aroused when men spank her legs...but it makes no sense because she can't feel anything in her legs. Others whine about this movie saying that child molesting is portrayed as funny. Well, when the "Institute for Molested Children" (which is a joke in itself because no institute to help abused children would label themselves that blatantly) looks like an orphanage out of "Annie" and all the kids are wearing T-shirts with the Institute's logo, labeling them as molested children (something that would NEVER happen) it's FUNNY. Or when Gord's friend breaks his leg, and the bone is jutting out, but it looks like a blatantly fake prop, it's funny!

And for all the "gross" stuff that people were complaining about, there was still nothing that tops the stuff in "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" which has scenes in it that I can't even THINK about without dry heaving. You want to be grossed out by gross out content, see that film, want to laugh with gross-out content? See this film.

The film may not seem to have a plot, well basically, it only has a plot to make fun of formulaic movie plots. It's a laugh riot when this movie mocks cliché and repetitive sentimental scenes we see in a billion movies a year, you think it's going to go one way, and then a curveball hits, Tom throws in some odd joke, which comes completely from left field.

Basically to sum things up, Freddy Got Fingered is a movie that's like one of those jokes that those who get it, will love it, and those who don't get it will be stuck saying "That's stupid" or "That's offensive". But that's basically been the case with all of Tom Green's comedy.

Well I got this movie, and it's probably one of my favorite comedies, and has tripled my admiration and respect for Tom Green.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Worthy end to a worthy trilogy.

[10/10 · 11 February 2004]

It's weird to think that this is the last Lord of the Rings film, when I remember so vividly seeing Fellowship of the Ring 2 years ago.

I was a bit worried on how I would take this film because I was slightly disappointed with The Two Towers. But RotK brings back what was lacking in The Two Towers, a sense of danger. Yes in this movie, the characters are constantly jumping out of frying pans and into the fire, only to jump out of that fire, into a bigger, hotter fire. Also gone is that unintentional humor that plagued The Two Towers and ruined the mood.

I've seen this movie three times in the theater, my reaction the first time seeing it was I was thankful I read the book, or this movie would seem to go on and on and on. For those who thought Fellowship had the never-ending plot...this movie would drive you nuts. This movie is overstuffed, battle sequence after battle sequence, obstacle after obstacle, ending after ending. But it's safe to assume if you're watching Return of the King, then you have seen the two previous movies, love the characters, and could watch them no matter how long the movie is.

The battle sequences are spectacular, just a mass chaos of a battle sequence, that blows the heck out of anything the Helms Deep battle had.

I think my only gripe with this movie is that it should have had more time to clean up its special effects. There are some impressive FX, but the vast majority I could spot, and point out to others. I think the praise to this movie's special effects is a bit undeserving...but the Ringnuts mob would argue otherwise.

Other than that, everything is here. The great acting, the great script, the great score, the mind-numbingly beautiful sets and costumes, which all add up to a great movie, a befitting end to the great trilogy that is Lord of the Rings.

From Russia with Love (1963)

I don't think this film is from Russia, but I love it.

[1 January 2004]

The second outing of 007 has a smarter, more involved plot than Dr. No. It also seems to hold a bigger budget with bigger action sequences. My favorite would have to be the scene in which Bond is being chased by a helicopter. Some of the close calls in that scene are amazing, even to this day.

I think the neatest thing about this movie is that it really opens with the villains. They explain their plan (basically revenge on Bond for the death of Dr. No), and the rest of the movie is watching Bond getting involved and trying to get out of it. Not a lot of modern action films follow this route...so for me it's a welcome change of pace.

One of the things that I love about Bond films is the wacky characters. This movie has Bond being stalked by a thug/assassin named Red Grant who can take a brass knuckle punch to the stomach and not flinch. He's ordered by an ex-KGB woman Rosa Klebb who has poisoned tipped shoes. The both of them take orders from the leader of SPECTRE, a man (whose face we never see) who seems to spend his time petting his white cat, and watching Siamese fighting fish duke it out. Gotta love that!

If you think that sounds weird, you also get to see two Gypsy women attempt to catfight each other to death. I'll leave it up to you to find out that part.

Sean Connery is back in the role he was born to play, Bond! He's followed by the lovely leading lady Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanov. Also, the film features the first appearance by a staple Bond character, Q, who loads Bond up with all his infamous gadgets. No matter how dated it is, I find that compact sniper rifle really, really cool.

This is one Bond film you shouldn't miss.

Dr. No (1962)

The Dr. is in.

[1 January 2004]

No matter whether or not you like this film in the end...if you don't get some feeling of joy the first time Sean Connery says "Bond. James Bond." at the card table, I feel sorry for you.

This Bond film has a lot less stuff going in it than most, but for what it's worth, and what it has inspired, it's a classic.

People who can't tolerate and appreciate older cinema from the 60's might laugh at the action scenes, set and costume design of the movie, but if one considers the year in which this was made, it's all rather exquisite. The film is also full of things that would be considered politically incorrect, and the way Bond and Moneypenny flirt in the office would ensue mass sexual harassment lawsuits in this day and age.

The film has an underused villain in Dr. No. Joseph Wiseman sets the standard on how Bond villains, and the majority of how other movie villains, act. One of the things that I love about Bond films is that you will see things that you will never see in other movies. I mean where else but a Bond film would a half Chinese, half German man with metal hands and a compulsive paranoia about radiation, with metal hands live on an island with a "dragon-mobile"?

Dr. No is a definite good start to the Bond series. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder may only be there for eye candy...but she's great eye candy. Sean Connery is Bond, and pure enjoyment while in this role. So if you are looking for a classic enjoyable movie, this is just what the doctor ordered.

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

WINNER KILLS ALL!

[17 November 2003]

I was reluctant to see this film over the summer. Probably because I have barley seen any Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th movie, but no child born in America in the late 70's and 80's could have grown up without knowing at least something about Freddy Kreuger or Jason Voorhees.

Well I saw it after seeing a commercial for it with the tagline "Winner kills all!" which pretty much summed up what it was, hilarious campy fun!

Since they basically made the film for the fight, so the surrounding plot was that of a typical slasher film. But in this case it seemed to be such a tongue in cheek mockery of itself, which made it all the more enjoyable and funny. It's just fun to watch these two slasher icons hack up dumb teenagers, especially Jason who was hacking up college kids in a field while he was on FIRE. Talk about a man dedicated to his job.

So as for the fight, it was great, Freddy and Jason hacking and slashing and blood spewing like a fountain with every cut, like a Hong Kong film. It's really like something you have always wanted to see since you were a kid (admit it, you have), it was the highlight of the film and one of the highlights of the summer! Fan-bloody-tastic!

So if you want to have some bloody good fun with a self aware horror film, and the awesome duking it out of two horror icons, don't miss the battle!

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

More fun than a barrel of ghost monkeys!

[9/10 · 17 November 2003]

Action! Keira Knightley! Adventure! A very dashing, charming Orlando Bloom! Keira Knightley! A god-like performance by the god-like Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow, played like a drunken drag queen (in a good way)! Laughs! Keira Knightley! Geoffrey Rush as the perfect evil henchmen! Chills! Spills! A monkey! Keira Knightley! Beautiful drool-worthy special effects by ILM! Swordfights! Cannonfire! Keira Knightley! Lots and lots of pirate thugs! At least one guy says "ARRR!"! Fun for all ages! Ghost pirates! A ghost monkey! Did I mention the very very very hot and talented Keira Knightley?

Well if all that doesn't sell you, nuts to you, because I loved this film!

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Oozes with charm.

[17 November 2003]

Once in a while, a film comes along that has a plot you've seen a million times before, but it wins you over. Bend it Like Beckham was one of those films for me. It has an inescapable charm and lovable, relatable characters, which lead to an all around great movie.

You don't have to like soccer/football to enjoy this movie. It's basically a story about a girl who simply wants to achieve her dream, even if it means going against those around her. In her case, it's her conservative family and their customs.

Parminder K. Nagra does a great acting job as the main character of Jesse. Her family is full of characters, from her mother to her sister. But they are grounded in reality. I'll bet you'll see some of your family in her family.

Other commendable acting was done by the attractive Keira Knightly, who plays Juliette, Jesse's best friend through soccer, Juliette's mother who thinks she's a lesbian, and Jesse's love interest played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

So if you're looking for a good movie, full of humor and charm, go Bend it Like Beckham.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)

Fun!

[9/10 · 16 November 2003]

I was raised on Looney Tunes, I love Looney Tunes. So it was not that hard for me to love this movie since Joe Dante, the director also loves Looney Tunes and it shows, because this movie is like a "Best Of" gag guide. It has all the classic elements of any Looney Tunes cartoon. Not to mention it is chock full of almost every Looney Tunes character you have ever seen.

As much as the film is full of slapstick and silliness it does have a large amount of fun jabbing at product placement in movies, the stupidity of movie executives, the general predictablility of kids films, and how disturbing it is now for Bugs to dress in drag. They even make a great gag about the political correctness of Speedy Gonzalez.

I think the only think that annoyed me with the film was Jenna Elfman's performance, it made me cringe. Though it may annoy some, Steve Martin's nothing short of cartoonish performance as the head of the ACME corporation, was so over the top that I couldn't help but laugh.

So in the end Looney Tunes: Back in Action is something that should delight Looney Tunes fans young and old, so long as they don't take it too seriously, because the film didn't take itself that seriously, and that's a good thing.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Probably my favorite Indy film.

[16 November 2003]

I think the only flaw that this film has is that is does rehash the general plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. But that doesn't stop it from being so darn enjoyable.

Indiana Jones is such an easy character to love, professor by day, and daring archaeologist by night. I think the best thing about Indy is that he is somewhat grumpy at times and even a screw up. There are a few times when luck is the only think that saves him in the end, which is a good thing. He's more relatable being imperfect.

Add another great character, his Dad, played by the acting god that is Sean Connery, and you have a great duo. Both actors play off each other with hilarious outcomes, definitely making this the funniest Indy movie.

Then you add some big, elaborate, over-the-top and creative action sequences, which even to this day stand up against those in present action films (the tank sequence is still awesome), spills, chills, and a very hot lead lady, and you have yourself one great film!

So if it's a fantastic action flick you're looking for then take The Last Crusade.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Must...kill...Kate Capshaw!

[16 November 2003]

This is the most flawed of the Indiana Jones movies. The main reason is the character is Willie, the most annoying, whining female character I have ever seen in a movie ever. I wanted to duct tape her mouth shut, tie her up, tie her to a really heavy weight, take her out and sink her to the bottom of the ocean. The character is really so annoying you'll want to write death threats to Kate Capshaw.

BUT for every annoying thing Willie did, Short Round made up for it. I love that kid! I found him charming and hilarious which is strange because I usually dislike child actors. He is basically there to balance out the annoyance caused by Willie.

Indy is of course as lovable and heroic as ever, that goes without saying. Unfortunately this movie doesn't really know where it wants to go. It seems to be on opposite ends, one minute being really hammy and crazy, the other being really dark.

In the latter half of the movie it picks up with some great action sequences which make the movie an overall fun experience, not up to par with Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade, but a worthwhile classic in the end.

Just beware of Kate Capshaw.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

So good it's practically magic.

[16 November 2003]

I hadn't seen a single Indiana Jones movie ever. Of course every time I mentioned this to someone they would answer like "YOU HAVEN'T!?" and look at me like I had a fork stuck in my head.

But over the years I have heard nothing but praise for the Jones movies, so when they finally came out on DVD I bought them, on good faith that the praise was true. It was, oh how it was!

I love Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is an inescapable bundle of fun. Lovable characters, great (not to mention creative) action, great dialogue, nice humor and should leave you with a big grin on your face and joy in your heart, unless of course you're heart is made of ice.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is so good, that I need not write any more about it, because I am sure everybody else has praised it for all the reasons I could praise it for. So go see Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's seriously as good as everyone says it is.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Still drooling...

[10/10 · 10 November 2003]

I am a die hard Matrix fan. I practically have memorized every shot in The Matrix. I went into The Matrix Reloaded the first showing of the first day, and was blown away. I helped suppress the torture that was waiting 6 months for The Matrix Revolutions with Enter the Matrix and The Animatrix. Although I didn't expect to instantly love The Matrix Revolutions (I always, as a movie fan, try not to go into the theater with expectations of liking or hating it, it just ruins films) I sure didn't set myself up to love it.

But I didn't set myself up to instantly love this movie when I first saw it in the theater. I saw it at the 9 a.m. World Wide Zero Hour showing, which put me in a tired mood because for me, getting up before 10 a.m. is a challenge. I also skipped breakfast, so I was hungry. And of course wouldn't you know it about 15 minutes into the movie I have the need to use the restroom. Not exactly the best movie watching state. But not even my sleep deprivation, my growling stomach, and my bladder that was about to burst could have moved me from that chair.

The Matrix Revolutions fixes the faults of Reloaded. The philosophical undertones in the dialogue weren't so blatantly on the surface. The action scenes actually had a point to them. Also the pacing was improved; this movie takes about 15 minutes to gather itself and then blasts off at a break-neck speed.

There is a neat shootout involving Morpheus, Trinity, and Seraph, which they fight foes who run on the ceiling. It's not as cool as say, the lobby shootout from The Matrix, but it's pretty sweet and crazy.

The real show stealer in this movie is the battle for Zion. It's probably a 20 minute action sequence which blew my mind! It shows so many sides of the battle, like the people in the APU mechs trying to gun down the massive black unending Sentinels death swarms, the unfortunate people who have to navigate through the robot ridden landscape to reload ammo in these giant machines. All while this is going on we follow Zee and another character using crudely made bazookas in an attempt to shoot down huge drilling robots. All while Morpheus and Niobe, pilot a ship that has the last defense against these machines, while speeding through a narrow tunnel and being chased by millions of killer Sentinel robots. The whole sequence was jaw-dropping for me and I consider it to be the best sci-fi battle sequence, probably the best war sequence I will see in cinema for a long time.

Then there is the final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith. It may not be as choreographed and complex as The Burly Brawl in Reloaded, but oh man its BRUTAL! You can feel the hatred between Smith and Neo, and every punch an d kick seemed so hard I thought the theater walls were going to shatter. Then they use their superman-ish powers and fly around the place colliding into each other with amazing force! It was just one of the most brutal and surreal fights I have ever seen. It's definitely anime inspired, and I never thought they could pull off something like this with live action. Just great!

As far as the plot, it's all about conclusion. Most of your questions will be answered IF YOU PAY ATTENTION. But does it answer all the questions? No. Is it supposed to? No. The film doesn't need to answer all your questions, just lead you to come to your own conclusions, which is so much better than the 95% of movies that spell everything out to you. The ending may be open, and to some may seem dissatisfactory, but to me it was the only logically sound and thematically sound way to end this series.

Some people may complain about the dialogue. None of it made me cringe I don't know what they are talking about. Some may complain about it having a million clichés.well EVERY movie is chock full of clichés, get used to it. And as far as the acting, I can't say it's great, but then again I would nominate anyone in any franchise film series for an Oscar, whether it be Star Wars, The Matrix, or Lord of the Rings.

Actually the acting job that has always shined the brightest and should deserve some recognition is Hugo Weaving's portrayal of Agent Smith. It's a delight to watch him on screen and a delight just to hear him talk. Sometimes he's so droll and deadpan, he's almost funny, and at other times he's so deliciously sinister and evil. He's one of the most lovable movie characters to come around in years, and Hugo Weaving gets my undying gratitude for putting such character into that character.

So in the end The Matrix Revolutions was a fantastic ending to my favorite franchise trilogy, which will be adored by me for years to come.

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

The Scary Movie for people who hate Scary Movie.

[26 October 2003]

I hate Scary Movie, I thought it was a complete crapfest from beginning to end and I didn't laugh once. The Wayans Brothers should NEVER EVER be let near a movie camera ever again. Live action gross out comedy isn't funny as all because anybody who wants to see films like that is all ready seen everything on shows like South Park. I didn't even need to see Scary Movie 2, because I figured the only thing I would want to see it for is the scenes with Andy Richter and James Woods.

So when I heard Scary Movie 3 was coming out, I was angry. Then I heard the Wayans were off the project, I was interested. When I heard David Zucker was involved, the man who brought us REAL comedy like The Naked Gun, Hot Shots, and the underappriciated BASEketball, I was sold. Hearing that Kevin Smith was involved in the script writing was icing on the cake.

So did I laugh at this movie. OH YEAH! A LOT! Was the rest of the audience I saw it with laughing a lot, they sure were! Will you laugh at this movie? Possibly, depends if you can laugh at slapstick, and silly humor. But if you need mindless bad jokes about bodily fluids and functions, than I don't think this is the film for you.

But for me it's the most I've laughed in a theater for years. Thank you David Zucker for taking those damn Wayans to the woodshed and showing what good comedy is.

28 Days Later (2002)

Creepy, not scary, but overall really entertaining.

[8/10 · 8 July 2003]

Regardless of whether or not you consider this a zombie film or not, it should be said that this film is not mainly about the horror of zombies in London, but more about human reaction to widespread chaos.

In the argument on whether or not these people are zombies. There are multiple forms of zombies not only in folk lore and movie lore, but essentially the core definition of a zombie is a person who is under complete control, and will do a task mindlessly and non-stop under any means necessary. This definition covers the traditional movie favorite, a corpse come back to life to devour flesh, and the type of zombie in this film, people infected with a virus causing uncontrollable violent rage, and a lust for killing.

In a neat plot device, if someone in the movie is scratched, bitten, or exposed to the blood of the zombie, then he/she will become infected in ten to twenty seconds. It makes the need to "kill or be killed" all that more important. It also eliminates the tired scenario of people being able to hide their infection until the last minute.

As for the zombies themselves they run fast as the wind looking for people to kill, they are quick brutal and violent. In the film when a zombie attacks a human the camera pans around wildly, never really giving a true clear view of the event until the attack is over. Some may complain about this, but I felt it added a level of brutality to the zombies. Besides, it's a lot scarier to HEAR a zombie kill someone, rather than see it, because it lets our imagination make it as gruesome as we want to be.

The film has many creepy elements, especially the sequence at the beginning when the main character is walking through the abandoned street of London, where nothing is left but himself and chaotic remains of a tragedy that has already past, and he is completely clueless of. This accentuated by the camera, I don't know much about film cameras, but this is of lesser quality, giving the shots a grainy, rough look to them. This gives the eerie "documentary" like effect to it, and it gives a sense of devastation, like this was the only camera they could find in the rubble of a destroyed civilization.

Of course eventually he meets other people, who with them goes in search of more people, and that is where the real meat of the film is. It's main focus is on the interaction, thoughts and relationships of these survivors, and to what level they will go to ensure their survival, which is at times more disturbing than any zombie they could come across.

28 Days Later is an engrossing horror/sci-fi drama that focuses on humanity in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, and decides to make it interesting by throwing some zombies into the mix. It's up to you to decide which is scarier.

They (2002)

THEY works on some levels.

[8 July 2003]

I will admit that THEY has some success. The actors seem to do a better job than actors usually do in horror films. The actors in this movie put some effort into it. Another strong point of the film is the cinematography, this film looks really good. There is a lot of moody lighting and careful attention to the shadows, considering the film deals with monsters that must avoid the light. Some of the shots looked so good I wanted to hang them on my wall. There were some surreal dream like sequences as well, which I liked. But I think the biggest praise THEY deserves is the mystery.

In too many modern creature feature horror films, the monster is usually shown clearly within the first half of the movie, and then it's simply chase scene, chase scene, chase scene. We never learn who THEY are, we never see THEY in plain sight, the film never explains how THEY get here, why THEY do what THEY do and how THEY do it. It's not even explained how THEY kill you specifically. That's what I like about this movie so much, the mystery, if THEY really exist, this movie wouldn't tell you how to kill them.

The only real thing we know about THEY, from one scene in a vent where we see a silhouette of one of the creatures. To me it kind of looked like a

giant mutant cricket. Some people will go nuts over thinking this movie, asking questions like: How do THEY get into your dreams? Are THEY like Freddy Kreuger's pet mutant crickets? Why do THEY come after you only after your an adult? How would mutant cricket call up a girl like in that one scene? It THEY are seemingly primitive creatures how do THEY get around under the theory of "dimension traveling", because you think that THEY wouldn't be able to travel through dimentions if THEY are just mutant crickets. How do THEY effect electrical appliances?

You could rack your brain with the "plot holes" in this movie, but like all good horror films, this film doesn't worry about the science of it all, and leaves it a mystery, purposefully, making it more scary.

I LOVED the ending to this movie (at least the version I saw, I have heard talk that this film had multiple endings), it really caught me by surprise. The problem was that was about the last 10 minutes of the film, all of the scenes before that dragged. The main problem with this film, that keeps it from being great is that it tries to be a slasher film and a suspenseful movie at the same time.

*minor SPOILERS* The problem is that the first death in the movie is a suicide. Sure before the person kills himself he mentions THEY, but it takes away the real need for these characters to find out what THEY are. The characters take their time to slowly (very slowly I might add) come to the realization, that THEY might actually be real, and not just figures of their post traumatic stress or a figment of their dead friend's mental problems. Basically the main character takes a long time to care about solving the mystery of THEY so we take a long time to sympathize with her.

All of the scenes envolving the mystery unraveling are shot quietly, and slowly unfold, which makes it seem a lot longer than it should be, because when THEY attack, it's in the style of a generic slasher film. The soon-to-be victim hears a noise, investigates, some sort of small jump scare happens, the victim runs around trying to avoid the threat, once he/she thinks things are safe, BOOM, final kill. The only scene void of this was the ending.

It's not to say I didn't like THEY. I liked the idea, I LOVED the mystery left behind, I just had problems with the first half of the script and the pacing. It's a better recent "Creature in the shadows" horror film than "Darkness Falls" because at least this payed off for me at the end, but I don't think I will be rushing out to buy this on DVD...maybe if it's in the bargin bin.

Darkness Falls (2003)

Nice idea, poor execution.

[6 July 2003]

I watched this film after my sister rented it. I was beginning to like it, but then it turned into modern day crap.

The idea that this monster can't do in ANY light at all, and the fact that it can't attack you unless you have seen it's face, and once you have seen it's face, you can never be in the dark again without it killing you, is a novel and cool idea to me, and it seemed that they were going to make a disturbing film out of it.

But they simply went too many times for the cheapest of all horror scares: the jump scare. Instead of building suspence, they just had this creature jump out and kill some one every 5 seconds, leaving no fear or entertainment to the viewer. Also this all black creature, who you think would be stealthy, is noisier than a train wreck. How can you really fear something if you can hear it shrieking and screaming 70 miles away, giving you ample amount of time to turn on the lights.

I will give credit where it is due, the film does have excellent cinamatography, and really played with the interaction of light and shadow. Stan Winston's puppet in the final sequence was so realistically believeable that I acutally thought it was a person with make-up prosthetics on, until I watched the 'making of' featurette on the DVD.

Darkness Falls is one of those films you should avoid, unless you like movies that turn out really bad at the end.

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)

God I love this film!

[10/10 · 6 July 2003]

Yes, I know this movie is stupid, REALLY stupid, but I find it really funny. I saw the ads for this on TV, avoided it and then I was convinced into watching it at my friends house after he bought the DVD. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I mean laughing so hard I couldn't breathe laughing. I quickly went out and got my own copy, and have at least watched it 5 times in the last few months.

I think what makes the film so great is that it is so self aware of how stupid it is, unlike most modern comedies which thinks we will laugh at any old thing. I actually quote this film from time to time. Whenever my friends and I are watching a movie and someone's shirt gets ripped I always yell out "shirt ripper!".

There is not much to say about this film either you'll like it and laugh your butt off, or hate it and think it is the death of all cinema.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Well they pulled it off!

[9/10 · 6 July 2003]

I admit when I first heard T3 was in production I was moaning and groaning. I mean I didn't care that Cameron, Hamilton or Furlong wern't involved with the project, but I just didn't see the need for T3, it just felt like a safe bet to be a big pile of feces. This summer has been full of blockbusters that were way better than I expected them to be, X2, The Matrix Reloaded, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Hulk were all blockbusters that were way better than I expected them to be. Now I can put Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on that list!

When I saw it during a sneak preview, I knew that I wasn't going to like it as much as Terminator 2: Judgement Day, because T2 has sentimental value (it was the first R rated movie I ever saw). What I got was a fun as heck movie with killer action and a fantastic ending.

This film makes up for not having Edward Furlong or Linda Hamilton by having two equally if not more talented actors with Nick Stahl and Claire Danes. Both of them are very believable in their roles. Of course Arnold is perfect as the T-800 I mean it's the role he was born to play! Nobody could take this role but him, NOBODY!

The new villian, the T-X works half the time. Half the time Kristianna Loken plays the character with a creepy, sadistic quality, and the other half it simply looks like she is mimicking Robert Patrick's performance as the T-1000 in T2. The T-X itself is a totally cool machine idea.

As for the action...it will blow your mind. There is a massive car chase involving a crane which is spectacular. Then the best of the whole movie, and all out wall to wall fight between two Terminators! Watching Arnold and Kristianna throw each other around and through walls was so brutal and beautiful I was ready to give it a standing ovation. I wish we actually had cyborgs that advanced, because I want robot fighting as a sport after seeing the T-800 and T-X duke it out.

The thing I love most about T3 is the ending. It's a real surprise ending, that is dark, and works perfectly. I am glad James Cameron didn't direct this film, because he wouldn't have had the grapes to do this ending.

To sum it all up, in my opinion Terminator 3 is the surprise success of the summer. The film is better than the origional Terminator, yet not as good as Terminator 2, but still worth the price of admission. Now go out there and get terminated!

The Lost Boys (1987)

People used to be entertained by this drivel?

[5 July 2003]

Ok so I watched this today on TV. Usually this film comes up whenever the topic of vampire films is discussed, and I had heard good things from random people. I guess I'm just not an 80's person.

I think this was trying almost to be a spoof of vampire films...it was just lame. Why exactly did all the vampires have mullets and drive cheap motorcycles?

This movie was so bad it was funny. I dunno what was funnier, Keifer Sutherland with a Billy Idol bleach blonde mullet or Corey Feldman's "acting".

Basically avoid this film unless you are a brainless 80's nut or you want a good film to make fun of with a bunch of your buddies.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

Fun with a capitol F!

[9/10 · 2 July 2003]

I loved the original Charlie's Angels movie. I was hoping that I would like the sequel and I wasn't dissapointed.

Basically if you liked the first one, you have a good chance of liking this movie, but, if you hated the first one, this film would be torture. But this film doesn't care if you don't like it, it's fun, it's fast, it's babe-a-licious, and it knows it and rolls around in it.

Basically this is a spy-spoof, mixed with an action film parody. It makes self aware jabs at all the cliches of action and spy films, which is one of the best things about it. It's full of over the top, completely unrealistic stunts and wire-fu, that just look really cool in the end. It's also got Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu three of the biggest babes in Hollywood who make all this buttkicking look DANG GOOD. It's a joy watching them run in and out of different disguises, like some sort of Saturday morning cartoon show. Demi Moore returns to Hollywood as the villain, and plays this vicious woman very well, and best of all Crispin Glover comes back as The Thin Man.

Basically it all boils down to this, have some fun with this movie, because this is what this movie is all about, just like it's predessesor. You may see it as crap, but when I saw it, I had a smile on my face for the entire run of this movie, and that smile stayed hours after I was out of the theater.

Hulk (2003)

Thank you, Ang Lee, thank you!

[10/10 · 2 July 2003]

I'll openly admit that I was never a Hulk fan. It didn't seem the type of idea that could last through a series of comic books. I never watched the TV show because it always looked like a silly, bastardized version of the comic. But when the idea of a Hulk movie came out I was all for it.

I mean on the surface The Hulk seems like a fun movie idea like a minature Godzilla with a Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde complex, who the world treats like a modern-day Frankenstein. I didn't think about how Hulk is rage unleashed, that Bruce Banner has to battle in his brain to control the Hulk. Basically I didn't think about the psychology behind this superhero. But Ang Lee did, he thought about it and treated it with full seriousness. Instead of making an easy-breezy throw away film with a lot of smashing and bashing, that would seem like a bad monster film and would be forgotten within 20 minutes. Ang made a serious drama that focuses on characters effected by the Hulk events, with a few seriously delicious smashing and bashing sequences.

It's not like comic book films haven't been getting more serious, "X-men" opened up in the Holocaust, "Daredevil" showed the hero come home and pop painkillers, not to mention any Batman related TV show (during the 90's) always deals with the tragedy of Bruce Wayne's life. And this isn't the first film dealing with superheros with an extremely serious tone to it, I believe that title goes to M, Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable". This too is a film that focuses on the relationships and troubles of the characters, and that is what makes the film more intriguing.

The acting is supurb, Jennifer Conelly is top-notch, but you don't expect any less of her. Nick Nolte is excellent playing the crazy David Banner, almost to the point of being over-the-top. Eric Bana is the real hero here, he is a perfect Bruce, playing a mild-mannered scientist, who has a lot of repressed anger due to a childhood trauma.

Bruce Banner can be looked at as the person we are all forced to be in society, repressed. Our society wouldn't function if we all were allowed to unleash our anger in the form of The Hulk. Which brings me to Hulk, the finest CG performance I have ever seen. Ang Lee did the motion capturing himself, giving Hulk a really realistic performance. He did things, little things, that only angry people do. He had a harder performance to pull off because he doesn't say a word but his movements and reactions give off such an uncanny human quality and personality to them. As far as when Hulk is violent, it's BRUTAL, it's bone-cracking, gut pounding brutality, which is so good it's beautiful. Watching it is anger management. I was cheering when Hulk was smashing tanks, it was pure joy to watch.

The other thing I must praise is the editing, which not only gives the film a comic book feel, but a smooth transitioning flow, that keeps the eye moving and the brain active to soak up everything in this movie.

All in all I LOVED Hulk, I have always wanted to see comic book material taken seriously, and Ang Lee pulls it off with flair, putting it in my favorite comic book movies list. I recommend you go see it, I can't say that you'll completely like it, but I can tell you that you will have an opinion about it.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

I took the red pill...again.

[10/10 · 26 May 2003]

I am a huge fan of The Matrix; I like it more than any other film franchise, more than Star Wars, more than Lord of the Rings, more than the rest of them. The Matrix Reloaded was a film that I had anxiously been waiting for over a very long time. I knew of the sequels the first time I saw The Matrix, but my waiting went into hyper-drive when I saw the first teaser for the sequels one year ago before Attack of the Clones. For one year, I waited anxiously and it was all worth it.

I find it funny that two weeks before Reloaded came out that there was X2, a movie that takes the world its predecessor (X-men) started and expands it, opens it up, and plays around with it. This is essentially what Reloaded does, it takes the world that The Matrix teased us and introduced us with and adds more characters, more options, more action and more mystery, after answering questions I had about the first one, and of course, more cool sunglasses.

My experience with watching Reloaded the first time was the same as seeing The Matrix the first time. They have the essentially the same flow. They both start out with Trinity beating up cops and end with Rage Against the Machine. They both have first halves that focus more on plot and second halves that end with a lot of action.

The action is pumped up from the first. The Matrix had well choreographed fights that were pretty one sided, consisting of mostly either Neo or Morpheus getting trampled by an Agent. Here Neo is up to par with the cyber thugs he encounters, so the fights can go either way, making them more amusing and more enjoyable. I watch a lot of Kung Fu films, I am a Jackie Chan and Jet Li junkie, and I do have to say that the fights in this film are some of, if not the best group fights ever choreographed. People punch, kick, flip and fight with a level of fluid poetry that amazes me.

I was also dumbfounded by the car chase sequence. Much like the lobby shootout in its predecessor Reloaded takes something we take for granted in a movie, in this case a car chase, and just makes it look jaw droppingly good. Every crash, every swerve it was like the idea that cars colliding together in a destructive manner was ever possible, or entertaining, had never crossed my mind. I was practically applauding during the fight between Morpheus and the Agent on the back of the semi…I've dreamed of seeing two people fight on the back of a semi for years.

As for the special effects, some of the time they are noticeable. In the fight between Neo and Agent Smith you can notice that for a few of the stunts, it's not Keanu Reeves but a CGI rendering. I frankly don't care, I would rather have a CGI Keanu perform some of those stunts rather than see the real Keanu attempt it and break his neck. Overall it doesn't matter to me whether or not they use special effects because Neo, whether CGI or not, swatting around Agent Smiths like baseballs, is just pure fun to the Nth degree.

All of the lovable characters are back, Neo is still the unsure antagonist, Trinity is still the butt kicking babe, and Morpheus is back as the calm wise leader that he has always been, and Agent Smith is back and better than ever as the lovable villain that he is. New lovable characters are introduced like Merovingian and his wife Persephone, and their two body guards, The Twins, that have the ability to walk through walls. All of these characters are slightly over the top, making the deep insides of the matrix seem like a twisted Alice in Wonderland type of place.

My only problem with the film is that the supporting human cast aren't as interesting. The character of Link was obviously written for the part of Tank (who was excluded from the sequels due to the actor who played him being a pain in the butt, supposedly) and the kid who follows Neo around (I don't believe his name was mentioned) reminds me too much of Mouse from the first film.

The plot is the key to the movie, it's intelligent, and it takes precedence over the action. If you sit in the theater with your brain tuned to the action sequences, then you won't understand the plot, because it isn't dumbed down (it took me a 2nd viewing to get it down completely). It has a cliffhanger ending that you had to pay attention to the plot fully to get. That is what I love about Reloaded most of all, that it feels like the film that the directors wanted to make, rather than some studio-run explosion fest made for cash purposes only. Essentially this film is like art, you're either going to like it or hate it, regardless of your initial feelings about the first film.

Overall The Matrix Reloaded is a film that has mind boggling action scenes inside a plot that is as deep and meaningful as you want to take it. I have seen many themes from many areas of human thought, too much to list. This is the reason that I love The Matrix series so much, is that there are themes and meanings galore to entertain yourself, letting you choose how deep within the rabbit hole you want to go.