Thread: One Movie A Day Remix

With a more thorough plan and movies actually set aside for me to watch. I'm hoping I can get through on this one.

Plus, it gives me an excuse to watch the Hitchcock films I have yet to see.

I pretty much agree with everything you said other than the in-between place Susie was in seemed more lonely than wonderful to me... anyway... good review... thanks for sharing.

Really? I'm sorry, Nebs. I always thought you were a Kiwi. I humbly apologise.

Day 16: May 16th, 2010

Alien: Resurrection



It Had Some Interesting Ideas

Ripley is cloned and brought back. She wasn't alone though, they also brought back the alien that was inside her. With a crew bringing some cargo on board the same ship these alien experiments go awry and the aliens escape. All that is left is Ripley and the crew of the Betty.

The reason why I think this film gets so much hate is because it seems to cheapen the ending to Alien 3, which was the best thing about that film. It ended her legacy and the story in the franchise and now comes a fourth film that many thought was a cash cow waiting to be milked. Alien: Resurrection has some interesting ideas, but the execution of the film as a whole just seems like a misfire.

The first had terror, the second had action the third had the ending, the only way to end the series. What does this one have? Again, the cash cow thing comes to mind. The producers thought if they got geek writer Joss Whedon and French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, they could fool the audience. It would seem that two rights can't make a wrong. Joss Whedon's original script was obviously changed, but in interviews he said that his final draft is what is seen on the screen. So what's the problem? The execution apparently. While Whedon went for a tongue in cheek aspect, Jeunet went down the straight and narrow and made the film serious. So I guess two rights can make a wrong.

The characters are interesting and the actors portraying them I thought was the best thing about the film. Ron Perlman and Gary Dourdan are the two stand outs in my opinion. Weaver isn't the same Ripley we once knew and loved. She is different. Part alien, she acts like one in the film. Again, it was an interesting idea, but I found myself liking her less and less. Not as much as I hated Ryder though, she was irritating and boring.

The film is looked upon as the worst one. Or the one that could be tossed up between Alien 3 as the worst. It's no bag of dirt. It's watchable, a lot better than the last two alien films we got. The problem was there was no emotion, specifically for a character who was different than what we knew. The script was written one way and the direction went in another. Neither was right or wrong, but together it doesn't work that well. The underwater sequence is great though, definitely the stand out scene among a bunch of boring running down corridors bits.

Alien: Resurrection has no sense of danger or terror. All three previous films had this in abundance. The story tried it's best to bring back the character of Ripley, but we got a shallow clone. The human/alien hybrid wasn't scary, it looked like less of a threat than the normal aliens. The climax was non-existent and should have taken place on Earth, it would have added a bit more urgency. The film looks great though. Cheers.

[rating]2.5[/rating]

*On a side note - I have seen this one before, the way the day worked out, I watched this film.

Day 24: May 24th, 2010

Kung Fu Hustle



Crazy Cartoon Kung Fu Comedy Action

A young man and his friend try to join the notorious AXE GANG, but in doing so they need to do some pretty nasty things. Through a series of unfortunate events the axe gang stumble upon this place called pig stye alley and they cause chaos for the people who live there. This causes kung fu masters who live there to reveal themselves and begin a war. The young man, Sing, nearly dies during a battle and is reborn as a kung fu master, who must fight the evil one known as The Beast.

I saw Shaolin Soccer and was surprised by how much I loved that film. It had soccer, kung- fu, great comedy and hilarious off the wall moments that would never happen outside of the world created in the film. Chow has taken this concept to the next level with Kung Fu Hustle, a brilliantly funny and ass kicking kung fu film. The quotes about the film are true, it really is a Kill Bill Meets Looney Tunes flick.

Chow is Sing, the lead character, who wants to be really bad. He has trouble doing this because he is horrible at it. It all stemmed from a troubling childhood, in which he was sold some wacky looking kung fu manual, which made him think he knew kung fu. When he sees a young deaf mute girl being picked on, he tries to use his kung fu to help her. Oops, he gets his butt kicked and then he gets urinated on. How's that for humiliation. Now that he's older, he thinks the only way to get things in life is if you take them by force. So he joins the axe gang, but has a battle of conscience and is nearly killed. This unleashes his kung fu skills and then the poop hits the fan.

The film is off the wall wacky fun. The kung fu in the film is really well choreographed and with the added use of funny CGI, it takes the film to another level of entertainment. Chow uses numerous references in his film, from Kill Bill to The Matrix to The Shining. It's fun to spot them here and there. The film never feels like it's cheating or copying others, it's definitely it's own unique film. It just knows where its inspirations are.

I can't recommend this one enough, it has numerous re-watch capabilities. I find myself watching it every time it is on television. If you're a fan of Chow and Shaolin Soccer, Kung fu Hustle manages to outdo it's predecessor. It might take some people a moment or two to get use to the animated style used in the film, it is very Bugs Bunny/Road Runner. Go in with the right expectations and you will have fun.

[rating]5[/rating]

Day 33: June 2nd, 2010

I Love You Philip Morris.



A Hard Movie To Sell To Jim Carrey Fans

Steven Russell was a gay man married to a woman. Once he decided to come out and leave her, he became a con artist, which eventually led to him getting caught and thrown in prison. This is where he met Philip Morris and they became lovers. What happened next involves dozens of escape attempts, multiple impersonations and a love story that is funny, depressing and real.

Jim Carrey has two film careers, the one where he makes his stupid faces and sings out of his butt and the other in which he goes the more dramatic route and gets recognized at the Golden Globes, but not the Oscars. With his latest film, he walks a very fine line of comedy and drama. I Love You Philip Morris, right from the start was going to be a hard sell to the movie going public. It openly featured gay men and gay relationships in the forefront. Jim Carrey's target audience isn't the same type who would probably go see Brokeback Mountain, another film that prominently featured two gay male leads.

After watching the film, I decided to look up how much of it was true, since the film opens with the words "This Really Happened...It Really Did" and to my surprise pretty much everything that Jim Carrey does in the film, the real Steven Russell pulled off. Steven Russell has received the nicknames of Houdini and King of Con. His outlandish attempts to get out of prison worked every time, no matter how bizarre they were.

Jim Carrey plays the role where he loses himself in the character. There are scenes that are truly dramatic and test his emotional depth, then there are scenes in which he has to throw himself down some stairs. As I said earlier, he walks a fine line of comedy and drama here. Ewan McGregor is Philip Morris, a shy, soft spoken blonde haired and blue eyed man who falls in love with Jim Carrey while in prison. He isn't given much to do until one emotional scene that requires McGregor to do some pretty intense stuff. He gives more emotion in one phone call in this film then he did in all three of the Star Wars prequels.

I Love You Philip Morris is tackled by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Two writers in the directing chair for the first time. They don't shy away from the homosexuality of the film. It's never shy to show you what it wants to show you, if that involves Jim Carrey having sex doggy style all sweaty with a Freddie Mercury wannabe, then so be it. The film plays out with a sense of danger and excitement. Seeing the ingenious ways of how he escaped each time is interesting and fun to watch. The film handles both comedy and drama in a weird way. But based on how the real story happened, it was the best way they could.

I Love You Philip Morris is a funny film, at times. It's never a laugh out loud riot. It has a story to tell and it's a love story. The relationship between the two leads is more real than any romantic comedy you'll find this year. The problem is that it might get lost in the style of the film. It felt odd at times, not knowing when to be funny or not. This is a role for Jim Carrey and it isn't. This is a romance film about love, not Jim Carrey having a funny good time.

[rating]3.5[/rating]

Well I've seen Near Dark before and not The Wolfman.

Day 25: May 25th, 2010

Martyrs



Emotionally Draining, I Felt Dirty Afterwards

A young girl is abused, force fed slop and chained up. She escapes, but is haunted by a ghastly looking demon girl who continue to inflict harm on her. She is sent to an orphanage, where she makes friends with another girl. 15 years later, she seeks revenge on the people that did this to her. What she and her friend end up going through, is more haunting than they imagined.

I don't really know where to start with this review. Let me say that I consider myself desensitized to violence and horrors. I can sit through the Hollywood films of Saw and Hostel and laugh at the screen in the violent terror. I can sit through the shock and horror of Cannibal Holocaust and I Spit On Your Grave. I was not expecting anything from this film, and yet it hit me the hardest. No other film has really made me feel as emotionally drained as this. The images, the sounds and the emotions in this film are very disturbing and hard to watch.

Martyrs is not something I would recommend people watching, simply because of it's subject matter. I won't go into details but the second half of the film is some of the most heart wrenching images to watch, from a fictional film standpoint. The film almost has a grindhouse feel to it, as if you are watching two different films. The first half is a revenge tale with a bit of psychological horror thrown in, then the second half hits you and you don't know what to do.

The film has no hope for it's characters. I usually hate films like this because it makes the point of watching it almost mute. Why should I care about these characters when I know the journey they are going on will end in a horrible mess. For some odd reason though, this film felt a little different. I suppose this is why I don't throw it into the same torture porn horror field as the Hostels and Saw films in this world. The film is in French and it plays out with a sense of professionalism. It knows the point it wants to get across and it does so. I can completely understand that people can feel the total opposite though. This film walks a very fine line.

I felt dirty after the film, I felt horrible and helpless. I wanted the characters to do so many things to get them out of their situations, but it never happened and I knew it never would. The explanation at the end of it all is a bit out there in terms of believability. But the ending is left to the viewers imagination. My take on it is that the human mind cannot fathom the truth of what they seek. Which is why it ends the way it does.

Martyrs is a very tough film to sit through and I commend anyone who does so.

[rating]3[/rating]

Variety is the spice of life.

Day 48: June 17th, 2010

Shadow of a Doubt



Joseph Cotten Is Terrific In Hitchcock's Slow Burner.

The Newton family receives a telegram that their uncle Charlie is coming to town to spend some time with them. His niece, whom is named after him suspects that he is not all he claims to be, when two detectives start questioning them.

Rope, Saboteur and now Shadow of A Doubt. These are the only three films from the legendary Hitchcock that I have seen. Each one couldn't be more different. One is confined to one room, while another takes one character across America. Shadow of a Doubt tells the tale of family secrets and takes us to a small town. The film creates the tension needed to make one just uneasy enough to sit through the film. Shadow of a Doubt is considered one of Hitchcock's classic films and according to his daughter, his personal favourite. I found it to be rather brilliant at times, but testing at others. Joseph Cotten plays the character of uncle Charlie, who is downright frightening at times and made my enjoyment of the film more fulfilling.

I won't go into detail about the plot of the film, I went in knowing nothing about it and appreciate it more because of that. The film doesn't depend on star power or any glamour, just the story and characters. The uncle Charlie character is one creepy guy who is portrayed brilliantly by Joseph Cotten. In one brilliant scene he has a monologue that is pretty harsh, even by today's standards and one simple turn of the head makes the scene all the more intense and creepy.

The film doesn't reach the suspense levels of other films in his catalogue, I've seen bits and pieces of Rear Window, which was more suspenseful, but it does have the slow burner feel that builds up to something. You know some kind of confrontation is about to happen at the climax and your itching for it to happen the whole time. A few things did bother me though, even if they were intentional.

The sexual tension between uncle and niece is just a bit much. It seemed that in every scene they were itching to go at each other. The constant talking about how much they have in common and how they are so alike is fine, until they start to hold each other and get close. It's uncomfortable. Second, the detective declaring his love for Charlie, totally out of place. To me there was not enough room for the two to grow as a romantic couple. Does she feel the same way? No, which is what made me a little bit happier, had she had the same feelings as him, I would have been upset with this film.

Shadow of a Doubt is a well crafted thriller that doesn't mind taking it's time getting to where it wants to go. Subtle hints here and there adds to the mystery of what's going and is intriguing. It pulls the viewer into the web that is this story. It's not my favourite Hitchcock film, but rather one that I appreciate and respect the most, at least so far.

[rating]3.5[/rating]