Topic: The little known movie review depot

[Najemikon]

Longoria is cancelled out by Mendes so far as Eva requirements go for me...

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Knockaround Guys (2001)

Genre: Crime
Director: Brian Koppelman / David Levien
Rating: R
Length: 1h32
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: English / Spanish

Stars:
Barry Pepper
Andy Davoli
Seth Green   
Vin Diesel
John Malkovich

Plot:
When you're in the mob, there's no room for mistakes or feelings. Matty (Barry Pepper) finds this out the hard way when his crew loses a bag of cash in a remote town in the midwest while trying to live up to his mob boss father's aspirations (Dennis Hopper). When Matty's childhood friend Marbles (Seth Green) fails to retrieve the money, his best friend Taylor (Vin Diesel) hatches a plan to get it back, but crooked cops control the town and the situation quickly spirals out of control.

Uncle Teddy (John Malkovich) rolls into town to fix the situation and to teach Matty once and for all what being "in the family" is all about. The trap is set and when it's sprung, it's as action-packed as it is devastating.

My Thoughts:

When this one started I told to myself very fast that it would be another looser of a film. In my eyes I was in for one hour and a half of bad comedy (even more when we reach the point of the stoners teenagers at the airport). Thank God this changed when the money bags change hand again. Now it was more a gangster film like I like them. The acting is ok without being great, but Vin Diesel impress me in this (too bad I can't say the same for Denis Hopper who is usually reliable). I even got the chance to play the "I have seen this guy somewhere" game with the actor playing the sheriff (Tom Noonan who played The Tooth Fairy in Manhunter). One last thing : where the accent used by John Malkovich came from? This sure doesn't sound like any New York accent I've ever heard...

Not a great film per se, but a nice surprise.

Rating :

[Jimmy]

I try since yesterday to watch The Day After Tomorrow. I can't pass the 15 minutes mark and I tried five times...
Seriously some people minus the mindless teenager theatre goers liked that? It's science bullshit and baddly done CGI, seriously that North Pole ice ravine in the beginning look awfull, I've seen better with mat painting in 1970 movies done for 50,000$

Kathy I'm sure you laughed a lot thinking at what will be my reaction the day I would put that in my reader

[Jimmy]

Surprise surprise

I checked the review here and except Tom who hated it everybody else like that badly done computer effects festival (after 15 minutes I knew already it wouldn't get any better, a ship in the New York street is awesome... please  ).

[Kathy]

I try since yesterday to watch The Day After Tomorrow. I can't pass the 15 minutes mark and I tried five times...
Kathy I'm sure you laughed a lot thinking at what will be my reaction the day I would put that in my reader

I knew it might not be a movie for you. But, I watch it every once and a while and enjoy it every time! 

[Jimmy]

Don't worry I will try it again tonight... as I rarely give up on a film (did it only with Basic Instinct 2 ).

If I was able to watch the almost 2 hours of The Sorority I'm able to do that for this, but I sure hope something interesting will be on TV to distract me (even a game of the awfull Canadians would do...).

[goodguy]

I can't pass the 15 minutes mark and I tried five times...

Well, starting each time fresh from the beginning shows true dedication. You could have been half-way through by now.

[Jimmy]

Don't worry I will try it again tonight... as I rarely give up on a film (did it only with Basic Instinct 2 ).

As promised I watch it all tonight. But it wasn't a fun time for me and some of the stuff really annoyed me.

1. Why they made the old man in the library looks like he was the biggest idiot on earth when he said that writing is the biggest human accomplishement as it is true...
2. If you touch frozen metal with anything in your hand your flesh will rip appart...
3. Yeah! more than 200 million people died but at least the dog is alive
4. A flag will not freeze in 2 seconds without water whatever the temperature can be...
5. Everything under the US aren't the third world...
6. The father would never survived outdoors even if he is a scientist...
7. Even the wolves are CGI for crying out loud
8. The VP is Dick Cheney... OK that one was funny
9. Cold air doesn't run as if it was a monster and stop when a door is closed...
10. Global warming don't work like that (seriously was it a way to make the real GW a ridiculous fact?)...
11. Oil don't freeze in one second when a motor runs...
12. Nobody would survive in their house if the temperature was low enough to break reinforced glass...
13. In real life the governement will hide himself in a bunker not flee the country...
14. OMG the hurricane take the Holywood sign it's the end of the world...
15.  

[Jimmy]

Edit : Achim you made me look like a crazy old guy who talk to himself

At least almost everybody agreed that 2012 is really bad... I guess I'm better never watch this one

Checking what the guy did I can say none of this is on my "great way to pass my time" list. I'm one of the few who can't stand Independance Day (The USA! USA! we are the best vibe made me  ), but maybe I could like Universal Soldier as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Ralf Moeller are in it

I have The Patriot too somewhere in my unwatched pile... maybe this one isn't filled with CGI and factual errors (I really doubt it for this).

[samuelrichardscott]

I have The Patriot too somewhere in my unwatched pile... maybe this one isn't filled with (snip) factual errors (I really doubt it for this).

Oh sir, it is. Mel Gibson is the giveaway.

[Achim]

Edit : Achim you made me look like a crazy old guy who talk to himself

At least almost everybody agreed that 2012 is really bad... I guess I'm better never watch this one

Checking what the guy did I can say none of this is on my "great way to pass my time" list. I'm one of the few who can't stand Independance Day (The USA! USA! we are the best vibe made me  ), but maybe I could like Universal Soldier as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Ralf Moeller are in it

I have The Patriot too somewhere in my unwatched pile... maybe this one isn't filled with CGI and factual errors (I really doubt it for this).

I am sorry, but when i deleted it your post wasn't there yet. And now I see I did misunderstand you; I deleted my post as I wasn't sure if I misread, as I understood that you throughout everybody liked it :slap head:

Yes. you should never watch 2012 and I have my doubts that you would like The Patriot (I haven't seen that one). Universal Soldiers is escapist science-fiction and probably is way more fun than 2012. But, to say is with Mark Kermode's words: Slamming a car door on your hand is more fun than that!

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Attack on Darfur (2009)

Genre: Drama
Director: Uwe Boll
Rating: 18+
Length: 1h38
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: English (CC)

Stars:
Kristanna Loken
David O'Hara
Noah Danby   
Matt Frewer
Hakeem Kae-Kazim

Plot:
Attack On Darfur, which stars Billy Zane, Edward Furlong and Kristanna Loken, is the story of a group of Western journalists in Sudan who visit a small village to gather footage and interviews in hopes of reporting on the atrocities they have seen. When they hear that the Janjaweed are heading towards the village, they are confronted with the dilemma of whether to run for safety or to stay behind and attempt to avert the village’s slaughter

My Thoughts:

The synopsis is clear about the subject of the film, so don't expect a war movie. The film start with a group of journalist who are there with a group of soldiers of the African Union to observe and report on the Darfur genocide. This film is hard to watch because we know it's true and we see what are really those ethnic conflict (this isn't for nothing if most of the Canadian soldiers who were at the Kosovo or the Rwanda peace operation are now mentally disturbed). Those observation operation are useless as they can't do nothing... The sad truth is like one of the Arab Sudanese said when they attack the village, "who care they are only black monkey slaves". Say what you want but if a country don't have any ressources or if its population aren't caucasian nobody in the eastern world give a fuck, check what happen right now in Syria to see (it's 100% worst than the Libian situation was, I continue to believe that no intervention was necessary as it was a terrorist attack on the governement and not what the Libians wanted, but they have no oil in Syria). Completly unrelated to this film but I was so happy a couple of days ago when one of my ancient university friend reach me, why? He was able to fled his country when an ethnic cleansing like that happened there too (it was another one nobody care about as it happened in another african country, the Ivory Coast).

I know many don't believe me when I praise an Uwe Boll's movie, but trust me this one is a great one. If it would have been done the same way it is by another director this film would have been highly praised by everybody and would have been considerate for some major award.

Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Wolf Creek (2005)

Genre: Horror
Director: Greg McLean
Rating: 18+
Length: 1h44
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English / French
Subtitles: English / Spanish

Stars:
John Jarratt
Cassandra Magrath
Kestie Morassi
Nathan Phillips
Gordon Poole

Plot:
Welcome to Wolf Creek, where the suspense of The Blair Witch Project meets the horror of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Inspired by Australia's "Backpacker Killer" who murdered seven backpackers in the '90s, Wolf Creek won wide acclaim from critics, filmmakers and audience members alike at the Sundance Film Festival.
Three unsuspecting hikers take off for a drive across Australia. When the trio returns from a four hour hike to Wolf Creek National Park, they find their car is dead. Help comes in the form of big, back-slapping bushman Mick (John Jarratt). Since Mick appears to be more Crocodile Dundee than Freddy Krueger, the trio trusts him...which proves to be a grave mistake.

My Thoughts:

It isn't often that I revisit a film, even more when I gave it a really bad review. So did I find it better 3 years later? Not really, I just can't stand the three protagonists I'm supposed to root for. Seriously why would I care for a douchebag and two retarded girls. We see them laugh of everybody they met whatever it's a car salesman, a mechanic, a gas station attendant or a guy who come to help them. Seriously they are what I hate in today's kids (I know they aren't all like that...) and I've beat some douchebags like that back in the days...

Anyway I give some point to the film because of John Jarratt and the frightening mood after the action start. But this film would have been so much better and enjoyable to watch if non retarted idiots would have been cast to play the victims...

Rating :

[Jimmy]

Looks like a sequel will be shoot in 2012.

I really hope it will be done right this time as I said this film have a lot of potential to be great if they cast people we can care for and not douchebag we want to see dead

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Running Man (1987)

Genre: Science-Fiction
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Rating: R
Length: 1h41
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: English / Spanish

Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Maria Conchita Alonso
Yaphet Kotto
Jim Brown
Jesse Ventura

Plot:
THE YEAR IS 2019.

Television is now ruling people's lives. The most popular "audience participation" game show is "The Running Man" - where convicts can win pardons instead of "parting gifts" by defeating murderous henchmen known as "stalkers." The stalkers haven't had much of a challenge lately...until Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) comes along.

My Thoughts:

Sometimes it's funny how our oppinion of a film change with the passing years. When I saw it first in a theater for me it was a cool movie, now more than 20 years later not so much... The problem is that I've read the book between. The basic story in the book is so great (maybe one of the best Stephen King novellas, I hope that everybody know that Richard Bachman was Stephen King), touching and with a heavy dose of social critic. All of this is gone in the film and change for cartoon comedy. The problems are multiples even without mentionning that almost 100% of the original material, even the Arnold Schwarzenegger casting made no sense as Ben Richards is an everyday man at the end of his rope like all the poor people in this world (Lance Henrickson would have been the perfect choice).

This is one of the rare case where a remake would be welcome in my mind, ok not a remake per se but a faithful adaptation of the original book (read it you'll see how the book is great compare to the film). I don't even think it need a big budget to be well done (less than 10,000,000$) as no big names are needed for a project like this (Henricksen is always my #1 choice for the title role) and everything can be done with practical effects. Of course I don't have the money so like my idea based on The Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs it won't never happen (at least with my name)...
 
Rating :