PAINTED SKIN: ++: F ACT: It's not often I get to rate a movie like this. Where do I begin? This movie hit on so many levels it was almost disgusting. I am going to keep this movie in my personal collection. Why? Well, read on and you shall see..
Let's deal with the martial arts first shall we? They were perfectly arranged, choreographed and built suspense every step of the way. Shall we talk about the sentimental, Love story, intrigue? Yes!! This movie reinvented the genre. Take note, this is a new standard. I don't wast my time on BS movies. I leave that up to Rotten Tomatoes. That's what they do best anyway isn't it? Or rather they rate decent movies horrifically just to get hits. We get that. Stop, it's getting old. If you don't like to watch movies, then crochet or learn to use a loom. STFU!
Anyway, so this movie has demons, pseudo girl on girl scenes (handled with panache I might say) and overall is an instant classic if you have the time, intelligence, class and the wherewithal to process it. This movie had 300 aspects in it (the Persians scene) and many other classic, EPIC, war movies elements. Romance wasn't left out either. It was actually a strong point. More often, it was this that drew you into the movie. Plus the twist...what a surprise! The interaction between the princess and the demon was perfect. Plus I loved how the male lead took the demon's side over the human's, having to blind himself ala Kenshi from Mortal Kombat.
There's is so much to talk about in this movie. Just watch it It's getting a very high rating because I'm watching it again right now:::95%
PS..More praise to follow. I need to take it in. The enemies were so evil that it was inspiring. A+ Love this movie!!
CURSE OF CHUCKY: 2013:--:HRR: First of all let me tell you that I loved the first one, hated the second one, laughed at the third, but this one made me stop and think. Not only do you get the whole development of Chucky and the history, but you get a new and very distorted documentary of that which is the doll from hell.
Chucky is back and he is really pissed off. Plus, he looks great! They actually say who the person is who made the doll (note to self include in this rating:)). What is excellent about this horror movie is that he is not CGI, he is an actual living, "breathing", "walking", creation as was always the case in the past movies. The look really captures his evil. I am so happy this movie is back to it's roots and back in a BIG way!
First things first, the back story fits nicely, (I won't give it away of course). The ending is outstanding, (if you appreciated the last Chucky with Jennifer Tilly); and the effects are superb. I was in awe of this movie. OK, so I'm a bit of a fanboy of the Chucky series, and this movie DIDN'T disappoint. It is straight out of Fangoria with the blood and gore and overall lunacy. The Chucky doll looked outstanding!
It even changed looks during the movie. Not to mention that you actually get to see the actual REAL voice of Chucky, aka Brad Dourif, who starred in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Exorcist III, & Child's Play, but this movie had a serious dark side and got away from the whole, funny/ horror genre of the third with Jennifer Tilly (hint, hint) and Redman (aka Redmen as Tilly called him). I would be remiss to leave out that Brad Dourif's daughter is in this movie as well, Fiona. What a great touch! This movie hits on so many fronts it's almost ridiculous.
All the killing scenes were epic and reminded me of fatalities from Mortal Kombat. Oh and did I mention that there are lesbian scenes in this?? Nice!! Don Mancini really picked up the pace here and set a new standard for non-CGI horror flicks with gore and back story. Plus the ending is hilarious and sexy. I won't give away any part of this movie because you NEED TO WATCH IT if you like the Chucky series. Plus, they're are more coming!!::90%
THE GRANDMASTER: 2013:+++: F-ACT: I saw this movie twice because it has a lot to take in and process. It has two or three different stories intertwined but they all come together rather well in the end. I appreciated that The Grandmaster didn't have fighters flying in the air or running up trees. Conceivably, all the action in this movie could be done by professional martial artists and Kung Fu masters, which is a definite plus.
Ziyi Zhang isn't as spry as she is in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, so I thought..This notion was quickly dispelled in the ending when she gets in on the action. All the action scenes are handled with precision and they really get you pumped up during the movie. Just don't try the stuff at home. Unfortunately, I did and now I have some cabinets that need to be fixed and an elbow that needs medical attention. Just kidding..No I'm not!
This movie chronicles the story of Ip-Man, the Kung Fu master who trained Bruce Lee. The first scene, and one of the best fighting scenes in the movie, takes place during a rain storm, which creates some completely new effects and fighting mechanics. Ip-Man seems to "use" the water in a technique; by the way, techniques are thrown around quite commonly in this one and some actually made me chuckle.
Take this movie seriously however, because Wong Kar Wai directs this extremely well and it is evident that he took his time with fighting choreographers. This is a very crowded segment of film so you aren't going to see everything new, but it does have a compelling story and interesting characters:::81%
VS. 
THE CONJURING: 2012:++: HRR: OK, hype aside, this movie is a scary, terrifying movie. The best part about it is the way that it seems to tie together all the other James Wan movies. It's almost as if it's a prequel to all the other movies and a sequel to a movie never made. Does this make sense? If not, please read on...
So there were 3 other people that "directed" this movie, but let's face it, it's all James Wan. A little while ago, M Knight had a following, but then he crapped the bed with The Village & Devil, but he had his run..Everything about the scenery, the camera shots, the pace, the music, etc SCREAMS James Wan and it's almost a perfect movie. Almost..
Overall, I thought the possession scenes were on the par of the The Possession, one of my favorite horror movies, as well as the Devil Within, which is a "Textbook" possession movie. The mythology was intact, made sense, and made the movie deep. Ok, so it was loosely based on a possessed doll, but this movie has ties to one of the best horror movies, Amityville Horror. How you ask? Ask me on a comment and I will answer you. Obviously, James Wan loves the actors in Insidious and this one also has the actress in The Departed. This movie is more sinister than Sinister, which is hard, because that movie is also top 10 of all horror movies for me.
It's actually an interesting comparison to bring in M Night into this scheme because he had his favorite actor, in Bruce Willis. In Unbreakable & Sixth Sense M Knight used Bruce Willis almost like Wan uses Patrick Wilson who stars in The Conjuring as well as Insidious 1& 2. Vera Farmiga, who also starred in The Departed, put on a great performance and actually made me believe in her abilities better than The Departed. Her "Bostonian" accent in that movie made me cringe a few times, almost as badly as DiCaprio's. Yes, I just criticized Leo. Who cares, I can do that. It's my damn blog. BTW, I gave him many accolades in Inception, which was reviewed in "Movies II".
The possession scenes, especially the last one, were truly terrifying and actually quite original. The setting set the mood and the music is a Wan standout. Joseph Bishara is very talented and reminds me of the composer in The Shining. I especially enjoyed the scene in the chair with the sheet. I also liked the scene where the ghost pukes into the main character's mouth. Office Spaces' Ron Livingston was decent and actually makes you forget about his role in said movie, which must have been challenging. I will not give away any plot aspects of this movie, I just want to give you broad strokes because it's still new and therefore I will only say:::91%
Insidious Chapter 2: 2013: ++: HRR: I've watched Insidious about 3 times because I love the movie. James Wan really discovered his niche in that movie and brought back the much maligned "horror house" movie. It had a great backdrop, excellent ghost/ villain (although he was a virtual clone of Darth Maul), and above all else didn't insult your intelligence with "quiet to loud" segments that don't necessarily scare you, but jolt you. That's not a horror movie. That's a way to make someone have a seizure, no offense.
Insidious Chapter 2 is a great sequel, but not a great movie. It does just what the first movie didn't, or left out, on purpose to "tee" up a sequel. This was done in a very sneaky way, which gives me more of an appreciation of Insidious. It had so many cheesy scares in it with loud noises, that I thought I was watching a Friday the 13th movie. The title sequence was also very annoying. I didn't mind it in the first one, but in this one, it didn't make sense. No offense to the music, but it just didn't "fit" in this one, the title scene that is. The music in this sequel was one of the only stand out elements and my hat's off to the composer.
Why is this movie a great sequel? Well, because all the twists and turns were inspired and created from the first movie, especially the part when the first scare happens in the original and the door remains open. I loved the way that the medium shows up in the second one as a younger version. However, that just vindicates the first movie, not this one. I will go out on a limb and say the villain/ ghost was terrible and not at all as scary as the first villain. Plus, it needed so much explanation it made the plot draaaaag on, no pun intended.
This movie is short, about 1 1/2 hours long, although it felt very long. Patrick Wilson did a decent job, but his acting starts to get very predictable. Perhaps it's the fact that he was just in The Conjuring. If you see my initial review of the first movie, I wished that the medium died. Luckily she did die and that was one of the best parts of the movie. The only issue is that she returns in this one. WHY?? Plus, I'm sorry, but the Ghost Hunters are tiresome and this movie didn't need any more comedic elements. The shaky plot was enough. I get it that he wears a Banksy shirt and likes Hot Pockets. He had one funny part, but overall, it screamed desperation on the part of Wan to make some funny parts. People laughed, but I really didn't.
I enjoyed the parts of the "Further", so that was the most redeeming element of the movie. I also didn't mind seeing the medium's house. The scene between the male medium and a possessed Patrick Wilson was excellent. BUT, the piano bit and the little baby's toy that kept going off was extremely annoying. This movie also made me think of M Knight. Why? Because it showed how a director can hit a peak and than fizzle. Hopefully this is only because this was only meant to be Insidious 1 1/2. The ending was laughable. DON'T MAKE A THIRD ONE!:::::75%
The Conjuring wins hands down!
GATTICA: 1997: +++: SCI-FI: Having just watched The Purge, a great movie I just reviewed, I had to review one of my favorite movies of all time. Well, Sci-Fi wise, it's one of my favorite movies. Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Ernest Borgnine, Jude Law, Loren Dean and Gore Vidal, make an unforgettable Sci- Fi movie that even the most skeptical movie reviewer/ blogger will appreciate! I showed this movie to someone who hardly speaks English, and they even loved it.
Jude Law has some of the best lines of the movie and is perfect for the part of the "genetically superior" person whose DNA is highly sought after. "My eyes are prettier!", "What's your number?", "I've only had 3 drinks this morning!" etc are classic lines. He basically just had to play himself. He juxtaposes Ethan Hawke's character, who is very serious and bent on going to Jupiter, extremely well. That dynamic makes the movie tick, as does Uma Thurman's character. The casting in this movie is perfect. Uma Thurman looks great in this movie and plays the stoic character who has a heart condition and can't go to Jupiter, perfectly.
A little known fact here is that the letters of the name actually represent the proteins of DNA. That's not the only clever twist in the movie though. Some of the scenes were actually filmed in a Frank Lloyd Wright complex in Marin County. In addition, the film noir styling is brilliant. This is just a great film that even the Rotten Tomato crew rated highly. This is somewhat surprising because it was met with moderate success in the box office.
I have watched this movie about 6 times simply because it reminds me of a lot of different things and because the music, the scenery, and the characters create a "world" that you totally buy into. It's almost as if it creates a reality. That is what a movie is supposed to do and this music delivers in every aspect.
Andrew Niccol is one of those directors that you may never hear from again, so watch this movie. He directed The Host, but other than that, has never really hit the pinnacle he hit here.
Stand out scenes are in the piano recital, when the father renames Ethan Hawke because he is "faulty", when he first kisses Uma, when Jude Law is introduced, and overall, when he swims against his brother. In addition, I loved the part when the brother calls out to him, knowing it's him during the ending. I won't give away the ending, as usual, but that part was genius.
I also liked the part when Ethan was a janitor and his dad says, "The only way you're going to see space is cleaning toilets":::94%
THE PURGE: 2013: ++: HRR: First of all, I'm going to say that I loved this movie. It's probably one of the most original movies that has been made lately and made me think of Orwell's 1984 and Wachowski's V for Vendetta. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill right? Absolutely, and this movie doesn't disappoint.
I had no idea what to expect but once I saw Lena Headey, of Game of Thrones, I was immediately drawn in. She is an excellent actress who never seems to lose a part. She is very versatile and James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed this excellent movie, made a great decision to cast her. Not only that, but Ethan Hawke, ala Gattica (I need to review that movie, stay tuned), acted just as well as he did in any one of his movies. He is one of the more underrated actors of his age. But Lena Headey takes the show. I can be a little bit fan-boy here, but she looked great. I like the short, black hair. Can she look bad?
The pacing, music, plot structure, and foreshadowing makes this movie a sleeper hit. It wasn't really received well and a certain other blog, Rotten Tomatoes, hated it. Really though, they are just a bunch of bitter, uninformed haters that love to kill movies unless every loves them and then they just jump on the band wagon. Hey, take a stance on something! Like a movie because you like it.
This movie has about 3 different periods, the beginning, the development, and the assault, kind of like a piano sonata. I really can't find an issue with this movie. Why? Because I wasn't bored and I loved the twist, as well as the dynamic elements of the enemies who become friends and vice-versa.
There are some real moral lessons here without being preachy. Stand out scenes are when they tear down the steel plates, when the preppy killers gather outside, when the neighbors try to kill Lena, and finally, when Ethan starts killing. What a great movie. Watch it now and learn something about our sometimes hypocritical society:::92%
THE JUNGLE: 2011: --:HRR: Sometimes imitation is the most sincere form of admiration, except when the ending of the movie has horrific effects and is completely amateurish. This movie could have been done by a bunch of boy scouts exploring a jungle with a movie camera. Fortunately, it had some dramatic elements that built suspense throughout the movie, so you weren't exactly worried about the overall affect of the effects, no pun intended. Except for the ending. I was actually very disappointed because I enjoyed Black Water & The Reef..what happened here Andrew?
I really liked the back drop here which was searching for huge jungle cats in the "mockumentary" format, ala Blair Witch. What really made this movie "tick" and saved it from being an all out failure, was the conflict between the native trackers and the extremely annoying British big cat tracker. The conflict revolved around the fact that there might be an actual supernatural entity in the jungle. The actors in this are not well-known, which adds to the overall effect of the "mockumentary". Afterall, if it's truly "supposed" to be a documentary, the people in it aren't going to be well known, so mentioning the "actors" is silly. OK so that was 5 quotes in one paragraph..!
Stand out scenes are when you start seeing the "big cat", and when the native tracker and the Brit find the hand and want to go back. When they are in the tent and the "creature" growls is pretty intimidating. It's definitely filled in the "real" sense and the movie bumps and grinds and makes you really believe it's happening. I have to admit that at points, I was pretty interested in this movie.
The ending is another story. IS someone really just in a gorilla costume? That's what it looked like. All that suspense, all that somewhat brilliant build up for an ending that a 3rd grader could come up with. What a freaking let down::::62%
V FOR VENDETTA: 2005: ++: THR/ ACT: "Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add
that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V."
Once V utters this statement, you know what you're in for with this highly acclaimed movie. Drawing various parallels from the Count of Monte Crisco, The Phantom of the Opera, and of course Guy Fawkes, the character "V" is played extremely well by Hugo Weaving, from the Matrix series. For those who don't know, he was the "Smith" character.
The origins of V- worth a read!
Critics and viewers alike had enormous expectations for V and it doesn't disappoint. Based on the 1983 comic, the dipiction of a dystopia/ totalitarian state is executed supremely well. Think of 1984 and you get the idea. What I liked best about this movie was the way in which the action flows naturally and doesn't jar you or create inconsistencies as you see in many movies in the action/ thriller genre.
(An Ironic Twist)
When I think of this movie, I think of the Matrix and that's not a coincidence because many of the same people were involved in it's creation including the Wachowsky brothers.
Natalie Portman was a natural for the role of Evey, which is an interesting name because it has E, the 5th letter in the alphabet and V. The letter 5 has great significance in the graphic novel and this isn't downplayed in the movie. The roman numeral "V" itself means "5". Another parallel to "5" are the fingermen, who act as a kind of brut squad that torment and supervise the public.
Give Natalie Portman credit, she actually shaved her head for this movie.
Standout scenes are when V blows up the Bailey, confronts Creedy in the greenhouse (to the sound of Beethoven's 5th no less), when he kills the overweight, glutton Prothero in the bathroom and when Evey displays the mirror's inscription from Faust, which also had various "Vs'" in it. I also enjoyed the last scene but I won't give that away to ruin the surprise.
Since an "idea" can't be killed, V took this role upon himself. Many people also take on the role of V, especially Gordon Dietrich who says himself he is "V" in the kitchen. This is foreshadowing. He is right, if you consider "V" a symbol of rebellion against injustice. This manifests at the end when the Guy Fawkes masks are worn by the public uprising against the tyranny of the Norsefire. The "Occupy" movement and the "Anonymous" hacker group have taken this symbolism as well and even wear the masks. This movie shouldn't be missed::::95%
MAMA: 2012: -+: HRR: The apparition in Mama replicates so much from The Ring & Ju On, that it's almost ridiculous. The minute she appears, you can hear the sound very much like the one that the mother made in Ju On. Now I know Ju On is a movie that has been copied extensively, but this one is shameless. Also, the way in which Mama flows around is very much like The Ring.
Once you get over that, there are some scares in this and the premise is overall entertaining, but Guillermo Del Toro should reference those movies almost like cast members. It's too soon and those two movies are too excellent to "borrow" from yet.
Stand out scenes are when Mama comes and gets them in their room..ewww scary! It actually hides in the closet! I repeat, the "monster" hides in the closet. Come on! One redeeming quality was the female lead, Jessica Chastain. Her performance was compelling (even for this plot) and she drew me into the movie. It was probably the only thing that kept me interested.
The effects are decent, yet they might just have been the exact duplicates of the mothers in Ju On & The Ring. The music is actually one of the better qualities in this movie, building up nicely. Like I said, once I got over the copying, it wasn't a horrible movie:::::65%
