Even though this will show up as November 1st it is still Halloween to me (I have not been to bed yet). I thought I would ring out All Hallows Eve with one more horror film. "Session 9" is a movie I went into with high hopes, I mean how much better of a plot could you have than a crew of men go into an abandoned mental asylum to clean out asbestos. Boy was I ever wrong.
I suppose I should lay down the good before I rant about the bad. This movie was one of the first films to be shot with Sony HD, with this the creators of this film were able to use more natural light instead of tons of harsh studio lighting. This creates a beautiful film that seems more realistic. Also, there are very few mistakes in this movie, and they are hard to pick out. So from all of these aspects this movie is made very well, and really sets the bar for movies to come.
My problem with this movie comes down to two things, first the script itself and second the acting. The script is long, drawn out and dry. The movie does keep you in the dark about what is going on throughout most of the movie. Now this is a good thing in screenplays, in that, you are always wondering through the whole movie; What is going on? Now keeping the audience guessing is a great thing if and only if you resolve all the questions in the end. "Session 9" does not do this, the ending is just as confusing as the rest of the movie. I left this movie with so many questions, as to what or who was causing the strange occurrences.
The second problem I have is with the acting in this movie. David Caruso stars in this film and as with most of his roles he over acts, there is nothing worse than watching a movie and realizing that this man is acting, this is not real at all. And just for the record I realize the difference between real and imagination. I am just saying that when I watch a movie I want to believe for that short time that the actor I am watching is really the character in the movie. The other actors in this movie give off the same kind of vibe, that is all except for Peter Mullan. Peter plays Gordan, a man that throughout the movie you can not tell if he is going insane, or if the things that are happening to him are real. Of course we should know all of these answers by the end of the movie, but here we go again with the script. Oh well isn't this a vicious circle.
My thoughts are you should watch "Session 9" and judge for yourself, besides it is worth the watch to see the amazing effects in lighting. Hopefully you will get more out of this movie than I did, I am going to take an aspirin now for the headache it gave me.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
I Just Love a Good Magic Act
As I browsed through my local Blockbuster I would always see a movie named "Smokin' Aces." I never did compel myself to rent it though. However, this all changed this past week when I happened to see a review on it on "Reelz" channel. I quickly came home and found it on one of my movie channels.
This was the first movie I have seen by Joe Carnahan and it was well worth the watch. Joe is a multi-talent in Hollywood he writes, produces and directs most of his films. I find that movies work better if the person writing the script directs the movie also, there is a beauty to that because there is never any doubt as to what the writer had intended.
"Smokin' Aces" is a film about an ex-vegas Magician (Buddy "Aces" Israel) that has worked his way up to a mob boss, now not only is he a mob boss but he is the boss of a faction of a family that he has spit in half. This definately does not make him a favorite of all the other made men, but when he turns state informent the fun really begins. The movie becomes a race to see who can get to Buddy first, the hitmen (there are many), the bondsmen, or the FBI. All of this adds up to one really shocking ending. The true magic of the film is that old slide of hand trick, while you are being told one story it totally distracts you from the real story.
This movie is visually stunning and not for the weak of heart. If you do not like graphic violence, this is not the movie for you. Also I must point out that there are really strong performances from two very unexpected sources. Jeremy Piven, who plays Buddy and Ryan Reynolds, who plays a very strong role as one of the FBI agents that are sent to protect Buddy.
I would recommend seeing this movie if you are an action fan. It is a magic act of truly great proportions.
This was the first movie I have seen by Joe Carnahan and it was well worth the watch. Joe is a multi-talent in Hollywood he writes, produces and directs most of his films. I find that movies work better if the person writing the script directs the movie also, there is a beauty to that because there is never any doubt as to what the writer had intended.
"Smokin' Aces" is a film about an ex-vegas Magician (Buddy "Aces" Israel) that has worked his way up to a mob boss, now not only is he a mob boss but he is the boss of a faction of a family that he has spit in half. This definately does not make him a favorite of all the other made men, but when he turns state informent the fun really begins. The movie becomes a race to see who can get to Buddy first, the hitmen (there are many), the bondsmen, or the FBI. All of this adds up to one really shocking ending. The true magic of the film is that old slide of hand trick, while you are being told one story it totally distracts you from the real story.
This movie is visually stunning and not for the weak of heart. If you do not like graphic violence, this is not the movie for you. Also I must point out that there are really strong performances from two very unexpected sources. Jeremy Piven, who plays Buddy and Ryan Reynolds, who plays a very strong role as one of the FBI agents that are sent to protect Buddy.
I would recommend seeing this movie if you are an action fan. It is a magic act of truly great proportions.
We All Get Cabin Fever from Time to Time
I grew up mainly through the Eighties and have had plenty of experience with the Slasher Film. As a result of this I am not usually drawn to a Slasher Film per say, I suppose I have seen enough of them and I am more impressed if I can be scared without all of the gore. Now that being said I have to tell you that my step-children are of another school of thought, the more blood and gore the better. So on their last Christmas holiday at our house we just had to watch "Cabin Fever."
The basic premise of this movie is some college kids rent a cabin to get away and party after their finals. Once in the woods they are threatened by some homicidal maniacs and on top of this they start getting infected with a quickly progressing flesh eating disease. All of these factors equal one horrifying and gory movie. I have to say though even with all these gruesome details I have never laughed so hard at a horror movie in my life. "Cabin Fever" is not truly a horror film nor is it a comedy, however as both it is a pretty OK movie. This movie is full of corny lines that makes it oh so memorable and one scene in particular that will change the thought of shaving your legs forever.
As far as the quality of the film making I can not say a whole lot for it, there are bunches of continuity mistakes, but overall the movie outweighs these problems. I would suggest seeing this movie if you are at all a fan of slasher movies, because even though it is not even remotely a great movie it is highly entertaining.
The basic premise of this movie is some college kids rent a cabin to get away and party after their finals. Once in the woods they are threatened by some homicidal maniacs and on top of this they start getting infected with a quickly progressing flesh eating disease. All of these factors equal one horrifying and gory movie. I have to say though even with all these gruesome details I have never laughed so hard at a horror movie in my life. "Cabin Fever" is not truly a horror film nor is it a comedy, however as both it is a pretty OK movie. This movie is full of corny lines that makes it oh so memorable and one scene in particular that will change the thought of shaving your legs forever.
As far as the quality of the film making I can not say a whole lot for it, there are bunches of continuity mistakes, but overall the movie outweighs these problems. I would suggest seeing this movie if you are at all a fan of slasher movies, because even though it is not even remotely a great movie it is highly entertaining.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
When a Stranger Calls it Hurts Inside
My wife and I watched When a Stranger Calls a while back. We had seen the original and the sequel to the original back when we were dating. The only reason why we watched the original in the first place was because we were wanting to watch something and we were at her house and it was there and neither one of us had seen it before. One of those movies that people own and don't know why thing. So, we watched it and we were surprised that it was pretty good. Especially, that opening sequence... whew, genius. So we watched the sequel as well and naturally it wasn't as good as the first.
The remake, though, I'm sad to say, was pretty painful. Okay, really painful. I know a movie is really bad when I can start blurting out mistakes and laughing and my wife doesn't stop me. You see, we usually give movies a good chance, a nice run for their money. But, sometimes movies are just so bad you can't help but start blurting things out. Grant it, I can be bad about pointing things out and talking to the characters on screen, but I control it. Usually.
But this time, I couldn't. You just can't do what they did and expect me to sit back and take it. For the first time, I think, after the film was over we went back to scenes and reviewed them to point out mistakes. One of my favorites was a shot that clearly had some guy in a white T-shirt in the background. Go crew; you rock! And go editor for not seeing the obvious dude in the background! And it was more than that... a lot more than that. And let me clarify that I am not demeaning crew and editors. I myself am often a crew member on our productions and the main editor for our company.
What really disturbs me the most though is how a movie can be so inconsistent and painful yet somehow those involved in the production are proud of it. How do they not see these things? I realize people have different tastes and there may be some of you that read this that will have enjoyed the movie; but seriously... from a stand point of inconsistency and mistakes, how can people say this is a good script? How can they honestly look at all the inconsistencies and feel fine with it that way? When we're working on a project the actors, crew and anybody else involved in the production are always keeping us in line. Because, honestly, no one wants to make a bad movie. So what if that means changing the script a little? When it comes to quality, it's worth it! There's been things that I've really wanted in some of my scripts before, but I had to drop them, because it just didn't work with the story or the characters. Ah, well.
The bad movies bring out some good, though. It makes me think about these things and try very hard not to make the same mistakes and to watch out for certain things. But, at any rate... I have attacked this film quite enough.
The remake, though, I'm sad to say, was pretty painful. Okay, really painful. I know a movie is really bad when I can start blurting out mistakes and laughing and my wife doesn't stop me. You see, we usually give movies a good chance, a nice run for their money. But, sometimes movies are just so bad you can't help but start blurting things out. Grant it, I can be bad about pointing things out and talking to the characters on screen, but I control it. Usually.
But this time, I couldn't. You just can't do what they did and expect me to sit back and take it. For the first time, I think, after the film was over we went back to scenes and reviewed them to point out mistakes. One of my favorites was a shot that clearly had some guy in a white T-shirt in the background. Go crew; you rock! And go editor for not seeing the obvious dude in the background! And it was more than that... a lot more than that. And let me clarify that I am not demeaning crew and editors. I myself am often a crew member on our productions and the main editor for our company.
What really disturbs me the most though is how a movie can be so inconsistent and painful yet somehow those involved in the production are proud of it. How do they not see these things? I realize people have different tastes and there may be some of you that read this that will have enjoyed the movie; but seriously... from a stand point of inconsistency and mistakes, how can people say this is a good script? How can they honestly look at all the inconsistencies and feel fine with it that way? When we're working on a project the actors, crew and anybody else involved in the production are always keeping us in line. Because, honestly, no one wants to make a bad movie. So what if that means changing the script a little? When it comes to quality, it's worth it! There's been things that I've really wanted in some of my scripts before, but I had to drop them, because it just didn't work with the story or the characters. Ah, well.
The bad movies bring out some good, though. It makes me think about these things and try very hard not to make the same mistakes and to watch out for certain things. But, at any rate... I have attacked this film quite enough.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Sometimes staying alive is harder than you think
I hate when I sit down to a movie and think it will be pretty good and it ends up being a real stinker. This is exactly the case with Stay Alive. This movie is most disappointing because it had such great potential to be a truly scary movie.
The basic idea is that a group of people start playing a video game that has never been heard of before, a game based on the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. And yes, I have come to find out that this is indeed a real person that did horrible things to young women. As the characters in the movie play this game they find they can not win and as they die they are picked off in real life the same way they died in the game. Now this plot could be really interesting, however, it is never explained why the Countess decided on the time or the medium that she returned in. Also, if you read up on history you will find that the Countess never lived on the plantation that is featured in this movie, she was alive way before the US was even discovered. Also the plantation in real life does not match the one in the game at all on the inside, this would not be so noticeable except it is put right in front of you in a couple of scenes. Plus, there are so many plot strings in this movie that are never followed through and I found it to be very confusing at moments because of critical information that should have been included in the story was left out.
Now, don't get me wrong, all movies even bad movies have at least some good. I really liked the idea that the characters in the movie are killed in real life the way they are killed in the video game. There are some really nice jump scares, shadows that appear in the corner of the shot, flashes of figures while a character is being stalked and so on. There is one scene where a character is run over by a horse and carriage, this in my opinion was the best scene of the movie. The visual effects in this scene and the subtle use of suspense made it most satisfying. The plantation that was used for the real life place featured on the game was so ubber creepy. The house was fabulous with all of its overgrown greenery on the outside and long dark hallways and secret rooms on the inside. Once in the back of the house there is a amazing scene of a graveyard and a tower sitting ominously behind it.
This movie had an interesting plot outline, and it could have been an unforgettable movie. Unfortunately to many inconsistencies and weak story lines could not help it Stay Alive in the end.
The basic idea is that a group of people start playing a video game that has never been heard of before, a game based on the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. And yes, I have come to find out that this is indeed a real person that did horrible things to young women. As the characters in the movie play this game they find they can not win and as they die they are picked off in real life the same way they died in the game. Now this plot could be really interesting, however, it is never explained why the Countess decided on the time or the medium that she returned in. Also, if you read up on history you will find that the Countess never lived on the plantation that is featured in this movie, she was alive way before the US was even discovered. Also the plantation in real life does not match the one in the game at all on the inside, this would not be so noticeable except it is put right in front of you in a couple of scenes. Plus, there are so many plot strings in this movie that are never followed through and I found it to be very confusing at moments because of critical information that should have been included in the story was left out.
Now, don't get me wrong, all movies even bad movies have at least some good. I really liked the idea that the characters in the movie are killed in real life the way they are killed in the video game. There are some really nice jump scares, shadows that appear in the corner of the shot, flashes of figures while a character is being stalked and so on. There is one scene where a character is run over by a horse and carriage, this in my opinion was the best scene of the movie. The visual effects in this scene and the subtle use of suspense made it most satisfying. The plantation that was used for the real life place featured on the game was so ubber creepy. The house was fabulous with all of its overgrown greenery on the outside and long dark hallways and secret rooms on the inside. Once in the back of the house there is a amazing scene of a graveyard and a tower sitting ominously behind it.
This movie had an interesting plot outline, and it could have been an unforgettable movie. Unfortunately to many inconsistencies and weak story lines could not help it Stay Alive in the end.
A club that is dreaded by many
When I sat down to think of what Movie to review I was really torn, should I do a comedy, or maybe romance. After much deliberation I thought I would keep with the spirit of this time of year and talk about a horror movie.
I was up late last night flipping through the channels when there it was, the absolute first movie I must talk about, Club Dread. Although it must be said up front that this is a spoof on all of the slasher films of the 80's and not truly a horror film persay. This movie, like most of Broken Lizard's projects, is overlooked by mainstream movie patrons. Most of you will know Broken Lizard from their movie Super Troopers which only became popular after going to DVD, however they have quite a library of projects they have been associated with.
The premise of this movie is best described by its tagline, "Sun, Sea, Sex and Slaughter." Guest travel to a resort island owned by Coconut Pete, a 1970's Jimmy Buffet on Acid styled singer/songwriter. People, mostly college kids, come to the island to party in all respects, sometimes though it is hard to tell who parties more the guests or the employees. But once the employees start ending up dead, it is a race to find out who the killer is while staying alive. The script of this movie is excellently written with witty and fresh humor the whole way through, and the casting is fantastic. When you see this movie you are torn between wanting all of the characters to live and anxiously anticipating the next murder, because when someone is murdered most of the time it is in some sort clever horror spoof fashion that makes you laugh out loud. There is just something about a movie that can make you laugh at murder.
My recommendation is of course, see it. Just remember when you watch Broken Lizard's Club Dread, watch it for what it is, a spoof.
I was up late last night flipping through the channels when there it was, the absolute first movie I must talk about, Club Dread. Although it must be said up front that this is a spoof on all of the slasher films of the 80's and not truly a horror film persay. This movie, like most of Broken Lizard's projects, is overlooked by mainstream movie patrons. Most of you will know Broken Lizard from their movie Super Troopers which only became popular after going to DVD, however they have quite a library of projects they have been associated with.
The premise of this movie is best described by its tagline, "Sun, Sea, Sex and Slaughter." Guest travel to a resort island owned by Coconut Pete, a 1970's Jimmy Buffet on Acid styled singer/songwriter. People, mostly college kids, come to the island to party in all respects, sometimes though it is hard to tell who parties more the guests or the employees. But once the employees start ending up dead, it is a race to find out who the killer is while staying alive. The script of this movie is excellently written with witty and fresh humor the whole way through, and the casting is fantastic. When you see this movie you are torn between wanting all of the characters to live and anxiously anticipating the next murder, because when someone is murdered most of the time it is in some sort clever horror spoof fashion that makes you laugh out loud. There is just something about a movie that can make you laugh at murder.
My recommendation is of course, see it. Just remember when you watch Broken Lizard's Club Dread, watch it for what it is, a spoof.
A Killer Movie from Outer Space
I watched "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" and it was quite the movie. Let me tell ya. Cheesy! Oy. I watched it via suggestion of my brother-in-law and I must say, I enjoyed it. Not that it was scary or intelligent in any way shape or form.
The thing that got me the most was the amazing dialogue, among other things. The dialogue was soo bad. I heard people saying things I never thought I'd hear people say and that was worth it. Then again, I heard people saying things that have been said a thousand times, but it was never quite the same in this film. Meaning, a simple line of frustration was spoken with true retro-acting glee. Fantastic.
The ending really got me, because it was suppose to be a happy ending, but technically it isn't. Unless, I missed something, but I'm more inclined to think they left something out. Especially, since they had a habit of leaving things out or leaving things hanging for a very unbelievably long long amount of time. For example, a girl got in the shower and was in there for another 15-20 minutes of the movie, because they cut to all kinds of other stuff and eventually it came back and left me thinking, "How long was she in the shower?! I take long ones, but good grief!"
The short skinny, some movies can be so bad you just sit in awe. "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" was one of those movies. I tip my hat to that. I'll just quote from it and let them do the work, "We were up at 'the top of the world' and we saw this shooting star and we decided to go look for it. But instead of finding the shooting star we saw this... this circus tent. And that's when we went inside, and that is when we saw those people in those... those pink, cotton candy cocoons. Dave, it was not a circus tent. It was something else." Yes, it was "something else", alright.
So, I say watch it... for a laugh and some amazement.
Introduction
If you are reading for the first time, we thank you. If you've been reading for sometime and are just now reading this one, we thank you. If you are wondering who "we" are, we'll tell you.
This blog is a work of Nathan Weaver and Mary Laird. We like movies. We love movies. Sometimes we hate movies. And since we know that you really care about our opinion, we decided to share what we think about what we watch. We'll be looking at old movies, new movies, movies you know and love, movies you know and hate, movies you've never heard of and so on. We'll also be talking about movies that we love, hate and even some that we are iffy about.
Before you think that we are the next two morons on the internet to make such intelligent reviews as, "Transformers rocks!" or "Frodo and Sam are gay!" know this. We both have backgrounds in movies and television and I myself co-own an independent production company (Onyx Dragon Productions). So, we do have some knowledge in what we are talking about and we do actually do the sort of thing we will be talking about for a living... and hobby. Our passions are in the medium of which we'll be speaking, that's why we will be watching movies until we die and talking about them too.
We hope you can enjoy what you read, that in some way we make you think twice about what you watch and encourage you to broaden your horizons to what you will watch. There's a lot of great movies out there that most people won't watch, because it takes them outside there comfort zone. But don't rely on us for everybody's opinion, personality and interpretation is different. Sometimes you gotta just give them ol' movies a try.
Thanks much, keep reading and keep watching,
Nathan Weaver
This blog is a work of Nathan Weaver and Mary Laird. We like movies. We love movies. Sometimes we hate movies. And since we know that you really care about our opinion, we decided to share what we think about what we watch. We'll be looking at old movies, new movies, movies you know and love, movies you know and hate, movies you've never heard of and so on. We'll also be talking about movies that we love, hate and even some that we are iffy about.
Before you think that we are the next two morons on the internet to make such intelligent reviews as, "Transformers rocks!" or "Frodo and Sam are gay!" know this. We both have backgrounds in movies and television and I myself co-own an independent production company (Onyx Dragon Productions). So, we do have some knowledge in what we are talking about and we do actually do the sort of thing we will be talking about for a living... and hobby. Our passions are in the medium of which we'll be speaking, that's why we will be watching movies until we die and talking about them too.
We hope you can enjoy what you read, that in some way we make you think twice about what you watch and encourage you to broaden your horizons to what you will watch. There's a lot of great movies out there that most people won't watch, because it takes them outside there comfort zone. But don't rely on us for everybody's opinion, personality and interpretation is different. Sometimes you gotta just give them ol' movies a try.
Thanks much, keep reading and keep watching,
Nathan Weaver
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