Some Movie Scores

Just in case you're considering going to the movies, here's a few that I've seen (and will be reviewing as I catch up on everything).

-Nancy Drew, F
-Superbad, A-
-Stardust, B+
-Rush Hour 3, D+
-Bourne Ultimatum, A-
-Simpsons, B-
-Harry Potter and the blah blah, B+
-Transformers, B+
-Ratatouille, A+
-Die Hard 4, C+
-1408, C-
-Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer Dude, B+
-Parise, Je T'Aime, A-

Questions? Email me.

The List (Don't Be One It)

I'm a man of principles. Principals. Whichever one effects my morals. Affects. Whatever.

I believe in boycotts. I have many boycotts in place, some of standing for nearly 10 years now. I've begun having problems with some of the Hollywood trends and have begun a movie-specific boycott list. Here is is:

-Adam Sandler. That's right, despite having seen Reign Over Me (HA!), I am now placing a boycott on all Adam Sandler related movies - produced, directed, written, and/or starring - I won't even view them in theater or on DVD. Why? His inflated ego and lack talent completely fill the theater where his films are screening. Although I thought it was impossible for his "humor" to devolve any further, it has. Good new though, if you're a frat boy who likes gay jokes (and spooning your brothers), Adam Sandler has tailored all of his movies just for you!

-Remakes. I'll be specific on this one. I will not PAY for a ticket to a remake. I may still see them, or rent them, but both those options will not include giving money towards the remake cause. What set this off was The Invasion, based on Invasion of the Body Snatchers - a movie that was very good to begin with, plus had a successful remake in the 70s, and a failed remake in the 90s. There's absolutely no reason to make this one again, other than to feed the arrogant attitude that led to the recent King Kong disaster - digital effects improves everything. Bottom line, no more of my money is going to this idiotic trend.

-Jimmy Fallon. The bum. I'm not even going to give an explanation, you all know.

That's all I have for now. More to come, I'm sure, as we get into the fall lineup of dreck.

Hot FuzZZZzzzz

Hot Fuzz, A+

As you can tell by the title, it was quiet a snooze fest. NOT! The guys from Shaun of the Dead deliver once again with a great action flick that combines the best parts of violence and obsurd British comedy.

I will say that this movie is not for the faint of heart. Despite it being a comedy, some of the deaths are very grisly and realistic (well, I can't really verify that last bit, but it looked like I thought it would). I'm sure Tristan Versluis never gets the props he deserves, so here they are Tristan - PROPS TO YOU! (and if Tristan happens to be a girl's name, sorry)

Plot wise, it's very obsurd. I can't say that Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright come up with stories based in reality, but it's entertaining and has its twists. I'm not going to spoil the movie, go rent it for yourself.

Great movie, good times, but I will say that Simon Pegg without Nick Frost is nothing. I learned that by watching Big Nothing. Yay, learning is painful!

FayGrimwasareallyfastpacedbutgoodmovie

Fay Grim, A+

As you may have figured out, I have trouble praising good films. There's just not much to say without ruining them. I'll do my best though. I've got about 10 A-B range movies to review, plus some terrific duds. New job means a bit more time to goof off and get these written. So here we go!

Fay Grim stars the Queen of Indie, Parker Posey. While she's fabulously talented, I just don't find her that attractive, and therefore I'm not as excited as I should be about her 16 films a year. But I digress, and I'm not sure why I even went there. Psychoanalyze me, psychos.

This is actually my first Hal Hartley film, and I was pleasantly surprised by the twisting story and fast paced dialog. I think Fay Grim is probably a little to smart for most viewers - not Syriana "smart" where it throws unrelated facts at you for a few hours and then ends with a flash of confusion, but smart in that if you're rooting around in your popcorn, you might miss what's going on. There's no repetition, it just moves.

I had the added bonus of hearing Hartley speak about his film at the Atlanta Film Festival (got a few others from the festival coming). He didn't respond at length to many questions until someone asked about dutch angles. Then he started talking. He apparently loves them, in case you didn't figure it out by watching. He also spoke about his creative process on set where he acts out the movement he'd like to see, and then has his actors do their interpretation of how he was moving, and calls it a day. I'd love to be on set for a lot of that - fast moving and efficient film making.

Go rent it. Blockbuster has it, Netflix has it.