Archive for the 'DVD' Category

Demonic Weber strikes again

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007

The Number 23
Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Jim Carrey’s wife, played by Virginia Madsen, finds a book called ‘The Number 23′ which
Carrey’s character reads and becomes convinced of the power of the number 23. He also
feels somehow he is connected to this book. He sets off on a journey to find the author
and an explanation of the book. This was a very dark movie both subject and lighting. I’m
not a big fan of Schumacher who directed this. It reminded my of David Lynch Lite. It
held back from the full punch this movie could have taken. Some people couldn’t get past
the numerology. I saw the numerology as just a background to the characters story which
was entertaining. The point about the numerology was made several times but also the
over use was mentioned as well. Jim Carrey gave a strong performance playing two
characters, the lead and the man in the book. The ending wasn’t a big shocker. I would
wait till video before being haunted by 23’s.

Snakes On A Plane
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Juliana Margulies
Directed By: David R. Ellis
Funnest movie I’ve seen in a long, long time. Not the funniest, not the scariest, not the
most action packed, but it was damn fun. Sam Jackson is just a bad ass. Great to watch on
screen, makes me wish I saw this at the theaters. Cool death scenes thanks to the
director’s practice on Final Destination 2. I don’t have to explain the plot, it’s in the title.
Just watch this movie….NOW!!

Little Miss Sunshine
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette,
Steve Carell
Directed By: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
The most Feel Good movie of the year. A family of misfits take a little girl on a road trip
to the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Contest. Great laughs in this movie. I’m gonna make
some enemies here but I wanted it to win Best Picture. The whole tone of the movie was
positive and supportive. Child actors are great when nobody knows them. They are fresh
and open to act. Abigail Breslin was the most like a real child I’ve seen in movies. The
rest of the cast were excellent in their characters. Very complex mix of personalities
which made it feel so real. The directors seem to have only done music videos till this
point. They have made a very enjoyable film. Good for multiple viewings.

The Perfect Score
Starring: Erika Christensen, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg,
Darius Miles, Leonardo Nam
Directed By: Brian Robbins
The guy from Head Of The Class is back with another movie. The story of kids trying to
steal the answers to the SATs. Scarlett Johansson HOT! Erika Christensen Girl Next
Door HOT! Leonardo Nam STOOOOONED!! A fun little waste of time. They need to
show this on FX or Comedy Central. Wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, but if your
looking for something where you don’t have to invest a lot into, get this.

Green Street Hooligans
Starring: Elijah Wood, Claire Forlani, Charlie Hunnam, Marc Warren
Directed By: Lexi Alexander
Bubbles! Bubbles! Green Street Elite! Awesome Freaking Movie! Elijah Wood gets
kicked out of Harvard, flies across the pond, and joins a group of ‘football’ fanatics. Elijah
Wood has been showing up in some pretty cool movies lately. Just being in Sin City and
the character he played in that he’s alright, even if he is Frodo. First, go to the pub, get
drunk, go to the game, get into a fight then go back to the pub. Friends become brothers
and brothers stick by each other till the end. Loyalties and respect. Revenge and loss. Past
haunting them. These are many of the themes in the film. Blood is spilt before the end
and vengeance is dealt in spades. Do yourself a favor and rent this. If you liked The
Departed and Boondock Saints, you will like Green Street Hooligans.

The Devil Wears Prada
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier
Directed By: David Frankel
Okay, you can laugh……….are you done. No? Okay………….Now that you got that out
here’s the review. Journalism major gets job at snobbish fashion magazine. Boss is a
bitch, hilarity ensues. This movie is good at what it does. It’s like a bubble gum pop song.
You know all the beats and when the chorus is coming. It doesn’t necessarily make this a
bad movie, just predictable. It was like a long sitcom. Ahhh….Wait, I got an idea for a
sitcom. Meryl Streep is good in this movie. It is hard to play a hated and loved character
and do it with comedy. I have to give her credit for carrying this movie. Oh, and the
beginning of this film is girls in lingerie. It is set up for a certain audience and I am not
one of them. This will be shown countless times on Oxygen and Lifetime perhaps even
USA or TNT. Just wait, do not rent.

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New Reviews by Demonic Weber

Tuesday, January 9th, 2007

Even though I’ve moved to the Great White North, my video reviews shall continue. There being only one movie theater up here, my selections are limited. Plus, this theater is only open week day nights and all day weekends. Ten screens, ten to twelve movies at a time. Let’s add on to that Family Video is the only video store up here and I, as of yet, do not own a video card. I am now in the process of rewatching the Sopranos. So in that spirit, Let’s Review!

The Departed

Starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen
Directed by Martin Scorsese

First, the reason I went to see this was Martin Scorsese. I really haven’t seen anything great from him since Casino. The Aviator was alright but it kind of dragged a little. Gangs of New York was muddled and didn’t carry me through the movie. I had a completely different experience with The Departed. The story moved in a way, that I never sat waiting for the next scene. It kept me in the moment, which forced me not to think about how it was going to end. A good director, doing what he does best, will accomplish this. The second thing that drew me to this movie was the actors. Jack Nicholson alone will get me to look at a movie. One of the most versatile actors out there. He can do drama, comedy, horror, hell he could do sci-fi if he wanted to. Leonardo DiCaprio is so hyped that I don’t think he gets enough credit for being a great actor. When I first saw him in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? I knew he was a great actor. Then that big, bloated boat movie came along and stunk up the screen for 3 hours. We get it, the boat sinks, big surprise. Anyway, to get back on track, Leo does an awesome job here getting pushed into being a mob informant on Nicholson’s insane portrayal of a crime boss gone crazy. Matt Damon plays the opposite of Leo’s character as a spy in the house of Hoover. Not the vacuum guy. Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg round out the cast as FBI agents pushing Leo’s character deeper into the pile he’s already got himself into. Oscar nominations should abound for this movie. If you want a moving plot, excellent acting and a few twist at the end then this is the movie.

Rocky Balboa

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Geraldine Hughes
Directed by Sylvester Stallone

YO, ADRIAN!!!!!! I couldn’t resist. I love the Rocky movies. I think we could all have done without Rocky V but every series of movies has a rotten egg, Rocky V sucked the egg dry. Thank God, Rocky Balboa does not follow this trend. This Rocky goes back to his roots. Rocky lives in the same neighborhood, sees the same spots of his youth. Adrian died, he doesn’t see his son much, and he is stuck telling stories of his past triumphs. A computer reacts what would happen if Rocky took on the new champ. Rocky would win. Has Rocky still got it? If you liked the first Rocky movie, you will like Rocky Balboa. Once again another actor overshadowed by hype. Stallone can give so many emotions just by looks. Everyone is so concerned with dialogue these days; no one watches the subtle things that make a character. Burt Young, Paulie, plays the hell out of his role. It’s not expected but he puts a spin on Paulie that we never saw in the other movies. The rest of the cast is enough to support these great actors. Geraldine Hughes, who plays Marie, surprised me; she brought a different feel to the movie. A sense of time passing. The fight scenes are awesome, though not as good as the original. I liked how they show the fight like you were watching it on pay-per-view, then cut to in the ring fight. Just a very satisfying movie experience.

Cars

Voices by Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger
Directed by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

Pixar makes great movie period. Toy Story 1&2, Monster’s Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles. All of these are fun, enjoyable movies. You don’t have to invest a lot into these movies, but they have such a big payoff. They work on both a child’s level and an adult level that makes them rewatchable. A moral story, hummable songs, and a few laughs keeps you entertained. Pixar has the formula Disney had in the late eighties; the only difference is Pixar’s ideas have originality. I can’t recommend this movie enough.

The Da Vinci Code

Starring Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellan, Audrey Tautou
Directed by Ron Howard

Read the book. I first saw this at the theaters and didn’t like it. I didn’t like Tom Hanks as Langdon. The plot was really slow and it held your hand throughout the movie. After watching it again on DVD, I still don’t like Tom Hanks as Langdon but the plot and pacing has worked out for me. If you haven’t read the book, this movie is probably better than if you had. Too many great scenes that don’t translate in this film. Angels & Demons should make a much better movie than Da Vinci Code. Also, the controversy over this movie is outrageous. Once again this is fiction. Believe what you will, just enjoy the ride. Try this movie, I’m not really hooked.

The Karate Kid Part 3

Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita
Directed by John G. Avildsen

Danielson’s back again for another battle against the Cobra Kai. Mr. Miyagi, with help from Danielson, opens a Bonsai store. The Cobra Kai sensei, John Krease, gets help from an old Vietnam friend to rid himself of meddlesome Daniel and his teacher. Ultimately, fighting once again in the All Valley Karate Championship, Daniel triumphs once again. Other than that it’s a pretty good movie and has more focus than the first two movies. Surprisingly, I liked this movie. Remember only seeing it once before, not sure if I liked it then.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Directed by Gore Verbinski

Really wanted to like this movie. Went out and bought it the day it came out. Didn’t see it at the movies. Just by how much I liked the first one, I thought I’d like this one. It’s just more of the same. Which done by these actors isn’t all that bad, but I was expecting the bar to be raised. Maybe after multiple viewings I’ll like this movie better. Johnny Depp does the same joke through the whole movie, Orlando Bloom has the same goal, the only one who has changed a little is Keira Knightley who is, if you’ve seen Domino, smokin’ HOT. Then, I kept hearing about the surprise at the end. So I thought it was going to be something cool. Most disappointed I’ve been at the end of a movie in a long time. This is not a bad movie; just my expectations for this movie hindered it from being enjoyable. That’s all I’ve got for now maybe I’ll have more in a couple of weeks. Miami Vice, Talladega Nights are under the tree just waiting for my reviews. My nephew got Superman Returns too, so I’ll probably watch that one again. Really didn’t like it in the theaters. Until then Demonic Weber signing off.

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3 Quick Reviews by Weber

Monday, October 9th, 2006

Howdy all,

Here’s three quick reviews from local moviephile Weber or Demonic Weber as he is known in some circles. Great choices if you are looking for something to keep you entertained in doors that does not involve either crisco or twister.

Enjoy,

Frank

So I go to the video store, find couple of movies before the ballgames start. Tigers kicked the Yankees asses and Michigan beat Michigan State. Anyway, at the video store I find two movies, take them up to the counter. “We’re having a deal,” the clerk informs me “three for $9.99.” I jump for joy, all my dreams answered, I get to leave line and find another great movie to enjoy. Searching the shelves hoping to find that one movie that jumps at me, even though I just spent 10 hours to find two that were worthy of my superior taste. Coming back in disappointment to the counter, I spot it. The Return Tray. Was there a movie there that I miss looked? Is there some out there that had better taste in movies and rented a great movie and brought it back just for me? Or did they hate it, returned it early only to tempt my curiosity? Curious George must have been a fine film. A character worshiped by so many….. First graders. And I, I have so much in common with first graders. Then, I see it a treasure in the midst of trash. The golden print. The holy grail of moviedom. I take the movie to the clerk. “This is the movie I want.”, I proclaim with great confidence as the customers in line cheered. I found the perfect movie. Rushing home as fast as I can I whip into the garage, slam open the door, turn the TV on and pull the movie out of the case. Curious Friggin George. O cruel fate, the shame I felt as I loaded my DVD player could not be measured. By the way, if you believed a word of this story, you see what movies I reviewed. It’s all about misdirection.

REVIEWS…

THE PROPOSITION

Starring Guy Pearce (LA Confidential)
Charlie, played by Pearce, finds himself screwed over when he has to chose to either watch his younger (good) brother hang on Christmas Day or track down and kill his older (evil) brother. A grisly shoot out at the beginning of this movie suddenly stops and slows to a crawl in a character study of good versus evil. Half way through the film, the line between good and evil blurs. Can Charlie kill his brother? Can he let his younger brother swing from the gallows? Does evil beget evil? If a good person can become evil, can a evil person become good? The acting though not Oscar worthy delivers on intent but not in depth. A very good western but then again what is good?

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Starring Edward Norton (Primal Fear, Fight Club) David Morse (St. Elsewhere, The Negotiator)Edward Norton surprises you every time you see him. He changes characters so often, even within the same film (Primal Fear), that you’re never sure what to believe from him. In Down In The Valley, he plays a gee-golly aw-shucks cowboy, Harlan, from South Dakota who falls for a young girl in the Valley. The father of the girl, played by David Morse, doesn’t trust Harlan or believe his wholesome image. Slow moving at the beginning but picks up a lot near the last quarter, you wonder if it’s ever going to get where it’s going. It not only gets where it’s going but twists and goes somewhere you’re not quite expecting. The ending was a little disappointing perhaps confusing. Still a really fun ride when you’re with Norton.

LUCKY # SLEVIN

Starring Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, Sin City) Bruce Willis (Hudson Hawk, Four Rooms) Lucy Liu (Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels) Morgan Freeman (Unleashed, Dreamcatcher) Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Dave) Stanley TucciTypical setup pit two warring gangsters (Freeman and Kingsley) against one another, the exception is a stooge caught in the middle, Slevin (Hartnett). Every one’s against Slevin, he’s been beat up, robbed, mistaken for a gambler who owes some big debts, and his girlfriend’s cheating on him. This doesn’t bother Slevin one bit, through it all he just keeps smiling. Misdirection in this movie is a character own its own. Than once The Usual Suspects comes to mind in that you’re trying to put the pieces together. Good acting all around balance the glossy feel the film has. A well rounded movie.

Of the three above movies, my pick would be Lucky # Slevin. The others are great movies but you didn’t need to get through the slow parts in Slevin. Funnily enough, Slevin is the longest of these movies. Hope you found the reviews useful.

Give Em A Chance

-WEBER

Contributed by Weber

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