Test Blog

I have seen so many of these gunfight style action movies. I usually don't even bother anymore. There is also this new trend of "choose a comic and make a movie out of it" that we keep seeing so much of lately.  Some have been good, others are ridiculous. The Losers is another one to add to the good pile.  It doesn't do a huge amount to set itself apart, but it is still a great ride.  The plot is your typical revenge story.  Five special forces soldiers are tasked with a mission in the heart of Borneo.  A kink is thrown into their master plan however, when they discover a group of children being hustled into the camp that they had just recently painted for an air strike.   You can probably guess what happens from here if you have ever seen an action movie before.  Needless to say, the soldiers are now ex-soldiers and their new mission is to take out the guy who refused to cancel the strike.  The characters are well done, but you won't see anything new here.  Y

Scratch that. Vacation cancelled!

This was an interesting one... The Experiment is based off of a real life experiment where psychologists created a mock prison and assigned people to roles as guards and prisoners.  It was pretty infamous for revealing just how far people will go when given enough power with no consequences.  This is also a remake of the original German movie Das Experiment, which is considered to be a much more accurate and all around better account of what really went on.  From the very beginning you can tell this one is going to be chock full of Hollywood "improvements".  They cut out some extremely important parts of the original.   The psychologists have a brief cameo at the beginning, but from then on all you see of them is cameras.  The German movie actually had snippets of their responses to what was going on as they observed, which drastically helped the story feel more believable. Without this, the remake constantly leaves you wanting more information.  It's almost frustrating

It's not very often that a good post apocalyptic film shows up.  After having to deal with crap like The Road,  it's refreshing to see a quality one like Book of Eli.  The movie takes place in the year 2042, and something unmentioned has managed to completely decimate the world.  Eli is crossing the wasteland on a religious journey to deliver one of the last remaining bibles to someone way over on the west coast.  Along the way he runs into gangs, madmen, starvation, and all sorts of other nastyness. A man named Carnegie, the leader of a small settlement of brigands and thieves, discovers what Eli is carrying, and lets lose the hounds.  This leads to some awesome action sequences.  Eli must have been trained by Les Stroud himself, because even after being shot, he still manages to find a way to continue. Fans of the Fallout series will feel at home here.  The director really did an awesome job of portraying the wasteland as a horrifically dangrous place where only the mo

This is one of those movies where I expected something, and got something totally different.  Watching the previews for Shutter Island makes it look like some sort of freaky psych ward horror story;  and the first 30 or so minutes of the movie do a great job of reaffirming just that.  But Shutter Island is far from a ghost story or horror movie.  It is the literal definition of a psychological thriller. It is difficult to summarize the movie without ruining anything, so I will make this brief. A US Marshall who goes by the name of "Teddy" accepts a case to locate a missing inmate on an island out beyond Boston harbor where an old military fort has been retrofitted into a mental institution for the criminally insane.  Upon arrival, he meets the warden of the place who shows him around and explains the situation in more depth.  Going any further would screw the entire movie over for you, so I will stop there. Shutter Island pulls off an excellent atmosphere.  The Island and

This is another movie I really had no clue about.  I almost didn't bother with it at all, but decided to throw caution to the wind and am really glad I did. This is one of those "Alcohol humor" movies, very similar to The Hangover and Hot Tub Time Machine.  Once again, everyone's favorite beverage causes all sorts of trouble.  Get Him to the Greek is about Aaron Green, a lowly talent scout working for a complete psycho of a boss.  Unhappy with how the current trend of music is playing out, he decides to speak up during a company meeting about his plans on resurrecting a legendary rock star (and his musical idol) Aldous Snow, who tanked his career by releasing the single most racist music video in the history of rock.  After flying out to live out his dream of assisting Aldous with his comeback,  he discovers that his favorite musician has almost no interest in returning to work. Overall, you might look at that story and think this is a serious business movie; but

Thanks for all the support guys! This blog is really kicking ass so far! I'll be making some changes over the next day or so that should make it easier. Changing the rating scale to 1-5 instead of 1-10.  There is no difference between a 3 and a 5 on the 10 scale.   More hyperlinks/color coding everywhere Testing a reply button to the comments section (Why this isn't default with blogger I will never understand...) give it a whirl, the coding is pretty ghetto. Setting up a side page to select movie by picture.  Movie titles are usually pretty vague, so its useless to just list them with text.  Removing some nonsense adspace, and deleting adbrite altogeather.  I don't like ads anyway.   Adding Youtube trailers to each review. (though if this slows the site down at all, it's not happening. I hate all these laggy ass blogger blogs) New banner.  I get to screw around with photoshop for this.  The current one is a placeholder. Same with the background.  Hell yah

How do you make a movie about demons and the end of the world suck?  Legion sets out on a crusade to answer this very question! Very little of this movie has any redeeming qualities.  I really wanted to like it.  The premise is just so awesome... but it's almost like the producers wanted me to hate it. Legion is primarily focused on a diner in the middle of the desert.  Here we meet all sorts of terrible characters that want nothing more than to tarnish the movies already awful image.  But why stop there?  Lets throw in a demonic grandmother who spider-crawls up walls and bites people! And lets make the melee combat scenes as obnoxious as possible, with the camera bouncing all over the place. Useless dialogue you say?  Every scene must have at least 10 minutes of this!  This movie is just terrible.  I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Legion gets a 2/5 for somehow making the apocalypse boring.

Every once in a while, I like to pick up some obscure movie we only recieved a few of.  These movies are always a huge gamble.  Sometimes you hit gold, other times you pick up something so ridiculously stupid, that the disc would have been better off with 10,000 free hours of AoL on it.  Fortunately, Frozen can easily be sorted into former. 90% of the movie takes place on a chair lift dangling 50 feet off the ground.  Now logic would tell pretty much anyone that a movie like that can't possibly be worth watching; but Frozen finds a way.  The general premise is three cocky young adults who cheat their way into one final ride up the mountain.  Half way up, the chair is shut down due to some confusion at the lift station, and the admiral employees head home.  It also just so happens that the ski resort is open only during the weekend, and it's Sunday night! Frozen pulls off some serious thrills, borrowing on such strategies as a wild pack of hungry wolves to a massive frost bi

Another movie I thought would be lame when I first saw it; but just like with books, you can't judge a movie by it's DVD box.  City Island was one of the few drama movies that really keeps the story flowing. The film is all about the convoluted, lie-filled lives of the Rizzos.  Every single family member has a massive secret that no one else knows about.   The daughter is a professional stripper, the dad goes to acting lessons under the guise of playing poker games; and everyone secretly smokes whenever no one else is looking.  When the father discovers that a new in-mate at the jail he works at is his 24 year old son from a wife he ran away from years ago, everything spirals into complete and utter chaos.  The movie is primarily drama, but the director did such a good job with pacing it really keeps the ball rolling.  Every 10 minutes another twist or lie is built up or knocked down.  It really is a fascinating look at how quickly lies can overwhelm even a small group of p

I usually don't like westerns.  Living in a hot climate where the sun is always out makes me completely uninterested in anything that involves deserts.  I couldn't resist this one though, the cover alone made me want to see it.  The movie takes place back in the 1930's, when Asia is in a state of complete and utter chaos.  Don't pick this up expecting a history lesson though!  It pretty much throws all of that out the window.  This movie is a glowing pile of awesome, with amazing characters and some of the best fun fights I have ever seen.  Right from the beginning you meet the klutz of a character Yoon Tae-goo (the Weird) rampaging through a speeding train searching for a treasure map, while Park Chang-yi (the bad) and his band of merry men are riding up to hijack it; and right on his tail is none other than the legendary bounty hunter Park Do-won (the good), who's skill with a rifle would make Clint Eastwood run for the hills. Throughout the entire move, these

I usually don't like chick flicks.  Sappy romance isn't really my favorite form of entertainment. Every once in a while though, a good one pops up. I saw Steve Carell on the cover of this one and thought I'd give it a shot, and discovered it's not actually a chick flick at all! Date Night is about an average couple, living the boring mundane life of marriage.  In an attempt to spice things up a bit, they decide to throw caution to the wind and go out on a date in the big city; and what better way to do that than steal another parties reservation at one of the most prestigious restaurants in the state? From then on the movie is a roller-coaster of wrong-place at the wrong-time situations, turning what would have been another routine date night into complete chaos.  I wouldn't call the movie "rolls on the floor laughing" funny, but it has it's own form of comedy that still does a great job of keeping you engaged.  From what people tell me at work, ma

I always loved kung fu movies, but when I saw this box and read the caption "Mentor of Iconic Legend, Bruce Lee" I was beyond skeptical.  I threw it in expecting to laugh at horrible dubs and cheesy combat.  I really had no hopes at all!  The title didn't help much either.  Holy crap was I wrong... This movie blew me out of the water.  Everything about it is just..epic.  It doesn't pull that ridiculous crouching tiger hidden dragon floaty crap, but at the same time the kung fu is just over the top.  You really feel the power behind every move Grandmaster Ip Man makes.  But on top of amazing fight choreography, the story is actually really well done, which is exceedingly rare in a this style of movie.   The director, Wilson Yip, did a perfect job of balancing action with drama.  I am not a professional when it comes to Chinese history, but I'm pretty sure the movie throws all sorts of twists into it.  It does a good job of sticking to the setting regardless tho

This is growing really quick! Thanks for the support guys!

I have wanted to rent this one for a few weeks, but we only got 3 Blu-ray versions in and I refuse to watch new sci-fi movies without Blu-ray.  I actually didn't even know it was a sci-fi movie until a few customers started talking about it, and I'm glad they did.  The cover makes it look like your generic action movie...which I'm pretty sick of after seeing so many. Repo Men takes place up there in the future where we have unlocked the secrets of manufacturing organs.  Everything from hearts to vocal chords can be rebuilt and inserted as fully functioning copies. However, everything is not so perfect in futureville.  The organs are controlled by a corporation that wants nothing more than to see you fail at your payments so they can send out the hounds.  The organs themselves are worth more than what most people make in their lives.  This is where the Repo Men come in. The movie is pretty gory, so those with a weak stomach may want to avoid it.  The Repo Men are far fro

I skipped this one in the theater, primarily because people said it was awful. I picked it up hoping it was another Prince of Persia, but sadly ended up disappointed. The critics didn't like it much either, and for once... I finally agree with them.  The story is obvious.  If you have ever seen a Robin Hood movie, than you probably already know everything that will happen in this one.  Asshole king goes on a taxes rampage and Ex-royal archer Robin Longstride sets out with his band of vigilantes to help the poor people of England.  There are some variations to the classic tale, but for the most part it sticks to the same formula. This movie falls on it's face when it comes to pacing.  There is action, but between each entertaining scene is a Grand Canyon sized crevice of boring.  There are a few parts that pull that whole "feel good" thing, when Robin goes all out with the chivalry and honor, but for the most part they don't make up for the constant and useles

 I didn't even know this movie existed until a few weeks ago.  It was a dry spell for new releases and I was bored, so I hit that mess of an action section everyone in the store avoids.  I am really glad I did! Gattaca takes place in the future, where humans seem to have finally wiped out the army of conservatives crying that genetic engineering is "playing god".  They have done such a good job of it, that pretty much every baby is born engineered to perfection.  Of course there are still those that follow the "old ways", and want a natural birth.  They are also condemning their child to a life of mediocrity and uselessness.  These children become the janitors and sewer cleaners of the future (though they may just have robots do that, I didn't see any robots though). However, one natural born decides to fight back against the system.  He dons a fake identity and sneaks into the Gattaca corporation, on a personal mission to head to space to study one of

This one surprised a lot of people, including me.  When I first heard about it, and saw the previews in theaters, I had no interest at all.  It flew under my radar and I forgot about it.  When It arrived in store, I had the same reaction, and it turned into a "maybe after I finish season 5 of lost". But after hearing other employees go on and on about how amazing it is, I decided to give it a shot. Kick ass is primarily about a kid who sees all the wrong in the world and decides it's time to take matters into his own hands.  In a vigilante style super hero costume, he heads out to fight crime.  On his very first run, he ends up in the hospital and loses the ability to feel pain. Instead of giving up, he uses his new "gift" to augment his super hero persona and continues his quest to fight the evil plaguing his city. When you first pick it up, you probably look at it and see a 12 year old girl in a purple super hero costume, and our main character in his corn

I was bombarded with previews for this movie every single shift, and eventually was able to rent it.  I expected an action movie, but instead got a sort of psychological thriller style movie.  For those who have a weak stomach, this one will probably be something to avoid. The plot is pretty simple.  A terrorist has placed bombs in three populated US cities.  Hooray for more movies banking on Islamic terrorists right?  Well as always, a special unpublicized division of the government is called in to "extract" information from the new worst enemy of the United States.  BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY !!!1111!ONE Unthinkable delves deep into the subject of torture and what is allowed when millions of lives are at stake.  Suddenly water boarding looks tame, as Samuel L. Jackson employs various methods of data mining on his new favorite subject. The movie has some interesting twists and lots of ups and downs, but for the most part takes part in a single room with a few scenes of hel

 Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will this blog! Thanks for checkin it out!

 When I first saw this movie come in, I honestly didn't think much of it.  It looked like one of those generic sports movies that are constantly released.  After hearing some customers talk about it though, I started to actually look forward to renting it (I can't rent for 3 weeks after a movie is first released). I brought it home thinking it was going to be a soccer movie with political undertones.   I was definitely surprised.  The movie was primarily political, with rugby as the side focus.  The acting was top notch though, with Morgan Freeman playing Malcolm X.  It was a little strange hearing him with an accent, but he did a really good job of it.  It's a slower movie.  Don't pick it up expecting a lot of action.  Some of the rugby scenes are pretty amazing, but coming from a stupid American like myself who has never seen a real rugby game, I could just be amazed at nothing special. So if you are looking for a good story, this relatively accurate account of

Working at Blockbuster, I get a lot of customer suggestions.  There are movies I never would have bothered with otherwise.  This just happens to be one of those that was way under my radar.  I never really got into the old school rock music scene, so I threw it in the player thinking I'd get bored.  Amazingly that wasn't the case. The movie takes place during the 60's in Europe, where the government preferred simple Jazz tunes while a revolution was taking place in the rock music scene.   A group of rebellious music enthusiasts has a ship set up outside of the boarders broadcasting music that wouldn't be allowed normally.  The station is a huge success, and the boat is essentially a 24 hour party for everyone involved. I wouldn't call it a "roaring" comedy like the movie poster says, but it still has some good humor.  The characters are probably the best part of the movie.  Each is interesting and stylized in their own way, and they keep the plot flow

I'm sure most of you heard about this recent high budget licensed Disney movie; but if you are like me, you heard the bad feedback and decided to save your nine dollars and wait for a rental.  The critics completely thrashed it, but it still did well in the box office for a video game movie. I threw it in my dvd player thinking I would be completely disappointed.  I have been a fan of the Prince of Persia series for years, and seeing one of my favorite video game franchises in movie form always makes me a bit nervous.  I sure was surprised... The movie started off with a bang.  The free running of the Dastan (the prince), combined with the huge battle going on in the background was definitely awesome to see.  I thought for sure this kind of pacing would die down as the movie went on, but it stuck with it.   It really did remind me of Pirates of the Caribbean in terms of production quality and character styles.  They even threw in a humorous side character who seems to try his