Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogan, Elizabeth Banks, and Jason Mewes, brings a classic Kevin Smith back to fans.

Zack and Miri are longtime friends and current roommates who have fallen into a financial rut – Miri works at the mall and Zack is a barista. Reality of their sad situation sets in right before their 10 year high school reunion. In a memorable scene, their water gets cut off while Miri is mid-shower the night of the reunion, and she resorts to using toilet water to finish the job. The only solution to make the reunion tolerable is to get really drunk. With bills to pay and a Miri’s recent fame as “Granny Panties” on Youtube, they decide that they could make quick cash writing and starring in amateur porn. During production, Zack and Miri wonder if their relationship could advance beyond a platonic professionalism.

The evolution between the relationship of Zack and Miri is indeed predictable. Due to a really witty script, it still is entertaining to watch it unfold. This movie shows the evolution of Kevin Smith. It is just as vulgar as his previous films, yet still manages to get the audience involved with the main characters. It also has the most disgusting scene involving constipation and anal sex that you will ever see in an R-Rated movie (and partially why this movie nearly received an NC-17 rating). Really, I cannot reveal too much of the plot without spoiling some of the more memorable moments. 

As typical of a Smith script, be careful to laugh at the first joke, because you will miss the second and third one to follow. This movie is really golden with jokes, and created porn titles such as Star Whores III – Revenge of the Shit never gets redundant. 

A View Askew production never disappoints with the cameos, either; porn legends Traci Lords and Katie Morgan rounding out the supporting cast. Another memorable cameo is the appearance of Justin Long and Brandon Routh as a couple at the high school reunion. 

The movie is completely thorough, too, in its quality. The soundtrack to the movie includes songs from Bronski Beat and Jermaine Stewart. 

Kevin Smith has created a hit that will not only appease his current fans who love him in a cult-like way and will instantly escalate this film as a hit, but also bring on a ton of new fans who will find the controversial name, the consistent hits of Seth Rogan, and a sweet yet disgusting script appealing.

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight follows the continuing adventures of Batman.

In this installment, Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman (played by Christian Bale), is still fighting crime in a cleaner Gotham City.  In a large-scale operation, Batman, along with Lieutenant Gordon (played by Gary Oldman), D.A. Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart), and Mayor Anthony Garcia (played by Nestor Carbonell) decide to put the squeeze on a slew of organized crime families.  The heads of these families (notably Salvatore Maroni, played by Eric Roberts, who sports the WORST goomba dialect I've heard in a while) band together, and take a new criminal, know only as The Joker, up on his offer to off the Batman.

The Joker lives for chaos.  He wants to see what makes the Batman tick, and humanity at large, as well.  In doing so, he pushes all to the brink.  Staging murders to draw the Batman out from behind his mask, inticing the public to scream for his de-masking, placing John Q Public in horrifying situations to show what their really made of, and forcing 'White Knight' Harvey Dent off his high horse, and causing him to live up to his knickname of Two-Face.  The Batman and The Joker find themselves pushing and pulling against each other through innumerable scenarios, thus birthing a love-hate relationship that can never be kicked.  "I think you and I are destined to do this forever," The Joker says.  At least in another incarnation.  Also in this film is the usual cast of characters played by Hollywood A-Listers.  Seriously, too numerable to mention.

This movie had me bouncing in my seat in the theater.  The action arc of this film was so perfect.  Christopher Nolan was a maestro in pulling the right strings.  This film's 152 minute running time had absolutely no affect on me whatsoever.  Not a wasted moment, not a wasted character, no fat that could have been trimmed.  Seriously, my only qualm about Nolan's handling of the film was his use of Christian Bale's raspy Batman voice.  Otherwise, he's orchestrated a phenomenal piece of cinema, and done very well in the super-hero genre.

This was really an ensemble picture.  What, with so many A-Listers it kinda had to be.  Every actor played so well in the whole.  A lot of people are talking about Heath Ledger's performance, and rightly so.  Oscar nod?  Dunno.  I think he was phenomenal, but I feel it would be too sentimental if it was awarded posthumously.  Maybe I'm wrong, and there won't be a stronger performance to come out this season, but unlikely.  Winter hath not fallen.  What was interesting to note is that an earlier version of the trailer really gave the feel that Ledger was channeling Jack Nicholson's Joker.  Later versions totally put that to dust.

As an action film, this is top notch.  Seriously, I was strapped into the ride and screaming like a maniac at every twist and turn.  As a super-hero film, this one had so much depth.  Lots of character progression, perfect handling of new villians, and a great balance of comic lore.  

So far, this has been the best movie I've seen this year.  This bad boy is worth watching, and rewatching.  More trinkets each time, and the action never gets old.

Personal Best (1982)

Personal Best follows the "true" story of two Olympic-calibre athletes as they meet, fall in love, train for the U.S.-boycotted 1980 Olympic games in Moscow, fall out of love, and learn to live as friends.

Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, if the movie weren't such poison to my queer sensibilities.

Okay, so Mariel Hemingway plays young up-and-comer Chris Cahill, who is spotted by seasoned pro Tory Skinner, played by Patrice Donnelly.  Tory, who has a good eye for talent, takes Chris under her wing, and helps convince her super-coach, Terry Tingloff (played by Scott Glenn) to train Chris as well.  And, like any good U-Haul lesbian, Chris and Tory are living, training, and essentially spending every moment of their lives together.  This causes some tension, fueled by ruthless Tingloff, who pits them against each other, rather than nurture a healthy rivalry between the two.  In the lead up to the Moscow games, Chris suffers an injury, which Tingloff helps to blame on Tory.  This, as well as the usual relationship drama, helps to put the kibosh on their relationship.  Chris then finds herself shacking up with with ex-Olympian swimmer Denny Stites, played by Kenny Moore.  Come the final qualifiers for Moscow, Chris and Tory find themselves back in each others' orbits and competing against each other for a spot on the U.S. pentathlon team.  They are able to put their drama behind each other, Chris helps Tory get a spot on the team, and Tory ends up making a crack about Chris's boyfriend being "okay, for a guy."  (cue laugh track, and applause)

Oh, Robert Towne.  Such a great legacy of scripts!  What a friggin' goose egg this one was.  Maybe I should cut him some slack on this one, as it was also his directorial debut, but, hey, if you're gonna make the leap, you'd better make it big.  Couldn't you have given your leads a little more direction?  Given them a little more than bland characters to go off of?  Come on, if you really wanted to be true to life, prolong the angst!  Twist the knife with these four!!!  That's lesbiana.  There were ample opportunities, and I'm sure artistic liberties would have allowed.

And, oh, Mariel Hemingway.  So young.  So whiny.  Did your character have any real depth?  Nope.  Nothing that came off as genuine, at least.  Same goes for Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn.  Oh, so cookie cutter.  The ingenue who learns that there's more to life than just winning, the helpful partner who is at heart a jealous lover, the hard-nosed coach who can be nice some of the time, but really is just out for his own personal motives.  Ugh.

One semi-interesting sidenote:  Patrice Donnelly was once the third ranked pentathlete in the world, and Kenny Moore was an Olympic runner.

Some might have the gall to call this movie a great step forward in queer cinema, highlighting that it was risky for its time, was bold enough to follow the women's relationship in full, blablabla.  I, instead, like to focus on how far back it actually set queer cinema.  If it shows us anything, it shows us that it is safer, and less dramatic to be in a heterosexual relationship, and that everything will turn out rosy in the end because of it.  I try to stay off my high horse with things like this, but this is just another stellar example of how little quality queer cinema there really is.  I'm just sayin'.

Motel Hell (1980)

I do not believe that there is a more appropriate horror movie for BBQ season than Motel Hell, a classic cult film from the 80’s. Vincent Smith (Rory Calhoun) and his sister, Ida, (Nancy Parsons) run the Motel Hello. The establishment is an inn in the countryside that is also famous for its “Honest to goodness all natural” smoked meats. Could this meat be pork, cow, lamb, human flesh?

A man has got to make a living – Vincent does not victimize the tourists in his bates-like motel. Instead, he sets bear traps and various creative deploys along the country roads nearby his motel. His victims are planted in his garden with their vocal chords removed so that they cannot scream. They are fed gruel through a funnel until Vincent feels that they are ready to be harvested and turned into lunch.

Terry and her boyfriend Bo are riding near the motel when their motorcycle tires blow out due to one of Vincent’s booby traps. While Bo is planted, Vincent takes a shining to Terry. He tells her that her boyfriend has died, and that he buried him himself with a makeshift tombstone. Terry, thinking she has nowhere to go, stays at the farm, where Ida and Vincent take care of her. Both Vincent and his younger brother Bruce (a sheriff who is completely unaware of what happens on the farm) both pursue Terry. Bruce takes her to a kissing cliff where they can watch a drive in movie through binoculars and listen to it through his police car intercom. Ultimately, it is the old farmer that she falls for. He proposes to her and promises to teach her how to smoke and cure his meat.

Eventually, Bruce starts to get suspicious of the farm, as well as increasingly frustrated with Terry’s rejection. Ida also becomes extremely jealous when Vincent proposes to Terry. She attempts to drown the young bride-to-be. Eventually, the purpose of the farm becomes apparent when some of the victims somehow escape from the ground and seek revenge on Vincent and Ida.

The more popular victims of his farm include a rock band called “Ivan and the Terribles,” whose tour bus gets caught by bear-traps on the side of the road. They are all put to death by first being hypnotized and then having their necks snapped by ropes attached to a moving truck. You might spot one of your favourite “Cheers” characters, by the way, as a member of that band.

For such a lowbrow movie, the acting for the most part was extremely credible and well played, especially from the late Rory Calhoun. While his character was written full of clichés, Calhoun turned Farmer Vincent into a charming, creative murderer taking a cue from Jonathon Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal.” Vincent actually believes that he is doing the world a favor by creating natural meats from a renewable source. He takes care of overpopulation and world hunger at the same time. “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters” justifies his use of eclectic meats.

This movie truly embodies everything that is great about cinema. There is a family love triangle, murder, mayhem, beef, brief female nudity… Also, its inspirations appear to come from a literary classic and the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” It is not really a scary movie per se, but it is definitely creepy and entertaining. The movie stuck with me from the first time I saw it in second grade until I was finally able to find the DVD release recently. There is one frightening moment (if you don’t count a tacky drive-in movie date scene). That is when Vincent makes his confession during his violent death that he “used preservatives.” The FDA would have a fit!

That Labor Day BBQ just all of a sudden got less tasty, eh? I will see you at the veggie tray.

La Vie En Rose (2007)

La Vie En Rose stars Marion Cotillard as famed French singer Edith Piaf. The film gives us a glimpse into her life, dating back to her youth in a brothel and circus, later as a young woman singing for money on the streets of Paris, then being discovered before the onset of WWII by Louis Leplee (played by Gerard Depardieu), to her rise to fame playing the music halls of France, touring the U.S., falling in love with Middleweight World Champion Marcel Cerdan (played by Jean-Pierre Martins), illness, addiction, failed performances, career rebirths, et all.

I went into this movie having no solid background on the history of Edith Piaf. I have heard her songs plenty, knew she died young, and is beloved in France. Due to my lack of historical knowledge, and having to rely on subtitles to understand the dialogue, I found it confusing at times trying to keep track of what exactly was the health related problem affecting Piaf in the current scene. The movie also jump around chronologically, so it kinda compounded the problem for me.

Marion Cotillard was absolutely fabulous in this film. Wow-y-wow-wow. She really charted Piaf's life and navigated it so well. And even as much of a bitch as Piaf could be, Cotillard still kept her so likeable. She had these moments in scenes from Piaf's time singing in cabarets and on the street, and she would turn her head away and look to her side while singing, and those moments are just ingrained in my mind. Her eyes stay with you. Cotillard is also a bit of a singer herself, so I know she must have sang some parts of the movie, but I don't know which ones. Other moments sound just like recordings I've heard before, so I know they must have also used source material.

P.S. - Pauline Burlet, who plays 10 year old Edith has some WICKED pipes on her! Her a capella La Marseillaise kinda blew my mind.

I liked the cinematography of this as well. There's a grittiness inherent in scenes from Piaf's youth, and this beautiful gloss to scenes later when she's gotten hugely famous. It really helps to define the movie, and executed quite well.

Some points played a bit melodramatic for me (and I guess that might have just been par for the course for Piaf's life), but overall the movie leaves you with a really haunting feeling. Painful, almost. You know how it's going to end (and I guess this is one reason it stayed on my shelf for a bit), but the journey is so worth it. The ending number, Non Je Ne Regrette Rien, was astounding. It pulls all the right heart strings, and kudos to director Olivier Dahan for doing it justice. It didn't go over the cliffs of sappiness.

All in all, give this one a watch. It's an excellent ride, and well worth any tears that might be shed. No one will judge you.

Iron Man (2008)

Let me first say “Thank you. Thank you, Jon Favreau. While you had ample opportunity to stuff this summer action flick with enough cheese and patriotism to fill the bellies of America, you did not. Iron Man was topical and intelligent - as well as entertaining. You directed a fantastic Marvel-character movie. Also, thank you for not using the Black Sabbath version of “Iron Man” a billion times in your film; you limited it to an abridged instrumental version in the credits.”

Iron Man is based on the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee. In the film, billionaire Tony Stark is the leading weapons developer and head of Stark Industries. Stark is a brilliant engineer who goes to Afghanistan to promote his latest and extremely advanced missile, Jericho. Before he can head back home to have sex with more Maxim models, he is kidnapped by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings who hold him hostage and force him to build them a Jericho missile of their own. However, during his kidnapping, he sustained an injury caused by shrapnel near his heart. Luckily, fellow captive, Dr. Yinsen, created an electro-magnetic device that attached to Stark’s chest, preventing the shrapnel from reaching his heart and killing him. Being resourceful as he is, Stark used the supplies meant for the Jericho missile to create a miniature arc reactor to power the device keeping him alive. He also designed the first Mark 1 “Iron Man” armor (also powered by the arc reactor) complete with missiles and rockets to escape.

While back in the US, he renounces his service as weapons developer, and wants to take Stark Industries in a different direction. Instead, he was blocked out of his company by the board, including his partner and friend, Obadiah Stane. Feeling a sense of mission, Stark secretly begins to build a more advanced version of the Mark 1 suit; however, the remnants of his original design are discovered by the Ten Rings. Stane takes the initiative and constructs his own version of the Mark 1. When it is discovered that Stane had a hand in Tony Stark’s kidnapping, that generated a substantial enemy for Stark/Iron Man.

Robert Downey, Jr. could not have been a better Tony Stark/Iron Man. He filled out that “titanium-alloy” suit perfectly. Rather than portraying the character with farce, and making it, well, like a comic book character, Downey played the Stark like an actual human, especially during the transition from Stark being a bombastic playboy to superhero. The character itself was not changed – just the motives and mission.

Gwyneth Paltrow played Pepper Potts, Stark’s assistant and potential love interest for the sequels. The character came to Paltrow with extreme ease, and while it did not appear to be the most taxing character to create, she was beautiful in that role.

Of course, Jeff Bridges was fantastic as the super-villain and former partner of Stark, Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. It was a typical friend turned foe role, but you almost did not see the sleaziness creeping up.

The script itself was tight. The plot flowed, the jokes fell into place effortlessly, and while some of it predictable, it never was cheesy. It was a believable film – the events were topical, the effects plausible, and the heroes and villains were ultimately human. Those were the aspects that made this film so successful.

We know that a ridiculous amount of money went into the special effect for this film. Gratefully, it didn’t overwhelm the storyline. Also, the massive amounts of effects were convincing, rather than cartoon-like. This movie should make greater strides for comic-book action flicks in the future to up the quality of their effects.


Iron Man is what a summer flick should be – violent, well produced and smart. There were few slow moments in the film – even where they were, the film was never boring. This film is geared more towards the adult audience, definitely, but could not offend children Oh, and I learned AFTER waiting through five minutes of credits (I always like to give props to the little guys), that I should have stayed longer. There is a cameo at the very end of the credits that has garnered almost as much attention as the movie – at least on the nerd circuit.

Baby Mama (2008)

30++ year old, single, uptight, business woman Kate Holbrook (played by Tina Fey) starts to hear her biological clock ticking like a timebomb. The only problem? Her "T" shaped uterus. As a last, viable option, she looks into surrogacy, and decides, despite the costs and stigma, to go ahead. The agency matches her up with fertile, and immature, Angie Ostrowiski (played by Amy Poehler), and through a series of happenstance and plenty of colorful characters, the two learn how to grow up, and loosen up.

Okay, that summary really doesn't do this film justice. It makes it sound like a cheap, schlocky, blow-off mini-comedy. Which I was about ready to write this film off as. I'm really glad I didn't. Michael McCullers, who's more known as a writer for SNL, and the Austin Powers movies, to name a bit of his work, directed and wrote this film, and I have to hand it to him. He knew his leads, and did a great job of bringing the laughs out of them. It probably helps that Fey and Poehler are ridiculously old friends dating back to their time together at Second City. But still, he knew how to create a great backdrop for the two to play in.

There are some great surprise actors in this film. Steve Martin is always a treat to watch on screen, and he had some great lines as Kate's boss, Barry. Also, Sigourney Weaver is a great laugh as the head of the surrogacy clinic, Chaffee Bicknell. Plus Dax Shepard as Angie's common-law husband, Carl Loomis, Maura Tierney as Kate's sister, Caroline, and Greg Kinnear as Kate's love interest, Rob Ackerman. A great cast, where even the bit parts play well with the leads.

Seriously, Fey and Poehler work so well together. I had plenty of genuine laughs from the two of them. Fey had said in an interview that this was as close as we would ever see them play Laverne and Shirley, and I definitely see why she drew that parallel. They really know how to give and take. This film wouldn't have worked without that, and I'm glad they were able to monopolize on it.

Give this film a whirl if you haven't already. There are some great laughs. Even ones you don't see in the trailer.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

If there's a movie that really sums up David Lynch's WTF style of direction, this would be a sterling example.

Mulholland Drive stars Naomi Watts as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn, Laura Harring as Rita, and Justin Theroux as Adam Kesher. It all starts with a car crash/botched hit involving a woman who comes to call herself Rita. She has amnesia after the wreck and picks the first name she sees on a movie poster for a Rita Hayworth film. She ends up hiding out at Betty Elms' (an aspiring actress just in from the boonies) Aunt Ruth's apartment, where Betty finds her, and decides to help her find out who she is. While this is going on, we come across Hollywood director Adam Kesher, who is trying to recast the lead female role in his film that is in production, but being strongarmed by mobsters on the decision. The two storylines converge as Betty is called in to audition for Adam's film, the appearance of a blue key in Rita's purse (to what, she can't remember), Rita remembering the name Diane Selwyn, and the Spanish word Silencio.

Okay, so David Lynch made a list of 10 things to watch for to unlock the mystery of this film. Meaning, you will have no idea what the hell is happening unless you know to look for these 10 clues. There's an Easter egg to the list on the DVD menu, so I highly recommend looking over this list before watching the movie. The tagline for this film is "A love story in the City Of Dreams," and really, even having that piece of information is helpful before watching this film.

Despite HATING the fact that this film needed a cheat sheet to be understood, I do find it a beautifully painful piece of cinema. Watching the love stories evolve and break apart in this, watching how consumed the characters are by them. David Lynch did well in portraying that pain and euphoria. As a mystery, it was a bit too mysterious. I don't like to feel like I missed the joke, and everybody else is laughing. My solace: everyone else I talked to about this seemed to not get it, as well.

The acting at the beginning seemed to be in slow motion. Like watching a film underwater. I later realized that this was actually a great effect. It annoyed the crap out of me at first, because I just thought the pacing was too slow, but after watching the film it all made sense, and kudos to cast and crew for pulling that off.

Without giving too much away, because telling you about any other parts would give away surprises, and just sound weird out of context, I will mentioned the Club Silencio scene. On the hunt for Rita's past, Betty and Rita end up at Club Silencio, and watch that night's performance. This scene had me riveted to the screen. The sheer power of the inactivity, your mind working to make sense of what's happening, watching Rita and Betty go to pieces over it all; it captivated me. Points for David Lynch. All of this confusion and emotion translated to well for me as a viewer. Like feeling what the characters were feeling. And that rendition of Crying tears your heart out.

This movie, as a whole, really worked. No one person really popped for me. It's more of an ensemble piece for cast and crew. You don't really think of this as a Naomi Watts picture, although she is quite good in it. This is known as a David Lynch piece, and he guided the helm of this picture really well, but it wouldn't have worked if not for all of the others. Definitely worth a watch, but be prepared.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age picks up shortly after the first film (Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen) left off. Queen Elizabeth I has been in power for a few years, and she's comfortable, or as comfortable as a Queen can be, I suppose, in her Queenly duties. At the onset of this film, Elizabeth's (played again by Cate Blanchett) advisers are trying to marry her off, but she, knowing the consequences in this loss of power, will have none of it. King Phillip II of Spain (played by Jordi Molla) is plotting her death, and unleashing the Spanish Inquisition upon England's heretic shores. Wrapped up in his devious plot is imprisoned Mary Stuart (played by Samantha Morton), who wants the crown that she feels is rightfully hers. She's Catholic, too, so easy prey for Spanish advances. Meanwhile, enter Sir Walter Raleigh (played by Clive Owen), into the court. He's trying to gather more gold from the Queen to finance further trips to the Americas, so he spins delicious tales of new lands and travels for the Queen, who, living a sedentary life, eats it up readily, and who begins to feel the pull towards this new, and enticing creature. Too bad her servant, Elizabeth Throckmorton (played by Abbie Cornish) gets there first, and in a big way. So, feeling a bit frazzled by assassination attempts, forceful advisers, lovers' spats, and an impending fleet of Spanish ships sailing on England's shores, Elizabeth does the only thing she knows how to do: ride out on her white horse, and lead her troops into a glorious battle for Queen, country, and religious freedom!

If any of that sounds like a schlock pseudo-summer-blockbuster, it's because this movie played like one. Why those choices were made, I can only offer conjecture. Which follows...

So, let's talk about some of the good stuff about this film, ey? I was happy to see Cate Blanchett reprise her role as the young Queen Elizabeth. She really is stellar in this role. She went even further into this character, showing what age and wisdom brought to it. There was a substantial lacking when it came to any overly emotional scenes, though. She seemed straight out of a sappy melodrama, but I chalk that more up to the writing, than her acting. I think she handled the script professionally, and adequately.

That's about it for the good, though. This film was SORELY lacking in any substance whatsoever. I felt like I had been hit by a frying pan numerous times during this film. There was no subtlety. I list three main culprits for this: director Shekhar Kapur, and writers William Nicholson and Michael Hirst. Now, Kapur and Hirst worked on the first film, but Nicholson was new, and some of his credits include writing for such films as Gladiator, First Knight and Nell. One might be inclined to recognize his qualification through these credits. Alas, you might be sadly mistaken. These films possess saccharine, pseudo-historical, dolled-up-action qualities (some of those qualities listed are present, if not all), and this film could have done without them. Those tricks worked in the 90's, or 2000, but I, for one, wanted more. For a prime example of a frying pan moment, please refer to the scene where Elizabeth is watching the battle between the English and the Spanish. She is in the only patch of light, all luminescent in her armor and long, flowing locks, while King Phillip II is in the darkened candlelight, praying to God to help his cause. Oh, one represents the dark, and one represents the light. I get it!

The cinematography made me motion sick. There were trademark Michael Bay circular camera shots throughout this movie. Why? They served no purpose in furthering the impact for the audience. They just served to annoy the crap out of me while I'm trying to listen to the Queen's monologue about going to war, for crying out loud!

There were also too many cliches in this film to properly keep track of. One that I can mention, right off the bat, is the portrayal of the death of Mary Stuart. Now, picture this in your mind's eye: slow motion camera shots of Mary Stuart from her walk to the chopping block, and through the deed, intercut with shots of Elizabeth making herself sick over her decision to have her executed, Mary Stuart whispers "I forgive you" to the executioner, her lady in waiting screams in horror after her head's chopped off. Did you picture it? Now, take away any clever dialogue, any unique camera shots, and any true emotion you might have thought up. That's what the scene was like.

An angle that this film took in portraying Elizabeth I was to poke holes in her Queenly and powerful veneer. Most historical films do this, granted, but I think Hirst and Nicholson got a little too overzealous at this. Any time they could make Elizabeth seem out of control, they reveled in it. The whole love interest with Raleigh, petty power spats with Sir Francis Walshingham (played by Geoffrey Rush, who I didn't mention until now, because he's just in this film, really, because they wanted to cast Geoffrey Rush again), and working herself up into such a tizzy over her decision to execute Mary Stuart; all these things, in their portrayal, just served to make Elizabeth look like a poor, frail woman, rather than the ballsy ruler who we saw in the first film. It seemed misogynistic, more than anything.

One question I asked myself while watching was this: is it fun to watch a history movie if you already know how the history turns out? We know the British defeat the Spanish armada, so is it interesting to watch these parts? I know that directors and writers can choose to follow the history or not, and their interpretations can either be interesting or not, but do we still want to give our time in watching these? Maybe it was just because the movie trampled no new ground, that I asked myself this, but it still popped into my head, none the less.

Anyways, this movie was far too flashy for it's own good. You can make history interesting without repetitive, circular camera shots, and special effects of heroes swimming under burning boats.

Road House (1989)

Road House stars Patrick Swayze as James Dalton, the 2nd best 'Cooler' (someone who breaks up the nasty nasty fights) in the nightclub business. Recruited by Frank Tilghman (played by Kevin Tighe) to clean up his nightclub, The Double Deuce, Dalton swings into town, bringing along enough machismo for his new staff, and the club patrons, to boot. Dalton gets in the middle of the local patriarch's, Brad Wesley (played by Ben Gazzara), plans to make this backwater town business friendly and hospitable. Not only that, Dalton gets involved with Wesley's ex, Dr. Elizabeth Clay (played by Kelly Lynch). In comes Dalton's good buddy, and number one Cooler in the business, Wade Garrett (played by Sam Elliott), at the behest of Dalton, and they put up one hell of a fight to rid this town of Wesley's influence. If this wasn't enough to draw you in, there are appearances by blues legend Jeff Healy, as the Double Deuce's nightly headliner, Cody, and monster truck Bigfoot, as itself. A little more machismo never hurt anyone, did it?

If anyone was wondering if Swayze was gay, this movie should lead you to some qualified conclusions. Good lord, why would they put him in this role that calls for machismo on the level of Sean Connery mixed with Chuck Norris? He is laughably inadequate. But, it's kinda part of this film's charm. And the love interest between him and Kelly Lynch? The two have as much chemistry together as two dead fish. It's almost painful to watch Dalton court Dr. Clay. So gay. SO gay.

About the only good thing about this movie, besides Jeff Healy's excellent musicianship, and the scene where Dalton rips out Wesley's henchman's throat (Jimmy, played by Marshall R. Teague), is Sam Elliott's character, Wade Garrett. He is really fun to watch. He created such a grounded performance. It put Swayze's to shame, and was a relief in what otherwise could have been a torturous film.

And, seriously, director Rowdy Herrington? When I saw that name in the credits, I went, 'Seriously? Who the hell is that?' And then I looked over his imdb profile, and went, 'Seriously? Who the hell is that?'

You know, I think that every woman, apart from Double Deuce server Carrie Ann (played by Kathleen Wilhoite) showed their breasts at some point in this movie. Seriously. Can someone conduct an analysis of this movie to find out? I think I'm right.

This film was a first for me, though. I know I trash talk it, but it does leave an impact on my movie viewing path, so it does have a place in my heart. This film was actually the first film in which I realized just how bad fight scene sound effects could be. They were so over the top that I actually sat there and tried to think of just what could have possibly produced those hideous sounds as I watched the fight scene between Dalton and Jimmy.

This film got nominated for a slew of top Razzie awards the year it came out: Actor (Swayze), Supporting Actor (Ben Gazzara), Picture (producer Joel Silver), Director (Rowdy Herrington), Screenplay (Hilary Henkin and David Lee Henry). Surprisingly, it didn't win. Star Trek V beat it out. Go figure.

Ugh, I think I have to go take a shower after writing this review.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is the bastard child of Mike Meyers and Christopher Guest. Take the same behind the scenes and painfully awkward, but funny scenarios of Waiting for Guffman and place it in Halloween and you'd have Behind the Mask (BtM).

Existing in a world where every slasher icon (Freddy, Jason, Mike Meyers, Chucky, that dude from Shocker) is real, BtM follows Leslie Vernon (played by newcomer Nathan Baesel), a young and upcoming "supernatural" killer, who lets a college news team film his entire process, from the selecting of the "survivor girl," to his training (a lot of cardio and reading plenty of anatomy, escape tricks/sleight-of-hand, and philosophy books) to the fateful night where Leslie makes his final appearance. The film jumps from handheld, stark news-like camerawork when we're seeing Leslie prepare to ultra-stylized slasher film cinematography when he puts on the mask. You would think the jumps between two very different types of cinematography would be jarring, but the film deftly handles the balance.

Writer/director Scott Glosserman definitely owes a debt of gratitude to Wes Craven's Scream, but where Scream left off, BtM continues. By not only deconstructing the plot contrivances and characters of slasher films, but by putting them into a myth context, Glosserman presents the idea that the slasher icon and film has progressed from a simple money-making cinema to becoming apart of contemporary mythology (Mike Meyers as a Joseph Campbell-type "hero!"). This is evinced by the dinner scene with Leslie's mentor, Eugene, a retired psychokiller (he lives in a nice house in the woods with his "survivor girl" now wife, Jamie). When Taylor asks why Leslie and Eugene do what they do, Eugene replies, "In order for good to be pitted against evil, there must be evil." BtM also pays respects to the great shoulders it stands upon by featuring old horror icons, most notably Robert Englund and Zelda Rubinstein; Englund as the Dr. Loomis character (a role that you can plainly see he had fun performing) and Rubinstein in a near death appearance (cold, I know, but it's almost like you can see PA holding her up during her scenes) as the friendly, but doomed librarian. Bonus points to those who can spot 4-time Jason actor Kane Hodder!

Normally, I don't expect much from actors/actresses in slasher flicks; mainly they're there to serve the plot's purpose and not much else. Not the case in BtM. All of the performances are fun to watch. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Taylor and her two cameramen, Doug and Todd (played by Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, and Britain Spellings respectively) as they become apart of Leslie's dangerous world. Of all the performances though, it is Nathan Baesel who particularly stands out. As Leslie Vernon, he strikes a great balance between charmingly awkward nice guy and psychopathic killer. My favorite scene is the heartfelt moment Leslie and Taylor share on the eve of his appearance: Leslie, with tears in his eyes, proclaims how exceedingly happy he is and how far he's come. Not knowing what to say, Taylor gently takes his hand and comforts him. It should be noted that this all takes place in the barn where, in just a few moments, poor horny teenagers are about to be slaughtered. A dark comic moment, but one that genuinely resonates as we've been present from the beginning of Leslie's story so we know that this is culmination of his life's work.

In the end, what's great about BtM is that it isn't just a cursory love of slasher films; a glancing throat cut, if you will. No. It's a rip-your-heart-out-of-your-chest-with-post-hole-digger love of the slasher film. One that reminds you what the genre is exactly capable of when put into the right hands.

El Orfanato (2007)

Before I write this review, I must post a disclaimer that horror movies hardly ever make me clutch the armrests, curl up in my seat and cause my heart rate to accelerate. And they certainly never make me cry like a little bitch. I was still trying to compose myself after the credits.

It is a creepy ghost story, and it scares you by tapping into the most innate fears a person has – paranormal, losing a child, the noises in the basement. There is very little gore in the film. Instead, director Juan Antonio Bayona uses simpler images such as a tiny, silent child with a sac mask over their head creeping down the hallway to scare the bejesus out of you. It is not at all cheesy or overdramatic like most horror films (especially a lot of Americanized versions of Asian horror). It is sufficiently creepy. It also plays with the formula of a theme on childhood games and stories, following the formula of producer Guillermo de Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. This film stays true as a ghost story, though, and a really good one.

“The Orphanage” opens with the silhouettes of children playing a form of children playing a version of tag outside at the orphanage. Laura would knock on the tree facing away from the other children while they would sneak up behind her. They would pose like statues when she turned around. It becomes apparent she is going to be adopted soon, and she is whisked away from the orphanage.

Laura (Belén Rueda) had such happy memories from the orphanage that she decides to move her family there and open a home for children with special needs. Laura is concerned because her son, Simón (Roger Príncep) will not let go of his two imaginary friends. He meets Tomás in a cave on the beach while gathering shells with his mother. Laura assumes Tomás is just another imaginary friend. Simón acquires five more “friends” who reside in the house, and Laura becomes unnerved, especially when they start playing games where they steal “treasure” and hide it, leaving clues for the owner as to its whereabouts.

At the welcome party for the special needs children, Simón disappears. She starts to see a little boy with a mask over his head; thinking it is her son, the police search the cave where she followed him, but no one is found. When the police cannot find a single clue as to Simón’s whereabouts, Laura employs a medium and some parapsychologists to help find her son. They cannot help her find her son, but the medium reveals that something absolutely despicable happened to Laura’s friends at the orphanage shortly after they left. She realizes that in order to find Simón, she has to regress to her childhood and start to play the “imaginary” friends’ games.

I really cannot do the plot justice. This movie was nearly flawless from the opening credits where children’s hands are ripping down wallpaper to the ending where I shuddered. There was maybe one or two tiny plot holes, but they do not affect what really matters in the film.

The cinematography was outstanding. It juxtaposes the temper of the beach with the serene, ghostly atmosphere of the former orphanage. A favourite moment of mine was in the beginning where Laura makes the lighthouse on the beach light up by reflecting the back of a clock against the window for Simón. It was so simple but absolutely stunning.

There is only gory one scene, and it takes you by complete surprise. It is chilling and disgusting, and then it is over. If it was my Tivo, I would have rewound it to see if I actually saw what I thought I did. I gasped, but I could not jump out of my seat because I was so entangled in it from other other scene before it.

The acting was fantastic, and Príncep, who played Simón, is one of the most precious faces I have seen in a movie in a very long time.

It is no surprise that this is Spain’s ballot for Best Foreign film for the Oscars. I have not been this involved with a movie in a long time. It goes beyond “horror film” or “ghost story;” it is dramatic and intelligent.

Time (2006)

Korean filmmaker, Kim Ki-duk, wrote and directed this creepy drama. However, the director may not want us to view it as a drama. Maybe it supposed to be classified as “thriller,” or “romantic comedy” or just “romantic.” But I digress and will address that later.

The premise of Time is actually quite brilliant and genuinely creepy. Ji-Yeon Park plays Seh-hee – an extremely jealous girlfriend. After an outburst in a coffee shop where she accused her boyfriend Ji-woo, played by Jung-woo Ha, of looking at other women, we find that the couple has problems intimately. Seh-hee tries to solve this problem by asking him to think of her as another woman. It works to solve their intimacy issues, but causes a whole slew of other issues, making her more self-conscious to the point where she consistently drones about her “boring face.” She covers it with a blanket to make herself appear anonymous. It frustrates Ji-woo who explains to a pal later that it’s “just time” that makes him look at other women – not a growing disinterest in his current lover.

Soon after, Seh-hee disappears. Her apartment is cleared out, all communications have been cut and nobody has heard from her. We see her in a plastic surgeon’s office asking for a new face. This new face appears at the coffee shop as a cute new waitress similarly named See-hee and “meets” Ji-Yeon. See-hee, now played by Hyeon-a Seong, also runs into Ji-Yeon at a sculpture garden the original couple frequented. Eventually, they become an item, although Ji-Yeon has reservations, worried that his old girlfriend would return and he would have to make a decision.

This sets off See-hee (in the same coffee shop as the original outburst), and persuades her to reveal her old identity to him at the coffee shop later by wearing a cutout of her original face. This was the only part in the movie that writer Ki-duk uses complete strangers in a setting to help tell the story. They ask if it is a theatric – this woman wearing a paper mask greeting her boyfriend. A fight ensues with both See-hee/She-hee and the stranger. Ji-yeon is frustrated, confused and comes up with a solution that is equally as erratic.Do not worry, I won’t spoil it for you.

The movie becomes cyclical. The opening seen shows a woman leaving a plastic surgery clinic with Seh-hee bumping into her, making the woman drop her “before” photo. Seh-hee offers to fix it and says she’ll be right back. The final shows this same image – See-hee leaving the clinic, dropping her “before” photo when bumped into by a girl.

The main problem with this film was that Ki-duk was too ambitious for the film’s good, mostly with the art-direction. Ultimately, I was lost as to what the actual message was – if it is a social commentary on relationships and image or a quirky solution to an age old problem. There is just a point where I asked “What the…”

The cinematography was stunning, but not as a whole. There was little cohesion from scene to scene.

In one particularly art-house styled scene, Ji-Yeon is in a room showing See-hee some photos he had secretly taken of her. They are on opposite sides of the screen. He turns off the lights. Click. It’s dark. Click. We see they have moved closer. Click. It’s dark. Click. They have moved even closer to each other.

While it was a cinematically interesting scene, it fit nowhere in the movie. It ended up looking ridiculous when melded with the surrounding scenes. There were several other experiments similar to this randomly thrown in the movie. In Ki-duk’s defense, most of the last hour of this movie steered itself closer to art-house stylings.

I did love the scene where Ji-woo is drunk and singing karaoke with a prostitute on his arm while mourning the disappearance of Seh-hee. It is one of the more sentimental moments in the movie.
It was an extremely entertaining movie, but at the same time I was completely frustrated with the lack of cohesion. It was a great story in and of itself, however. Because of its ambition, I left the movie pondering for hours about the psychology behind it. I also left it mumbling about crappy cohesion, lousy karaoke singing… but what an interesting film.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)

Directed by Sergio Leone, TGTB&TU follows the seemingly diverging stories of Sentenza, a.k.a. Angel Eyes (played by Lee Van Cleef), and Blondie (played by Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (played by Eli Wallach), and their story's explosive meeting.

In the beginning, Angel Eyes is following up on the trail of gold hidden by a Lieutenant from the South during the Civil War (which serves as the backdrop for this film). He is almost to the end of the hunt, and is killing anyone in his path.

Meanwhile, we meet Blondie and Tuco. They're two conmen collecting "bounties" on Tuco's head. Blondie will turn Tuco in for the reward, and then save him from the noose by firing a well-aimed shot through the rope. After getting tired of splitting the money, Blondie leaves Tuco in the desert and heads on his merry way; after which, Tuco is mad for revenge. He decides to get a gun and go after him, and after a few botched encounters, Tuco finally gets what he wants and makes Blondie suffer in the desert far worse than he did. While being shamed, in rides a Cavalry wagon, with the dying Lieutenant aboard, who divulges the name of the cemetery the gold's buried in to Tuco, and the tombstone under which it lies to Blondie. Thus forging a partnership of necessity and mistrust.

On the way to the treasure, Blondie and Tuco are captured by Union soldiers and imprisoned under the watchful eye of none other than Angel Eyes. He overhears that the two know where the treasure he's hunting for is buried, and, after trying to beat it out of them, splits them up and takes Blondie with him, while leaving Tuco to be shipped off.

After lodging in a town close to the cemetary, Blondie and Tuco cross paths again, and decide to head for the treasure themselves. So, under the cover of a battle in the town, they kill Blondie's captors, with Angel Eyes being the sole escapee of this fight, and head out.

Upon reaching the cemetary, the two meet up with Angel Eyes again. To finally end this chase, Blondie offers a deal. There will be a gunfight between the three. The winner of which can grab a rock, on which Blondie had written the name of the tombstone the treasure's hidden at. Bang, Angel Eyes dies, and Blondie plays one more over on Tuco; outsmarting him, taking the treasure for himself, and leaving Tuco in a hangman's noose yet again.

Sergio Leone blew my socks off with this one. It's such a full film, and filled with wonderful things from beginning to end. He took his time with this film (the running time is around three hours), and there were no dull moments, or extraneous parts. I can imaging that this could be where P.T. Anderson got inspiration.

There are some stunning images and shots, courtesy of Tonino Delli Colli. Two in particular stand out. One: in the opening, Angel Eyes is meeting with Stevens (played by Antonio Casas) to find out where the treasure is. Stevens is sitting at his kitchen table, and Angel Eyes comes and stands in his doorway. There's this gorgeous long-shot from Stevens' perspective. Two: when Tuco is running around the cemetery trying to find the tombstone, the camera follows his run around the circular pathways of the cemetery. The shot just goes round, and round, and round, and mesmerizes the viewer.

It's interesting to me that Leone drops Angel Eyes to the background at a few points in this film. After we see him watching Blondie's and Tuco's scam, we don't hear from him for a while. Also, after he escapes from the battle between Blondie, Tuco, and his henchman in the war-torn town, we don't see him again until Blondie and Tuco get to the cemetery. He's easily forgotten, as the viewer just gets swept up in the film, but when he comes back, it's like he never left. Impressive how Leone pulled that off.

I think Eli Wallach created a great anit-hero with Tuco. You hate him, you empathize with him, you hate him again, you want to see him get his share of the money, yaddayaddayadda. In the scheme of it, he's the middle between Eastwood's label of 'good,' and Van Cleef's label of 'bad.' Leone got one over on him and his faccia brute. But, your moral code might have an identity crisis after watching this, because those lines of good, bad, and ugly all get blurred in this.

The use of the Civil War as a backdrop for this film brought up some questions for me, personally. Maybe it was just the fact that a foreign eye looked at our history and made its own interpretation, but there was a strong dislike of the Union. The soldiers were primarily presented as brutes, and the Confederate soldiers were sympathetic characters. It makes me want to read some modern books on the subject, because that definitely ain't what I learned in school. Kudos to Leone for challenging views!

My only qualm with this film was the dubbing. Not being a fan of dubbing in the first place, it was even harder to watch, because it was poorly dubbed. I understand that the majority of the actors were Italian, and might not have spoken a word of English, but dubbing is just so visually and audibly unappealing.

But, this is a classic, and I can see why people consider it so. A strong movie all around. Definitely worth a watch, or a rewatch.

Bright Future (2003)

Yuji (played by Jo Odagiri) and Mamoru (played by Tadanobu Asano) are two twentysomethings living in Tokyo and working in a plant that manufactures handtowels for restaurants. When the two are offered a bonus and a full time position at the plant by their boss, Mr. Fujiwara (played by Takashi Sasano), they come to a crossroads that most twentysomethings come to: is this what we want to be doing for the rest of our lives, and if not, what are we doing with our lives?

When Mr. Fujiwara comes to Mamoru's apartment to bond with the two, Mamoru gets fed up and lets his venomous pet jellyfish sting the unwitting Mr. Fujiwara, who fires him the next day. Later, Mamoru kills Fujiwara and his wife (played Marumi Shiraishi). Yuji walks in on the crime scene and calls the police, and Mamoru is arrested. This crime comes as a shock to everyone who knows him, including his estranged father, Shinichiro (played by Tatsuya Fuji). Mamoru entrusts his prized jellyfish to the care of Yuji, and he begins to instruct him on how to help the jellyfish adapt to freshwater. While imprisoned, Mamoru commits suicide, and leaves a signal for Yuji to "go ahead" with the plan, whatever that may be.

In the aftermath, Shinichiro takes Yuji under his wing, and Yuji's anti-social behavior becomes worse. He is offered a job with his sister's boyfriend's company, only to break into it with a gang of kids one night and steal money from the petty cash box, he breaks the antennae off of the roof of Shinichiro's shop, and he tries to steal money from Shinichiro to buy more brine shrimp to feed the jellyfish, which has now escaped into a nearby river after Yuji got angry and kicked over its tank.

It's a learning experience for Shinichiro and Yuji, as they try to figure out who Mamoru really was, why he did what he did, what does he want done in his absence, and what to do with their own lives.

Director and writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa is better known for his J-horror films, such as Pulse and Cure. What he left behind with those films, he continued on in spirit with his characters in this one. There's something dangerous lurking under the surface of Yuji that you get a feel for right off the bat. There were moments, though, where Kurosawa tries to lighten the mood by such devices as using upbeat and optimistic music (like when Yuji first sees the freed jellyfish aglow), and it just seems out of place in the overall scheme of this film. There really seems to be no hope for this kid. You feel for his plight of trying to make his friend's wishes happen, but he just keeps screwing up. Kurosawa does a great job, though, of bringing to life these horribly faulted characters that you feel for throughout the film.

Jo Odagiri does a bang-up job of bringing Yuji to life. He keeps the character honest, and he doesn't play anything to try and pull at your heartstrings. It's refreshing, albeit depressing, to see. If there was one weak link, It's Tadanobu Asano as Mamoru. There's no apparent choice that the actor makes for the reason behind Mamoru's actions at the start of the film. He just goes through the motions.

The cinematography works well for this film. It's digital, gritty and doesn't use a lot of close-ups. The digital quality keeps the colors muted, which adds a whole other level to the film. It also gives it a modern look, and dates the film, but in a good way. It solidifies the time and place of the film.

All in all, this film is a pretty good commentary on modern youth and the confusion, perceived failure, and the feeling of being out of place that they go through. I think it can transcend cultures in that respect. Give it a watch. It's a good ride.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

The title for Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film also serves as a warning – There will be Blood – a drama inspired by Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!. In the film Daniel Day Lewis plays “oil man” Daniel Plainview. He gets advice from a mysterious man about a town practically drowning in oil, and proceeds to buy up and rent their property in order to drill. His plans and views on religion vex the local evangelist, Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano. Their plans disrupt progression of both the drilling and the expansion of Sunday’s church.

It is a difficult movie to sit through (although I do not mean that as a fault to the film). It runs at 2 and a half hours, and Anderson takes great care to pay attention to every detail of a human moment whether the character is digging, conversing, praying… the scene will actually play out instead of jumping ahead. It allows the audience to become engrossed in the scene and squirm in their seats with anticipation.

This movie would have failed without Daniel Day Lewis playing Daniel Plainview. It is a great story, but it needed an actor like Lewis to pull off that character, one who is so absolutely despicable, yet so incredibly complex that you become torn several times during the film. His interpretation of Plainview is what made the movie as powerful as it is. The characters are not just good and evil. Good is insidious and Evil has a soul. Please – just hand Lewis the Oscar right now. Seriously. It is a shame that we already know Dano will be shafted from the Oscars as he was for the Golden Globes (although he is deserving of a nod).

To go on about the symbolism in the movie will take more than a short review. There will be Blood is one of those films where three days later you will be sitting on the train, or talking on the phone in your cubicle when you will feel a slap across your face. It’s another image from the movie, something else that you finally grasped. It is a fantastic movie, extremely complex, beautiful and disgusting at the same time. There is no reason for me to give it anything less than four stars.

Oldboy (2003)

After fifteen years of imprisonment for starting a rumor at his old high school, Oldboy, directed by Chan-wook Park, is an action adventure that follows recently released Dae-su Oh (played by Min-sik Choi) as he hunts down his captor and why. After enduring psychological torture, hypnosis, and fifteen years of being kept in the same room with no human contact, except the guard who slips food through his door and his television, Dae-su trusts no one, and has honed his body and mind into a tool for revenge.

When he is let out, he meets sushi chef Mido (played by Hye-jeong Kang), who he falls in love with, his old friend Joo-hwan No (played by Dae-han Ji), and finally his captor Woo-jin Lee (played by Ji-Tae Yu). As Dae-su hunts his captor, he finds that he is a pawn in a much bigger game, but must play to try and save Mido's life.

The biggest themes I found in this movie are redemption and revenge. How does one gain either of those? How do they intertwine and differ? And what do you do when you get either or both? If these questions interest you, watch this movie. Or if you like some good and gory action, like teeth getting pulled out with a hammer, watch this movie. If neither of these interest you, don't waste your time.

The action scenes are well done, in particular a nice wide shot sequence of Dae-su taking on about a dozen guards in a narrow hallway with a hammer. It gives the viewer a chance to take in all of the action, and there's nothing snazzy, just down and dirty brawling that looks pretty realistic.

The script was adapted by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi from a manga by Minegishi. For further reference, give that a read. This film is also the second part of of the Vengeance Trilogy, the first being Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and the third being Sympathy For Lady Vengeance.

The story that is set out in this is immediately engaging, because you want to know the who and why to Dae-su's imprisonment. Despite his shortcomings, you genuinely wonder why this guy would have been locked away from his wife and kid and the whole world for fifteen years. You can then follow him on his quest for vengeance. My problem with the story comes in much later, right at the climax.

Oldboy is all about extremes: how far will you go for revenge, how crazy can we make our action scenes, how much can we make the audience squirm? Some of this didn't sit well with me as a viewer. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth when the film had ended. I can totally jive with the question of what do you do after you've gotten your revenge, but this movie could have been grounded a little bit more from its heightened reality as this question got answered. Maybe then I could have empathized with the conclusion a bit more. Woo-jin Lee had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, so I felt nothing for him as his story wound down. Logically, the viewer can follow his story, but you don't care one iota for what happens to him.

Min-sik Choi is great to watch as Dae-su. He grounds him in this animalistic fury that is covered up by this passion that he feels for Mido, despite saying that he trusts no one. On the opposite end, the only genuine moment that I felt from Ji-tae Yu playing Woo-jin Lee was when he was laughing at Dae-su as he completely lost his shit. The film is wholly unbalanced in this respect.

All in all, this movie doesn't really have a lot to offer. The story was unique, the action scenes were pretty good, but overall, I couldn't completely buy into it. It tried to be grounded in reality, but lost a lot of that due to acting.