Evil Dead

My View:   Evil Dead (2013)  R    A group of friends want to get away and decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods. There they find a mysterious book called, The Naturom Demono, and, despite warnings written on the book, they decide to read it anyway. It’s a mistake that could cost them their lives. This is the bloodiest film I have seen in a long time, maybe the bloodiest ever. I won’t be surprised to hear people passing out or throwing up due to the ultra-violence. I liked the setup of the film, but because it's  is such a “Gorefest," it starts to lose its punch near the end. I wanted the film to be scarier, and I also wanted just a little more humor. Also, it doesn’t seem to have the catch phrases that were so prevalent in the original film.  Evil Dead fans, stay through all the credits for a little treat at the end.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Evil Dead Website

My Take: The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)  R   Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a daredevil motorcycle rider on the carnival circuit who encounters Romina (Eva Mendes), a woman he had an affair with the last time he was in town. Now he finds out that he has fathered a son with Romina, and Luke wants to do right by his new found family, but he may have to turn to a life of crime to get ahead. Do not be fooled by the trailer, which makes it look like the whole film is about Ryan Gosling’s character. It’s equally Bradley Cooper’s film, as he plays a cop that is on a collision course with Gosling’s character. I felt the film was too long with the storyline giving us way too much information about the films characters. This is a film that some  critics will fall in love with, but I felt it missed the mark by a long shot.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Place Beyond the Pines Website

Indiefest:   The Sapphires (2012)  PG-13   An Australian film about four Aboriginal girls who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam to entertain the troops. Chris O’Dowd plays Dave, the man who convinces the girls’ families that they will be safe on the tour that changes all their lives. I saw this film last year at the Austin Film Festival and just loved it. Chris O’Dowd is perfect as the boozy, scamming Dave who sees, at first, the girls as a meal ticket, then actually begins to care for them. The singing in the film is amazing, and the storyline reels you in from the start.    My Rating: Full Price     The Sapphires Website

Forgotten Film:    Waking Ned Devine (1998)  PG   Ned Devine lives in the small Irish town of Tulaigh Mhor, population 52. Well, it was 52, but Ned dies due to shock after winning the Irish National Lottery, and now the population is 51. Town Leaders Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly) decide that since Ned has no living relatives, the town should reap the rewards of the winning ticket and fool the National Lottery official that Ned is still alive and kicking. This is a brilliantly funny film, full of characters that make it so enjoyable to watch.     My Rating: Full Price    Waking Ned Devine Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):   Lincoln (2012)   PG-13  An incredible, Oscar winning performance is given by Daniel Day-Lewis as the title character. The film has a great cast and is beautifully shot, but I think it’s one of those films where the performance is much better than the script. I wanted the film to be more about Lincoln’s whole life as opposed to the last few months.    My Rating: Full Price     Lincoln Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Beyond the Pines: Body double for Mr. Gosling

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Oblivion (2013)  PG-13   I am not a big Tom Cruise fan, but this Sci-Fi film’s trailer makes it look really good. This film, about how Earth is no longer inhabitable after an alien invasion, will be Cruise’s only film released in 2013. My guess is that it’s going to be a winner.   Oblivion Website

Until Next Time!

Dead Man Down

My View:   Dead Man Down  (2013)  R  Victor (Colin Farrell) is the right-hand man to a New York City crime boss (Terrence Howard).  Victor must find the killer who is threatening his boss. A woman named, Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), who seduces Victor and complicates things even more, may push him into a situation that he may never escape. This is one of those films that takes so many twists and turns that you fully don't understand what is happening until about three fourths of the way through the film.  Noomi Rapace is wasted in the character of a damaged woman (literally, her face is severely cut up in a car accident) who meets Victor after a series of flirting glances.  In a film where Farrell is playing a thug enforcer for a mob boss, there is very little action with only one really good action sequence near the beginning, and the climax at the end is highly predicable and totally unbelievable. This film was a waste of a really good cast, especially Rapace, whom, I hope, can find another role worthy of her Dragon Tattoo heritage.     My Rating:  Cable   Dead Man Down Website

Indiefest:  Emperor  (2013)  PG-13  World War II has ended, and General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) has landed on Japan soil. Emperor Hirohito may now be charged as a war criminal. MacArthur has picked General Fellers (Matthew Fox) to investigate and decide if the Emperor is to be put on trial; a trial that could destroy a country.  The film centers on two stories:  the investigation into if the Emperor ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor and the love story set in the past between Fellers (Fox) and a Japanese girl named Aya (Eriko Hatsune) whom he meets while both are in college in the states.  Fellers sets about trying to put together who made the decisions to attack the US but is hampered by the fact that Japan is in total disarray due to the war, and under the gun to find evidence in ten days time, he is distracted in his quest to try and locate Aya to see if she survived the war.  This film left me wanting more of the war side of the story and much less of the love story.  I think I would have preferred to see a film about the rebuilding of a country with Tommy Lee Jones's MacArthur as the central character instead of him being a supporting character to Fox's love-worn general.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Emperor Website

The 50 ( A Movie from My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

# 8 Best Film

Sunrise  (1927)  This silent film directed by the great F.W. Murnau is a stunning example of a film that was way ahead of its time in both its complex storyline and its visuals.  It's a film about a married farmer (George O'Brien) who meets a "city woman" (Margaret Livingston) who convinces the farmer that if he runs away to the city with her, his life will be full of joy.  But, before the farmer can leave, the city woman wants him to do one thing - kill his wife (Janet Gaynor).  Every scene in this film is shot to showcase the drama, the suspense and the conflict the actors portray.  The acting of the three principles is exceptional, especially Gaynor, who plays the unsuspecting wife so perfectly.  This film was groundbreaking, its special effects are better than some Hollywood films made today, and its plot could stand up to any of today's scripts.   Sunrise Info

Forgotten Film:  Thief  (1981)  R  James Cann plays Frank, a man who dreams of having a family, the two-car garage, kids and the white picket fence.  But Frank isn't your ordinary guy; he makes his money by being a professional thief.  When Frank meets and marries the girl of his dreams (Tuesday Weld), he decides to speed up his plan and make a big, final score so he can retire from the business.  Frank makes one mistake - he takes a job for the mob, a job that may be his last, not because he is going to retire but because he won't survive.    My Rating:  Full Price    Thief Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Life of Pi  (2012)  PG  A young man survives a shipwreck only to be lost at sea on a large lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger.  I picked this film as one of the best of 2012, as the cinematography showcases the unbelievable 3-D scenes, making for an amazing visual experience.  I am afraid, though, that viewers who select to wait for the DVD will not fully be able to experience the wonders of this film.     My Rating:  Full Price    Life of Pi Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Scary Movie 5 (2013)  PG-13  You know studios are scraping the bottom of the barrel when you see the names, Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan on the same bill.  Just stop it! Stop the madness!     Scary Movie 5 Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Emperor:  Animal Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Place Beyond the Pines  (2013)  R  A motorcycle stunt man turns to robbing banks to support his family. Just the cast of Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne makes me want to see this film.  Forget the great storyline.   The Place Beyond The Pines Website

Until Next Time!