Time to Play Catch-Up
I really want to get caught up on my DVD reviews, but I simply don't have the time. So, I've decided to keep it simple and write a paragraph on each film. I will give the title, the year it was released in the U.S., the rating and the director of each film. I will follow that with a few thoughts on the film and a final grade. I will certainly let you know if you should see it, or skip it. If you wish to know more on a film, please comment and I can elaborate. I've seen a bunch more movies over the last three months, but I've decided to keep it fresh with films from the last two years (with one exception). I'll start with the films I've seen most recently and go from there. As I've stated before, it's been a rough month and a half for films. October was a very good month with The Social Network, Let Me In and Jackass 3D, but November has been a snoozer. December should be better with the releases of True Grit, TRON: Legacy, Little Fockers, Black Swan and The Fighter. I can't believe this year is almost over! I'm going to have to do my best of 2010 soon. Keep in mind, that list will not include a large amount of films. Anyways...let's get it started!
Trash Humpers (2010) R -- Directed by Harmony Korine
What in God's name did I just watch? The people who brought this film to life need their heads checked. Honestly. One of my favorite bloggers listed this as one of the best films of 2010, so I checked it out. Bad freakin' idea. I thought that this would be an artsy flick with some hidden messages. Nope. It's just some masked people humping garbage cans, breaking things, driving around the street, smashing toy babies, killing people and stealing babies. Trust me, it's not as interesting as it sounds. Oh, and they filmed the entire thing on VHS.
D
Get Him to the Greek (2010) R -- Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Nowhere near as funny as Stoller's previous film (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), but it's a must-see in my book. It's a bit like The Hangover, but with actual drinking involved. The first hour is awesome, but the last half hour gets all dramatic and weird. With all that said I still like this film, but I doubt I'll see it a third time.
B-
I'm Still Here (2010) R -- Directed by Casey Affleck
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, The Village) fooled the entire world, myself included. After watching this frustrating, oddly beautiful and shocking documentary, I found out that Phoenix revealed that the whole thing was a hoax. I felt violated, but relieved that Phoenix isn't the schmuck he portrayed during this film. This hoax ended up costing Phoenix and brother-in-law Casey Affleck a fortune. He claims it was worth it, but audiences obviously thought otherwise. Time will tell whether he will be cast for a movie ever again, but he's still one of my favorite actors and that won't change anytime soon. Although this documentary is difficult to watch, it can be very funny and is a must-see. To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been made before and there's something to be said about that.
B
You Don't Know Jack (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Barry Levinson
Whether or not you agree with Jack Kevorkian's methods shouldn't stop you from seeing this HBO film. Al Pacino (Righteous Kill, Insomnia) is tremendous and plays the part to perfection. This film is very informative and gives us Jack's side of the story. Although I don't necessarily agree with his practices, I understand why he did what he did. HBO continues to make fantastic feature films.
B-
The Descent: Part 2 (2010) R -- Directed by Jon Harris
The first Descent is watchable up to the point where the women become Rambo-like and start killing the creatures that dwell in the underground cave (and each other). This film is quite similar. It starts out promising, but once they begin to battle the creatures it gets ludicrous and dumb. The ending is an abomination and makes zero sense. Let the record show that I watched this film while multi-tasking at 3 A.M.
D+
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2010) R -- Directed by Tom Six
This "horror" film was supposed to be shocking and groundbreaking. Instead, it's just a retarded, poorly-acted laugh-fest. It's not suspenseful, not funny at any point, not scary and not worth watching. The premise seemed interesting, but once you actually see the three people sewn together...it's just time to turn channel. You have to wonder what kind of person thinks of something like this?
C-
Best Worst Movie (2010) R -- Directed by Michael Stephenson
This is one of the better documentaries of the year. If you are able to see Troll 2 ("the worst film of all-time"), then do it! It's so bad, so brutally written, so awfully acted, so confusing and so awesomely bad. Troll 2 has found an audience and is actually beloved across the country. This documentary brings the whole cast back together, and things get interesting (to say the least). The first half of the film is hilarious as they show clips from the horrible film. The second half gets a little serious and sad as we see how crazy some of the people involved in the film have become. I highly recommend this film. You won't be disappointed.
B-
Leaves of Grass (2010) R -- Directed by Tim Blake Nelson
This is an odd film. Edward Norton (Fight Club, Primal Fear) is very good (he plays twins), but it's rather uneven and forgettable. If you smoke a whole lot of pot, you might love this film. I however...don't, so I just thought this film was interesting. Things get hectic towards the end, but I actually found those moments the best part of the film. Tim Blake Nelson (Holes, O, Brother Where Art Thou?) has some real promise as a director, for sure.
C+
The Crazies (2010) R -- Directed by Breck Eisner
This is one of my favorite films of the year. It saw it when it first got released and recently saw it a second time. This is one of the better horror films of the decade. People really need to seek out this film. Timothy Olyphant (The Girl Next Door, Dreamcatcher) is an underrated actor and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Man on Fire) is a terrific actress. This film is legitimately suspenseful, entertaining, fun, scary and well-made. As I've stated before, it's like 28 Weeks Later (one of the best films of the decade) meets The Signal (a crazy film worth taking a look at).
B
The Experiment (2010) R -- Directed by Paul Scheuring
This is the U.S. remake of a pretty good German film by the same name. With the promising leads (Adrien Brody, Forrest Whitaker) and a great true story I thought this film would be much, much better. When is someone going to make a close adaptation of the true story that happened at Stanford all those years ago. I simply can't recommend this film. It's actually a bit of a yawner.
C
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) R -- Directed by Samuel Bayer
I'm not the biggest fan of Freddy Krueger in the first place, but this is almost a shot-for-shot remake of the original. And the things that made that film watchable are taken out (of course). The ending isn't half bad because it explains some things, but it doesn't come close to saving this load of garbage.
D
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2010) R -- Directed by Daniel Alfredson
Not nearly as effective as the first chapter, but it's still worth a watch. I'm eagerly waiting to see the third film in a few months. One of the reasons this film isn't as good is that Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyquist aren't on screen together for most than a few minutes. Their chemistry is what made the first film so good. If you've seen the first film, this is a must-see.
B-
Police, Adjective (2009) PG-13 -- Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
I nominate this for boringest (is that a word?) film of the year. Perhaps the boringest film of all-time. Nothing happens. And I mean nothing. I can't believe I finished this film. What was I thinking? You ever wonder what it would be like to follow people for a living? Then write down what you saw? Then go home, eat dinner and sleep? Then watch this Foreign piece of trash.
F
Holy Rollers (2010) R -- Directed by Kevin Asch
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland) is sensational; what else is new? This is an intriguing true-story about seemingly honest teenage Jews who turn into drug-mules overnight. Even though most of us have never seeped to that level, we all do things that we regret and look back on and wonder just what we were thinking. We get caught up in the moment and lose track of what's really important. This film throws down some life lessons and is a joy to watch. Ari Graynor is someone to keep an eye out for, she's terrific in this film.
B
The Exploding Girl (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Bradley Rust Gray
The difference between Police, Adjective and this film is the wonderful New York City. And of course Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road, Me, and Orson Welles). She's tremendous as she roams the streets of NYC. There isn't much that happens through the course of this film, but the sights and sounds of New York is what makes this film worth-while. Definitely not for everyone, but I would never discourage anyone from seeing it.
C+
Breaking Upwards (2010) R -- Directed by Daryl Wein
An interesting look at breaking up. There is never really a dull moment, even if this film isn't very funny or charming. The two main leads aren't exactly likable either. But the dialogue is good and the plot is a lot of fun. I think it's possibly worth a peak.
C+
The Horseman (2008) R -- Directed by Steven Kastrissios
An Australian poor man's Mel Gibson revenge flick. The acting is often quite bad and the cinematography is lackluster, but revenge films are fun. How many ways can this dude kill people? We've seen it a hundred times, but it never completely gets old. If that sounds like your type of film, then by all means give it a try. You shouldn't be disappointed.
C
Killshot (2009) R -- Directed by John Madden
I expected much more with the stellar cast (Rourke, Jane, Lane, Gordon-Levitt, Dawson). Nobody is on top of their game, but it's not their fault this film is boring. The script is bad, the plot is worn-out and the film-maker is over his head. This film is way too average to recommend.
C
MacGruber (2010) R -- Directed by Jorma Taccone
This film is a lot better then it probably should be. It's just another over-the-top SNL film. But I happen to enjoy over-the-top SNL films (usually). Half the jokes are a fail, but some bits had me in stitches. The acting is never good, which is why casting Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Breach) doesn't make a whole lot of sense in a film like this. Forte and Wiig feed well enough off of each together to keep things moving along. Have fun with it!
C+
Flame and Citron (2009) R -- Directed by Ole Christian Madsen
This is one of the better WWII films I've seen in quite some time. It's nowhere near Saving Private Ryan or The Pianist, but it's so much better than Valkyrie. It's Foreign, but don't go running for the hills. If you can sit through a Foreign film, then please give this one a try. This is the most expensive film ever made from Denmark, and it shows.
B
(Untitled) (2009) R -- Directed by Jonathan Parker
This is an oddly funny and quirky little art flick. Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan) is so super serious that it begins to get really funny as things move along. The music his band spews out is horrendous, but that doesn't make it unfunny. The godawful art that is put on display is often laughable. There's one scene where Goldberg waives an enormous American flag in front of an audience and oh my is it funny.
B-
Temple Grandin (2010) PG -- Directed by Mick Jackson
This was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2010, and it comes from HBO films. Claire Danes (Brokedown Palace, Igby Goes Down) deserves a whole shelf full of awards for her role in this fascinating film. I highly, highly, highly recommend this film. At first it's hard to sit through, but you warm up to the main character.
B
Ondine (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Neil Jordan
What starts out as a fun fantasy tale, ends up as a sad drunken mess. The storyline and plot falls apart in the second half of this film. Honestly, this could have been a cute little love story. I hate to break it to you, it's most definitely not.
D+
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2010) R -- Directed by Ji-woon Kim
A few months back I started writing a review for this film. I got about a 1/4 way through and I had to quit. It was so hard trying to communicate what happened in this film and the names of all the crazy Chinese characters. I'm sure they'll make an American remake in a few years, so you can just wait for that.
C
Bitten (2009) R -- Directed by Harvey Glazer
I'm still not exactly sure why I watched this film, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. "Vampires" are all the rage now-a-days, and I guess that's why I gave it a shot. Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) stars as a paramedic who stumbles upon a vamp and things get a little kinky from there. There's no need to rent this straight-to-DVD flick.
C-
Trash Humpers (2010) R -- Directed by Harmony Korine
What in God's name did I just watch? The people who brought this film to life need their heads checked. Honestly. One of my favorite bloggers listed this as one of the best films of 2010, so I checked it out. Bad freakin' idea. I thought that this would be an artsy flick with some hidden messages. Nope. It's just some masked people humping garbage cans, breaking things, driving around the street, smashing toy babies, killing people and stealing babies. Trust me, it's not as interesting as it sounds. Oh, and they filmed the entire thing on VHS.
D
Get Him to the Greek (2010) R -- Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Nowhere near as funny as Stoller's previous film (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), but it's a must-see in my book. It's a bit like The Hangover, but with actual drinking involved. The first hour is awesome, but the last half hour gets all dramatic and weird. With all that said I still like this film, but I doubt I'll see it a third time.
B-
I'm Still Here (2010) R -- Directed by Casey Affleck
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, The Village) fooled the entire world, myself included. After watching this frustrating, oddly beautiful and shocking documentary, I found out that Phoenix revealed that the whole thing was a hoax. I felt violated, but relieved that Phoenix isn't the schmuck he portrayed during this film. This hoax ended up costing Phoenix and brother-in-law Casey Affleck a fortune. He claims it was worth it, but audiences obviously thought otherwise. Time will tell whether he will be cast for a movie ever again, but he's still one of my favorite actors and that won't change anytime soon. Although this documentary is difficult to watch, it can be very funny and is a must-see. To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been made before and there's something to be said about that.
B
You Don't Know Jack (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Barry Levinson
Whether or not you agree with Jack Kevorkian's methods shouldn't stop you from seeing this HBO film. Al Pacino (Righteous Kill, Insomnia) is tremendous and plays the part to perfection. This film is very informative and gives us Jack's side of the story. Although I don't necessarily agree with his practices, I understand why he did what he did. HBO continues to make fantastic feature films.
B-
The Descent: Part 2 (2010) R -- Directed by Jon Harris
The first Descent is watchable up to the point where the women become Rambo-like and start killing the creatures that dwell in the underground cave (and each other). This film is quite similar. It starts out promising, but once they begin to battle the creatures it gets ludicrous and dumb. The ending is an abomination and makes zero sense. Let the record show that I watched this film while multi-tasking at 3 A.M.
D+
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2010) R -- Directed by Tom Six
This "horror" film was supposed to be shocking and groundbreaking. Instead, it's just a retarded, poorly-acted laugh-fest. It's not suspenseful, not funny at any point, not scary and not worth watching. The premise seemed interesting, but once you actually see the three people sewn together...it's just time to turn channel. You have to wonder what kind of person thinks of something like this?
C-
Best Worst Movie (2010) R -- Directed by Michael Stephenson
This is one of the better documentaries of the year. If you are able to see Troll 2 ("the worst film of all-time"), then do it! It's so bad, so brutally written, so awfully acted, so confusing and so awesomely bad. Troll 2 has found an audience and is actually beloved across the country. This documentary brings the whole cast back together, and things get interesting (to say the least). The first half of the film is hilarious as they show clips from the horrible film. The second half gets a little serious and sad as we see how crazy some of the people involved in the film have become. I highly recommend this film. You won't be disappointed.
B-
Leaves of Grass (2010) R -- Directed by Tim Blake Nelson
This is an odd film. Edward Norton (Fight Club, Primal Fear) is very good (he plays twins), but it's rather uneven and forgettable. If you smoke a whole lot of pot, you might love this film. I however...don't, so I just thought this film was interesting. Things get hectic towards the end, but I actually found those moments the best part of the film. Tim Blake Nelson (Holes, O, Brother Where Art Thou?) has some real promise as a director, for sure.
C+
The Crazies (2010) R -- Directed by Breck Eisner
This is one of my favorite films of the year. It saw it when it first got released and recently saw it a second time. This is one of the better horror films of the decade. People really need to seek out this film. Timothy Olyphant (The Girl Next Door, Dreamcatcher) is an underrated actor and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Man on Fire) is a terrific actress. This film is legitimately suspenseful, entertaining, fun, scary and well-made. As I've stated before, it's like 28 Weeks Later (one of the best films of the decade) meets The Signal (a crazy film worth taking a look at).
B
The Experiment (2010) R -- Directed by Paul Scheuring
This is the U.S. remake of a pretty good German film by the same name. With the promising leads (Adrien Brody, Forrest Whitaker) and a great true story I thought this film would be much, much better. When is someone going to make a close adaptation of the true story that happened at Stanford all those years ago. I simply can't recommend this film. It's actually a bit of a yawner.
C
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) R -- Directed by Samuel Bayer
I'm not the biggest fan of Freddy Krueger in the first place, but this is almost a shot-for-shot remake of the original. And the things that made that film watchable are taken out (of course). The ending isn't half bad because it explains some things, but it doesn't come close to saving this load of garbage.
D
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2010) R -- Directed by Daniel Alfredson
Not nearly as effective as the first chapter, but it's still worth a watch. I'm eagerly waiting to see the third film in a few months. One of the reasons this film isn't as good is that Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyquist aren't on screen together for most than a few minutes. Their chemistry is what made the first film so good. If you've seen the first film, this is a must-see.
B-
Police, Adjective (2009) PG-13 -- Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
I nominate this for boringest (is that a word?) film of the year. Perhaps the boringest film of all-time. Nothing happens. And I mean nothing. I can't believe I finished this film. What was I thinking? You ever wonder what it would be like to follow people for a living? Then write down what you saw? Then go home, eat dinner and sleep? Then watch this Foreign piece of trash.
F
Holy Rollers (2010) R -- Directed by Kevin Asch
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland) is sensational; what else is new? This is an intriguing true-story about seemingly honest teenage Jews who turn into drug-mules overnight. Even though most of us have never seeped to that level, we all do things that we regret and look back on and wonder just what we were thinking. We get caught up in the moment and lose track of what's really important. This film throws down some life lessons and is a joy to watch. Ari Graynor is someone to keep an eye out for, she's terrific in this film.
B
The Exploding Girl (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Bradley Rust Gray
The difference between Police, Adjective and this film is the wonderful New York City. And of course Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road, Me, and Orson Welles). She's tremendous as she roams the streets of NYC. There isn't much that happens through the course of this film, but the sights and sounds of New York is what makes this film worth-while. Definitely not for everyone, but I would never discourage anyone from seeing it.
C+
Breaking Upwards (2010) R -- Directed by Daryl Wein
An interesting look at breaking up. There is never really a dull moment, even if this film isn't very funny or charming. The two main leads aren't exactly likable either. But the dialogue is good and the plot is a lot of fun. I think it's possibly worth a peak.
C+
The Horseman (2008) R -- Directed by Steven Kastrissios
An Australian poor man's Mel Gibson revenge flick. The acting is often quite bad and the cinematography is lackluster, but revenge films are fun. How many ways can this dude kill people? We've seen it a hundred times, but it never completely gets old. If that sounds like your type of film, then by all means give it a try. You shouldn't be disappointed.
C
Killshot (2009) R -- Directed by John Madden
I expected much more with the stellar cast (Rourke, Jane, Lane, Gordon-Levitt, Dawson). Nobody is on top of their game, but it's not their fault this film is boring. The script is bad, the plot is worn-out and the film-maker is over his head. This film is way too average to recommend.
C
MacGruber (2010) R -- Directed by Jorma Taccone
This film is a lot better then it probably should be. It's just another over-the-top SNL film. But I happen to enjoy over-the-top SNL films (usually). Half the jokes are a fail, but some bits had me in stitches. The acting is never good, which is why casting Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Breach) doesn't make a whole lot of sense in a film like this. Forte and Wiig feed well enough off of each together to keep things moving along. Have fun with it!
C+
Flame and Citron (2009) R -- Directed by Ole Christian Madsen
This is one of the better WWII films I've seen in quite some time. It's nowhere near Saving Private Ryan or The Pianist, but it's so much better than Valkyrie. It's Foreign, but don't go running for the hills. If you can sit through a Foreign film, then please give this one a try. This is the most expensive film ever made from Denmark, and it shows.
B
(Untitled) (2009) R -- Directed by Jonathan Parker
This is an oddly funny and quirky little art flick. Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan) is so super serious that it begins to get really funny as things move along. The music his band spews out is horrendous, but that doesn't make it unfunny. The godawful art that is put on display is often laughable. There's one scene where Goldberg waives an enormous American flag in front of an audience and oh my is it funny.
B-
Temple Grandin (2010) PG -- Directed by Mick Jackson
This was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2010, and it comes from HBO films. Claire Danes (Brokedown Palace, Igby Goes Down) deserves a whole shelf full of awards for her role in this fascinating film. I highly, highly, highly recommend this film. At first it's hard to sit through, but you warm up to the main character.
B
Ondine (2010) PG-13 -- Directed by Neil Jordan
What starts out as a fun fantasy tale, ends up as a sad drunken mess. The storyline and plot falls apart in the second half of this film. Honestly, this could have been a cute little love story. I hate to break it to you, it's most definitely not.
D+
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2010) R -- Directed by Ji-woon Kim
A few months back I started writing a review for this film. I got about a 1/4 way through and I had to quit. It was so hard trying to communicate what happened in this film and the names of all the crazy Chinese characters. I'm sure they'll make an American remake in a few years, so you can just wait for that.
C
Bitten (2009) R -- Directed by Harvey Glazer
I'm still not exactly sure why I watched this film, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. "Vampires" are all the rage now-a-days, and I guess that's why I gave it a shot. Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) stars as a paramedic who stumbles upon a vamp and things get a little kinky from there. There's no need to rent this straight-to-DVD flick.
C-
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