Shaun of the Dead: CR #35

While Star Trek did come out this week, I wasn't able to see it. What I was able to do was see one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. It's a comedy that I've seen at least 20 times and still love to watch it. It also introduced me to my favorite director Edgar Wright. This is...

PLOT
Shaun is not having the best day. His girlfriend Liz just broke up with him, his roommate and best friend Ed won't grow up and their other roommate is tired of it, Shaun has a crappy job and a step-father he hates. Today is the day he decides to turn his life around where he'll get his girlfriend back and fix his life in general. Sadly, today is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Now, Shaun has to gather his friends and family, try to survive, and set his life right.


PROS
"Shaun of the Dead" is one of the funniest movies and most clever movie I've seen. There's jokes all over the place. In the foreground, background, references, dialogue, body language, everything. There are even jokes within jokes! Even having seen the movie 20 times, I still find new jokes! The best part is that 99% of them hit, with very few that don't.

The main stars of the film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, have a real camaraderie and are instantly likable  This goes for everyone else in the film, but those two especially.

There are a ton of references in this film and all of them are clever. What makes them funny and not annoying is that they're actually incorporated into the plot. One example is that Shaun's mom is named Barbra. Shaun and Ed decide to go save her and when she protests, Ed yells into the phone "We're coming to get you Barbra!" This reference is great because it's apart of the story and not just some throwaway scene.

This film is kind of a parody of zombie movies, but what makes this great like "Airplane" of "Blazing Saddles" is that you don't need to have seen or even like the movies they're parodying to get most of the jokes. But, you'll get so much more enjoyment if you do love horror movies.

While "Shaun of the Dead" is a comedy, it does deliver on the horror aspect, giving you a good amount of gore and zombies.

The directing style of Edgar Wright is very fast and frantic, and somehow doesn't feel disorienting. It actually helps to make some scenes even funnier and makes it fun to go back and see what you missed.


CONS
Um....yeah, I've never had a problem with this movie. After seeing it again and trying to come up with a problem, I find it impossible.



CONCLUSION
As you can see, I love this film so much. I also love it's spiritual sequel "Hot Fuzz" and can't wait for the last film in this trilogy "The World's End", which is coming later this year. Either way, "Shaun of the Dead" is, in my opinion, the greatest comedy of all time. It's infinitely re-watchable and will make anyone laugh at least once, I guarantee it.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!  

The Great Gatsby (2013)/John Dies at the End: NR #42 & #43

Well, I wasn't expecting to see these movies this weekend, or to be sick. Thankfully, I saw one of these movies before I became sick, and thankfully I saw one when I was sick. Anyway, one of this week's movies is the 4th adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The other is an indie...well...I don't know what to call it. This my double review of...

THE GREAT GATSBY

PLOT
Set in the economic and cultural boom of 1920's New York, Nick Carraway is a stock broker who gave up on his dream of being a writer and lives in a small house in the rich part of town. He also lives right beside the notorious and mysterious Jay Gatsby. He's known to throw lavish and huge parties that everyone in town goes to, yet rarely seen at. One day, Carraway is given an invitation from Gatsby to one of his parties, the first time its ever happened. Once at the party, he meets this Gatsby and soon becomes sucked into his world and his scheme to rekindle an old flame named Daisy, who just so happens to be Nick's cousin.



PROS
Once again, Leonardo DiCaprio gives an amazing performance. I actually forgot that he was playing a character and just saw him as Gatsby. If he this doesn't get him the Oscar, someone is going to pay with their life...savings.

The visuals in this film are spectacular. Not only the CG, but also the costume and set designs. They're very elaborate and impressive.

This is probably more of a compliment for the book rather than the movie, but I've yet to read the book. Anyway, the characters, especially Gatsby, are very deep and interesting. While the movie doesn't go too deep into these characters, there's a lot you can infer and project from the amount of info we're given.


CONS
The first hour of the film, at least until Gatsby meets Daisy, is very Baz Luhrmann, which for me is a bad thing. If don't know who Baz Luhrmann is, he's the director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. My biggest problems with all three of these movies is that the first hour or so is very fast-paced, random, and disorienting. I know some people love that, but I personally hate it. While the film does significantly pick up afterwards, it's still there.

There's a jarring use of modern day music in the film. It's either rap or 1920's covers of modern day songs. It makes sense, since the soundtrack was produced by Jay-Z, it just felt out of place when put over images of the 1920's and really pulled me out of the film.




CONCLUSION
While not perfect, "The Great Gatsby" is certainly Luhrmann's most cohesive and best film. I didn't love it, but I do feel that it's worth seeing in the theater and perfect for anyone who's read the book and wants to see a new interpretation of the classic novel.

RATING
WALK TO




JOHN DIES AT THE END

PLOT
I'm going to try and describe this film as best and vaguely as I can, because 1) the less you know the better, and 2) I'm still not a hundred percent sure how to describe this film. Anyway, the film begins with our main character Dave meeting with a reporter. The reason he's doing this is because he has a crazy and unbelievable story to tell this reporter that involves his friend John, a new drug called Soy Sauce, and the discovery of how deep, expansive, and messed up the universe really is.


PROS
This film is full of surrealist humor, which means a lot of the comedy comes from how weird the images and situations are. Yet what makes this film great is that all of those odd and random things actually make sense in the context of the film.

The comedy in this movie very funny and rarely falls flat, at least in my opinion. It's very weird and niche, and I love it.

The special effects in the film are mostly practical and awesome. They're also extremely creative and fun to watch.

For a surreal and hallucinogenic drug-fueled plot, the story is surprisingly cohesive and attention grabbing.


CONS
There are a few scenes that don't really add anything to the film are mean anything, they're just there. While they're still great, they just seem useless. Luckily, there's only a few.

The special effects, while having awesome practical effects, also have some terrible CGI. It's obvious this is a lot budget film, and it especially shows when ever they use CG effects. While it doesn't hurt the film too bad, it's still a problem.


CONCLUSION
While it's certainly not for everyone, "John Dies at the End" is a unique experience that you'll know in the first 5 minutes whether you'll it or not, and if you love that first 5 minutes, you'll go crazy for the next hour and 25 minutes. Personally, I loved it and can't wait to read the book it's based off of.

RATING
RUN TO

Iron Man 3: NR #41

Sorry this review is late, but family comes before film. Anyway, this week's movie is one of the many highly anticipated films of this year and the big kick-off of the summer movie season. This is...

PLOT
Taking place after "The Avengers", millionaire/super-hero extraordinaire Tony Stark can't sleep. After going through the worm hole in battle of New York, he's experiencing PTSD. Making matters worse, a new villain has emerged in the terrorist leader The Mandarin, whose been bombing many locations in the United States. After Mandarin hits Stark personally, he goes on a war path for the Mandarin with revenge on his mind, but can Stark defeat this evil while he faces the evil within?


PROS
This film was written and directed by the spectacular Shane Black, the writer of such classics as "Lethal Weapon", "The Long Kiss Goodnight", and "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". Black is known for his hilarious and smart dialogue, and this film is no exception. All of the characters get hilarious and memorable lines that turn this film into more of a comedy for most of it's running time, but that's no problem with me.

Robert Downey Jr., as always, does a great job as Tony Stark and almost feels like his character from the other film Shane Black directed "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". The other actors are also good, but Downey Jr. is the stand-out.

The action scenes in this film are amazing and continually unique. Every scene is better than the last and make you wanna yell "HELL YEAH!"

I like what they do with the Mandarin in this version of "Iron Man", they do a good job of modernizing him and integrating him into this world.

There's a twist halfway through the film that people are either going to hate or love, personally I loved it and thought it was a good way to deal with a problem that a lot of other superhero movies have.



CONS
While I did say that I loved the twist, it does lead to a problem that I have with the "Iron Man" franchise as a whole. I would elaborate, but I don't want to spoil anything here.


CONCLUSION
"Iron Man 3", thankfully, is better that its predecessor and is a fun time at the movies. I truly loved it and would gladly see it again. If you love action movies are want a good way to start the summer of right, "Iron Man 3" is the film to see.

RATING
RUN TO

Standing in the Shadows of Motown: CR #34

While I did see this week's new release, that being "Pain and Gain", I'm still not a hundred percent sure how I feel about it. So instead, I'm going to review a movie that really educated me. It's a film that not only has great people, but great music throughout. this week, I'm reviewing...

PLOT
This documentary retells the story of the unsung geniuses behind most of Motown's biggest hits from their Detroit age. These geniuses were the Funk Brothers, a 13 man band that played the soul behind the lyrics.



PROS
Like most great documentaries, "Motown" is and stays entertaining by talking about its subject matter in a fun and interesting way. I was engrossed for the whole hour and a half and was kinda sad once it was over.

Most of the movie is interviews with the surviving and some of the dead members of the Funk Brothers and they're a ton of fun. It's mostly just them reminiscing about the good ol' days and telling stories and such, but they make it so entertaining that you want to hear more stories from these awesome musical geniuses.

Between the stories there are scenes from a concert the Funk Brothers did during the making of this film that was a celebration of them and Motown. The musical performances are great and help to get some points across by playing the music that the band members are talking about.

The film making is very professional and feels like a real movie at points. This leads to a lot of great moments of cinematography.

The film has suburb narration that's very light-hearted and also very informative. It's also read by Andre Braugher who does a great job at reading the lines and brings that fun, light-hearted atmosphere.


CONS
It can be difficult to keep up with everyone's name and what instrument they play. To be honest, I didn't really know who played what until the end when they flat out show you.



CONCLUSION
"Standing in the Shadows of Motown" is an awesome documentary that kept me hooked and got me interested in not only the amazing music of Motown, but the history of it as well. This is a film that's perfect for any music lovers or anyone who grew up during this revolutionary time in music.

RATING
RUN TO

Army of Darkness (Evil Dead 3): CR #33

After last week's review, and the fact that my birthday is today, I feel thee need to review a movie from one of, if not my absolute, favorite film franchises. It's the third one in the series and the one that takes the biggest departure, but is it still good? Let's find out in my review of...

PLOT

Taking place right where "Evil Dead 2" left off, "Army of Darkness" places our chainsaw-handed hero Ash into the medieval 1300's. He's been maned by the elders as a man a prophecy and the one who will save them from the deadites, demons that are relentlessly attacking the land. The only way to stop these demons is to get the necronomicon, A.K.A The book of the dead, and read the sacred words. But once he goes through hell and back for the book, he accidently unleashes the army of darkness. Now he must fight with the kingdom and train these primitive screwheads into warriors, and hopefully finally get home.

PROS

What makes this movie, and the "Evil Dead" franchise as a whole, is Bruce Campbell. That guys is one of the best comedic and instantly likable actors around. He gives a great performance in this movie and helps to really define Ash as a character, even if that definition is somewhat flimsy.

Sam Raimi, once again, brings his creative and fun camera work to this film. I love Raimi's creative camera tricks and love to spot them in all of his movies, this one is no exception.

While this is a sequel to "Evil Dead 2", "Army of Darkness" has little to no horror in it, it's mostly an action-comedy, which can throw some people off. While I do think the transition is jarring, I still love this movie's comedy. It's extremely reminiscent of "The Three Stooges" and what's not inspired by them is just as goofy.

The last scene of this movie, where they fight the army of darkness, is truly awesome. It's full of great special effects, exciting action, hilarious comedy, and stop-motion animated skeletons!



CONS
In the film, Shelia is a character introduced to be Ash's love interest, but they have little to no chemistry  She beats him with a rock, apologizes, is with him when he suits up, slaps him, then they become a couple. After that point, she does nothing until she herself is possessed. She just seems useless and forced.



CONCLUSION
I absolutely love this movie. While it is a huge departure from the rest of the franchise, I've learned to love and appreciate it. While not better that 2, "Army of Darkness" is a still a wacky, awesome, and fun time for those who seek it.


RATING
RUN TO

Evil Dead (2013): NR #40

I would say sorry for missing last week, but I didn't, cause I put up that totally serious review of "Twilight", so HA! Take THAT! Anyway, this week's movie is one that I've been excited for, and somewhat dreading as well. The reason for this is that I love the original films that this is a remake of. Did this new version do the original justice, or even hold a candle to it? Let's find out in my review of...

PLOT
In this re-imagining of the 1981 classic, "Evil Dead" follows five friends going up to a cabin in the woods for a weekend. The reason they're going is because one of them, Mia, is a struggling drug addict who's trying to go cold turkey. They've all come along for support, and to make sure that she doesn't try to run like last time. While at the cabin, they unwittingly find the Book of the Dead and read a passage from the book. Now Mia is possessed by a demon and terrorizing her friends who are trying to survive until dawn.



PROS
If you've seen any of the trailers or commercials, you know that this film is heavily advertising it's gore, and I have to say, that's one area that "Evil Dead" passes with flying colors. It starts out cringe worthy enough, but tries and succeeds in one-upping itself at every new and creative kill. You definitely don't want to go in with a full stomach.

Another praise for the gore is that most if not all of it is done with practical effects. This basically means that they never use CGI effects for the blood and gore. This makes every cut of skin and pint of blood spilled seem real and hurt even more.

I really enjoyed the new setup to the story. The idea that the person who get's possessed is going through withdraw is a clever idea and allows the characters skepticism to make sense.

All throughout the film, you're wondering who's gonna be the new Ash, the main character from the original "Evil Dead", and the film does a good job at that. It throws a lot of red herrings to throw you off the trail and makes a few of the references and homages seem clever.



CONS
Like most horrors films today, "Evil Dead" suffers from a huge lack of characterization. While the first 20 minutes has a little bit, once they find the book, character development stops completely. All five people become sheep for the slaughter, which takes some impact out of the kills, at least it takes out the emotional punch.

There are a ton of references to the original "Evil Dead" trilogy, from the glaringly obvious to the extremely minors. The biggest problem with the references is that they keep reminding us how inferior this remake is the original. While I would try to separate the two, this version won't let me.



CONCLUSION
I'm sure I know what you're wondering, and I'll answer your questions now. Is it better that the original, no. I never thought it would, and it's not. Is it worth seeing, yes. While it doesn't hold a candle to the original, it's fun on its own and definitely worth seeing with a crowd, or with your friends. Does Bruce Campbell make a cameo? Yes, but it apparently sucks, I didn't stay past the credits to see it. Does that answer your questions?


RATING
RENTABLE

twilight moivie review!!

i'm probably not going to be able to put up a review next weekend so i'll just review this today. this is amovie that id stayed away from for a while and now i see that i was wrong. this is my review of...

plot:

bella is the new girl is town and she's lonely, that is until she meets edward. hes a really sexy vampire and he loves her too. they soon start seeing each other, but the other vampires dont like her and try to stop edward from seeing her but true love wins in the end



pros:

kristein stewart is an amazing actress in this movie, shes full of emotions and chrisma. i know i dissed her in my snow white review but shes amazing in this movie. orsan welles eat your heart out.

the dialouge is surpurp, it feels like were watching real teens talking to each other. move over tarintino, stephinie myers is taking your place as best dialouge writer!

the stroy and plot are very good and interesting. this may the best love story since that last nicholaus sparks movies i saw, the last notebook, or was it dear the vow?


cons

THERE IS NOTHING WORNG WITH THIS MOVIE, WHAT ARE YOU RETARTED ARE SOMETHING, YOU SO GAY AND REATRTED!!!!

conclusion:

twilight is the bestest movie EVAR. ive never seen a movie better than this one. the story is great, the actors are great, its all great. SEE IT NOOOOOWOWWOWOWOWOW

rating:

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT x10000000

And by the way....

APRIL FO-

Why must you interrupt my joke...