Hall Pass

Hall Pass
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Bobby Farrelly (IMDB), Peter Farrelly (IMDB)

Are you married? Do you check out other people? Have you ever wanted to cheat on your spouse with another person? Have you ever visited this SITE? If you've answered yes to any of the following questions then Hall Pass is the comedy for you.

The plot is pretty easy, two guys are given 'hall passes' to hook up with other chicks for a week because they're wives are tired of them being douche bags. Owen Wilson and that Jason Sudeikis (aka the guy from SNL) are set free, but do they have the kahunas to pull it off?

This movie wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be based off the trailer I saw last year. Sure the plot is retarded and pretty unrealistic but they manage to make it entertaining enough. It's pretty tame for the first 40 minutes, but starts getting pretty raunchy halfway through it. They're a couple of really funny parts: one involving Jason Sudeikis jerking _ *censored* _ and the the police and the other involving a big black _ *censored* _ and a small white _ *censored* _. This movie definitely could have been better, especially if they made it shorter and a little more believable, but I didn't hate it. It's available on HBO On Demand.

The Rambo Collection - First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo

I bought the Rambo Collection on blu-ray awhile back and have been meaning to get up with some buddies of mine to have a marathon, today was that day. Rambo is iconic, every kid growing up in the 80's that was into action movies liked these films. If you didn't, you're only lying to yourself man. I wanted a survival knife and bow & arrow immediately after watching Part II, you know... just in case I got lost in Virginia Beach.

First Blood
(1982) [Trailer]
Director: Ted Kotcheff (IMDB)

John Rambo is a Special Forces solider who returns to the U.S. after Nam to find the place he left isn't so welcoming. Brian Dennehy is a local cop, and he's a real dick. He arrests Rambo for walking through town, takes him in, and basically has his men torture Rambo. Rambo breaks out like Shawshank, steals a motorcycle and flees to the woods where he uses his survival techniques and fucks up anyone that comes near him.

This movie ranks in at number 3 for me. The first 30 mins are a little slow, but once he hits the woods, it's on. The different survival elements and traps he uses are bad ass. Brian Dennehy is a bit over the top, and some of the acting is spotty here and there. Other then that, it holds up nicely. Stallone is great, and the mental break down at the end is impressive.





Rambo: First Blood Part 2
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: George P. Cosmatos (IMDB)

Rambo is released from prison on the condition that he goes back to Vietnam to help save POWs. His drop into enemy territory goes FURBAR but with the help a local girl he finds his way to the prison camp. He saves a prisoner, but not before getting screwed over by the government and left for dead.... but no one kills John Rambo.

This is definitely number 1 for me. I've seen this too many times to remember and as a kid, I sweated Rambo so hard in this movie. The action is the best... He blows shit up... He stabs shit up... shoots shit up... and arrows people to death. That's right... he arrows them bastards. It's awesome and the best scenes are as follows: The exploding arrow to the head of the guy that kills Rambo's girl (sorry spoiler), Rambo hiding in the mud, and Rambo dragging the guy under the tree. There's more but I have
two other movies to review.





Rambo III
(1988) [Trailer]
Director: Peter MacDonald (IMDB)

Rambo is sent into Afghanistan to fight the Taliban... no wait, that would be this movie if it was made in 2oo1. We were helping the Afghans in the 80's... right. So yeah, he goes and helps the locals Afghans fight the Russians.

This secures 4th place, not that it's a bad movie, it's just not that great. I felt like Rambo just didn't work in the desert and mountains, he needs to be hiding in the trees. I hate the little kid in this, he's a bad addition and shouldn't have been involved. He comes in and fucks the mission up, then after getting his little ass saved by Rambo, he has the nerve to ask to go back and fight with him. I did love the cave scenes however, and enjoyed watching Rambo pick off each guy one by one. The helicopter playing chicken with the tank was ridiculous.






Rambo
(2008) [Trailer]
Director: Sylvester Stallone (IMDB)

Rambo is living out his days at a retirement home when... just kidding, he's settled in Thailand and keeping things low key. A church group wants to go into war torn Burma and hires Rambo as a guide in. When Rambo leaves the mission they end up getting more then they bargained for. Instead of praying to God for help, Rambo and friends are hired back by the church to go in and save the day.

I must admit, when I first heard about Stallone reprising the role of Rambo 20 years after part 3, I was a bit concerned for the franchise, boy was I dumb. This is neck and neck with part two in my book, and I think the only reason two wins, is because of nostalgia. Rambo realizes in this film that he's a killer, and embraces it. This leads to some of the best kill scenes I've seen in the movies. Best kills: Rambo clearing out 4 guys with a handgun is under 5 seconds on the boat, Rambo shooting arrows through the faces and heads of about 7 guys, Rambo ripping a dudes throat out, Rambo using a home made machete and cutting a man's head off, and finally the second he picks up the .50 caliber machine gun in the back of the jeep and starts to plow down everyone is cinematic gold.

Shit I forgot, Rambo disemboweling the main bad guy, that was pretty sweet too.

Maniac

Maniac
(1980) [Trailer]
Director: William Lustig (IMDB)

New York City was scary as shit in the late 70's. It's definitely cleaned itself up a lot. I know I wouldn't have wanted to live here back then, but when I watch movies like Maniac or The Warriors, part of me kinda wishes I did.

Maniac is the first in a string of slasher movies made by William Lustig, who's widely known as one of the best in the genre. It's stars Joe Spinell, who's a psychopath into killing girls. He's also into taking their scalps and nailing them into mannequins... happy times. It's pretty straight forward... he goes, he finds, he kills.

I must say I was really surprised by this film. I'd never seen it before and just thought it was some cheesy 80's horror flick. It's much more gritty and realistic in my opinion. Joe Spinell was so perfect in the role, he definitely comes across as some insane local I would see walking around the city. The special effects by the famous Tom Savini are awesome, especially the shotgun scene. I really loved this movie, and if you wanna check it out, it's on Netflix Instant right HERE.

Fargo

Fargo
(1996) [Trailer]
Directors: Ethan Coen (IMDB), Joel Coen (IMDB)

I've traveled to every state in the U.S. except for Montana, Idaho, South and North Dakota. I've, at some point, got to go to those 4 bad boys so I can knock that crap off my bucket list. I've been compiling a list of shit to do in each state, but I'm running into a little issue, there's nothing to see in North Dakota except.... you guessed it... Fargo. Oh wait, you didn't guess it, oh well.

This is the story of Jerry Lundegaard (William H Macy) and how much of an idiot he is. Jerry hires Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife so Jerry can collect the ransom money from her rich father. Carl and Gaear end up abducting her but are pulled over by a state trooper in route to their hide out, they kill him and two other unfortunate passerbyers who witness the murder. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a local cop, is called in to investigate and she starts to unravel the crime.

I'll start by saying this movie is perfect, and I wouldn't change anything about it. I've seen it many times and feel the same way after viewing it. The Coen Brothers know how to tell a story, and this is them at their best (also reference THIS). The performances of everyone are so well executed, you feel drawn into the quirky little world they've created and it seems so believable. I love how you know shits going to go south immediately from the very first line of dialog in this film, and boy does it ever get screwed up. This story also has a great little juxtaposition, Jerry's family is ruined because of his greed and yet Marge's family (her husband and soon to be baby) are completely happy living within their means. Mo money, Mo problems! Hopefully you've already seen this, if you haven't you really should right away.

Take Shelter

Take Shelter
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Jeff Nichols (IMDB)

People with my name rule. Curtis is a great name and I think it's the best ever. I bet you wish you had it... sorry you do not. I rule.

Curtis (not me, but Michael Shannon) is an average joe raising a family in rural Ohio. One day he starts having premonitions of an on coming apocalyptic storm. His visions come to him in his dreams primarily and they start to get pretty fucked up. Curtis thinks he has a mental illness, because of his mother, who's insane. He takes it upon himself to start pimping out his storm shelter in the back yard, just in case he's not nuts. As time passes he gets a little more insane, or is he normal and everyone else is insane, I guess you'll have to watch and find out.

This movie was at the top of the list of films I wanted to see last year but never got the chance too. I loved this, and had I seen it last year, it could have possibly made my top ten, and definitely my honorable mentions. It's got all the right elements I need in a movie. It's suspenseful and creepy. It's beautifully shot and the score is eerie. Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are perfect in it. The story is original and well executed. It's just a really solid film, and holds your attention throughout. It's on VOD and blu-ray so what are you waiting for?

The Interrupters

The Interrupters
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Steve James (IMDB)

I'm a lucky guy. I grew up in a great neighborhood, I have two parents that love me very much, and I love them. I'm fortunate. Sadly, there's a tons of people who can't say the same thing. It's a shit world, but there's still a glimmer of hope.

The Interrupters are a group of Chicago based activists that hit the rough city streets in order to stop gang violence. They are all ex gang bangers who want to try and make their city a safer place to live.

This documentary is awesome. I missed it in the theaters last year, and have been trying to track it down ever since. It was really hard to find until Frontline on PBS aired it for free the other night and my good friend alerted me about it. It's extremely captivating, powerful, and I felt like crying a few times while watching this... that's right, I'm not afraid to admit that. I would highly recommend you watch this and you can do so if you have PBS or it's on their website for free right HERE.

A Woman is a Woman

A Woman is a Woman
(1961) [Trailer]
Director: Jean-Luc Godard (IMDB)

Strippers need love too. They're people just like you and me. They bleed when they are cut, they cry when they are stung, they cough when they are sick. The plight of the stripper is an age old tale and in this next film, Jean-Luc Godard explores the untold story of this seedy industry. Not really, I just thought that sounded cool.

Angela is a stripper in Paris who is dying to have a baby. Problem is Emile, her boyfriend, does not. She is presented with the option of sleeping with Alfred, Emile's BFF. She's a stripper, what do you think she does?

This film is really cool. It's definitely ahead of it's time, and the style and subject matter are pretty out there for the early 6o's. Jean-Luc's direction is awesome. His use of bold colors, quick cuts, and abrupt starting/stopping of the score make for a very unique film. It's was interesting how many times he took the characters out of the film, and had them interact directly with the audience with little winks and nods. There's also ton's of cool ideas and images that reoccur in the film. I like how there's always a couple making out at the entrance to their apartment, or whenever Angela and Emile are in bed arguing, when they turn the lights off then back on again, Angela is on the other side of the bed sitting up. I loved this and would recommend it or Breathless as a good starting point for Godard. It's available on Netflix Instant, if you have it, go HERE!

Commando

Commando
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Mark L. Lester (IMDB)

It's Valentine's Day and the air is thick with love and romance. Couples everywhere are sitting by candle light and whispering sweet nothings to one another. I'm sitting here watching Commando with my wife. You can take all that commercial bullshit and shove it, real love is watching Arnold use a machine gun to plow down bad guys with your soul mate.

Matrix (aka Arnold) is a ex commando living out his days peacefully with his daughter Alyssa Milano. This group of bad guys from Val Verde steal Alyssa away from Arnold to force him to take an assassin job to kill the president of Val Verde. Arnold escapes and with the help of Rae Dawn Chong, enacts vengeance on the captures.

This is one of my favorite action movies ever made, starring my favorite action star of all time, so obviously this is gonna be a love fest. Let me start by saying, I realize this isn't a perfect movie, but I don't care... it's perfect to me. There's so many amazing quote from this movie, and they're like a fine wine, they just get better with age. The action is so over the top, it's pretty fucking ridiculous, and I love it. I can watch this movie at any time and be in hog heaven. I love the montage of him loading up his arsenal for war, the close up shots are the best ever. Marry that with an amazing score and you have the perfect action movie. Seriously, if you haven't seen this movie yet, you're an idiot.... go... now...see it.

The Stuff

The Stuff

(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Larry Cohen (IMDB)

I decided last night, before bed, that I'd pick a random old horror movie from Netflix instant to watch. I went ahead with this selection. Why you ask? Because look at that cover art!

The Stuff is a new food sensation taking the country by storm. It looks like yogurt or mayo but it's much more addictive. Michael Moriarty is sent in from the Fed to investigate this strange new food's alluring appeal. Turns out it's a evil ooze that puts people into a weird almost zombie like psychosis.

This is definitely a campy 80's horror movie that has a lot of comedic elements and would make a good double bill with something like The Blob or Killer Clowns from Outerspace. It's a little slow to get going and there are lots of cheesy parts. Part of me felt like I had seen it before, who knows, I used to watch lots of horror movies as a kid. I did like Michael Moriarty in this, he was a little over the top but still enjoyable and his performance stood out. There's also some parts featuring Pauly and Sal. Overall it was ok I guess, I just really wanted to see more gore and more of The Stuff killing people.

Star Trek: The Evens (II, IV, VI)

My wife is out of town and that means I can hook up with a bunch of....... Star Trek movies. What did you think I was gonna say? Being a Trekkie of sorts, and her hating Star Trek, I figured this would be a prefect time to revisit three of my favorite movies from the original series... II, IV, VI... AKA 'the evens' (I coined that phrase, ask permission before using it, thanks.)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(1982) [Trailer]
Director: Nicholas Meyer (IMDB)

Captain Kirk is no longer the Captain of the enterprise, he's an Admiral at Starfleet, and hating it. He just so happens to be called back aboard the Enterprise for a training cruise. Meanwhile, another federation ship called the Reliant, has been hijacked by Khan, a crazy guy Captain Kirk screwed over 15 years ago. Khan gains control of a dangerous weapon and Kirk is called back to the helm to face his old foe.

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. I remember the critter going inside Chekov's ear as being one of the scariest things I'd ever seen. It still fucks me up. This is one of the best sci-fi films made in my book. I could re-watch it over and over. I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but I love it. The special effects hold up, especially on blu-ray and the score is phenomenal. Ricardo Montalban as Khan is awesome, he's one of my favorite villains of all time. If you like Star Trek, I'm sure you'll agree, If you don't like Star Trek, you're an asshole... I'm kidding. No I'm not... sorry Wife.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
(1986) [Trailer]
Director: Leonard Nimoy (IMDB)

The gang is all back and this time they're in a Bird of Prey! My favorite Star Trek ship! I know what you're thinking, that I'm a dork, you would be correct. There's a strange probe that's found its way to Earth and is threatening to evaporate the oceans. It's emitting a noise and the team figure out it's an interpretation of a humpback whale's song. Only problem is, there are no whales left for the probe to communicate with. So Kirk and Co. go back in time, find whales, and bring them back to the 23rd century... hopefully.

This was the highest grossing installment of the franchise
(until JJ Abrams reboot in 2009) and overall I'd say the most popular. It's good, but there are some flaws here and there. It's really fun to see the crew in the 21st century, and the time travel element was interesting. It's kind of lame how easy it was for them to go back in time, but whatever, I got over it. When I saw this as a kid I thought the effects where mind blowing (especially the Bird of Prey) and they still hold up for the most part. All and All, it was okay, and gets a passing grade. This Guy would love this movie.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
(1991) [Trailer]
Director: Nicholas Meyer (IMDB)

The Klingons are fucked. They have no more resources to keep them afloat and they're on a path to ruin. The Federation are trying to broker a deal for peace and decide to send Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise in to mediate. The negotiations don't go as planned and Kirk and Dr McCoy are taken prisoner by the Klingons. They're sentenced to life in prison for a crime they didn't commit and have to escape to clear their name.

Man... what a good movie. It blends sci-fi, a dash of a police procedural, and mystery all into one... plus, there's a pretty sweet prison break too. There's an obvious allegory to the end of Cold World between the States and mother Russia, which was pretty cool to see played out between Humans and Klingons. To watch Kirk, and others, get over their prejudices and learn to trust their old enemy, was really well executed on screen. Just like any Star Trek films involving Nicholas Meyer, the direction, effects, and score were all top notch. Take time to check this out if you haven't, it's really good, trekkie or not.