Godzilla

Godzilla
2014
Director: Gareth Edwards

I know nada about Godzilla and to be completely up front, I've never seen a Godzilla movie from beginning to end before. Not even that crappy one from 1998... and I only say it's crappy because I think it was universally hated by most people. All I know is that after the first trailer for this reboot and the fact that it starred Walter White, I was sold. Tonight I got to saddle up and take my first ride on the Godzilla train.

Synopsis: I think you can figure it out.

While I really enjoyed myself at the movies tonight, Godzilla wasn't a masterpiece. It's flawed in a lot of ways, mainly the underuse of its acting talents... mainly Bryan Cranston. There are a few lulls in the front end involving humans with their feelings and shit. The film starts to take a big turn after the first hour and the last half become worth the wait.

The special effects are incredible and the monster designs are perfect mostly. Add that up with great direction and you have yourself a fairly pleasing monster movie. It's a fun time and what you'd expect from a blockbuster of its caliber.

My top five scenes:
1. The skydive scene.
2. Cranston's interrogation scene.
3. The opening credits.... loved them.
4. Godzilla flame!
5. Godzilla swimming.

Joe

Joe
(2014)
Director: David Gordon Green (IMDB)

Did you know there is a website called One True God with devoted followers who worship Nicolas Cage? If you Google search "One True God" it's the first thing that pops up. I think Nic Cage is a divisive actor, and for me,  I fall on the worship side. I love the dude. Raising Arizona, Bad Lieutenant POC, Wild at Heart, Con Air... the list goes on. When I found out he was teaming up with David Gordon Green for a new film, I was a little excited.

Synopsis: Joe (Nicolas Cage) is an ex con who runs a tree killing business. He befriends a young boy (Tye Sheridan) after hiring him and soon finds out about his troubling family life.

Joe is a very solid drama and much better than David Gordon Green's last installment Prince Avalanche, you can read my thoughts on that HERE. The film immediately reminded me of other films, especially Mud, mainly because of the location and Tye. Still, I enjoyed this a little more than Mud and found the relationship between Joe and the boy to be genuine. I loved the use of non actors (especially the boy's father and the manager of Joe's work crew) backed against pros like Cage and Sheridan.

Joe is beautifully shot and the score runs pleasantly within the world created on screen. The film paces itself well and the ending, although a little predictable, was satisfying enough.

Joe is available on VOD now. Give it a go, it's worth it.

Only Lovers Left Alive

Only Lovers Left Alive
(2014)
Director: Jim Jarmusch [IMDB]

I watched a copy of this film that was procured from the internet. I know what you're thinking... "that's bad Curtis." You would be right. It was wrong of me to do so and normally I try not too. But here's the thing-- this film has been available to watch online for over a month, but it just got a theatrical release this weekend. It's stupid. Hollywood should just put that shit out there for sale on VOD. I'd much rather buy a high quality download... or heavens forbid they release a blu-ray early. If you don't want pirating, give the consumer options. I'm sorry Hollywood. I'm sorry I watched a bootleg. It was wrong... but I do own over 600 blu-rays... so do you think you could give me a pass? I promise when this is available to buy, I will get it. Cool?

Synopsis: Two modern day vampires deal with living forever.

Jim Jarmusch is a quality film maker, and OLLA continues his streak of successful films. I really dug the angle he took on the vampire genre. It's real easy to see a typical vampire flick and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, I love tons of them. But it's nice to see a director like Jarmusch put a cool spin on that universe. This film isn't scary, it's just a look into the lives of two vampires living in Detroit and how they deal with eternity. I thought Loki was really well cast and I loved the whole troubled musician angle they gave his character. I also thought shooting it in Detroit and Morocco was perfect. The two locations were distinctly different yet both had a strange eerieness to them.

This most reminded me of The Limits of Control, but better. I think if you dig Jarmusch's filmography, you'll like this.

BONUS: Jim Jarmusch's filmography ranked!

1. Mystery Train
2. Stranger Than Paradise
3. Broken Flowers
4. Permanent Vacation
5. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
6. Only Lovers Left Alive
7. Deadman
8. Night on Earth
9. The Limits of Control
10. Coffee and Cigarettes

Nymphomaniac Part I & II

Nymphomaniac Part I & II 
(2014)
Director: Lars von Trier [IMDB]

Everyone likes sex right? At least most people do. So why is there this weird stigma involved with it? Especially with people who bang too much. From the looks of it, Nymphomaniac promised to focus on this issue and knowing Lars von Trier's prior work, I had a feeling it would get pretty uncomfortable, pretty quickly for most people... but not me, cause I'm a freak (just kidding mom.)

Synopsis: A sex addict named Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) recounts her past adventures with a new found friend (Stellan Skarsgard.)

Nymphomaniac was about what I thought it'd be. I don't know if that's good or bad. The first half is absolutely the strongest and going into part two I was hoping that momentum would continue. But it slows a little and the ending was kind of weak. My wife said the ending ruined it for her, but who cares, this is my review. I don't think I would go as far as to say it ruins it, but I do think it didn't need to be there. I found that Joe's story began to lose me after she starts her new job. I don't want to spoil anything, but Joe ends up getting an apprentice and I found all of that storyline to be a tad boring.

One thing that really annoyed me was the constant shifting of aspect ratio throughout the film. It was random and pointless. Outside of that one criticism, I thought the overall construction of the film (editing, cinematography and score) was great.

This is a film that you wouldn't want to watch with your parents, but it's fine for what it is. However out of all the Lars von Trier films I've seen, I think it's my least favorite.




ALSO: Here's the rest of his filmography that I've seen, ranked!

1. Europa
2. Dogville
3. Manderlay
4. Anti-Christ
5. Dancer in the Dark
6. Melancholia
7. Nyphomaniac


Obviously, I haven't seen them all, if you think there's a film I should pop on, lemme know!

Nebraska

Nebraska
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Alexander Payne [IMDB]

I've been to Nebraska on a few occasions in my lifetime. Whenever my travels would have me passing through the cornhusker state I would think to myself "I'm glad I don't live here." The only place that's tolerable there is Omaha, and maybe Lincoln, but outside of that, there's not much. I always find myself wondering who would decide to live in these towns you find yourself looking at, spread out between the farmland on your way out of Omaha. To be far though, I say that about any place outside a major city, in any state. Well Alexander Payne decided to tell you a story about those people. Let's see how good it is.

Synopsis: An old fart hits, what he believes, is the jackpot when he receives a letter in the mail stating he won a million dollars. He decides to head down to Lincoln to retrieve his winnings.

While watching Nebraska I was immediately reminded of David Lynch's The Straight Story, but in black and white. Payne does a fantastic job at bringing you into the story and into the setting of the film. The characters were all pretty believable and the performances were all decent, with the best one coming from Bruce Dern. Before watching Nebraska, I thought the comedy may come from showing you how absurd these hayseeds were going to be, which would be too easy. While there is a little of that (the two cousins mainly), Nebraska is relatable and the laughs just come from good writing. The score is subdued and pleasant, while the cinematography was bold but impressionistic at times. In the end, the whole package fit nicely together.

I really enjoyed Nebraska and felt the ending was perfect. It left me with happy feelings... I hate those stupid happy feelings. It's well worth your time and I believe it will be out on blu-ray by the end of the month.

12 O'Clock Boys

12 O'Clock Boys
(2014) [Trailer]
Director: Lotfy Nathan [IMDB]

My first review of a 2014 release. Let it soak in, feel it in all its glory. I actually heard about this documentary last year, after it got glowing reviews at Hot Docs. But like most films at Hot Docs, I had to wait until it got a wide release to sample it, which was this week when it open in theaters and VOD. So here we go.

Synopsis: This doc follows Pug, a young boy in a shitty Baltimore neighborhood who is trying his hardest to join a local dirt bike gang called... The 12 O'Clock Boys.

This documentary and the view into the world of Pug and The 12 O'Clock Boys is awesome. Lotfy Nathan does a fantastic job just capturing everything as it is and letting the pieces fall where they may. It's unbiased in its aim and allows the viewer to ride along with the boys and see what their life is all about. Whether or not you agree with them, it's still worth the trip.

Construction-wise, this piece hits a lot of sweet cinematic notes and elevates the documentary genre a little higher than normal. I gotta say, there's not much I can think of to rag on.. maybe it could have focused on some of the other members a little more. Then again, maybe it didn't need to.

Check it out, it's available on your cable box or Apple TV through video on demand.

Miami Connection

Miami Connection
(1987) [Trailer]
Directors: Woo-sang Park (as Richard Park), Y.K. Kim (uncredited)

So bad it's good. That's a phrase that gets thrown around a bit, especially with Miami Connection. I do believe in that mantra and I love a good shitty movie from time to time. So I made the $15 dollar blind buy on the blu-ray and went all in on this ninja masterpiece.

Synopsis: A Taekwondo rock band (yes, you read that right) are targeted by a group of secret ninjas for extermination... and I'm not really sure why.

This movie is definitely bad. Real bad. The acting is hilarious, it makes the film a comedy. I'm not really sure who told Y.K. Kim (the main protagonist) he could act, but thank God they did, because he sucks in the best way possible. I love that the kung-fu band are all orphans, all live together, play in a band together, and all go to college together at the University of Central Florida (which was made apparent in many scenes). 

The band also plays some pretty sweet tunes including this masterpiece:

There are a slew of weird things about this movie. Things that make no sense. It's fun sitting back and watching it unfold and thinking to yourself "Why? What in the hell were they thinking?" Like why is the black dude always walking around the house with his pants unbuttoned? Or why do the cops show up with guns drawn to an empty parking lot, then seemingly just give up trying to figure out where all the bad guys just went? Great police work there guys.

Or why they decided to film this scene?

This film is a trainwreck, but worth a poke just to see how awfully awesome it is.