Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The African Queen


The African Queen
(1951) [Trailer]
Director: John Huston [IMDB]

This review is a long time coming. I picked this up on blu-ray awhile back and have been meaning to get to it. I've reviewed a few John Huston films on here before and they are always a hit, so I was definitely excited to sit down with this classic.

Synopsis: Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn slowly start to  gain feelings for one another as they set course down river on the African Queen to do battle against a German river boat during WWI.

John Huston is an extremely entertaining director. All his films I've seen thus far are always jam packed with excitement and interest. The African Queen is no different. It feels timeless and solid, taking no time to unfold.

One of the greatest strengths of this film is its location. The scenes of the river flowing through Africa really look incredible in 1080p and the blu-ray is a must for any real collector.

Bogart and Hepburn's chemistry works in a weird way. At first she has a prudish vibe to her and acts like his boss. Slowly that fades and wonderment of the African river takes her over, making her drop her facade. I think it's then that Bogart sees the real person before him that he falls for. It all plays out so smoothly and locks you in.

I'm a fan of this title and like all the Huston film's I've seen, it has huge rewatch potential.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Adam Shankman [IMDB]

Check this video out real quick... did you watch it? How bad ass is that intro? I love Game of Thrones and it's back in full swing as of last night. You may be asking yourself "What the hell does this have to do with Rock of Ages?" Well... last night after I finished up with the season premier of Game of Thrones, HBO decided to throw on Rock of Ages. I was taking care of a few things online (porn) when I looked up and realized it was on. It was late and I was ready for bed... but it was like a train wreck in front of me and I couldn't turn away.

Synopsis: A musical that uses every 80's hair metal song ever, set to the story of the undeniable love of a hick girl and a rockinroller.

Man... this movie was really bad.... like, extremely bad. It's actually somewhat hard to put into words. You ever see something that's so cringe worthy and awful, that you're almost embarrassed to be watching it? That's this movie. Tom Cruise, who I'm normally a fan of, is so cheesy in this. If I could, I would have gone through the screen and punched Russell Brand in the face... that guy is the worst.

I guess there are people out there who love this kind of stuff, but I'm not one of them. I will give this film some credit, I watched a little over half of it before I couldn't take it anymore. I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT! NO... I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT... I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT... ANYMOREEEEE!  (click link to further bad joke)




Room 237


Room 237
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Rodney Ascher [IMDB]

I consider The Shining one of the greatest horror films of all time. Not too long ago I reviewed it, which you can read HERE. The reason I actually decided to rewatch it in October was because I saw the trailer for this documentary and it peaked my interest. I finally got the chance to check it out... now I will pass along my knowledge to you... the reader... enjoy.

Synopsis: There are a lot of people out there who have a lot of theories behind the "real" meaning of The Shining... Room 237 explores those theories.

Room 237 is a compelling doc and for a fan of The Shining, it's interesting to see a lot of the hidden messages that people have picked up on. The one big problem for me was the "messages" or secret meanings don't really add up to anything significant. They are certainly entertaining, but open for extreme criticism. You know those conspiracy guys like Alex Jones... imagine that dude was a huge Kubrick fan and also went to film school, those are the kind of people you have in Room 236. Don't get me wrong, it's fascinating, I just don't think most of it holds any weight.

One other problem I have with this documentary is its construction. It feels a bit cheap and unprofessional. Almost like some dudes with iMovie got a bunch of Kubrick clips and threw this together.

There's a few really awesome moments in Room 237. I really dug the imagery they got when the film was ran backwards and forwards at the same time. I also enjoyed a lot of irregularities they found throughout the film.

If you're a fan of The Shining, I recommend this. It opened wide this week so you should be able to find it near by.