12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys
1995 [Trailer]
Director: Terry Gillam (IMDB)


Synopsis: Bruce Willis travels to the past to try and unlock the mystery behind a plague that almost wiped out the entire human race.

This was one of my favorite movies back in high school... but that doesn't mean much because I was a retard back then. I'm kidding, I was fucking awesome and liked radical movies. Anyways, I had not seen 12 Monkeys since the 90's and I figure it was about time to revisit it, so I picked up the blu on the cheap from the old trusty amazon.com.

This is my favorite Gillam film and it really showcases what the director is all about. Huge visuals with a strange tone that rides the line between acid trips and nightmares. I would recommend you check out the behind the scenes documentary that's in the extras, it'll provide amazing insite to the whole film and give you a better understanding of the kind of perfectionist Gillam is. Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe are both excellent, but Brad Pitt steals the show for me and would have fit nicely along side the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

This is an incredible film and it really holds up nicely, I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.

Blow Out

Blow Out
1981 [Trailer]
Director: Brian De Palma (IMDB)

Synopsis: A movie sound guy (John Travolta) stumbles across an accident which he recorded. Turns out it wasn't an accident and he starts to put the pieces together to solve a murder.

John Travolta seems like a cool guy or at least he used too. Now he seems like a weird airplane pilot with a creepy grin. Blow Out shows Travolta at his best... well... second best next to Pulp Fiction. If I were John Travolta and I was on Facebook, I would make this image my cover photo.

Visually this movie is pretty impressive. I loved a lot of the cinematography and De Palma occasionally incorporates the use of this split screen effect that really worked for me (reference that image above for an example.) There's also a lot of interesting mechanical shots interwoven throughout which gave this quasi training video feel to the film at times. The story is something out of an old crime noir but set in late 70's Philadelphia. There were some slow moments here and there but overall I'm glad I picked this up on Criterion Blu!

Bernie

Bernie
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater (IMDB)

Synopsis: Bernie (Jack Black) is a eccentric funeral director in a small town in Texas who befriends the most hated woman in town... Shirley Maclaine.

10 minutes into this film and one thing was overly apparent, Dick Linklater is paying heavy homage to Errol Morris. This feels like a fictional film blended with a nice dose of Vernon, Florida or Gates of Heaven. Just like those two films, this movie is chop full of quirky characters and small town charm. I thought it was cool that he mixed up professional actors with real people, kind of a blend of fiction and documentary. I generally like Linklater's films and this installment is really no different. It's not laugh out loud funny, but pleasant and easy to sit through. Jack Black really pulls out a very impressive performance, I'd say one of his best that I've seen. This is available on blu-ray and VOD now.

After Hours

After Hours
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Martin Scorsese (IMDB)

Synopsis: A Manhattanite has the night of his life when he travels down to SoHo to meet up with a girl he barely knows anything about.

This is one of Scorsese's lesser known titles but still should not be disregarded. Actually no Scorsese film should be. I actually quite enjoyed this film and thought it was a unique addition to his filmography. It almost plays out like an episode of Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm where one event plays into another and then you get the callbacks later into the story. It stars the guy from American Werewolf in London and he was pretty decent, you also have cameos by Kevin's parents from the classic... HOME ALONE! There's nothing really earth shattering here, just a really solid film that's pretty entertaining.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(1966) [Trailer]
Director: Mike Nichols (IMDB)

One of my best buds, Terrence David, recommended this film to me. Thanks Terrence... are you out there reading this? I hope so, thanks for recommending this fucked up movie to me you weirdo.

Synopsis: A husband and wife get drunk, say screwed up shit to one another and also invite some friends over to join in the fun.

Terrence you still there? I was kidding... this is a wonderful movie and I loved every last minute of it. It's pretty unconventional and I can't think of anything that's even remotely in the same ball park. Its strengths lay in the writing and acting of everyone involved. What Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton pull off is perfect... seriously, I couldn't see anyone else even coming close to their performance. When you think of a typical couple from the 60's, these two are about as far from that as you can get, but that's what I loved about Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. It's so honest and realistic in it's portrayal of a couple who may or may not be so honest and realistic. I can't recommend this film enough and will definitely be picking up a copy for a rewatch in the near future.

A Tale of Two Sisters

A Tale of Two Sisters
(2003) [Trailer]
Director: Jee-Woon Kim (IMDB)

I think I added this into my Netflix instant queue because I had seen Jee-Woon Kim's I Saw The Devil and really enjoyed it. My wife saw it in the queue and decided to throw it on because she wanted to watch something scary. There were many times during this film that she cowered into my pillow, so I think she made a good pick.

Synopsis: A young girl returns from the nuthouse, her family has to deal with her and also a mysterious apparition.

I am kind of torn on this movie. Part of me liked it, the other part did not.

The execution of the film is next to perfect. Cinematography is about a good as it gets. The score is eerie and the acting is all spot on. Kim was able to create a very creepy vibe throughout and I especially liked how dark everything feels.

The plot is a bit convoluted and left me scratching my head. So much so that both my wife and I had to look up the synopsis on IMDB and see exactly what the fuck just happened. I kinda of understood most of it before looking it up, but there's still a ton of unanswered questions (even after looking it up.) This film as impores the use of a very played out theme in Asian horror, THIS GIRL (illustration by yours truly.)

I don't know, I feel like a rewatch may be in store for the future, until then judge for yourself.

Jaws

Jaws
(1975) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Spielberg (IMDB)

I have made no secret of my love for Steven Spielberg (director) on this blog before. Some of my favorite movies of all time have had him involved and in terms of horror Jaws is definitely one of the best.

Synopsis: Like you don't already know.

This is more of a review of the recently released blu-ray for Jaws. Anyone that wants to know why blu-ray is awesome and why they should get rid of their shit DVD's, watch this. I saw Jaws a few months back through On Demand and the differences between that viewing and this one are night and day. The transfer is immaculate and one of the best that I've seen... it looks like it was filmed yesterday.

I don't think there will ever be a reason to move onto another format after blu-ray. If studios just took the right kind of time to clean up older releases that's all you'd need. There is no way this film could look any better.

Oh yeah... as for the film. It's awesome obviously and definitely holds up. I'm pretty sure everyone out there above the age of 25 has probably seen this, if you haven't, go ahead and treat yourself.