The Goonies

The Goonies
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Donner (IMDB)

Another Richard Donner (check out my last review of The Toy) classic, this time it's a team up with Steven Spielberg. The Goonies is one of my all time favorites so this review is gonna be a love fest. If you're a negative dude and hate this movie, you might as well close the page. I probably have seen this movie more than any other but I've never seen it on blu-ray and it was a sort of homecoming if you will.

The Goonies centers around a group of kids in Astoria, Oregon who's parents are about to lose their homes to a new golf course. The kids......Shit I don't need give you a synopsis...you've seen this movie and if you haven't, you're an idiot.

There's so much I love about this movie. It starts right out the gate with action and grabs your attention, from there it never let's go. There's so much Spielberg all over the place, and it's awesome. Thrills, traps, adventure, pirates, freaks, geeks, and friendship all wrapped up in a neat little pill. I don't know if my love for this movie is tied to nostalgia or what, but I don't care either way.

The transfer to blu-ray is incredible. It's never looked so good.

FYI I'm gonna start calling my money 'rich stuff' from now on!

The Toy

The Toy
(1982) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Donner (IMDB)

This was a movie I loved watching as a kid. I haven't seen it in over 20 years...geez that make me sound old and shitty. I guess I am old and shitty. Fuck it. Anyways...I love Richard Pryor. Always have and always will, so I had a feeling this movie would hold up over time.

The Toy is about a rich millionaire (played by Jackie Gleason) who has a spoiled ass kid (the same kid who got his tongue stuck to the pole in A Christmas Story.) Richard Prior is an out of work writer who's cleaning up a department store owned by Jackie Gleason. One night Jackie's son sees Richard prior and decides he wants to buy him to play with. Richard reluctantly agrees. The two eventually form a friendship and start to drive Jackie Gleason crazy.

There's all the notes of a classic early 80's comedy in this and Richard Donner's direction is great. I love the psychical comedy bits and Pryor is just awesome to watch. There were some cheesy parts here and there but I got over it. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but a good watch on a lazy day. I'm glad I checked it out again, it was a good time.

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men
(1957) [Trailer]
Director: Sidney Lumet (IMDB)

I love Sidney Lumet as a director and I've honestly enjoyed every film I've seen of his. I saw 12 Angry Men a long time ago and remember liking it quite a bit, but honestly my memory was a litte fuzzy on the movie. So needless to say when I saw it got Criterion's blu-ray treatment I was excited to pick it up and revisit this film.

12 Angry Men is about 12 jurors picked to sit in on a murder case. The defendant is charged with killing his father with a switch blade...gangsta! If convicted he'll be sentenced to death. The jury has to come back with a unanimous decision of guilty in order for him to be killed. Everyone's thinks he's guilty except one man, juror #8....Henry Fonda! The room slowly starts to turn as Henry drops logic like a Vulcan, and well...lets just say the boy doesn't get the electric chair.

This is what movies are all about. Great direction and story, with acting that is about a perfect as you can get. The movie takes place in one room primarily and is a perfect example of how you don't need crazy set pieces in order to make a winner. It's crazy to think how you can so easily get fried based on how well some slimy lawyer sells your case. This movie really shows the flaws in our justice system but also the flaws within ourselves....I know, deep right.

I would definitely recommend you not sleep on this flick if you haven't seen it yet, and the Criterion transfer to blu-ray really warms the soul.

[Rec] and [Rec] ²

[Rec] and [Rec] ² were very popular over in Europe, so much so that Hollywood decided to remake the first one into Quarantine (starring Dexter's sister.) I've been wanting to check these horror flicks out and see what all the fuss is about. Now I have and will impart my wisdom upon you.

[Rec]
(2007) [Trailer]
Directors: Jaume Balagueró (IMDB), Paco Plaza (IMDB)

[Rec] is a pretty solid horror movie in my book. It rides on the whole "found footage" wave of movies that seem to be popping up everywhere ever since Blair Witch. I know some people are tired of these kinds of films, but I enjoy them if they're done well and take a unique spin on the genre, which [Rec] does.

The story centers around some semi-annoying TV host and her camera guy who are shooting a show on firemen. They follow the firemen on a call for help at an apartment building. Shit gets real when they find out they're quarantined in the building with some not so friendly zombies and have to try and save themselves from becoming snack food for the undead.

Overall I think [Rec] is a pretty decent watch. The movie is definitely suspenseful and pretty creepy. I did have issues with the main girl, she tends to be a little over dramatic at times. I also have a couple of nit pics here and there but nothing that really ruined it for me. I would pick it up from nexflix and check it out if you're in the mood for something scary.



[Rec] ²
(2009) [Trailer]
Directors: Jaume Balagueró (IMDB), Paco Plaza (IMDB)

Unfortunately the follow up to Spain's smash hit is...not so much a smash. I really had high hopes that the directors of [Rec] would be like a fine wine and get better with age, but sadly they were more like Dr Pepper...nice and carbonated at first then flat after a while.

[Rec] ² picks up right where the first part left off. This time around a SWAT team and health inspector enter the quarantined apartment and do battle with the zombies. The team soon realize that the inspector isn't who he appears to be and has carte blanche to carry out a secret mission. This is where the movie takes a turn for the worst. The mission is to find an antidote to the infection causing these zombies...and how do they do that you ask? Well thru the power of God of course. Turns out the inpector is a priest and the zombie infection is actually a demonic plague. Now the zombies can be put on pause with a little hail Mary. To make matter worse they inject some annoying teens into the movie who just happen to find a hidden passage through the sewers into the apartment.

There's a lot I hated about this film and I could definitely lay out a list of shit that didn't work with it. Normally I love a good horror movie with religion in the fold but it seemed to not really work for this one. I really think taking that angle and also bringing the teens into the mix were pointless. They did nothing to elevate the plot, only way it down. The SWAT team were unbelievable. Real trained elite police would have acted much different. I don't know of any police agency that would have sent a team into something like that without being thoroughly briefed or only giving one guy the ability to clear them all to leave. There's some other things that boarder on spoiler territory, so I'll save it. There were some creepy moments here and there but not enough to save this flick.

Devil

Devil
(2010) [Trailer]
Director: John Erick Dowdle (IMDB)

M. Night Shyamalan (writer) is a man people love to hate. Seems recently every one of his movies are slammed hard by critics. It almost makes me want to like his movies just for spite. So did I take that direction with Devil? Read on and find out.

Devil is about five people who picked the wrong elevator to ride. The elevator resides in a building in which someone decided to jump to their death from. According to the story, when someone kills themselves, the Devil comes and kills more people...I think...I'm not sure...shit it's kinda confusing. Anyways, he comes and locks up the people in the elevator and starts to fuck them up. Now the twist is...who in the elevator is the devil? I won't spoil it for you. It's the little boy! Just kidding, there's no little boy in the movie.

I have mixed feelings on this movie, I guess my overall opinion is it's a decent flick. There's some good, not so good, and bad. The opening credits, the score, cinematography are all excellent. When the devil is finally exposed, it's definitely pretty creepy. On the other hand, some of the acting isn't the best but it's serviceable. The super religious guy is definitely a little too over the top. If he's so freaked out, why wouldn't he just peace out that place as soon as he saw the devil? There's this scene with him, involving dropping toast on the floor, it almost turns the movie into a comedy. In the end, I found it to be entertaining. Maybe if it's a option for you on a lazy Sunday afternoon give it a spin.

Exporting Raymond

Exporting Raymond
(2010) [Trailer]
Director: Philip Rosenthal (IMDB)

Philip Rosenthal is the guy who is responsible for Everybody Loves Raymond. Now you either are more then likely going to think...fuck that guy, I hate that show...or....ahhh, I love that show. Either way it wouldn't effect your enjoyment of this film. Well maybe a little, but not a lot.

The basic idea with Exporting Raymond is Phillip trying to take Everyone Loves Raymond over to Moscow and helping the Russians create their version of it (Everyone Loves Kostya). Once the US government finds out about it, they mark Phillip as a Communist, and start to track his every move....Okay I'm kidding about that. He's not a Communist and we're friendly with the Soviets now. Get your head out of the 80's! So back to the plot, Phillip finds himself a fish out of water when he's taken to mother Russia and pitted against the studio execs.

This documentary is excellent at showing the differences in Russian vs US culture. It's fun to see how something so completely simple as dressing Ray's wife in basic house clothes is a huge issue for the Russians. Or how certain jokes, which work here, completely bomb over there. I think Philip can be a little over the top from time to time but overall it's a really cool experience to see him interact, make friends, and try to win over the love of the Ruskies.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
(1975) [Trailer]
Director: Milos Forman (IMDB)

Man where to start with this one? It's been a while since I last saw this film, a little too long if you ask me...you didn't, but I'm telling you. I picked it up awhile ago on blu-ray and decided to give it another run. This is such a solid film, I would say perfect almost. I really can't think of how they could make it any better, so I guess that means it's prefect right?

This stars Jack Nicholson and a whole host of other amazing actors up in there. You got Danny Devito, you got the evil grandma from Flowers in the Attic, you got Jeff Spicoli's science teacher from Ridgemont High, you got the evil guy from Lord of the Rings, and you got Dr Emmett Brown! Definitely a pleasing line up. The story begins when Jack gets moved from a real prison into a mental ward. You're not too sure if he's really crazy or not, but then again, aren't we all a little crazy. He starts to become the alpha male of the group and also pissing off the Nursing staff quite a bit. There's a lot of depth to the story from there and I'll save you the heartache of me trying to break it down into detail.

This movie is a prefect example of a drama that infuses comedy, but not to the point where you'd say it's a comedy. It's really interesting to see Jack Nicholson at work in this film. I'm pretty sure he received an Oscar for this, which is well deserved. The shock therapy scene is insane, I can't tell if they really shocked or did something to him. It's very believable. To watch his character go from thinking, he landed himself into an easy gig, to realizing that the ward was just a fucked as prison, is a very engaging story. I can't recommend this movie enough.