Thursday, April 10, 2008

Primary Colors

AKA:
Mit aller Macht (Germany)

Written by:
Joe Klein
Elaine May

Directed by:
Mike Nichols

Made in:
France, UK, Germany, USA & Japan in 1998

Actors:
John Travolta ... Governor Jack Stanton
Emma Thompson ... Susan Stanton
Billy Bob Thornton ... Richard Jemmons
Kathy Bates ... Libby Holden
Adrian Lester ... Henry Burton
Maura Tierney ... Daisy Green
Larry Hagman ... Gov. Fred Picker

Plot:
Jack Stanton is running for president. The election is seen through the eyes of young Henry Burton. Along the way Stanton must deal with a sex scandal. IMDB

Review:
An entertaining movie. Nothing really unexpecting, but some very fun dialog, and Billy Bob Thorton's character is fun, to say the least. :)

The Car

AKA:
DeathMobile
Wheels

Written by:
Michael Butler

Directed by:
Elliot Silverstein

Made in:
USA in 1977

Actors:
James Brolin ... Wade Parent
Kathleen Lloyd ... Lauren
John Marley ... Everett
R.G. Armstrong ... Amos Clements
John Rubinstein ... John Morris
Elizabeth Thompson ... Margie
Roy Jenson ... Ray Mott
Kim Richards ... Lynn Marie
Kyle Richards ... Debbie
Kate Murtagh ... Miss McDonald
Robert Phillips ... Metcalf
Doris Dowling ... Bertha
Henry O'Brien ... Chas
Eddie Little Sky ... Denson
Lee McLaughlin ... Marvin Fats

Plot:
A sleek, possessed car terrorizes everyone it comes in contact with. IMDB

Review:
NOT that bad of a movie!! I've seen much, much worse.

A silly plot, but the acting really isn't that bad, and the dialog is enjoyable. It starts out really cheesy, but it gets better. :) And considering how old it is, the special effects are really, really good!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Memento

Written by:
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Directed by:
Christopher Nolan

Made in:
USA in 2000

Actors:
Guy Pearce ... Leonard
Carrie-Anne Moss ... Natalie
Joe Pantoliano ... Teddy Gammell
Mark Boone Junior ... Burt
Russ Fega ... Waiter
Jorja Fox ... Leonard's Wife
Stephen Tobolowsky ... Sammy
Harriet Sansom Harris ... Mrs. Jankis
Thomas Lennon ... Doctor
Callum Keith Rennie ... Dodd
Kimberly Campbell ... Blonde
Marianne Muellerleile ... Tattooist
Larry Holden ... Jimmy

Plot:
Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator whose memory has been damaged following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife's murder. His quality of life has been severely hampered after this event, and he can now only live a comprehendable life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera. The movie is told in forward flashes of events that are to come that compensate for his unreliable memory, during which he has liaisons with various complex characters. Leonard badly wants revenge for his wife's murder, but, as numerous characters explain, there may be little point if he won't remember it in order to provide closure for him. The movie veers between these future occurrences and a telephone conversation Leonard is having in his motel room in which he compares his current state to that of a client whose claim he once dealt with. IMDB

Review:
Extremely confusing! But well worth it.

The first minutes are confusing, and then it is easy going until about 3/4ths of the way through, and then you don't care about continuity anymore, you are more just interested in what is going to happen.

Fantastic film! Definitely should see it.
At one point, you question about what is real and fiction. What is made up memory and just a game. Is he really out for revenge, or does he enjoy his memory-loss hunting game?!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Juno

Written by:
Diablo Cody

Directed by:
Jason Reitman

Made in:
USA, Canada & Hungary in 2007

Actors:
Ellen Page ... Juno MacGuff
Michael Cera ... Paulie Bleeker
Jennifer Garner ... Vanessa Loring
Jason Bateman ... Mark Loring
Allison Janney ... Bren MacGuff
J.K. Simmons ... Mac MacGuff
Olivia Thirlby ... Leah

Plot:
Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff is the type of girl that beats to her own drummer, and doesn't really care what others may think of her. She learns that she's pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Juno and Paulie like each other, but don't consider themselves to be exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend let alone be ready to be a family complete with child. Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is fairly pragmatic about her situation... IMDB

Review:
I love this movie!

The dialog is fantastic.
It is witty, funny, cute, and all that stuff inbetween.

A good movie for teens, but I really think that anyone can enjoy it.
It is a sweet movie. I'm usually not a fan of "sweet" movies but this movie is extremely entertaining. And worth watching!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Spies Like Us

Written by:
Dan Aykroyd
Dave Thomas

Directed by:
John Landis

Made in:
USA in 1985

Actors:
Chevy Chase ... Emmett Fitz-Hume
Dan Aykroyd ... Austin Millbarge
Steve Forrest ... General Sline
Donna Dixon ... Karen Boyer
Bruce Davison ... Ruby
Bernie Casey ... Colonel Rhumbus
William Prince ... Keyes
Tom Hatten ... General Miegs
Frank Oz ... Test Monitor
Charles McKeown ... Jerry Hadley
James Daughton ... Bob Hodges
Jim Staahl ... Bud Schnelker

Plot:
Two totally incompetent applicants, Emmett Fitzhume and Austin Millbarge, are chosen from a CIA recruitment program. They are parachuted into Pakistan and eventually end up in Afghanistan, chased by the Russians, where they learn they are being used as decoys to draw out the Sovet defenses. Two real spies are sent in. Their mission is to Hijack a soviet Missile launcher, launch the Soviet missile and test the new US orbital defence laser. The missile is fired and while heading for an American City, the laser system misses it's target. The contingency plan for this scenario, as set out by the Pentagon Nuts who planned it from deep within a secret underground bunker, is to let the 3rd World War happen anyway. IMDB

Review:
Why can't they make movies like this anymore?!

A hilarious comedy full of dry humor.
Silly scenes, over-the-top acting and witty dialog.

An 80's hit that you have to see.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Date Movie

Written by:
Jason Friedberg
Aaron Seltzer

Directed by:
Aaron Seltzer

Made in:
USA & Switzerland in 2006

Actors:
Alyson Hannigan ... Julia Jones
Adam Campbell ... Grant Fockyerdoder
Sophie Monk ... Andy
Eddie Griffin ... Frank Jones
Meera Simhan ... Linda Jones
Fred Willard ... Bernie Fockyerdoder
Jennifer Coolidge ... Roz Fockyerdoder
Marie Matiko ... Betty
Judah Friedlander ... Nicky
Carmen Electra ... Anne
Tony Cox ... Hitch
Mauricio Sanchez ... Eduardo / Housekeeper
Beverly Polcyn ... Old Cat Woman
Valery M. Ortiz ... Jell-O (as Valery Ortiz)
Charlie Dell ... Justice of the Peace (as Charles Dell)

Plot:
Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan) has found the perfect guy, the very-British and very-unfortunately-named Grant Fockyerdoder (Adam Campbell). But before they can have their Big Fat Greek Wedding, they must Meet the Parents, hook up with The Wedding Planner, and contend with Grant's friend Andy (Sophie Monk) who wants to put an end to her Best Friend's Wedding. IMDB

Review:
No.

Monday, March 3, 2008

3:10 to Yuma

Written by:
Halsted Welles
Michael Brandt

Directed by:
James Mangold

Made in:
USA in 2007

Actors:
Russell Crowe ... Ben Wade
Christian Bale ... Dan Evans
Logan Lerman ... William Evans
Dallas Roberts ... Grayson Butterfield
Ben Foster ... Charlie Prince
Peter Fonda ... Byron McElroy
Vinessa Shaw ... Emmy Nelson
Alan Tudyk ... Doc Potter
Luce Rains ... Marshal WeathersGretchen Mol ... Alice EvansLennie Loftin ... Glen Hollander
Rio Alexander ... Campos
Johnny Whitworth ... Tommy Darden
Shawn Howell ... Jackson (as Shawn D. Howell)
Pat Ricotti ... Jorgensen

Plot:
Rancher Dan Evans heads into Bisbee to clear up issues concerning the sake of his land when he witnesses the closing events of a stagecoach robbery led by famed outlaw Ben Wade. Shortly thereafter, Wade is captured by the law in Bisbee and Evans finds himself one of the escorts who will take Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train in Contention for the reward of $200. Evans's effort to take Wade to the station is in part an effort to save his land but also part of an inner battle to determine whether he can be more than just a naive rancher in the eyes of his impetuous and gunslinging son William Evans. The transport to Contention is hazardous and filled with ambushes by Indians, pursuits by Wade's vengeful gang and Wade's own conniving and surreptitious demeanor that makes the ride all the more intense. IMDB

Review:
Talk about fantastic!

Entertaining from beginning to end.

Christian Bale, his perfect, handsome, charming self. And even Russell Crowe is fantastic!

Some of the best villian performances ever.
A must-see!

It is sad and refreshing at the same time.
The movie deals with revenge, pride, and loyalty.

Make sure you see it.

Death Proof

AKA:
Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (USA)
Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt! (USA)
Thunder Bolt (USA)

Written by:
Quentin Tarantino

Directed by:
Quentin Tarantino

Made in:
USA in 2007

Actors:
Kurt Russell ... Stuntman Mike
Zoe Bell ... Herself (as Zoë Bell)
Rosario Dawson ... Abernathy
Vanessa Ferlito ... Arlene
Sydney Tamiia Poitier ... Jungle Julia (as Sydney Poitier)
Tracie Thoms ... Kim
Rose McGowan ... Pam
Jordan Ladd ... Shanna
Mary Elizabeth Winstead ... Lee
Quentin Tarantino ... Warren
Marcy Harriell ... Marcy
Eli Roth ... Dov
Omar Doom ... Nate
Michael Bacall ... Omar
Monica Staggs ... Lanna Frank

Plot:
Stuntman Mike is a former Hollywood stunt race car driver who targets and kills women with his "death-proof" stunt car. In Act I, Mike surfaces in Austin, Texas to target a group of women whom he knows; Jungle Julia an outgoing, dope-smoking, radio DJ/fashion model meeting her old school friends for a night on the town whom are sentimental model Arlene, and local bad-girl Shanna, as well as bar-nut hippie Pam who tries to make Mike notice her, unaware of his sociopath and misogynist tendencies. In Act II, Stuntman Mike surfaces in Tennessee where he randomly picks another another group of women to stalk all of whom work in the motion picture business; Abernathy is a make-up girl and stand-in wanting a change of pace in her life. Lee is a naive B-movie actress. Kim is a tough-minded stunt woman always wanting action. And Zoe is a fellow stunt woman from New Zealand visiting her friends. However, the second set of girls proves more though to get, and because of a combination of bad luck and Stuntman Mike's carelessness, the girls decide to turn the tables on their tormentor for revenge of their own... IMDB

Review:
This movie could be about 30 minutes long.

It is extremely boring.
The only thing that is worth watching in this movie was the ending. Skip in the movie all the way until the end, when they go to look at the car. At that point, the movie is hilarious! But that is only about 30 minutes of the almost 2 hours of film.

The actresses are boring and stale, again until the last 30 minutes.

The rest of the movie is pointless, boring dialog that is unlike Tarantino.
The overacting by Kurt Russell at the end is priceless!
And the trick the girls play on their friend when they take the car, is also hilarious. But those 2 things are seriously the best things in the movie. Everything else is lame, pointless, and boring.

I was expecting a lot more, especially after Planet Terror (both parts of the Grindhouse double feature).

Don't watch this one, and definitely don't pay for it! Watch Planet Terror instead!