Bdub's Film Reviews

[BWilli]

Watched "Into the Fire".  I friend of mine at work picked this one up at one of my favoritest places on earth right now....THE $5.50 BIN AT WALMART.

Wade (Lee Montgomery) is an out-of-work musician.  He picks up and leaves his old life to start a new.  While on the road, he stops at a diner and meets a waitress, Liette (Olivia d'Abo), who decides to help him get a job at a local lodge; not too mention decide to sleep with the guy as well.

Wade then meets Dirk Winfield (Art Hindle), half owner of the lodge.  He hires Wade to do some work around the lodge, fixing things up.  The first day at work, Wade meets Rosalind Winfield (Susan Anspach), Dirk's strange wife.

Things aren't as they seem as Wade finds out that Dirk isn't so nice to Rosalind.  Wade ends up getting in the middle of things by trying to help.  Rosalind then tries to enlist Wade to help her murder Dirk.  A decision he is less than happy to have to make.

The movie is extremely short, only about 78 minutes.  It takes a little while to get to the main plot, but once there I was interested to see where everything was going.  Some things were predictable, and some surprising.  There are some twists and turns which keep you wondering what'll happen though.

The acting was just okay.  I don't know most of the actors, except d'Abo, who I've seen in a few other TV-type movies.

Not half bad.  It's worth the $5.50.  

[BWilli]

Watched "Hellboy" last night....

In the final days of World War II, the Nazis attempt to use black magic to aid their dying cause. The Allies raid the camp where the ceremony is taking place, but not before a demon - Hellboy - has already been conjured. Joining the Allied forces, Hellboy eventually grows to adulthood, serving the cause of good rather than evil, working for the

Ron Perlman plays Hellboy and does a really good job at it.  We usually don't see Perlman in the lead role, but he carried this film well.

Selma Blair stars as Liz Sherman, a woman who has the ability to create fire, but isn't too happy about the fact that she has a problem controlling it.  Good acting on her part.

David Hyde Pierce voices Abe Sapien, but is not physically the character.  So we basically just hear his voice, but still...his voice made the character.  So kudos to him for that.

This film is very entertaining and very fun.  Lost of action and cool f/x.  From time to time, the film gets a little corny, but all in all, I liked it.

[BWilli]

there is a movie I had wanted to see for a long time....it finally came out on DVD last week, so I HAD to buy it.....

Steven Spielberg's directorial debut......DUEL

The story follows David Mann (played by Dennis Weaver) as he drives across California for an important meeting.  When he tries to pass a gas tanker, the driver somehow takes offence. At first the unseen driver just annoys David by continually passing him and slowing down. Then he starts playing mind games with David, tempting him to pass the tanker, only to prevent him when he tries. The story is seen from David's point of view, with commentary as he thinks to himself.

Weaver was excellent as a terrified driver.  You can tell the character was supposed to be very weak and he protrayed it perfectly.

Spielberg did a wonderful job for his first feature film.  This film really paved the way for him.  

I did notice one major slip in the film where you can see the reflection of someone (possibly Spielberg) in the phone booth....clearly it the person should not have been standing there...but all major films have slips....so whatever... still a great great movie...

A must see for everyone....

[BWilli]

I saw "Exorcist: The Beginning" over the weekend.

Years before Father Merrin had rid the devil from little Regan MacNeil, he encountered the face of evil in Kenya.  In the aftermath of World War II, Merrin finds himself in the remote Turkana region of Kenya. Haunted by memories of the war, he has taken a sabbatical from the priesthood and journeyed far from his native Holland. He has come to lead the archaeological excavation of a mysterious, Byzantine church, buried in pristine condition as if on the day it was completed. Directly underneath the church, Merrin discovers a much more ancient crypt -- and finds himself face-to-face with unspeakable Evil. Madness descends on the local villagers and the contingent of British soldiers sent to guard the excavation. Merrin watches helplessly as the atrocities of war are repeated against another innocent village -- atrocities he'd hoped to never see again. The blood of innocents flows freely on the East African plain, but the horror has only just begun....

Stellan Skarsgård stars as Father Merrin in this prequel, and just does an excellent job.  I can see this guy wining an Oscar someday (maybe not for this movie, but for something else).  He's a really great actor and the perfect choice to portray the young version of Max Von Sydow's (Merrin in the original Exorcist) Father Merrin.  

Izabella Scorupco (Vertical Limit, Reign of Fire) plays Sarah, the doctor in the Kenyan village.  Very good acting on by her.

All in all, I really liked the movie.  There were a lot of scares and freaky make-up jobs, along with some pretty distrubing scenes.  The parts that Renny Harlin (the director) used CGI, where needed, but to easy to tell that it was CGI.  There wasn't much they could do about it I guess, because where would they get trained hyenas.   :razz:



I'm not sure how many people know this, but Exorcist: The beginning was shot twice, with two different directors.  Harlin was the second director.  Paul Schrader was originally hired to film the movie, and he did.  There were a few different actors, although I believe Stellan Skarsgård is in both.  There were some creative differences and he was fired, I'm guessing during editing, that's why he finished the film.  I would really like to see his version of the film too and see what the differences were between the two.  I've heard that it will be released on DVD at the same time as Harlin's version.  I say put both movies on one DVD.  It'll save me an extra $20 bucks.   :razz:

[BWilli]

I saw three movies (so far) over the long weekend...

I rented Cold Creek Manor, saw Mircale, which I own, and went to see Paparazzi...


First off...Cold Creek Manor.

The film stars, Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff, and Juliette Lewis.

Quaid and Stone are a married couple with two kids who decide to move from NYC to a country home.  Turning it into their dream house soon becomes a living nightmare when the previous owner (Dorff) shows up, and a series of terrifying incidents lead them on a spine-tingling search for clues to the estate's dark and lurid past...

The film was pretty good, with some jumpy suspense, but not what I was hoping for.  I thought it was more horror, than thriller, but no horror, just some crazy dude who wants his house back.

I wasn't too pleased with the acting, with the exception of Dorff.  There was a bit too much over acting, especially in the "snake" scene.

Decent movie, worth watching if you can catch it on cable.

only one

[BWilli]

Second movie I watched, "Miracle"

The film stars Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, a hockey coach, hired to coach the 1980 US Olympic team.  Instead of going with professionals, he comprises the team of young and talented college students.  The movie chronicles their trip, from training to the Olympic games.

Excellent movie with and excellent job by Russell.  

The rest of the cast was reletively young.  The only face I recognized was Eddie Cahill (played Tag Jones on Friends for awhile) who played Jim Craig, the goaly.  Better job in this film than on Friends.  

The rest of the cast was amazing to watch as well.  Terrific job by everyone.

I loved the movie and I highly recommend everyone to see it if they haven't, hockey fan or not.

[BWilli]

Thirdly, I went to see Paparazzi.

The film stars Cole Hauser, Robin Tunney, Daniel Baldwin, Tom Sizemore, Dennir Farina, with a brief appearance from Mel Gibson, Chris Rock, Vince Vaughn (who is everyone these days) and Matthew McConaughey.

Let me first start by saying it's great to see Cole Hauser take the lead role for once after being supporting actor is most other films he's done (Tears of the Sun, Pitch Black, Tigerland, etc).

Bo Laramie (Hauser) is a movie star who has finally achieved success. But success comes at a price, in the form of persistent photographers known as the paparazzi (Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, Tom Hollinder, and Kevin Gage). Using their dishonest methods of getting the money shot regardless of what it takes, they'll stop at nothing in exploiting Bo for every last penny. But when one of their ventures nearly costs Bo's life and that of his wife (Tunney) and child, he's reached his breaking point. In doing so, he will exact revenge on those who have enjoyed making his life a living hell with a focus on the paparazzi's ring leader, Rex Harper (Sizemore).

I liked the movie.  I can't say that this is exactly how the paparazzi in Hollywood actually act, but what if they did...and what if the stars struck back.    Some corny lines here and there, and a pretty funny reference to Alec Baldwin...only funny cause Daniel Baldwin is in the movie.

Hauser was great in this film and I've wanted to see him take the lead for awhile.  Magnificent job.  I hope he gets some more leading roles in the future.

Tom Sizemore, who I normally like (great in the film, Heat), wasn't so good in this film.  I felt he over acted it a bit.

Baldwin was....well....he's a Baldwin...and did a decent job.  

[BWilli]

After two weeks of being massively too busy to see movies, I finally got to see some good movies....

First off, I watched Kiss The Girls, which I've seen probably four or five times now, but it's a really good movie.

The film stars Morgan Freeman as Det. (and Dr.) Alex Cross, who is investigating a series of kidnappings, mainly because his neice is one of the women who was kidnapped....

The film also stars Ashely Judd as Dr. Kate McTiernan, the only kidnapped woman to escape the lair of "Cassanova", the kidnapper

Co-starring in the film is Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn and Brian Cox.

Morgan Freeman is a great actor...always has been and most likely always will be....

Ashley Judd is a hot actress....always has been...and will be until she gets old and wrinkly... :razz: ....but she also happens to be a great actress....(although alot of her stuff lately seems to be kinna redundant)...but this seems to be the best of her "Damsel in Distress" films (Double Jeopardy, High Crimes, and Twisted[which I have not seen] being the others)

All in all, great suspense film, with some great acting....

[BWilli]

Second film I saw this weekend was in theaters, "Garden State"

I had wanted to see this film for awhile, and no....not just because I live in the Garden State...

EXCELLENT MOVIE

Written by, Directed by, and starring Zach Braff (Scrubs) as well as another hottie Natalie Portman, old and wrinkly but great actor Ian Holm, and Peter Sarsgaard, who also just happens to be a terrific actor...

Andrew Largeman (Braff) shuffled through life in a lithium-induced coma until his mother's death inspired a vacation from the pills to see what might happen. A moderately successful TV actor living in Los Angeles, "Large" hasn't been home to the Garden State in nine years. But even with 3,000 miles between them, he's been unable to escape his domineering father Gideon (Holm) and the silencing effect he's had on his son from afar. Stunned to find himself in his hometown after such a long absence, Large finds old acquaintances around every corner living quite unique lives as gravediggers, fast food knights and the panderers of pyramid schemes. Meanwhile, at home, he does his best to avoid a long-simmering but inevitable confrontation with his father. By a twist of fate, Large meets Sam (Portman), a girl who is everything he isn't. A blast of color, hope and quirks, Sam becomes a sidekick who refuses to ride in the sidecar of his old motorcycle. Her warmth and fearlessness give Large the courage to open his heart to the joy and pain of the infinite abyss that is life.

This is why I love independent films....not only the actors, but the awesomly well written script and great great directing...

Braff, who I've only seen a few times on Scrubs, was magnificent in this film.  I'd love to see him nominated for an Oscar (but I'm sure it won't happen...too much competition this past year).  His directorial debut was perfect, and is pretty much how I'd want my directorial debut to go....

I've generally liked many of Portman's films (The Professional was amazing), but this was without a doubt her greatest performance in a film ever...it may even be hard for her to top this in future films....excellent portrayal of a pathological liar with epilepsy (although she never had a seizure on screen...so was she lying???  I don't think so...but anyway...)

Sarsgaard has always been a great supporting actor...I haven't seen anything he's been the lead in...and he once again proved that he can be...well....a great supporting actor....He plays Mark, one of Andrew's childhood friends who hasn't seen him in nine years....He turns out to be a true friend at the end of the film....god damn I'd love to have friends like him....sure he was smoking a bong for half the film....but still....

This film is definately one of my top 5 favorite films of this year....I highly recommend, even if you don't live the Garden State, to see this film....you'll love it....

[BWilli]

And the third film I saw was another DVD....Jersey Girl....

There is only one thing that was wrong with this film...and no it wasn't Ben or Jen....

It's that it came out after Gigli....if this film had been completed first, it would've done much better at the box office....

Ben Affleck stars as Oliver (Ollie) Trinke, a big time NYC publicist.  It seems as if his life is perfect....perfect job, pefect girlfirend Gertrude, played by JLo( :roll: haha), who he marries and knocks up...life couldn't be better with a baby on the way....until the day of his daughter's birth...while giving birth a little baby girlf, JLo kicks the bucket....

Ollie becomes extremely depressed, but tries to forget everything by getting back to work, and having his father Bart (played by the always ALWAYS funny George Carlin), help take care of the baby, little Gertie....

Bart notices that Ollie is neglecting his fatherly duties and decides to leave early one day for work, leaving Ollie with the baby on a big work day where he is to have a press junkett(spelling?) for Will Smith....stressed out and depressed....Ollie says some not so nice things about Smith, who he felt at the time (1994) was not going to be anything big in the future...well this doesn't go over so well and he's fired from the firm....

His life changes forever.....fast forward and little Gertie in now seven years old, and Ollie works with his father for the town of Highlands, NJ...

While living in Jersey, Ollie eventually meets Maya (Liv Tyler)...you can pretty much guess what happens next...yeah yeah

Well a whole bunch of funny and dramatic things happen throughout the film, but I feel like I'm rambling a little with the plot here....so now...

Overall...the film was hilarious....I found myself laughing a lot more than I had expected I would....

Affleck was pretty damn good...better in this film that most of his previous work....

JLo dies in the film...so that's that...

Liv Tyler was pretty good too....a little slutty at first...but that's what her role called for....good job...

Carlin was just great....he always is....such a funny guy...cracks me up everytime he speaks....

but...Raquel Castro stole the movie....she played little Gertie....this was her first film, and she was great....not sure who is a better actress now...her or Dakota Fanning....they're in the same league I'd say....

Funny movie....I like it....Kevin Smith is an awesome director....

It's a shame it didn't do well in theaters, and you can blames Gigli (which I still don't think is the worst movie ever as some say)...

[BWilli]

I was a little bored last night as there was not much on television, so I popped in a DVD, "Sweet and Lowdown."

The film was a little different than what I was expecting, mainly because there was commentary from director Woody Allen and other filmmakers and historians.

The movie is a comedic biopic focused on the life of fictional jazz guitarist Emmett Ray (Sean Penn). Ray was an irresponsible, free-spending, arrogant, obnoxious, alcohol-abusing, miserable human being, who was also arguably the best guitarist in the world. Teh story follows Ray's life: bouts of getting drunk, his bizzare hobbies of shooting rats and watching passing trains, his dreams of fame and fortune, his strange obsession with the better-known guitarist Django Reinhardt, his relationship with a mute woman named Hattie (Samantha Morton), his relationship with another woman Blanche (Uma Thurman)  and of course, playing his beautiful music.

There was some amazing music in this film.  I'm not much of a jazz fan, but damn, I was blown away by the music.  I'm not sure if Penn actually played the guitar himself, but it looked like he did.

Penn was nominated for a best Actor Oscar in 1999 for his role as Emmett Ray, and he atleast deserved that.  Maybe he should've even won.  Lately I've been having a lot of new repsect for different actors, and Penn is one of them.  He's a terrific actor (and definately deserved all his nominations and awards he's won).  Another excellent performance.

Samantha Morton was up for best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her role as the mute Hattie.  She had this cuteness to her in the film.  No line, but she didn't need any.  You saw her emotions in her eyes.  Well done.

Uma Thurman was also good in the film.  Personally I felt a wee bit of overacting.  I don't know.  It wasn't bad.  Maybe I just didn't like her character all that much.

Ok...now on to Woody Allen....a man I have very little respect for after all that crap went down with Soon-Yi....anywho...I was never a fan of his movies, and didn't really want to see anything done by him.

In college I watched "Bananas", but only because I had to watch it for class.  I didn't like it.  

I didn't know that Woody Allen directed Sweet and Lowdown until I saw the opening credits.  I rolled my eyes, but continued watching for the sole purpose that I am a Sean Penn fan.

I was pleased with the film.  Other than the often annoying commentary, which made the film sort of a "mokumentary", I enjoyed everything about it.  The story was really good and the music amazing, definately worthy of all of the Osacr nominations it got.  

You guys should defiantely check this one out.

[BWilli]

Rented Godsend over the weekend...

The film stars Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn, Greg Kinnear and the freaky looking Cameron Bright....

Following the death of their eight year old son on his birthday, Jessie (Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Kinnear) are befriended by a doctor on the forefront of genetic research (DeNiro) at the height of their mourning. He leads the couple in a desperate attempt to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment is successful and under Richard's watchful eye, Adam grows into a healthy and happy young boy, until his 8th birthday. As time goes by, the Duncan's gradually start to see small, subtle differences between the new Adam and the Adam they lost. At the time of the new Adam's eighth birthday, the changes in character are more pronounced. Adam grows distant and fearful as a palpable sense of menace settles within the young boy. This Adam begins to suffer from night terrors and frightening flashbacks as a sinister personality begins to emerge. Paul and Jessie cannot escape the fact that this Adam is different. Terror settles on the couple as they try to come to terms with just what they have done, or what has been done to them.

The main thing that I would have changed about this movie was the ending....

Other than that, I was generally pleased with storyline and the acting.  The film did happen to drag on for awhile...I actually don't remember to running time....but it seemed that the kid, once cloned, kept having the same flashback over and over again....

There are some jumpy-type scares in the film, and the kid just way too freaky....

DeNiro is just a classic actor and was great as the wacko doc in this movie...

Romijn is hot...but she's also not such a bad actress....better in X-Men though....

I normally like Kinnear...he's a decent actor, but was kind of boring in the movie....

All in all, it wasn't a great movie, but it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen (that honor still goes to House of a 1000 Corpses)....

I wouldn't go out of your way to watch the film...it's worth the rental fee, but there's always cable TV as well....

[BWilli]

I also went to see Ladder 49....

So far this year has been pretty good film-wise....and this film ranks in my top 5 favorite films of the year....

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett, Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Billy Burke, Balthazar Getty, Tim Guinee, Kevin Chapman, Jay Hernandez

Under the watchful eye of his mentor Chief Mike Kennedy (Travolta), probationary firefighter Jack Morrison (Phoenix) matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wifeLinda (Barrett) and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. And as he reflects on his life, Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him.

Backdraft is still in my top five favorite films of all time, but to compare it with Ladder 49 would be a huge mistake...they are two totally different films....

The firefighting scenes are just amazing intense scenes....keeps you on your toes....

A lot of times in films, transition between scenes are very cool, sometimes they suck....this film had many transitions between the present and past....but there is one key transition that I absolutely loved and I thought it was genius...

At one point, Morrison is trapped in the building and remember back...one scene he is remembering the birth of his son,  the transition takes place while the baby is being baptized...you see the holy water being poured on the baby's forehead...the camera pans up the stream of water and back down, when it comes down, the scene changes and we see water dripping down on Morrison's forehead...amazing scene...

There is a lot of drama, action, and comedy in this film...each combined to make this one hell of a great film....

This is one of Travolta's best films in the past few years...it was a smaller role than what he's normally used to, but he did a great job.

Phoenix is really turning into a main attraction.  He was amazing in this movie, and this is just the beginning of his leading roles (he's starring as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line due out sometime next year I think)...excellent performance...

The rest of the cast was solid and generally great....I noticed that Jay Hernandez is on the banner for this film...the dude is barely in the film...he takes part in one particularly funny moment of the film, and that's basically it for him....also, Tim Guinee's character kinda came out of nowhere...they didn't explain his entering the firehouse, but it wasn't all that important really....

EXCELLENT MOVIE, AND A MUST SEE FOR ALL!

[BWilli]

Watched a few DVDs this weekend.

First up, "In the Time of the Butterflies."

The film stars Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, and Marc Anthony.

The focus of In the Time of the Butterflies is on Minerva, played by Salma Hayek. Spirited and intent to become a lawyer in a country that forbids women to become lawyers, Minerva is noticed by Trujillo (Olmos) already as a child during a recital at her school. At a later time in her life, Trujillo invites Minerva’s family to a ball.

Minerva responds to his sexual advances by slapping the dictator before all the guests, an action that ends up getting her father arrested. Minerva goes to plead with Trujillo for her fathers’ release and they gamble for not just that but also permission for her to go to law school. She wins the game, but it will be the last victory for a while.

Her father dies after his release and Minerva learns upon graduation that Trujillo planned all along to allow her to get her degree but there was no talk of allowing her to practice afterwards. In law school, however, she met Manolo, a resistance fighter. They fall in love and get married and continue the fight for their country together. Minerva’s code name within the resistance is Butterfly. When her sisters join the resistance, they are known as the Butterflies (La Mariposas) and the name becomes synonymous with the movement.

I don't know how factual this film got, but what a story.  Sometimes it's hard to believe to see some of the things people have gone through to be free.

This is one of Hayek's best performances.  Excellent portrayal of someone who would not give up fighting for what she believed.

Olmos was very believable, and it became easy to dislike his character.

This film starts slowly, getting the audience to like and appreciate the family and then takes on a more sinister and violent take the farther it goes into its running time. For anybody uninitiated with the subject of La Mariposas, this is a great film to get the short version of their lives and struggles and probably will inspire to go on to at least the book by the same name, written by Julia Alvarez.

[BWilli]

Now on to a totally different type of film, but with the same intentions, fight for what you believe in.

Walking Tall stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, and Kristen Wilson.

The film is a re-make of the 1973 film and 1981 TV series, which are based on the true story of Bufford Pusser.

Only in this film, The Rock stars as Chris Vaughn, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces who returns to his small hometown in rural Washington State to revive his family's lumber mill business.  He discovers that much has changed, as the normally tranquil town is now besieged by drugs, outbreaks of violence and a general feeling of malaise and terror, with many pointing a finger at the influence of a crooked casino, run by Jay Hamilton (McDonough). Seeking to wreak vengeance, with a four-foot-long 2-by-4 in his hand, and righteousness in his heart, the highly-trained soldier, now the county's sheriff, and his deputy (Knoxville), realizes it's time to bust some heads with a very hard piece of wood.

The film has got plenty of action, and the right amount of comedy thrown in the mix to make this a very entertaining film.

As a fan of wrestling, part of me hates not seeing The Rock's charisma in the ring anymore.  However, he's carried that same charisma over into his films and he's becoming one hell of an action star.  His bit part in The Mummy Returns was decent, his starring role in The Scorpion King was just okay, but his  roles in The Rundown and here in Walking Tall were very good.

Johnny Knoxville as the lanky side-kick added most of the humor to this film, and it worked great.  He wasn't stapling his nutsack to his leg (or was that Steve-O) in this film, but was genuinely funny.

If you're a fan of The Rock, Knoxville, or even the hot Kristen Wilson, then you'll like this film too.