The 411 From 406 » Movie Reviews http://406northlane.com/blog From Cleveland To Bloomington And Back Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:41:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Freddy’s Back… Sort Of… “A Nightmare On Elm Street” http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/11/freddys-back-sort-of-in-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/11/freddys-back-sort-of-in-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:41:29 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=3692 The wife isn’t a huge horror movie fan, but she’ll indulge me once a year on Halloween.  Last year we watched Psycho and the previous year we checked out the original Halloween.  I’d had the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street sitting on my shelf for quite a few months now and I figured [...]]]> A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)The wife isn’t a huge horror movie fan, but she’ll indulge me once a year on Halloween.  Last year we watched Psycho and the previous year we checked out the original Halloween.  I’d had the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street sitting on my shelf for quite a few months now and I figured Halloween night was a good opportunity to check it out.

In a word… meh.

First off, the flick starts in the middle of a dream which is fine cause it’s keeping in the tone of the original (which incidentally, is one of my favorite horror flicks of all time).  The problem here is there’s no character development, no reason for us to care about the characters… nothing.  After we get the first kill the movie about 10 minutes in (which I have to admit was pretty decent) the film REALLY slows down.  While we have the character of “Nancy” returning, she’s Nancy in name only.  There are very few similarities between this rendition and the original played brilliantly by Heather Langenkamp.

The general plot is the same: Kids are dying in their sleep being hunted by a dream demon (Freddy) who’s pissed off cause the kids’ parents killed him.

However… we’re not even given the name “Freddy” until about 50 minutes into the film.  That’s WAY too long in my opinion for such an iconic character that we’re CLEARLY here to see.  Jackie Earle Haley does a more than suitable job donning the red and green sweater, but is still overshadowed by Robert England’s version of Freddy.  I will say that this version of both Freddy and the film is has quite a bit more gore than the original but unfortunately gore does not a successful horror movie make.

Missing here are two iconic scenes from the original.

  1. Where dude (Glenn played by Johnny Depp) is pulled into the bed only to spew blood all over the room and
  2. The most import “Rambo” showdown between Nancy and Freddy

I’m just not sure how you can remake this movie without those two scenes.  There were modifications in the reboot of Friday the 13th, but at least that flick had the sense of hitting all the high spots.  I do have to say that I loved the fact that they included a scene where the Elm Street parents caught and killed Freddy.  Would have liked to have seen that in the original.

This is a decent horror movie at best.  However, I can’t even really recommend it.  It seems to me as if the film makers said, “Let’s do an amped up, bloodier version of a great movie.”  Unfortunately they forgot what made it great… story.  If you’re looking for a Nightmare on Elm Street fix go get the original.  And tell em Freddy sent ya.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/11/freddys-back-sort-of-in-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/feed/ 1 Harry Potter, The Empire And… Corn? http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/09/harry-potter-the-empire-and-corn/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/09/harry-potter-the-empire-and-corn/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:21:01 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=3540 It’s been some time since I’ve done a movie review so rather than create a post for each of the movies I’ve seen recently I figured I’d put one of these compilation posts together.  I don’t go to the movies all that often, but after I’d seen Dark Of The Moon not once, but [...]]]> It’s been some time since I’ve done a movie review so rather than create a post for each of the movies I’ve seen recently I figured I’d put one of these compilation posts together.  I don’t go to the movies all that often, but after I’d seen Dark Of The Moon not once, but TWICE it was rather strange for me to be back in the theater.  That said, when Harry Potter comes calling I simply cannot pass it up.

NOTE: THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2001, you’re familiar with the film series that deals with a young wizard named Harry Potter.  I’m not going to bother going into a plot summary here cause if you don’t know the story by now you should stop reading this post and go read the books.  They’ve absolutely phenomenal.  What I will say is that this final entry into the Potter mythos was  nothing short of spectacular.  When Deathly Hallows Part 1 ended the audience was given quite a case of blue balls.  I’m very happy to report that Part 2 started off quite literally right where the last one ended.  No opening credits to get in the way, just a continuation of the story.  The filmmakers did a great job of sticking to the story as much as possible with such a grand ending.  There were a few times where things from the book were skipped (naturally) but overall it’s a very faithful adaptation.  I hadn’t read the book since it came out, so I really didn’t have the, “Oh, that’s different from the book,” mentality while watching this one.  Two points that did stick out to me were the deaths of Snape and Voldemort.  Snape’s death I remember quite vividly from the book and it just didn’t quite live up to it on screen (though to be fair it was a rather violent death in the book and it would have been tough to show and stick to its PG-13 rating.  Voldemort’s death was just a bit “meh” to me.  With him being SUCH a bad ass I felt that he could have gone out a bit grander.  Honestly though, I don’t remember his death in the book so it may have played perfectly.  Those two things aside this was an absolute joy to watch.  Not since Lord Of The Rings have I seen such a great fantasy film.  If you’re a Potter fan I’m sure you’ve already seen it.  If you’re not a Potter fan, get reading and go see these flicks!

King Corn (2007)

The wife and I were sitting at home the other night looking for something to watch and decided on this documentary.  The flick follows two college friends Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis as they move from Boston to Greene, Iowa and farm a singular acre of corn.  It delves into quite a few eye opening issues including government subsidized crops, genetically modified seeds and just how unhealthy the American diet really is.  The film’s official site can be found at http://www.kingcorn.net/.  If you like documentaries (especially stuff like Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me) then this one is for you.

Something, Something, Something, Dark Side (2010)Something, Something, Something, Dark Side (2010)

There’s not really a whole lot to say about this one.  It’s a parody of The Empire Strikes Back created by folks that bring us Family Guy.  If you like Family Guy you’ll like this flick.  If you like Empire, you’ll love this flick.  If you like them both… you’ll downright go ape shit for this one.  Essentially, this is Empire recast with  characters from Family Guy into roles from the film.  The creators bring up quite a few things that you and your buddies have always wondering or commented about when watching Empire and there are some pop-culture parodies/references in there that are laugh out loud funny.  Watch it!

 

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/09/harry-potter-the-empire-and-corn/feed/ 0 A Rewatch In 3D http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/07/a-rewatch-in-3d/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/07/a-rewatch-in-3d/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:31:14 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=3401 I recently reviewed the Michael Bay flick Transformers: Dark Of The Moon after seeing it on opening night.  In that review I stated that I’d seen the flick in 2D and didn’t really see the value in 3D (or words to that effect).  A good friend of mine Stan commented on the blog and [...]]]> I recently reviewed the Michael Bay flick Transformers: Dark Of The Moon after seeing it on opening night.  In that review I stated that I’d seen the flick in 2D and didn’t really see the value in 3D (or words to that effect).  A good friend of mine Stan commented on the blog and said that I should definitely see the flick in 3D… so that’s what I did.

I loved the flick the first time around and the second time was no different.  In fact, I think I may have enjoyed it more the second time, but I don’t really think it was due to the 3D.  I have a feeling going into it the second time, I was able to pick up on more of the subtleties in the flick (if there are such things in a Michael Bay flick) and really got to sit back and enjoy the story a bit more.

I will say that this was the best use of 3D that I’ve ever seen in a movie.  And yes, that includes Avatar.  Michael Bay uses 3D the way it was intended to be used… to provide a little bit of depth.  I was worried that with the way Bay makes movies the added dimension of 3D would just be too much.  I’m happy to say that I was wrong.  The 3D really does add to the movie experience and with the exception of a few scenes really just blends in as part of the experience rather than the gimmick that it is.

All of that being said, I’m still not sold on 3D.  For me it just doesn’t add enough to be worth the extra ticket price.  I won’t say that I’ll shy away from 3D but give the choice between the two I’d probably go with the “regular” experience.  In all likelihood the next time I see a 3D flick will be when Star Wars returns to theaters (again) to get even more of my money.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/07/a-rewatch-in-3d/feed/ 4 Dark Of The Moon – The Final Transformers? http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/06/dark-of-the-moon-the-final-transformers/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/06/dark-of-the-moon-the-final-transformers/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:40:57 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=3375 The newest (and perhaps last) entry into the Michael Bay version of the Transformers franchise came out last night – Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.  This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.  If you don’t want to know the story come back after you’ve watched the flick.

Before we get started I want to remind readers that [...]]]> The newest (and perhaps last) entry into the Michael Bay version of the Transformers franchise came out last night – Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.  This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.  If you don’t want to know the story come back after you’ve watched the flick.

Before we get started I want to remind readers that I’m a big Transformers geek so this may be a bit biased.  If you want to get a historical perspective you can check out my reviews of the first two flicks in the franchise here:

Note that I’m one of the few that didn’t completely rip to shreds The Fallen

The Humans

Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat.  Megan Fox did not reprise her role as Mikaela Banes this time around.  While that really bummed me out when I first heard about I’m happy to report that the role of “love interest” for Shia LeBeouf’s Sam Witwicky has been more than adequately filled by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley playing Carly Spencer.  Good god is this woman hot.  Oh yeah… and she can ACT!  I was sorry to see Fox gone but very happy to see how she was replaced.

LeBouf turns in an outstanding performance once again.  Not sure what this guy did to become Speilberg and Bay’s goto guy, but he’s making the most out of his opportunity and really shining.  Also reprising their roles are Josh Duhamel (Colonel Lennox), John Tuturro (Agent Simmons), Kevin Dunn & Julie White (Sam’s parents) and Tyrese Gibson (Airforce Chief).  Tuturro and Gibson’s roles are somewhat smaller than they have been in previous films and I’m happy to report that Dunn & White’s roles aren’t nearly as “silly” as they were in Revenge (though they’re clearly in there for a bit of levity).

There are three noteworthy additions to the human cast (aside from the aforementioned P.O.A. Rosie).  Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand and John (effing) Malkovich.  Dempsey plays an art collector turned traitor who helps the Decepticons.  I’ve never seen an episode of Grey’s Anatomy so to me he’s still Randy Bodek from Loverboy.  McDormand plays the U.S. Secretary of Defense that I could have done without.  John Malkovich (playing Sam’s boss) is absolutely BRILLIANT in a supporting role.

The Transformers

The old standbys are here: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Megatron and Starscream. In addition, we get some new folks that really make this film stand out:

  • Sentinel Prime – voiced by Leonard Nimoy this dude is a BAD ASS.  He’s basically an ancestor of Optimus.  Too bad he turns on the Autobots, kills Ironhide and nearly destroys the planet.  At least he gets what’s coming to him.
  • Dino/Que – new Autobots that don’t do a whole lot.  Que (who apparently is Wheeljack) is essentially assassinated by Soundwave near the end of the film.  I have to say that was a pretty intense scene.
  • The Wreckers – this Autobot commando unit isn’t in the movie for very long but they are AWESOME.
  • Soundwave – sure he was in the last flick but now he’s on Earth and kicking ass.  Truly an awesome treatment of one of my all time favorite characters.  Especially when they introduce Laserbeak… WOW.
  • Shockwave – the big purple gun from G1 is back as a mix between Megatron and the centennials from The Matrix.  This guy is cool.

The Story

I won’t do a full summary here but I’ll give you the gist.  Sentinal Prime and his ship crash landed on the dark side of the moon years ago.  We knew this which is why humans ever wanted to go to the moon to begin with.  Optimus goes to the moon and revives Sentinal who subsequently turns on the Autobots and sets into motion a plan that he and Megatron had put into motion long ago on Cybertron.  Chicago is the play land for the final fight and the “takeover” by the Decepticons is nothing short of incredible.  The Autobots and humans fight back, shit blows up, people and robots die and we fade to black.

I would have liked to have seen more from Megatron here but I love the fact that they stuck with continuity and his head/face is still messed up from the last flick.  You can tell that they’ve really turned things up a notch when Ironhide dies halfway through the movie.  And when Starscream goes down it’s a very fitting end to his character.

As with any action movie you really need to check your common sense at the door and this one is no different.  I have to say though that not once was I really “taken out” of the movie.  Get your popcorn, sit down and prepare to be entertained.  Don’t look for outstanding and airtight storytelling.  Even though this has a running time of 155 minutes (2 and a half hours +) I never looked at my watch once.   That says good pacing to me.

3D Or Not 3D

Personally I’m not a big fan of 3D movies and for that reason I didn’t see Dark of the Moon in 3D.  They look OK but for me it’s just not worth the extra money (I already paid $9 for a Wednesday evening movie).  Everyone always points at Avatar as the end-all-be-all of 3D movie making.  This isn’t a review of Avatar so I won’t go into it other than to say that movie looked great but sucked balls.  The “novelty” of 3D wore off rather quickly for me and then I was left with a supremely sub-standard movie… but I digress. In fact, with the style of movie making that Michael Bay employs, I’d suggest that the 3D experience may actually be too much.  It’s already an assault on the senses and I’m not sure stuff flying AT me would help my enjoyment of the movie.  I’ve seen quite a few reviews that say you simply MUST see this in 3D.  Personally I don’t care.

Recommendation

It really seems to me that Michael Bay actually LISTENED to the critics of his last flick.  Sure it made a shit ton of money but even fan boys weren’t happy with Revenge of the Fallen.  There are no robot balls, humping, or overly terribly acting.  The “dick and fart” jokes have been cut down on quite a bit.  The dialog is snappy and witty as ever and I’m not sure if it was just me but I could follow the action (between robots) MUCH better here than I ever could in the past.  That may be due to some color changes of the Transformers but I think it had just as much to do with camera work.  Kudos to you Mr. Bay.

Is this going to win any Oscars?  Probably not, but when I go to the movies I go to be entertained.  This was FAR superior to the 2nd entry in the franchise and I’d probably also put it above the 2007 entry into the series.  The robot on robot action was good,  the human acting was a step above anything we’ve seen before, we get new characters (both robot and human) that are a pleasure to watch, the action was as intense as any Bay flick I’ve ever seen and the story held together better than the previous incarnations.  Go see this flick.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/06/dark-of-the-moon-the-final-transformers/feed/ 3 11 Years And We’re Still Screaming For Scream 4 http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/04/11-years-and-were-still-screaming-for-scream-4/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/04/11-years-and-were-still-screaming-for-scream-4/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:16:44 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=3014 I don’t go to the movies all that often these days but when it comes to a good horror franchise I just can’t pass it up.  I consider the Scream franchise one of the best in horror over the last couple of decades so Marko and I headed to the theater on opening weekend to [...]]]> I don’t go to the movies all that often these days but when it comes to a good horror franchise I just can’t pass it up.  I consider the Scream franchise one of the best in horror over the last couple of decades so Marko and I headed to the theater on opening weekend to check this one out.

I was not a huge fan of the third entrance into this series (that’s the one where Sydney has a random brother that we’ve never met who wants to kill her) so I was a little bit worried about this one.  Typically in a horror franchise, once you get to the third or fourth in a series the content REALLY starts to go downhill (A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors being the most obvious exception to this rule).  I’m happy to say that Scream 4 bucks that trend with flying colors.  I can’t say that it’s better than or on par with the original, but it’s definitely better than the previous entry in the series and I’d put it equal with the second film (which I really enjoyed).

Returning characters are Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox).  After 10 years there has been very little activity of the Ghost Face Killer but his memory has been kept alive in a slew of Stab (the fictitious slasher movies based on the events of the first Scream film) sequels.  Naturally, the killer starts to torment Sydney again and we’re off to the races for another “whodunnit” entry into this franchise.  The new cast members hold up their end of the bargain with special shout out to Hayden Panettiere for looking SUPER fine.

One of the thing that I loved about the original Scream was how “smart” it was.  I’m thrilled to report that this entry is back to being very smart and clever.  There’s also some super innovative kills which is always nice to see in a horror movie.  While the ending is a bit contrived I have to say that I didn’t see it coming which again is a good thing.  If I’m ranking the entries in this franchise I’d have to put this one behind the original, on par with the second and above the third.  Let me know what you think!

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2011/04/11-years-and-were-still-screaming-for-scream-4/feed/ 1 “Date Night” – Maybe We Weren’t Paying Attention http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/10/date-night-maybe-we-werent-paying-attention/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/10/date-night-maybe-we-werent-paying-attention/#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:31:45 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=2284 I’ve said it on numerous occasions, but it’s not often that the wife and I find a movie that we’re both interested in seeing.  The last one that we agreed looked good was The Break-Up which didn’t turn out too great.  But I digress.

We were interested in Date Night cause we like [...]]]> I’ve said it on numerous occasions, but it’s not often that the wife and I find a movie that we’re both interested in seeing.  The last one that we agreed looked good was The Break-Up which didn’t turn out too great.  But I digress.

We were interested in Date Night cause we like both of the movie’s stars (Steve Carell of The Office fame and Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live).  Also, the first trailer for this one we saw absolutely cracked us up.  If you haven’t seen it, check it out on YouTube here. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I’m thinking that both the wife and I saw only the first 50 seconds or so of the trailer and made our decision to see this one based on that.  I was expecting a funny SNL/Office style romantic comedy… and that’s what we got for about 15 minutes.

However, after a case of mistaken identity pummels this evening for our stars, we quickly evolve this romantic comedy to what amounts to a buddy-cop action movie… almost.  There’s car chases, killers, blackmail, strippers and one very shirtless Marky Mark (yeah… that Marky Mark).

I won’t say it was a bad movie, but it was actually quite enjoyable.  There were numerous times throughout the movie where A and I just looked at each other and laughed.  Though to be honest with you I’m not sure that non-married folks would really enjoy those jokes all that much (the scenes with the kids and their normal “date night” are hilarious to us old “married with children” types).  That being said, I’ll give this one a mild recommendation with the suggestion that you watch the entire trailer before you give this one a rental.  Enjoy!

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/10/date-night-maybe-we-werent-paying-attention/feed/ 0 Spend A Few Evenings With Kevin Smith http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/08/spend-a-few-evenings-with-kevin-smith/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/08/spend-a-few-evenings-with-kevin-smith/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:55:57 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=2185 If you’re a regular reader of the blog here (and probably even if you’re not a regular reader), you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Kevin Smith.  Not only do I enjoy his movies, but his books, his podcast, Twitter, etc.  I’ve often said that he’s the modern day George [...]]]> If you’re a regular reader of the blog here (and probably even if you’re not a regular reader), you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Kevin Smith.  Not only do I enjoy his movies, but his books, his podcast, Twitter, etc.  I’ve often said that he’s the modern day George Carlin for the way he weaves words and that’s the biggest compliment that I can give him.  Speaking of Carlin, one of the things that sets him apart in my mind is his stand up routine.   If you’re a fan of Carlin’s stand up routines, you owe it to yourself to check out the Evening With series from Mr. Smith.

There are currently 3 versions of these stand ups, where Kevin takes questions from the audience and extrapolates his show from there.  The first installment (An Evening With Kevin Smith) came out in 2002, followed by An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder in 2006 and Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith in 2008.  All three installments are absolutely hilarious and cover a wide range of topics from comic books, sex, drugs, movie making and child rearing.  As with Carlin, Smith’s language is definitely not for all audiences.  If profanity offends you, stay the fuck away from this one (sorry… couldn’t resist).

All three of these are absolutely hysterical if you’re a fan of Smith’s body of work.  The first was taken from a series of Q & A sessions done at college campuses in 2002 (Clark University, Cornell University, Indiana University, Kent State University and University of Wyoming if you’re interested).  The second was filmed on location partially at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and partially at the Criterion Theatre in London.  Finally, the third installment was filmed in Smith’s hometown in Red Bank, New Jersey on his 37th birthday.  It’s also important to know that that these are LONG shows.  All three are on multiple DVDs if you get them from Netflix… just wanted to make you aware in case you were looking for a short show.  That being said, they’re segmented in such a way that if you need to pause and come back you certainly can.

Granted I’m a huge Smith fan, but I simply cannot recommend these highly enough.  There is a supposed 4th installment in the works which I can’t wait for.  Snoogins.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/08/spend-a-few-evenings-with-kevin-smith/feed/ 4 On A Break With A Ninja = Vendetta http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/07/on-a-break-with-a-ninja-vendetta/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/07/on-a-break-with-a-ninja-vendetta/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:46:54 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=2033 V For Vendetta (2005)
Another story from comic legend Alan Moore.  Watching this movie I couldn’t help see the similarities with Watchmen (a post “bad shit” look at a city) and recognize just how fucked up Moore really must be.  Natalie Portman plays a great role here as does Hugo Weaving (though he’s clad [...]]]> V For Vendetta (2005)
Another story from comic legend Alan Moore.  Watching this movie I couldn’t help see the similarities with Watchmen (a post “bad shit” look at a city) and recognize just how fucked up Moore really must be.  Natalie Portman plays a great role here as does Hugo Weaving (though he’s clad the entire movie in a mask so all you’re hearing is his iconic voice).  At times this was a very slow flick but that’s to be expected with an adaptation of Moore’s work.  What I will say is I was very much “involved” in the story and there was a very large sense of “How is this going to end?” which is what you’d hope for in a flick like this.  There’s actually very little action in this movie and with the exception of the final showdown with V nothing really to write home about.  That said, if you’re looking for a very cerebral movie and you’re willing to put in the time this was a very enjoyable experience.

Revenge Of The Ninja (1983)
After putting together my list of Top 80′s Action Movies I decided to add this to my Netflix queue to see if it was as good as I remembered it.  If I’m looking at it as a stand alone movie, it’s absolutely fucking terrible.  The dialogue is bad and the plot line is worse.  However… I absolutely LOVED watching this one again and stand by keeping it on my list.  It brought back so many memories and reminded me why I loved ninja movies as a kid.  The action sequences are great (though a little hokey) and the final fight scene which lasts nearly 15 minutes is epic.  If you’re a fan of old school ninja movies with tons of weapons and some lip syncing thrown in for good measure you’ll enjoy this one.

The Break-Up (2006)
It’s not often that the wife and I agree on a flick, but based on the previews and the case (Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston) we thought this might be one that would work.  And it did… for the first 90 minutes or so and then completely fell apart.  When you’re watching one of these types of flicks, you’re waiting for the feel good ending.  I’ve said many times that I’m a “movie ending” guy.  If the flick is great but the ending sucks the flick sucks.  So… in a movie called The Break-Up you’re expecting to see the break up, and then toward the end you’re waiting for the reconciliation.  Unfortunately in this one, we’re not given the payoff.  What we’re left with is some terribly executed “try to be smart” ending that leaves you completely unsatisfied.  Too bad too cause Vince, Jennifer and John Favreau give some outstanding performances.  (And guys… if you’re a Jennifer fan this is the best I remember her looking in a LONG time… wow).  If you’re looking for some giggles watch the first hour and then turn this shit off.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/07/on-a-break-with-a-ninja-vendetta/feed/ 0 A Trip Of Flicks http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/06/a-trip-of-flicks/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/06/a-trip-of-flicks/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:26:28 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=1876 I recently went on a quick trip to Vegas for work – in on Wednesday out on the “red-eye” on Friday evening.  The show was great and I managed to get in a little bit of time at the tables which was nice as well.  In preparation for my trip, I loaded up the iPod [...]]]> I recently went on a quick trip to Vegas for work – in on Wednesday out on the “red-eye” on Friday evening.  The show was great and I managed to get in a little bit of time at the tables which was nice as well.  In preparation for my trip, I loaded up the iPod with quite a few flicks to make sure that I’d have plenty to keep me busy on the trip and associated layovers.  I do have a couple of WrestleMania shows for The WrestleMania Project but I typically tend to take a lot of notes during those shows so I was looking for more of a “kick back and enjoy” experience.  So… without further adieu.

NOTE: THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987)
Special thanks to my buddy Shawn Prior for hooking me up with this one.  As I said on my twitter feed, “The first 4 minutes of GI Joe the animated movie are some of the best in movie history.”  I hadn’t actually planned on watching this whole flick, but when you’ve got a 2 hour flight, followed by a 2 hour layover and then a 4 hour flight, shit happens.  This flick follows our favorite characters and introduces us to quite a few new ones.  Like most cartoon franchises in the 80′s, G.I. Joe was all about moving product off the shelves and this was a great way to introduce these new characters.  I won’t go into a plot review here other than to say that Cobra finds itself a new Allie in the form of the organic Cobra La.  There are quite a few purists out there that absolutely hate this movie, but I’ve always really enjoyed it.  My one big complaint is how they killed Cobra Commander.  He’s always been one of my favorite characters and for him to go out like that kind of pissed me off.  But then again look what happened to Fett.  If you’re a fan of the franchise I’m sure you’ve already seen this one, but if not you definitely need to.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
I’ve already reviewed this movie previously so I won’t go into a whole lot of detail here.  After watching the 87/animated version I figured I’d stay in the Joe frame of mind and watch the updated version.  I can say that I agree with my thoughts from my original review.  This is a very entertaining action movie that’s not NEARLY as bad as some of the haters out there would lead you to believe.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Being such a bit Potter fan I’m shocked that it’s taken me this long to get to this one (especially since it’s one of my favorite books in the series).  That said, this one is decidedly “so so”.  My fears that there were too much going on in the book to translate onto screen were realized as I found myself time and time again going “huh?”  As with any novel turned flick, it’s difficult sometimes to give the movie audience enough background so they can follow the action.  There were quite a few times here where if I hadn’t read the book I’d have NO IDEA what was going on.  And while the movie house probably assumes that viewers have read the books there are at least a few out there that haven’t… and they’d be lost.  I was very happy with the treatment of Dumbledore’s death but would have liked to have seen his funeral and the battle that ensued as shown in the book.  I can only assume those events will be shown in the forthcoming movies.  As with the books, the story is getting better and better as the movies go on and the movies are LOOKING better and better as we move forward.  I can certainly see why this one made nearly a billion dollars and simply cannot wait for the next Potter flick.

Fanboys (2009)
Seeing as I’m a bit of a fanboy myself this one has been on my radar for quite a while.  This is essentially a road trip movie set to Star Wars.  5 friends decide to trek cross country to break into Skywalker Ranch to get a sneak peak at Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  The movie that ensues is full of Star Wars references, dialog and cameos (Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, Kevin Smith, etc.)  Even though this was a colossal flop in the theaters (it cost 8 million to make and grossed less than 1) I can tell you that I completely enjoyed it.  If you’re not a Star Wars fan I’d urge you to stay away because A: you’re not going to get 3/4 of the movie and B: you’re not going to get the other 1/4 of the movie.  The non-Star Wars portion of the plot (one of the characters has cancer which is why they’re on this journey before he dies) simply isn’t strong enough to carry you if you’re not down with the Star Wars stuff.  However… if you’re a Star Wars fan and have been staying away based on the negative reviews and poor box office performance I’d say give it a shot.  May the Force be with you.

]]> http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/06/a-trip-of-flicks/feed/ 0 The Last Couple Of Flicks http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/05/the-last-couple-of-flicks/ http://406northlane.com/blog/2010/05/the-last-couple-of-flicks/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 20:12:44 +0000 Chewie http://406northlane.com/blog/?p=1782 It’s been a while since I’ve done any movie reviews.  Hell it’s been a while since I’ve done any posting at all, but that’s another story.  Since my last review, I’ve seen a couple of movies and I figured I’d put them in one nice little post.  Enjoy!

The King Of Kong – A Fistful [...]]]> It’s been a while since I’ve done any movie reviews.  Hell it’s been a while since I’ve done any posting at all, but that’s another story.  Since my last review, I’ve seen a couple of movies and I figured I’d put them in one nice little post.  Enjoy!

The King Of Kong – A Fistful Of Quarters
I actually saw this a while ago and just never got around to writing a post about it (damn real life getting in the way).  This is a 2007 documentary that tells the story of two men (Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell) attempting to break the world record for Donkey Kong.  That’s right… Donkey Kong.  The story portrays Wiebe as the “good guy” going after the “bad guy” Mitchell’s record.  I’ve played quite a few video games in my days and watching this was absolutely awesome.  If you’ve ever played Donkey Kong and remember how damn difficult that game can be you owe it to yourself to check this one out.  Regardless of if you think gaming is a legitimate activity you can’t deny how much work goes in to being a great DK player.   Check this one out.  You won’t be disappointed.

Live Free Or Die Hard
This is a great little action movie.  Unfortunately it’s not really a Die Hard movie.  Sure it’s got John McLane in it, but that’s about where the comparisons to the original trilogy end.  I guess I feel the same way about this one as I did with the remade Friday the 13th – it was a good horror movie, just not a Friday movie.  This time around, McClane is dealing with a group of virtual terrorists who have managed to “take down the grid” so to speak.  Conceptually this is actually pretty damn cool, especially if you’re a techno geek like me.  As with the other Die Hard flicks you really need to suspend disbelief when you start watching this (McClane takes out a helicopter with a truck… don’t ask) but once you get past that stuff it’s really quit enjoyable.  Bruce Willis gives a fine performance as do Justin Long (the Mac guy from the Mac/PC commercials) and Timothy Olyphant (of Deadwood and Hitman fame).  The cast is rounded out nicely with some folks that you may or may not have heard of complete with a small part by one of my favs Kevin Smith.  Go into this understanding what it is (a popcorn movie) and what it really isn’t (a Die Hard movie) and you’ll have a good time.

Avatar
Going into this flick I figured any movie that had made a BILLION dollars and was like 10 years in the making had to be good.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  Let me start out by saying that this movie looked absolutely AMAZING.  I was lucky enough to see it in IMAX 3D and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that 10 years from now when we look back and what 3D technology has become, we’re going to point to this movie as the one that started it all.  I’ve got to give James Cameron huge props at having a vision and seeing it to fruition.  As for his story telling ability it left quite a bit to be desired.  The best way I can describe this is Dances With Wolves meets The Matrix.  If that seems like a weird mix of plots, it’s cause it is.  I actually fell asleep during the first 30 minutes or so and didn’t miss a damn thing story line wise.  If you can still catch this one in a theater in 3D then I’d recommend you do so simply so you can see the beauty that’s on screen, but if you’ve missed it and your only opportunity is on DVD then it’s a definite pass.

Hot Tub Time Machine
Had a chance to see this when Pip was in town.  Being a child of the 80′s I was interested to see how they’d handle that decade and I’m happy to say that they nailed it (at least in my memory).  This certainly isn’t a “good” movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to tell you that I chuckled the whole way through.  The cast that I thought would be suspect works really well together.  John Cusak in probably my favorite roll since Gross Pointe Blank plays the lead, Craig Robinson (of The Office fame), Clark Duke (Kick Ass) and Rob Corddry in a show stealing performance as Lou round out the cast nicely.  In addition, there are some great 80′s cameos (William Zabka… if you’re a kid of the 80′s and you don’t know that name shame on you), Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover.  All of this PLUS, if you’re a Cleveland Browns fan and “The Drive” still bothers you… well, I’ll just say you need to check it out.

Kick Ass
I’ll get the pun out of the way… Kick Ass kicks ass!!!  Being a comic geek I’m always somewhat worried when these things come to the big screen (though there have been some damn good comic movies in the last couple of years.  I was not familiar with this story going into it and boy was I blown away.  This is an edgy and dark story about a normal guy that decides to be a superhero.  No special powers, no utility belt… just a desire to do something that other people won’t.  He learns along the way that he’s not the only person who’s had this idea and meets up with Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz).  While this is a comic book film, it’s in the same style as the darker comic flicks we’ve been given lately – Dark Knight, Sin City, etc.  This is a very violent movie and definitely not for kids but as an adult DAMN was it a good time!

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