Choking on Popcorn

Gran Torino (2008)

Helen — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:03:05 +0000

Clint Eastwood has stated that Gran Torino will be his last film as an actor, and frankly, I think that’s possibly a good thing, as it’s unlikely he could top this understated but brilliant performance as a disgruntled old war veteran. I hope however, it is not also his last effort at directing, as I personally feel he ranks as one of the top directors of all time, and I would love to see him make some more. Gran Torino, along with Changeling, yet another Eastwood film, is one of the best films i’ve seen this year. (more…)

What Goes Up (2009)

Darren Seeley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:45:47 +0000

There is a scene late in the film What Goes Up where a young artist is dismayed after her paper mache space shuttle crashes to the high school auditorium due to an a comic moment during a school backed musical number. On the belly of the paper shuttle is an article written by the film’s lead character regarding a woman who he considered to be a hero, who he fell in love with, and chose to make up positive, heroic stories about her after her suicide. It is also the best way to sum up the rest of Jonathan Glatzer’s film, which is uncomfortably set not only in the days leading up to the 1986 space shuttle Challenger tragedy, but also in the same state of Sharon Christa McAuliffe, who, had she lived, would have been the first teacher is space. (more…)

Not Easily Broken (2009)

Darren Seeley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:46:25 +0000

I will give some credit to where credit is due. It is a rare thing these days to have a movie about the ups and downs of a marriage without actually trashing the concept of marriage. Rarer still is how such struggles relate to the church and/or issues of faith. That’s not too much of a coincidence, since the film is inspired by the non-fiction book by T.D. Jakes, who makes a small cameo in the film, though not as himself like on the previous “inspired by” adaptation of one of his non fiction inspirational books, Woman, Thou Art Loosed. Since I am also a person of faith, there are some things I can identify with even though I’ve never been married myself. But, like the previous Jakes inspired film, some characters are defined well, and then do things which not only come out of left field, but aren’t even in the same ballpark. (more…)

Public Enemies (2009)

Darren Seeley — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:32:31 +0000

There is a lot of wonderful acting performances in Michael Mann’s new film Public Enemies, so much so that there are many other actors who give good performances but who are washed out by the other talent. Since the character of FBI agent Melvin Purvis is overwhelmed by capturing various thieves and thugs in the 1930’s, co-lead Christian Bale suffers the most, having his scenes stolen by the other talent around him. It happens so frequently I was beginning to wonder if Bale should have been cast as Purvis in the first place. Does it really matter? The film is a showcase for Johnny Depp as the “public enemy number one” celebrity bank robber John Dillinger. (more…)

The Last Word (2008)

Darren Seeley — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:26:32 +0000

The studio distributors wish to promote The Last Word as a romantic comedy. The actors all have warm, smiling faces on the artwork, on first glance you would think, Winona Ryder (love interest), Wes Bentley (guy she falls for) and Ray Romano (comic sidekick/best buddy). That’s partially correct; the two leads do have a relationship. Abel (Romano) does fill out something of a buddy role. That’s as far as it goes. I didn’t find the movie light or fluffy, but I found it involving and evolving, as the film felt it needed something to really say. It never gets around to it. (more…)

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

Darren Seeley — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:22:09 +0000

After watching the new Street Fighter movie, I am now convinced of three things. One, it makes the 1994 Jean Claude Van Damme turkey look slightly better than it actually was; two, Kristin Kreuk has a ton of potential outside of Smallville, but this movie isn’t that breakthrough. As for that third item? If cinematographer turned director Andrzej Bartkowiak doesn’t watch out, he may wind up dethroning Uwe Boll in video-game to film adaptations. (more…)

Defiance (2008)

Helen — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:12:44 +0000

I have always enjoyed watching films based on true events, as it automatically makes films appear more authentic and gripping, since you know the characters you’re watching and the events on the screen once really happened, albeit probably with less impressive cinematic dialogue and popcorn pleasing action. Films based on true stories often make people aware of events and people from history, that they may otherwise never of heard of. Defiance certainly brought an unfamilar story from World War Two to my attention. (more…)

Friday The 13th (2009)

Darren Seeley — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:18:25 +0000

The last time audiences seen ‘Jason’, the nearly unstoppable killer in a hockey mask, he was butting knives with Freddy from A Nightmare On Elm Street in Freddy Vs. Jason. We will never know the clear winner of that horror smack down, because Michael Bay’s production company, Platinum Dunes, has saw fit to remake Friday The 13th and reinvent Jason (and they’ll get to Freddy very soon) and I will confess that it is, by far, hands down, the best Friday The 13th movie made to date.

Don’t get your hopes up. (more…)

Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries Part 1 (2008)

denise — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:09:28 +0000

Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries Part 1 (2008) is one of those movies that is so bad it is almost good. There is certainly a preexisting demographic this movie will appeal to. Unfortunately, I don’t fall into it, and instead I found myself searching the room for a sharp object to stick in my eye to alleviate the pain of sitting through this entire film. While the movie’s website claims its status as an “award winning film”, the only award I find it worthy of is a Rotten Tomato. Now, depending on your personal taste, that might not be a bad thing. (more…)

Bride Wars (2009)

Darren Seeley — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:57:08 +0000

Let’s get a few things out of the way first. I’m a single guy, I like all kinds of movies. I am open to all kinds of mainstream genres. Nobody will twist my arm to even see a ‘chick flick’. But maybe it’s because I never been married, or maybe it’s just because I’m a dude, that I never will understand a film like Bride Wars. I know I despised last year’s films Made Of Honor (oddly, that film’s overall premise briefly crops up in this movie too as a throwaway side joke that doesn’t really work) and that Sex and City movie as well. But I did enjoy, even though I “wasn’t supposed to”, 27 Dresses. Maybe I was in a good mood that day. I know today I was put in a foul one watching Bride Wars.

And yes, it is foul.
(more…)