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Spring Breakers 2013
It's been a couple of days since I've seen this and I still don't know if it's the trashy masterpiece so many claim it is or just a dazzlingly-made clusterfuck. (It's like Michael Mann directed some 16-year-old boy's wet dream.)
I will say that James Franco basically runs away with this thing, playing a wanksta who is just as much a product of our self-entitled, consumerist culture as the quartet of bikini-clad girls. In its own weird, warped way, you…
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Stoker 2013
I wish I was more enamored, like so many of my colleagues, by Park and his visual eye so I could forgive the silly-ass screenplay (like so many of the colleagues have also done), written by the PRISON BREAK dude. But since I was never a fan of OLDBOY (yeah, you heard me!), I can basically call this guy out quite freely.
Then again, this movie shines a light on the problem I have with Park going all the way…
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The Kid with a Bike 2011
Well, it's about time I threw this in the mix, especially since I saw it months ago.
Basically, it's what I've come to expect from the Dardennes, well-made neo-realism that's as unsentimental as it is heartbreaking. (And if Isaac Weeks hasn't seen this yet, he should.)
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The Deep Blue Sea 2012
Yeah, Jennifer Lawrence is a sweetheart. But we all know who deserves the Best Actress Oscar this year. #teamrachel
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Warm Bodies 2013
Go here.
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Identity Thief 2013
Go here.
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The Loneliest Planet 2012
I so feared that this would be GERRY up in the mountains (I saw it one morning on my laptop, so I didn't get the whole enveloping cinematic experience most of you who saw it did.)
But, then, The Moment happens.
After that, it becomes a tensely engrossing flick about just how much your opinion of your significant other can change in the blink of an eye.
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The Paperboy 2012
This fuckin' movie right here!
I can see how some of my more forgiving, camp-loving critics can give it a pass merely because it's a trashy, WTF sight, a mashup of arty gutsiness and balls-to-the-wall tawdriness. But we're overlooking the primary flaw:
NOT A SINGLE OUNCE OF IT WORKS!
However, it's a must for those who want how a bad a bad movie can get during its running time. And BTW, why hasn't Zac Efron sued Lee Daniels for sexual harassment yet?
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The Last Stand 2013
"My honor's not for sale."
"FUCK YOUR HONOR!"So. this is basically a neo-Western starring an Austrian guy and directed by someone from South Korea. And, yes, it's as entertainingly ridiculous as it sounds. One of those few occasions where it seems Schwarzenegger is well-aware of his limitations as an actor, it is shamelessly fun watching him get all vengeful and Buford Pusser-ish on some druglord douchebag in a fast car.
After watching this, I'm almost ashamed to admit I can't wait to see what Stallone does next in BULLET TO THE HEAD.
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Winchester '73 1950
Another sturdy, entertaining Western from the always-reliable Mann. I'm starting to think JImmy Stewart did a better job at playing complex, gungslinging archetypes than John Wayne. (YEAH, I SAID IT! WHAT?!)
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End of Watch 2012
From the found-footage angle to the forced chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Pena, this movie was so gotdamn infuriating and preposterous (should I expect anything less from the writer-director of STREET KINGS?), it's no wonder I forgot all about it until just now.
