Evil Dead may be one of the most nostalgic horror movies ever made from director Sam Raimi. My personal favourite is actually Evil Dead 2, for many reasons. More butchering, more body parts, more sick humour, just my kind of entertainement for a cup of coffe. Even if Sam Raimi left the horror genre for a while, he seems to be coming back to his origins. When i heard about The Cabin In The Woods, being a tribute to Sam Raimi as well as other horror genres, i became very curious. With a mix of everything, is The Cabin In The Woods a classic, or was this idea too good to be true?
College students Curt Vaughan ( Chris Hemsworth ), Dana Polk ( Kristen Connolly ), Jules Louden ( Anna Hutchinson ), and their friends, decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods. While the party starts, they are not prepared what is about to happen. In this cabin, everything is remoted by a company with technicians, who will do everything to put on a good show, no matter how brutal these young people get killed. The show have just started, and there is no limit to what could happen.
I will say The Cabin In The Woods is a fun twist on the Evil Dead area. And this company, who survive thanks to all the viewers of how they kill teenagers is a clever idea, brought into the classic zombie scenes. You can see director Drew Goddard have worked very hard to put these pieces together, without making too many mistakes. Another fun detail is how brutal these zombies are, more brutal than the usual zombie, with different kinds of weapons, ready to tear bodies apart. Let´s not forget one big suprise, Sigourney Weaver walks in at the end of this movie, and let us know very interesting details, which i won´t give away now. If you love horror, and know a lot of the genre classics, you will enjoy The Cabin In The Woods. This is a suprisingly functional tribute.
Rating: DDD
torsdag 30 augusti 2012
The Expendables 2
Some things never die. Especially the love for old school action movies, that topped the box office back in the 80´s and in the 90´s. Nowdays there are still some old school actors who make these kinds of movies, as an example Dolph Lundgren. Most of his movies are made for a dvd release, but you still enjoy his acting skills. When i grew up i watched all those classics that high school boys loved, Chuck Norris, Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, as well as the bigger budget action movies with Schwarznegger, Stallone, and Bruce Willis. When Stallone got the idea to gather a gang of action old school stars in The Expendables, the world got really excited. And it did very well at the box office, and i had a great time. This time around the cast is bigger than ever before, with all of your favourite action movie stars. With a dream cast, is The Expendables 2 the ultimate action movie, or should Stallone have pushed he stop button before production started?
In Nepal, a chinese buisnessman and mercenary Trench ( Arnold Schwarznegger ) are hold hostage, The Expendables leader Barney ( Sylvester Stallone ) arrange a rescue operation. While the guys returns to New York, Billy The Kid ( Liam Hemsworth ) tells Barney he wants to retire and live with his girlfriend in France. Barney accept Billy´s dream. Mr Church ( Bruce Willis ) needs Barney and his team on a mission in Albania, to retrive something from a safe on a plane. The mission succeeds, until Jean Vilain ( Jean Claude Van Damme ) and his army sacrifice Billy The Kid. Barney swear to revenge his friends death, and to stop Jean Vilain from using 5 tons of refined plutonium.
Most critics of the world hate this movie. Thankfully i am not like most other movie critics. I love stuped action movies, especially with a dream cast like this, you simply can´t ask for much more. The Expendables 2 is a hell of a fun ride, with so much violence, and with so many cheesy lines, you just sit there with a hard on, bigger than Chuck Norris fist. And to see Jean Claude Van Damme do his special roundkicks is worth everything, this is nostalgic people. What about the rest of this amazing cast ? Dolph Lundgren is usually more tough, here he still kick some ass, but seems to have calmed down. At least he get some funny lines about Sweden, which is worth waiting for. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarznegger have a fun scene together in a small car, it´s not often you see 2 Hollywood legends like these ones killing 67 guys with machine guns in 3 minutes, it´s just so wonderful. Some of the cheesy lines are a perfect match to the thin script, because it´s not the script we care about, it´s supposed to be pure action. I don´t remember when i laughed as much as i did watching The Expendables 2 in a cinema, simply pure joy of violence entertainment. Go see this one, or i might just woop your ass....
Rating: DDDD
In Nepal, a chinese buisnessman and mercenary Trench ( Arnold Schwarznegger ) are hold hostage, The Expendables leader Barney ( Sylvester Stallone ) arrange a rescue operation. While the guys returns to New York, Billy The Kid ( Liam Hemsworth ) tells Barney he wants to retire and live with his girlfriend in France. Barney accept Billy´s dream. Mr Church ( Bruce Willis ) needs Barney and his team on a mission in Albania, to retrive something from a safe on a plane. The mission succeeds, until Jean Vilain ( Jean Claude Van Damme ) and his army sacrifice Billy The Kid. Barney swear to revenge his friends death, and to stop Jean Vilain from using 5 tons of refined plutonium.
Most critics of the world hate this movie. Thankfully i am not like most other movie critics. I love stuped action movies, especially with a dream cast like this, you simply can´t ask for much more. The Expendables 2 is a hell of a fun ride, with so much violence, and with so many cheesy lines, you just sit there with a hard on, bigger than Chuck Norris fist. And to see Jean Claude Van Damme do his special roundkicks is worth everything, this is nostalgic people. What about the rest of this amazing cast ? Dolph Lundgren is usually more tough, here he still kick some ass, but seems to have calmed down. At least he get some funny lines about Sweden, which is worth waiting for. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarznegger have a fun scene together in a small car, it´s not often you see 2 Hollywood legends like these ones killing 67 guys with machine guns in 3 minutes, it´s just so wonderful. Some of the cheesy lines are a perfect match to the thin script, because it´s not the script we care about, it´s supposed to be pure action. I don´t remember when i laughed as much as i did watching The Expendables 2 in a cinema, simply pure joy of violence entertainment. Go see this one, or i might just woop your ass....
Rating: DDDD
torsdag 9 augusti 2012
The Sitter
It´s possible not many of you have seen Martin Scorsese´s dark comedy After Hours from 1985. It was not a typical motion picture to be made by Scorsese, about a babysitter who gets in touble in NY. In a way it is a classic movie, for some unforgettable scenes. The babysitting theme has been used in several movies, but not one of them have delivered anything special. The Sitter seems to be a updated version of After Hours, with comedian Jonah Hill holding the steering wheel. Does The Sitter deliver a good time, or is it a waste of talent?
Noah ( Jonah Hill ) is a suspended college student, who lives with his mom. With no money and no big future plans, his mom hope he can straighten up his life. When his mom have to cancel going out, because Mrs. Pedulla ( Erin Daniels ) does not have a babysitter, he is asked to babysit for just one night. As he rings the doorbell of Peduella residence, he will soon understand what a nightmare that is waiting for him. Neurotic son Slater ( Max Records ) is 13 years old, and he sees a problem in everything. Daughter Blithe ( Landry Bender ) is a make up princess with a big mouth. And then we have adopted son Rodrigo ( Kevin Hernandez ), who is a pyromaniac and love to blow things up. Noah gets a phone call from ( what he thinks is his girlfriend ) Marisa ( Ari Graynor ). If he brings her cocaine to a party, she will have sex with him. Noah can´t say no to that, so take the three kids with him in the family´s car. As they arrive to drug dealer Karl ( Sam Rockwell ), Noah purchase the drugs and head off to meet Marisa. But when Noah finds out Rodrigo stolen an egg with cocaine from Karl, problems are about to get even bigger than before.
Let´s say this straight out. The Sitter is a stupid movie, but on the other hand, if you just want a comedy with low belt humour, this is a good choice. There are some funny scenes, like when we enter drug dealer Karl´s laboratory, with almost naked male bodybuilders with a gay rollerblade boy in paradise. Sam Rockwell works very well as Karl, a psycho who only cares about money. Or when Rodrigo stands on the dancefloor and pee all over a jewish party, classic. Jonah Hill is not a great actor, but as a babysitter he fits the character well, since he may be the worst babysitter ever. Ok, there are some bad moments also. Some of the actors does not give their best performance, it´s like they just try and look silly, and fails big time. Remember Leroy from Curb Your Enthusiasm? J.B. Smoove, he can deliver so much more than what he does here, he is usually very funny, wich is too bad. The Sitter does not go home as a winner, but it´s perfect while you have tacos and beer, and just want to laugh.
Rating: DDD
Noah ( Jonah Hill ) is a suspended college student, who lives with his mom. With no money and no big future plans, his mom hope he can straighten up his life. When his mom have to cancel going out, because Mrs. Pedulla ( Erin Daniels ) does not have a babysitter, he is asked to babysit for just one night. As he rings the doorbell of Peduella residence, he will soon understand what a nightmare that is waiting for him. Neurotic son Slater ( Max Records ) is 13 years old, and he sees a problem in everything. Daughter Blithe ( Landry Bender ) is a make up princess with a big mouth. And then we have adopted son Rodrigo ( Kevin Hernandez ), who is a pyromaniac and love to blow things up. Noah gets a phone call from ( what he thinks is his girlfriend ) Marisa ( Ari Graynor ). If he brings her cocaine to a party, she will have sex with him. Noah can´t say no to that, so take the three kids with him in the family´s car. As they arrive to drug dealer Karl ( Sam Rockwell ), Noah purchase the drugs and head off to meet Marisa. But when Noah finds out Rodrigo stolen an egg with cocaine from Karl, problems are about to get even bigger than before.
Let´s say this straight out. The Sitter is a stupid movie, but on the other hand, if you just want a comedy with low belt humour, this is a good choice. There are some funny scenes, like when we enter drug dealer Karl´s laboratory, with almost naked male bodybuilders with a gay rollerblade boy in paradise. Sam Rockwell works very well as Karl, a psycho who only cares about money. Or when Rodrigo stands on the dancefloor and pee all over a jewish party, classic. Jonah Hill is not a great actor, but as a babysitter he fits the character well, since he may be the worst babysitter ever. Ok, there are some bad moments also. Some of the actors does not give their best performance, it´s like they just try and look silly, and fails big time. Remember Leroy from Curb Your Enthusiasm? J.B. Smoove, he can deliver so much more than what he does here, he is usually very funny, wich is too bad. The Sitter does not go home as a winner, but it´s perfect while you have tacos and beer, and just want to laugh.
Rating: DDD
onsdag 8 augusti 2012
Silent House
Remake....just the word answers why Hollywood is remaking everything these days. There are not many original stories left to make a motion picture. Thankfully some directors can manage to remake a movie, without destroying the original motion picture value. When the Uruguayan motion picture The Silent House came out in 2010, alot of movie critics praised the way they choosed to make this movie. With a remake on our hands, is this actually a suprise, or is this another example of desperate film makers?
Sarah ( Elizabeth Olsen ) is staying at an Victorian house in the countryside, with her father and uncle. They are trying to fix the house, there is alot of work to be done. While her uncle takes a break, and her father continue to work upstairs, the doorbell rings. Outside is a woman who calls herself Sophia ( Julia Taylor Ross ). She claims that she and Sarah grew up together as kids, and spent a lot of time together, this is something Sarah does not remember. They agree to meet again soon, just as Sarah close the door. But what seemed to be a peacfull day with family members, is beginning to change in the worst possible way.
I have seen the original motion picture, what made the original movie special was that it was shot in just one take, no cuts, just a whole movie without cutting at all. This is not done very often at all, so what´s the difference between the original and this american remake? Not much, but i will say Elizabeth Olsen delivers a very powerful performance. She is basically almost alone in the whole movie, and with no cuts along the way, she proves that she is not afraid to try a different approach. The story itself is very thin, what makes Silent House work is the production around the final product. It´s effective, without having a big budget. I have brought this up before, but simple ideas works better most of the time than complicated ideas with big budget. Silent House will not be a future classic, but for a horror movie it knows what the audience wants, and deliver a stable presentation.
Rating: DDD
Sarah ( Elizabeth Olsen ) is staying at an Victorian house in the countryside, with her father and uncle. They are trying to fix the house, there is alot of work to be done. While her uncle takes a break, and her father continue to work upstairs, the doorbell rings. Outside is a woman who calls herself Sophia ( Julia Taylor Ross ). She claims that she and Sarah grew up together as kids, and spent a lot of time together, this is something Sarah does not remember. They agree to meet again soon, just as Sarah close the door. But what seemed to be a peacfull day with family members, is beginning to change in the worst possible way.
I have seen the original motion picture, what made the original movie special was that it was shot in just one take, no cuts, just a whole movie without cutting at all. This is not done very often at all, so what´s the difference between the original and this american remake? Not much, but i will say Elizabeth Olsen delivers a very powerful performance. She is basically almost alone in the whole movie, and with no cuts along the way, she proves that she is not afraid to try a different approach. The story itself is very thin, what makes Silent House work is the production around the final product. It´s effective, without having a big budget. I have brought this up before, but simple ideas works better most of the time than complicated ideas with big budget. Silent House will not be a future classic, but for a horror movie it knows what the audience wants, and deliver a stable presentation.
Rating: DDD
tisdag 7 augusti 2012
Juan Of The Dead
Zombies makes life wonderful. I just love these flesh eating psychos feeding on humans, while the rest of the world is changing for the worse. Ever since George A Romero made his classic motion pictures, a new generation zombies have entered the screen, in many different ways. One of the biggest suprises was Shaun Of The Dead, the british zombie comedy who became a huge box office hit. So what would you say if Cuba, did their own version of a zombie invasion gone all wrong, with a different perspective? Is this a future classic, or should the cubans just stayed to dancing and smoking cigars?
Juan ( Alexis Diaz de Villegas ) and his best friend Lazaro ( Jorge Molina ) are living a normal life in Havanna. But things are about to change, when they discover something is happening with the people in town. They are becoming flesh eaters, as chaos begins to spread. So Juan comes up with a perfect idea, to start a business named Juan Of The Dead, you just call and he and his friends come and kill your family members. While business begins to roll up, some things may still be complicated.
It´s been a long time i laughed so much as i did watching Juan Of The Dead. Director Alejandro Brugués finds a perfect balance of dark comedy and zombies, wich makes this a big knockout. Just imagine a she male, shooting zombies with a slingshot, and she´s more afraid of bugs than zombies? Brilliant. Or when the use a harpoon, to shoot through an old man, and accidently kills his normal wife also? It may sound like sick humour, but i love it. And the scenery of Havanna is wonderful, wich makes it more fun to see zombie invasion in a beautiful city like this. Juan Of The Dead is out now on dvd in the Uk, i bought myself a copy, and i suggest you do the same. From all the comedy releases this year, this may be one of the funniest motion pictures in a very long time. I am actually hoping for a sequel, i think it actually might work very well.
Rating: DDDD
Juan ( Alexis Diaz de Villegas ) and his best friend Lazaro ( Jorge Molina ) are living a normal life in Havanna. But things are about to change, when they discover something is happening with the people in town. They are becoming flesh eaters, as chaos begins to spread. So Juan comes up with a perfect idea, to start a business named Juan Of The Dead, you just call and he and his friends come and kill your family members. While business begins to roll up, some things may still be complicated.
It´s been a long time i laughed so much as i did watching Juan Of The Dead. Director Alejandro Brugués finds a perfect balance of dark comedy and zombies, wich makes this a big knockout. Just imagine a she male, shooting zombies with a slingshot, and she´s more afraid of bugs than zombies? Brilliant. Or when the use a harpoon, to shoot through an old man, and accidently kills his normal wife also? It may sound like sick humour, but i love it. And the scenery of Havanna is wonderful, wich makes it more fun to see zombie invasion in a beautiful city like this. Juan Of The Dead is out now on dvd in the Uk, i bought myself a copy, and i suggest you do the same. From all the comedy releases this year, this may be one of the funniest motion pictures in a very long time. I am actually hoping for a sequel, i think it actually might work very well.
Rating: DDDD
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