Review coming this weekend. Snakes.Plane.Gonna.Rock

Just letting everyone know that this weekend I will put up a review for the highly anticipated film, Snakes on a Mother ****ing Plane. Gonna see this one one Friday most likely and it looks to be a fun ride. Hopefully, it will live it to the odd hype it has gotten. And if all else fails, Sam Jackson is still the man!

I laugh myself stupid at "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby"

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby
Will Ferrell back at the top of his game

After a hit with "Anchorman:The Legend of Ron Burgandy" and the not so hit "Bewitched," what would the future hold for Will Ferrell? Thankfully, Ferrell got his "ish" together and got back together with partner Adam McKay and thus, we have "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby."

Ricky Bobby(Ferrell) has just always wanted to go fast. His father (Gary Cole) also likes to go fast and even passed the hospital doing so the night Ricky was born. Eventually, Ricky would go on to become a successful NASCAR driver. Hilarity ensues at every turn as Ricky Bobby is as dimwitted as they come. Even going so far as to sell the windshield of his Nascar car to Fig Newtons.
"This is both inconvenient and distracting but I do love Fig Newtons."
This is only one of many memorable lines that are sprawled throughout the film. The physical comedy bits are great as well. A little heart is injected into the film as told through the story of Ricky and his dad.

There weren't many times when I wasn't bent over laughing at this film. The product placement bits didn't really bother me as much as some people. Once the French driver comes into play, the laughs really kicked up a notch. As well as Ricky's partner, Cal. Some bits did go on for too long though such as "shake and bake" but it didn't take away from the film.

With all the praise I give this film, I must say I prefer "Anchorman" over this just because I enjoyed the quotable and subtle humor that was played in that film. Still, this film is no slouch in the laughs department and is definately, without a doubt, the funniest movie of the year. And yes, I did see "Clerks 2." Go see this one and have a good time.

Final Score 4/5

"That JUST happened!"

And like a Phoenix I shall rise from the ashes!

Or something like that. I am back though and I apologize to all of you who actually read my blog on a regular basis. I've been off working on other projects this summer such as MySpace and trying to get back to work on the Happy Show (I really need a car). Other than that, not much has been going on. Oh, my films are up on You Tube now for those who are interested. Check those out at the link here.

Also, you may have noticed that I once again revamped the site. I felt that it needed to be revamped considering the last time I did it was back in either '02 or '03. I also customized the new banner at the top of the page. All that time customizing over on MySpace really did teach me something. Who knew?

So yeah, hope you guys stick around for the fun stuff that will be sure to come out of this third or fourth coming of this site! Also, my friend Josh and I are thinking of launching a co-review site that will cover everything from video games to DVD's to film. So be on the look out for that.

Til next time,
Gavin

My soon to be unpopular review of V for Vendetta!

V for Vendetta
Forgettable, forgettable, V for Vendetta was forgettable.

Having been a fan of the graphic novel by the legendary Alan Moore, I was optimistic about this film. Then I heard Alan Moore pulled his name off it. Then I heard the Matrix, I mean Wachowski Brothers wrote the screenplay for it. Then it was delayed due to the London bombings. While my interest was still peaked, I began losing a little bit of interest each day until finally, March 17th rolled around and this bad boy hit the cinemas.

Codename “V” (Hugo Weaving in a mask, at least, I think its him behind there) is a revolutionary whose past is unknown. He wants to overthrow the futuristic fascist English government and take revenge for what was done to him in a research facility years earlier. I mean, at least that is what the book said. In this we have only bits and pieces of the whole story due to the fact that a lot of the book was either cropped, adjusted, or just plain throw out to fill the movies two hour runtime. V later meets up with a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman who later goes bald) who in the comic was a 15 year old prostitute but in the film is a TV studio worker. When V meets Evey, don’t blink or you will miss one of the movies few, yes I said few, action sequences. If you have seen the trailers and thought “Wow, a lot of stuff is happening. This looks action packed.” You are in the group of people who are wrong,. This movie is not action packed in any way. If you like dialogue and politics, then yes, it is full of action.

Another thing I really did not like about this film is the fact that it was in IMAX. I paid a full 3 dollars more to see a action packed film only to have an IMAX experience which consisted of talking. If I wanted to see digitally enhanced and high def talking, I’d go talk to someone. Also the politics in the movie will be argued whether or not it promotes or encourages terrorism or glorifies it. So that is something we have to look forward to. Lots of talking head politicians disputing a 27 year old graphic novel and it‘s stance on terrorism.

This film can also be the main case for why a Watchmen movie can NEVER be made. There was just too much back story in that book and this one to do it justice with a 2-3 hour film. I really wanted the character of V to be fleshed out more. I wanted his motives to be more clear. I wanted him making explosives and mustard gas.

To be quite honest, this is actually one of the weirdest reviews I have ever done due to the fact that I just can’t pinpoint why I didn’t like the movie. It wasn’t close enough to the book for my taste was one reason, But I find myself no liking this movie no other reason than I just didn’t like it. Sometimes I guess it is just that simple. If you enjoy political thrillers, then this might be for you. If you are like me and expected more action though, stay far, far away.

Final Score
2.5/5

SAW II wants to play a game....

SAW II on DVD
Oh yeah, there was blood….

When I went to see SAW II back in October in the theaters, I was blown away. Everything just seemed to fit it again. This film took a different approach but stayed familiar. This was good on many levels considering we didn’t want to just redo the “two guys, a saw, and a bathroom” scenario over and over again. This film pretty much has no “slow down” button as within the first 7 minutes we already have a death at the hands of one of Jigsaw’s infamous traps. When Detective Eric Matthews(Donnie Wahlberg) shows up in order to investigate, he realizes he may be a wee bit more intimately involved as Jigsaw calls him out. He figures out the clue, and along with the SWAT Team, kicks his way straight in to the masterminds home. He begins interrogating him only to realize there is already a game being play.

Eight people are trapped in a house inhaling a deadly nerve agent. They are told antidotes are hidden throughout the house and that one is in the safe in the very same room that they stand in. Det. Matthews soon realizes that his son is in the house. Among the supporting cast of housemates are Franky G, Beverly Mitchell, and Shawnee Smith as she reprises her role of “Amanda the Reverse Bear Trap Chick” from the first film. Plot twists and lots of violence ensue.

Let’s just take a moment to speak of the violence on this one. If you thought you had a hard time sitting through the first films ONE cringe worthy scene then just steer clear of this one. You have gunshots to the head, electrocutions, severe artery bleeding, blood vomiting, self mutilation, and one scene so gross I had a hard time watching it. Funny thing about that scene is the director, Darren Lynn Bousman (taking over for James Wan), mentioned the scene actually being about a minute and a half longer on the commentary. Hopefully we will get to see that and other scenes when the inevitable SAW II Uncut Edition DVD drops to tie in with Saw III this October.

Now, as with the first release of the first film, the special features aren’t that great. Albeit there are more this time around with the first release of the second film, its just mainly fluff to hold us over. The one stand out feature though is the way they thought of the traps and how they all worked in relation to the real world. My favorite feature though would have to be the absolutely hilarious, yes I said “hilarious” commentary. You have the director, Donnie Wahlberg, and Beverly Mitchell on the commentary track and they do not waste a second of the time. Everything they say is informative or funny and we really get an insight into some of the stuff that was cut or things they were pitching around for traps and what not (I mean seriously, a girl grilling her own face?). The packaging on this is also pretty cool with a transparent box and a clear slip cover with the two fingers, the title, and the “Oh yes, there will be blood” tagline on it. Although nowhere near as cool as the blood packaging of the first SAW’s Uncut release, it should hold me over until the cooler version comes out.

I really enjoyed this film a lot and think that the SAW franchise is a step in the right direction for the horror genre. After recently seeing the film “Hostel” and almost throwing up multiple times while watching it, it just reminds me of all the things SAW is doing right. As with “Hostel” all the violence in the film was unjustified, but in the SAW series Jigsaw does have a twisted moral view but at least he has one. I say go pick up this version of the film to hold you over until the uncut version comes along. I guarantee you’ll get a few good viewings out of it. The only question left to ask is this: SAW III, Oct. 2006, can you wait?


Film Score
4.5/5

DVD Score
3.5/5

I'm back! Corpse Bride reviewed!

I bet some of you would never see this day come again. After a very, very long hiatus, I rise from the ashes like a Phoenix to give you the dirt on one of the most anticipated films of the year. In my time off fr mdoing this column I started doing some web content such as a script called VG Lost that is basically the show LOST with video game characters. I also started a new screenplay that I can't tell you much about except it does for retail jobs what Clerks and Office Space did for their respective positions. Now, back to what I mentioned earlier, my Corpse Bride review. Here we go!

Corpse Bride
Can it live up to its stop motion predaccessor?

After the groundbreaking hit that was "Nightmare Before Christmas," many people specualted that it would only be a matter of time before Mr. Burton decided to make another stop motion film. That was half true. He did make another stop motion film but it took him twelve plus years to do it in. And the reult of this was "Corpse Bride."

Victor(voiced by Johnny Depp), is bound to be wed to a lovely girl named Victoria(Emily Watson) who comes from a very lovely, and wealthy, family. The two hit off great but as the wedding rehearsel begins, Victor can't say his lines properly. He decides to go out into the woods and practice a bit. He says his vows perfectly and places the ring on what he thinks is a branch. Suddenly, the branch comes to life and we realize it is a person. Victor then realizes that he has just married a corpse named Emily(Helena Bonham Carter) and that he is to be sent to the Land of the Dead, which of course puts a damper on the original marraige plans.

Once Victor makes his way down to the Land of the Dead is when the film really shines. The different color pallets they used to differentiate the two worlds are truly remarkable. The soundtrack is also another fine treat by composer Danny Elfman. although some of the songs weren't as memorable as the ones in Nightmare. As you watch this film you forget that you are actually watching puppets move and begin to think that they could actually be alive. The voice acting is also top notch and all of the Burton alums make an appearence.

In conclusion I will say this: I really didn't like the film when I saw it in theaters. I thought it was rather drab and boring but somehow I really loved the film when I watched it on DVD last night. Maybe I was in a different mood or the theater was too loud but I really dug it this time around. Although not as great as Nightmare, it truly stands out as one of the most creative pieces of cinema of last year.

Final Score
4/5

*insert pun about "Saw:Uncut Edition"*

Saw:Uncut Edition
A bloody-er good time!

A sequel opening and a new re-release of the original? Preposterous! As with most films I know will have a double dip, I held out for this version of the film. We all know the basic story by now: Two guys wake up in a dirty bathroom chained to opposite ends of the room while a dead body lies in a pool of blood in the middle of the room. They are then left to find a way out by using the clues the killer has left them. Since I have reviewed this film back when it was released originally on DVD, I won’t bore you with another review of it as most of the pros and cons are still apparent. But you ask, “Isn’t this supposed to be uncut and extended?” Uncut? Yes. Extended? Not so much. Only thing that is really added is a little bit of the good ol’ crimson goodness during the climactic scene of the dude hacking his foot off. While it doesn’t really add much, it does round out the movie a little bit.

The reason to pick up this version though, as opposed to the other one, is the second disk of special features. As the original was pretty much barebones (which should have been a clue to hold out), this version brings the goods. With a three part making of documentary covering everything fromthe idea of the film, to pre-production, and then finally rounding it out with some post production stuff. It’s a nice touch and very informative. You also get two audio commentaries for the film. You also get to see the first few minutes of the amazing “Saw II.”

Even though there isn’t much added to the actual film, the special features disk alone makes this a worthy purchase. Also, the packaging is the best I have seen on any DVD released ever. With a nice blood filled insert that shakes and grosses out everyone, including the check out clerk at Best Buy. Enjoy!

Movie Score
4/5

DVD Score
4.5/5


Saw II review coming as soon as I view it a second time.