The_MOW Blog

Very violent, but certainly not for everybody

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Dawn of the Dead (2003)

A group of people from various walks of life are trapped in a huge shopping mall as a strange, unknown (and unexplained in the movie) virus turns all outside the mall into the walking dead -- or zombies.

This movie is one of the most graphic, violent movies I have seen in areal long time. They show you just about everything when it comes to the destruction of the zombies. It is not for the weak of heart.

The special effects, and make-up effects are incredible. I have a feeling that when it first came out, it made a good chunk of the audience squirm in their theater seats. They spent a lot of money on the special effects and make-up, and that's a good thing for a movie of this kind.

You can pretty much tell who will make it to the closing credits at the end of the movie because those people have the most development. Some have very little development, and are killed early on, while others make it to about three-quarters of the way through.

Another thing that this movie does well is the action. When the zombies attack, there is no time for the characters they are after or the audience to breathe. A good chunk of the movie takes place in the shopping mall, with the zombies trying to break in to get to the main cast, so there isn't action every five minutes.

The development of the main cast was pretty good. It wasn't perfect, but you understood each character's motives as the movie went on.

One of the things I didn't like was the "Andy" (Bruce Bohne) character. He spent most of the movie on the roof of a building near the shopping mall, and communicated with the main cast through a magic marker board. If you ask me, this character was not needed, as he did nothing for the movie.

As for the soundtrack, it's all modern music with instrumental pieces used to enhance the scare factor, sometimes in a really good way.

If you have a weak stomach, don't see this movie. And do not let young kids see this one. The violence factor is extreme and the imagery is even more graphic.

Posted Friday, May 08, 2009 12:33 AM by The_MOW | with 0 comments

Not funny if you are not into black comedies

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The War of the Roses (1989)

This is the story of the marriage of the "Roses" (Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas) told through the words of a lawyer (Danny DeVito, who also directed) who relates the story to a potential client (Dan Castellaneta in a non-speaking role).

I do not understand why Yahoo Movies say I would like black comedies, because they are only worth a couple of chuckles. And this one is no exception.

Although the movie has a good cast, three members of which have worked together twice before -- in better movies, they only give a fair performance.

Another problem with this movie is that only the "Roses" have any character development. The "Rose" children, who are seen in three stages of their lives, and the rest of the cast are not used well at all. They are mostly there, and aren't used well to advance the main storyline.

One thing that I liked was the use of camera angles. Some of them were pretty unique like the one where the waring couple were shown looking out separate windows that were only a few feet apart. There were also a couple of extreme close-ups to show the anger of the "Roses" that were also pretty nice.

Another thing that was not good was that the realism of the movie was horrible. You would think with a relationship that was this volatile, the neighbors would have called the cops at least once. Yes, many divorces can end this bad, but this just didn't feel realistic to me at all.

This was certainly over-the-top, but it's not funny if you ask me. In fact, I don't even understand why this would be considered "comedy" even a black comedy. I probably chuckled at a couple of allegedly comedic moments.

As for the music. None of it is memorable, and it didn't enhance any of the scenes or the fights between the "Roses". In fact, the music is so forgettable, I don't even remember hearing music until the closing credits.

Save this one for a rainy day when you are desperate to see a movie.

Posted Friday, May 08, 2009 12:30 AM by The_MOW | with 0 comments

Not as fast as "The Rocketeer," but pretty good

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The Rocketeer (1991)

With World War II raging half-a-world away, and 1938's Los Angeles appears not to be involved in the war.

Los Angeles, which is also known as "Hollywoodland" (back then), is a place where dreams are made. One of those with dreams is stunt-pilot "Cliff Seacord" (Billy Campbell), one of which is to spend the rest of his life with his girlfriend, "Jenny" (Jennifer Connely), herself having the dream of becoming a leading actress in movies.

After being shot down in a fire fight between Federal law enforcement and the Mob, "Cliff" discovers a jet pack he eventually finds out was designed by billionaire aviator, "Howard Hughes" (Terry O'Quinn).

"Seacord" eventually discovers that the Nazis are after the jet pack. So, they hire a secret agent who hides in the public eye.

Now, "Seacord," in the guise of "The Rocketeer," goes after the spy and his hired muscle in the Mob, to save the jet pack, "Jenny" and possibly the free world from the Nazi regime.

Based on a classic comic book story, this is a fair attempt at bringing a Golden Age comic book character to life. There are some problems with performances, possibly due to the script, as well as the movie is slow running.

There are some good performances in the movie, but there are some scenes where the performances are not that strong. One of the best performances is from Campbell, with Timothy Dalton a fairly close second. If you ask me, Dalton was born to play roles like "Neville Sinclaire", a suave but evil villain.

One thing that this movie does perfectly is the period costumes and vehicles. It really gives the feel of 1938. I personally liked the look of "The Rocketeer" costume. The jacket looks really nice, and the helmet/mask is simple yet futuristic.

The action scenes were pretty poor in this film. One of the climatic scenes at the end was the only good action scene in the entire movie. The rest are mostly "The Rocketeer" flying around and a few fairly good chase scenes.

The character development was not the best in this film. When this film came out, I don't recall ever hearing that it was based on a classic comic book. In fact, I don't think the majority of the movie-going audience was aware that it was a classic comic book.

The flying special effects are pretty much dated now. In some of these scenes, you can pretty much tell that green/blue screen effects are being used.

The violence is kept to a minimum. Most of the violence is fist fights, and a little gun play. There is also little to no foul language, this is a Disney film after all.

One thing in this movie that is a must see is the authentic looking "Nazi propaganda" film which shows the origin of the jet pack. If anything, this is one thing that is a must see. It's done in such a way that it will give you a chill down your spine with the visuals in it.

As for the music soundtrack, it's nice but not very memorable in my opinion.

I would have to say that this would probably be a good third choice to rent if your first choice is unavailable.