Windbreaker! by windbreaker

THE INTERNATIONAL

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

The International (2009)

It won't be remembered as a classic thriller, but The International is not bad. I know, that's not glowing. But these days when you're looking through the aisles of Blockbuster and see only lame sequels or dime-a-dozen sadistic slasher indies, you could do much worse.

This is NOT your standard globe-hopping James Bond wannabe. In fact, the DVD cover is all wrong. It should have a picture with Clive Owen, staring at a pile of newspaper clippings with his reading glasses on. That's why I liked this movie. Clive used to be a beat cop, but he isn't an expert marksman with a wake of blood behind him. He's just a smart guy trying to bring bad guys to justice.

The final clips during credits were pretty good... shows the futility of some battles.

Rent it, don't buy it.

Posted Saturday, July 11, 2009 11:31 PM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

ADAPTATION

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Adaptation (2002)

I watched Adaptation several years ago but had almost no recollection of the movie until I was re-watching last week. Certain scenes would jump back to memory and I'd know what was coming, but only 10 seconds ahead. This should have been a strobing red light in my brain that I wasn't a huge fan. The premise is very creative -- like the story itself, there are a lot of cool and innovative ideas... I just think it came across boring on film. I found myself paying attention to Nic Cage acting as Charlie & Donnie Kaufman and Chris Cooper acting as the wild plant guy than necessarily caring about characters.

Posted Saturday, July 11, 2009 9:08 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

HEROES OF THE EAST

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Heroes of the East (2008)

Must see.

HEROES OF THE EAST contains:

Swords, spears, knives, hooks, darts, daggers, chains, fists, and large straw hats.

Posted Sunday, May 03, 2009 5:06 PM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)

I'm going through a Cagney phase, so I'm watching or re-watching his gangster movies in chronological order. Can't get enough of the early Warner Bros. films, and they look really good on DVD.

ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES is more about the conclusion than it is the 90 minutes leading up to the conclusion. It ends like just about any crime saga of its sort should end -- the bad guy takes a long walk down the prison hallway where he'll be strapped to some device and sent to meet his Maker. Father Jerry is a realistic portrayal of someone who plainly does what is right even if it means implicating a friend.

Posted Sunday, April 19, 2009 2:30 PM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

TWILIGHT

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

Twilight (2008)

I had zero desire to see TWILIGHT when it hit theaters. I had zero desire to see it when it hit DVD. But when most of the wives in the circle of friends raved, I checked it out. My thoughts: meh.

Content: It feels too much like the pilot episode of a TV show that only the die-hard fans will watch regularly. Think the two X-FILES movies.

Style: tried too hard to be overly artsy. Don't get me wrong, I like some oddball flicks, but trimming 15-20 minutes of fat would have made this a lot more tolerable. There's a reason CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON isn't 3 hours long.

Posted Sunday, April 19, 2009 8:48 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

THE LOST BOYS

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

The Lost Boys (1987)

I've been sprinkling the Blockbuster Online queue w/gems of yesteryear... like THE LOST BOYS. I won't bother critiquing the plot. Instead, I will share 5 memorable moments:

(1) Jumping off a bridge because your friends tell you to.

(2) Death by stereo.

(3) Comic book store as a cover for the higher power of fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.

(4) Reading TV Guide so you don't have to watch TV.

(5) The perils of being at the mercy of your sex glands.

Posted Sunday, April 12, 2009 5:28 PM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO!

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

Panic in Year Zero (1962)

First things first... as a rule, any movie with an exclamation point in its title is worthy of at least a rental. PITYZ isn't great, but it's not terrible as far as atom-bomb-explodes-on-American-soil plot lines go. Following one family on their vacation turned quest for survival is actually pretty gripping at times. Of course, as a child of the 80s, it was all I could do not to yell "WOLVERINES!!!" at the screen.

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 10:04 PM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

Indy jumps the shark

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

We saw CRYSTAL SKULL last year when it came out, but apparently I never commented on it. I wouldn't be disappointed if I only saw it one more time in my lifetime. I didn't NOT like it, I just wasn't thrilled by it. The wife said she was almost bored and I couldn't really disagree with her. I think because Indy & Co. never seemed to really be in peril. Or the frest of the ree world, you know? If that Nazis got a hold of that ark, the world would change overnight.

I think the psy-ops plot device could be okay if we had a hint of its use. Like instead of Blanchet's character just trying to break into Indy's head, let us see the impacts of her ability. In the movie I felt like she may have been a con artist -- no psychic ability whatsoever. But I'm pretty sure Lucas/Spielberg intended her to have some sort of gift.

Also, way too many fake looking sets. What, is everyone afraid to shoot outdoors on location because of personal injury lawyers?! And one last comment: Karen Allen was obviously just stealing oxygen, grateful to be receiving a paycheck. The end.

One more thing... I was fine w/the semi-slapstick during the tank battle in LAST CRUSADE. And the monkey salute in RAIDERS was fine too. But the ground hogs in CRYSTAL SKULL? What was that, Caddyshack?!

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:53 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

THE MATRIX RELOADED

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Ahhh... Reloaded... It had just been too long since I watched this series. My fellow comic book geek Private America just pulled out his 10-disc set -- I haven't done that yet. But back to Reloaded... as soon as the credits played the Rage Against the Machine tune I wanted to watch Revolutions.

I know at the time it seemed overly complex, but now that all the characters are thoroughly ingrained, it seems very straightforward. I also watched the trailer for MATRIX and forgot how completely badass that trailer was!

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:26 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

SPEED RACER

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Speed Racer (2008)

I liked this so much that I'm going to buy it one day for my offspring to enjoy. Who knew I'd get so into this?! Go, Speed Racer, go!!!

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:08 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

THE COUNTERFEITERS

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

The Counterfeiters (2008)

I think it was AICN's weekly DVD column that brought COUNTERFEITERS to my attention. It's not at all what I thought -- it's the truthy story of Nazi Germany using skilled prisoners to develop counterfeit currency. It's really a war flick led by some really strong characters. Recommended, but maybe not for the squemish due to some brutal scenes.

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:06 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM stars Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and some white kid. It's like Karate Kid, only with time travel, CrouchingTigerSpankingMonkey-floating-flying, and tons of kung fu. Not the greatest kung fu flick, but decent if you have a free rental to burn.

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:02 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

A SIMPLE PLAN

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

A Simple Plan (1998)

"I mean, hell, Hank, I've never even kissed a girl. You know, if me becoming rich is gonna change all that, you know I'm all for it."

Long has Sam Raimi's low budget flick, A Simple Plan, been in my queue. What would Bill Paxton & Billy Bob Thornton do if they found millions of dollars?

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 10:59 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

SWORD OF DOOM

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Film Name Production Year

The Sword of Doom (1967)

SWORD OF DOOM is great on so many levels. Samurai fights, several iconic scenes, character depth with entire cast. And the technical quality of the Criterion release is unbelievable. It's black & white, but super crisp transfer. Audio is clear.

QT definitely got some imagery ideas for KILL BILL from Sword of Doom.

Basic theme: an evil soul makes an evil sword. We watch the lead character as he follows the path to the dark side.

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 10:44 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

METROPOLIS

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]

Under discussion:

Metropolis (1927)

It's a shame you have to get Netflix or Blockbuster Online to see Metropolis. At least I've never seen it on shelves. Epic sci-fi by Fritz Lang. Don't even ponder the plot in advance -- as a movie fan you owe it to yourself to watch this!

Posted Saturday, April 11, 2009 9:22 AM by Windbreaker | with 0 comments

Windbreaker!

Like what you're reading?