I’ve been catching a lot of my missed movies of 2009, and was in the mood for something more familiar, as I wasn’t sure if I would stay awake through a whole movie. However, if I wanted to fall asleep, I probably shouldn’t have picked such an entertaining movie…
I had wanted to see this in theaters, but never got to it. It’s been sitting on my DVR ever since the free weekend of STARZ came across my cable service a couple of weekends ago. Went with it last night, and boy am I glad I gave this one a shot!
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)’
In many ways, this is the sort of film which defines why I do these rankings in the first place. I love to write about film, and this blog is a way to ensure I do. Yes, I write about NATIONAL TREASURE or SHREK 2 because I watched it, and I want to get my thoughts down. But I don’t run to my computer to do it, if you catch my drift. But something like Buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL? Or INCEPTION (I’d link to it, but don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it)? or a small movie like PRIMER? Those things really keep my fire burning. I have a degree in Film Studies, but I’m also the guy who just wrote an article on RESIDENT EVIL a couple of weeks ago. I’m not the pretentious suit in the corner reminding you to mix a shot of Ozu between your meal of Michael Bay and desert of Rob Reiner. The bottom line here is I like movies, and I am non-discriminating when it comes to year, language, or color of a film’s skin. I mean, that FRIDAY THE 13th remake I watched a couple months ago is shit no matter how you try and shape it. And on the other end of the spectrum, Keaton’s THE GENERAL is a classic, no matter how old you are, or how many silent movies you’ve seen.
My July of blandly-received films continues! This time, we have the fourth TERMINATOR film. And this one comes in a little differently for me, since I was rooting against it a bit myself. See, I hate McG a lot. Any director willing to give himself a nickname, and then credit himself using it, doesn’t deserve much praise. And looking at his resume, what has he actually done to deserve any credit? But, alas, I must be fair and try to arrive at this film with no bias.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009)’
I feel like every movie I review that was made in the last year or two starts with ‘I heard some bad things about this movie, but I’m watching it anyway.’ I guess that is the era of film making we are in. Whether due to crappy movies (and some of it certainly is) or due to a heightened criteria to which we hold our new movies (and this is true too… just look at some of the ‘classics’ of the 80s to see how our expectations have risen), we now live in a time in which it is difficult to have a movie which the consensus finds almost all good. That’s what makes INCEPTION even more impressive. DAYBREAKERS, though? Not exactly INCEPTION. But this turned out to be one that was killed maybe a little more than needed.
I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this film. But with Depp and Bale being directed by the great Michael Mann in one of his signature crime films, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.
This is a film which had popped up on TCM, which has proved quite the source for older, uninterrupted, unedited films utilizing very good prints. If TCM ever came up with an HD channel, I may never leave the house. As it is, the prints are clean, and the older films aren’t hurt by not being watched in HD (digital cable is more akin to watching a DVD) as would a new movie.
This pre-jump passage doesn’t need to be here. I recommend this movie. SPOILERS abound. Just watch it before reading any further!
So, there’s a fourth live-action RESIDENT EVIL film coming out this fall, and it arrives in 3D. I liked the first enough, was not a huge fan of the second, and never saw the third. I’m mildly interested in seeing a zombie movie which will be shot utilizing 3d technology (as opposed to the crappy conversion techniques used for CLASH OF THE TITANS and THE LAST AIRBENDER). I thought I should revisit the series.
If this were 2000 and if a Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz action/comedy hit theaters, we would be talking a $75 million opening weekend. Never mind if it is good or not, the money would be there. Instead, this is 2010. Tom Cruise is still trying to reinvent his image, and Cameron Diaz has failed as much as she has succeeded. But none of that effects the central question: Is their new blockbuster worth seeing?
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