A daily review and weekly podcast (coming soon) bringing banter and insight to the best and the worst movies and television
Currently everyone is watching - City Island
A daily review and weekly podcast (coming soon) bringing banter and insight to the best and the worst movies and television
Currently everyone is watching - City Island
I always sort of assume that everybody has seen “Wristcutters: A Love Story” so I never feel the need to re-watch it or write a review. But it is a great film, and it continues to pop up in my instant queue suggestions so I figured I would pass the buck on to the rest of you. Spoilers… there is a reference to wrist cutting at the beginning of the film which is very dark and not taken lightly. Immediately after this, you get the “comedy” portion of the dark comedy and everyone’s happy… well, sort of.
Today’s link takes you straight to watch Birdemic, which was a lot of fun. There are a ton of campy movies that aren’t campy enough to make the cut, while others have too high of a production budget to have not done a better job at creating a decent flick. Birdemic, however, feels like it has a $7,000 budget, an iPhone and Garage Band. But more than that, the poor execution and loosely political agenda are what make this film worth your while.
Not to mention the fact that How Did This Get Made will be featuring an episode about this film in the near future, and it’s on Instant Queue which makes it a must see.
I know I’m a little outside of the loop here in suggesting a Red Box film on a Friday, but unfortunately my timing is completely off. I also didn’t suggest any films on any of the other days this week so I’m just going to count it as a restocking week and start suggesting films that are actually good instead of just reviewing every damn thing I see.
“Apollo 18” started out as a joke in my house. We set up the podcast gear, popped in the film, and immediately ran the banter. It’s a documentary style sci-fi thriller that uses “real” footage (questionable?) to tell the true story of what happened on Apollo 18. Let me just say… it was a little terrifying. The closest frame of reference is that it’s like “Paranormal Activity” meets “The Blair Witch Project” at Space Camp.
I think the “real” element to the film helped define a strong concern or emotional investment in the safety of these astronauts because they felt like more than characters in a movie. The hazard itself was a little less believable in my opinion, but the suspense of the film helped evoke a strong response. It’s hard to say too much about this movie though without giving too much away. To put in plainly, it’s a great sci-fi thriller movie and one that I feel comfortable suggesting.
[STATUS REPORT]
BROAD vs. NICHE - I think this is a great across the board movie. I would even let some younger kids see this film if you trust them around scary stuff and monsters and all that jazz. It’s not a typical “Alien” thriller so it shouldn’t have the same long lasting effect as something like “Signs”. But seeing as how this isn’t a gore-fest or soft core porn disguised as a horror film, I feel great suggesting this movie to anyone.
WATCHABILITY - It’s a suspense movie. So the beginning was slow and then about 20 minutes in you’re hooked. The pacing and development is timed out well enough that you should remain pretty interested even in some of the duller moments of the film.
WHEN TO WATCH - Any day of the week after 9:00 pm. It’s a nighttime film. I would definitely suggest a group of friends isnce it’s a fun movie, but watching this by yourself may create the same rush or element of fear so don’t be afraid to pick this up on your own… or maybe, do be afraid because it’s scary… but rent it anyway.
I have a friend that’s using my Instant Queue to watch one and only one show, “Downton Abbey”. It’s cute because I don’t think my friend watches many shows and so anytime I see a new episode on my recently watched queue… I know what she’s up to. It’s like I have caught her enjoying her guilty pleasure.
I’ve tried double posting two movies at the same time in the past, and it was an epic fail… so I don’t know why I’m trying again. Here’s the gist of it. After I saw The Trip, I loved him. Saxxondale… not so much. Hamlet 2… I couldn’t believe it. I loved that movie. So more than a review… I’m giving a suggestion. there’s no reviews necessary. Just watch these movies and enjoy Steve Coogen.
I thought this was going to be a very “South Park” movie considering the only portion of the film they give away is the song “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”. But this is about 3% of the entire movie. Most of the film follows Coogen trying desperately to work through his own personal problems while saving the drama department with his very limited resources and unusually large cast of primarily first time latino students who ran out of electives to choose from. I thought the acting was fantastic which you don’t hear a lot about in comedies.
This is available on Instant Queue so you can watch this right now. The movie is a touch slower, but it plays out as more of a drama with a sense of humor. Acting is amazing and watching the playfulness and friendship between Coogen and Bryden is new and refreshing to an American like myself. I would recommend playing this immediately and putting Hamlet 2 on your DVD Queue.
