If Paris Not Fun

If Paris Not Fun, If Paris Downcast 2018

If Paris Is Not Fun Around the love story between Yue Zhu (Truong Han) and Nguyen Man Quan (Hieu Thanh Tu). He is a successful young entrepreneur going to receive the admiration, women followed long queue. She is a good lawyer and a strong, deep woman who does not fall easily. A person with a liberal personality, not afraid of anything in this world. One who always wants to protect himself and others around him is in love with each other. Imagine they are two opposing extremes, but they create a touching love story. Before meeting Dong Zhuo Yao, Nguyen Man Quan encountered the biggest event in his life. To help her ex-boyfriend get rid of a financial case, the man fake the papers, but she also finds herself in jail and is unable to work as a lawyer.

Staying in prison is still a heart toward her boyfriend she is waiting for each day free to return to find her love. But the end result, when Tse Yao was released is also his boyfriend married another girl. The soldier seemed to have lost everything, so much so that there was nothing left. And at that moment she accidentally encountered Yue Zhuo, who pulled her from the mire. Nguyen Man Quan tried his best not to stop him from becoming a voice actor in the company. But then, she wanted to return to work as a lawyer as before, not because she missed the job so much that she could not quit, but because she wanted to pursue Yao Yuzu Peach.
But their love is too many obstacles, the Army has always felt guilty about his past, while Trieu Yao has many "good reputation far away" about the lack of food, playing lovers not long. Apparently they love each other but always fear and evade their feelings. The enemy flees, to lose before the heart, she ran to Paris, but finally met him. That may be the cause, probably because they can not give up each other but later on, the military knows for Tieu Yue: "People who love Dong Zhuo Yao, but in the world Yue Zhuang only one That person is Nguyen Man Quan. "

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December 2011 - In Review

Am I catching up... well not really. Here is the batch from December with a few notes on each.


Worth Watching
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) [9/10]
It is pretty close between this one and Contagion for the best of the month. This was a pretty good comedy starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, and Marisa Tomei with a minor role by Kevin Bacon. This is how all romantic comedies should be made, check this one out.

Contagion (2011) [9/10]
Films like this one just make me more of a germaphobe. Directed by Steven Soderbergh with another stellar cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, John Hawkes, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, and Kate Winslet. I read a review where one of the actresses said that Soderbergh called them up, said I have a small role for you, I'll have everything set up, just come out for a week and shoot your scenes. For a movie about a plague with a lot of stars there is no telling which one will get knocked off, pretty cool.

Moneyball (2011) [8/10]
There was something about Brad Pitt's character that wasn't a perfect fit for me. I thought it did a great job acting but I don't know... on the other hand Jonah Hill was amazing, I didn't know he was capable of anything more than crappy comedies and won't know if he'll ever get a role this good again. It really pisses me off that Plummer beat him for the Globe and Oscar because Beginners really really sucked, but we'll get to that. I loved seeing some play Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, hilarious. If you don't like sports films, don't dismiss this one, it has little to no game time scenes, it is about the science behind statistics and a very interesting film.

Drive (2011) [8/10]
The more I reflect on this film the more I like it. Ryan Gosling stars as "driver," which reminds me a lot of the 1978 film The Driver, that I watched in action movie month last June. The film stars the same, a driver hired by criminals to get away from the scene and out run the cops. Like the 1978 film we start to see "driver" wanting to have more in his life than just driving, but unlike the original this one becomes a very bloody action film half way through. Be warned this one is not for everyone.

Buck (2011) [8/10]
An Oscar shortlisted documentary about "The Horse Whisperer," I know what you are thinking... "man that sounds awful.... and boring." On the contrary it is one of the best documentaries I've seen this year. It has the perfect mix of telling us about what Buck Brannaman does, and his background. It is only 88 minutes and edited very well because I was never bored. Don't overlook this one it you like documentaries, it should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Great Muppet Caper, The (1981) [8/10]
My favorite Muppets movie, better than the original, better than the Manhattan one, better than Tresaure Island or Muppets from Space. My daughter has watched this one at least 4 times now and the storyline is easy enough for her to follow. Not as man good cameos at the original but Charles Grodin is pretty good as the bad guy.


Just Average
Super 8 (2011) [7/10]
I struggled with giving this one a 7 or an 8 and I settled on a 7 because it just wasn't great. I thought Elle Fanning had the best performance, but struggled to really find any other stand out performances. All in all it was a pretty cool sci-fi film and would be good to watch with kids in the 11-16 range.

TT3D Closer to the Edge (2011) [7/10]
A documentary that had no real shot at an Oscar, but not one I wanted to dismiss. Shot in 3D, but I would imagine the majority of the viewers will see in without the 3D. It is about the "Isle of Man" TT [Tourist Trophy] motorcycle race. With 237 deaths in 102 years it is easily the most dangerous race in the world. Once considered a world championship, but because of safety it is no longer a championship event, meaning that racers do this just for the glory. The documentary follows Guy Martin, it takes a little time to get used to the thick British accents, to don't think you have to understand everything Guy says, the narrator [Jared Leto] will straighten you out.

Bill Cummingham New York (2011) [7/10]
Another short listed Oscar documentary that did not get a nomination. This one is about Bill Cummingham the writer for the fashion section of the New York Times. A very interesting individual this character study documentary won't teach you much, but will show you a pretty unique and interesting individual.

True Romance (1993) [7/10]
Directed by Tony Scott, and written by Quentin Tarantino, starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, and James Gandolfini [Tony Soprano]. If that isn't enough stars to get you interested then I don't know what else you need. Written by Tarantino between  Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, so you can imagine how much cursing and killing you are in for.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) [7/10]
I've definitely avoided this one because I dislike Hugh Grant, but that hate has been fading for some time now, so it was a good time to finally watch this one. I actually found Andie MacDowell to be much more annoying that Grant in this film. Best part... Mr. Bean [Rowan Atkinson] was the priest.

Muppet Christmas Carol, The (1992) [7/10]
Michael Caine stars as Mr. Scrooge. I highly suggest watching this one with a kid rather then letting them watch this by themselves. The ghosts of Christmas past can be pretty scary, especially the ghost of Christmas future. My daughter liked it, but we only watched once since it was a little scary.

Cowboys & Aliens (2011) [6/10]
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star as a couple of cowboys that fight an alien invasion. Made on a $163M budget and grossing $174M would not be considered a sound investment. A wimpy 6.2 on imdb and a boring storyline made this a good popcorn and beer movie, but not one you will remember.

Change-Up, The (2011) [6/10]
Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman star in a typical body swapping fantasy comedy. Bateman is a married man with two kids and a stressful job, Reynolds is a single actor who has lost the respect of his father and can't really get any respectful roles. The two not only see how difficult their friends life is, but see the error in their own lives. Cuter than I thought it would be, a somewhat fun comedy.

Pride and Prejudice (1940) [6/10]
Winner of an Oscar for Art direction, but watched because it was on the imdb top 250 in 2001. Good enough to not want to put it in the "avoid" group. But it is a dated black and white time piece. Not one I would recommend because the 2005 remake was pretty good, watch that instead.

Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) [6/10]
I struggle with getting the "comedy" of foreign films sometimes. Add to that, Germans are the funniest people, I'm German so I can say that... The plot reads funnier than the actual film. Centered around Alex, the film starts by explaining the East German way of life in the 80's before the wall came down. Alex's mother has embraced the communist view and when she sees her son at a rally against the communist she faints and goes into a coma. While in a coma the wall comes down and Germany is reunited. Alex spends the rest of the film making her think things never changed. The title comes from the Lenin statue being removed by helicopter that Alex has to make another lie about. In the 1001 movies book and nominated for a golden globe, it was just ok.

Avoid Watching
Amacord (1973) [5/10]
Avoid might be a little harsh, a film by the great Federico Fellini that won an Oscar. Silly, long, and really more for classic film lovers. Check out La Strada or La Dolce Vita before committing yourself to this one.

Guard, The (2011) [5/10]
Brendan Gleeson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his leading role. Also starring Don Cheadle and Mark Strong, this British comedy about a racist cop was really not funny at all. I didn't think it deserved a Golden Globe nomination, nor do I think it was snubbed by the Oscars.

Russian Ark: Russkiy kovcheg (2002) [5/10]
A film recognized for the fact that is was made in a single shot rather than for its storyline. An incredible film that makes its way through the Russian Hermitage Museum but is very boring. The final "scene" is of a ball with dancing and an orchestra, good luck staying awake through that 20-30 minutes with little to no dialogue.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) [4/10]
Thanks to an Elton John song this received a Golden Globe nomination. They made back almost triple their budget so it would have to be called a success. It is just a kids movie though, I really dislike it, but there wasn't much to really like.

Beginners (2011) [3/10]
The fact that Plummer won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Supporting Actor with this horrible movie makes me want to give it a 1/10. The plot jumps around and the main characters present a story that is just rubbish, I don't care about Ewan McGregor's character and Mélanie Laurent didn't bring anything exciting to the film either.

Hesher (2010) [3/10]
I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt films, and I thought that having Natalie Portman also would make this really good. Instead you get a story about a wreck-less misfit that should really have been locked up for some of his actions. He becomes the influence for a young boy and the film is kind of difficult to watch at some points.

Margin Call (2011) [2/10]
BOOOOOOOOOOORING. Seriously the acting made this film seem very realistic, great screenplay. But when the subject matter is boring, uneventful, and jumps from star character it star character is it really worth your time. Don't be fooled by the great cast, it is a bad movie.

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November 2011 - In Review

I know I promised this post about 3 weeks ago. Hopefully I can start getting things on track again soon.

Worth Watching:
Temple Grandin (2010) [10/10]
Winner of the AFI TV Program of the Year, the Golden Globe, and the Emmy for TV Movie/Mini-Series. The film is a biography starring Claire Danes as Temple, an autistic girl who becomes a top scientist in a line of work that is primarily male. The film addresses a lot on Autism and was my favorite of the month.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) [9/10]
A sequel to an already re-booted series, the film has a new star with James Franco. I actually remember joking about this film coming out but was surprised at how good the storyline. This could have been all about the action and CGI, but the story and acting made it very entertaining.

Our Idiot Brother (2011) [9/10]
I watched this one as a break from a couple serious films. Expecting light-hearted, stupid, and disappointing, I was surprised to find it light-hearted, touching, and entertaining. Every time I watch Paul Rudd I expect a bad film and it turns out good, you might be surprised by this one.

The Help (2011) [8/10]
Not a lot to say on this one. Based on a popular book, nominated for a number of awards, good but not epic. I like Emma Stone, I liked Octavia Spencer but didn't think it was necessarily an awards performance that it is hailed as. I thought the standout performance was Bryce Dallas Howard's as Hilly though. I did feel the film failed to show how difficult it was for the women after the book was published.

Midnight in Paris (2011) [8/10]
Written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson. Honestly I could see this Allen playing this lead role if he was 20 years younger, it is almost like he wrote this for himself knowing he would have to cast someone. Wilson isn't always my favorite, but he almost reminded me of Allen from film like Manhattan. This film should win an Oscar for the screenplay, it was a fun witty adult comedy.

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) [8/10]
One of the few Oscar nominees I actually saw before the list of nominees was released. This documentary is about radical tree huggers who go on a domestic terrorist arson spree against loggers and others who they felt were hurting the environment. A very interesting documentary on a group, ELF, that I knew nothing about.

Hangover II, The (2011) [8/10]
Obviously this isn't as good as the original. The comedy is over the top and crude, but it was entertaining nevertheless.

Everything Must Go (2010) [8/10]
I find myself liking Will Ferrell's dramatic films, and wish he would give some of his awful comedies a rest some times. Same goes for Adam Sandler. This film is about an alcoholic who's wife leaves all his stuff on the front lawn. After mustering the will power to get out of his drunken stooper he starts to clean his life up... a little. Don't expect a grand happy ending, the span of the film is short and it is pretty slow.

Just Average   
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) [7/10]
Chris Evans stars in this forgetful summer blockbuster about the comic hero Captain America. Made as a build up to The Avengers out in 2012. It was entertaining, but not very memorable.

Fast Five (2011) [7/10]
The fifth film in this series, a strange one that didn't even have the two main stars in one film. The lead characters are on the run from the FBI, the script was made out of thin air and actually worked. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. A strong 7/10, I just can't recommend a silly series like this.

The Muppet Movie (1979)    [7/10]
I watched this one with my daughter. It starts with the "Rainbow Connection" and leads Kermit across the country to Hollywood. He meets the cast as we go along, so if you want to see how all of these character are supposed to meet then check this one out. We had to see this since a new "Muppets" movie is now in theaters.

Green Lantern (2011) [6/10]
Ryan Reynolds stars as a test pilot who is granted a special ring and made an intergalactic hero. Probably one of the strangest superhero stories to make it to the theaters in this surge of superhero films. I was disappointed.

Water For Elephants (2011) [6/10]
I watched this one in HD, and I have to say it was visually very nice. At least in the beginning. The first 30 minutes were very interesting and I was surprised at how much I really liked it. But half way in it became a lame romance film. First half 8/10, second half 5/10. So just average for me.

Life In A Day (2011) [6/10]
One of the many documentaries I "thought" would get shortlist for the Oscar and was not. This one is the "youtube" documentary. People from all over the world filmed themselves on the same day going through their normal lives. It starts out choppy and ends cheesy, but there is some interesting stuff in here. Consider it our generations video time capsule.

Tabloid (2010) [6/10]
A comedy documentary, this was probably the most famous "snubbed" documentary this year. Directed by Errol Morris who won for The Fog of War in 2003. The film was a little annoying, fun in parts, but I like to learn from documentaries and I didn't learn anything from this.

Cars 2 (2011) [6/10]
This is what happens when Pixar cares more about profits and feeding their product line than they care about quality films. Bad plot, hard to stay awake, and the first time Pixar hasn't been nominated for an Oscar in a while. Very disappointed.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) [6/10]
I was sure this was the film I grew up loving, turns out it is not. The Great Muppet Caper was the film I thought this one was. I watched this with my oldest daughter and she was very bored. Her cousins even got up and decided to play instead. It is about The Muppets trying to get a Broadway show and becomes a search for Kermit.   

Avoid Watching   
Larry Crowne [5/10]
I hate to put this in the avoid, but unless you are a big Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts fan than this was a pretty lame film. Larry gets fired from his job for being over qualified, goes to community college, and goes through some major life changes. Kind of a cute romance, but really forgettable.

Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011) [4/10]
Like Larry Crowne I don't want to bash this film. Honestly I could see pre-teens loving this film. It is just the same Jim Carrey in another silly role. Very cookie cutter, dad needs to impress estranged kids regain love of his wife. I'm guessing this follows the Richard Atwater book, but I'm really not 100% sure since it has been so long.

Keith (2008) [3/10]
When a film shared your first name then you really have to give it a chance. Sadly this was a really bad B romance movie with a repetitive and awful soundtrack. Let's not forget bad acting and sappy storyline. I wish I could suggest a movie called "Keith" but it is more fun to say I watched it than to actually watch it.

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The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

Morgan Spurlock [Super Size Me] is back with a documentary about brand marketing in movies. Spurlock has made just one feature documentary between this and the 2004 McDonald's documentary that was so popular, mainly because he has had a documentary TV series, 30 Days, that he has been working on.


The documentary starts by giving examples of advertising in movies and television shows, some incredibly blatant. He then decides he wants to make a movie built 100% on advertising money. He gives his pitch to a few companies and receives constant rejection. I'm not sure if this was just editing to make the viewer think that he went from constant rejecting to a lot of acceptance or not. He starts to pick up some major sponsorship from POM Wonderful, JetBlue, and Mini. At this point the film really takes a turn, we see the affect of the sponsorships and what he is allowed to say. The final approval of the film requires that POM Wonderful is happy with the final product. So we aren't even sure what ELSE has been taken out.

The film does not attack any of the issues with advertising in film, it merely talk about how it works. That isn't enough for a good documentary. You won't see this on anyone's "top" lists.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1743720/

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Rio (2011)

Blue Sky Studio's latest animated film, the company that brought you The Ice Age Series, Horton Hears a Who, and Robots, brought out their latest animated film earlier this year. A good year for a weak computer animated film since Pixar's film was a flop and Disney and Dreamworks didn't have much.

The film is about a rare South America bird who's home is Minnesota. Domesticated before he was able to fly out of his nest he has never learned to fly and has never been outdoors. When an ornithologist visits his owner she is convinced to take Blu to Brazil to mate him with the last female of his species.

The film is very cookie cutter from the start. Probably enjoyable for the kids and something my 3-year-old would enjoy some day. As an adult I was bored the whole time. The assisting characters I found irritating and juvenile. Probably the weakest film this company has made to this point [maybe equal to the Ice Age sequels]. It is a very weak Oscar Animated year if this one gets nominated.

KSF: 2/5
Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436562/

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Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)

A dangerous formula of combining Werner Herzog and documentary leads to the first film I've fallen asleep in this year. Considered a potential Oscar documentary contender I thought I'd get a jump on the eligible films knowing that some won't get shortlisted. Of all the ones I watched early, this is the only one I regret watching. Originally shot in 3D, it had a pretty decent box office run, and the non-3D is not great.

The film is about a cave that was found in the south of France in 1994 by a couple of explorers. They found that it contains wall paintings that date back 20,000 years. The oldest preserved wall writings and the film is an exclusive look at a very contained site. Honestly it was pretty cool for about 15 minutes, and I think this would have made an excellent documentary short film. The content just seems to run out after 30 minutes and we get interviews with scientists who talk about how the cave "might" have smelled, what dreams the people "might" have had.

The problem was that the scope of the documentary was so limited that scenes of a toy plane flying around the valley [pandering to the 3D I'm sure] seemed out of place. The valley probably looked completely different 20,000 years ago so what are you showing me. This wasn't for me, to each his own, but I'm glad this one wasn't shortlisted.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1664894/

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The Host: Gwoemul (2006)

The film starts at an American lab where the boss is telling the Japanese assistant to go ahead an dump all of the chemicals down the drain. The water empties into the river and the chemicals create a sea creature that attacks the people. The family in the story run convenience stall next to the river and the creature runs off with their daughter. I'm not sure what to call this movie. Labeled at a horror or a comedy... I don't really see either. More along the lines of a bad science fiction than anything.

The film is not well known, and one that I saved for horror month because of the mislabeling as horror. It is one of the films that the 1001 movie book added on a revision, then removed a year later. It is kinda frustrating that a list of 1001 movies changes so much, but I'll digress from that argument.

Not worth you time, and hard to find.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/

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Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

A modern retelling of the classic film Nosferatu (1922), in Werner Herzog fashion. Herzog writes very slow panning scenes that just don't fit well in the horror genre, and this film ends up being more creepy and odd than scary.

It stars Bruno Ganz [Hitler in Downfall] as Jonathan, the man sent to find Dracula a home. Klaus Kinski plays Dracula, he was also Aguirre in Aguirre: The Wrath of God also directed by Herzog. I could almost swear that Herzog recycled the music from Aguirre for this film. I can't think of a movie character that has been done more different ways than Dracula. We have had versions where garlic or stakes or sun have killed him. We have had version were Dr. Van Helsing is the hero, where Jonathan is the hero, where Lucy is the hero, version where Dracula wins. You really can't assume you know how any one of them will finish.

Herzog just makes this film too slow. It is kind of a pity because Kinski was fantastic as Dracula. The sets and storyline are pretty good also, I liked this re-telling, but it was painfully boring. I'm not a big fan of Herzog and this film strengthened that opinion.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079641/

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The Hunger (1983)

Catherine Deneuve [Repulsion], David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon star in this 80's film that made it into the 101 Horror Films book. The first major film that Tony Scott directed; he went on to direct films like Top Gun, True Romance, and now his fourth Denzel Washington movie Unstoppable.

It might be a stretch to say this "starred" Bowie. The musician wasn't in the film more than 15-20 minutes, and one could make an argument that Sarandon was a more predominant character than Deneuve. The film, based on a book, is about an Egyptian vampire [Deneuve] who takes a "mate" until she is tired of them. When she is bored they are basically left to die and their eternal youth is lost. So we get to see Bowie wither away into nothing to start the movie. She then moves on and peruses Sarandon's character.

The film is like a trendy goth film. Not really scary, not really suspenseful. Most of the scenes take place in rooms that aren't well lit and we get some interesting night club scenes. I'm not going to say I dislike Sarandon, just that she isn't my favorite.

Not a great film, not scary, not really worth your time.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085701/

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Carnival of Souls (1962)

At the end of horror month reviews, I'm starting to get writers block. An older film in the 101 Horror Movies book, this is by anyone's standards a B Horror Film.You can actually watch this for free here: archive.org.

So the film starts with a car full of girls next to a car full of boys in a little American town. They are sitting at a stop light and start revving their engines, the boys win, but the girls aren't going to give up and chase them down. They go across a small wooden bridge and the girls try and overtake the boys.. but end up breaking through the barrier and falling into the river. One girl, Mary [Candace Hilligoss] survives, and the film follows the events that follow.

Mary plays the organ in church, she is a quiet girl who keeps to herself and one might call boring. She decides to take a job playing the organ in a different town to get away from the accident and the undying gossip. In the new town she starts seeing a ghost. A creepy man who appears just about everywhere she turns. Something about him makes her feel that he is linked to the abandoned carnival on the edge of town and she must work up the courage to explore herself.

I found the film to be quite dull, nothing about it was very scary. There is a twist that is someone interesting, but not by today's standards. I could have done without seeing this one.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055830/

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Cemetary Man: Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)

Easily one of the most bizarre films I've seen. A lot about this one just makes no sense at all. Those that like this film call it a "Fun" B-Horror film. The film is in Italian... and German and French... but all of the German and French actors have been dubbed into Italian. So the film is the worst of both worlds, bad sync on bad dubbing, and subtitles.

The film centers around Francesco, Rupert Everett, the graveyard head groundsman who has a half wit helper who lives downstairs, Gnaghi. Francesco has found out that the dead come back to life between 3 and 10 days after they originally die. The timeline changes person to person but seems to be linked to their age. He spends most days killing these people for a 2nd time, always by damaging the brain, either through a gunshot or removing the head.

He falls in love with a woman's who's husband just died. She becomes fascinated with the cemetery and becomes his lover. She meets her demise early thanks to the "undead." Then the plot gets really bizarre, biker zombies riding around, a severed head that becomes Gnaghi's girlfriend. Strange movie.

The one redeeming factor, the beautiful Anna Falchi, but she isn't even around long... then we have to suffer though Gnaghi and his disgusting eating habits. I thought this was going to go somewhere when Francesco and "She" [Anna's credit name] became a couple... but I was quite wrong. Forget this one.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109592/

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The Road (2009)

I won't lie about it, I really didn't completely pay attention to this one. I had something else going on and it was playing in the background. Maybe if I would have focused it would have had a higher rating... then again my wife was paying attention and agrees it was this bad.

This film actually was in post-production for a very long time. I think it was Viggo Mortensen's follow-up to 2007's Eastern Promises which he was nominated for an Oscar from. It was originally scheduled for a Nov. 2008 release but I think the market was saturated with similar themed films. By the time it came out I had lost interest. Now 3 years later I finally got around to watching it after hearing mixed reviews [mostly bad].

The film is based on a novel, and I'm guessing that the novel explained who the apocalypse happened. Either way some sort of event has left the earth in ruins with a very limited food supply and rampant cannibalism. Maybe this is supposed to be a realistic take on what it would be like after nuclear war... I'm not sure. Kodi Smit-McPhee is quite young in this film, you'd know him if you watched Let Me In. Charlize Theron plays the wife of Mortensen in his flashbacks and we have some small roles by Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, nothing special.

I was quite disappointed by the pace of this film and lack of information, it should have been much better.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

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Something Borrowed (2011)

Directed by Luke Greenfield, who has been making tv movies and is responsible for The Animal. Starring Ginnifer Goodwin & Kate Hudson then Colin Egglesfield & John Krasinski as the boyfriend/friend relationships.

Rachel [Goodwin] is the main character of the film, her best friend Darcy [Hudson] is engaged to Dex [Egglesfield]. We learn that Rachel and Dex were student partners in med school and both never acted on these feelings, meanwhile Darcy is introduced and doesn't hesitate to act. Ethan [Krasinski] plays Rachel's childhood friend who supports her in winning Dex back who clearly only cares for Rachel.

The problem with the film is actually not Hudson, surprising enough because most of the films she is in... she is the bad part. The problem is the horrible script, Krasinski's lines are just awful in the first 45 minutes... he gets better at the end. It is clear that this is written, directed, and produced by a team used to doing sitcoms and the issues play out like a couple episodes strung together. I can't fathom how this is adapted from a book and what that book must be like. The last time I can remember Goodwin in a lead was for Mona Lisa Smile 8 years ago, and this doesn't come close.

It wasn't unwatchable, but it wasn't very good either.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491152/

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Repulsion (1965)

Director Roman Polanski is originally from Poland. He directed his first film Knife in the Water in Poland before moving to France where he directed this film for a company in Britain. A film that proceeds Rosemary's Baby and a few other thriller films. I guess I didn't see Polanski as a thriller film director.

This film stars Catherine Deneuve as Carole, a ditzy girl who seems to be disconnected from just about everything in life, with the exception of her sister. She lives in a two bedroom apartment with her sister, who has a new boyfriend that Carole doesn't approve of, and she works at a beauty salon. When her sister goes on vacation she loses it. She stays in the apartment for days, and her mental state collapses.

I don't understand why this film is so greatly liked. It even has a 7.9 on imdb, a very high average for what I felt was a simple film of someone going nuts. There were no twists and the conclusion was very ho-hum. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I was very bored.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059646/

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Daybreakers (2009)

Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe star in a vampire film that is more science fiction that suspense or horror. I've been saving this for horror month viewing for a couple years, and it isn't the first time I've saved a film I didn't need to. It doesn't help that the film is now both dated and bad...

The film gives little background into how vampires took over the world, and explains everything through background media [televisions playing in the background, etc.] and through passing comments. It isn't that I didn't "get it," just more that I thought the screenplay didn't try very hard. The plot is basically that there are so many vampires that they are running out of blood. They have been trying to make substitutes and they actually harvest human blood, but all substitutes end up killing the vampires that try them. Hawke was turned into a vampire by his brother and does not want to be one. He is a doctor that is looking for the cure, Dafoe has a solution and Hawke goes underground [figuratively] to help his cure get tested.

The conflict comes from the vampires that don't really want a cure to exist because a limited supply plus their reserves equals power. Overall the film was kinda stupid and definitely not worth your time.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/

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Babies: Bébé(s) (2010)

Watched just in time to make my 10 worst films of the year [with my two year anniversary a week away]. This documentary was actually pushed pretty hard, I saw ads online, it was in theaters, and was pushed as an Oscar contender.

The documentary short list came out and there wasn't any mention of it being snubbed.... now wait a minute, it wasn't even in the top 15 of the year and no one cared? What happened?

So I'm writing this review with a two week old baby at home, and I also have a three year old... so I've seen the first year recently. The film follows four children across the world showing the last weeks of pregnancy to the children being a year old. We see a kid in Africa, Japan, Mongolia, and San Francisco. I wouldn't say that the San Francisco kid is treated anything like how I do with my kids, e.g. you won't see them with me naked in a hot tub. So don't get my wrong, its cute, but calling this a documentary is complete rubbish.

We see dangerous conditions in Mongolia, the kid is left in the field with animals all around walking over it. The kid in Africa really is never bathed with water. The Mongolian kid is taken home on the back of a motorcycle! So what do I know? How dangerous are all of these things we see really? Who know! There is absolutely no narration, no story, no explanation of why the culture does things the way they do. It is natural to think that something different is wrong, and this film does nothing to teach me about how kids are raised in other countries. Some of these countries have better life expectancies than we do in the U.S.

I absolutely hated watching this from the prospective of one of the babies... because that is what the film is. We don't understand the parents talking, we don't know why we are forced to do the things asked of us, etc. Forget you heard of this one... I learned nothing.

Vote: 1/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020938/

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Machete (2010)

So this isn't a horror film. I never though it was, and I'm not sure how it got misplaced in my horror/thriller directory. If anything it should have been watched back in action movie month this last June. If you have seen Grindhouse then you might remember the fake movie trailers before the feature. They were Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun [review here], both which have now been made into feature films. Robert Rodriguez made Planet Terror [1/2 of Grindhouse], and he is also responsible for this film.

You have to understand that this is an homage to a genre that doesn't need this many homages, but whatever. I do like the star of this film Danny Trejo, and I thought he brought some subtle humor to the role. I even liked Steven Seagal as the bad guy. As a matter of fact after the opening sequence I thought the movie was going to be really cool. Then came the rest of the cast, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, and Lindsay Lohan. Alba brings a seriousness to her role that doesn't fit, Rodriguez has a pretty typical performance... I just don't like her, and Lohan can't act.

I never expected I would be suggesting this one, and I'm not. If only the rest of the film could have been like the intro.... then it would have been worthy of the 101 Action Movies. Oh well.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985694/

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The Final Destination (2009)

I was reluctant to watch this film. The 4th film in a series that should have never been a series. The more of these I see the more I forget just how much I liked the original. The original, which came out in 2000, was a pretty neat concept. Boy has premonition that plane will crash, keeps his friends from getting on, death is "after" them.

The 2nd film was not good and featured a different director. The 3rd in the series was horrendous, and actually brought back the original director James Wong. This film bounces back to the guy who directed the 2nd film, David R. Ellis, who is better known as a stunt man.

Made completely as a 3D gimmick two years ago, the plot is weak and the acting is bad. Then again, it wasn't THAT bad. This cheesy horror film will probably end up defining the genre at its time. When we look back in 20 years we well remember films like this, sadly. Considering how bad the last two have been, it wasn't unwatchable. You have to enjoy the random ways these kids get killed as random objects start moving around them. Imagine an invisible Carrie taking out high schoolers.

I could have done without seeing it, but I actually don't regret the hour and 15 minutes it took to watch it.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1144884/

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Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

As the movie poster suggests, this is the most controversial film ever made. This one of the less gory posters I could find, and I still had to edit it. The film, made by Italian Ruggero Deodato was rumored to actually be a snuff film [meaning that someone died on film], and he was actually arrested on obscenity charges. The actors defended him on trial, and he was let go, but the film remains banned in many countries today.

The plot of the film is that four documentary film makers go into the Amazon to film cannibalistic tribes. When they don't return, a NYU professor goes into the jungle to recover the footage. The two tribes he visits are both very hostile, he is able to win them over and recover the footage, and the footage shows who the real primitives are.

There are scenes of rape, murder, seven animals are killed on film. Some for food, some for sport. The film is pretty sick on all levels and I highly discourage anyone watching it. I'm just going to leave it at that...

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935/

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Sanctum (2011)

I really didn't think this was a "horror" but I was expecting it to be a thriller. I was under the assumption that this was some sort of combination of The Abyss and The Descent. I was quite wrong.

James Cameron was an executive producer on this film, again I was under the assumption that he directed this. I'm sure others were also since his name is at the top of the movie poster with this last film, Avatar, mentioned. Don't be fooled. This was directed bu Alister Grierson, and he hasn't done anything you've seen.

The film is about a group if scientists that are exploring a cave system that has never been accessed in the history of mankind. While deep in the cave a tropical storm hits. At their depth they have no sign of the storm, and the radio communication to the ground level are out. With no warning water starts to fill up the cave. They are forced to continue to the other side [e.g. - we know the water in the cave feeds a river].

The problem with the film is the horrendous acting. Father [Richard Roxburgh] and son [Rhys Wakefield] were not good, and bad guy Ioan Gruffudd wasn't any better. Wakefield reminds me of the Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars films.

Don't get suckered into watching this because they put Cameron's name on it.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0881320/

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