Extract (2009)

Mike Judge creator of tv shows "Beavis and Butt-Head" and "King of the Hill"; as well as films Office Space and Idiocracy created this film as a flip on Office Space. Office Space is a film about an employee as a company with ridiculous management, and this film follows an owner of an Extract plant who has to deal with ridiculous employees.

Office Space tackles the frustrations of micro-management and this film is all about dealing with bickering employees, a lawsuit against the company, and the home issues of working long hours. A dark comedy that teeters between just average and worth watching throughout. The main character is a bit of a pushover and the way things work out in the end is not really believable... just like the last film I watched. The great thing about this film though is that it was well edited, you don't get bored, and it is an appropriate length for a comedy.

I can see why this film is very spread out in terms of ratings on imdb. Some people will love it, some will be bored to death by it. If you haven't seen Office Space then watch it first. If you loved Office Space you will at least like this one.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1225822/

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Pride and Glory (2008)

After watching a string of bad [or just average] films I sat down to watch a couple of my favorite actors: Edward Norton and Colin Farrell in a film I hoped would be really really good. Both actors have been a part of some of my favorite films, yet both have made some pretty bad ones as well. The good cop/bad cop films are also hit and miss since a realistic scenario can make or break the film for me.

The film is about the Tierney family. Dad is a police chief [Jon Voight], big brother is a sergeant over a department [Noah Emmerich], little brother is pushing papers after something went wrong in the field [Edward Norton]. Then there is the brother-in-law who also works on the force, football player, and street smart bad ass [Colin Farrell].

After four cops are gunned down in the field, Norton's character is called in to investigate while Farrell's character decides he and his men will figure it out themselves.

The film runs along at a 9/10 or 10/10 until we get to the completely implausible ending. How it ends and the outcome aren't something you need to hold your breath for, or pick apart while watching. I'm just saying that it wasn't realistic. The storyline was pretty good, the camerawork on the high speed chases was how I like it, and the acting was good as well. There is a horrific scene with an infant that created a memorable moment in this film I don't think I'll soon forget so it has some staying power, and overall it is definitely worth watching. Just not quite good enough to be a top film of the year/decade/etc.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482572/

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The Golem: Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920)

If anything, this film is a precursor to Frankenstein (1931). A Golem is an animated being made from inanimate matter, and activated by a Rabbi. This silent German film was very difficult to watch, the video quality took away greatly from the not very exciting storyline.

A German expressionistic film about a ruler who wants to banish all Jewish people from the village because he has a premonition that they would rise against him. Ironically banishing them gave them reason to rise up, and the way they rose was to create this Golem. Just like you would expect from a horror film, they were unable to control the Golem after creating it.

I just can't see recommending a film of such low quality and lacking in story. There are other better films, but that isn't even the point, it was just hard to get through and not really worth following closely. Part of the "101 Horror Movies to See Before You Die," a new list created by the same author as "1001 Movies to See Before You Die" last year. He is wrong, you aren't missing anything here.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011237/

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The Docks of New York (1928)

There really aren't that many types of silent films that have withstood the test of time. Slapstick comedies, D.W. Griffith Epic films, then stock footage that I have been wading through. Many of the films that are on the National Film Registry are also artistic studies, follow no storyline, and have no dialogue. True silent films... or boring.

This one is different through, there is a lot going on here and it isn't the slapstick adventure that keeps turning up. This one is about blue collar ship workers in New York. All of the characters have hard lives, and the story is full of action and romance. With an attempted suicide, wedding by a ship captain in a bar, murder, and happy ending this film has it all.

Not on the registry but one of the oldest films in the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die, this film was a true surprise.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018839/

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All About Steve (2009)

It was a strange year for extremes, Jeff Bridges won the Oscar for Crazy Heart, but was also in The Men Who Stare at Goats. Meryl Streep had numerous nominations for Julie & Julia, but was also in It's Complicated. Sandra Bullock was in The Blind Side & The Proposal, while Bradley Cooper was in The Hangover, yet they both starred in this train wreck.

Bullock is now the first person to win the Oscar and the Razzie in the same year. The Razzie is the award for the "Worst" of the year, and this film that she also directed was dubbed with this honor. Bullock had fun with it though, and like Tom Green was actually there to accept the award, she is one of the few that actually show up to the ceremony, and she brought copies of this movie for the audience, sure that they didn't actually watch it and were basing their decisions on other critics opinions.

Well Sandra I watched your movie. I actually thought you directed this yourself, but the no name director Phil Traill was just as bad. The film is about Mary the crossword puzzle maker for the local paper. She is strange, lives at home, is in her 30's, and completely delusional. Bradley Cooper works for the local news station as a cameraman and they are set up on a blind date.

Mary gets obsessed with Steve and basically starts to stalk him. The plot line is bad. Mary is incredibly annoying. Steve is kind of a jerk. The film is just not funny, and painful to watch. DJ Qualls (from Road Trip) makes it feel like the movie is turning into a "Road Trip 2," which is even more ironic since that was a Tom Green file... another Razzie winner!

Jason Jones from The Daily Show, and Thomas Haden Church were the only redeeming qualities of this film which kept it from being a 1 or a 2. Church plays the news reporter trying to become an Anchorman and the way he keep Mary chasing Steve is pretty funny. Jones is the rival reporter and in a very minor role, his acting isn't that great, but he is a funny familiar face and I like his style of comedy.

This movie was just crap and Razzie worthy.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0881891/

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Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)

There is a lot of hate out there for Hugh Grant, I for one strongly dislike him, and as a critic I have to look past this to try and rate the film as if I didn't hold anything against the guy. I have to do the same thing for Woody Allen films...

Just like a Tyler Perry film you can't trust the imdb rating, people will give films by actors they don't like a "1" just to be mean, I looked at the stats and 20% of people have given this film a 1 and I would bet most didn't actually watch it.

So the film is about a couple struggling with their relationship and they are forced to spend some time together. How and why they are forced to be together is part of the fun of the movie, and there are a few pretty funny moments in the film. You really have to like Sarah Jessica Parker to enjoy this film, and Grant of course has some annoying moments.... but he really wasn't that bad.

Some of the scenes are ridiculous, and I find it painful to watch couples argue their way through a movie, but it also had some funny moments and probably because I just watched Leap Year it made it seem that much better. If you are really searching for a new romantic comedy you might like this one. It was ok.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314228/

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Terminator Salvation (2009)

Starring Christian Bale (Batman) and Sam Worthington (Avatar) this science fiction film is part 4 in the Terminator series where we follow John Conner after the machines have attacked and all but taken over the world. Worthington plays a man who submitted his body for research after a death sentence involving the death of his brother. He wakes up to a world completely changed and the entire plot follows two story lines. One of Marcus Wright, the man back from the dead, and one of John Conner the proclaimed savior of the human race.

McG directed this film, you have probably seen several films that he has produced and maybe one that he has directed (We Are Marshall, Charlie's Angels, or an Offspring or Sublime music video). He has definitely come under some heat from critics, mainly for his Charlie's Angels films, I blame the leading actresses on those... and for going by "MCG." I find most of this hate misguided, the 3rd film in this series was just awful and I found this one to be much better.

The actors are better, the action is more exciting, and as I commented while watching it; he doesn't blatantly shake the camera while constantly changing angles and spinning around the main character. Something Michael Bay loves to do.

This series didn't need another movie, fans of the originals need to take these with a grain of salt. It isn't a remake and it had some good action. I for one liked it. I didn't love it, and I don't want to see it again, but I am happy I watched it and will continue to watch Worthington, Bale, and McG films.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/

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