Airplane!

So here is another older movie that I hadn’t seen in years but suddenly had and itch to view again. For those that don’t know, Airplane! is a parody type comedy made by David Zucker and Jim Abrahams (Naked Gun movies). This doesn’t parody other movies but does parody life and takes small things in life and makes the most ludicrous jokes about them. this movie has some of the best lines in the history of comedy that still work amazingly well nearly 30 years later(wow time flies).

I know this movie is popular but i feel it is often overlooked because it’s jokes are so outrageous. Just the fact that some younger people are all there calling the latest Adam Sandler (whom I do think is funny at times) movie the best ever, and have not even seen this movie bothers me a bit. I guess my age is showing a bit as that sounds exactly like when i was younger and my parents were talking about Psycho and 12 Angry Men (they were right by the way) being better than the movies I was watching.

The laughs in this movie come so fast that it takes many viewings to see them all. I found myself laughing through many great jokes and having to rewind. This movie is also best watched with a few of your best friends and with a 6 pack or two. I promise you everyone will have a great time and it will be a Saturday night very well spent.

My rating 9.5 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

There’s Something about Mary

So it has been 10 years since i first saw this film. I remember finding it hysterical and at the time thought it was possibly the funniest movie i have ever seen. I know I watched it several times in the few months following its DVD release back then, but I hadn’t watched it in around 9 years or so. I am not really sure why other than always having tons of other new movies to choose from. A couple of days ago I made a joke referencing a line from the movie and my 16 year old son was completely lost. I was surprised he hadn’t even heard of the movie but decided he was old enough to show him what he was missing.

So the big question is does the movie still hold up after 10 years. The short answer is absolutely yes. I knew the major jokes were coming up and was still doubled over in pain. The scene with him caught in his zipper almost hurt me from laughing so hard. And as proof that it was not just my immature sense of humor, my wife who normally hates potty humor was also laughing very hard. There are several scenes through out the movie that were ground breaking (well boundary pushing) at the time and while they may seem a bit tame compared to some of today’s films still pushed the laugh button very hard.

The movie is not perfect as it does have some dead spots and a couple of not so great performances. It does make up for it in a huge amount of hearty laughs and some career highlight performances. Some critics and purists would scoff at my rating and wonder how i could rate a movie that showed sperm in hair on par with The Godfather. My answer is simple, I rate movies on their particular genre. So this movie may not be as moving as Schindler’s List, It is one of the best comedies I have ever seen and my rating is comparing it to other comedies. Bottom line is if you are not a prude (it is a bit rude in its comedy) and want to laugh, this movie is for you.

My rating 9.0 out of 10

Rating by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

The Dark Knight….As good as advertised

The Dark Knight Poster

So I woke up this morning already planing to see The Dark Knight with my son. I decided before hand to do something i rarely do, i checked reviews and the IMDB rating. I often check out a movie based on good reviews or a high rating when I was not planing on seeing it but don’t like to when i plan on seeing it. It always leads to being put off by disappointed reviewers. Nothing sucks more than Being excited to see a movie and read a bunch of reviews panning it or see that it has a 3.1 rating on IMDB. I fully understand that the reviews mean nothing (as does this one), but it is still disappointing and I think may actually sway your view before you even see it. Besides everyone knows it can be fun to bash a movie when it is deserved, so if you know it sucks before hand then it ruins the fun. I am not sure why I looked at the reviews but when I saw how great they all were plus the fact it had a 9.7 rating at IMDB I was shocked and got even more pumped up. I kept telling myself that it can’t possibly be this good so I wouldn’t get let down.

I forgot about all of that stuff within minutes as I was instantly sucked in. Like its predecessor this movie looked fantastic. Christopher Nolan did a wonderful job at capturing the visual feel of the darker comics. Gotham city has never looker better. the big buzz is about Heath Ledger and his Oscar worthy portrayal of The Joker. It doesn’t take long to see him and I must say that i instantly believed him. His performance is honestly one of the best I have ever seen. People are saying he is the best villain ever but for my money I would still take Robert DeNiro as Max Caddy. Ledger does deliver though an comes across as crazy in a big way. Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent was spot on and like Ledger’s was light years ahead of the franchise’s previous version of the character. The rest of the cast is not to be over looked though as they all gave great performances.

The script was easily the best script for a superhero movie I have ever seen (to be fair i have yet to see Iron Man which i hear good things about). Christopher and his brother Jonathon have shown they could write several times before but I felt this was their best work since Memento. The movie is pretty long for this type (two and a half hours) but never felt long to me. The movie flowed very well and kept a fairly complex plot without seeming rushed or drawn out. It had several twists and turns that always kept me on my toes and enough action to satisfy the biggest of explosion appetites. All in all i would Say this movie should satisfy even the pickiest of movie goers. It should go down in history as one of the best in the last 10 years regardless of genre.

My rating 9.5 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

Captivity

Elisha Cuthburt is a supermodel who is drugged at a bar and wakes up to find she is being held captive in a sealed room. Her captor begins to torture her in both mind games and pain to make her submit. She soon realizes that someone else is being held captive in an adjoining room and the two of them try to escape. Everything however is not how it seems.

This movie may have been doomed from the start. There were extra gore scenes added before it was released in the U.S. The problem is that these scenes really look like they were thrown in and it ruins the movie. The acting is fair but not good. Even Elisha, who I normally like, is not her best. There are also several really stupid things like why Elisha’s character would make love to someone when she knows her captor is watching. Honestly overall this movie seems poorly written and badly put together.

Rating 4 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

Redline

A group of rich people that love to gamble begin betting on races of their own super expensive luxury cars. A young woman who happens to be an incredible driver gets herself caught up in their crazy world of cars, guns and gambling.

I figured this was trying to cashing on the Fast and Furious craze, but it doesn’t do a good job if it is. This doesn’t have very much o do with street racing at all and the last third plays like a bad Stallone movie. Much of the acting is bad, I mean really bad. The lead male was as stiff as a board. I don’t see how he got the part. Eddie Griffin was just like he always is and was the best part of the movie (yes this is the movie he was promoting when he wrecked that million dollar car) The writing is bad in parts and absolutely awful in others. They put some parts in that make it feel very video game like, but they almost universally failed in that. This is movie is not what I thought it would be and save for some nice cars and a very pretty lead female there is nothing worth watching here.

My rating 3 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

C.H.U.D.

People are going missing from the streets of NYC at a rate that alarms some local police and a soup kitchen owner who notices that many of his regulars that live underground have not returned in weeks. They enlist the help of a photographer that specializes in photographing the homeless. The group tries to stop the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.

I always had affection for this movie. I saw it when I was 10 at the theaters and loved it. I saw it several times after it came out on video. This was the first time I have seen it in maybe 15 years. Well as with all things from your childhood, it didn’t live up to my memories. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a pretty good movie. I just wasn’t jumping for joy. Since I hadn’t seen it in so long I was very surprised at all the recognizable actors in this. It even has John Goodman in it for a bit. The story was not the best as it was pretty muddled and drawn out much longer than it should have been. The acting was good in many parts but mediocre in others. The CHUDS were not a model of special effects genius but were very funny despite their cheesiness. The ending was also a bit anti-climatic. So overall not the best movie but one any horror fan should see.

My rating 6 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

I am Omega

Based on the novel “I am Legend” this is the story of Renchard, played by Mark Dacasos star of the American Iron Chef, Who believes he is the last man on earth. The world’s population has been infected by a virus that turns them into cannibalistic mutants. He soon finds out that there are other people left, including a woman who is immune and may hold the key to mankind’s survival. He must rescue her before it si too late.

This is yet another Asylum “Hollywood tie-in” released to piggy back on the Will Smith fueled I am Legend coming out at the end of the year. This film was really pretty decent. It had allot in common with The Asylum’s War of the Worlds, in that they tell similar stories as their big budget counterparts but do it with very little special effects and using much cheaper locations. I thought the locations worked well and the mutants looked really pretty good for such a low budget film. The story was not bad but did get drawn out a bit. They could have added a few more story elements and cut down on some of the slower parts. The acting was good for the most part. Mark turned in a good performance and only seemed to struggle based on the writing. The female lead was not quite as good though and seemed very stiff in parts. This is defiantly the best Asylum film I have seen yet and one I would recommend to fans of B-movies.

My rating 7 out of 10 (b-movie rating)

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

Resident Evil: Extinction

The T-Virus has spread throughout the world killing not only most of the humans but affecting the eco-system so badly that the world has turned into a barren wasteland. Alice meets back up with Carlos and LJ who are riding in a convoy with Claire Redfield. The group decides to make their way to Alaska where they think the Virus has not spread. Alice however must still contend with Umbrella Corp. who can still track her.

There were some parts I like much more in this one and some stuff less. I really enjoy dystopian movies and this one has that feel much more than the second one. I really like the story of this one the best of the three. This one also has much more and better gore than the previous two which is always a plus in my book. My main problem is that some of the acting and writing seemed very B-movieish and that is a shame from a major studio release. Overall my favorite of the three and a great stand alone movie.

My rating 8.5 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Alice is back and her life just keeps getting worse. This film starts with Raccoon city still up and running, not yet knowing what Umbrella Corp has unleashed on them. Panic hits the streets when the virus begins to spread. Disgraced former S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine reports back to help handle the ongoing rioting. Umbrella Corp decides to quarantine off the city to make sure no infected make their way out. The group get a proposal from a doctor whose daughter is in the city. If they get her out, he will help them escape. Alice and the crew fight their way through zombies and other umbrella monsters to find the girl and escape the city.

I thought this was better than the first. Since they had already moved past the idea of the video game they were able to move the story further. While I could have done without a few bits, namely the doctor, and the umbrella leader was a bad actor. Overall I liked the action better and I think the movie flowed better.

My rating 7.5 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.

Resident Evil

The umbrella corporation is one of the worlds largest, producing products contained in 90% of the world’s homes. Unfortunately to gain the money to fund making all the products people buy, The Umbrella corp. deals in military weapons and viral weaponry. A saboteur purposefully breaks open a vile of the deadly T-virus on an unsuspecting research facility. Mila Jovoich plays Alice, a security operative for Umbrella Corp. suffering from memory loss. When the computer of the research facility kills everyone because of the viral contamination, a team of soldiers is sent to check it out, taking Alice with them.

I was unsure how I would take to this movie, with me being a very big fan of the video game. Honestly I was not as put off as I thought I would be at the plot changes (well completely new plot) I actually enjoyed the new story and didn’t really mind that it didn’t have much at all to do with the video game. Mila is pretty good as the heroine and does a pretty good job in the action scenes. I was not as impressed however with Michele Rodriguez though. She seemed much stiffer that her other performances. The special effects were done pretty well and the creatures looked pretty good, although the Lickers were a bit to CGI looking. All in all, I would say it is defiantly worth a watch.

My rating 7 out of 10

Review by Elvis Lawson

Here is the trailer.