Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind: Jack Black and Mos Def star in this most absurd comedy. After Jack Black’s character becomes magnetized, he accidentally erases all of the VHS tapes in his friend’s (Mos Def) video store. When an angry customer requests a copy of Ghostbusters after receiving a blank tape, the duo decide to shoot their own version of the film. The silly and bizarre things they come up with to reenact the film on a camcorder are the funniest moments of the movie. Of course, their small film is a hit and they go on to make several other "sweded" depictions/distortions of many other classic films. The story as a whole did not work for me and in fact at the end I was not even sure what the conclusion was supposed to be. The film does supply some ridiculous “stupid humor” scenes, so dumb they are almost witty – if that makes any sense. However, in the end there is no reason to Rewind, because I am giving it a “Kick it to the Floor”.

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Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution: Ang Lee brings us a story of espionage set in Shanghai, China during WWII. A young troupe of radical college kids plot to assassinate Mr. Yee - a high level Chinese official who is collaborating with the Japanese. Their plan is to have one of their own, Wong Chia Chi aka Mrs. Mak befriend his wife and then befriend Yee himself. As the relationship between Mrs. Mak and Mr. Yee develops (and DOES IT develop), the line between good and evil becomes cloudier. The film does an excellent job of showing the spectrum of emotions that the characters feel for one another as well as the complexity of the human heart. If you are up for a good foreign film about spies that centers around a very untraditional love story which contains some very graphic sex scenes……give this beauty a spin.

“Pick It Up”

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27 Dresses

27 Dresses: Or how to make a dull romantic comedy 101. I am shocked that they did not have a warning before the movie informing the viewers that no actual writers were used to make this feature film. Instead, the filmmakers opted to follow all of the clichés and depict the shallow character traits from past crappy films of the same nature. Katherine Heigl stars as Jane, a woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times all the while dreaming of her own perfect wedding. During this time she is infatuated with her boss (Ed Burns) who asks her to do everything for him including pick-up his dry cleaning. Of course the boss falls in love with someone close to Jane (in this case her sister) which devastates her. Don’t worry though, by the end of the film Jane has an epiphany and realizes that she is actually in love with someone else. With a title like “27 Dresses” you are damn sure to get a video montage of Jane wearing each and every dress (this happens around the 53 minute mark), unfortunately that was only the halfway point of the film.

“Kick it to the Floor”

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The Orphanage

The Orphanage: Finally - a smart, well crafted movie that will give you a hell of a scare. My biggest complaint about the horror genre is that the movies are made for the dumbs, just concentrating on cheap jolts. The Orphanage on the other hand, has a very good story to go along with some scary moments and creepy imagery. The story centers on Laura, a young mother who spent time at the orphanage when she was a child. She and her family return to the orphanage with plans to turn it into a safe haven for children with disabilities. When Laura’s son goes missing, the creepy “orphanage” – gets even creepier. In addition, the film also has a “mystery” feel to it that kept me intrigued from start to finish. Plus, where most scary movies fail with some corny ending, The Orphanage flourishes. This is one very good rental!!!

“Pick it Up”

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* Certified *
Ry Recommended

Rambo

Rambo: On the heels of the successful Rocky revival, Sylvester Stallone tries to do it again – this time with the Green Beret John J. Rambo. The story picks up with Rambo working on a river in Thailand, obviously wanting to be left alone. A group of missionaries looking to get into war-torn Burma ask Rambo if he would be kind enough to drive them there on his riverboat. John Rambo, being a softie, caves when the pretty girl missionary asks him nicely. Once in Burma the missionaries are captured (shocker) and only Rambo can save them (bigger shocker). The film is short (85 min) and to the point, with an onslaught of action and violence. I did not like that the action focuses on big groups of people being gunned down at one time. I would much rather have seen Rambo use his Green Beret instincts to make calculated and precise kills. The movie felt like it was thrown together in a week’s time for the sole purpose of making a little coin for John J.

“Kick it to the Floor”

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Cassandra's Dream

Cassandra’s Dream: Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor star as brothers who get themselves into financial trouble. One brother owes a gambling debt, while the other needs money to keep impressing a new girl in his life. An opportunity arises that can get them the money they need, but the question is – can they live with the consequences? The film is written and directed by the great Woody Allen and bears a resemblance to his works: Match Point & Crimes and Misdemeanors. However compared to those two films, especially that latter, I would label this movie as “minor Allen”. The story intrigued me enough for me to recommend, but I could see the heavy dialogue turning some viewers off.

“Pick it Up”

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