ONLY GOD FORGIVES

12/6/2013

 

More nastiness from director Nicolas Winding Refn. It's painful to watch Ryan Gosling sleepwalk through this horrible mess. High camp: pure crap. No no no.

STREET KINGS

11/4/2013

 
Have you ever started watching a DVD and wonder: how the heck did this get in my queue? Halfway through this disaster I realized why: James Ellroy wrote it. Street Kings is no L.A Confidential (or Training Day.)

TRANCE

8/21/2013

 
Danny Boyle directed, violent, nasty dark, psychological thriller vehicle for Rosario Dawson, who is amazing; co-starring James McAvoy and my favorite badassmofo Vincent Cassel: yes.


 
Skip Prometheus and watch this one instead; low-budget first feature by Ridley Scott, shot by Frank Tidy, based on a short story by Joseph Conrad. Lush, beautiful, amazing costumes and locations. If you didn't love grads, you will be the end of this film! Love love love it.
 
Donnie Yen is so bad ass in this tribute to Bruce Lee, and probably the best film martial artist / choreographer working today. The fight scenes are fantastic, but the direction and editing of the rest is terrible.
http://www.legendofthefist.com/
 
Award winning beautiful but long family drama from Danish director Susanne Bier on the topics of fatherhood, responsibility, violence, revenge and forgiveness. Outstanding acting, music, cinematography and performances.

Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/inabetterworld/

BLITZ

8/29/2011

 
Jason Statham is a bad ass mofo and expert at mumbling pithy lines delivered with withering stares. Love him. Pair him with Paddy Considine as his gay boss / partner, add U.K. flair and style to a police drama which includes a female cop straight out of rehab and have them all chase a fascinating evil psycho cop killer perfectly realized by Aidan Gillen. Loved it.

More info: http://www.britscene.com/2010/10/blitz-2/3634
 
Jules Dassin directed some great films; Brute Force, The Naked City, Night And The City, Rififi. Novel and screenplay by A.I. (Buzz) Bezzerides. Lee J. Cobb & Richard Conte tussle in the market district of San Francisco. Realistic noir style with romance featuring the struggles of long haul truckers.

Official Site: http://www.criterion.com/films/939-thieves-highway

RED WHITE & BLUE

5/19/2011

 
Here's a way to build suspense; don't explain what's going on, and end scenes in the middle, so the viewer is kept wondering "what the...?" and unable to apply finger to fast forward button lest something is revealed. Violent, bloody, revenge film set in Austin Texas. Creepy messed-up characters and weirdly engaging performances. Nasty, mean little disjointed movie which sucked me in for a few minutes.

Official Site: http://www.redwhitebluemovie.com
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Red_White_Blue/70134423?trkid=496624#height1765

I SAW THE DEVIL

5/17/2011

 
Revenge films are great, but I had to fast forward through most of the first 19 minutes, past the murder & dismemberment to get to it. And woe, there's more in this violent, graphic, bloody tale, which is particularly hard on the females. A handsome young man seeks retribution on the sick serial killer who slaughtered his betrothed. Slick, stylish, great characters, not for the squeamish.
Korean.

Official Site: http://www.isawthedevilmovie.com/
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/I-Saw-the-Devil/70144554?trkid=1660#height1716