a history of violence

i just watched this movie tonight with the guys. i knew the story a little bit going in, but i wasnt sure at all how it would play out, it is david kronenberg after all. i had heard some friends who had seen it in the theater talk about how horrible it was, but on the other hand there were so many critics who raved about it. i figured i should give it a try and see what i thought. it starts out fairly simply, a standard story about a man and his family. some of the stuff with the son is pretty cheesy (and who ever it was that played him: may he never work again), but so many of the shots and angles are strange and off putting that it always feels like something else is going on behind the scenes. one of the most interesting parts of the film is the sparse/non-existent soundtrack. there is very little music, which adds even more to the off center feel of the movie. ed harris and william hurt were pitch perfect in their roles, and viggo does a good job of portraying a character who might have more going on than he is willing to share. i was pleasantly surprised.

v for vendetta

over the weekend i want and saw this with my friend matt. i had been looking forward to this movie for a while now. its based on a comic book of the same name and is written by alan moore. i have not read much of moores stuff, but what i have read has been amazing- thus my excitement for the film. moore has always written good stuff, but they often mess up with translating it to screen. well, i guess its more like one hit and one miss (i dont mean box office wise, because they both missed, i mean by how i liked them). the hit was 'from hell'. there are many who say its terrible, but i rather enjoyed it. and really, jonny depp can do no wrong. the big miss was 'the league of extraordinary gentlemen. a great book, but an overblown mess of a movie. sorry, even sean connery cant save that load of crap.
anyway, v for vendetta was totally amazing! the visuals were great, and the storyline was very well done, i was drawn in very quickly into the stories and lives of the people involved. some of the twists and turns through out the story caught me by surprise because i wasnt thinking about what would happen next, i was too busy in the moment with the characters. the themes and topics that are tackled are handled well and incourage a thoughtful consideration by the audience. you really have to decide if the masked man is a hero, or a terrorist.
i was very impressed with the film, even though we got there 5 minutes after it started, and it had no sound for the last 10 minutes! (dont worry, i got a free pass out of the deal...)

poolhall junkies

i recently watched poolhall junkies and have decided i want to be a hustler. my friends in michigan have been singing of its praises for years now, but i had been a little slow in jumping on the boat. the movie is really cool though, so now i understand the obsessions of my friends. its about a guy who is a super good pool hustler. he missed out on his opportunity to go pro, so he has been trying to give it up, but is slowly drawn back into the game. the cast is amazing- its got chazz paliminari as the angry pool mentor, chris walken as the cool boss/backer, rick shroder as the hired talent, and even that guy who plays lex on smallville as the main character's little brother.
the movie is a fast paced ride as the main character tries to return to the game and prove to his old mentor that he can make it. there are a lot of twists and turns, some really cool trick shots, and some great cons. the ending is just plain brilliant!
another fun part of the movie for me was the fact that it was filmed in salt lake city, so a bunch of the places they filmed in and around i was able to recognize! a few times i had to rewind the movie because i was too busy going 'oh! ive been there! thats right by the coffee shop i used to work in!'

movies movies movies

ive bought alot of new movies lately (again). most of which i have never even seen. this whole blind buy thing is actually new to me. heres what ive gotten: wallace and gromit: curse of the ware-rabbit, highway man, the upside of anger, and one other one i cant think of right now. anyway, i hope to watch them soon. ill keep you posted on my opinions.

ps. i dont know what that picture has to do with anything, but its the first image that came up in google images when i typed in my post title 'movies movies movies'. strange...

my own set of movie rules

a while ago i posted about a humorous list of rules by preston stergus for how to make a successful movie. at the time i said i should come up with my own rules for sucessful movie making. i figure its about time to start. i will add rules periodically as i think of them. but for now, here we go:


rule #392: old women swearing is always funny.
rule #128: any car in a crash has to explode.
rule #443: bad guys must attack one at a time.
rule #211: one hit will kill a bad guy, but one hit will only make the good guy stronger.

more to come...