The Crow: Wicked Prayer

This is (so far) the final installment in "The Crow" Franchise, and is probably (apart from the original) the best sequel. I was smitten with glee as soon as the movie started so see that it was actually made on film, and not a cheap straight-to-video camera like the previous sequels.
The movie starts very strong, and it retains it's solid strength about halfway through. However, as the movie wanes on, the plot gets more contrived (and comedic) with plot twists that have already been used, numerous times.
This is by far the most spiritual of all the "Crow" movies, grasping a firm hold on the theme of "Good vs. Evil" and "God vs. Satan". The other films alluded to foggy spiritual views and didn't go too deep. This movie does, but that's part of it's problem. The plot revolves around a satanic cult leader and his quest to become the anti-Christ, which is far too implausible for this kind of movie. It brings it into realms where you really feel a lack of reality that damages the movie.
However, it was really good to see the bad guys acknowledge "The Crow" as an instrument sent directly from God. He is not necessarily interested in killing anyone he sees, just in destroying the anti-Christ. The villains motives are not the same. The body count in this movie is relatively low, and the violence is very minimum. Although, the bad guys in this movie pretty much murder everyone they see.
This movie falls into the realms of laughable in the second half, which is a shame because it has a lot of really good and clever writing. It's a shame they had to mix that with really bad, out-of-place jokes. It was very nice to see though that this film had zero nudity (unlike the previous films). "The Crow: Wicked Prayer" shouts out the message all of its predecessors have, which is mainly "Love is the most powerful thing". This movie added something new to that mix though, by letting viewers know that the pursuit of what is right will always be the best pursuit, even if you get hurt in the process.

Note: I've been looking at my reviews of the crow films in retro-spect and I realize that I've been praising these films far too much then they deserve. They are dark movies about revenge. The cause for my praise is that I greatly respect the amount of positive messages I have found in them. The second and third installments in the "Crow" series were terrible, and when speaking in terms of movies, this one was pretty bad as well. I just wish all movies that paraded themselves as "dark revenge movies" promoted virtues like the ones found in "The Crow".

The Crow: Salvation

Oh boy. This is a very cheap movie, although it certainly didn't feel as cheap as the second installment in the "Crow" series. And if we were to judge this film by cheap modern B movies standards, it would rate pretty high. Unfortunately, I'm not going to do that.
The writing isn't great, and more twisted (but not as twisted as "City of Angels") lies within this film. The violence is also more visceral, but it also feels more justified. Whether that's good or bad is for the viewer to decide. In comparison to the second movie, this one is great. It is a lot like the first film, while retaining a completely different plot and set of characters and events. There are a few plot holes but those are forgivable in a movie like this.
More good messages about life and love come through too, which was nice. Although I found it interesting that the dark theme from the first movie has visually died in its succeeding films.
I found this movie enjoyable, but only so because I liked the first film and hated the second. Even though this is a stand-alone film, there would be no reason to see it unless you were a fan of the first movie. 5 out of 10.

Note: Kirstin Dunst confirms her status as "Worst Actress of All Time" in this movie.

The Crow: City of Angels

This sequel features an entirely new cast, crew and slightly different story as the first film, seeing as a traditional sequel to "The Crow" couldn't happen as the movie had a very finite ending. And this is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Anything that was good about the first movie is gone here. The killing is rather senseless and a feeling of justice does not come off at all. The acting and direction (and lighting) is absolutely awful, not to mention the movies moral mishaps. Perverted sexuality (in portrayal and nature) along with drug use make it feel like a cheap adult film that wasn't gutsy enough to show too much nudity. If I could give this movie a score out of 5, I'd give it a negative number, but I'm not going to even acknowledge this "movie's" existence by scoring it.

Awww (the sequel)

This is my desktop. Honestly.

Awwwwwww

This is really adorable. I mean, really. It's just so fwuzzy and cuddable.

The Crow

So I'll start this review by letting you know what kind of movie this is. This is a supremely dark comic book adaption from the early 90's and it shows. It is very much like the film Sin City in its feel albeit the slightly less artistic style. It is also rather supernatural and the basis of the story is about a man that comes back to life to avenge his wife and himself (he is brought back by a crow, which seems to hold the main theme of the picture).
"The Crow" is a very Goth and dark feeling movie, and at times it almost felt like watching the recent "Sweeney Todd" with Johnny Depp. Although I was pleasantly surprised that this film, unlike many dark movies, did not take advantage of it's dark atmosphere to an immature level. Most movies like this drape themselves in despair making it impossible for anyone but a severely depressed person to enjoy it properly. This film on the other hand, offered more redemption and hope then I've seen in so-called feel good movies. That's not to say it isn't dark though, far from it. It is a revenge movie, about a loving couple that are murdered, and one day later, the husband is brought back life so that he may, essentially, kill the four men that raped and murdered he and his love.
The movie also has other faults, sporting some nudity (not a lot, but enough) a rather surprising amount of drug use (always shown in terrible light) and some fairly violent violence.
I probably shouldn't say this was a redemptive movie, as it is very dark, but I feel that I must also express my gratitude with its messages. The movie portrays villains as evil, and nothing but. The hero has been victimized and is now out for justice, and he helps others along the way.
Now, this is an action movie from the 1990's, and so some of the effects are certainly not top notch, and for high-brow viewers some of the dialogue will disappoint. The movie left me filling very satisfied with what it had offered though, and I was not expecting that at all. I'll just finish this review with a quote in the film I really liked, which I believe sums it all up.

"Bridges Burn, People Die, but True Love Lasts Forever"

NOTE: Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son) plays the lead in the film, and he actually died on set 8 days before the film was finished after being shot with a revolver that had a forgotten live round still in the barrel. The movie was dedicated to him.

Rambo III

Rambo III. Hmm. Better then the second installment, but far less enjoyable. This movie does everything a stereotypical sequel should do. The stakes are higher, the body doubles, the hero endures more pain, but for some reason this one didn't seem to work as well as the others. "Rambo: First Blood Part II" was a terrible movie, but it wasn't an unbearable bad, it was just cliché', Whereas "Rambo III" feels sort of bland, even though it is leaps and bounds better technically speaking. Also, the dialogue was rather disappointing and only delivered a few of the "ho-hum, kill em' all!" lines you want and expect from a movie such as this. 5 out of 10.

The Deer Hunter

I love Vietnam movies. The problem that 99.99% of them are terrible still remains though. Almost every movie that focuses on the Vietnam war portrays the soldiers as pot-smoking murderess in a war that is nothing but a lie and a wrong doing to all. "The Deer Hunter" takes a far different approach though, and it focuses strictly on the men, and the small town they live in. In fact, only about 40 minutes of this three hour film take place in Vietnam.
The first hour of the movie takes place in a small mining town somewhere in America. It centers on a group of seven men and two best friends (Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken) as they are about to celebrate their friends wedding before their departure to the war. After the laughs and song and dance with this homely group of people though, the movie jump cuts to the war. The war effects them in a way nothing has effected them before. Many of their minds are tormented (as is yours) during the grueling war that contain some of the most intense scenes I've ever seen in a movie. While watching a scene that involves one character who has practically lost his mind, I looked at the movie in retrospect. Many Vietnam movies show soldiers as crazy lunatics, blatantly and without reason. In this movie though, the transformation from man to mindless was completely believable after the horrors of the war, and you felt the pain of their families.
This is easily the best war movie I have ever seen, but it's almost hard to say it's a war movie as there is little to no scenes involving the war directly. In fact, if you had no idea that this was a war movie, you would be completely caught off guard when the war scenes finally start. If you can get past the running time and look past what the movie may say, or not say, about the war and simply look at the group of men involved and how they are affected by it I strongly recommend this movie.

(side note: the movie ends with a group of people singing "God Bless America" and they are completely honest in what they sing.)

Rambo: First Blood Part II

Now this is the Rambo movie I expected "First Blood" to be. When I saw the first installment in the soon to be quadrilodgy, I was pleasantly surprised to find not a mindless action movie, but a rather smart, unique and engaging action movie with a likeable lost hero. The story changes greatly however, with this sequel.
Before I had seen any of the Rambo movies the first thing that came to mind when someone mentioned them was a classic American action hero slaying foes by the hundreds. As I said earlier, this is not the case with the first film. It is however, the case here. "Rambo: First Blood Part II" is possibly the most "classic" American action movie I've ever seen in that it is really over the top, some of the acting is terrible and it delivers a very pro vet message at the end whilst the majority of the film rags on the Vietnam war.
This film is blazingly cheesy, but it's not a bad movie. There are two kinds of action movies. Good ones (Die Hard). Bad ones (The Killer). And then there's the ones that shouldn’t have been made to begin with (Anything Recent). This movie falls under the "bad movie" categories, but that doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable, it's just mindless. 6 out of 10.

Hotel Rwanda

Good Movie. Amazing Story + True Story. Good Movie.

The Contract

In 2006 a film starring John Cusack and Morgan Freeman came out. Did you know that? Neither did I. My mother stumbled upon the movie while browsing the movie rentals at a grocery store.
I don't want to spend a very long time explaining the plot of the film as it was (while mildly entertaining) rather unoriginal and unrealistic.
The acting was surprisingly dissapoining, especially from Morgan Freeman, and the only one that seemed to stay on track was John Cusack. If there was one thing worse then the acting though, it was the writing, which felt like a bad joke, especially since every other line and scene of the movie ended with a joke or stab at some humor that just fell flat.
This movie feels like a paperback book you'd pick up at an airport, featuring a slightly engaging story, slightly likable characters and an all-too predictable plot. John Cusack was good, but he didn't hold the movie.

Grosse Pointe Blank

Ok. I loved this movie. It is very similar to one of my favorite movies "Desperado" but it had an oddly romantic slide to it which "Desperado" doesn't have. The movie is very violent, although the violence is held off (mostly) until the very end of the movie. It does have some nice things to say about the value of human life, but to get to those points you have to watch several people die, which might turn some people away.
"Grosse Pointe Blank" was a highly entertaining and fun film to watch, and for those that are looking for a simply fun film with a great soundtrack (composed by Joe Strummer of "The Clash") I highly highly highly recommend Blank.

Almost Famous

"Almost Famous" is about 15 year old high school senior William Miller that grows a passion for music after his sister leaves him a bag of records during 1973. As his love for music grows, he develops a keen writing prowess and slowly starts doing work for a local magazine. Though his world suddenly blasts into a universe of celebrity, betrayal, drugs, and love when Rolling Stone magazine contacts, and asks him to write an article for them. To complete this assignment he must travel with the band on their tour around America.
The film does a good job at not glamorizing (but still exploiting) the greed, lust and drug filled life of a rock star as William travels with them. On his journey he is instructed by his mentor never to befriend anyone as they will only use him... and they do. There is no honor among anyone in the rock world, everyone is out for themselves and they don't care. William however, is not dissuaded from trusting and befriending the band and groupies (one with whom he develops a romance with).
"Almost Famous" has some surprising comments on true friendship, and essentially not being a fake. In a rather touching scene towards the end of the film William contacts his old mentor after being betrayed, and he is told

"Friendship is the booze they feed you... they make you feel cool... the only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone when you're uncool".

"I don't like myself sometimes..."

Three years after Paul Thomas Anderson's incredible "Magnolia" (review located below) he fashioned this romantic dramedy about an insecure business man that works in the toilet plunger industry.
The film is very strange and offers a style of comedy that I have not often seen before. While I found the movie to be enjoyable, it was nowhere near as good as Magnolia. That's not to say it's a good movie though, the romance is sweet and you feel sorry for the lead character, who happens to be played by none other then Adam Sandler. I have always said that "I Hate Adam Sandler" but after seeing this film I'll have to revise my statement and say "I Hate 99.99% of Adam Sandler's movies" because in this he was surprisingly quite good.
The content of the film is much better then "Magnolia",so-much-so that if it weren't for a couple dozen F-words and a graphic conversation over the phone, this movie would have easily gotten a PG rating.
So if you're in the mood for a touching comedy about a character that is easy to have sympathy for, I recommend "Punch-Drunk Love". It's not the best comedy of all time, but it's better then most.

I'm Not There

If you don't know who Bob Dylan is or you don't care for him, you should probably avoid this film altogether is it does not make him appeal in a way that will make you care for him in the film.

"I'm Not There" is based off of the "lives" of Bob Dylan, who is portrayed by several different actors that all give superb performances. However, the film feels a little sloppy in structure and whether this was the intent or not, you could almost call it a documentary.

Overall I enjoyed this supremely unconventional film, although I wished I could have seen something a little more solid.

I'M NOT THERE

This film is based off of the different "lives" of Bob Dylan, as potrayed through 7 or so different people. If you don't know who Bob Dylan is, or don't like him you should probably stay away from this movie altogether as it is not very informational on who and what he did.

"I'm Not There" is most certainly on of the most unconventional movies I've ever seen. It has little desernible structure and the different film techniques and qualities of film make you feel as if you're watching a movie that thinks it's a documentary, or visa versa.

Overall I enjoyed it, though it did seem tad long and misguided.

"What Can We Forgive?"

I just finished watching the film "Magnolia" by Paul Thomas Anderson for the first time. Let me start by saying that this film features graphic dialogue and some reproachable lifestyles (they all have consequences).

The film revolves around 8 main characters and the people around them. It focuses on their flaws, their past and the unbelievable circumstances that surround them. The film asks multiple questions, the biggest one I believe to be "what can we forgive?" which a character also asks in the film. Among it's profound messages though, it also shows that the repercussions of choices we make will always find us in the end. Every character that reviews the sin in his or her life views it with regret, and the film is all about people confronting their sins.

I can't find a word at the time to describe what this movie made me feel, but words like "hopeful, thought-provoking, true, sad, endearing and honorable" all instantly come to mind. It's a pity that content issues will keep some viewers from seeing this awe-inspiring film, for otherwise I would recommend it to everyone I saw. I've hit a lucky streak of good movies recently, but this one has to be the most remarkable so far.


note: One of the characters appears to be a devout Christian, and he is possibly portrayed in the best light out of all the people in the movie, which was a lovely surprise.

Favorite Films

So for fun and cause I haven't done it in a while, I thought I'd make my "favorite films" list again. It should be noted that pretty much all of these movies are movies I like because I'm me, and that they're not necesarilly "good" movies. As a sidenote, I love everything by Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle, The Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson.

The Road Warrior
Stand By Me
Reservoir Dogs
Desperado
Shaun of the Dead
Evil Dead II
Die Hard (1-4)
Pulp Fiction
The Royal Tenembaums
Lethal Weapon (1-4)
Hot Fuzz
Taxi Driver
Kung-Fu Hustle
Kill Bill
Donnie Darko
Rushmore
Shaolin Soccer
Escape From New York
Across the Universe
Grindhouse (Death Proof, Planet Terror)
Tremors (1-4)
Willow
The Thing
Army of Darkness
True Romance
The Darjeeling Limited


(“No Duh” favorites include: Braveheart, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind, Lord of the Rings, The Patriot, We Were Soldiers, all the Pixar movies, Man on Fire… pretty much all the movies that are obviously great in the eyes of the general public.)

Across the Universe (in search of a cause)

I was musing over the film "Across the Universe" and a heavy-hitter message hit me. The film illustrates that everyone has, or is looking for a cause. Character's in the film that profess to fight war as their cause are merely looking for women, men that patronize cowardice and sleaze are actually courageous, but when the main character's cause rejects him he says "I don't have a cause". He says this in vain however, as he continues to fight for his love and purpose.

I like that.

Sunshine

Apart from having an incredible plot with characters that aren't made of cardboard in this rather realistic sci-fi adventure about a small group of people that go to re-ignite a dying sun, "Sunshine" has outstanding morals and virtues sprinkled all throughout. Without giving away too musch, but the characters in the movie definitely support John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
With little to no swearing, zero sexual content, no drugs and some slighty (but infrequent) graphic violence, I recommend this to anyone that wishes to see a magnificent film about self-sacrifice, love, honor, bravery and courage.

note: Danny Boyle's expert direction bring this film to a whole new level of eerie vastness that make you feel you're right in the stars with the cast.

Across the Universe

I recently saw this film and I couldn't be more greatful for finally seeing on the big screen. Across the Universe was directed by Julie Taymor, who also happened to direct the musical "The Lion King" and won an award for best director.

Across the Universe is possibly the most visually compelling film I've ever seen, with amazing direction, acting, writing, songs and story. People might be turned off scenes that are very twisted (visually) and some moral issues, but for mature audiences that want to see a film crammed with great music and everything else I mentioned, I couldn't urge you more to see "Across the Universe".

Note: I was surprised to see quite a lot of nudity in the film as it was pg-13, but the majority of it is very un-erotic.