Rich-It Rental Bites 8/4/09

Frozen River
Melissa Leo plays Ray, a recently single mother looking to make ends meat. She meets a coarse young Native American woman who forces her into a human trafficking job. When Ray sees how good the money is, she finds herself in a moral downward spiral. This movie was fantastic. Melissa Leo's performance makes the movie. As the story unraveled, I was glued to the screen. I can't imagine what some people go through and the sacrifices they make morally to survive. A fascinating and heart wrenching story. My Grade: A-


Race to Witch Mountain
Holy crap. What a movie! Oh Disney how could you rape your own fabulous franchise from the 70's. Bette Davis must be spinning in her grave. lol Quick recap: Earth is in trouble, Aliens need their spaceship back to go home, The Rock is hot, Effects are pretty cool, queue really bad musical score. My Grade: D


Fanboys
Its 1999, 4 Friends from Ohio decide to steal the first print of Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch in California. I know silly premise right? Well its a silly road trip movie. I think the only people able to appreciate it are star wars fans, sci-geeks, or high as hell star wars fans. Its like the geek version of Harold and Kumar. Occasionally funny if only because of the thousands of SW references. The are some great cameos by many sci-fi film veterans. The story isnt very coherent but who cares... My Grade: B-


Zona Rosa
A defunct documentary about gay clubs in Mexico City's Zona Rosa gay-borhood. However, the filmmakers get lost in there own narrative. We go from gay clubs in a conservative city to the life of straight male strippers who perform in them to one particular stripper with a heart of gold. In the end, its the full frontal nudity and hot guys that keeps your interest( well if your female or queer).. other than that. avoid it..My Grade: D

Rich-It Rental Bites 11/25/09

Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this story about an elderly racist widower coming to terms with his changing neighborhood. His new neighbors are a very traditional Asian family (Hmong to be exact)with a young son defying to join the local Asian gang. When his initiation goes wrong, he becomes the target of these unruly thugs that inadvertently involves the angry old man next door. Eastwood delivers a good performance and the story is somewhat interesting. I think the relationship he builds with the young boy, Thao (Bee Vang) and his sister, Sue (Ahney Her)is the heart of the story. He lived as a man blind to real care or feeling from his own kids. It takes this Hmong family to finally find his redemption. My Grade: B-


Grey Gardens - HBO Films
Based on the documentary of the same name as well as other resources, Grey Gardens is the story of the Bouvier Beales, the reclusive relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Having seen the documentary, I was familiar with the story but this is a fresh cinematic take on a truly fascinating American socialite family. This bittersweet tale is achieved with fantastic makeup effects and profound performances from its two leading ladies. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are exquisite. I've never seen Drew give so much to a character, it is incredible to watch. Brilliant and Sad, this film deserves a lot more attention from the masses. My Grade: A


Friday the 13th (2009)
Recently the remake recycle machine is running on overload in Hollywood. After some disappointing remakes(I'm looking at you Rob Zombie's Halloween) we get Friday the 13th. This is definitely more of re-imagining than anything. Jason Voorhee's doesn't lumber along at a snails pace to get his victim.. This bastard runs!! I mean he comes at you, no mercy! And it works. The movie works as a slasher film that's actually pretty scary while being entertaining. Sure its full of stupid token characters and cheesy dialogue, but its makes it all worth it when these "teens" get their just desserts. My Grade: B


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
The chemistry between Nick (Michael Cena) and Norah (Kat Dennings)is perfectly simple in this romantic comedy. Nick has been dumped by the pretty, popular girl at school and doesn't know that Norah has been secretly crushing on him for sometime. It takes a wild night of bar hopping and a quest to find Norah's drunk best friend, to bring Nick and Norah together. This is a sweet funny movie about the love we can't seem to get to. It's almost always in the last place you look. My Grade: B+


Taken
Liam Neeson stars in this no nonsense thriller about a Father searching for his kidnapped teenage daughter in Paris. That is pretty much the plot but its the action that drives this story home. The energy created by slick editing and some pretty violent confrontations make this a must see. You know, the story can be a bit over the top and preposterous but its done well enough for you to throw logic out the window. A satisfying movie overall. My Grade: A-

Rich-It Rental Bites 7/13/09

Knowing
Nicholas Cage stars in this apocalyptic thriller directed by Alex Proyas (I,Robot, Dark City) An elementary schools time capsule is unearthed after 50 years. Contained within is a sheet full of numbers with dates for every deadly disaster from the past 50 yrs including 3 which have yet to occur. The movie has some weak points like Cage's relationship with his son. However the shocking scenes of destruction will turn your stomach. One particular scene was very intense. The ending has some spectacular visuals and the allegories presented are very interesting. My Grade: C



Paul Blart:Mall Cop
When I heard about what a huge hit this movie was, I just had to see it for myself! I like Kevin James as a comedian. He has a physicality that delivers the punchline. The movie is very silly and groan inducing. However there is a sweetness that bring it together. Forget about the shoe-horned plot lines or the "parkour" bandits. In the end its James' prat falls and charisma that works. My Grade: B-



The Bridge
In 2004, Filmmaker Eric Steel recorded the Golden Gate Bridge for an entire year. He and his crew captured 23 out of 24 known suicides from the Bridge that year. This upsetting and graphic documentary profiles some of the "jumpers" and their families to better understand ones decision to kill themselves and the people they affect by doing so. It is a morbidly fascinating film that sheds light on those who lost their way. My Grade: A

Rich-It Rental Bites 6/29/09

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Director David Fincher brings the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald to life. The first thing I'd heard of the film was the run time which is 2hr 45mins. I can say without a doubt that this a beautiful and emotional movie. Its technological achievements are a marvel. The CGI used here is to tell a sweeping story of an extraordinary man. Overall a good film but be sure to make some time to watch it. My Grade: A


The Reader
Hannah (Kate Winslet) has a summer long love affair with a 15 yr old boy named Michael. Beyond there intimate relationship, Hannah loves to hear Michael read to her. Years later Hannah is on trial for Nazi war crimes. Michael is a young law student witnessing this trial that will change each others lives forever. Fantastic performances push you through this sometimes dire subject matter. My Grade: A



Religulous
Bill Maher searches for the truths behind the origins of Religion and the validity of faith. The documentary examines several religions and the consequences of the actions by humans behind the veil of faith. Although rich with satire, the film ventures into frightening territory of how misguided mankind can be. Also its very clear that Maher's atheistic views propel the narrative of this documentary. My Grade: C+



Were the World Mine
A rock movie musical based on Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream. Timothy (Tanner Cohen), a gay teen, is constantly teased by the jocks at school, except one. Timothy decides to create a love potion to win over his jock crush. However in the process takes it upon himself to turn his town upside down and cast his spell over everyone in the community. This is a charming indie film with some great music. It can get a little disjointed at times but worth it for the musical sequences alone. My Grade: B-

Rich-it Rental Bites 6/5/09

Writer-Director Kevin Smith spins this raunchy tale of two thirty-something’s (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) struggling to make the rent. Their plan?, Make a porno of course. With the help of their misfit cast and crew they set out to create a sex filled spoof of a well-known sci-fi classic. The movie starts out profanely funny with rapid fire vulgarity. However, the movie takes a turn that felt rushed. It finishes on a romantic note that pretty much kills the fun I was having in the first two thirds. Never the less, performances are good and the comedy is strong. My Grade: C-



Pineapple Express
Seth Rogen and James Franco star in this mary jane laced buddy comedy. The film has great over the top action scenes and hilarious bits. Franco is good at playing the high-as-a-kite pot dealer. Seth can deliver the most insane dialogue with ease. Even though the movie has this unbelievable story, it makes everything happening on screen more ridiculously funny. It reminded me of watching Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. That movie was so ridiculous, so in your face WTF That it sold me. You get the same thing here with punched up action. My Grade: B


Valkyrie
Bryan Singer directs this film based on the true story about one of the many assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler. A fascinating thriller that remains effective even though we all know the attempts were not successful. The cast is full of stellar actors such as Kenneth Branagh, Tom Cruise, and Eddie Izzard. It interesting, the Nazi military considered Hitler to be the menace that the rest of the world did. If only they had succeeded. What then? How different would history have turned out? The direction is also fantastic. The way Singer moves the camera is simple and effective. Overall a great story and well done film. My Grade: B

Rich-it Rental Bites

So I’ve decided to shorten my rental reviews to allow more detailed gibberish about movies currently in theaters. I watch too many rentals to flesh them out completely. So here is the new category. Short n Sweet. Enjoy

Rich