Humanoids from the deep (1980)

Scientific experiments backfire and produce horrific mutations: halfman, halffish which terrorize a small fishing village by killing the men and raping the women.

Heard about this movie from a friend of mine. Apparently it freaked her out as a little kid and that definitely sounded like something i needed to see.

The Short and sweet:

Monsters rise from the deep to terrorize a town, kill the men and sex the nubile young women. Humans win in the end.

You want more? Keep reading.

Read More

Machete Maidens Unleashed (2010)

Machete Maidens Unleashed is a retrospective documentary discussing the creation and expansion of the films made in the philippines. Directors, actors and other people involved in the exploitation genre help tell the story of the conception and demise genre and film projects in the exotic Asian country.

The three B's (Blood breasts and beasts) are what sold the first Pinay filmed exploitation movie, "The Blood Beast" to American audiences. After it proved to be a successful business model, they continued to follow it until the films got stale. When Roger Corman entered the scene he took the films to another level. His company built their success on the exploitation and empowerment of women. He ushered in the "Women in Prison" sub-genre and after a while, the female viewers began to see the women depicted in the films as as liberating and heroic. For all of the abuse and degradation heaped on them, by the end of the movie, those women were portrayed as action heroes and leads, which was something that wasn't done at the time. Filmmakers of the era would say that "Viewers were given the best of both worlds."

What was Learned:

It was cheaper to film there and everything was exploitable women, jungle, the army, everything.

Apocalypse Now was the biggest American Film to ever be filmed in the Philippines. 

Pam Grier was a virtual untalented and unknown casting and she's just about the most famous or prominent actress who had come from those films.

Marketing and Taglines helped to further sell these films to the masses. They even created false acting awards to sell the films (ie "International Black Belt Olympic Winner") {Eh. Wasn't real at the time.}

Since they were not bound by the MPAA, There weren't too many rules or boundaries so they often pushed barriers.

The Exploitation Genre set the standard for low budget horror. They had a lot of leeway and got away with a lot of shit that could clearly never be in the films of today. {Never}

The Big Doll House was the first Women In Prison film and set the standard the genre. The Actresses had basically went through a lot of crap in the filming of their scenes. Including living in the jungles of the Philippines, and dealing with snakes, cockroaches, torture scenes and ridiculous heat.

Genre shift went From low budget monster films to women in prison, to sci-fi, to action, to black exploitation with male and female negro leads.

Political content was the norm for a lot of the exploitation films of the 60's and 70's. 

1973 was the birth of the black exploitation films. The first one was titled "Savage."

In 1974 they combined the black exploitation film with Kung-Fu. {The rest as they say, is history.}

"White Tupac" David Carradine taught martial arts to a few of the actresses. 

Many believe that often, the trailers were better than the films themselves.

Roger Corman was/is a forefather in the genre/industry and he's started the careers of many people in Hollywood.

Once Spielberg and Lucas successfully took the exploitation formula(low budget crappy effects, blood, studio free) and made A-Films, (Jaws and Star Wars, respectively.) The genre began to knock on death's door. After Jaws, anything that even mimicked big budget films (A-films) were universally panned. Critics turned away, theaters closed and viewership declined. Once political upheaval took root in the Philippines, it became too risky to shoot and the end came after insurers stopped issuing bonds for the studios to film.

Machete Maidens is actually a pretty good documentary. Everyone came alive when talking about the genre and their films in particular. It seemed like an awesome time in cinema and one that can never be replicated. Exploitation films aren't for everyone but it's always good to learn the roots of cinema and get a peek of how movies are made. Everyone involved with this genre fondly recall their roles in it's history and that makes this one better.

Out of Ten? 7

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? Hardcore

Read More

The Double (2011)

A retired CIA operative is paired with a young FBI agent to unravel the mystery of a senator's murder, with all signs pointing to a Soviet assassin.

Richard Gere is a retired spy who is tasked with working with a young hotshot analyst when a Senator is killed and a foe long thought dead is blamed. He refuses to believe he's alive as it's been 20years since his last activity, but when he's dared to prove it, he agrees to take the case. His target is Cassius. A highly trained very deadly Russian assassin who Topher's character is obsessed with, and has made it his life's work to capture and kill if necessary. Cassius Is aware of this but doesn't believe that he is a threat. If and when he does, he'll attempt to kill him.

There's a twist that's revealed pretty early in the film and Cassius continues to tie up his loose ends as the agents and topher grace specifically, closes in on him. As the hunt continues, they find that several high ranking soviet assassins have come into the states. They may have ties to Cassius so they set out to bring them down. Right as everything is revealed, and a climax is achieved, a double twist occurs, followed immediately by yet another. That's right folks, a triple twist!

The film is clunky, but by the end it begins to make sense. Richard gere and topher grace deliver admirable performances, and Martin Sheen brings levity for the 5 minutes he's in the film. I was waiting for the world record fourth twist, but surprisingly that never came.

Out of Ten? 6

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

Read More

Pontypool (2008)

Valentine's Day is off to a bizarre start for a radio shock-jock when he runs into a crazed woman on his way to work -- and that's only the beginning. Soon, scores of other people in the small Ontario town of Pontypool start acting awfully odd.

Trapped inside a radio station, a late night dj and his crew report on what begins as an angry mob and devolves into the makings of a zombie attack. With reports from Ben, their man on the street, the tensions rise as we learn more about the mob and their actions. They look wild eyed and they seem to be eating people. Also they are all saying one word. Still in the dark, the terror hits home when one of their own is infected in the studio, yet a doctor appears and sheds light on the situation. His theory is that the virus is in words and it is spread when that word is spoken and understood. Thing is, it could be any word.


Pontypool definitely adds something new to the genre. A zombie tale that grips you solely via words, then transforms into a zombie tale where the virus is spread by words. The spoken word theme is constant throughout the film and it remains engaging.

Violence? One scene
Explosions? Off camera
Nudity? No

Read More

Best in show (2010)

This character driven mockumentary chronicles six couples who plan on entering their dogs into the mayflower dog show. Dog owners and lovers both compete in and watch the dog show and it's both their dream and mission to take the blue ribbon this year.


For some reason, this film is on many people's film recommendation list. While I won't say that it flat out sucked, I will say that I will never recommended this movie to people who aren't into dogs or aren't into competing in dog shows. Halfway through the film I realized that I was watching it just to watch it, and then i started to watch it just to get it over with.

Through everything, this much is clear: Fred Willard saves this film.

I figure that if i was involved in the wonderful world of dogs, I'd like the film better, But fuck it, I'm not.

Out of Ten? 5

Violence? No
Explosions? Of...Joy...?
Nudity? No

Read More

The Best Worst Movie (2009)

A look at the making of the film Troll 2 and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.

No one sets out to make a bad movie, yet it happens. Troll 2 is widely regarded as the worst film of all time. But how?

Directed by the guy who played the son in the film, this doc explores the film and it's cult following and tries to bring  fragrance to the pile of shit that is that film. Along the way he manages to find that there is a screening of troll two by a group of fans and speaking to the organizers, he finds two enterprising guys who were so enamored with the film that they decided to run a yearly screening in their hometown. Eventually, they began to reach out to the cast of the film and soon after, they had the idea to take the show on the road, and screen the movie in theaters in different states. People flew in from all over to see the film, as a testament to its following.

It's cool because you can tell that the actors had every intention to be famous, and why not? They just filmed a movie. When they watched it however, those dreams were shattered. But with the cult life of the film and the tour, they get to live a bit of that life.

In a poignant scene, towards the end, George realizes (while attending a horror convention) that everyone there is just one character and not much else. He's a successful dentist and he's happy with his life. With that, he reflects on the tour and his brush with fame, packs it all in and calls it a career. But, should they ever film Troll 3, he says he'll gladly do it.


What I Learned:

• Troll 2 has an immense cult following. People line up for blocks to see this film. It's a celebration of it's terribleness.
• Most view it as art. Or a lesson in what not to do in filmmaking. The director, however, sees it as a masterpiece and anyone who doesn't is a dog who doesn't understand it.
• The woman that played the mother has become a crazy cat lady who is reclusive and crazy.
• The castmates seemed genuinely happy to be near one another again.
• Troll 2 is not big in Britain.

The consensus is that they somehow managed to get wrong every aspect that one could ever get wrong in a film. On the other end of the spectrum, Troll 2 is a movie about vegetarian Goblins. Soooo yeah. That film couldn't have turned out any other way.

Don't worry little boy. They don't eat meat.

Out of Ten? 8

I feel that one sign of a good doc, is if it makes you want to research it's source material after watching. If you should ever watch Best Worst Movie, be prepared to watch Troll 2 at some point after.

Violence? No
Explosions? Of anger.
Nudity? No.

Read More

Chocolate (2008)

Acclaimed Thai action director Prachya Pinkaew helms this martial arts drama, which follows Zen, a young autistic woman who discovers that she has the uncanny ability to absorb precision fighting skills just by watching martial arts movies. When her cancer-ridden mother's creditors come calling, Zen attempts to settle the debts by standing up to a hardnosed gang of criminals who have wrongfully swindled money from her family. 

From the people who brought you ong bak and the protector comes Chocolate. The tale of an autistic girl who learns martial arts by watching street fights and film. After her mother is hospitalized, an autistic girl tries to collect debts owed to pay her medical bills. In doing so she runs afoul of many shady dudes and eventually the guy responsible for her father's exile.

Chocolate is an awesome film and fits perfectly within the realm of the Ong Bak/Protector universe. The fighting and stunt work are crazy and the story moves straightforward from A to B. Fight fans, will love it. Plus the villain is a rock star. No matter how many times he is attacked, he never loses his shades. Because that wouldn't be cool.


Here's the trailer. (Spoiler alert!: Fight happens.)

Bonus points for the super cool villain.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

Read More

21 Jump Street (2012)

A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.

New to the force and proven to be screwups, the duo are transferred into a undercover squad where they are tasked with infiltrating a high school and stopping a new drug from hitting the streets. As they re acclimate themselves to high school, they find their roles reversed as Jonah Hill becomes the popular one and Channing Tatum becomes the nerd. A series of missteps threaten to blow the case, but with their jobs on the line, the pair do everything to solve the case and prove themselves real cops.

Three major problems I have with the film:

1. Hill and Tatum have good chemistry, but why are they in high school? Especially considering they graduated nearly 7 years ago in the story?
2. Why include a scene of them strapping up, including shotguns only to have them carry one gun when it mattered?
3. Ice Cube.

Overall 21 Jump Street was decent but definitely overhyped. It had its moments, but I felt that they were trying too hard to be edgy and funny. The Cameo appearances from the original cast, (including Johnny Depp and Holly Robinson Peete) helped bridge the gap between the series and the film and while I wouldn't call it a dud, I can say that I expected more.

Out of Ten? 6.5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? No

Read More

Ted (2012)

As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.

After making a wish, a young boy awakens the next night to find that his stuffed bear is now alive. They make a pact and vow to be best friends forever. Nearly thirty years later the two are still inseparable, Much to the chagrin of Mila Kunis who feels that he can never grow up if he is always hanging with his teddy bear.
 
Ted is essentially the story of a man, his teddy bear and the woman and creepy family that almost comes between them. What happens when you are still holding onto a piece of your childhood as a full grown adult?

Ted is a though movie to write about. I'm really not trying to hype it up, but, it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It was Almost like a live action family guy. A movie about Stewie and Rupert complete with throwaway gags but with the right amount of action/drama to sell it as a solid picture.
Seth MacFarlane is a funny guy and he knows his audience. But I think with Ted he's finally crafted a film that can reach a larger audience and has finally redeemed himself for The Winner.

Out of Ten? 10

Violence? Mild
Explosions? No
Nudity? Titty

Read More

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2012)

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

Apparently after receiving a presidential medal for saving the world in part two, Sam Whitwickey has been living with a hot blonde and is trying to make ends meet.After the events of part two, the Autobots work with the United States government, helping to prevent humans from destroying each other while waiting for the return of their true enemy. On a mission in Chernobyl, marines are attacked by an unknown robot assailant who surprisingly resembles the sand worm from Beetlegeuse. After a short battle with this bot, the Autobots head to the moon to recover their missing ship. On it is awesome robot technology that needs to be found before the Decepticons.

 Not too long after that, a familiar face returns. Megatron is back and boy does he look pissed. After shitting on Starscream, he receives a status report. All is going as planned.
After being betrayed on the both ends, the robots have it out in an orgy explosions and smash cuts. The military is there too, mostly providing cool entrances and moral support. By day's end, however, optimus returns in true leader fashion and kicks major ass. He easily dispatches the hench-bots and shows no mercy in destroying all of his enemies.

All Hail Optimus! The One True Prime!

Here are a few of my random thoughts while watching this movie:

• Ooh, this film starts with ass... and there's...LaBeouf. Ass over everyone. Time to get back to work. 
  
• There's quite a few 5 minute LaBeouf montages where he does his talking thing.
  
• So, optimus is a truck. But what happens to the trailer attached to his back? also, why does one of the autobots have hair? And is that a Decepticon dogbot?
  
• I bet IT nerds worldwide cringed when razorwing chased Sam through that server room.
  
• The annoying government hardass is quite hard headed and lame. As usual.
  
• I can't believe this movie is 2 1/2 hrs. It's Funnier than I anticipated though.
  
• Optimus Prime is not the first prime. I know There's a math joke in there somewhere...
  
• The autobots are quickly exiled in an amazing display of American cowardice, whatever happened to " We don't negotiate with terrorists"?
  
• Decepticons are blowing everything up, including people, and i like it.
  
• Independence day type speech towards the end, yet in reality, the US armed forces contribute nothing to these movies. That's... unfortunate.
  
• Is it wrong to cheer for the Decepticons? They are just so ruthlessly evil and they've promised to kill LaBeouf.
  
• It took three films, but finally, giant robots are fighting and fucking shit up! Seriously it does not need to be as long as it is though.
  
• Apparently robots bleed sparks.
  
• Terry Tate: Office Linebacker/Decepticon slayer.
  

Okay, here's my problem with Transformers 3: I can't say I liked it and I can't say I didn't. I'm really ambivalent towards the whole thing. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was hot. Until she decided to duckface the final act of the film. The military was alright, until you realize that their appearances were all flash and no substance and even while toned down, LaBeouf still annoyed me. If I were grading Solely on the bots, I would give TF3 a higher score. But I can't. Even the name is stupid. Wtf is a "Dark of the Moon?"

I'll meet you halfway.

Out of Ten? 7

I feel that this is fair. Optimus finally got in that Decepticon ass and did you really watch this to see a well crafted story? 

Violence? Robot on robot on man on robot action!
Explosions? Pfft. This is a Michael Bay film.
Nudity? Nope.

Read More

Bodyguards and Assassins

In 1905, the revolutionary Sun Wen intends to visit Hong Kong to discuss his plans for revolution with fellow Tongmenghui members. Ultimate goal is to overthrow the corrupt Qing dynasty. However, a group of assassins is sent to kill Sun.

Set during the days of british rule in hong kong and 3 years Before the events of the hong kong rebellion, the resistance fighters eagerly await the arrival of Sun Wen who plans to unite the districts and lead them against the empire and as the days get closer to Wen's arrival, the tension is high as both the ruling British and the powerful Qing Dynasty try everything in their power to stop him from making his rounds.

I expected an action flick. I got a historical drama. It's long (of course) but decent. There are action scenes, and it's educational in a sense.

Out of Ten? 5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? No

Read More

Dark Days (2000)

Filmed in black and white, Dark Days Follows the lives of a group of homeless people living underground in the abandoned Amtrak Tunnels of NYC.

The homeless are the modern day lepers. And to be quite honest, I'll never understand why businesses would rather dump food than give it to the homeless. It would definitely create good pr and in a sense, it would bring in more humanitarian paying customers. You don't want to enable homeless, however when you have the capacity to help on such a grand scale, why not?

Ahem...


One dude laments that he's comfortable down there and he hates that as he's lost 5 or six years just staying in the tunnels. There's electricity and at one point there was even running water. Another knows that crack was his problem. It contributed to why he was down there and knowing that, he's kicked the habit. He also admits to fighting the urge occasionally, so he goes out of his way to avoid it.

They are all concerned with security and at one point, one woman even has her house burned down over some hobo beef. Lucky for her she moves in with another guy until she gets the material to build her own place again. But the thing is, there are no laws aside from common human decency. You're on your own down there. You don't pay taxes, so why would the police help you?

What do we learn?:

• The new houses are like a new lease on life because none of them wants to live in a shelter
• Some of them like this is karmic retribution for their past mistakes.
• It's easy to forget that the homeless are still people as well just extremely impoverished.
• Not all homeless people are insane or mentally unstable. These guys are entrepreneurs, basically finding trash and selling it. logical and charismatic.
• 80% of the homeless down there are crack fiends who smoke a lot of crack and even sell the coats off their backs even during the winter.
• A man can make a lot of money selling gay films and books.
• Hygiene is important. The hygienic are the ones who've let themselves go with the drug use.
• They miss companionship and a lot of them have pets.
• You don't forget what you've learned before homelessness.
• Even though they live underground, they do their best to keep their places clean.
• They miss the lives they had, and in some cases fully understand the mistakes of their previous lives, but are making due with their current situation.

Dark Days is labeled as a documentary in what may be the broadest sense of the word. The truth is, it's far from it. There's no moral or central message to this film. There's no bias. It's just about spending time with these people and you the viewer realizing that although they don't have a home, that doesn't make them any less human. If anything, I'd say the message is "We're all about 4-5 bad decisions away from shitting in a bucket."

Out of Ten? 7

Surprisingly Poignant and very candid documentary. Runs a bit longer than I'd like, but this film is like an 1 1/2 hour look at the poorer side of life.

Violence? No
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

Read More

Ninja (2009)

A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.

The top two students in the running to replace the leader of the dojo don't like each other two much. During a heated training exercise, the Japan born student tries to kill the Last Samurai and is expelled from the school.Years later, he shows up as a Snake Eyes clone, conducting mercenary work, specifically assassinations for an unnamed secret organization.

The dojo throws a small ceremony to name his successor and pass down the ancient weaponry. My question is, if the techniques are to be passed down in secret, why have a public ceremony? Anyway, Snake eyes crashes the party and after being reminded of his expulsion, he threatens the Sensei and everyone there that day. As the ninja weapons are being hidden, snake eyes is preparing for war. He has a closet full of weapons and at nightfall, he makes his move, taking out nearly the whole school on his way to kill his former teacher. The old man is dope. he even gets in a "I taught you everything you know," but like a good ninja, snake eyes resorts to chicanery to win, using poison darts then decapitation to end the battle.

After giving away her location by calling her father, snake eyes sees the number and deduces that the weapons are in New York. He calls the leader of the secret society to bring in the ninja girl and makes plans of his own to join them shortly. After being attacked, the ninja kids are on the run. This eventually leads to a fight on the train, which not only had to be the longest ride, but it also gave me a new kill to add to the list (skip to 5:15 for the kill)

Sidenote: I don't get how she is the daughter of the head of the ninja school, yet a complete punk bitch during fight scenes. I thought these mofos were ninjas. A little gunfire and she turned into a quivering bitch. She was dead weight throughout the film. Useless. it's like they watered down her character during filming.

After finally getting arrested, the (cliched) stubborn cops believe they are the bad guys and treat them like so. Chaining them to chairs and blatantly disregarding their stories. Snake Eyes shows up at the station and the cops eat sword for their efforts. Nifty little lightsaber effect on his sword too, but that just added insult to injury. After a battle atop the police station, we quickly learn that the last samurai is no match for Snake Eyes, who captures Ninja Girl and flees. The Last Samurai is now on a mission to rescue Ninja Girl. Tearing through the secret society along the way, he gets in contact with snake eyes and offers to trade the ninja weapons for the girl. Making his way to the deal, last samurai puts on the ancient weaponry and finally claims his birthright as an American Ninja. Which of course leads to the final fight scene and the downfall of Snake Eyes.

I came into this film expecting total crap. What I got was decent crap. Passable, but still crap. The dialogue was bad but who needs words when you can let spin kicks speak for you? (Seriously. I think his dialogue was 80% spin kicks. I don't think I saw dude throw a punch the whole film!), the logic behind the plot was flawed, and somehow a police helicopter was written into and out of the movie during the same scene. Outside of all that, the evil ninja was, of course, a total badass and the action scenes (read: bloodshed) saved the film from a worse score.

Out of Ten? 6

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Smoke Bombs.
Nudity? No. Unfortunately

Read More

American Grindhouse (2010)

This documentary explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film. The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment

American Grindhouse is presented as a straightforward account of the history of the genre, from inception to demise.

To make a long story short: 

Thomas Edison's company was the first to produce and film exploitation movies. As the works shifted from silent films to talkies, the genre boomed. Especially as this was before the infamous Hayes Code was introduced. Once the Hayes Code collapsed and sex could be shown on screen, the genre crept into to porn. With the release of Deep Throat, the softcore sex was over. The filmmakers had to either adapt or die. Hardcore sex films became the norm. Monster movies were still being produced at this time, but After the release of Jaws, the Hollywood films and the Grindhouse films began to blend into one another.
American Grindhouse reinforces the fact that with the success of Jaws, Hollywood realized that they could take B-movie monsters and present them successfully, and that eventually led to the end. Audiences, flocked to the theaters in droves to see the high budget works and like that, the appeal of the low budget film was over.

What I've Learned:

• Similar to prohibition, which banned alcohol, Once sex was banned via the Hayes Code, the genre exploded. 
• Thomas Edison's company was making exploitative films since they first produced films. (Edison was a smut peddler! Go Team Tesla!)
• The first exploitation film was released in November 24th, 1913. It was a silent film called, "A Traffic in Souls."
• Directors had to find ways to restrain themselves and be subtle in regards to the sexy while grindhouse films just blatantly put it out there. Thus the creation of Film Noire.
• These movies were not allow to be shown in Hollywood theaters, so they were shown in burlesque houses. The name Grindhouse came from the burlesque theaters as to burlesque meant to "jump and grind." (I dont' see nuthiiinnnn' wrooonnngggg...with a little jump and griiiinnddd)
• There is/was a subset of Nazi exploitation films. For a while, the nazi became the go to for images of horror, degradation, sex and murder. Since they were capable of such natural villainy. 
• Because sex was not allowed to be shown on screen, violence was An.accepted substitute, and that still stands true today. (Horrific deplorable violence is okay. As long as you don't use any naughty words!) 
• Above all, the goal was to make money and entertain.

Fred The Hammer Williamson is just about the most famous actor (male) to come out of the era.

Following Machete Maidens, I managed to check out American Grindhouse. A documentary detailing the rise and fall of the exploitation film era. As Women in Prison is a sub genre, there was some overlap, but for the most part, both of these docs and the stories within were different.

Out of Ten? 7

A good documentary for learning the history of the genre, but not as interesting or lively as Machete Maidens.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? Yes

Read More

District 9 (2010)

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.

20 years ago, an alien species crash landed on our planet near Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, they've been "integrated" by MNU (multi-national united) and live  inside a reserve along side rebel Nigerians. They are Called Prawns ,they understand English and are obsessed with cat food, which they will often Trade for weapons.

Multi-National United puts up a humanitarian front, but secretly covets their weapons and is trying to designate them for human use. To that end, they have decided to evict the Prawns and have been confiscating whatever weaponry and tech they may find. Placed in charge of overseeing the evictions, Wikus Van De Merwe, comes across a capsule and is summarily infected with alien DNA. After being infected he slowly turns into one and is then hunted by the MNU, who are attempting to kill him and extract his DNA as they've done with a few aliens previously. On the run, befriends another alien and is told that he can be cured on the Alien Mothership which hovers high above the city. With MNU hot on their trail, they race towards the ship with the hope of both finding a cure and saving the Earthbound Aliens.

I thought it was tremendously over-hyped when it was first released, upon second watching i guess I can see it. A South African film with no budget essentially created a Hollywood blockbuster. The story was coherent, the special effects were great and the acting held its own. Don't misunderstand, I still think it overhyped, but I will openly acknowledge it as a well put together film.

Out of Ten? 7

The film tanked towards the end, but It's still a decent film. 

Enjoyable, just terribly over-hyped.

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? No

Read More

Clash - 2009

Trinh codename Phoenix, a female mob enforcer, must complete a series of organized crime jobs for her boss Hac Long in order to win the release of her kidnapped daughter. She hires several mercenaries to help, including Quan dubbed Tiger, who she becomes attracted to. Trinh and Quan's relationship becomes complicated as it becomes evident that their motivations are not the same.

Vietnamese big budget action flick.
At the behest of the big boss, A woman assembles a group of mercenaries to complete an arms deal. One of the guys is recognized and they have to fight for their lives to escape. After being betrayed by one of their own on another mission, the two remaining members try to track him down and retrieve the stolen merchandise and extract a measure of revenge. By the time they catch up to him, their motivations for doing so are radically different.

There's nothing special about this flick. Clash is basically about shootouts and Muy Thai. The big boss is actually quite a badass and when he finally shows that side, it's a thing of beauty.

 Overall though, I can say I've seen better.

Out of Ten? 5.5

Violence? Yes
Explosions? Yes
Nudity? Peek-A-Boob.

Read More

Director's Spotlight #5

Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Ann Bigelow (born November 27, 1951) is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark (1987), the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break (1991), the science fiction/film noir Strange Days (1995), the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water (2000) and the war drama The Hurt Locker (2008). In April 2010, Bigelow was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people of the year.

Well known within the Hollywood circle, chances are you've seen a few of her films and didn't know it was her. Once the Hurt Locker was released, she became a household name.

If you haven't already, check out some of her work:

Point Break (1991) 

An FBI agent goes undercover to catch a gang of bank robbers who may be surfers.

Simply put: Johnny Utah was The Perfect Role for the Master of the "Whoa!" 

Strange Days (1995) 

A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a police conspiracy in 1999 Los Angeles.

Hurt Locker (2010) 

Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

Blue Steel (1990)

A female rookie in the police force engages in a cat and mouse game with a pistol wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.

The Embedding was disabled, so you'll have to click here to watch.

Jamie Lee Curtis is a fox!

Read More