My 30 favorite films.

                                            My 30 favorite films
                                         by Chris von Hoffmann                
               


                                                              1. CHINA GIRL (1987)
                                                             DIRECTOR: Abel Ferrara

                                                            2. SHORT CUTS (1993)
                                                          DIRECTOR: Robert Altman

                                                       
                                                        3. BAD LIEUTENANT (1992)
                                                           DIRECTOR: Abel Ferrara

                                                                 4. FINGERS (1978)
                                                            DIRECTOR: James Toback

                                               5. ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE (1998)
                                                           DIRECTOR: Larry Clark

                                                             6. RUMBLE FISH (1983)
                                                       DIRECTOR: Francis Ford Coppola

                                                                     7. RUSH (1991)
                                                           DIRECTOR: Lili Fini Zanuck

                                                              8. BUFFALO '66 (1998)
                                                            DIRECTOR: Vincent Gallo

                                                           9. ANGEL HEART (1987)
                                                    DIRECTOR: Alan Parker (a prince)

                                                            10. THE PLEDGE (2001)
                                                             DIRECTOR: Sean Penn

                                                       11. OUT OF THE BLUE (1980)
                                                           DIRECTOR: Dennis Hopper

                                    12. HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986)
                                                     DIRECTOR: John McNaughton

                                                           13. PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
                                                          DIRECTOR: Wim Wenders

                                                               14. REVENGE (1990)
                                                             DIRECTOR: Tony Scott

                                                           15. KILLING ZOE (1993)
                                                           DIRECTOR: Roger Avary

                                       16. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (1974)
                                                        DIRECTOR: John Cassavetes

                                                       17. PALE FLOWER (1964)
                                                     DIRECTOR: Masahiro Shinoda

                                                          18. RED DESERT (1964)
                                                  DIRECTOR: Michelangelo Antonioni

                                                         19. BLOOD SIMPLE. (1984)
                                                         DIRECTORS: The Coen Bros.

                                                        20. LONG WEEKEND (1978)
                                                        DIRECTOR: Colin Eggleston

                                                          21. BLUE COLLAR (1978)
                                                          DIRECTOR: Paul Schrader

                                                             22. THE SHINING (1980)
                                                          DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick

23. TRUE ROMANCE (1993)

DIRECTOR: Tony Scott

24. MILLER'S CROSSING (1990)

DIRECTORS: The Coen Bros. 

25. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978)

DIRECTOR: Alan Parker (a prince!)

26. LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970)

DIRECTOR: Jean-Pierre Melville

27. CRASH (1996)

DIRECTOR: David Cronenberg

28. HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992)

DIRECTOR: Woody Allen

29. DEAD MAN'S SHOES (2004)

DIRECTOR: Shane Meadows 

30. STRAW DOGS (1971)

DIRECTOR: Sam Peckinpah

"The Rover" review

THE ROVER (2014)
Written & Directed by
David Michod

Starring Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson and
Scoot Mcnairy

I recently saw The Rover on opening night on June 13th at the Landmark Cinema and need I remind you, it was my most anticipated of the year. More than Inherent Vice and Foxcatcher even. I've been a big supporter of Michod ever since I was first saw Animal Kingdom at Sundance 2010 and saw him speak. No one knew who he was. We all just knew Animal Kingdom was something special. Then after a couple years, I started following Blue Tongue Films, a Youtube filmmaking collective in which David Michod is a key member of.

They've put out some excellent short films varying from over the top action to slow burning drama. Michod's work fits in the slow burning drama category with his creepy, menacing coming of age short film entitled Crossbow which centered around a young boy observing a troubled family that lives next door. It was a bit strange and off with the storytelling, but that didn't matter to me. The tone and atmosphere Michod created was enough.

Now when I first saw the teaser for The Rover, I was blown away. It was exactly what I wanted it to look and feel like. Then when I saw the full trailer, I wasn't as impressed with it as I was with the teaser, but after multiple viewings, I grew to love it just as much. Then after that, I stopped watching anything else they posted. I wanted to keep as hidden from the film as possible before I saw it in full.

On to the film. The Rover centers on a very simple concept involving an ex-soldier named Eric (Guy Pearce) living in the Outback, ten years after the collapse of society who's only prized possession, his car, is taken from him by a trio of gang members after a botched robbery, which we do not see. The gang left behind one of the member's brothers named Rey (played by Robert Pattinson) who is forced by Eric to guide him across the desert to find his car.

On the surface, the story's very simplistic and just about a man trying to find his car. But being a David Michod film, there's clearly much more to it, underneath. The film is filled with subtext and menace all throughout and is always aware of the kind of film it is.

I didn't love The Rover, but I liked it a whole lot. It's certainly a different film than Animal Kingdom. What I liked about what Michod did, is that he clearly wasn't trying to top himself with The Rover. In fact, this is his first film in four years. Most early directors do something small as their first, then something big shortly after as their sophomore film. Or even do a Hollywood studio film as their sophomore, then fail miserably (i.e. Neil Blomkamp with Elysium).

What David Michod did so intelligently is he waited, and took one step at a time. So when he was ready to make his second feature, he could control it. And control he did. Never for a second does The Rover lose its way. It always remains in its slow, menacing self. It's a film that creeps up on you. A film that's its own beast. Unlike any film of this nature you've seen before. The sound design (brilliantly done by Sam Petty), cinematography and music all do an amazing job supporting the film's story which there is very little of.

However, despite all the great technical aspects about the film, the true standouts are the two leads, Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Pearce doing what he does best, playing that quiet man with so much buried underneath his eyes and so much explosive emotion struggling to burst out any second. And Pattinson in a star making performance playing a simple minded redneck thinking he's tougher than he really is.

Overall, The Rover is a strong, solid film that I'd highly recommend and as of now is one of my favorite films of 2014. It's more of an experience than anything. It's more than just a film. It's one of those films in which when the credits roll, you ask yourself, 'What did I just watch?' Which can be a good or bad thing. In this case, for me, it was a very, very good thing.

Bravo Mr. Michod. You continue to impress me and you are now on my radar for every film you direct.

Favorite Films of 2012

FAVORITE FILMS OF 2012


1. "The Master"

Written & Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson

A fascinating and exhausting character study revolving around a mentally unstable caveman-like Naval Veteran back from the war who's taken under the wing of a charismatic, yet volatile cult leader.
****


2. "Silver Linings Playbook"

Written & Directed by
David O. Russell

Based on the Novel by
Matthew Quick

A film that has it all and then some. Hilarity, rough drama, fiery romance, and De Niro as the best he's been since "Flawless," back in '99.
****


3. "Killer Joe"

Directed by William Friedkin

Written by Tracy Letts

Based on the Play

Brace yourself. This film is a nonstop roller coaster with some of the finest writing since "Pulp Fiction" and one of the best, most overlooked performances of the year (Matthew McConaughey in the title role) as a mentally disturbed Texan detective who moonlights as a Hit Man. The final twenty minutes will scar you for life. In a good way.    
****


4. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Directed by Benh Zeitlin

Written by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin

Based on the Play, "Juicy & Delicious"

One of the most powerful and enchanting films of the year, centering on a young girl named Hush Puppy, who's forced to learn about courage and love, while taking care of her hot-tempered father's fading health. A MUST SEE. If anything, for the visuals and performance from Quvenzhane Wallis.
***


5. "Zero Dark Thirty"

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Written by Mark Boal

You know exactly what happens in the end, but somehow Bigelow holds you on the edge of your seat for the entire 157 minutes. Unbelievable performances all around and a "NO BS" attitude that will keep you hooked in and stay put.



6. "The Comedy"

Directed by Rick Alverson

Written by Rick Alverson, Robert Donne &
Colm O'Leary

One of the major surprise hits for me this year. A strange, art film with two of the funniest people on the planet, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (at least, in my opinion) tackling real life issues, in their own, twisted kind of way. A stellar companion piece to Lars Von Trier's "The Idiots." SEE THIS MOVIE, I BEG OF YOU.    
***


7. "Rust and Bone"

Directed by Jacques Audiard

Written by Jacques Audiard & Thomas
Bidegain

Incredibly moving (and at times, hard to watch) cautionary tale of a young man who moves to Antibes with his son and forms an unusual friendship with a whale trainer, who's been involved in a horrific accident that changes both their lives forever. No words can describe how good this film was.
****


8. "Jack Reacher"

Written & Directed by
Christopher McQuarrie

Based on the book, "One Shot"
by Lee Child

A surprise hit for me. Trailers never really struck me as something to look for, but I was pleasantly and heavily surprised by how much fun this movie really is. Different than most action films. Much more of a Mystery/Thriller than a typical genre piece. Either way, it's an absolute blast and it truly cements Cruise in the "Hall of Awesome."  
***


9. "The Grey"

Directed by Joe Carnahan

Written by Joe Carnahan &
Ian Mackenzie Jeffers

Based on the "Short Story" by
Ian Mackenzie Jeffers

Joe Carnahan's finest film to date. An absolute nail biter filled with some of the best performances of the year, especially Dermot Mulraney and Liam Neeson. INCREDIBLE. Great companion piece to Lee Tamahori's "The Edge" from 1997. Just... with Wolves instead of a Grizzly Bear.
***


10. "Flight"

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Written by John Gatins

Denzel's finest performance since maybe... "Man on Fire...?" And that was 2004. And guess what! He's not playing a Cop this time! This time it's a alcoholic airplane pilot who saves several people in the midst of a horrific plane crash. But was he drunk during take off...? Zemeckis sure went for a hard R with this and did an excellent job, but the screenplay is one of the best of the year.
***

"Django Unchained" review

"Django Unchained"


Written & Directed by
Quentin Tarantino

Now when I first read that QT was writing/directing a spaghetti western-like epic with Leonardo DiCaprio as the main villain, I was definitely intrigued.

I am one of the few defenders out there for QT and really appreciate a lot of his work and even consider Kill Bill the finest thing he's ever done, considering it was incredibly well written, fast paced, disciplined with the editing, great performances, amazing action sequences, and beautifully photographed. The first film of his that he finally starts playing around with the camera in a big, bad way.

However, when the trailers and TV spots started to erupt all over the internet, I was shocked at how horrible the film looked. I had seen several pictures on IMDb for a while and heard a lot of things about the chaotic production, but the trailers blew me away in the worst kind of way.

They were so unbelievably different than what I expected them to be. And James Brown's "Playback" blasting in almost every single trailer? COME ON, QT...

I was still intrigued to see it though. I mean, it can't be that bad. It's gonna HAVE to have some amazing moments. QT's not quite that big of a hack just yet... But I was wrong. DEAD WRONG.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a private screening of Django Unchained last night at the Director's Guild of America in Hollywood and catch the film on the building's biggest screen, out of their three.

The film opens with a long overture with the curtains down. Not many people in the audience even seemed to care, but I did. I was like, "Okay Quentin. You're already off to a bad start." He just won't accept that, that sort of genre of filmmaking is dead and no matter how much he tries to bring back that affect, it'll keep hurting him and he'll lose more fans.

Then the film begins its opening title sequence with its flashy big red lettering. Jamie Foxx is being hauled through the desert with the other slaves, much like the opening scene in the trailers.

Eventually he meets Christoph Waltz's character, who comes riding in on a ridiculous Buggie with a giant Tooth attached to the top, dangling.

Waltz plays a former dentist turned bounty hunter, Dr. King Shultz. He rescues Django (Jamie Foxx), after blowing away a couple rough house white owners (James Remar and James Russo). Shultz is on a job to find a trio of brothers, called The Brittles, but doesn't know what they look like, but Django does, so they team up to find them and Shultz buys Django's slavery and gives him his freedom. Now in return, Django and Shultz team up for a second mission to find Django's kidnaped wife from its plantation owner, Calvin Candie. And thus, we have our silly revenge movie.

The film starts to unfold in a series of events that sort of shape Shultz and Django and form their friendship, which, to me was never very interesting.

Django Unchained is definitely QT's most action packed film since Kill Bill, but it was missing all that QT trademark. I didn't really feel like I was watching a QT film until DiCaprio's character, Calvin Candie, shows up. A wonderfully hypnotising introduction where Candie is simply puffing on a cigarette, sitting on his couch, while a very violent and extreme Mandingo match takes place.

All the performances for me were very ridiculous and never were enjoyable, except DiCaprio, who seriously was the only most consistently entertaining character in the entire three hour film. Yes. The film's almost three hours, clocking in at 165 minutes. QT's longest film to date, if you don't consider Kill Bill chocked together as a whole.

The violence, or shall I say gore, is completely gratuitous to be honest, quite boring. With all the constant shootouts and constant gunfire, I'm thinking, "When is this gonna end???" It wasn't done cleverly, or different. Nothing special. Which upsets me, cause knowing how much QT loves spaghetti westerns, he had an opportunity to make one of the best westerns ever made, but of course, like he did with the slasher and WW2 genre... he blew it.

Quentin's use of the N word, though used DOZENS of times, is never done in a smart way, and just became lazy writing. I believe this to be one of his worst scripts, in my opinion. None of his signature on the film, boring camera shots, obnoxious dialogue/violence, wooden performances. Especially Kerry Washington, who've I've never liked in the first place, but she was awful. ANNOYING. SO ANNOYING.

Tons of stuff happens, but nothing is interesting or exciting. However, I think you should definitely go see the film for yourself and form your own opinion. When I saw it with a packed house last night they seemed to love it. They were laughing constantly, but I wasn't. Laughed maybe twice.

The film is NOT a Drama/Western, like IMDb says, but a Comedy/Western. They're's literally NO drama in the entire film. It felt like a big, bright spoof in the vein of Blazing Saddles than something like Unforgiven.

The film's a mess, but thank God I have Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave to fall back on.

P.S.: And just when I thought Quentin's cameos in his own films couldn't get any more horrible and pathetic, he just goes ahead and makes himself an Australian cowboy towards the end of the film. JUST HORRIBLE!!!!!!

This film cements QT in the "Hall of Hacks."

Please retire before you damage another genre. Thank you.



Sincerely,
Filmboy


QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"If I wasn't a filmmaker, I'd be a film critic. It's the only thing I'd be qualified to do."
- Quentin Tarantino

"The Master" review

"The Master"

Written & Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson

If you're a Paul Thomas Anderson fan, then you're well aware, at this point, that he loves making his fans wait an enormous amount of time for his next film. Between Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood, it was five years. And now between TWBB and The Master, it's been yet another five years.

I am a huge fan of PTA and consider him to be the greatest director of his generation, and of the last twenty years he's been making films.

Now when I read that PTA was working on a script loosely based on Scientology and the workings of L. Ron Hubbard, I was ecstatic. When I found out he was teaming up with Philip Seymour Hoffman for a fifth time, using PSH to play the L. Ron Hubbard inspired character, I was threw the roof. And when I finally saw the first teaser that PTA himself, cut together, that simply involved Joaquin Phoenix's demented character being interviewed by a V.A. Doctor, spliced with scenes of him on the beach and carving, I was in the clouds. The excitement was overbearing and my expectations were higher than they've ever been for anything.

Now, unfortunately, the first time I viewed The Master, it was NOT a 70MM print, but a digital projection. Which I was very upset about, but I just didn't care at that point. I just needed to see this film, no matter what. Thankfully, I was able to see it two more times, those times, in delicious 70MM.

The film is PTA's most emotionally exhausting film to date. And the heaviest on character and the weakest on plot narrative. When the film's over, you feel dizzy. Literally.

Now many people have been complaining a great deal about the lack of narrative and character development, but if you know PTA's past films, he's an expert at character development and beautifully structured narrative, so I never believed those criticisms to be legitimate. He knew what he was doing.

My theory on why it didn't seem to make much sense and has no development, was because, well. In a way, Scientology doesn't really make much sense. Nor does religion, itself. Or life, for that matter. Everything is sloppy in our existence. And sometimes people don't change. This is more of an experimental navigation into one's psyche, then a traditional narrative film. Which I respect.

For those of you who haven't seen the film at this point (Shame on you by the way...), nor do you even know the storyline. It centers on a young Naval veteran (played by a returning Joaquin Phoenix in a game changing performance) as Freddie Quell who comes back from the war, very unsettled about his life and his future. He eventually jumps onto a Yacht where a mysterious party is taking place and this is where he meets The Master, himself. Lancaster Dodd (played by the always brilliant, Philip Seymour Hoffman), who takes him under his wing and introduces him to his fact based religion, known as The Cause.

Freddie is reluctantly thrown into several physical and mental exercises to serve as his initiation into the religious "family," that also consists of Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Rami Malek, and Jesse Plemons. All give wonderful performances, but Amy Adams takes the cake, as Lancaster's subtle, but tough wife and co-leader.

The film is made up of a bunch of amazing scenes/sequences, but no destination. It plays out like one giant arc. Which, from a screenwriter's POV, that's a big no, no. But I loved it.

PTA breaks all the rules of traditional storytelling and doesn't make a single apology about it. The film clocks in at 144 minutes and doesn't quite hold the story to warrant that length, but it flew by for me. Considering how hypnotising the entire film is and that the wonderfully crafted use of 70MM film was so amazing to witness. Makes you wish more directors shot in that format. Hopefully a film of this scale, will open other directors' eyes.

The film is an actor's piece, without question. Joaquin Phoenix is unlike any performance you've ever seen before. From beginning to end, he IS Freddie. It's scary. All throughout, you're on the edge of your seat, waiting for something to happen. The film is extremely tense and very unpredictable.

One of the major stand out scenes, which just goes to show how brilliant PTA is, just doing basic two shots and OTS, with two actors speaking to each other, is when Master asks Freddie to keep his eyes open and answer a series of emotional questions without blinking. It was set at a perfect point in the story where you're sort of waiting for that intensity to rise, and then all of a sudden this scene comes at you like a bullet.

If there is a criticism, I'd have to say, I was a bit curious as to what PTA was trying to say with this film. If he was trying to say anything. However, that wasn't enough for me to dislike it in the slightest.

I'll admit when I finished it the first time, I was a bit underwhelmed. I knew I liked it, but wasn't sure what level it was at. Then I went to bed, but couldn't sleep. Was tossing and turning. Then I woke up at 7A.M. the next morning, and realized it was one of the finest films of the year, if not, the best. And one of the most astonishing character studies ever put on screen.

Bravo to everyone involved.



Sincerely,
Filmboy


QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Observancy is a dying art." - Stanley Kubrick

"Killing Them Softly" review

"Killing Them Softly"

Written & Directed by
Andrew Dominik

Based on the Novel, "Cogan's Trade"
by George V. Higgins

Now when I read that Andrew Dominik was setting out to write and direct a new American crime film with Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, and Richard Jenkins, I was threw the roof. Considering, he made one of my all-time favorite films of 2007 and of the last decade, The wonderfully crafted, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Which was more of a psychological Charles Dickens-esque take on the American western. From the moment the unique opening sequence kicked in explaining Jesse James, you knew you were in for something special.

Now Dominik is simply a director who does not like to work very often. His first film, Chopper, was an exciting, interesting, but also a heavily flawed debut back in 2000, with Eric Bana in the title role. Then Jesse James came out seven years later. Now, five years later, in 2012, we have his latest film, Killing Them Softly, which is based on the 70s set novel, Cogan's Trade.

The story centers on two dumb criminals who think they're smarter than they are, Frankie and Russell (played by Argo's Scoot McNairy and Animal Kingdom's Ben Mendelsohn), who work for a shady fella named Johnny Amato (played by Johnny Sac himself, Vincent Curatola).

Long story short, Johnny assigns the two crooks to rob a mob protected poker game, run by local mobster, Markie Trattman (played by the underrated Ray Liotta, in one of his best performances to date). They consider the job to be foolproof, considering Markie had robbed his own poker game a while back and blabbed about it, when he was drunk, to a bunch of his friends, thus putting the word out there, that he was in on it. So now, they think that once they rob the game, they'll immediately get away with it, because everyone will immediately point fingers at Markie, and Frankie and Russell will get off, scot free. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? No. Things go bad. REAL BAD.

Once the game is robbed, which was quite possibly the best scene in the entire movie (the suspense was astonishing), they call in local enforcer, Jackie Cogan (played by a super cool, Brad Pitt, in a not so super convincing performance), to investigate the robbery and essentially clean up house.

Now as the film unfolds and all the colorful characters dip in and out of each other's lives, we start to be bombarded with a very obnoxious political message, serving as commentary over the 2008 financial, economic meltdown. I mean, if I were to see one more television in a bar playing Obama or George Bush talking at a podium...

The political message takes no time to jam it down our throats. From the very unique, though a bit annoying, opening title sequence to literally, the final shot in the movie, it is thrown at us. And not in a clever way.

The dialogue and the acting are the strongest elements of the film. James Gandolfini plays a fascinating 3-dimensional Hit Man, who used to be quite the big shot and somewhat of a hero in the eyes of Jackie, but has hit rock bottom due to too much drinking and depression. So pretty much if Tony Soprano was a Hit Man. However, he was one of my favorite characters in the entire film. And he barely did anything, but talk to Jackie. Now that's acting.

Ben Mendelsohn and Scoot McNairy have the most hilarious scenes in the film. They're banter back to back about women, drugs, and previous jobs, are quite amusing to watch. Ben Mendelsohn sure does play mentally unstable quite well.

You can say the film is a black comedy, but really. With the exception of a few humurous lines of dialogue from Brad Pitt and Gandolfini, only Mendelsohn and McNairy serve as the comic relief.

The major acting standout for me though, was Mr. Ray Liotta. A major change of pace from the usual tough guy, hard hitting characters he's been playing ever since 1986's Something Wild. Liotta sure does take quite the beating throughout and the film makes no apologies for any of it.

The violence is also fascinating to watch. Dominik literally builds sequences around the violence cut together with a very unusual, kinetic soundtrack consisting of everything from Johnny Cash to The Velvet Underground.

Yes, many things annoyed me about this film. Yes, too many things were overdone. And yes, Brad Pitt was a little unconvincing as a tough guy gangster, but all in all. I enjoyed the film a great deal. Every single frame is so unbelievably unique and well crafted. Dominik loves to take a certain commercial genre and just flip it on its head and do a whole different spin on it. He did with the Biopic genre with Chopper, the Western genre with Jesse James, and now with the Crime genre with KTS. And for that, I commend him, whether it's a misfire or not, you have to respect him for not being traditional.

KTS is by no means for everyone. This is a film built mainly for film aficionados. The violence is few and far in between, but it's worth it when it happens.

Put it this way. If you love Drive, you'll like KTS.


Sincerely,
Filmboy


QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"The only way you can learn from making films is by making them, by putting your stamp on them." - Stephen Frears (director of The Hit and The Grifters)

"The Collection" review

"The Collection"

Directed by Marcus Dunstan

Written by Marcus Dunstan &
Patrick Melton

The Collection is, at least for me, the long awaited sequel to one of the finest horror films of the last decade, The Collector. Which was a stripped down, no frills, character based horror film centered on the petty thief, Arkin (played by the underrated Josh Stewart), who is in serious debt, and is forced to rob his new Employer's mansion, but soon discovers a second criminal has already infiltrated the house with booby traps, holding the family captive. Arkin is then forced to decide whether he's going to escape with his life and the money or save the family. He decides to play hero and save them. Thus, we have... The Collector.

Now The Collection is pretty much a sequel to The Collector, like Aliens was a sequel to Alien. The Collector was a character piece with a decent amount of thrills and chills. The Collection is an action piece with non stop blood and gore and a body count that would make Hershell Gordon Lewis proud.

Now the premise of The Collection centers on the young character of Elena (played by Emma Fitzpatrick from The Social Network and In Time), who, along with her two friends, head to an underground club to go dancing. You know. One of those scary clubs where some tattooed guy with way too many piercings answers the door and asks for a password?

The film takes absolutely no time at all to get to the action. They have a very cool intro to the wild club. And before you know it, BAM! The Collector unleashes his horrifying booby traps inside the club and unloads on all the unlucky club goers.

Elena is eventually kidnapped by The Collector, thrown in his crate, and taken to his layer. This is where the film connects to the original. Where Elena's rich father (played by Shooter McGavin himself, Christopher McDonald) blackmails Arkin to help him and a set of elite mercenaries rescue Elena from the Collector's layer.

Thus... we have our popcorn movie. Mercenaries bust in with their enormous machine guns and bad things start to happen.

Now The Collection is in by no means, a great film. But it sure is a fun time at the movies and definitely wildly entertaining. I didn't expect much going into a film like this, but what I did respect is that the sequel was written/directed by the same fellows who created the original. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who created the Feast franchise and even wrote a few Saw sequels. However, I believe, The Collector to be the finest, most mature film they've ever written.

The Collection is pretty much Saw on meth. It's action packed, never skips a beat. Some of the dialogue is laughable. A couple characters are ridiculously over the top. The climax is quite cartoonish, and several moments make you wonder, "What the hell were you thinking???"

But you know what? I enjoyed it. Is it better than the first? Not by a long shot, nor did it want to be. Dunstan and Melton really just wanted to have fun with this one and make a completely different kind of a movie, which is totally fine with me, if it's done well. And, in my opinion, this one was.

Horror movies were my entry into movie loving, so I'll respect any R rated horror movie that keeps me thirsting for more. I look forward to the third one in the series, The Collected.



Sincerely,
Filmboy


QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"That's the problem. It's hard to release an NC-17 anywhere right now. It's like you don't have access to theatres to many multiplexes. And I understand that cuts had to be made to my movie." (On his debut film, High Tension) - Alexandre Aja

ROAD GAMES (1981) review

"Road Games"

Directed by Richard Franklin

Written by Everett De Roche

Road Games is a Australian thriller, little seen by the U.S., revolving around a truck driver named Quid (Stacy Keach) who is delivering packages through the Australian outback with his trusty dog (or what he thinks is a Dingo), Boswell. During this time, he is listening to the radio out of boredom and hears announcements of a local serial killer killing women.

One thing leads to another, and Quid ends up picking up a mysterious hitchhiker (Jamie Lee Curtis) who he just calls Hitch. The two decide to find the killer themselves. Knowing he drives a green van, after spotting it in the desert where the killer was digging a hole for a dead female corpse.

Through their hunt for the killer, the two of course build a special bond together. Romantic, yes. But more of a strong friendship. Quid's a loner. Hitch is a runaway.

Things take a massive turn when Hitch is kidnapped by the killer at an autobody, right in broad daylight.

The film is not bad by any stretch of the imagination. But quite slow paced and a little boring at times. Nothing that you wish would happen, really happens. There are some intense moments here and there, but nothing that really keeps your full attention all the way through. Certainly drags and doesn't quite pick up until the third act.

However, the performance by Stacy Keach (yes, a little dated at times with the delivery of the dialogue) is the stand out. Quite possibly one of his best performances next to Burt Kennedy's The Killer Inside Me. Keach has quite a bit of scenes where he's just talking to himself, driving his truck. Sometimes about nonsense. Other times about the killer. Should he go after the killer? Or should he keep it to himself?

The lighting of this film is very creepy. The tone I got from this film really reminded me of other 80s road thrillers like The Hitcher.

If you're heavily into oz-ploatation, I certainly recommend this film, but if you're an average joe -schmo, there's not much true excitement in this. I'm sure seeing it for the first time back in 1981 was much more of a thriller than it is now.

It is certainly dated and isn't really scary, but it's certainly realistic and gives you a bird's eye view of the isolation a truck driver can have. Especially in the Australian outback.

Favorite Martin Scorsese films

1. Raging Bull (1980)

2. Casino (1995)

3. GoodFellas (1990)

4. Taxi Driver (1976)

5. The Aviator (2004)

6. Cape Fear (1991)

7. The Departed (2006)

8. Mean Streets (1973)

9. Bringing out the Dead (1999)

10. After Hours (1985)

Favorite Abel Ferrara Films

Granted, the underground, overlooked New York based filmmaker, Abel Ferrara, hasn't made a truly watchable film since 1996, but during the beginning and middle of his career, he was on fire.

Below are a list of my favorite films from the zany director.

1. China Girl (1987)

A beautifully lit, beautifully performed, cautionary tale. A modern telling of "Romeo & Juliet" centering on a young Chinese girl and a young Italian boy who fall in love on the streets of New York. Causing an all out gang war between the two families.

2. Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Abel's flawless masterpiece. A New York police lieutenant (Harvey Keitel) is a junkie, gambler, thief, and even a killer. He soon finds redemption when he is assigned a case regarding a young nun who is viciously raped in her church by two Hispanic hoodlums.

3. King of New York (1990)

Very stylish retelling of "Robin Hood" set on the gritty streets of New York City. Powerful drug lord, Frank White (Christopher Walken) is released from prison and is eager to back into the swing of things. But this time, using all the profits he makes from the drug running, to donate to local, broken down hospitals. All the while, beating out his competition.

4. The Funeral (1996)

Very underrated period piece. A powerful 1930s crime family is caught in a lethal crossfire between union organizers and brutal corporate bosses.

5. Body Snatchers (1993)

Yet another version of the fascinating "Body Snatchers" saga. This time taking place on a military base in Alabama. A young girl (Gabrielle Anwar), her half-brother, her Step-Mother (Meg Tilley) and her Father (Terry Kinney) try to survive the epidemic.

6. The Addiction (1995)

Ultra cool black & white docu-drama centering on a young Anthropology major in New York (Lili Taylor) who must adapt to her new lifestyle as a vampire, after she is bitten by one (Annabella Sciorra).

7. Dangerous Game (1993)

Fascinating, yet complicated, experimental character study revolving around a Hollywood independent film director, Eddie Israel (Harvey Keitel) who, for his newest film, takes two married movie stars (Madonna and James Russo) and has them play a married couple in the film. But through rehearsals and long rolling takes, fiction begins to merge with reality causing a destruction of their own humanity. Including Eddie Israel.

8. The Driller Killer (1979)

The complex, yet disturbing birth of Abel Ferrara, in this practically self-produced exploatation bloodbath. A young troubled painter (Played by Ferrara himself), living in a New York loft with two female roommates, decides to plow through the urban streets slaughtering people with a power drill, because of how frustrated he is with society.

Favorite Films of 2011

Now that the Academy Awards are creeping up on us, I thought I should list my top 20 favorite films of 2011. It was a good year for cinema, folks. REAL GOOD YEAR.

Here they are...

1. Drive (BEST FILM OF THE YEAR)

Dir.: Nicolas Winding Refn

2. Midnight in Paris

Dir.: Woody Allen

3. Moneyball

Dir.: Bennett Miller

4. The Artist

Dir.: Michael Hazanavicius

5. The Descendants

Dir.: Alexander Payne

6. Hugo

Dir.: Martin Scorsese

7. Warrior

Dir.: Gavin O'Conner

8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Dir.: Rupert Wyatt

9. Bridesmaids

Dir.: Paul Feig

10. Shame

Dir.: Steve McQueen

11. Red State

Dir. Kevin Smith (Yup. KEVIN SMITH)

12. Mission: Impossible 4

Dir.: Brad Bird

13. Hanna

Dir.: Joe Wright

14. The Tree of Life

Dir.: Terrence Malick

15. Carnage

Dir.: Roman Polanski

16. Hesher

Dir.: Spencer Susser

17. The Wave

Dir.: Dennis Gansel

18. I Saw The Devil

Dir.: Jee-woon Kim

19. Beginners

Dir.: Mike Mills

20. Super

Dir.: James Gunn

'HORRIBLE BOSSES'

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Most recently I took my 14-year-old cousin to go see a screening of the new dark comedy, Horrible Bosses, in Santa Monica.

The film is a simple and pretty relatable story that almost every depressed employee who hates authority can connect with.

The film centers on three workers who are all friends (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). They all meet up at a bar every night after work and do nothing but complain about their bosses (played by Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and an insanely hot Jennifer Aniston).

When the three workers begin to realize that their bosses are the ones standing in front of their happiness, they decide to, after a big night of heavy drinking, form a plan to off their bosses. But there's a twist. In order to keep the cops off their back and eliminate any motive they all may have, they decide to pull a Strangers on a Train/Throw Momma from the Train scheme and criss cross each other's murders so there's no connection.

But of course when it comes to murder and being an absolute idiot (which these guys obviously are), what CAN go wrong WILL go wrong.

Now I'd be lying if I said I DID NOT laugh out loud a few solid times throughout the viewing of this film, HOWEVER, I also had a huge amount of problems with it. For instance, the boss/assistant scenario with Charlie Day and Jennifer Aniston? She's playing this real aggressive nimphomaniac who is constantly trying to have sex with him? And he continues to refuse because he's engaged? Now ladies and gentlemen... this is JENNIFER ANISTON were talking about here... She, if you didn't know already, is an insanely beautiful woman with an even more insanely beautiful figure. I didn't buy that scenario for a second. A man can only resist for so long.

And Jason Bateman? I honestly do not understand people's fascination with this actor. He had one interesting performance as Michael Bluth in the short lived cult television series, Arrested Development, and ever since then he's done nothing but "walk through" crap. When I use the phrase, "walk through," it basically means an easy role that does not require any preperation, physical labor or any real, true point of view.

Anyway, Bateman has pretty much made a career out of playing the same tiresome character over and over again in every dog shit movie he headlines. Just a middle-aged neurotic man (sometimes married. sometimes not) who is always the 'straight' guy in the ridiculous comedic scenario he gets wrapped up in. That is no different for his role in Horrible Bosses.

Horrible Bosses surely has its strong points, but the whole film is so bloody uneven, it becomes quite annoying. Just when you think your going to start enjoying the film, something absolutely moronic and low brow occurs (i.e. Jason Sudeikis shoving his boss' toiletries up his rectum).

So with this all being said, if your looking for an uneven, sometimes humurous, sometimes ridiculous, kind of entertaining, wild ride of an okay film then... see Horrible Bosses???


SINCERELY,
FILMBOY

ENTRY QUOTE:
"I prefer to think that God is not dead, just drunk."
- John Huston

STRAIGHT-TO-DVD SEQUELS

1. MIMIC 2: HARDSHELL (2001)

-Now when I first saw the original Mimic (1997), I'll admit, I was impressed by how entertaining I found it to be. I had no appeal to watch it, but then I streamed it on Netflix and it wasn't half bad. Solid story, great performances, and pretty creepy if you ask me. You always wonder what lurks in those New York City subways... So it was no surprise to me that Miramax decided to make a sequel which became Mimic 2: Hardshell, released in 2001. The film had no one from the original EXCEPT Alix Koromzay (who played Mira Sorvino's friend, Remy, in the original), taking on the lead role this time. She plays a Chemistry teacher at an inner city school in New York City. One thing leads to another. Ya dah ya dah ya dah... Long story short. Long John and the cockroaches begin to invade the school leaving Remy, a couple students and a Detective, trapped inside. I love any horror/sci-fi film that involves kids, so... when I read this was taking place inside a school?!? I jumped the gun to see it. Boy, was this a mess. It takes like 50 minutes to actually get to the action of the bugs attacking the school, and when it does? It absolutely blows. The lighting is way too dark, you can't see anything. It would have been way cooler if ALL the students and faculty were trapped inside.. THAT would have been entertaining. But nope. A $10 million budget won't allow that apparently. This film drags to a point where you just want them all to die and get it over with. I found myself waiting for this piece of garbage to end. And it's not even 90 minutes! So. If your a fan of the original, DO NOT see this sequel. It's pathetic. I have not seen the threequel, Mimic 3: Sentinel, but... after seeing this one? I think I'll pass...

2. WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END (2007)

-I remember when I found out the original Wrong Turn had been released on DVD back in 2003 and I jumped at the chance immediately, renting it. And the verdict? Honestly? Eh. It was all right. Took a while to get going. The deaths were pretty cool though. The make up was decent. And the acting was surely tolerable. Had some B list names in there were all familiar with. Including Kevin Zegers and the insanely hot, Lindy Booth, as the stoner couple (who also starred in the remake of Dawn of the Dead together). Jeremy Sisto and Emmanuelle Chriqui as the hippy-like, loving couple about to get married. Desmond Harrington as the business-man drifter. And of course, Eliza Dushku as the ridiculously sexy, bad ass chick (WITH NO BOYFRIEND). The film was all right for what it was. Obviously capable of spawning off a franchise. In 2007, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End came out. I'll see any horror sequel no matter how bad it may looks, but this??? FUCKING AWESOME. For a straight-to-dvd sequel? This was amazing. The first Wrong Turn could of learned from this one. Centering around a reality television show in inbred West Virginia with Henry Rollins as the 'ultimate tough guy' host?!? The film is exremely creative with the gore, very entertaining, doesn't drag for a second. I love when you go in watching a film with low expectations and it ends up being great! Unfortunately once the THREEQUEL was released, (Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead) the company lost a lot of money. The effects in the third chapter were so horrible, they looked like N64 games. Apparently Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (it's a prequel!!!) will be coming out this fall 2011. Ohhhhhh.... lets hope they don't screw it up.



3. CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER (2009)

-LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! Now I am a huge fan of the original Cabin Fever. I think Eli Roth truly made a classic horror film with a twist. Something that could actually happen (which always freaks people out...) and it was like what horror audiences all over the globe had been waiting for, for quite some time. A film with barely any stars and a limited budget! It was like The Evil Dead of 2002. The film was a monster success and made a pretty solid profit, turning Eli Roth into the director he is today. So obviously there going to make a sequel, right? Unfortunately it took 7 years for the film to come out. Ti West, this time, (director of The Roost and The House of the Devil) stepped behind the camera to pull this sequel off. Now the final cut we all know (and the one I am reviewing right now) IS NOT the version Ti West made. The studio completely changed his cut and practically made their own in the edit, giving him barely, if not any, control. Man... Hollywood sucks some times... HOWEVER. I still loved it. The acting was so much better than expected. It was funny. It had charm. It had tons and tons of blood. What more can you ask for?!? It retained all the ingredients the original Cabin Fever had and more! For those who don't know, the sequel centers on a high school prom that goes haywire when, not only the punch in the bowl, but also the bottles of water that are shipped to the school, contain a deadly bacteria spawned from the original film. Seriously. SEE THIS MOVIE. If you like the original, I don't think you'll be upset with this.

4. AMERICAN PSYCHO II: ALL AMERICAN GIRL (2002)

-Yikes. How does one review such a piece of trash like this? Well. It's going to be a struggle, but I'll do my best. Now I am a huge fan of the original American Psycho. I bought the DVD as soon as I saw it. I just found it to be one of the most intelligent psychological horrors in quite some time and surely gave me hope with current cinema. That there are still people out there willing to take risks with a piece of art. And the fact the director, screenwriter, and most of the crew, were women? All the more exciting. Christian Bale's finest performance in my opinion. To be honest, I was very confused and totally shocked when the sequel came out. This is not a film you make a sequel to. But. They did. So. I saw it. And it was garbage. Mila Kunis steps into Patrick Bateman's shoes as the new killer. The "All American Girl" if you will. She plays a disturbed college student, who witnessed her sister get tortured and murdered by Bateman when Kunis was only like 12-years-old. Now that right there is a blooper! Remember??? Bateman never killed anyone in real life! It was all in his mind. Guess the writers of the sequel didn't even see the original. Anyway, so Kunis wishes to become a Police Officer so she can rid people like Patrick Bateman off the streets herself. She takes a criminology course taught by, wait this is top knotch... WILLIAM 'FATASS' SHATNER! Jesus... Kunis finds out about this competition to be the College Professor's (Shatner) assistant, so she starts offing all the students in her class so she can be #1. The deaths are just pathetic. Did I mention some horny dude gets strangled with his own condom? There are plotholes you could drive a tow truck through. This film is a total disgrace and does not deserve the eys of ANYONE!

5. LAKE PLACID 2 (2007)

-Jesus. It was only a matter of time... Now the first Lake Placid was by no means an amazing horror film, but it was surely very fun. It was entertaining, a little scary at times, and I'll enjoy anything that stars Bridget Fonda and Brendan Gleeson. So, of course, eventually the Sci-Fi channel decided to make a straight-to-dvd sequel that starred uh.... um... NOBODY??? Well, with the exception of one unlucky lady... This film has such a low budget it makes Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Inception. The gore is laughable, the acting is horrendous, the story is pointless, the characters are unlikeable, the crocodile is horrible CGI. Everything about this film is trash. Hell, they even made a threequel if you could believe it! How does that happen! This sequel alone is God awful. It made no money. Where do they get the balls to make ANOTHER chapter! And you know what the saddest thing is about Lake Placid 2? Cloris Leachman plays the 'Croc Lady' this time... CLORIS LEACHMAN!!! AN OSCAR WINNER! How many times do you think she said to herself in between takes of Lake Placid 2, "What the hell am I doing... is this really happening right now? Am... am I really doing this right now? Jesus..." If I had to say at least ONE redeeming quality about this film, it would have to be that it's sort of one of those 'So bad it's good' films. So...piece of advice? Either watch it shit faced, stoned, or not at all.

6. OPEN WATER 2: ADRIFT (2006)

-I have to admit. I really liked this film. Now when the original Open Water came out, audiences all over either loved it or hated it. I personally enjoyed it very much and found it extremely creepy. I, myself, am afraid of underwater monsters, so... I really respected the whole handheld camera feel. It seriously felt like a documentary to me. Some people complained about it being too boring. I found it anything but. AND you get to see gorgeous Blanchard Ryan naked! In 2006, the sequel came out, taking on a whole new sort of terror. WEATHER. The film centers on a group of thirty-somethings, one of which brings her baby, who board a douchebag, careless friend (Eric Dane) of their's yaht for the weekend. One thing leads to another. They all leap off the boat to go swimming, leaving the baby on board, but... OOPS. Eric Dane forgot to put up the emergency ladder to get back on the yaht. Now they all have to struggle to climb back on. Meanwhile heavy weather conditions arise causing there struggling to stay afloat all the more painful. The film is not incredible and can definitely dip into some cheesy Hollywood moments at times, but it's far better than I expected. I was on the edge of my seat for a few scenes. The acting was fine, the budget was solid. The story was terrifying and realistic. The fact that there all SO CLOSE, but so far, to getting on that boat just messes with your head. AND. A baby is on board during the horrible weather, with no food or water, so... yeah. It goes there... If you hate the first Open Water, STILL watch this one, cause there completely different films.



SINCERELY,
FILMBOY

ENTRY QUOTE:
"Acting's fun. But life's more important." - Margot Kidder