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

'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES'

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

-Now when I heard a couple years ago that they were making a fourth Pirates film, the only words that circled around in my head were..."Why...? Why...? Why...?" But I gotta admit... Pirates 4? Not that bad...

Rob Marshall of Chicago fame takes on the fourth installment in the series. Pirates 4 centers back on Captain Jack Sparrow of course, played by Johnny Depp obviously, who teams up with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to locate the Fountain of Youth. Conflict arises when they come across the vicious Blackbeard (played by a terrifying Ian McShane, who certainly takes the Disney franchise to a whole new level...), and his stunning daughter, Angelica Malon (played by a bad ass Penelope Cruz). The quartet embark on the quest battling numerous dilemmas along the way.

Now I'll admit, I have NEVER EVER been a big fan of this franchise. I find these films to be quite boring to be honest. BUT. My father happens to be a die hard sailor and an enormous fan of the franchise. So every year they come out around the month of May, which is when my father's birthday is, so... I take him to go see it everytime. I even saw the first film in the cinema three times believe it or not, against my will of course... I even have the first three on DVD! So. I am no stranger to the series. The first one was enjoyable and definitely gave me hope in Bruckheimer produced films... The second installment I thought was the best, and still to this day, believe this. The third one? Uh... The less spoken about it, the better. But then four years go by. They regroup. Eliminate pretty faces, Orlando Bloom and the ever so irritating Keira Knightley, and start off fresh with some new faces.

Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane are totally the stand outs in this epic. The two work well off each other so well, it's scary. Oh, how I love when they get REAL TOP KNOTCH actors in Disney films. Just makes it all the more exciting.

There are some bad ass action sequences in this film. What I loved about this installment was how UN-KID FRIENDLY it was. The killer mermaid sequence? That scene was one of the creepiest I have ever seen in a Disney film. The suspense was killing me. And it certainly delivered.

Now some of the other new faces that appear are not half bad either. Stephen Graham (one of my favorite actors) is hysterical and wonderful as always. Richard Griffiths is very entertaining as the bubbly King George in the opening.

Now, you can't have a big Hollywood Bruckheimer film with out at least a couple pretty faces right??? Since they scrapped Bloom and 'Long Chin' Knightley, they replace them with English actor, Sam Claflin (who was recently seen on the shit show, The Pillars of the Earth), and Spanish actress, Astrid Berges-Frisbey (there's a name for ya), who plays one of the killer mermaids that has been kidnapped by Blackbeard to show them all to the Fountain of Youth. Her and Claflin begin to... yup, yup. You called it. Fall in love... Awwwwww. But honestly. They were not nearly as annoying as I coulda sworn they were going to be from looking at them in the big poster.

The major complaint I had about this film however... would have to be Jack Sparrow's introduction in the opening (nothing beats his intro in Dead Man's Chest. Poor little bird...). I mean, he's disguised as a judge to infiltrate the court? YAWN! I mean, don't get me wrong. There were plenty of flaws in this film. I didn't even enjoy Depp in this film that much at all. He's just making money at this point and sort of seemed cocky on screen. McShane and Cruz are the true stand outs.

So if you love the franchise, definitely go see this film. You shouldn't be disappointed. But don't look for anything more but big explosions, crazy mermaids, mindless entertainment, and some cool performances.



SINCERELY,
FILMBOY



ENTRY QUOTE:
"You cannot live your life looking at yourself from someone else's point of view." - Penelope Cruz