Movie Review: The Way, Way Back (2013)

Yeah we're getting another movie about teen angst, and the pains of being an adolescent. However, The Way, Way Back is actually a great movie. So The Way, Way Back is a 2013 directorial debut about this kid named Duncan. He is this really awkward teenager (He's supposed to be a 14 yr old). He goes with his mom and her new boyfriend (Steve Carell) on this vacation to visit his parents friends. There he meets Owen who works at the local water park. They right away start to bond with one another. Now Steve Carell in this movie is very out of character. We usually expect Carell to play a funny and upbeat role to make us laugh at jokes. But in this movie he has such an edge to him. I'm not going to spell why I feel that way about his character, because that gives away a huge spoiler about the flick. Let's just say he wasn't my favorite. Duncan also falls in love and he realizes that he really can't fit into the world of the adults. Now whenever you see Duncan, it will take you back to the days of being a teenager. Whether it was for three years, three days, or three seconds, we all went through the awkward stages of being a young teenager. This character perfectly reenacts that time that we all went through. This movie is pretty emotional though. I didn't like bawl my eyes out, but there are some scenes where you feel like they were made to make you stop and appreciate the scene. Nothing wrong with that. Like I said everyone does a great job in this movie because they are their characters age. Even that little kid named Peter. He plays his age. He is like 7,8, or 9 years old and he plays a 7,8, or 9 year old. Now there is a lot of focus on dysfunctional family relations throughout the entire movie. So, if you're seeing this movie and you don't think something that a parent speaks to their kid is PC, then that is a pretty good observation about the film. Overall folks, The Way, Way Back is a great movie that sticks to a good story about family and also manages to bring us back to the years of a teen. Three stars.

Movie Review: Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)

When a movie gets split into two parts, has awesome cameo roles, and you don't know the protagonists real name, that can only be a movie written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Kill Bill Vol 1 is the first movie in the Kill Bill series. It follows Uma Thurman playing a role in which her former husband played by David Carradine massacres her and her new bride on her wedding day. This act sends her into a coma, and she reawakens four years afterwards to go and hunt down Bill (Carradine) and his squad. His squad consists of Micheal Madsen, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, and Daryl Hannah. Now in this point in history, Tarantino had only really done movies involving mobsters, drugs, and lots of violence and crimes. However, Kill Bill is stylized as a spaghetti western. This movie is really stylistic, so much in fact, that you can even decipher certain sets and see how they fit with Tarantino's goal of the movie. Kill Bill is a favorite film of mine, and what really gets me interested in the movie is the way the storyline is executed. Not only is the story stylish, but it contains really cheesy violence that used to only be seen in Clint Eastwood western films. At this point in time, we hadn't seen anything like that on screen since maybe the 1970s! That's impressive! All the acting in this movie is really good. Every character is so interesting because you have the worst villains and then you have the villians that are borderline good. Now if you are a Tarantino fan this movie is definitely worth viewing. It has everything that Pulp Fiction had, plus a few more new things that Quentin Tarantino hadn't previously introduced into his universe. My FAVORITE scene of all time in this movie is when the Crazy 88 goes up against The Bride. That was arguably the best part of the movie that everyone was waiting to see for the longest time. Overall, Kill Bill Volume 1 is an awesome movie that excels at being stylistic and unique. Three stars.

Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Yes, even though it's in the title, Rise of the Planet of the Apes doesn't really have that much in relation to the original Planet of the Apes. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 reboot of the Planet of the Apes that came out before we can all remember. Now this movie is fascinating because it creates a brand new origin story for the Planet of the Apes series. Some people might hear that and think that this movie automatically doesn't live up to the original Planet of the Apes movies. Now it is different. However, this movie is really entertaining. The movie revolves around this scientist who's played by James Franco. He discovers this substance that can basically fix people's brains who have Alzheimers. Already that is a cool plot. In the labs, they test it on apes. One of the apes breaks out (they call him Caesar) and it leads way to a new generation of apes that are WAY stronger and more human-like then ever before. Now anyone who just hears this and judges the flick isn't understanding why this movie is so awesome. The movie takes off right after that initial story. Apes start becoming more dominant over humans and they start raging combat mini- wars on highways and stuff. It's just fun to watch. Now do hear me out when I state that this is a popcorn movie. It doesn't really rise to a super intellectual or analytical level, and when it tries to is when the movie loses it's "mojo". Tom Felton makes an appearance as a animal-cager dude and he captures evil characters so well. It's the combination of the british accent and that shirt that makes him look like Roth in Pulp Fiction. He's so minor, but he is so evil at the same time. Now I will mention a few things that don't work as well with the movie. The first thing that made me go....oh ok then, was the scene where the apes communicate with each other. Now I do think this is a cool element to the movie. However, it would seem more real if the characters that were animals just naturally adapted to being like Caesar. Those scenes with the subtitles make you feel as though you are watching one of those foreign movies that are really symbolic and you HAVE to read the words to get the visuals. That's what that does. Other than that the movie is entertaining. Overall, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an entertaining picture that sets up a new line of POTA fans. Three stars.

Movie Review: Pulp Fiction (1994)

Alright, now let me just say one thing to begin with. On this blog site, I review movies all the time, talking about what I do and don't like about them. Most of the movies are ones that I see and then write about because it's just...well....what I'm for. However, Pulp Fiction isn't just one of these movies. Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies of all time. I hope this review can give the audience a clear view of why this is one of my personal nominees for best picture. Pulp Fiction is a 1994 crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino. Now at this point in his career, Tarantino had only done one other major directorial effort which was the 1992 independent movie Reservoir Dogs. Which is another one of my favorites, but let's save that for another time..........Pulp Fiction is basically a movie that was inspired by actual Pulp Fiction. Meaning those really cheap novels that you could get for like ten cents at the stores in mainly the 1950s. They were characterized by their graphic storylines, violence, and memorable characters. That is exactly what happens in this film. Pulp Fiction has several different scenes to it. Some are definitely triumphant over others, but they all revolve around the same cast of characters. Now before I delve into each of these pulp stories, I must list the cast. This flick has John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Roth, Amanda Plumber. That's just some of them. Almost forgot Bruce Willis there. The stories are interwoven through each of these characters. The first story the movie starts out with is Roth and Plumber (Honey Bunny and Pumpkin). They're these two robbers who decide to hold up a diner in what appears to be the morning hours of the day. The next story it cuts to revolves around Samuel Jackson and John Travolta. They are these two hitmen who need these briefcase and break into the folks apartment who failed to get it to their gang boss Marsellus Wallace (Played by Rhames). The next storyline involves Travolta going out to dinner with Marsellus's wife Mia (Uma). The next story involves Bruce Willis as boxer "Butch Coolidge" who is apparently experiencing a midlife chrisis. The last story goes back to the diner as SLJ and Travolta's role get caught up with the diner robers. Now when I first started this movie I didn't know how to react. It has awesome music, disturbing scenes, great dialogue, awesome characters, and each tale is engrossing. It just sucks you in. Now the dialogue in this movie is excellent because the way Tarantino made it, the characters are just tossing good quotes between each other. That is what makes up a conversation in this movie. There are really uncomfortable scenes in this movie. So I do respectfully understand how some folks may not enjoy Pulp Fiction as much as the next guy sitting next to you. Before I wrote this, I was thinking about why I do like this movie so much as I do. I think it's because not only am I a HUGE Tarantino fanatic, but I love the characters. They're unforgettable and the scenes that they are in are so unique. Overall, Pulp Fiction excels at everything it attempts to do, and made Tarantino and his films a household name. Four stars.

Movie Review: Django Unchained (2012)

You know, you would think that a director that had his golden age of movies in the nineties wouldn't be as successful today. However, Quentin Tarantino doesn't age with time. In fact, his movies get better the longer you go without seeing them repeatedly. Django Unchained is a 2012 Tarantino Movie. Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo Dicaprio, Samuel L Jackson, and Kerry Washington. The movie is about Jamie Foxx (Django) who gets freed by a german bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz). Once Django the slave is freed, he sets out to find his wife (Washington) who has been owned by a plantation owner (Dicaprio). Now this movie is really excellent because the story combined with the characters and setting make this movie close to perfection. The violence in this movie is extreme. Nothing you wouldn't expect to see from any of the Quentin Tarantino movies. Things happen like blood spurting out in all different directions when someone gets shot. Things like that only happen in the Tarantino universe. Anywhere else, and they don't work as well. The acting in this film is great. I think what makes the movie partly so interesting is the fact that no character is just good. Even when we look at the good guys, there is still an existing dark side to them. DU has some similar traits to Kill Bill. Especially where we see the good guy almost turning into a bad guy due to what he has to do. That is what this movie does. I have to say even though this movie is really long, the length doesn't bother me. It's an excellent movie and it doesn't waste it's time telling an overlong story. I definitely would keep young kids away from this movie. Just about everything bad in a Tarantino movie happens in this film. Then there's the use of the N word.. Overall, Django Unchained is fun, entertaining, good acting, awesome story, awesome characters, and a new personal favorite of mine  Three stars.

Movie Review: Poltergeist (2015)

It's often said that horror movie remakes, are sometimes worse than horror movie sequels. I've never heard it spoken, but I can agree with it. Although Poltergeist is a remake from a movie that came out 32 years ago, this movie actually is relatively entertaining. Now the promotions for this movie don't market the movie at kids. However, some of the music in the trailers is light and happy to convey emotion. That being said, the trailer does sort of make the movie look more kid-friendly then the original film. I'm telling readers now, this is not the case. Poltergeist runs in the same storyline. A family moves into a new house, ghosts go after them, they seek out a paranormal expert (Another Good One) after their daughter is taken. Now this movie is actually really good at a lot of different things. 1) The acting from the kid actors and actresses in the movie is excellent. I'm not sure of any of the kids names, but they are really good at being scared. The one other thing about the son that is cool is how perceptive he is of their home life. His understanding of his parents financial situation is amazingly accurate given his age. The father is really good because he is played by an actor named Sam Rockwell. I heard of him a bit before this movie, but I wasn't sure from where. He is very alike the Craig T. Nelson father from the original Poltergeist flick. The scariest thing in this movie has got to be the clown scene. I do not want to spoil anything from the actual movie, but the clown scene has got to be the best attempt to scare the audience. There are LOTS of jump scares in this movie. So many that I myself was almost tired of them by the end of the movie. Now this movie is actually pretty entertaining. I know people won't like how they remade a cult movie. I like it though, I think it needs time to age, and people will like it better as time passes. Sam Raimi did this one, and the whole Evil Dead thing with the scary parts being both funny and terrifying at the same time. That is really apparent in this film. Overall, Poltergeist is an entertaining new look at the Poltergeist 1982 movie that captivated audiences. Three stars.

Movie Review: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

If I were to name some of the greatest horror movies of all time, Silence of the Lambs would definitely be on that list. The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 psychological thriller directed by Jonathan Demme. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lectar, and Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill. So what is this movie's story? Why is it so famous for being good? The story runs like this, an FBI agent named Clarice Starling (Foster) has been asked to fill out a profile on Hannibal Lectar. He's this imprisoned cannibalistic psychologist (played by Anthony Hopkins). Clarice needs to interview him in order to: A) Try to get him to open up about his past B) to track down "Buffalo Bill". Clarice needs his help to track down this serial killer that they are calling Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). He's a transgender/transvestite, and he is trying to abduct women and remove their skin so he can become a woman in a woman suit. So already the plot is really deep, disturbing, and complex. What works about this movie are a bunch of things. The first is the relationship between Jodie Foster's character and Anthony Hopkins. The chemistry between these two is one of the best relationships that I have ever seen in a movie. The prisoner-detective relationship has been done a lot, but SOTL really captures that feeling. Which is usually sort of a cat and mouse game. Quid pro quo as Lectar himself likes to call it. The second thing that really works with this movie is the soundtrack. Now I am aware that most people don't compliment that soundtrack much. However, I think it's great because it rises with the story. When Clarice is in Ted Levine's characters house, the music rises and gets to it's loudest point in the climax. The music's climatic nature fits exactly with the way the story is going on screen. The last thing I'm going to mention is Buffalo Bill. Now whenever I watch Silence of the Lambs, I always feel like Hannibal is the anti-hero. It's as though he's the bad guy who is helping a good guy (or a girl). Buffalo Bill is downright freaky. I always say that he is one of the scariest characters I have ever seen in a movie. Not just that, but the way the film's sets work with his house, the contrast between the darkness of that pit. Everything works. The movie focuses on him as he kidnaps Catherine Martin who is the US senator's daughter. Anyway guys, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the best movies I have ever seen and it offers a great story. Four stars.

Movie Review: Children of the Corn (1984)

A husband, a wife, on a road trip, they encounter a cult of fanatic kids, and then the horror starts. Alright now out of all the adaptations that have been made of Stephen King's work, this has to be one of my personal favorites. Children of the Corn is a 1984 horror film. I love eighties horror movies, everything about them works. It was the combination of the time period and culture, combined with the waves of directors that were coming through and putting their talent out into the world. I think I remember reading the Children of the Corn short story in the book Night Shift. Even then, I really liked the story. Now the movie has a pretty basic premise to it. Basically a wife and husband are these two newlyweds. They go on this road trip and they encounter this town that is run by these fanatically religious kids. These kids aren't really worshipping a mainstream religion, they are worshipping this leader with this super high pitched voice. Now I do understand the fact that this movie isn't usually that well received. However, if we look past all the flaws the story becomes actually really good. Now this movie does happen to play off of a what if scenario. It's sort of like let's put these regular peoples in these types of issues and see how they connect with each other, that is if they really do too much at all. Now that works the first time. The rest of the times are the eight Children of the Corn sequels that are usually not that well looked upon. I can't really say too much about what happens afterwards because I've never seen the COTC sequels. Overall, Children of the Corn is a very quality two star movie that satisfies the viewers. Especially those who are Stephen King fans, readers, and like his writing. Two stars.

Movie Review: Vampires Suck (2010)

Alright, so after a brief absence from Media World, I return to review a movie that I just saw for the first time last night: Vampires Suck. Vampires Suck is a 2010 comedy/spoof film that parodies the Twilight series (mainly). I say mainly because I looked up this movie on Wikipedia to see what the critical response was and I saw a whole list of other movies that this one spoofs off of. Now I'll get to my analysis. This movie is pretty much universely panned. I'll you why: this movie doesn't really have any funny scenes. There is one scene where Bella (Becca's) dad is trying to beat up that guy in the wheelchair. Who is supposed to be Jacob's dad. That scene was midly amusing, but other than that, the movie tells jokes likes its a kids movie. My real problem with this movie is that this movie starts a joke and has no follow through. It's like the directors did this movie and didn't actually put any real jokes, they showed a preview of a possible joke. It's almost like when your watching a trailer and they show you the setup to the gag, and then they leave the other part to your imagination. That doesn't work for me. A joke has a setup and a punch line, that's just basic social etiquitte. Plus, any joke or spoof that does almost kind of follow through, doesn't make you laugh. It's like when someone tells you a really unfunny joke, you pretend to laugh so they won't feel hurt, but the joke is really just not all that funny. That's the deal with this movie. The acting in this movie is the other problem. Some people may say that the lack of good acting in this movie is a result of the poor jokes and script. I think the acting may just be inexperience. These actors aren't all that well known. So, when they present their style, it's foreign to us because we aren't familiar with them. Anyway, to wrap it up, Vampires Suck presents only one or two slight sniggers and spoofs the Twilight series in a way that just makes the real films feel strange. One star.