Movie Info:
Writers: Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Cast: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Jack Noseworthy, Devin Ratray, Michael Cudlitz
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 25, 2009
DVD Release Date: January 26, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.49

Bruce Willis is good at high action, thriller-intensive movies. He’s also good at psychologically messed up Sci Fi. One of my favorite Willis movies just happens to be 12 Monkeys, which isn’t a standard Bruce Willis action flick. Willis is one of the few true blue action heroes that can actually act. Back in the day, I remember watching him on Moonlighting, which showed the guy could be funny and could act, but somehow between then and now, he’s transformed into this bad ass action flick actor who is overlooked for the true talent he has.

For fans who have been fans of Willis as long as I have, you’ve seen the evolution of his career and look forward to nearly everything he’s in. You can guarantee they’ll be action, usually a decent plot, if not, the movie is at least watchable. I knew that I would want to see Surrogates not just from the cool and intriguing trailer, but also because Bruce Willis plays the lead character. I had a feeling I’d like the story behind the movie and I was right.

Going into this review, the only thing I knew about the movie was what I learned from the trailer. I knew the movie was futuristic and I knew people had surrogates, but I had no idea the depths this story would go to, when explaining the purpose of surrogates. As someone in a wheelchair, the entire idea of having a chance to live vicariously through a healthy body is an interesting prospect. While I’d never be able to go to the lengths these people went to by constantly controlling surrogates and having no outside contact with the world, the entire idea of having my own surrogate for when I wanted to experience things I couldn’t due to my chair makes me almost giddy at the thought.

Truth be told, we have our own version of surrogates right here on the web. Online, we can be whoever and whatever we want. While we are not afforded the visual and physical connections to a surrogate, the internet still allows us to live vicariously through the persona(s) we create online. This movie takes all of that to a whole new level and shows how dangerous things could be if everyone had their own surrogate and never had to leave their homes, for anything.

Initially created with physically disabled people in mind, the concept goes out of control, and that is exactly what would happen if surrogates were real in our world. It would ruin interpersonal relationships, keep people locked up and sequestered and destroy the face of the Earth, as we know it. Surrogates would be a game changer, and not necessarily in a good way. I feel this film aptly demonstrates why, as well as why technology (in all the goodness it does provide) should not be used nefariously nor be abused.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith
Director: Gil Junger
Cast: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, Gabrielle Union, Larry Miller
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Touchstone

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 1999
DVD Release Date: January 5, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $

It’s hard to believe it has been over ten years since 10 Things I Hate About You was released in theaters. I remember actually going to the theater and seeing this movie. I was 18 years old and while my older brother took my niece and nephew to Cedar Point every year, being in a wheelchair and having no car/ability to drive, I was forced to take them to a movie as our “bonding” time. He got the amusement park. I got movie time, and it was always their decision as to what movie we would see.

I’m only 4 1/2 years older than my niece and 6 1/2 years older than my nephew. While that does not seem to matter much now that we are all in our 20s, it does make a difference to be 18 and hanging out with a 13 and 11 year old. This means I never was particularly happy about the movie choices they picked. I saw Titanic (I admit, it grew on me) with my niece 4 times in the theater when it came out because she kept wanting to go back and see it again, and my nephew often wanted to see stupid comedies.

I fully admit when my niece wanted to see 10 Things I Hate About You, I scoffed at the idea. She was 13, and teen comedies are all the rage when you are a young teen. I confess, I have not been fond of teen-geared flicks since John Hughes left the game. I knew I was going to hate this film and went into the theater ready to throw popcorn at the screen. Alas, the talent and acting of a guy I’d never heard of before, who would go on to make Jack Nicholson’s Joker look like a pansy, saved this movie for me.

I actually liked 10 Things I Hate About You. It was funny. The story was pretty good. The acting was great. Both Joseph Gordon Levitt and Heath Ledger went on to be in some really great movies that are some of my favorite films. I even liked Julia Stiles in this. For an actress around my own age, I respect the work she has done. It wasn’t really a lame teen movie, and I am glad I was able to enjoy this movie with my niece. It makes me look like the great uncle I am if I can appreciate the movies she likes.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Diablo Cody
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, Sal Cortez, Ryan Levine, Juan Riedinger, Kyle Gallner
Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 18, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 29, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

I’m just going to get this right out of the way before delving into this review. I thought that Jennifer’s Body was going to absolutely suck. I had extremely low expectations for this film. The people I knew who had seen it in the theater had said it was pretty stupid. Sure, I’m fond of the work I’ve seen of Diablo Cody in the past, but perhaps this was her “Baby’s Day Out” and like the late, great John Hughes, she ran out of good ideas, only to disappear into past Hollywood fame obscurity long before her time was up.

In this mindset, I was disappointed Amanda Seyfried, a young, talented, budding actress, wasted her time on Jennifer’s Body. Still, I thought I’d give the movie a chance for her sake and what a surprise. I actually liked Jennifer’s Body. I didn’t just like it, I thought it was a quirky, fun, dark comedy that had some rather brilliant moments amidst the high school lame-o speak the actors indulge in throughout the film. Cody redeemed herself after my unfounded doubts, and I have newfound appreciation for her warped sense of humor.

Jennifer’s Body is a dark comedy. This means it really is not meant to be scary like a traditional horror flick. As any good comedy should, Jennifer’s Body made me laugh. Some of it was at the ridiculousness of the characters, their speech and the situations they are placed in, but that is the ENTIRE POINT of Jennifer’s Body. It is supposed to be ridiculous. The teenagers use stupid slang, which makes those of us over the age of 21 cringe. That’s the way kids sound to us old folks, so no big deal there.

Megan Fox is given some meaty material she can actually sink her teeth into. Fox admits she’s not used to this kind of acting, and she tried to have fun with it. Well, it seems the girl has a bit of natural talent. Sure, she’s no Robert DeNiro, but he wouldn’t have made a very good Jennifer now would he? Fox was the eye candy in Transformers, but in Jennifer’s Body she has to rely on more than just her svelte figure (though it does play a prominent role in this film, as well) to entertain the audience. I already knew Seyfried could act, so it was no big surprise to see her perform well. Fox and Seyfried had nice chemistry and that is what really helped to make this film work.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Mike Judge
Director: Mike Judge
Cast: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins Jr., Dustin Milligan, David Koechner, Beth Grant
Rating: R
Studio: Miramax

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 4, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.49

I expected more from the creator of Beavis and Butthead. I grew up watching what Mike Judge had to offer, so coming in with the knowledge that he was the brains behind Extract made me want to see this movie. From the trailer, it looked funny. I’m not a huge comedy lover. I like cartoon-style comedy or cynical comedy more than any other type. So, I was expecting that same sarcastic style of humor Judge is known for through the other work he has done. Not so. While Extract has some so stupid they’re funny moments, on the whole, the movie is an epic fail.

The cast isn’t bad for a comedy. There are likable actors in this film and nary an actor gives a bad performance. Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, and J.K. Simmons have all succeeded, at some point in their career, when doing comedy. However, Extract isn’t exactly their shining moment. Yes, I did laugh in certain parts. Yes, the actors have their moments of funny, but the cohesiveness of these moments does not translate to a particularly funny script. I was expecting laugh out loud, humor along the same vein of Judge’s other stupid but funny works. This was certainly stupid, but it wasn’t near funny enough.

Where I feel Extract fails the most is in the script. The acting, as I said, only suffers because the actor’s do not have anything funny to work with. The direction Judge was going in is clear. The script, the writing, the storytelling if you will sends the movie into some fairly unfunny places. I especially found the ending to be particularly lame. I don’t expect comedies to typically be based in reality because most of them could never ever happen in a lifetime. I do expect them to not sink to beyond moronic levels though and the entire ending (from Suzie cleaning the pool onward) is just to lame=brained for my intelligence to appreciate.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Kevin Smith
Director: Kevin Smith
Cast: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Will Ferrell, Judd Nelson
Rating: R
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $53.99

I have been a huge fan of Kevin Smith since I saw the movie Dogma. I was a little too young to get into the Clerks craze when it first came out (I was 13), so I didn’t even know about the comedic genius of Smith until I saw Dogma. As a practicing Catholic at the time, I found this movie quite hilarious, familiar and awesomely funny. From that moment, I became interested in Smith. Of course, I never got the opportunity to see another Smith film until I saw Clerks a few years later.

When Dogma came out there was no IMDB that I knew of, and the internet wasn’t as widely used as it is today. It was harder to find out about who Smith was and his other works. While I owned a VHS tape of Dogma and watched it many times, it wasn’t until I caught Clerks on a premium station late at night that I realized this had to be another Kevin Smith movie. It was Jay and Silent Bob who gave it away. From there, I actually pursued finding other Smith movies at the local Blockbuster.

After seeing Clerks, I saw Chasing Amy and when Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back came out, I bought that on DVD right away. Since then, I’ve been a loyal fan of Smith, who speaks to a generation I understand. Excluding Jersey Girl, I am a big fan of the movies he has written and directed. There is nothing like Clerks out there, and because of this the story, the jokes and the unique, yet every day Joe characters never grow old or tired.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Tom Shankland, Paul Andrew Williams
Director: Tom Shankland
Cast: Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley, Hannah Tointon, Raffiella Brooks, Jake Hathaway, William Howes, Eva Sayer
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99

While teen screams have the potential to be fun, I don’t feel that the teen horror conventions found in the scream movies have to be followed to make a horror movie effective or worth watching. Every once in a while, it is nice to see an intelligent, teen in a horror movie. That’s exactly what you’ll get from The Children.

The thing I enjoyed about The Children is that the story is creepy enough, it isn’t overly conventional, and there is actually quite a bit of character development. Sure, as in any horror movie, some of the characters make stupid choices, and pay the price for it, but I felt that the choices that were made, stupid or not, made sense for each character’s situation. While I found some characters (especially Chloe and Jonah) exceptionally annoying, I realize that was exactly how they were supposed to act, and therefore, am able to deal with the fact that during most of the movie, I wanted to punch them in the face.

The Children is a direct to DVD release through Sam Raimi’s Ghosthouse Underground horror label. Raimi has picked some fairly freaky films for this year’s release, but thus far, The Children is my favorite. The entire question of whether a parent should or could kill their children is a major theme of this film, and it’s presented in a way that many of the other, evil children movies (i.e. Children of the Damned) fail. The performance of the parents was especially realistic, in my opinion.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Stephen King, William Goldman
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, Graham Jarvis
Rating: R
Studio: MGM

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $15.99

I love the movie Misery. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this movie, but I just can’t seem to get enough of it. Kathy Bates plays the ultimate psycho and does it well. Annie Wilkes scares me. As someone who relies on caregivers for my daily living needs, I can imagine how terrifying it is for someone stuck in a wheelchair to be in the position that Paul Sheldon is in.

When I heard that Misery was coming to Blu-Ray, I was elated. I am starting to get all the movies I own on DVD in Blu-Ray. I like the quality of Blu-Ray better, anyway, which is the entire point of this newer system. The big question that needed to be answered, for me, is whether the quality of the Blu-Ray is better than the quality of the standard DVD, and whether it is worth it to upgrade to the Blu-Ray version.

When it comes to Stephen King books, I’m usually all in. Save for some of the last books he’s written, I’m a huge King fan. It’s fairly easy to see why he’s called the Master of Horror. In the late 70s, 80s and 90s, he owned the genre. I have found the movie adaptations of his works to be hit or miss. I am especially disappointed in the remakes for movies like Carrie. When a King movie is done well, it is awesome. When it isn’t, (Dreamcatcher, for example) the whole movie falls apart. Misery falls in the hit category. In fact, this movie is one of my all time, favorite, Stephen King adaptations.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Alan B. McElroy, Turi Meyer
Director: Joe Lynch
Cast: Erica Leerhsen, Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, Daniella Alonso, Steve Braun, Aleksa Palladino, Matthew Currie Holmes, Crystal Lowe, Ken Kirzinger, Ashlea Earl, Clint Carleton, Rorelee Tio, Jeff Scrutton
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.49

Horror sequels usually suffer a fate far worse than that of their film predecessors. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in this case, it is my job. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End was definitely one of those movies I did not enjoy. I found the original to be decent though not exceptional. Since the original wasn’t so stand out it deserved a sequel, I’m not exactly sure why the powers that be behind this project made one, other than to try to profit off the series.

In the first movie, Wrong Turn, the freaky, genetic mutant, incest loving cannibals are creepy, but it doesn’t take long for them to get old. By the time the action begins in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, I was over the cannibals. Add in the fact that they become ten times more annoying and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is already a miss with me. I was ready for the movie to end with the first viewing of the cannibals, which now includes females. And don’t get me started on the nasty, cannibals/incest sex scene. Seriously, the implications they were sleeping together was gross enough. Seeing it wasn’t gross in a cool horror kind of way. It was flat out disgusting and stupid.

The writer of the script for Wrong Turn 2: Dead End didn’t do himself any favors. I blame the director for the annoying aspects added to the cannibals and their performances, but I blame the writer for character development (or lack thereof) and writing one helluva dumb story. The characters are atrocious. I feel absolutely no sympathy for any of them. All of them, on both sides, deserved to die, except for maybe Henry Rollins’ character, though, he too, was annoying in his own way. I ask for so little in horror movies these days, but a horror movie cannot fit true horror convention if it has not one character worth sympathizing with…and that is the first place Wrong Turn 2: Dead End fails.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Alan B. McElroy
Director: Rob Schmidt
Cast: Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth, Julian Richings, Garry Robbins, Ted Clark, Yvonne Gaudry, Joel Harris
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99

Every horror movie should have a hot heroine. That’s supposed to be a horror convention, but I’ve seen some real woofers in my day. Not so with Wrong Turn. Eliza Dushku is sizzlin’ hot in this movie. Sure, this definitely doesn’t stretch her skills as an actress, but this had to be a fun little film for her to make. It isn’t one of those horror movies that is going to hurt her career, but at the same time, making this movie didn’t do her any favors.

As far as horror movies go, this is your typical hillbilly cannibal story. Yes, the cannibals are kind of weird, but I found them far more annoying in the sequel to this movie. In this one, they were pretty creepy. It made me want to avoid the backwoods of Kentucky or West Virginia just in case there were some redneck cannibals in the back woods of the state. I don’t mean to single these states out, but I’m pretty sure, somewhere in one of the movies, it is mentioned that this takes place on the backwoods of West Virginia.

The acting, for the most part, was pretty good. It wasn’t standout, but I definitely do not expect an Oscar type of performance in a horror movie such as Wrong Turn. The most annoying character had to be Carly (Emmanuelle Chriqui). It’s not that Chriqui’s acting was bad (she was much better in Zohan), but her character was just downright stupid. The stupid characters get on my nerves quite easily in horror movies. Of course, this is part of the horror convention. There has to be at least one character you just hope gets it. For this movie, that character is Carly.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Writers: Greg Mottola
Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Martin Starr, Jesse Eisenberg
Rating: R
Studio: Miramax

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 3, 2009
DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99

Reviewing movies gives me a certain advantage over others. I see a lot of trailers I wouldn’t usually see. For example, I never happened to catch advertising for Adventureland on television, but I saw the trailer so many times on other Miramax DVDs I reviewed, it guaranteed I knew about this movie. I was intrigued by the trailer. It looked funny, had an 80s vibe, and didn’t seem to be too cheesy.

Let me say it now. I was disappointed. Adventureland had great potential. It had a great setting, a semi-interesting story and potentially interesting characters. The one thing it didn’t have was the ability to come through on all this film promised to be. It ended up dragging on, building up to nothingness, and fading into oblivion even before the ending of the movie came.

The first problem is that while the film is set in the 80s, and there are some obvious signs of the 80s, it isn’t 100% 80s. It was like Greg Mottola said, “Let’s throw in Ronald Reagan, “Rock Me Amadeus,” a few 80s dance moves, a few 80s outfits and we’ll call it 80s.” Truthfully, it isn’t 80s enough to capture the 80s vibe the way it should have. The most 80s character is Lisa P. She is actually pretty funny, but everyone else just sort of wears t-shirts and jeans, which might have been 80s, but it’s also popular today, so I felt like the film was set today with a few 80s caricatures, if that makes sense.

The second problem is the plot. The plot revolves around James Brennan. Initially, he’s involved in a triangle with Em and Mike Connell, but then it turns into a quadrangle with Lisa P. coming into the picture. This entire he/she/he/she love affair thing dragged the movie down. The triangle made the movie interesting, but the entire inclusion off Lisa P. into the relationship aspect of the movie was ridiculous. Honestly, I liked her as the mysterious, untouchable, cool 80s girl who loved to dance in that 80s way. Letting her have excessive amounts of dialogue kind of ruined the mystique.

(more…)

If you like this post, then buy me a latte!

--
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.