Ok, so, I can't really explain it, but Van Wilder is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can watch that movie over and over and never get tired of it. Ever. It's pretty funny, has it's smart moments and really is just overall enjoyable.
Memorable, basically, is what best describes it.
So obviously I had to check the sequel, Rise Of Taj. When I first saw this I immediately thought cash in. Van Wilder's character isn't even in it shy of a few references, instead they rely on Taj, Van's assistant in the first. In this one he had upgraded from the shy peon to the confident cool guy who followed Van's footsteps.
This time, he meets up with a bunch of seemingly hopeless losers but does his best to show them the best in themselves and overcome obstacles and give them self esteem and blah blah blah. Spoilers: Taj gets a girl. Who didn't see that one coming.
Heh, the point here is.. the formula is practically the same as the first with a major cosmetic change (It's in England this time) and a change or two to the formula. I mean hell, the snooty self loving "villian" even makes an appearance. This time he's English, though, and can fight with swords too. Intimidating.
Ok, so what I thought...
Even though it was very very similar to the original and even feels a tad cheap at times, it's still quite enjoyable, to be honest. It's funny and has a few shining smart moments, although they are few and far between compared to the original.
The best thing about it though, even though I poked fun at it about it, is that it sticks to the original formula well and builds on it and makes it work again. I think that's why i liked it because it reminded me of the first.
Admittedly it's not quite as memorable or as good or as funny.. but who knows, I could be a tad biased because I love the old one so much, but that's not to say this one isn't good..
Quite the contrary, it was quite good. unfortunately though, Taj just can't fill Mr. Wilder's shoes.
A cash in all the way for sure... but a good one that makes the material work again.
8.0
(I'd give the original Van Wilder a 9.6)
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Departed
I spent a great deal of time today catching up on some movies that I have had but have yet to watch. One of those movies was The Departed.
I've heard nothing but great things about it, and I tried to watch it once only to have fallen asleep during it. The thing is though, I knew that this movie wasn't for those with short attention spans. Naw, you really needed to pay attention to this one in order to know what's going on, that and you really need to listen to the dialog to really appreciate it, because the dialog is what really shines in this one.
It will occasionally make you chuckle at how over the top, potty mouthed and ill tempered some of these characters are, but it is generally serious and very well thought out dialog.
From what I hear, this was actually a remake of a Chinese film, which I am in the process of getting my hands on because I'm really interested in how the newer version is compared to the original, because I really, really, reaaalllyy enjoyed this film.
It's action packed and very emotionally driven. I especially liked the direction and the acting of both Leonardo Decaprio and Jack Nicholson, they were easily my favorite characters. Alec Baldwin and Mark Whalbergh we pretty sweet too, because their quick and genius lines and the way they spoke them was great.
This one is full of twists and "HUH?" moments, especially since it jumps a lot without even telling you it jumped except for a few hints. That's something you need to pick up on. But you really gotta appreciate how ironic everything gets towards the end.
There is lots of action and thrilling moments to keep you interested, which is what I think holds the movie together. Although the dialog is what shines, it makes sure you don't get bored, which is nice. However I do have to admit that there are a few slow moments. That and probably my only other gripe is that although you really feel dicaprio's characters anguish... you really don't care that much about Matt Damon. At least I didn't. He's one of the main characters and I really didn't care if he lived or died, because he was just... undeveloped. he doesn't express the emotion dicaprio shows, and for that, this movie isn't perfect. It has a few slips here and there..
But besides that..
I really can't express how much I liked it. I really can't. Honestly, you need to watch the damn movie to appreciate it. This is one of those moments where the critics actually get it right. because it's good. Damn good.
All in all, if you want an exiting and smart movie to give you a breath of fresh air amidst all the same garbage that has been floating around, you really need to do yourself a favor and see it. Period.
9.9
I've heard nothing but great things about it, and I tried to watch it once only to have fallen asleep during it. The thing is though, I knew that this movie wasn't for those with short attention spans. Naw, you really needed to pay attention to this one in order to know what's going on, that and you really need to listen to the dialog to really appreciate it, because the dialog is what really shines in this one.
It will occasionally make you chuckle at how over the top, potty mouthed and ill tempered some of these characters are, but it is generally serious and very well thought out dialog.
From what I hear, this was actually a remake of a Chinese film, which I am in the process of getting my hands on because I'm really interested in how the newer version is compared to the original, because I really, really, reaaalllyy enjoyed this film.
It's action packed and very emotionally driven. I especially liked the direction and the acting of both Leonardo Decaprio and Jack Nicholson, they were easily my favorite characters. Alec Baldwin and Mark Whalbergh we pretty sweet too, because their quick and genius lines and the way they spoke them was great.
This one is full of twists and "HUH?" moments, especially since it jumps a lot without even telling you it jumped except for a few hints. That's something you need to pick up on. But you really gotta appreciate how ironic everything gets towards the end.
There is lots of action and thrilling moments to keep you interested, which is what I think holds the movie together. Although the dialog is what shines, it makes sure you don't get bored, which is nice. However I do have to admit that there are a few slow moments. That and probably my only other gripe is that although you really feel dicaprio's characters anguish... you really don't care that much about Matt Damon. At least I didn't. He's one of the main characters and I really didn't care if he lived or died, because he was just... undeveloped. he doesn't express the emotion dicaprio shows, and for that, this movie isn't perfect. It has a few slips here and there..
But besides that..
I really can't express how much I liked it. I really can't. Honestly, you need to watch the damn movie to appreciate it. This is one of those moments where the critics actually get it right. because it's good. Damn good.
All in all, if you want an exiting and smart movie to give you a breath of fresh air amidst all the same garbage that has been floating around, you really need to do yourself a favor and see it. Period.
9.9
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The Condemned
Ahh, the classic action thriller riddled with corney lines and sweet deaths.
I'm such a sucker for these movies.
This is the classic case of professional critics hating everything that isn't a groundbreaking movement in cinema. I think that's why I could never be a professional critic because they're all stuck up douche bags who analyze every fine fucking detail and never open their eyes to what the movie really is. they never look at a movie the way a casual movie goer will see it, and thus bash it to hell giving it shitty reviews and thus even discouraging said movie goers from seeing it. That's why I <3 Yahoo user reviews, because they usually get it right. I don't give a rats ass if it had "plot holes, sexual objectification of the female characters, and massive amounts of violence untempered by comic relief, irony, or plot progression." If the movie was made to be an outstanding step in cinema like all these idiodic critics pine for, then maybe said bitching would be in order, but this isn't Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Babel or whatever the fuck these morons work one off to.
No. I didn't go to be moved. that's what I have Shawshank Redemption for. I went to see this movie to see people get blown up and to see Steve Austin say cheesy lines. And god damn does it deliver in that regard.
I think that the big thing that this movie is about is just that it's fun. There is a plot, and it's interesting enough to keep you wondering what's going to happen, but it's not so in depth that it drags the movie down. The center of the movie is Steve Austin doing his thing and manufacturingly hoping he wins. I say manufacturingly because they approach him as a common criminal but as the movie goes on practically makes you want to root for him. You just gotta feel bad for the guy... and I did. besides the Asian, he was my favorite because he was fighting for a purpose. You have to like that guy, or else your a commie.
The film is riddled with extremely corny lines like "game on." and "maybe it is we who are the condemned", but to be honest it wasn't a big deal. Because the whole time I'm watching this movie I kept thinking of how much like an early 90s action movie this is. The plot making you root for the American hero, the cheese-tastic lines, guns, blood, cliff hanging survival from what seems to be a bleak situation.. it's all there. I loved that about it.. because I'm a sucker for those kind of movies. I swear Steve Austin doesn't smile once in the whole movie until the very end, not to mention his lines and emotion were really... "stone cold". Heh. But as I said, it's no big, because that's the kind of thing movies like this do best, and it's entertaining, so who cares.
Overall I enjoyed it. Could have been bumped up a few notches when it comes to action, progression and character development, but the movie was fun, and that's all I want. I want to be entertained, not point out every tiny little flaw the movie has.
7.8
I'm such a sucker for these movies.
This is the classic case of professional critics hating everything that isn't a groundbreaking movement in cinema. I think that's why I could never be a professional critic because they're all stuck up douche bags who analyze every fine fucking detail and never open their eyes to what the movie really is. they never look at a movie the way a casual movie goer will see it, and thus bash it to hell giving it shitty reviews and thus even discouraging said movie goers from seeing it. That's why I <3 Yahoo user reviews, because they usually get it right. I don't give a rats ass if it had "plot holes, sexual objectification of the female characters, and massive amounts of violence untempered by comic relief, irony, or plot progression." If the movie was made to be an outstanding step in cinema like all these idiodic critics pine for, then maybe said bitching would be in order, but this isn't Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Babel or whatever the fuck these morons work one off to.
No. I didn't go to be moved. that's what I have Shawshank Redemption for. I went to see this movie to see people get blown up and to see Steve Austin say cheesy lines. And god damn does it deliver in that regard.
I think that the big thing that this movie is about is just that it's fun. There is a plot, and it's interesting enough to keep you wondering what's going to happen, but it's not so in depth that it drags the movie down. The center of the movie is Steve Austin doing his thing and manufacturingly hoping he wins. I say manufacturingly because they approach him as a common criminal but as the movie goes on practically makes you want to root for him. You just gotta feel bad for the guy... and I did. besides the Asian, he was my favorite because he was fighting for a purpose. You have to like that guy, or else your a commie.
The film is riddled with extremely corny lines like "game on." and "maybe it is we who are the condemned", but to be honest it wasn't a big deal. Because the whole time I'm watching this movie I kept thinking of how much like an early 90s action movie this is. The plot making you root for the American hero, the cheese-tastic lines, guns, blood, cliff hanging survival from what seems to be a bleak situation.. it's all there. I loved that about it.. because I'm a sucker for those kind of movies. I swear Steve Austin doesn't smile once in the whole movie until the very end, not to mention his lines and emotion were really... "stone cold". Heh. But as I said, it's no big, because that's the kind of thing movies like this do best, and it's entertaining, so who cares.
Overall I enjoyed it. Could have been bumped up a few notches when it comes to action, progression and character development, but the movie was fun, and that's all I want. I want to be entertained, not point out every tiny little flaw the movie has.
7.8
Friday, April 27, 2007
Testing 1 2 3
Ok, so, lately I've turned into a bit of a movie junkie. I can't get enough of them. I love watching them, and I love talking about them.
I have another blog where I talk about my love for movies of late.. and sometimes even delve into what I thought of a certain movie I just saw, but really... I try to avoid that the best I can mainly because I'm not sure if my friends who read it really care about what I think about a movie I just saw.. so I don't want to flood my blog with thoughts and reveiws that may just be overlooked. That's not the reason I have that blog. I have that blog to talk about what's happening on my mind or in my life, not about how fucking amazing Grindhouse was.
So, I earlier, when I got home from seeing a movie it hit me.. why don't I try to keep a blog where I just spill what I think about a movie or hell, even a game or album I just bought. I'm a total nerd for summarizing my opinion in the form of a structured reveiw and since I don't want to do said thing in my blog, why not just make one primarily for that? That way I don't flood my main one with useless stuff not many people will read. Everyone wins, because I can get my fix of praising the god that is Grindhouse, and the like, 4 people who read my shit don't have to be bothered with it =D
And hell, if they don't mind and like reading it, then they're more than welcome to.
As of now it's a bit of an experiment because i really don't know how updated I'll keep it. Although to be honest I do see enough movies to update quite frequently so i think it's a matter of how entertained I can stay.
I have another blog where I talk about my love for movies of late.. and sometimes even delve into what I thought of a certain movie I just saw, but really... I try to avoid that the best I can mainly because I'm not sure if my friends who read it really care about what I think about a movie I just saw.. so I don't want to flood my blog with thoughts and reveiws that may just be overlooked. That's not the reason I have that blog. I have that blog to talk about what's happening on my mind or in my life, not about how fucking amazing Grindhouse was.
So, I earlier, when I got home from seeing a movie it hit me.. why don't I try to keep a blog where I just spill what I think about a movie or hell, even a game or album I just bought. I'm a total nerd for summarizing my opinion in the form of a structured reveiw and since I don't want to do said thing in my blog, why not just make one primarily for that? That way I don't flood my main one with useless stuff not many people will read. Everyone wins, because I can get my fix of praising the god that is Grindhouse, and the like, 4 people who read my shit don't have to be bothered with it =D
And hell, if they don't mind and like reading it, then they're more than welcome to.
As of now it's a bit of an experiment because i really don't know how updated I'll keep it. Although to be honest I do see enough movies to update quite frequently so i think it's a matter of how entertained I can stay.
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