Machete (2010)
Machete is a lot of things, it is a kickback to the original Grindhouse project helmed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, it is fan service to all of the guys who wanted more cheesy gore and flesh and it is a cynical, brown middle finger to anti-immigration laws and the people behind them. When we saw the trailer to Machete during the introduction of Planet Terror, many of us laughed... [Read more]
Shaolin Temple Strikes Back (1972)
If there’s any movie to exemplify the honor and selflessness of the Shaolin monks it would be Shaolin Temple Strikes Back. In this epic, monk Ce Ling starts off as a humble warrior whose job it is to protect an 11 yr old princess from the Manchu horde. When the Manchus kill her father and slaughter his kingdom, they attempt to kidnap her in order to force her hand into marriage... [Read more]
Casino Royale (2006)
This new jumpstart to the James Bond series was a shocking surprise to many a cynic (myself included) who complained that Daniel Craig was an odd choice to play James Bond. We were used to Bond being tall, dark and handsome, not blonde, rough and rugged but boy were we in for a surprise when Casino Royale hit the big screen. Suddenly Craig’s name was being named alongside that of Connery’s... [Read more]
Red Cliff (2008)
Director John Woo’s Red Cliff is a dramatically poetic movie based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms a historical novel written by Luo Guonzhang. If you aren’t familiar with the Three Kingdoms story – it chronicles the ambitions of three men, love and the wonderful Generals that followed their lead. The three men are Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao. While Liu Bei is often depicted... [Read more]
From Russia With Love (1963)
Tatiana: “Oh James will you make love to me all the time in England?” James Bond: “Day and Night”. I absolutely love James Bond in this mission, not only is he having a good time but we see him in a different light than the one-dimensional spy version that follows this movie. We see James as a man of honor to his dear friend Ali Kerim Berey (Pedro Armendariz), allowing him to take... [Read more]
Black Dynamite
“But Black Dynamite I sell drugs in the community!” Dynamite! Dynamite! Before I get into this review of possibly the greatest spoof to cross the silver screen in the last decade or two, I feel that I should explain blaxploitation. After watching Black Dynamite and hurting myself beyond hope with laughter, I thought about why it is that I found the movie hilarious and why younger,... [Read more]
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Everybody loves Samurai, we associate them with anime action heroes, Tom Cruise and cool swords. Due to this, we have Western, chubby, couch potatoes referring to themselves as modern day samurai as they admire the aluminum katana replica hanging on their walls. If push came to shove the blade would be out, they would take a stance and cut through their enemy the way the old school samurai... [Read more]
District 9
District 9 is sci-fi perfection. There is a satirical human parallel to it (for those of you who are really itching to find one), there is nothing forced with it’s direction and there is no clear-cut good or evil. What we are shown is a documentary about one Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) and his work, going from being promoted to being the central focus of a huge episode in human... [Read more]
The Hurt Locker
Beyond war movie and beyond another critically acclaimed movie, The Hurt Locker is the living definition of thriller. Rare is it that I find a movie that has me breathing unevenly whilst gripping my seat wondering what could happen next. The direction is simple but brilliant in it’s own right, the acting is compelling and the reality of the so-called “War on Terror” is very... [Read more]
The Wrestler (2008)
The Wrestler is the type of film that makes movies the special part of life that they are. The ability of an actor, script, music and cinematography to pull at our emotional strings and force us to feel remorse or happiness for a fictional character is amazing. It is amazing but unfortunately a rarity in the hundreds of movies pumped out every year, but once in awhile you stumble on a gem,... [Read more]
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Once in awhile I will pop in one of my favorite classics and sit back to enjoy it as if watching it for the first time. One of the top movies in my collection is 1939′s The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and the beautiful Maureen O’hara as the gypsy girl Esmerelda. This like Excalibur in comparison to all other films on King Arthur… is the... [Read more]
Full Metal Alchemist
The Full Metal Review… I will not provide any spoilers or any specific items within this article that could ruin this great anime series for any future watchers who are reading my blog. Full Metal Alchemist is a well written anime, taken after the Manga of the same name. Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are Alchemists on a quest for the fabled Philosopher’s Stone. The stone... [Read more]
