Bog Man's Talk

Vals Im Bashir (Waltz with Bashir)

Overall, it is an amazing movie with the emphasis on the visuals. The use of color is a real delight in this movie. It sets scenes with a minimal aspect and palette but feels as detailed as anime movies. And what it shows in its action works well with the story. It really brings it all to life in a surreal other worldliness that gives an expected but rightful ending. I was in Tel Aviv last year and it was funny that the bland constructed landscape of Israel against the bright blue water (I stayed entirely on the coast for my few days) was perfect in this movie as they morph from colors with mood.

The only criticism I had was matched by my cousin who saw it with me. I said that it was stuck between documentary and bio piece and if it stuck with how it wanted to tell the story it should have done with less of his searching situations told first person and had the omnipotent narrator that most documentaries of retelling have. It would have kept it tighter. Or else do away with the interviews with the reporter and what not and just tell through flashback and make it a bio piece. My cousin said each person in the movie spoke subdued and monotone, which wouldn?t push the conversational scenes enough to have impact in what they were saying.

Still, good movie and worthy of the praise.

Zone of the Dead

this looks SO badass

Tôkyô Zankoku Keisatsu (Tokyo Gore Police)

If you like absurdity in your gore horror, this is beyond must watch and into new classic territory.

Just be aware that the gore here is in the Asian fountain style where it's all about quantity, not reality in any sense. To this effect, those who seek authentic blood colors and consistency will be disappointed, but if you like the blood fountain aesthetic and that's what you're looking for, you probably don't give a damn about coloring or any realism, and you're gonna see some of the coolest gore fountains in cinema history.

The story here is that in future Tokyo, police have been privatized and primarily spend their time fighting things called engineers. Engineers are crazed killers that can only be killed by destroying the hidden key-shaped organ within them; any other damage done to an engineer turns the wound site into a weapon. This rule makes for some of the most awesome human-monster hybrids ever on screen. It starts with the Evil Dead tribute of guy with chainsaw hand, and then moves on to all original territory with guy with turret gun eyes, lady with giant jaw lower half, guy with giant dick gun, lady with acid-spewing titties. Even those who fight engineers have some awesomely odd weapons; this movie brings new meaning to the term "handgun".

The dubs are not annoying but actually well done. The props/special effects are great for the most part. The commercials throughout are hilarious, as is the majority of this movie. Instant new fave and I can't wait for the next one!

"Most Fucked up" highlight: Take your pick. For me, it's the chair person.

Smart People

This is a great movie that I don?t think made it into theatres. It is very funny, and definitely one of the funnier movies I?ve seen in years. And even though I usually hate the Ellen Page type of characters (I have not seen Juno because smart-beyond-their ?years-and-snarky-about-it teens in movies I find more annoying that in real life) but it works in this one because there is a really pathetic part to it that everyone in the movie realizes. And I am always surprised by Dennis Quaid. How he isn?t a bigger name actor amazes me. His performance in this movie, where he don?t have to play off of his older man dashing looks, is great. With Far From Heaven, Wyatt Earp, In Good Company, The Rookie, Frequency, he?s got a good second life resume.

As for the movie ? GO SEE IT. This is a hidden gem for people who like smart comedies. Better than the recently dubbed crop of things like Rocket Science and great opposite to the Apatow movies. It is nuanced and plays the perfect pitch throughout without any of it seeming forced. And something else, which is weird for a comedy like this, it is extremely well photographed. It has great visual framing of scenes and subtle cinematography that I really liked. An added bonus.

Stuck

After a brilliant montage of nursing home living set to thudding rap music, this film's story begins outrageously bleak and desperate, and certainly doesn't improve with each passing sequence.

Stephen Rea plays Tom, a man who in one day has lost his apartment, been lost in the paper shuffle at unemployment, and now faces his first night as a homeless person.

Mena Suvari plays Brandi, nursing attendant to the elderly by day and party girl by night. She too has a great day cleaning an incontinent Alzheimer's patient (and it is ALL the way graphic) just before she finds out that she's gonna have to pull another Saturday to help secure a promotion.

Brandi just wants to party and Tom just wants to find somewhere to stay. After the club, Brandi is headed home and Tom, recently ejected from a nearby park and pushing his squeaky new - and fleeting- badge of homelessness, is seeking shelter for the night when Brandi provides her windshield for Tom to lodge in.

I can remember when this happened - and actually, watching this film - where Brandi is driving around and there are no other cars to be seen - the events seem incredulous and beyond believability for fiction. But all the while the panging reality is that this actually happened and probably looked just as surreal and improbable as it is depicted.

Upon arriving home, Brandi indulges in a night of explicit one on one partying with her boyfriend. In the morning, homegirl calls a cab to pick her up for work the next morning and !!!HOLY SHIT!!! John Dunsworth of Trailer Park Boys Mr. Lahey infamy is the cabbie!!! (If you don't know the TPB, well... get all the episodes now! I literally yelled with delight when I saw 'Mr. Lahey' in this serious flick, but back to the story) Meanwhile, Tom is still STUCK in the windshield of Brandi's car, in her garage, and he is conscious but obviously injured beyond capability of major movement.

The film stays pretty firm to the real timeline at the outset (visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,90498,00.html for the real life case timeline) and Gordon even timestamps events. After the big incident, the movie strays far from reality for dramatic effect especially in terms of how long the victim remains conscious and what he is able to do to cry for help.

[[That concludes the minibits of spoilage]] and there is plenty more astounding developments as the story takes a turn towards (extreme) dark comedy.

It is fantastic to see Stuart Gordon, who has such a schlocky history beginning with Re-Animator, doing some realistic and truly intelligent work in the first half of the film. I saw much development in his Masters of Horror episodes (Dreams in the Witch House and The Black Cat) that I started to really respect him as a director, but I never expected this astounding level of skill. I'll certainly have to check out his other recent not-totally-horror forays King of the Ants and Edmond (written by David Mamet). Of course because this is Gordon all the red stuff is done just right and the sound mix fits the amount of pain and will cause as much (or for me more) flinching than the gory visuals.

Most fucked up highlight: Brandi and ALL her actions

House of Dark Shadows