Zombeavers

So I wanted to watch something funny and mind-numbing, so I asked Ross to start Zombeavers. It was pretty much what I expected. Bad. The zombie beavers looked so terrible. It was no Wolfcop, but I did laugh. I think the best part might have been the outtakes at the end and the closing credits Sinatra-esque Zombeavers song. There is a final scene after all the credits that isn't really worth watching, but if you've made it all the way through the movie, you may as well watch it.

This movie fit the mind-numbing bill, and there were some good laughs. I'm going to start knitting again, so I'll be watching a lot of Netflix in the near future. I don't want to burn through all my episodes of Magnum P.I., so I'll be sure and watch some movies and tell y'all what I think.

Netflix Movie: Wolfcop

Recently this image of a cheesecaking werewolf kept popping up on Netflix. I kept laughing and shouting "Wolfcop!" Ross added it to the queue. I thought it would be a great Sunday afternoon movie. I expected a horrible C rate flick. Actually, we liked it. It was funny. Not so bad that we laughed funny, but actually funny.

There are some rather graphic scenes, but I couldn't look away. In all but a couple of places the special effects were good. We were both surprised. It was a fun movie, and apparently Wolfcop 2 is in the making.

Journey to the West

When I saw this photo as the graphic for Journey to the West I immediately added it to my Netflix queue. I had no idea what it was about, but I knew it would be good. This movie was awesome. Yeah, it was corny in a lot of spots, and at times the graphics/special effects were laughable, but I loved it. This movie was in Mandarin with subtitles. I like that. I like trying to pick out words that I know.

The movie was very funny and starred Qi Shu, who you might recognize from the 2002 Transporter movie. The story, writing, and acting were all pretty good. I just kept finding myself saying "I love it, this movie is awesome! This movie doesn't pull any punches!" Journey is the perfect movie for a lot of laughs, but I'll warn you: Even though it is a comedy, it is like every other foreign film. It ain't all happily ever after.

Many Movies

In the last two weeks I've seen a lot of movies--both at the theaters and on Netflix. Here's a rundown:

• X-Men: Days of Future Past: Despite the time travel aspect, I enjoyed the movie. Of course seeing Hugh Jackman naked was a plus.
• Raid 2: It was no Raid, but it was good. I was really confused at the start of the movie, and a woman in the theater shushed us and glared at us the whole time. That took away from the experience. Still, it was a good movie.
• Captain America 2: Ross really liked this one. I liked it too, but it lacked the eye candy that X-Men so graciously provided. And it is so annoying when the good guys catch a bad guy and they don't shoot him so he gets away or does something bad. Or, when they knock a bad guy down and he later gets back up and does more bad guy stuff. Hello---immobilize/double tap bad guys!!!
• Divergent: This movie is okay---it gets me thinking again about creating a book/movie/merchandizing franchise. I liked the movie, and so did Ross, but he over-analyzed it and got annoyed.
• Non-stop: Typical Liam Neeson movie--"There's no time!" I really liked this action-packed movie. It was fun, if I didn't think too much about it or analyze it too much. 
• Dragon/Wu Xia: Great fight scenes and a story reminiscent of History of Violence. I watched this one without Ross, but made him watch the opening fight scene and then the blow by blow of the fight scene given by the story's detective.
• The Eagle: I have a soft spot for any movie with Romans, Knights, Dragons, that sort of thing. This movie is about Romans in Britain. I thought it was going to be a cheesy B rate, but it featured Tatum Channing and well written story. I don't know why I have trouble imagining Britons as tribes. I guess I just think of them either as knights or as tea-drinking colonialists.
• Ravenous: this 1999 film set during the Mexican-American war is an odd one. I'm still unsure if this was supposed to be a comedy or a horror film, but I had fun with it. I enjoyed the performances by Neal McDonough and Jeremy Davis, who are both in Justified.
• Operation Condor 2: Armour of the Gods: This Jackie Chan movie was actually filmed before Operation Condor, which we also recently watched. Armour of the Gods sucked. It was fun to see Jackie Chan so young, and with a really short hair cut, but that's it. This movie isn't really worth the time to watch it---just skip to the outtakes, they really are the best part of the film.
• Operation Condor on the other hand was a good movie. It had a Nazi story line. I seem to also be attracted to any stories, movies, books, etc. about Jews and/or Nazis. Ross and I enjoyed it. I just wish it had been subtitled instead of dubbed.
• Curse of the Dragon Slayer: Here is my predilection for bad dragon movies getting the better of me. It wasn't a very good movie. It was better than Scorpion King 3, which we couldn't even finish. I think we turned that off after 10 minutes. It was horrible.
• Dragon Crusaders: This Asylum film was bad, but exactly what I was looking for--a cheesy B rate about dragons and crusaders. Just the thing to watch on a Sunday afternoon.
• Juan of the Dead: This is an awesomely funny zombie movie set in Cuba. This film is only available on Netflix DVD.
• Warm Bodies: I had forgotten about this movie, and my friend Charlie had recommended Juan and this one as good zombie movies--I told him about Dead Snow. Warm Bodies is a sweet zombie movie, also only available on Netflix DVD.

Plaza Film Festival: Third Time's the Charm: Thief of Bagdad

I went with Laura, Kitson, and Jhetlyn to see the 1940 version of The Thief of Bagdad.  I didn't have high hopes.  I was actually looking forward to a cheesy B-rate film.  Turns out this movie cost 2 million dollars to make back in 1939.  And it shows.

The movie wasn't really cheesy at all until the genie came onto the scene.  The scenes of him flying (mostly done with an action figure) were painful.  Other than that I really loved this movie.

The story was great and Conrad Veidt as Jaffar was convincingly evil.  The costumes were beautiful.  Check out June Duprez as the Princess.  She's wearing a little corset and a bolero.  I thought at any moment there might be a wardrobe malfunction!

This movie ran smoothly.  No glitches or snags.  I guess third time was the charm.

On Sunday they showed the 1920, silent version of the movie with live organ accompaniment.  I really wish I could have seen that one--but I was already back in Austin. Unfortunately the 1940 version is not available on Netflix.  The 1920 version is available, and I have added it to my queue.

Plaza Film Festival: Take Two: Fahrenheit 451

My parents and I decided to go see Fahrenheit 451.  It was screened in the smaller Philanthropy Theater. The turn out was amazing.  I think they almost sold out.

I read the book ages ago, but had never seen the movie.  I couldn't get into it at first, but then I got hooked.  A world without any written word.  A scary thought.

The movie didn't run smoothly.  It glitched a few times, and then it even stopped on a black screen for a while.  The screenings were digital, so I'm not sure what the problem was.

I think I enjoyed the book more, but the movie was a fun look at things in 1966.

Star Trek: Into Darkness: IMAX 3D

So Ross and I finally saw Star Trek.  Ainsmar said it was worth seeing in IMAX 3D, so yesterday we got out of bed at a decent hour to be able to see it for matinee prices.  There were only 4 other people in the theater.  Nice.  I wish all the movies I went to felt like a private screening like that.  I liked the giant IMAX screen, and the 3D was good.  I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in 3D.  I just don't feel like it adds that much/is worth it.  Only a few scenes made me uncomfortable, and those scenes would have bothered me in 2D--I don't like fast panning scenes.

The casting in the new Star Trek movies is really spot on and the actors do such a great job.  This is the best movie I've seen in a while.  There weren't a whole bunch of times where I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief--just mainly the beginning scene with Spock in the volcano.

The one thing I noticed about this movie was the tears.  Lots of tears and tear-streaked faces.  What's up with that?  I think it is a bit out of character for James Tiberius Kirk to cry.  Teary-eyed maybe, but cry?

I'm not sure who my favorite character is, but I love Simon Pegg as Scotty.  And Benedict Cumberbatch?  Just saying his name makes me giggle.  He's a wonderful actor.

I had fun watching this movie, and I agree with Ainsmar that the IMAX 3D was worth it.

War of the Arrows: Movie Review

Saturday I watched some things on my Netflix cue as I cleaned house. War of the Arrows was engaging. As his father instructed him to, Nam Yi fights to protect his sister to the end. I didn't understand the historical/political context, but that didn't really matter.  This movie is packed with archery and action.  It made the Hunger Games archery look elementary.  The love story is minor and doesn't take away from the action.  In fact I am pleased to report that there was no kissing.

Moulin Rouge Sing Along

So last night I had so much fun--at the Moulin Rouge Sing Along at Alamo Drafthouse Theater.  Just in case you don't know Alamo is a place where you can watch a movie and have dinner and drinks at the same time.  They also have special screenings and when I saw that they were having a Moulin Rouge Sing Along I was totally game.  Unfortunately I bought tickets too late to get seats on the balcony.

We ordered salad, a pizza, and a Guinness shake (which is made from a mix, which disturbs me, but it tastes so good I overlook that tidbit.)  The Grand Master (that's what I'm calling him) came out in a top hat and told us the rules before we started.  We were given props--a glow stick, a flashing diamond ring, and a maraca.  He let us know when we were supposed to use the props and asked us not to use them throughout the movie.  Another rule--sing and quote all you want...just do it along with the movie. I think there was another rule, but I can't remember it.  Then he held a can can contest--3 people competed while wearing can can skirts.  One girl was really into it--doing a running man version of the can can and falling into the splits.  Of course she won.

Eating during a sing along is hard.  I wanted to sing the whole time!  So the Guinness milk shake lasted a lot longer than it normally does. I sang my little heart out. I tried to make a recording of the whole theater singing together, but the audio recording on my camera really sucks.  I hadn't seen the movie in years, so there was a lot I had forgotten.  I actually practiced some of the songs at home this week--I wanted to be prepared.  The audience was generally well behaved.  A couple of girls in our row were pretty loud and rambunctious.  And there was a lady down front who started laughing constantly and inappropriately, which caused a little bit of a stir and she stopped.

Ross and I both had a really good time at this sing along.  I'm looking forward to another special event at Alamo.

Movie: Mama

I saw the movie trailer for Mama in the theaters and decided I wanted to see it.  It looked creepy and I like Guillermo del Toro's movies.  I usually back out of any interest in horror movies (or any movie really), but I really wanted to see this one and there was no way Ross was going to let me back out.

Mama is about two girls who survive 5 years in the wilderness.  After they are found they go to live with their uncle and strange things start happening.

I like that we got to see Mama.  It wasn't like we only caught glimpses of her.  You get to see her in all her ugly glory.  I thought the story was interesting and the special effects were good.  Well, there was one exception: a scene that was so ridiculous that the whole theater (all 8 of us) was laughing.  Maybe it was supposed to be terrifying, but a wig scooting across the floor just made us all laugh.  The jump-out-and-get-you moments scared Ross, but not me.

I'm glad I went to see the movie.  Maybe I'll be open to more horror movies in the future.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Ross had the days between Christmas and New Year's off, so we went and saw a lot of movies, including The Hobbit.  I'm not sure what I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said.  I saw the animated version a bunch of times as a kid, and I don't really remember it, except for the part where Gollum and Bilbo have their little riddle-off.  I even read the book a couple of times when I was a kid--still, don't remember much about it.

So, what I mean to say is that going into the movie I wasn't a big Tolkien nerd.  I only knew that I was going to see Bilbo and Gollum and Ian McKellen as Gandalf.  I'd seen some clips and the actors on The Colbert Report.

I enjoyed the movie--especially the parts with Gollum.  He was eerie, creepy, and a little scary.  I don't understand quite why/how they turned the shortest Tolkien book into 3 movies, but I'm looking forward to the next one.

Les Misérables

We took Tejal to see Les Misérables on Tuesday.  Back in High School Les Miz was all the rage.  I never got into it---I never even read it.

When I saw a thingy about how this version was filmed live--no lip syncing or dubbing, I really wanted to see it. I like Huge Ackman, so seeing him in a movie is a plus.

I didn't know the story, I didn't know the music.  I hadn't seen any other version.  I was a Le Miz virgin.  I was expecting a musical, but this was more like opera--they sang the whole thing, but not in operatic style.  Hugh Jackman's performance was stellar.  I enjoyed his acting and his singing.  I can even say the same for Russel Crowe and Anne Hathaway, and I'm not a big fan of either one of them.

I did not enjoy the singing of Amanda Seyfried or Eddie Redmayne.  Seyfried sounded forced and wobbly.  Redmayne sounded even more forced and a little operatic.  He kept doing strange things with his mouth that I found distracting.  Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the comic relief was a little odd, but they did a fine job.

I overall really liked this movie.  I enjoyed the story and the music.  I do think that filming it live made a difference.  I don't think it could have been dubbed with the same emotion--so bravo to director Tom Hooper for taking on such an enormous project.  It was a long movie, but it didn't feel very long.  I highly recommend this movie.

AFF Movie Review: Sparrow's Dance

It turns out that Sparrow's Dance was the AFF Narrative Film Winner.  The movie is about a woman and her struggle with agoraphobia.  The movie was monotonous at times, but that was her life. It was a sweet, simple movie, and we liked it.  There were a couple of scenes that would flash from black to red that were a little annoying.  It didn't help that I couldn't hear/understand the actor in those scenes so I felt kind of lost.

Both Marin Ireland and Paul Sparks gave wonderful performances, even if I couldn't hear/understand Paul all the time.  I really liked the movie, but it wasn't my favorite.

AFF Review: Shorts 11: Animated Family Shorts

After standing in line for more than an hour we got into see the Animated Family Shorts.  The theater was nowhere near full.  At least we didn't have to pay for parking.  Five out of the eight shorts were foreign.  My two favorites were The Gruffalo's Child and Snap.

The Gruffalo's Child is expertly narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.  We both really enjoyed it and it is a great follow up to The Gruffalo, which we watched when we got home.  The Gruffalo is available as a Netflix DVD and I highly recommend it and The Gruffalo's Child if you get a chance to see it.  If you can't see the shorts, you might be able to get the books from the library.

Snap was a cute computer animated short about sea creatures.  The story was surprising and cute, but there wasn't anything original about it.  The sea creatures weren't anything out of the ordinary.  We felt like we'd seen them before.  It was the same with some of the other shorts.  There just wasn't anything special about them.

AFF Movie Review: Missed Connections

Last night we went to see Missed Connections at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  It is one of those movie theaters where you can get drinks (yes booze) and food served to you right at your seat.  This sounded like a movie that could be very funny, or be very, very lame.

Neal's friends come up with a scheme to get him laid and bring him out of his girlfriend-cheating-with-best-friend induced funk.  Neal answers Craigslist Missed Connections ads, and following a brilliant strategy he gets laid, until her runs into Jane, who is running some kind of scheme of her own.

This movie turned out to be really funny, but was lacking something to make it a 5 star movie.  The writing and the acting were not over the top.  We really enjoyed the movie. Ross had a root beer float and I had a Guinness shake.  Oh, that Guinness shake was divine.

AFF Review: Shorts 9: The View from the Outside

The Austin Film Festival shows short film in themed batches that last about 90 minutes in total.  My first batch of shorts was themed The View from the Outside.  One of the great things about seeing a bunch of film at once that I hadn't really thought about is that some of the films are foreign films--and you know I loves me my foreign films.  Four of the seven films were foreign and my two favorites were from Spain and New Zealand.

Voice Over, from Spain, was oddly voiced over in French. It was funny and surprising.  It had a timed element that I appreciated and the voice over reminded me of those Dos Equis commercials about the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Whakatiki, from New Zealand, was my favorite short of the group.  I think it was because I connected with the water scene at the beginning, and I'm a total sucker for the only line Kiri, the main character, has in the film.  This one was moving.  Tears were streaming down my face, and it wasn't just 'cause I didn't take my pills.

AFF Movie Review: The Girl

The Girl is the first movie that I saw at the Austin Film Festival.  The movie is a look at poverty and desperation on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.  Driven by the thought of fast cash, a destitute Ashley turns to human trafficking.  She has no idea what she is doing and things spin out of control.

About half of the movie is in Spanish.  Abbie Cornish as Ashley does a good job portraying her character in both languages.

I rated this 4/5 stars, but I think I'm a little biased because I liked the Spanish and the fact that it was filmed partly in Austin.

Movie: Monsters

Last weekend we watched Monsters on Netflix instant watch. This isn't so much an alien movie as it is a movie about how people live with aliens.  Vaguely reminiscent of District 9. The movie follows two people trying to get back to the US from Mexico.  We liked that this movie was very realistic.  The lead male character is an ass.  The conversations the female lead has with the people she meets are true to life.  Don't expect lots of big budget effects or a lot of alien screen time.  No fairy tale here--this is a movie about regular people.

A couple of weeks ago we watched Skyline. Monsters is much, much better.

Movie: Haywire

Ross and I watched Haywire on DVD from Netflix last Sunday.  The premise of the movie is really nothing new.  That said, I really liked it. Gina Carano delivers awesome action as the femme fatal. The story line was sometimes hard to follow, in fact, I'm not sure I figured it all out.  So I wouldn't watch it for the story, but if you want some great action scenes, Haywire has them.

Movie Review: Raid Redemption

I saw Nicole's review (but didn't watch the trailer) and I instantly wanted to see this movie. I was really disappointed to learn that the movie wasn't playing anywhere in the Bmore area.  Nicole suggested that we add the movie to our already planned dinner in DC, so last night after a great dinner with Nicole and Ryan at Rasika we all went to see The Raid Redemption.

Yeah, the movie is so good that Nicole and Ryan wanted to see it a second time, and they are now contemplating seeing it a third time. The movie is so intense that I'm not sure Ross could handle seeing it in the theater a second time--he would stop breathing during the fight scenes, and there were many, many, excellently choreographed fight scenes.

I don't know how to describe this movie. It is the most awesome movie I've seen in years. Best fight scenes ever! I think originally this movie was only showing in DC, LA, and NYC. Ross checked last night, and it is now showing more widely. This move is very violent. If you don't mind violence and like martial arts movies then this is a movie for you. If you are looking for a complicated story line and character build up, then you will be disappointed (this movie does not have, or need them).

I give this movie 2 thumbs, and two freakishly large big toes up. Go see it!