Deck the halls with bowls of doobie…’Tis the season to be groovy. And if you’re in the mood to pass up the frankincense and myrrh for something with a bit more kick, then A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is for you. And because they love you, it’s coming out before Thanksgiving, so you can…relax a bit before the family gatherings.
Take bits of Frankenstein and Fall of the House of Usher, add a touch of Pygmalion and…well, if I mention the fourth film that comes to mind I’d give away a major plot point of the movie. Trust me that it’s an unusual, messed up concoction of obsession, desire and science that only Pedro Almodóvar could bring to the screen. Based on the novel Mygale (also known as Tarantula) by Thierry Jonquet, The Skin I Live In takes you on a winding, dark road to a conclusion that is repulsive and fascinating. This movie may not be for everyone — Almodóvar can be an acquired taste — but if you’re looking for a jaw-dropping experience, this is the ticket. I only wish it had opened in time for Halloween, since it has a feel that’s tailor-made for that holiday.
Martha Marcy May Marlene takes a look at a modern-day Manson family, and one girl’s attempt to break free. But you can take the girl out of the cult, but you can’t take the cult out of her head, leading poor little M4 to increasingly outrageous acts of paranoia and terror. But an overwhelming abundance of brilliant performances can’t make up for leaden, choppy storytelling and an ending that makes the final scene from The Sopranos seem like a tidy little package.
Somewhere in a hereafter paradise, writer Hunter S. Thompson is smiling. Why? Because a trusted and loyal friend like Johnny Depp kept true to his word and adapted his age old novel into a crafty, witty and stimulatingly produced film. Let’s be clear here, if you’re looking for a fun ride in the sunny tropics with Depp channeling Captain Jack of ‘Pirates’ fame, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want a thought provoking, mental imaginarium of the wondrous celebration of writer bringing ink to quill, you will love this movie, and you’ll walk away like me thinking actor Michael Rispoli just earned his first Academy award nomination (for Supporting Actor).
“To see Anonymous or not to see Anonymous: that is the question“…no.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to speak about Anonymous“…and, no.
“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by Anonymous“…oh God, no.
Oh bugger. The course of true critique never did run smooth, and I’m no Shakespeare. So let me just say, in my own words, that Anonymous is the official starting bell for the Oscar race this year. It’s a wild and crazy, swords and swagger, love and lust look at how Shakespeare maybe-coulda-possibly come up with all those wonderful plays, sonnets and poems. And the movie is wonderful itsownself; it’s as dazzling a story as anything Shakespeare could have come up with. Huzzah!
Forget Logan’s Run, where the state kills you off at age 30 and you leave a pretty corpse. In the world of In Time, you stop aging at age 25. Not to shabby, right? Unfortunately, you’re dead by 26, unless you’re able to “earn” a longer life. Salaries, interest rates, food and shelter, all are measured out by seconds, minutes, hours…and for the wealthy that can afford it, months and years. (Suddenly my latte addiction seems unimportant. “Caffeine will take years off your life”, indeed.) So the wealthy can live forever, while the poor are reduced to living in ghettos and running everywhere to save what little time they have. And hey, wouldn’t you want to live forever if you looked like Justin Timberlake or Amanda Seyfried?
Ever since the world began it seems there have been people telling us that the end times are a’coming. Nowadays we laugh them off as quacks, or chalk it up to a brain disorder. But what if the visions of earth’s fiery doom are happening to you? How could you tell if you’re slipping away from reality, or the 21st Century’s Noah? Take Shelter is a look at one man’s balancing act between insanity and prophecy, and it’s quite simply an amazing piece of work.
Ever see a movie with a friend? Of course you have. Share your thoughts and see if you can come to a collective agreement on what you saw, how it flowed and how good it was? Probably every night right. We at Geek For E call that a ‘Review In The Round’ and this week it’s Puss In Boots with Rock & Alex.
Once upon a time, there were two little girls. They lived in a big house with Mommy, Step-daddy and their own pet demon. Except the demon wasn’t really a pet. And things didn’t end up Happily Ever After. The tagline for Paranormal Activity 3 is “Discover how the activity began”. And damn if they don’t show you. Vividly. Fasten your seat belts kiddies, it’s gonna be a bumpy night.
Batman: Year One is the new direct-to-DVD animated movie from DC Comics and Warner Brothers Animation and is based of the critically acclaimed, and often borrowed from, story by comic book legend Frank Miller.
Batman: Year One follows two main plots over a selected period of time during the first year of Bruce Wayne’s run as the Batman and Jim Gordon’s fight for justice within the Gotham Police Department. Both plots were used within the two Chris Nolan Batman films and actually gave more flesh to the story and the characters then what we get to see here. Just like in the Nolan films we get to see a young Bruce Wayne come back to Gotham City and start his crusade against crime by becoming a terror in the dark known as the Batman. Jim Gordon and his wife Barbara arrive from Chicago to Gotham as a place for Jim to start over and reset his police career. While working for the Chicago Police Department, Gordon’s “sense of honor and duty” landed him in the middle of internal issues due to his involvement of Internal Affairs and police corruption.
