365 Flix- A year long movie review blog

My Review of "Frank Miller's Sin City: Recut- Extended- Unrated"

2006-01-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

My next review is on a movie that came at last year but this DVD set just came out a few weeks ago. The DVD I am reviewing is "Frank Miller's Sin City: Recut- Extended- Unrated". Here is the description of "Sin City" from IMDB:

"A collection of interweaving stories all based in the corrupt, crime infested hell-hole that is Basin City. Heavily influenced by film-noir, the main storylines concern a hulking brute called Marv (Mickey Rourke), who is seeking the murderer of a beautiful woman who was killed while asleep in bed with him; an ex-photographer called Dwight (Clive Owen) who accidentally kills a hero cop and has to cover it up; and a soon-to-be-retiring policeman called Hartigan (Bruce Willis) who is incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. All based on the brilliant graphic novels "Sin City", "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard", written and illustrated by Frank Miller."

This is a movie that all true movie fans need to watch. There are so many things that make this movie the brilliant masterpiece it is. First, there are the excellent stories that make up this film. The stories used are the same as they are in the graphical novels.

The next thing that makes "Sin City" remarkable is the all-star cast. The cast consists of Jessica Alba, Alexis Bledel, Rosairo Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Clark Duncan, Josh Harnett, Rutger Hauer, Jamie King, Brittney Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Bruce Willis, and Elijah Wood. It can be very risky to have an A-list cast, but all of these actors do an incredible job with their roles in this film.

Another thing is the cinemaotgraphy. The process that it took to make this film is amazing. On the second disc of this DVD set is a feature on the making of the film, and I'll tell you this is the standard that all films should have.

My rating for this DVD set varies on what kind movie buff you are: if you are a film buff whom likes to know the ins and outs of the making of a film, the rating is Buy This Now! You need this DVD for your collection.

If you are just an avid movie watcher, the bare bones DVD is one you should Rent Immediately!

Until next time, happy movie watching.

My Review of "Red Eye"

2006-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Okay I know I am getting a little behind on these reviews, but I am trying here. The next review I am doing is for the film "Red Eye". Here is the description from IMDB:

"A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician."

This film starred Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins). As the description says, McAdams plays a woman who is pulled into an assasination plot due. She was chosen because she is a hotel manager in Miami, and the polititican stays at her hotel. This was an okay thriller, but I thought they could have done more with it. The movie first of all was over with too soon. We never find out why the homeland security secretary and his family are targeted or by whom. I think if this movie was at least 20-30 minutes longer these answers could have been explored. To fair though, it was an interesting watch.

My rating for this film is Watch with caution. Until next time, happy movie watching.

My Review of "Chicago: The Razzle Dazzle Edition" DVD

2006-01-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

My next review is on one of my favorite movies that has been out since 2002, but a new version of it was just released on December 20th. Here is the description of "Chicago" from IMDB:

"Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together)and Roxie Hart (Who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago."

Now I am a big fan of the film "Chicago", and when I heard that a new special edition of it was coming out, I knew that I had to buy it. I can tell you now it was worth buying. The sound on the film itself is more crisp, and the colors in the film are brighter. Also, on the DVD is rehersal footage, which gives you a rare view of the choreography as it is first done. There are a great amount features on this DVD that will make a fan of this film very happy.

My review of this DVD is Buy Now if you are a fan of this film or musicals in general, you won't be sorry.

Until next time, happy movie watching.

My Review of "Serenity"

2006-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

For my next review, I decided on the sci-fi flick "Serenity". Here is the description from IMDB:

"Captain Malcom Reynolds finds himself running from a skilled Alliance operative who wants River Tam, and who will stop at nothing to get her; meanwhile, River's capabilities become more clear to the crew of Serenity."

For fans of the defunct Fox series, "Firefly", the announcement of this film was great news. Having watch the show myself, I have to say that "Serenity" is a great staple of the science-fiction genre. While the cast consists of no big names, the actors in this movie are right-fit in their roles. The writer/director of this film is Joss Whedon, who is known for creating the hit shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". To just classify this film as a science-fiction movie would be a disservice to this film. Joss Whedon created a new genre when he created the precursor to "Serenity", "Firefly". This genre is space western, and I have to say that even thought I don't enjoy westerns, both "Firefly" and "Serenity" were fun to watch.

My review for this film is: Rent Immediately.

Until next time, happy movie watching.

My Review of "Wedding Crashers"

2006-01-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

For my next review, I am reviewing a popular summer film, "Wedding Crashers". Here is the descripton from IMDB:

"John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary."

This was an exceptional film. Like the team of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, Owen Wilson (John) and Vince Vaughn (Jeremy) are a remarkable on-screen comedic duo, but they are not the only ones who make this movie great. The supporting cast is interesting as well. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher play Claire and Gloria Cleary, Wilson and Vaughn's characters love interests, respectively. These ladies bring their own unique moments to the movie, especially Isla Fischer's take on her character. Christopher Walken plays the girls' politician father, William Cleary, and my only gripe with Walken's character was that I wish he had more screen-time. With Jane Seymour and a few other filling out the cast including a surprise cameo, this movie has all the ingredents of a hilarious comedy.

I have created a new rating for this movie:

Buy This Now: This is a movie you won't be able to resist getting for your collection.

Until next time, happy movie watching!

My review of "Saw"

2006-01-04T19:18:00.000-08:00

For my next review, I watched the popular horror movie "Saw". Normally I do not watch horror movies but a lot of peolpe suggested I watch this movie because it was an independent film shot in 18 days. Here is the description from IMDB:

"With a dead body laying between them, two men (Whannell and Elwes) wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw" by the police because of his unusual calling card."

This movie was written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell and directed by Wan. Starring Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, and Dina Meyer, this psychologial horror is about a madman who kidnaps people and puts them into life-threatening situations to make them grateful to be alive.

I would put more about the movie but putting details in this review would take away from the surprises in this film. I am amazed thought about how this movie was made in only 18 days. This movie is a masterpiece and I give it a Rent Immeediately rating. If you enjoy horror movies, this movie is a prime example of how great horror movies should be.

Until next time

Geraldo

My review of "Heights"

2006-01-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

My next review is a film that came out in 2004, "Heights". Here is the descripton from IMDB:

"Spanning twenty-four hours, Heights follows five New Yorkers challenged to choose their destiny before the sun comes up the next day."

Like the description says, it is a movie that takes place in the span of a day. The movie stars Glenn Close, James Mardsen, Elizabeth Banks, and Jesse Bradford. This movie would have been fine if they stuck to the premise of the movie totally, but they focused on a couple of other characters too. This made the movie very confusing. Glenn Close's character is a big-time actress whom is teaching a class at Julliard. At the beginning of the film, Close's character is harping on about people not having passion for anything anymore. Diana (Close) is opposite, in fact, she is a raging bitch. Don't get me wrong, I love Glenn Close and I think she is a great actress, but in this movie she goes over the top with her perfomance. Diana's daughter, Isabel (played by Banks) is engaged (or married, the movie was never clear about it) to Jonathan (Mardsen). The storyline about Isabel and Jonathan is very unintersting, except when we find out that Jonathan is a closeted gay and has some secrets.

Bottom line is this movie had potential, but the overabundance of details fuck up the big picture. My rating for this movie is Watch with caution.

Until next time, this is Geraldo of 365 Flix. Happy moviewatching.

The top 10 grossing movies of 2006

2006-01-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

Okay as added treat, I am posting the top 10 grossing films:

380,262,555 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) *
252,598,259 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) *
234,280,354 War of the Worlds (2005)
209,218,368 Wedding Crashers (2005) *
206,456,431 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
205,343,774 Batman Begins (2005)*
193,136,719 Madagascar (2005) *
186,336,103 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
177,575,142 Hitch (2005)
158,115,031 The Longest Yard (2005)

Five of the ten I chose from my top ten best are on the list signified by *, and unfortunately, so is one from my ten worst, "War of the Worlds".

My review of "The Island"

2006-01-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

For my second review, I decided to review "The Island" starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. This movie came out three weeks ago on DVD and VHS. Here is the description from the Internet Movie Database:

"A man (Ewan McGregor) goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a "harvested being", and is being kept along with others in a utopian facility."

This description only scratches the surface when it comes to this film. Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor) is a citizen of a utopian society that was saved from the contamination in the year 2019. In this society, people are chosen from a lottery to spend rest of the days to spend in a paradise known as "the Island". Lincoln lives his day-to-day life working, and socializing with his best friend, Jordan Two Delta (Johansson). During his sleep, Lincoln is plagued by a nightmare that he is on a boat heading for the island. He explains the nightmare to the society's doctor, Merrick (played by Sean Bean). After he tells Merrick about the nightmare, Lincoln starts to question life in this society. Unsatisfied with the answers that Merrick gives him, Lincoln begins a journey to discover the purpose of the island. What he finds leads Lincoln to realize that the Island is not real, and he and Jordan, whom was selected to go the Island, escape from the society, which is a medical facility. Once they have escaped, Lincoln and Jordan discover that themselves and everyone else in their society are clones of real people created for the sole purpose for organs, birthing babies, etc. and then killed. The duo embark on a quest to expose their existence to the people they were cloned from, and try to free the others.

This movie was incredible!! I was told that this movie is very similar to "Logan's Run", but I have never seen "Logan's Run, so I'll take this person's word. The actors, McGregor and Johansson, give stellar performances. This movie only made $35 million in the theaters, which is poor considering it cost $122 million to film, but I don't understand why. This movie was a great action film. I am giving this film a Rent Immediately rating. If you missed this in the theater, rent it, you won't be sorry.

Until tomorrow, this is Gerald of 365 Flix. Happy movie watching.

My first review, Broken Flowers

2006-01-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

I decided to start off reviewing a newer movie, "Broken Flowers". This movie was directed by Jim Jarmusch and starred Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Francis Conroy, and Jessica Lange. Despite rave reviews from other sources, I have to say this movie failed to impress me.

The premise of the movie is that Bill Murray plays a washed-up Don Juan who receives a pink letter from a woman he slept with 20 years ago. The letter states that he is a father of this woman's son, and the son may be coming to find Don, Bill Murray's character. The letter is not signed, so Don starts off on a road trip to find the woman who sent the letter.

The way this movie is described you think it is going to be a good movie, but in my opinion, the film fails to go anywhere. The acting at best is bland. Bill Murray seems so stiff and indifferent throughout the movie, and it is very hard to believe that this guy was once an irresistable ladies' man. The only way that this movie seems to be interesting is possibility of finding out which of the four women Don visits sent him the letter, but the payoff isn't what you expect. After the movie was over with, I wished for the two hours I wasted on that movie back. The upside was that I did not pay to see this movie.

"Broken Flowers" comes out on DVD and VHS on Tuesday, January 3rd, if you want to see it. Maybe you'll disagree with me, but I rate this as a Don't Waste Your Time movie.

Until tomorrow, this is Gerald of 365 Flix wishing you a Happy New Year.

365 Flix is here!!!

2006-01-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome avid movie enthusiasts!!! Let me explain the concept of 365 Flix. Starting today, I will review a film every day of this year. These movies may be just released on video, been on video for what seems like years, or movies that have just come out at your local theaters. This whole experience is going to be interesting. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Here is my rating system:

Don't waste your time: Run away from this movie as fast as you can! Do not buy into the positive reviews you see about this movie.

Watch with caution: This movie is not as stellar as the reviews say, but it does have some exceptional moments.

Guilty pleasure: This is a movie that may have been dissed by critics and maybe people who you know have seen it, but you may love it.

Rent immediately: This movie is fantastic. Many years from now it may be considered a classic.

Gerald