The_Great_Silence

The Last Buffalo Hunt isn't going to join the echelon of great pieces of non-fiction to ever chronicle the extinction of a culture, nor will it be found in the bargain basement of lesser more amateurish efforts.

Director, Lee Anne Schmitt's documentary on Buffalo hunting culture, the effects of western expansion over 100 years, and the demise of the American Cowboy is an interesting, disorganized, and monotonous 76 minutes. Oh man, this film had such great potential and would have been exponentially more effective had it chosen one path and stayed the course instead of extraneously mapping out way more than it actually could cover.

• Adam - Filmbalaya.com

The apolitical innocence shown in one Columbian village sandwiched between Government armies and Guerrila fighters failed to garner any emotions from me in its telling of jaded elementary-aged school children who want nothing more than to just play futbol. Were it not for a certain farm animal unexpectedly blowing up midway through the film - giving me hope that other living things might explode as well - I wouldn't have stayed for the far-reaching attempts at eliciting artificial poignancy in the end. – Adam

To tell you the truth I was not at all looking forward to watching a film about venture capitalism. It just didn't seem that interesting to me. Once the film was over however I was glad I gave it a chance. The Locally made film was a short and fun history lesson on the California companies, and venture capitalists that back them, that went on to change our county and the world.

The film focuses on the venture capitalists that funded high tech businesses around the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. We get to see interviews with the people who passed on, along with the people who finally funded Apple's idea for a home computer and Atari's home video games. More interesting than that, we get an inside look into the mindset of someone who is risking loads of money to support something that everyone else thinks is crazy.

The filmmakers do a great job at keeping the film fast paced, entertaining and informative. The movie is definitely worth seeing, especially if you live in the Bay Area and want to know about California's second gold rush.

• Nick - Filmbalaya.com

Bicycle Bride is a low budget film and you can tell (being polite). Where the film really suffers is in the writing and directing. The editing is also noticeably bad. The acting holds its own with other low budget films. While it's obvious the director is attempting to do something interesting the result is both conventional and uninspired. While borrowing themes form Bend It Like Beckham it fails to capture any of the charm while capturing all of the clichés and turns out to be a far below average "film". It is boring and sloppy. Anyone that claims the film does poorly because of cultural differences is only fooling themselves, it is simply a poorly made movie.

Mahler On The Couch is not a German gem. It is a stylistic nightmare of zooms and novelty shots that make it almost unbearable to watch. Adlon Brother's period drama focuses Gustav Mahler seeking advice from Sigmund Freud about his cheating wife.

I will admit that I was not overly exited about the content of the film. If I was more interested in Mahler or Freud I might have been able to see this film as glass half full instead of glass completely empty. I even thought that maybe I would become more interested in one of them because of the film. Unfortunately the films style was so distracting I was almost to disgusted to pay attention to the story at all.

The actors were all apparently trying to channel Klaus Kinski and in doing so give some of the most over dramatic performances I have seen. I understand that having an unfaithful wife could be frustrating but the way it comes through on the screen just made me roll my eyes. I am not saying in anyway that the actors in this film are talentless but Brother's directing misses on almost every mark.

If you love over dramatic, wordy, historical dramas you might like Mahler On The Couch, I however did not.

Filmbalaya.com

A Serbian Film is by far the most disturbing film I have ever seen. Don't write it off though. Between the hardcore sex and brutal violence there are political and social messages being sent. You may have a hard time watching the film, but that's exactly the point writers Aleksandar Radivojevic and Srdjan Spasojevic were trying to make.

Living in Serbia their whole lives they have been constantly oppressed by their government. As their anger grew they channeled it into the script for A Serbian Film and turned the metaphor of people getting screwed by their government into something extremely literal.

The main characters alone provide much insight into the film. A retired porn star (Milos), with a loving family he is trying to support, is hired by a maverick porn director (Vukmir), who considers himself a visionary artist and also happens to work for the government. When filming starts Milos realizes that the director might be a tad bit off his rocker. But it's not until he decides to quit that things really take a turn for the worse. Together these characters make a disgustingly hilarious mix that keeps you stuck to the screen even when it's almost too disturbing to watch.

The thing that sets A Serbian Film apart from other torture porn films, besides the political message, is how great it looks. The films mise en scène is what truly raises the bar from other films in its genre. The content in A Serbian Film is not just shoved in your face, as it is in films such as Hostel and Saw, but beautifully presented in such a manner that it would feel worse to close your eyes than it would to just suck it up and watch.

All in all, A Serbian Film is a torture porn film, but it's a torture porn film with a message that many politically correct films can't make.

Or at least so is the case in the clever B-movie spoof Dr. S Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies. With a great mix of humor and semi-tension, presented in grainy old school black and white, this film truly captures what a B-movie is all about. Part Evil Dead, part Night of the Living Dead, and part Reefer Madness, Dr. S is a must see for Horror fans.

Creative grind house style editing and low key cinematography combine with a story worthy of the B-movie hall of fame to create a hilariously unique experience. Tongue in cheek humor is use brilliantly by director Bryan Ortiz and I look forward any films he releases in the future. Dr. S is played by Rick Carrillo who, channeling Dr. Herbert West, creates a character that keeps you strapped in for the ride.

Dr. S Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies is one of the funnest movies in recent memory and puts modern Hollywood horror films to shame. If you are a fan of horror, zombies, or marijuana, go see this movie!

Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant will undoubtedly be compared to the 1992 original but anyone who has seen the film will realize that's a hard thing to do. Both movies are about cops who fall off the edge because of drugs, sex and gambling, however that's about where the similarities end. Herzog's film is a decent into madness that only he could have conjured. With hallucinations, assault on the elderly, and thought provoking questions about fish, it's not a portrait of a bad cop, it's a portrait of cop who has gone completely insane and is loving every second of it. The best part is, Herzog makes sure you enjoy the madness just as much.

Much of the films pure awesomeness is due to the incredible acting of Nicholas Cage who gives one of the best performances of his career. While diving head deep into his character, Cage starts to move, speak, and stare almost as if he has become possessed by an evil force. The best acting in the film however, according to Herzog, is from the Iguanas. Herzog and investors clashed heavily over how much screen time the Iguanas would be allowed. Investors said they would not tolerate more than five seconds of Iguanas while Herzog demanded three whole minutes. Herzog even stated that he would stop making films if he couldn't have his Iguana scenes and, considering Herzog once pointed a loaded gun (will full intent to use it) at Klaus Kinski when he tried to quit halfway threw a film, I'd believe it. Herzog got his Iguanas, and it's a good thing he did, as Bad Lieutenant was not only the funnest film of 2009 but quite possibly the best.

After seeing the trailer I was stoked at a chance to see Death Kappa. I was looking forward to a fun B-movie. Unfortunately, Death Kappa gives B- movies a bad name. The problem isn't in the content. The problem is in the directing, acting, editing and cinematography, to name a few. Death Kappa's over stylized shots don't flow well and really drive the film into the ground. The Movie also contains possibly the most annoying song ever used in a film which painfully repeats throughout. I would compare Death Kappa to a bad episode of Power Rangers as far as over all feel, but thats being generous. Iv'e seen much better movies at community college film screenings.

The only thing that scared me about this film is that so many people are scared by it. After the first extremely boring half hour (and i love slow movies)I was still expecting a turn for the exciting. It never happened. This poorly shot joke was painful to watch and an embarrassment to the art of film. Buying a ticket to this movie will only encourage the destruction of modern cinema. If your going to see it at least buy a ticket to another film and hop into it. Please do not support the rape of film.

I guess this film is proof that Americans are still naive enough that they truly believe in the supernatural. Please join me in boycotting this film and thus proving the movie going crowd is not just sheep being herded to there death by the only care about profit film industry.

Wow... Never have i had excitement turn to bitter disappointment so fast. I knew it wouldn't be as good as the first three but I thought maybe it could pull off a 7/10 so I could leave the theater satisfied. Instead I went home and watched Hot Shots! Part Deux, which sadly was a better movie.

All the movies were unbelievable but this one was over the top. He survives an A-bomb in an old refrigerator, Mutt swings effortlessly on vines through the jungle, and when did Indiana Jones turn into a decorated war vet? That doesn't fit his character at all.

I'm not picky, I like action movies, but 10 seconds after the Paramount screen faded i knew this movie was going to make me sick. Good job George now you've ruined both of your successful franchises, you should have retired 19 years ago.

PS. Did Tom Cruise secretly produce this? Because it was definably scientologist propaganda. The first movies had proof of god, now this one has aliens? Now I'll never know who really created the universe. Thanks a lot George Lucas, I hate you.