codeE

IMDb member since May 2004
    Lifetime Total
    25+
    IMDb Member
    19 years

Reviews

Tusk
(2014)

Definitely different, worth a look.
So, I'm a fan of Kevin Smith and have followed the production of this movie from inception(SMODCAST) to finding a place showing it to see it on the big screen. The Wife, Son(17,) and I, did the research, gassed up the car and drove a reasonable distance. We were very eager, and ready for whatever would be released upon us. First, the story is very different. Not very may walrus movies spring to mind. Or transforming someone into a lost loved one via the creepiest way possible movie. My wife did come up with "Boxing Helena" as a comparison. But, as good of a pull as that was, nothing is even close. So, credit for being so weird and different. All of the actors were good and the overall look of the movie was good as well. I didn't look or sound cheap/cheesy. After the movie the opinions broke down like this. Wife: Did not like it. Son: liked it. Me: it was OK. Now we all did agree that the movie would be far more entertaining with a commentary track and special features, so a disk perches will be in our future.

Man-Thing
(2005)

OK, I'll be that guy. I liked it.
Where to even start? Unless you are a total comic nerd, you have no idea who or what Man- Thing is. Either way it doesn't matter. From the get go you know what you are in for. No big budget, no big stars, no medium stars, little word of mouth. Side note, when pressed most detractors will admit never actually seeing it. The look of the film is really well done. They did do the best with what they had. The acting was adequate. But like I said, you know what you are in for. Plot wise its straight forward, A monster seeks revenge on its creators because they deserve it. I like that Man-Thing is not from his/its point of view. No delving into back story, "Oh the pain of tragic lost love!". No, none of that. Just Man-Thing dishing out stern, unapologetic justice on humanity. You know, because they deserve it. Not a bad little movie if taken as such. I have also tried watching with volume on mute and playing music over it. The result is pretty good. Obviously, metal works the best but give it a shot with your personnel favorite.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
(2003)

You see yourself the great john bull
First off I have never read the comic/graphic novel, so I would not know how it translated. Most of the time book + imagination = better than movie. Secondly, any criticisms of the movie can be simply brushed off with, "Sean Connery, check and mate sir." I saw this with the family on opening night so the audience was very much on board. Everyone enjoyed the movie and then on the way home we talked about books! This was an unexpected bonus. The movie is set around the turn of the century in an obvious fantasy word inhabited with literary figures. A secret organization lead by a secret figure is using technological advancements to create and profit from a world war in the most convoluted way possible. So a group, or league if you will, is formed from literary figures each with a special trait or power. An invisible man. Not THE invisible man, but a man who is invisible. A female vampire who is hot, but also strong and smart. A very droll immortal. A shy scientist who changes into a raging beast. Captin Nemo, who has all the transportation needs handled. A young man in need of a father figure. And the ultimate father figure. Sean Connery, a man who has had a long career, seen and done it all, and is ready to retire, plays Allen Quatermain , a man who has had a long career, seen and done it all, and is ready to retire. Both are also grumpy. I fell hook line and sinker for the whole father son relationship between Quatermain and the Sowyer character. All of the characters worked well with each other and the movie is very enjoyable. Fast forward to present day. After watching this and THE AVENGERS back to back, I was struck with just how similar they are. Of course I think Mr. Hyde looks far better than CGI Hulk. Anyway, It is a good movie that you can watch with the kids and serves as a nice introduction to some great literary works.

This Is 40
(2012)

Marriage is not for P*****s
So this is 40. First off I have been married for 20 years, wife, two kids, pets, house, cars, bills and all the accouterments. We are also in our 40's so the movie was very relatable. I had trouble relating to their families income compared to mine. I am very grateful for what I have, many are less fortunate, but it is far from Apatow level income. That's my only complaint and it can be forgiven because most people spend as much as they make. If I was making Apatow level money, I'm sure my family and I would be up to the task of spending Apatow level money. Anyway, pretty much every situation in this movie I have been through once or my wife has. Grandparents who suck, one is a leach, one is cold and distant and more concerned with their new family. Schools with an attitude. Now I just cut them off with, "Maybe there is something going on at school you do not know about that's causing the problem?" This circumvents the first 4 or 5 condescending reasons you as a parents are the cause of problems. Children separating as they age. One is still a fun kid, the other dealing with her period, social BS at school, and seeing her parents as people with problems as opposed to parents. The music that meant and still means everything to you does not mean the same to anyone else, including your family. Intimate time being ruined at any/every time. And then having that compounded with your child being angry at you for being ignored. The overall fear that you are failing your family on some level, that never goes away. And the bathroom being your only place of refuge from it all. As my wife and I watched, all of the last 20 years came flooding back. Good movie.

Cat's Eye
(1985)

Gateway to Stephen King
SPOILERS!!! This is a solid movie that takes three stories and condenses them into one movie with a cat as the link that ties them all together. All three are well done and are over before they ware out their welcomes. The first is James Woods struggle to quit smoking. It turns out he only needs the proper motivation. Allen king provides said motivation. Both are very entertaining and more than carry the segment. Second, Robert Hays and the late great Kenneth Mcmillan make a bet. The stakes are high and the tension is kept high. The third segment is from the cat's point of view. In the first two, the cat crosses the paths of the characters and is a small piece of the stories. The cat has to protect Drew Barrymore from a child breath steeling troll. So it plays like a bad ass version of Charlie the Lonesome Cougar. It's a nice clinic on forced perspective and dialog free action. So in conclusion, it's three solid segments, filled with good actors, all with the bonus of keeping them tight and nothing that falls into the splatter category. It is a nice gateway to other Stephen King stories.

Built to Shred
(2008)

Built to Shred!!!!!!!
I just found this show on Fuel . Actually I just found the Fuel channel then the show. Jeff King is the host of the show and he builds stuff to shred on. I say stuff because he uses anything and everything for his creations. There is a huge DIY ethic to the show, everything is created with simple power tools that can be "borrowed" from dad or purchased from a pawn shop for cheap. Another plus is that the show is open to all, skaters, snow boarders, BMX, surfers, even goats. Yet another plus are the little instructional clips that show you how to build easy stuff on your own. Over all its entertaining and dare I say educational show.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad
(2007)

See it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW, This was such a great movie. After watching it I tried to describe it to my wife, during said explanation I realized that any explanation falls short and seeing it is the only way to "get it." On the surface it's about a struggling band. But it is so much more. I hate to use the word educational and scare any one off , but what an eye opener. Reguargless of your politics or musical preferences it will suck you in and keep you glued to the screen. Next time you here any kind artist say that they are "struggeling" show them this movie and then punch them in the face.

P.S

Acrassicauda if you come to this country you can stay at my place.

(wait till I show my wife the movie first)

Observe and Report
(2009)

Very dark comedy...Not as advertised.
Right off the bat this is an adult movie not an all out comedy laugh fest. Not to say its not a comedy but a very dark one. If you are expecting Knocked up or Pineapple express you will be very disappointed. How disappointed? Scan through some of the other reviews and you will get the idea. It did not help that it was advertised that way in the first place. All of the interviews with the people involved with the movie were very up front about the tone, but not the adds. Any way, having read said reviews I lowered my expectations and rented it. And liked it. It's the story of a delusional man who takes his job way to seriously. You know the guy, hangs out at work on his day off, wheres his uniform on his day off. As the movie unfolds you start to understand why, because basically thats all that he has. I'm not going to ruin the rest of the story for you but i will say that you will laugh, be made uncomfortable(a lot) and possibly shed a tear. You really need to be in the right head space before you see this and you may enjoy it.

Idiocracy
(2006)

Master of horror
This movie scares the crap out of me. From start to finish it's the high water mark for horror movies. It's like an episode of the twilight zone where they predict, with stunning accuracy, what the future will be like. The beginning Idiocracy lays out the ground work for the rest of the movie. In it we see that the stupider you are the more you breed. Now I or anyone I have ever talked to can find fault with this theory. So basically by the time we reach the future intelligence is bred out of society. Two characters, who are from present day, have to deal with said mentally challenged society. By mentally challenged I mean "got the tools, lost the handles." The movie is quite scary but the real horror comes when the movie is over and you take a good look around. You'll start to notice subtle and just blatant precursors to this future society. This movie is right up there with The Shining.

The Punisher
(1989)

Dolph Lundgrens' Junk.
The time, the late 80's. Batman came out and was huge. So huge that, even if you hated comics or superheros or even movies themselves, you had to see it just to be included in every day conversation. Then came word of a Punisher movie. My little head almost exploded. So I waited, and waited...My head would stay intact. One day it shows up at the video store. I rented it expecting the worst, and surprise, it wasn't to bad. Dolph Lundgren makes a good Punisher. If you don't think so, say it to his face. But it's not just his movie, Louis Gosset Jr. is good in it to. Thats the genius of this movie it plays to there strengths. When it's time for some serious acting Mr.Gosset is there. When it's time for someone to get the living s*** beaten out of them Mr. Lundgren is there. I'll be the first to admit that this movie has not aged well, but as soon as I hear the R/C trucks' tires squeal I know What i'm in for and I love every second of it.

Transporter 3
(2008)

Wait for video(DVD)
This Transporter is definitely number 3 as far as Transporter movies go. The first one was a surprise because it did not suck, the second upped the ante by being more outlandish and not sucking. But this one is only OK, especially if you paid full price to get in. Don't get me wrong, it's OK but renting it for a buck or seeing it on cable will only make it better. Jason Statham is the man. Weather greased up or with coconut hands or on a bicycle, Only he can seem to maintain his dignity and still remain cool. The girl is very annoying, to the point of "Why is he helping her?" For an action movie its not a good sign that the best parts are the little bits in between the action, like with the inspector and transporter. If you must see it wait for it to come out at your local video store.

Religulous
(2008)

Thought provoking documentary
Most will have to wait for the DVD due to limited release. But with some research and a significant drive, I saw able to see this on the big screen. To start off with I an a fan of Bill Maher so if you are not, give me the "comments were not useful" if you even made it this far past the eight out of ten vote. It is a documentary so it is basically him stating his point and showing interviews that support it. People throw around the word propaganda a lot these days but all the people in the interviews say what they want to say freely and have no problem with it because it is what they believe. That is the heart of this movie, if you believe something but you can't prove it, can you claim absolution? A lot of different faiths are represented and they all lay claim to being the "one." The thing that really struck me was that the representatives of these faiths did not put up good arguments and were visibly upset that they even had to. After three or four legitimate questions they would fall back on the "I Just Know" answer. There attitude was almost universally a dismissive "Youre an A hole" or a dismissive "I feel sorry for you..A hole." The film brings up many thought provoking questions. Does faith make you a better person? Is that on a personal level? on a scale with your fellow man? Both? Can you think around a personal belief? Is your personal belief more or less important than someone else's? I found this movie to equally funny and scary. I know most people who see it will be "the choir" but I think everyone should see it. And discus it constructively.

Quiet Cool
(1986)

Cool 80's Action flick
The first time I saw this was back in high school. I rented it(I'm sure it opened in a movie theater somewhere) and watched it with some friends. We had a blast, and it became one of our go to movies when it was time to rent something. No one would ever object to it because they had never seen or heard of it before. And everyone enjoyed it (even the girls,bonus!). But that was a while ago, then to my total amazement it was on IFC. I was nervous that it would not hold up, but it did to my relief. Who ever came up with the idea of an inner city cop and a semi-feral boy teaming up to take on a drug cartel in a pseudo western set in Santa's village is a F##king genius. OK, the music did not hold up but man is it funny. There is one song that crosses the line from funny into embarrassing. I would not be surprised if its a Joey Travolta tune. Or maybe even a Joey Travolta cover tune! So if you have a thing for 80's action or 80's hair or just want to see something a bit different then its definitely worth a rent.

Snowball Express
(1972)

Bev-er-ly Boxxxer...!!!
Man this movie is funny. It's dated but that adds to the charm. The wall sized computer, inappropriate comments in the work place, $1,700 stretching a long way, and the killer station wagon. The story is pretty straight forward. A man, after inheriting a hotel, quits his sucky job, packs up his family and moves to a rural setting only to find out that the hotel is a dump. He and his family overcome several comical obstacles to prevail in the end. There is plenty of physical comedy and goofy humor. Its a good family comedy that answers questions like Why the strainer in the tub? Whats a Stanrubles plumbarmacy? and What to yell when your skiing out of control. I was lucky enough to find it on DVD at Wallmart for $10.

Survivorman
(2004)

Keep a cool head.
Stay calm, don't panic, and use your head. I can't think of any other show on TV that stresses this. OK there might be some, but they don't spring to mind. Now thinking about it I still can't. The host Les Stroud is the only guy on the show. He lugs around all of his equipment(video and sound stuff) so there is no mysterious unseen cameraman. He refers to his crew but they just drop him off in the middle of nowhere and stay away only to be seen at the end. He does take in supplies but they are minimal. They consist of basically garbage and whatever is lying around. With this he survives for a week in all sorts of different climates, situations and then hikes out lugging his equipment. All this is done with a minimum of flash. Which is the best part. And as an extra bonus you can watch it with your kids and learn something in the process.

Death Proof
(2007)

It's my Mom's car.
After renting this and reading the other reviews I felt compelled to throw in my two cents also. First off, many reviews say that this just a pile of self serving crap. Did you see his last movie? Wasn't there such a volume of self serving crap that they had to make two piles? Secondly, many reviewers say that there are not as many movie references as to be expected. Are they the girls at the bar when Stuntman Mike is going over his resume? The movie is slow. The witty banter is good but goes on for too long. Kurt Russel saves this portion of the movie. His character is Ted Bundy like in that he is not socially inept but has enough personality that he comes off as your typical weird guy that you meet at a bar. The tension builds, the feeling of impending doom builds and then it goes on for too long. Now we know someone is going to die, Death is in the title. So the first one is the only one we give a crap about, and this drawn out. The others that want to see die, and they do, is very abrupt. Now at this point we have, in total B movie fashion, a law enforcement officer who could bring justice but because work is involved blows it off. Now we are introduced to a new set of girls. They are less annoying than the first set but not by much. Again Kurt Russel saves the day. He is so creepy lurking in the background and then the foot thing. This is where the action finally kicks in. The car chase was totally cool. The sense of speed, real actual cars, realistic accidents of the other motorists caused by two cars. I think everyone is in agreement on this. Then the end. I don't know what was with the end. Was the flurry of Stooge like punches and head squishing a tribute to Lloyd Kaufman? Anyway, I cant help but think the shorter version from the double feature was tighter and made for a better movie. So if your a fan of Kurt Russel see the whole thing, if your a gear head fast forward to the car parts.

The Core
(2003)

B movie with a budget
Did you ever see a low budget scifi movie and think, if they had a decent/big budget, some good actors it would of been great. Well every time I think that I think of this movie. The plot is total science fiction. That means its not realistic, so don't whine. The budget went to getting good actors and special effects. They got totally ripped off on the special effects end of things. The actors had good chemistry and were likable. Anyway, keep your expectations low and you should have fun..................Once again I have to pad my comments to make the minimum amount of lines of text. I saw it at the movies with the family and a good time was had by all.

Highlander: The Source
(2007)

There can be only one......per movie.
If you have seen the Highlander movies, TV movies, series, you know you are going to have to see this. Now I think they should of stopped at the first movie. I was all for the second, until i saw it. Until my wife started watching them, I did not even bother with the series out of residual fear from Highlander II. But once I started to watch it grew on me and is still a fave. Now we have Highlander the source which looks like a TV movie but it had bad words bleeped out when I saw it on sci-fi, so maybe straight to video is more appropriate. Any way it is pretty much what you expected. Was it great? Was it an embarrassment? No and No. So if Highlander was a 10 and Highlander II was the equal but opposite low, this one is right in the middle. If you are not a fan then avoid, if you are a fan then rent it and check it off the list. I origanaly gave this a 5 but had to take away a point for the crappy cover of the Queen song.

Ninja Warrior
(2006)

Great show
This is a great show. A really simple idea, you vs. the obstacle course. Open to anyone, see a WIDE variety of competitors from serious athletes to people trying for their 15min. with no hope of making it through any of the obstacles. The good news is that the first round eliminates the clown types who go out with a spectacular and or comic wipe out. The serious competitors advance on to the next stages that get even harder to the point where sometimes no one makes it to the final stage. It's nice to see a show that is not the usual group of contestants that back stab each other until the last backstabber left is the winner. I'm surprised that there is no American version of this, but then if there were you would have to eat something nasty and then dance with a star or a penguin.

Heavy Metal
(1981)

"Wont Mom be surprised!"
I was lucky enough to see this with my dad (cool guy) when I was a kid at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. At the time the only animated movies that you would get to see were Disney type stuff so this totally blew my mind. The soundtrack was and is so cool, you never heard heavy metal music in movies or on the radio for that matter(well OK maybe on after midnight on Sunday if you got the tinfoil just right.) so needless to say it was an experience I'll never forget. If you have not seen it yet then by all means rent it..............My comments are not the minimum length for comments of ten lines of text so I will add some more. Movie goers maybe a little more jaded now (Me included) but this movie still holds up. The b-17 segment still is as exciting and creepy as it was when I first saw it. And who wouldn't want one of those flying bird things to ride around on.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
(2004)

The Story of Us staring Metallica.
I remember Metallica being anti- social music that was not for everyone. Then the "black" album came out and that all changed, soon all the people that told you to turn off that crap where sporting their new Metallica shirts. That definitely sucked out all of the fun and I never bought a tape again, preferring to catch the latest radio friendly hit on radio. So now comes the documentary which i liked a lot. now if you have only a passing interest in the band you will probably want to kill yourself after about 20min. if you really like the band you still might want to kill yourself because it is just brutally honest. they deserve a lot of credit for laying it all out for all to see. and you get to all of it, the full spectrum. I would imagine that anyone involved that would want to make money would not want this released. its a long term relationship between the three remaining members after the death of one of the members, they remarry, then an ugly divorce where step-dad runs out screaming I cant handle your sh*t anymore, then introspective soul searching, the band prerequisite of rehab, then finely not quite a remarriage but more of a live in girlfriend kind of thing. And throughout it all the Dr. Phil guy manages to say one good thing when he tells the three that Cliff is gone and they need to appreciate the time that they have left together.

Wonderland
(2003)

Jonny Wadd on my boat!
This movie gets compared to Boogie Nights in a lot of reviews which I think is unfair. This movie is a murder mystery that detectives sort out from stories from two of the three survivors of a gruesome murder at a drug partyhouse. Boogie nights is the story of a dense but lovable guys journey through the porn biz. Anyway, by the end of the movie its not to big of a mystery who's story is the most believable. The acting is topnotch. Val Kilmer is at the top of his game as Holms especially when you compare him to the real thing in the second disk documentary that comes with the movie. It borders on creepy. Josh Lucas is great as the charismatic psycho spun-out group leader. Eric Bogosian is great as the very uncharismatic spun-out psycho. Lisa Kudrow as the straight laced Ex. of Holms. The feel of late 70's early 80's is recreated well both in look and sound. Speaking of sound the soundtrack is amazing and takes you right back to that period.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(2005)

Great movie for parents and children.
I read the book a few times over the years, I saw the cartoon when I was a kid(I don't know why they don't show that anymore!?) then there was the live action version they showed on PBS. All of which were very good and worthy of DVD releases(I'm waiting). Now we have a feature length, big budget, special effects laden version to re-tell this great story. So naturally I was scared that it would get "the treatment" and suck, or be just OK. Well to my relief it was everything that I hoped for. The actors were great, the CGI effects were top notch and above all the story came through. My kids and I loved the movie. I was worried for my youngest when it came to the sacrifice part but it was handled well and we made it through with a minimum of tears.

Prey for Rock & Roll
(2003)

If you like the music, you'll like the movie.
The music seems to be the dividing line for this movie. So if in the first say 15 minutes your not into the movie, pop it out, take it back, lie and say it wouldn't work and rent something else. Now if you have decided that you like the music and or want to see something a little out of the norm then your time will not been wasted. I found everything to ring pretty true with the exception of that the bad guy gets punished for what he did. Someone needs to pass a bill and make that the law. Anyway, I love the fact that everyone plays their own instruments and the camera shows their fret hand. Another great thing is they show a song from its conception to its performance, and its played in its entirety. So while not for everyone it was definitely for me.

The Adam Carolla Project
(2005)

As realistic as it gets.
If you have ever worked construction this is for you. Every person on the show is someone you have worked with. The guy with the flip flops that insists that he works better with his naked toes exposed. The guy that you can only understand every fifth word he says and cooks a mean BBQ. The guy who smokes around highly flammable chemicals. The guy who explains things he is going to do with such confidence and vigor that you forget that he doesn't know what the hell he is doing. The anal inspection guy who sees fault in every little thing. The public health guy that sees a toxic nightmare in everything and his assistant in the spacesuit who finds nothing. The only thing that is missing is the guy with the truck and pager that shows up, yells at everybody, leaves, and then takes all the credit. Funny stuff. ............Well I guess it was to subtle and wasn't lowbrow enough for the man show crowd, and too much for the trading spaces crowd. Judging from its hasty departure that is. Bummer.

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