A Movie A Day Keeps The Zombies Away

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

The original title Män som hatar kvinnor directly translated means “Men Who Hate Women”.

Author Stieg Larsson had witnessed a rape in his youth and it manifested in this book/film of 3. The series was suppose to have consisted of 6 books, sadly Larsson passed away before completion. 

Let’s get down to business. YES the original was better. This stylized glossy version by David Fincher was good in Hollywood standards. THEY CHANGED SHIT! Need i say more? Oh yeah, big stars… so fucking what?

The intro was pretty sweet though…

My thoughts on the Lisbeths: Take Noomi to dinner, have sex with Rooney.

Rooney Mara rocked my world! She held her own, along side Hollywood superman Daniel Craig. No love for Craig? - He doesn’t need the praise, he;s fucking 007 for fucks sake. 

TRIVIA: The piercings (including multiple ear, eyebrow, and nipple piercings) that Rooney Mara sports as Lisbeth Salander are real, not cosmetic simulations. Mara got the piercings in a series of sessions in Brooklyn and Sweden. 

I almost gave this an “Ok” but because of Rooney Mara, i gave it a “Win”.

And to CLARIFY: It’s called the Millennium Trilogy. TRILOGY -> meaning there are 3, Based on the original Swedish literature/films of the same name:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) aka Män som hatar kvinnor

The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) aka Flickan som lekte med elden

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009) aka Luftslottet som sprängdes

(I apologize for the comment earlier/above, but if people were’t idiots i would’t have to be an asshole about these details.)

Bottom line is: had i not seen the original films i’d think this was genius. But it is a “version of”, with Trent Reznor (ooooh wow he’s so cool sarcasm).

Great film, good actors, amazing directing… God bless Hollywood.

A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas (2011)

Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold’s father-in-law’s prize Christmas tree.

The dynamic pot duo is back!!! Kal Penn and John Cho bring the holiday cheers with the sexual madman Neil Patrick Harris. NPH!

A holiday treat for fans of Harold & Kumar! Perverted pot smoking and ridiculous plot twists are no surprises to us. I pity the fools who don’t know who they are!

Nice drops with the “White House” and “Sulu” jokes. These two have come a VERY long way since their first outing.

Fuckin’ Wafflebot. I’m torn between liking and hating it.

It’s a celebration of stupidity… and i like it! Didn’t quite like the (obvious) 3D bits. This was my least favorite H&K movie. Maybe it’s because i didn’t see it during Christmas.

You shot Santa!

What’s Your Number (2011)

A woman looks back at the past twenty men she’s had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her one true love.

A romantic comedy based on the novel “20 Times a Lady” by Karyn Bosnak.

Anna Faris is back with some laughs and sexiness. It’s an adult relationship comedy with some “laughable” realities some of us have faced. Douchebags, bitches and those in-between. 

OH, The men in her life! Joel McHale, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pratt play a few of the questionable male specimen douches in this flick. BUT Andy Samberg takes the cake! That “face”. Hilarious every time!

Leading man Chris Evans brings his swagger and comedic stylings once again. The man is a comedian, no doubt about it. He can sell funny, even in a serious role. He looks friendly, and maybe that’s the hook.

Pleasant, funny and light. Not bad for a film like many others. Predictable and yet entertaining. Moms and girls will like this, dunno about grandma… 

It’s a dumb movie. This could have been a “fail” but the strong cast and clean flow helped this be an “ok” in my books. Anna Faris has always made me happy in my pants. 

Psychotica (2010) aka Nostrum

A group of friends head out to an abandon farmhouse to kick a nasty habit. Little do they know that they are in for the night of their lives.

Another drugged-up horror. “I need a hit” looks like our next door neighbors decided to make a film again…

How hard is it to go clean? Filthy junkies and their nasty habits. You don’t kick heroin it kicks you, silly. 

Mad doctor and his experiments are an old tale. Add a dash of young hoodlums and we have a horror! Nudity, foul language and sex plague this film. Shot in a dirty way… much like the drugs seen in the movie.

The gore was ok… The madness is IN THE DRUGS. Never take free shit.

A dark film, literally. The lighting was odd… a bit too dark even for me. Scratch that, IT’S FUCKING DARK.

Guess i wasn’t in the mood for crap today…

Want a good druggie horror flick? watch Bug (2006) 

Transit (2012)

A family on a road trip is stalked by criminals who stashed stolen money in their car.

Jim Caviezel… what happened to you?

So a family goes on a trip and criminals decide to hide their stash in the baggage… The chase begins. Pretty straight forward and simple, we’ve all seen this before. Nothing new… and what the fuck was with the baddies? Nothing about this seemed/looked believable. Sad. 

Attempts at twists were pathetic. Some pretty shots here and there… I was not amused. Cool car though. 

Me no gusta.

A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

A group of mountaineers in the Scottish Highlands discover a kidnapped girl and are pursued by her captors.

Off to the mountains! For some R&R and… death.

Directed by Julian Gilbey, who surprised me with his rowdy and violent Rise of the Footsoldier (2007).

Hell yeah! A survival thriller starring Melissa George - who came out in a bunch of horror films (I personally enjoyed): Triangle (2009), Turistas (2006), 30 Days of Night (2007) and The Amityville Horror (2005). Horror-suspense-thriller is her genre, she can sell it.

A British adventure horror looming in the realm of “it could happen” or “it’s fairly possible”. Adding fright to an already frightful separation from civilization. You’re on your own…

It’s a nail biting ride that slowly edges through the crime genre. Hikers discover a child in the forest “who’s she?” And in a blink of an eye - they fall one by one. There is little information given about the mountaineers and the criminals that surround them. The suspense bit and sudden shocks are what this film’s all about.

Yeah, this ain’t an award winner. Some may even call it “stupid” - But if you’re looking for some thrills and death spills, this one’s for you. 

What gave this film strength was the foley/sound effects used in death/violent scenes, you can hear ‘em bones break. I cringed a few times. Another thing that kept my interest was one of the criminals - The fat bearded one. He was very horror monster-ish.

The scenery and dialogue was… sorta typical, BUT this film got me. I can’t quite put my finger on where or how.

Watch it for what it is… a survival/chase thriller.

Unbreakable (2000)

A suspense thriller with supernatural overtones that revolves around a man who learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident.

I revisited my FAVORITE M. Night Shyamalan movie!!! Yes, it appealed to me the most. 

If there is no villain then what is the meaning of hero?

Security Guard aka “caped crusader” Bruce Willis and “born bad” Samuel L. Jackson go head to head, in this discovery of meaning and purpose.

Two characters with their own quirks: Willis aka David Dunn, has that (Marvel) superhero name like Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Matt MurdocK etc. first and last name start with the same letter. And his color is “Green”, seen in his surroundings and wardrobe. 

Glass Man, Elijah was one to remember. His color scheme was obviously violet/purple, villainous. His “glass” like form gave life to the film. Pity comes first and then the horns come out and reveal his true intentions.

TRIVIA: Several scenes relating to the “Mr. Glass” character involve glass:

• as a newborn, he’s primarily seen reflected in mirrors
• as a young child, he’s seen reflected in a blank TV screen
• he leaves his calling card on the windshield of David Dunn’s car
• he’s reflected in a glass frame in his art gallery
• his walking stick is made of glass
• comic books seen behind him in one scene are of Thor, who for a time in the 1980s, had a curse upon him where his bones were brittle and would break easily.

One thing i really enjoyed the most was the attempt in shooting this just like a comic book. The framing was spot on in some essential scenes. The suspense built up well and the “reveal” was just right. This isn’t the usual special effects riddles hero flick. This is a smart one, that peeps into the “reason”. 

We all have our kryptonite.

Tragedies turn some into heroes… we embrace things… it is OUR choice… isn’t that choice interesting?

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6’s echelons.

Based on the best-selling novel by John le Carré. An imaginative chronicle of his time in the British intelligence service.

Sit down and LISTEN.

Brought to us by the storytelling genius behind Let the Right One In (2008)- Tomas Alfredson, his 1st English film.

Gary Oldman GOLD!!! A king needs knights: Colin Firth, “tough as nails” Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, “legendary” John Hurt, “Sherlock” Benedict Cumberbatch and many more the queen has to offer! What a tremendous cast.

Digging in your own backyard is never easy when the dogs are out.

The hunters and the hunted, which is what? FUCK ALL OTHER ESPIONAGE FILMS! This is the real deal, so to speak. Mumbles, whispers and secrets fuel this dramatic mystery behind closed doors. 

How far it this from the truth? No one knows but the truth. Twists and turns with words and actions, betrayal is no stranger to this genre of film. 

TTSS investigates primary players in a game so few have played. Jumps in scenes are colored in by excellent cinematography. The script and dialogue felt real and sluggish. “Aaaw no, old men talking” - It ain’t all explosions, babes and gadgets. Some viewers may/might give up at the halfway point - BELIEVE ME, the payoff is in the end.

Distrust, loyalty and mischief shadow the entire film and all it’s characters. I loved the atmosphere of constant doubt. 

The ending was quite satisfying and my eyes were once again “wide open”. 

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. 

Life Cycles (2010)

Story of the bike, from its creation to its demise.

Love bikes? Then you will fuckin’ love this!

Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb present a visual feast accompanied by high flying, ground ripping antics. 

A simple story presented with style, and a narrator. Yeah, there really isn’t a story… BUT the shit you will see is mesmerizing. 

The fields scene was by far the BEST one of them all. I caught this at a friends place and grabbed a copy after a few minutes of viewing. It’s zen!

I’d call it a WIN for bike fans, but as a movie fan i’d say it was just OK.

CLICK the image the trailer! it’s beautiful.

Moneyball (2011)

The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Strategy and nuvo-intellect rules the game! An inspirational story of a lowly team and their manager.

They can do no wrong! Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are the odd couple in this sports drama. Pitt is undeniably a winner in his acting efforts, it’s hard to say “he sucks”. BUT Hill gets out of the teen scene to take on bigger things. Kudos to the casting director who put these two together.

Billy Beane meets Pete Brand a math & statistics genius who comes up with a formula for choosing players, versus the traditional way of scouting. The battle between strategy, loyalty and tradition come into play. Affecting the relationships, egos and personalities of our modern day heroes. Technology has come a long way… accept it. 

Reality captured. The script and dialogue were superb! Adding some comedic moments to the drama and chaos. A feel good flick for sports fans! Out with the old, in with the new.

High caliber. Well rounded and delivered at a professional level of play. Fun for the whole family and rowdy baseball fans.

The Innkeepers (2011)

During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel’s haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.

I was EXCITED to see the new film by Ti West, i was pleasantly amused with The House of the Devil (2009) and thought this new flick was gonna trump the last. This anxious fan was dead wrong…

Sara Paxton stars in this horror tale of spooks and kooks. She was “ok” in a weird way. A ghost in the inn, again. Goofy at times… I didn’t know if this was a comedy or not. 

I GOT BORED. Seriously. It was paced terribly. Where they trying the suspense thriller angle? it didn’t work. It was like an old film i’ve seen too many times. Unsatisfying.

They story was lame and the actors… questionable. Some good shots every now and then, accompanied by cheap thrills. 

“Meh” this wasn’t for me… 

The Last Lions (2011)

Fifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. 

A story of a lioness and her cubs narrated by Jeremy Irons. WOW! touching and gripping at the same time. National Geographic delivers the goods once again.

Wonder, pity, and awe are the general emotions poked at by this amazing story. A visual treat done by husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert. Those shots were great! how did they get so near those climactic scenes?!?

And the “characters” - like out of the Lion King cartoon! A scarred buffalo, the silver eye lioness and her troupe. Spectacular storytelling skills. The violence of/in nature never fails to amaze.

Fun to watch and an eye opener for those who do not know the current situation of the Earths animal population. Life… the tragedy and triumph. 

The Hunters (2011)

A group of friends spend a weekend in the woods and find themselves trapped with no way out. They will soon become prey to the hunters.

Another average horror with hooligans and guns. I’d call this a thriller, with a semi-hot babe. The characters were typical and the gore/violence was “meh”. B. There’s not much to say but… Run, run for your lives!

I got bored halfway through and suffered ‘til the end. It was “ok” but not something i’d endorse.

Seen it all too many times… Amateurs.