The Boondock Saints is the story of two Irish fraternal twins that set out to kill evil men in Boston. It stylish, funny, and action packed. The twins are played by Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus. There’s also a flaming gay FBI agent hot on their trail played by Willem Dafoe. The twins are bad-ass, and while they may not be the most intelligent of vigilantes, they make up for it in attitude, daring, and style. Though they are killers, they believe themselves to be doing the lord’s work by destroying evil. There is a prayer they say just before they kill their last victim that is quite interesting and memorable. This movie is fun to watch all the way through and the music is pretty good too.
Boondock Saints
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Mirageman
Monday, July 5th, 2010
Mirageman is the story of a young man in Chile who decides to be a Superhero. He has no powers, just some martial arts skills or as the byline says, “just his fists and guts”. The film starts with the hero practicing his martial arts while his history is told from newspaper clippings and photos on his wall. He’s a humble guy and apparently living on just enough money to get by. Later he runs across a chance to use his skills to help someone and dons a mask to do so. His story makes it to the news and his sick brother who immediately starts to improve. It is at this point that the main protagonist of the story decides to be a Superhero.
There’s a lot to like about this movie. It’s clearly low budget but somehow contains all the elements of a great Superhero movie. There’s plenty of comedy as Mirageman learns about the superhero business through trial and error; from who he should trust, what clothing he should wear, to how to get around transportation issues. What really stands out here is the martial arts. This was some of the best fighting choreography I have ever seen outside of a Chinese or Japanese film. There’s no slow motion, just awesome, real-looking fight scenes.
As I said before, this film was made in Chile so it is English dubbed but if you’ve ever watched old martial arts movies of the past then getting through this will be easy. The Superhero movement and action is somewhat similar to the old Spider-Man live action television show. It’s a little cheesy but definitely entertaining and fun to watch. The music is good too. I give this movie a 4 out of 5 marks. Check out the trailer:
Dirty Pretty Things
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
Nothing pretty in this movie stays that way for long so I’m not sure how the title fits but this was an interesting film nonetheless. Dirty Pretty Things stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, a great actor who I believe has never really gotten his due. He plays a hard working illegal alien living in London named Okwe. The life of an illegal is dirty, shady, and humble and Okwe trys his best to be a good man despite. He works more than one job and seldom sleeps. Every illegal alien has a story and Okwe has an interesting one. When his past comes to light and collides with his sense of honor and the plight of a female friend, everything hits the fan. The female friend is played by Audrey Tautou, the other star of this film. She’s the face on the movie poster. Her story is a bit more common but is easy to feel for her as well.
There are a lot of interesting little characters here, each with their own little story, the hotel owner, the whore, the doorman, the guy who works in the hospital morgue, and others. This story is more about the challenges, hopes, and dreams of the people you tend to ignore as you go on about your personal business. The taxi drivers, janitors, maids, and countless others are people you pass by and don’t give a second thought but their lives can be vibrant, challenging, and full of flavor. I enjoyed this movie and give it a 4 out of 5 marks.
10 Items Or Less
Friday, April 16th, 2010
10 Items Or Less is the story of two people who meet by chance and spend a day together, sharing each other’s world. The two people in this story are Morgan Freeman, who pretty much plays himself and Paz Vega who plays the part of a grocery clerk who works the 10 items or less counter. Morgan Freeman’s character is there to do research for a movie role. He is funny, friendly, and engaging. Paz Vega’s character is young, lovable, and in a place in her life she doesn’t want to be anymore.
This movie is kind of out there. You don’t know where it’s going until it’s over then your remember you had a pretty good time getting there. Here, it’s clearly more about the journey than the destination. If I had to describe it better I say that it was about two people being genuine and connecting. What comes of it? Well, you’ll just have to check out the movie to see for yourself. There’s no big action and no sex, just two people hanging out really. At first I wondered where this all was going but once I let that notion go I enjoyed this film. I give it a 4 out of 5 marks. It’s worth a rental.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an Anime movie about a high school girl who suddenly comes upon the ability to leap through time. It’s funny, a bit silly, and also serious at the same time. She has the usual high school girl problems and this newfound ability doesn’t make it any easier. As the girl learns to make better use of this power she also learns more about herself. One of the things that is really funny is that she actually has to take a running jump to make it work and her landings are awful.
All that sappy stuff aside, this was a surprisingly good movie and just when I thought I figured out how it was all going to work out, a plot twist came out of nowhere and threw me for a pleasant loop. When I saw the movie I had to read subtitles so if that’s not your bag, make sure you get the English dub. Apparently this is a classic story that has already been made into a movie and a TV drama but probably not here in the U.S. If you’re already an Anime Fan then you’ll love this. If Anime is new to you then this just might be a pleasant way to start getting to know the genre. I’ve included the trailer so you can have a look at it.