Hey folks, Harry here… There’s not really a lot coming out this week that I love. So I encourage you to raid your NETFLIX INSTANT for all its worth. Right now, I’m watching THE BREAKFAST CLUB… saw some silly show Sunday night that made me watch it tonight. As usual the pictures and titles are linked to AMAZON where you can buy the item, where a small percentage would go to support this column… OR you can learn even more about the title. Thanks for reading!
UP IN THE AIR
The latest film from Jason Reitman, who has yet to make a bad movie, but with UP IN THE AIR, he’s made a film filled with characters that frankly have their heads so far up their own asses that I just wanted to change the channel. That said – all the actors are charismatic enough to pull it off. I just don’t like spending time with the characters. That said most people seem to love this film at a level of a nicely made Gibson. But frankly, I hate gin and those nasty fucking cocktail onions. Ew. It just wasn’t for me.
PRECIOUS: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Probably the biggest shock of the Oscars was the concept of Sandra Bullock beating Gabourey Sidibe. I love THE BLIND SIDE and I love Sandra Bullock in that film. However, let’s get serious. Gabourey Sidibe turned in a stunning performance in PRECIOUS. Mo’Nique thankfully took home her Oscar, but it feels wrong that the best actress performance was not acknowledged. I just discovered this film on Blu Ray for the first time. I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to emotionally suffer at the level that heard was associated with this film and its subjects. But frankly… It wasn’t “the nightmare horror show” that I was expecting. I found the film incredibly positive and hopeful. Of course, I went in expecting wall to wall brutality. We definitely need to keep our eyes on Lee Daniels. This is one hell of a sophmore slump.
BOONDOCK SAINTS II
You know those sequels… where if the movie were a soldier and you were he general, you’d rip their stripes off and put them on KP duty for a month? Well, I really and truly want to strip THE BOONDOCK SAINTS out of the title. It is so beneath the original, which I always felt was overrated by the mobs of adoring fans… but hey, to each their own.
OLD DOGS
I watched MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON tonight – and more than once it made me love Robin Williams with all my heart, but OLD DOGS? It’s like being hit, continually, between the shoulder blades and having the air leave your body. That said, it is the film that is advertised. This is a comedy for those that go into these films already laughing about how funny they think its going to be. The amazing thing about the film is, it never ever ceases to not get worse. Seriously as bad as it may seem at any given moment, it will get worse. Truly pathetic.
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
One of Michael Moore’s very best films. While you know who Michael hates most, he does spread the blame around and reveals some truly infuriating policies that… well are just about the most evil thing I’ve ever seen. Everybody should watch this.
PARIS
Set in the most romantic city on the planet and starring Juliette Binoche and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS’ Melanie Laurent… This film makes me miss Paris. It has been too long. A film of love, life and a confluence of strangers. A very good film.
THE STONING OF SORAYA M
One of the most powerful and brutal films that I’ve ever seen. “From the producer of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST” – yeah, no shit. They got their biblical horror down, in a very compelling manner that manages to set the exploitive nature of this type of story, in a human and captivating story. Not for cinema pussies.
THE BROTHERS WARNER
Cass Warner’s documentary about her relatives, THE BROTHERS WARNER, is easily one of the best documentaries created about the founding and history of one of the MAJOR STUDIOS – and it is literally a story about a group of brothers that shined shoes in the streets of New York and clawed their way with no formal education into creating arguably the greatest Classic Hollywood Studio – which then in turn became one of the largest corporations in the history of Entertainment. However, it mainly focuses on the 4 original brothers. Every movie geek must check this out. TREMENDOUS FILM.
Really shallow week for prime choices, but let’s see what we have in store next week: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, more MST3K, NINJA ASSASSIN, ASTRO BOY, SOUTH PARK season 13, ARMORED, BROKEN EMBRACES, THE FOURTH KIND, HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE, HER SISTER FROM PARIS, KIKI, WITHIN THE LAW, Vengeance Trilogy, MEAN JOHNNY BARROWS, DEATH JOURNEY, HIGH LIFE, WAVERIDERS, QUADROON, PONTYPOOL and that’s it. Well, it’s better than this week… right?
