Since I've watched a lot of movies/DVDs but haven't commented on many lately, here's my sort of catch-all for what I've seen recently...
Collateral: Decent movie, but the last 10-15 minuts really blew it for me. It just seemed very anticlimactic, and on top of that, I hate when a really original movie relies on such a cliched ending.
The Sum of All Fears: Very good, I don't usually care for Tom Clancy movies, but this one was actually really entertaining. One creepy factor: the plot revolves around a nuclear bomb that goes off at a football stadium in Baltimore. As the bomb's path is tracked, it is revealed that the bomb was built and assembled at the Savannah River Site, which is literally about 4 or 5 miles down the road from me. I went there once about six months ago, helping a friend deliver a truck. It was crazy, security out the ying-yang.
Surviving Christmas: I've had it with all the Affleck-bashing. I'm not sure why it started, but the guy is a good actor. His biggest problem is that he chooses the wrong roles. Watch Good Will Hunting or Boiler Room or Chasing Amy and tell me the guy isn't at least decent. As for this movie, it didn't deserve all the bad Gigli-association press it got. It wasn't anything monumental, mind you, but it was an entertaining rental. Different role for Affleck, too, more physical comedy than he normally does, I liked it. James Gandolfini will never be able to shake being Tony Soprano, but that's alright, he was pretty funny in this, too.
HIM - Video Collection: Just a collection of all of the band HIM's videos. I liked it a lot, and it was only ten bucks. I guess if you're a fan, you'll enjoy it, if not you're probably not even reading this anymore.
Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Run: I was told I'd like this because it's a lot like the CKY/Jackass style videos, which I enjoy a lot. Unfortunately, this video just mostly disgusted me rather than entertain me. I still like their music, but I think a lot less of the Bloodhound Gang after seeing this video. Basically, it's a tour video from their '96-'97 tour. It's shot on a very cheap camcorder, so the quality is horrendous. The majority of the video consists of the Gang doing very gay things to each other to kill time on the bus. And when I say gross, I mean gross: lead singer Jimmy Pop especially has an affection toward sticking his finger in other guy's butts, french kissing bandmates against their will, eating dead bugs off the grille of the bus. None of it is really funny. Then the video gets meanspirited as the rest of it consists of the bassist, Evil Jared, beating the crap out of the drummer, Spanky Q (who was 16 when this was filmed and less than half Jared's size) in various ways as well as fistfights between band members. In the end, Jared ties a pillowcase over Spanky's head, handcuffs his hands behind his back, and pushes him into an empty hotel elevator. The video ends with about 5 minutes of Spanky struggling to get free and eventually crying. Great fun, eh? It's the only DVD I own that I regret purchasing. Even at $13, it was a huge ripoff.
Brak Show Season 1: Well, either you like the Brak Show or you don't. It can best be described, I guess, as "stoner humor" but I'm not a stoner and I still like it lots.
King Arthur: Better than I thought it would be, Keira Knightley was hot as always and the action was enough to keep me interested.
Troy: It was just kind of boring to me. I quit watching after about a half hour. Just too much stuff that I've seen done much better in other movies.
Melvin Goes to Dinner: I only watched it because it was directed by Bob Odenkirk, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was very good. I expected it to be in much the same style of humor as Mr Show, but this is a more realistic, character-based humor, more in the vein of Neil LaBute. I guess if you're willing to watch a movie that is almost entirely one extended scene of four people sitting in a restaurant eating dinner and talking, you'll probably like it.
And I'm pretty sure that's about it.
Collateral: Decent movie, but the last 10-15 minuts really blew it for me. It just seemed very anticlimactic, and on top of that, I hate when a really original movie relies on such a cliched ending.
The Sum of All Fears: Very good, I don't usually care for Tom Clancy movies, but this one was actually really entertaining. One creepy factor: the plot revolves around a nuclear bomb that goes off at a football stadium in Baltimore. As the bomb's path is tracked, it is revealed that the bomb was built and assembled at the Savannah River Site, which is literally about 4 or 5 miles down the road from me. I went there once about six months ago, helping a friend deliver a truck. It was crazy, security out the ying-yang.
Surviving Christmas: I've had it with all the Affleck-bashing. I'm not sure why it started, but the guy is a good actor. His biggest problem is that he chooses the wrong roles. Watch Good Will Hunting or Boiler Room or Chasing Amy and tell me the guy isn't at least decent. As for this movie, it didn't deserve all the bad Gigli-association press it got. It wasn't anything monumental, mind you, but it was an entertaining rental. Different role for Affleck, too, more physical comedy than he normally does, I liked it. James Gandolfini will never be able to shake being Tony Soprano, but that's alright, he was pretty funny in this, too.
HIM - Video Collection: Just a collection of all of the band HIM's videos. I liked it a lot, and it was only ten bucks. I guess if you're a fan, you'll enjoy it, if not you're probably not even reading this anymore.
Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Run: I was told I'd like this because it's a lot like the CKY/Jackass style videos, which I enjoy a lot. Unfortunately, this video just mostly disgusted me rather than entertain me. I still like their music, but I think a lot less of the Bloodhound Gang after seeing this video. Basically, it's a tour video from their '96-'97 tour. It's shot on a very cheap camcorder, so the quality is horrendous. The majority of the video consists of the Gang doing very gay things to each other to kill time on the bus. And when I say gross, I mean gross: lead singer Jimmy Pop especially has an affection toward sticking his finger in other guy's butts, french kissing bandmates against their will, eating dead bugs off the grille of the bus. None of it is really funny. Then the video gets meanspirited as the rest of it consists of the bassist, Evil Jared, beating the crap out of the drummer, Spanky Q (who was 16 when this was filmed and less than half Jared's size) in various ways as well as fistfights between band members. In the end, Jared ties a pillowcase over Spanky's head, handcuffs his hands behind his back, and pushes him into an empty hotel elevator. The video ends with about 5 minutes of Spanky struggling to get free and eventually crying. Great fun, eh? It's the only DVD I own that I regret purchasing. Even at $13, it was a huge ripoff.
Brak Show Season 1: Well, either you like the Brak Show or you don't. It can best be described, I guess, as "stoner humor" but I'm not a stoner and I still like it lots.
King Arthur: Better than I thought it would be, Keira Knightley was hot as always and the action was enough to keep me interested.
Troy: It was just kind of boring to me. I quit watching after about a half hour. Just too much stuff that I've seen done much better in other movies.
Melvin Goes to Dinner: I only watched it because it was directed by Bob Odenkirk, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was very good. I expected it to be in much the same style of humor as Mr Show, but this is a more realistic, character-based humor, more in the vein of Neil LaBute. I guess if you're willing to watch a movie that is almost entirely one extended scene of four people sitting in a restaurant eating dinner and talking, you'll probably like it.
And I'm pretty sure that's about it.
