Surrogates

Filed under S - DVD Movie Club

This action-thriller stars Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, and Rosamund Pike in an alternate world where people live their lives from inside the safety of their homes through the use of highly sophisticated androids. These surrogates, after which the film is named, allow people to assume practically any identity they choose. Everyone has perfect skin, a ridiculous body, and super-human strength and speed, although the ability to run fast or jump high is only used when necessary. A couple of well-timed plot twists were enough to keep me surprised, while the relatively quick pace of the storyline and believable special effects had my interest. Most importantly of all, this film makes you think - about identity, about how technology shapes our relationships with other human beings, and about the dangers of using machines as a buffer for real, old-fashioned interpersonal communication. This was well worth the watch.


National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Filed under N - DVD Movie Club

Just as thrilling as the first in terms of the depth this movie goes to in exploring the legends of our country’s past. A compelling treasure hunt surrounds some of our most well-known relics, and involves the Resolute Desks, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the City of Gold. Nicholas Cage is, well, Nicholas Cage, but still… his persona is almost a perfect fit for this type of character - excitable, yet intelligent and methodical. Some of the humor struggles, but a lot of it pays off. Worth the watch with a four on our flamescale.


The Contract

Filed under C - DVD Movie Club

A very well put-together film with a storyline that is unique enough to stand out amid the mindless drivel and overdone plot themes that are repeated throughout action dramas. Morgan Freeman is a hitman who finds himself in custody after a vehicle wreck hospitalizes him. Some of his friends attempt to free him and he ends up on the shores of a wilderness stream, only to be found by a backpacking father (John Cusack) and his son. They decide to get involved and escort him back to civilization where he can be apprehended, but first they must overcome the obstacle of having a team of four professionally trained hitmen following them.


School of Life

Filed under S - DVD Movie Club

Kind of a cheese-tacular title for a film, no? Well the film itself was almost as cheesy as the title, but since Ryan Reynolds was the main character I decided to plow through the whole thing anyway. The ending was surprisingly touching or whatever, I guess, but Reynolds didn’t really get to go all out in his usual cocky, sarcastic demeanor. After watching I found out it was a made-for-TV movie before its DVD release, so it rounds out at 2.5 flames due to bonus points for not being completely bollocks, as most MFTV’s are.


Crank

Filed under C - DVD Movie Club

So ridiculous and over-the-top, I’m immediately giving this film 4 flames out of 5 because it kept me so entertained. Jason Statham has been poisoned, but for whatever reason (I guess because a movie has to be at least 90 minutes to count as a movie) his adrenaline postpones the effects of this particular poison. As long as he keeps his glands releasing adrenaline, he won’t pass out and go into cardiac arrest. Statham’s character uses a plethora of techniques to keep his heart pumping while he tracks down the bloke who poisoned him to take revenge, including daredevil stunts, having sex in public, and burning himself on purpose.


Fatal Attraction

Filed under F - DVD Movie Club

Further proof of why you should never cheat, never lie, and never, ever sleep with Glenn Close, regardless of whether you have to lie or cheat to do so. Michael Douglas is one of my favorite actors of all time, but he’s a pretty despicable guy as the leading man in this film. This is yet another Hollywood example of how it’s okay for you to kill someone as long as they are stalking you… don’t worry, when the cops come you can just let them know that you were creeped out by the person who’s dead in your house and they’ll let you off scot free.


Hide and Seek

Filed under H - DVD Movie Club

Certain roles can be flawlessly executed by Robert DeNiro, who is a master of his craft. He’s great at playing hardened criminal masterminds, veteran police officers, and detectives. His role in Hide and Seek, however, just seemed a little less than where it needed to be. I can’t say anything more without giving away the entire film, so just suffice it to say that this was pretty good but not nearly as frightening as it could’ve been. Dakota Fanning was great, and can usually pull off the creepy child thing without too much trouble. Three flames out of five.


Heavenly Creatures

Filed under H - DVD Movie Club

Okay, Peter Jackson is much better off sticking with imaginary films like Lord of the Rings than ‘true story’-based pictures like this creepfest, which is about two young girls who become friends and then basically fall in love with each other. They create a plot to kill one of their moms so they can be together. I was totally weirded out by the whole thing, and so I guess that means Jackson did a good idea of transposing this whacked out tale to film, but that still doesn’t make me like it.


Failure To Launch

Filed under F - DVD Movie Club

Surprisingly, Matthew McConaughey plays a charming womanizer who is topless as frequently as possible in this film. Oh wait. The actual surprise here is that he picks up Sarah Jessica Parker, who is like 150 years old and looks like a horse. He would’ve been much better off going after her better-looking roommate, played by Zooey Deschanel, who is such a cutie. Matthew Mac provides some inspiration for all the 30+ year old guys out there who still live in their mom’s house. It’s still possible to date women, but for goodness sakes, move out already. An entertaining flick that gets a 3.5 from me.


The Boondock Saints

Filed under B - DVD Movie Club

Definitely in my Top 10 all-time favorites (I’ve also seen this film on a “worst films of all time” list before, so go figure). For thousands of years, people have killed other human beings and felt justified by the perceived affirmations of their respective deities. In The Boondock Saints, two Irishmen from Boston feel called by God to gun down tons of people in a bloodbath on the most grand scale imaginable. This is a fun movie for those who enjoy films with a fairly straightforward plot and lots of violence.