“A Painful Experience” October 6, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Film Reviews.Tags: Film, Sasha Grey, Soderberg, The Girlfriend Experience
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Sasha stars as a callgirl in this film.
I am admittedly not the biggest fan of Steven Soderberg but his 2009 film The Girlfriend Experience is enough reason for me to quit watching his films alltogether. The Girlfriend Experience is a painful one to put it in the slightest. The film is beyond boring and bland as a film can get. The film stars Porn Star Sasha Grey in her first non-porn role. I did like Grey’s performance for the most part. She struggles in parts of the film but her bleak view on life in the film paralleled her character well and she pulled it off fairly well. That’s about the only good things I can truly say about the film though.
The Girlfriend Experience plays in non-linear form around the coming election and the recession. The film uses mostly unheard of actors using mostly improvised lines and it truly shows. If there was a script this film may have been put together better but because there isn’t really much of a script to speak of the film suffers from being really uneven and boring. The dialogue of most of the characters is just idiotic discussion of the upcoming Election and the recission that America has been going through. These people complain about money issues while Grey is making loads of money in the escort industry. I guess Soderberg was trying to relay a message that sex still sells when there are no salesmen around but the film just comes off as dull. There really is not any smarts to the film at all.
The one thing that truly frustrated me the most about this film though is the fact that I know that Soderberg can make good films but he ham-hands this film and it’s really notceable. It’s shot for just under 2-million dollars and it’s clearly recognizeable. The film is only a little over an hour but it feels much longer than that and that’s never a good sign. The Girlfriend Experience is a slap in the face to film goers. It’s just boring, dull, bland cinema. I hate the way that some of these films come out every year and look like they have so much potential but they fall to the wayside because they are poorly made.
The Girlfriend Experience is a major misfire for Soderberg and I hope he gets back on his feet. There are rumors that he’s going to retire but he shouldn’t go out on this film because it may be his worst film to date. The Girlfriend Experience was just an awful film and it really upsets me that it’s in my worst films of the year because I fully expected it to be good. Oh well, there’s always hope for The Informant!
2/10
“For Whom The Bell Tolls” October 3, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Film Reviews.Tags: Comedy, Film, Harrellson, Horror, Zombieland
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Zombie warriors
This has been a pretty mixed year for horror films. We’ve had some absolutely fantastic films like Drag Me To Hell and Antichrist but we’ve also had some real stinkers like Friday the 13th and The Unborn. It makes me very glad to say that Zombieland is another good horror film to be released in 2009. Earlier this decade there was a resurrection of the zombie film with the likes of Dawn of the Dead and the British Smash Shaun of the Dead. The film Zombieland is obviously going to get comparisons to Shaun of the Dead and I can honestly say that Zombieland is just as good.
What Zombieland has that Shaun of the Dead doesn’t is Woody Harrelson. Woody Harrelson plays Tallahassee a zombie master. As he states in the film it’s the one thing he’s good at. With his obsessions with Twinkie’s and Firearms he makes for a great anti-hero. Harrelson is the leader of our Zombie group but the main character of the film is the character of Columbus played by the new star Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg has a list of rules to survive Zombieland and they are told throughout the film. Some of these rules are similar to rules found in every Zombie film and this is almost a Scream version of the Zombie universe because it takes what Zombie movies do and makes it into a comedy.
The film isn’t perfect though. The film does have some standard cliche’s that you can find in nearly every teen film of the decade or maybe ever. We do have the guy and girl relationship that plays out exactly how you would think it would. Emma Stone plays Witchita and is her biggest role to date. She previously starred in films like Superbad, The House Bunny and last year’s underrated The Rocker. Emma Stone does a fine job in her role as a badass girl. She does have the cliche’d relationship with Eisenberg but both are competent enough in there roles to make it work well enough. Abigail Breslin who I adored in Little Miss Sunshine doesn’t bring much to the table in this film other than playing her role well. She is the little Sister of Emma Stone’s character and she is almost like a younger version of Stone, So I would say she did a fairly good job.
One other small problem I had with Zombieland was the way the film was shot. I think that some of the cinematography was a little spotty in parts and some of the film was a little draggy. Zombieland is a flawed film like many other horror films of this decade. It does hold something that most horror films don’t have this decade and that’s something original. In the time of films like Saw getting six sequels and slasher’s getting rehashed every month it’s really refreshing to see a film like Zombieland come along. It’s a really funny and well made film with laughs consistently throughout.
There is also a cameo in the film which I’m not going to talk about much, this person honestly steals the film for the time that he is on screen. His moments are some of the finest of the year in comedy and some of the most brilliant I’ve seen used in a horror film recently. Overall, Zombieland has enough laughs to last it’s run time and enough thrills to please horror fans. Zombieland is equally as good as Shaun of the Dead and a strong contender for my favorite horror film of the year.
9/10
September 24, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Uncategorized.add a comment
Mean Girls
Review up soon.
“9″ September 22, 2009
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Elijah Wood stars in 9
This year has been a pretty strong year for animation with the likes of Up and Coraline being released and at the beginning of the year I was hoping that 9 could also compete. However the film isn’t quite up where those 2 films are. The film takes an approach that we’ve all seen before, the end of the world and nearly extinct type of storyline. The film is based off the short film of the same name and it probably should have stayed that way. I’m not saying the film is bad it’s just disappointing.
The best things I can say about 9 are that the film is a technical masterpiece and one of the best animated films I’ve seen in a long time. The problem with the film though is that it’s just a little boring. The film never quite captures the vibe it’s going for and the film falters at times. It’s a nice film but certainly not one of my favorites of the year. 6.5/10
“Announcement” September 19, 2009
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Should have a review up of either 9 or REC tomorrow. Darjeeling Limited thoughts up soon as well. Peace, Reservoir Dog.
“Thursday=Awesome” September 17, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Uncategorized.Tags: Jenna Fischer, The Office
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Why do I say this. Because Season 6 of my favorite show of all time begins, “The Office”. Everyone needs to watch this show considering it’s the greatest show of all time. Pam is pregnant, Jim and Pam are about to get married, Erin is a new cast member, Will Michael and Holly get back together. It’s the best show on TV and everyone needs to watch. The First episode of S6 premieres tomorrow night at 9:00.
It's like meeting my favorite people after a long summer"
“The Three Beggars are coming” September 14, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Film Reviews.Tags: Antichrist, Film, Horror, Von Trier, Willem Dafoe
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Willem Dafoe stars in Antichrist
I’m honestly befuddled at what to think of this film. There are parts that left my mouth wide open and then there are parts where I cringed. Overall though Lars Von Trier’s film Antichrist has to be discussed. This film has to be the most grotesqeuly beautiful film I’ve seen in a long time. This film has been causing quite a stir since premiering at the 2009 Cannes film festival and it deserved to be there. The film is an orgy of sex, violence, and horror and it’s really unclassifiable in genre. I don’t know if this is a horror film, a drama, or an avant garde art film. It’s a mystery to me but one thing is for sure this is one film I will not forget.
Antichrist is split into four chapters and an epilogue and a prologue. The film begins with Dafoe and Charolette Gainsbourg having sex in a shower while there son Nic is climbing out of his crib. As she begins to climax Nic falls out of a window to his death. The film then takes off from there, we have our female lead going through insane grief and trouble with the loss of her son and her husband Dafoe thinks that the doctors are overmedicating her. He decides to take her to her deapest fear which happens to be the cabin that her and Nic spent time together last summer. The forest is called Eden.
I’m not going to give away more plot because Antichrist is a film you have to see to belive. It’s no easy ride either. There are times in this art house horror film that are absolutely brutal to watch. Hostel is no comparison to this hellish masterpiece. I think there are moments in this film that almost go too far which is a sign of great filmmaking. I think Scorsese said that Every time you watch a movie you should see something new. And Antichrist brings something new to the table.
The film is deeply metaphorical as well. The film could even be considered a religious film. There are many religious themes. The forest they live in is Eden. There is a man and a woman in this place and it’s arguable that some of the events that happen in this film mirror some of the book of genesis. With the eating of the apple maybe representing some thing that the female character does to the male at one point in the film.
One thing that I also loved about the film was how well shot it was. It’s one of the best shot films I’ve seen this year and the cinematography is insanely beautiful. It’s the perfect tone for this film. It has a dark, brooding, evil vibe and this film truly feels evil. I honestly can’t stop thinking about this film and I don’t think you will be able to get it out of your head once you’ve seen it. There are so many insane moments in this film mixed with some amazing story that the film is one you have to watch mulitple times to get the full effect. The problem with that is though is that going back to this world is not something many would want to do.
One more thing that I think should be discussed. Willem Dafoe and Charolette Gainsbrogh both deserve Oscar nominations for there portrayel’s in this film however I don’t think they will. This film is honestly too dark to be considered Oscar material but it should because Film should be dangerous and Antichrist is. However we will probably see the same Oscar bait performance sneak it’s way in and it shouldn’t because both performances in this film are bone-chilling. Antichrist is also going to be a film that either incites public outrage or comes and goes. Film fans will see it but the average audience member will not understand or enjoy this film. It’s a tough film to swallow but it’s a great one.
Antichrist is one of the most thought provoking films I’ve ever seen and it’s certainly one that won’t be easy to forget. It’s also one of the finest films of 2009. I really don’t know how to classify this film but if it is a horror film then it’s the best horror film of this year probably. This has already been a kickass year in film and Antichrist only increases how awesome this year has been. It’s easily in my top five of the year. 9.5/10
New Top Ten
- Inglourious Basterds
- Adventureland
- In the Loop
- Antichrist
- Drag Me To Hell
- Watchmen DC
- Two Lovers
- Up
- Harry Potter 6
- Goodbye Solo
“New Reviews Up Soon” September 14, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in Film Reviews.add a comment
This is gonna be crazy.
Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited
Two New Reviews Up Soon
-Antichrist (Von Trier)- Monday Review
-The Darjeeling Limited (Anderson)- Tuesday Review.
“Every Film I’ve seen this year ranked” September 12, 2009
Posted by reservoirdog55 in List.Tags: 2009
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I thought that I would give the ratings of every film that I’ve seen this year as a fun way to introduce myself to the WordPress audience. I’m going to be updating this list at mid-march when I also do my awards. Seeing Antichrist soon and I’ll have a review up for it soon.
- Inglourious Basterds
- In the Loop
- Adventureland
- Drag Me To Hell
- Watchmen Directors Cut
- Two Lovers
- Up
- Funny People
- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
- Goodbye Solo
- Iron Maiden: Flight 666
- Coraline
- Star Trek
- I Love You, Man
- Public Enemies (needs a rewatch)
- Orphan
- The Hangover
- Observe and Report
- State of Play
- Splinter
- Knowing
- District 9
- Taken
- From Within
- The Taking of Pelham 123
- The Cake Eaters
- The Last House on the Left
- Phoebe in Wonderland
- Notorious
- Terminator Salvation
- Crank: High Voltage
- Surveillance
- The Great Buck Howard
- The International
- Monsters Vs. Aliens
- Kill Shot
- X-Men Origins Wolverine
- The Uninvited
- Fanboys
- Laid to Rest
- Paul Blart Mall Cop
- Underworld 3
- H2
- The Haunting in Connecticut
- Friday the 13th
- Crossing Over
- The Unborn
- The Soloist
- Dragonball Evolution
- Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
- My Bloody Valentine 3D
