ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Leftovers

On the Menu: THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011)

Aftertaste: Possibly the best action flick of ActionFest 2012.

Rating:

On the Menu: THE DAY (2011)

Aftertaste: Like THE ROAD, but with young peeps, including the lovely Shannyn Sossamon.

Rating:

On the Menu: BAD ASS (2012)

Aftertaste: A real-life viral video becomes a vigilante flick starring Danny Trejo. It's WALKING TALL with a fanny pack.

Rating:

On the Menu: COMIN' AT YA! 3D (1981)

Aftertaste: The most fun movie at ActionFest 2012 not named MANBORG, but it's not purposefully ridiculous. It's just ridiculous.

Rating:

On the Menu: SLEEPLESS NIGHT (2011)

Aftertaste: This secret screening was a nice surprise. You'd never know Tomer Sisley is a stand-up comedian by trade. Dude rocks the action-thrillers.

Rating:

On the Menu: THE LOST BLADESMAN (2011)

Aftertaste: A little confusing with all the characters, and I was hoping for more action. More of a drama until the second half.

Rating:

On the Menu: GOD BLESS AMERICA (2011)

Aftertaste: Goldthwait's stuff is always risky/ballsy. Twisted and over-the-top, but I agree with most of the soapboxing when it comes to how our culture has devolved.

Rating:

On the Menu: WONDER WOMEN! (2012)

Aftertaste: A well-done mix of comic book history and girl power. Sometimes inspirational, too. I'm still waiting for the live-action Wonder Woman summer blockbuster. I vote for Gina Carano.

Rating:

Transit (2012) - ActionFest Buffet 3.0: Plate #4

On the Menu: TRANSIT (2012)

Ingredients: Jim Caviezel, James Frain, Harold Perrineau, Diora Baird, Ryan Donowho, Sterling Knight, Elisabeth Röhm and Jake Cherry. Directed by Antonio Negret. Run time: 88 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: The 9:30/9:45 time slot came down to either TRANSIT or the Swedish flick HEADHUNTERS. My buddy, Chris, picked the former, so I accompanied him. HEADHUNTERS was playing the next day, and this was the only showing of TRANSIT.

Nate (Caviezel) is taking his family on a camping trip in hopes to reconnect with his sons and regain the trust of his wife. See, Nate just served 18 months in the pokey for real estate fraud.

A foursome of bank robbers, led by Marek (Frain), is looking to sneak passed the roadblocks set up to catch them. The family's taken a pit stop, and the robbers spot their vehicle, which is loaded down with camping gear. Perfect. Just take one of the bags and switch out the gear for the stolen cash, then retrieve it later down the road.

Really, how could this plan go wrong?

Tough to Swallow: I question the effectiveness of police roadblocks that ignore suspect profiles.

The audio dropped out right before the hotel rampage scene. After about four minutes the projectionist fixed the problem, but we didn't get to go back and listen to what we missed.

Marek throws a machete, if I remember correctly, at Nate's vehicle. It smashes the windshield, but the windshield is fine in subsequent scenes.

Logic gets thrown out the window several times. Seriously, based on their actions later in the movie, how were the antagonists smart enough to rob a bank in the first place? How did the guy in the boat know something was hidden in the swamp?

Something to Chew On: North American premiere at ActionFest 2012.

Frain won the award for Best Villain at ActionFest 2012.

The film's budget was an estimated $5 million.

Aftertaste: It's a fairly intense thriller with some amazing stunt driving. However, the dialogue is laughable and the characters are stupid. The cheese factor is very high here. I can't remember the number of facepalms I made while listening to the family's conversations.

I spent most of the time wishing Nate would just forget about his family. They suck for the most part, especially his wife.

The quick pace somewhat masks the ridiculous script, but not entirely. Luckily, the run time is only 88 minutes.

I can't recommend this one... unless you're looking for intensity with a big side of crap.

Rating:

Colombiana (2011) - February Filmathon Film #8

On the Menu: COLOMBIANA (2011)

Ingredients: Zoë Saldana, Cliff Curtis, Jordi Mollà, Lennie James, Michael Vartan, Callum Blue, Beto Benites, Graham McTavish and Amandla Stenberg. Directed by Olivier Megaton. Run time: 111 minutes. Rated: Unrated.

At First Bite: I needed an action movie to watch and Saldana is gorgeous. If the screenplay is written by Luc Besson (LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, LA FEMME NIKITA), you could probably guess the story: a young woman's parents have been killed and she's going to seek revenge.

Well, if you guessed that plotline, then you'd be correct.

Tough to Swallow: Manhole covers must be pretty lightweight in Colombia.

Do the police not get a mugshot of everyone they arrest?

If you've successfully hidden in your mansion's safe room, why would you leave knowing who is in your house?

Not sure you can train a dog to eat raw steaks and get the result COLOMBIANA achieved.

Young Cataleya (Stenberg) reads a Xena: Warrior Princess comic and says she wants to be like Xena. The film is set in 1992. Xena wasn't around until three years later.

The word personal is misspelled as 'personnal' in two credits for Saldana's make up artist and hair stylist.

The word prosthetics is misspelled as 'prostetics' in the credit for Prosthetics Artists.

In the France Unit section of the credits, there's a credit for Location Manager Assistants, but lists only one person. Also in this section, the word assistants is misspelled as 'assitants' in the credit for Video Assistants.

In the Additional Footages credits, licensing is misspelled as 'licencing' for Universal Studios.

Something to Chew On: Besson wrote the screenplay and has a producer credit.

Director Olivier Megaton's birth name is Olivier Fontana. He was born on the 20th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, which is where he came up with the Megaton surname.

Aftertaste: Man, there are so many ridiculous moments in this movie (some listed above). Cataleya is supposedly an intelligent assassin with nearly 15 years of experience. Why chance losing the rest of your family while killing nobodies in an attempt to draw the attention of your real target? She's really careless.

And, the police are no better. The Tag Killer can't be a woman? Okay, if you say so. Ugh, and Callum Blue is just as bad an actor here as he was in FRENEMY. His CIA agent is a poorly written character anyway.

Some of the action is okay. I'd say the best part of the movie is when we see Young Cataleya. She jumps from building to building in parkour fashion. But, even the bad guys try to ruin this sequence. The head baddie tells his goons to kill her, then yells at one guy for shooting at her because "we need her alive." Then, he and all his goons end up shooting at the last place they saw her.

You'll definitely be scratching your head a lot... or laughing.

It might keep your interest if you're unfamiliar with Besson's previous works. The oftentimes scantily clad Saldana couldn't even keep me from forgetting the plot holes.

He should have skipped on this and written the sequel to LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL. Please bring back Natalie Portman for MATHILDA.

Sort of ironic the director named himself for a bomb, isn't it.

Rating:

Moneyball (2011) - February Filmathon Film #6

On the Menu: MONEYBALL (2011)

Ingredients: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Reed Diamond and Brent Jennings. Directed by Bennett Miller. Run time: 133 minutes. Rated: PG-13.

At First Bite: Well, after watching a mediocre sports film, I had to go with one I knew would be much better. I love movies about baseball: THE NATURAL, SANDLOT, BULL DURHAM, THE BAD NEWS BEARS, FIELD OF DREAMS, EIGHT MEN OUT, MAJOR LEAGUE, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME, SOUL OF THE GAME and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN.

Growing up, I played baseball for 10 years. I didn't hit for power, but I got on base, hustled on every play and had a better-than-average glove. I was a Moneyball guy. I'm still that kind of player when rec league softball comes around each year.

MONEYBALL is the story of how Billy Beane (Pitt) tried to re-invent the game of baseball in 2002 with a salary of just around $40 million, which was almost 3 times less than the New York Yankees.

Tough to Swallow: The film begins at the end of the 2001 season. Billy and Pete (Hill) pick Jeremy Giambi and Chad Bradford as two of the guys to sign for the 2002 season. In reality, both players were already on the roster (since 2000).

Standings, as of May 23, 2002, are shown on screen. The A's record is 20-26. However, the next home game they lose in the film is to the Baltimore Orioles (when Billy confronts a dancing Giambi). In fact, the May 23rd game was the last time the A's played the O's at home that season.

In the film, Carlos Peña is traded before the 20-game winning streak. Yet, during footage of the 14th win he's shown running in from 1st base to celebrate.

Game Five of the 2002 ALDS was a day game, not a night game.

Although the film shows Tim Hudson a couple of times, there's no mention of the Big 3 as a factor in the team's success. Hudson went 15-9 with a 2.98 ERA. Mark Mulder went 19-7 with a 3.47 ERA, and Barry Zito went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA.

I'm not sure anyone would believe Kerris Dorsey is the daughter of Brad Pitt and Robin Wright.

The scenes of the young Billy Beane have him playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1985 as a New York Met. Beane played 8 games as a Met that year, none against the Dodgers. In fact, Beane never faced the Dodgers in his career.

The Boston Red Sox 2004 and 2007 championship banners are visible when Billy goes to Fenway Park about a job offer (at the conclusion of the 2002 season).

Something to Chew On: The project began in 2009 with Steven Soderbergh at the helm. Pitt and Demetri Martin were the leads, and numerous former players/coaches were set to play themselves.

This is Miller's second feature film. He previously directed CAPOTE in 2005.

The character of Peter Brand is based on Paul DePodesta.

Spike Jonze appears uncredited as Alán, Billy's ex-wife's new husband.

Beane had remarried, but scenes shot with the new wife were cut.

Former major leaguer Royce Clayton plays Miguel Tejada.

Former major leaguer Chad Kreuter plays A's pitching coach Rick Peterson.

Stephen Bishop, who plays David Justice, is a former Atlanta Braves minor leaguer. His nickname was Young Justice.

Derrin Ebert, who plays Mike Magnante, was a reliever for the Braves in 1999.

Glenn Morshower (Aaron Pierce on "24"), mostly known for his roles as military personnel, law enforcement officers and government agents, plays A's scout Ron Hopkins.

Pitt is also credited as a producer.

The film received 6 Oscar nominations: Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture.

Aftertaste: It's a baseball movie, but it's more about the business of the game than the game itself. The movie focuses on Beane and Brand and their new approach to finding players, Moneyball. Makes sense. When you have the second-lowest payroll in Major League Baseball, how do fill the gaps made by losing three of your best players? Sabermetrics. Google it.

That's not all the movie is about though. Otherwise, it's a 133-minute long movie about how certain stats are more important when it comes to evaluating players. The movie is also about the man, Billy Beane, and his struggles. I think Pitt's performance is what will appeal to non-sports fans. He shows the frustration and pain on his face even when he seems like he might have it all together. And, Hill was great is his first serious role.

I wouldn't be surprised if Aaron Sorkin doesn't take home the screenplay Oscar again this year. He had help from Steven Zaillian this time though.

It's a compelling drama with some baseball tossed in for good measure.

Maybe not a homerun, since, even with the help of MLB, the filmmakers got their facts wrong in some instances.

Perhaps, a stand-up triple.

Rating:

Bunraku (2010) - February Filmathon Film #1

On the Menu: BUNRAKU (2010)

Ingredients: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Kevin McKidd, Ron Perlman, Demi Moore and Gackt. Directed by Guy Moshe. Run time: 124 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I passed on this one at last year's ActionFest in favor of BELLFLOWER and A LONELY PLACE TO DIE. In all honesty, I cannot stand to look at Josh Hartnett.

In a world where guns have been outlawed, a cowboy/drifter (Hartnett) who plays cards, a samurai (Gackt) with no sword and a bartender (Harrelson) who makes pop-up books team up to take on a major crime boss (Perlman) and his 9 assassins.

Sounds fun, right?

Tough to Swallow: This movie is way too long and there was really no need for Demi Moore's character.

Aside from Harrelson, I found the acting to be pretty stale.

I wasn't too impressed with the martial arts sequences.

As odd as this movie is, the video game sound effects used in the prison fight seemed hokey.

Something to Chew On: Bunraku is a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theater.

The Bartender has a Yang tattoo under his right ear. Alexandra has Yin.

Mike Patton, the lead singer of Faith No More, is the narrator. His "Happy birthday, fucker" line preceding the prison fight is from his song "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies."

Aftertaste: Style points galore. The movie opens up with some bunraku and eases its way into a CGI backstory made to look like origami. Cityscapes and the final scene unfold as though from a pop-up book like that of the bartender. Settings have a strong graphic novel appearance, as do the subtitles for Yoshi and his family. The film is splashed full of bright colors, mostly reds and blues.

I was often reminded of DICK TRACY, THE WARRIOR'S WAY, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, SIN CITY and musicals. There's no singing, but were times when I felt the gangs might bust out in song. I mean, some of the fight choreography was on the verge of dancing already. And, McKidd's Killer #2 has hints of Gene Kelly.

As visually stunning as BUNRAKU is at times, the story and acting just didn't do it for me. Well, in a world made to look like paper, why wouldn't the characters be paper-thin, right?

It might have been easier to take had it been 30 minutes shorter... and with puppets.

Rating:

Bellflower (2011) - ActionFest Buffet 2.0: Plate #7

On the Menu: BELLFLOWER (2011)

Ingredients: Evan Glodell, Tyler Dawson, Jessie Wiseman, Rebekah Brandes and Vincent Grashaw. Directed by Evan Glodell. Run time: 105 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: My original plan was to see the world premiere of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE at 9:45pm, but I didn't actually check my agenda before getting all of my tickets for the afternoon. So, I ended up seeing the 10pm regional premiere of BELLFLOWER instead of seeing it the following day.

All I needed to read was this movie was about two guys obsessed with Lord Humungus from THE ROAD WARRIOR, and they were building flamethrowers.

Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Dawson) are best friends and pyros. They're slightly off-kilter, to put it mildly. Then, Woodrow meets a girl and it totally turns his world upside down.

Tough to Swallow: Some early scenes are blurry around the edges and have smudges of dirt on the lens.

When Woodrow takes Milly on the road trip he trades his car for a motorcycle. A short time later he's driving the car again. But, he makes it home on the bike.

Something to Chew On: None of the Medusa car in the film was faked; all parts, e.g., flamethrowers and security cameras, were/are functional.

Glodell and Wiseman actually ate live crickets in the scene where their characters meet (a cricket-eating contest).

Glodell also wrote the screenplay and built the flamethrowers and cars. He also, along with cinematographer Joel Hodge, created custom cameras.

The Medusa's 455 Chevy engine had to be replaced several times during filming. Production delays totaled about 8 months due to engine blowouts.

Wired.com had a nice piece on the car specifics.

Aftertaste: The movie starts out like it might be something strange, but then develops a love story. However, not long after that, it becomes something darker and more disturbing -- mostly because of Woodrow's accident. Obsessive love leads to brain damage.

It was really hard to like any of the characters in this movie (although Milly reminded me a little of Elisha Cuthbert), but it was Woodrow's movie and he was the most interesting.

Glodell definitely takes his character to a different level in the second half. The socially awkward Woodrow obviously has trouble expressing his emotions. Eventually, he takes his obsession with his favorite post-apocalyptic action film and merges it with his love life. In a sense, his breakup has become his apocalypse. The insanity level definitely gets bumped up a few notches.

I love the look of the film. The cinematography is great. There are some cool tilt-shift shots, plus a couple jump cuts to mess with your head a little more.

BELLFLOWER is a serious mind-f*ck of a movie. Not a lot of action (some sex and violence), but totally warped. Self-destruction at its finest. Lord Humungus would approve, I'm sure.

Rating:

Super (2010) - ActionFest Buffet 2.0: Plate #3

On the Menu: SUPER (2010)

Ingredients: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler, Michael Rooker, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, Steve Agee, William Katt and Rob Zombie. Directed by James Gunn. Run time: 96 minutes. Rated: Not rated.

At First Bite: I'm fairly certain the first time I heard about this movie was while watching the DVD commentary of DEFENDOR. With all the buzz about KICK-ASS, DEFENDOR ended up with a limited theater release and basically went straight to DVD. SUPER was also set to come out around the same time, but they played it safe by waiting nearly a year later. All I knew at the time of the commentary was, aside from Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page was in it. She's the reason I made sure SUPER was the first film I made time for at ActionFest.

Tough to Swallow: The opening credits animation went on too long, in my opinion.

Roger Ebert put out his review of SUPER via Twitter the night before I went to see it. Needless to say, he ruined a major moment in the film involving a major character. Really, how hard is it to write "Spoiler Alert!"?

Something to Chew On: Fillion and Rooker also appeared in Gunn's feature film directorial debut, SLITHER.

TROMA'S WAR is seen playing on TV in the film. Gunn got his start working with Troma.

There's a nice Bacon and eggs scene, which is chuckle-inducing.

Aftertaste: It's funny at times, but most of the time it's a depressing kind of funny. You really question whether you should laugh or not. SUPER is, in my opinion, much darker than KICK-ASS. It plays more realistic. The Crimson Bolt is a hero without powers, but he doesn't really have the intellect or resources to counteract that deficiency. He runs on pure recklessness and insanity... and love, I guess.

Wilson does a great job of creating sympathy for Frank, who loses his wife to drugs. But, he also brings the crazy. Page is a comic nerd's dream here; she knows her heroes and is super-excited to become the Crimson Bolt's sidekick, Boltie. Her excitement hedges on instability. She might be crazier than Frank.

Yes, her donning of a superhero costume is quite hot.

 
This movie is not for everyone. If you liked KICK-ASS, then expect to be floored by what you see here, especially toward the end. Seriously.

Rating:

Charlie St. Cloud (2010) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #18

On the Menu: CHARLIE ST. CLOUD (2010)

Ingredients: Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Donal Logue, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta, Dave Franco and Augustus Prew. Directed by Burr Steers. Run time: 99 minutes. Rated: PG-13. 

At First Bite: It's FIELD OF DREAMS (Shoeless Joe included) and THE INVISIBLE, but with a love story.

Tough to Swallow: Pretty sure defibrillation, if done correctly, doesn't leave burns/scars.

Charlie takes the first familial reunion a little too well. There should have been some sort of freak out.

Basinger has about 1 minute and 5 seconds of actual screen time.

The credit for Animal Wrangler is misspelled as Animal Wranger.

Something to Chew On: The film is based on novel entitled "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" by Ben Sherwood.

Efron dropped out of the FOOTLOOSE remake and signed onto this film shortly after.

This is the third feature film directed by Steers. The others were IGBY GOES DOWN and 17 AGAIN (also starring Efron).

Aftertaste: Having never seen HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL or its sequels, my knowledge of Efron's acting ability comes from the aforementioned 17 AGAIN and this film. He definitely shows some range as Charlie and is easily the best thing the movie has going for it.

The love story is mediocre, and a little too much foreshadowing ruins the twist. Can't say I was a big fan of the younger brother either. The movie revolves around Charlie and Sam's brotherly bond, but Sam verges on mildly annoying most of the time. And, why did the mom just up and leave? Weird.

My favorite scene has to be the fight at the bar. Great "punch" line from Charlie.

I'll be interested to see what Efron does next.

Rating:

Peacock (2010) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #13

On the Menu: PEACOCK (2010)

Ingredients: Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, Bill Pullman and Keith Carradine. Directed by Michael Lander. Run time: 90 minutes. Rated: PG-13.

At First Bite: I knew nothing of PEACOCK going in, but knew it had Ellen Page. That's all I really needed to know. But, then I read the back cover of the DVD and found that Murphy was going to be in a Norman Bates-type role. Intriguing, right?

Tough to Swallow: This movie did not receive a theatrical release. 

Something to Chew On: Murphy really did shave off his eyebrows. It took nine weeks for them to grow back.

Aftertaste: What if Norman Bates lived in a town surrounded by people, but his alter-ego was more interested in having a family than killing people? That's PEACOCK in a nutshell.

I would have mentioned in the "Tough to Swallow" section that Murphy in drag looks like Murphy in drag, not really a woman. However, the movie looks to be set in the 1950s or around that time. So, it's easy to assume that people back then don't really think, "Hey, that's John dressed as a woman!" Worse-case scenario they'd think John and Emma are related.

The audience discovers the truth about Emma very early in the film. To me, what makes this movie a thriller is the suspense of when someone is going to figure out that secret. The movie is full of great actors, but, really, this is all Murphy. John and Emma have significantly different personalities. I guess that's another reason the townspeople can't put two and two together. It's crazy how independent Emma is compared to John. I don't think he could have survived had he not created her. But, he was always able to control her because he kept to a strict routine. When the routine is disturbed by the train wreck, Emma takes the spotlight and doesn't want to relinquish it. PEACOCK is a surprisingly good psychological thriller. Had the film gotten a theatrical release, Murphy might have received some accolades for his performance(s). 

Rating: 

Up in the Air (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #12

On the Menu: UP IN THE AIR (2009)

Ingredients: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, Danny McBride, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey and Zach Galifianakis. Directed by Jason Reitman. Run time: 109 minutes. Rated: R. 

At First Bite: In 2008, I was rooting for Jason Reitman to win the Oscar for JUNO, but he lost to the Coens. Two years later, he got nominated again for this one, but had the misfortune of going up against the juggernaut that was THE HURT LOCKER and Kathryn Bigelow. I didn't get to see this before Oscar time last year, so I made sure to watch it before this year's. 

Tough to Swallow: I don't think the family bits fit that well into the movie. 

A lyric for "Time After Time" is incorrect on the karaoke monitor as Natalie sings.

The name of the company Ryan works for is CTC. On his secretary's desk, the plate reads Career Transition Corporation. On the letterhead of a recommendation letter seen later, CTC stands for Career Transition Counseling. 

Something to Chew On: The voices of Coors and Budweiser have a moment together when Ryan reaches 10,000,000 miles.

The movie is based on a novel by Walter Kirn, who has a cameo. During Natalie's introduction, Kirn is sitting to the left of Ryan. 

Most of the people laid off in the film are not actors, but people who had recently lost their jobs.

Emily Blunt and Ellen Page were considered for the role of Natalie, but Reitman wrote the role with Kendrick in mind. 

This film received 6 Oscar nominations. 

Aftertaste: Reitman's only directed three movies. Three! THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, JUNO and UP IN THE AIR. All great. 

I think this movie struck a chord because it came at a time when a lot of America was dealing with a recession and massive layoffs.

Clooney is his charming self as Ryan Bingham, a guy who flies around the world firing people. What a horrible job to have, right? This might be Clooney's best performance since O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

I'm very interested in seeing more of Kendrick. Loved her in this, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD and ROCKET SCIENCE. I will not watch the Twilight movies. Sorry, Miss Kendrick.

So, I enjoyed the acting and dialogue. Well, the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar, too.

The romance and banter between Clooney and Farmiga is very reminiscent of watching a Cary Grant flick. But, the conversations between Clooney and Kendrick are just as fun to watch. The scene with all three might be my favorite part of the movie. That and the appearance of Young MC.

If you watch the DVD with the commentary, Reitman, the DP and the 1st Assistant Director mention how they wanted to mimic Ryan's composure with their shooting style, e.g., hand-held in the second half. They also said they wanted the look to go from "perfect" to real. You definitely pick up on all of it watching a second time. 

Needless to say, this is Reitman's most grounded film (ha), and I am anxiously awaiting his next one. 

Rating:

44 Inch Chest (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #11

On the Menu: 44 INCH CHEST (2009)

Ingredients: Ray Winstone, Tom Wilkinson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Stephen Dillane, Joanne Whalley and Melvil Poupaud. Directed by Malcolm Venville. Run time: 95 minutes. Rated: R. 

At First Bite: All I needed to read on the cover of the DVD was "From the writers of SEXY BEAST." 

Tough to Swallow: My only complaint is that I thought it was going to be more of a shoot-em-up gangster movie. 

Something to Chew On: I didn't count them, but it's been noted that the f-bomb is uttered 162 times in this movie.

Only one camera was used.

Every time I saw Whalley on screen, I could only think of WILLOW (she was Sorsha). 

Aftertaste: 44 INCH CHEST looks more like a stage play since most of it takes place on one set. I mentioned earlier than my one complaint was I assumed it to be in a different genre than it actually turned out to be. However, this crime drama is pretty mind-blowing when it comes to the actor. Seriously, reread the cast list above. Can't you imagine the awesomeness?

I doubt too many people will appreciate this film. There's not a lot of action. It's driven by its cast and explosive dialogue. There are numerous scenes that are ridiculously full of words. How on earth these guys remembered all their lines is beyond me.

Oddly enough, the movie itself is about love. Love makes you do crazy things. Crazy things like murder and forgive.

It's a bit confusing at first, but I really liked when the movie goes into Colin's mind, his breakdown.

In the end, what does it mean to be a man?

I say watch this and find out.

Rating:

 

Big Fan (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #8

On the Menu: BIG FAN (2009)

Ingredients: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Matt Servitto, Gino Cafarelli, Serafina Fiore and Jonathan Hamm. Directed by Robert Siegel. Run time: 87 minutes. Rated: R.

At First Bite: I had heard good things about this when it came out on DVD. Oswalt is one of my favorite comedians, and I've only been disappointed by 3 movies (out of 22) starring Rapaport. Plus, it's about a Giants fan, so there was a possibility of hearing/seeing that the Redskins didn't also suck in movie world.

Tough to Swallow: The scenes at night are really dark and hard to make out at times.

There isn't really a media circus as one would expect following an incident involving a pro athlete.

In the law firm commercial, the name Bauman is pronounced Bo-man by Paul's brother (one of the partners). The client in the commercial pronounces it Bow-man (think wow). There are numerous outtakes of the making of this commercial on the DVD. Also, in the commercial there's an apostrophe in "auto accidents" making it "auto accident's."

When Paul is reading the newspaper article about the investigation stalling, the filmmakers copied and pasted a couple paragraphs to make the article longer.

The final game of the season between the Giants and Eagles is a Monday night game. There are no Monday night games scheduled in the final week.

Paul's last name, Aufiero, is pronounced Aw-fee-arrow. Phil pronounces it as Ah-four-ee-oh and Ah-far-ee-oh.

Paul introduces himself to Phil as Mark. But, Phil calls him Paul in the restroom.

Sal shows Paul the schedule for the upcoming season, but it is a 15-week schedule with 14 games instead of a 17-week schedule with 16 games. Plus, the Giants wouldn't play the Dolphins, Patriots and Chargers in the same regular season. The Chargers are an AFC West team; the others are in the East. The 17-week schedule should include the Bills and Jets as matchups, not the Chargers.

Another thing wrong with that schedule is it lists December 9th and 20th both as Sundays.

Alas, no Redskins highlights or mentions. They are obviously behind both Philly and New York in the division race though.

Something to Chew On: Siegel directed and wrote the screenplay. He also has a cameo as a NY Newsday reporter.

It's funny that Paul chides his brother for eliminating contractions from his speech in order to sound smarter, but if you read any of Paul's notes, he crosses out contractions and writes out the phrase.

Pay attention to what kind of cake Paul's 7-year-old nephew is presented with on his birthday. Hilarious.

The 30-minute Q&A with Siegel and Oswalt on the DVD is well worth the watch.

Aftertaste: I didn't expect Oswalt to pull off this character, but he definitely reminded me of De Niro's delusional Rupert Pupkin in THE KING OF COMEDY. Paul is no Gil Renard though, that's for sure. He's not a smart man either.

Paul is obsessive, sure, but it's his loyalty that is his downfall. One could liken his situation to that of a domestic abuse victim. He is the one victimized, yet makes excuses to maintain the relationship.

BIG FAN is a dark comedy, and might be difficult to watch for some if only because Paul isn't really a likable character and you feel sorry for him. His buddy, Sal (Corrigan), might be the "brightest" part of the film, and that's saying something. The funniest scenes, to me, are the root beer and internet scenes (with Sal and Paul).

I like the writing. I mean, Siegel went from THE WRESTLER to this. He creates a dumbed-down football fanatic to perfection. And, that's what is also so great about Oswalt's performance. He's so much smarter than the character, and doesn't follow sports. He's a comic book nerd.

It's impressive.

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The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #7

On the Menu: THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (2009)
Ingredients: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Arliss Howard and Stephen Tobolowsky. Directed by Robert Schwentke. Run time: 107 minutes. Rated: PG-13.

At First Bite: I'm a sucker for time travel and Rachel McAdams. Sue me.

Tough to Swallow: Henry has no control over when he travels yet tells Clare (in their first meeting) he'll be back Tuesday at 4 o'clock. Later, we're shown the scene of him sneaking a peek at Clare's diary where he explains he's trying to memorize the dates. Seems backwards to me.

In Clare's diary, the calendar for February 1984 shows 30 days.

On the train, Henry's mom is reading the Chicago Tribune, but page 3 is The Washington Post.

In the scene following the breaking plate, Henry runs across the street. There's a Canadian flag flying in front of the building. The movie is supposed to be set in Chicago.

During an argument in Clare's workshop, whatever she is working on continuously flips over between shots.

Time travel in this story is slightly different than we're used to: Henry can't change past events. Okay, but how is cheating at contests because of knowing the future results exempt from this rule? Or with past-Henry's sexcapade the night after the big argument? Sure, that's changing the present/future, but it's still meddling.

It's odd that more Henrys don't show up in the meadow at one time. I mean, Henry explains that his traveling destinations are caused by a "gravity" -- he's drawn to important places/events. So, wouldn't it be plausible and highly likely to see a big Henry party? Sometimes we see two at a time, but most often the case is one Henry leaves and is replaced by a future- or past-Henry (as if there can be only one Henry per instance).

Also, given what we know she knows, I wonder what Alba thinks of her maternal grandfather.

Something to Chew On: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston bought the rights to the novel before it was published.

Author Audrey Niffenegger wanted Adrien Brody for the lead. Eva Green wanted the role of Clare.

Pretty sure you get a nice glimpse of McAdams's backside. I thought maybe it was a body double, but couldn't see a break in continuity from when she gets out of bed.

A clip from the 1939 movie DARK VICTORY (featuring Bette Davis and Ronald Reagan) is playing on TV when Henry comes back from telling little Clare he's married.

There's a nice bit of foreshadowing in the scene where Henry meets Clare's dad. Note: Check out the mirror in every shot, and her dad's next-to-last line of dialogue.

One of the dates in Clare's diary is May 14, 1986 (my sixth birthday).

Aftertaste: Maybe, in order to really appreciate this movie, you have to forget everything you know about how time travel works in other films, books, etc. Yes, it was really hard for me to do. I imagine it would be like forgetting about all you know about vampire and werewolf lore in order to appreciate the TWILIGHT movies.

It's a love story, first and foremost. Time travel is just an obstacle to overcome.

Seriously, your brain will explode trying to make sense of the ending.

From what I've read about the novel's ending, it's very Nicholas Sparks-y, but I like it more than the movie's.

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Oceans (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #3

On the Menu: OCEANS (2009)

Ingredients: Narrated by Pierce Brosnan. Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud. Run time: 84 minutes. Rated: G.

At First Bite: Disneynature was also responsible for EARTH, which was pretty decent (3.5 stars), so I figured this would be just as good.

Tough to Swallow: The narration drops out for minutes at a time in some places. I prefer more of a storytelling narration when it comes to documentaries of this sort.

A handful of shots look as though they include CGI (excluding scenes in space), but they don't. It's really weird.

The relaxing music and sparse narration made me nod off a couple of times.

Other than Disney being involved, I see no reason why a Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato song has to be played over the end credits. Sure, it's called "Make a Wave," but come on.

Something to Chew On: The DVD includes the music video for "Make a Wave."

Pierce Brosnan also narrates the 2003 documentary DEEP BLUE, which is also about ocean life.

Aftertaste: OCEANS is beautiful to watch. I believe Perrin says in the DVD special features he wanted the film to be visually impressive, and hoped the beauty would spark interest in learning more about the oceans and wanting to save them.

I guess if I watched the Discovery Channel or NatGeo more often I'd see specials on the animals I found most interesting: cuttlefish, Spanish Dancers and stonefish.

Just as good as EARTH, but not as good as HOME (not made by Disneynature).

Don't watch it at night or close to bedtime because you will fall asleep.

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