Ed's Review Dot Com

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday September 20, 2011

• Today’s Special
• Bride Flight (Dutch)
• Bridesmaids[Click here for Edsreview]

Last Picture Company, The, CatchPlay, Corner Store Entertainment

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Devin Brochu, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch, Audrey Wasilewski, Frank Collison, Paul Bates

T.J. (Devin Brochu) is a young boy, living with his grandmother and his father who is devastated by the death of T.J.’s mom a few months before. The family is struggling when suddenly T.J. makes friends with Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is a strange, strange person. Hesher is rudely crude, and has no sense of right and wrong and says the most inappropriate things all the time, but has a wise side. Often his stories are crude and lewd but pack a great message. T.J.’s relationship with Hesher is really strained as he looks up to him and needs help, but Hesher gets him in so much trouble, especially when T.J. develops a crush on grocery check out girl Nicole (Natalie Portman).

This film starts out as a crazy screwed up comedy, and you think it’s too silly to be worth anything, but as you stick with it, the thing really grows on you. Hesher is such an ass. He lived in his van, and loves to blow up stuff, and suddenly moved into T.J.’s house and annoyed everyone, but nobody threw him out or called the cops. But Hesher is much deeper than that, and has some redeeming qualities, and has a pretty good message if you can get past the vulgar antics and inappropriate outbursts. Rainn Wilson is T.J.’s dad, and plays the deeply depressed Dad pretty perfectly. Many days he never gets up, and he does nothing most of the time. Between the three of them, Hesher, T.j. and Nicole, they try to bring the family back together again, in some very strange ways.

It’s amazing the wisdom that comes out of Hesher’s mouth in the most disgusting ways! The humor is good, but there’s a great look into depression, loss, and pain that can’t be overlooked as it’s a main part of the story. It was a horrible thing that this family went through, and it’s going to take a lot to get them back together again, and certainly Hesher may not be the right man for the job. It’s a very bizarre film, but the sucker really grows on you, and if you don’t get disgusted and turn it off in the first 15 minutes, you will have a lot to take in and think about. Not a bad independent film.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

This Is That Productions, Ambush Entertainment, Crimson Bolt

Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, Sean Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion

Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson) loses his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) to a drug kingpin Jacques (Kevin Bacon). While in the throes of depression at the loss of his wife, he thinks he hears the voice of God who tells him to don a costume and turn into The Crimson Bolt! Frank has a desire to set the world right, and takes his bumbling superhero character to heart, but his weapon of choice is a pipe wrench. In the beginning this is just silly, but he actually wields a pretty mean pipe wrench. Soon he meets Libby (Ellen Page) who is a clerk in a comic book store but who figures out that Frank is The Crimson Bolt. Tagging along after him, and taking upon herself the title “Boltie” she becomes his sidekick much to Frank’s chagrin. What follows is a raucous, yet heart felt romp through the realms of crime and punishment.

This is another regular man, loser, wanna be superhero. This genre has been done before. But Rainn Wilson in his most cynical “Dwight Schroot” mood, and is really funny while he’s being introspective. This guy plays sarcasm like a Stradivarius! Ellen Page is also good as the wanna be sidekick, and she’s got her sarcastic self going as well. This is not totally original, but still is a pretty funny film, and they do some serious introspection that makes the whole thing worthwhile. I enjoyed it. If you are bored with the depressed loser guy trying his hand at super hero-dom, then stay away, but if you can handle another one, this one, I think, put last year’s “Kick-ass” to shame. Rainn and Ellen did an excellent job together.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros. Pictures, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, Sanaa Lathan

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an executive on a business trip to Hong Kong. Coming home, she feels a bit under the weather, but within a day she is dead along with her young son who also caught the bug and died. Meanwhile, people from all around the world are getting sick, and it appears to be an epidemic. The World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control have their top people on it, trying to figure out what it is and where it started, but it looks like a pandemic is inevitable which could wipe out a quarter of the planet.

This exciting thrill ride of a movie has some great stars in it. From Paltrow, to Laurence Fishburn, to Matt Damon, to Kate Winslett. Even the rest of the cast it pretty good. It’s fast paced and they give us the medical jargon in a way not to lose the layman. We get to learn a lot about how it works, and how quickly the Homeland Security guys can figure it must be a terrorist attack. Very suspenseful, this deals with the aftermath of such a panic, from fires and quarantines, to looting and rioting. Part science and medicine, and part action and adventure, it’s a wild ride from start to finish.

I saw this film on IMAX and it was nice to see it bright and clear with a wonderful sound system on a huge screen. IMAX was not wasted on this film, although it’s certainly not critical to enjoying it. This will be just as good on DVD later, as it’s a good strong story. Yes, it’s been done before, but it’s a fresh approach to telling the story, with a little surprise at the end, just before the credits to make it worth waiting for. It was lots of bang for the buck, and not a bad, “end of the summer” film. It’s good it didn’t have to compete with the huge blockbusters this summer, because it would have been lost. But now, with not so very much to choose from, it’s a good escape from the real world. Or could this be our future after all? Time will tell.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

After Dark Films, Dobre Films, Midsummer Films

Courtney Hope, Bruce Payne, Ruta Gedmintas, Joshua Bowman, Jamie Blackley, George Oliver, Perdita Weeks, Saxon Trainor

Amber (Courtney Hope) lives in a small midwestern town. She has plans to head to Chicago to live, but has to get there immediately in order to put down the deposit on her apartment or it will be given to someone else. The problem is, she has no way to get there. It seems everyone with a car is busy. After finally getting a ride with a couple friends, the car breaks down, and the hitch a ride on a passing semi. But the drive won’t let them get off, and they’re carrying a cargo of blood and trapped in the back. When they arrive in an abandoned slaughter house, all hell breaks loose, and the creatures that have them captive are going to take them apart one by one.

This is one of the newest in the HorrorFest (8 Films to Die For) series, and another pretty decent one. These guys have gotten pretty clever in finding directors willing to cut their teeth on low budget horror films. This one has some twists and turns, and some you wouldn’t even know about unless you listen to the commentary by the writer and actors. This is a bizarre story that isn’t what you are expecting. We know something isn’t exactly right with Amber, but we have no idea what’s really going on. This is one of those thriller horror films that keeps us wondering just what is out there. Amber is a strong woman though, and if anyone can survive this horror she can. But she up against unbelievable odds.

Lots of suspense, frightening jumps and scares, and it’s fairly gory, although not all blood and guts. Actually it’s a well thought out story, and half way decent in this category. Some of the HorrorFest films in previous years were clunkers, but this year they have been really good. (See review of Husk a few days ago). I think this is a pretty good low budget horror film and well worth the effort to track it down.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog