Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday April 15, 2014
Sense and Sensibility Ventures, Silver Nitrate,
Ross Nathan, Sam Pancake, Ben Begley, Herbert Russell, John Livingston, Rita Volk, Jonathan Silverman, Tara Reid, Robert Wagner, Hank Baskett, Bruce Jenner, Jamie Kennedy
Three friends are in a cheap motel celebrating the bachelor party of their friend when they discover they’ve been kidnapped and taken to a remote area to participate in the annual Hungover Games. Fighting against the other teams which represent different pop culture icons, the friends must kill or be killed in this mash-up of, obviously, “The Hunger Games” and “The Hangover”.
For those of you who know me, I’m a sucker for these parody movies of other famous movies. I’ve mentioned it before, but my two favorite magazine subscriptions were Mad, and National Lampoon. I sat through all the Scary Movie movies, and saw all the Leslie Neilsen and Charlie Sheen movies I could get my hands on. This one was really funny. Focusing primarily on the two movies mashed in the title, they still brought in lots and lots of pop culture bits, mostly from the teams that they’re fighting against. They’re all here, including some like the Puppets (led by Ted), The Real Housewives of Disrict 8, The Johnny Depps, and the Horror Movie Icons, and so on. The humor is naughty, of course, and the jokes are one after another after another. They manage to take a shot at everyone all the way through. It’s very cleverly done with some great touches. For example, all the guys from the bachelor party’s character names are the real names of the real actors of the Hangover. They also kinda look like them, so it makes it even funnier. I really rolled watching this film, and I thought it was really funny. If you enjoy these parody movies, this is one of the best I’ve seen. I just can’t get enough of these it seems.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Intrepid Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, WWE Studios,
Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, Garrett Ryan, James Lafferty, Miguel Sandoval
Kaylee (Karen Gillan) and Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) are orphaned brother and sister. They suffered a supernatural family horror 11 years ago and Tim has been locked up in a mental hospital getting treatment for his blocked memories and horrible dreams. Kaylee has been patiently waiting for Tim to be released to complete a promise that they made 11 years ago to destroy a mirror which Kaylee has been studying for all these years that seems to have a long, long history of death, torture, and suffering. Kaylee has acquired the mirror and they setup a wide range of precautions so that they can spend the weekend in the house with this mirror and destroy it once and for all.
When my wife and I saw this film on opening night, the theater was packed. There has not been a really good horror film in a while, and every seat was full. There were people sitting in the side aisles and on the stairs and landings all over the place, much to the disgrace of AMC who allowed this. There were dozens and dozens of people coming in even after the previews were over and the movie had started. They kept coming in, walking up both sides all the way to the back past the people that were sitting on the steps and then walking back down to look in the front section which was also packed and then plopping down on the floor on the sides and in front of the first row. With a start time of once every hour, they could have moved the people to the next showing, but of course they probably wanted to oversell them as well. These aisle sitters also left their drinks and half eaten popcorn in the aisles which created a rather scary exit for everyone. But the big theaters were taken up by Rio 2 and Captain America which seem to be creating all the buzz this weekend. I think Oculus was pretty popular as well although nobody seems to be wanting to talk about it at this point.
I’ll talk about it. I am a sucker for horror films. I typically really enjoy these when they’re well made. Unfortunately a lot of them lately resort to shaky handheld cameras, vomit inducing camera motion, and stupid “found footage” fake stories. This is a classic horror film that can be summed up in a single word, “dread”. It is a dread filling movie. Throughout you are guessing what is about to happen, and you know it is going to be BAD. The only partially negative part of this film is the fact that when it’s over, you will still know something bad just happened, but you won’t have any idea what it was. Sometimes this is a brilliant way to tell a story, and I suppose that really adds to the terror this film produces. It is constantly jumping back and forth from past to present, and since the kids are in the same house their parents died in, it is easy to cut back and forth, even in the same scene. You will never be sure which are memories of what they remember, back story for the benefit of the audience, or actual crazy people who think they’re reliving the past. You’ll never know who is insane and who is normal, and what is supernatural, what is imagined, and what is simply insanity. The premise is so simple. What we know is that there is definitely something wrong with that mirror. But how much is the mirror, and how much is fear of the mirror is hard to tell, and when it’s over, you just have to figure out for yourself what you think you saw. This is an excellent filmed horror film and the soundtrack add a wonderful bit of fear inducing panic as well. The actors, both the adult Kaylee and Tim, and the young versions of the pair are also excellent. They equally tell the story and do a fantastic job of bringing us in. Although there are certainly many jump out of your seat moments, there is a classic horror feel to this movie as well. It builds suspense bit by bit, piece by piece until you just have to look away. You will be amazed at how wonderful it is to have a horror movie filmed with professional camera equipment instead of a shaky handheld camera phone movie. What a relief. But the intense dread and fear will build to a peak. If you’re a fan of real horror movies, this is one like the old ones used to be, and the makers of this film should be very proud. If you are not afraid of scary movies, then go see this one in the theater. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Voltage Pictures, Truth Entertainment (II),
Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn, Griffin Dunne, Michael O’Neill, Dallas Roberts, Kevin Rankin
Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConnaughey) is a hard living, heavy drinking, drug using part time electrician and part time rodeo clown. He lives life hard and fast. He’s very homophobic and when his doctor tells him he is suffering from aids and has only 6 months to live, he gets really mad. I should say this is in 1987 and aids was pretty much a death sentence in those days. While in the hospital with a very unusual roommate Rayon (Jared Leto) Ron accepts the fact that he is really very sick, and starts researching the disease. When he finds out that AZT is being used to treat the disease, but AZT is illegal in the US, Ron sets out to get the medicine for himself and Rayon at any price, even if it means becoming an outlaw. This film is based on a true story.
This film garnered lots and lots of awards this season. Many people think this is Matthew McConnaughey’s best work ever. I was not highly impressed with this film. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t really enjoy the characters. That’s not really anybody’s fault, I suppose, because of the fact that it’s a true story. When you’re playing a real person, I guess you have to play that person. But I don’t think any of the people in this film are people I would really care much about. It was interesting that Matthew McConnaughy lost a TON of weight to look like a raggedy aids patient. That was pure dedication, and I hope there are no long term effects from that. But I just didn’t get invested in the story that much. I appreciated what he went through and what he did, but he was a rather shady guy to begin with, and you can’t help but have the feeling that he kind of deserved what he got after all. There was probably a little extra embellishment to, or poetic license, if you will. I suspect it wasn’t as exciting as the story made it appear, but I suppose that is to be expected too. All in all, I found it a little flat and was just not blown away with the story or the acting, and I just didn’t care for the characters. This is not a pleasant story, so don’t pick this if you’re expecting an uplifting and heart-warming story. It’s certainly not that. In fact, when it was over I didn’t really care much about it, and just sort of shrugged and though, “Gee, that wasn’t worth the effort.” At least it was a rental.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Quat’sous Films, Wild Bunch, France 2 Cinéma
Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky, Jérémie Laheurte, Anne Loiret, Benoît Pilot, Sandor Funtek, Fanny Maurin
Adele (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a 15 year old girl who is determined to fall in love. But her experiences with boys just leaves her wondering what it’s all about. On a trip downtown, she spots Emma (Léa Seydoux) a girl with blue hair that really piques her interest. Unable to understand what it’s all about, she eventually finds Emma and the two learn together about social issues, growing up, love, and loss.
This is a French film that was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and is a very touching story. Brutally honest, it’s often very painful to watch, but at the same time, it’s one of those movies that stay with you long after it’s over. It’s very touching, and the pain is really real. The story is very well done, and the actors are really excellent. There is a scene early in the film before Adele gets to know Emma with one of Adele’s best friends that is really awkward, but stunningly real. Be aware that this is a French film, and the NC-17 rating on the film is there for a reason. This film is very graphic in an intimate way, and uncomfortable watch, as it’s so real. You feel a lot like you’re eavesdropping on this poor girls efforts to become an adult, and it feels pretty creepy sometimes. Her heartaches will hit you full force, and so will the happiness and joy. Basically this is review of many emotions that will keep you thinking about it long after it’s over. It’s a foreign film, so it’s in French with English subtitles, but if you like realistic and highly emotionally charged stories, then this is a pretty good one.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
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