DVD Update Reviews (08/23/2009)

So I've watched a few random movies recently via Netflix and I thought I'd give them a little bit of attention on my blog! I'll just give you a sum up of what I thought of them. Some are old movies, some are more recent.

Word Wars (Rated NR, 1 hour 20 minutes): This is a documentary about the world of Scrabble tournaments. It follows four of the "elite" scrabble players in their quest to win a $25,000 prize at a tourney in San Diego. This was actually a really interesting look into this world I never really knew existed. Hundreds of people take this very seriously, and are incredibly good at the game. I learned so many words that I can use on my next go at the game! I learned there are a handful of "Q" words without a "U" in them. Anyway, this movie also had a slight charm to it, and had some really likable people featured. Fun movie, interesting movie. My Grade: B-

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For the Bible Tells Me So (Rated NR, 1 hour 35 minutes): This is another documentary about homosexuality within Christianity. It follows a few Christian families (some of them pastors and church leaders) who learn they have homosexual children and how they deal with this. First they hate their children then grow to understand that maybe homosexuality is not a choice. The bible never says homosexuality is a choice, only that it is a "sin". This is a pro-gay movie, but also a pro-Christian movie. I happen to fall in both categories, so this movie meant a lot to me. I found it to be eye opening, as a gay Christian. It changed my perception of some Christians who I naturally assumed would look down on me for being gay. This film has a LOT of good points and I think any Christian, gay or straight, should check this movie out...you might learn a thing or two. My Grade: A-

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Rated R, 1 hour 33 minutes): Yeah, yeah, yeah I know what your going to say: "Mike, you, a film buff, have not seen this classic movie??". Well no I had not seen it up until just a few days ago, so sue me! I have this weird thing against 80's movies. However, after it was all said and done, I really did enjoy this film. I thought it was a super well done "buddy" comedy, probably one of the better ones I've seen. It was very simple, and it started really quick. I thought it was sweet, and had moments of some great and classic comedy. I loved the scene of Steve Martin dropping like...15 "F bombs" in one speech. That was great! I regret not seeing this movie sooner, it was very enjoyable! My Grade: A-

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[*REC] (Rated R, 1 hour 20 minutes): This was the 2007 Spanish language film that inspired the 2008 horror movie, Quarantine. There is virtually no difference in storyline between both films. On that note, they are essentially identical minus one or two small tidbits. However, I have to say that this original version was much, much creepier. I don't know how it was able to do that to me seeing as how the American version didn't scare me that much. I think this film was better at pacing the story and the action therefore adding a lot of tension that the remake did not have. I liked Quarantine, and I was surprised that I did. But I liked this one just a smidgen more just because it was slightly more intense and scary. It is by no means a perfect movie, neither is Quarantine. But they are both entertaining and kind of different. My Grade: B-

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Them (Ils) (Rated R, 1 hour 17 minutes): This is a French film from 2006. I actually just got finished watching this movie on Netflix instant que. This is a film much like 2008's The Strangers but a whole hell of a lot better, and I liked The Strangers! This movie came out before, but Strangers is not a remake (at least it never was labeled as one). Both films claim to be based off a true story (both are not however). This one follows a couple somewhere in Romania and they are enjoying a quiet evening in their huge, isolated and creepy house in the middle of the woods. Their night is soon ruined by strange noises and someone or something has entered their home and begins to mentally torture them. It becomes this extremely intense cat and mouse game that really unnerved me as I watched it. This is one freaky, unsettling movie. There is almost no music playing during the scenes of people sneaking around and all we here are ambient sounds and man is it tense as I'll get out!! There isn't to much of a story, but this doesn't need one. Good, believable performances and these characters weren't dumb for the most part. I won't say how it ends, but I have to say that the reveal of the "stalkers" is quite disturbing. My Grade: A

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This Film is Not Yet Rated (Originally NC-17 but is now NR, 1 hour 37 minutes): This is another documentary about the corruptions and secrecy of the MPAA film rating system. It follows one man's quest to figure out exactly what the deal is with the MPAA and why they rate movies the way they do. It has interviews of film critics and film makers who are blown away by some of the choices the MPAA made about certain films. You really learn a lot about how and why film's get rated the way they do. They talk a lot about films that were rated NC-17 and should have been R. You also learn that the MPAA is the second most secret organization in the country next to...THE CIA!!! Up until 2007 (after this film's release) the members of the MPAA were top secret and only two people in the world knew who they were (the members consist of mainly American parents). These people get paid over $30,000 a year to watch movies and make odd decisions on how to rate them. The movie chronicles a private investigation that is trying to figure out who these people are. This is one of the most interesting and unique documentaries I've seen. I loved it, and thought it was so fascinating! I am a fan of film after all. I would suggest checking this movie out on Netflix. My Rating: A

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And that's it for now! Stay tuned for more in the near future! By the way, all of these films are now available on DVD!