DVD Update Reviews (09/06/2009)

Well another week has gone by, and more and more "old timey" movies have blessed my eyes. Some of them were great, some were OK, and some were just plain yucky! So without further ado, here are more of my DVD update reviews. Keep in mind, I had not seen ANY of these movies before, that's why I review them on here.

American Beauty (Rated R, 2 hour 2 minutes): It's funny that I had never seen this movie until this week, because this is the type of film that's right up my alley. I love a good drama and especially one about crazy or dysfunctional families. This really is a brilliant movie, I think it did definitely deserve its win for Best Picture in 2000. It's a very well written script and masterfully directed. Beautiful cinematography. SUPER great performances from Kevin Spacey (who won the Oscar for this movie) and Annette Benning (who was nominated for her performance). Sam Mendes must like this genre, because he did almost the same thing in 2008 with Revolutionary Road with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That movie is not as quirky as this one, but it's the same concept. Both really great movies! My Grade: A

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Ferris Buellers Day Off (Rated PG-13, 1 hour 43 minutes): Katie and Julie have gotten me to watch another 80's classic that I had never seen. I did like this movie, it was funny and simple. I can see why it's considered a classic, but to me it's slightly overrated. I don't think it's as good as everyone makes it out to be, but don't get me wrong, it's still an entertaining, fun, and good flick. I liked it, and I'm glad I watched it. I think the fact that I didn't see this at a younger age tarnished my thoughts of it just a little. Matthew Broderick was great, even though he was a 24 year old playing a high school student. Alan Ruck was 29 playing a high school student!! That was common in 80's movie though. So I've finally seen it, and I liked it for the most part...just wasn't AS good as I was expecting. My Grade: B+

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Red Mist (AKA "Freakdog", Rated R, 1 hour 22 minutes): This movie is available to watch instantly on Netflix. There's one huge problem with the movie right off the bat: the sound does not match the mouths moving. It was like an old kung fu movie. That really gave this movie some bad marks for me right away. Other than that...it wasn't really a good movie. It had a bunch of random unknown actors who couldn't act to save their lives (yeah yeah, I know I should try acting right?? Well guess what, I'm NOT a paid actor, but THEY are...). It has a silly and unoriginal plot (it kind reminds me of Final Destination in a weird way as well as I Know What You Did Last Summer). It was an all around cornball movie and it wasn't scary in the least (to me...doesn't mean it won't scare others). I don't even know why it's called Red Mist...My Grade: D

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The Sasquatch Gang (Rated PG-13, 1 hour 26 minutes): This is essentially the same type of movie as Napolean Dynamite, it even has some of the same cast. It's one of those random indy comedies that doesn't have much to do and isn't about much of anything. The characters are totally off the wall weird (there is even a character who has that weird gay lisp like Kip from Napolean). But I actually found this movie to be quite amusing. I enjoy this kind of humor. There were a lot of Hilarious moments and some great lines. Justin Long (Accepted, Drag Me To Hell) was definitely the best here. His character was so strange! This movie is ridiculous, but it's a fun kind of ridiculous. I liked it, didn't love it, wouldn't buy it, but I liked it for the purpose of a one viewing experience. My Grade: B-

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Shiver (AKA "Eskalofrio", Rated R, 1 hour 31 minutes): This is a Spanish language film from a year or so ago. This movie is also available to watch instantly on Netflix. I've come to the conclusion that America does not make movies as good as other countries. I always find myself more engaged in a foreign language film because they're usually so original or at least make an unoriginal idea unique. This is a very interesting horror flick. Some may find the protagonist of the film a bit cheesy, but I thought it was different. It had some good creepy moments. The movie was shot beautifully and sounded awesome! Good performances too! This is "monster"-esque film, and it's one of the better ones that I've seen in quite some time. It wasn't silly or stupid as much as it could have easily been. I would definitely recommend this movie to any fan of horror...as long as you don't mind reading subtitles. My Grade: A-

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The Watcher in the Woods (Rated PG, 1 hour 24 minutes): My buddy Matt got this movie from the public library...so we watched it...for fun. You know...I think I am all 80's-d out! There's only so much synth music one can take in a months time!! This is one of those random attempts at a horror movie from 1980. To make it even better: it's a Walt Disney Presents film! This isn't exactly your typical Disney movie though. It attempted to be scary...and it failed. This movie is so dumb! I think it also has one of the worst actresses of all time...and she did not do much after this movie thankfully. Even billion time Oscar nominee Bette Davis was in this movie and she was awful!! This whole movie was atrocious. The ending was ridiculous and so pieced together very badly. That being said...it was a fun movie to watch. I was entertained by how bad it was. That's why I won't give this movie an F grade. I appreciate when a bad film can at least provide some enjoyment at it's expense. No I don't recommend you watch this movie alone for any artistic value...but watch it with some movie buddy films who will appreciate how bad this is, and find entertainment from that! My Grade: D

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Well that's all for this week folks! Again these are all on DVD for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy! See ya next week!