Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand star together in the new "comedy," The Guilt Trip. The word "comedy" is being used here only by intended definition.
It has certainly been a long time since Streisand has been on the screen in a starring role. Here she plays an overprotective ethnic mother, Joyce of her only son Andy (Rogen) who is now about 35 years old. Andy is a highly educated inventor who has invented a new organic household cleaner. He is trying to pitch it to large companies for distribution with no luck at all. Andy is sort of awkward, and not overly skilled at the spoken art. Joyce, does not have that problem.
So Andy is going on a coast-to coast driving trip with meetings and pitches along the way, and for reasons that are so ridiculous, he decides to take his non-stop talking mother with him. And so they strike out on this adventure in a compact car, and they start talking. And talking, and talking and talking....my gosh make this stop!!!!
This is essentially a two person movie with Rogen and Streisand and you get so sick of listening to these two yammer on about nothing for a thousand miles or so. These two have no real chemistry, but not all of this is not their fault. The writing on this picture is putrid. And if they let these two improvise much of this, that too was a bad decision. Much of this is really hard to sit through and walking out might cross your mind. This is really not funny, and there is no pace to speak of. Just constant bickering between these two clowns, and even though it may speak to some in it's authenticity, this is really irritating after about 15 minutes.
Then The Guilt Trip tries to grow a heart in the last 10 minutes or so, and actually does. The final few scenes are easily the movies best. But it is way too late, and you are too fatigued to really care about anything that happens to these two at the end. There is just far too much of these two. Observation - a packed theater laughed out loud - once.
Rogen can do good work, and at times I like him. He does have a certain style that in the right role is pretty entertaining. I like him far more as side dish as opposed to main course. Streisand is who she is. She is possibly the greatest pure singer of our time, and has been for a generation or two. She has been great in many movies, but not here. She is so grating, that all you do is wish she would just shut up, and maybe break into a song, so we could here that magical voice sing, and not speak another single word. You actually find yourself wishing you could hear the gentle, soothing voice Fran Drescher made while starring on The Nanny.
Oh, there's a laugh or two, but that's it. This just lays there, and finds your spinal column, grabs it with both hands and twists - hard. This is two hours of your life that will come and go, and you can never get back.
The Guilt Trip. Annoying and flat - would be kind.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
LOCAL GOLF - Belly Butter Ban? - Yay or Nay?
With all of us being golfers, we have heard about the proposed new rule change taking place in 2016. The change to the "Belly Putter." I took some time to think it over.
Golf's leading governing powers actually didn't go all out and "ban" the club. Just the way that that club, like any other club can be swung. The rule is that no club can be anchored to your body when you swing it. It steadies the club, and gives it a "pivot point" per say, thus making that particular swing easier. Look at it anyway you want, pro or con. That's the reality of the anchoring of the club. It makes it easier. Many of the pro's wouldn't do it if it wasn't.
Since about 47 percent of our strokes are on the green, this is a significant amount of the game. Perspective - golf has been around for 600 years. Many equipment improvements have been made, courses are better and longer, and greens smoother and faster. But none of that makes the game easier. In fact, just the opposite. Not that golf is ever easy. But an anchored club is simply that. Steadied, when the nerves and skill level may not be so much.
Better equipment has made the game more mass appeal. Drivers made out of space age materials are longer, and supposedly straighter. But there's still plenty of hacks out there with 500 dollar drivers and 1,000 dollar irons. Most of them are just hitting the ball deeper and faster into the woods or water. Because in the end, it's the swing that matters. Holding the club out at bay, in your hands and doing all that is required to make good shots is harder than you might think.
Golf and baseball are probably as tough as any game there is to play well. Both require the most skill overall. Taking nothing away from basketball or football. But in those sports, it is possible to "out-athlete" people, and overpower the opposition. In baseball, amazing hand-eye coordination is key to hit or catch a 100 mph ball. In golf the opposition is the course and of course yourself trying to get the lowest score you can with the allure being that this is an incredibly difficult game. Make it easier, and you remove some of the allure.
They've tried hard to make baseball easier at the professional level for decades to please the fans. Lowered the mound, added too many teams and watered the talent pool. Invented the designated hitter so pitchers don't have to bat. Made new stadiums band-box style where home runs fly out at breakneck pace. Plus, the umpires no longer call high strikes. And it hasn't made the game better, just longer.
This change to the belly putter basically will only affect the various professional tours at this point. Weekend hacks like us for the most part will still be able to do what they want if they wish. Only they can make that individual choice. But the best players on earth, playing the hardest game on earth should have to play it without violating one of its basic premises. PGA pro's should play it all the way out, the hard way. In fact, the courses they play by and large should be set up even tougher for them. Golf's intention is to challenge par, and for par to challenge you. At tour events, professional players shouldn't be shooting 20 or 25 under par. That's too easy, but they get their feelings and egos hurt to quickly playing par golf. As will many pros about this belly putter business.
Golf is hard. Plenty hard. Subliminally that's the reason most of us love to play it. It's the hard, that makes it the great game that it is.
Golf's leading governing powers actually didn't go all out and "ban" the club. Just the way that that club, like any other club can be swung. The rule is that no club can be anchored to your body when you swing it. It steadies the club, and gives it a "pivot point" per say, thus making that particular swing easier. Look at it anyway you want, pro or con. That's the reality of the anchoring of the club. It makes it easier. Many of the pro's wouldn't do it if it wasn't.
Since about 47 percent of our strokes are on the green, this is a significant amount of the game. Perspective - golf has been around for 600 years. Many equipment improvements have been made, courses are better and longer, and greens smoother and faster. But none of that makes the game easier. In fact, just the opposite. Not that golf is ever easy. But an anchored club is simply that. Steadied, when the nerves and skill level may not be so much.
Better equipment has made the game more mass appeal. Drivers made out of space age materials are longer, and supposedly straighter. But there's still plenty of hacks out there with 500 dollar drivers and 1,000 dollar irons. Most of them are just hitting the ball deeper and faster into the woods or water. Because in the end, it's the swing that matters. Holding the club out at bay, in your hands and doing all that is required to make good shots is harder than you might think.
Golf and baseball are probably as tough as any game there is to play well. Both require the most skill overall. Taking nothing away from basketball or football. But in those sports, it is possible to "out-athlete" people, and overpower the opposition. In baseball, amazing hand-eye coordination is key to hit or catch a 100 mph ball. In golf the opposition is the course and of course yourself trying to get the lowest score you can with the allure being that this is an incredibly difficult game. Make it easier, and you remove some of the allure.
They've tried hard to make baseball easier at the professional level for decades to please the fans. Lowered the mound, added too many teams and watered the talent pool. Invented the designated hitter so pitchers don't have to bat. Made new stadiums band-box style where home runs fly out at breakneck pace. Plus, the umpires no longer call high strikes. And it hasn't made the game better, just longer.
This change to the belly putter basically will only affect the various professional tours at this point. Weekend hacks like us for the most part will still be able to do what they want if they wish. Only they can make that individual choice. But the best players on earth, playing the hardest game on earth should have to play it without violating one of its basic premises. PGA pro's should play it all the way out, the hard way. In fact, the courses they play by and large should be set up even tougher for them. Golf's intention is to challenge par, and for par to challenge you. At tour events, professional players shouldn't be shooting 20 or 25 under par. That's too easy, but they get their feelings and egos hurt to quickly playing par golf. As will many pros about this belly putter business.
Golf is hard. Plenty hard. Subliminally that's the reason most of us love to play it. It's the hard, that makes it the great game that it is.
MOVIE REVIEW - Hitchcock
In limited release is the new Anthony Hopkins flick, Hitchcock. It as it would be, this is a story about film making great Alfred Hitchcock at the time he was making his classic, Psycho in 1959 and 1960.
This film deals with Hitchcock's absolute obsession with making what would become the groundbreaking horror flick. Psycho of course, was a different kind of movie for the era, basically becoming the first "slasher" flick. Although it is incredibly tame by today's standards, it was huge at the time and scared people to death. But the classic shower scene still holds up well as far as begin scary is concerned. Psycho changed movies forever in numerous ways, and Hitchcock was the one bold enough to know that this was to become more than just a movie.
Hopkins is great as Hitchcock in about every way. He looks like the icon, and sounds like him too. In this picture he is in conflict with his wife Alma (Helen Mirren). They have been married for decades, and she of course is a screenwriter in Hollywood too. There are years of resentment, and jealousy coming to a head as Alfred becomes incredibly obsessed with this picture and it's young and beautiful star, Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson).
Even though they let us in on some of the nuances behind the making of Psycho, this movie is generally about how making this movie affected his personal life with Alma. This is not a "trivia" movie. Yes, they address some of the roadblocks and secrets associated with Psycho. One slight bombshell for some may be that the book Psycho was actually based in part, on a true story from Wisconsin. But Psycho was not completely true, but based on real a real guy arrested by terrible crimes named Ed Gein.
This is a very nice picture that hopefully will find some success. It boasts a great cast that also has Jessica Biel as Vera Miles (also in Psycho) and Toni Collette as Hitchcock's trusted assistant, Peggy. Collette is terrific in her small role, as are Johansson and Biel. Through the magic of makeup and costuming, these women are transported back in time and look stunningly authentic as 1960 ish Hollywood beauties. They each own small roles that they really took charge of. All very good. Johansson and Biel both look amazingly like Leigh and Miles.
I can't think of a movie that Helen Mirren has made lately that she hasn't been great in. She and Hopkins give command performances here and develop a wonderful chemistry that is palpable. Both are outstanding. This move also sports a respectable supporting cast, and really terrific sets and costuming. I always think it's fun to be sent back to the golden Hollywood age in movies when done well, and this is. This movie is quick and tidy at 95 minutes and very well conceived and edited. Just like a real Hitchcock movie from his era.
Hitchcock. There is nothing not to love about this movie.
This film deals with Hitchcock's absolute obsession with making what would become the groundbreaking horror flick. Psycho of course, was a different kind of movie for the era, basically becoming the first "slasher" flick. Although it is incredibly tame by today's standards, it was huge at the time and scared people to death. But the classic shower scene still holds up well as far as begin scary is concerned. Psycho changed movies forever in numerous ways, and Hitchcock was the one bold enough to know that this was to become more than just a movie.
Hopkins is great as Hitchcock in about every way. He looks like the icon, and sounds like him too. In this picture he is in conflict with his wife Alma (Helen Mirren). They have been married for decades, and she of course is a screenwriter in Hollywood too. There are years of resentment, and jealousy coming to a head as Alfred becomes incredibly obsessed with this picture and it's young and beautiful star, Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson).
Even though they let us in on some of the nuances behind the making of Psycho, this movie is generally about how making this movie affected his personal life with Alma. This is not a "trivia" movie. Yes, they address some of the roadblocks and secrets associated with Psycho. One slight bombshell for some may be that the book Psycho was actually based in part, on a true story from Wisconsin. But Psycho was not completely true, but based on real a real guy arrested by terrible crimes named Ed Gein.
This is a very nice picture that hopefully will find some success. It boasts a great cast that also has Jessica Biel as Vera Miles (also in Psycho) and Toni Collette as Hitchcock's trusted assistant, Peggy. Collette is terrific in her small role, as are Johansson and Biel. Through the magic of makeup and costuming, these women are transported back in time and look stunningly authentic as 1960 ish Hollywood beauties. They each own small roles that they really took charge of. All very good. Johansson and Biel both look amazingly like Leigh and Miles.
I can't think of a movie that Helen Mirren has made lately that she hasn't been great in. She and Hopkins give command performances here and develop a wonderful chemistry that is palpable. Both are outstanding. This move also sports a respectable supporting cast, and really terrific sets and costuming. I always think it's fun to be sent back to the golden Hollywood age in movies when done well, and this is. This movie is quick and tidy at 95 minutes and very well conceived and edited. Just like a real Hitchcock movie from his era.
Hitchcock. There is nothing not to love about this movie.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
MOVIE REVIEW - Playing For Keeps
Let's line up the big stars and make a romantic comedy, and call it Playing For Keeps. Oh, and let's bring in Gerard Butler to star in it.
That's the new movie of the weekend, and this could be a very interesting bell weather moment for romantic comedies. They have all been tanking lately at the movies, so they have pulled out all stops here. This stars Butler, Jessica Biel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid and Judy Greer. Someone for everyone. And let's make the content about soccer moms, and mild family dysfunction. AND, let's make sure that it's friendly for everyone. If this tanks, the genre for the time being may be dead.
Butler stars as a former soccer great (George) who has a 9-year old son with his ex-wife Stacy (Biel). He's kind of bouncing around looking for work, and being sort of a dad-beat dad. He becomes by accident the coach of his son's soccer team. Of course the kids love him because he's a great coach and player. And the single soccer moms love him because he's single, good with kids, and looks like Gerard Butler. So they all are trying to get his attention one way or another. George is trying to get a job at ESPN, and he also is trying to grow up and be a good dad to his son.
But the moms are getting in the way. There is Barb, (Greer) who is the insecure, but looking single mom who is after him. There is Denise (Zeta-Jones) who is trying to get him in at ESPN in exchange for his favors. There is Patti (Thurman) who is married to Carl (Quaid) but would rather sleep with George. Then there is Stacy, who George still loves and wants back, but his blunders keep getting in the way. Will the end up back together? Well, of course they will. Is this fun? At times.
No lack of effort here, they have all the right people in place, and for the most part this is a good story. Butler is pretty fun, and so are the rest of our stars. The story is friendly and deals with highly topical events in young parents lives. It's not anywhere near perfect, but there's nothing really wrong here except one thing. It does not have mass appeal to the people who drive the box office at all. There's no action, no chase scenes, no bad language, and no subject matter that is edgy and borderline offensive. Those comedies are the ones making the real waves today, not this. And it's sad that there is not room for more styles of comedies that are successful.
More than likely this will be a mild hit, and move on. Hopefully this will find a niche following that still like sort of silly, everything works out comedies that are not targeted to 16 year old locker room humor. This is fun at times, and some of this does not work, but overall it's hard to rip into this. Butler kind of does one thing, but he's good at it. Biel is over-casted in in her small role, as is Zeta-Jones but they need the possible draw. Judy Greer is very funny in her silly little role as Barb. She is usually pretty good in her small movie roles, and I like her. And the story is completely fine.
Playing For Keeps. Fun.
That's the new movie of the weekend, and this could be a very interesting bell weather moment for romantic comedies. They have all been tanking lately at the movies, so they have pulled out all stops here. This stars Butler, Jessica Biel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid and Judy Greer. Someone for everyone. And let's make the content about soccer moms, and mild family dysfunction. AND, let's make sure that it's friendly for everyone. If this tanks, the genre for the time being may be dead.
Butler stars as a former soccer great (George) who has a 9-year old son with his ex-wife Stacy (Biel). He's kind of bouncing around looking for work, and being sort of a dad-beat dad. He becomes by accident the coach of his son's soccer team. Of course the kids love him because he's a great coach and player. And the single soccer moms love him because he's single, good with kids, and looks like Gerard Butler. So they all are trying to get his attention one way or another. George is trying to get a job at ESPN, and he also is trying to grow up and be a good dad to his son.
But the moms are getting in the way. There is Barb, (Greer) who is the insecure, but looking single mom who is after him. There is Denise (Zeta-Jones) who is trying to get him in at ESPN in exchange for his favors. There is Patti (Thurman) who is married to Carl (Quaid) but would rather sleep with George. Then there is Stacy, who George still loves and wants back, but his blunders keep getting in the way. Will the end up back together? Well, of course they will. Is this fun? At times.
No lack of effort here, they have all the right people in place, and for the most part this is a good story. Butler is pretty fun, and so are the rest of our stars. The story is friendly and deals with highly topical events in young parents lives. It's not anywhere near perfect, but there's nothing really wrong here except one thing. It does not have mass appeal to the people who drive the box office at all. There's no action, no chase scenes, no bad language, and no subject matter that is edgy and borderline offensive. Those comedies are the ones making the real waves today, not this. And it's sad that there is not room for more styles of comedies that are successful.
More than likely this will be a mild hit, and move on. Hopefully this will find a niche following that still like sort of silly, everything works out comedies that are not targeted to 16 year old locker room humor. This is fun at times, and some of this does not work, but overall it's hard to rip into this. Butler kind of does one thing, but he's good at it. Biel is over-casted in in her small role, as is Zeta-Jones but they need the possible draw. Judy Greer is very funny in her silly little role as Barb. She is usually pretty good in her small movie roles, and I like her. And the story is completely fine.
Playing For Keeps. Fun.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
It's Always Golf Season
All year long I've been writing about all of the great golf courses in the area that The Dewsweepers play every Sunday morning. Although now that the weather is starting to change, golf is more challenging this time of the year. I played three times in the last week, including 18 holes Monday (December 3) and even walked it with a pull cart.
My fellow Dewsweepers (Beef, Tex, and Joe Red) still play when we can, but it will be the spring when we again play every Sunday, and I'll write about it on Monday. But we will play when possible, even in the winter. We love golf, and we know you do too. This summer we did have some younger Dewsweepers that filled in when someone could not make it. Beef's son Dirk was one his nephew B-Roz was another , and Joe Red's son Bryan was also. It was a pleasure to tee it up with them.
The other day I read something that amused me. Bryan typed on social networking that on Thanksgiving weekend, he shot a really nice 79! His best round of the year...way to go. Then went onto say that this was the weekend he was putting his clubs away for the year. - What? I don't think I ever heard that sentence before. I know I've never said it. Put the clubs away... for the year?
Oh, you might move the clubs to a new place, clean them up, and really clean out the bag or something. But all veteran golfers know that you never really "put the clubs away." Beef showed a real crafty veteran move by bringing his clubs inside, to clean them up and warm them up. Good move. Tex chimed in by bringing up that you may have to adjust your schedule, but the season goes on. Even Joe Red chuckled out loud at that foreign sentence, "Put the clubs away for the year."
I think the unofficial Dewsweeper parameters are this. 50 degrees and over for the high, we can play. 40's and sunny for the high, we play. Good rule of thumbs.
Man, with the clubs put away for the season, Bryan must have been drueling last weekend when the temps hit 65 in December. Wonder if he caved? I know I would have if I had made such a hasty decision to shelve the clubs into oblivion. I played three times, I was dyin'. It was so nice, I had to get out and tee it up with Tex and Beef. Joe Red was out of state for work and he couldn't join us. But we did get profanity laced texts from him, cursing us as he was in upper Michigan where it was snowing as we were scoring low. But, the veteran that Red is, he had his clubs with him... just in case.
Golfers know even here, it's always golf season. We'll give Bryan a slight pass on this one and chalk it up to a youthful mistake and we'll see if he he follows the same protocol next season. Also should be noted Bryan is a newlywed. So there's that. But it's fun to pick on him for this. See, that is what golf foursomes do, right? The ribbing never stops, even in the semi-off season, and even if there's not much golf being played.
See you on the course soon. Hope for 40's and sun! The Veteran Dewsweepers don't even own a calender.
My fellow Dewsweepers (Beef, Tex, and Joe Red) still play when we can, but it will be the spring when we again play every Sunday, and I'll write about it on Monday. But we will play when possible, even in the winter. We love golf, and we know you do too. This summer we did have some younger Dewsweepers that filled in when someone could not make it. Beef's son Dirk was one his nephew B-Roz was another , and Joe Red's son Bryan was also. It was a pleasure to tee it up with them.
The other day I read something that amused me. Bryan typed on social networking that on Thanksgiving weekend, he shot a really nice 79! His best round of the year...way to go. Then went onto say that this was the weekend he was putting his clubs away for the year. - What? I don't think I ever heard that sentence before. I know I've never said it. Put the clubs away... for the year?
Oh, you might move the clubs to a new place, clean them up, and really clean out the bag or something. But all veteran golfers know that you never really "put the clubs away." Beef showed a real crafty veteran move by bringing his clubs inside, to clean them up and warm them up. Good move. Tex chimed in by bringing up that you may have to adjust your schedule, but the season goes on. Even Joe Red chuckled out loud at that foreign sentence, "Put the clubs away for the year."
I think the unofficial Dewsweeper parameters are this. 50 degrees and over for the high, we can play. 40's and sunny for the high, we play. Good rule of thumbs.
Man, with the clubs put away for the season, Bryan must have been drueling last weekend when the temps hit 65 in December. Wonder if he caved? I know I would have if I had made such a hasty decision to shelve the clubs into oblivion. I played three times, I was dyin'. It was so nice, I had to get out and tee it up with Tex and Beef. Joe Red was out of state for work and he couldn't join us. But we did get profanity laced texts from him, cursing us as he was in upper Michigan where it was snowing as we were scoring low. But, the veteran that Red is, he had his clubs with him... just in case.
Golfers know even here, it's always golf season. We'll give Bryan a slight pass on this one and chalk it up to a youthful mistake and we'll see if he he follows the same protocol next season. Also should be noted Bryan is a newlywed. So there's that. But it's fun to pick on him for this. See, that is what golf foursomes do, right? The ribbing never stops, even in the semi-off season, and even if there's not much golf being played.
See you on the course soon. Hope for 40's and sun! The Veteran Dewsweepers don't even own a calender.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
MOVIE REVIEW - The Collection
Ah, these kind of movies are always fun to review. This week it's the new slasher, horror flick, The Collection. Right up front, I am not anti-slasher flicks. Been seeing them for 30 years, and they are like any other movie in some fashion. There are good ones and bad ones.
But this is quite possibly the worst movie of the year in just about every single regard. It is the sequel to the 2009 hunk-o-junk, The Collector. You know, it's one thing to be bad, silly, and not well thought out. It's another thing to be unoriginal, and a rip-off, and that's all this is.
If you need (or want) refreshing, this is the movie that has the same basic feel of the Saw series. This horrible serial killer is killing hundreds of people with strangely made steel torture devices that he controls, as he slaughters people at will. "The Collector" now has an old and abandon hotel that he has turned into his own torture chamber. All boobie-trapped and tricked out to make rescuing his victims virtually impossible. But they try.
Elena is a young woman who has been captured by our killer. Her rich father then hires a group of thugs and rescuers to go into this hotel and save his little girl. All with the help of a man that has escaped the killer - the day earlier!. So let's set this scene. The Collector is well known on the news as this killer that has seemingly killed hundreds of people with hundreds more missing and presumed captured by him. So, this is what transpires. Keep reading, no kidding.
So after our heroes find this hotel (by the most ridiculous means possible,) this groups of 6 non-professionals decide to go into this killing chamber. With light weapons, no protective clothing, no communication, no plan, no escape plan. Just the wish to bring Elena home. So they go in and of course, start getting picked off one by one, dying horrible, bloody deaths. Who in the world would not have called in the police, a SWAT team and just the authorities in general to capture a notorious and famous serial killer inflicting terror over the entire world? Well, these clowns. This is just one of 1,000 things that make this just plain sputrid. And it is so amazingly obvious.
And it gets way more dumb than that but it's not worth it here. This is a blood fest of the first order. Killing, dismembering, and extreme torture is all you get. Clearly, the makers of this series saw Saw, loved it and decided that it's too much work to be original, but easier to take someones idea and call it your own adding your own bells and whistles. Making bad movies is one thing, being completely unoriginal, and brainless is quite another.
The Collection. It's not scary, or suspenseful, or anything near compelling at all. It's just killing and landing head first in body parts. The door is open for more of these, but let's all pray that this one is such a financial disaster that we can avoid this torture again. First weekend take of 3 million - complete disaster.
But this is quite possibly the worst movie of the year in just about every single regard. It is the sequel to the 2009 hunk-o-junk, The Collector. You know, it's one thing to be bad, silly, and not well thought out. It's another thing to be unoriginal, and a rip-off, and that's all this is.
If you need (or want) refreshing, this is the movie that has the same basic feel of the Saw series. This horrible serial killer is killing hundreds of people with strangely made steel torture devices that he controls, as he slaughters people at will. "The Collector" now has an old and abandon hotel that he has turned into his own torture chamber. All boobie-trapped and tricked out to make rescuing his victims virtually impossible. But they try.
Elena is a young woman who has been captured by our killer. Her rich father then hires a group of thugs and rescuers to go into this hotel and save his little girl. All with the help of a man that has escaped the killer - the day earlier!. So let's set this scene. The Collector is well known on the news as this killer that has seemingly killed hundreds of people with hundreds more missing and presumed captured by him. So, this is what transpires. Keep reading, no kidding.
So after our heroes find this hotel (by the most ridiculous means possible,) this groups of 6 non-professionals decide to go into this killing chamber. With light weapons, no protective clothing, no communication, no plan, no escape plan. Just the wish to bring Elena home. So they go in and of course, start getting picked off one by one, dying horrible, bloody deaths. Who in the world would not have called in the police, a SWAT team and just the authorities in general to capture a notorious and famous serial killer inflicting terror over the entire world? Well, these clowns. This is just one of 1,000 things that make this just plain sputrid. And it is so amazingly obvious.
And it gets way more dumb than that but it's not worth it here. This is a blood fest of the first order. Killing, dismembering, and extreme torture is all you get. Clearly, the makers of this series saw Saw, loved it and decided that it's too much work to be original, but easier to take someones idea and call it your own adding your own bells and whistles. Making bad movies is one thing, being completely unoriginal, and brainless is quite another.
The Collection. It's not scary, or suspenseful, or anything near compelling at all. It's just killing and landing head first in body parts. The door is open for more of these, but let's all pray that this one is such a financial disaster that we can avoid this torture again. First weekend take of 3 million - complete disaster.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
MOVIE REVIEW - Killing Them Softly
Brad Pitt is back again this fall, and this time it's the new mob-related, economically-charged Killing Them Softly. If there is something called an "artsy," gangster flick this might be it.
KLS is the story of a very scary Mafia hit man named Jackie (Pitt) and his unorthodox, yet in the end classic ways of killing enemies to the Mafia run businesses, namely card games. It also is makes very loud social statements about the economics of the world, including the money blood-letting that can exist in any capitalistic society. But this movie is set in America.
Someone is robbing the mob...in mob-run card and poker games. The higher ranks of the mob bring in Jackie to put an end to this by taking out the principles doing the robbing and those responsible for setting it up. Jackie is not their normal hit man, but the usual hit man has met his own end. Jackie has different methods of doing contract killing. He kills you emotionally first, then literally kills you after you are basically ready to be killed for your deeds. There are some very scary and compelling moments in this movie when Jackie is killing you softly first. The actual killing is almost anti-climactic. A scene between Jackie and one of his victims in a dive-bar over a beer as Jackie is wearing him down mentally is absolutely incredible. Scary stuff without a shred of violence. Every great performance has a signature scene that separates that performance from the field. The bar scene is Pitts.
This movie is very much off the beaten path in many regards. It has a very strange and eclectic musical soundtrack that correlates directly to what is happening on screen at that moment. It also weaves in a narrative background of news footage from former President Bush as he leaves office, and President Obama as he is taking office in his election night speech from 2008. Their narratives in effect narrate parts of this movie indirectly. This movie starts out seemingly very disjointed, and is a bit hard to stick with, but as time rolls on, it pulls it all together nicely.
Pitt is extraordinary again. He is perfectly cast as the scary Jackie. And man, does he look like an undesirable sort you would hate to have gunning for you. Pitt will more than likely be bandied around again this year at Oscar time as best actor. He will more than likely get a nomination for this. He is backed up by a great supporting cast with James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, and Richard Jenkins. This movie is molded together very skillfully with a nice mixture of heavy duty gangster flick, psychological thriller, some Alfred Hitchcock, and a bit of art to it. Very well done, very raw at times and very adult. But also very good. Also KLS does something you really don't expect, it ends suddenly and that was a surprise to me, as it had the feel of being a much longer movie. It's only about 95 minutes and that was a great decision.
Brad Pitt is terrific, and so is Killing Them Softly.
KLS is the story of a very scary Mafia hit man named Jackie (Pitt) and his unorthodox, yet in the end classic ways of killing enemies to the Mafia run businesses, namely card games. It also is makes very loud social statements about the economics of the world, including the money blood-letting that can exist in any capitalistic society. But this movie is set in America.
Someone is robbing the mob...in mob-run card and poker games. The higher ranks of the mob bring in Jackie to put an end to this by taking out the principles doing the robbing and those responsible for setting it up. Jackie is not their normal hit man, but the usual hit man has met his own end. Jackie has different methods of doing contract killing. He kills you emotionally first, then literally kills you after you are basically ready to be killed for your deeds. There are some very scary and compelling moments in this movie when Jackie is killing you softly first. The actual killing is almost anti-climactic. A scene between Jackie and one of his victims in a dive-bar over a beer as Jackie is wearing him down mentally is absolutely incredible. Scary stuff without a shred of violence. Every great performance has a signature scene that separates that performance from the field. The bar scene is Pitts.
This movie is very much off the beaten path in many regards. It has a very strange and eclectic musical soundtrack that correlates directly to what is happening on screen at that moment. It also weaves in a narrative background of news footage from former President Bush as he leaves office, and President Obama as he is taking office in his election night speech from 2008. Their narratives in effect narrate parts of this movie indirectly. This movie starts out seemingly very disjointed, and is a bit hard to stick with, but as time rolls on, it pulls it all together nicely.
Pitt is extraordinary again. He is perfectly cast as the scary Jackie. And man, does he look like an undesirable sort you would hate to have gunning for you. Pitt will more than likely be bandied around again this year at Oscar time as best actor. He will more than likely get a nomination for this. He is backed up by a great supporting cast with James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, and Richard Jenkins. This movie is molded together very skillfully with a nice mixture of heavy duty gangster flick, psychological thriller, some Alfred Hitchcock, and a bit of art to it. Very well done, very raw at times and very adult. But also very good. Also KLS does something you really don't expect, it ends suddenly and that was a surprise to me, as it had the feel of being a much longer movie. It's only about 95 minutes and that was a great decision.
Brad Pitt is terrific, and so is Killing Them Softly.
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