Movie | Jack Reacher | PAss

Cruise haters aside, this is a really great thriller. It's too bad that his public persona has overshadowed his professional work, because he is, quite simply, a great actor. If you can ignore all of that for a moment, you're in for a real treat with Jack Reacher.

Movie | Day Watch | Pass

Sequel to the equally ambitious Night Watch. A fantasy-thriller with mild horror overtones (but nothing actually scary), there are some really neat ideas and some awesome special effects. Not great, but certainly interesting. Try to see it with subtitles. I had to see it dubbed (beggars can't be choosers) and it was awful.

Movie | Snow On Tha Bluff | Pass

Gritty reality mockumentary...or is it?...about a drug dealer on the means streets of the hood. I particularly liked it because of the minimalistic approach to an entertaining 118 minutes of movie (one hand-held video camera!). Scary because it's real life for plenty of people. Make this a double with The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Thanks to J-Swan for the recommendation!

Movie | Jesus Henry Christ | PAss

Quirky movie in the same vein as Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and similar films. We sure do love us some Toni Collette - she's always great. Worth a rental if you liked the mentioned movies.

Movie | John Dies At The End | PAss

Creative mix of David Lynch, Douglas Adams and Alex Cox, but minus a lot of their style and swagger. Still, an extremely fun mix of horror, science fiction, comedy and the kitchen sink. Well worth a rental, though the ending was a bit anticlimactic.

Movie | Cargo | PAss

Marvelous Swiss science fiction film along the likes of 2001, Moon, Outland and Alien. First time director Ivan Engler is one to watch. Superb and a must see!

Movie | Blood: The Last Vampire | Pass

Despite some major goofiness and a nonsensical ending, I still rather enjoyed this remake of the anime (and manga and anime series) by the same name. They're not vampires - they're demons who drink blood.

Movie | Man On A Ledge | PAss

What a great thriller! The plot slowly reveals itself, which might drive some viewers nuts. I loved it! Everything about this movie is top notch. A must-see!

Movie | Bunraku | Pass

One of my students brought this movie up and, thinking it was another movie, I agreed that I enjoyed it. Turns out I was thinking of Gojoe, I don't know why, and that I hadn't seen this movie. Now I have. It was okay. It's a hyper-stylized (the sets look like a pop-up book) action flick that takes place in a world that rolls out like a chambara. It's all pretty pretentious, never bothering to really flesh out any of the characters. It must have been fun to make, but it doesn't really work in the end. Points for the effort and ambition. Cool cast, the bits are interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Movie | Universal Soldier: Regeneration | Pass

Not bad. Pretty much what I was expecting. Nice to see another decent appearance by an MMA star, this time Andrei Arlovski, whom I've always liked.

TV | Maron | PAss

Another sad sack comedian, this show is very similar to Louie, minus the stand up and more story. I loved it. I find Maron hilarious and rather clever. Thumbs up!

TV | Inside Amy Schumer | PAss

It seems like ever since Dave Chappelle's meltdown, Comedy Central has been chasing that magic. This time, the same formula (skits interspersed with stand up) is applied. It happens to really work this time. Schumer's thing to be outrageously raunchy. That can be such a bad thing, but I found it to be hilarious this time around. I've seen two episodes and am looking forward to more!

Movie | Never Let Me Go | Pass

Suuuuper slow "mild" science fiction about three kids that are being raised to be organ donors. A real downer, but well done. Reminded me a bit of Children of Men minus all of the action. Still, it was worth watching.

Movie | Fighting | PAss

I actually really enjoyed this homage to Midnight Cowboy(ish). Though Tatum is the star, Howard steals the show with a weird voice and fantastic acting. He's the reason to watch this movie. Another fun cameo by Cung Le.

Movie | Frankenweenie | PAss

Delightful in so many ways. Yet another kiddie movie not for little kids.

Movie | The Lookout | PASs

Truly excellent slow-paced thriller. Stylish and extremely well done. A must see!

Movie | Beyond The Black Rainbow | PASs

Super freaky, super slow, super interesting horror film that masterfully mimics the psychedelic films of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Amazing and definitely not for everyone.

Movie | Source Code | PASs

The problem with this movie is that it's been done before in the past (Time After Time, Groundhog Day, Matrix, etc.) as well as recently (Deja Vu, etc etc etc). Also, Gyllenhaal is just too over-exposed. No wonder it got panned.

But here's the thing. This is a really good movie from David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones (see Moon, if you haven't already). This is great scifi without all the spaceships and aliens.

So, don't listen to the naysayers - see this movie. Excellent!

Movie | Inbred | Fail

Torture porn. Awful.

Movie | Repo Chick | PAss/Fail

I've seen this a couple of times over the years and 99.9% of the world is gonna hate this movie. I loved it. It's whacked in the extreme and has almost nothing to do with the original, Repo Man. There's very little connection; the two main characters are both repo...people (one is a boy and one is a girl). This film is also by Alex Cox, of course, but this time it features the actors green-screened in front of miniature sets. Very creative, but will be repulsive to most, though it's not violent or grotesque in any way.

Skip it. Or, see it.

Movie | Sightseers | PASS

Brilliant and very funny, although quite violent, movie featuring the brilliant Alice Lowe ( from Garth Marenghi's Darkplace). A must see for adults who love black humor.

Movie | The Grandmasters | PASS

First, the positive. This is a truly epic film, clearly created with a meticulous touch. Everything about it is just stunning.

Now, the negative. It is rather slow. Also, it's not so much about Yip Man as it is about the people surrounding him. Don't expect to get to know much more about him that hasn't been depicted before in other films about his life. And finally, it saddens me to see so much wuxia (wire work stunts). It wasn't needed, unless you're a ten year old boy, which this film is definitely not for.

Fun cameo by Cung Le.

But, none of those critiques should stop you from seeing this masterpiece. Gorgeous and a must see.

Movie | The Ice Harvest | Pass

Cusack is always fun to watch. This modern crime noir was okay, I suppose. But, somehow, it was a bit empty and not very funny at all.

Movie | Lola Versus | Pass

Another sad people/sad story movie, this time featuring neurotic, narcissistic New Yorkers. A little more lighthearted and the cast is very good. Still, not much of a movie.

Movie | For A Good Time, Call | Pass

Another nice chick flick about two friends who run a sex phone line together to pay the rent. We watched the unrated version and it was very raunchy. Still, the core story of their friendship was fun to watch and the cast was very good. A good (adult) rental.

Movie | Enemy Territory | PAss

Awesome 80s actioner! Here's another movie that took advantage of a dangerous location (the projects), putting good guys in dangerous situations (a white insurance salesman and a black telephone guy) together with psycho bad guys (an urban gang that call themselves "The Vampires" - though they are not vampires).

Fantastic cast, cool music, awesome nightmarish cinematography - I loved it!

Movie | The Queen of Versailles | Pass

Oy. Another sad people/sad story flick. This time it's a documentary about rich people with no sense or taste ending up down on their luck. It was still compelling to watch, never a dull moment and you end up caring for these people. Worth a watch if it catches your eye.

Movie | A Little Bit Zombie | Pass

Barely a Pass. But still, this zombedy wasn't half bad. There were enjoyable moments and the cast did a good job of hamming it up.

TV | Orphan Black | Pass

Saw the pilot - it was good. Weird mixture of accents and I'm not sure where it's supposed to be - America?

Movie | Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story | PASS

Absolutely brilliant!