Movie & Television Reviews

Title: Con-Air (1997)
Genre: action
Directed by: Simon West
Written by: Scott Rosenberg
Actors: Colm Meaney, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle

aStore: DVD

I would just like to state for the record that the best thing about the movie “Con-Air” was Steve Buscemi.

There was just something so enthralling about his creepy serial killer cannibal guy character (he did eat people, didn’t he? He totally seemed like he did on the creep meter). I just couldn’t look away whenever he appeared onscreen.

So there’s like Nicolas Cage running around trying to help John Cusack’s cop-guy character and John Malkovich is the bad ass guy they’re trying to stop. There’s all of these convicts running around on a hijacked prison plane, then stuff about taking over an airport – it’s been a long time for me –  and there’s lots of explosions and car chases and some people end up dead.

“Con-Air” is just an action popcorn flick of no real importance to the world at large. All I can remember is that it was fun to watch and Nic Cage had longish hair and I think Monica Potter was in it as the pretty young wife.

But Steve Buscemi totally stuck out. And that’s something he’s always done for me.

“Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Sopranos,” “Big Daddy,” “The Adventures of Pete and Pete,” “Monsters Inc,” the list goes on and on. And in every single one of the movies or television shows Steve Buscemi has appeared in, he has always done a most excellent job.

He is a real icon.

Which is why, whenever I think of “Con-Air,” it’s not John Cusack or Nicolas Cage I think of. It’s Steve Buscemi in that white jump suit sitting down … Read the rest “RE MOVIE: Con-Air [action, escaped convicts]”

Title: Untraceable (2008)
Genre: drama, thriller
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Written by: Robert Fyvolent (screenplay), Mark Brinker (screenplay), Allison Burnett (screenplay)
Actors: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks
aStore: DVD, Blu-Ray, digital

The first time I saw a trailer for this back in 2008, I thought it was going to be another one of those stupid “Killer guy has a website and everyone that visits it *mysteriously* dies” type of movies, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I bought the DVD on sale and wasn’t really expecting too much when I watched it. Sure, there’s lots of stupid stuff going on and you can totally be like “Why the hell would she get back in the car?” But come on, it’s a movie, it’s for entertainment, and I honestly really enjoyed it.

You have a guy killing people on his website, building crafty machines that use the hit counter to decide how long someone is going to live. So of course everyone in America was going to check out the site, they got told not to!

It’s kind of a grim commentary about the kind of people we are. We might not go out and kill someone personally, but we have no problem taking a peek at a dead body. Wasn’t that the whole premise of that coming of age story “Stand By Me” where someone asks “Do you wanna see a dead body?” and everyone unanimously replied, “Hell yeah!”

If you suspend some of your belief in the FBI and the police being able to track some guy down, this is actually a pretty good popcorn movie. There’s just enough ick — guy gets killed by sunlamp, guy gets melted by sulfuric acid — that you root for the good guys, and there’s some fairly clever death machines … Read the rest “RE MOVIE: Untraceable [drama, thriller]”

Your Highness (2011)
Genre: fantasy, stoner
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman
Rating: R (for language, imagery, etc)
aStore: DVD, Blu-Ray, digital

Storyline from Universal: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed. Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off…

It’s very sad that this movie did not do better in theaters or with audiences, but I think that might have been due to some misplaced marketing. Seeing the trailers on TV, I was kind of expecting it to be set in the Middle Ages and to be kind of an adventure thing with knights and going off to save the maiden fair. Though, considering the casting, I realized it would contain some rude humor. So basically Hot Tub Time Machine in a medieval setting.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the great costuming (Zooey Deschanel as Belladonna had the greatest dresses) and setting and the actually pretty awesome special effects. There were some … Read the rest “RE MOVIE: Your Highness [comedy, fantasy]”

Title: Portrait of a Beauty
Directed by Jeon Yoon-soo
Screenplay by Han Soon-ryeon

Alternative title : “Beauty Island”

Synopsis borrowed from HanCinema: Born to a family of established court painters, seven-year-old Yun-jeong is a young girl gifted at painting. However, the pressure is on her brother to carry on the proud family tradition, as women aren’t allowed to become professional painters. While her brother trains to take his place in the court, Yun-jeong helps him out by secretly painting for him. The little girl’s life is turned upside down when her brother kills himself. In order to preserve the family honor, she is forced to take her brother’s name and lives as a man. Yun-bok’s genius and talent captures the heart of another great master of the time, Kim Hong-do. But her daring depictions of women are condemned by the royal institute as obscene. Yun-bok meets Kang-mu and falls deeply in love. For the first time, she feels the strong desire to abandon everything she has built and simply be a woman in front of the man she loves. Kang-mu sacrifices all for his love as well. Kim Hong-do, who loved the genius of his best student, ends up loving everything about her, and Seol-hwa, a Gisaeng at the courtesan house, possesses a love for Hong-do that turns into fatal jealousy. The secret behind Shin Yun-bok’s masterpiece, Portrait of a Beauty, is finally revealed after 250 years of silence.

Okay, so this was a movie that I really wanted to see and was very excited about. You would not believe how long I waited to be able to see it and how happy I was to get a hold of a copy.

I put it on and started the movie… then afterward wished I could go back in time … Read the rest “RE MOVIE: Portrait of a Beauty [Korean]”

I make wishes on the stars all the time. It doesn't seem like a waste to me. Because in the forming of a wish--an idea--a concept of what can be is created. And until a wish is formulated, it's nothing but stardust and fantasy.