Robot Holocaust

Knight and Day (2010)

2012-04-23T13:42:00.002-07:00

Directed by James Mangold
Written by Patrick O'Neil
IMDB

Tom Cruise is a rogue agent trying to clear his name, protect a young scientist who has invented a perpetual source of energy the size of a battery, and bring down the real rogue agent. All the while, he must protect Cameron Diaz, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A surprisingly good flick. Funny and action-packed. Cruise and Diaz are both good. The poster is fantastic, by the way. Cool movie.

7/10

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

2012-04-23T13:37:00.002-07:00

Directed by Brad Bird
Written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec
IMDB

Tom Cruise is broken out of a Russian prison and brought back to the IMF for another impossible mission. When the secretary of state (I think) is killed, the IMF is disavowed. Cruise and his three co-workers decide to still go through with the mission. Lacking some of the high-tech gadgets and access to satellites and databases, this proves to be the most impossible mission yet!
This movie is non-stop action. It never lets up for more than a minute or two. Brad Bird did a great job with this film. It has a nice sense of humor, which is aided by Simon Pegg being in a starring role this time. Definitely worth seeing.

8/10

Mission Impossible III (2006)

2012-04-23T13:34:00.001-07:00

Directed by J.J. Abrams
Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and J.J. Abrams
IMDB

Tom Cruise is back and his mission is more impossible than ever. He must retrieve the rabbit’s foot for a terrorist (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has his wife kidnapped. Is there a traitor in the midst of the IMF?
A fun action movie. Some of the wife storyline slows the film down here and there, which is not a problem in MI4. This is still a good popcorn movie.

6.5/10

Cedar Rapids (2011)

2012-04-23T13:30:00.002-07:00

Directed by Miguel Arteta
Written by Phil Johnston
IMDB

Ed Helms is a small town insurance agent who is sent to the big city of Cedar Rapids when his co-worked dies from auto-erotic asphyxiation. He parties and befriends other insurance agents.
A pretty fun little comedy. Not much to dislike in this film. Good cast, a fun story and paced pretty well. Not hysterically funny, but there’s some laughs.

7/10

Drunken Angel (1948)

2012-04-23T13:26:00.001-07:00

Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Written by Keinosuke Uekusa and Akira Kurosawa
IMDB

An alcoholic doctor gets a yakuza man with TB as a patient. The yakuza man refuses to take the treatment offered, but keeps ending up back with the doctor. When another yakuza man is released from prison, both the doctor and his patient are affected by his presence.
Another great film from Akira Kurosawa. This is a noir drama. It is gritty and has crime elements, but the focus is really on the characters and their drama. Recommended.

9/10

Bounty Hunters (2011)

2012-04-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Directed by Patrick McBrearty
Written by Reese Eveneshen
IMDB

The Good: This movie is ridiculous. It’s shot on digital film and looks good, visually.
The Bad: Almost everything else. The acting is atrocious. There is racism that is unnecessary (“Everybody knows asians can’t drive!”). Everybody speaks with a very thick Canadian accent and deliver the lines very woodenly. Trish Stratus is an attractive woman, but this movie manages to make her look odd in some moments and attractive in other.
The Ugly: This movie is not quite so bad it’s good. It’s just bad. There is some entertainment value to it, of course, but I don’t think a normal person would enjoy it very much.

4/10

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

2012-04-23T13:21:00.003-07:00

Directed by Justin lin
Written by Chris Morgan
IMDB

A high school student is sent to Tokyo to live with his father when he gets arrested because he was street racing against the oldest kid from “Home Improvement.” In Tokyo, he picks right back up where he left off in the states. He is street racing again and is now enemies with a mob boss’ son or nephew.
Another fun entry in this ridiculous series. Lots of good racing scenes in this one. Justin Lin did a very good job directing this one. It has a really good visual style. Really, it does. The race at the end reminded me heavily of the ski race at the end of “Better Off Dead.”

7.5/10

Fast Five (2011)

2012-04-23T12:48:00.001-07:00

Directed by Justin Lin
Written by Chris Morgan
IMDB

Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Paul Walker are on the run from the FBI after breaking Diesel out of prison. The Rock heads the Feds. Meanwhile, Diesel and O’Conner have their sights set on a notorious mob boss in Rio. They plan on robbing him of all of his money, and they call up their old friends in order to help out.
Holy shit this movie is ridiculous, and so much fun. While the other films in the series are centered more around the cars and street racing, this one adds a very generous amount of gun fighting. Lots of silly fun.

8/10

Tower Heist (2011)

2012-04-23T12:47:00.002-07:00

Directed by Brett Ratner
Written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson
IMDB

Ben Stiller and two of his co-workers (Casey Affleck and Michael Pena) get fired from their job in a luxury hotel when Stiller smashes up the car of a man who defrauded the workers out of their pensions. They team up with Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick and a maid to rob him of the supposed $20 million he has hidden in his room.
Not a bad movie, but not very well made, either. The editing is bizarre and some of the pieces just do not fit together. The movie is very uneven. Also, this movie has some truly funny parts. It could have been much better than it was, but it was still pretty entertaining.

6/10

Pitfall (1962)

2012-04-23T12:45:00.005-07:00

Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Written by Kôbô Abe
IMDB

Hiroshi Teshigahara mixes archival documentary footage into this tale of murder, unions and ghosts. Two deserters and one’s young son go from job to job, they start a new job and end up getting a map to a workplace, which turns out to be a set-up for a murder. Is the set-up meant for another man, the doppelganger of the father of the boy?
It’s really hard to completely give an explanation of this film. It is very symbolic and I’m not even quite sure I completely understood it. I watched the video essay on the Criterion DVD and it explained some things that I would not have thought about otherwise. Who is the assassin? It is never explained. Is he an agent of fate? Who hired him? Is he just a psychopath serial killer? When he turns the union boss and leader of those who left the union against each other and they murder each other, he remarks that it was just as he had planned.
The ending is bizarre, but it seems to be keeping in the tradition of oddball Japanese films. The young boy is running away from the ghost town. What is he running toward? The video essay suggests that he is running toward a troubled future. I can get behind that. The ending is up for interpretation, but it isn’t bad like some (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”).
This movie is a masterpiece. It seems important without being pretentious. The film is shot magnificently. I would recommend watching it just to see how the shots are framed. This is a movie that is probably not going to be fully understood on a first viewing. I am already wanting to watch it a second time and I just finished watching it a few minutes ago and put it in my mailbox to send back to Netflix.

9/10

Fast & Furious (2009)

2012-04-23T12:43:00.005-07:00

Directed by Justin Lin
Written by Chris Morgan
IMDB

The fourth film sees Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and Dom (Vin Diesel) reunite. They are out to take down a heroin smuggler and if they can deliver him, then the FBI has promised to let Dom walk.
Another ridiculous and entertaining entry into this absurd series. I was sad that Tyrese didn’t show up, but I saw that he is in “Fast Five,” and now I cannot wait to watch it. Okay, I like these movies a lot. They’re not masterpieces, but they are pure fun, fast-paced and exciting.

7.5/10

Onibaba (1964)

2012-04-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

Directed by Kaneto Shindô
Written by Kaneto Shindô
IMDB

The mother and wife of a samurai fighting in a war live in a swamp, killing lost samurai and stealing their gear in order to buy food. When a neighbor returns home and tells them of their husband/son’s death, the widow takes up with him. Fearing that she will lose her accomplice, the mother tries to scare her off by tales of purgatory.
A very odd, but masterfully made film. The ending was quite bizarre. The pacing is deliberate, but sets a tone. Lots of close ups of grass, which I actually enjoy, so that’s a plus to me. A fine film.

7.5/10

Drive Angry (2011)

2012-04-08T20:34:00.003-07:00

Directed by Patrick Lussier
Written by Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier
IMDB

Nicolas Cage escapes from Hell in a muscle car to take down a satan worshiping cult leader who killed his daughter and has kidnapped his granddaughter. He teams up with a waitress and hunts down the cult leader while attempting to outrun satan’s accountant.
This film is pure ridiculousness. My problem with the film is that it is about 20-to-30 minutes too long. I fell asleep around the end for a few minutes, but my wife woke me up. I’d go higher on the rating, but it dragged at times. Some of it was funny and it was fairly outrageous.

5.5/10

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

2012-04-08T20:29:00.002-07:00

Directed by John Singleton
Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas
IMDB

Brian O’Conner, now an ex-cop because he let Vin Diesel go in the previous film, is a wanted man and notorious street racer. When the police catch up to him, they force him and his friend (Tyrese) into working undercover for them with the promise of wiping their records clean. The infiltratrate the gang of a drug lord or something. I’m not sure what made him so bad beside he put a rat on a crooked cop’s chest.
Much better than the original film. Tyrese’s performance in this film is absolutely hysterical. There are far more car chases and car-based shenanigans. A lot of fun and complete lunacy. I’d recommend this!

7.5/10

The Future (2011)

2012-04-08T20:27:00.003-07:00

Directed by Miranda July
Written by Miranda July
IMDB

A couple is must wait 30 days before they can pick up their cat from the shelter. In those 30 days they attempt to make drastic life changes, giving up the internet, joining a cause, cheating.
This is a bizarre experimental film with a fair narrative to hold it somewhat together. Generally, I am not a huge of these types of weird experimental indy films, but this one works. It was somewhat funny and deadpanned and the performances were strong. Interesting, though I wouldn’t recommend it to everybody. My pal Beth would enjoy it, though. Probably more than I did.

7/10

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

2012-04-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Directed by Simon Curtis
Written by Adrian Hodges
IMDB

Marilyn Monroe travels to England to co-star in Laurence Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl.” She is dealing with an “illness,” a pill addiction and a troubled marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. Laurence Olivier has no patience for her diva attitude and has much trouble directing her.
A pretty solid biopic about a short slice of Marilyn Monroe’s life and her brief friendship/relationship with Colin Clark. Michelle Williams is very good as Marilyn Monroe. Very glamorous. Worth a watch.

7.5/10

Monster House (2006)

2012-04-08T20:24:00.001-07:00

Directed by Gil Kenan
Written by Rob Schrab, Dan Harmon and Pamela Pettler
IMDB

When his parents go, DJ and his friend Chowder cause their cranky neighbor to have a heart attack. Then they find that his house is a monster and will eat anything that comes onto its property. They set out to destroy the house with a little girl they have a crush on.
The human characters look awful in this film, but everything else looks great. The house is especially cool looking. It was a pretty fun movie.

6.5/10

21 Jump Street (2012)

2012-04-08T20:21:00.002-07:00

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Written by Michael Bacall
IMDB

A movie version of the 1980s TV show “21 Jump Street.” High school classmates, nerdy Jonah Hill and cool Channing Tatum, become cops and have to go undercover as high school students to stop a synthetic drug from spreading. Their roles are flipped and Jonah Hill becomes cool and Tatum becomes a nerd.
Surprisingly fun. Not a bad film at all and a pretty solid comedy. I would guess that it has very little to do with the TV program, and that’s fine. There is even a cameo from Nick Offerman where he buries the concept of making a TV show into a movie, which is cute but I also generally hate that kind of thing (see: the “Bewitched” movie, actually don’t see it).

7/10

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

2012-04-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

Directed by George Clooney
Written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov
IMDB

Edward R. Murrow sets his sights on senator Joseph McCarthy, who is perpetrating a communist witch hunt.
I highly enjoyed this film. It is somewhat educational, and presents the McCarthy trials, which I find highly interesting and wish there were more films about it. Good performances, shot in glorious black and white, and enthralling. Worth seeing.

7.5/10

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

2012-04-05T11:56:00.002-07:00

Directed by Rob Cohen
Written by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer
IMDB

An undercover police officer infiltrates a street racing gang in order to nab their leader. He falls in love with his sister, which complicates things, and even befriends him.
As stupid as the movie it is, it is very funny and outrageous. I do not think it's supposed to be funny, but that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the flick. Total popcorn movie.

6.5/10

An Education (2009)

2012-04-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Directed by Lone Scherfig
Written by Nick Hornby
IMDB

An Oxford bound 16 year old girl with strict parents falls for a much older man. He takes her on trips and keeps her parents at bay. Meanwhile, her grades are slipping and Oxford is becoming less likely.
A very fine film with a great performance from Carey Mulligan. I’m a bit of a sucker for a romantic movie, and this was no exception, although it was a negative romantic movie. The screenplay is by Nick Hornby, who wrote the “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy” novels. This movie is not like those, it’s better. Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber.

8/10

Pickup on South Street (1953)

2012-04-05T11:45:00.001-07:00

Directed by Samuel Fuller
Written by Samuel Fuller
IMDB

A woman’s ex-boyfriend has her running delivery on secret microfilm. While on the subway, a pickpocket lifts the microfilm from him. The police are on the trail because the film contains secrets and is being delivered to the dastardly communists.
I got to admit, I did not enjoy this movie as much as I expected. Some of it was pretty corny, especially the ending, which was similar to the ending of an episode of the “Superman” TV show from the 1950s--like a wink at the camera. The climatic fight was good, though.

6/10

Downfall (2004)

2012-04-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written by Bernd Eichinger
IMDB

An epic film about the final days of Adolf Hitler, as told from the perspective of his secretary. Hitler is paranoid and nervous as he and some of his closest staff hole up in a bunker in Berlin.
An excellent film that is long without managing to feel overly-long. The actor who portrayed Hitler did an excellent job, as did the actress playing his secretary. Not a fun movie, of course, but an interesting one. The special effects were very good. Lots of realistic looking (and they probably were real) explosions.

8/10

Harakiri (1962)

2012-04-05T11:40:00.001-07:00

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Written by Shinobu Hashimoto
IMDB

A samurai travels to a mansion to request to commit harakiri, the honorable Japanese suicide where you disembowel yourself. The master of the house is skeptical because a man had recently made the same request and when they agreed they found out his sword was bamboo and still made him carry it out. Told through flashback, we find out the relation between this samurai and the other.
An interesting and intriguing unwinding tale. The climatic fight in the mansion is excellent and the performance from the samurai is fantastic. All around a good samurai film that is heavier on the drama than the sword fighting. Beautifully made.

9/10

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

2012-04-05T11:37:00.001-07:00

Directed by Sean Durkin
Written by Sean Durkin
IMDB

A young woman escapes from a cult and begins living with her sister and her brother-in-law. We frequently see flashbacks to the cult, which it seems as if Martha is also experiencing. Martha has trouble adjusting back to her normal life after spending a couple years with the abusive cult and experiences paranoia.
Most of this movie is good. Borderline very good, even. Yet, the ending is so bad and abrupt that it kind of ruins the film. The ending: the man who was on the dock while Martha was swimming before being taken to NYC to be hospitalized approaches nearly gets ran over by their car, out-of-focus, he walks past them and while a long shot of Martha’s face we see her look behind her and seeming paranoid. Was the man in the cult? Who cares. The only way you know the guy is the same guy on the dock is because the script says it is. Honestly, the ending would have been better if the man wasn’t out of focus. This ending wasn’t as bad as Mulholland Drive’s, which was especially terrible and made me feel like I just wasted so much time.
Elisabeth Olsen was very good as the lead. The film was shot well and paced very deliberately. I would have given it maybe a 7.5 if the ending didn’t leave such a bad taste in my mouth. As it stands...

6.5/10