Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Director: Lauren Montgomery
Notable Cast: Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer, Michael Madsen

Wow. I was impressed with the animated version of "Wonder Woman" even with some of its flaws, but this "Green Lantern" origin (of sorts) story easily surpasses the quality of the series.

Green Lantern was one of the superheroes that I never really dabbled into as a comic book reader. Intergalactic police forces that use rings of shape shifting and almost unhindered power never really caught my fancy, but with the recently announced feature film starring Ryan Reynolds announced (which I still think is bull shit casting, now even more since I've seen the cartoon) I thought I would give "First Flight" a chance.

Once again, this cartoon has a rather short run time, sitting at about an hour and ten minutes I believe, but the story is rather fulfilling and cohesive. It's an origin story of sorts for both the Green Lantern, for this film being the original Hal Jordan, and his nemesis Sinestro (not sure if I spelled that one right). It's a rivalry that is well developed and expressed even if some of the supporting cast tends to lose some character development from it. I also appreciate that this cartoon is PG-13 as it allowed some of the more action scenes to be a little more impressive (hell, they even have a bloody death in a few!) and it adds well to the story itself.

I could have done with even slightly more character work with Hal Jordan before his garnering of the ring in the beginning (mostly cause I don't know the story) but we got enough to make sure we knew that he was going to be a badass with the green light.

Overall, this was quite the impressive super hero cartoon that made a doubting thomas a believer in me. If the live action film is even as close to as good as this one (its hard for me to imagine that it will not be cheesy with Reynolds flying through space and glowing green) then I will be there opening weekend. Until then I'll just stick with this nice release. 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Public Enemies (2009)

Director: Michael Mann
Notable Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and brief appearance by Channing Tatum

Pretty massive disappointment in my book. Perhaps I should have read some reviews before going in (so I had something to lower my expectations) but I found "Public Enemies" to be more of a lesson in frustrating film making then in enjoyment of one of my favorite periods in history.

Firstly, I will state what was done well in this film as there were moments that made it worth the $3 in the cheap seats. Firstly, Depp as Dillinger was a fantastic choice and it was a great performance on his part. He carried this movie on his back with relative ease and its worth seeing it for some of his scenes. Combine him with some of the pretty solid supporting cast (I always did love Dorff) and there are some pretty solid moments. I also was really digging the love story portion of the film for Depp and Cotillard and their chemistry was one of the best parts of "Public Enemies" - even if I had some story issues here.

Honestly, that's about all I got for the good stuff. Otherwise I had some serious issues with presentation and story on this one. Christian Bale is a great actor but when you give him an essentially depthless character (at the end you learn he takes his own life later on - ahhh who gives a shit I thought) then he isn't able to do much. He has only one or two solid scenes in the film and they are ones with Mr. Depp. Go figure. And on this note, comes my issue with the focus of this film. Is it a sympathetic tale of Dillinger? Is is focused on the task of bringing him down? Is it about his relationship with Billy? Is Bale even a main character? Hell, the lack of back story and character development would say not. It's actually a little of everything but Mann misses the boat on most of it by trying to jam way too much into the story. We get a really long movie that dabbles in a lot but never lets the audience plunge in. It's very frustrating and made me an anxious viewer. What didn't help with that was the somewhat random time jumps. It's obvious that this film takes place over a significant amount of time. Sudden location changes, facial hair changes, and climate changes signify that much time has passed but for the life of me I couldn't tell you how much. And for a historical film (whether or not how much of it is fact) this is something of importance that is just brushed to the side.

All in all, this film felt both far too long and rushed at the same time. The makers jammed as much as possible into it and left too much out. An easy step to righting this sinking ship would have been to pick a focus and stay with it whilst having subplots instead of making 10 plots and jamming it all together. Mann is lucky that he had a talented cast to carry his ass through this one.

BONUS RANT:  Did anyone else think that some of the action scenes looked like clips from "Cops"? The odd shaky cam following people and digital film just made it seem really cheap to me for some reason. During the shoot out at the cabin in the woods I almost felt like it was a TV dramatization from "America's Most Wanted". 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Observe And Report (2009)

Director: Jody Hill
Notable Cast: Seth Rogan, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Ray Liotta

Perhaps I just love dark comedy. Perhaps I just love offensiveness. Perhaps I just love movies that don't cop out to the mainstream bullshit humor that is going to sell a few tickets. But "Observe And Report" is the best comedy I've seen in a long time. And that says something since I just recently saw "The Hangover". This film is not 'haha funny guy in an odd situation' kind of flick. This is not going to appeal to the majority of movie goers. That's what makes this film worth seeing.

This film is one of those movies that is at its funniest when it doesn't try at all. None of the characters (sans perhaps Ronnie's Hispanic co-mall cop) are all that intentionally funny. Most of them are just over exaggerations of real people that you know or meet everyday. As a mall worker myself, there are far too many of these people that actually exist and its nice to see that a film is willing to show the dark and light sides of various people. Ronnie is not a likable character and that in itself is somewhat of an enduring quality and neither are most of the individuals in this film. This is a dark carnival ride into what some are going to find as offensive. I love it!

Ironically, my favorite aspect of this film isn't Rogan's performance (which was a wonderful change of pace for him) or the scatter-shot script but the editing. Most of the film's humor comes from the sometimes odd and unpredictable editing that will shift randomly. Combine that with an odd moving script that moves in odd directions and some great performances and you will find a movie that is so unlike the majority of comedies out there it makes one a little bit sick.

I honestly could go on and on about all the scenes I loved in this movie but I can sum it up like this: the whole film is worth it. Although I have to give props to the last 5 or 10 minutes for making me laugh so hard I had to pause the film. For fans of offbeat humor this is a must see. If you have the balls to try a comedy that doesn't cater to simplicity then you have to see "Observe And Report". 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Hangover, The (2009)

Director: Todd Phillips
Notable Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson

Normally, I'm somewhat of a prude for my comedies. I tend not to like 'toilet humor' and most modern comedies use that as the basis for their stories and jokes. Although "The Hangover" does have some of that type of humor stashed in here, this is a pretty smart and extremely well written film that really uses its concept to full effect.

I think that the reason that this film works so well is its concept. It's like a mystery/thriller done as a comedy. The fact that this film is about putting the pieces together to find out what happened is the reason that this film works so well. Had it just been a movie about the Vegas party going nuts, then it would have been like every other 'let's get drunk and do stupid shit' comedies that are out there. Just seeing the characters reactions to shit that they did buy have no recollection of is priceless and earns the best laughs (particularly their reaction to the police car had me rolling). I must also give it up for the randomness of the writing. The inclusion of Mike Tyson is also pure comedic gold and the recurring issue of the mattress is awesome in itself.

I will warn those out there that there are a ton of jokes (mostly from Zach's character Alan) that are very quick and easy to miss. You might want to watch this one or two times to see if you can catch all of them. They are worth it.

This is the best comedy I've seen in a long time, honestly, and even with a lot of the dick and fart jokes I couldn't help but laugh. This is a must see comedy (and a big recommendation from me). 

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Vacancy (2007)

Director: Antal Nimrod
Notable Cast: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale

I have put off watching this film for far too long. Hell, there is even a sequel out before I got around to it. Which is a shame really as it is perhaps one of the best new Horror films I've seen.

The back of the box claimed "Vacancy" to be a 'mixture of "Psycho" and "Saw" ' (Both films that I adore) so I was already put off about this film. After watching it though, that description is absolutely perfect. "Vacancy" takes a lot of throw back Horror elements and modernizes them with some of the new trends in the genre (aka Torture films) and it works wonderfully.

What I liked best about "Vacancy" is that the director and script had its priorities straight. This isn't a movie about twists or how clever it can be to trick the audience. This film isn't about how much gore it can show or how much nudity it can sneak in. This film is straight forward to the audience. It's a basic Horror story, a couple that is on the rocks with their marriage breaks down in po-dunk fuckstick middle of nowhere and comes across and hotel with an owner of murderous intent, that focuses on the relationship of the protagonists and creating an atmosphere of terror and suspense. This throwback style of Horror that focuses on the atmosphere is what makes this a great watch as it really drags the viewer into the mix whether they want to or not. Bravo on blending the new and the old together Nimrod (no seriously that's the director's name).

Acting wise we get some great portrayals from Wilson and Beckinsale as the main couple with both of them doing roles that we haven't necessarily seen from them before. At times I felt that some of the humor from Wilson was a little forced but other than that I was pretty impressed.

I think that this film just had the balancing act down pact of the best of the old and the new. It's where it ultimately succeeds on most levels and it's what made this a pretty great watch. Definitely going to have to check out the prequel now (even though we know who it turns out).

BONUS PRAISE: Am I the only one that dug the Hitchcockian title sequence? I thought that was awesome!! 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Seven Swords (2005)

I had high hopes for this one. Normally, any epic sword tale featuring Donnie Yen is pretty solid in my eyes, but after watching "Seven Swords" I have to be more careful with my picks. This one just was a jumble and a half of a heaping ball of 'what the fuck'.

I like to start my reviews with the good things though and "Seven Swords" has some nice things going for it. Firstly, the cast is pretty fucking solid. Donnie Yen isn't the only awesome guy in this one and not only are the seven swords well acted but the bad guy Fire-Wind is pretty solid while most of the villagers have some great moments. Besides the acting though, this is a pretty solid visual feast too. Great settings (whether its setting suns or beams of light through trees) give this tale a very epic feel and some impressive solid camera work give this baby a nice sheen that helps it from being too much of a bumbleshit storm due to its rather confusing script.

That's where most of the best ends though because the script and flow of the film is pretty horrendous. There is some great dialogue interspersed here and there but the choices of scenes and jumps between time and focuses made me scratch my head and mumble to myself 'what the hell is going on now?' more often than not. This film tries to be so epic that it hurts most of the time. Odd choices for slow motion and cheesiness inserted tend to bog the film of its more serious and truly epic moments. Later on I found out that this is a film version of massive mini-series (of which I heard rumor of lasting about 9 hours) and it would take those 9 hours to try and straighten out what the story was moving towards. This story was too big for its run time and too epic to try and edit it. It's the truth and sadly enough this film just was unable to stand on its own in this form.

I must also admit that there were a few action sequences that were pretty badass. Firstly, the character Fu does throw a horse across a river with a net which was worthy of a few rewinds and the final sword fight was pretty amazing (especially on the walls). But other than that most of it was rather hm-ha when it came down to it as it tried desperately to focus itself on just getting as much story out there as possible.

I just really wanted this film to work and be epic and awesome. But alas, its too large for its own good and just ends up being a prime example of confusion on film. Looks as though I might have to go find the mini-series and check that out instead. 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Shuttle (2008)

All aboard! First stop is the airport. Second is the grocery store and the last stop is HELL!!!

"Shuttle" is a mixed bag of nuts. There are moments when it really works and moments where it doesn't work at all. Firstly, its a pretty neat take on a fairly over-saturated market. I read a review that simple called it ' "Hostel" on a bus' and for the most part this is a true statement. Torture Horror film that takes place for a most part on a Shuttle bus. Is it realistic? Probably not and there are some moments where this idea just catches in the gullet. Would a killer really have a bus that is able to be unlockable from the inside and seat belts without a safety catch? It's like the Magic School Bus of Pain. If one puts a lot of their logic aside then the plot can work fairly well (there are some interesting turns and twists that kept my attention, but for most of the film I felt a little bored honestly).

I do have to give a hand to the actor playing Mr. Bus Driver. He had a pretty solid run with acting chops for the run time and although the plot tends to drive me nuts with its false clues and unfulfilled hints to what comes next especially when it comes to the bad guy. He does a solid job (all of the actors did actually) but sometime the script makes some poor choices for them.

Perhaps my biggest issue with "Shuttle" comes from its dragged out feeling. This film could have been done with a half hour less and it wouldn't have changed a single theme or element in the film. It just drags on and on and on at times. Seriously, it was one of the longest bus rides I've had to be on. There is even some fake climaxes thrown into the mix (the part where they smash the front end of the shuttle comes to mind) that made me want to yell at the screen. If you are going to end it...then end it already! Don't put them back on the fucking bus!

There was some nice moments but overall this one just felt too long and illogical for me. Some good acting and directing choices helped to try and balance it out but the somewhat odd script and cliche times just prevented this from being anything but a rental. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Infernal Affairs (2002)

It's hard for me to say this, but...I saw "The Departed" before this. I KNOW! That makes me somewhat of a cult film poser in my own eyes but alas I was finally able to catch the brilliance of "Infernal Affairs" for myself. To say that its remake was brilliant is something of a feat, but I think that I prefer this version better due to its effective storytelling techniques and stunning performances.

Don't get me wrong - both versions are pretty damn good. But each features itself for the side of the world that they come from which makes each one slightly different from one another and thusly about equal in their awesomeness. It's the best way I could say it.

I think what I enjoy about this film more than the other is its sleek approach. Where "Departed" was about the slow burn effect of these two characters and how their worlds begin to collide and collapse, "Infernal Affairs" has more of a chaotic effect. Instead of strategically planned attacks and balances, the characters here tend to spiral and brace themselves for the inevitable course on which they are laid. To me, it made it slightly more intense and volatile which is why I love this one more.

As for performances, its hard to top that of Tony Leung and Andy Lau. They are pocket rockets from the get go on this one with their subtle and yet bombastic performances. They are truly the works of artistic prose on the screen with this film and it's a sight to see.

Honestly, I could go on for hours about what I loved about "Infernal Affairs" whether it was the clever editing, brilliant directing, or amazing supporting cast. But I think that this film is best seen on its own and enjoyed. Then deciding which version you enjoy more is the next step. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Iron Man (2008)

Director: Jon Favreau
Notable Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Terrance Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow

One of the best Marvel Comic films to come out to date, "Iron Man" is a pretty solid feature although it does have some issues. Being as its an origin story for Iron Man, most of the first half of the movie has to do with Tony Stark and his movement from playboy genius to concerned crime fighter and although it has a nice flow to it much of this seems a little pulled out. The second half is where it really starts cooking and for some reason feels really rushed at times. It's an odd combination that is perhaps my biggest complaint of the film. The story is good and the direction of the story is nicely done with character development and the like so its hard to be too critical of this.

The biggest success of this film is not in its special effects, like many believe, but in its casting. When I heard Downey Jr was to play Tony Stark I had to give them a hand. It was a brilliant choice and he's an actor with the chops to make it realistic as it is over the top. The same goes with all of the supporting cast with a particular nod to Jeff Bridges as the second half villain of the film. I wasn't overly impressed with Terrence Howard in this one though (considering his paycheck it was money not well spent) but then again I've never been really impressed with his work to begin with.

I could have done with some more action for the most part, we really only get two sequences of Iron Man awesomeness, which story wise is all there is allowed, but I could have done with more that's for sure. The final fight between the two robotic suited enemies was a nicely reminiscent of "Robocop 2" I think which is a great thing for me as that movie was pretty underrated.

This is a pretty good movie on its own without its comic connections. It's worth a viewing for anyone that is a fan of Action Science Fiction at all. I approve and am looking forward to a sequel with another great villain choice! 

 Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Martyrs (2008)

Director: Pascal Laugier
Notable Cast: Morjana Alaoui, Mylene Jampanoi

There are only two words that aptly describe the experience I had watching the French film "Martyrs". Holy fuck. I honestly had heard various things going into the film but when I actually sat down to watch it...it destroyed all those expectations and still did a number on me. Director Pascal Laugier takes a rather basic concept, twists and turns it with craftsmanship at high velocity, and then unleashes it as a film that defies all of the conventions of being both a horror film and a psychological horror film.  

Two girls (Alaoui and Jampanoi) meet reluctantly at an orphanage at kids. One is the victim of extreme abuse at the hands of mysterious strangers, only barely escaping with her life. The other is the support structure who's love for her childhood friend has turned to intense dedication. The two, now young women, have decided to take it into their own hands to find those who tortured the little girl years before and extract a little revenge of their own while they still have the rage and push to do so...but what they discover about the perpetrators will take them further then they ever imagined.


I could try to explain why I loved the story so much...but there are so many shockers in it and such oddly crafted (but very powerful) moments all the way through, but I would give those away and this film is an experience of story telling. It's built like a classic revenge tale that ends up not at all like any you have ever seen before. The film flows almost like a stream of conscience in its story telling as it seamlessly blends in torture horror, psychological horror, and some straight out ghostly apparitions into a dramatic tale of discovery. Let's just say that with the riveting acting performances from our two leading ladies and a gut wrenching story of super violence, love (perhaps not the way you might be thinking of now), and redemption that "Martyrs" is far more as a whole than its parts as it bombards the viewer with extreme themes and thoughtful character work.

With a strong visual sense of direction from Laugier and beautifully brutal performances for our actresses, the film is highlighted by its combination of elements. It's brutal violence (with some significant amount of gore...come one, its one of those crazy French horror films!) and grotesquely haunting 'visions' definitely lend the film in a horror direction, but the film truly is more than that in its seething undercurrent. 

 I spent a good couple hours trying to conjure up what I would say on a review for this, and this is essentially all I have. Everything comes together beautifully in "Martyrs" and if I don't want to give it away I just have to keep this one a little vague. In a genre that is notoriously filled with crap, when someone comes along and makes a film that is this artistic without losing what makes a horror film great, it is a very special thing and a requirement for any kind of film student or general viewer. If you can stomach some of the brutality then this is a must see. One of the best films, ever, made for the genre. Period. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider