Wanted

I had higher expectations for this movie than I probably should have. Though I haven't read the comic the fact that it was based on a non mainstream comic increased my interest in the movie. Made me hope for something like another Sin City. A movie with great style, action, special effects that worked with the film, and a well done plot. This movie unfortunately takes from a lot of better movies and overuses special effects to the point that actors don't really seem to be needed for the action scenes. Plus while the general plot is something most people can get behind its execution is lacking and includes some ludicrous (in a bad way) ideas.

The movie starts off a lot like the Matrix. Nondescript office worker without any interesting real life except this guy is made to be especially pathetic with a cheating girlfriend and boss who berates him. Somewhat similar to office space and fight club in this area. The main character Wesley Gibson then discovers his father was in a secret assassins organization and that he has special powers such as slowing down time and controlling bullets. I almost expected them to say "You are the one" at one point. The "tough" training reminds me a bit of Batman Begins except that he gets a magic bath thing that cures everything from the rough training negates any real impact of the training being brutal. The assassins operate based on the will of a "loom of fate" and later find that someone was actually manufacturing some of the hits. Yes its as stupid as it sounds. The film includes plot twists of just who his father was but never explain why he was never in his son's life and just basically spied on him.

Plot usually doesn't have to be great in a movie like this cause the action should make us forget plot hole and dumb plot devices. However, the action in this completely relies on special effects and camera close ups and ignores any kind of detailed choreography or any traditional staple that discerning action fans are used to seeing. The kind in the original matrix, or most kung fu films, or the better Asian action films where you get a great overview of the action at all times and end up impressed by how it all goes down. The kind where the actors actually practice martial arts to be able to do all kinds of intricate movements. You won't see much of that here. Most shots use "bullet time" and show close ups of the character shooting followed but close ups of the character getting shot. You also see bullets curving which I thought was kind of a stretch and bullets actually colliding which I thought was completely ridiculous. On the plus side there is some decent knife fighting and a cool over the top scene where Wesley shoots someone then continues to shoot through them with the gun lodged in the wound while still running like crazy and shooting people. The movie could have used more of these kind of fun over the top violent moments.

In the end its a decent movie to see in the theatre cause movies like this have more impact in the theatre where everything is bigger and louder. Its not a waste of time and does have some decent laughs. However, it could have been much better and more original in its action. Its not a movie I'd want to see again and instead makes me want to see the movies it "borrowed" from more than the actual movie again. Its premise is good yet its execution leaves a lot to be desired especially if you've seen movies like The Matrix, Office Space, Fight Club, and Batman Begins. You won't see much new here and what is new is usually hard to accept in the movie.

Mildly recommended to see in theaters if you love flashy special effects laden action movies yet don't care if its especially original and worth a rent when it comes out on dvd if you want to watch a decent action movie with friends. Nothing amazing for those with specific movie tastes but something that's watchable that mainstream movie goers will like and so something most groups of friends could watch together.

Zombie (aka Zombi 2)

One of the most famous zombie movies of the time. Called Zombi 2 in Europe which made it seem like a sequel to Zombi (Dawn of the Dead) and is not nearly as good a movie.

I like zombie movies especially those with an element of satire or social commentary but this one had none of that. Not scary, intelligent, or exciting.

What this film does right is you do get a few nice gore scenes and the memorable shark vs zombie scene. The zombies themselves actually look great and much better than Dawn of the Dead zombies. You get an actual feeling that these are rotting corpses not just actors with some blue makeup. The gore is pretty good when its there.

However, I'm not sure why this is considered classic since Lucio Fulci himself has done much better. The Beyond is much more atmospheric and gorier. Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a well done Giallo in the tradition of Argento. So if you're looking for Fulci's trademark gore (and eye gouging) go with the beyond instead. The waits between gore scenes are quite boring and there's very few of them that are actually done well. Dialogue is terrible and storyline is boring.

This could have been a great zombie flim if made more atmospheric with a real feeling of dread and with the gore and camp elements brought more to the forefront more frequently. As is its a below average zombie flick worth watching if you like Fulci or are a huge fan of zombie films and have to see almost every zombie movie you can. Just don't go into it expecting anything like a Romero zombie film. NOT a dvd to blind buy based on its cult status.

The Fountain

I'm a fan of Requiem for a Dream and this is a pretty unconventional movie so I thought this was a good movie to start with. Darren Aronofsky is a director that actually seems to take advantage of his budget. Pi was fairly good but was held back at bit from its low budget. Requiem for a Dream had a better budget and was extremely well done with amazing visuals. He takes his flair for great visuals, takes a bigger though needed budget, and makes probably an even more artistic movie than Requiem when he easily could have gone more mainstream.

The fountain is a hard to fully understand movie but it definitely has emotional and mental impact. There is three different stories but exactly how they connect is a bit up to the viewer. The main story concerns a man trying to find a cure for cancer for his dying wife. To do so he tries to find a way to reverse tumor growth in monkeys. There is also a story in a book the wife has written about a conquistador and another with a futuristic Buddhist seeming astronaut. The movie tackles themes like life, death, and love in an intelligent way. The way the stories tie into each other may not make sense upon first watch but you can still definitely get a feel for the connection by the end of the movie. I did feel like I would have liked more of the main story and relationship with the scientist and his wife. Its not as emotionally involving and depressing as requiem but has you thinking and analyzing much more than that movie.

Highly recommended especially if you like movies that leave certain things up to the viewer to figure out on their own and like movies that aren't afraid to try something different. Probably not want to watch with those who only watch mainstream movies. This movie isn't for everyone yet those who enjoy challenging unique movies should like this.

If you like the movie also check out the graphic novel that came out before the movie based on the original script when it was to have a higher budget.

Welcome (About the blog)

Welcome to my blog. I will review all kinds of unconventional movies but probably focus more on horror and exploitation as those are my favorite genres and what I'm most knowledgeable in. Still I'm a big movie fan with a netflix account so there should be a wide variety of movies reviewed here. Mostly older movies that have been on dvd but occasionally a newer movie if I end up seeing one that at least promises to be somewhat unique. The movies are supposed to be whats unconventional not necessarily the reviews though I don't know much about review formats and have decided not to use any kind of rating system and let the review speak for itself. Feel free to comment on my reviews and criticize them in a constructive way. If you run a similar site let me know and if I like it and you like mine maybe we can trade links. Hope you enjoy my blog and end up finding some good movie because of it and avoiding some especially bad ones.