28 Weeks Later

So I watched this last night. I loved the first one (28 Days Later) so I figured "what the hell..." It was good. Very good. It starts out so calm and then just bursts with attack of the infected. It's a great opening.

This is where the spoilers start, so if you haven't read it and want to be surprised when you do... don't read on.

I loved the military angle, the very "state of marshall law" set up. I loved the "some people might be immune" twist. Of course, the someone who was immune was also carrying it and passed it on. It seemed to me, althought it wasn't discussed, that the virus may have mutated. Just seeing what the woman who was immune and carrying's husband did when she passed it on to him. It was like he had a goal. Kill my family. Brutally. He gouged out her eyes for pete's sake. That was pretty brutal to watch. This one is gorier. He also seemed to attempt to follow his kids when they were escaping. The impression I got from the 1st movie is that the virus made them mindless killers. "Dad" didn't seem like a mindless killer. Which made him scarier. The ending was left open for sequel, and I've heard that they're working on a 28 Months Later, which could be good. I just hope they don't try to do a 28 Years Later after that.

Did I mention that this one was gorier than the first?

Movies: Last Holiday

Ok, so when I saw previews for Last Holiday back when it was coming out in theaters, I wasn't impressed. But like so many others that I didn't really have an interest in seeing, I caught part of it when there wasn't anything else on and I wanted some background noise that wasn't "Building a toilet from scratch" on DIY or something and was entertained enough to want to see the whole thing. So I watched it the next time it was on. Damn was that a good movie. It's a little silly in parts, but it's got a pretty good message: Life isn't a spectator sport.

The Mist

Of all of Stephen King's short stories, I love The Mist the most. If a good thick fog is rolling in, I can't resist asking anyone I'm with if they've read it. And the ensuing conversation never fails to give me the willies. Think about it... in a deep, dark fog... you have no idea what's 15 feet to your left or right. What if there is something very frightening and you've only escaped because something else caught its attention? Oh yes, it can be very frightening indeed.

Pacino or De Niro

The subject was raised on a forum I participate in... who's the better actor? Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. This requires some thought, as they're both such wonderful actors. They each have a long filmography, full of movies that I absolutely love. Yes, it requires a lot of thought.

I love both of these actors, so it's very difficult to choose one. But personally, I have to go with Pacino. Not because I love him more or anything like that. But because he sells it everytime.

I've seen a lot of the movies in each of their bios and of the two, Pacino is the only one who has completely sold the character in every film I've seen him in. He's not Al Pacino, playing Lt. Col. Frank Slade, he's simply Lt. Col. Frank Slade. There have been a few De Niro films in which I
wasn't sold. Analyze This for example, it was always "Ok, this is Robert De Niro trying to be funny." There are a few films that De Niro has been in where he never sold me. It was always Robert De Niro playing this character. I'm not saying that he's a bad actor because of it. I'm saying that he never found that place where he and the character became one.

They both played so many characters that I love. Michael and Young Vito Corleone, Frank Slade, The Creature (Frankenstein), Walt Koontz, Arthur Kirkland, Johnny (Frankie & Johnny), Jack Byrnes...

and apparently there's a movie due out next year with both of them. It's about time. Hopefully they'll share more screen time than they did in Heat -- a movie I didn't particularly care for, but I LOVED the diner scene. I can't wait until Righteous Kill is released.

Secretary

I finally got to see this movie. I've been wanting to for ages. Unfortunately, the copy I got (rented) skipped a lot, so I probably missed quite a few good parts. But overall, I really enjoyed the movie. Having a bit of an interest in that sort of thing, the movie rather inflamed that interest/desire. It was a great story and it was beautifully cast, and I do love James Spader. I think that eventually I'm going to have to buy myself a copy of this movie.

This kinky love story features a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, who gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles, and more. Secretary walks a fine line. It finds sly humor in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag, and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion.

Taran tara -- The Pirate Movie

I am the Pirate King! Well, not really. I was up late the other night and caught this movie. It's an old favorite, to be sure. My little sister and I always looked forward to whenever this movie would be on (or when we could convince our parents to let us rent it). It's just so funny.

From a cowardly crew of cops marching/strutting around (indeed they could give the Mummers a run for their money) and singing to Pirates breaking into song and dance. Assorted hidden references (really, look for them!), fun music and a whole armada of laughs. Would I call it a serious film? Nope. Cheesy, yes. But also a lot of laughs.

Buckle your swash and jolly your roger for the ultimate musical comedy pirate adventure! Kristy McNichol (LITTLE DARLINGS) and Christopher Atkins (THE BLUE LAGOON) star as dreamy young lovers in this uproarious update of Gilbert & Sullivan s THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, filled with virtuous maidens and shirtless cutthroats, savage swordplay and buried treasure, a dashing Pirate King (Ted Hamilton) and a modern Major General (Bill Kerr), plus plenty of pillaging, plundering, plank-walking fun!

Movies: Halloween

I've seen a lot of horror films. I've been watching them as far back as I can remember. Let me put it this way, we used to go to the drive in theater all the time. I can remember cuddling up in the back of the truck between my mom and dad during a horror movie triple feature... and my mom was holding my baby sister. She was born in 1980, I was born in 1976. So I was watching horror films as far back as the tender age of 4 years old and loving every minute of it.

Halloween is one of the best horror films ever made, hands down. I watch it whenever I can. The beauty of Halloween is that it doesn't rely on a lot of blood and guts to get the terror across. The music (and sometimes silence) is far scarier than the gore. The scene where Tommy is looking out the window at the house across the street and sees Michael Myers standing by the house... that alone can give you a jolt of shock/fear/etc. It's a perfect film.

Now we have a remake coming out. This New Halloween movie being directed by Rob Zombie.
On one hand, how dare he mess with a classic like Halloween. On the other hand, Rob Zombie is a twisted individual and I like that about him. I'm very curious as to what his spin on the story will be. Frankly, I'm intrigued. I really want to see this movie... and I'm perplexed by that feeling.

When Harry Met Sally

I was flipping through channels this morning and caught the last hour of this on TBS (or was it TNT?). Anyway, I love this movie and will watch it every time it comes on, if I can. I spent New Years Eve watching a marathon that consisted of just this film. It's probably best known for the fake orgasm in a deli scene, not to mention the follow up line delivered by Rob Reiner's mother "I'll have what she's having."

But it's also an incredible love story. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't gotten around to seeing this movie until I moved to Colorado (about 6 years ago). What got me was how effectively the film shows the acquaintanceship between Harry and Sally growing into friendship, and from there blossoming into love.

Harry and Sally meet when she gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from the University of Chicago. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: "Can a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?"