"Everly" Review: Salma Hayek Proves She Is A Force To Be Reckoned With In This Pulpish Action Extravaganza

What if you took the final act of the Luc Besson action classic Leon the Professional where Leon fought off the entire New York police department from his single room apartment, mixed it with some strong film noir underpinnings, a dash of Quentin Tarantino style pulp, copious amounts of blood and bullets, some Die Hard style claustrophobia, a pinch of Kill Bill's vengeance and then threw Latina goddess Salma Hayek into the middle of it all? Chances are you would end up with something like Everly, the latest action flick featuring a female in the usually male oriented action role. Read the full review after the break.

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"Man Of Tai Chi" Review: Keanu Reeves' Directorial Debut Is A Whole Lot Of Fun Hard Hitting Martial Arts Action

It took 5 long years for Man of Tai Chi to come to fruition. Directed and starring Keanu Reeves, featuring his long time friend and stunt man Tiger Hu Chen in the lead role and combining a mixture of oldschool and new age filmmaking philosphies, this is clearly a passion project for all those involved. How did Reeves' Martial Arts epic turn out?  Read the full review after the break.

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"Curse of Chucky" Review: Chucky Ditches The Humor And Goes Back To The Basics For His Latest Killing Spree

Over the course of the past 25 years, Chucky has solidified himself as a true horror icon. Despite his height issues, Chucky is able to stand proud next to fellow iconic slashers such as Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Pinhead and even his fellow knee high friend, the Leprechaun. But over the years, like most horror franchises, his films slowly turned from horror into self aware comedies and much of the little guy's bite from the original film was lost and forgotten as legions of fans began laughing instead of cringing. 

Now, with so much time having passed since the last film (Seed of Chucky came out 9 years ago!), both the filmmakers and Universal have seen fit to bring Chucky back and reintroduce him to the public in a new film, Curse of Chucky. Functioning as both a reboot and a sequel to the other films (a requel), his latest film returns serial killer child's doll back to his most primal, his most basic with surprisingly strong results. Read the full review after the break.

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"The Place Beyond The Pines" Review: Ambitious, Captivating And A Bit Pretentious, But Ultimately Flawed

Some films require time to contemplate their deeper meanings and themes. These films tend to defy the gut reaction, meaning if you choose to go off your immediate gut feeling towards it, you are likely to dismiss it and never give it a second thought. But if you give it a chance, let it marinate a little, you can start to see the bigger picture, that what first appeared to be either nonsensical actually has a greater purpose.

Director Derek Cianfrance's new film, The Place Beyond the Pines is just such a film that upon first glance, seems to be sort of a mess. It bounces around from character to character seemingly unsure of what its final destination is. However, it clearly knows where it wants to go from outset, it just makes that journey harder to get there than it should be. Read the full review after the break.

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Keith - Instant Stream Review

KEITH

Keith [DVD] Amazon Price $5.99

Theatrical Release Date: September 19, 2008

Keith is currently available on Netflix Instant Watch

It is at times like this that I absolutely adore and admire Netflix Instant Watch. Only on that service is it possible for me to come across such horrible garbage on a constant basis while also finding that rare diamond in the rough like this that apparently nobody has seen (rotten tomatoes has no reviews for it). It is amazing what the random browsing of that service can sometimes introduce me to.

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An Education - Home Video Review

Release Date: October 9, 2009

The title An Education takes on many different meanings during the course of the film. It not only signifies the coming of age story for young Jenny but also has an underlying message about how we as adults still have much to learn ourselves as we teach our children about life's rewards and difficulties. The journey that Jenny goes on is one well worth taking in my opinion and one that others should experience as well.

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The Good The Bad The Weird - Home Video Review

Release Date: July 17, 2008

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Survival of the Dead - Home Video Review

Release Date:  Sometime in 2009...maybe.

Review Vital Stats:
Service: Netflix
Download Type: Instant Stream
Picture Quality: High Definition

Biases:
Loves: The old George Romero, Zombie movies
Likes: Directors that take chances
Hates: The new George Romero


What the hell happened to George Romero...? This is the guy that invented zombie movies and the mythology itself as we know it. The original 1968 Night of the Living Dead is a classic and its two sequels, one of which made my top 11 horror films of all time, were superb. The horror movie genre would not be what it is today if it were not for his influences. He took a large hiatus after Day of the Dead and didn't return to the genre he helped create until 20 years later with Land of the Dead. While that movie did have its share of problems it still showed he had what it took to make a good zombie flick. Then there was Diary of the Dead...and now we have Survival of the Dead...and now I am a very very sad person.

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Franklyn - Home Video Review

Release Date: February 27, 2009

Review Vital Stats:
Service: Netflix
Download Type: Instant Stream
Picture Quality: High Definition

Biases:
Loves: Eva Green
Likes: Mysteries
Neutral: Ryan Phillipe
Hates: Mysteries that don't really pay off


Franklyn came to my attention as many obscure movies I see often do...because of a woman. And that woman is of course the beautiful and crazy Eva Green. If you have read any of my previous reviews or listen to the podcast you will probably be very familiar with my affinity towards certain actresses. I usually go into a movie if the story looks interesting or has a really good director attached to it, but every now and then I will see something just to see one of my favorite actresses do their thing. Well, that is how I came about watching this particular movie but I guess the real question is...is it any good?

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Carriers - Home Video Review

Release Date: September 4, 2009

Review Vital Stats:
Service: Netflix
Download Type: Instant Stream
Picture Quality: Standard Definition

Biases:
Loves: Dystopian/Apocalyptic atmosphere
Likes: Chris Pine, Piper Perabo
Hates: Movies released due only to a cast member being in another successful movie


I am not sure what attracts me to these post apocalyptic/end of the world scenarios but for some reason they just intrigue the hell out of me. Maybe it is the idea of witnessing our society collapse and everything you know to be true to all of a sudden be turned on its head. This idea has propelled such classics as Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later into a whole other category beyond the run of the mill horror film. It scares you by making you imagine a world with no rules other than to survive any way you can. Directors Alex & David Pastor's Carriers is just such a film that takes the idea of our nation being overrun by a mysterious outbreak, shows how are society has fallen apart and the only law is every man for himself.

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Ponyo - Home Video Review

Streamed using Netflix Instant Watch.

Original Release Date (US): August 14, 2009

What a magical film this is, Mr. Miyazaki can never disappoint and each time I see one of his films it just fills me with happiness. For years now I have been a vocal and loyal fan of his and for years he has never given me a reason to doubt him and that trend continues with Ponyo (or the original translated Japanese title Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea). People have compared him to the likes of Steven Spielberg or George Lucas from back when they used to make magic on the screen all the time. The one problem with that analogy is that Mr. Miyazaki has yet to make not only a bad film, but even a mediocre one. I am not sure what kind of magic that man wields but I am powerless to fight it and honestly, who would want to...?

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Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus - Home Video Review

Streamed using Netflix Instant Watch.

 Release Date: It doesn't really matter

Ok, let's get this out of the way right now, this is not an actual review, this will be more of a dissection of what makes this movie "so bad...its good". Now, looking at that title one will think "Of course this movie is bad", but it is the little sprinkles of awfulness spread all throughout it that helps transcend that bad and turn it into a horrible good time. The real problem when discussing a movie like this how exactly to convey to you, the reader, what it is that makes this particular movie achieve the moniker "So bad, its good". Let me start off with the following image, what exactly do you think this man sees that has him so upset? Click the jump to find out.

"Holy Shit!"

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