Friday, December 20, 2013

Red Dawn (2012)



Number Rolled: 70
Movie Name/Year: Red Dawn (2012)
Genre: Action & Adventure
Length: 93 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Dan Bradley
Writer: Carl Ellsworth, Jeremy Passmore, Kevin Reynolds, John Milius
Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Edwin Hodge, Brett Cullen, Alyssa Diaz, Julian Alcarez, Will Yun Lee, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Fernando Chien, Kenneth Choi, Matt Gerald, Michael A. Knight, Steve Lenz, Noah Smith, Michael Beach

After losing the big football game, Wolverines player (Matt Eckert) goes out with some friends, then hits the hay. Tremors wake him out of a dead sleep and he finds bombs and paratroopers falling from the sky. Chaos breaks out as North Korean forces begin to take over his suburban American town. In an effort to save his brother, Jed Eckert follows his father’s wishes and gets Matt, and some of their friends, as far away as possible. After witnessing the destruction and murder of their loved ones, however, the seed of rebellion is planted within them.

The original “Red Dawn” (1984) was one of the most spectacular action & adventure movies out there. Working off the current events of its time, it showed that America was not invincible and had certain vulnerabilities that were difficult to ignore. However, a teenager or young adult watching the movie now would find it a little out there. When you have a movie like that based around the technologies and current events of a specific time, the next generation (having different circumstances) is less likely to relate to the issues the movie works around. There are a lot of remakes I find to be unnecessary and even damning to the story its working off of, “Red Dawn” is not one of them.

This was the perfect movie to remake, however, I would call it a reboot instead. I liked the original film, but I didn’t relate to it. The reboot, however, changed Russia to North Korea, Cuban reinforcements to the Spetsnaz and nukes to EMP bombs. The result is something so close to actual foreign news that it is utterly terrifying. It pulls a knot of dread into your chest and forces you to see the terrifying reality of what World War III could be; which is exactly what it was going for in both versions.

The reason I call it a reboot instead of a remake is because they not brought the minor details into the 21rst century, but the story is also moderately different. The core characters are the same, but there are others added, and the script takes things in unexpected directions. I don’t like this version better than the original, but I don’t like the original better either. There’s a difference to it that keeps me from fully comparing the two. I love that. Reboots can get old because we know how the story ends and where it’s going. This one doesn’t let the story get old, in fact, it keeps you feeling that same gripping dread as the first one did.

Absolutely fantastic reboot. Absolutely amazing movie. Absolutely terrifying.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.3/5
Overall Opinion – 5/5

Movie Trailer: 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

A Guy Thing (2003)



Number Rolled: 41
Movie Name/Year: A Guy Thing (2003)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 101 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Chris Koch
Writer: Greg Glienna, Pete Schwaba, Matt Tarses, Bill Wrubel
Actors: Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, James Brolin, Shawn Hatosy, Lochlyn Munro, Diana Scarwid, David Koechner, Julie Hagerty, Thomas Lennon, Jackie Burroughs, Jay Brazeau, Matthew Walker, Fred Ewanuick, Lisa Calder, Dan Joffre, Michael Teigen

Paul is getting married to Karen in a week and his bachelor party is going well. Liquor and girls are flowing, and he’s simply doing his best to behave. Of course, it’s all shot straight to hell when he wakes up the following day with a woman who is not his wife-to-be.

My first thought when I was starting to gather the information for this movie was: “They really needed four writers to put together this crap?” I can’t tell you how much of a stretched out cliché this movie was. Everything you think is going to happen will, in fact, it will likely happen exactly how you picture it. So, watch the first fifteen minutes of this movie, then close your eyes and let your imagination roam. I’m going to go ahead and believe whatever you come up with will be better than this nauseating display of bad comedy and worse romance.

I like Jason Lee, but this is definitely a black mark in his career.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3.8/5
Overall Opinion – 1/5

Movie Trailer: 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Rock Jocks (2012)



Number Rolled: 78
Movie Name/Year: Rock Jocks (2012)
Genre: Independent
Length: 91 minutes
Rating: NR
Director: Paul V. Seetachitt
Writer: Paul V. Seetachitt
Actors: Andrew Bowen, Felicia Day, Gerry Bednob, Greg Benson, Seth Lucas Bowen, Eugene Byrd, Zach Callison, Justin Chon, James DuMont, Doug Jones, Jason Mewes, Robert Picardo, Mark Woolley, Kevin Wu, Jeff Lewis

The Rock Jocks are a super-secret government agency charged with the duty of protecting the world against the same kind of asteroid event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. These five misfits are forced to try and get along just long enough to keep life on Earth from ending.

This movie was one of the funniest I have seen in a while. Don’t expect subtle laughter, though. It relies on shock factor and low-brow sex jokes. That might not be everyone’s thing, but it’s right up my alley. I love that kind of shocky humor and most of my favorite films exhibit that same thing.

“Rock Jocks” was a B-movie that I added to my list simply because of Felicia Day. I adore her and have followed her career since she was in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (TV Show) in 2003. I’m not sure that I believe she’s the most amazing actor in the world, but I definitely enjoy her in everything I’ve ever seen her in. She was the only one I recognized in the very limited Netflix credits, so I was pleasantly surprised when Jason Mewes and Gerry Bednob appeared throughout the movie.

As happy as I was to see Jason Mewes, because I like him as an actor, there was a whole other reason his presence amused me. There were some very striking parallels between “Rock Jocks” and my all-time favorite movie, “Clerks.” Although there were a few minutes of extra footage at the beginning, it still pretty much started the same way, the humor was along the same route and there was even a character that was very Silent Bob-esk. When I realized just how similar the movies were (even with the sci-fi twist), it was pretty cool to see Jay, himself, appear on screen. It actually makes me wonder if the parallels were a conscious nod to Kevin Smith’s first full-length movie.

I think “Rock Jocks” was a cute, hilarious film with a fun story and great cast. I would watch this again, recommend this to friends and I might even pick up the DVD the next time I have a chance.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4/5
Overall Opinion – 5/5

The Random Rating: R – Explicit Language

Movie Trailer: