Movie Review: The Man With The Iron Fists

IMDB - Rotten Tomatoes

Amazon - Official Movie Site

Cast:
-RZA
-Rick Yune
-Russell Crowe
-Lucy Liu
-Dave Bautista
-Jamie Chung
-Cung Le
-Byron Mann
-Daniel Wu
-Zhu Zhu
-Chia Hui Liu
-Andrew Ng
-Kuan Tai Chen
-Yoyao Hsueh


Release Date: November 2, 2012
DVD Release: Unknown

Plot Summary:
On the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers.

My Thoughts:
About a week ago I went with my ex boyfriend to see a film by one of his favorite artists, the RZA. For those of you who do not know who RZA (that is pronounced Riz-ah) is I will do my best to explain. He is the badass Shaolin monk ass nigga who is the current head of hip-hop super group Wu-Tang Clan. Those fans of Rap surely have heard the name before or his alias Bobby Digital. Either way he's well known in the music community. 

RZA is a multifaceted man. Not only does he produce music, he is a screenwriter, occasional actor, and most recently a director. His directorial debut The Man With The Iron Fists was, in my opinion a first-rate piece of cinema.  It harkens back to earlier grind house Kung-Fu films but with a touch of swag. 

The music in the film, also done by RZA is of course amazing. Most of it is heavy beat and hip-hop based but it works well with the subject matter and cinematography. The film is one fluid kick ass piece of art. 

The film was a collaborative effort between RZA, Quentin Tarantino, and Eli Roth. Roth, as always, brought the blood and gore to the picture. And I'm sure Tarantino was just there for moral support and to inject wildly unconventional cut-scenes, like he does in most of his own films. What ever the correct mixture of work and input these men make one helluva killer Kung-Fu cocktail for viewers to ingest. 

Screenshots :)

I give the film five stars, go see it! 

Movie Review: Ken Park (18+ Review)

The Sex Is Real

[IMDB - Rotten Tomatoes - Amazon]

Releases:
Theaters: August 31, 2002
DVD: November 10, 2003

Cast:
-Adam Chubbuck
-James Ransone
-Tiffany Limos
-Maeve Quinlan
-Amanda Plummer
-Wade Williams
-James Bullard

Plot Summary:
An intense scrutiny of the lives of four teenagers, all childhood friends & their parents. Their unmasked lives are full of violence, sex, hatred & drugs.

My Thoughts:

There are not many non-pornographic films that show the amount of explicit real sex that the film Ken Park does. The films director Larry Clark, director of the film Kids (1995), and Bully (2001) has a knack for capturing the essence of teenage angst and culture. 

The film delves into the lives of several teenagers and their destructive home lives. It explores the unsettling themes of teen sex, drug abuse, alcoholism, incest, child abuse, and suicide. In the world of Ken Park, nothing is what it seems and there is little tangible reality besides sex. 

This film is very explicit. If viewing sex acts bothers you than you probably shouldn't watch the film because it can and does get easily pegged as a piece of pornography. However, Ken Park is not a pornographic film. It is not meant to be viewed for sexual purposes but rather the sex in the film is used to underscore the complete tragedy of these teens lives. 

The film is a piece of art. And it offers a real and gritty look into the psyche of the American teenager. It crosses gender and racial lines to show that life is not only fucked up for boys or girls, or for white or colored people, but life is hell for everyone. That theme I think offers a uniting thread for not only the characters in the film but the viewers of the film as well. 

So, I give this movie five stars for the subject matter and the audacity and bravery it took to show it without any censorship. 

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

'The Legend Ends'

IMDB - Rotten Tomatoes

Amazon - Official Movie Site

Release Date: July 20, 2012

DVD Release Date: December 4, 2012

Cast: 

-Christian Bale

-Michael Caine

-Gary Oldman

-Anne Hathaway

-Tom Hardy

-Marion Cotillard

-Joseph Gordon-Levitt

-Morgan Freeman

Plot Summary:

Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

What I have to say:

So yesterday, I saw a four o'clock showing of the new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises. Needless to say ever since the tragedy that struck Colorado at the midnight showing I had an overwhelming feeling that this movie is cursed and I might not make it out of the theater. Well, Since I am alive and well, and discussing my experience today I survived the movie. Nevertheless, I was still giving the evil eye to everyone who entered the theater. But I have to give the film 5 golden stars because it did exactly what a film is supposed to do. It succeeded in transporting me, the viewer, to another time and place and making me feel emotions I had not expected to feel during my film going adventure. 

Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight Trilogy, is a brilliant man. I have to say that these are the best Batman movies ever made! And since, in my humble opinion, Batman is the best superhero ever--that makes these movies the best superhero movies! This film rocked the box office boasting over 160 million in its opening weekend. That is a very impressive number and I was glad to contribute to their earnings. 

The Film is a perfect end to the trilogy, it brings back characters from the first film and ties many elements together like a good trilogy should. We see the introduction of Bane, the only character to ever defeat Batman, and for that reason, he was immediately sexy!! Plus the actor playing him ,England born Tom Hardy, isn't bad looking either. The fights are amazing, the gadgets are bonkers and the emotion each actor brings to the screen is superb. I don't want to include spoilers but I will say that the end of the film sets up a perfect situation for another trilogy and hopefully we will see more from Nolan and his Bat-centric films. 

Screenshots :)

Let me know your thoughts..

Leave me a comment.

Movie Review: Magic Mike

Not so magical!

The new film Magic Mike was less than magical, but that didn't stop hoards of horny house moms from rushing to the midnight premiere to see the films hot bods: Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street, GI Joe Retaliation), Matthew McConaughey (The Lincoln Lawyer, A Time to Kill), and Joe Manganiello (True Blood) take it off on the big screen. 

This is the latest project from veteran director Steven Soderbergh, he directed such gems as Oceans Eleven and Contagion. It seems as if this movie was made for the sole purpose of appealing to women's panties instead of moviegoers minds. The movie is about a self made male stripper, Magic Mike played by Tatum, and his struggle trying to manage his nighttime stripper life and his daytime realities. He makes loads of money and becomes mentor to another young dancer. He also develops a relationship with a girl he really likes but doesn't know how to manage her and his job. 

The plot seems empty to me. But if you like naked men, and c'mon who doesn't? It is quite a visual treat. And even more intriguing is that the story is based on Tatum's real experience as a male dancer before he made it big in Hollywood land. It's one of those throw away movies that is made for money not art and in this economy I guess we can't blame Soderbergh for making it. 

Reasons to watch Magic Mike:

1. Hot naked guys.

2. Funny moments.

Movie Review: The Raven

Rave Reviews for The Raven!

The Raven is the latest project from Australian native James McTeigue, director of the kick ass 2005 hit V for Vendetta. McTeigue is back with his fourth directorial venture The Raven, which hit theatres on April 27 2012, was a frightening thrill for movie goers. The film centers around murders committed based on the macabre tales of Edgar Allen Poe (played by John Cusack).

Poe is recruited by the local authorities to help solve the mystery of who is committing these heinous crimes. The film takes an analytical approach and delves deep into the mind of a distraught Poe during his final days. He is further compelled to help the detective because the killer has kidnapped his intended bride. Time is running out for Poe and his love and it is thrilling to see what happens as Poe and the detective try and outwit the murderous mind of a killer Poe inspired.

Reasons to watch The Raven

1. Cusack plays a convincing Poe.

2. It gives interesting illustration to the stories of Poe.

3. A great classic feel without going overboard.

4. Provides possible answers to Poe's last moments.

5. "May god have mercy on my poor soul"-Poe.