Chronicle (2012)

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

Info: Official Website

Directed By: Josh Trank

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan

Three very different high school seniors: Matt, the philosophical stoner; Steve, the popular jock; and Andrew, the awkward, angst ridden outcast (also cousins with Matt), discover an unexplained energy source deep within the Earth during a barn party.  Soon afterwards, they discover that they have incredible telekinetic abilities.

The movie is set up in first person POV, sort of like CLOVERFIELD. It can be annoying at times, but towards the ending it gets kind of cool as the filmmakers got a bit creative with camera sources. Also, it’s completely essential to the story- Andrew uses his camera to document the happenings. It is due to this fact that most of the movie follows Andrew, which may be it’s biggest flaw. The character of Andrew is irritating from beginning to end, and we’re forced to listen to his shallow commentary almost the entire time.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some cool things about this flick. The concept is entirely original, in a time when nearly everything in theatres is either a remake or a sequel. The plot is excited and does keep you interested throughout, and it is entertaining, so in that aspect this movie is a success. The acting is not bad. However, the use of the first person POV is battled by the fact that the movie has perfect lighting, and the actors are all way too shiny and made-up to be believable. The action in the movie is decent, as are the effects. You might find yourself wishing you had the characters’ powers.

 

Overall, it’s a decent achievement and worth seeing. If you can get past the minor flaws and annoyances, this is a fun movie.

 

3 out of 5 Knocks

Attack The Block (2011)

Rated: R

Genre: Horror/Action

Info: Official Website

Directed By: Joe Cornish

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Nick Frost

Hollywood, take note. This is how you make a movie.

 

Writer/Director Joe Cornish was inspired to make this bad-ass alien flick after being the victim of a mugging, very similar to the one in the beginning of the movie. Attack The Block follows young Moses (John Boyega) and his gang of hoodlums as they attempt to save the world from an alien invasion that almost everyone else seems completely ignorant to. The violent youngsters must face large, gorilla-wolf creatures with fluorescent fangs, while at the same time attempting to avoid the local 5-0. That’s “police” for the layman. What follows next is the most enjoyable 88 minutes of cinema I’ve experienced in a long time.

The gang spends much of the film running from the aliens. Riding their bicycles or motorcycle. Booking it on foot. Jumping from ledge to ledge. Doing whatever they can to survive. Given their toughness, they elect to fight the aliens time and time again, using samurai swords, baseball bats, and best of all, fireworks. This may not seem like the plot for the best movie of 2011, but it really is. The dialogue is excellently written and flawlessly delivered by the entire cast, even the 9 year old thugs who, in one scene, spray an alien with a squirt-gun full of gasoline and set it aflame. The highlight of the movie comes when the gang is holed up in the block, their large and seedy apartment building, including tenant Ron (Nick Frost) who is the boys’ mentor and weed dealer.

Attack The Block is fun, hilarious, thrilling, and action packed. It’s the culmination of the age old adage, “What would my friends and I do if some sort of monsters were attacking the city?” This is as close of a response as you may ever get. The special effects are beautiful, as Director Joe Cornish elected for practical effects over computer animation. The movie’s heroes are quite obscure and very unlikely, making Attack The Block anything but typical. If you have yet to see this movie, you need to move it to the top of your “must watch” list.

5 out of 5 Knocks

Red State (2011)

Rated: R

Genre: Action/Horror/Thriller

Info: IMDb

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Starring: John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks

Park City, Utah. Sundance 2011. Wonderboy Kevin Smith dupes dozens of studio executives into thinking they’re going to bid on the distribution rights to Red State, auction style, and then purchases the movie himself for $20 in order to self distribute. Crazy? Yes. Ingenious? In many ways, yes.

Red State is the story of three horny high school teens who answer an internet website ad for sex. What they find instead is a crazed religious zealot who roofies their beer. They awaken, one in a cage, and the others tied up in a cellar. They are now prisoners of Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) and his family of whackadoos, and are to be punished for their devilish sins. After a deputy is killed on the property, Agent Keenan (John Goodman) and his crew are sent in to exterminate the commune, leaving no one alive.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this movie. For one, this is definitely a genre that Kevin Smith has yet to dip his feet into, until now. He was able to include his witty writing and dialogue and mix it with a dark political theme, in order to achieve an entertaining outcome. Red State has it’s flaws. It doesn’t have the strongest story, and there really is no lead character. But it makes up for it’s flaws with it’s entertainment value. John Goodman is a Godsend who takes the movie from being a visually impressive indie flick to a captivating action thriller. Kevin Smith shows that he could wipe the floor with Michael Bay, he just doesn’t want to.

3.5 out of 5 Knocks

The Grey (2012)

Rated: R

Genre: Action/Survival/Drama

Info: IMDb

Directed By: Joe Carnahan

Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo

“The Grey” is the gripping tale of Ottway (Neeson), a stone faced hunter hired by an oil company to kill wolves and protect workers in a remote region of Alaska. In the beginning of the movie we see that Ottway no longer wishes to live and almost takes his own life. As fate would have it, his plane ride home crashes and it becomes his job to ensure the survival of those who did not die in the crash. What follows is a harrowing story of survival in which Ottway must struggle with both his inner demons and those roaming the woods around him.

I noticed a lot of people at the theatre had mixed feelings about this movie. Predictably, today’s ADD generation of movie goers were delighted during the action parts, but just could not handle the suspense or story. I, however, enjoyed this movie. Survival stories are slowly beginning to pop their head into entertainment with shows like “I survived” and “I shouldn’t be alive” and movies such as “127 hours”. This story is one that will keep you rooting for the survivors as they move inches towards civilization and eventual rescue.

The survivors are faced with some pretty rough hardships. The freezing cold and weather conditions. Starvation. Injuries. And worst of all, their plane crashed right in the middle of wolf hunting territory. Neeson and his gang of survivors are viciously hunted by weirdly large and aggressive CGI wolves (the viciousness of these wolves being the most Hollywood-esque aspect of the entire film). One by one, the survivors are picked off, either by the elements or by the wolves. No two guys really die the same, which was pretty cool. Also, each survivor is sculpted out and given unique characteristics and back stories, which separates this movie from a horror movie where people hardly even have names. You find yourself getting attached to certain characters and then being a bit upset when they bite it.

I enjoyed watching Neeson’s character do all that he can to stay alive, even though he is proven to be suicidal, just so that he can get the other survivors home to their families. The struggle that he goes through seems a bit too real, which ropes you into the film. The ending of the movie seems to be what some people were bothered by the most, but I felt that it was very fitting and satisfying.he highlight of this movie for me was the plane crash, which is so surreal, it’s scary. Also, there is a little tid-bit after the credits, but nothing really worth staying for.

4 out of 5 Knocks

Hobo With A Shotgun (2011)

Rated: UNRATED

 

Genre: Action/Thriller/Exploitation/Grindhouse

 

Info: Official Website

 

Directed By: Jason Eisener

 

Starring: Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Molly Dunsworth

 

This movie sucked. But it was supposed to suck. But it sucked at sucking. Or maybe it was SO GOOD at sucking, that it was actually really good. That just leaves us with personal opinion. And unfortunately mine isn’t that great…

 

…I understand exploitation films. I do. I get the whole genre. The fun of watching grindhouse films that were so popular in the 60’s and 70’s and are now making a come-back thanks to Tarantino and Rodriguez. However, I feel that if this movie didn’t have Rutger Hauer, nobody would have ever heard of it.

The story follows a hobo who has gotten off a train in the worst city imaginable. This town is a mix between the futuristic “Hill Valley” in “Back to the Future II”, New York in “Escape From New York”, and Detroit. Only it’s completely unrealistic. (Yes, I get it… it’s supposed to be). The hobo witnesses a horrific crime, and then pledges to earn enough cash and buy himself a lawn mower, so he can mow lawns and make the city a better place. However, he decides to use his money for a much wiser investment: A double-barrel shotgun that has an unlimited supply of shells. Screw it, it’s a movie. The hobo quickly steals the headlines, and makes enemies with the city’s most ruthless villains, Drake and his two boys (Ivan and Slick). Awesome in-cam action and unrealistic gore ensues.

 

The movie goes a little too far, as it should. But it’s not the blood and guts or the school-bus full of kids that gets burned by a flame thrower that sickened me, it was the cinematography. Eisener and his guys were going for a classic exploitation look with neon colors, and they found it. There’s a reason this look isn’t around anymore… it’s uncomfortable.

The characters in this movie are unrealistic and the acting, aside from Hauer who steals the show, is horrible. Is it better than typical Hollywood smut? In some ways, yes. In other ways, no. If you enjoy gory, over the top movies with almost no story line and horrible dialogue, look no further.

 

2.5 Knocks out of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Limitless (2011)

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Thriller/Sci-Fi/Mystery

Info: Official Website

Directed By: Neil Burger

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish

To be fair and just, I had no desire whatsoever to see this movie. It was between this and The Green Lantern. I wanted to see The Green Lantern, but due to circumstances, I ended up settling with Limitless. Boy, am I glad I made that decision!

Limitless follows Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a struggling, unkempt writer. Eddie’s girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) leaves him, and he is having difficulty completing (or even starting) his novel. He runs into his ex-wife’s brother, Vernon, who also happens to be Eddie’s ex-drug dealer, on the streets of NYC. The two decide to sit down for a drink, and, during their conversation, Vernon offers him a small, clear pill, called NTZ. He tells Eddie that this pill will allow him to access 100% of his brain, as opposed to the 10% that human beings naturally access. Eddie brings the pill home with him and tries it out, and, within thirty seconds, everything becomes clear to him. He is even able to complete his book because of his new-found knowledge and enthusiasm.

NTZ allows Eddie to tap into his subconscious mind and recover knowledge that he doesn’t even realize he has. The next day, however, he is back to his old self. He is already addicted to the effects of the drug, and quickly seeks out more drugs from Vernon. He finds that Vernon has been brutally murdered by someone who was searching for the NTZ, but did not find his stash. Eddie searches for and finds the stash of NTZ, a discovery that will forever alter his life. He begins regularly taking the pills, and soon finds that he is wildly popular, rich, successful, and a genius (among many other things).

The pills do not come without consequences, as  Eddie soon finds out. Side effects of the drug include blackouts, loss of time, sickness, and death. (Some pretty serious side effects, if you ask me). Top that off with the fact that there are other NTZ addicts whose stashes are running low since the death of Vernon, and you have one wildly entertaining story.

Upon doing some research on the movie, I found that Shia LaBeouf was originally cast as Eddie. Though LaBeouf is a decent actor, I am personally relieved that he did not play this role. Nothing against Shia, but Bradley Cooper really knocked this out of the park. His transformation from an unclean, indie writer-to a successful, intellectual genius-and then to a drug addicted freak of nature, is portrayed with great precision and excellency. His character is executed brilliantly and, most importantly, believably. Robert De Niro steps in as a season veteran to add something special to this flick. He portrays a Trump-esque businessman whom employs Eddie, for his genius ability to play the stock market. De Niro is exceptional and stern, and gives the movie a sense of urgency on a business end, which couples excellently with Eddie’s situation (and the fact that people are trying to kill him).

The aspect of this movie that stood out the most was the cinematography. Flawless. Inventive. Perfect. These words do nothing to describe the way this movie looks, and the way the camera moves. The cinematography is creative and intelligent. When Eddie is on the drug NTZ, the picture turns from a cool, depressing blue to a bright, soft tone. It becomes very crisp, as if we as the viewers are actually experiencing the effect of this drug. The entire feel of the movie is perfected through Neil Burger’s direction and through Jo Willems’ cinematography. One, if not both, of these men deserve an Academy Award for this movie.

In addition to a fantastic story, great acting, and amazing visuals, the movie ends with an underlying theme. This political theme revolves around lobbyist groups controlling politicians, and is slipped into the movie quickly and almost without notice. It parallels the theme of drug use for personal gain with great effect.

If you haven’t seen Limitless, then you are missing out.

5 Knocks out of 5

 

 

Come Together (2008)

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Comedy

Info: Official Website

Directed By: Charles Unger

Starring: Vanessa Gomes, Marisa Sullivan, Cooney Horvath

“COME TOGETHER” is a film produced by the Ungers, Paula and Charles and writing and directing credit going to Charles. For a film editorial called “KNOCKERS” this film was a no brainer to review. This is a film that is set during the 1992 LA riots, we take the adventure spanning over the course of a weekend of  7 young men and women with…a little bit of a history.

This is a  fun little ride through a weekend of sex crazed college co-eds. It takes anyone back to “that time” in their lives when nothing really mattered other than getting laid.  Angelina Navarro and Susan McMillan played by Vanessa Gomez and Marisa Sullivan respectively, are the much sought over bombshells of this fiasco.  This is a weekend that starts off with an unplanned visit from Angelina’s ex-boyfriend  “Seth Hayes” played by Cooney Horvath. In tow are Seth’s two buddies who upon seeing the women, the booze, the pool and  a chance to get wild, drunk, high, and even laid quickly convince Seth that it’s in his best interest to stay. From there the cat and mouse games begin. Starting with the seduction from both sexes, this keeps the audience glued to the seat for the obvious, that “pay off” we hot blooded humans always long for. It’s almost as Vanessa seduces the audience every time she’s on screen. As a matter of fact, her two “co-stars” steal every pool-side scene.

For what seems to be a low budget film, they sure know how to make up for it with crafty shots, witty dialogue and a good story. It’s got the new aged “American Pie” feel with the good ol’fashion brat pack play off. This is a film that shouldn’t go unwatched, especially considering the added extra’s the producers put into the DVD.  Over an hour of commentaries, outtakes and behind the scenes insight.  It’s certainly a relief to watch the craft unfold under  a very fun and exciting set, and that simply translates to the screen beautifully.

Overall this is a good watch and we highly recommend it!

3.5 Knocks out of 5

The Perfect House (2011)

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Horror

Info: Official Website

Directed By: Kris Hulbert, Randy Kent

Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Chris Raab

When we first heard about this movie, we thought to ourselves, “Great, another indie horror flick full of blood and gore.” And then we watched it.

The Perfect House is not another cheep-o, shock-and-awe flick. There are a multitude of aspects that separate this movie from other independent horror movies. Those aspects are as follows:

Story! Yes, it sounds funny, but the worst thing about indie horror movies (and blockbuster horror movies, for that matter), are that they lack substance. There is no story to build from. Most modern movies in this genre concentrate on special effects and forget just how important the story is. The Perfect House is successful in creating and presenting a chilling and suspenseful (and often times, disturbing) story centering around a house with a bloody past. The movie includes three vignettes, all wrapped into one (in a nostalgic sense that is a throwback to the retro era of horror movies and has an old school feel). Each short story within this movie is uniquely different from one another.

Decent acting! The creators of The Perfect House spared no expense in casting cult horror icons Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten, both alumni from the 1983 cult horror classic, “Sleepaway Camp”. Rose’s performance evolves to a point where she seems to be channeling Sigourney Weaver’s character in the “Alien” series, and Tiersten is absolutely demented as John Doesy, a psychotic individual who holds people captive before torturing them in his basement. Also in the mix is newcomer to acting, Chris Raab (known for his shenanigans in the hit show/movies JACKASS), Playboy model Angelina Leigh (Yes, she gets naked), John Philbin and Andrea Vahl, whose on-camera performance leaves you asking “Who is this actress, and why haven’t I seen her in more movies?” The casting for this movie could not have been done better, and it would be a crime if we didn’t mention the excellent performance delivered by the young Michael Wagner.

Effects! OK, so plenty of horror movies have loads and loads of special make-up effects. However, independent horror movies (with their lack of budget and experience), almost always churn out laughable effects. Not this one. The Perfect House blends on set prosthetics with in studio visual effects to achieve a very believable outcome. Which leads us to our final aspect…

Professionalism! We have seen thousands of independent movies, of all genres. What separates the real filmmakers from those who are creating glorified home movies is the amount of professionalism (or lack there of). The Perfect House has an impressive picture quality, very professional camera work, and nearly flawless editing. The soundtrack enhances the suspense tenfold. The entire production seems to be very well constructed, which is very apparent in the final product.

Gratwick Films, the production company behind The Perfect House, in association with producer Randy Kent, succeeded in creating a scary and disturbing picture. The retro feel mixes well with a modern day horror theme (similar to Eli Roth’s “Hostel” at some points). The most shocking part of this film is the realism; all of the monsters in this movie are people. People who have, for whatever reason, snapped. Some of these people even include children. The movie involves cult horror icons, and a tip-of-the-hat (whether intentional or not), to cult horror classics “Night of the Creeps” and “Dead Alive”, in a scene that involves a weed-whacker.

Gratwick Films has mentioned that they are embarking on the “most interactive tour ever” to promote their worldwide Video-On-Demand release, October 1st. To learn more about this movie, you can check out the Official Website (linked above), and the Official Facebook Fan Page.

Below is the trailer for THE PERFECT HOUSE.

4 Knocks out of 5

Arnold Returns to Acting

If  you haven’t already caught on, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced last evening via Twitter that he will be returning to the big screen.

“Exciting news. My friends at CAA have been asking me for 7 years when they can take offers seriously. Gave them the green light today.” Creative Artists Agency is one of the largest agency’s in all of Hollywood.

So does this mean we’re going to be getting more grunted packed action flicks from the 64 year old? Can he or will he represent a larger role in Sly’s follow up to “Expendables”? Will he follow the  advice from De Niro and go the comedy route? Who knows, only time will tell.

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The Facebook Movie: “The Social Network” (2010)

Rated: R

Genre: Drama

Info: Official Website

Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

 

I’m calling this the Facebook movie because that is what it is. Lets get it right out there, I am not quite sure what all the hype and Oscar buzz is about this film. I was reluctant to watch it but I waited until it came out on DVD and I Netflixed.

This is apparently the true account of how Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea for the social site. There were a lot of rumors circulating that he stole the idea and that is how it was portrayed in the film. Whether or not you agree that he actually took the idea and created it or he took a simple idea and transformed it into something better is up to you.

So the film started off with Zuckerberg on a date and he’s talking a mile a minute and it’s hard to follow a little bit. He comes across arrogant, smug and just socially awkward, ironic I know. I didn’t care for his character at all, as a matter of fact he was down right unlikable. I know that was the point and I get it, job well done Sorkin. The first half of the film I didn’t enjoy at all, I felt that it couldn’t be more cliche and stereotypical and have the rest of the world hate the Harvard community even more. Cue Justin Timberlake.

In the sense that he helped elevate Facebook he does so with this film. His character made everything more interesting and took some of the focus off of Zuckerberg at this point which was a relief, I just couldn’t take much more of his ramblings. The story starts to expand rapidly, as does the site itself. Without giving too many spoilers to the film for those 3 of you that didn’t see it, I’ll refrain from going into too much depth from here on out.

The story itself was good, the characters were good and the acting was right on the money. Jesse Eisenberg REALLY makes me not like Zuckerberg. Timberlake was a breath of fresh air and that really made the second half of the film move a lot quicker and more smoothly. By the end of the film I really wanted to start my own type of site and have 500 million people logging in on a daily basis. I suppose the sign of a good film is if it moves you emotionally, well this moved me intellectually, so what does that say about the film? Or me?

I’d recommend that you watch this film, especially if you have a Facebook account…and even if you don’t. You may like it, you may not but you will be entertained. Does it deserve “Best Picture”? Mmmm, probably not but when did any of us agree with what the Academy selects? I think there are stronger pictures on the board this year, but that’s a whole different blog.

3.5 Knocks out of 5