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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Dead Don't Die (2019) in Movies
Jan 7, 2020 (Updated Jan 29, 2020)
Several Wild Animals
The Dead Don't Die is truly a bizarre experience.
Jim Jarmusch has crafted a gratuitously deadpan and self aware zombie film that tackles tired genre tropes in unique and confusing ways.
Truth be told, I was ready to hate it. I knew that it wasn't the same style of zombie-comedy as Zombieland, or Shaun of the Dead, and I expected to be bogged down in pretentiousness - I'm happy to admit that I was wrong in this case.
A lot of the complaints I've seen about TDDD is precisely that. That, and the fourth wall breaking, but those are two aspects that I actually really liked.
The humour is really subtle for the most part. The dead pan delivery of a lot of the script was quite jarring at first, but it didn't take long for it settle, and I actually ended up finding it pretty funny, just not in-your-face funny (which is a good thing).
The fourth wall stuff verges on being too-clever-for-its-own-good but it just about pulls it off, and gives an interesting alternate thought process to the general narrative.
The cast is brimming with people that I like and love - Bill Murray, Adam Driver (surely a full blown man crush by this point), Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Tilda Swinton... God damn I even love Iggy Pop. It's a great cast list for sure, and the charming and witty script gives them all a lot to do, even if some of the many characters feel under developed at times.
The zombie aspect is a bit if a back seat for me. I was certainly more invested in the aforementioned cast, than any actual zombie action, but I enjoyed the 'classic' shuffling zombies in a small town setting for what it's worth.
I'm not sure what I expected from The Dead Don't Die, but it certainly wasn't what I got, and that precisely why it stands out.
Jim Jarmusch has crafted a gratuitously deadpan and self aware zombie film that tackles tired genre tropes in unique and confusing ways.
Truth be told, I was ready to hate it. I knew that it wasn't the same style of zombie-comedy as Zombieland, or Shaun of the Dead, and I expected to be bogged down in pretentiousness - I'm happy to admit that I was wrong in this case.
A lot of the complaints I've seen about TDDD is precisely that. That, and the fourth wall breaking, but those are two aspects that I actually really liked.
The humour is really subtle for the most part. The dead pan delivery of a lot of the script was quite jarring at first, but it didn't take long for it settle, and I actually ended up finding it pretty funny, just not in-your-face funny (which is a good thing).
The fourth wall stuff verges on being too-clever-for-its-own-good but it just about pulls it off, and gives an interesting alternate thought process to the general narrative.
The cast is brimming with people that I like and love - Bill Murray, Adam Driver (surely a full blown man crush by this point), Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Tilda Swinton... God damn I even love Iggy Pop. It's a great cast list for sure, and the charming and witty script gives them all a lot to do, even if some of the many characters feel under developed at times.
The zombie aspect is a bit if a back seat for me. I was certainly more invested in the aforementioned cast, than any actual zombie action, but I enjoyed the 'classic' shuffling zombies in a small town setting for what it's worth.
I'm not sure what I expected from The Dead Don't Die, but it certainly wasn't what I got, and that precisely why it stands out.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Straw Dogs (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Successful actress Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) is returning from her big city life to her southern hometown of Blackwater. Along with Amy is her well-educated and wealthy husband, David Sumner (James Marsdon). David quickly finds this vacation is filled with tension, particularly when it comes to Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård), who is not ready to be out of her life. So it is up to the weakling Harvard hero to protect his relationship, home, and way of life in a town he doesn’t quite understand.
A remake of the 1971 thriller classic of the same name, “Straw Dogs” has lost a lot of its appeal and logic with time. It still has gory moments and the plot is very similar to the original but many of the base thrills have been lost in the move to a present day setting.
This film asks the viewers to suspend disbelief, ignore a number of unfinished back-stories, and stand behind characters who are not engaging or believable. Details, both big and small miss the mark. James Marsdon is incorrectly suited as the shy bumbling academic. The house is a seeming fortress for no apparent reason. The side stories, interesting detractions from the overly built tension between the two leading males, are left unresolved.
Additionally, the themes are awkward and incomplete. There are literary throwbacks and some blatant social commentary but all of the film’s depth is lost on an audience who has no reason to care. Viewers will be preoccupied wondering what the point of the film is.
Sure, the story is engrossing and it does force self-analysis, but the modern adaptation would have benefitted from serious editorial cuts. Had the film been completed in a quarter of the time it might have actually managed to be thrilling!
Unbalanced, vapid, and pointless as a thriller “Straw Dogs” falls prey to the unnecessary remake trap. For a real psychological thrill it would be better to opt for the original.
A remake of the 1971 thriller classic of the same name, “Straw Dogs” has lost a lot of its appeal and logic with time. It still has gory moments and the plot is very similar to the original but many of the base thrills have been lost in the move to a present day setting.
This film asks the viewers to suspend disbelief, ignore a number of unfinished back-stories, and stand behind characters who are not engaging or believable. Details, both big and small miss the mark. James Marsdon is incorrectly suited as the shy bumbling academic. The house is a seeming fortress for no apparent reason. The side stories, interesting detractions from the overly built tension between the two leading males, are left unresolved.
Additionally, the themes are awkward and incomplete. There are literary throwbacks and some blatant social commentary but all of the film’s depth is lost on an audience who has no reason to care. Viewers will be preoccupied wondering what the point of the film is.
Sure, the story is engrossing and it does force self-analysis, but the modern adaptation would have benefitted from serious editorial cuts. Had the film been completed in a quarter of the time it might have actually managed to be thrilling!
Unbalanced, vapid, and pointless as a thriller “Straw Dogs” falls prey to the unnecessary remake trap. For a real psychological thrill it would be better to opt for the original.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2269 KP) rated The Murder Pit in Books
Apr 22, 2020
Body in the Coal Chute
Life is going well for Daisy Savage. Recently remarried, she, her husband, and their blended family are settling into the old fixer upper they just bought. While her husband, Jake, bemoans the work, Daisy fell in love with the place despite the work. The house seems to have quite a few secrets, and Daisy finds one in their basement’s crawl space – an old coal chute. Unfortunately, that discovery also comes with a dead body, and the victim is someone that Daisy recognizes. With the small-town rumor mill kicking in, Daisy finds herself as a suspect. Can she figure out who really killed the victim and why he was dumped in their basement?
The plot started out well, and I enjoyed the added puzzle about why the victim was left in Daisy’s basement. There were some good twists before we reached the end. Sadly, I did have some issues with the book. The characters are a bit thin. I get that some of them were supposed to be comedic, but they still could have been stronger. Daisy’s kids seemed to act younger than they were supposed to be. She homeschools most of the kids, but she seems to justify letting them play and not actually doing any work with them. (Yes, I get that in a cozy, the main character spends all their time on the case instead of their job, but that’s not the case here.) There were some timelines issues as well, nothing that affected the plot, but the author clearly lost track of time. On the other hand, I loved Daisy and Jake’s relationship, and I laughed quite a bit at the character’s interactions. I’ve read other books from Jeff Shelby in the past and enjoyed them, so I will read one of his books again. Hopefully, this was just an off book. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there are some issues that need to be resolved.
The plot started out well, and I enjoyed the added puzzle about why the victim was left in Daisy’s basement. There were some good twists before we reached the end. Sadly, I did have some issues with the book. The characters are a bit thin. I get that some of them were supposed to be comedic, but they still could have been stronger. Daisy’s kids seemed to act younger than they were supposed to be. She homeschools most of the kids, but she seems to justify letting them play and not actually doing any work with them. (Yes, I get that in a cozy, the main character spends all their time on the case instead of their job, but that’s not the case here.) There were some timelines issues as well, nothing that affected the plot, but the author clearly lost track of time. On the other hand, I loved Daisy and Jake’s relationship, and I laughed quite a bit at the character’s interactions. I’ve read other books from Jeff Shelby in the past and enjoyed them, so I will read one of his books again. Hopefully, this was just an off book. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there are some issues that need to be resolved.
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Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated We've Got Balls (2013) in Movies
Jun 26, 2020
I tend to go out of my way to enjoy movies that might not have too many redeeming qualities, just because I don't want to walk away feeling like I have wasted my time or energy on something and not gotten anything in return. As a result, I've found redeeming qualities in some pretty poor films in the past.
Finding that type of quality in this movie proved to be very difficult.
The first thing that I noticed was the production quality. Now, I completely understand that everybody has to start somewhere. I can overlook poor production quality when warranted. In order to do that though, there has to be exceptional praise elsewhere. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.
The premise seemed alright, if not generic. A small town (population 52, which is mentioned several times) bowling alley is at risk of closing down to make room for a new casino that the land owner wants to put in that location. The city bonds together to prevent this from happening. And that's where things start to go off the rails.
I try not to include spoilers as a rule, so I will abide by that here. But I will say that the story doesn't improve from there. It's about as generic as they come with very little exception. One interesting element is the tournament that takes place in an effort to save the building. It starts as a humorous prospect but fails to launch from there.
I appreciate the film makers efforts here, which is why I have this as a four star rating. I hope that they learned from making this movie and can apply that to other projects going forward.
This film is currently available as part of Amazon Prime Video or for purchase. Clocks in around an hour and a half, but frankly, it's a VERY LONG hour and a half.
Finding that type of quality in this movie proved to be very difficult.
The first thing that I noticed was the production quality. Now, I completely understand that everybody has to start somewhere. I can overlook poor production quality when warranted. In order to do that though, there has to be exceptional praise elsewhere. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.
The premise seemed alright, if not generic. A small town (population 52, which is mentioned several times) bowling alley is at risk of closing down to make room for a new casino that the land owner wants to put in that location. The city bonds together to prevent this from happening. And that's where things start to go off the rails.
I try not to include spoilers as a rule, so I will abide by that here. But I will say that the story doesn't improve from there. It's about as generic as they come with very little exception. One interesting element is the tournament that takes place in an effort to save the building. It starts as a humorous prospect but fails to launch from there.
I appreciate the film makers efforts here, which is why I have this as a four star rating. I hope that they learned from making this movie and can apply that to other projects going forward.
This film is currently available as part of Amazon Prime Video or for purchase. Clocks in around an hour and a half, but frankly, it's a VERY LONG hour and a half.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) in Movies
Jul 3, 2020
Now I'm Playing With Power: The Glove
Contains spoilers, click to show
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare tells it all. Its going to be the final nightmare and Freddy will be dead once and for all. So the title of the movie spoilers the entire movie. Cause 1. Your expecting Freddy to die and 2. That this will be the final nightmare for now at least. Also you have the wiredest, coolest and strangest produce placement with Nintento's Power-Glove. Freddy says "Now i'm playing with power" and also "Hey, you forgot about the powerglove". He also refference's "The Wizard of Oz" wiredly and also this saying "this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs". This is a weird movie.
The deaths are cool like Carlo's death: Hearing magnified, head exploded by sound of bladed glove scratching chalkboard. Its a funny death, thats sounds odd but it is. Spencer's death: Knocked down stairs into bottomless pit. Again its a funny death. John's death: Fell from sky, impaled on bed spikes. Again its funny. Even Freddy's death: Pinned to wall/crate with various weapons, bladed glove in stomach, blown up by pipe bomb. Its funny, Freddy's death shouldn't be funny, it should be iconic. This isnt iconic. Also for some pair of reason the last ten minutes of the movie is 3D. IDK why, but it was.
The plot: Murderous ghoul Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has slaughtered every last child in his hometown. He ventures on to a new location, scouting fresh young victims to hack up with his finger blades. He arrives in a small town in which his long-lost daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane), works as a therapist for troubled youths. He attempts to recruit her for his dastardly pursuits, but she has other ideas. Father and daughter meet for a bloody showdown that will determine Freddy's fate once and for all.
Also for some pair of reason Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold, and Alice Cooper all appear in this film.
Freddy's Dead is a wired movie, but at least it was a intresting movie.
The deaths are cool like Carlo's death: Hearing magnified, head exploded by sound of bladed glove scratching chalkboard. Its a funny death, thats sounds odd but it is. Spencer's death: Knocked down stairs into bottomless pit. Again its a funny death. John's death: Fell from sky, impaled on bed spikes. Again its funny. Even Freddy's death: Pinned to wall/crate with various weapons, bladed glove in stomach, blown up by pipe bomb. Its funny, Freddy's death shouldn't be funny, it should be iconic. This isnt iconic. Also for some pair of reason the last ten minutes of the movie is 3D. IDK why, but it was.
The plot: Murderous ghoul Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has slaughtered every last child in his hometown. He ventures on to a new location, scouting fresh young victims to hack up with his finger blades. He arrives in a small town in which his long-lost daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane), works as a therapist for troubled youths. He attempts to recruit her for his dastardly pursuits, but she has other ideas. Father and daughter meet for a bloody showdown that will determine Freddy's fate once and for all.
Also for some pair of reason Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold, and Alice Cooper all appear in this film.
Freddy's Dead is a wired movie, but at least it was a intresting movie.
