Reno 911! : Miami

"Sheriff's Department!!"
4 Stars

Anyone who has watched this show has a favorite. Raineesha has always been my girl. The spit curls, the booty, and her trademark "Haa!" just kill me. But whom ever your favorite is you will no doubt get the best of them in Reno 911! Miami and even fall in love with some others too.

Not that this movie needs much of a plot, but they did their best and it's just loose enough to keep it funny.
The Reno Sheriff's Department have been invited to a police convention in Miami.
Due to terrorists poisoning the convention center, all the officers inside are quarantined. A registration snafu prevents the Reno Sheriff's Department from entering the convention center making them the only officers available to patrol all of Miami.
See, just enough plot.

This has got to be one of the best comedic troupes assembled since The Kids in the Hall. Though some of you might remember this cast from the short lived 90s sketch show The State. I've always been so happy to see Thomas Lennon (Dangle) get work in either commercials, or small movies. As well as Kerri Kenney (Weigel) who has had bit parts, and I remember seeing her band Cakelike at the Warfield in the 90s too.
Micheal Ian Black, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Micheal Showalter, and the director of
Reno 911! Miami Ben Garant (Junior) have all come from The State.
Puddin' any one? Awwwww yeeeeaah.

To tell you the truth I'm still not done with the disc. The movie was way too short in my opinion, so I'm going through each and every special feature the disc has to offer. The outtakes and deleted scenes are so funny. I love these guys.
And yes, although Raineesha is my homegirl, I now have a fat crush on Dangle. Awwww yeeeaah.

Shogun Assassin

"Today I will begin walking
the road to hell."

4 Stars

I'm a loyal fan of Quentin Tarantino. I've seen his films many times over with and without commentary. With special features now available on DVDs, I get to know Quentin and his work in depth.
To learn more about his filming style I watch films that are a great influence to him. For example the movie Blowout by Brian De Palma influenced him a great deal making De Palma his favorite director.
Revisit Scarface and you will see what I mean. I hope.

My purpose for watching this film comes from my heavy summer viewings of Kill Bill Vol. II (Vol. I is best at the end of winter.). In it, as The Bride puts her daughter to bed, they cuddle and watch Shogun Assassin. From watching KBII so many times, I had the beginning dialogue of Shogun already memorized!

Going into this one I really didn't think I would last 15 minutes. I'm not a huge Kung-Fu movie fan, and know little about the genera. I tend to get bored with them, but this one was cool! Released in 1980 this movie hold up as an honest classic.

This story is but one of the many Lonewolf and Cub revenge series. A great warrior (Lonewolf) looses his wife by the blades of the Shogun's ninjas. This warrior is the only man the Shogun fears, and will stop at nothing to see him, and his infant son dead.
But you can't stop The Wolf!

The kid is adorable, the music is rad, and the whole film is framed and shot like a comic book! Okay, graphic novel. My favorite shots are of the Shogun. Yellowish nasty hair, against blue blue sky, and lit with what looks like a flood light. Awesome.
The fight scenes aren't elaborate, but again comic book fights aren't either. It's more about the facial anguish, and carnage. Ears, noses, and limbs are lopped off and bright red blood ridiculously sprays out of people, but it works!

When watching these particular chosen movies, I am looking for their impact on Quentin's work. I'm pretty sure he used this film as a template of sorts for Sin City.
Don't get me wrong, I don't love everything Tarantino related. I saw Blowout, and it blew. After seeing this one, I would love to tell QT,
I get it.

Places in the Heart

"I don't care if it kills me,
I don't care if it kills you!
I'm not gonna give up!"

3.5 Stars

I am just on this constant search for depression era movies. I saw a clip of this film on an AFI special. The subject was death in film. A scene of this film was highlighted to show how in the 30's it was common practice for families to prepare the dead on their kitchen tables, and hold funerals in their living rooms. That scene was enough for me to watch it.

Texas, 1935 Mrs. Spalding played by Sally Field has been recently widowed, and after years of homemaking, and raising a family she is now has to learn how to be the sole bread winner. Not knowing the first thing about how to run a home financially (including how to write a check), the bank had to inform her how much money she actually had. And it wasn't enough to keep her home, or her children.

An experienced cotton farmer Mozes played by Danny Glover shows her the potential of her land and that from harvesting cotton she could make a good profit.
The bank also gives her a break in a real small town way. Her banker asks her to take in his blind relative Mr. Brown (John Malkovich) and charge him rent, to get him out of their house. By doing so the bank will give her more time to make some money.

Seeing Malkovich so young was great. I really miss his work. Watching this I want to revisit Of Mice and Men. Is that one a depression era movie too? Malkovich was nominated for an Oscar for this film along with Sally Field. She actually won for this role, which resulted in her famous "You like me" speech.

Ed Harris is also in this film involved in a love triangle side plot. Here's another trivia answer for you.
While filming he met and fell in love with his co-star Amy Madigan (No matter what she does she will always be Chanice Kobolowski. "For the best in tires see Chanice Kobolowski"), and they were married before filming even wrapped. And they've been married ever since.

As the movie went on I got more involved, but for me it just didn't have enough heart. It moved way too fast, and the Ed Harris side plot was really unnecessary. As for the depression era stuff, it wasn't that prominent. But it was set in 1935 so the worst was over, and folks were slowly getting their lives back.

Last thing, the young daughter was named Possum. Oddly enough, the name was adorable.

Nanny McPhee

"I did knock."

3.5 Stars

After the particularly hard day I had, it was great to come home and have a movie like this waiting for me. Bright colors, magic, and fantasy. The movie was 3.5 but the timing was 5.

The film's plot and title are based on the popular Nurse Matilda books by British author Christianna Brand. And you can really tell is an adaptation of some sort, but in a good way! Very fairytale like, loved it.

This is the story of Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) and his seven children who have recently lost their "mum".
I was happy to see the kid from Love Actually was in this too, Thomas Sangster as the eldest child Simon. He looks like a Jack Russel Terrier, I just want to paint his nose black.

Since their mother's passing they have been so rowdy, that Mr. Brown has gone through every nanny in town. Until one evening a horrible looking woman is at the door named Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson), and claims she can help. The quick flashes of her appearance are so funny. Her bulbous nose (cut to) - her uni brow (cut to) - her warts (cut to) - her snaggle tooth! Good for Emma.

Keeping his family financially afloat is his Great Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury). Where under her terms, Mr. Brown must re-marry within a month or he will be cut off. Yikes.
But as it goes, the love he was looking for was right in front of him the whole time. Sigh...
I know it's a bit predictable, but I needed that right then.

Thank you Nanny McPhee, for making us laugh at love. Again. <-- That kills me!! :)

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

"Be white.
Live white.
Like this."

3 Stars

I was recommended this movie by many outlets, seeing how much I enjoyed the now cult classic Oldboy by the same director Chan-wook Park. If you haven't seen that movie do it now, before the US tries to ruin it.
These movies are part of a revenge trilogy by Park. The last being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which I have yet to see. Though nothing, I mean absolutely nothing with compare to Oldboy, I was thrilled to know that there were others just as twisted.

After a 13-year imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 6 year old boy, beautiful Lee Guem-ja starts seeking revenge on the man that was really responsible for the boy's death. With the help of fellow inmates and reunited with her daughter, she gets closer and closer to her goal. But will her actions lead to the relief she seeks?

This movie was really slow compered to its ending. When I got to the last half of the movie I thought,
"Now this is the movie I was wanting to watch!". Without giving away too much, Lee captures the man responsible for not only the boy's death, but the death of four other children. She then gathers the parents of each child, and asks what she should do with him. That whole scenario was nail biting.

Not enough gore for me. But I do like the sadism throughout though. To tell you the truth after this film I'm not too excited to see Mr. Vengeance. But it's a trilogy so I'll give it a shot. Let's hope for 2 out of 3.

Plot summary courtesy of IMDb.com.

Glory

"If I should fall, remember what you see here."

4 Stars

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? "Didn't she just say in her last review that she doesn't like war movies?" Well I don't...but I liked this one! I am particular when it comes to war movies. Pretty much anything WWI or II to present, I'm out. But from the Civil War back, I'm cool. I really like these period pieces, and that how I choose to see it.

Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw (Mathew Broderick). Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.

Also starring Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman which proved to me without a doubt that these two are classic American icons of acting. Flawless.

When I first sat down to watch it I was worried it wouldn't hold up. I thought that Matthew Broderick looked too young and fresh to be in a Civil War movie. But then I read the prologue and learned that Colonel Shaw was only 23. That helped.
The scene that really got me into it, was the morning after Colonel Shaw informs his troops of their fate if they are caught training as US Army men. He wakes to survey how many men have left to discover not one has left the camp. Chills.

I liked the range of characters as well. The troop wasn't solely former slaves, but men of all kinds. Free, slave, or educated. Thank you. That was very refreshing to see in a Civil War era film.

Glory was filled with touching, and inspiring moments, and yes it really has held up. I was however disappointed in the special features on the DVD though. Win some, loose some. Right, 54?


Plot summary courtesy of IMDb.com.