Movies

I haven't stopped by Blockbuster in a while, but I'm one of those people that rent in bunches. It's been a few months since renting anything, but we stopped by this weekend and picked up 2 for the kids and 3 for me. I say me, because Stacy usually doesn't have much interest in them. Anyway, I watched all three of them. Here are my reviews:

(1) X Files - I have to say that I was a HUGE fan back in the day. I loved the show and the first movie. It took them long enough to make the sequel. I would not say that this installment lived up to the first one. Rather, I'd compare it to one of the regular episodes, just stretched to movie length. It wasn't bad, and I was glad I watched, but also glad that I didn't rush to the theater to see it. I'd rate it a C+/B-.

(2) War of the Worlds - I heard no good reviews, but to me the previews looked good so I knew I'd eventually see it. Perhaps due to the my expectations, perhaps due to the movie content, I really enjoyed it. It was exciting and kept my attention for the entire movie. It shouldn't win any award but worth seeing. I'd give it a B.

(3) Step Brothers - If you like Will Ferrell and John C Reilly, you'll love it. If not, you wont. It's crude and stupid and in my opinion, pretty damned funny. I laughed out loud so many times during the movie. I Love this sort of comedy. In part due to the movie and in part due to this movie bringing Ferrell back from the depths of Talladega Nights, I have to rate it A-. I'm glad to see he is back in true form and that he was funny for the entire movie. He and John C Reilly were hilarious together. If you haven't seen it (and you dont mind crude humor and language), you have to check this one out.

SAW

When the first SAW came out in 2004 it blew viewers away. It came at a time that we were seeing the supernatural and special effects take front stage in horror in movies like the Grudge, Gothica, and another installment of the Exorcist series. I think horror lovers were looking for something realistic. Enter Saw and Jigsaw.

Saw not only provided realistic horror; it was also very clever. The villain (Jigsaw) was not a gun/knife/ax wielding psychopath. He was a smart, driven man trying to teach people a life lesson. It just so happened that the lessons that were being taught were to be learned in such a way that the characters would never forget. They had to make life threatening decisions in the form of some sort of sick game. The character’s games provided both the gore and anticipation of such future gore based in the decisions the characters had to make, that it kept the blood and guts horror lovers happy, while the twists and turns and clever situations kept the suspense lovers happy. It was just what horror lovers were waiting for.

Fast forward 4 years to 2008 and we’ve just had our 5th installment of the series with the promise of a new SAW movie every Halloween. As the sequels have accumulated the games have become much more intricate and the gore levels have gone out the roof, yet the premise behind the murders/games is still present. There can only be so many twists, so many torturous games, so many crazy scenarios before they run out of ideas, but until they do jump the shark, horror fanatics will be there every Halloween taking it all in and loving every clever gory moment.

I happen to be one of those fanatics. I cant wait to see what will happen next, how they’ll twist the story, what awful decision the characters will be forced to make, and wondering realistically if I were in such a predicament how would I decide? Luckily I get to watch from the comfort of the theater seats, squirming and jumping at every plot twist and bloody turn.

My excitement and expectations were not let down for SAW V, and I cant wait for next Halloween and the release of SAW VI. Yes, that is right. SAW VI will be coming. It’s already been approved. No plot line has been released, but that movie will definitely be coming out next year (under new direction). I have some ideas as to where the storyline will go, but I’m also really interested to see how it will all unfold. After all, in SAW V they wrapped up a lot of loose ends, freeing them to go in a slightly new direction. To the best of my recollection, only one major question (besides of course “what will happen next”) was introduced. If you have seen the movie and don’t know what I’m talking about, did you forget about the box? It reminds me of the briefcase is Pulp Fiction. I’ll say no more. I’m still hooked on this series and I anticipate that I’ll go see every one that Twisted Pictures chooses to release. If history is any indicator, I’ll also re-watched every movie in the series in the weeks before I go to see each new installment.

P.S.: I’ll be posting an update to this post in the year 2020 after having just seen SAW XVII and I’m sure I’ll be just as excited about it then as I am now.

What a Joker (times 2)

Over vacation there were 2 items in pop culture that I thought were great.

First was a moment during the ESPYS. The entire show was pretty good. Justin Timberlake was actually a really good host. He, as well as much of the rest of the show was very entertaining, but nothing during the night compared the Male Athlete of the year award. The nominees were Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, and Alex Rodriguez. To me it was a toss up between Kobe and Tiger. I, unlike most people I know, actually really like Kobe. I was hoping he would win, but who could really be upset by a Tiger Woods win. After all, the guy took down the field at the US Open with the use of one leg, no arms, and while wearing a full body cast. Ok, that is a bit of a stretch, but he did play injured and pushed through for the win. It was amazing. For his efforts, the ESPN voters bestowed unto him the coveted Male Athlete of the Year Award. The award’s acceptance speech was the highlight of the night…. In Tiger’s Absence, Will Ferrell stepped up to the mic and had the place rolling when he accepted the award, not in place of Tiger, but as Tiger. He went on to tell how he was conviced that he really is the greatest athlete alive. Of course he said it a way that only Will Ferrell can and it was hilarious. I wish I could relay what he said with the comedic delivery that he had, but I think that is impossible. If you missed it on the ESPYS live I wont ruin it for you; check out one of the replays on ESPN.

Second was the highly anticipated, second installment of the new Batman series, The Dark Knight. Being that Batman Begins is arguably my favorite movie ever, I was very excited about this sequel, in hopes that it would live up to my expectations. Also, with the untimely death of Heath Ledger, there was much build-up for his farewell performance as the Joker. I even heard rumors that it may have even been an Academy Award winning performance. Well, over vacation I had the opportunity to see how The Dark Knight stacked up. I must say that I was very impressed. I still have to give Batman Begins the slight edge, but that being said there is no doubt that the sequel lived up to the high mark set by it’s predecessor. Once again the director kept that realistic feeling that was lacking in the comic versions of the past, only this time there was a very, very dark feel to the the movie. Although I tend to like movies like that, but would definitely not recommend it for kids. Christian Bale remained the quintessential hero as Batman, giving the character a realness that is void of most super heroes or villains for that matter. Meanwhile, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was light years more realistic, evil, and sadistic than the campy version played by Jack Nicholson nearly ten years earlier. Despite any disputes concerning the Oscar worthiness of his performance, I have to agree that he did an amazing job with that role. Hats off to both of them and I can only hope that there will be another Batman movie in the works in the near future.


If you missed the Best Male Athlete Award on the ESPYS or The Dark Knight, then you really missed out. I suggest you check them out.