Monsters (2010)

UK

94 mins.

Directed by Gareth Edwards

Starring: Scoot McNairy | Whitney Able

Review Coming Soon!

Shelter (2010)

USA

112 mins.

Directed by Mans Marlind & Bjorn Stein

Starring: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Conroy, Nathan Corddry, Brooklynn Proulx

MacGruber (2010)

USA

89 mins.

Directed by Jorma Taccone

Starring: Will Forte, Ryan Philippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph

Jonah Hex (2010)

USA

81 mins.

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

Starring: Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Aidan Quinn, Michael Shannon, Wes Bentley

Review Coming Soon!

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

USA

93 mins.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Boris Kodjoe

Review Coming Soon!

RED (2010)

USA

111 mins.

Directed by Robert Schwentke

Starring: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban

Review Coming Soon!

Four Lions (2010)

UK

97 mins.

Directed by Chris Morris

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar

Review Coming Soon!

The Town (2010)

USA
124 mins.
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

There's something about a good crime movie in Boston that feels fresh every time, no matter how often they go back. The Departed and Gone Baby Gone are both shining examples of this. Enter: The Town.

Case 39 (2009)

USA

105 mins.

Directed by Christian Alvart

Starring: Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Ian McShane, Jodelle Ferland

Why was Case 39 shelved for so long after it was finished? About two-and-a-half years after it was supposed to be released, it arrives silently in the night. That's a much more interesting mystery than what ends up shaking loose from this tame, afraid-to-offend-or-shock thriller. 

Let Me In (2010)

USA

115 mins.

Directed by Matt Reeves

Starring: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas

The fact that Let Me In is just as good as Let the Right One In probably doesn't sit well with some people. You know those people. Always complaining about evil Hollywood remaking everything in sight. Usually they're right. In this instance, they are wrong. The only real differences between the two films are cultural and any other true differences are minor at best. I usually admit when something is true, like for example Uwe Boll actually making a decent movie (Rampage). Was I initially skeptical about the remake like most? Sure. Of course. But, I had no problem psyching myself up for it as soon as the trailers and advertising showed up and assuaged my reservations.

Legendary Assassin (2008)

Hong Kong
88 mins.

Directed by Chung Chi Li & Jacky Wu

Starring: Jacky Wu-Jing, Celina Jade, Suet Lam, Kara Hui

To say Jacky Wu (Wu-Jing) should be a bigger star than he is would be like saying Sarah Palin wouldn't make a very good president. They're both massive understatements any way you slice it. Proving himself in Fatal Contact and SPL (don't call it Kill Zone or HK nerds will yell at you impotently) Jing showed that he could play both hero and villain well enough to hold your interest more effectively than a thousand CW model/actor clones.

Bad Blood (Mit Moon) (2010)

Hong Kong

95 mins.
Directed by Dennis Law
Starring: Bernice Liu, Andy On, Simon Yam, Suet Lam

It will always remain true for Asian cinema that even if the story sucks, the action will usually be pretty nifty (except for Princess Blade). Speak of the devil, here comes Bad Blood! But wait, before you go thinking this is just another excuse for fight scenes, I'm here to tell you that what actually happens in the movie is so ridiculous and trashy that watching the epileptic plot unfold is like opening a really crappy present to find there's actually a halfway cool present hidden inside.

Now Taking Requests, Etc...

I have plenty of movies to review, but I would love to hear from anyone reading this blog. If you have an underappreciated or obscure movie out there you would like for me to review, I would be glad to do so.

On a side note, I finally have a copy of Ken Russell's infamous The Devils so hopefully I can watch and review it soon to see what all the fuss is about.

Throwback Review: To Be or Not to Be (1983)

USA

107 mins.

Directed by Mel Brooks

Starring: Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Tim Matheson, Jose Ferrer, Christopher Lloyd

I wish my movie-viewing habits were less random. That would help me see originals before remakes, no matter how old or new they were. Case in point: Mel Brooks' '83 remake of the 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I've had plenty of time to see either one, yet I still gravitated toward the remake. The lure of the new (or most recent) is a powerful thing and may be why we are seeing so many older movies dusted off and completely remade. This is definitely not one of Mel Brooks' greatest films, but it deserves to be seen regardless.There's no way a film like this could get made today at all and it's even harder to believe Mel Brooks is no longer making movies. Though he peaked early, his lesser films are funnier than most Hollywood comedies released these days.

More Reviews Coming Soon

lMC will come alive again with a slew of new reviews within the next few days. Keep checking back to see what develops.

Brothers (2009)

USA

105 mins.

Directed by Jim Sheridan

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard, Carey Mulligan, Patrick Flueger

I haven't seen the original Danish version of Brothers yet, but now I'm interested to see how different the two are in comparison. This version is nothing special, but should be remembered for three strong performances hampered by unsure direction and an unfocused script.

Like a Dragon (2007)

AKA Ryu ga gotoku: gekijo-ban / Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Japan

110 mins.

Directed by Takashi Miike

Starring: Kazuki Kitamura, Goro Kishitani, Sho Aikawa

Takashi Miike's loose adaptation of the PS2 game "Yakuza" is definitely an odd duck. I've never played the obscure game it's based on, much less owned a PS2 (PC fanatic at the time). After seeing the movie, though, I highly doubt anything in the game is as intriguing as some scenes in this bad mothertrucker.

An Empress and The Warriors (2008)

aka Kong saan mei yan / The Kingdom and The Beauty

China

95 mins.

Directed by Siu-Tung Ching

Starring: Kelly Chen, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai

An epic tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, the movie is ultimately bogged down by simplistic dialogue and an unfortunate side of cheese. 

Reviews every day!

This place is brand new and soon it will be home to a ridiculous amount of reviews on every single kind of movie in existence, new and old. Check back every day for new content as I keep tweaking and improving everything. Thanks for stopping by.

The Tournament (2009)

UK

95 mins.

Directed by Scott Mann

Starring: Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu, Robert Carlyle, Ian Somerhalder, Scott Adkins

Here is a film that delivers on exactly what it promises: unapologetic, bloody, chaotic assassin action. No pretenses, no needless subtext, no preachy anti-violence nonsense. There's no room for any of that in a film like this. Bring on the assassins? Boy, do they ever. 

Ninja (2009)

USA

92 mins.

Directed by Isaac Florentine

Starring: Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Todd Jensen, Togo Igawa, Mika Hijii

Right off the bat, I had to check to make sure this thing wasn't an Asylum knockoff of Ninja Assassin. Nope. Good to go. Scott Adkins? Alright now I'm interested. He played a very underrated bad guy in the surprisingly good Undisputed II.

The Sniper (2009)

AKA Sun cheung sau / Godly Gunslingers

Hong Kong

86 mins.

Directed by Dante Lam

Starring: Richie Ren, Edison Chen, Xiaoming Huang

Apparently Edison Chen has been a bad boy. At least that's what I've read.

Regardless, The Sniper is not going to reinvent the wheel; but it does approach its plot with a certain snazz that I couldn't help but smile at. 

Throwback Review: Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

AKA C'era una volta il West

Italy/USA

165 mins.

Directed by Sergio Leone

Starring: Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, Gabrielle Ferzetti

This is Sergio Leone's second best film after The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Second. For anyone to have a number two film as great as Once Upon A Time In The West says one thing: the man was more than merely a master filmmaker.

Now, with the ass-kissing out of the way...

Rough Cut (2008)

AKA Yeong-hwa-neun yeong-hwa-da / A Movie Is A Movie

South Korea

113 mins.
Directed by Hun Jang
Starring: Ji-Hwan Kang, Ji-Seob So, Chang-Seok Ko

I have a soft spot for Korean cinema after living there for two years, so any reason to revisit my former home away from home is welcome.

Yet Another Movie Review Blog

Yeah, this really is another movie review blog which happens to be surrounded by countless other blogs brimming with cinematic opinions.

Hold on, though.