tinfoil, whiskey, and computers

This Movie Is Not Yet Rated is a documentary about the MPAA rating system.  Personally I think it’s a fairly fucked up ratings system, run by uptight, out of touch people.  It’s run in complete secrecy, until the filmmaker hires an investigator to figure out who these people are.  It’s a lot of fun watching them unravel the mystery as they interject comparisons of movies that are “ok” and others that are not.

It was a pretty fascinating look into the whole weird thing.  My favorite is when they send a copy of the film to the MPAA for their review.  Too funny.  As documentaries go I thought it was quite well done.  As subject matter it’s very interesting, at least to me.  Any film buff should check it out for sure.

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How did I miss this movie a few years ago? It’s got Alec Baldwin, which is always fun. It’s a fairly funny little flick. It has a great case including Matthew Broderick, Toni Collette, Tony Shalhoub. Movie is about an undercover FBI agent who finances a movie as part of a mob sting operation. Yeah, weird. But funny. It’s a funny movie. It’s even somewhat based on a true story, which makes all the ridiculousness all that much better.

It’s worth a peek, especially if you are a fan of Baldwin on SNL or 30 Rock. He’s a really funny guy.

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For Your Consideration is another cookie cutter movie from Christopher Guest.  It’s the same style, mockumentary, as all his previous movies.  It’s the same cast.  Frankly, it’s just the same.  It’s not terrible, it’s not great.  It just is.  It’s an easy way to crank out a new film and make a few million bucks I think.

To be quite honest, I’m bored with this one trick pony.  These people are all pretty great, just no longer original.  It’s worth a rental if you like Guest’s movies.

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I liked the original Battle Royale.  I thought it was a pretty great movie.  So did a lot of people.  That’s why a sequel was made, to get more money.  Unfortunately it only tackles the surface of what made the original interesting.  The most obvious bits and pieces.  Then it exploits them.  That’s what most sequels do.  I ended up not even finishing the movie.  I found myself extremely bored and disinterested.  There was nothing that caught my eye or ear.  There was a lot of gore though, which is what any good sequel has.

Don’t bother renting.  But check out the first if you haven’t seen it already.

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Wow, just crap.  I love Tenacious D, Jack Black and Kyle Gass.  I find them funny.  I enjoy their music for the most part.  I never did like their show on HBO though so that should have been a warning about this movie.  I’m not sure the movie is even relevant.  Wasn’t their show on HBO like a decade ago?  Haven’t they already been through their 15 minutes of fame?  While Jack Black is known, is the group?

The movie was terrible, hard to watch.  It didn’t flow well.  The plot was bad (and it barely needs a plot for this type of movie).  I felt it should have been more of a musical.  Maybe it was but was so terrible I didn’t notice.  Not even worth renting, even for hardcore D fans.

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Fuck is a fun little documentary about, you guessed it, the word fuck.  The origins, the use, the taboo.  I found it pretty interesting.  On a larger scale it deals with the issue of free speech in general.  It’s hold the distinction of saying “fuck” more times than any other movie.

It’s a good, not great, documentary with commentary from many celebrities and authorities.  If you are into docs, check it out for sure.

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Just some quick reviews as I’m way behind and need to post and update.  Ghost Rider was a whole lot of blah.  I don’t mind all the new comic movies.  Comics are cool and there are a lot of great stories out there.  I even liked Ghost Rider when I was a kid.  But Hollywood is in a rush to push out as many as they can regardless of quality.  Ghost Rider is probably above average as these things go.  That doesn’t mean it’s good.

The story is straightforward enough.  Dude sells his soul to the Devil, becomes Ghost Rider, saves the day, gets the girl, sets itself up for a sequel which I hope doesn’t happen.  The performances were phoned in.  Nothing terrible, nothing impressive.  Eva Mendes is hot but she’s a terrible actress.  Nic Cage is his typical character.  He doesn’t have much depth.  He’s becoming another Kevin Costner to me, who I loathe as an actor.

I’m not going to give a crappy review.  It’s ok.  Don’t expect much from it and it’s alright.  I think it’s better to wait until DVD though.  Not worth the money for a matinee.

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Factotum is one of those indie films that never seems to get much attention. It relies on substance, a good story, good acting to get by. What a concept, huh?

It stars Matt Dillon as a man interested in nothing but writing, struggling with odd jobs that he doesn’t care about to get by, to get him the next bottle, and to not interfere with his true love, writing. I quite enjoyed his disinterested performance.

The movie moves slow, probably too slow for most people. I also thought it was moving too slow at first. But the pacing really sets a mood and fits perfectly with the story. Is it a happy ending? No, it’s a real ending. Nothing too profound, certainly nothing overly cheesy. It’s some good advice that we should all follow.

Movies like this won’t make money, that’s why Hollywood won’t get behind them. That’s why we get crap like Uwe Boll movies. But it’s great that indies will make these because movies like this are why I enjoy movies so much.

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