Ever since Scream, there’s been almost a sub-class of horror movies that play with the expectations and stereotypes of the genre. Recently I really enjoyed the Joss-Whedon-produced Cabin in the Woods, and Tucker and Dale vs Evil actually has a lot in common with that movie (except in those parts where they are completely opposite)….
Category: Movies
Movie #18: The Young Victoria
Even though I enjoy movies about British royalty, and I studied some history in university, I can’t say that I know much about Queen Victoria’s life. Unfortunately, after watching The Young Victoria, I still don’t. It wasn’t that there were historical details missing, but it was difficult to follow who the characters were, or what…
Movie #16: Drive
Can a movie be both slick and raw? Drive had a high degree of style: artful cinematography (nicely composed, with a great sense of balance; every scene could have been used for a movie poster), beautiful Baroque lighting (the night scenes had a warm-cool glow), thrilling car chases, and a curiously eclectic soundtrack (ranging from…
Movie #15: Anonymous
This movie starts out with an interesting premise (and a prologue by Shakespearean heavyweight, Derek Jacobi). He describes, with poetic and dramatic flair, some of the facts we know about William Shakespeare the playwright and leads to how little we know about Shakespeare the man. According to this story, Shakespeare was a hammy, buffoonish actor…
Movie #14: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Following a recent trend in sequel naming convention, the fourth in the Mission: Impossible action movie series decided to leave off the serial number and go with a subtitle instead. Ironically, the “Ghost protocol” has only a minor role in setting up the dire straits that IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (played again by the “he’s…
The Amazing Spider-Man – Movie Review
The first question around most water coolers about The Amazing Spider-Man seems to be, “Did we need another reboot of the Spider-man story so soon?” and the second (if your water cooler is frequented by movie buffs) is, “Can Marc Webb do a good job directing it when his only claim to fame is indie…
Movie #13: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
How capable are you at suspending disbelief? If you plan on enjoying Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (and you’re over 10 years old), you’d better be a disbelief-suspending guru! This movie is clearly a family adventure thrill-ride, but if I started listing all the logical inconsistencies and un-buyable nonsense in it, I might not be…
Movie #12: 50/50
I should probably watch more movies about people with serious illness. Despite my usual resentment of manipulation, I am always moved by these kinds of films. 50/50 is definitely an example of an “illness movie” done right. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a good performance in almost anything (I want to say that playing a ridiculous Cobra…
Movie #11: Dream House
Imagine if The Sixth Sense kept going after the big “I see dead people” reveal and the story kept twisting, getting more complicated and even added a final twist with an over-the-top, action-filled ending. Would that ruin a clever premise and drive it into the ground? Well, that’s kind of what happened to Dream House….
Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture 