I have very fond memories of this movie. Not only does it bring out my Irish pride, but when I first saw it I thought it was just the most badass thing ever. This was many years ago. Sure, it's still packed full of sweet action scenes, but I think most of the generation that grew up loving this film would be surprised to go back and hear the dialogue that comes out of this thing. There was a lot more cheese than I remembered. The overall message is much less subtle than I remembered. Willem Dafoe is breathtaking though, but for anyone who doesn't know this movie, it's not because he's that great of an actor in this. His character though, makes the film. It brings it just a little step further from being too typical of an action film. David Della Rocco, who plays "Rocco", and has literally only ever been in this film, is also phenomenal, but that's mostly because he brings the light-hearteded side of the movie out, giving it a unique place between genres. The film is incredibly self-referential, and plays with the genre very overtly. It's commentary both on film as well as social problems is extreme at times, but it's the kind of satire that goes above and beyond in order to really get the message out there, not unlike A Modest Proposal way back when. This is a classic, although it definitely left me with a different feeling than when I saw it as a youngin', but I think it' definitely something people should see.
7.5/10
Film#97 - The Boondock Saints 2, 2009, dir. Troy Duffy
This, unlike it's predecessor, was much more disappointing. There are just handfuls of little tidbits that fans of the original will love, such as the MacManus brothers have literally become shepherds ("and shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee") and many other things like this. The film really started going downhill when they brought in the replacement sidekick for Rocco, in this case being Clifton Collins Jr, who is absolutely ridiculous. He plays the most obnoxious, over-the-top, Mexican stereotype and it really just makes many of the films scenes just silly. There is no subtlety or comedic timing with this guy, and he butchers the movie. The story, also a bit much but still in the vein of the original. Julie Benz takes over for Willem Dafoe as the FBI agent come to investigate, and honestly, just the worst written and acted character I may have ever seen. Maybe the people behind Dexter saw her in this. The trio of cops from the first film play a much larger part in this one, and their banter is often just too much. If you liked the first one, don't see this.
5/10
Film#98 - The Deer Hunter, 1978, dir. Michael Cimino
An absolute classic, and honestly one of the best films ever made. I've seen it before and in some way I think it gave me a new perspective to watching it the second time around. What become very clear was how much the first act sets up an undeniable air of love and friendship, with such loyalty between friends it's really quite moving. This may be too slow of a film for some people, as the first section is pretty much over an hour long without much of anything happening in terms of plot. What it does do is set up the rest of the movie in extreme contrast, both in the middle section taking place in Vietnam and the last act as the return of the war-scarred men. And let me tell you, it does it so well it's unbelievable. This story still has such social, cultural and political resonance today that it really does stand the test of time so to speak. Christopher Walken like you've never seen him before, and Robert De Niro in one of the best roles of his career. A must see.
10/10
Film#99 - The Last House On The Left, 2009, dir. Dennis Iliadis
This was pretty much appalling. The way this film was portrayed in it's marketing is really just, well it's wrong. I thought this was a teen slasher, something like the typical stuff that makes up modern 'horror'. I was completely wrong. This is a remake, and I can't even imagine how this film was received back in the 70's. It's insane. It's gruesome and some of it is really rather in bad taste. There's just about as much murder, torture, rape and pain I could take before I would have turned it off. And believe me, I've never turned off a movie for gratuitous violence. This however, it left me thinking what the point of it was. It really doesn't say anything worth saying. The basic idea is a family of three go out to their cottage, and the daughter goes into town with a friend. They go to pick up some weed, at which point the dealer's father and murderous friends come back, and so begins an hour and a half of torture. By the halfway point these girls have been abused to badly that they'd be so scarred they would have absolutely no chance of living a normal life afterwards. Stop reading if you care about spoilers, since what happens next is the friend is stabbed to death, the daughter is raped graphically for several minutes, and then shot. The murders then go seek refuge at a local house, pretending to be trapped in the storm. The house nearby? Yeah it's the girls parents house. She crawls back, they figure out whats going on, and now the parents start a rampage against these people. People are stabbed, shot, limbs are put in a garbage disposal, and to cap it off someone gets their head microwaved. I don't know why this was made, and who it was made for. The acting, very believable. But it's not enough justification for the absolutely brutal plot line.
4.5/10
Film#100 - Inglourious Basterds, 2009, dir. Quentin Tarantino
Here we have a film where unlike the previous review, knows how to go about on-screen violence. And it's straight up "glourious." I love this film. It's my favourite Tarantino, and it's one of my favourite all time films. If you haven't seen it, I don't know why. Well, it's probably because you think this is just a shoot-em-up, action-packed typical Tarantino film, and in some ways you're right. But in reality, the violence in this is short-lived and intense, while the vast majority of the film is an absolutely enthralling tale from many different perspectives. I'd give a plot rundown but I can't bring myself to reduce it to something like that. It's visually stunning, with such diverse characters and charm that I can't resist it. I don't know how anyone could. Quirky and fun for sure.
10/10
