The first batch of netflix... um, flix came in, were watched, here's my opinion.

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George Romero's "Land of the Dead"

Surprisingly predictable, yet surprisingly subtle, yet surprisingly bland. Georgie has directed three of the most interesting films in the last 40 years. "Night of the Living Dead" created a sense of claustrophobia, dread, disconnect while the world may be ending feeling, as well as having one of the first films to have an honorable black lead, "Dawn of the Dead" made such sublime comment on american consumerism while "Day of the Dead" showed how "we" can be our own enemy.

"Land of the Dead" tries to be as loftly and fails. Much is due to the script that tries to do to much with too much. Too many angles, too many characters, not enough build up. There are a number of interesting concepts brought up but none of them are fully or satisfingly executed. I'd go into details but I'd rather not type that long. To put it this way, there are three betrayals in the film (well, only two really, but the one fake betrayal that is so predictablly utilized that I won't be spoiling anything by mentioning it) and none of them are built up enough. The first, just barely given enough to sustain itself, the second (the fake one) no developement, the third, completely out of the blue. Actually, there is a fourth, but it's so "main character", so glaciated into the plot that it's almost not worth mentioning, ecept for (again), not built up enough.

Good things. Performances. John Leguizamo, who unfortunitely is playing John Leguizamo. Dennis Hopper, also playing Dennis Hopper. Asia Argento, cute and plays her character well but could have been completely cut from the film without notice. Sadly she seemed to be just the T&A. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (starred in and wrote "Shaun of the Dead") in an iinteresting cameo but you'll have to see the special features to see where.. (Simon even wears a tie, just not a red one).
Eugene Clark, frigg'n Eugene Clark rules... and he's a zombie!!! He's THE zombie. Eugene showes more emotional range than most of the characters in this film. FX, well done, but in the popcorn kinda way. Unfortunitely, as pretty as they are (in the gross sorta way) the FX don't add much to the story.

Overall, it's chewing gum, gum that you've been chewing for a while. You like the memory of the flavor but what you're chewing now is bland. Yet, there is still a hint of flavor left. Unless you're a hard core horror fan and must see anything that Romero breathes on, I probably wouldn't bother.

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Tim Burton's "Charley and the Chocolate Factory"

This is why Burton needs to just be locked up in the art department and not allowed to direct.

Whoooh, what a mess. I am amazed at how creepy Timmy made this film. Mind you, I like creepy, but this was creepy in an unenjoyable way. Mind you, I am colored by the original 1971 Mel Stuart production, but this film is also colored by it, in a bad way. To may odes to the original, not enough mirth. I liked the original for it's inspiration to creativity but this... this... um, I don't know what to say. It almost casts a negative light on creativity.

In it's defense, I will say that it's touching on family values (as forced as it is) are probably the best scenes in the film. Depp's performance is interesting, showing his range (if you didn't already know that he has range that is), Freddie Highmore as Charley does a great job potraying the wide eyed youngster. Helena Bonham Carter showes a warmth I haven't seen in a while and Deep Roy proves yet again that he's the hardest working little person in show business today.

The FX are boring, practically vanilla, and tend to overshadow what they are meant to express.

Overall, it's not bad, it's just not good either.

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"Good Night, and Good Luck. "
Grant Heslov and George Clooney

Wow. Seriously... WOW!!!

Go rent this at your earliest opportunity. Nothing i could type will give this film (and I mean "film") justice. It's a film that you have to pay attention to.

The contrasts to our modern media are staggeringly sad. It almost depresses me that the only place to look to for as hard hitting news is "The Daily Show" (and it tends to go for the fart jokes).

See this film. Thank me later.

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Bonus: "The Boondock Saints" on TBS (tv channel)

AAAAAARRRRGGGGG!!!

OK... ok... **sigh**

For one, I can't believe that TBS broadcast this instead of some other 'safe' move like "Commando" or "Any Chuck Norris or Stephen Segal flick". Just because they have the same acronym (TBS, The Boondock Saints, get it...)... holy FUCK, I haven't seen a movie chopped up that badly in a long time. Seriously. I don't mind the dropping out of sound for whatever cuss word is being said. I often don't care if they overdub a replacement of another word for whatever cuss word is being said. I also don't mind cutting short some extreemly violent scene like someone's eye popping out when their head is in a vice or shaving off a few seconds to remove the sqib burst (a squip is a fake blood packet and a small explosive charge used to simulate a bullet striking someone) from a gunfight scene. I can also understand removing a relatively inconcequential scene to fit a film's square peg running time into the round hole of 30 minute time blocks.

But FUCK!!They removed 3 scenes that were frigg'n PLOT POINTS. Scenes that made a logical connection from one scene to another. It's as if they only wanted to show the action sequences and didn't care if ther was a REASON that the characters where in the situation or at the place they were at.

**sigh**

I'll stop now.

Go rent "The Boondock Saints". It's brutal but interesting as well as entertaining.

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rodent (putting the eek in geek)