HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (2011)

Directed & Edited By: Jason Eisener
Written by: John Davies
Story By: John Davies, Jason Eisener & Rob Cotterill
Cinemantography By: Karim Hussain

Cast: Rugter Hauer, Brain Downey, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth 

In this film a Hobo riding the rails comes to a town to save up and start his own lawnmower business. then he see’s how corrupt and evil the town is. he tries to do the right thing and work with the cops but finds them to be crooked. so after being pushed too far he takes the law into his own hands and becomes a vigilante. Seeking to clean up the streets.

Is there such a thing as too over the top? this film seeks to answer that question. I mean there is a scene where some one is decapitated and blood is spilling out of their neck like a geyser and the villains “Girlfriend” or at least one of them in a white bikini stands and dances as the blood pours all over her. She reacts like she is getting a orgasm from it.

This film reminds me of the Troma Movies, i used to watch in my teen years. It has the right mix of Low-brow humor, Bad Taste and Extreme gore. Which in a way makes me feel nostalgic watching this movie. Which made the film enjoyable and a fun movie experience There is nothing in the film you can take seriously none of the characters seem like real life human beings. even the town and it’s citizens are unbelievable in their attitudes.

The Villains kids drive a car that looks futuristic Like a DeLorean and a 70’s car mixed which helps in this unbelievable world we are thrust into. The colors of the film are a little too saturated. Yet come off as dirty and deteriorating. Which adds to the queasiness of what is happening on screen.

The Villain and his family remind me of The power and sickness of Saddam Hussein and his sons Uday and Qusay. Which is the closest this film get’s to a political statement.

It’s nice to see Rugter Hauer. He get’s to cut loose and gives his character not only heart but also a deranged lunacy that goes with much of the movie. I haven’t enjoyed him this much since CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, Which was supposed to be his last Comeback. and BLIND FURY another action B-Movie with a twist. Which matches the 80’s feel.

Brian Downey who plays the villain “The Drake” i remember from the sci-fi Television show i loved Named LEXX. Here he chews so much scenery. it feels like he has waited his whole life to just let loose as a character.

I was shocked to see Gregory Smith Playing one of the villains son. I remember him as a child actor in HARRIET THE SPY and THE PATRIOT as well as the TV Show EVERWOOD. he usually plays such good people i was taken aback to see him play a disgustingly evil bastard.

If you can’t tell by the title of the movie. It is supposed to be silly. So you get what you expect. I have to say my excitement for the movie and watching it is probably better then the actual film is. The film started out as a entry into a trailer contest that the film GRIND HOUSE set-up to have the winner be apart of the fake trailers already in the film.

This was the winning entry and from that there was a offer to make the film after a script was completed and the filmmakers kept the film in the grind house tradition of being exploitive and having a gimmick. they forgot the part where most grind house films the movies were usually schlock but the movie makers were serious in what they thought would be a good film. Which was what made them entertaining. It’s one thing to have a sense of humor about yourself and your movie, but With all these grind house inspired films the problem is that they try to be a joke and put the audience in with them on it. Which i will admit i enjoy most of the results of films like this and MACHETE, but it also gives a diservice to the title of grindhouse as most of these are just gory comedies.

This one in particular seems to aim more for campiness at times then pure funny. Let me get off my soapbox.

This film also surprisingly leaves off another element that grindhouse and troma movies usually revel in. There is hardly any nudity or sex in the film plenty of talking about it, but rarely shown.

Though the Villain’s are supposed to be the big bad’s. They don’t seem to be the worst Psychopaths they just seem to be the most organized, even though they are all crazy.

This film also has to have the luckiest hooker i have ever seen. She has a heart of gold has lived in this town this long and never seems to have a john but plenty of money and has never really been hurt or attacked of course that is until the hobo comes to town. i kept wondering how has she lasted so long? but then again this is a movie where almost every gunshot is big and deep when it lands and kills instantly, but cutting deep into a neck can be repairable.

This film fulfills what you would expect from it’s title and poster. if that is what you see that is what you will get. I honestly can’t wait to see of the filmmakers stay on the path to making films like this or make a natural transgression to other genre films. either way i await there next move. A definite Addition to the film library… on sale

GRADE: B-

BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE PLAYER (1992)

buffy_the_vampire_slayer_kristy_swanson_luke_perry

 

Directed By: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Written By: Joss Whedon
Cinematography: James Hayman
Editor: Jill Savitt & Camilla Toniolo 


Cast: Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Rugter Hauer, Paul Ruebens, Andrew Lowery, David Arquette, Candy Clark, Hillary Swank, Stephen Root, Sasha Jenson, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Thomas Jane, Randall Batinkoff, Mark DeCarlo, Paris Vaughn, Michele Abrams 

Buffy Summers has the lifestyle any young woman could want. Cheerleading, dating the captain of the basketball team, and copious amounts of time spent shopping with friends. She had no idea of her true calling until a mysterious man named Merrick approached her and told her that she is the Slayer; one woman called to defend the world from vampires. Reluctant to concede to the fact, Buffy soon learns that Merrick speaks the truth and so begins to take her new life seriously while trying to maintain the sense of normality her life had once been. With her best friends slowly abandoning her, Buffy finds solace in the town outcast, Pike, who knows very well the terrors that have arisen. Together, they combat the forces of the old and powerful vampire, Lothos, who has his eyes set on Buffy.

Continue reading “BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE PLAYER (1992)”

VALERIAN & THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (2017)

valerian

Written & Directed By: Luc Besson
Based on the Comic Book Series “Valerian and Laureline” By: Pierre Christin & Jean-Claude Mezieres
Cinematography By: Thierry Arbogast
Editor: Julien Rey 


Cast: Dale DeHann, Cara Delevingne, Ethan Hawke, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Alain Chabat, Rugter Hauer, Louis Letterier, Benoit Jacquot, Olivier Megaton 


In the Century XXVIII, the space station Alpha is a city where beings from different planets live together exchanging their knowledge and culture. Peace is granted by a human force, including Major Valerian and his partner Sergeant Laureline. They are assigned by the Defence Minister to retrieve the last species of converter in a dangerous mission. They succeed and back to Alpha, unknown humanoids abduct Commander Arun Filitt expecting to steal the converter. They head to a forbidden area that is infected but Valerian and Laureline follow them and disclose a hidden secret about the race and the infected area.


The film might have played better as an animated film. Which would have saved on the budget. Though As the Live action element is what brings the audience in. It also exposes the weaker and more ridiculous elements of the film.

The one thing I can say positively about this film is that it is very beautiful and very colorful.

The film seems more hellbent on truly creating and immersing you in it’s world. Then adding a plot line they relied heavily on a conspiracy. As it will leave the audience confused with action sequences that are exciting, but we wonder not only what it the point as it serves as a distraction or sidebar to the main story. Which only comes into focus later in the film. As at times you forget what is the main point of the film.

The film is filled with side characters galore. Who are great in small doses and would work as recurring characters. You want to see come into the film if it became a franchise.

The film reaches for epic heights as it desires to explore a galaxy and feels way too long. As often the film ends up being confusing for the audience and it seems to be confused itself.

Rihanna’s scenes are one of the only time the movie becomes lively and truly alive. Even with the thinness of the writing for her character and making it obvious it was written for a star to play.

The two leads are miscast and have absolutely no chemistry or believability in their roles. Dale Dehann is usually a good actor but a heroic action lead does nothing for him. He never comes off as dangerous or authoritative.

Cara Delevingne has the look but for such an unorthodox character. She lacks any charisma or signs of life for her character. So she comes off as stiff and non-exciting. Though most of the cast plays it as seriously as they can but at least with flair.

Even the humor throughout the film comes off as stilted and is never as funny as it thinks it is.

You can see the budget of $200 million independently financed dollars on the screen. As the film is definitely audacious. Yet it feels rather formless and is after an experience more than just a plotted film narrative adventure.

It does feel more like a comic book type movie as the adventures seem to come and pile up on Top of one another. Which is what leads to the confusion.

The opening scene works as a prologue with great silent filmmaking that ties the majority of the rest of the film together, but could have been a great short film itself and shows what the film could have been.

Director Luc Besson is a success and has made enough movies through producing and either screenwriting it story by credits. Though as a director his career started off well and seen as a major force of French filmmaking behind the camera. His later more modern projects have proved to be more disappointing and rather commercially bland (THE FAMILY) This project like his previous science fiction film THE FIFTH ELEMENT Seemed to have both sides working together when it came to artistic and commercial filmmaking.

While this is a beautiful film to behold. It feels like an amusement park ride. Exciting while here as it fills you with joy and opens plenty of distractions. Once it’s over you leave with an empty feeling and a sensitivity to lights as the move is really about nothing and seem to have no point or heart. Even though it’s supposed to be about humanity.

I realize this is a popcorn movie, but you leave with barely anything to hold on to. Barely even the filmmaking. Only the special effects.

This is what I mean when I refer to this film as a digital movie. It seems more made on a computer rather than physically. As this movie is a prime example of DIGITAL MOVIES.

These are films that are supposed to be live action but seen more animated. Truly dependent on special effects more than anything not necessarily movies like THOR: RANGAROK but more films like WARCRAFT that are based on videotapes which these digital films more remind you of as everything is more photorealistic then real. Except for some live action filmed.

As sometimes depending on the source material that is the only way it seems to be able to make them

Not necessarily films like POLAR EXPRESS which despite using motion capture technology is still considered an animated film overall more like something and where at least I began to notice it heavily a movie like VAN HELSING.

Now with studios having more of a desire to make live action renditions of traditionally animated tales. It seems unavoidable as technology has caught up but the reasons these tapes were animated to begin with seems to be that they were so hard or expensive to make love action on the first place.

Now of course more and more films use CGI for or instead of special effects but these specific films are just filled with so much digital in that you can barely tell what is physical and real.

I decided to address this phenomena or type of film as it is not totally a genre. After watching this film and having recently seeing the trailer for Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the book READY PLAYER ONE. Which has so many pop culture references that it seems needed for a film of that magnitude where you get to rewrite and reenact so many classic moments.

These films are pure imagination as they are on another level of things we can never love or envision. Which was also thought of movies and film at certain points. I don’t know if it’s good or not better for the future but I believe it to be a new medium and reality to a certain degree we will have to get used to. Less human and more artificial and stylish.

Films such as AVATAR and VAN HELSING, This film comes off as an less balanced AVATAR

I will give the film points for what it tried to achieve, but needed more balance and a more steady tone.

The movie feels like a WATERWORLD esque fiasco without the star power or ego to blame it on. It is similar seemingly singular grand epic vision that no one in particular asked for or even requested or thought needed.

Though have to give it up for trying something so big and somewhat experimental.

Grade D+