Zombieland Review

By: Robert Acosta

Plot: Two months after a zombie apocalypse has occured, 4 survivors look for any way to stay alive.

Cast:
Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee
Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus
Emma Stone as Wichita
Abigail Breslin as Little Rock

Review: I remember watching the trailer for Zombieland, I can't recall for which movie it was before, and thinking to myself...I cannot wait for Zombieland! I also couldn't help but think, god damn Emma Stone is hot!

As you may be able to tell, I might be biased in my review thanks to Emma Stone and her hotness. I'll try not to make this all about her and make this actually about the movie. I cannot guarentee anything though.

When you watch the trailer, or even the beginning of the movie, you can tell this is gonna be a light-hearted "horror" movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously. With that said, it still offers up some small scares, gruesome zombies and some bloody deaths. Other than that, it becomes more of an action/comedy film.

I was impressed with the casting choices, they mostly went with up and coming stars mixed in with a couple of household names. You have Jesse Eisenberg as the wimpy guy who seems to stay out of trouble as Columbus, the scorching hot Emma Stone as the bad ass girl who doesn't need anyone to protect her as Wichita and the young Abigail Breslin who takes after her sister Wichita and can fend for herself as Little Rock. You throw in Woody Harrelson as the typical "nothing to lose" type of guy as Tallahassee and a hilarious cameo from a comedy legend and you've got yourself a very good cast that blends together.

It almost seems unlikely that this cast of actors can make a good comedy movie but it works. Woody Harrelson is a damn good actor, maybe the main one depending on your perspective and has some funny back and forths with Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg reminds me of Michael Cera a little bit(not a compliment), but he seems to be much funnier than Cera. Emma stone has been featured in comedies before so she's a natural at getting laughs. Especially from me.

The story is pretty basic for a zombie apocalypse movie. Stay alive by any means necessary. They go from on the road to Ohio to a mansion in Hollywood to an amusement park in Los Angeles, along the way meeting, and killing, hundreds of zombies.

Like I said earlier, the movie doesn't take itself seriously but I want to add that you still connect with the characters. When you hear about Tallahassee's story and everything he's lost, it's kind of touching and you kind of feel bad for him. Same thing with Little Rock's situation and how she can't really have a normal childhood because of this zombie apocalypse. So even though the movie is a horror/action/comedy movie, it still makes a deep connection with you.

They're have been rumors about making a sequel, to which I say: "Nut up or Shut up."

Overall, Zombieland was one of my favorite movies of 2009 and has slowly become one of my favorite movies of all time. What's there not to like? Great comedy, great action, small bit of horror, Emma Stone. Enough said.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Break- DVD

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Break- DVD
By Jose


Review

I'm not an Eli Roth hater, but Cabin Fever often struggled to find a balance between its go-for-the-jugular shocks and frat-boy humor. Spring Fever works on its own terms because Ti West decides early that he just wants to go for laughs, beginning with an animated opening credits that comically shifts the action from the backwoods to a small-town high school. They maintain a consistent humorous tone even when things turn decidedly nasty. This is Evil Dead II fueled by raging teenage hormones.

The anything-goes Spring Fever picks up where its predecessor left off with one bloody splat. To say more would be to spoil the film’s only true surprise. Let's just say that it allows us to reacquaint ourselves with that hard-partying cop, Deputy Winston (Giuseppe Andrews, kookier than before). All that booze and pot hasn't completely robbed Winston of his instincts. He deduces that the flesh-eating virus that ruined Rider Strong’s weekend getaway will spread through contaminated bottle water. So he races off to locate the shipment to save the day.

Too late. A case of bottled water ends up in the greasy hands of a bunch of horny high school seniors preparing for that night's prom. If you have seen Cabin Fever, it's easy to spot the infected among the revelers. Otherwise, just look for the open sores, loose teeth, and violent coughing fits. West takes his sweet time allowing hell to breaks out soon after prom starts. It's at this point that Spring Fever strays into [Rec]/Quarantine territory, as government agents lock down the high school to curb the outbreak.

Stuck in the middle of this mayhem are brainiac John (Noah Segan, from Deadgirl, the only thing good about the movie), his childhood crush Cassie (a quirky Alexi Wasser), and his mouthy best pal Alex (Rusty Kelley, channeling Seth Rogen). As the bodies pile up, they seek a way out of the school without getting shot or infected. Easier said than done.

There are precious few moments in Spring Fever that are intended to actually scare you out of your seat (a confrontation with a pregnant teen, though, is disturbing). Instead, West tries to goes for broke trying to gross us out with all the projectile vomiting, severed limbs, and blister-riddled breasts that's on display.

That said, West doesn't appear interested in topping what Roth did with Cabin Fever but to go beyond the envelope-pushing sexual antics of American Pie and Scary Movie. This is after all a 1980s-tinged high school sex comedy/horror that happens to have an immeasurable body count. So West almost throws at us as much man juice to as he does blood and guts. Pity the poor infected student - previously a recipient of a revenge BJ - who discovers all sorts of disgusting stuff oozing out of his penis.

Some of this is sophomoric as you imagine it would be. Is it really that amusing to watch a pissed-off janitor pee into a bowl of fruit punch? Even if he's infected and his urine's as red as a baboons ass? Still, West more often than not succeeds in turning around the conventions established in the 1980s by the likes of Porky's on their head. When the prom king strips down to his birthday suit for a quickie with a virgin three times his weight, you expect his buddies to jump out and mock her for falling for such a cruel joke. Doesn't happen, so kudos to West for often refusing to make the obvious joke.

Spring Fever ends as it begins, with an animated sequences accompanying the closing credits to establish the next chapter in the franchise. Another Cabin Fever? Yes. Are you up for it? You might be after Spring Fever even if you couldn't stand Cabin Fever.

Ratings: 1.5 out of 5

Death at a Funeral Review

By: Robert Acosta

Plot: A funeral ceremony goes horribly wrong when secrets are revealed, drugs are mistakenly taken and bodies are misplaced.

Review: I'll be honest, I had no idea this was a remake of a movie made in 2007 over in the UK. I think most people believe this is an original movie and that's ok because I think this movie is probably funnier than the original. Now I haven't seen the original but I have a feeling that Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and company are some of the funnier people on the face of the earth.

I may be a bit biased because I saw this movie after Kick-Ass and was in an extremely good mood watching this movie. Nonetheless, I'll review this movie as honestly as I can.

I don't think Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence have ever been unfunny or boring in a movie before, putting them together in a movie should just end in a funny movie. Right? Of course! Were you expecting me to say wrong? Not to say that either of their performances were their best, but they were still funny. I personally like Chris Rock the comedian, rather than the actor. The supporting cast holds up pretty well with actors like Tracy Morgan, James Marsden, Columbus Short, Danny Glover, Regina Hall and the drop dead gorgeous Zoe Saldana. Together they all provide a number of funny and definitely one or two memorable moments. Constantly named as one of the most unappreciated actors, James Marsden shows how flexible he is, and hilarious, when it comes to roles. He can do action movies like X-men, comedies like Death at a Funeral and much more serious roles like The Box.

The story isn't all too intriguing but it still leads to a lot of funny parts. The story seems to revolve around a couple things and certain points of the story are predictable. Not to say that the story isn't funny but more scenes out of left field, random, would have been funnier.

As I alluded to before, they're are a number of funny parts along with a couple of memorable moments. The ultimate goal of a comedy is just to make you laugh. They're are comedies that do that every other minute, they're are some that have their moments spread throughout the movie. Death at a funeral is like a mix of both. It gets you chuckling for a while in the beginning and then as the movie progresses, you get into it and really start laughing. Now, it may take a while to really get to the big, comedic moments in the movie but eventually you get there.

I don't really like talking about the moral of a story for a comedy movie but when I see a good one, I have to at least a mention it. The key theme throughout the whole movie was family and more so, sticking together. You had one character who only spent time with the family when a special occasion was happening, or in this a funeral, can't really say there is anything special about that.

All in all, Death at a funeral is a fun time at the theater, which is exactly what a comedy should be.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans -DVD

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans -DVD
By Jose

Review:
Seriously? This movie sucks. I sat down and watched this expecting something good. All I was left with was a sore ass. The lengths Nic Cage and Eva Mendes went just for a paycheck.
So it seems the if you’re are a doped up crooked cop on the verge of getting yourself screwed over and possibly killed, all you have to do is be a smidge bit smarter and kill everyone that is out to get you though deals and backstabs.
Moral of the movie: if your bad and do bad things and don’t get caught your good to go and can get away with anything.

Ratings: 0 out of 5

Kick-Ass Review

By: Robert Acosta

Plot: Dave Lizewski, a geeky high school student, decides to become a super hero after reading comic books and realizing that no one in real life really tries to be a superhero.

Review: I hate to sound redundant or anything like that but Kick-Ass is kick ass. Now you could take my word for it and I could end the review right here and go see it. But that wouldn't be professional of me now would it? Didn't think so.

It's hard to point out just one thing that made Kick-Ass so fun to watch. In every sense, it's just an underdog, geeky, superhero comedy movie that doesn't take itself seriously. It delivers all the action of any other superhero, even more so it delivers bloody action which isn't exactly typical from a comic book movie.
All the characters bring something unique to the table and when blended together makes the movie really go. Kick-ass is a geeky superhero, not too many fighting skills but has bravery on his side. Hit-Girl is a young girl who has tremendous fighting skills, tremendous bravery and seemingly grew up in a different environment than most, if not all, girls her age. Big daddy, the father of Hit-Girl, is out for revenge against a mob leader, Frank D'Amico and uses being a superhero as a way to get to him. Finally, there is Red Mist, the son of Frank D'Amico, only wants to be apart of his fathers business uses being a superhero to get on his fathers good side. Different personalities, different reasons as to why they became a superhero. Altogether, Kick-Ass is about the characters.

One character inparticular, Hit-Girl, has been pretty controversial and I won't hold back on my opinion either. As I alluded to earlier, Hit-Girl is not even a teenager, and grew up under different circumstances than most girls her age. A lot of people who saw the movie complained about how she cursed up a storm, how she was unfazed by killing a countless number of men and etc. What people fail to understand, and it is a simple concept really, is that it is just a movie. More so, a movie based off of a comic book. So with that said, the movie is fictional. They could have gone anywhere with the movie, while still having respect for the comic book. People need to open their eyes up and just watch these movies for what they are. If you have kids and don't want them to be influenced by this, then don't take them to see the movie. Really simple.

Anyway, back to the review.

Kick-Ass is R rated so expect to see some blood and the deaths to be gory. This is how most comic book movies should really be like. R rated, tell the story the way it was meant to be told and make it interesting and not limit things.

The last thing I want to touch on is the soundtrack. I mostly don't mind what music is played during a movie, so long as it fits. This soundtrack however, pops out at you. Some nice "heroic" music during the fighting scenes or scenes that include Kick-Ass, and then some good songs for transitions and what not.

Overall, I can't find a reason to even come close to disliking the movie. It should appeal to every type of movie lover. Some comedy, lots of action, a good story, good characters, lots of blood. I may end up watching this movie again before this month is over, this is a must see.

Rating: 5 Out of 5.

Godzilla Final Wars

Godzilla: Final Wars
By Jose

Plot:

It is a Godzilla movie. Humans or aliens do something that pisses off Godzilla. Godzilla goes on rampage. Sometimes with a little help from another monster or two. HAHA
Evil Space Aliens called the Xilians unleashes all the Earth's monsters to lay waste to most of the world's major cities, including Tokyo, New York, Sydney, Shanghai and Paris. It is up to Godzilla and the Earth Defense Force to vanquish the monsters and aliens to rescue the world in the ultimate "Save the Earth" battle.

Who Loves Godzilla?:

OH OH OH ME ME ME!!
Ahem
Yes I have been and will always be a Godzilla fan. Final Wars was made to be the final Godzilla movie released before the big guys long vacation. Boy it ended with a bang. Almost all of Godzilla’s fellow monsters appear in this movie to destroy, cause mayhem, and give the big G a run for his money for one last time. We also get the Xilian aliens back for this one. If I remember correctly they made a appearance in Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla.
Final Wars packs in a lot of action between the humans and aliens, Godzilla and the other kaiju, and just one giant rumble between everyone. The ending was pretty badass with a new version of Ghidora, Keizer Ghidorah, and Godzilla battling it out along with a updated version of Gigan and Mothra thrown into the mix.
That being said the other obvious part needs to be addressed as well. Since it is a Godzilla movie it will have a good bit of cheesiness. The acting will be off and sometimes cringe inducing. But it is a Godzilla movie. A giant monster or a few beating up on each other and destroying everything around them. It is a movie to have fun with and to enjoy.

Should I Recommend?

Any fan of Godzilla, or fan of any classic rubber suit monsters destroying cities, with people screaming and running away like mad need to see this. It is the last Godzilla movie they made until Toho decides it is time to bring back the King of Monsters. So go out and watch this fun, “rubber suit” giant monster, classic in the making movie.

Ratings : 3 out of 5

Fired Up! Review

By: Robert Acosta

Plot: The two most popular guys in their high school decide to ditch football camp for cheerleader camp, not for the cheerleading but for the girls.

Review: I can honestly say, going into these movies I always expect crap. A couple of laughs here and there, maybe one memorable moment but nothing too spectacular. Now, over a year later since its release, it's one of my favorite comedy movies to watch.

The beginning of the movie gives the viewers a good idea of the lives the main characters Nick(Eric Christian Olsen) and Shawn(Nicholas D'Agosto) live. They hang out with beautiful girls, they're the stars of their football team and overall they're the two most popular guys in their high school.

They've gone through all the girls in their high school and are looking for new girls to prey on. They over hear that the cheerleading squad are going to a cheer camp that includes 300 girls. So of course, Nick and Shawn scheme and find a way to get on the cheer squad and go to the cheer camp. And away the story goes!

Eric Christian Olsen as Nick gives a lot of laughs along with John Michael Higgins as one of the coaches. It took me a while to realize this but Higgins is one hilarious guy. In Fired Up he offers up a lot of laughs and I realize in almost everything he's in, other movies like The Break Up, Yes Man and directTV commercials, he's hilarious. All the other characters compliment these two most of the time, pretty well I might add.

There are times in comedy movies where jokes are just too childish or are basically not funny. They can be real hit or miss in certain comedies. Actually very few comedies have been able to pull off most, if not all, jokes being genuinely funny. Fired Up was one of those comedies. Can the jokes seem a bit retarded or stupid? sure. But remember, all these things, comedy, action, horror, are all based on opinion. Just because I laugh at something doesn't mean someone else is going to laugh at it, nor do I expect you too.

Overall, Fired Up was a great time at the movies, I laughed a lot, nearly cried a couple times of laughter. This is exactly the feeling that should be given during comedy movies.

Rating: 4 Out of 5

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activityby Jose

Any good?
After watching Paranormal Activity, you might want to sleep with the lights on for a week or four.
Rarely do I find myself affected by a horror film. It has been years to really feel scared by horror movie as of late. It seems more and more filmmakers are looking to make you squirm from graphic violence, or cheer with an over-the-top kill rather than truly give goose bumps. I’m talking about an honest to goodness level of fear.

So it was truly a surprise to put on this DVD, hoping to be terrified and being richly rewarded with a slow chill moving down my spine, goose bumps, and honestly scared. But it wasn’t a series of gruesome images, or even a masked killer ready to pounce on his or her victim every two seconds; it was sometimes merely a door opening by itself. There is a slow burn that starts quietly, and as each night passes for a young couple, the darkness and what lurks in it seems a little more nightmarish.

The movie about a young couple, Katie and Micah, seem to be having some problems with their new house. They claim to hear noises and a few other things that go bump in the night. But we also find that Katie has a history of the supernatural in her past. She tells of creepy stories about being eight years old and terrorized by the sound of heavy breathing or a dark shadow standing next to her bed. When these new ghostly things begin to happen to her as an adult, she wants to simply ignore them. But boyfriend Micah is a extremely fascinated by the whole idea. He decides to set up cameras inside their home and film everything that is going on. This includes one in the bedroom meant to record what happens while they sleep. The movie starts off slow. With a couple of noises and knocks. Then the door swings. Then the shit hits the fan and we start experiencing the worst of it.

Final thought:
Like what I wrote before I love horror movies, but there has not been one in years to truly scare me. Paranormal Activity has accomplished what many have tried to do. This is a truly scary movie that should please both hardcore horror fans and casual viewers equally, something that's very difficult to do.

GO SEE IT AND GOOD LUCK GOING TO SLEEP!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Clash of the Titans Review

By: Robert Acosta

Plot: The son of the god Zeus tries to stop the underworld from spreading evil and taking over the Earth.

Review: What do we have here? Another remake?! Well I can honestly say I never saw the 1981 original of Clash of the Titans and to be honest, thought this was an original movie until I did my research. Nonetheless, I do like greek mythology and these movies about gods are usually interesting. This one, not so much.

There's nothing I absolutely loved about Clash of the Titans. I enjoyed Ralph Fiennes as Hades, he really is a tremendous actor and the role of the villian of a movie is his specialty, his calling card. On the other hand, Sam Worthington is hit and miss. He works well with action movies, could be the next action movie star but he still seems so emotionless. There is just something about him, it's sometimes boring to watch him.

The action scenes are sub-par, nothing really stands out. The Scorpion fight scene wasn't bad but graphics seemed a bit off. Now I want to note, I did not see this movie in 3D. I heard some bad reviews for the 3D version because it was converted to 3D and the visuals weren't all that great. Another case of 3D not really necessary. Hope this 3D phase fades out and soon.

Back to the movie.

The one thing I was excited to see was the kraken cause it seemed like it would be something awesome to see and it would add up to a great action scene. What it turned out to be for me was a big disapointment. The kraken lasted like 5 minutes, at best, did some destruction and was ended. The one thing that got me excited for the movie ended up being the biggest disapointment.

I will throw in one more positive. All the figures in greek mythology are properly represented and look good. There was really nothing wrong with any of them, the kraken was a huge monster, just not used right. Medusa was portrayed nicely, had a bow and arrow, not bad. Of course, looking at Zeus, Hades and all the other gods is fun for me and was done nicely as well.

Overall, the movie wasn't good and mostly boring. Ralph Fiennes as Hades and Liam Neeson as Zeus both really carried the movie. Sam Worthington on the other hand, has some work to do. He has the potential to really shine, I just don't see it happening just yet. The kraken was horrible, way too short. Just wait to rent it on dvd or wait for it to come on TV, it's not worth a theater watch.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.  

April Movie Releases

Ahhh you know it's April when you wake up, get slapped in the face and told "April Fools!" as if that really was a good April fools joke. Anyway, enough about my glorious morning, ITS APRIL!

March was a comeback month for this blog, seeing as how February was pretty much wasted. I'm glad to say that March was a great month to see movies, even with the random and unnecessary raise in ticket pricing. There was only one week that really didn't hold any outstanding movies, while the other 3 weeks produced entertaining and some surprising movies. But enough about March, it's a thing of the past now. Lets welcome April and take a look at this month in movies:

(x)= Limited Releases
April 2:

• Clash of the Titans
• The Last Song(Techincally came out March 31)
• Why Did I Get Married Too
• Warlords(x)
• Leaves of Grass(x)
• Don Mckay(x)

April 9:

• Date Night
• Letters to God
• The Square(x)

April 16:

• Kick-Ass
• Death at a Funeral
• The Secret in Their Eyes(x)
• The Joneses(x)

April 23:

• The Losers
• The Back-up Plan
• Oceans(April 22)

April 30:

• Nightmare on Elm Street
• Please Give
• I Love You Phillip Morris(x)

Robert Acosta: I'm excited for this month of movies, seems like there is something every week to watch, something I really couldn't say about March. Kick-Ass is definitely something i've been looking forward to for months now, glad that its only a couple weeks away. Who knew that the superhero movie that didn't take itself seriously could be the best superhero movie of them all? Can't wait to see if that ends up being true. Death at a Funeral looks to be the better comedy of the season, I love watching the trailer. Hopefully all these funny personalities blend together to make something actually funny. Nightmare on Elm Street returns to the big screen after it being 7 years since he was on screen and 16 years since he's been in his own movie. I'll be honest, the Nightmare on Elm Street series freaks me out which is why i'm really on the fence for seeing it. Luckily I still have a little bit less than a month to decide. Finally, Clash of the Titans is just a day away and i've heard some good reviews about it already, and you'll be getting a good review from us about it in the coming days.

Jose: March has come and gone. Leaving behind a decent amount of movies and a rise in ticket prices. But here comes April and with it a slew of new movies to enjoy. This month starts off with a remake of Clash of
the Titans, a sequel to one of Tyler Perry’s movies, and a romantic movie co-starring Thor’s brother (god I can’t wait for Thor to come out). April is not all about remakes and sequels. Date Night looks to be rather funny with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. This month also starts the comic book movie craze for the year. Kick Ass looks to kick ass. The Losers brings with it action and Captain America himself Chris Evans. Oh but for the horror fans we get a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. A new look and new Freddy. Look for Death at a Funeral bringing an all star cast. Oceans a documentary from Disney. April looks to be a rather great month to whet our appetites for the beginning of the Summer movie season starting next month.

Let the month of movies begin!