Movie Review: All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

Rating:  

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Amber Heard, Whitney Able, Michael Welch, Anson Mount, Aaron Himelstein

Plot:

Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) is an unattainable object of adolescent lust for all the boys in her highs school.  Invited on a weeked away to a remote ranch, shy Mandy sees it as a chance to cement some newly formed friendships.  The boys see it as a chance to finally get with Mandy.  As night falls, joints are rolled, kegs are drunk and pills are popped, with Mandy maintaining a polite distance from all the debauchery.  She things the drunken “come-ons” will be the worst of it, but she is horrifyingly mistaken.  As events take a turn for the worse, it becomes clear that a secret admirer is harbouring some terrifying ulterior motives.

Review:

Originally released in 2006 at the Toronto Film Festival, winner of the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival in 2008 and managed horribly by The Weinstein Company and sold to Senator Entertainment, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is STILL unavailable to American Audiences.  It’s a shame, because this small and clever slasher flick starring Amber Heard deserves to be seen.  Luckily, Optimum Releasing has the distribution rights in the UK and have offered us a Region Free Blu-Ray release of the film.  All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is a clever, small budget slasher with some great performances in it.

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Movie Trailer: Avatar (Full Theatrical)

Yahoo! has the full theatrical trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar. I’m more sold than I was with the first trailer, but there’s so much hear that reminds me of so many other movies.

I’m not impressed with the plot, but dang the visuals look tasty.  I plan on catching this in 3D during a matinee showing, for sure.

Yahoo has the clip in HD, or you can watch the embed above.

DVD/Blu Ray Releases for 10/27/2009

Buying movies is almost a dangerous obession with me.  I love it, and probably have spent more money on movies in my lifetime than any sane person.  At least I’m not spending money on heroine.

New Movie Tuesday is my favorite day of the week.  Here are this week’s releases as well as my recommendations.

Being the film snob I am, I will recommend the Blu Ray versions of these flicks if available.

Must Buy:

Night of the Creeps [Blu-ray]

List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $16.49 8 new or used available from $16.49 Average customer review:

Hulu Exec had “No idea what he was talking about.” Hulu to remain FREE!

Last week we all threw a collective Hissy Fit when a News Corp. Executive, Deputy Chairmen Chase Carvey stated the following regarding Hulu‘s free TV/Movie service,

I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value.

Well, EW officially has word that the Exec was, in fact, talking directly out of his ass.

A source close to Hulu, however, tells EW that the site remains steadfastly committed to free content, explaining that any possible subscription or pay-per-view service has no set timeline and would only build upon what Hulu offers, not replace it.

So, we can all breathe now.  Relax, grab a beer (or your beverage of choice), and watch Fright Night courtesy of Hulu.

[Source: Slashfilm]

LOL! Batman’s Failed Attempts at Hiding

What if Batman’s disappearing act didn’t work out 100% of the time. Awkward?

Watch This! “The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon”

I think the title says it all. This is a short film about a Horribly Slow Murderer with a Extremely Inefficient Weapon. Hilarious.

http://www.richard-gale.com

Movie Review: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Rating:  

Directed By: Spike Jonze

Starring: Max Records, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Catherine Keener

Plot:

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world–a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler. [IMDB]

Pre-Review Editorial:

I read an actual review of Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are that stated the following:

Authentic though it may be, this movie will appeal to douchey hipsters. If you are upper-middle-class, liked I Heart Huckabees, have Buddy Holly glasses, listen to rap ironically, and/or believe yourself to be an undiscovered genius or otherwise tortured and unique person, this is right in your wheelhouse for Movie of the Year. [Film School Rejects]

Now, let me put on my horn rimmed glasses and get on with my douchy hipster review of Where the Wild Things Are.

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Movie Review: Observe and Report

Observe and Report

Rating:  

Directed By: Jody Hill

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Peña, Michael Peña, Anna Faris, Dan Bakkedahl, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe

Plot Synopsis:

At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun.Ronnie’s delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (ANNA FARIS), the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Review:

Seth Rogen may be played out in some people’s minds, however I love the guy and think he has plenty of steam left.  Jody Hill’s Observe and Report gives Rogen a platform to give us something different.  A hero that’s not perfect, kind of creepy and someone who makes morally compromising choices.  The description of Observe and Report as “Taxi Driver meets Paul Blart: Mall Cop” may seem a bit strange, but that’s probably the only way you could describe this strange, dark, offensive and, yes, hilarious film.

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Hulu says “Screw You” to free programming.

Hulu craps on it’s entire audience by ditching it’s free service sometime in 2010.

News Corp president and chief operating officer, Chase Carey, says that Hulu will ditch it’s free model for a subscription based model sometime in 2010.  Carey made the remarks during a conference in New York.

So, the entire business model, advertising campaign and APPEAL for Hulu is thrown in the crapper.  Apparently, despite their Ad model, Hulu is struggling to become profitable.  Looks like I’ll just have to dust off my unused DVR and watch TV on an actual TV.

[Source: The Associated Press, Cinematical]

GeekVault Reviews: Slugs

Slugs

Actual Movie:

Rating:  

So-Bad-It’s-Good-Rating:

Rating:  

Directed By: Juan Piquer Simón

Starring: Michael Garfield

Plot Synopsis:

A rural town becomes prey to a strain of Black Slugs spawned from toxic waste dumping and it’s up to the local health inspector to stop them.

Review:

I really don’t know where to start with my review of Slugs.  OK.  It’s a bad movie.  A horrible movie.  A “shit-tastic” movie.  The acting is horrible and the plot is ridiculous (they’re SLUGS! Mutant Slugs, but still they’re slow and they can be squished).  However, the precedings are so laughable and ridiculous, and the acting so bad, it’s endearing.  All this is highlighted by some of the grossest, sickest, nonsensical gore you’ll ever see in a movie.

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