The Social Network

Directed by David Fincher

Wait ....... where the heck was Brad Pitt?

I'm just kidding, this movie was awesome David Fincher is a genius, haldukken to your mother fuckin brain cells. Acting was great (but I always think that) I was real interested in the lighting.

I am gonna write it down too cuz I realized reading my own blog yesterday that I already forgot those mental notes I claimed to make after watching Detroit Rock City.

There are a TON of shots that are right on the edge (if not beyond) under exposed. It made me feel pretty good because I like under exposure, so now when I'm under exposing - or the characters face is not 'lit' very well I can say - "fall back dude and watch The Social Network ... if David Fincher can do it then I can too"

I must say the movie is really impressive, given that the story line is - the guy who made Facebook (which is computer programming) and then got sued ... sounds like the most boring movie in the world, but it was awesome and I loved every minute of it.

I also feel like I learned a thing or two, and that is always a good feeling to come away with after watching a movie.

See it!!! - I don't know what your waiting for.

Detroit Rock City

Directed by Adam Rifkin

I'm pretty sure I have seen this film before, but recently I was working on a music video shoot for 'The Dirty Pearls' and when i sat down to watch a movie - Detroit Rock City was one of the first to pop up...

So I decided I'd check it out and see if it was at all similar to my experience on the set of 'The Dirty Pearls' video shoot, and see if there were any shots or lighting schemes similar to ours.

The movie was REALLY funny. There are parts here and there that are a little corny, but that is what made it so funny. I really liked it from a cinematic aspect and I made some mental notes if I end up shooting another Rock music video ...

This movie gets a haldukken because it has been 12 years since it came out and I think it is much better than a lot of other movies that are coming out now. If I was you I would watch this, not because it is an epic film or directed by a genius, but because it's funny as fuck and it is a fun story.

Cop Out

Directed by Kevin Smith

This movie was pretty damn funny and the mexican gangster in this was hilarious ! You should watch this movie - haldukken

(p.s. if you don't know who Kevin Smith is - he plays as Silent Bob in 'Jay and Silent Bob' - that's right he directed this movie, AND Tracy Morgan is funny as fuck.)

Fargo (Trailer)

A Coen brothers movie.

Really I think enough has already been said ... I have seen the movie before a while back, decided to peep it again.

I like that there isn't really a 'hero' in the movie - Some characters do go through a change - the guy who set up the kidnapping really fucked up; but I like that the woman we end the movie with seemed so weird during the movie, and in the end she was the "normal" one.

The juxtaposition of different characters (that are all Americans) makes you ask yourself - what is the definition of "normal" anyhow? - in this movie EVERYONE seems a little crazy.

I LOVE the end tho when she is giving the criminal the speech about how he fucked up! That shit is fucking priceless.

If you have ADD (which didn't exist 100 years ago, which means it may have been created to freak people out so that they BUY more MEDICINE ... but that's just a theory) - anyways you jittery people might have a little trouble getting through some of the long dialogue parts, but stick with it, this movie is awesome - haldukken.

Disturbia

Directed by D.J. Caruso

This movie was pretty damn cool, the guy in it that is from 'The Rock' (David Morse) is a scary mother fucker! and that bitch from the matrix is in it too lol !

Not much to say, baby haldukken, the movie was good I would watch it again.

I'm interested now in seeing 'I am Number Four' - it's still in theaters and it was done by the guy who directed this film.

BROOKLYN'S FINEST

I actually posted this trailer in my blog a while back because I was proud that it is written by a guy who used to attend Brooklyn College .........

Now this movie has earned a place on my list of most epic failures.

The top reason for that is probably because it is Directed by Antoine Fuqua (side tangent - i looked him up on IMDB to see how his name is spelt and that mother fucker has a huge fucking skull)

The reason this movie is an EPIC FAIL is because the people behind this film are fucking A LIST MOTHER FUCKERS AND THEY FUCKED UP.

I always hate to see that, and since they went ahead and fucked me over I'm gonna have to rant a little...

want my 2 cents? don't see this fucking movie and spit on the DVD if you see it at Target.

Okay. Antoine Fuqua DIRECTOR OF TRAINING DAY

If you have not seen Training Day - SEE IT - Training Day is a sick fucking movie, maybe even one of my favorites. SO when Brooklyn's Finest - a gangster movie - directed by the guy who made a bad ass fucking gangster movie in LA - I was EXPECTING to see an EPIC film. Antoine, you failed me buddy.

I have to defend him just a tiny bit by saying - maybe NYC is just not a good turf for you?

Besides Antoine letting me down harder than Ethan Hawke let down Denzel Washington in Training Day... YOU HAVE ETHAN HAWKE IN THIS MOVIE

I like Ethan Hawke, but now that I think about it the only movie I liked him in was Training Day. SO you would PRAY that he would be awesome in Brooklyn's Finest ... but he wasn't.

Besides him, RICHARD GERE - DON CHEADLE - WESLEY SNIPES - VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, are really only a handful of the great talent that was packed into this film.

I am actually gonna go in on those 5 guys too, but first I gotta shout out two other guys that are fucking awesome but played smaller roles in Antoine's most epic fail ever:

Will Patton - He was the coach in Remember the Titans man !

Michael K. Williams - MY MAN CHALKY WHITE from Boardwalk Empire ... although, again in Antoine's defense, I didn't really know this guy until after Boardwalk Empire.

ok - Richard Gere and Wesley Snipes fall into the same category for me - I know that is a funny opening statement but relax. Richard Gere is epic man - Everyone knows that fuckin guy. I don't watch enough movies to consider myself a film buff (and film buffs who might have stumbled upon my blog probably think i'm a fucking idiot) With that said - I knew who Richard Gere was before I ever even heard of anyone else that participated in this movie. I knew of him before I knew who Stanley Kubrick was. I was hoping (PRAYING) that Antoine was going to give Gere a fucking AWESOME role in Brooklyn's Finest.

In the end I actually did like Rich's character the best, but it could have been better (like if he was more the main character instead of there being 27 main characters in the movie) - and I felt the exact same way about Wesley Snipes's character.

C'mon man ... I think this movie was even being marketed around the same time that Snipes was having that IRS problem ... I was sitting in front of my computer thinking - WORD Snipes is fucking UP hard body right now, and Antoine is gonna make a bad ass movie that is gonna get this guy back on track. Snipes has set himself up nice to be hated on, but I like him man - he was a bad ass in Blade (yea I said it).

I really wanted both Gere and Snipes to play awesome roles in an awesome/epic movie that I would have bought and owned on DVD and showed to my children (like I will with training day) BUT they both played stupid ass characters that I was not interested in at all.

Ethan Hawke will be out half-time break because all I have to say is - you fucked up dude, but I forgive you. Why? because you were awesome in training day. I actually wanted to forgive Ethan so much I checked his shit out on imdb and see he was in some good movies since then , I just keep catching clips of random ass movies on TV and he looks like a douche bag. Once again - expected a lot, got fuck all.

DON CHEADLE - I might have just realized this is the most homo post I ever posted because Brooklyn's Finest is a movie about guys that i LOVE - who let me down. yes, I love Cheadle (no homo). I think it's mostly his 'cool,' Cheadle (on screen anyways, because obviously I don't know the guy) he's always a cool guy. Whenever I see him in a movie or on TV he just looks cool and i'm like - damn dude i wish i was that cool sometimes. Besides that, I think he's a great actor - and I just wasn't feeling him in Brooklyn's Finest (big surprise). When I think about it - and I tried my hardest to forget I saw this movie so I may be wrong - he was the one who I could not believe as a new yorker ... THAT was actually one thing that really pissed me off - is there were many times when I was taken out of the film because the actors were trying a little too hard to mimic 'hood' New Yorkers. Anyways, you did alright Cheadle, but I expected more.

FINALLY - VINCENT D'ONOFRIO ? Gets shot in the fucking face by Ethan Hawke in the first act of the film? what the fuck is that all about?

Some of you might now know who I'm talking about, I didn't know this guy so well either until I saw him on 'Law and Order' and I was like ... HEY that's the fucking crazy guy from Full Metal Jacket.

Vincent is a fucking boss if you ask me. I think he's an amazing actor. If you compare him to someone like Ethan Hawke (who shot him in the face in this movie) Ethan Hawke I sometimes feel like can play very few roles (especially after seeing him FUCK UP trying to play other characters) Vincent was a crazy son of a bitch in a vietnam movie directed by Kubrick, and now he's on Law and Order playing a detective. This guy has fucking credentials man, peep his fucking resume ... and here is this OG of an actor playing in Brooklyn's Finest, and he's gone before the movie even really picks up ... the only GOOD thing about this is that he succesfully removed himself EARLY from a horrible movie. Got the pay check, showed the face, chilled with other big stars, then bounced before the storm rolled thru.

So my problem is easy - I expected a LOT and got my face shat on. Do I really think it was that awful? not entirely - I could see some people getting into it. A lot of my hate just comes from having way higher expectations ... and on so many different levels ...

Antoine Fuqua - I really hope this isn't your reenactment of M. Night Shyamalan's career.

PANDORUM - HD TRAILER

Directed by Christian Alvart

Worth seeing ... I saw this movie a while back and when I was pulling up a trailer for Law Abiding Citizen - this trailer popped up in the side bar - and the whole point of this blog is to briefly reflect on shit I've seen for my own personal notes and for anyone who reads.

To be honest my memory of the film is a little vague at this point, but after reviewing the trailer a little bit of it came back. One thing I think I remember them doing very well in this film is building suspense. I'm pretty sure there were times when I was biting my nails watching that movie.

I am also really into sci-fi ... you might need to be a little into sci-fi to like this movie. The other thing I liked about it is it reminded my of Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' - in the end when the robot that controls the ship they are on goes a little insane - this movie explores the idea of losing your fucking mind, which is always an interesting subject.

If I remember right, the reason it didn't find a place in my heart (like say 'Men Who Stare at Goats' did) is because the ending was a little lame ... well really lame actually.

I'd probably stand this movie next to 'Law Abiding Citizen' (funny - since it popped up when I was search 'Law Abiding Citizen') ... Okay movie, no Haldukken's, but you should still see it.

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS

Directed by Grant Heslov (he did true lies - a fucking sick movie)

This movie was fucking hilarious - haldukken yourself through a building.

I do think this movie may be more appealing to you if you slightly believe in the philosophy of the movie (which is kind of 'mind over matter' to put it simply) and the only reason I justify it is because I am aware that the premise is a little strange. For those of you who have seen it - I wouldn't put it past me that the government funds something similar to that.

Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey - in a comedy - enough said.

p.s. if you do recreational drugs that are legal by license in LA, it might be even funnier if you take your medication before viewing this. Not that I have done it or anything ... just a theory.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

Seen this before ... saw it again recently ...

directed by F. Gary Gray

It is okay ... in terms of action it's pretty good and the main character is a badass - that's always cool. For example, there is a scene where he stabs the shit out of someone in prison ... that was pretty hardcore.

I had three problems with the movie tho, that unfortunately reduces my rating of this to a baby haldukken.

3 - the ending is kind of lame because Jaime Foxx sort of wins ... but I never really liked his character.

2 - Jaime Foxx plays a stupid role ...

1 - my biggest problem, Gerard Butler's character (the badass) is a super badass killer that is a genious and has been killing people as a career for (what it seems) most of his life ... HOWEVER he allows two rookie robbers to knock him down and tie him up, AND he gets out-smarted by some money hungry lawyer ? what the fuck ?

Love and Other Drugs

Directed by Edward Zwick (the guy that directed Blood Diamond)

... ehhhh , pretty good ... Kind of like a - hey I'm on my lunch break and I am bored I will watch this over the course of a few lunch breaks...

good film, good acting, I'm just not much of a romance person and that's what this movie is all about.

The Killing Room

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

He is also the director of 'Battle: Los Angeles' which I have mixed feelings about (after seeing the trailer) ... BUT I feel more inclined to see it after seeing his previous film 'The Killing Room'

The Killing Room was pretty cool I can't lie. I am actually not sure why it didn't get better reviews, but i speculate because people who review movies now are a bunch of fucking morons.

I have to rant a little, if you just need my 2 cents: watch the movie, and keep an open mind.

I peaked onto Rotten Tomatoes to see what those people had to say, and there wasn't much to read. The one negative review compared this movie to torture porn?

The movie says based on true events - I must say it is LAME to say that now (even though this movie was made in 2009) EVERY fucking movie is based on true events, it's retarded. BUT this movie I could believe in - that may be my biased opinion that I believe the government is corrupt and a puppet show...but think about this:

I think you all heard of Saddam Hussein?

In case you haven't - he was the president of Iraq (the country we have been at war with since about a thrid of my life now). We decided we didn't like the way he was doing things in Iraq so we went over there, dropped about a TRILLION dollars worth of fucking bombs on everyone, found the bastard brought him back to the United States and lynched him ..... That is my version of what happened anyways ..... I looked into some older articles and found one of the things he was on trail for:

The Barzani Clan Abductions of 1983:

Masoud Barzani led the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), an ethnic Kurdish revolutionary group fighting Baathist oppression. After Barzani cast his lot with the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq War, Hussein had some 8,000 members of Barzani's clan, including hundreds of women and children, abducted. It is assumed that most were slaughtered; thousands have been discovered in mass graves in southern Iraq.

After reading more, I learned that there were two different groups trying to over-throw the Hussein party, and he was doing everything in his power to stop that from happening.

Now - the important thing to take from that article is "ABDUCTED."

I'm sure that this article was way different than what happens in The Killing Room ... but there are a few similarities...

In the movie, people are technically abducted, in the sense that they are not allowed to leave once they have arrived to the room. Also similar to the article - the people who were abducted are eventually killed (the article says the people in Iraq were 'slaughtered') my point is - there were people who were 'kidnapped' and eventually 'killed.'

My question - is it SO far fetched that something like this could be happening?

The other topic that could be discussed after watching this film is: class and social economics.

Maybe those aren't the exact right words to describe the topic, but in the context of the film - the people (characters) who showed up to the 'room' were people looking for easy money (probably because they are poor - AND THERE ARE NO FUCKING JOBS).

This might be a more subtle part of the movie - but it did deal with ethics. I should probably say first - I don't think what they did in the movie was right. But, the characters (testing people) seemed to be a bunch of idiots that are not doing anything positive in the world.

This brings me to why I think the film probably got mixed reviews - because it asked a moral question that was just a little too heavy AND it allowed us to look into an 'evil' that we might not be ready for.

Sure, anyone who has seen the movie can tell me - killing people just is not right alex - bottom line. BUT no one seems to think that way when they are watching the show 'Dexter' Why? - He's killing people who are killers, so it is okay. And yes this is all fun and games and useless discussion when it comes to movies and TV because at the end of the day none of this shit is real...

BUT - if that is your philosophy - killing people is not okay, AND you didn't like the movie because you thought the bitch should have saved everyone at the end - then I propose to you:

WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU WHEN WE DROPPED SHIT LOADS OF BOMBS ON AN ENTIRE COUNTRY.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - I THINK this movie got mixed reviews because of the 'evil' that was portrayed and triumphed. SAW got a bigger hype, and the 'evil' guy in that movie was okay because he was just some crazy guy who was fucking with people that kind of had it coming to them. In 'The Killing Room' the evil force is a team of intelligent people and their prey are a bunch of random civilians. Both movies have the same concept - lets put 'normal' people in crazy ass circumstances and see what happens, but at the end of the day I feel like (and maybe I am wrong - I hope I'm wrong) Everyone who sees both films will ACCEPT 'Saw' because the victims were bad people and the evil man was a lunatic BUT won't accept 'The Killing Room' because we don't know if the people were bad and the evil man was a smart son of a bitch with a whole team of smart mother fuckers (scary). AND at the end of the day - the result is the same - people died.

That is why I LIKE the movie - because it asks a pretty taboo moral question and makes you think real hard. If you don't like thinking - maybe this film is not for you.