This Month on El Rey - August 2014

So if you haven't taken my advice and checked out the El Rey Network, here's some of the movies showing this month (with plot summaries provided by IMDB):

  

Assault on Precinct 13:  The lone inhabitants of an abandoned police station are under attack by the overwhelming numbers of a seemingly unstoppable street gang.

 

The Harder They Come:  Wishing to become a successful Reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.

 

Duel:  A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by a malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.

 

The Street Fighter:  When an important business magnate dies, the Mafia and Yakuza want to hire Terry to kidnap the daughter so they can obtain her newly inherited fortune. When they refuse to meet Terry's exorbitant price, they try to kill him so they conceal their secret plans.

Electra Glide in Blue:  A short Arizona motorcycle cop gets his wish and is promoted to Homicide following the mysterious murder of a hermit.  However, he is forced to confront his illusions about himself and those around him in order to solve the case.

Rolling Thunder:  Major Charles Rane comes back from the war and is given a number of gifts from his hometown because he is a POW. When some greedy thugs decide to steal a number of silver dollars from the Major, they murderer his family and destroy his hand in the process... Hence Revenge!

 

As for original Content, Matador has been a fun show.  Part DEA, part CIA, and part Soccer player, Tony Bravo is a superspy saving the world in this Mexiploitation. 

 

 

As for The Director's Chair, some cool guests are being interviewed by Robert Rodriguez.  At the beginning of the month, Guillermo del Toro was featured.  He was a fitting pick for his involvement with horror, his Mexican roots, and his friendship with Rodriguez (Fun Fact - He was del Toro's Second Unit Director in Mimic).  Airing tonight (August 13th), we get my dream interview - Quentin Tarantino Volume 1!

So until I give another update next month, make sure you check out the El Rey Network!

 

Top Five Countdown - Best Movies of 2013

Although my picks won't necessarily line up with the Oscars this Sunday, I wanted to share my Top 5 Favorite Films of 2013:

5.  Elysium - After watching 2009's District 9, I knew Neill Blomkamp was the next great sci-fi director... And thankfully, he didn't disappoint me!  Filled with social commentary, this futuristic tale mixes the grittiness of an apocalyptic earth with high octane action adventure.  I think this film was forgotten in the Oscar hype, but I'll continue to enjoy it after many re-watches.

4.  American Hustle - This was my first David O. Russell film.  I like Marky Mark and Jennifer Lawrence, but I needed a crime film to get me acquainted with director (I promise, I'll eventually visit The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook).  The plot is intriguing - When the FBI uses a conman to con politicians, how does the conman con his way out of the situation?  Complimented with "Scorsese-like" narrations, all of the actors are fantastic - Jeremy Renner is surprisingly likeable, Bradley Cooper is despised, Amy Adams is beautiful, and Jennifer Lawrence is purely wild.  However, it's Christian Bale's performance that made me love this movie - For a fat and grimy conman, he is the hero of the story and the man we root for.  On top of that, I'm once again amazed how he can transform his muscular abs to a chubby potbelly.

3.  Pacific Rim - For something that's not related to the King of the Monsters (meaning Godzilla for  you naysayers), this is the best Kaiju film in years.  Guillermo del Toro grips the attention of the audience with mind blowing effects showcasing gigantic monsters fighting enormous robots.  Although the story isn't an award winning script, the plot is still fun and serves it's purpose in this visually intense film.  I don't think this movie did as well as expected, but I'm hoping there's a Pacific Rim sequel in the future.

2.  The Wolf of Wall Street - Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors of all time.  Once again casting his "new De Niro," Scorsese proved he's the King of the Crime Drama... or should I say Jester of the Crime Comedy?  DiCaprio plays the resourceful stoke broker Jordan Belfort.  Although he's not really a good person,  he charms us by talking directly to the audience.  But unlike Goodfellas and Casino, this crime film has no murders or killings. Instead, it focuses on the dirty shenanigans that can happen in the corporate world of Wall Street.  Mixing sex and drugs with midget throwing and chest singing, this movie creates uncomfortable situations inducing laugh after laugh.  With a mesmerizing story and an extraordinary cast, this was easily one of my favorite movies of the year.

1.  Man of Steel - After Bryan Singer introduced Lois and Clark's love child, I had no interest in seeing another Superman film.  However, Warner Brothers changed my mind by putting Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan at the helm.  So why do I consider this the best movie of the year?  To start things off, choosing Henry Cavil to play Superman was a superb choice.  His physique truly captures the build and demeanor of the ultimate superhero.  Second, everybody knows the origin of Superman. Unlike The Amazing Spiderman which rehashes the hero's backstory at the very beginning of the movie, the Man of Steel perfectly sprinkles the Smallville scenes throughout the film to enhance emotion. Finally, the Man of Steel puts Action at the forefront.  Rather than focusing on how Clark is going to keep his identity a secret from Lois, he's battling robots and aliens. The visuals were stunning and the fight scenes were creative.  So for those of you who complained this film had too much action, realize Superman originated from ACTION COMICS!  I know I may be biased because I'm a comic book fan, but I can re-watch this movie over and over again.

Criterion Collection - July 2013 Barnes and Noble Sale Part 4

Here's the last batch of Criterion Collection films I picked up at the Barnes and Noble in Winter Garden (I know, I've waited so long to write that it's going to be the November sale before we know it):

• The Seventh Seal - I know very little of Ingmar Bergman, however the premise seems very enticing (a knight playing a fateful game of Chess against Death).  Plus, Monty Python mockingly mentions it in their trailer for the Holy Grail.

• The Battle of Algiers - Filmed in a documentary style, this jammed packed edition tells a story about one of the most bloodiest revolutions in modern history.

• Purple Noon - Also known as the original "Talented Mr. Ripley," this movie is filled with nail-biting suspense... 

• The Last Days of Disco - I love when Criterion throws in "modern" films to their collection.  Featuring an awesome soundtrack and a young Kate Beckinsale, I'm excited to sit back and enjoy this movie.

• Charade - A suspenseful mystery starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, this romantic thriller was not filmed by Hitchcock, but the great Stanley Donen. 

• The Devil's Backbone - Part of Guillermo del Toro's Apocalyptic Vampire Trilogy, this eerie movie takes place during the Spanish Civil war.  With some light-hearted child moments sprinkled throughout this film, this movie is truly powerful, yet terrifying.

I love Criterion, but I'm ready to talk about some new things.  Stay tuned as I'm excited to share my new love for Disney Blu-rays and Shout Factory releases!

Bullet Points - The Calm before the Storm

As usual, the summer is the season of high budget action flicks.  Star Trek was exhilarating, I'm excited to watch The Man of Steel, and I can't wait for Pacific Rim.  However, before we discuss the annual Blockbusters, I have to share the films I saw in theater earlier this year:

• Identity Thief:  Of this group of movies, Identity Thief was my least favorite... Both Jason Bateman and  Melissa McCarthy are funny people, but the story was kind of weak.  Basically McCarthy stole Bateman's identity, spends his money, the police don't do anything.  In order to stop this debacle, Bateman has to physically lure and capture McCarthy himself.  There's a few laugh-out-loud  gags (especially punches to the throat), but I wouldn't consider this a blu-ray buy.

• Mama:  As I somewhat alluded to earlier, I love the mind of Guillermo Del Toro.  Even  though he didn't direct this film, there is some fantastic imagery.  For example, the imagined animalistic  movement of two girls  raised in isolation by a ghost during the early years of their development truly sent shivers up my spine.  Other than the visuals, this movie didn't have the best story in the world.  However,  it was a fun little horror flick that I got to enjoy and watch with my sisters.  Besides, it's kinda cool to see Jessica Chastain as a punk rocker...

• Side Effects:  I know we're all curious how long Steven Soderbergh will stay away from film... But before he "retired," he made this interesting drama starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara, and Channing Tatum.  It opens as an intriguing  psychological thriller, however loses momentum when it makes a political statement about the use and advertisement of pharmaceutical drugs. Although this movie will never land a spot in my Top Twenty, it's definitely a solid movie you could watch and enjoy.  Other than that, there's not much else I can share without spoiling the story.  I guess I could describe it as a mix between Requiem for a Dream (I promise not near as depressing) and Primal Fear.

• Warm Bodies:  It seems everybody loves zombies... and I can't disagree.  Although I prefer the Romero approach, Warm Bodies put a fun spin to the genre.  Rather than viewing the apocalypse from the point of view of a human survivor, we get the story from the perspective of a zombie.  With an awesome soundtrack and comedic overtones, this was a fun horror flick.

• Mud:  Prior to last year, if you mentioned Matthew McConaughey, I'd probably avoid the film.  But lately, rather than starring as the leading role of a Rom Com, he's really showing off his acting chops through some very intriguing characterizations.  Mud (played by McConaughey) is a fugitive of both gangsters and the law who makes sanctuary on a small island off the Mississippi River.  Waiting to meet up with the love of his life (played by Reese Witherspoon), he is discovered by two boys who were exploring the island.  Although Mud's a suspected criminal, the boys develop a friendly and caring relationship with him.  For a slice of life tale, I really enjoyed this film and wouldn't be embarrassed to watch this with the entire family (as opposed to Killer Joe and The Paperboy; gripping films I plan to talk about in the near future).  From the mind of Jeff Nichols, I really want to see how he directs Michael Shannon in Take Shelter.