One Love (2009)

6262I’ve had this title in the pile of movies we’re supposed to review for almost a year now and we finally decided to review it after being contacted by the producer, and we’re glad we did. “One Love” is, to put it quite simply: incredible. Based around the themes of loss and tragedy, director DJ Matrundola composes a truly compelling and horribly heartbreaking short film around vignettes involving parents to be.

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She's Out of My League (2010)

487570270_1382832649I am a big fan of underdog films like “She’s Out of My League.” Films like “Tao of Steve” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin” are the types of romance comedies that somehow touch down on the realism of romance and what types of men often feel what life is handing them. This doesn’t exactly stereotype men like all other romance films do, it instead depicts them as affectionate helpful individuals who have a special relationship with one another and Jim Field Smith never devalues the influence men have on one another. “She’s Out of My League” is depicted in the trailers as something of a sex comedy, but in reality it’s a very touching and down to Earth romance comedy that digs deep and explores the inner most emotions of the average male, the man who doesn’t feel like he’s worth much, even when there’s a golden opportunity standing in front of him.

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The First Easter Rabbit (1982) (DVD)

8839Rankin Bass are a humongous part of my childhood. Every single year during the holidays we were treated to their holiday specials on CBS and ABC here in America, and we’d tune in every single time. It was an event. Over the years Rankin Bass have shown that they’re really not the most original studio to have ever dabbled in animation. Stepping back to look over their specials, they’re all basically the same thing with an identical formula that is successful but kind of obvious. There’s the story of a holiday icon born out of coincidence, a supporting cast of children, the evil villain anxious to stop or tarnish the holiday, and of course most of the story is told by an older legendary film icon.

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Bugs Bunny's Easter Special (1953) (DVD)

bbSo Easter is coming up and Warner is looking to celebrate that by releasing a small grouping of Easter themed DVD’s. One is a compilation of Bugs Bunny cartoons set to the theme of Easter! Normally I’d call this a lame repackaging in an attempt to gauge money in the spirit of the holiday, but I hate Easter and I love Bugs Bunny so nuts to you. Oddly enough this is actually a movie about Bugs Bunny. For some reason Granny is friends with the Easter Bunny. Sadly he’s very sick and can not deliver eggs to children, so Granny seeks out Bugs to fill in. Bugs can’t because he’s in the studio filming his latest movie and the ever reluctant hero as he is, decides to fill in for the real deal.

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Deaden (2006)

deadenI’m a real sucker for revenge films and for the longest time I’ve tried to track down this little indie production and see what the fuss was about. This basically mini-budget action thriller is a typical raw vengeance piece that holds pieces of The Punisher, Death Wish and Scarface with just the right amount of Irish edge that keeps the story moving at a brisk pace. The chaos and carnage that is inflicted by our main character Rane is just sadistic, but in the end it’s a sick and demented series of payback plots for a group of sick and demented people.

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Léon: The Professional (1994)

leonIn spite of ranking on the top ten lists of many, many movie fans since its release, my love for “Leon: The Professional” was not immediate. As a matter of fact I pretty much disliked it on the first and second outings because I couldn’t quite grasp what Luc Besson was going for with this film. It’s not an action movie, it’s more of a love story set to the tone of bloodshed and corruption, a subtle poetic masterpiece that relies on characterization and artistic strokes of pure raw emotion than some shoot em up gangster flick.

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The Growth (2009)

growthIf you’re looking for an indie short that’s both utterly disgusting and very disturbing then I have the ticket for you. “The Growth” is almost like a neo-version of “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” where we set our sights on a very lonely mane named Bill who lives a life of solitude and isolation. The man is middle-aged, a bachelor and completely lets his family down at every turn when they attempt to get closer to him. After being set up on a date by a friend, he arrives home completely exhausted and explains to his online friend that in the middle of a date the girl he was with bit him on the shoulder in the heat of passion.

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