Director Mitch Glazer’s film is probably one of the funniest most pretentious art house flicks of the year. It’s one of the stupidest pieces of utter tripe ever conceived by man, an almost satirical look at artsy fartsy that dabbles in to a premise so ridiculous it’s barely competent enough be considered symbolic. Oh Megan Fox is a bird girl named Lily, but she doesn’t want to be a bird girl, but she’s so beautiful! Mickey Rourke wants to restore her beauty by keeping her wings in tact even though she destroys them every night, all the while confronting wandering Indians who come to his rescue, evil old carnies and the like, all of whom are obviously some form of delusions of grandeur by some coked up cowboy played by Rourke who stumbles through the film with a grumble.
Tag Archives: Drama
Thor (2011)
Marvel’s Thor has always skidded on the edge of mainstream entertainment and literary fare. As a comic book series it’s always been one of the most sophisticated of the pantheon of characters, so not every fan has subscribed to what tale the god of thunder has told fans for decades. And even with big names leading the pack like Natalie Portman and Kenneth Branagh, “Thor” is a hard sell for fans of the superhero cinema who want their entertainment and battles here and now and have to wait for their meals.
Stake Land (2011)
“Stake Land” is that type of movie that many indie film fans will take a liking to, primarily since every frame glitters with a Sundance gloss that make it suitable for the independent niche that’s become so popular in 2011. Which is not at all a criticism, but the film often feels like it’s appealing mainly to the indie buffs before the horror fans and that may alienate movie geeks to some degree. “Stake Land” from Jim Mickle is yet another post apocalyptic nightmare from Hollywood that ponders on the question: What if vampires took over the world? Mickle paints this world in such a gritty disgusting zeal with blood soaked carnage and raving maniacal vampires, that it often feels like a sequel to “30 Days of Night.”
Insidious (2011)
Assuredly one of my favorite horror films of the year, it’s safe to say that director Wes Craven never stood a chance. With the creators of “Paranormal Activity” and “Saw” behind the horrific “Insidious” it was a safe bet a classic story about ghosts and goblins would do wonders over mere films about slashers and the modern internet age. One part “Poltergeist” and “Altered States,” and two parts “The Haunting,” director James Wans’ ghost story is the classic creaks by the stairs story about an average family who move in to a house and discover that the past residents of the house have decided they want to stay.
Wake (2009)
It feels as if “Wake” has come from a deep place in director Dan Marcus’s life and it shows in one of his first short features about a young man whose relationship with his parents may be damaged. And even worse, irreparable. That’s the genuine premise behind “Wake,” a movie that touches on what happens too often in this life. How we take for granted love and affection and view it as weakness and annoyance.
X: Night of Vengeance (2011)
Filmed over the course of one night, it’s hard to imagine “X” being thought of as anything other than a bona fide action thriller that teams two powerful female entities together to battle misogyny and abuse that plagues their life. Though described as this sex filled romp, “X” is so much more in the end. It’s about empowerment and survival and at best, I can peg it as an Australian female version of “Judgment Night.”
Lemonade Mouth (2011)
One of my misapprehensions going in “Lemonade Mouth” was that ultimately the film would serve as a function to promote the lovely Ms. Bridgit Mendler. And while yes that is true, “Lemonade Mouth” holds true to the characters’ ideals that this is a group story about a group of people who come together to make some damn fine pop music and as such while Mendler is the spotlight player (being Disney’s now go to gal for a franchise), she’s not the highlight. Why did I watch this? Admittedly for Hayley Kiyoko who above all is one groovy mama jama whose own life is like a rock fantasy. Thankfully, she’s also not the sole highlight of the film.