Gangs of the Dead (Last Rites) (2006)

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“Put on some news, I wanna hear about dead muthafuckas out there eating cops like it’s a barbecue!”

Yo son, check dis son, I’m from da Bronx son, and I just finished watching “Gangs of the Dead.” See, what makes “Gangs of the Dead” so clever is because it’s a double entendre, son. It ain’t just gangs of the dead, it’s gangs, as in groups of the dead. So it’s clever and not as stupid as y’all think. So I sat here wit ma forty, and laughed ma nuts off, while firing off ma glock. Naw, son, word is bond, I’m sick of zombie movies, son. The zombies in here, they all look like nothing but filthy hobos and alcoholics you see under the bridge in da streets. And wouldn’t you know it, now we got a bunch of black stereotypes being haunted by those flesh eating bastards, and I sit here trying to think of a reason not to turn ma glock on my head… son.

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The Grudge 2 (2006)

03The curse gathers in the next place of death, says the opening subtitles. You just have to love how such a nice house is considered a place of death. Give me a nice house with a ghost over my current apartment any day of the week. Now that’s a horror movie. While “Ju-On” was a pleasant horror flick, I am one of many who thought “The Grudge” was simply a horrible movie. Void of any atmosphere, and completely missing the point of the original, turning Kayako into a run of the mill monster, as opposed to her actual purpose in the original. Well, here’s the sequel, and it’s actually no different. It’s repetitive, it feels like three hours, and there’s really no character you can root for.

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Grandma's Boy (2006)

grandmas_boyRob Schneider, David Spade, I want you to get down on all fours and thank the stars you know Adam Sandler. Thank Sandler. Build an altar to him and thank him for helping your mere shreds you call careers. Where would you be without that douche bag? Nowhere and you know it. How else can you explain your cameos in “Grandma’s Boy,” an otherwise glorified custom made vehicle for all of Sandler’s pals? “Grandma’s Boy” is a vain film. Vain in the assumption that through endless sex jokes, and weed induced sight gags, that it’s making a commentary about ageism. Really, it’s nothing but a veil thrown over it to add a thin sense of non-existent intelligence.

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The Girl Who Could Run 600 Miles Per Hour! (2006)

You have to appreciate the inherent ambition behind a film like “The Girl…,” because director Thimijan doesn’t just give us a story about a girl who can in reality run 600 miles per hour. Instead his film is about monotony and the confines the work life, and how this extraordinary ability allows her to pursue feats that she normally couldn’t once we get to know her. And it’s quite a whimsical story with a sweet message about life, and your goals. Thimijan aims for a more “Punch Drunk Love” vibe with a story of a man whose work a day life is mostly unfulfilling in spite of his best efforts to fit in and change his normal routine. All of that comes into a different perspective when he meets the girl who can run 600 miles per hour.

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Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

gnglEdward R. Murrow: You cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

I was saddened after watching “Good Night and Good Luck”. Not because it’s the focus of someone who spoke out against what he didn’t believe in, but because it’s the mark of what reporting used to be, and how excellent it was to watch a real reporter go against what he perceived as wrong and un-American. Sure, you can tell me that perhaps Edward R. Murrow wasn’t as valiant as he appeared, but I won’t buy it. Not because of this film, but mainly because he stood up for what he believed in and nearly sacrificed his colleagues jobs and his own reputation in the process.

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Grizzly Man (2005)

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I’ve constantly heard “Grizzly Man” in contrast with a train wreck. It’s miserable, but you just have to keep watching for some odd reason, and that’s a dead on summarizing of this film. It’s a train wreck, but a compelling one. Director Werner Herzog explores wildlife enthusiast Timothy Treadwell through much footage of his exploration of woods and commuting with his favorite animals, the bears. All of the clips are morbid reflections of a man content with his surroundings and desperately attempting to unify with nature. The film is morbid because it explores tapes from Treadwell leading up to his inevitable death (Tim’s friend even recalls when he discovered the mangled bodies, or what was left of them). He and his girlfriend were mauled to death and eaten by the same grizzlies he’d grown to love, and though Herzog doesn’t show the deaths, it’s still compelling to watch this man implode.

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Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

MV5BMTU3NjczMzU1OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMjQ5ODU3._V1_SY298_SX485_As if “Titanic” wasn’t worse enough, now we have to go back and re-visit it for what reason? Tell me, Mr. Cameron. He never explains to us why he’s documenting a voyage to the bottom of the sea to look at the Titanic yet again. My theory is that he’s still riding on the success from it so he milked this cow one last time, but what’s the point of this mission? Is someone going to study this and say “Yes, the titanic sure did sink after all, and even better People actually did die!” Well, thanks for reminding me, I wasn’t sure if the the titanic sinking was actually an event that happened in history or if it was fictional like the NASA launch.

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