Thursday, August 20, 2009

Movie minute...DVD

Don't mess with the Collingwoods. You'd think the four (really, only three) baddies in the new to DVD remake of The Last House On The Left (R or NR, depending on which version you watch) would have figured that out after the first go round. The original came out in 1972 and the remake actually transcends Wes Craven's B-movie feel predecessor.

Two teenage girls meet a random guy and follow him back to his hotel room (mistake #1) for some grade A weed (mistake #2, actually going inside). What turns into an innocent afternoon becomes a nightmare when three murderers show up; one of them being the father of the random guy. After the two girls are killed, the foursome show up on the doorstep of Emma & John Collingwood, parents of Mari Collingwood, one of the girls who was murdered.

There are several great twists in this updated version; one of them being that John is a doctor, another one being the cat and mouse chases between the Collingwoods and the bad guys. I won't tell the other twists but I will say it's been a long long time since I've seen a remake I actually thought was superior to the original. Don't get me wrong, the original was typical of the type of slasher movies that were coming out in the 70's but this was has not only been updated but improved. The leads still make some stupid moves and there are a few implausibilities, however, there is still plenty of blood spilling, nail-biting scenes and the final death scene is both gross and freakish and perhaps a little, dare I say, interesting and definitely torturous.

This is definitely a renter, unless you are just not into thriller/killer movies. If you are, the 2009 version of The Last House On The Left should not disappoint.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.25

Monday, August 17, 2009

movie minute

Melancholy People: This is a much better description of writer-producer-director Judd Apatow's third directorial effort: Funny People (R). In it, Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a paunchy, self-absorbed funnyman who spends his spare time watching his old movies and stand up routines. When Simmons finds out he has a terminal illness, he decides to grace the public with a surprise appearance at a comedy club after a 5-year hiatus. Also there, that night, is rising star Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) with whom George becomes "smitten" with and hires him to write George's comedy acts.

The relationship between George and Ira is an interesting one but one that really could have been even more fleshed out. As Ira becomes more and more confident, it seems as if George becomes more and more unstable; hard to do especially considering he appears unstable from the get-go.

The film also stars Leslie Mann (wife of Judd Apatow) as George's ex-fiancee, Eric Bana (as the lucky husband) and Jonah Hill & Jason Schwartzman as Ira's roommates.

The first half of the film is a mess and rarely funny or even comical (incluing the stand-up bits) but the second half shows surprising vigor but it's still not all that funny. It's a sad state of affairs when James Taylor has the best line in the movie. After Ira asks James if he ever tires of singing the same songs over and over, James responds, "Do you ever get tired of talking about your penis?" A good question for a comedian, which is a profession in which one sometimes does the same routine ad nauseum.

Sandler has never fared the best in his dramatic roles (Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me) and this film is no exception; he's much more adept when he is loose and going for the comedy.

The film could have been so much better and while it's not Apatow's best "comedy", more like a DRAmedy, it is entertaining and Mann has by far the best role. There are also several neat cameos; in addition to Taylor there are also brief appearances by Andy Dick, Paul Reiser, Ray Romano and Eminem.

This is more a DVD movie, although it's easier to fall asleep at home.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2

Saturday, August 01, 2009


The living room. The windows you see will be different sometime before the end of the year. The one on the right will become a bay window and the one with the AC will have a stained glass window.

The dining room which may at some point become the master bedroom when I expand. Also, the sliding glass door will be gone and in its place will be french doors, of course (I am gay!)

pics of the new house

Kitchen complete with a dishwasher