Old School Review: Pleasantville

Hey Mechamaniacs!  Today has been a day of "new" here at the site.  Earlier I posted some new releases that came out today for you to rent or order and now I am writing my first article in the new series "Old School Review".  I really enjoy writing about new and upcoming flicks but what about all of the movies that are already out?  Maybe there is that gem that you haven't seen that I can review and open a whole new world for ya?  Perhaps there is something you have seen and never enjoyed but saw a new review and decided to watch it again and like it?  This is the place to find it!  My first review is of an older but really cool film called Pleasantville.  Enjoy!

Do you remember old school tv shows like The Andy Griffith Show?  A place where there is no crime.  A town where you can keep your doors unlocked at night.  Where everyone knows your name?  Wait, isn't that Cheers?  By now you get the picture.  This describes the place called Pleasantville.  Pleasantville is actually the name of the popular tv show set in the 1950's that nerdy teen David, played by famous Tobey Maguire, loves to watch and has memorized word for word.  In comes his social and popular sister Jennifer, played by Reese Witherspoon, who is the complete opposite.  Both teens live in a broken home without a father and a mother whom is more interested in her personal love life than being a good influence on the kids.  David finds solace in the tv show and Jennifer finds it in her many crushes and endless loves.

We arrive at one fateful night and a simple argument.  David is set on watching the Pleasantville 24 hour marathon and Jennifer is determined to watch a concert with her newest crush set to arrive any minute.  Mom has left for the weekend and it is up to the two of them to decide what is going to happen next.  A fight ensues and the remote control for the tv is broken.  In the midst of anger the teens hear a knock at the door.  I'll be damned if it isn't old Deputy Barney Fife, I mean Don Knotts, a local tv repairman.  With only their intentions in mind the teens decide to take a special remote from the repairman and are zapped into the world of Pleasantville.

Now what?  David and Jennifer are now the children of the family that star in Pleasantville.  They are part of the show!  They are not in color but black and white.  This is a perfect fit for David.  His dream!  He knows all of the story lines but is an utter nightmare of Jennifer.  Everything thing in this world is perfect.  That is how the show was created.  No violence, no sex and everyone is innocent and goes about their daily jobs day in and day out.  This point is what really makes Pleasantville a cool movie.

What happens when you throw a rock in a puddle of water.  The ripple effect and that is in a sense what is going on here.  David and Jennifer don't belong.  It is only a matter of time things start going awry and that is when things start to get very interesting.  The tv show is originally in black and white but as situations or episodes change from the original.  Spots of color begin to appear and the citizens of Pleasantville begin to notice the leaves change to color and eventually the houses, streets and themselves.  That is really the heart of this movie in my opinion.  It is about change and accepting the change.  People are afraid of change or an uncertain future.  I think this film portrays that beautifully.  You see the change in the people of Pleasantville all the way through to our main characters of David and Jennifer.  I'm not going to spoil the end but it really comes full circle and leaves you feeling warm inside and like you have spent the last two hours not watching a piece of trash.

Tobey and Reese are young actors when this film was made.  This is before Spiderman and before Reese became the famous actress that she is today.  Jeff Daniels also stars as Bill.  Bill runs the local cafe and is one of the main examples of someone who didn't know how to react to the changes going on around him but embraced it and used it to further himself through the film.  William H. Macy plays the father in Pleasantville along with Joan Allen as his wife and mother to the two kids.  She is also the other main example of wanting to break free of the daily mold and does a wonderful performance at it.  The late J.T. Walsh, Marley Shelton and a very young Paul Walker also star.

This is one of those films that is unique and will always stay with you.  We all go through changes in our lives and that is why this film is so relatable.  I highly recommend Pleasantville for teens through adults.  There are some sexual situations but almost comedic.  I don't recall much for foul language if any.  I just watched this with my two teenage daughters and they had no problem with it nor did I.  This is a purchase because you will find yourself taking it out once in a while wanting to relive the story of a little town called Pleasantville.  4 out of 4 pizzas baby!  You can watch the trailer below.

New Release Tuesday!

I've been wanting to ad a few new columns to the site over the past week and one of them has been a column about new movies that are coming out in the video store and/or online.  I am hoping to keep it updated with a new column each Tuesday.  Tuesdays are generally the day when most dvd/blu-ray movies are released.  You can click on the cover art below to watch the trailer of the film you are interested in.  I am sure I will have some reviews of many of the films that I will be posting and will make sure to add links to those appropriately.  I will try to cover whatever I can that I think everyone will be interested in looking at.  These release dates are also generally for the video store or being able to purchase them from your local store.  Redbox and Netflix tend to have later release dates so check your local provider/machine to find out.

  

      

Movie Review: Faster

Were you anticipating this movie in the theater but just didn't get the chance to watch it?  Are you anxiously awaiting for it to come out on dvd/blu ray March 1st?  If so, then I was in the same boat as you!  I had considered watching this in the theater but decided to save the moolah for another time.  I really thought it was weird to release this film on Thanksgiving weekend anyways.  Usually over the holiday you spend time with your family and you expect to go watch family holiday Christmas films ushering in the season.  Not shoot em up revenge films.  The big question is, can Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hold his own?

This is a revenge film.  The equation is fairly simple here folks.  Dwayne Johnson plays a fugitive, named "Driver", that is released from prison after spending 10 years locked up for being a getaway driver for a group of bank robbers.  Before he is caught he is set up along with the thieves and his brother is brutally murdered in front of him and himself left for dead shot execution style but miraculously survives.  It is now his mission to hunt down and kill each member of the deadly group that killed his brother and thought to have assassinated him.  There you go.  It doesn't get much deeper than that.  Through out this film I am often reminded of other films with the same formula but pull it off so much better.  It brings to mind Kill Bill.  If you are looking for a real revenge film with an amazing story and awesome actors then stop reading this, go to your video store and rent it!  You will not be disappointed!

Their is not much to really spoil for you here.  The Rock spends 100% of the movie doing one thing.  KILLING.  He doesn't even have that many speaking lines.  He is a mindless robot that shows little emotion up until the climax of the film.  Arnie portrayed more emotion in T2.  In fact it looks like Johnson is wearing the exact leather get up from T2.  Following Johnson is Billy Bob Thornton, "Cop", as a low life detective with a heroin addiction with 10 days left to retire on his last case.  His partner is the beautiful Carla Cugino.  Thrown into all of this is narcissistic hit man, "Killer", played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen.  He spends half the movie on his phone with his therapist and taking his life to the real extreme of proposing to his girlfriend and marrying her.  Real extreme man.  More extreme thank killing people for a living?  In the end Johnson is forced to choose to reap the pain he endured on other innocent people or forgive those that hurt him.

I'm afraid to say that The Rock doesn't live up to the standards that he should with this movie.  As a fan of Johnson personally and as an actor I thought this was a poor choice for him.  He hardly talks!  He just stands there and blows peoples heads off.  We know he can do better than this. Does he read the script and think "easy money" and not care what he looks like on screen?  Billy Bob still acts?  Has this guy had a good movie in ages?  I don't follow his films, never have, and not really interested in doing so either.  The climax of the film was the best 5 minutes and you know half way through who is being double crossed and set up.  It is a no brainer film and really makes the viewer feel dumb after watching it.

I have high hopes for Johnson.  I really do.  He was amazing and one of the most electrifying wrestlers in sports entertainment.  I think he has had bit parts in films that show he has the potential to be a big star.  I even enjoyed the goofy action movie The Rundown.  Watch that before you watch this!  Johnson stars in the upcoming newest Fast and the Furious film, Fast Five, and I hope it is going to be his break out film!  As for Faster, you couldn't run faster from this film!

Superbowl Trailer Spots!!

If you didn't watch the Superbowl then you missed out on some the most awesome tv spots for upcoming movies!  Tv Spots are generally 30 seconds commercials previewing the years new films.  Below are a few of those commercials!

Super 8

Ok, so I like almost crapped my pants when I saw this.  I have read that this film, that is directed by JJ Abrams, is an homage to Steven Spielberg and the great science fiction films that he made in the 1980's.  I can soooo see this even from this short clip.  The music score reminds me of the music from ET and how can you not have flashbacks of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind!! This footage is really the most news that has been released to the public and the film is still kept on a tight leash.  All I can say is that I am ready to purchase my ticket!

Captain America: The First Avenger

Brand new footage tonight of another Avengers film.  We have seen Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor and now Captain America.  Chris Evans, aka Johnny Flame from Fantastic Four fame, plays the first avenger and it looks like it is going to be good.  I am more interested in the villain Red Skull played by Hugo Weaving.

Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon

I almost had a brogasm when I saw this!  What can I say?  The trailer rips Sh*t up, LITTERALLY!  I saw Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX and it was one of the coolest viewing experiences I had and the movie wasn't even all that good!  Transformers 3 is also to be in 3D so get ready!  I can't wait!

Fast Five

The more and more I see of this film the more I can't wait to see The Rock hunt some ass down! Wait, that sounded kinda....ok, you get my point!  Fast cars and a lot of action coming in just a couple of months!

Movie Review: The Troll Hunter

I've been following this film for quite sometime now.  The Troll Hunter is a Norwegian film.  Every year their are always foreign films that are released that never see the light of day here in the states or are remade into crumby counterparts only to lose the special magic that made them the great films that they were originally.  I've already heard rumors that this is going to be made for American audiences but I do suggest you watch this if you get the chance!  I could name the stars and the people that made this film but they are all Norwegian and I don't think you would have a clue to whom they are.  I didn't anyways.

In reviewing this film.  I am not going to go into much depth and this may very well be my shortest review yet.  The overall idea and creation of this film is not unique.  Story goes that footage was found from a team of missing college students making a documentary.  Yes, Yes, we have all seen this before.  Blair Witch and Cloverfield ring a bell?  This is more of a Cloverfield than Blair Witch as in no shaky cam to make you sick to your stomach syndrome.  What is more unique about this film is exactly what the college kids end up revealing.

As i'm sure you can tell from the poster and it is not BIG surprise, it is a troll, or in this case trolls.  This is not your little fuzzy hair trolls that you played with when you were a kid.  These are trolls that are over a thousand years old and will eat your ass if they catch you!  The students begin by filming strange occurrences of cattle being killed on the countryside.  The government rules it as bears and hunters even come up with bear carcasses to prove their point.  Something does not make sense though.  The students find a man similar to the other hunters but different from the rest and sparks their interest.  Through an interesting course of events the man befriends them and reveals that he is actually a troll hunter.  He is hired by the government to kill trolls that leave their territory that they live in. Now keep in mind, these trolls have been living among people for thousands of years by hiding in caves during the day and wreaking havoc at night.  Why do we not know they exist?  Well, according to this film the government plays a part in that.  You will have to watch the film for all of the secrets.  If some trees are pushed over and it looks like 3 trolls ran through them the government says it is a small tornado.

Overall, I had a good time watching this movie.  It is dubbed and I really didn't mind it.  The story was fair and kept my attention.  The troll aspect was different and somewhat unique.  It was fairly fast paced and the graphics of the trolls were sometimes cheesy but what the hell does a troll look like anyways?  I guess that is up to you to decide.  Totally worth a rent or netflix.  Check out the trailer below!

Transformers Chevy Superbowl Commercial!!

Earlier I posted the VW Star Wars commercial.  Now it looks like Chevy is in the game along with a certain Transformer!

The VW Star Wars Superbowl Commercial

Want to see an early Superbowl commercial?  Like Volkswagen or perhaps Star Wars?  This is a pretty funny commercial for the new VW Passat.

Movie Review: Black Swan

Yesterday I had a few spare hours of time and decided to catch the film Black Swan.  It stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel.  It is directed by Darren Aronofsky whom has made such films as The Wrestler, The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream.  It is a highly acclaimed film and has been winning many awards on it's way to the big Academy Awards this year.  This is one of those films that come around every year and I really wonder if this appeals to the wider audience of film goers or is it something that is made purely for the awards and critical acclaim with a lackluster following?  It is probably best to watch the trailer before you read this review if you have never heard of this film and may be thinking of watching it in the future.



This is a film that personally, I was not all too excited to watch.  From the trailer it shows a lot of ballet.  I'm not a big fan of ballet in general so my interest didn't peak too much.  I think that even if you watch the trailer and are a fan of ballet, you still may want to be reserved about watching this film.  It is a psychological thriller. It follows a young woman Nina, played by Portman, who wants nothing but to be a star in a famous ballet called Swan Lake.  Her mother, played by Barbara Hershey, is an overbearing woman whom seems to want it more for her daughter than anyone including Nina herself.  Swan Lake requires that Nina must not only play the good, white swan but also the dark, black swan.

In walks Lily, played by Mila Kunis, whom in heart and everything she does is the black swan.  The 2 women begin to rival for the top spot in Swan Lake.  As Nina becomes more obsessed with being both parts, the crazier she gets.  She begins to see a dark version of herself only to have it fulfilled in reality by Lily.  Lily takes advantage of this and forms a risky and dangerous relationship with Nina.  Will Nina go over the edge?  Does Lily take the top spot in Swan Lake or can Nina pull off both parts without being tainted by Lily?  That is the question and that is up to you to decide if you want to see The Black Swan.

Did I like this movie?  NO.  Am I going to watch it again?  YES.  Why?  Well, I feel this is a movie that needs to be analyzed further and perhaps from repeat viewings I might like it better?  I doubt it but I have been wrong in the past.  Like I said earlier.  I am not a fan of ballet.  I like Natalie Portman and she did a good job acting.  Mila Kunis brought nothing to the film in my opinion.  She is eye candy and does fine in doing just that.  I was surprised to see Wynona Rider in a small but good role as the previous head Swan.  I was really surprised how sexual this film was.  If your not a fan of sex in film being man/woman, woman/woman then this film is not for you.  I was actually shocked how graphic some of the scenes were with Natalie Portman.  No nudity but you don't always need nudity to be pretty graphic.  Not much these days shock me.  I guess I just wasn't expecting it from this film.

Darren Aronofsky brought us The Wrestler last year and it fell short of winning best film of the year.  I thought that was a way better film overall.  I recommend The Wrestler if you really want to watch a good film.  Again, I wonder about films like this and what the general audience thinks? How can films win all these awards and really no one remembers them 5 years from now?  I guess this film just caters to certain kinds of people, not me.  I will watch this again and maybe I can come back with a different review but being as pessimistic as I am.  I highly doubt it!