cellarpoet2000 Reviews

Rent (2005)

Emotionally Fantastic!!

[10/10 · 9 May 2006]

It's rare that a movie will tug at anything even close to my heart strings. Now, I don't know if it was the energy of the music or the story itself...but this film did it. I had no ambition to see this film, no expectations, and wound up a near mess by the end. One of the best movies I've seen in a very very long time. A tribute to hope, friendship, loss, and love. If by the end of the movie, your foot is not tapping along and a lump has not formed in your throat (through either sadness, sympathy, or pure joy) then perhaps you may want to double check that you actually have a pulse. An AMAZING movie that sticks with you.

Devious Beings (2002)

Surprisingly strong

[7/10 · 26 November 2005]

I picked this DVD up at Wal-Mart for 2 bucks, hoping it would kill 2 hours of Saturday afternoon boredom. I knew nothing about it and had no preconceived notion as to what it was about, the actors involved, or the material about to be shown. I was rather surprised and impressed by the movie.

Andre B. Blake (Jackson) carries the weight of nearly the entire movie on his shoulders and does so very competently (with Patrick Van Horn (Arrow)chiming in a strong performance of his own...a little spastic comedy relief), the direction and camera work was well done with a limited soundtrack befitting the situations. The script was extremely well written with pop-culture references, humour, and irony. It was of a caliber that should have gotten more attention (a more "Hollywood" cast could have made this movie what it strived to be). The one MAJOR downfall or distraction was the boom that seem to be in the shot more than out (the boom operator should perhaps find another line of work).

The DVD synopsis puts it in a league with "Go" and "Pulp Fiction", now I wouldn't place it at this level, but there was enough twisting action to keep me interested for an hour and thirty seven minutes. Worth checking out, if even a little curious.

Faces of Death (1978)

Crowning Jewel of My Cult Movie Collection

[1 June 2005]

Before I get responses beginning with "you sick bugger", let me explain that this set of movies is the jewel of my collection strictly for it's cult status. I first saw FOD #1 when I was about 12yrs old in the extreme early 80's. The caption "Banned in 46 countries!" made this a compulsory rental for twisted little minds. During the first viewing however, I can remember distinguishing between the "real" and "fake" clips and thinking that the blood in "Dawn of the Dead" was far more realistic. Jump ahead about 20 yrs. I purchased the 6 video collection (with additional "Executions" video thrown in for good measure) in the late 90's. For those who have only seen clips or stopped after #1, the rest of the videos are pretty much the same (#2 is a lot of war atrocities, #3 has more nature/animal attacks, #4 should be called "Faces of Stupidity" due in part to the dumb ways people are getting killed, and #'s 5 & 6 are a best of compilation....the "real" 5 and 6 are German and Japanese releases that are fairly hard to get a hold of and rather expensive). I watched all of these videos, knowing that the majority of the clips are staged with bad SPFX and the real clips look as though they are unedited news footage, but It's "schlockiness" is mildly entertaining (Dr. Francis B. Gross hosting). The "Executions" tape I received as well however I have been unable to make it through in the past 6 years(everything on there is real and disturbing). I found that in my teens, this series was amateurish and only slightly interesting, but in my mid thirties it is much harder to watch and brings up morality questions that I didn't have when I a kid. The series definitely isn't for the faint of heart, but credit must be given for an unapologetic exploration (albeit 90% phony) of often taboo subjects.