Why So Blu?

‘Contagion’ Spreads Procedural-Style Chills

With Contagion, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh moves away from his more obscure arthouse fair and back into more mainstream film territory.  The result is a procedural-style thriller geared towards adults and it is plenty effective in having the surrounding audience be weary of anyone who coughs near them after having seen the film.  Using a similar template as he did with Traffic, Soderbergh has taken away the sensationalizing of a thriller based around a global virus pandemic and focuses on a core set of characters “realistically” doing what they can, given the situation they are in.  As a result, while not without some characterization issues, the film is absorbing, well made and acted for certain, and quite chilling at times. Continue reading ‘‘Contagion’ Spreads Procedural-Style Chills’

‘Creature’ No Great Feature

There does need to be a little bit of a disclaimer to the title of this article. There are some redeeming qualities and I commend Director Fred Andrews for bringing a touch of uniqueness to this picture. However, there are more sour moments than redeeming ones in Creature.

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Heinz 57 to the Rescue in ‘Contagion’

I left the theater after seeing Contagion with many thoughts on my mind.   They ranged from global epidemics and government cover-ups to animal cruelty and issues of morality.  Contagion opened your eyes to all the questions regarding the BIG IF.  What IF this really happened to us?  I’m referring to a widespread, global virus epidemic, that is.  How would people act?  How would our government and many rescue agencies treat us?   Better yet, what if the medical professionals all went on strike?   I mean, let’s face it.  This is survival of the fittest.  What would you do?  And I ask you point blank…seriously, what would you do?  You have to admit, there would be chaos all around you given these circumstances explored within the 115 minute runtime of Contagion. Continue reading ‘Heinz 57 to the Rescue in ‘Contagion’’

‘Warrior’ Skillfully Tackles The Mixed Martial Art of Acting, Action, and Storytelling

When it comes to addressing the sports movie genre, I tend to be a bit unenthusiastic.  While there are many good sports movies, I feel it’s a genre of film that really needs to do something special to get me to want to appreciate it more.  Warrior has done that.  It is an inspiring, heartfelt, and action-packed film that features great performances all around and manages to place itself within the higher rankings of the sports film genre.  I would not say it manages to completely subvert some of the standard conventions of this type of film, but it does a great job at embracing some of them, while not turning up the melodrama or going overboard with the dramatic stakes of the film.  Most importantly, this is a film that is completely engaging thanks to its fine performances based around two brothers caught up in believable family drama and the extreme world of mixed martial arts. Continue reading ‘‘Warrior’ Skillfully Tackles The Mixed Martial Art of Acting, Action, and Storytelling’

‘Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil’ Is A Fun Spin On The Cabin In The Woods Story

In the past few weeks I have seen a number of horror films fitting into sub-genres that include vampire films, haunted house films, and found footage films.  Another well worn horror sub-genre would have to be the old “cabin in the woods” story, which pits a group of innocents against unknown evil in the middle of the wilderness.  The Evil Dead films would be at the top for me in this category, but many other entries have come and gone as well.  Tucker & Dale vs. Evil has an ingenious premise for this type of film.  Instead of being a standard “cabin in the woods” type story, it pulls a reversal.  The heroes are in fact the hillbillies that would generally be terrorizing the innocent teenagers.  Due to clever writing, some really hilarious sequences and deaths, and a bit of a self aware quality, this film fits well into the Shaun of the Dead-type league of successfully playing off of its genre, while becoming an entry into it. Continue reading ‘‘Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil’ Is A Fun Spin On The Cabin In The Woods Story’

‘Apollo 18’ Answers Questions About The Moon That No One Has Been Asking

Apollo 18 is the perfect example for how to market an empty paper bag.  It is not that I hated this film, it actually does a few things right, but I found that there was way more intrigue in the setup to this film before it even hit theaters, before actually seeing the final results.  The simple image of another footprint overlapping an astronaut’s footprint on the moon is fairly clever.  Describing the premise is fun.  The result delivers what you’d expect, just without the proper execution that resulted in solid tension or scares, which is instead replaced by cheap startles and dullness.  The best thing I can say about Apollo 18 is that it was as if the guys at NASA (who felt the need to separate themselves from this film), were big fans of the Paranormal Activity movies and used their own equipment to make a parody version. Continue reading ‘‘Apollo 18’ Answers Questions About The Moon That No One Has Been Asking’

‘Shark Night 3D’ Has Small Bite

First things first. Did you really expect this to be as good as the original Jaws? Of course not, so let’s get that comparison out of the way. Now the real question is, does Shark Night 3D have any redeeming value? It’s along the lines of last year’s Piranha 3D, which I actually found to be a really entertaining film, in 3D or not. So let’s sharpen those chompers and take a bite out of Shark Night 3D.

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‘The Debt’ Is A Decent, Late Summer Distraction

After a year long delay, The Debt has now arrived in theaters.  While at one time thought to be a possible Oscar contender, it now seems that it has been dumped into the end of summer release period.  While this is not something that necessarily matters in relation to my thoughts on the film, the positioning of this film’s release does seem expected at this point.  Despite its potential to have been something better (I should add that it is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film), it ultimately amounts to having some strong moments and a good cast, but does not manage to bring things together quite well enough by the end.  I was intrigued enough by the 70s-style espionage elements early on, but less so by the film’s conclusion.  The Debt maybe didn’t deserve to be dumped into theaters; it just doesn’t match its assumed prestige status. Continue reading ‘‘The Debt’ Is A Decent, Late Summer Distraction’

‘The Help’ on Path for Oscar

Yes, yes, I know. This isn’t the typical Why So Blu movie review. We focus on pop culture flicks, usually consisting of comedies, science fiction, and kick-ass action films. The Help does not fall under any of those three categories. Yet, like last year’s The King’s Speech, this movie is too good not to talk about here.  Just like the article’s title says, watch for this film to be nominated for at least Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

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‘Our Idiot Brother’ Is A Pretty Nice Guy

In Our Idiot Brother, Paul Rudd is able to do something few actors can in the opening minutes of the film.  He makes us instantly like him.  His character’s hippy-ish, Dude-like persona is non-grating and adorable, despite the fact that his character, Ned, makes some poor choices.  It is just too bad he has to deal with three nearly-shrewish sisters.  Ned’s siblings tend to make him a punching bag of sorts in a film that is not quite biting, but is certainly meaner in spirit than it is in actually watching it.  The film does manage to be quite funny and features a great cast, but its incredibly laid back attitude and willingness to rest all of charm on Rudd’s shoulders makes the film a bit uneven.  Our Idiot Brother has a very 70s way of keeping its meandering story watchable, even when its fairly trite wrap-up comes into play. Continue reading ‘‘Our Idiot Brother’ Is A Pretty Nice Guy’

You Can Keep Your Eyes Open, ‘The Dark’ Isn’t Very Scary

The haunted house horror subgenre has seen resurgence lately; with films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious providing fresh and clever takes on material that has been done quite a bit in the past.  Hell, even last week’s Fright Night, a vampire film, managed to provide a house of horrors for its characters.  Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is a new horror film produced and co-written by the horror/creature-obsessed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro.  His idea was to remake the original made for TV film of the same name, as it terrified him as a child.  With plenty of options at his disposal; a talented cast, a great setting, Del Toro’s own eye for creature design, and a malicious cold open, it would seem that this film has everything set to provide for a spooky story.  Unfortunately, even with a solid bag of tricks, the magicians at work didn’t make their illusions at all spectacular. Continue reading ‘You Can Keep Your Eyes Open, ‘The Dark’ Isn’t Very Scary’

‘Colombiana’ Is Sexy, Violent, And Average

Colombiana is the latest action/thriller from French producer Luc Besson.  For those unfamiliar, Besson was the director responsible for wonderful action films such as Leon (The Professional) and La Femme Nakita, but has since been known for producing a slew of slick and simple action films such as The Transporter series and Taken.  As usual, it seems as if Besson simply had an idea during a meal and wrote it down on a napkin, only to have one of his French protégé’s develop a whole film around it.  Colombiana does not win many points for originality, but it does manage to be a serviceable action film with the great presence of Zoe Saldana in the lead role. Continue reading ‘‘Colombiana’ Is Sexy, Violent, And Average’

I Won’t Be Afraid of the Dark…

In all honesty, I am afraid of the dark.  Let’s just get it all out there.  I am a perfect candidate to assess the sinister atmosphere of a movie and be successfully disturbed, because a lot of things scare me.  I am a baby, I have no shame.  I had no idea what to expect when seeing Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, other than there was some sort of scary creature(s), so I had no mental preparation giving me preemptive stability.  From the opening credits, the movie seemed like it could have had a curious blend of Tim Burton in the directing, for there was a twisted, childlike terror to the feel of the vision of the film so I couldn’t tell what I was getting into.

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‘Conan’: It’s Like Watching A LARP Match, But Gorier!

Conan the Barbarian gives the viewer everything that they would be expecting…if they did not have their expectations very high.  The movie has plenty of macho ridiculousness and is filled to the brim with violence and CG blood and gore.  It is not a good movie by any means, but I did laugh a lot.  Once you see your lead character literally born on the battlefield, delivered via C-section by your father’s own sword, there are few things to do but have a good laugh at the whole thing.  Really, the only question I have to ask is why did this movie need to carry on for nearly two hours?  I guess it was to ensure the delivery of all the “aaaarrrrggghhhs” in the movie.  An “aaaarrrrrggghhh” that isn’t long enough isn’t worth delivering. Continue reading ‘‘Conan’: It’s Like Watching A LARP Match, But Gorier!’

Go Forth And Have The ‘Fright Night’ Of Your Life

I am happy when my optimism is met with pleasing results.  The idea of remaking the 1985 vampire horror/comedy Fright Night seemed like fairly solid idea in my eyes.  There’s a structure to that story that could easily serve as a template for a modern update.  I can’t say that I was initially sold on the trailer, as I thought the original’s tone may have been lost in the shuffle; however the buzz that was building and the panel I saw at San Diego Comic Con kept me hopeful.  Now having seen it, I can easily say this new take on Fright Night was one of the more enjoyable films I have seen this summer in terms of having a fun, R-rated time at the movies, with both thrills and laughs being spread around. Continue reading ‘Go Forth And Have The ‘Fright Night’ Of Your Life’

‘Conan the Barbarian’ Reboot Swings a Dull Blade

While it’s not quite The Terminator, remaking any Schwarzenegger movie is always going to add a great bit of skepticism amongst fans of the original. Case in point, the 2011 version of Conan the Barbarian. In the 21st century trend of Hollywood remaking films, film execs apparently figured this would be another cult classic worthy of refreshing. Was it worth the risk?

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‘Fright Night’ Scares Up Frights

Let me start out by saying that films are out of my expertise, I am an in your face gamer.  However, I was fortunate enough to attend an advance screening of the film in 3-D.  I would much rather see a film the regular way not only do I think 3-D is stupid but it’s a waste of money but again it was free, so who am I to argue.  Fright Night is a remake of the 1985 Tom Holland film of the same name.  Not seeing the original I really wasn’t sure what to expect all I knew was that I did not want to see any glittery vampires (sorry Mary).  Continue reading ‘‘Fright Night’ Scares Up Frights’

Glee 3D Concert Movie a Mostly Solid Performance

This past spring I had the luxury of attending one of the many Glee Concert performances. Yes, I am a gleek and the weekly series holds the #2 spot on my list of favorite shows. Regardless of how the show’s storyline would carry over to the stage was mostly irrelevant to me. I just wanted to see and hear the talented cast in person. I left the event a very happy gleek, minus the salsa splattered on my white dress shirt from one clutzy fellow concert-goer. Now take that same show and put it on the big screen.  Will it carry the same song and dance one-two punch?

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