zrath

Theaterflixing:

Pathfinder - aka "Spamfinder", because it's full of bloody Vikings! :D
Okay, so there's these Vikings, and they land in Northern America somewhere and pillage and murder a village of Indians
American Indians Native Americans, and one of the Vikings' kid is left behind because he's a wimp and he wouldn't
decapitate one of the natives. Or is he left behind because the Drakkar he was on had a horrible traffic accident on its way
out? It's not clear in my mind anymore. Anyway, a kindly Ind... Amer... Native American woman takes the Vikingling in.
The village council is all, like, "do not bring your evil here", and the Chief is, like, "STFU, the kid has a DESTINY!".
So the Vikingling stays and grows up to be a fine Native American Viking and finds a hottie Pocahontas who's already taken.
And then, a large force of bloody Vikings return and hilarity ensues! And by hilarity, I mean wholesale slaughter and death.
Can our Vikindian defend his village from the Spamlovers? Well, no. He was out hunting. Whoopsie. Okay, can he save the
other village from the Spamlovers? The village which harbors his Pocahontas Of Luuuuv? Maaaaaaaaaaaaybeeeee!
The film seems to be shot in black and white and grey with a touch of blue.
It's filmed in Canadaland during the winter, so it's all mountainous and snowy and cold and misty-foggy.
The film is kinda like "The New World" (remember that snoozefest?) but colder and with Vikings and an actual plot.
It's still a b-movie though. Worth a rental if you like Vikings and/or Indians American Indians Native Americans.

Hot Fuzz - Disclaimer: I have not seen "Shaun Of The Dead", and I probably won't for quite some time.
This Simon Pegg film is a better remake of "The Wicker Man" than the actual remake with Nicholas Cage!! :D
London supercop gets promoted to small sleepy village with slightly eccentric denizens.
He got promoted because he's a goddamned overachiever and he makes the rest of the force look bad.
Anyway, people in sleepy village start dying but they're all accidents! Really! They're not muuuur-deeeers! That's crazy!
The film is seriously funny and parodies Hollywood buddy-cop movies in amusing and very English ways.
Aside from Simon Pegg, the movie stars Edward Woodward (the Original Wicker Man!), Timothy Dalton (that suave bastard!),
Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, and these are just the ones I'm familiar with. I bet Anglophiles will recognize more.
The film is hilarious, with some action and some gruesome moments quickly defused with more humor. Rated R.
So, yeah, I liked it. The sibling didn't see it though, he opted to go see "300" again.
"Bring the noise!"


Netflixing:

Curse Of The Golden Flower - In China, there are a lot of people. This is handy for massive battle scenes.
The newest film from Yimou Zhang ("Hero" and "House Of The Flying Daggers"), an adaptation of a classic
1920's Chinese dramatic play set during the Tang Dynasty, a time of opulence and wealth (check these costumes and sets!).
Gong Li plays the Empress, who must drink medicine prescribed by the Emperor every two hours. The Emperor, played by Chow
Yun-Fat (and looking a leeeeetle bit like my late father, yikes) says the Empress is anemic and must therefore medicate.
And yet the Empress' health does not improve. And what is this new ingredient added to the brew?
If you like palace intrigues, gorgeous costumes and sets, intense performances, and swordfighting, go rent this now!
You will be blown away by this incredible, meticulous, action-packed, emotional rollecoaster of a film.

Harsh Times - "My worst nightmare is you with a badge and a gun."
Christian Bale plays an asshole. I have never seen him like this. He plays Jim Luther Davis, ex-Army Rangers, Iraq vet,
looking to get into the LAPD and bust some heads. He drives around Downtown and South Central L.A. in his almost-cop Ford
Crown Victoria with his latino buddy Mike, ostensibly helping Mike look for a job, but really just fucking around.
Jim-boy fails his psych test at LAPD so they kick him to the curb. Homeland Security wants to talk to him though, sweet!!
LAPD probably pegged him for a nutbag, a little too eager to enFORCE the law. He's definitely a bad influence on Mike.
Jim's got a girl in Mexico he wants to marry and definitely needs a local job to bring her in. That's not what he's gonna
get though, and things are about to get bad for our friends. Real bad.
The blurb on the DVD says "from the creator of Training Day", so that gives you an idea of the kind of vibe this has.
It was written and directed by David Ayer, and this is his first directing gig. For a first time, not bad.
The dialogue rings true for a couple of homies (white and latino) who grew up together in South Central.
L.A. is a crazy town...