I liked this movie much better when it was called Battle Royale. When it was about a group of Japanese school children sent to an island, to kill each other off until there was only one. While Hollywood is remaking every single notable Japanese film, pretty much step-for-step, they didn't have the balls to kill off a bunch of school kids. Instead it's a group of killers condemned to die in prisons around the world. Then they pussied out and didn't even really get gory or do the action scenes very well. Every fight is filmed in that extremely close-up, shaky-cam, chopped-up style, where you can't really tell what the hell is going on. Pretty much a complete waste of time, but what should I expect from WWE Films.

My first short film eRATicate about a couple of jealous, murderous rats is currently in a contest on ChillerTV.com. Please view and vote for it: HERE! - Vote every day if you read this! I appreciate your support.

Documentaries about rock bands, or rockumentaries (a term I'm not crazy about), depend greatly on one thing and that is of course the band. There are basically three ways to go; film an established band, with a built-in fan base and tell their history, which doesn't always make for a great film, mostly they're about the concert footage. Find an up-and-coming band and capture their rise to popularity; and your film will be a "we were there then." The third and usually the most interesting, at least story-wise, is to find an up-and-coming band and capture the struggle to become known, between art and commerce, and to stay who you truly are. You'll find Golden Days a film about the Brooklyn band The Damnwells in the third category, with some hope for the second somewhere in the future.

In 2001, the Brooklyn band The Strokes were lighting up the music world and record labels were swarming New York looking for new rock bands to sign. And despite being together for a short time, and not having a large fan base, The Damnwells were recognized as a talented band and there was talk of them getting a deal. But ultimately nothing came to pass. A few years later, the band has toured with the likes of Cheap Trick, and are about to release their independent CD Bastards of the Beat when Epic Records swoops in to release the album and signs them to record more music. The world is their oyster.

At the heart of the band is Alex Dezen, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist. He's had theatrics in his heart since he was a small child, performing with traveling plays since he was very little, even appearing in The Professional in a cameo with Natalie Portman. After writing some songs he liked; he didn't want his dream of being a rock star to fade away, he quit his steady job and quickly built a band with friends and acquaintances; they practiced and recorded their first album in an unheated storage unit; a fairly typical story for a struggling band. The film introduces all the band members; Ted Hudson, the bassist and old friend of Alex's gets the second most screen time. But Golden Days is told mostly from Alex's point of view. Which is understandable, he lives and breathes for the band; the others seem more in it for the fun of it, and in the case of the lead guitarist as a way to make some money and maybe a name for himself.

Months overdue, Alex is putting the finishing touches the album; his band is spread around the country, off on their own because they haven't been given any money to live on; the release date is weeks away. It seems that they will soon be enjoying the fruits of their labor. That's when the bombshell is dropped; Epic is no longer releasing the album. To make matters worse The Damnwells owe them $300,000 in studio fees if they want the rights to their own record back. Corporate America had officially taken a shit on some more starving artists.

What does the band do? Should they get back together? Release the album on their own? The film follows the band for about another year, answering these questions and more. This is where the film really thrives, it becomes something different, we learn much more about who Alex really is; that he's not just another kid chasing fame and pussy through rock n' roll. The perseverance The Damnwells have after the collapse of their dream is amazing. It shows that a band doesn't have to sell-out to "make it". The passion of artists is a finicky thing; some thrive in the limelight, others in obscurity. Golden Days is a tale of a band not becoming the next-best-thing and are possibly better off because of it.

This is the second documentary about artist perseverance by director Chris Suchorsky; the first being about his own. Failure came together after his first scripted feature had fallen apart and he decided to turn the experience into a documentary, it eventually got picked up by IFC. Chris met Alex through a mutual friend and directed their first music video. The film took off when The Damnwells were picked up by Epic and Alex thought that their story would make a good film. Which it did, but not in the way they were expecting.

The other thing that documentaries about rock bands greatly rely on is how much you enjoy the music. I personally liked The Damnwells, they have a good indie-rock sound. Of course their music plays non-stop throughout the film, but it never devolves into a music video and the concerts and recording sessions are kept short, moving the story along, not used as filler; which a lot of films of this type do. I would recommend Golden Days to those who enjoyed the film Dig!; similar styles of music, with more accessible characters. The film won best documentary at the Phoenix Film Festival and continues to play festivals around the country. If you're an artist or a fan of indie-rock this film is fun lesson in how you shouldn't let The Man get you down; that if you're simply in it for the money you shouldn't be doing it. Make art, music, films, whatever, for yourself.

Grindhouse is the best experience I've had in the theater all year long. Two very fun flicks together, with some cool fake trailers. I saw it in an almost empty theater opening day. I'm disappointed that it bombed so badly in theaters, because I thought it could be a great format, for genre filmmakers to go all out.

I thought that Death Proof was the better of the two as a film, though I had more fun with Planet Terror. I wanted to see it in it's longer cut. Even though it was half an hour longer, and didn't add any action or gore as far as I could tell, it didn't feel any longer. That's a testament to Tarintino's dialogue and his getting the most out of his actors. Because the rest of this film, by any rights shouldn't be entertaining. Two groups of girls, talking about nothing in particular.

I love how he sets up each story the same, but the second time around the girls take their revenge. I fell in love with Zoe Bell in this film. She's got a ton of charisma, and her stunts are top-notch. Tarintino continues to make extremely well made genre films... I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

This film came out a few years back. I never really had any interest in watching it. It has a good cast, starting with the great Warren Beatty. I was in a position where it was the only comedy we had on hand that we hadn't watched before. I usually have a good time watching romantic-comedies with my wife, because at least if it's bad, we can make fun of it. It wasn't that bad, thanks to the cast, but I can't really recommend it on any level either.

Frank & Cindy the namesakes of the film, are living the very definition of a love/hate relationship; emphasis on the hate. But something keeps them together. When they're not yelling at each other about how much they loath one another, you can see there is some genuine affection. It's hidden somewhere deep down beneath the fighting, the accusations, the lying, and the name-calling. It wasn't a model relationship for a child to grow-up under.

Where most kids would become messed up themselves or at least have the good sense to put that part of their life behind them; filmmaker G.J. Echternkamp documents his mother and step-father's life to share with the world. "Convinced that my parents are a cinematic goldmine, I plan to film them for about a year." It is an extremely bold move, an odd human case study; but he's right, and he strikes gold with this homemade documentary. His parents are consistently entertaining and thought provoking in their dysfunction.

Early in life Frank Garcia had a brief flirtation with fame, while still a teenager he played bass in the 80's band OXO, that had a Top 40 hit with Whirly Girl They opened for Hall and Oats and made appearances on shows like American Bandstand. It was his brief moment in the sun, and like most one-hit-wonders, they were quickly forgotten.

On the tail end of his stint as a minor celebrity, he met Cynthia Brown, and despite her being twenty years his senior, the two quickly married. "I thought I'd married a rock star," Cindy confesses to her son's camera. She figured she was getting a free ride on the fame express, but after reality crashed down, she ended up supporting her husband's failing musical aspirations for the next two decades. She worked as a receptionist, while Frank got drunk and played around in his home studio, creating music nobody would ever hear.

Frank & Cindy starts out as a caricature. The hilariously over-the-top 80's clips of OXO is the film's introduction to Frank. After that he's painted by Cindy as a burnt-out, fat-buffoon with no motivation to make something of himself. Cindy is portrayed as a pathetic-liar with big dreams and no real plans on how to get there; she's constantly talking about getting her teeth fixed so she'll be able to get a job in Hollywood, it's easy to see how deluded she is. They're both middle-age-adults, past their prime, but stuck in adolescence, both users, using each other as an excuse to go nowhere.

G.J. sets his parents up as these ugly beings, we're repulsed, yet so fascinated that we can't look away. Through the course of the film, we learn to love these two. Despite all their faults, and there are many, deep down they are good people. They want the best for their son, have made sacrifices and tried hard to give him a good life. Through a combination of bad choices and bad luck they've come to where they are. Most people have big dreams, and when you take the wrong path it can sometimes lead to catastrophes that take a lifetime to recover from. They want to be better people, but life has beaten them down and they no longer have the drive to change. It's easy to put yourself in their shoes.

With relaxed filming techniques, where you're put right in the middle of everything, sometimes haphazardly; edited together with simple jump-cuts, that never beg for attention, just small slices of video-taped memory; makes it feels like you're living right there with them. It seems easy, but a lot of hard work and attention to detail went into creating this wonderful little documentary.

Entering his 30's, still living at home, and struggling with his own dreams of becoming a filmmaker, G.J. may have seen Frank and Cindy as a somewhat easy undertaking, something he could use to kick-start his career; which he hints at. But it must have been cathartic as well, to step back and see his family from another angle. He's taken the tough part of his life and turned it into art. Dysfunctional as they are, the film is a love letter to his parents.

Jump Tomorrow is one of those movies that almost no one has heard of, but everyone that sees it, falls in love. This is probably the most borrowed DVD in our collection, I'm always recommending it. We had just got it back from a long time lending, so it felt like a good time to watch it again.

I believe it's just about the perfect romantic-comedy. The characters are lovable and believable, the story too is very natural, none of that usual crap that romantic-comedies rely on. But the filmmaking is what does it for me. Though it is very low budget, the film is beautiful to watch, every frame is nicely photographed and art directed, there's a very deliberate look to the entire film. It's filled with great music and little fun dream sequences.

If you haven't seen it before, search it out. I've been waiting forever for another film from director Joel Hopkins, according to IMDb he's working on one with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, I don't care what it's about, I'm dying to see it.

I'd never heard of this film, when I stumbled across it at Blockbuster. I liked the premise; a guy who investigates Darwin Awards type cases for an insurance company. The cast was impressive as well, Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder play the main characters, with just about every other character in the film played by somebody fairly well known. Look at this list: David Arquette, Josh Charles, Judah Friedlander, Lukas Haas, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Tim Blake Nelson, Chris Penn, D.B. Sweeney, Robin Tunney, Wilmer Valderrama - Most of these actors showing up for just a few minutes each. Somebody had some pull in the casting of this film.

It was fun to see some of the all time great Darwin Awards put on film, rocket car and dynamite dog, among others. The filmmaking could have used a little more pizazz, it all seemed a little flat. But it kept us entertained and laughing through most of the film.

My dad, a guy who enjoys mellow, thoughtful films, told me about this Korean film. It sounded interesting, but also kind of dull. Today I was really tired, wanting to take a nap, but it's nearly impossible for me to sleep in the middle of the day, so I decided to watch this film instead. It was exactly what I needed.

It is extremely mellow, almost meditative, the fairly simple story of a monk and his young ward who live in a tiny house in the middle of a lake. Spring is about the boy learning life lessons. Summer is about the teenage boy falling in love with a girl who comes to stay with them. Fall is a tragic, yet redemptive tale. Winter the boy is now an old man, becoming a wise man like his master. ...and Spring is about rebirth. Each section is a simple story, full of morals; but as a whole we learn all about the life of a complicated man.

The photography is gorgeous, the location of their house makes for an extremely interesting life, each season offering its own rewards. It's a very quiet film, with minimal dialogue, and very traditional music. It's a wonderful film for those who love contemplative films.

(The music in the trailer is way too cloying, doesn't give the movie proper respect.)

Clint Eastwood is on a hell of a run as a director. Who would have thought his talent behind the camera would exceed that in front of it. I wasn't all that interested in seeing another WWII film, I felt like Saving Private Ryan was the best of the genre, and there was nowhere to go but down from there. And even though I was born 30 years after the war, I thought I knew most everything about it. But this being a Clint Eastwood film, I knew I'd get around to it eventually.



The taking of the Iwo Jima beach and the subsequent war scenes were extremely familiar to Saving Private Ryan, but beyond that, the film offered something new. I didn't know the story behind America's most famous photo. The selling of these heroes, simply because they appeared in the photo, to the American people as a reason to buy war bonds was the most interesting thing about the film. I'm fairly immune to the violence of war films, unless I'm devoted to the characters, and since the only ones we really get to know survive the film, the war scenes didn't pack the emotional punch that Eastwood was going for.

It was a decent film worth the time it took to watch it, mostly it made me excited to see Letters from Iwo Jima, from everything I've heard, it's the superior film. I think it will hit on that emotional level, that Flags didn't.

It's sad how little I get to the theater these days. I used to go about two times a week, now I'm lucky if I get there once a month. I'd seen the two prior Bourne films in theaters and I'd recently watched them again on DVD, I had to see the finale of the best action series of the last decade on the big screen. It's been out a few weeks already, but better late than never, and I knew it'd be easy to find a seat.

I saw this trailer and instantly knew I had to see the film. I could just tell it would be my-kind-of-movie; a little offbeat, funny, sexy and beautiful to watch. It took a while for the DVD to clear my queue, but it was well worth the wait.

Cashback is absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom. The photography is top-notch, the sets are beautiful, and the girls, and there are many, most of them nude, are just breathtaking. Guys will love this movie just for the perfect tits that fill this film; and I wouldn't have complained if that was the only thing in this film. But I genuinely enjoyed the many memorable characters, the well written screenplay and the inovative filmmaking. There are some wonderful little moments throughout the film, that only a filmmaker or film-buffs may catch. Is it a little pretentious? Yes. But I think good films by beginning filmmakers usually are. Because they're filled with what the filmmaker knows best, what they're comfortable with, so usually end up being about the director in some way.

It may be a little hard to find, but if you're interested in well made, off-the-beaten-path cinema, or even if you just want to watch some beautiful girls in varying states of undress, do yourself a favor and check out this film.

You know, I don't get the whole film festival circuit politics. How this awful film showed at Sundance and Toronto, two of the biggest film festivals in the world, I just don't understand. Is it because of the taboo subject matter? Or because Bobcat Goldthwait directed it, and he's sort of well known, and an interesting character? I guess I'll never know.

The first few minutes of this film are almost perfect. A wonderful little French song plays over a nicely-filmed, well edited, sickly-comical little scene where the main character gives a blow-job to her dog. It quickly raised my expectations for this little indie film, but they were just as quickly dashed as soon as the girl's annoying voice-over came in. It was plain bad; horribly written and performed. The acting in the scenes following were tragically unprofessional. All momentum it had built in the first couple minutes was crushed.

After a while I got a little numb to the bad acting and I started to get back into the film a bit, but it never really did much for me. It was trying so hard to be a dark comedy, but so much of it wasn't funny. I never liked any of the characters. The photography and filmmaking was passable at best. This movie may do it for some, but it lost me quickly and I never cared again.

I was in the mood for a good action film. I'd found this in the discount bin a few weeks ago, and remembered it being a cool one. Kurt Russell is one of my all time favorite action heroes thanks mostly to John Carpenter flicks like Escape from New York and The Thing.

It's a simple set-up, Russell and wife Breakdown in the middle of the desert. A kindly trucker offers to drive her to the nearest stop to make a phone call. When Russell shows up there, she never showed up and now he's got to find her. What follows is some top-not car chases, stunts involving hanging off trucks and some good tension is built at the end. Awesome character actor J.T. Walsh is perfect as main bad guy. The ending is highly satisfying.

I never had a huge interest in seeing this film, I wasn't really looking forward to revisiting that day, and I live on the west coast and didn't directly know anyone who was killed. I can't imagine what folks who were directly involved must have thought. I think it was far too early to make a film, but once the initial shock died down, people seemed to like it. I stuck it in my queue when it first came out on DVD and it finally worked it's way up.

I liked the camaraderie between the cops at the beginning, and knowing where they were headed gave me rotten feeling. But I liked how the actual attacks and the falling of the towers were handled. Seen from the perspective of those involved, no big digital explosions. We all know the footage so well, that it just wouldn't have seemed right to have it Hollywoodized.

Some of the stuff with the families was a bit cloying, begging for you to cry. And it worked for me somewhat, mostly because the memories of that day are still so fresh. This is one of the better Oliver Stone films of late, he toned down his style to fit the realistic story. But it's something I never need to watch again. United 93 was a far better film about that day, and if I want to revisit that day, I'll watch that one instead.