Quick Movie Reviews: Vol 7

A new month and more movies that I didn’t do big reviews on. Mostly because I can become a lazy son of a bee sometimes, but fear not that’s why I do these quick reviews. I must say that the next few movies were all great. It was a nice little run of movies. However unlike the last quick review volume I’ll be keeping this somewhat brief with a trifecta of movies that I watched on DVD. So come with me as I we go through some great movies that I missed at the cinema’s.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

This is just a fun movie, and in my mind is one of the few movies to try and capture the Grindhouse mentality and succeed (sorry Robert and Quintin). The gore is over the top, the lines are cheesy as hell, and the story is insane with where it goes. It shouldn’t be as great as it is, but somehow it is given such a strong foundation thanks to the efforts of Rutger Hauer as the main character. He plays the Hobo completely straight and manages to give this movie a heart if you would. There is also a speech given by the Hobo to some babies in a hospital and it ranks right up there with his Blade Runner speech. Of course this movie won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but damn if I didn’t have a blast and a half watching it.

True Grit (2010)

I have a soft spot for westerns, and while it may seem like a genre that doesn’t get much love, every now and then a gem is still able to be found. There is an ongoing argument about remakes, but True Grit shows that there is value in going over stories again. Instead of reimagining the movie for modern times (a bit of publicist speak there), the Coen brothers have gone over the film and really tightened up the themes of the movie. Revenge and justice and the fallout from both are explored. I know this might sound sacrilegious but I preferred this over the John Wayne classic, and think this movie improves on every aspect. This is a great western, looking at a time less romantically than some other movies. The performances are beautifully realised, and action is authentic but never gets in the way of the story. Also big props to Hailee Steinfeld for her portrayal of Mattie Ross, in which she brings so much presence to the character and holds her own with the likes of Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges. It’s made more amazing by how young she was in making this movie. She was only 14 when the movie was released.

Season of the Witch (2011)

I should hate this movie, I really really should. The plot has holes in it, you can see the budget didn’t exactly match the directors vision and the dialogue can drive men insane (Event Horizon insane). And yet I liked it. I smiled, laughed and was happy with what I had received. The biggest reason why, is the chemistry between Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman. Playing two knights who have been friends with each other since the crusades, they create characters that actually manage to break free from the well worn clichés in use in the script. Rumours abound that the two actually met prior to the movie and started creating the back story to their characters; they then brought what they created to the film when it started shooting. I’m not sure if this is true but the two work really well together and it does seem at times that they are really in another movie of their own devising. Hmm I guess I just outed myself as a Cage supporter. Oh well. Might as well end this by fully going through that door. NICHOLAS CAGE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTORS OF HIS GENERATION. HATERS DON’T GET HIS MAD GENIUS. There that should do it.