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Obsessed Review

Wintle — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:52:10 +0000

A psychotic temp stalks a successful businessman, and only the man's equally psychotic wife can stop her. There's a certain kind of movie that many would dismiss as simply bad that appeals to me on a visceral level. These films tend to embrace their conceits, throwing away the pretense of sophistication that so many lesser movies hide behind and pushing their frenzied visions into the absurd. I admit, I hadn't felt this kind of excitement for a mainstream release since I Know Who Killed Me. So does Obsessed measure up? No one seemed to expect much from Obsessed. Pundits are tearing out their hair trying to figure out its success. The screen I saw it on was one of those second or third tier rooms, as if the theatre management itself didn't believe in the commercial appeal of the movie, and it was overflowing. I think the answer is obvious. In the same weekend in which a film called Fighting was released, Obsessed delivered the goods. The moment I saw that trailer I knew that I was going for one reason, the same thing the couple who entered the theatre an hour into the movie and left five minutes before the end were seeking; a knockdown, drag-out fight between Ali Larter and Beyoncé. My first thought was that it was the campy, catfight aspect to the movie that brought them in, and while I don't doubt that it was a huge enticement for a certain type of audience member, I don't think it was the only reason. Cinematic fights these days are incredibly competent to the point of being sterile. They rarely show the give and take of a real fight, something dirty, mean and exhausting. The last time I can remember seeing something similar was the fight between Elle and The Bride in Kill Bill Vol. 2. The acting was particularly impressive, particularly considering none of the characters had more than a line or two devoted to their history. These were blank slates that allowed the actors a chance to be forceful, if not nuanced. By far the biggest surprise was Beyoncé, who stole the few scenes which she appeared in. It was to the detriment of the film that she wasn't more fully involved. Otherwise, Obsessed is as textbook as it comes, stripped down to the point that it could have been written in hieroglyphs on a cave wall, forgoing originality for a base level of craft. Normally this workmanlike approach would merit a higher score from me, but while Obsessed displays a refreshing lack of pretension in most respects, where it fumbles is in its length and repetitiveness. The stalker's attempts at getting with her target don't seem to escalate, they just reiterate what's already been stated multiple times already, and slow the movie to a crawl when it should be galloping toward the finale.

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Megan Fox Shore Is Purty Fer Jonah Hex

Wintle — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:40:10 +0000

I met with Sean for lunch the other day, and at one point we discussed that most ornery of movie blog topics; finding something to say about news that offers little in the way of meaningful dialogue. The example that came up was the recent behind-the-scenes pictures of Megan Fox on the set of the supernatural Western Jonah Hex. Since my job description basically entails covering the stories no one else wants, I figured I'd take a stab at it. Besides, I wanted to talk about Jonah Hex before I vamoose, if anyone even bothers reading past that link. Jonah Hex is one of my favourite comics. For the longest time it was as close as North American comics got to Spaghetti Westerns, with morally ambiguous characters, spidery artwork and a horribly disfigured hero among other oddities. Despite its peculiarities, Jonah Hex rarely dealt with the supernatural, though the gothic atmosphere certainly gave some people that impression. That's why I'm dreading this film as much as I am looking forward to it. I think Brolin is a great pick for the title character, but I'm worried the movie is going to be trading in atmosphere and grit for zombies and cheap thrills. What kind of Western do you prefer, if any? Please remember to phrase your comments in Wild West dialects.

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Jackie Chan Returns To Armour Of God

Wintle — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:50:54 +0000

Now that James Brown is gone, Jackie Chan has little competition when it comes to the title of Hardest Working Man In Show Business. I've posted about some of his upcoming movies over the past few months, but this one is something special. To celebrate his 100th movie, Jackie Chan is resurrecting one of his most popular franchises with a new installment, Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac. The Armour of God series deals with a globe-trotting treasure hunter, in a similar vein to Indiana Jones. I wonder if the hundred movies includes cameos, documentaries and that one porno he'd rather we all forget about. Even more pressing is why he would choose Armour of God. I imagine it may be because of that series' accessibility, though I would love it if he did a third Drunken Master, or even better, one last reunion with Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung for a Project A 3. That guy has a lot of unfinished trilogies lying around. So long as we're daydreaming, what project would you want Jackie Chan to star in while he's still movin', doin' it, y'know? Can I count it off?

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McG Will Show You His If You Show Him Yours

Wintle — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:29:32 +0000

Stop the presses! I've been wrestling with a number of news items all day long, but it wasn't until I read this latest item that I truly felt the urge to comment. In an interview with Details magazine, McG, director of Terminator: Salvation, has challenged Michael Bay, director of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, to a penis-measuring competition. No metaphorical dick swinging for McG. This is a man who wants to see the real deal in all its glory.

"Michael Bay has a big c*ck," he says. Huh? "But I'd like to believe mine is bigger." McG smiles. "If he's up for it, we can both reveal ourselves on the Spartacus steps at Universal and put the question to rest."

Arguably the best part of the above statement is McG's acknowledgment that Michael Bay is totally packing. I wonder if Michael Bay will be up for the challenge. It can't be that hard. When you lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling trying desperately to fall asleep, who do you imagine has the larger junk, McG or Michael Bay? Choose wisely!

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Lynchian Bollywood Cobra Woman Trailer For Hisss

Wintle — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:38:25 +0000

2008 was a bit of a wash for me in regards to the movies. Other than Rambo, Kung Fu Panda and a handful of others, it was a dead zone. Thankfully 2009 is picking up the slack. It's as if they held back all the good stuff just to surprise me later. So far the trailers of 2009 alone have proven better than the combined feature films of 2008. Case in point, Jennifer Lynch's Hisss. Mallika Sherawat stars as a Naga, a mystical snake woman who journeys into human society to rescue one of her cobras from a scientist. The effects by Robert Kurtzman look tight and the action is hot and sticky, just how I like it. Check out the teeny-tiny trailer below and let us know if Hisss has put a spell on you.

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Lunatics To Remake Videodrome

Wintle — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:01:03 +0000

Universal Studios has announced that they are moving forward with a Videodrome remake. For those of you not familiar with the movie, it is an hallucinatory satire of mass media starring James Woods as an independent softcore pornography television broadcaster who becomes involved in an international conspiracy involving snuff films, stomach vaginas, and Deborah Harry. So, y'know, perfect material for a big-budget action remake. I made an oath long ago that I would no longer get upset over remakes. This was an easy promise to keep considering most of my favourite movies have already been updated and my heart is now a small lump of calcified stone. However, with this announcement I feel a different emotion, one I never thought I would experience due to a remake; confusion. The original Videodrome is at once visionary and indecipherable, a sleazy psycho-sexual tone poem so idiosyncratic that I doubt anyone, even Cronenberg, could come close to replicating it today. Only the insane would take on a project like this. If anything, maybe it will make a nice companion piece as the kind of entertainment shown within the original. Is this move incredibly wrong-headed, or are you ready to embrace the New Flesh?

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Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead Trailer

Wintle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:10:42 +0000

One of the recurring things I hear when I speak with people about film, after expressing my lack of knowledge concerning a particular favourite, is that I've lost all credibility. This came up again recently, so I decided it might be a good idea to find out the extent of my ignorance by listing some of the acclaimed movies I have yet to see. While I was jotting them down, Sean sent me a link to the trailer for Wrong Turn 3 and asked if I had any insight into it. Insight. Into Wrong Turn 3. I realized where I had been going wrong and threw my guilt list away! Who needs to watch Lord of the Rings when you're considered an authority on the Wrong Turn series? I have no idea whether the movie will be any good, and considering director Declan O'Brien has been tapped to helm The Little Shop of Horrors remake I suspect he's got some chops, but this trailer is shit. There's no hook, no build-up, and no hint of characterization. It's just an f/x reel spoiling at least three or four kills. Having watched it a few times it appears that a few of the victims are wearing orange jumpsuits. If some of them are escaped convicts, and they have to band together with a bunch of horny teens to fight against inbred redneck cannibals, why not emphasize that fact? That's awesome! Has the trailer enticed you back into the woods for more?

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Rodriguez To Reboot Predator Franchise

Wintle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Robert Rodriguez dropped some pretty big news today as he announced his slate of upcoming projects, including Machete, Nervewrackers, The Jetsons, Sin City 2 and, wait for it, a Predator reboot. With so many movies in the work I wonder if Rodriguez even has time to bleed. While Predator isn't one of my favourite movies, it does have a special place in my heart as the first R-rated film I snuck into. So it's surprising that the news of this so-called reboot doesn't really faze me. Based on the title change alone it's obvious this is going to be quite different from the original, and the concept lends itself to stand-alone installments. I can just imagine this being yet another Predator movie, not a replacement for the first one, like how the recent Friday The 13th remake was practically a sequel. I guess it's too early to tell, but in a way I'm excited to see Predator finally get another solo film two decades after the last one. Anyone else up for another slice of Predator action, and do you think Rodriguez is the man for the job?

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Blood Wrestling With Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl

Wintle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:37:02 +0000

With his work on such films as Meatball Machine, Tokyo Gore Police and Machine Girl, make-up guru Yoshihiro Nishimura is spearheading the recent Japanese gore movement. His latest, Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl, has just dropped its first trailer, and it appears to be a thoughtful dissertation on just how much blood the human body contains. Not since the heady days of William Beaudine and Santo have we seen such a delightful monster rally. As happy as I am to be receiving even more outrageous gore, it doesn't appear as if the action choreography has gotten any better. While I enjoy the blood-soaked sight gags in these movies, they tend to lack that extra punch that comes with decent pacing, which unfortunately makes the exposition between the carnage that much more tiring. That said, if you're not squeamish please check out the trailer and let us know what you think.

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Trash Palace on Tour

Wintle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:50:46 +0000

Situated in a secret location in downtown Toronto, Trash Palace is by far my favourite movie theatre. Playing only the finest in 16mm entertainment, and plastered wall-to-wall in lurid exploitation posters with fresh popped corn and beer available at the concession stand, the theatre is the trash cinephile's hidden clubhouse. And now the Trash Palace is going on tour, with a stop this Saturday in lovely St. Catharines. On tap are various classroom shorts and the main attraction, Deadly Eyes, a Toronto-lensed killer rat movie by the director of Enter The Dragon. Tickets are $5 at the Niagara Arts Centre, 254 Saint Paul Street. Doors open at 7:30 and the show begins at 8:30. Other stops on the tour, including Peterborough and Hamilton, can be found at the Trash Palace facebook page. Expand this post for even more of their coming attractions, and find out for yourself why Trash Palace is considered Toronto's Classiest Cinema. The Curse Of Frankenstein - June 12th The Swimmer - June 26th Wild In The Streets - July 10th Dinosaurus! - July 24th Scream And Scream Again - August 28th

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Your Dream Movie Marathon

Wintle — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:05:09 +0000

The convenience of watching movies at home has spoiled me. For the most part I watch movies in snippets between assorted tasks or right before I go to bed. Surprisingly, writing for Film Junk is part of the problem, as I often feel guilty when watching a movie instead of creating new content. The only exception to this is when I go to the theatre and have no control over how I watch a movie. This past Sunday I decided to clear the day and watch Sergio Leone's Man With No Name trilogy back-to-back with the crew from the Macho Movie Review, something I've always wanted to do. Afterward, we got into a discussion about our dream movie marathons which got me curious as to what the fine visitors of Film Junk would choose. Your selections should be no fewer than three films, with no upper limit excepting how long you think you could stay awake, so say 24 hours worth. They needn't be themed or all from the same franchise, though it helps. While you can certainly choose movies that you've already seen, you should avoid any combinations you've already partaken in. These should be your unfulfilled movie marathons.

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Dragonball 1984 – 2009

Wintle — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:04:48 +0000

Along with the train wreck that was Dragonball: Evolution came the inevitable question; could this be the end of Dragonball? Leave it to the birthplace of Existentialism to set the record straight by holding a funeral service for the beloved manga and anime franchise. Now that it's official, all we have left to look forward to are tears and memories. Twenty-five years is a good run, but with Dragonball finished forever it's time to move on and enjoy other pursuits. What anime would you suggest to fill this hole in my heart, or do you join the millions of grieving otaku in denial?

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