October 31, 2012

Repo! The Genetic Opera

2008 - 5/5

I really wanted to watch a scary movie on Halloween and I tried to watch American Psycho and Halloween (2007), but both were so boring so I turned them off. I took a look at my movies and the moment my eyes saw Repo! I knew what I’d watch.

I have never been a fan of musicals and I’ve been to an Opera once and although it was nice, can’t say I’d go to one again. I’m not sure what I expected in terms of a Rock Opera, but after having seen the movie (more than once), I can say that I loved it.

Considering this wouldn’t be the type of movie I’d be eager to see, I don’t remember why I really wanted to see it when it first came out. It could have been because the storyline was so intriguing. To think that a Repo-Man would be sent to reposes an organ was new to me. There was a lot of gore, but at the same time it was tastefully done, so I noticed it in more of an artsy way than slasher’ish.

I liked the songs and how it was incorporated into the dialogue as well as how the songs were mixed in with the plot on a more direct level than most musicals are. The song Zydrate Anatomy was my favourite, and by the end of the movie I was ready to buy the soundtrack, but the CD wasn’t available in Canada, so I just downloaded a few songs off iTunes.

As for the acting, I think everyone, and yes, I mean Paris Hilton as well, did a great job. All the voices were unique and each character was well rounded. Everyone’s voices were really good and my favourites had to be The Grave Robber and Blind Mag.

I LOVED the graphic novel drawings used to illustrate the back story. It was a very creative and unique way to do that. The movie flowed in and out of them very well.

I remember that the first time I watched it in the theatres, I really had to go to pee about 15 minutes in, but I didn’t go because I didn’t want to miss a thing.

I can’t say that this movie is for everyone and I’d be selective with regards to whom I’d recommend it to, but it was a solid movie all around. Worth watching if you have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

October 28, 2012

Love & Other Drugs

2010 – 2.3/5

I want to start this review by saying that I intend on writing a comparative review for the following movies: Love & Other Drugs (L&OD), Friends With Benefits (FWB), and No Strings Attached (NSA). So I won’t be comparing L&OD to the other 2 in this review; but once I do, I’ll add a link HERE.

I really like Jake Gyllenhall. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie of his I didn’t like. Anne Hathaway is a good actress as well, so I was hoping this wouldn’t be a typical, overly cheesy, chick flick. The plot wasn’t exactly new or fresh – not by a long shot. But was it entertaining? Ya, I think so.

The movie moved at a good speed. What needed to happen happened and there wasn’t much filler for the sake of making it a longer movie; everything necessary was covered. Even the supporting cast had relevant, funny roles. The dialogue was probably my favourite part. It was actually witty, funny and entertaining.

There was one part I disliked and that was when Maggie (Hathaway) was freaking out. You could tell she was acting there and it felt a bit forced, but I was able to look over that and move on.

Jake Gyllenhall (and his ass) were fine!

Bottom line: I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I expected to (but for the record, I wasn’t expecting much).