GREAT MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:Kung Fu Hustle (2004 – Hong Kong) — Directed, produced, and starring Stephen Chow.
THOUGHTS: An action/comedy described by Roger Ebert as “Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny.”Kung Fu Hustle is the rare parody that’s actually better than most of the movies of which it’s making fun.
SYNOPSIS: A simple street hustler named Sing, who dreams of being a vicious gangster, accidentally starts a war between a the nefarious Axe Gang and a group of poor martial artists.As tensions escalate, Sing gradually discovers that, though he may lack the chops to be a villain, he may have what it takes to be a hero.
GREAT MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:The Devil’s Backbone (2001 – Spain/Mexico) — Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
THOUGHTS: A sister flick to Guillermo Del Toro’s slightly better known Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), The Devil’s Backbone is creepy ghost story set in an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War.With strong character development and a gripping mystery, this film stands far above the caliber typical of the horror genre.In other words, it’s not just a great horror movie, it’s a great movie.
SYNOPSIS: After his parents die in the Spanish Civil War, a boy named Carlos is left at a rural orphanage and slowly discovers that there’s more to his new home than meets the eye, both in it’s involvement in the war and in the horrors that lurk below.
GREAT MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:Run Lola Run (1998 – Germany) — Written and directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente.
THOUGHTS: A fast-paced German crime thriller that plays with the ideas of causation, free will, and determinism by rewinding a twenty minute period of time and replaying it with the protagonist making slightly different choices each time that lead to different outcomes.It’s a fun, novel movie with a very visual story.
SYNOPSIS: A woman must obtain 100,000 German marks in twenty minutes to save her boyfriend, a small time criminal, after he loses that amount of his boss’s money.
GREAT MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:City of God (2002 - Brazil) — directed by Fernando Meirelles
THOUGHTS: One of the grittiest and best urban crime dramas ever made. This film has an incredible story and beautiful cinematography. The images of pre-teen drug dealers waving guns at each other may never leave your head.
SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, City of God follows the rise of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus ghetto of Rio De Janeiro from the late 60’s to the early 80’s, as seen through the eyes of a young photographer named Rocket.
GREAT MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:Old Boy (2003 - Korea) — Directed by Park Chan-wook.
THOUGHTS: An incredible film. One of the best revenge movies ever made. Be forewarned, however: this film is not for the squeamish.
SYNOPSIS: The film follows the story of Oh Dae-Su, who is locked in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing his captor’s motives. When he is finally released, Dae Su finds himself still trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence.
A collection of movie previews and movie reviews, both new and old.
