The good the bad and the VERY ugly: Fantastic Fest - Pre-film Bumpers

Until I'd attended Fantastic Fest this year I'd have to say that VIFF had hand's down the best pre-film bumpers of any festival I'd been to (with the possible exception of the year SIFF ran the one titled "Hong Kong Special").  I'd still say that as a whole VIFF is still holding their own in terms of general cleverness though way, way behind in the area of bumpers that feature murdered babies or coat hangers used for an unintended purpose.  In fact I'm able to say with some confidence that in the 4 days I spent in Austin I saw more images of babies eaten, smashed or otherwise injured on screen than in all my prior years of life.  Fantastic Fest is definitely the leader in the variety and volume of bumpers - even though I saw 15 sessions I clearly didn't see nearly all of the pre-film bits produced.  That's probably because the bumpers at Fantastic Fest were attendee designed in response to a contest - the call for entries is reproduced below.  The main point to remember is they needed to be "inappropriate" and include the use of the word Fantastic.

FANTASTIC FEST Bumper Competition officially starts now!!! Win a week of Geek Heaven for 2 & more!

Hey folks, Harry here… It is less than 22 days till the start of FANTASTIC FEST 2010. There’s just enough time for you to get involved in the 2010 Fantastic Fest bumper contest.The usual requirements for the Bumpers still apply, that they be 15 seconds long and end with the word FANTASTIC being spoken, however you like. Also in past years – we’ve required people to make use of a kid. That is not a requirement this time. And we usually ask that they adhere to some specific genre.

This time. The genre is a favorite of FANTASTIC FEST. The sub-genre of “INAPPROPRIATE”. We’re asking for you, to create a 15 second bumper that is somehow INAPPROPRIATE. That could be through dialogue, sight gags, sickening imagery, exciting imagery… But we want audiences to actually scream OHMYGOD!!! when they see your bumpers. We want something that leaves an impression. Great filmmakers that have worked in the realm of the INAPPROPRIATE sub-genre include the king, JOHN WATERS, TAKASHI MIIKE, LARRY CLARK, KENNITH ANGER, HARMONY KORINE, TOM SIX, FRANK HENENLOTTER, GASPAR NOE, ABEL FERRARA, early PETER JACKSON, ELI ROTH, RUGGERO DEODATO, SRDJAN SPASOJEVIC and of course SATORU OGURA.

A lot to live up to? Yeah – but I’m telling you – if your brain says, “OH NO, WE CAN’T DO THAT” – “OH YES YOU CAN” – Unless of course it is illegal and results in somebody’s unwilling pain.

I'm hoping that eventually they'll post (or I'll find) them all online.  In the meantime here's the VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK example that won the contest. You may find it disturbing - you have been warned...


Cherry Pie from MJP on Vimeo.

Update: In addition to the winning bumper here are some other Fantastic Fest intros I dug up. Please assume they're all NSFW - unless you work for Fantastic Fest. ;-)

The first one is by far the best of the baby's meeting a horrible fate genre that seemed to pervade the content I saw at the actual festival - behold Plan B...



Then there's one of my favorites wherein a Transformer like creature takes liberties with a SUV


This next one has three different bumpers that appear to be from the same group


Cyclops Joe


Blankey's Shooting Range


What if you combined three of the most notorious prior Fantastic Fest films.... ?

Rammbock (Germany)

After you've seen enough zombie flicks it's possible to start to wonder if that the genre has been completely tapped out.  But Rammbock proves there's still a long way to go in the space.  And that there's an alternative to the headshot as the most effective way to deal with an encountered with creatures whose diet consists disproportionately of brains.

Michael has just been broken up with by his girlfriend and has shown up at her apartment to try and reconcile.  Unfortunately he has picked the day that marks that start of a zombie apocalypse.  While looking for Gabi in her apartment he's attacked by the super and manages to barely take refuge with the guys assistant in Gabi's apartment.  There he slowly learns that all of the city, if not the country is in the grips of what clearly sounds like a zombie outbreak.

The surviving residents of the building are trapped in their apartments.  With many of the homes overlooking a courtyard they're forced to communicate window to window as they formulate a plan for survival.  These interactions between people who have been both physically close yet remote to each other in their daily lives bring something interesting to the proceedings.  As does the filmmaker's building of fear and tension while generally eschewing gore.  This is a thinking person's zombie movie and it doesn't sacrifice thrills in service of that goal at all.

Quite a lot of fun - and I was very glad to hear in the post film Q&A that the movie has picked up an American distributor.  Check it out when it makes its way to your town.

Stake Land

In some ways Stake Land is closer to zombie fare than the vampire tradition.  Vampire hordes have overrun the country in much the same manner as in I am Legend.  Due to events not described in detail most of the world (with the exception seemingly of parts of Canada) has been overrun by the undead.  The mindless, very mean, zombie like but bearing fangs and a taste for blood undead.  We're thrust without much back story into this world to meet Martin (Connor Paolo) a young man whose family is wiped out after dark.  He's rescued by a fellow known only as Mister (Nick Damici) a bad ass cowboy type who sates an limitless hatred of the vampires by killing them whenever and wherever they can.  The pair embark on a road trip cross-country to an area they believe to be free and somewhat resembling civilization.  As the vampires took over humans have retreated into small enclaves and bizarre cults - much like in The Road.  Stake Land follows their journey as they dodge both vampires and one particularly unpleasant group of religious zealots who believe the vampires to be God's evolutionary gift to mankind.

Along the way they meet others making their way west and make their way from outpost to outpost.  It has the feel of a western/road movie really more than a vampire one.  Not that the addition of the vampires hurt of course.  Enjoyed taking the ride along with the characters even if I wasn't hugely surprised with where it went.  Hoping it'll see a wide release as it's a film I think most viewers would enjoy.  It's not necessarily going to be my favorite film of the year but it was solid entertainment.



Screening Notes:
I watched Stake Land at Fantastic Fest in Austin.  After the screening the director and two of the stars (one of whom co-wrote the film with the director) took questions from the audience.  I managed to record part of that conversation and included some of that video below.  I've also shared a couple of snapshots I took as the Q&A was starting.  And yes, that fellow from Gossip Girl does have an odd fake mustache on at some point.  I'm not 100% sure what that was all about, but Fantastic Fest is an unusual gathering…

Connor Paolo after the film snapping pictures with fans in the lobby of the Alamo Theater

Nope, that orange mustache on Connor Paolo is not a trick of the light.

Fantastic Fest "Debates" (and then some)

There are a lot of crazy side events going on throughout Fantastic Fest - from vampire friendly flashlight dance parties, to a Viking themed boating outing.  One of the more unusual ones has got to be the concept of a film focused debate (Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker) that's ultimately settled in the boxing ring.  I wasn't able to get tickets to this event - though I observed a few minutes of one of the "under card" bouts through the window.  Here's a clip from YouTube of the title bout...



There's a lot of great content on the Fantastic Fest YouTube channel. Here's just one other example as League preps for his very unusual intro to the festival at the Let Me In opening gala party.  I was there for that, and I must say a Viking dance numbers wasn't what I was expecting.  To be clear that's not me complaining either.  Be sure to stay with it until the dancing starts...

Fantastic Fest 2010 - the basic list of what I attended...

On the ride back to Seattle I decided to throw together a quick list of the sessions I went to at Fantastic Fest 2010.  This doesn't include time spent at the Fantastic Arcade, parties, or enjoying free bowling at the The Highball. Over the next week I plan to write up at least minimal thoughts on each of the films - along with a more diary like approach to the Fantastic Fest experience.  For now I'm just starting with the list of film events I attended.  All in all a tiring but very fun trip.

• The Man from Nowhere (Korea) - solid girl in peril action thriller. 
• Let Me In (USA) - Not as horrible as expected, some improved shots - but still think original is considerably better given more subtlety and feel it was a mistake in new film to make the girl vamp a little too evil looking.  Probably worth seeing for the continuous shot from inside a car as it rolls over a cliff
• Gallants (Hong Kong) - A last hurrah for aging hardcore kung-fu practitioners.  Pretty awesome fighting with nice message about how things change a bit as the kung fu hero ages.
• Fatso (Norway) - one of my favorites of the festival. Anti-romantic comedy that has the most bizarre (or unfortunate) product placement in the history of Dremel.
• Rubber (France) - killer tire on the loose.  The fact that a tire becomes sentient isn't the oddest part of this fun flick.  Strongly recommend keeping an eye out for this one.
• Sound of Noise (Sweden) - musical terrorist, 'nuff said
• Drawn and Quartered: Animated Shorts
• Bibliotheque Pascal (Hungary) - Hungary's entry into this year's foreign language oscar's race. Beautifully shot magical realism about bizarre sexual slavery (among other things).  Found it interesting but didn't really feel totally drawn into its world.
• We Are What We Are (Mexico) - Best cannibalism themed movie I've ever seen.  Though I'm not sure how long that list really is.  More a family drama masquerading as a hardcore genre flick.  Very well done.  Love the part about how the mother of the cannibal family so seriously looks down on prostitutes - well, everyone's got to have standards.
• Rammbock (Germany) - Nice take on the zombie genre.  Proves there may be an option short of the head shot.  Tightly edited slick ride in an area where most new entries either go for the joke or upping the gore factor.  It was announced at the festival that they'd landed US distribution - so be sure to go see it when it comes to your town.
• Stake Land (USA) - Vampire apocalypse road movie.  Rather entertaining
• Short Fuse! - Severe Fantastic Fest Shorts
• Showcase of Machinima Animation
• Destroy All Movies!!! Class of 1984 - party to celebrate the release of a comprehensive guide to every movie with a punk in it.  And they're not joking - at all.  Bought the book which is looking promising.  As part of the fun the screening Class of 1984 which was interesting to watch all these years later (I probably last saw it in 1984-1985 on VHS)
• Summer Wars (Japan) - interesting anime film about collective effort to defeat an evil AI out to destroy an international all knowing computer system (that's probably mentioned somewhere in Facebook's 10 year plan for the future/world domination).  Nicely crafts in relationship/romantic drama as well.  Unfortunately saw at midnight and didn't quite make it to the end.
• A Somewhat Gentle Man (Norway) - I didn't actually see at Fantastic Fest, but I've seen prior so it's sort of part of the experience anyway in my book.  Guy out of prison struggling to find his path film that combines a satisfying conclusion, black comedy, and some of the most uncomfortable sex scenes this side of The Room.

Notes on 3 more VIFF films (via Fantastic Fest)

Currently winging my way back to Seattle from Austin where I spent the last 4 days immersed in genre film from around the world courtesy of Fantastic Fest.  This outing resulted in me seeing three more films that will be screening in Vancouver's VIFF very shortly.  All three of the films below are worth seeing - but my strongest recommendations of the three go to Rubber and Gallants.  Descriptions of each follow below.  As a reminder all my VIFF 2010 coverage will continue to be available at this link throughout the festival.

Rubber - A car tire becomes alive, develops a taste for murder - via a power to make people's heads literally explode.  And that's not the strangest part of the film.  Mixing stalked on the road genre conventions (right down to the tire spying on his target showering), humor and serious strangeness this is definitely worth seeing.  Can't imagine it's going to be showing in too many local multiplexes so suggest you jump on this one while you can.

The Man From Nowhere (Korea) - An action thriller that crosses the "you fucked with the wrong mysterious stranger" deal with the highly trainer killer/young girl dynamics of The Professional in a mostly effective way.  A woman tries to take something that doesn't belong to her from very bad people - she and her daughter are put in peril.  A neighbor with a mysterious background gets drawn in - which turns out to be their only chance as he slowly begins to care about the kidnapped girl's welfare.  It fell short of being truly dynamite in my opinion - and I haven't been able to put my finger on why exactly.  But it's a generally solid entry in the action/thriller genre space.  This is not casual kid in peril fare - so if that really creeps you out I at least wanted to point that out.

Gallants (Hong Kong) - you could flippantly describe this as Cocoon with Kung-Fu.  While that certainly sounds appealing it goes a bit deeper than that.  A young bumbling real estate agent noticeably lacking in backbone is sent to a back country area to help swindle some folks out of their tea house.  But this tea house is actually a former Kung-Fu school and the tea is now prepared by two of the former master's disciples.  The master in question has been in a coma for 30 years while time marched on for everyone around him.  The disciples aren't in the shape they used to be in but they can still kick some serious ass - though whether they're a match for younger folks in their prime is more complex question.  Not to give away much of the plot a fair amount of kung-fu ensues as they try to keep what's rightfully theirs.  Along the way the nature of not going gently into the night as one gets older gets a nice treatment as well.  Solid humor rounds out the mix.  A strong recommend on this one.  Doesn't hurt that much (if not most) of the cast were well known figures on the kung-fu movie scene earlier in their lives as well.

The Festival of New Spanish Cinema (2010)

In case you're not religiously reading the SIFF website you might not be fully aware that this Thursday begins a mini festival of "New Spanish Cinema"

There are eight films playing, a few of which screened at SIFF this year.  The two films I've seen already I recommend.  If I had a chance I'd definitely try to catch all eight.  But I can definitely recommend;

• Garbo the Spy - A stranger than fiction documentary about a Spanish self appointed double agent who was awarded both the Allied and Axis powers highest accolades during WW-II.  His lies so completely believed by the Nazis that the D-Day invasion's success can be in large measure credited to him.  Even days into the attack the Germans still expected the real offensive would be coming elsewhere and therefore refused to deploy all their forces to Normandy (thankfully).

• Me Too -  Expectation defying love story involving man with Down Syndrome and a woman without in the Spanish workplace. Sounds like it has a high likelihood of being horrible - I know.  But surprisingly good and doesn't take you into unrealistic feeling directions - somewhat shockingly.  I did like it.

15th Annual Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (2010)

Today marks the release of the film list for the 15th Annual Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.  Taking place between October 15-24th there should be plenty of less than great weather to encourage you to attend some screenings.  I haven't spent a lot of time looking at the schedule yet, but I have noticed six full length films that I've seen plus one short.  While I believe any of them probably have their audiences the first two I do recommend to almost anyone.  Especially The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls.  I can't really imagine a demographic that wouldn't enjoy it (or them) - which is part of the point of the movie itself I suppose.  Below is a short writeup of what I've seen.  When I get more time to review the offerings more detail I'll return to share what I'm interested in seeing myself.

• I Love You Phillip Morris - Based on a true story about a man (Jim Carrey) who consistently gets arrested for a variety of cons to help him live the high life (as he puts it "being gay is expensive") and then continually breaking out to be with the love of his life (Ewan McGregor).  In some ways it seems like it'd be a very different role for Carrey, though his manic comic mannerisms come through - with at least one scene suggesting the courtroom antics of Liar Liar.  Though this is far more of a dramatic performance with a touch of comedy than a stereotypical "Jim Carrey" film.  When the comic Carrey peeks through it's not in a bad way.  The film as a whole is a sort of a collection of amusing anecdotes about the things he does "for love."  I found it more entertaining than I expected - if at times a little predictable.  Almost worth it just for a great throw-away line towards the end about the Texas justice/penal system.  There's been a long history of this film being left in the can and denied the release it deserves.  Unsure where that story is right now so you might want to see it while you can.

• The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand) - Very near the start of this documentary a man relates an experience at a party at a comedy festival. Learning from he hailed from New Zealand the producer asked him to give him a sense as to the state of comedy was there, for example who's the biggest act there? When he responded it was the Topp Twins, yodeling lesbian twins, the fellow coughed and suddenly recognized someone else he needed to talk with. That anecdote is a perfect start to this film which gives outsiders a quick but effective crash course in the twin's career. The movie is both interesting AND entertaining.  See it.  It sounds weird but you'll like it - trust me...

• Eyes Wide Open (Israel) - oops, this is one of those films I forgot to write notes on at the time.  I saw it at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival this past year.  The story of a Hassidic man who struggles with his place in the community as a not fully in the closet homosexual.  I remember thinking it was well acted but didn't feel it was one of the more memorable films I'd seen in the past year.  Which might have been why I didn't write it up at the time.

• Is it Just Me? - a romantic comedy I saw in Palm Springs back in Jan. Before this film had an interesting conversation with a guy on line who was complaining that the movie's plot was lifted, and I quote, "directly from Eating Out 3."  Not having seen that film (nor the suggested first two outings of the franchise) I can't say one way or the other.  But I can say that I didn't laugh especially often during this comedy - nor did I feel drawn to any of the character's problems (which I think is more a weakness of the film than my own interests).  Some of the humor and the very attractive guys (also confirmed by 'Eating Out' quote guy) - clearly were at least somewhat appreciated by the audience. So if you fit the film's targeted demographic you might like this romantic sex comedy better than I.  Though I've seen some pretty terrible hetero and lesbian romantic comedies where the women were gorgeous - and that still didn't make them movies I'd recommend paying for.  Amusingly in one way it's similar to any "straight sex" comedy - an over reliance on (visual) blowjob jokes throughout.
  

• The Purple Sea (Italy)- Historical lesbian love story in beautiful Sicily.  From a film making perspective there's nothing technically wrong here.  All the photography makes the most of the scenery, the story is clear enough, nobody is mumbling, etc.  But I just cannot say I liked the film - partly due to the painful material.  The "sexiness" (which at least some of the marketing tries to play to) came across as clinical and I just had no patience for the behavior of the father - which I think we were supposed to see as finding a compromise for himself to deal with the daughter's non-conformist behavior.  If you're inclined to see it I don't want to dissuade anyone.  If you want a deeper understanding of my thoughts you can follow this link to my original review.

• The String - This film set in Tunisia about the relationship between a gay man and his mother's handyman.  Again - I really wish I'd been a bit more diligent in keeping notes from when I saw this at SIFF.  Overall I believe I enjoyed it finding the view of gay life in Tunisia an interesting vacation of the mind. So of the group I've seen I think this would likely be my third recommendation.

•  Black Ops Arabesque  - is actually a short film that's worth looking for it you're attending one of the short film sections.  I can't quite remember where I saw it (I believe at SXSW) but I do remember smiling as I watched.

My brief trip to MIFFF short films

This weekend was the 2nd Annual Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (MIFFF) at SIFF Cinema.  There was a broad range of things to see - but I was only able to get to a single session of short films entitled "Action and Science Fiction."

All the films were well made and I could see why they were included.  Two I liked a lot - the others somewhat less.  I'm starting to think that there's a class of sci-fi shorts that just doesn't do it for me.  The technical ability of folks to render compelling visuals has somewhat outstripped the storytelling in some cases.  So basically it was what most short packages are in my opinion - hit or miss.  I think that my favorite two were the first two screened got my expectations unreasonably amped up.  Hopefully next year I'll have a bit more time to be able to attend most if not all of their offerings.

First up was No Escape a German short which takes place in a bank men's room.  Three employees find themselves trapped there when robbers storm the building.  The employees can't agree what to do - and take some pretty ill advised measures.  Technically well shot, tightly edited and rather interesting this was my second favorite of the set.


Next was my favorite of the session, Street Angel from Australia the story of a fourteen year old skateboarding, homeless ninja-fighting girl who saves the world from the "most dangerous geologist" of our time.  It's both clever and funny with slick comic visuals piecing together some parts of the story that would have been too expensive as live action.  Though even if one could afford it that cartoon narrated cut scenes in between the action worked so well I think it would really hurt the film to take them out.  I learned at the end the short is based on a comic book - and it seems to capture the feel of such in a very cool way.  Like a light version of Kick Ass.

The remaining shorts weren't at all bad - as examples of the folks involved film-making skills they all delivered.  Most had at least some fun elements to them - but none of them were quite as memorable as the first two films.  Three of the remaining ones were straight sci-fi and the other two were mini exploitation style features.  I'm just going to use the short blurbs from the SIFF site to give you a sense of what they are as it's getting late...

Thy Kill Be Done Greg Hanson, Casey Regan (USA, 16 min.)

When the Monsignor priest of a small church is killed by a gang of no-good hoodlums and their leader, the nuns in the church's clergy must take revenge. But these are no ordinary nuns.

Babylon 2084 Christian Schleisiek (Germany, 30 min.)

In the year 2084 the world has sunken into the sea. The rest of mankind lives in two towers which underlie a self-destructing constraint to grow higher and higher.

Cockpit: The Rule of Engagement Jesse Griffith (USA, 12 min.)

In 2103, one rule in fighter combat keeps a mind controlling alien raceaway from Earth's doorstep.

Red Revenge Denny Dias (Canada, 6 min.)

With life already crashing, urban cowboy Billy Bruce loses the only thing he ever loved - a Red 1984 Camaro - to a crazed car enthusiast. Now the one thing he can finally steer is revenge, and you better bet it's gonna get red! Never mess with a man's car!

The 3rd Letter Grzegorz Jonkajtys (USA, 17 min.)

Faced with the imminent loss of his crucial health insurance, Brief (Rodrigo Lopresti) unwittingly unravels a dark truth behind his insurance which subsequently pushes him to unspeakable lengths in an attempt for survival.

VIFF 2010 - The Complete Linked Film List

In case for some reason you wanted a list of all 245 films playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival (hyperlinked to their ticket purchase pages) or perhaps the same for the 109 shorts in this year's program never let it be said this blog wasn't willing to help.  I'd actually been searching for a source with the country information as well so I could entertain myself charting the number of films by country.  But for now the below will have to do.  And no - I can't figure out a good reason for doing this either.  ;-)

As long as I'm posting about VIFF resources also wanted to pass along that their mobile site appears to be live now.  Didn't see a note about this on their main page but it's a useful resource especially if you're just trying to remember what a particular film is about.

Machete

Some time ago it seems for the double feature Grindhouse a trailer was shot for an imaginary explotation film starring Danny Trejo as a former Mexican federale who now a day laborer in the US is tricked into assassinating a politician only to become the hunted.  But those involved didn't realize they'd fucked with the wrong guy.  And if someone's nickname is Machete I can assure you - that's always the wrong person to fuck with.

As it turns out folks liked the fake trailer enough for a feature length film to be made of it.  Machete playing in theaters now is the result.  It still stars Danny Trejo and the plot is as advertised in the original trailer.  Trejo is one seriously bad-ass dude who also Shaft like seems to have a way with the ladies (which Rodriguez mostly plays for laughs with corny "porn music" bumped up every time Machete is required to service someone).  There's little in the way of plot as perhaps one should expect given the source material.  But there is plenty of violence, bad language and gratuitous nudity.  So that somewhat balances things out.

This is a Robert Rodriguez production through and through.  So if you've seen any of his earlier films you probably know roughly what to expect.  I generally enjoyed the b-movie exploitation feel - though it didn't really sustain 100% all the way through for me (which has been my feeling of Rodriguez films in the past also).  A lot of well known actors make appearances, and it's hard to dislike a film that combines a scene with busty under dressed nurses and Trejo rappelling out a window with a goon's intestines.  Everyone seems to be having fun with their roles including Lindsay Lohan who somehow signed on to play a caricature of herself.  The film doesn't really make much sense at all - to the extent it actually bothered me a bit.  But did I mention that the chesty nurses also wield machine guns?

Personally if I was suggesting one trashy b-movie playing in theaters I'd send folks off to Piranha 3D.  But if the trailer appeals to you I don't think there's a reason not to see Machete also.  Just don't expect it to be as fantastic as the short preview is and you'll probably be OK.  But if it doesn't look like fun I wouldn't really recommend spending the money - it's not likely to change your mind. 

I'll leave you with both the theatrical trailer (first) and the "red band" one for those 18 and over...

The American

It's starting to come back to me why I really need to try to stay on top of these reviews.  I saw The American a few weeks ago so I'm not mentally in a position to remember each and every nuance of the film.  One thing I do recall is that before I went I kept hearing that "it's nothing like the trailer makes it look."  There is truth to that statement.  The marketing materials make it appear as though the film stars George Clooney as a professional assassin who is hunted by unnamed forces.  OK, that part is correct.  What people mean is that the material makes you assume it's an action adventure thriller sort of ride - perhaps one hopes a thinking man's Bourne film.  And if you go seeking action you will be disappointed.  Instead what one gets is a far more meditative story including bursts of suspense.  It's not going to work for everyone but it clicked for me.

The film starts out with Clooney on a retreat by a frozen over lake with a naked woman.  Soon he's fighting for his life and showing an alarming lack of sentimentality when it comes to whether or not to leave a witness to the events.  After contacting his shadowing handler he's off to hide in rural Italy.  There he hangs about looking worried, works on his physique and takes on some side work building custom weaponry.  He also embarks on a potential long term relationship with a prostitute in the town over.  Throughout the film he doesn't do a lot of talking and as I mentioned the violence is rather measured.

Given all this some may find the endeavor boring.  In my case for whatever reason I was able to settle back and sink into the proceedings.  I suspect the material was intended to be "deeper" than I found it.  Regardless I was really into the ride, and even though by the end it seemed as though it was a story without a compelling point I didn't begrudge them any of the time spent.  It's what I'd hoped The Limits of Control might have been - with the bonus of the almost always enjoyable Clooney and a decidedly lower WTF? factor.

The Town

Coming across to me sort of like Heat with a happier ending I mostly enjoyed my viewing of The Town while it was going on but the film is unlikely to generate a lot of repeat viewing inside my brain.  Ben Affleck stars and directs in the story of a smart, tough guy who robs banks (and the like) for a living in what we're told is the family (and neighborhood) business.  He almost got out of the neighborhood as a professional hockey player but fell back to earth after blowing that chance due to youthful stupidity.  Now having met a nice woman after accidentally kidnapping her during a bank heist he tries to get out, only to find out it's not as easy as it seems.  So he goes back in for one last big score that he hopes will allow him to settle out all professional debts and disappear with his lady love.  Hmmm - when I write it out like that it really does sound awfully cliche ridden.  The reality is that the movie doesn't break a lot of new ground - though it's very well directed technically.  The highlight for me were the robbery sequences which include some very well choreographed car chases through Boston.  Improbable as they may be those scenes made the movie for me.

Affleck's character is hounded by G-man Jon Hamm - though their interaction doesn't really bring anything special to the film as written.  Certainly no equivalent sit down at a diner for a cup of coffee and a "I do what I do, I take scores..." discussion to be had here.  And some will find the ending unforgivably goofy bringing what I can only describe as a Shawshank Redemption vibe out of left field.  At the end of the day though for me I personally found the experience enjoyable enough to recommend if you're in the mood for a crime drama.  It's certainly a heck of a lot better than Takers.

Easy A

Sometimes one just wants a nice solid teen sex comedy and all the better if it hearkens back to ones childhood favorites.  While some movies throw a nod few really capture the experience well.  Earlier this week I left early from a screening of It's kind of a funny story when they defiled the opening line of Risky Business ("the dream is always the same...") with something about a suicidal bridge related dream.  So I know referring to classic films of the 80's isn't an easy rope to walk.  But more often than not I felt Easy A was both entertaining in its own right and balanced out the homage pieces (subtle and not so much) well to make a film that I enjoyed.  Sure, Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as the parents of main character Olive (Emma Stone) stole the film.  But I felt even against that high bar most of the actors.   Maybe it's no Bandslam (starring Olive's mostly BFF Alyson Michalka) but it still had me laughing and caring (at least a little) about the characters.  Admittedly, it's really really hard for me to imagine the alternate universe where Emma Stone can't get a date.  But the film engaged me enough to allow them that yearning chasm of dramatic license. 

Olive is a high achieving though apparently not well noticed teenager attending high school in California.  She tells a little white lie to her friend to get out of a camping trip saying she has a date with a college guy.  In the sort of thing that generally happens in movies Olive lies a bit more after being pushed by her friend indicating that the date led to the loss of her virginity.  But this is overheard by a holier than though pro-abstinence crusader who immediately tells everyone on campus.  Why this is a big deal in this day and age I'm a bit unsure.  But the scandal brings other virgins out of the woodwork who convince Olive (who has annoyingly weak sales resistance) to pretend to have slept with them to solve their social woes (such as being fat, foreign, or gay - that last one I'll admit bugged me a bit).  Soon she's a virtual whore taking gift cards in exchange for pretending to have had sex.

As one might imagine there seems to be something slightly wrong with that plan.  In ways that don't 100% make sense, except for the well thought out need for Emma Stone to appear in lingerie, Olive embraces the notoriety even sewing a red A on her new more revealing wardrobe.  This being a measure of solidarity with the Scarlett Letter (either the book or the original movie - not the one with Demi Moore as Olive keeps pointing).  One of the many smile inducing asides is about how all high school students generally identify with all the books they're reading - with the exception of Huck Finn (as few of them have had the experience or urge to run away with an older black man). 
 
Will she or will she not eventually hook up with Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley) the one nice guy who sees past her act?  Will she eventually straighten everything out?  Will the adults in the film work their stuff out?  Yep, not a huge number of surprises in store there - but for the genre I felt it worked.  Especially like that the adults and the teens are both well done  -Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow get some positive screen time.  So everyone does a decent job, the writing is funny - some days that's enough.  Not going to displace Say Anything for me anytime soon - but a pleasant way to spend some time in the theater.  Now if I can only see a sequel focusing on Tucci and Clarkson I'll be back for a sequel...

Devil

I'm not really sure what's more shocking, that I actually went back to see a movie associated with M. Night Shyamalan or that I didn't hate it.  Either way what seemed like a completely terrible idea to me managed to keep me relatively entertained and most of the time caught up in the suspense.  I'm not sure I'd really call it either scary or a horror flick - mentally slotting it as a "thriller."  I'd say it might have a supernatural bent but the one spoiler I will say is that it's not like old school Scooby-Doo where the ghost turns out to be an old disgruntled fisherman wearing a latex mask.

The film is a closed box mystery where one can spend most of their time guessing who the villain is - thought it's not super hard in this case.  Before we get to the plot the film opens with an upside down flying camera view of the Philadelphia skyline and a mysterious suicide. A voice over from a character we'll meet later explains the films basic conceit. Occasionally the devil will come to earth, take the form of a human and publicly toy with a group of the damned before hastening their trip to the sulfurous pits of hell.  While that might sound a lot like your mother-in-law last Thanksgiving - in this case the voice over is referring to a more literal interpretation of such events.  After the intro sequence and some background character exposition a group of strangers get on an elevator that soon is stuck around the 20th floor.  There things go progressively wronger and wronger for the participants.  Meanwhile an ex-alcoholic cop whose wife and child were killed by a hit and run driver works with building security to try to get them out while at least someone is left alive.  Yeah, yeah - I said it was suspenseful at times, and was going to add well shot.  I was not going to say it was cliche free.

For what it was I thought it wasn't bad.  I believe the last M. Night Shyamalan film I saw involved Mel Gibson before he'd gone completely nuts.  Clearly it has been a while.  My low expectations may have helped my enjoyment of the film - which I would say made it worth seeing if you go in for this sort of thing, though perhaps best to shoot for matinee pricing and sneak in your own popcorn to ensure you get your money's worth.

Are you seriously willing to skip a festival with "Maelstrom" in its title?

This weekend is the The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (MIFFF) taking place at SIFF Cinema.  Even though it's a mouthful and it's acronym may make folks you're talking to do a double take if they think the head a L in there it's a wide ranging collection of films that's well worth taking a closer look at.  In their words....

MIFFF produces the Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, the premier Pacific Northwest weekend long event devoted towards independent and international genre film making. The event was created to offer exposure to films that traditionally are overlooked by the festival circuit from genres including action, animation, fantasy, horror, and science fiction. The festival will feature an amazing selection of fantastic cinema from around the globe – with the possibility of artists presenting the works themselves. U.S. and world premieres will play alongside global festival favorites and select retrospective titles.

So basically just a lot of cool stuff.  I'd say "random" cool stuff - but this whole genre thing seems like it could be a touchy subject ;-)  Tickets are available at SIFF's website - the full list of films are below.  The MIFFF site has links to longer descriptions and trailers for much of the films.  I haven't seen most of the the things playing so I'm unable to offer an opinion first hand.  For those not following it's controversial path on the festival circuit the most extreme of MIFFF's offerings is probably A Serbian Film - which many folks have described as the sort of disturbing content you just can not unsee.  I know that seems like a challenge, but I'm personally going to take a pass on that one - as it's already claimed at least one victim in the physical sense.  Otherwise there does seems to be a lot of things worth checking out - nice to have a local prelude to Fantastic Fest without the airfare.

Oh, I have seen The Elder Sign and The Macabre World of Lavender Williams.  I can't quite remember where I saw Elder Sign - but I recall enjoying it.  Lavender Williams I think I saw at Palm Springs Shortsfest. Weird zombie animatronic dog with the voice of Christopher Lloyd - 'nuff said. Actually that description makes it sound more fun than it is.  Though it is a dog talking with Christopher Lloyd's voice - so I'm sure nothing I can say will talk most folks out of it.

Seems like a great way to stretch some boundaries if you're looking for something to do this weekend.  Day and weekend passes are available - as are tickets to individual screenings.  Hope to see some folks there...

FEATURE FILMS LIST

Blood River
USA - Director Adam Mason - 104 min
A newlywed couple are pushed to the limit during a chance encounter with a mysterious drifter in a deserted ghost town.

Mørke Sjeler (Dark Souls)
Norway, France - Directors César Ducasse, Mathieu Peteul - 97 min
A revengeful father embarks on a dark thrill ride of lost memories, conspiracy and zombie-like symptoms. Finding the mysterious darkness within is the source of the bizarre world he has uncovered.

The Presence
USA - Director Tom Provost - 88 min
A woman travels to an isolated cabin where she finds herself stalked by an apparition who has come to inhabit her space as his own.

Srpski Film (A Serbian Film)
Serbia - Director Srđan Spasojević - 104 min
An aging adult movie star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.

SHORT FILMS LIST

A Complex Villainelle
USA Directors: Nathan Billington, Bart Ovaitt, Ryan Porter, Rebecca Forth - 8 min
The Penguin is looking for love and is introduced to a lovely nanny, Mary Poppins, who prefers travel by umbrella.

The Abaddon File
UK Director: Lorne Guy - 9 min
A cold war experiment into psychic spying turns out to be a dangerous game. The dead are not always the friends of the living.

Alice Jacobs is Dead
USA Director: Alex Horwitz - 22 min
A scientist races to find the cure to a horrific virus before it turns his wife into something monstrous.

Babylon 2084
Germany - Director: Christian Schleisiek - 30 min
In the year 2084 the world has sunken into the sea. The rest of mankind lives in two towers which underlie a self-destructing constraint to grow higher and higher.

Billy Baxter and The Mystery of Dr. Amazo
USA - Director Patrick Flaherty - 13 min
A young boy opens a new dimension of adventure when some comic book toys send him on an amazing trip of wonder.

Clemency
USA - Director Joseph Albanese - 19 min
A reporter confronts a sadistic killer who takes her on a terrifying thrill ride she will never forget.

Cockpit: The Rule of Engagement
USA - Director Jesse Griffith - 12 min
In 2103, one rule in fighter combat keeps a mind controlling alien raceaway from Earth's doorstep.

ConLang
USA - Director Marta Masferrer - 15 min
Conlang is a unique comedy about secret crushes, extreme linguistics and the language of love.

The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger
USA - Director Bill Plympton - 6 min
A children's fable about the power of advertising, the meaning of life and ultimately the test of a mother's love.

DemiUrge Emesis
USA - Director Aurelio Voltaire - 3 min
A mummified cat is tormented by the skeletons of past meals. Directed and animated by MTV and Sy Fy Channel veteran Aurelio Voltaire and narrated by Danny Elfman.

Dracula's Daughter vs The Space Brains
USA - Directors Frank Ippolito, Ezekiel Zabrowski - 5 min
Marketa, a vampire, must find untainted human blood to save her sister from the menace of the space brains.

Ducked and Covered: A Survival Guide to the Post Apocalypse
Australia - Director Nathaniel Lindsay - 9 min
An animated government/science style public service film, circa 1981, for surviving life in Australia after Nuclear War.

Elder Sign
Canada - Director Joseph Nanni - 3 min
If you suffer from an overwhelming sense of dread brought on by the realization of your own insignificance in the universe, then you need Elder Sign.

The Familiar
Canada - Director Kody Zimmermann - 22 min
Sam Matheson has accepted a very odd job: be the personal caretaker of an immortal, amoral, bloodsucking vampire.

Father and Sister
USA - Director Soyeon Kim - 5 min
A chance occurrence leads to a workplace temptation.

Flat Love
Spain - Director Andres Sanz - 15 min
A man, convinced that the world is actually flat, falls in love with a two-dimensional woman at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Flowers for Norma
USA - Director Juan Pablo Reinoso - 11 min
A young man strolls the streets of New York City to meet the love of his life, only to find that love is not all he expected it to be.

The Hatter's Apprentice
USA - Director Derek Meyer - 17 min
The Hatter's Apprentice is a Victorian-era thriller about a young apprentice hat maker who, driven by his affection for a local flower peddler, creates an exquisite hat, despite his master's warnings.

Hollow Girl
Ireland - Director Dave McCabe - 12 min
When young Katie wanders into a strange field and takes something that doesn't belong to her, she discovers that the fairies in her storybooks were lies and that there's a good reason why farmers leave the fey folk well enough alone.

Journey Quest
USA - Director Matt Vancil - 45 min
Following a group of dysfunctional adventurers on a quest to discover and destroy the mythical Sword of Fighting.

Kidnap
USA - Director Sijia Luo - 4 min
A little chicken who is late to school, and her excuse is being kidnapped on the way to school.

The Lift
USA - Director Robert Kohr - 6 min
An elevator interaction goes wrong, prompting a young woman to learn about being insensitive and to never make the same mistake again.

Love Does Grow on Trees
UK - Director Bevan Walsh - 10 min
A coming of age comedy about a teenage boy whose life is thrown into chaos when he discovers porn magazines, girls and the embarrassment that goes with both.

The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
USA - Director Nicolas Delgado - 26 min
Eight year-old Lavender Williams, who recently lost her mother to cancer, sets off on an epic journey to find her Dad, whom she's never met.

Manual Practico del Amigo Imaginario
Spain - Director Ciro Altabas - 19 min
At 27, Fernando must choose between finding love and losing Captain Kiloton, his imaginary friend.

The Necronomicon
Canada - Director Joseph Nanni - 2 min
Do you want to be a nicer person and are looking for inspiration to do good things? Well keep looking. But if you're into opening up terrifying vistas of reality then the Esoteric Order of the Old Ones and Cthulhu Cultists want to help.

No Escape
Germany - Director Till Martinsen - 8 min
Three employees find themselves in the men's room during a bank robbery. None of them fully comprehends what is happening outside in the bank's teller area and each of them is overwhelmed by the situation.

Noirville
UK - Director Andrew Marsh - 13 min
Lucy, Noirville's only inhabitant, takes a mysterious journey through the night in a hope to cure her loneliness in this darkly surreal tale.

One Small Step
Australia - Director Damien Slevin - 5 min
On July 24th 1969 man finally reached the Moon as 600 million people watched. They were not the only ones.

Porque Hay Cosas Que Nunca Se Olvidan
Argentina - Lucas M. Figueroa - 12 min
Four friends plays soccer on the street. Suddenly the ball falls inside "evil grandma's" house. Thy probably won't play with this ball again, but the revenge will be terrible.

Red Revenge
Canada - Director Denny Dias - 6 min
With life already crashing, urban cowboy Billy Bruce loses the only thing he ever loved - a Red 1984 Camaro - to a crazed car enthusiast. Now the one thing he can finally steer is revenge, and you better bet it's gonna get red! Never mess with a man's car!

Rise of The Living Corpse
Canada - Director Christopher Walsh - 1 min
Rotting flesh breaks soil and the fun begins.

The Scottish Ninjas
USA - Director Beau Obremski - 21 min
Three kilted warriors, freshly settled in America, make their public debut battling the primate delusional, gun wielding maniac known as 'The Executioner. In the process, they catch the attention from the police, media, and a mysterious evil force working behind the scenes.

Slap Back Jack 'High Five Master'
USA - Director Mark Newell - 12 min
Having some trouble with high-fives and hand slaps? There's someone who can help, he's Slap Back Jack.

ST: Phoenix
USA - Director Leo Roberts - 30 min
After a major attack on the crew's starship, the crew attempts to rescue an away team on a remote planet.

Street Angel
Australia - Director Lucas Testro - 17 min
When Doctor Pangea, 'the world's deadliest geologist', escapes from prison with plans to destroy earth as we know it, Angel City turns to its unlikely champion, 14 year old homeless girl and kung-fu skateboarding superhero - Street Angel!

SuperBattle (Episode 1)
USA - Director Ethan Marak - 8 min
When a notorious super-villain escapes from his subterranean prison, the enigmatic robot warden summons his most powerful henchman to deliver justice. The first completed episode of an ongoing stop-motion animated series.

The 3rd Letter
USA - Director Grzegorz Jonkajtys - 17 min
Faced with the imminent loss of his crucial health insurance, Brief (Rodrigo Lopresti) unwittingly unravels a dark truth behind his insurance which subsequently pushes him to unspeakable lengths in an attempt for survival.

Thy Kill Be Done
USA - Directors Greg Hanson, Casey Regan - 16 min
When the Monsignor priest of a small church is killed by a gang of no-good hoodlums and their leader, the nuns in the church's clergy must take revenge. But these are no ordinary nuns.

Toothnapped
USA - Director George Dondero - 5 min
Pull the tooth. Discover the truth.

Two Men, Two Cows, Two Guns
Canada - Director Pardis Parker - 5 min
An unexpected visitor with odd news and an odder story interrupts a family's quiet day at the farmhouse, sending it spiraling into a chaotic whirlwind of unfortunate misunderstandings.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Resident Evil opens with a rather striking slow motion rain scene set in Tokyo.  Which would probably have been pretty mind blowing, if I hadn't already seen it in Johnnie To's film Sparrow.   Whether it's that zombie ballet in the rain sequence or the multiple bullet time nods to The Matrix this is a film with solid visual chops that sadly failed to deliver enough thrills to satisfy.  And since from the beginning a coherent plot was clearly not on the agenda that means that this film seriously under-delivered for me.

I was joking with a friend before heading over to the film that I didn't know if I'd be able to follow things if I hadn't seen the prior three Resident Evil franchise films.  I'm not sure if that was entirely the problem (yes, I know the franchise is based on a bunch of video games involving zombies) but as it turns out I did find myself going WTF over and over again.  Especially in the initial opening sequence involving many super powered copies of Milla Jovovich kicking ass inside an evil corporation.  Which apparently is run by another super powered sunglasses wearing bad-ass with the demeanor of Agent Smith.

After that opening sequence Alice (Milla Jovovich) heads out in search of other survivors, including a group she ended the last movie with.  When she doesn't quite find them she flies down to LA where she meets up with another group of survivors badly in need of her help.  Part of that group includes Wentworth Miller who is falsely imprisoned when she gets there (he might want to worry about being typecast).  Their effort to get to safety in spite of the zombie hordes surrounding them forms most of the rest of the film up until what was for me a somewhat unsatisfying ending.  Leaving me feeling as though I'd just finished the penultimate level of a video game.
 
Some of the action sequences are slickly choreographed - but after a few minutes none had enough heft to really hold my interest.  I went looking for eye-candy and a distraction - certainly not Shakespeare.  But unless you're looking to see a film where at least 20% of it seems to be in 3D slow-motion I can't  really recommend Resident Evil - Afterlife.  I will say though that it shows once again that shooting in 3D tends to produce a better result than doing a crappy conversion in post production.   Makers of 'Further Clashing of the Titans' please take note.

Jack Goes Boating

Based on the film's trailer I wasn't especially excited to see Jack Goes Boating.  Felt like it might be well acted but downer relationship stuff that I had no need to see. Plus my lord, what was up with Philip Seymour Hoffman's hair?  But as it turns out I quite liked Jack Goes Boating even though it lost me a little bit at the end's pent up (and coked up) dramatic pre-finale finale.

Jack (Hoffman) works with his best friend Clyde (John Ortiz) as a limo driver for his uncle.  Jack's a quiet guy without it would seem a whole lot going for him that distinguishes him from the crowd except perhaps a taste for reggae music.  Clyde and his wife  Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) introduce him to Connie (Amy Ryan) who works in Lucy's office.  The pair sort of hit it off - though whatever issues Jack may have it's easy to suspect Connie may have more.  Towards the end of the evening as they walk through beautifully photographed snow they make a date to go row boating during the summer. Jack takes this ambitious future date fairly seriously especially the safety aspect, as he doesn't know how to swim. Lessons with Clyde ensue.  These swimming lessons which I thought looked hokey in the trailer are a wonderful surprise - highlighting the strong relationship between the men and Jack's discovery of visualization as a learning technique. That concept of visualization for success makes repeated appearances throughout the film as Jack betters himself on pursuit of Connie.  Throughout, his best friends present the possible downsides of a long term relationship as he learns some of the challenges they've had to bear.

There are of course ups and downs as he and Connie work towards their boating outing. I won't say much more beyond that I enjoyed watching both the actors doing their thing and the beautiful direction of the proceedings. Sometimes it's good to be surprised. The film isn't perfect, with a blow up scene towards the end I could have personally done without.  But the relationship between Jack and Connie made it worthwhile.  A nice adult relationship story that deserves to be seen on the large screen for the visuals crafted within.  Though I still don't fully understand Mr. Hoffman's choice in hairstyles (or lack thereof) for the role.



Screening Notes:

Thanks to SIFF membership I was able to watch this film ahead of its release combined with a live Q&A session featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Oritz who stopped by on their way to present the film at the Toronto Film Festival.  They were very engaging, speaking with the audience and SIFF's Carl Spence for a good 40 minutes after the film ended.  Among other things, I learned the film was based on a play that they've been in as well as some of the background of the film getting made.  All in all it was a very nice addition to the evening.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Oritz talk with SIFF's Carl Spence after the film

Philip Seymour Hoffman talking with the audience

Some more VIFF 2010 Recommendations

Towards the end of August with the release of their sneak preview guide I made some recommendations of things to see at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF 2010) based on what I'd already caught earlier in the year.  The short list of those were Cold Weather, Garbo the Spy, The Reverse, and A Somewhat Gentle Man.  Now with the full schedule released there are some other films I can offer an opinion based having seen three other films.

Kawasaki's Rose (Czech Republic) - directed by Jan Hrebejk who is one of those directors where I'll see anything new they do at a festival.  I didn't love his last film Shameless which was at VIFF 2009 - didn't dislike it, just wasn't blown away.  But as Beauty in Trouble was one of those festival gems that took me by surprise I'm more than willing to go back and try his new stuff at least a few more times.  With Kawasaki's Rose he's definitely back in my view.  The story involves a family and what transpired in the past.  Eschewing telling the story in flashback the complex reality of a woman's parents life under the prior oppressive regime and the true story of a variety of relationships come to light.  It's best to see this one as fresh as possible and just to give yourself to the film's storytelling.  So I won't elaborate on the story anymore.  I still prefer some of Hrebejk's earlier work but this is a solid film worth seeing.

Cell 211 (Spain) -  A gripping film that teaches the valuable life lesson not to show up for work early Cell 211 is a strong addition to the prison film thriller genre.  It's not the masterpiece that A Prophet was but it's still an entertaining ride.  Though not necessarily a happily ever after ending one.  Can't wait to see how they butcher that part in (what I suspect to be) the inevitable US remake. Juan Oliver has taken a job as a prison guard to support himself and his pregnant wife.  Looking to make a good impression he shows up for work a day early to get a sense of things.  While he's being shown around a riot breaks out.  Initially injured Juan is left behind by the fleeing guards and awakens in cell #211.  After an amazingly quick assessment of the situation he decides the safest course of action is to pretend to be a new inmate.  Juan is successful at this gambit though his true identity hangs on by a thread for most of the film.  I'll leave the rest for you to guess at until you see it. 

Waiting for Superman (USA)  - Could have sworn I had notes on this from SIFF, but seems maybe I never wrote them up. From the director of An Inconvenient truth comes a documentary about the problems with US education.  Interesting at times, but not at least to me particularly revelatory.  My main takeaway is that if you're going to allegedly spend so much time studying an issue and then make a film about it I'd like to actually come away with what your ideas to address it are.  Otherwise the main learning is that great teachers make a huge difference, the system is more than a bit mixed up, and that we're all in denial about it.  Three things I already knew.

Mesrine: Killer instinct (France)

The first of two parts (the second coming out in theaters a week later) Mesrine - Killer Instincts tells of the rise and fall of a French gangster who came back from the war in Algeria to wreak some degree of havoc across at least two additional continents.

Vincent Cassel does a great job playing Jacques Mesrine - who apparently is quite famous in France (and I imagine Canada) but who I knew nothing about.  While I don't think this is that likely to make my top 10 for the year I really got into it with it's retro crime story charms.  It's actually a longer film cut into two parts.  The next segment opened this week in Seattle and I'm hoping to catch it before it leaves town.  Which in my book is putting my money where my mouth is in terms of a recommendation.  If you like crime spree sagas clearly doomed to end in a hail of gunfire I suspect you won't hate this movie either.