I Love An Old Night In Mexico - Movie Review (sorta)

A Night in Old Mexico just earned itself a spot on my 'most favourite movies of all time' list', no mean feat considering how many films I manage to watch. It's a heart-warming and riveting tale of universal masculine wish fulfillment.

As the title suggests, the story spans a long evening (actually a little more) in (and outside of) Old Mexico. A grandson meets his grandfather and they enjoy a risky night of good living, featuring hoodlums, a depressed beauty, cheap hats and a bag of money.

There's just something timelessly special about this film, it seems like it could be set in the eighties and looks to still be enjoyable years from now.

Its astonishing quality seems to be derived from the nervous expressions of the lead youngster, the wise cockiness of the lead elder, the comical loving natures of the antagonists, a grittily endearing locale and the literal fantasy that is the lead female. Uplifting story arcs are the icing on the cake, solidifying its surface to a deeply sweet pleasantry.

Check this film out if you love your father...

Lau's Switch & Contract Killers Reviews SSMR

Switch (2013)

#Jarring editing and pacing that feels like 3 movies, each with a different director, intermixed but conflicting in both scenario and method.

#The south-east Asian cast are suitably over-dramatic, charming their way to redeeming their British companions embarrassing awfulness. Andy Lau is as charismatic as ever, miraculously melding together the mishmash of properties.

#Huge, colourful and artistic sets and settings. Awesome shots and production values but the absence of good juxtaposition nearly nullifies the beauty on show.

#The convoluted story is crippled by distinct lack of skill, authenticity and believability, leaving Switch feeling old fashioned (90's) but with modern production tools and techniques in use.

##Warning: this film features blonde Asians in roles of supremacy.

# - # -   -   -   -   1.6/5

Contract Killers (2014)

#Irresistable white guy goes round killing on contract trying not to get himself killed by a chinese badass. For those who play COD, think action web-series' are good and liked 2012's Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.

#The swiftly paced story is gripping but predictable with interesting characters that could have been a little more fleshed out, the chinese badass antagonist is the star of the show. Complimentary soundtrack is rough but spirited.

#The acting direction of the Thor lead and his damsel is the worst thing about this film redeemed by amazing scenes of masterfully cut violence that have an imperfect but awesome sense of realness.

#Although often charmingly amateurish both in performance and staging, we are in the modern age of film making and this is not a bad movie for its b-action genre. Contract Killers was Cool with some seriously moments of brilliance, you may enjoy it.

#Steal in HQ or buy for cheap.

# - # - # - #   -   3.7/5

OLDBOY 2013 FILM REVIEW

Nurse 3D SSMR

Zulu & Snowpiercer Movie Review - SSMR

Zulu (2013)

#True detectives run around South Africa getting things off their chests.

#A truly hardcore show, with violence at a level of realistic brutality you're not usually allowed to see in the west. A gripping, tense and intriguing story that is easy to lose track of and may just bring you back for another round.

#Albeit grounded and somewhat mundane, the skilful and bright cinematography makes the film a joy to have on the screen making up for the excruciating soundtrack that is full flavoured but peaks way too high at the worst possible times.

#One to watch for free or purchase cheaply if you can find it.

# - # - #   -   - 3.1/5

Snowpeircer (2014)

#Metaphorical class struggle on a cold train speeding into the future.

#Edited flawlessly, the emotive visuals are spectacularly skillful. The action scenes leave a lot to be desired in terms of display but overflow with drama. This is a cleanly scored film that is hard to criticise.

#The story is gripping and well written, for its type, benefited by its simplicity with a twist ending that shouldn't really be one. The cast, spearheaded by the awesome Chris Evans, perform wonderfully minus Tilda Swinton who doesn't quite deliver a convincing and complete character, here the supporting cast truly supports.

#A galvanising and memorable experience, pay to watch once on a big screen.

# - # - # - # -   - 4.2/5

Bad Marketing and Transcendence

Monkey King SSMR - movie review

Konkey Ming (2013)

#Crystal monkey god gets in the way of a fight between a supreme dictatorship and a good evil demon tribe (I know).

#The masterfully paced yet nonsensical story is fantastically gripping with hugely developed characters and allegorical capability.

#All of the cast does well with their easy roles but Donnie surprises with his difficult one, presenting an amazing comic performance that seems to channel Jim Carey, Kevin Hart and an old lady suffering dementia.

#Although not uniformly competent in terms of technicality, everything is lavish. Its colourful, artistic and highly stylised aesthetic surpasses everything seen in the 300 films and delights with its variety. The bad stuff only serves to highlight the good.

#Memorable slice of family friendly fun, buy the Blu-ray.

# - # - # - # -   -  4.0 / 5

Raze Movie Review SSMR

SSMR stands for Short N Sweet Movie Review

Shame The Devil / Ganzfield Haunting SSMR

A Truly Great Creepy / Beautiful Short Film

Allison Schulnik's spirited claymation is a brilliant and fantastical piece of work. A rising display of devotion, artistry and intellect that discomfortingly scares as it pleases viewers with its beautiful grotesque.

Don Jon / Blue Iz Da Warmest Color SSMR

SEXY TIME  EDITION