The Secret of the Grain (La graine et le mulet) (2007)

The Secret of the Grain is like pushing a snowball around your yard. It starts off slow, but slowly builds bigger and bigger until there is no more snow on your yard and you have one big snowball rolled up. Then the sun comes out. Abdellatif Kechiche's style is very unformulaic and fresh. A true modern marvel. His movies tend to move at a slower pace, but the characters are so real that it is enjoyable. It feels like you are actually hanging out with the characters instead of watching them. These same feelings were true in his more recent Blue Is The Warmest Color. If I had to watch a 10 hour movie, I would hope that Abdellatif Kechiche was the one who created it. In fact, I hope his next feature IS 10 hours long ^_^

8/10

VERDICT: WATCH ALL OF ABDELL'S

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Weird. Funny. Pretty. Quirky. Very stylish. :) Dug the 2001: A Space Odyssey shoutout.

8/10

Mars Attacks! (1996)

The martians are silly fucks and Jack Nicholson is cool. Rad female fashion courtesy of Colleen Atwood. Special effects are dated, but I love Tim Burtons organic prop style.

5.5/10

VERDICT: WORTH A WATCH

Man Of Steel (2013)

[SPOILER] [SPOILER] [SPOILER] [SPOILER]

A fantastic modern adaptation of Superman. Some mild unrealistic scenes, like Lois being rescued unscathed out of the space pod.. There was so much debris and exploding.. This is a pretty common flaw in most super hero movies. The CG seemed video gamey at times, which is not good in cinema. And there seemed to be some Metal Gear Solid influence in the design of the Kryptonian spacesuits, which is not a bad thing. It felt like a cross between Dragon Ball Z, Metal Gear Solid 4, and The Matrix at times; so fitting that Laurence Fishburne has a role. The story is awesome. Supreme logic is a term I first used to describe the mindstates of Kevin Smith's characters in Clerks. Again there is a form of supreme logic being followed by Superman and the other Kryptonians. I am definitely hungry for more back and future story of this universe.

8/10

VERDICT: WATCH IT

The Last Of US (2013)

Video games are evolving and breaking out of their elementary shell. This is a prime example of the transition from video game to interactive experience. The writing is on par with a movie. And the voice acting is excellent. This could actually make for a good video game/movie spin-off. This is easily the most unpredictable, shocking, and emotionally powerful video game I have played. The Naughty Dog development team has journeyed into uncharted territory with this new video game series. The darkest, realest story I have seen in a video game. I will say I did not like how the game ends. Hopefully the next installment will redeem the direction the story has taken. Though they may decide to do some prequels.

10/10

Jersey Girl (2004)

[SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!]

Kevin Smith delivers a new batch of awesome characters in this emotional tale. The level of genuine realness, matched with intelligence, is Smith's prominent style of writing; which is dominant in all his characters here. This is a heavily emotional film, so much so that I don't want to watch it again. I immediately fell in love with the characters so when tragedy struck I was just as devastated as Ben Affleck. And it doesn't let up too often. Kevin Smith will tap into your emotional grid and hit the sad button repeatedly and unexpectedly. The story is pretty formulaic, but when a master handles the formula, magic happens. I love that I loved the movie, yet don't want to go through that experience again, though it would be interesting to see if it is as powerful on a second watch, as the first.

10/10

VERDICT: WATCH IT!

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010)

This was my introduction to Serge Gainsbourg; a musical pioneer. I'd like to understand French for one more reason now, to truly enjoy Gainsbourg's beautiful music. The subtitles provide a nice showcase of Serge Gainsbourgs work. As for the film itself, Joann Sfar is a name you should remember as he is the man responsible for creating this beautiful piece of cinema. This film is a true work of art. Sfar's directing and story telling are a fantastic style all his own. Almost like a fairy tale for adults. Beautiful to watch, beautiful to hear, and beautiful to understand. Eric Elmosnino's acting is superb. This film delivers the whole package.

10/10

VERDICT: WATCH IT OF COURSE.

Iron man 3 (2013)

The best part about this movie was the ending credits. Not only because it signified the end of the film, but also because it was the only artistic part. It had potential in the beginning and some of the situations were aggressively real, but Tony Stark took a ridiculous amount of damage and miraculously survived some highly unbelievable situations as well. One thing that made the original Iron Man and The Hulk great was the connection to reality they kept. Tony Stark should have died in various situations in this film, he survives overkill somehow. In the Thor movies, that was ok, because Thor is an Alien. Tony Stark however is human. This was really an unneeded portion in the Iron Man series. We don't need to know Tony Stark is having anxiety attacks.

4/10

VERDICT: DONT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH IT

Coonskin (1975)

Coonskin is metaphorically poetic and artistically beautiful. Ralph Bakshi combines live action with hand drawn animation to bring you this blaxploitation flick from 1975. He is the king of adult animation for various reasons. Love the realness of his characters mentalities and the stylistic approach to his stories. Coonskin delivers comedy, action, intelligence, and is seemingly modern of the time of its production.

7.3/10

VERDICT: WORTH A WATCH!

  

#MotorboatingGinger #Motorboating

A video posted by King Hebes (@kinghebes) on Jan 1, 2014 at 10:28pm PST

If you've never heard of or seen any of #RalphBakshi's creations. Do yourself a favor and watch them.

A video posted by King Hebes (@kinghebes) on Jan 1, 2014 at 11:47pm PST

#Coonskin

A video posted by King Hebes (@kinghebes) on Jan 1, 2014 at 11:36pm PST

#Coonskin

A video posted by King Hebes (@kinghebes) on Jan 1, 2014 at 10:08pm PST

Her (2013)

A unique and appropriate take on the intelligent capability of artificial intelligence. Proof that love is not limited by physical form. This Spike Jonze joint is rolled thick with humorous, beautiful, intelligent dialogue. This film is sure to tickle your eye sockets to the point of tears and then make you smile and chuckle to stabilize your emotions. Marvelous acting and the cinematography can be quite pretty at times. Story and plot are very original and unique to the era we are entering. Her is a truly rare kind of love story.

10/10

VERDICT: DEFINITELY WATCH THIS ONE!

The Avengers (2012)

It is awesome, the concept of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This will be one of the most epic story lines in film history; and I think the longest? While I would have liked to see Edward Norton reprise his role as Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo is impossible not to like. Loved the energy between Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. whom I will say has completely owned the role of Tony Stark. Great acting all across. It's nice to see how comfortable everybody is in their roles. A really likable team. The special effects also are at a believable stage now, it will be interesting to see how they improve in future films. If the team from Prometheus teamed up with The Avengers team, I'm sure something great would happen.

7.8/10

VERDICT: WATCH IT

Thor (2011)

The screenplay was far too cliche for my taste. Drab. Directing also presented nothing unique. I'd have liked if Zak Penn had penned the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'd have given this a 4, however the story it is involved with feels so great that it gets bumped up into a....

5.0/10 (based on the story, not necessarily the story structure of this film)

VERDICT: SKIP IT (UNLESS WATCHING THE ENTIRE MCU)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

There's a certain genre of ridiculous comedy that works if utilized in the right way, such as the Harold & Kumar films. This one falls into the same ridiculous comedy genre. While most of the story and characters are ridiculous, I literally LOL'd a lot throughout the film. The Scooby Doo scene is a prime example of the comedic gold that Kevin Smith is able to produce. Easily Kevin Smiths least intelligently written screenplay and feature film, but I do believe it was intentional. His mockery of Hollywood maybe? I'm just not a fan of ridiculous characters, which are in abundance here. And that is the first time I've used ridiculous that many times... ridiculous.

5.8/10

VERDICT: WORTH A WATCH IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

[MILD SPOILER!]

This movie was far better than anticipated. A truly beautiful story portraying the powers of purity and love. Edward Norton was a great choice for this zen like rendition of Bruce Banner, whom I felt had a reminiscent soul of his character in Fight Club. For this movie it's a lot of little things that make it great. Like when Bruce swallows the data. And his description of what it's like to perceive the world through the Hulk. Good direction and I loved Zak Penn's screenplay. Some aspects felt improvised by Edward Norton and Tim Roth, but not in a bad way. There were very logical approaches to most everything. It felt like not giving much of a background to the characters seemed to work in favor and add to the power of the emotion between them. (However, I did watch the 42 minutes of deleted scenes which did contain a lot of good dialogue. I felt a large chunk of it should have been left in the film.) These latest marvel movies tend to mock their cliches with the lightest glaze of subtlety. Brilliance, really. And Lou Ferrigno's cameo was hilarious.

8.3/10

VERDICT: DEFINITELY WATCH IT!

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

I really love what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become. A modern depiction of our world with technological advancements all pointing in the right direction. From what I've seen, they do include your usual Hollywood cliches; to name a few, boy/girl afraid to express love, unrealistic fight scenes and action scenes. For example all these highly trained soldiers unable to hit Captain America with a single bullet? Come on.. but the general substance of the stories and other fine details outweigh this annoyance. I love anything that probes the thoughts of genetic advancements; scientific enhanced evolution, and aliens, which are prime underlying subject matter of this film. Also the special effects utilized to make Chris Evans appear skinny for a good chunk of the film were impressive. I look forward to the future this universe has to portray.

7.5/10

VERDICT: WATCH IT!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

I was not a fan. I felt it was aimed at a much younger audience. Very poor CG, and overused. Felt like a video game at times, not a big budget feature film. Really nothing unique, new, or original to take with you from this 3 hour epitome of cliche; everything from the directing and characters down to the slow motion, "NOOOOOOOO'S". This might be a hit with every 6th grader... But some will have better taste than this.

4/10

VERDICT: WASTE OF TIME.

The Last Word (2008)

Wes Bentley played his character perfectly. The eye movement, mild expressions and tone of voice are point on. As did Winona Ryder and Ray Romano. This is the first feature film written and directed by Geoffrey Haley and I hope not his last. I thought it was a pretty entertaining dark romantic comedy.

6.5/10

VERDICT: IT'S WORTH A WATCH! 

Prometheus (2012)

The CG in this is superb. I spent the first few minutes of the intro wondering if it was in-fact CG. I was instantly sucked into the story; full of intrigue. I was on the edge of my couch and glued to the screen throughout the entire film. A great introduction to a hopefully epic story.

8/10

VERDICT: RENT DAT SHIT!

The Great Gatsby (2013)

This new rendition of The Great Gatsby is ridiculous; and believe me, I always try to see the best in things, old sport. The party scenes and music choices literally had me laughing out loud AT this film, not with it. An attempt at modernization of a vintage tale in all the wrong spots. Even some of the serious scenes felt overacted and unbelievable. With a budget of over 100 million I had expected much more elaborate costuming and sets. I did like the outfits that were used, but I just could not buy into all the digital settings. This is both a tragic story, and a tragedy for the film vault. I wish  Tim Burton would have directed a modernization of this, I can see Johnny Depp as Gatsby or even Nick.

5/10

VERDICT: SKIP IT

Human Traffic (1999)

"So many ideas. So little memory. The last thought killed with anticipation of the next."
I saw this for the first time 3 years ago and I remembered liking everything about it, so I purchased it tonight to see if it was still worthy. Written and directed by the awesome Justin Kerrigan. He portrays the mechanism of communication in a daunting glass door and shatters it with a blast of realness. There really is not a single dull moment to this flick. It's rolled fat and tight with unique, funny, chunks of dialogue that are all too true; and laced with a fresh stylistic direction. A bit dated now, but still, nothing but good vibes from this flick. I was surprised to see that Justin didn't put out another movie for 10 years. Apparently his producer fucked him over and didn't pay him any money that they received from the screenings or dvd releases. Kerrigan released "I Know You Know" in 2009 and I just bought it brand new without ever seeing it; just to support this guys talent. Hope it's not disappointing! ^_^

10/10

VERDICT: INSTANT CLASSIC! MUST WATCH!

Fando and Lis (Fando y Lis) (1968)

[SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!]


"What would you do if you were a famous pianist and I cut off one of your arms?"
"I'd be a famous painter!"
This started out good. Bizarre mystical images and a story teller. I thought, dialogue in an Alejandro Jodorowsky flick? And story development?! And this early on?! I loved the whole intro and the love between Fando and Lis. Then... everything went sour. Fando turned out to be a psychotic fucking asshole, apparently they messed up when they supposedly took the madness stone out of his head when he was a child. I don't like hating the main character of a movie. And of course the story just stopped explaining itself and decided to just happen and rely on imagery in a manner that only Jodorowsky can think of. His first feature length film, and his worst, which is expected. His imagery becomes more bizarre and beautiful in his later works.

4/10

VERDICT: SKIP IT

Batman Returns (1992)

I was a little hesitant to watch this after watching the first Batman from 1989; which I gave 5/10. It has just become outdated with The Dark Knight releases. But much to my delight, I was pleasantly surprised. Daniel Waters serves up a hilariously awesome screenplay blotted with a surprising amount of straight foreword adult humor. The characters are all fun. Mix that in with Tim Burton's always unique sets, and this feature turns out to be a real treat. Danny Elfman provides the soundtrack which I had mixed feelings about this time. The theme and the intense parts felt right, but some of the scenes seemed like he was fumbling with the instruments... experimenting might be a better word. Regardless, great flick!

9/10

VERDICT: DEF WORTH A WATCH!

S. Darko (2009)

This movie had potential, but it failed. It is a useless unnecessary film based on the world created in Donnie Darko. Nothing new is brought to the 'Donnie Darko realm'. Instead it leaves you with even more questions than you have going into it, and the questions left unresolved pertain to this story only. This does not deserve to be called a sequel to Donnie Darko. It dies as soon as it starts breathing. I was thinking during the first 40 minutes or so that this movie does not deserve the terrible rating and reviews it has gotten... Then I watched the rest of it and understood. The only thing keeping this film at the generous four/ten star/rating is some of the dialogue which I found amusing.

4/10

VERDICT: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS ONE!

The Matrix Trilogy

The matrix trilogy is one of the greatest works of science fiction to date. It's production has greatly evolved the realm of special effects in film, which get exponentially better through Revolutions. A cautionary tale to our generation about the power and potential that can be achieved through AI. A real revolutionary concept for the mind. You will question your reality. If you are unfamiliar with The Matrix, I highly suggest you upgrade your brain by watching this trilogy. Temet nosce ;)

The Matrix: 8/10

The Matrix Reloaded: 8/10

The Matrix Revolutions: 9/10

Trilogy: 9/10

VERDICT: THIS IS A MUST WATCH TRILOGY!

The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions

El Topo (1970)

Alejandro Jodorowsky provides an all you can consume buffet of imagery for your emotional palette. The music encompasses the imagery perfectly. This seems like some sort of strange prequel to The Holy Mountain, which I think now will make a lot more sense. Language, though lightly used, seems to be unnecessary in these strange works of humanly universal art. Jodorowsky's tales are very confusing in parts, but regardless, he is truly an original master of cinema.

6.8/10

VERDICT: ADD ALL JODOROWSKY FILMS TO YOUR COLLECTION!