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The Paw Project (2013)
Very eye opening!!
I decided to watch this documentary because I have a couple cats and love all animals and thought it would be informative. Boy did I ever learn about the cruel practise of declawing cats! Several years ago when I got my first cat, I actually considered it briefly because I though it was the " thing to do" if you wanted to protect your furniture. All I can say is thank god I decided against it in the end and didn't think it was necessary or I would have had a lifetime of regret for what I would have done to my poor kitty. I think this documentary has raised many valid points I was not aware of and I think that all cat owners must be made aware of the consequences of declawing and if they viewed this film, they wouldn't be getting their cars declawed, at least most of them with the exception of the few that are brainwashed by their vets into thinking it's the prosper thing to do so that they have a bigger bottom line. That is want it's all about is making money as their is absolutely no other positive aspect of this barbaric procedure!
Banshee Chapter (2013)
Holy F***k! What did I just watch!!
As I don't normally submit reviews unless IMO I find that a movie is so good at "sticking out from the rest" that I feel it's warranted such as this one. I am currently 49 years old and have not had the s**t scared out of me as much as this movie did in the past 30 years or so.not since I was a teenager did I jump put of my seat so much! I'm not going to get too much into the plot and characters as I feel this movie needs nothing more than what I am writing here to get in your living room. From what I read it is based on a true story which makes it even more intriguing to watch but if I've ever recommended a movie to watch and if you like to be scared, you must watch Banshee Chapter and then you may find yourself submitting a review on it as I did!
Black Rock (2012)
Obnoxious women!!
When I began watching this movie I had some relatively high expectations as these type of indie movies about outdoor survival really appeal to me and for the most part, I have enjoyed either found most of these movies average or better than average but nothing really worth remembering until I watched this one! I usually only review movies that are either above my expectations and I really loved it or if they are surprisingly awful as this one was unfortunately. Starts off with a good premise and drew me in wanting more until I got to know the female characters and to me they were obnoxious characters and I found myself rooting for the " bad guys" which is something I rarely do and I'm especially am a sucker for a pretty face, or three in this case but I could not watch the female characters anymore and I couldn't even make it to the end of the movie. I couldn't change channels fast enough. I cannot pinpoint anything that made me hate them, it's just a feeling that manifested itself from the start. I wonder if anyone else will be hating on these women and want the bad guys to kill them?? I know I did!! I can say this, if it wasn't for how their character was poorly portrayed, I may have found myself liking this flick but I couldn't get past the women!!
Kapò (1960)
A masterpiece, simply a masterpiece!
After reading some reviews on this movie, it was easy to make the decision to invest a couple hours of my time watching it and am very glad I did! This started out to be a very depicting picture of the harshness and horrors of WWII concentration camps but slightly different than the typical movies we see in that era as this focused on a camp with just women until about half way through you see some men POW's mixed in with the women and that is when the beautiful love story begins between Nicole and Sasha. Although it takes a while before the love truly blossoms between them, you know as soon as they met that this might go somewhere. Although it ended in tragedy the movie really had me feeling so much for them and perhaps the fact that it did end the way it did, it was what made the movie even better than had it had a happy ending like so many movies do. I have come to realize that movies with happy endings are a dime a dozen and is difficult to recall them, but a movie ending in tragedy like this one did really sticks out from the rest and is one I will not soon forget! I'm not going to tell you about any details as you already know the plot if you are reading this, but I will tell you if you are a fan of beautiful movies, this is one not to be missed. I should warn you though that this movie has a bittersweet ending. On one hand the goal of escape is achieved on the other hand the leading lady is killed.
Havana 57 (2012)
Let me be the first to submit a review!
I am amazed their have not been any reviews posted yet for this brilliant piece of work! I'm a huge fan of these lesser known independent flicks! Just love it when I come across one especially when at first I don't know what to expect, but what I found here was 90 minutes that was very well spent watching a movie with a very believable portrayal of Cuba before the fall of the Batista regime and when Castro took over and everything changed. But prior to that, for what I have been led to believe, Cuba was like the Wild West full of corruption and sin on every corner and this movie depicts 50's Cuba as it was portrayed in other films. Godfather 3 comes to mind. The storyline was nothing short of brilliant and had my attention from the opening scene! What you will not find me doing is posting reviews about popular major studio pictures. Those have 500 reviews and their is no room for anymore, but with a movie like this and no reviews, I'm honoured to put my stamp of approval on this little known gem and I will keep this movie as one of the better ones I have come across recently! That's all I will say about it. If you want to know more, you'll have to watch it and take my word for it, it will be time well spent!
The Resurrection of Tony Gitone (2013)
Exactly what I was hoping for and more!
Being from the neighbourhood the movie was filmed in and Italian, I may have a biased opinion of this movie, but regardless it was brilliantly acted. It didn't have the special effects and complicated storyline a bigger budget movie might have had but it didn't require anything but a room full of paisans gathered together in a restaurant after hours to celebrate one of their won making it big in Holllywood, or so they all thought until the truth is revealed! It's touches on aspects of life we all go through and I personally have been involved in a very similar scenario as the movie depicted a few up years back! If you have not seen this movie, do yourself a favour and watch it, I promise you won't regret it, a beautiful piece of work!!
High Chicago (2011)
Let me be the first to review!
I just finished watching this really good indie flick not knowing the story or what to expect and I was very pleasantly surprised! I thought the characters were played well by virtually unknown actors and the movie had me hooked right from the opening scene! It didn't have all the bells and whistles bigger budget movies have but it didn't need anything extra than what it had. A very pleasant movie with a great ending that you don't really see coming. Movies nowadays are fairly predictable but this little gem kept Sam a mystery as to what he was going to do and that for me really made the movie interesting and worth watching even more. You don't know what he's going to do and I can't stress enough that even with a budget that can't get you much more than a room full of people, it hit all its marks and didn't need anymore frills. This is definitely going to be in my top 20 list of favourite indie surprises that I can look back on and remember the first time I watched it and how it made me feel. Bravo to the director!!
10 Years (2011)
So glad I didn't listen to most of the reviews!'
Before I watched this movie, I read some reviews and was on the fence about watching it as most of the reviews were not overly positive, average at best. Well boy are they all wrong IMO!' This movie was such an amazing movie about one night in the life of a bunch of people attending their 10 year high school reunion. Most of us can relate to a lot of the scenes in the movie which makes the movie that much better. I think it was really well written, well acted and offered everything you can ask for. I won't get into too much detail in what the movie is about, but I can tell you that as I began watching it, it did a really great job in slowly reeling me in and about a quarter of the way through, had me hooked to the end! Brilliant little flick and it had a great e ding I might add. Do yourself a favour, don't pay attention to the naysayers and give this movie a chance, you will enjoy it!
Hansel & Gretel (2013)
A real head scratcher this was!
I have written a handful of reviews over the years and only a out movies that were lesser known and if I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. This was not one of those movies unfortunately! I don't like to take sophist at movie makers as whether a movie is good or bad, a lot of effort is required to make a movie and I have the attitude that if I don't have something positive to say, then don't say anything at all, but I had to take exception with this one. Their were definitely some real corny scenes and dialogue in it that make you wonder how can anyone with half a mind make a movie like that, but it was created nonetheless. One scene in particular comes to mind, which is what prompted me to write this review, and that was the scene when Hansel and Gretel were helping the blond girl escape from one of the brothers and Gretel cut his throat. Hansel then responded " Hey, it was either him or us. " And he said that because she seemed distraught over the fact that she had to take a life and felt bad for doing so! That line really takes the cake for me as you have maniacs trying to kill and eat you, you kill one to help you escape and them you feel guilty and awful about it?? In any event, this movie had much more potential than was shown, unfortunately it was not reached. But I still watched it in it's entirety and if not anything else, it was one of those movies that was good because it was so bad, possibly take on a cult status, but I don't think that would be the case here. I have to add one more comment about Hansel when he starts eating himself, their were several scenes in which pain that should have existed, was not prevalent in this movie, especially as he devours his own body, no pain whatsoever as he acts like he's munching on a drumstick of chicken. I men come on, they could've at least made him feel the pain of eating his own arm, just saying! But what do I know about making motives, I just watch them!
Littlerock (2010)
Low Budget = High Yield
I began watching this movie with modest expectations, but by the time it finished, it not only exceeded them, but has become one of my favourite indie movies in event memory! I taped this movie on my PVR or as known in the U S, DVR, several times over the course of a year or so, only to find myself always erasing it to free up some space for other programs. However the last time I recorded it, I said " this time I'm going to watch it!" And am I glad I did. It tells the story of a pair of Japanese siblings who wind up in a small California town on their way to San Fran and Manzannar, a town know for Japanese internment during WWII, in which the grandparents of the siblings were held. Along the way, they get stranded in a town and find friends with the local teens who are around the same age of the two siblings. The brother speaks very little English, just enough to get by, but the sister, no English at all which really adds to the movies story, I fact IMO, it's what takes this movie for just okay to over the top, or from a rating of 5 to a rating of 10. Without describing too much of the plot, I will just say the movie is about Atsuko's relationships with her new found friends in the small town her and her brother stumble upon. Highly recommended for someone who wants to see something a little different!! I would also like to add, this movie is proof positive that you can tell a great story and make a wonderful movie with a limited budget!
Bitter Feast (2010)
Original Suspense and Horror!
The only reason I didn't give this film a 10 out of 10 is because that is saved for a movie I haven't seen yet! With that being said, Bitter Feast is a masterpiece original in suspense and horror. Starts off good enough as it draws you in with the urge to want to see where this movie is taking you. A very original story line as we've all seen hundreds of movies of this genre that are simply produced from a cookie cutter and quite predictable! This film is nothing like that and without going into detail about scenes I liked more than others, their was one aspect to the movie that really made it great to watch and that was the music of the movie especially the sound of the "drum" beating periodically thought out the movie as although it was more of just a sound effect, to me it was what really pushed the movie over the top and obtain the high rating I felt it deserved. Great beginning, middle and ending!! Three very important components for a movie to be successful.
Player 5150 (2008)
What a Pleasant Surprise!!!
I have to admit that after reading the users comments from "adyt23" and another terrible review, I went into it without any great expectations and with my finger on the erase button as it was recorded on my PVR(Tivo in the U S). But boy am I glad I didn't erase it and ended up watching the movie!! I don't post many reviews on IMDb as I only post them when I'm am very pleasantly surprised by a movie as I was with this one. I really don't know how anybody could call this a bad movie. I thought it was one of the more memorable movies I've seen in the past few months or so and I highly recommend it. Their were some familiar faces so it was not just a bunch of unknowns in a low budget flick, it may not have had a big budget, but what it did with the finances it did have was put together a really good somewhat suspenseful type drama that involves bookies, gambling, a bit of drugs and all the ingredients that makes these "under the radar" or lesser known types of movies worth watching. The story is about a man played by Etan Embry, who has a serious gambling addiction and the ordeals he goes through to try and make good on his marriage. The events leading up to the final scene in the movie are riveting and I couldn't stop watching as it kept me glued to my seat the entire time. This movie is a hidden gem and as I said earlier, I highly recommend it and it is great from start to finish and boy what an ending it has. It really takes you for a loop but I'll leave it at that.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
A Must See Movie!!!
This movie was easily the best movie I've seen in a long time!
It had everything you could ask for in a movie. A great plot, and storyline, suspenseful, kept you wanting to watch it straight through to the end with no bathroom break. The score was excellent as it really kept the suspense going strong throughout the entire move.
The acting by Tomei and Hoffman, two Oscar winners was very powerful, not to mention the great acting by Ethan Hawke.
This movie brought you to places you never thought a movie could take you. It was strong from the opening scene right down to the final scene.
It tells a story of how family can turn on one another and the consequences that lay ahead if that path is taken.
I really can't say enough about the wonderful job Sidney Lumet did in directing and how he just kept it going strong for the full couple hours.
All I can say about the storyline is that it takes you to a place not too many people can relate to in regards to their family relationships, but it sure is a great ride learning more and more about the main characters along the way.
I highly recommend this movie as I'm sure that most people that see it will share a similar opinion as mine.