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Hi all…

I like surprises. Well, let me clarify. Sometimes I like surprises. Like when you get a DVD in the mail for a movie you’ve never heard of and it turns out to be a great story with a heart. Fight Night was one such surprise.

Michael Dublin (Chad Ortis) is a fight promoter for a series of underground prize fights. These fights are not always by the rules of conduct. In fact, most of them aren’t. The object is to allow those who enjoy such sport to see and bet on bloody bouts between unknowns. And the fights are definitely bloody and violent.

Katherine Parker (Rebecca Neuenswander) is a fighter squatting in an old warehouse when Dublin finds her one night after he tries to rig a fight and gets caught. With some fast punches, she puts down two or three guys twice her size and Dublin sees a ticket to the big time.

Rating:

On the opposite side of the equation is the guy running the fight ring and profiting handsomely. Clark Richter (Kurt Hanover) is a huge, vicious ex-boxer who knows how to make money off the gamblers, his promoters, and yes, the fighters too.

Over the course of several weeks, Dublin and Parker, who he calls “Kitty Kat,” work their way up the ladder of fights to get to the championship for a shot at serious money. A few indoor fight here, an outdoor fight there… And along the way, they learn a little about each other as their pasts come to catch up with them.

As I said at the beginning, I was quite surprised by Fight Night. The idea isn’t new. The road to redemption is long and has been told a million different ways. And I have to say that I’m not a fan of boxing. Watching two people slug it out in the ring for money or pride has never held much interest for me.

But this movie takes an unlikely pairing of characters on different roads - one who can never go home and the other who desperately wants to go back - and made it a worthwhile journey that leads to a satisfying, though a bit predictable, ending.

Ortis and Neuenswander had a great chemistry on camera. However, of the two, I think Neuenswander was the better actor. She had to not only master the physical demands of the film, but also show emotion through layers of makeup (to add bruises, swelling, and so on) and during tightly choreographed boxing sequences.

And the production values were great as well. This film was shot outdoors during day and night as well as inside a number of locations. The fights (to my lack of boxing experience) seemed very well staged all through the movie. And the soundtrack for the film (from Ryan Adison Amen and Patrick Kirst) did a great job blending into the background at times and amping up the action at times, just as it should have.

Fight Night even won a couple of awards - the 2008 Action on Film Award for Best Cinematography Feature from the Action on Film International Film Festival and the 2008 Grand Jury Award for Best Film in the Dances With Films film festival. I think it definitely deserved them.

In addition to the DVD, there are a few extras, including commentary from director Jonathan Diller, a trailer for the film, and a number of deleted scenes. The only deleted scene that I thought had any weight was “Joe Keller,” which told how Richter beat another boxer to death. However, if it had been left in, one of the surprises towards the end would not have been so compelling.

If you’re looking for an action film or a boxing film, get in the ring with Fight Night. I give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. Why don’t you give it a few rounds to see how you do with Dublin and Kitty Kat?

–Fitz

p.s. Pick up Fight Night at your local video store or online!

Hi there…

In the same vein as my Come Hell or High Water review a couple of weeks ago, The Showdown is a new western done by independent film company North American Motion Pictures Entertainment (NAMP). Instead of a Reconstruction-era revenge story, this time it’s about US Marshall Luke Canfield keeping the peace in the town of Sand Prairie, Texas. Though I can’t say that Come Hell or High Water was my favorite western, The Showdown has renewed my hope for NAMP films.

Rating:

The first thing that struck me when I watched was the music. Immediately it got me in the mood for a western. And I honestly can’t say whether it was the simple guitar melody, the twang of the west, or the sound of Ron Stuber and the Sand Prairie Tumbleweed Band, but it worked. And it was consistently entertaining as part of the film, not just as an afterthought.

The second thing I noticed was that the tone of the movie. Where Come Hell or High Water was darkened with the taint of revenge, The Showdown had a much lighter approach. There were actual humorous characters scattered into the landscape of the town instead of a few depressing characters weighed down by the blood debts of the Civil War. In one scene, I believe I even heard Marshall Canfield whistling to the tune of the soundtrack, which made me smile.

So immediately The Showdown had my attention. It hit two of my main buttons for movies - humor and music. Not to say that the movie is a comedy, but the Jim Conover (who both wrote, directed, and helped produce the film) knew enough to balance the serious with the lighthearted.

Marshall Canfield (Bob Handegan) spent years looking for his ex-wife who took his young son and left him in Tennessee. Eventually he tracked them to Texas, but was never able to find them. Instead, he settled into acting as the law in Sand Prairie.

Like most towns in westerns, Sand Prairie has a saloon where you can find carousing cowboys and dancing girls. Among them is Dixie Johnson (Ann Hagemann), a beautiful self-assured blond. She holds her own until Asa Brown (William Homel) assaults her one night and Canfield saves her. After that, a battle begins between Canfield and Brown that includes abduction, destruction, and near death for Canfield and others.

This movie has a little of everything you’d expect in a good western… Horse rustlers, saloons, show girls, kidnapping, bar fights, gun battles, and even a town drunk. To top that off, I thought the acting and story were much better than Come Hell or High Water. There are a few exceptions, such as the death of Deputy Tom at the hands of Brown and his gang. But for the most part, the acting was solid.

Like in Come Hell or High Water, the horses and horsework by the actors and stuntmen in the movie was top notch. Even the gun battles were well staged. Both the good guys and the bad guys missed their marks about evenly.

And another thing I appreciated was how the picture was shot. Presented in a beautiful widescreen 16×9 format, you get to see all the beautiful greens, golds, and browns of nature in its many outdoor locations. And one portion of the film in the third act used a split-screen approach, sometimes presenting as many as three different views of the action at the same time. It reminded me of Ang Lee’s work in Hulk back in 2003, though not in as much of a comic-book style.

The only exception in shooting quality for me was the last shot of the film from above. For some reason the camera was very shaky as they drew back to take in the scene as the posse finally arrived at the site of the final battle. But the rest of the movie was very well done.

The DVD also included a number of previews for other NAMP productions such as Redemption and Come Hell or High Water. The final DVD is also slated to include a behind-the-scenes feature, commentary from the director, and a collection of stills.

If you’re a fan of westerns, be sure to give The Showdown a look when it’s released on DVD April 21, 2009. For an independent feature, it kept me entertained from beginning to end and restored my faith in the western movie genre! I give it a solid 3 out of 4!

–Fitz

p.s. Pick this up at your local video store or from Amazon.

Hey there…

Who knew that Westerns still existed? Just kidding, but other than feature films like Appaloosa or 3:10 to Yuma, I can’t say that I’ve seen many in recent memory. And before those two, I think Unforgiven back in 1992 was the only I can remember with certainty. So to see an independent Western distributed by North American Motion Pictures was unique enough to get me to take a look.

Rating:

Come Hell or High Water, set in post-Civil War Missouri, is the story of Captain Justin Gatewood (Mark Redfield) who has been released from Fort Leavenworth prison with a pardon from the Governor. Gatewood served five years of a longer sentence for attempting to kill William Curry (Mike Hagan) and wounding the local sheriff in the process. During the war, Gatewood’s brother died while he and his brother were prisoners of Curry on a forced march from a battlefield. After a failed attempt to kill Curry five years ago, Gatewood is more than a little bitter about his situation and wants revenge. He’s had time to plan and nothing is going to get in his way, even his daughter.

When Gatewood gets back to town, he finds that his adversary is a wealthy business owner now. But that doesn’t stop him from gunning for Curry and the whole town gets stuck in the middle, including both of their daughters, Helen Gatewood and Catherine Curry.

For being done by an independent film company, I have to say I was impressed by the quality of the picture. Presented in widescreen, the picture is clear and uses an almost-sepia color palette to make it appear more aged. The story, written and directed by Wayne Shipley, captures the wildness of the west during an era of great expansion and the addition of law and order.

The acting is a bit of a mixed bag, and the makeup/special effects don’t really work when you look closely. But the settings and set dressings seemed very accurate. And the writing won me over. Gatewood had the best lines in the movie, often quoting Shakespeare or contemporary playwrights with ease.

Though Westerns are still not really my favorite genre of movie, I have to say that Come Hell or High Water worked for me. The acting wasn’t great in spots, but I thought the setting and story rang true, which made up for it in most places. The thought that a man would hold a grudge for 25 years following the war isn’t hard to believe. The period of Reconstruction after the Civil War was one full of hard feelings on both sides of the war and for some families has lasted into the 20th century and beyond.

Other than a few trailers for other movies from North American Motion Pictures, there were no extras on the DVD.

As an independent Western not backed by one of the major studios, I thought Come Hell or High Water was a solid attempt at a feature movie with a small budget. I will continue to say that I have great respect for independent filmmakers and small studios for they have a rough road not only to create a film, but to get it distributed. So though Come Hell or High Water can’t compete with the latest 3:10 to Yuma, I thought it was a fine movie and give it a solid 2 out of 4.

–Fitz

p.s. If you’re a lover of Westerns and are looking for something new, be sure to check Come Hell or High Water out at your local video store or on Amazon:

Hi all!

Because of where I live, I rarely get a chance to see independent films. Our theaters tend to show the big money pictures, not the more artful variety. So when I had a chance to screen Gigantic, I jumped at the opportunity.

Gigantic stars Paul Dano as Brian Weathersby, Zooey Deschanel as Harriet “Happy” Lolly, Ed Asner as Brian’s father, and John Goodman as Happy’s father. Brian works as a mattress salesman and has always wanted to adopt a child from China. He’s been on the adoption waiting list forever. But his life changes when Happy comes by to pay for the mattress her father had selected earlier in the day. She falls asleep on a bed for a couple of hours and that’s just the start of a bizarre relationship between them…

Rating:

As I hadn’t seen many independent films prior to this one, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It turned out to be a great surprise and quite enjoyable, except for a strange homeless man who I can’t quite figure out.

Brian and Happy start seeing each other after Brian helps deliver her father’s mattress to their house. He then meets her sister, who runs a television talk show like a mini Genghis Khan. And her father is a powerful businessman with a unique perspective on the world. I suspect he gets this odd perspective while traveling on his back in the back of his car on the way to the chiropractor.

When we meet Brian’s family, we are introduced to a family tradition. Evidently once a year, the Weathersby men go to a cabin in the woods and hunt for wild mushrooms. These are not the type of mushrooms typically used in cooking. These are hallucinogenic shrooms that they imbibe before going on the trek in the forest to look for more. Afterwards, they go to a restaurant where they eat, drink, and be merry.

The relationship between Brian and Happy chugs along until Brian gets approved for an adoption. As soon as the reality of that hits Happy, she freaks out and does everything she can to avoid the situation. When she confronts Brian, he already has a beautiful little girl from China (that another set of adopted parents freaked out about and backed out on) and meets his family. Her bizarre tendencies fit right in with the Weathersby clan and we’re left wondering if the relationship will work out or not…

So those parts of the movie I get. Families are weird. I know mine is. Each has its own idiosyncracies. And sometimes they help and sometimes they hurt. But they’re the family you have and typically they love you.

The part I don’t get is this homeless guy who keeps beating up Brian for no apparent reason. It happens multiple times during the film. He even shoots Brian in the leg while the Weathersby clan is hunting for mushrooms. And then, the last time it happens, Brian makes sure it’s the last time. But who is he? What’s his relationship with Brian? Why does he keep attacking?

That said… I really loved this movie (except for the homeless guy). The characters are human with all the quirks that that involves. I’d never seen Paul Dano in anything, but really liked him in the role. Zooey was delightful as always. Seeing Ed Asner in this strange fatherly role and eating hallucinating mushrooms was an experience. And John Goodman is always a force to be reckoned with.

If you like quirky romantic dramas, I highly recommend Gigantic and give it a sold 3 out of 4 stars. It has already opened in New York and will be expanding to other cities throughout April.

Be sure to check it out!

–Fitz

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Hey all…

In the world of movies that have gone straight to DVD, In the Electric Mist was a surprise. Typically a movie of this caliber would have at least had a limited release before a DVD release. Unfortunately, the only place this one was seen prior to its DVD debut was at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2009.

Start with a dream cast… Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly Macdonald, Mary Steenburgen, and Ned Beatty. Add an amazing script penned by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke. And you end up with a movie that defies expectations.

Rating:

The title, In the Electric Mist would not have been enough to get my attention had I seen this appear on the new releases page of Netflix. And even the cast may not have peaked my interest. But it’s simply one of the best movies I’ve seen, on DVD or in the theater, so far in 2009.

As Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux (Jones) investigates a horrific murder of a number of women, the ghosts of the past begin to rise up and tangle the feet of the living. Robicheaux knows New Orleans mobster “Baby Feet” Balboni (Goodman) is somehow at the center of it all, but is quickly drawn into a simple, yet intricate plot begun 40 years earlier in darker days of Louisiana.

From the opening narration spoken by Robicheaux to the closing narration, I found the story compelling in a post-Katrina New Orleans. Only a few scenes showed the remaining devastation left in the hurricane’s path, but New Orleans and its countryside were a heck of a backdrop to the movie. And how can you have a movie set in New Orleans without amazing music? The soundtrack does not disappoint.

Robicheaux’ character is an alcoholic who still fights the urge sometimes for a drink and still attends regular AA meetings with some of his cop buddies. But, like all roles for Tommy Lee Jones, Robicheaux seems to cut through the bull and get to the heart of the problem quickly — sometimes stepping on people in the process. And if that weren’t enough, the swamps of Louisiana are home to many ghosts, including those from the civil war. The South does rise again during this film, which gives voice to the past of which some are still reluctant to speak. As always, it catches up with Robicheaux and the other characters in the film.

Caught in the crossfire are Elrod Sykes (Sarsgaard) and Kelly Drummond (Macdonald), actors in a movie being filmed in New Orleans about the Civil War. Sykes relies on drugs, alcohol, and Drummond to help him get through his days. And when she’s suddenly not there, he finds himself again with the help of Robicheaux’ daughter Alafair (newcomer Alana Locke). I think in some respects, Sarsgaard and Macdonald were thrust into the background by the scene-stealing Jones and Goodman.

Steenburgen plays Robicheaux’ wife, Bootsie, in an understated yet powerful role as a strong female character who only wants to protect her husband and family from the world Robicheaux sometimes brings home. It was nice to see Jones paired with an actress used to playing against strong leading men.

I found many of my favorite scenes in the movie involved General John Bell Hood (Levon Helm) and Robicheaux. The eerie simplicity and familiarity with which Robicheaux travels in both the present and the past was remarkable. And Hood has some of the most poignant lines in the entire movie.

In the Electric Mist is a movie that will stick with me for quite a while. I’m shocked that it wasn’t released more widely on the big screen. However, I’m glad I had an opportunity to watch it, and I hope you do too!

This gets a solid four out of four for me. It’s definitely worth seeing.

–Fitz

p.s. Check it out at your local video store or pick it up at Amazon:

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Hey all…

This weekend’s box office just pushed me over the edge…

In 1st for the weekend was Friday the 13th, which I get. In its opening weekend, it made $42.2 million and will continue to fuel the remake mania currently in Hollywood.

In 2nd, you have He’s Just Not That Into You, which made another $19.6 million in its second week, bringing it to $55.1 million so far. This has also received pretty positive reviews (not great, but positive), so it’s good to see this continue.

In 3rd, you have Taken, which I saw and loved at the box office, pulling in another $19.3 million in its third week, bringing its total to nearly $78 million.

So in the top three spots, you have a horror, a romantic comedy, and a thriller. Good so far.

In 4th you have Confessions of  Shopaholic, which only made $15.4 million in its first weekend. In a film market where Sex and the City burned up the big screen and made $400 million before it went to DVD (where it’s made another $73 million so far)… you’d think a wacky woman going overboard shopping might have done better.

In 5th, you have the children’s movie Coraline, making $15.3 million in its second week and bringing its total to a bit over $35 million. We saw this over the weekend in 3D (review coming soon) and I have to say we all really enjoyed it. It’s the best 3D movie I’ve ever seen, so I hope it continues to do well.

And then in the bottom 5 you have:

• Paul Blart: Mall Cop, earning an additional $11.7 million and bringing its total to an insane $110 million so far
• The International, which didn’t do well in its first week with a mere $10 million
• The Pink Panther 2, which proves that not all remakes do well in its 2nd week earning a tiny $9 million and bringing its total after two weeks to $22 million
• Slumdog Millionaire, which added another $7.2 million after 14 weeks to bring it to nearly $87 million. All signs point to this being an Oscar favorite on Sunday.
• And in 10th place, you have Push, earning almost $7 million in its second week for a total of $19 million so far. Though I want to see it, it’s definitely a renter.

So what does this tell me? Kevin James as a comedic mall cop trumps everybody else. It’s insane. I saw rumors of a sequel in the works already… But at least it’s original!

Any thoughts on the box office? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

–Fitz

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Hey all…

Occasionally I scour the web for movie news that I hadn’t seen or heard of before and this morning I saw this amazing footage on /Film. It’s a montage of fight training and choreography practice for the new Ninja Assassin film directed by James McTeigue and produced by the Wachowskis.

Do you remember Rain (he was in Speed Racer, which I’ve tried hard to forget), the Korean pop star? I know I didn’t. But after you see this footage, you’ll probably know him.

The flying ninjas in the video are from 87 Eleven, the stunt team who’s worked on 300, Watchmen, Matrix, and the Bourne films. These guys kick some serious butt.

Check out the video after the jump. It’s worth it. I felt like Keanu in The Matrix — Whoa! (more…)

Hi all…

Recently, I found an article by TC Candler talking about what he thought were the 100 Greatest Movie Posters. And I have to say that I probably agree with him in about 80% of the cases. His list is a living breathing thing as he continually changes and updates it based on new movies or old posters he finds.

There are some amazing pieces of art in this list for some classic and not-so-classic films.

Though I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of his #1 (The Sin of Nora Moran), I can get behind #2 (American Beauty), #3 (Pulp Fiction), and #4 (Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush).

Be sure to check it out here!

–Fitz

p.s. If you’re looking for classic movie posters for your wall - check out these great online stores:

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Hey all…

I just started looking at the September movie schedule and am wondering where the beef is. There’s just not a lot there I’m all that excited about.

• September 5: Bangkok Dangerous looks like it could be fun
• September 12: Burn After Reading looks like a hoot.
• September 19: Appaloosa (get your spurs on) and Igor
• September 26: Eagle Eye and Miracle at St. Anna

And October doesn’t look a heck of a lot better:

• October 3: Blindness (a maybe)
• October 10: City of Ember (a maybe) and Quarantine (a renter for me)
• October 17: Max Payne (Constantine meets a Cop movie, I’m kind of excited about this one)

Maybe I’m getting too picky for my own good?

What’s anybody else interested in that’s coming out? Are there some that I’m just missing because I haven’t heard about them?

–Fitz

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Image via Wikipedia

Hi all…

I have to say that I am disappointed at the moment. I was all set to go see Babylon A.D. today, got to my local (and fairly new) Hollywood Theaters location up in northern Colorado Springs… and was told that there would be no shows today due to problems with the film. Either the film didn’t get delivered correctly (via satellite probably) or the actual theater where the movie was to be shown had damaged equipment. I’m betting it was the former.

Now… I had a small window of opportunity to see the movie today and evidently it wasn’t fated to be. (Regardless of the fact that it’s received horrible press so far, I still want to see the film.)

If I had gone to a traditional theater, one where actual reels of film had been delivered physically to the location, I wouldn’t have run into this issue. But because I chose a digital theater, I ran into trouble.

I have to say that this is the first time since I’ve gone to this theater that this has occurred (it opened the weekend that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls opened, so it’s only been open since May). So perhaps the issues are not causing them too much trouble.

But I have to wonder when I go to the Hollywood Movies website today and it shows this:

The theater seems to be to blame for my not being able to see this movie. And I have to say that the ticket seller didn’t even suggest a different movie. He just kind of blew me off, which further exacerbated my situation.

Oh well. My wife and I may end up seeing this later in the weekend, but probably not at this theater. I’d hate to be “turned away” again.

–Fitz

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