Once upon a time there was a girl who liked to watch movies with vampires, werewolves, aliens, monsters, hobbits, dragons, ghosts, and witches. This week she chose Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. She didn't have extremely high expectations for this movie, but was hoping that at least the cheesiness of it would keep her entertained for 90 minutes. And well, it did!
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters follows the siblings many years after their treacherous trip through the forest where they found the house made of candy and the witch wanting to eat them. After killing that witch by pushing her through the furnace, they began a journey killing witches and making a living off of it. They are employed by a town where witches are kidnapping children. They must find the children and kill the witches in the process. They also discover a little more about their past and learn what happened to their parents that fateful day in the forest.
This movie is very gruesome and definitely not for kids. I didn't know there were automatic weapons back in fairytale land or that women were allowed to wear pants and curse like sailors, but clearly you can do anything you want when hunting witches. This movie was a bit bizarre (Hansel and Gretel's relationship is a little incestuous) and very cheesy, but I enjoyed it. There is lots of blood and guts and exploding witches. There's also a huge troll with a soft heart. I mean, this movie has everything except a big named actress well unless you want to count Jeremy Renner or Famke Janssen. All-in-all, I enjoyed it. It's not for everyone, but if you liked Van Helsing or any Underworld movie then you may enjoy this one. The End.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Gangster Squad - A great gangster movie
Happy New Year! I know we are 18 days into it, and I'm just now typing, but it doesn't mean I haven't been trying to get here. Gangster Squad isn't the first movie I've seen this year, but I didn't feel that I had enough to say about Texas Chainsaw Massacre to type about it. And, I'm still trying to find time to see Zero Dark Thirty. If you haven't seen anything yet this year, Gangster Squad is a great one to get you started.
This movie is based on a true story about a group of LAPD officers who were brought together to take down Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen and his gang which may have been apart of the Jewish Mafia. This group of cops were known as the Gangster Squad Unit. In the movie, the squad was lead by Sergeant O'hara played by James Brolin. He was a decorated war hero who was having trouble being a civilian in a corrupt LA scene of the 1940's and 1950's. Members of his squad includes Sergeant Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who has a thing for Mickey Cohen's girl (Emma Stone), Detective Harris, Detective Navidad Ramirez, Detective Kennard, and Detective Keeler played by one of my favs Giovanni Ribisi. They go after and destroy Mickey Cohen's business and establishments in order to run him out of town. Sean Penn as Mickey is ruthless and physically and mentally ugly. I can't tell if he was acting well or just playing a darker version of himself. Either way, I was captivated by him and that nose.
There is a lot of classic gangster movie things happening here. Lot's of shooting, night club scenes, girls in pretty dresses, guys looking good in fedoras, cars with suicide doors, car chases, and did I mention shooting. There is that 2013 spin on it with the graphic nature of things. In one of the opening scenes, a man is pulled apart by two cars, and we see it all. There were some funny scenes mixed in there too. And, every time Ryan Gosling entered the room, I would think that is one cutie patootie. I enjoyed every scene he was in, oh yes I did! I think in all, this a great gangster movie. It's no Goodfellas or The Godfather, but I don't think it was meant to be. It's more like The Untouchables. I enjoyed that one, and I liked Gangster Squad too. I think so will you.
This movie is based on a true story about a group of LAPD officers who were brought together to take down Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen and his gang which may have been apart of the Jewish Mafia. This group of cops were known as the Gangster Squad Unit. In the movie, the squad was lead by Sergeant O'hara played by James Brolin. He was a decorated war hero who was having trouble being a civilian in a corrupt LA scene of the 1940's and 1950's. Members of his squad includes Sergeant Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who has a thing for Mickey Cohen's girl (Emma Stone), Detective Harris, Detective Navidad Ramirez, Detective Kennard, and Detective Keeler played by one of my favs Giovanni Ribisi. They go after and destroy Mickey Cohen's business and establishments in order to run him out of town. Sean Penn as Mickey is ruthless and physically and mentally ugly. I can't tell if he was acting well or just playing a darker version of himself. Either way, I was captivated by him and that nose.
There is a lot of classic gangster movie things happening here. Lot's of shooting, night club scenes, girls in pretty dresses, guys looking good in fedoras, cars with suicide doors, car chases, and did I mention shooting. There is that 2013 spin on it with the graphic nature of things. In one of the opening scenes, a man is pulled apart by two cars, and we see it all. There were some funny scenes mixed in there too. And, every time Ryan Gosling entered the room, I would think that is one cutie patootie. I enjoyed every scene he was in, oh yes I did! I think in all, this a great gangster movie. It's no Goodfellas or The Godfather, but I don't think it was meant to be. It's more like The Untouchables. I enjoyed that one, and I liked Gangster Squad too. I think so will you.
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