SAW: The Best Horror Series Ever? Maybe….

Hello WORLD!!! I’ve been thinking about writing this ever since I saw SAW 6 for the first time a while back but a small piece in Tuesday’s Chicago Red Eye furthermore made my think my opinion is right. The snippet read: “It may not be the greatest horror movies of all time but the SAW films are…the most successful horror movie series of all time. The 6 movies have netter $733 million worldwide….”. WOW!! Even with the dozens of FRIDAY THE 13THs, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREETS, HALLOWEENs and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD & all of there sequels, it took just 6 movies to take that title, with the seventh set to be released in October around it’s usually date, which is Halloween. In my opinion, SAW and it’s sequels are one of the best movie series of all time PERIOD. Yeah, I said it! Not just in terms of horror movies but including all genres, it is right up there with some of the best movie series ever. Think about it; each SAW from 1-4 was absolutely pitch perfect as far as story telling goes and the twist endings, especially 1 and 4, were brilliant without cheating. SAW 5 was probably the weakest movie in the series and it had a great plot. I think the misstep with 5 was the direction of the story going away from Jigsaw and into **I DONT DO SPOILERS SO SEE THE DAMN MOVIE FOR YOURSELF!!!**, which was kinda stupid but setup part 6 to be absolutely fantastic BUT…..  I’ll get right back to that.  In the meantime, I’ll admit that this year’s SAW 3D is probably the most anticipated (by me) SAW in the whole series. What makes this series so good? Well, here is my theory on the good & great movies in general: a good movie is a movie you wouldn’t mind seeing again while a great movie is a movie that makes you want to see it again after you just saw it for the first time. Most of the SAW movies fits the latter description and if not that then the first description. Conversely, a bad movie is one you don’t want to watch again PERIOD.

I haven’t really talked about SAW 6 that much for a reason. I enjoyed the movie, that much is clear, but it isn’t a flawless movie. I hate spoiling movies so I can’t go into too much detail here but the ending isn’t quite possible is it? If everything that happened in 3 and 4 are to be believed, then there is NO WAY that 6 could even have happened! Does that stop it from being a great movie. Not at all. I enjoyed SMOKING ACES to death and there is NO CHANCE IN HELL the big reveal of that movie is even possible. Besides that, there’s movies like David Lynch’s INLAND EMPIRE and Terry Gilliam’s BRAZIL that I also love & I watch repeatedly but I couldn’t tell you what either one of them is really about. Who really knows what those movies are about besides the directors? I also love INCEPTION but there’s been so many theories on the meaning of that movie that it almost seems like we’re debating a religion instead of a great movie. BTW:It is a great movie whether all the interpretations are valid or not, but I suggest you see it for yourself before you past judgement. I got a true understanding of it on the first take! 

That’s all I wanted to say, WORLD, but let me check to make sure I said it: The SAW franchise is the best series of all time and definitely a contender for best horror franchise ever. Yep I said it! That’s it for now WORLD, but ain’t that enough? Well, it gotta be until I catch up with Jigsaw, for the last time, this October.  

Top 5 CURRENT Next Level Directors

Hello WORLD!!! I got my mind all set on seeing either INCEPTION (at the Imax, of course) or SALT today and watching which ever one I don’t see on Sunday, sandwiched between DESPICABLE ME w/my daughter Adria tomorrow on Saturday. I’m really leaning toward INCEPTION because of the director, Christopher Nolan, who directed one of my Top Ten favorite movies of all time, MEMENTO. If you seen this movie, you undoubtedly saw it more than once before you got a full understanding of it or you saw it multiple times and STILL don’t have a full understanding of it. Either way, I’m more than sure you enjoyed this movie, as you have most of his other movies, including THE PRESTIGE & last years smash hit, THE DARK KNIGHT. To be sure, he is one of the most sought after directors now, but definitely not one of your typical directors. I would categorize Mr. Nolan as a NEXT LEVEL director; a director that is not above taken risks. He would be in a class by himself if not for trailblazers like Sam Peckinpah, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and the likes. These directors told unconventional stories (like Kubrick’s CLOCKWORK ORANGE, 2001) or common stories in the most unconventional manner (like Spielberg's adorable alien classic ET or Scorsese award winning reimagining of the mobster genre, THE GODFATHER) So, who are the best Next Level currently making movies? Here’s my list:

5. Todd Solondz: You might not have heard of this director before, but I have a feeling he’ll be mentioned with the greats in no time. To prove my point, watch his movies STORYTELLING, HAPPINESS, and his debut film WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. STORYTELLING is an instant classic that if you have not seen, then I strongly recommend you go watch before you even finish this blog post!

5. Christopher Nolan: The current IT director has not had many hits in his career. He has only made 7 movies starting with 1998’s cult classic FOLLOWING. Besides FOLLOWING, the other 6 movies could be considered hits. These hits include one of my Top Ten (& a future BIZZEE pick), MEMENTO (2000), the Al Pacino / Robin Williams powered INSOMNIA, and the Christian Bale / Hugh Jackman vehicle THE PRESTIGE. In my book each of his 6 previous movies, besides INCEPTION which I haven’t seen yet, are worth owning or at least worth multiple viewings. We’re going to end the discussion of Nolan’s skills on that note; not even mentioning how HUGELY successful his Batman reboot has been….

4. David Croenberg: I’ll admit, there are a handful of movies by this director that I haven’t seen yet, NAKED LUNCH, SHIVERS, & THE BROOD among them, but the ones I have seen have been strange but satisfying. The fact that he started out in 1969 w/ STEREO and hasn’t slowed down yet is a testament to his longevity; he just released a his take on modern mafia movies with EASTERN PROMISES last year and has a plan to release another feature next year. Without knowing any details, I’m sure it can be no stranger than VIDEODROME, his remake of THE FLY or his Steven King penned classic THE DEAD ZONE.

2. Quentin Tarantino: Do I even have to explain who he is? The most recognizable name on this list, which movie of his has been conventional and has NOT been a hit? Nuff said!

1. David Lynch: The UNDISPUTED master of WTF?!?! movies and OMG directing these days is David Lynch. While I’ve seen his last movie, INLAND EMPIRES, over a 100, I cannot explain it nor do I even try to understand it anymore. That does not make it any less than the beautiful movie experience it is. Oh, and did I mention that his MULHOLLUND DRIVE is ranked higher than MEMENTO in my top ten movies of all time? If you haven’t checked out those movies or his classics like BLUE VELVET or WILD AT HEART then you owe that to yourself too.

Well, that’s it for now WORLD, but isn’t that enough? My take on INCEPTION & SALT next Monday!   

There is no Plan B

Great casting meets non-stop action! This is technically my first impression after watching The A Team.
When I learned about this remake, I quickly anticipated the actors who would fill-up the shoes of the characters and how they would give justice to their performances.
The cast. When it was revealed that Liam Neeson will play Hannibal Smith, I predicted that he would suck on the role (because I was rooting for Bruce Willis to play Smith).
But after watching the film, I could not even imagine Bruce Willis as Smith because of
Liam Neeson's knockout performance. Quinton Rampage Jackson filling-up for Mr. T's character, B.A. Baracus, is a good choice compared to earlier rumors that Ice Cube was considered for the role. Bradley Cooper as Face is just OK. But the character who steals every scene he was in is 'Howling Mad' Murdock, brilliantly portrayed by District 9's Sharlto Copley.
Patrick Wilson also gave a noteworthy performance as the film's bad guy.
(I enjoyed watching him in this film than in Watchmen and Hard Candy)
The only miscast in this movie was Jessica Biel as a DOD agent. She looks ridiculous playing that strong character.
The plot. The movie stayed true to the TV series. War veterans (Vietnam updated to Iraq) on the run clearing their names for a crime they didn't commit. They were apprehended but broke out of prison to get even with the guy who set them up. So expect a lot of cat-and-mouse sequences. The one scene that stands out was when the team escaped from a blown C-130 plane. Anyway, if you're looking for a fun and entertaining action flick, forget the plot of this one and just enjoy the ride because The A Team is a brainless-action-comedy-CGI fest kind of movie with lots of funny one-liners. But absoultely better than the G.I. Joe remake.
If you want a more enjoyable actioner with a good script, character development and action-comedy-CGI fest, go and rewatch James Cameron's True Lies.
But The A Team, fairly enough, qualifies as an entertaining film.
I just hope the producers wouldn't mess this one up by making an unecessary sequel!
There should be no Plan B for this film.
Once is enough!