American Psycho

After watching this movie, I cannot honestly say that I enjoyed it. I have seen graphic movies with lots of gore before; that wasn't what bothered me. I can't quite put my finger on what really disturbed me. Maybe it was the main character's complete apathy, utter cruelty, and sociopathic ways. The movie was just not as thrilling as I had hoped it would be.

However, I have to admit that Christian Bale did a fantastic job portraying the psychopathic Patrick Bateman. He was superb, maybe even a little too convincing. I was also a bit surprised to find that Reese Witherspoon and Willem Dafoe had roles in the film.

On a slightly different note, Bateman briefly mentions Ed Gein, a psychotic killer from Wisconsin. Gein's story actually inspired many famous characters in popular culture, including Norman Bates from Psycho, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Jame Gumb from The Silence of the Lambs. Just a little random fact that American Psycho made me remember.

The Boondock Saints

"And shepards we shall be.

For thee, my Lord, for thee.

Power hath descended forth

from Thy hand, that our feet

may swiftly carry out Thy command.

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee

and teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomine Patris, et Filii,

et Spiritus Sancti."

 

 



This is probably the most popular quote from The Boondock Saints. It is the prayer brothers Connor and Murphey say before they shoot their target.

I have seen The Boondock Saints probably 50 times. It is my mom's favorite movie, and possibly one of my top 10 favorites. It is a movie about these two brothers who after a chance encounter with a few members of the Russian mafia decide to take matters into their own hands and clean up the streets of Boston by killing members of the various mobs that terrorize the city.

The idea of this type of vigil anti is a controversal one. On the one hand, the guys are taking care of things that the law cannot due to copious amounts of red tape. They are, in a sense, protecting the people of Boston by dwindling down the number of mobsters. On the other hand, they are acting as judge and jurry by executing the bad guys. The movie definately shows both sides to this debate, but lightens the mood with well placed humor.

I think this movie is pretty darn good, especially considering the tiny budget it had and the fact that some big name actors took a pay reduction to do it. Willem Dafoe  ( the Green Goblin from Spiderman 3), Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead), Billy Connolly (from many, many movies), and Sean Patrick Flannery (The Dead Zone) all played major rolls in the movie.

Pulp Fiction

Photo credit: TV Tropes

It is extremely hard for me to describe Pulp Fiction in an eloquent manner. Best leave it to the critics to do so.

"Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s." - Rotten Tomatoes

"The new King Kong of crime movies...Ferocious fun without a trace of caution, complacency or political correctness to inhibits its 154 deliciously lurid minutes." - Rolling Stone

Quentin Tarantino did a spectacular job with intertwining the three different stories in this film all while telling them in a non-linear fashion. Not many films can successfully pull off either of these tactics, let alone both. The film is a dark comedy that follows the stories of a pair of small-time robbers, a couple of Los Angeles mobsters, and a boxer with unpaid debt. There is a major focus on the dialogue to establish the personalities of the characters and is often laced with profanity. Actually, that is a slight understatement: there is an obscene amount of profanity in this movie. It is also a very violent movie and involves a lot of drugs as well as sexual encounters. Needless to say, this is not a movie for children.

Pulp Fiction features a cast full of big-name actors, though some were not as prominent back then. For example, John Travolta, who played Vincent Vega, one of the hit men, revived his declining career. The film also helped Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace, the mob boss’ wife) establish her career in the movie business. Other famous actors in the movie were Samuel L. Jackson(Jules Winnfield, the other hit man), Bruce Willis (Butch Coolidge, the boxer who owes the mob boss money), and Christopher Walken, who made a short appearance at the beginning of the movie.

Although most of the characters were interesting and had memorable dialogue, one of my favorite characters would probably be Fabienne, Butch’s girlfriend. She may not have been a main character, but she was a perfect foil to her boyfriend and most of the other characters, for that matter. She came off as innocent with her big doe eyes and delicate features, as well as with her accent highlighted by her silly chattering.  It was a nice contrast to the roughness of the rest of the movie. 

Yet Another Peculiar Movie

"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."

And a strange journey it was. The singing pair of lips that began the movie pretty much guaranteed that The Rocky Horror Picture Show was going to be a bit peculiar. Although this was my first time seeing the movie, I knew that it was going to be a weird one. However, I did not know quite how weird it was going to be.

Photo credit: IMDB

I have always been a bit curious about this movie since I have overheard so many people talk about it and how outlandishly awesome it was. The movie temporarily slipped of the map for me until I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which has an entire scene referencing it. With renewed interest, I was introduced to the world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania."

Rocky Horror  was probably my favorite strange movie that I have recently seen. And if my last few posts haven't indicated a pattern, I have seen quite a few weird movies lately. Though, I will admit that I was a bit confused/lost during parts of the movie. However, I soon realized that I didn't really care because I was thoroughly entertained.

The costumes, the singing and dancing, and the nontraditional story line made the movie intriguingly crazy. Add to the mix the memorable and equally crazy quotes ("Hot patootie, bless my soul! I really love that rock n' roll!") and it's no wonder that Rocky Horror is considered by some as one of the most popular cult classics of all time.