Must See Movies

After a run of 10 months of very average movies, I am finally starting to see some movies worth watching. In the last 2 weeks I have seen 2 movies in the theater and 2 more on DVD that are all worth going out of your way to check out.


Saw 2 - In my humble opinion, Saw was the best horror movie since either The Ring or Scream, depending on my mood. Saw is a horror movie, for horror movie fans. It is dirty and violent and doesn't skimp on the scares or the gore. In other words, it was the kind of horror flick we rarely see anymore...one made for grownups. So it should surprise no one that I was pumped to see Saw 2, though I am always skeptical of sequels. A funny thing happened though, it was that rare sequel that was better than the original. It keep all the good from the first one but also added more characters and storylines. It also didn't hurt that the twist ending actually worked with the plot of the movie this time as well. If you like horror, you should already have seen Saw 2. If not, get off your ass and hit the theater.

Goodnight, and Good Luck - George Clooney is proving to be quite the talented filmmaker. GN&GL is that rare movie that is affecting without it even feeling like it is trying very hard. The story of Edward R. Murrow and CBS news taking on McCarthy and his Communist witchhunt is told mainly through newscast and in a news room. McCarthy is only ever seen in actual video of the man himself. That, along with Davis Strathairn's solid performance as Murrow makes it a movie not to be missed. Easily one of the years best.

Oldboy - This was a crazy fucked up movie like only Asian movies are anymore. The story of a man imprisionment in a room for 15 years only to be let out and led on a wild goose chase to figure out who did it and why. Chanwook Park's film is alternately touching and out of control and the twists just keep coming. Oldboy is the kind of great film that could never really be made in America, or at least rarely is.

The Devils Rejects - Rob Zombie follows up his way out there horror epic House of 1000 Corpses with a more grindhouse 70's style revenge flick. I was not a huge fan of his first film, though I did get the feeling Rob Zombie had some very good films in him. He seems to get this genre and really goes all out on the violence. This is a much more realistic version of violence that in his last effort, and because of that it is much more affecting. Chalk full of oddball characters played by B movie legends and violent beyond belief, Zombie pushes the envelope of good taste while delivering a solid effort.