Sometimes we watch stuff that we want to talk just a little bit about, not a full review worth. These are those films. If any of the films reviewed are available on Netflix Instant Watch (US or Canada) or HuluPlus (US only), we’ll note that by putting a direct link below the capsule.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

(4.5/5)

2000 China. Director: Ang Lee. Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Pei-pei Cheng.

I was pretty pleasantly surprised at how amazingly well this films holds up after almost 12 years; both in its wire work and it’s visual prowess. The storytelling is as simple as it is classic. Watching with English dubs makes it feel even more like a classic Kung-Fu movie but with the beautiful look only a hefty budget can provide. The choreography is still a marvel and loads of fun. Top notch Chinese actors help make this classic tale light years more impressive than a corny Kung-fu film of the late 60′s/70′s. Though it drags a bit in the middle, this comes by highly recommended by yours truly.
- Andrew

(CANADA)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

(4.5/5)

2010 US. Director: Eli Craig. Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a worthy successor to the superlative Shaun of the Dead, ably bridging the divide between horror and comedy without sacrificing quality. While this is certainly more dependent upon slapstick and shock value than its British predecessor, it did not sacrifice any characterization or charm in doing so – and I certainly found myself attached to the characters within the first act. Labine and Tudyk play off of each other wonderfully, and their bantering, quirks, and mannerisms solicited more laughs than the over-the-top violence and mayhem (which is truly impressive). Also of note, the cinematography and audio editing are very impressive, and the attention to detail is top-notch.
- DOMENIC

(USA)

Attack the Block

(3/5)

2011 UK. Director: Joe Cornish. Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Nick Frost.

I found myself very torn on this flick. From a technical perspective, the film was a borderline marvel – the pacing, editing, visuals, color palette(s), set design, and most everything else was nothing short of fantastic. I feel that a strong argument could be made that the writing, particularly in terms of the dialogue, was strong as well. Cleverness abounds throughout the film, to be sure. On the other hand, the characterization was sort of lacking, and any attempts at truly “growing” the characters felt a bit too late for my tastes. The protagonists were also sort of difficult to root for – and not because of the seemingly ubiquitous complaints about their moral fiber. Rather, it often felt as if caricatures replaced characterization. The rapid fire pace and plot development likely bear some of the blame here, and I cannot in good conscious bag on the action and laughs … but it felt sort of empty at times. I would certainly recommend Attack the Block, though I’m not sure if my own thoughts would make sense to anyone else.
- DOMENIC

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

(1.5/5)

US 2011. Director: Kevin Munroe. Starring: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem.

Sensing a pattern? I have little good to say about this Dylan Dog, and an equally small amount of witty insults as I should have known precisely what I was getting into. Sam Huntington is genuinely delightful in his supporting role, as he is in most everything (including the tremendous Being Human), and there is some interesting mythology thrown around in the background that does occasionally venture to the forefront. Otherwise, the acting is stiff, the dialogue bland, and … hell … they found a way to waste Peter Stormare. That’s just ridiculous, and borderline offensive.
- DOMENIC

(USA)

The Book of Eli

(4/5)

2010 USA. Director: Hughes Brothers. Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals.

I know this one got shit on pretty heavily by the internet community. Probably partly for being a little obvious and easy to call and partly because the atheist community frowns upon anything remotely Christian. But as a fun, genre, post-apocalyptic brawl fest I don’t see how you could do much better. It looks great, the acting is great, the action sequences are either choreographed with perfect, awesome precision (Washington trained for months and did all of his own fighting sequences) or filmed with jaw dropping insanity (watch for the shoot-out at the farmhouse). If you’re a fan of action and a Mad Max style future, I honestly don’t know what’s not to love. But hey, I was a HUGE fan of Doomsday as well, so what do I know?
- Andrew

Casanova (aka The Loves of Casanova)

(3.5/5)

1927 France. Director: Alexandre Volkoff. Starring: Ivan Mozzhukhin, Suzanne Bianchetti, Diana Karenne, Jenny Jugo.

One never knows what Silent Treatment nights at Cinefamily will bring, but usually it’s a rare American film, highlighting Hollywood in the 1920s. This time, it’s French, with a late silent lark about the (in)famous 18th century lover. The Hollywood tie-in is that after Valentino’s untimely death, Russian actor Ivan Mozzhukhin was briefly hoped to become the next great exotic lover in silent Hollywood, but the coming of sound pretty much crushed that possibility. This film is much lighter and breezier than I expected, following Casanova’s exploits from Venice to Vienna to Moscow as he chases women and flees their husbands. He’s a charming scoundrel, that’s for sure. It wasn’t always easy to keep track of all the other characters, though, thanks to the 18th century’s proclivity for white wigs – all the women look roughly the same, and aside from Catherine the Great, they mostly blurred together. Special effects during a faked sorcery scene are enjoyable, and a lot of the cinematography is quite breathtaking. Add in Mozzhukhin’s winning performance and a stunning hand-tinted carnival scene, and this was quite pleasing, though it’s enough overlong to drag it down a little here and there.
-JANDY

Battlefield Earth

(0.5/5)

2000 USA. Director: Roger Christian. Starring: John Travolta, Barry Pepper, Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, Sabine Karsenti.

You might be wondering why I even bothered to watch this utter piece of garbage. My only defense is morbid curiosity, to finally see – after so long avoiding it like the plague – just how bad “one of the worst films ever made” (as it’s so often labeled) really is. Surely it can’t be that bad, right? Wrong. This was every bit as bad as its reputation suggests, with atrocious dialogue, (unintentionally) hilarious acting, crummy special effects, boring plot and action, distracting camera angles/tricks… the list goes on and on. Atrocious.
-ROSS

The Haunting

(4/5)

1963 USA. Director: Robert Wise. Starring: Richard Johnson, Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn.

Another classic horror movie crossed off my list of shame. I really enjoyed this one. A basic plot – a doctor invites a group of people up to a supposedly haunted house to help him prove the existence of ghosts – is the holder for some pretty damn creepy moments, even 49 years after its release it still holds up. My only really issue is the slow pace in the first half – I understand it’s laying the ground work and building the tension but it felt like it could have gotten to the scares a bit sooner. Nevertheless a clever, spooky experience without a single ghost in sight (so to speak…).
-ROSS