What a freaky, freaky little movie. The trailer looked interesting enough and I generally like the things that Adrien Brody does, especially this {ignore the cheesy old man at the end of the video}, so I was optimistic about Splice from the start. Plus the whole concept of DNA splicing is pretty interesting. Not that I think scientists should start hosting "getting to know you" mixers for human and animal DNA, I'm just saying it's something that makes you think outside the box, which is always fun!
I was actually quite impressed with the special effects aspects of the movie, especially their interpretation and execution of the character Dren. While many of the other "organisms" were too phallic for me to take seriously, Dren was an adequate representation of what I would expect a human-animal hybrid to look like. Not that I've ever imagined that kind of thing...
I had a hard time identifying the actual genre of the film, what with there being snippets of horror, drama, romance and even "how to be a bad parent" documentaries. Seriously, at one point Z spoke up and said he felt like he was watching a parenting movie instead of a sci-fi thriller. I suppose it's lack of a clear genre could be seen as somewhat poetic, considering the basis of the story is all about a mixing of species. Get it, mixing of genres, mixing of species. {nerd}
Anyway. I was not expecting the ending {which is rare for me} nor was I expecting some of the more graphic and gross decisions made by the main characters. The types of decisions where you can't stop yourself from screaming out at the TV, "NO NO! BAD DECISION. EW GROSS, PUHLEEEEEEASE DON'T DO THAT!" Yeah, those.
All in all it was quite entertaining and really well done. If you're into sci-fi this is a great choice and if you're not into cross species mating, avoid at all costs.
My Rating: C for Creepy but Cool
Kick Ass-
After watching this fun flick, I totally want to be a superhero. Not so much a rabid killing machine, but I'm all about the saving the lives of the innocent. Now all I need to do is find a magic genie and make it happen!
This was one of those movies that totally takes you by surprise. I had heard through the grapevine that it was much less "kid-friendly" than it was advertised but I didn't realize HOW MUCH until I was watching blood and guts and gore soar through the air accompanied by an outlandish amount of sex and swearing. Yeah... NOT a kids movie. Not even a teen movie. Just... not.
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A fun movie appropriate for adults and slasher fans, YES.The basic story follows frequently unnoticed and slightly awkward Dave Lizewski {great name, right}who decides that if Batman can protect the innocent has a masked vigilante, so can he. The problem is, Lizewski is a goofy toothpick dressed in a wet suit doing his best NOT to get killed. That's a pretty big gap between bad-ass Bruce Wayne, BUT, he makes it work. Thanks to the power of social media {smile}, aka a fast-traveling YouTube video of Lizweski getting his batootey kicked while protecting a mugging victim, Kick Ass is born and a fantastic collection of crazy characters arrive and shocking action scenes unfold. There are really no words to explain the sheer surprise that hit me when characters like Hit Girl {Chloe Moretz}go from being super sweet and oddly innocent to slicing and dicing every "bad guy" in the room with a retractable blade and high flying combat skills. You'll just have to see it for yourself but be prepared and avoid any LITTLE eyes sneaking a peak. It really is quite graphic in scenes.
And let me say on a final note that Nicholas Cage has failed to impress with his movie choices as of late. But this was a BRILLIANT choice. I always forget how totally out there he is as an actor until he smacks me in the face with a brilliantly quirky and hysterical character like Big Daddy. Kudos to you Mr. Cage... kudos.
My Rating: K for... yes I'm going there... KICK ASS!
The Wrestler-
I don't know what it is about my most recent movie choices, but it seems like I've hit a streak of watching gut-wrenching, true-life dramas that are guaranteed to make you cringe, gasp and cry all at the same time. What is THAT all about?
Whatever it is, at least my drama-mama movie choices have been good ones. It would be extremely depressing if I ended up watching a slue of 'based on a true story' flicks that were just plain awful. That being
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NOTHING in this cause because you'd be RIGHT to assume the presence of a thumbs up! YAY for you. Okay, moving on.I'd just like to say that I'm so glad Mickey Rourke came back to movie land. He's such a phenomenal actor and was the PERFECT choice for the role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Not only did he throw himself into the role wholeheartedly but he had his own personal boxing experiences to relate to. I can imagine knowing what it feels like to get the snot beat out of you while hundreds of people are watching would be beneficial when taking on a roll that requires people, beating... and snot.
The Wrestler looks at the back end of a professional wrestler's career as he faces retirement. After spending his entire life doing one thing and one thing only, he struggles to find a place in a world without his passion.
Rorke and Marissa Tomei gave outstanding performances as did Evan Rachel Wood {I always think I'm getting her name wrong, that it should be Rachel Evan Wood... ah well}. This was another one of those "hard-to-watch" films based solely on the fact that the story is quite impossible to imagine actually living through. The struggles he faced, the reputation he had to live up to, the people that abandoned him, the list goes on and on. I can't imagine doing everything in my power to continue doing what I love, what makes me ME, with that many obstacles in my way. It's heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time.
Outside of being a soul-tugging story, it also gave an interesting and informational look inside the world of professional wrestling. The smack-down, chair breaking, piledriver kind of professional wrestling. I am fully aware {and have been for many years} that shows like WWF are completely staged. It's all a show and it's all about making the biggest bang and getting the best reaction from the audience. However, I never realized how much these men and women put into convincing people that it is real. Cutting their own faces with razor blades mid-fight to make it look like they took a hard hit. Setting up a strategy with their opponent before the match to decide how much pain the other is willing to take. LITERALLY shooting themselves with staple guns just to make the crowd think they've lost their minds. These are the things that 'professional wrestlers' do everyday... and they LOVE IT. It's truly astounding.
A HUGE kudos to the entire cast and another kudos to you if you decide to go check it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
My Rating: S for Simply amazing.
Until next time...
Today's MMM trivia question: In what late 1990's film did Evan Rachel Wood play Sandra Bullock's 'witchy' daughter?
Comment with your answer!
Last MMM answer: Kieran Culkin played opposite Sharon Stone in the novel based film, The Mighty