Category Archives: Reviews

“Machete” rains blood and hilarity

Posted on September 4, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 7 comments

Danny Trejo has been playing Machete for over fifteen years. Introduced in Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado as Navajas (“jack knife” according to my translation), Machete has cropped up throughout the Rodriguez universe as “Uncle Machete” in the Spy Kids films and as “Cuchillo” (Spanish for knives) in the Rodriguez produced Predators. Of course it was the mock trailer for Machete featured in Grindhouse that made movie nerds piss themselves with glee over such a ridonkulous (that’s right, redonkulous) movie. And Rodriguez decided to serve it right up with a full length treatment. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Cheech Marin, Danny trejo, Desperado, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Machete, Robert De Niro, Robert Rodriguez, Spy Kids, Steven Seagal, Tom Savini

“The Last Exorcism” delivers August terrors

Posted on September 1, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

There are plenty of horror directors I would call outright hacks: an over-reliance on atmospheric music, silly jump scares, and tracing the footsteps of horror film giants are some common hack tropes. I therefore appreciate the fact that The Last Exorcism shies away from these amateur tactics and delivers a weaving, apprehensive paranormal package. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged Ashley Bell, Documentary, Eli Roth, Faux Documentary, Horror, Paranormal, Patrick Fabian, Supernatural, The Blair Witch Project, The Last Exorcism, The Last Exorcism ending

Summer Movies: July-August (Part II)

Posted on August 30, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

:you can see Part I here:

Here is the second part of my rundown of films I watched during July and August:

Continue reading →

Summer Movies: July-August (Part I)

Posted on August 28, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Immediately following my coverage of the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival, my wife and I packed our tiny flat and moved back to the U.S. We spent a month home and then finally moved to Iowa where she is now working on her PhD.

Thus, the summer was very busy and scattered; I left many films in my wake with nary a commentary post. I will now provide a quick rundown of what you should check out and what you should chuck out. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Alice in Wonderland, Avatar, CGI, Clash of the Titans, Danny the Dog, Dead Alive, Dead Snow, deux ex machina, Diary of Wimpy Kid, Dod Sno, Edward Norton, Gus Van Sant, Halloween, House of the Devil, Johnny Depp, Kids, Larry Clark, Last Action Hero, Louis Leterrier, Mystery Team, Nazi, Norwegian, Paranoid Park, Pixar, Planet of the Apes, Practical effects, Robocop 2, Sam Worthington, Terminator Salvation, The Incredible Hulk, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Ti West, Tim Burton, Tom Noonan, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, Unleashed, Up, Vin Diesel, Woody, Zombie

127 Hours Trailer: Danny Boyle’s Latest

Posted on August 25, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

The director of Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Slumdog Millionaire has a new film coming out in the fall starring James Franco, 127 Hours. It’s based on the experience of Aron Ralston, the guy who had to amputate his own arm after becoming trapped under a boulder in Utah.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Reviews

Tagged 28 Days Later, Amputate, Aron Ralston, Danny Boyle, Drama, James Franco, Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine, Trailer, Trainspotting, Utah

Why you should be reading “Under the Dome”

Posted on August 22, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Though this blog is titled The Filmsmith, my motto is similar to Rolling Stone: all the news that fits. So I want to talk about Stephen King’s most recent novel, Under the Dome.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged Apt Pupil, Carrie, Christianity, Cujo, Different Seasons, Firestarter, George Bush, Hitler, Pet Sematary, Politics, Rage, Stand By Me, Stephen King, subtext, The Bachman Books, The Dark Knight, The Dead Zone, The Long Walk, The Running Man, The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, The Stand, Under the Dome, War of the Worlds

The Expendables: Full of action, yes. Worth $10, no.

Posted on August 15, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

It’s harder to find straight up action packed cinema these days, with more and more studios walking the PG-13 line for bigger box office figures. Notably, Bruce Willis couldn’t even say his catch phrase in Live Free or Die Hard because an F-bomb is an R-rated offense. In contrast, The Expendables is a violent swearing sailor that pisses drunkenly on these sad sods that call themselves “action films” – but that doesn’t make it the best. Continue reading →

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Posted on August 14, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 2 comments

Director Edgar Wright plans to team up once more with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, to round out their Cornetto Trilogy with The World’s End (the first two Cornetto films being Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). Until then, Wright has produced a fine comedy action film to whet our appetites. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Edgar Wright, Graphic Novel, Hot Fuzz, Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Shaun of the Dead, sonic, The World's End, video games, zelda

“Inception” is one of the most cerebral, kick-ass, poignant blockbusters you will ever see. Period.

Posted on July 19, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 8 comments

The main maxim of big budget Hollywood filmmaking is “Make it Safe.” Don’t stray from basic storytelling tropes and structures, and don’t be too smart in case you go over the audience’s head. In the end, you want to ensure that you will get a return on your investment. Thus, the prospect of losing hundreds of millions of dollars makes a lot of mainstream films ride along in the mediocrity lane of the film freeway. Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged Action, Blade Runner, Christopher Nolan, Drama, Dreams, Ellen Page, Hans Zimmer, Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cortillard, Replicant, Sci-Fi, Subconsciousness

“Predators” is a damn fine sequel to the original

Posted on July 18, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 2 comments

The original Predator (1987) is one of those films that is a defining moment for masculinity. I saw Predator when I was 8 years old and the mixture of mass muscled men, “bad” words, bullets, and bravado introduced me to what it meant to be male. The film is not a traditional work of art, but like director John McTiernan’s Die Hard, Predator is a quintessential action/sci-fi film. Continue reading →