Midnight Meat Train (DVD)

midnight_meat_trainI’m not really a big fan of horror movies. I can appreciate being scared, or even straight up terrified. The reason I’m not really into them in general is because they are often way too predictable for me.  The ones that do appeal to me offer something new in terms of presentation, storyline, or both. Clive Barker’s films have always held great potential for me. He comes up with unique characters and plot lines that are unlike anything in horror films.  Some of his movies are brilliant, while others have a lot of promise that never winds up fully realized. Midnight Meat Train is a relatively low key release based on a short story by Barker.  After first watching the trailer it was clear that there were tons of great ideas in this film, but whether they would develop into a great movie was another question.

Midnight Meat Train is the story of a young photographer named Leon (Bradley Cooper) who wants to capture the heart of the city on film. He winds up photographing people on the subway, and inadvertently stumbles onto a serial killing butcher (Vinnie Jones) who slaughters and carves up his victims on the late night trains.  Leon becomes more and more obsessed with the butcher and continues to follow him until his life becomes suddenly connected to the butcher.

The premise of the movie starts out fairly interesting and grows more and more intense as the movie progresses. Although I didn’t get his casting at first, Vinnie Jones gives an excellent performance. He is naturally a pretty physically imposing figure, however, his role in this film makes him seem even more sinister than before.

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My Bloody Valentine 3D (Theaters)

I’m a sucker for slasher flicks.  While there have been some really bad and forgettable ones in recent memory, I had to satisfy my desire for decapitations, gore and of course T&A.  Add the fact it’s in 3D, I couldn’t wait to see this movie.  For all the hardcore fans, you’re either going to love or hate this movie.  For the masses, it’s probably just another excuse to snuggle with their other half or get a taste of what the future of cinema might be, namely 3D.

The movie stars relative new comer Jensen Ackles as Tom Hanniger, Jamie King as his former love interest Sarah and Kerr Smith of Dawson’s Creek fame as Axel, the town’s sheriff.  The story opens with a brief prologue of newspaper clips about Tom Hanniger (Ackles) causing an accident in the mines he works for that is also family owned.  The accident sends the lone survivor of five, Harry Warden, to the hospital where he lies in a coma.  One year later on Valentines Day, Harry Warden wakes up and goes on a massive killing spree.  The horror ends with Harry Warden being shot to death in the mines he works for.  Fast forward ten years on Valentine’s Day, the killings begin again and mayhem ensues.

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Crash (DVD)

crash_ver2It is truly amazing how I missed a film with so much grit and intelligence, and I’m just happy to have finally picked it up.

Crash is everything you want in a film. Its gritty, provocative, and controversial and hits all your senses like a roaring semi truck. Fear, hatred, prejudice, anger, love, guilt, and every other emotion felt by humanity is seemlessly touched in this film.

Crash carries more weight than most other film’s I’ve watched. The message behind the movie is so incredibly powerful that it cannot be ignored. The ignorance and bigotry of today’s society insinuates itself into our daily lives without any of us really knowing it. Sometimes it takes a controversial film such as this, to open up the eyes of everyone who seems oblivious to their surroundings and its effects on its people.

As for the film itself, you really couldn’t ask for a better cast. I really can’t pinpoint anyone in particular who did not do justice to this film. Everyone from Matt Dillon to Sandra Bullock did an excellent job portraying their character.

This movie is a must see for everyone. It truly touches the reality which is today’s society.