The Minority Report - "Defendor" (2009)

There will always be those movies lost to stingy and reluctant movie companies. “Defendor,” is one of those movies. It was only released in Canadian theaters at first and was premiered at the Toronto International Movie Festival in September of 2009. It then was pulled from being released to American theaters. It was only briefly self-released in theaters in February of 2010, and then finally released on DVD April of 2010. This movie is a masterpiece of sorts. Written and directed by Peter Stebbings (a small time actor) and it truly is his masterpiece. This movie is a swan song of sorts and truly is a brilliant film; you just have to give it a chance.

Woody Harrelson is the driving force behind this emotional driven movie. He plays a mentally unsound individual named Arthur Poppington, who takes up the persona of a super hero named Defendor (spelling error is purposeful). The acting is powerful, yet with an innocent spin, and truly one of Harrelson’s finest works. The supporting actress is Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), who shines and truly outdoes herself as a drugged up teenager who befriends Defendor. The two end up in a psychosis fueling relationship, which sends Defendor on a quest to stop “Captain Industry.” The script is artfully spun and heavily set in a dark, gritty reality that does not allow it to fit into one genre. I will say that this movie is not perfect; it is a slow burn and, at times, makes you wonder on a few of the choices the makers did.

This movie was not the best movie I have ever seen, yet it was better than a lot of slop that has been released into theaters lately. This movie deserved a fighting chance or a chance at all—movie movie goers need to experience a unique and touching movie. It was good, bottom line. And if this movie was released into theaters, I believe it would have fared fine and perhaps would have gained a mass of respect, besides such little words the few lucky people who have had the pleasure of observing this theatrical treasure. This movie is nothing like watching paint dry, sure it may have its imperfections and won’t be a lot of people’s favorites, but it is damn good.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Hard Candy" (2006)

“Strangers shouldn’t talk to little girls.”
This movie is a psychological thriller. But unlike any you have seen. It is not revolutionary as far as the genre goes. It has its shocking, make-you-jump moments, the make-you-cringe moments, and of course the “What the F*$#?!" moments. Now what makes it different is the simplicity and ease these moments come from the unlikely sources. This movie can be summed up in two words, “F*$#ed up.”

Ellen Page ("Juno", "Whip It") plays a fourteen year old girl who likes to chat with older men. One man especially, played by Patrick Wilson ("Lakeview Terrace", "Watchmen"). Some Dateline worthy conversations take place between the two and they eventually meet up. From here the creeper factor just ramps up to disturbing. Then, it hits a hard left turn. The next events will leave you stunned and bothered, exactly what makes a good psychological thriller.

Ellen Page does a great job playing this profound, yet mysterious character. She alludes and has the ability to get under your skin and crawl. Patrick Wilson strikes a good balance of creepy, yet slightly sympathetic. Emotions will be created and change throughout the experience. David Slade (Director of the "Twilight Saga", "30 Days of Night") gets his start in this indie film and out does any of his over budget Twilight work. This is his real element: horror and thrill, not campy and lame. Enough taking low blows to the Twilight Saga and back to “Hard Candy,” this film is a diamond in the rough as far as thrillers go. “Hard Candy” is psychological eye candy. This movie is like watching paint dry, if the paint was creepy, disturbing, but more importantly, unique.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Repo! The Genetic Opera" (2008)

“I'm the monster. I'm the villain. What perfection. What precision! Keen incisions, I deliver. Unscathed organs, I deliver. Repossession, I deliver. I'm the Repo! Legal assassin!”
Set in a post-apocalyptic earth, this indie movie gives a chilling representation of the decrepit nature of the human race after an epidemic of organ failures. Coming before “Repo Men,” this movie is the first adaptation of The Reposession Mambo. With a cast of interesting and fairly unknown actors, the movie does well to show the pain and suffering of this distraught world kneeling before a totalitarian corporation. This movie is, in fact, a rock opera, so it is structured like a musical. The interesting thing is that they meld both opera and modern rock into one. The singing is very well done, with many fantastic singers in a well organized way. The emotions are conveyed as they need to be, and the father-daughter relationship was etched very well into the viewers mind.

The story centers around a man by the name of Nathan Wallace (Anthony Steward Head) that works for a megacorporation in 2056 called GeneCo. This corporation, run by the deathly ill (ironically) Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), solved the problem of organ failure by providing artificial organs as pseudo loans. Basically, one has to make monthly payments to GeneCo for survival and maintenance of the organ to be guaranteed. If payments are missed, in comes the Repo Man. These people are very specialized assassins whose one and only job is to kill the owner of an organ that hasn’t been paid for and reclaim it for GeneCo. Nathan Wallace just happens to be one of those Repo Men, and is very conflicted about his work and his daughter, Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega). Shilo has a very strong opposition to GeneCo and doesn’t know that her father repossesses organs. The quest for her own identity brings her into conflict with the megacorporation and with her own father.

With many colorful characters such as the fantastic real-life opera singer, Sarah Brightman (who plays Blind Mag, a woman who owes her whole life and career to GeneCo), to the writer, director, and producer of the film, Terrance Zdunich (playing the narrator, GraveRobber), to the amazingly awful Paris Hilton (who plays Amber), this movie has its highs and lows. Although the characters (not Nathan and Shilo) and the world of 2056, itself could have been explored more, this movie did a pretty good job of providing a glimpse into a ruined world. More budget and a stronger plotline (location and setting wise) could have made this movie much better and enjoyable since the action was slightly jumpy and incoherent at times. Overall, though, the movie achieves its purpose of grossing one out, while maintaining the viewer’s pity for the man whose job it is to legally murder other people. This movie is like watching paint dry on a wall that has been cut open and is missing an organ.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Date Night" (2010)

“When he says vagina, he means your face.”
This movie, like many Steve Carell movies, I expected to be full of attempts at comedy and a big failure overall. To my surprise, it was quite enjoyable and, indeed, quite good. Steve Carell and Tina Fey seem to be a match made in comedy heaven. It appears as though they feed off of each other, and their marriage in the movie seems legitimate and believable. Without missing a beat, the story manages to develop the two main characters as a typical married couple. Their personalities complement each other and their charisma is undeniable. The plot leads one through a voyage of discovery from the perspective of the couple. Their interactions are comedic, but also touching. In attempting to get out of their predicament, they discover more about who they are in their marriage.

The plot centers around a tax professional named Phil Foster (Steve Carell) and a real estate agent named Claire Foster (Tina Fey). They have two kids of their own and participate in activities which include book club and a date night every Friday, where they go to the same restaurant, order the same food, and have the same discourses every time. When they find out that one of the married couples with whom they are friends with is getting a divorce, they seek to reignite the spark in their relationship. Deciding to go to a fancy restaurant in New York, they delve upon an insane adventure that will eventually lead them to discover whether they are headed on the same path as their friends or not.

Very enjoyable plot points and situations are readily found in this movie, and the action is steadily maintained. Even though the dialogue is not deep or meaningful in the least (it is a comedy after all), it never gets old witnessing the two get placed in one strange and often awkward situation after another. Overall, this movie was highly enjoyable and packed full of laughs (except for the younglings). It is a little bit like watching paint dry…that is, if the paint is awkward and is married to even more awkward paint.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Daybreakers" (2010)

“Living in a world where vampires are the dominant species is about as safe as bare backing a 5 dollar whore.”
This movie was a pleasant rescue from an otherwise doomed vampire genre thanks to the likes of the “Twilight Saga.” Instead of offering a world where vampires are hiding from the ever-present human race, or attempting to live a semblance of a normal life amongst the humans, this movie examines what a society of vampires would be like. Everything from blood banks to life at night has been, in essence, reverse engineered to reflect what it would be like to live in a world where, like the above quote says, vampires are the dominant species. It all boils down to vampirism being as common as the sun during the day and the stars at night.

The story centers on a pandemic that converted most of the world’s populace into vampires. The few humans left are fighting desperately to survive, and the United State’s marines have been reassigned to capture humans in the blood wars. Because of the scarcity during these days, there is much research into a blood replacement that can be made synthetically and mass-produced. Because of the lack of blood, many vampires have begun a horrible transformation that turns them into savage beasts that resemble most vampires from ancient lore. In comes the protagonist, Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke). He is a hematologist and is working for a cure to the dwindling supplies of blood and the security of the continuation of their species. He is a straight-edge vampire and secretly refuses to drink human blood because of his ever-present respect for them. This puts a strain on familial ties with his brother, who belongs to a group of vampires who hunt humans. Soon, because of his sympathy for the human plight, he meets a group of people attempting to survive, and a man who says he is cured.

This movie, though a legitimate vampire movie, doesn’t focus on the romance, or the secret lives of vampires. Instead, it is about the plight of both the vampires and the humans. While it makes its way through, one gets glimpses into the vampirical society. This was perhaps my favorite parts. They seem to thrive on examining aspects of the vampire collective that one would not typically think of—vampire suicide, daytime driving, the stock market, and forest fires, among others. Apart from the societal aspects, the movie has many sequences that are very artful and elicit a noticeable “lack of light” feeling. All in all, it kept me very entertained, and the slight lack of character depth did not bother me. Its construction imparted the thought that the people knew where the plot was going from the beginning and they wanted to create an atmosphere of darkness so powerful, it was almost representative of solitude. This movie was like watching paint dry, but the paint was of a science fiction future where vandals had drawn fangs on all the people.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Kick-Ass" (2010)

I just got out of the movie “Kick Ass.” I will be honest I am going into this review a tad biased as I have been hyped to see this movie after the first murmur of its creation. For me, the movie had to live up to a higher expectation than a regular viewer. It succeeded and surpassed my expectations—no, it seized my expectations and shredded it with its all around greatness. This movie grabbed me, shook me, and then finally shot me out of a window with a bazooka.

The story starts off slow (which is not a bad thing), introducing the main character of Dave Lizewski. Dave is a very average teenage kid. I can not describe him any more than that, he really is that average. The only thing that sets him apart from others is his dreams of being a super hero. Not a super hero that has special powers or abilities, just an attitude and straight morals. He ends up caught up in this self made world of masked vigilantes and a surprisingly deep conspiracy. The other “super heroes,” are not exactly what you expect, and have much character depth; especially the pair of Big Daddy, played by Nicholas Cage (giving one of his best performances in a long while), and Hit Girl, played by Chloë Moretz ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "(500) Days of Summer"), who gives one of the best and most profound performances that I have ever seen in a child actress. Do not expect a simple action movie from this, it’s not (but the action still rocks), the story rivals the best in the genre.

You must go see this movie. There are some things to be wary of before going to see this film. There is a lot of cursing and violence. This movie truly earns the “R” rating, so I implore you not to take your children to this movie, even though it may be tempting with the super hero subject. This movie does what Zombieland did with the zombie genre, but with super hero movies. It may be funny, but it still has an inspiring tale. In fact, I would even dare to say it is easily on par with “The Dark Knight,” a super hero movie with a highly more recognizable character, and a much larger budget.

Lionsgate has truly found the formula for success. They do not have a large budget and don’t need one. They simply need a good story and a compelling telling of the story. The director did a fantastic job with this movie, with its multiple turns and plot changes. I noticed a hint of inspiration from other action orientated directors and movies like “Sin City” and “Kill Bill.” I really must say that it is very rare for me to come out of a movie with absolutely zero complaints. Simply put “Kick Ass,” kicks ass. This movie is the Da Vinci of super hero movies and is not like watching paint dry, in fact this movie makes watching paint dry kick major ass.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Clash of the Titans" (2010)

“Release the Kracken!”
Those words will resonate in your head for hours after viewing “Clash of the Titans.” This movie is a remake of the 1981 epic Greek mythology spin-off. More aptly phrased, it is a highly bad-ass version of the 1981 movie. There is no clay-mation to be found; instead, there are premier special effects, which are mind blowing. They are mind blowing not because they are the best special effects to date, but because they are used efficiently to convey the scenes in an exciting and action oriented way. When you see the computer generated behemoths in action, you can’t but squeal in joy. These action scenes of great proportions will almost make you forget the lack of character development, a very spotty plot, and an overall cheesy film.

The film revolves around a man named Perseus who was found floating in the ocean by a humble fisherman. Lo and behold, Perseus finds out that he is a demigod (“The One”), and becomes the center of a conflict to kill the Gods. This then becomes an overall journey that will bring a team of various warriors together in different locations, where a motley of adversaries try and stop them from their mission to kill the Gods. This movie boils down to any other shallow action movie set in a different location and time period.

I will be straight and say that this movie entertained me. It did not inspire emotion, it did not redefine the action genre, and it did not even make me think. It was an uninspired remake that took the plot of the original and added some 2010 action to the mix. I know it may sound as though I am ragging on this movie pretty harshly, but it was an entertaining night at the movies. I gaped in awe at the spectacles of action and the large beasts that ravaged the land. All in all, this entire movie is like releasing the Kracken! Nah, it’s like watching a 21st century remake of paint drying.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "How to Train Your Dragon" (2009)

“Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile.”
Honestly, I was expecting this movie to be one of those I like, but could have been better if the characters were expanded upon and the storyline was improved. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around a young Viking-in-training named Hiccup (because it is thought that ugly names scare away bad spirits). He is undoubtedly the scrawniest of his kind; he can’t even wield a sword without it being too heavy for him. One problem that his village (which is conveniently located on the side of a cliff by the ocean) has is that it has a very severe pest problem—dragons. This society prides itself on its dragon killing and the individual’s strength to be able to repel the beasts. Considering Hiccup is rather tiny, he is often ridiculed for not being all that a Viking should. Enter Toothless. He is what is referred to in the movie as a “night fury.” The pair bond over some time, and then the movie proceeds like a rolling stone down a steep mountain.

One aspect of the movie that I rather enjoyed was the animation. It is almost as if each individual hair is moving on the character’s heads. The dragons themselves have a beautiful design and come in many shapes and sizes (Dreamworks created many different species of dragons for this movie). It is difficult to come across a computer animated movie that has such a mix of pleasant characterizations, breathtaking cinematography, and convincing storyline. At first, they introduce Hiccup. Then, they make a connection between him and the dragon. This serves as a bridge between the audience and the characters. I did not expect to feel such a strong connection to Toothless, but it was welcomed. This made the rest of the movie an amazing ride that brought both thrills and laughs. Whether it was through the camera angles and shots of impressively realistic fire and water animations, or the beautifully crafted flying sequences, the movie seemed to hit home for me and the people that I was with.

Considering Dreamworks last couple of movies, this is a pleasant break from the usual storyline and should appeal to young and old and everything in between. Witty and clever scripts, fantastic characters, and a memorable bond between the audience and the movie are just some of the things you have to look forward to when going to see this movie. While it is full of funny moments and great action, it still leaves room for the good old lesson in the end of each of these types of movies: hatred, terror, and death are all caused and promoted by simple misunderstandings. This movie is like watching the last bit of paint dry on an ancient Norse depiction of their myths and legends.

By Kulguy

Notes:
*When you watch the movie, look out for some foreshadowing that you will only understand in the end…
*I also did not watch the movie in 3D...3D is stupid and a waste of time. Don't waste your money.