Change Your Image
paukenmeister
Reviews
Drunks (1995)
Best substance abuse film ever!!
I agree with several posters who say that people in recovery should watch this film. I also believe that every treatment facility should show this to the patients/clients based on the raw, gritty and realistic portrayals of addiction and addicts. However, I would be careful showing this movie in a substance abuse program at a men's prison due to the brief depiction of nude breasts. Some of the audience members *may* be distracted by the flash of flesh and forget the true message/intention of the movie. I would also not recommend this film if you're offended by "F-bombs". **SPOILER ALERT - sorta** There's a scene where Jim (Richard Lewis) is "sharing his grief" with a complete stranger at a bar - a stranger who's trying to be polite but wants to escape. Anyway, as I watched this scene with the "Closed-Captioning" activated, I noticed that each new caption on the screen had "f**k" (or a variation thereof) displaying. **END MILD SPOILER ALERT** Here's my synopsis of the film. **SPOILER ALERT #2** Jim, a recovering alcoholic/heroin addict is getting a room in a church ready for an AA meeting. His sponsor (George Martin) asks him to speak since the original speaker couldn't make it. Jim's reluctant to speak, but his sponsor presses him on. As Jim gives a half-hearted lead, we learn that he got sober simply to keep his wife happy. Since his wife has passed away, we can see that Jim's motivation to stay sober has gone as well. We see this as Jim wanders New York, getting wasted on booze. He's so desperate for companionship that he seeks a hooker - who only wants heroin. Jim goes to a park, buys heroin and steals a syringe from another junkie passed out in the park. Jim staggers back to his old bar and attempts to cook the heroin when he's thrown out. The film ends with a thoroughly wasted Jim at an AA meeting admitting that at the end of the day he'll have a full day of sobriety. I feel as though the film is trying to say that even if a recovering person relapses, they can always try their recovery again. **END SPOILER ALERT #2** "F-bombs" and nudity aside, I highly recommend this film to people in recovery and substance abuse counselors as well.
Untraceable (2008)
Decent movie
"Untraceable" is one of the first decent movies of the year. You *KNOW* you're already going to hate the villain from the beginning of the movie. Diane Lane and Colin Hanks played their characters well enough that you could sympathize with them. Speaking of Colin Hanks, he *is* his father's son in that he has that "everyman" charm. **SPOILER ALERT** Joseph Cross does an outstanding job of portraying the villain. The more you see his character, the less you like him and you can't help but feel satisfied when he "gets his" in the end. **END SPOILER ALERT** Overall, this movie is a pretty interesting commentary on the internet culture, especially given our society's tendency to exploit things via the internet. **SPOILER ALERT #2** You see, the villain's father's suicide was captured by local media and replayed multiple times on the internet. The villain gets revenge on the people involved with the recording and broadcast of his father's suicide. **END SPOILER ALERT #2** So, in spite of what some critics may say, I personally recommend seeing this movie.
Rocky Balboa (2006)
The best of all the Rocky sequels.
I'll be brief and try not to repeat what others have said before me. "Rocky Balboa" is, IMHO, the absolute best of all the "Rocky" sequels.
"Rocky II" - He wins the champeenship (Yay!) but is no longer an underdog. - Not bad.
"Rocky III" - He loses his original desire to win, loses his title to Mr. T, loses Mickey. Training scenes border on homo-erotic. Rocky re-gains title. - Sliding downhill "Rocky IV" - Apollo dies . . . at the hands of a Russian boxer. Rocky gets revenge and makes a dumb speech at the end of the movie. - Sliding further downhill.
"Rocky V" - Hoooooo boy. Rocky's broke. Rocky takes in a "be-mulleted" boxer and trains him, becomes a rotten father to Rocky Jr. in the process. The film *tries* to capture past elements from the previous films at an attempt towards an homage to the franchise. Rocky is told he can never fight again due to getting hit in the head a zillion times - and he gets in a street fight at the end of the movie. - What were they thinking when they made this POS? I agree with someone who posted that one should see "Rocky", "Rocky II" then "Rocky Balboa".
Cui hua kuang mo (1993)
So bad, it's good. But it's better in Spanish!!
In spite of the inherent awfulness of the movie, one watches it for the unintentional laughs. I agree with a user who commented on the two guys being inexplicably oiled up for the big fight scene. I agree with another user that one watches this flick with yer best buds and a 6-pack of PBR.
However, this turkey gets an even better roasted flavor when one sees it on TELEMUNDO!!! Asian movie (martial arts/rubber-suit monster) dubbed in English = funny. American direct-to-video "crapola" martial arts picture with avenging death/tough girl whoops everybody motif dubbed in Spanish = mess yer drawers funny!!!
Abandon (2002)
To the point.
This movie keeps you at the edge of your seat, because it's easier to leave your seat while sitting on the edge. A fellow movie-goer referred to this movie as "the most expensive nap I've ever had". This movie is compelling. It compels you to think "huh?".