watching movies one cup at a time

This is Bill Maher’s documentary on religion and basically he goes around the world talking to people of all faiths about their religion and offers them some challenges. It would be impossible to say that the film is not biased, it of course reflects the atheist point of view of the filmmakers. However, everything has a bias so why not listen to someone who is at least challenging people to defend what they have placed so much value on. Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Catholics, Christians, and more get their time with Bill to discuss why THEY are the ones with the truth and everyone ELSE is f-ing nuts. I admit that I am much more in sync with Bill Maher than I am with all the religious representatives in the movie so I fully admit that by liking this movie and literally the choir he is preaching too. But the film brings up a LOT of good points and I think it really shows how there is a large over-zealous population out there that has taken a thirst for answers in an unknown universe and used it as a means to oppress and exploit both their own people and other peoples of the world. The point to me does not seem to be that God is bad but more that organized religion is often in the hands of manipulative and destructive forces that are less about spirituality and more about man-made power and gain.

There are some classic scenes in this movie like when Bill visits the “Holy Land Experience” in Florida as fat tourists watch a re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion while sucking down a Pepsi. And when he goes to visit the Creation Museum, still under construction, that depicts man and dinosaurs hanging out together (a la Flintstones) as an accurate depiction of history according to the Bible.

Bill Maher may not be 100% right but I think his point is that no one is 100% right when it comes to “God’s plan” and to act any differently is insane. Regardless of your religious convictions, check the movie out. Anyone with a sense of humor should definitely enjoy it.

Musicals. When they’re great, they’re really great. And when they suck, they REALLY suck. I never saw Rent on broadway so I don’t have that to compare the movie to. But I couldn’t even get through this movie. It just got so annoying after awhile I gave up. In opera, the entire performance, dialogue and all, is sung and performed as a musical piece. So Rent tries to be that, but in a modern, “hip and edgy” kinda way. Big mistake. Trying to make this thing into a non-stop song was just plain stupid. These people walk from one situation to the next and are just singing nonsense constantly. It’s not like Chicago or Moulin Rouge where they’re singing some of the time. These people are ALWAYS singing. “Going to the bus? Let’s sing about it!” “Like to eat peanuts? How about a song!” “Dying of AIDS? Singing might help!” and after awhile I just felt like saying SHUT UP for 2 frickin’ minutes PLEASE! It maybe, MAYBE, would have been okay if the songs were decent, but the songs were TERRIBLE. Stupid lyrics, boring music, WAY over the top emoting going on. And the story was just plain stupid too. I had high hopes for this movie cuz everyone always raves about it. But like I said, I had to turn it off about half way cuz I could not stand another second of someone constantly singing these crap songs. The only song I did like was the one in the trailer. And that was in the trailer so why did I need to see 2 solid hours of songs that were NOT that one? No thanks.

Well, it is what it is – a b-grade zombie flick loosely based on a video game. I’m not a big fan of any of these movies. They are pretty weak in general. I like the idea of an out-of-control company like the Umbrella Corporation, but we don’t get much insight into them. This film takes place in a future where the whole world has pretty much been taken over by the “T Virus” which kills everything and then reanimates it zombie-style. Milla Jovovich is back as the genetically-enhanced Alice, ready to kick some a** as usual. And really that’s the most fun part – watching Milla do her thing. She pretty much only acts in movies where she can whup on people nowadays so she’s gotten really good at it. High kicks, flipping all over, knives, guns, what’s not to like? The rest of the cast and the story is pretty forgettable. Even as an end-of-the-world scenario it’s so-so.

Bottom Line: Fun if you want something mindless.

Classic ’80s zombie movie! When we were kids and starving for any view of punk culture in the mainstream, this movie was perfect.

A group of “punk rock” kids break into a cemetery to hang out and wait for their friend who works at a medical supply warehouse next door. The warehouse happens to have a chemical that can raise the dead and of course it gets loose and floods the cemetery. The dead rise and they need brains… lots of brains. What I love about this movie is that even though the punk kids are cliche and kind of cheesy, they have a tongue-in-cheek playfullness and are never treated like bad people. I’m reminded a little bit of some of the characters from Repo Man. It’s got a similar vibe. And having The Cramps, TSOL, and The Damned on the soundtrack adds a lot of credibility. I also like how the zombies have a sense of humor about them. This isn’t the highest budget flick and the zombies are mostly just covered in mud, but they are this crazed mob that just swarms everything that comes into cemetery, even when the zombies call the cops themselves to get more cops to come. The ending is pure ’80s nihilism too as the government simply nukes a major city to solve the problem.

This was OUR zombie movie and it’s brilliant.

It’s a very cliche story: Lone wolf outsider comes into town, thinking he can change things. Big bad evil rich dude “owns the town and everyone in it” and tries to kill/shut down the lone wolf. Explosions, fist fights, smashed glass. Good guy wins, bad rich dude dies. There are whole tv series based on that simple plot line. Road House fits that model perfectly and features Swayze kickin’ some ass. Lotsa violence in this one. Including one badass scene where he literally rips out a dude’s throat. Who does that? Seriously. Ultimate fighting fans should dig this, the rest of us can probably do without the whole ripped-out throat thing.