September 2008 Archives

Look. I understand that Stop Loss is a real problem. It sucks that that US Govt is routinely finding a way to screw over soldiers in Iraq every chance they get. But if the director of the film really wanted to make that point she could of done a documentary on the subject. As a Narrative this film quickly dissolves into one giant mess of a road trip/escape from the law movie. Uggghh. Combine that great combo with horrible acting, a plot that is so film by numbers it's crazy and canned Desert Storm footage we have seen a thousand times and you get "Stop Loss" by MTV Films. Don't get me wrong their are some great road trip film.

There are some great Iraq War films. However this is neither. It's just a big old mess in a dress as one of my friends likes to say. Even the combat scenes look like they were just copied and pasted from the TV show "THE UNIT" (yes that is my obscure TV refrence of the week) or copied from a hundred other Tom Clancy films. The only thing that slightly makes this film worth watching is the brief part where Joesph Gordon-Levitt is in it. That kid can really act and I hope to catch him in more films in the future.

Also why does every film that has characters based in Texas have to portray us a gun shooting, hard drinking yokels. Every time the main character visited "The Ranch" where he lived he just walked right in through an open screen door. Hey wolrd, guess what? We actually have door here in Texas. Not every freaking house has a screen door....sigh.

All in all this DVD was a mess with horrible acting.

I give it a D+

Guess what? I can do heartwarming. I really can. In fact watch this next sentence. "Son of Rambow" is THE heartwarming movie of 2008. There I said it. Let me go on to say that I loved this DVD. Not only was it hearwarming and hilarious but the acting was amazing and the plot was superb. This is one of those films that makes you want to pick up a camera and start filming your own movie. Or at least dress up like a ninja and go act in someone else's film.



The plot is that british pre-teen Will Proudfoot is looking for an escape from his family's overbearing religious ways when he encounters Lee Carter, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of "Rambow: First Blood", Lee plans to make cinematic history bu filming his own independent short film (using Will as the stuntman) called "Son of Rambow". If the plot sounds funny it's because it is. Imagine "Be Kind, Rewind" but actually funny and entertaining.

I really can't say enough good things about this film. You will certainly laugh as the exploits of these two british kids and, I do admit this, shed a tear at some of the things that Will has to go through in his home life.

The extras are amazing and will soon be posted here later this week. They include the actual film the director made when he was 11 that inspired this film, and a great behind the scenes look at working with the kid actors in the film.

This is a must rent and must buy DVD. I give it a A+