Music Review: Katy Perry's Peacock (by Dave Machado)

Peacock Lyrics

For those of you who have yet to hear this new highlight in the medium of music, I urge you to either seek out the song before reading this or at the very least, read the lyrics in the link supplied above. There was a time a few short weeks ago that I questioned the reasoning for the continuation of music after Kurt from Glee sang Rose's Turn but now I see why. Some may think it is crass and others will say it is crude, and to both parties I ask you to reach deep down and remember that time you yourself longed for something that felt so close yet was so out of reach. Music has been around for centuries and has finally reached an apex of human creativity. Oddly, this turned out to be Katy Perry singing about how badly she wants to see a dick.

The song begins like any good adventurous tale does, with a person learning of a possibly unattainable object and the decision to stop at nothing in order to get it. Like Indiana Jones before her, Katy Perry sets us off into a world of mystery with the yearning for a mythical MacGuffin. We follow her along as she begins her quest by immediately pestering a man to show her his penis. My respect for Katy Perry lies in her ability to realize that sometimes the best solution to a problem is also the easiest. In the case of Katy Perry, let us call it "Occam's Razor Burn."

The real pain of this song is that we really get the feeling Katy Perry has never seen a penis of such supposed beauty before. She needs the, and I quote, "jaw droppin', eye poppin', head turnin', body shockin'" which is sadly something it seems she has yet to experience. Luckily, Katy Perry is a powerful person and the man's initial rejections only makes her more determined than ever to have him shove his penis directly in her line of sight. She even begins resorting to what some will call a low tactic, which is to question his manhood. Katy's line "Don't be a chicken boy, stop acting like a biatch" rougly translates in English to "don't be a man with a vagina, show me your big penis." This turns out to be the man's breaking point and we finally get to feel the surge of relief as Katy Perry realizes that the myths were true.

I can't remember the last time I have shared such joy with a fictitious character. Katy Perry is able to really get across the completeness she feels once she is actually able to see this man's penis. You begin to wonder yourself, will you ever really be able to find what is missing from your life in such a way Katy Perry was able to in such a short time. You think, "Surely, not everyone truly gets what they want. I bet Katy Perry is simply using hyperbolic statements in order to make you believe she is happy." Well guess what, you are wrong! I quote, "Oh my God no exaggeration/boy all this time was worth the waiting/I just shed a tear!" So many questions come with these answers. Has Katy Perry really become so happy that she cried? Or is her sadness stemming from the fact that she knows, at such a young age, she has just seen the best life has to offer her? Or perhaps his penis smells like an onion?

Regardless, we have reached the end of our journey and we leave these characters to hopefully have some fun and dirty sex. However, will Katy Perry ever truly be satisfied? The song ends on a bittersweet moment when after expressing her gratitude over this man's junk, she returns to her earlier ploys to have him show off his peacock yet again (or in an even sadder thought, she has moved on to a new man!). I believe Katy Perry is making a grand statement on the insatiableness of the human soul. Our feeling of fulfillment (or of being filled) will never last forever and at the end of the day, we will always be left wanting more. Listening to Katy Perry's Peacock leaves me with that same feeling. Luckily iPods have a repeat function.

You're Welcome,
Dave

Modern Classic Review: Memento (by Dave Machado)

Memento is a movie I had some reservations about reviewing. It leaves the viewer with a lot to ponder and I wasn't sure I had a strong enough grip on what the movie was really saying. I felt the same way regarding Christopher Nolan's latest movie Inception and only after seeing it twice did I feel confident enough to share my thoughts (which can be read here). So I decided to give Memento another viewing, as I hoped this may answer some of the questions I was still grappling with since I first saw it. Luckily the movie held up perfectly and I can now say without a doubt that it is a true classic and something that I believe people will be revisiting for years to come.

Memento is a fascinating movie with a very unique structure that allowed it to gain extra recognition when it was initially released. It tells the tale of Leonard (played by Guy Pearce), a man who after suffering a traumatic injury, has lost the ability to create new memories. His unfortunate last memory is seeing his wife die at the hands of the same man who attacked him, leaving him with this life-ruining disorder. His only goal in life now is to find and kill the man responsible for the crime so he can give the justice he feels is deserved. However, due to his condition, he has to resort to using Polaroid pictures and tattooed writings on his body in order to remember the clues he has found thus far. The movie is told in reverse order, slowly peeling back each scene in order for you to learn what Leonard does not know, the recent past. Every scene is filled with little riddles and the scene following it will set out to solve those riddles by showing you chronologically the scene that came before it. It's all very interesting because it changes your perception of the movie in every scene. Each scene causes what you've viewed before it to be seen in a new light, leading all the way up to the finale, which puts a new spin on everything you've witnessed up until that point.

Nolan likes to view his films as magic tricks being performed for the viewer, with the final act showing some grand reveal. This can be seen most literally in The Prestige but is an accurate statement for Memento as well. One thing about a magic trick is that not only should it astound the spectator, it should also hold up on repeat viewings. During the setup, a magician tries to distract you from something else so you won't realize how he pulled off the illusion. A great magician is not only able to achieve this for first time viewers, but is able to keep his methods so hidden that even returning audience members will still have no option but to be amazed again at the finale. Even if you try and pay close attention, you can't figure out how the magician is doing that trick so effortlessly and no matter how many times you see it, it always leaves you satisfied. Memento is Nolan's great magic trick.

One of the things that Memento left me thinking of the most is how much we take our memory for granted. I never really questioned my ability to always remember how I got from point A to point B but after seeing how a person's memory can turn on them really blew me away. There is a scene in Memento where Leonard discusses the usefulness of facts versus memory. He's telling the character Teddy (played by Joe Pantoliano, who it's worth noting is the person Leonard kills in the opening shot) how he goes on things like his Polaroids and tattoos because those, unlike memories, are the things that can be trusted. This ends up being a very important speech because as the movie progresses, it makes you question whether someone can take anything as a fact if they don't remember how they initially came to learn that piece of information. Could someone even trust their own writings if they had no idea how something was written in the first place?

I'm surprised it took me this long to see Memento. I think I was intimidated by the gimmick used to tell the story and was afraid I'd find myself easily confused and not able to follow the story. That was poor judgement on my part because in the end, Memento is a fairly easy movie to follow. During the runtime of the movie, I never once felt lost or confused. Sure, there were questions that I had, but Nolan does an excellent job of answering the key questions related to the plot by the time the credits roll. However, because the ending changes up how the rest of the movie is viewed, I think it takes a second viewing to really grasp how profound the story is. Luckily, Nolan is such a great filmmaker, that even when you know the ending of the trick, its a joy just watching the setup.

You're Welcome,

Dave

Movie Review: The American (by Dave Machado)

They don't make enough movies like The American. I went in not really knowing what to expect from this movie, other than the fact that George Clooney is always fantastic and I was looking forward to seeing him play an assassin. I anticipated a fun Bourne style action movie with a bit more subdued European style. Perhaps something light and fun that would be visually stunning but slightly forgettable. What I ended up seeing however was a beautiful and compelling character study about the life of an aging assassin. I've seen it described as an art-house action movie and that is a fairly good description. One other good way to describe it would be "phenomenal."

The past few years, I've come to realize how much of an amazing actor George Clooney is. Since 2007, his list of accomplishments is fairly impressive. Movies like Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, Up in the Air, and even Fantastic Mr. Fox were great movies made even better by his inclusion. I'm not breaking new ground with this statement, but I really do see him as the modern day Cary Grant, who just so happens to be my other favorite actor. Clooney's ability to go so easily from comedy (Burn After Reading) to more serious fare like The American is what sets him apart from a lot of other leading men out there today. I feel he has recently entered a new phase in his career that to me is one of the most exciting transitions an actor has made in quite some time. He seems to have a great eye for picking movies and I will now look forward to almost anything he is in.

In the American, Clooney plays the stereotypical aging assassin who has decided that after a successful life of being great at what he does, it's time to pack it in and try to lead a normal life. That really is the only stereotypical thing about this movie though. It takes that premise and brings it to such a refreshing place that it makes it all feel new again. The movie forces you to feel the pain that his life choices have caused him. He is a lonely man with no friends or a home. It's the type of action movie where you actually dread any action that could take place because you fear for the safety of this character that you have come to admire. It's also one of the more visually gifted movies I have seen in quiet some time, spending lots of time showcasing the beauty of the small Italian village the movies takes place in.

So luckily, George Clooney isn't the only great thing about this movie. Part of his last job involves making the weaponry needed for another assassin (played by the gorgeous Thekla Reutan) to complete her job. I loved all of their scenes due to the delightful tension that continues to get stronger as the movie progresses. Normally if the other spy was played by a man, there would still be tension as we are not sure who Clooney can trust, but by having this other spy be a beautiful woman, it adds a dangerously sexy appeal to all of their scenes. The scenes of Clooney putting together the needed weapon while sitting alone in his workshop were some of my favorite in the movie. You can tell from the mix of determination on his face and the ease of his hands quickly putting the pieces together that Clooney's character is a real artist. I was left only slightly disappointed when these scenes ended and it didn't pan out and show that his character made the dildo chair from Burn After Reading.

Thekla's assassin character is not meant to be Clooney's love interest though. That role is played by Violante Placido, who is so stunning it's almost offensive. Her character, Clara, is an Italian prostitute that Clooney is able to find a sense of comfort from. They quickly fall for each other and it's not hard to see why. But of course we know that it's never safe for a hitman to have a love interest but we also know that a hitman can never really trust anyone. Their relationship is played out so perfectly in this movie that my only complaint is that they didn't have a lot more scenes together. It's sort of an irrational complaint though because the movie moves at such a quick pace that it never feels like a scene is wasted. I'd be afraid that adding even one extra scene may tip it in the wrong direction. At only 105 min. it is a movie that knows how to get the job done and does it in a mostly non-showy fashion, much like Clooney's character himself.

I am left quite flabbergasted at the mixed reviews of this movie. Sure it's not perfect (there is one glaring issue I have but it so admittingly nit picky it is not even worth mentioning here due to spoilers) but it is still a very smart movie that left me extremely satisfied. This movie seems to scream out that summer is over and school is back in session. For those "kids" who still crave the inane loudness that comes with summer movies, I can see how they may be disappointed in this relatively quiet study. But for adults ready to get back to actually learning something from the movies, The American is open for enrollment.

You're Welcome, 

Dave

DVD Review: Bronson (by Dave Machado)

Bronson is a superb biopic of infamous British criminal Michael Peterson, who is considered the most violent criminal in Britain based on how much chaos he has caused since he has been locked up. He makes it a habit to fight with guards and has spent his whole life bouncing from prison to prison (mostly in solitary confinement) as they try to find a place that can finally tame him. At one point in Peterson's life, he is released from jail and spends about 2 months free as a bare knuckle fighter. It is during this time that his promoter gives him the new moniker, "Charlie Bronson" after the Death Wish actor. The role of Bronson is played by Tom Hardy, who audiences will remember as the suave Eames from Inception. Seen here in a much more "unrestricted" role, Tom Hardy really shines and helps make Bronson one of the most energetic and unique biopics I have ever seen.

Raised in a normal family setting, Bronson always had a problem with authority. He would constantly get into fights and was never really given the chance at a normal life. He slowly graduated to more disturbing crimes (though never murder) and was finally placed in jail. The film never tries to really iconisize Bronson but you do feel sympathetic towards him as you see that he clearly had some emotional issues to deal with his whole life. Hardy does such an amazing job showing how unhinged Bronson really was, perfecting that certain spark of anger all psychopaths tend to have in their eyes. It's impressive to see how effortless his performance seemed as he disappeared until the role.

The reason Bronson is such an entertaining film to watch is the way it adds to the normally stale biopic genre. The film is mostly told in straight linear fashion, but is interjected with scenes of Bronson addressing the screen as if he were telling his life's tale to an audience. It's a fitting twist for a man who spent most of his life by himself in a small prison cell. To me, I saw it as a man's attempt at staying sane, simply pretending his life is a show so he can address some invisible crowd. Bronson even appears in clown make up occasionally on stage, simply adding to the illusion that his whole life has been one big circus. My only complaint is that these scenes seemed to occur more in the first half of the movie and unfortunately were used less and less as the movie went on.

For a movie about such a violent man, the movie is luckily infused with a fantastic dark wit. This could have been a drab movie focusing on the hate inside this man but due to Hardy's charismatic performance, excellent fight cinematography, and a sharp script, the movie pops off the screen with such ease. It's not that the movie makes light of what Bronson has done, but because the film is framed as being told by Bronson himself, it is expected that his actions would be seen in an almost heroically comic light. I highly recommend this movie as I feel it never really got the attention it deserved. If nothing else, it will allow you to see the greatest "dance party" sequence I have ever seen in a movie.

You're Welcome,

Dave

DVD Review: ThanksKilling (by Dave Machado)

I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I've seen ThanksKilling. Words can't really explain what happens in the 60 minute long runtime of the epic ThanksKilling. In short, it is a movie about a killer turkey from the Pilgrim times who is raised from the dead and goes about killing all the white people he comes across. But really, it is so much more than that. If Orson Welles were alive today and was able to view ThanksKilling, he would finally witness Citizen Kane toppled as the greatest American movie of all time. He would also proceed to then eat an entire turkey.

The movie opens with a close up of a big (unclothed) boob. The camera pans out and we see that the boob is in fact a Pilgrim boob and it (along with the boob's owner) is being chased by the killer turkey. She is quickly slaughtered and we cut to present times, where an amazingly cliche group of friends are about to go on a road trip home for Thanksgiving break. They proceed to treat this like Spring Break ("Thanksgivng break! WOOO!") as they all pile into the jock's jeep to go home. Joining said jock are the dumb slut, the fat guy, the nerd, and the sweet innocent girl. These stereotypes are established very quickly and are then hammered into the ground for the rest of the movie. The best is that we know the slutty girl is a slut because the other girl claims "Your legs are harder to close than the Jon Benet Ramsey case!"

The rest of the movie isn't even worth spoiling here because the fun of it is seeing just how amazingly bad the story really is. But just in case I haven't convinced you to see this movie (Seriously!?), let me give you one more reason.  At one point, a character's father is killed by the turkey in his home as the group of kids are on their way to his house (The reason they are going there? "My Dad has a ton of books! One of them has to be about a killer turkey!"). So the turkey then cuts the father's face off (including mustache) and makes a little mask to put on his little turkey head. It's worth pointing out now that the turkey is normal sized and not a giant mutant turkey. When the group shows up, they proceed to talk to the turkey as if nothing is wrong, even bending down to give it little hugs. No one even notices that this is a turkey in disguise. If you are not running to go see this movie right now, you are dead to me.

In summary, watching ThanksKilling is like finding a lost text from the Bible. It changes your life for the better and you wonder how you ever lived without it to begin with. I'm sure some will say that this movie is a real "turkey" and for that, they should have their family kidnapped. I hope you all enjoy this movie as much as I did. I understand it may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for a great movie to put on for a laugh, I can't think of a better movie than ThanksKilling. It truly gave me something to be thankful for.

You're Welcome

Dave

DVD Review: Antichrist (by Dave Machado)

Antichrist is a movie that made me both thankful and regretful that I am not blind. It tells the story of a couple who are mourning the death of their only child, who in a beautifully shot prologue, falls to his death from their apartment window. The rest of the movie shows the couple trying to overcome their unbearable grief as they search for a meaning to go on. It is a cold, heartless movie that focuses on the evil of humans, specifically villainizing their dirty sexual desires. Antichrist is an extremely difficult movie to get through both physically and emotionally and there is nothing redeeming waiting for you on the other end as the credits roll.

I see Antichrist less of a movie and more as an art project. Granted it's art I would prefer never to see again, but I can at least acknowledge that the movie had some strikingly haunting visuals. There were scenes where it mattered less what was happening on the screen as my eyes simply admired the beauty that was on display. The plot is fairly easy to follow and you really get a feeling of the downward spiral these two descend upon as they slowly loose their grip on what's left of their lives. Once the husband (played by Willem Dafoe) decides to take his wife (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) to an old cabin she is having nightmares of (due to spending the last summer with her son there), the movie delves even further into the abyss, thus becoming less interesting and more mean spirited. 

I think I have a grasp on what Director/Writer Lars von Trier was attempting with this movie, I just have a hard time respecting the outcome. The movie contains a fair amount of graphic scenes that were very uncomfortable to watch. I can usually deal with the worst gore a movie has to offer but when it is so devoid of humor or any spark of entertainment, I am quickly turned off. Obviously humor has no place in a movie like this so to see just how far he goes really made me question if I even wanted to continue watching until the end. This is not a movie you watch to be entertained, it is a movie you watch to experience the hell these characters are going through. 

The interesting aspect about the couple though is von Trier's decision to make the husband a psychiatrist. He (that's literally the character's name by the way.  The wife's name is She.) is a very distant husband and treats his wife as a patient as she becomes increasingly more unraveled due to their son's death. The pair come to embody the constant struggle between the mind and the body as she constantly throws herself at him for sex as a way to cope with her issues. We never see the couple before their son's death and it is implied they have always had this distance between them. Calling either of the two "sympathetic" would simply be a lie as the whole movie makes you despise these two characters almost from the very start.  An interesting decision considering the lack of any supporting characters to fall back on. I hope heaven, or any form of the afterlife, doesn't exist in the universe of this movie because their little boy has suffered enough and should never have to see the insane depravity of his parents.

The only experience I can compare this movie to was when I saw the Marina Abramovic exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. There were many people their admiring her work, which like this movie seemed to enjoy linking sex to death. As I walked through the exhibits, a sense of dread came over me and I needed to leave. I was left confused as to how anyone could view this objectively and enjoy it as art when it was so perverse. Antichrist left me with that same feeling and because of it, it was a movie I can easily say I got no enjoyment out of seeing. So if you are brave enough, good luck watching this film. You can't say I didn't warn you though.

You're Welcome,

Dave

Movie Review: The Last Exorcism (by Dave Machado)

The Last Exorcism is another "found footage" movie focusing on a fake documentary being made about Reverend Cotton Marcus, who after years of questioning his faith, has decided to allow a film crew to follow him to an "exorcism" so he can show how fake it all really is. Things don't go exactly as planned of course and what follows is an impressive film that is able to accomplish a lot and not feel too restricted by the "shaky cam" gimmick. It's a film that constantly stays two steps ahead of the viewer. Every time I thought I had the movie figured out, a game changer was thrown my way, constantly making me question (in a good way) where this was all headed. The movie does a wonderful job of building the characters and thankfully focuses less time on random jump scares, which sometimes plague these types of movies, making them feel unbearably forced.

Reverend Marcus is an engaging character and I was very happy to see that he was portrayed as a modern man who just happened to be raised in the church. He is a product of his environment but at the same time he is breaking off from his traditional upbringing based on a practical and logical mindset. The Reverend is a great showman, so great that he may have even tricked himself into believing his sermons that he began giving at such a young age. It was a relief to see the movie go this route instead of having him be a broad caricature of a rich southern preacher who gets his jollies swindling his poor followers for his own financial gain. He may be flawed (he admits to being a fake but says he provides a needed service and in return is able to support his family) but he is sympathetic enough so when the film starts to take a turn, you actually care about his outcome.

There is a great scene early on in the movie of the Rev. showing off his "magic tricks" to the camera after performing an exorcism. He closely resembles a young kid gleefully showing how he performed a parlor trick in front of his family. I think it's interesting to see how much Reverend Marcus sees himself as an magician/actor because it adds an intriguing layer to the moral debate of his character. When you really think about it, who are actors but con men playing the roles of other people? They put on a different persona for the camera and are rewarded financially based on how good they are at becoming a fake person. Some movies are so engaging to us that they even help us work through our own issues as we watch them. Is this really that different then how the Reverend helps these people by performing an exorcism? Sure the argument can be made that we know the movies are fake to begin with while the Reverend's followers truly believe, but whose to say that subconsciously, they know it's all a game but need to see the performance played out for them in order to feel relief?

The main question of the movie is whether or not this family needs a show or the real thing. The "possessed" girl (played to perfection by Ashley Bell) is a home-schooled teenager that has had her family torn apart due to the death of her mother from cancer. She lives alone on a large farm property with her now alcoholic dad and her socially detached brother. Ashley Bell plays sweet and innocent in such a loving way that it's even more shocking when she starts acting "odd." It's no question that this girl is in need of help.  What the movie does is make you question whether the help needed is of a spiritual or psychological kind.  I don't want to get into any spoilers related to that in this review because I went in fairly clean and felt that aided in my enjoyment of the movie. As I said before though, the movie never gets predictable and changes things up right until the very end.

The summer is never a great season for horror so it is welcoming to see such a good old-fashioned one get released now. I'm glad they decided on August instead of a couple months from now because while Fall may be the best season for horror, it's hard for smaller movies to find an audience when they are one of multiple horror movies opening up in the same month. I would have hated seeing this get lost in the shuffle between Saw VII and Paranormal Activity 2. While I have my own personal gripes with the "found footage" gimmick, I will admit that those movies always play better in a theater and I believe The Last Exorcism is no exception. At the very least, you'll walk out of the theater with a great new banana bread recipe.

You're Welcome,
Dave

Movie Review: Machete (by Dave Machado)

Sometimes the idea of a movie is a lot better than the final product. Machete began it's life in 2007 as one of the fake previews in the movie Grindhouse. The preview set up the story of a blade-obsessed Mexican agent who is double crossed by the American Government. With his family killed and everyone out to get him, he mows down everyone in his path in glorious gory detail until he is the last man standing. I'll admit that even when I saw this preview, I hoped that someday it would get the feature length treatment as the concept seemed too cool to pass up. Turns out I was wrong though as Machete stretched out to a 90 minute feature just doesn't pack the punch that it was able to deliver as a quick 3 min. montage of kill scenes.  

One aspect that has been giving Machete lots of press is the surprisingly large cast that has been assembled. This actually became one of the bigger faults of the movie for me because unlike another cast focused movie like The Expendables, the cameos in Machete sometimes took me out of the movie and stopped me from just sitting back and enjoying what was on the screen. Again, it goes back to idea vs. execution. The idea of having Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, and Lindsay Lohan sounds entertaining but once you see what they are given to work with, it never develops beyond a cool idea. The casting either just turns out to be too meta (Lohan), too culturally wrong (Steven Segal), or you just don't buy them as a certain type of character (Alba).  Luckily, the two most distracting roles (Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan) are fairly small so it doesn't effect the movie too much.  
Some of the casting does work though. Jeff Fahey (Frank Lapidus from LOST) is fantastic as Mr. Booth, the aide to De Niro's Senator McLaughlin. Fahey seems to "get" the movie and he plays the character perfectly. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, the taco truck driver who is also leading the "Network" of illegal immigrants into the country.  Rodriguez always gets stuck playing the "sexy/tough" role in action movies and Machete was the first time I actually felt that's what she was. Kudos also goes to Cheech Marin for a fun turn as Machete's brother/priest. So while the stunt casting wasn't perfect, there were a few instances where it thankfully made the movie better.

One interesting thing about this movie goes back to it being based on a fake preview. I was actually surprised that the movie made use of the more iconic parts of that preview. It was disappointing to see that the coolest parts of the preview ended up being most of the coolest parts of the movie. I would have hoped that they simply discarded the fake preview and simply made newer, better moments and just kept the Grindhouse trailer separate. There were a few scenes that even felt awkwardly shoehorned in simply to have the scenes from 3 years ago placed in the movie. This isn't to say that nothing about this movie was exciting. There are still lots of inventive scenes/kills but I was left hoping for a lot more.

The last few weeks have seen an interesting group of movies emerge through the late summer haze. Piranha 3D, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Expendables, and Machete were all movies with a built-in cult fan base. While I thought Scott Pilgrim and Piranha succeeded in their attempts at hooking in an audience with a promised genre experience, I believe The Expendables and Machete slightly missed their marks. These latter two films fall into the pile of movies that were hyped up before their release and could never quite reach the levels of perfection we all anticipated in our minds. I still consider all four to be some of my favorite times at the movies this year, I just can't see myself revisiting Machete that often while I look forward to wearing out my copies of both Scott Pilgrim and Piranha 3D. 

You're Welcome,

Dave

Movie Review: The Tillman Story (by Dave Machado)

The Tillman Story is a new documentary that looks into the 2004 death of United States Army Ranger and NFL player Pat Tillman. Tillman's death is not news for most people as it received a lot of coverage based on him giving up a new contract with the Arizona Cardinals in order to serve overseas in 2002. It was first reported that Tillman was killed in enemy combat during intense fighting but as the weeks went by, it slowly leaked out that it was actually friendly fire that killed Pat. This fantastic documentary by Amir Bar-Lev looks into why Pat Tillman's story took so long to come out and how his family dealt with the Government's attempt to turn his death into a giant recruiting poster.

Pat Tillman did not want to be a hero. He had his own reasons for joining the military and just wanted to be treated like any other soldier. Unfortunately with the Government nosediving into a massively unpopular war, it seems they decided to take his unfortunate death and spin it as the tale of the All-American Hero who wanted to die for his country. People can debate all day about the necessity/evil of war and about the true meaning of a hero, but that is not what this movie is about. It is about the blatant disrespect our own Government had not only for Tillman and his family, but for us as a nation.

This is a film that will have you shaking your head in disbelief as the events unfold on the screen.  It becomes tragically comical after a while as you see the way the Government scrambles to come up with reason after reason of why it took so long for the truth to come out.  It's never comforting to see the people we are supposed to trust grabbing for their underwear as the lights are flicked on but it's impossible to feel any sense of sympathy for these rubes.  On the flip side, the true heroes of this movie are the surviving members of Pat Tillman's life.  They openly discuss details with such refreshing honesty that they come off as very real people, which ironically is sometimes lacking in Documentaries.  They are not putting on a show or trying to sugar coat the things being said in the movie and for that, I respect them deeply.  

Perhaps the one additional thing I wish the movie covered was how often things like this have happened in this war. How many other soliders are there whose families were lied to but because they weren't high profile enough or because their family wasn't strong enough, the truth will never come out? I understand this is just The Tillman Story, but I would love for it to spark a flood of other stories that can allow more closure for those families who felt they never got any. I'm always leery of Documentaries being too one sided and being made for the same people who already feel the same way as the filmmakers. But every so often, I catch one that not only surprises me, but is actually eye opening. I was very happy to see that The Tillman Story is one of those movies. It's a very personal tale that respects Pat Tillman for who he was and not for who the Government wanted him to be. 

You're Welcome,

Dave

DVD Review: Survival of the Dead (by Dave Machado)

George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead is his 6th entry into the world of the living dead that all started back in 1968 with the perfect Night of the Living Dead. Since then, Romero has become synonymous with the genre and has become an icon among a new generation of horror directors. Beginning in 2004 with the release of Shaun of the Dead and Zack Snyder's remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the zombie genre has hit a new stride as countless filmmakers have tried to put their own unique stamp on the genre Romero perfected. While some have succeeded in this task, most have failed (including Romero himself with the sub-par Diary of the Dead). It takes a lot more than just brain eating ghouls to make a good zombie movie and Romero always knew that. He mixed his frights with the right dose of social commentary and pitch black humor that when it all came together, it made for amazing cinema.

Survival of the Dead is what happens when George Romero decides he finally wants to make a modern day western. It contains all the staples you need in a western such as dueling families, scores that need settling, a band of travelers, a secluded setting, and lots of moral ambiguity. All the action takes place on a little island off of Delaware where a generations long feud between two families has come to a head as they each take opposites sides on the philosophical argument on what to do with these newly risen zombies. Is it morally OK to shoot a loved one in the head if they actually are no longer your loved one but just a possessed shell that is out to eat you? I hope I never have to really worry about the answer to that question though it does bring up the discussion of brain dead patient rights.  I was a little surprised/disappointed that Romero didn't delve into that topic a bit more.

While I enjoyed the movie overall it took a good amount of time for me to really get invested in the story. It has a pretty short running time of about 90 minutes which I felt was a bit short for what it was trying to be. I would have loved to see a sweeping 2 and a half hour long period western zombie epic but I understand that financially that would have been a poor decision. However despite its short running time, Survival of the Dead still takes a while to get going.  The final act however is a great shoot out/feeding frenzy. Speaking of which, the low budget of the movie does show pretty easily in the use of cheap CGI blood splatter effects throughout the film. One of the best parts of the old Romero movies was the use of practical effects. Again, I understand why the movie had to go this route, but it did take me of the film every once in a while.

Romero luckily keeps the core cast pretty small but only gives a few characters really room to grow. Others are just there to take up space until a meaningful kill is needed. I never really cared for a lot of the characters, especially the whiny teenage character that was the perfect example of what old people think young people sound like. There was a point near the middle of the movie where the survivors end up in a small cabin and the teenager (I think he's about 17 or 18) finds a stash of records and quickly makes some frustrated remark alluding to the the fact that the appearance of them is the worst thing to ever happen to him. I had the same feeling the second he showed up on screen.

The movie doesn't cover a lot of new ground, but it was an interesting experiment in trying to mix two genres that Romero clearly has a fondness for. The final shot may be the best of the movie even it is a tad on the nose, but what else should you expect from Romero these days. This is the second Romero movie to basically go straight to DVD after a very limited release so it would be great if it can gather a big enough following to grant Romero the money to release another theatrical zombie movie with a bigger budget.  I hope people give this movie a shot and that they enjoy it as much, if not more, than I did.

You're Welcome,
Dave