Gerard Butler’s incessant assault on Hollywood continues in the marginally-approved Law Abiding Citizen, but the love of the Criticker community this week goes to Black Dynamite, a clever homage to (and mockery of) 70s blaxploitation flicks.
Law Abiding Citizen – Average Tier 5.43 An everyday guy decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets his family’s killers free. His target: The district attorney who orchestrated the deal. Law Abiding Citizen @ Amazon
Criticker PickBlack Dynamite – Average Tier 7.01 This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. Black Dynamite @ Amazon
The Wolfman is one of those films that has been on our radar for awhile — Benicio Del Toro in a stylish Gothic remake of the horror classic? How could it not succeed?
The initial reviews have been all over the place, both at Criticker and at the aggregation site Metacritic. I find that heartening… big budget horror flicks are always going to have a large built-in number of detractors regardless of quality, and I refuse to believe that this film is anything but great. The trailer is sweet!
Does it have stand a chance at becoming the best werewolf flick of all time? What even is the best werewolf flick of all time? Settle it, in this poll! And leave a comment to scold us over any egregious omissions.
Sometimes, you want a movie to intellectually stimulate you. Sometimes, though, you just want the titties. Stimulation of a different sort.
Not about an old man in a floating house. I think.
Thanks to dharmabum‘s public collection of Sexploitation flicks, the task of picking your pleasure is easier. He’s neatly summed up the genre:
“sex-exploitation” describe a class of independently produced, low budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s/70s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity.
Russ Meyer pops up a lot in the list of films, currently numbering 42. The collection is public, so if you know more films that belong, plug them in by all means! Then go take a long, cold shower.
The great reviews for this week’s best new film on DVD, A Serious Man, aren’t all that surprising — the Coen Brothers’ work is always appreciated around here. And I can’t say that the dismal scores for The Stepfather come as too much of a surprise, either. But, I was kind of hoping for this one to be a sleeper hit. The original, starring none other than John Locke, was one of my favorite creepy films growing up, and I was looking forward to the modern re-treatment. No longer.
Criticker Pick!A Serious Man – Average Tier 7.76 A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house. A Serious Man @ Amazon
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Average Tier 5.26 A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian (Bana) with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage. The Time Traveler’s Wife @ Amazon
Couples Retreat – Average Tier 2.82 A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort’s therapy sessions is not optional. Couples Retreat @ Amazon
The Stepfather – Average Tier 1.92 Michael returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. The Stepfather @ Amazon
My One and Only – Average Tier 5.65 A 1950s-set comedy in which the glamorous Anne Deveraux (Zellweger) embarks on a drive down the Eastern Seaboard in a quixotic search for a wealthy man to fund a new life for her and her sons. My One and Only @ Amazon
It’s official, casting news can cause migraines and a loss of faith in the simple goodness of man. Russell Brand has been cast to give life to the Easter Bunny in a new comedy mixing CGI and live action.
I lived for awhile in Ireland, during which Russell Brand was on the television every single time I turned it on. Every fucking time. That, and the rain, were our reasons for leaving the island. Now, he’s going to be starring alongside James Marsden as the Easter Bunny.
And I haven’t even mentioned the name of the movie “I Hop”. Seriously, it’s called “I Hop”. That’s so goddamn punny, I don’t even know where to start.
Somewhere, people are getting paid a lot money to create a movie called I Hop about the Easter Bunny, starring Russell Brand. I… I just… I don’t know.
An everyday guy decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets his family’s killers free. His target: The district attorney who orchestrated the deal. Law Abiding Citizen @ Amazon
This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. Black Dynamite @ Amazon
The story of Coco Chanel’s rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world. Coco avant Chanel @ Amazon
Chris Rock offers a few ideas on why women go to such elaborate lengths to control their hair. Good Hair @ Amazon
A washed-up trainer takes a self-destructive young boxer under his wing. From Mexico with Love @ Amazon
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A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house. 
A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian (Bana) with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage. 
A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort’s therapy sessions is not optional. 
Michael returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. 
A 1950s-set comedy in which the glamorous Anne Deveraux (Zellweger) embarks on a drive down the Eastern Seaboard in a quixotic search for a wealthy man to fund a new life for her and her sons. 
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