Hounds of Love

Lesson number one, don't let your kids sneak out of the house.  Lesson two, make sure that you are well aware of who your neighbors really are.  And finally our final lesson, if you have suspicions about someone, do something about it!  This is a disturbing story of a young teenage girl who is abducted, held captive and tortured by a sadistic couple with some really, really deep issues.  The story takes place in 1987 in none other than......... yep the really fucked up place of Perth, Australia.  This movie proves once again that although a beautiful place, Australia may be the freakiest habitat for the most disturbing people in the world!  The poor captive is sexually, mentally and physically abused as the couple with some serious reality issues constantly increase the tension between each other.  The young prisoner soon discovers that the only thing that may save her is her mental strength and wit, but will it work?  You have to watch for yourself.  Very well made and acted, and not very in your face graphic but a slow burn for sure.  This is really a true cinema watchers type of movie leaving you feel pretty gross to know that this stuff really happens.

FYI:  The entire movie only took 20 days to film.

***1/2

I Am Not a Serial Killer

There is always a joke about the weird kid at the end of the block who could end up being a serial killer, every town has one.  Most of the time they turn out to be something great, or just a normal everyday Joe.  Although, there is that slight chance that they really are a serial killer and have the ability to slice your throat while you are sleeping off last nights kegger at the bon-fire.  This great streaming flick centers around a kid who has some tendencies that make him think he could probably be a murder, and has to stick to a routine in order to suppress them.  Well it just so happens he may be living next door to a real life sicko!  He does some investigating on his own and finds that his small, quiet town has some dark secrets.  All the while he is dealing with his own issues only to run into a huge twist that could have been corny, but ended up awesome!  This is a great flick with kind of gritty low budget feel keeping you wondering if its all real or just in the imagination of a troubled kid.

FYI:  The main kid is the same kid who played Max in Where the Wild Things Are.

****

The Belko Experiment

Think of the last day you spent at work.  You know, the day spent in a cubicle jungle, listening to the co-worker behind you chomping on chips too loud.  The worthless HR lady who re-directs her job 100% of the time.  Or how about that under-qualified, empty suit boss you have that shows he has no business managing anything other than the fry machine at your local Burger King.  That feeling creeps up on you, you know the one, where you just want to up and go devil on everyone.  Well, now just imagine if you didn't have a choice and were made to do just that!  Pretty cool little underrated flick called "The Belko Experiment" which takes the concept of Battle Royale to a level of corporate atmosphere.  Basically an overseas company employing many Americans lock the office down and announce over the loud speaker that if they don't kill someone, a group will be killed.  And so on, and so on, and so on.  The gore was fun, a little un-creative and pretty predictable but exciting and entertaining.  Some fun killings include death by office supplies, ax to the head, elevator, and much more!  Give this one a shot on a Thursday night after your worst day at work, trust me :)

FYI:  Actually based on a real life experiment in 1963 regarding the effects of authority.

***1/2

The Art of the Steal

Ever heard of this one?  That's ok.  No one has!!!  BUT, it is a hidden gem in my book.  It isn't an Oscar worthy film and doesn't have the Oceans series quality but what it does have is one thing, most movies are missing.  Kurt.  Russel!  He is so damn good and way ahead of his time that he gets overlooked in my opinion.  He carriers this film and you pull for him the entire time!  The movie is a bit of a Oceans rip off but has such a great tale of the tape quality that you cant help but watch.  It is about a heist going bad and the bro has to spend some time in the clink.  Well when he gets out he is in the need for another job, and fast but has a few tricks under his sleeve.  The way this movie plays out is really good and keeps you watching from the first second.  It is free on Amazon right now and if you are trolling through, stop on this one, it will not disappoint.  Now get to watching, and check your wallet!

FYI:  All but Russel, Dillon and Stamp, the entire cast is Canadian!  Ooof!

***1/2

War for the Planet of the Apes

Hey, Ape!  Get off that horse!  Oh, wait, is that an ape on a horse?  Pretty sure that is what most people said when seeing the filming of this film.  I mean, c'mon, the circus is in dire straights but this is crazy!  Ok, just kidding this was all CGI, and a damn good job of it!  This movie was absolutely amazing!  I have watched the series of Planet of the Apes religiously since I was a kid and the last three were beyond expectations!  Every second of them are good and they only get better.  Ok, ok, I have read the terrible reviews of how they are boring and slow, but if you want to watch an epic and are interested in a type of movie you should love these.  By the way, if you don't like movies that seem unrealistic and have an epic battle scene, maybe you shouldn't watch Planet of the Apes!!!  The character development was great, the cast was awesome (Woody)!  The story just keeps building and you end up rooting for the apes the entire time!  Success in my book!  the only problem I had was rooting against my own species but for a movie, I am good to go!  Watch this damn thing!  Best of the series so far!

FYI:  This is the 5th film Steve Zahn voiced a character in a movie.  Yes, it was Steve Zahn!

****1/2

Sully

Well, what took you so long?  Seriously, this movie has been out for a while now and you are just now getting to it?!?!  Well, me too, and it was a stretch to even start the damn thing.  I am really glad I did, but first I will preface it with why.  I think that if you are sitting around on a rainy night and you are looking for a chill good story to hear about, this is the one for you.  I myself love true (or supposedly true) stories with a hero and some hard core adversity in the way.  This is it!  First off, Tom Hanks is awesome in jsut abut anything, very few exceptions.  Second, the dude landed a plane in the Hudson as it was crashing and saved the lives of over 200 passengers.  Lastly, what a career!  Really, think about the hours in the air with no incidents and to have a movie made about you is pretty bad ass.  This film has a lot of Flight in it, but enough of a difference to separate Denzelle from Hanks.  Watch this movie as it will keep you interested and on the edge of your seat routing for the good guy the entire time!

FYI:  This is Clint Eastwood's 35th motion picture release as a Director!  Who knew!?

****

Baby Driver

Don't be fooled by the cheese in the title, this movie was unique, action packed, full of outstanding acting and actors, and a bad-ass, over the top, incredible soundtrack!  First off I will start by saying a few things; Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, and Flea!  Now think the original Point Break mixed with Heat, and The Heist but much cooler!  Now throw in a stylistic, artistic, sync of film and music to the point where everything flows absolutely perfectly!  Here you have Baby, a young kid getaway driver for a variety of bank robbing crews put together by Spacey.  Baby hates is gig, but is under the thumb of Spacey, who is the mastermind behind the whole show.  Baby has a bit of a ring in his head since he was a kid and in a car accident so he constantly listens to his headphones.  The entire movie is based around his own soundtrack and choreographed to fall perfectly within each song and its beats.  I cant say enough how much I loved this movie!  My kids loved it and even my wife loved it, and she doesn't love anything!  Run to the theater and watch this, and yes, its a theater kind of movie!

FYI:  Jamie Foxx claimed that Jon Hamm was far too handsome to play this part.

*****