Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Beeps Pick:  Tucker & Dale vs. Evil [Blu-ray]



Why we picked this film:  I had heard good things about this film last year, and I was super excited when I saw it available for instant streaming via Netflix.  I'm not sure that Apes will approve, but it is my pick and she has to watch. Muahahahaa!


Beeps:  Ok, so I think we all know the horror movie cliches.  This movie takes them and tosses them on their head.  There's something fantastic about the idea of a horror/comedy to me.  It's like taking two things that just don't go together and somehow making them work out.  How well the two meld and play off one another is a good test of how successful the film is.  In the case of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, I'd say quite successful.  Basically, 2 hillbillies come out to the woods to fix up their vacation home, and the nearby college students assume that they must be killers.  Hilarity ensues.  That's it, that's all you need to know.  If you're looking for a silly comedy that's a huge deviation from your normal Hollywood comedy, do yourself a favor and watch this film.  4 Stars!

Apes: OK so this isn't the type of movie I would pick. The title alone is enough to make me pass. Come on, say it out loud... Tucker and Dale VS Evil... there is NO way to say it and not sound like a redneck... sort of like the word TUBE TOP.... In the end I'm glad that I relented and let Beeps pick this one. Other than being a little too stereo typical it has everything that a good spoof needs. The stereo types and awkward situations combined with the mostly plausible events made this movie funny and enjoyable.  I laughed more than once, enjoyed the don't judge people message, and in a creepy way it was sort of a feel good movie. I give it 4 stars for totally destroying my misconceptions, making me laugh, and for being completely enjoyable! (That's a NICE change for a Beeps Pick!)

Overall we give this film 4 stars!

~Beeps and Apes

X2: X-Men United

Apes Pick: X2: X-Men United [Blu-ray]



Why we picked this film:  Well, we just watched X-Men.  Why not go with the 2nd installment in the series.

Beeps:  I really enjoy this film.  I think it's better than the first one in a lot of ways, but also falls behind in some other ways.  On the positive, the acting is sharp, especially by the great Brian Cox who plays William Stryker to absolute perfection, the script is tight, and the movie paces itself extremely well.  On the negative, I wish they would have fleshed out the whole Jean Grey/Phoenix story a bit more.  Well, at all really.  I mean we get 0 story about these powers of hers, and that's just a shame because it's an interesting part of X-Men lore.  Oh well, you can't win them all.  Still an absolute top tier movie and a must own.  5 Stars! 

Apes: Maybe I'm a nerd or I just really like Sci-fi, but this movie really does it for me. Assuming you've seen the first movie you already have a wealth of character background, but this movie doesn't rest on its laurels... It gives you more in depth looks into the existing characters and introduces some new characters. To me the movie felt action packed, but fortunately not in a way that lacked story or plot. I still want to know more about Jean Grey, but even if the future movies don't fill me in it is still a great film. I give it 5 stars and am greatly anticipating the rest of the series.

Overall we give this film 5 stars!

~Beeps and Apes

X-Men

Apes Pick:X-Men [Blu-ray]




Why we picked this film: I like the X-men movies - or well I remember liking them so I figured it was time to watch them again! Plus I haven't seen First Class or Origins yet, so I figured this would give me a nice refresher course.

Beeps:  In a word?  Awesome.  It'd been a really long time since I watched this, and I'm happy to report that this film has lost absolutely nothing in the 10+ years since it's release.  I've seen a lot of X-Men movies throughout the years, and I kept getting scenes from other movies confused with what transpires during this film.  That being said, this is a great introduction to the series and is a must see for anyone who's a fan of action movies.  In today's environment, movie adaptations from comic books are a dime a dozen, and they are that way because movies like this one paved the way.  Fantastic film, I'm so glad it's in my Blu-Ray collection.  5 Stars!

Apes: Let me start by saying thank God the series doesn't end here. If I knew this was all there was to watch I would be disappointed and angry, but not because this movie lacked anything. Actually, just the opposite, because this movie had just about everything that I love and want in a movie, but mostly it left me wanting more. The characters are developed just enough in this movie, but I want more, and in the back of my head I get excited because I know there is more to come. The main characters rock my socks - except for Cyclops because he is just not manly enough for me; especially, when standing next to Wolverine. (Swoon) This hour and a half flies by super fast, full of action, with enough wit and humor to make it fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this flick and look forward to the rest of the series - 4 stars.

Overall we give this film 4 1/2 stars

~Beeps and Apes

American Psycho

Beeps Pick: American Psycho



Why we picked this film: We each randomly picked a blu ray from the GIANT Christmas stack. This is beeps pick.

Beeps:  I like this movie.  I glanced over at Apes a few times during it and I'm very sure that this is going to be something that we don't see eye to eye on.  Now what do I like about this movie?  I like the fact that we watch someone's sanity start to slip.  In the opening scene we're left with a perfectly normal yuppie man who goes about his daily business, and slowly we see him break psychotically.  What seems to drive him is a need to be recognized, to be known, and I imagine that when you're in such a cutthroat environment it would be difficult to be recognized as "the guy."  What I find intriguing about how the movie begins to play out is that we see this pattern manifest itself over and over again.  Our main character struggles to find his identity, and his acquaintances also struggle to find his identity.  One of the other big draws for me is the ambiguity of the story itself, I don't want to spoil too much, but lets just say that the end of the movie is completely left open to interpretation.  I like a movie that has its subtleties, and I like monologues, therefore I like this film.  3 Stars!

Apes:  Why would anyone watch this movie - at least I have an excuse because it was forced upon me. I'd rather watch porn followed by a slasher film than watch this. This movie is LONG, SLOW, and BORING! It takes monologue to a whole new level. So the film goes a bit like this - I'm a rich snob, monologue, kill someone, rich, snob, monologue while killing someone, monologue.... I'm sure beeps will RAVE about the cinematography, but a shit movie with a shit script and mostly shit acting even with interesting cinematography is still shit! Save your self 2 hours and a headache by watching porn and slasher movies.... or heck just watch a snuff film. Unlike past movies that I didn't enjoy or even hated there where at least some redeeming features a funny moment, good acting, an interesting idea.... but this movie has none.... so I give it 0 Stars!

Overall we give this film 2 Stars!

~Beeps and Apes

Mission Impossible 3

Apes Pick: Mission Impossible III [Blu-ray]



Why we picked this film:  Well, we bought the trilogy on sale as part of our blu-ray bonanza.  It came with movie cash to go see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and well we felt it was necessary to complete the trilogy before heading out to theaters to see number 4.

Beeps:  This movie starts in media res, or in the middle of things, giving us a taste of the ending, and then snapping us back to the beginning.  I am a huge fan of this technique, which J.J. Abrams uses brilliantly here.  After a scathing review of the previous incarnation of the series, I'm pleased to say this one is a much better movie.  My complaints about the other one have all been answered.  Tom Cruise leaves his feet to perform a crazy Kung Fu move exactly 0 times.  The use of masks and voice changing software is kept to a minimum, and it works.  It all just works.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman excels as the villain in this film.  I'm not just saying that because he's one of my favorite actors.  He plays a truly evil person, with a sort of absolutism about everything that he does.  A calmness about the situations that he is placed in that makes you believe the atrocities that the man is capable of.  Well done. As for the film itself, the pacing just feels a bit labored, the movie checks in at just over 2 hours but at 70 minutes in, I felt as if I had already gone through 2 hours.  I was seriously worn out.  I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm leaning to the negative.  I like a movie that you look at the clock and say, "Oh man I've been watching this for how long?  It feels like 5 minutes."  A few things bothered me about the plot, the most glaring being this.  You have millions of dollars worth of high tech equipment and yet you have a cell phone that can't get a signal in one of the world's most populated cities?  Seriously?  Anyway, my silly complaints aside, this film is rock solid.  4 Stars!  

Apes: So here we are with the third installment. I have to say this one is a LOT better than the second one, but how the heck did we go from womanizer, sleeping with a thief  to in a stable committed relationship and getting married? This bugs me. My personal issues aside This movie is much more fast pace, but still seems long. Tom Cruise's performance was adequate, but a little one dimensional. I know, I know, its an action flick how much character depth can I expect. After watching these movies back to back they lose something. I realize that I don't care. He saves the world from bad, greedy, and corrupt people sure, but not in realistic ways... and the Impossible Mission Force? Really that's the best name we can get? If Their missions are so Impossible how does he ALWAYS succeed and why did they act so surprised when the girl at the beginning failed? I say they rename it the Improbable Mission Force. Maybe I'm a bit Jaded, and I DO want to see the new one, but some how these movies I remember being EPIC have lost so much over time. If you're in the mood for a brainless action flick have at it. If you intend on being the LEAST bit logical... Skip this one. I give it 3 stars for being well done as a brain dead meat head flick, but nothing more.

Overall we give this film 3 1/2 stars.

~Beeps and Apes

Mission Impossible 2

Beeps Pick:  Mission Impossible II



Why we picked this film: We watched the first one so we might as well finish them all. Plus I really want to go see the new one in the theater.

Beeps:  Man, this film is almost too John Woo for being a John Woo directed film.  This film reeks of his stink all over it.  Here are some of my problems.  1.  Apparently after the events in the first film, Tom Cruise went to the Jackie Chan school of fighting.  I've never seen anyone leave their feet so many times during a fight.  It's almost to the point that it's ludicrous.  There is so much wire work and flipping kicks that it really brings things down.  If there was maybe one or two flip kicks I'd be cool with it, but there's about 15, and well I don't want to see Tom Cruise do that because it just feels cheap.  2.  Slow motion.  Holy crap, I like slow motion for some action scenes, but it does not have to be in every action scene multiple times.  I bet this film would be 20 minutes shorter if they ran everything at full speed.  3.  Overuse of masked characters... Okay it was cool when we got to see it in the first one.  I felt like it was a crutch here.  It was pretty easy to spot when someone was not who they were pretending to be, and that's unfortunate because it makes the film fall victim to predictability.  All of the negatives aside, this is a decent popcorn flick.  Turn your mind off and enjoy the ride.  However, not even the absolutely radiant Thandie Newton can elevate this movie to the status of the first.  2 1/2 Stars!

Apes: I'm not sure what to say. I almost fell a sleep during this one. Its a lot slower (and full of slow motion), less interesting, and more of a love story than an action flick. The first 45 min to an hour are slow and dragging. Then the last 30 to 45 min are so action filled its a bit over the top. I'm not a huge fan of the fight scenes in this, they have too much slow motion. This movie felt like they were going for more of a James Bond feel with the love story and romance instead of the kicking ass and taking names feel of the first one. I was not a huge fan of this one, but I'm sure we will keep it because you have to have the full series right? I give it 2 stars - for good acting and a decent story. (Oh and bonus points for Tom Cruise rockin' the Bieber hair before the Bieber hair was cool)

Overall we give this film 2 1/2 Stars!

~Beeps and Apes

Mission Impossible

Apes Pick: Mission Impossible



Why we picked this film: We opened all of our Christmas blu-rays and I figured we should watch one... Especially since this one had a free ticket inside to see the new Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Beeps: I've seen Mission Impossible probably 3 or 4 times now, and I'm happy to report that the film holds up somewhat well.  My biggest gripe is the way technology is portrayed in the film.  My personal favorite is when the main character does a search for "Job" and gets no matches found.  Try that and get back to me.  I also like the fact he sends e-mails to an address without a .com or .net or dot anything.  My complaints with the tech aside, I really like the film.  They do a great job of making this film Mission Impossible and not Mission Improbable.  There are some really epic special effect scenes in this movie that do stand well against the test of time.  The ending and the assault on the mainframe are two of my all time favorite action movie scenes.  Again, the impossibility of what must be overcome makes the movie what it is, and it is a delightful popcorn movie that requires you to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the show.  4 Stars!

Apes: I've seen this one before maybe a couple of times, and I have to say its getting a bit dated.... I mean zip discs? 250 mega bytes - funny! Plus the cell phones are a little big and a few things here and there are funny, but for a 15 year old film, Mission Impossible still kicks a ton of butt! The special effects are pretty awesome (and a little over the top) the acting is great, the story is interesting, and if you haven't seen it before its definitely worth a watch. Its interesting, action filled, well written, impeccably acted, and a just great popcorn flick! I give it 4 stars for holding up well after all this time and still kicking butt!

Overall we give this film 4 Stars!

~Beeps and Apes