My wife and I saw 2 movies this weekend. Neither blew me away, but both were enjoyable. Yesterday, we watched Where the Wild Things Are and I was so captivated that I dozed off more than once… though, admittedly the movie did not deserve my sleepiness, the issue was actually that I was very tired. When the movie is released on Netflix in 2 weeks, I’ll rewatch it and give it a fair shake (or when I end up buying it for my beautiful wife). Expect a review then… but today I am writing about the movie we watched Saturday, 2012. (Woody Harrelson, pictured below, plays a nutty guy that proves to be not so nutty, when he’s 100% right about the end of the world approaching… unrelated to my article, but my favorite character)

This is not a review, per se, however. Instead, I am writing about the truth that I found in this film… and how it relates to supply-side economics. Yes, I am serious, and I promise not to bore you to death while I do it.

I think it’s important to note that the only reason good ol’ Reaganomics are in the forefront of my mind is that one of the guys I work with likes to debate about politics and economics. Since he’s leaving next week, he had a sit down with me today… ok, so here’s the meat and potatoes:

In 2012, the only people able to be saved from the end of the world (outside of John Cusack, his family, and half a dozen other people at most) are the super rich and the super powerful. While the action and the scenarios in the film are totally insane, this is something altogether realistic. What’s frightening is how the truth was held from the regular people and how they weren’t even given an opportunity to save themselves from the impending doom… and for some reason that seems entirely plausible.

It’s the same essential problem with “trickle down theory”, which to be fair is not exactly the same as supply-side economics despite the fact that they are closely tied. The problem with this economic theory is that it trusts that those at the top will distribute the wealth through several means (lowering prices due to easing of supply, increasing productivity and thus creating jobs, and, most laughably, their own philanthropy). The ultimate failure of this economic theory is the belief that one portion of humanity will act in a way that is unselfish and caring of the others in their world.

I think that the realism in the demonstration of the greed of the upper echelons of society in 2012 is exactly what is wrong with the idea that getting out of economic crisis is as simple as cutting taxes for the top rungs of society and allowing them to redistribute their wealth. Like the powerful and wealthy in the movie, the powerful and wealthy in the world seem to often do anything and everything to protect their power and wealth.

So, while I am certain that the creators of 2012 had little to no social agenda in mind, especially one that involved Ronald Reagan’s economic policies and his legacy, I can’t help by see how the most frightening part of their movie is a very real truth: humanity is dark and selfish by nature. Man’s selfishness can prove to be the demise of billions of people or simply continue to increase the gap between the rich and the poor, but either way, it’s real.

Thanks, I’m going to get off of my soapbox now. Feel free to comment or disregard or whatever… but be happy I didn’t turn this into a full essay… yet.

Only appropriate that on the day after George Romero’s 70th birthday, we look at the most awesomest scary movies of the past 10 years… especially since zombies seem to have dominated the list of great horror flicks during this decade.

Over the weekend, I’ll be posting spotlights of two great Philly bands that embrace the theatrical side of the horror genre, a fun and entertaining look at The Young Werewolves and a nostalgia piece of watching Mercury Radio Theater through the years. Check back on this snow filled weekend to read, comment, and enjoy!

Without further ado, in Letterman 10-to-1 style, here are my 10 favorite scary movies of the 2000s:

Honorable Mention: House of Wax (Creepy flick and Paris gets a spear through her head), 28 Weeks Later (A decent sequel to a great movie), Land of the Dead (Another great Romero flick in his tradition, except these zombies are getting much smarter), Diary of the Dead (One of the mockumentary style horror flicks that became popular again this decade, the only one worth a damn), House of 1000 Corpses (I like sequel even more, but consider it more of a road movie than a horror flick… both are quite chilling though), The Skeleton Key (Kate Hudson and creepy voodoo people in the South), and Silent Hill (Very scary and gory movie).

10. 13 Ghosts

Watch the trailer above... it's a fun, creepy remake of the 1961 cult classic. Matthew Lillard is quite convincing as a nerdy scientist on the verge of insanity. The guy from monk plays a good hero. The ghosts are quite creepy. Overall, a solid horror movie.

9. District 9

The reason this isn’t higher up is because it’s not truly a horror movie, but more of a Sci-Fi movie. That said, Wikus’s transformation into an alien is quite comparable to Goldblum’s in The Fly. That and lots of blood make the scary moments in this film quite horrifying.

Check out the original short film that the movie is based on:

8. Session 9

So, I’m not exactly sure why the number 9 is creepy, but it is apparently… ya know what else is scary? Listening to tapes of schizophrenics that turn out to be possessed by demons. Yeah.

7. Drag Me to Hell

Why should I write about this again? Go read my review and stop being lazy. Reading is fundamental.

6. The Ring

What’s scarier than a creepy dead girl crawling out of a TV?

5. 28 Days Later

The sense of impending doom that is always present in Romero zombie flicks gets worsened when the zombies no longer walk, but are inhumanly fast and strong. Scary scary scary… and since we all know that zombies will be coming one day, we should just pray that they are the George Romero kind and not these crazy brain-eaters!

Perhaps the best movie on this list as far as artistic quality, but not quite the scariest, in fact, there are 4 more that scare me much more.

4. Exorcism of Emily Rose

This picture says it all. This movie is absolutely terrifying:

This movie is really well done, the only one on here that rivals 28 Days in it’s overall quality as a feature film. It is part A Time to Kill, part The Exorcist, but better than either dreamed of being.

3. May

Not a big budget film or even very well known, but it has a killer soundtrack and takes the classic Frankenstein type story in a different direction. A modern day movie with a story that harkens to the storytelling of classic horror authors like Edgar Allan Poe. A must watch movie for fans of dark and twisted movies with laughs, screams, and lots of blood.

2. Repo! the Genetic Opera

A horror opera full of industrial music that kicks ass and a post-apocalyptic world to send chills up the spine of even the least squeamish among us. Paris Hilton, the dude who played Giles on the Buffy TV show, and King Capulet from the 1990’s Romeo and Juliet are among the talented cast. I think it’s still streaming on Netflix, so do yourself a favor and watch it while you are snowed in this weekend.

1. Planet Terror

You’ve likely seen the movie if you’ve spent the time to read this list. If not, you need to see this Robert Rodriguez gem. A star studded cast led heroic Rose McGowan and Freddie Rodriguez star in this intentionally poor quality B-Movie that does everything right. It’s scary, cheesy, funny, and bloody in all the right doses. Do yourself a favor if you haven’t seen it… avoid the other half of the Grindhouse feature, because it sucked.

Before you go, check out this extended scene below:

thepaintedman rates this:

If you look above, you’ll see I threw together a scary HORROR WEEK header for the site. I want to begin this review by pointing out the creepy face in the center. If you were trying to figure out where it comes from, it is the creepy gypsy woman from Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell.

I watched this last week when I got it sent to me from Netflix. It is quite important to first note that this is definitely a film for Sam Raimi fans… horror in the classic Evil Dead style. Witty, visually enticing, scary supernatural old lady that gets scarier as the movie goes on… check, check, check. Only complaint in this department, the lack of a Bruce Campbell cameo. Dude was busy… at least that’s what I read, but I will admit that this was a tad disappointing. That said, nothing else to complain or be disappointed about, really.

The synopsis is as follows: Girl (Alison Lohman) is trying to get ahead in her career. She has a great, successful supportive boyfriend (Justin Long) whose parents aren’t very fond of her, but he doesn’t seem to care. Her main obstacle in getting a promotion is a competitive co-worker (Reggie Lee). When faced with an ethical dilemma, she chooses to deny an elderly gypsy woman an extension on her loan, seemingly as a the type of tough decision her boss wants her to make in order to demonstrate that she’s ready for her promotion. When the gypsy woman falls to her knees and begs the girl to reconsider, she calls security and believes that is that… except, after work, the woman is waiting… and (after the type of battle that only Raimi can create) the gypsy woman curses the girl. What happens after this can only be described as a world of attacks, fear, and supernatural torture.

Justin Long and Alison Lohman play perfect Raimi protagonists. Long’s likability and humor bring a lighter feel to some scenes and it really helps to develop the characters and their relationship. Lohman has the perfect blend of fear, confusion, and tenacity to be a Raimi type of hero. The supporting characters are quirky, entertaining, and well written.

Overall, this is a great film if you’ve been missing that Evil Dead type of horror flick. Not quite as grotesque as the first ED movie or as cheeky as the 2nd and 3rd installments… and a better overall production that anything in the series.

Rob: Let’s just say that I hadn’t seen it and I said to you, “I haven’t seen Evil Dead II yet”, what would you think?

Barry: I’d think that you’re a cinematic idiot and I’d feel sorry for you.

Don’t be a cinematic idiot… see Drag Me to Hell (and ED 2 if you haven’t YET). Rent this today.

thepaintedman rates this:

I apologize in advance for the typos etc. but I amd typing this review drunk. I alomst never get drunk, but tonight I drank a small bottle of Jim and I haven’t had much liqur in awhile, only beer.

Anyway, I am watching a great movie, 500 Days of Summer.

Short (becouse it HAS to be) reviw:

I liek this movie aot, but hate Summer. Sh’es a bitch bitch. Dude that is the main character totally kicks ass though.

I think I got my wife drunk too… ok, so anyway. The movie just ended and it ended happily which is rad. I totally thought it was gonna have a shitty ending, but thankfully I was wrong.

What is th emovie about? Simple. It’s abotu failed love and the ability to learn from it and move forward.

The soundtrack is solid, including karoake somngs sung by Levit (who plays the main characteR) writeen by the Pixies and the Clash (two of my favorite all time bands).

I cant quite think striahgt, so maybe I’lkl try to write a REAL review of this movie tomorrow or Saturday, but… in short, it’s really entertaining… my synopsis: a movie I’d watch again, but liuekly wouldn’t own.

Good night and thanks for reading my ranblings… just pretned tongiht that I’m some teenage Twilight fan on Myspace writign a drunk blog.

There are many great and many not-so-great Christmas movies. Focusing on the great ones, I began preparing a top 10 list, but then I decided against that and instead wanted to focus simply on my favorite Christmas movie.

There were many options that I had to sift through in my mind. I grew up watching A Christmas Story with my good friend Jon (that and Adventures in Babysitting were on heavy rotation for a good 5 years of our adolescence). When I was in high school, TNT/TBS began showing the movie for 24 hours. After a couple of years, this movie was no longer quite as awesome due to the incredible inundation. Still one of the best, but it’s chance at number 1 diminished.

Some of the classic kids’ movies like the original Rudolph, Grinch, and Frosty movies could sneak into my top choices, but none can be my number 1, either. Jingle All the Way certainly got some serious consideration for the 1 spot, as did Home Alone. Both are great light-hearted family films, but just aren’t quite there.

So, what wins? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Good guess, but, no. It’s another top 10 for sure. But that top spot is reserved for one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen, a movie my wife and I quote year round, a movie that is certainly under appreciated, and a movie that occasionally makes me wet myself just a little bit. That movie is: Just Friends. So, now I bring you my full review of this incredibly funny movie.

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This week is the first of two Question of the Week entries with a Christmas theme. This one, as you may have inferred from the title, is about Christmas movies. Lucky you, today is a 2 post day, make sure to check out the earlier post after you take a crack at this week’s question.

Quite simply, what is your favorite Christmas movie and why?

For some, the choice may be more about nostalgia. Has there been a movie that you’ve watched and adored since you were a child, like my wife who can recite every line to the Burl Ives’ original version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? For others it may be a move that warms your heart, like Miracle on 34th St or a movie your parents made you watch with them every Christmas like It’s a Wonderful Life. For some, it may simply be a movie that makes you laugh a lot (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) or a movie that you connect to a specific happy event or… well, just about any reason we could name.

While I cannot tell you my choice quite yet, as a full review of my favorite Christmas movie is coming on Thursday, I can name two of my favorites with some fun clips.

Jingle All the Way

Home Alone 2

(Wanted the “Cool Jerk” scene with the fake Uncle Frank in the hotel shower, but couldn’t find it on YouTube)

There are many others, from action flicks to comedies to cartoons, but I’ll leave a few unnamed for you to share. Feel free to use the ones listed here if one of them is your favorite, but whatever your favorite is, please share it with us. If someone happens to choose the same one as me, there will be a prize for them. If not, I may have a few other CDs to give away anyway. So, let the other readers and I know which Christmas movie ROCKS!

What is your favorite Christmas movie and why?

Haven’t reviewed a movie recently, so here are 10 recent (and not-so-recent) flicks in my awesome 10 in 10 style.

Year One: Much funnier when it was called History of the World

Phantasm: Like most 70’s Horror flicks, not scary, actually kinda funny.

Land of the Lost: Even Danny McBride can’t save this horrible movie.

District 9: Downloading was well worth the warning letter from Sony Pictures.

Nerdcore Rising: Nerdcore has risen up, it has gotten elevated. Word!

Where the Wild Things Are: I need to see this really really really really badly.

Twilight: New Moon: I need to avoid this really really really really badly.

Ghostbusters 2: Rewatching this while home sick made my day much better.

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Actually pretty excited that this comes out next week.

Filthy McNasty: Most unfortunate thing about streaming Netflix, I watched this movie.

With the opening of the NFL season tomorrow night, I figured that it’s only appropriate that I choose the Top Ten Football Movies of All-Time. Before I go forward, I must say that I have not seen We Are Marshall, Brian’s Song, or the original version of The Longest Yard, which could explain their absence from the list.

10. Gridiron Gang

Somewhat cheesy, yes, but inspiring and well acted… even if it is by The Rock and Xhibit.

9. The Waterboy

“No mama, you’re the devil.” Foosball, H2O, and the chick from The Craft.

8. Invincible

I love it because it’s a movie about my Birds. It’s not the best (obviously at #8), but definitely a great watch to get pumped for Eagles football.

7. Little Giants

A classic kids sports flick. For me, this genre doesn’t get better than this movie, Little Big League, and Rookie of the Year

6. Any Given Sunday

Jamie Foxx as “Steamin’” Willie Beamen, and Al Pacino as the coach… solid football movie about coming of age and the good and bad of the game.

5. Friday Night Lights

The best dramatic portrayal of high school football. Period.

4. The Program

The dark side of college football. “Kill ‘em all, let the paramedics sort ‘em out” or something like that.

3. Varsity Blues

While not as great a dramatic depiction of high school football as noted in #5, I love this movie. Funny, dramatic, and overall, just plain entertaining.

2. The Replacements

Hilarious football movie where Keanu’s poor acting skills are highlighted perfectly in a lead role that even he can’t mess up. Pure unadulterated fun.

1. Remember the Titans

Best football movie ever. Inspiring story of integration in a period of adversity. Love it.