Kung-Fu Hustle

I tried to watch this movie a while ago with little success. I couldn't get past the Axe Gang scene because it just seemed stupid to me. Rose kept telling me how good of a movie was but I just couldn't believe it after watching only the first five minutes. Well, it turns out if you can get past the first bit, Kung-Fu Hustle is actually quite entertaining. I'm going to have to say, though, it's a bit more like a Bugs Bunny cartoon than any other movie I've ever watched. That could be because of the chase scene, a total Road Runner and Coyote rip off. Cheez moments like the ending, but great lines throughout. I especially enjoyed the "Chi" line after one guy gets his head beat about 4 feet into the ground. Definately a great comedy and some excellent stylistic Kung-Fu thrown in to please. --7/10

Actors and Singers

So I've been thinking a bit about Rob Zombie since my last post earlier today... My thought was: does every musical artist have to try their hand at movies, and must every actor/actress believe they can sing and put out an album? Maybe it's just me, but I'm sick of it. The only thing these people are succeeding in is flooding both markets with a bunch of junk. J-Lo is the first that comes to mind. I think Mrs. Lopez is a special case though. She can't act her way out of a box, so then she decides she should attempt a singing career? Or wait, was it the other way around? I forget. Either way, it's a mistake and she should have concentrated on her first profession, which was dance choreography. I know she has a gazillion fans, so she must be doing something right, but I just can't see it. Or maybe she stays in the spotlight after horrible albums and movies by just creating tabloid controversy. Who knows.

Others come to mind, mostly singers -> actors, Eminem / Mark Wahlberg / Beyonce / Britney Spears / Jessica Simpson / Mandy Moore (I actually think she's fairly good) / Madonna / Cher / Will Smith (like most of his films too, better than his music).

And then the other way actors -> singers, Lindsay Lohan / Hilary Duff / Jennifer Love Hewitt and I'm sure there are a ton I haven't thought of.

So the more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe it's a good thing that these people are converting; it gives me something to gripe about. I think the latest and worst one for me has to be Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke. Come on!!! She can sing. She's not as famous for it as she wants to be because she gets the wrong people to write her music for her, but her acting is attrocious. Have you seen an episode of Nick and Jessica? Or even that variety piece of crap they put out? Stop pretending you're something you're not, stick with the singing and keeping yourself in the gossip columns. Oh, wait a minute, it's Hollywood, that's part of her job.

The Devil's Rejects

So I had a chance to watch The Devil's Rejects today. I didn't get to see the first movie, House of 1000 Corpses, because it just didn't appeal to me in any way. Well, I thought I was going to see a horror movie today so I braced myself for some spine jarring scenes, but the movie turned out to be pretty mellow. I mean, I guess there was a lot of dead people and some violence, but nothing the average person wouldn't see watching a re-run of Ally McBeal (Calista always reminded me of a corpse <shudder>). Rob Zombie, known to me as the guy who only knows one tune and just keeps changing the BPM and re-releasing it as a new album every so often, did a very Tarantino-ish job of directing. Though the movie could have used a bit more of a lead-in for people like me who haven't seen the first, I suppose the story, by Zombie also, was fairly well written. Overall not bad, and probably pretty darn good if you're a fan of blood and guts. --6.5/10 Þ

Because of Winn-Dixie

Well, seems I'm watching a lot of movies lately. This one I'm going to allow to be thrown on to the junk pile with all the rest... Because of Winn-Dixie (a large grocery chain in the U.S., I found out), is about a girl who finds a dog that helps bring together a very dysfunctional small town. Her longing to find out information about her Mother, who left when she was three, from her father, played by Jeff Daniels, is about as bad as a sub-plot goes. Cheezed to the extreme, so bad I wouldn't want to sit through it again. Avoid at all costs unless you're a nine year old girl. --4/10