Tabloid

This is a documentary about a true story of a tabloid sensation.  The story goes like this. Young Beauty Queen marries a Mormon. The man leaves on a Mormon retreat and the woman believes they brainwash him and he now part of the cult. The woman with a help of the guy kidnaps the man at gun point and take him to the cabin and ties him up. While tied up woman precedes to F the cult the right out of him for an entire weekend. Then after that the story starts to get weird. Their religion, sex, disguises, prostitution, false identities, and even some dog cloning involve. It's done through interviews, articles, and news clips.  It’s pretty nicely done. It helps if you know very little about the story so you can decide who telling the truth and who not. Since multiple groups have good reason to fudge the story. And you really get to see how the media plays the roll in this, and shaping public opinion. You get how the media picks side and drive the narrative to ways that suits them. Then you see how the law reacts to the public opinion. The people they interview are interesting characters and good telling their story. You can see the woman is bit publicity savvy despite seeming kind of flakey. She appears smarter then she acts, although still kind of insane. She has a nice personality when she talks and it only till as she talks you say “hahaha this lady crazy.” Then when you hear her talk even more you think “Oh this woman’s CRAZY...not sitcom crazy. But make a sculpture of you out of her poop crazy.”  The story is a nice mystery that slowly builds with surprises.  It set the mood of each era the story takes place in showing poor hair choice decisions of the people involve.  If there a minus, it is that some important people in the story refuse to give an interview. So you’re missing important parts of the story. But still a solid story B

Haunting House

Haunting house

2 Families go to a fancy house in the woods to try to buy it. Not a cabin in the woods, no. This is a multiple bed room house with little recordings that tell you about what is in the house. The place is big and cheap to buy. There one catch.  Once they get into the house they can’t leave. Whenever they try to walk to far from the house they come back to where they were.  They try to drive out and they go around in circles. They are  trap in a time loop, with a mute woman who seems to know about the house. They are  seeing  illusions and slowly going insane as dark secrets revealed. There are two things that help this movie. First one is the fact, they tried to leave the moment things looked weird. This avoid the “why don’t they just leave the haunted house”. Answer they can’t. They try and try to no avail. If you think of a way for them to escape, changes are they will try it. You follow them and feel the frustrations when they plans and theories go to hell. The seconds is it quickly skip months ahead of time, so you can see the madness kick in. The people quick get the idea there some sort of force working against them.

 One thing I didn’t like was the mute girl. A problem that could be solved is the woman just pick up an f’ing pencil. Just write down your words woman.  Since nearly everyone on here a little F up, part of the mystery is who to trust because they all seem to be horrible people accept for 1 or 2 people. That said some of the freak out of the character a bit over the top. Sometimes it becomes like a lifetime movie where a character is a nice guy one minute, then he ready to choke a B the next. So it gets over the top near the end and some of the decisions seem suspect. Although it hard to  blame on them to much going mad. Still has some fun twist into it, and a nice spooky picture. B

Death Race Inferono

This is a new brand new entry on the Death Race Prequel movies. This follows the original Frankenstein  as he finishing up his last couples of races. It this one a new bad guy, takes over the Death Race, and makes it INTERNATIONAL. The race is now taken to 3rd world area. Which translate to people driving around the desert for 2 hours? Seem the budget takes a hit every movie but it some imaginative kills with a nice over the top bad guy. He chews the scenery at pac man like proportions.  Frankenstein’s (always 1-2 races from escaping) has a run in with the new owner who wants to keep him there for good, or kill him. He also adds changes to the death race, like a collar the sends a missile after you if you try to escape and having the battles in open areas. Some of the death scenes pretty good, and it has a nice multiple cat fight scene in the middle. Not that I go for just tawdry affair. Me I am enlighten...I just pointing it out for the savages out there. It not like I pause, then rewind the scene 11 times. I am above such things. Although the babes aren’t THAT babelicious as past movies and there seem to be a lack of chemistry between the female and male leads.  Also it is hardly any nudity. If you’re going to do exploitation don’t pussyfoot around. There is missile chase scene that is pretty good. But the blood is tone down and some of the areas uninspired. It runs across the same desert multiple times and not as many memorable character to go up against. It seems more like a made for TV sci-fi movie. A lot of that has to do with budget though, but maybe they shouldn’t have aimed for an international story then. That said one scene uses the area pretty well that gets the bystanders and fans in on the action. And it is a key part of the plan. The main bad guy while fun doesn’t have the punch as the villains from the past movie.  Although the ending is pretty cool, and ties into the first movie well. It might be a good idea for future movies. All and All B-

Cleanflix and art of Rap

Cleanflix is a documentary that starts out simple enough, with a Mormon group that edits R rated and PG-13 rated movies. The basic idea is Mormons cant watch R rated and PG-13 movies but they don’t want to be left out of pop culture. This gives them the best of both worlds, with the cuts having mixed results. Some don’t change it that much other changes it hugely. Then the movie morphs back and forth a legal battle with Hollywood about licensing, interfering with the artist vision, each of the sides finding and changing loopholes while others just straight up breaking the law. But then it change to darker more twisted things involving scandal, in fighting, religion, sex, gobs of money, fame and ego. All while playing this cat and mouse game with the Hollywood.  One man that causes it to take a twist was an owner of a Cleanflix store Daniel Brown who (to Cleanflix displeasure) became the very unofficial face of Cleanflix. Basically, he the type of guy who (if you were a lifeboat together) would not only be gleefully poking holes in the life boat but would be using a titanium power drill to do it. And when you got angry at him for doing it the act like you’re the crazy person for getting mad. He fame hungry and a crooked guy, who is constantly, get everyone else in trouble due to not knowing the meaning of low key. He is the reason for the dark and ironic turns the movie takes.  Some of the focused might be a little too much on him making the narrative of the democracy seem force. Namely since he really not the head of Cleanflix. He is basically, a religious version of Michael Scot from the office. Heck it kind of clear he might not be that religious and just see it as more of business thing. It seem like they wanted to force a nice 3 act structure and he was the best way to do it. But to be fair, a big percentage of Cleanflix fall is due to him and his arrogance. So, it not that out there to focused on him and he is a pretty entertaining guy

Also the speech over near the end kind of forces the director message to much. It is like they seem like they were afraid we wouldn’t get it. I think they should have trusted the audience in that regard. That said it’s a pretty good at introducing you to this world. I didn’t know how popular this editing was. It was a pretty huge business that remains underground. Also it was good and giving you different points of view. It would be easy just to bash them. At the time watching you think “Airlines and TV have edited version...why not offer it to the public”. Then you go “Oh wait that right...the law” or wait “The money”. Also they make a decent argument on why they don’t want to watch R rated movies. Then ironically it also points out the Mormon customers want the sex cut out but they prefer the violence be kept it because sometimes those parts are awesome. Because really if you seeing the Matrix...you want to see Neo kick someone in a face a 1000 times don’t care what your religion is. It’s the after all the defining trait that unites us all, the love for super kung fu and a desire not to see Keanu Reeve pasty naked butt. B+

Art of Rap

Art of rap is a documentary directed by ICE T that involves him going around to different rappers and talking about the process of creating a rap song. It goes to the skill going into making.  This speaks to me because if you know anything about me it’s that, I keep it both real and I keep gangster. Pretty bare bones. Just him and a rapper talking most of the time.  It not much bells and whistles or camera tricks.  It does get you into on how to create a rap song. Also you get rare moments of modesty from some of these guys about their early frustrations and insecurities that there raps weren’t as good as the other peoples, to the point some get in a funk for up to year and can’t write anything. Also some even admitting maybe all the ditch tracks is why it may not get as much respect as the others cause they don’t bringing each other up. Although one of the rappers saying he has a ditch tracks he already recorded for every big rapper out there JUST IN CASE. Making him basically the batman of Rap, when it comes to his back up plans. But you see as it go on they admire each other art and skills. You learn how to get their different styles, create their persona, and set up their lines. Although would of like to see more stories about how they market their records and going out touring for the first time. It basically just about the writing. It would have been nice to broaden the scope of the documentary more. Although I guess you get more into their personalities more focusing on a few. Like when  ICE T talk to pepper (which I am going to assume her god given name) about how their spouses admitted they  mostly listen to the beats and not the lyrics which ticked them off to know end.. For Shame coco…for Shame. Anyway a nice documentary that goes at pretty breezy pace, something to show to people who say rap isn’t an art. Although, it’s only really for big rap fans.

B