9/30 Edition of the Anthony T Movie Blog

Welcome to this week's edition of my movie blog. I'm getting ready Horrorfest 2007, in which I will review films in the independent horror genre for this blog. It will be a change of pace, from what I usually do, as it will be more horror heavy than usually, for this month only. I still have plans on reviewing other movies like Reign On Me during this month, for those not into independent horror. Without further explanation, here is the list of the films that I will be reviewing for Horrorfest 2007.

Horrorfest 2007

To get information on some of these films, just click on the title.

Bad Reputation
The Cradle
Dark Corners
Death By Engagement
The Murder Game
Murder Party
Shadow Puppets
Stupid Teenagers Must Die

Each week in October, I will review two of those films and after Horrorfest is over, I'll let you know, which film received the honor of Best of Horrorfest 2007.

Reviews

Rating System
5 Stars – Highly Recommended
4 Stars – Recommended
3 Stars – Good / Average Film
2 Stars – Disappointing Film
1 Stars – Totally Awful

New Releases on DVD

Knocked Up
Knocked Up is the follow up to Judd Apatow's The 40 Year Old Virgin, a film that I thought was good but not great. This romantic comedy is about a slacker named Ben (Seth Rogan), whom has a one-night stand with an up and coming career girl named Alison (Katherine Heigl). Eight weeks later, he finds that she's pregnant with his child. The film co-stars Paul Rudd (Anchorman, The 40-Year Old Virgin) and Leslie Mann and features cameos from Harold Ramis (director of Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day), Ryan Seacrest, and Steve Carell (The Office (US) and the upcoming Evan Almighty). This film was a laugh out loud riot. Judd Apatow did a great job in making a movie that is funny, while dealing with the serious issues of pregnancy and relationships. I also liked the fact that the film didn't have to rely on gross-out humor too much, which has plagued most comedies these days. This film was also Seth Rogan's breakout role. He's very entertaining and funny throughout the film. I hope he gets to star in more films, in the near future. The other performances were also funny especially from Katherine Heigl and Leslie Mann as Alison' sister, Debbie. Knocked Up is up there with Hot Fuzz, as one of the year's funniest comedies. I might be in the minority here, but I have to say this film was better and funnier then The 40-Year Old Virgin. 5 Stars. Rated R. 129Min.

Bug
Bug is the latest film from the director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, William Friedkin. Ashley Judd stars as Anges, a lonesome woman who is lives in a motel room when she is introduces to a man (Michael Shannon) who's a Gulf War veteran and thinks that the government is brainwashing people. Slowly, he begins to brainwash her with his ideas and begin a tender romance until her abusive ex (Harry Connick Jr.), suddenly shows up to see her. Soon the lines between reality and paranoid delusion begin to affect Anges, and there is no telling what is real or not. The film is based on the play written by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the screenplay for the film). Bug should have stayed as a play, as it felt like a play, not a movie. The screenplay really hurt this film as it was confusing and felt weird. The movie moves at a slow pace, which makes it dull and depressing to watch. The characters in the film were dry and lifeless. The acting in this film was good but not enough to keep my interest in this film. Bug is a boring drama that should have stayed as a play only. 2 Stars. Rated R. 103 Mins.

DVD Pick of the Week

The Camden 28
The Camden 28 is a documentary about the trial of 28 Vietnam protesters in 1973. The accused were either priests or devoted Catholics. They were on trial for braking into a New Jersey draft board in 1971, a crime in which they were acquitted for. The Camden 28 is a must see documentary. Director Anthony Guiacchino made this documentary interesting to watch for someone who hasn't heard about this story. He also gets both sides of the story and going into detail of this trial and the back-stories within it. I liked the fact that the movie included old news footage from back in the early 70's and their reunion back in May of 2002. I thought the subjects were very interesting and went into great detail about the events, for those who haven't been around when this event occurred. The Camden 28 was a fascinating look at a bunch of people who stood up to the government during a controversial war and that's why it's my DVD Pick of the week. For more information on The Camden 28, go to www.camden28.org 5 Stars. Not Rated. 83Mins.

That's it for this week's edition of the movie blog. Next week I will hopefully have time to see Dragon Heat for review and the reviews for the first two films in Horrorfest 2007. Until next time, have a good day.