Movie Review: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

1965
Not Rated

Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 dramatic epic directed by David Lean that is set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. It tells the intertwining stories of Yuri (Omar Sharif) and Lara (Julie Christie) as they meet time and again over the course of many years. I would go more into the details of the actual storyline, but if I start describing the plot, this post will ultimately turn into something ridiculously long and drawn-out. All you really need to know is that the film, at its core, is a love story, but by setting it against the backdrop of war, we get something a little more complex.

So you'll have to forgive me in advance if this review proves to be rather short. I'm a little bit drained from this particular movie-going experience, considering the film itself runs for over three hours. It's rare to see movies this long nowadays, but back in the day, they were a little more commonplace.

We receive a very good screenplay that won an Oscar back in 1966, and it takes us through nearly every minute detail of the major experiences lived and suffered by Yuri and Lara. The length of the film gives it the opportunity to delve into such detail, and it definitely does well enough to keep you engaged despite its terribly slow pace. At its heart, we get a rather endearing love story, but when its set against the aforementioned backdrop of war, it's almost as though the romance doesn't necessarily take center stage. At moments, it does, but there are definite times within the film where it's difficult to remember that the core element of the story rests with the ever-growing romance between Yuri and Lara. It's like the 1939 film Gone With the Wind, in a way. That film also has a strong romance at its center, but the backdrop of the Civil War starts to take precedence at certain moments. Substitute the Russian Revolution with the Civil War, and you've got Doctor Zhivago.

We get some great performances from our leads, who do their best to remain strong and even-keeled throughout the film's entirety. With a movie this long, it's difficult to remain consistent throughout, but Sharif and Christie succeed in doing just that. We also get a number of great supporting performances, highlighted by Tom Courtenay, who played Lara's husband Pasha and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role. Rod Steiger also gives a good performance in a limited amount of screen-time. And how could I ever forget the power of our fantastic narrator, played by none other than Sir Alec Guinness. He doesn't appear often, but he's probably the best part of the film by far.

Mention should be given to Maurice Jarre for composing a fantastic score that perfectly sets the mood of the entire piece. The sweeping composition brings a true sense of life to the film, and it's the first thing you'll notice right from the opening credits.

Overall, Doctor Zhivago is a long and drawn-out film that's not the easiest to watch if you tend to get bored easily. However, if you are capable of sitting and devoting your full attention a movie for over three hours - a difficult task in today's tech-savvy environment - then I'm sure you'll find great rewards in watching this particular film.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

1969
Not Rated


"You just keep thinkin', Butch. That's what you're good at."
-- Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Academy Award-winning western directed by George Roy Hill that tells a loosely-based-on-fact tale of the two titular criminals. After making a successful career for themselves, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) finally find themselves in a bit of a pickle. After attempting to rob the same train on two consecutive trips, the railroad owner decides to organize a special team to stop the bandits. This crew of the best lawmen and trackers in the West chases Butch and the Kid all over the terrain, eventually forcing them to consider going abroad to escape. And so, with the Kid's woman Etta (Katharine Ross) in tow, the trio sets their sights on Bolivia, where they once again start their bank-robbing ways. As they gain notoriety in the Spanish-speaking country as well, it's only a matter of time until they start to worry that the aforementioned crew of lawmen and trackers finds them there as well.

Despite its massive success and popularity, I had actually never seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid until I sat down to watch it today (I'll pause for a moment while you question my movie-watching prowess). Having always been partial towards Newman and Redford, it's all the more surprising that I hadn't taken this one in just yet, but having finally sat down to watch it, I can honestly say I'm glad for the experience. That being said, however, I did not think it was the greatest movie I had ever seen.

The storyline offers an interesting tale of two aging criminals who just might be at the end of their career, and yet they're doing their best to cling onto what little they still have left. If that means running off to another country in order to find their fortune once again, then that's exactly what they feel is necessary. The story is interwoven with some fantastic dialogue, especially when it comes to the conversations between Butch and the Kid. The screenplay itself is bitingly hilarious, and it offers quite a few laughs for those of you paying close enough attention. That being said, I did think that the story dragged on a little bit here and there, and the film feels every bit of its 110-minute run-time. That's not really the best thing for a film that's simply offering pure entertainment.

We are getting a couple of stellar performances from our two leads, and the chemistry between Newman and Redford is probably the selling point of the film. The performances seem so natural, and their relationship in the film seems so genuine, that it's easy to fall into the characters and believe them from the start. To be fair, when you have two big-time actors like Newman and Redford, you really shouldn't expect anything less, but they make this film everything that it is. Ross does well in a limited supporting role, but her character isn't offered a lot with which to work. And because there are no other truly central characters, a lot of the film rests on the shoulders of Newman and Redford, who definitely step up to the plate and deliver.

One of the biggest issues I had with the film was with its soundtrack, which has received numerous accolades. Both the score by Burt Bacharach and the original song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" earned Academy Awards for the film, but I personally couldn't see how any of the film's music helped craft or enhance the film experience as a whole. It's almost as though this film is a western that doesn't quite know it's a western, if that makes sense. It seemed to throw a little too much of the contemporary atmosphere into its constructs, and I personally thought that detracted from the film as a whole. Fortunately, the film's screenplay does help salvage the film, offering a decent story as well as a fantastic final shootout sequence.

Although I didn't think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of the best movies I have ever seen, I do see why it has found such an honored place in the annals of American cinema. Accompanied by fantastic cinematography and a true sense of entertainment, this film does offer quite the enjoyable experience. Yes, it has its flaws, but if you can focus on the performances of our two leads, I'm sure you'll find plenty to like about this western.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN

SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN

1970
Not Rated


"Watch out for that dolly. She's a hardened criminal, I hear."
-- Kris Kringle

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a made-for-television animated film directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass that tells the story of Santa Claus. The film opens with postal carrier (voiced by Fred Astaire) serving as our narrator as he tells us of the origins of Santa Claus. According to him, an infant Claus was left on the doorstep of the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger (voiced by Paul Frees) who immediately had the baby sent away. He ended up with a family of elves known as the Kringles who spent their entire lives making toys the could not deliver to children because the Winter Warlock (voiced by Keenan Wynn) prevented their passage across the mountain. The elves took the child as their own and named him Kris (voiced by Mickey Rooney), who vowed to take the toys across the mountain once he was strong enough to make the trek. He took the toys to the town of Meisterburger, who had outlawed toys of all kinds. As the evil lord continued to prevent Kris's ability to deliver the toys, he began to think of more and more innovative ways to succeed in his plans.

I know that I've seen this movie at some point over the years, but I figured I'd give it another go this holiday season. Considering how much I love 1964's Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I thought I might find a way to like this one just as much. It's made in the same way as the Rudolph, but despite the likability of the film, it just didn't quite resonate with me in the same manner that the former film did.

The screenplay offers an interesting tale as to the origins of good old Saint Nick. I don't know whether it's the accepted story behind his origins (although I'm sure there are dozens of stories that some would claim to be the true story), but it's an interesting look nonetheless. The writers were able to place a lot of Christmas song-infused references into the dialogue, so if there's anything to look forward to, it's that bit of wordplay here and there. In the end, the story is satisfying, and the fact that it's told to us by Fred Astaire is definitely a plus.

Strangely enough, my biggest issue with the film was the use of some of the songs. While some of the songs - such as "The First Toymakers to the King" and "Be Prepared to Pay" - seemed to fit the message and the tone of the film, there were a couple - namely, "One Foot in Front of the Other" and "My World Is Beginning Today" - that just seemed terribly out of place. They were so glaringly out there that they took me out of the film's flow. The orchestral score worked well enough, but the musical numbers were just a little too off-kilter to keep me interested and engaged.

Still, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a classic TV special that is sure to warm the hearts of millions this holiday season. While it's not quite at the level of Rudolph, it will still manage to leave a lasting impact on the Christmas season. Just don't go in expecting the greatest television event you'll ever see. That would be quite disastrous.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: C+
1 Thumb Up

Movie Review: SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS

1964
Not Rated


"All this trouble over a fat little man in a red suit!"
-- Voldar

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 family film directed by Nicholas Webster. The film opens with young Martian children watching "Earth programs" on their form of a television set whilst a news reporter interviews Santa Claus (John Call) at his workshop at the North Pole. The childrens' father Kimar (Leonard Hicks), leader of the Martians, questions why his children, as well as children all over Mars, seem so sullen. He calls an audience with an oracle who tells him and his fellow councilmen about the Earth tradition of Christmas. To remedy their childrens' plight, the Martian men decide to kidnap Santa Claus and force him to bring tidings of joy and happiness to their planet. Upon their arrival on Earth, they meet Billy (Victor Stiles) and Betty Foster (Donna Conforti) who tell them where to find Santa. They bring the children with them to the North Pole, where they kidnap Santa and bring the three back to Mars to start their own Christmas tradition. However, once Santa realizes the Martians won't let him return home, he sets a plan in action for he and the Foster children to escape.

To be frank, the title of this film alone gave me enough reason to sit down and watch it. When you have such an outrageous title (for example, 1987's Surf Nazis Must Die comes to mind), it almost sounds so terrible that you just have to take the time to take it in. I had heard of this film in the past but had never had the opportunity to give it a view. Fortunately, the means became available, and so I took in this rather short flick in preparation for the Christmas holiday.

As excited as I was to see this film, I have to say that it's pretty darn awful. From the moment it starts, you'll be scratching your head, wondering how this one ever saw the light of day. While the premise and screenplay aren't all that terrible, the film's tone and mood ruin the experience as a whole. It's listed as a comedy on the Internet Movie Database, but I couldn't find a single moment in which to laugh or even slightly chuckle. It plays more like a drama than a comedy, save for more than a handful of awkward moments with a bumbling, "ho-ho-ing" Santa Claus that prove to be rather creepy.

The acting is atrocious as well. At times, it's so bad that it's cringe-worthy. You could probably find a way to laugh at it, but I was so taken aback with just how bad the acting was that I couldn't even muster a smile. I could easily break down each performer and tell you their acting flaws, but it will be much easier to say that the cast as an ensemble is simply terrible. I'd rather not point fingers.

Despite everything I've just said, I can see where an individual could find some saving grace in this film. It has all the makings of a cult classic, and for all I know, it has a loyal fan base that loves it to death. Sadly, I won't be able to bring myself to join those throes. Still, if you're in for a Christmas-oriented B-movie, you could probably do a lot worse than this one.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: F
2 Thumbs Down

Movie Review: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

2011
Not Rated


"Maybe you'll end up like me - a hobo with a shotgun."
-- Hobo

Hobo with a Shotgun is a 2011 action film directed by Jason Eisener that serves as an homage to the grindhouse features made famous during the 1970s. As the film's title suggests, this one follows a hobo (Rutger Hauer) who stumbles upon a downtrodden and filth-infested town. He immediately sees all the crime centers around a kingpin called the Drake (Brian Downey) and his two sons, Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman), who terrorize the semi-innocent citizens of the city for their own carnal pleasure. When Slick decides to mess with a young prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth), the hobo manages to save her, effectively putting a price on his own head. As he continues to see the level of filth throughout the city, the hobo takes it upon himself to exact vigilante justice on any criminal he can find. Slowly but surely, he makes his way toward the Drake and his sons, all while continuing to protect Abby from the perils surrounding them.

I have to be honest: when I first heard about this film, I was eagerly surprised and awaited its eventual release. I didn't have a chance to see it during its very limited theatrical run, but it finally hit NetFlix's Instant Watch, so I finally had the opportunity to sit down and give it a view. And as much as I hate to say it, I have to say I wasn't terribly impressed.

Normally, films like this are right up my alley. Anytime you have the chance to make a throwback to film genres of decades past, I'm usually one of the first to line up to see it. Add the fact that Hobo with a Shotgun actually sports an interesting premise - a hobo goes vigilante because he thinks the world's an unsafe place - and you should have the makings of grindhouse gold. It even managed to score some rather respectable reviews (it currently holds a 67% approval rating on the online review aggregate, Rottentomatoes.com). Still, I just couldn't find a way to get into the film.

For starters, there was plenty to dislike about the film's screenplay. While I wasn't expecting anything brilliant, I thought it would at least be understandable. However, there were moments during the film where I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and that's never a good sign for a film, especially one as visceral as this. There were seemingly important characters that simply appeared without so much as an explanation as to who they were or why they were there. Secondly, the acting was downright atrocious. Again, I'm not saying that I was expecting top-notch performances, but even for a film like this, the actors could've done a little bit more. How much of it was their fault as opposed to the faulty screenplay, I'm not entirely sure, but great actors would find a way to out-perform a bad screenplay's flaws.

Despite all that, the real issue with Hobo with a Shotgun was that it's terribly boring. Despite the constant stream of action and gore, it never really aroused my interest. In his review for the Philadelphia Inquirer, critic Steven Rea stated that "even connoisseurs of the genre...will find the cheesy chopfests and gratuitous gore less than exciting as one urban prosthetics-strewn bloodbath begets the next." I couldn't agree more. Even with the over-the-top violence, there just wasn't anything truly clicking with this one.

Still, if you are a fan of the genre, Hobo with a Shotgun might be worth a chance. To be fair, I am a bit of a harsh critic, so someone who can put aside the absolute terribleness might find a way to enjoy this one a little bit more than I did. However, there's no possible way I could ever give this film my blessing, so take that into consideration if you were contemplating taking this one in.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: F
1.5 Thumbs Down

Movie Review: BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR

BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR

2010
Not Rated


"I hear a mountain lion! I gotta get back to my house, and you better get to your car!"
-- Tree Hugger

Birdemic: Shock and Terror is a 2010 horror film directed by James Nguyen that centers around freak flocks of birds attacking citizens in a small town in northern California. At the beginning of the film, we see the budding relationship between software salesman Rod (Alan Bagh) and fashion model Nathalie (Whitney Moore). As the two become closer and closer, they start to take their relationship to deeper, more intimate levels. After spending an evening in a motel in a small town, a flock of eagles starts to attack the outside of their room, crashing into the window in an attempt to get inside. They team with another young couple, Ramsey (Adam Sessa) and Becky (Catherine Batcha), and together, they flee the motel. Along their road to survival, they meet Dr. Jones (Rick Camp), who tells the group that global warming has led the birds to their inexplicable acts of rage. As the group tries to stay alive, they face more and more danger, and it takes more and more willpower just to keep moving on.

Have you ever driven down the highway and seen an accident, and as bad as it may look, there's simply no way for you to take your eyes away? That's Birdemic. From the very start, I knew I was witnessing one of the absolute worst pieces of cinema I had ever beheld, but I was powerless to avert my eyesight from the television screen. There's absolutely nothing going right for this film, and it's a trainwreck from the opening credits.

Let's start with the premise: we're obviously stealing the very concept of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic, The Birds, and appropriating it to modern times. Unfortunately, the screenplay does absolutely nothing to aid this contemporary telling of the story. For the first forty-five minutes, all we see is the courtship between our two stars. It takes half the movie for us to see our first bird attack, and boy is it a doozy. The eagles start to kamikaze themselves into gas stations, causing mass explosions. Then they start to attack the motel. Then they chase anything and everything outside, as long as it's in the film's direct shot. For whatever reason, the computer-generated birds seem to avoid the background cars that continue to roll down the highway as though there's no danger whatsoever. Trust me, there's continuity issues galore in this one. And please don't get me started about this film's political agenda. Now, I have no problem with films exploring political issues and making statements, but when they're made this blatantly in such a humdrum manner, I almost find it offensive. To use a film like this as a backdrop for your ideas on political issues is almost a slap in the face to the people who agree with your statement.

The camera editing is also atrocious in the first half of the movie. To be fair, Birdemic is an incredibly low-budget flick, but if a twelve-year-old with a modest budget can make higher-quality work, then there's something to be said about the badness that these adults bring to the screen. The editing is so bad that it's laughable, but luckily, it clears up a bit once the attacks star to occur. Unfortunately, that's when we're given our wonderful dose of CGI birds. Again, this is a low-budget film, but I honestly think they could've done a little bit better than what they brought to the table.

And what can I say about the acting? Bashing our male lead alone would be enough for me to write an entire paragraph, but I won't get into the specifics for each and every character. Moore is the shining point of the film, and she's terrible at best. Some of the supporting characters are equally atrocious, including the cameo from our Tree Hugger (Stephen Gustavson), who was quoted above.

Even the soundtrack is downright horrendous. I mean, it's not like the music itself is bad, but it all feels so pretentious that it makes you laugh right alongside it. Seriously, this film should have a laugh track.

All that being said, I have to say that I absolutely loved this film. It easily falls into the "so bad, it's good" category, and I found myself completely entertained from start to finish. I was rolling with laughter from the opening credits, and I continued to do so when the end credits crawled across the screen. There's no shock, and there's no terror, but there's definitely plenty of comedy. If you're a fan of trash films, Birdemic is a definite must-see. I can guarantee that you'll be highly entertained. I just can't wait to see the sequel.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: F
1.5 Thumbs Up

Rankings
Worst All-Time: #2

Movie Review: PATHOGEN

PATHOGEN

2006
Not Rated


"The whole infection thing's really nuts."
-- Dannie

Pathogen is a 2006 horror film directed by Emily Hagins that centers around a group of pre-teens trying to survive a zombie epidemic. When a highly-dangerous nanochip finds its way into the local water source, anyone who drinks the water becomes infected with a mysterious illness that ultimately kills them. After a short time, however, the afflicted are re-animated and start to hunt the living. One young girl named Dannie (Rose Kent-McGlew) starts to question how the infection came about and starts asking some of the kids around her school for information. She teams with a small group of survivors, including her best friend Sam (Alec Herskowitz), Christine (Tiger Darrow) and Cameron (Tony Vespe). As they do their best to stay alive, they run into Sue (Rebecca Elliott), the researcher responsible for creating the nanochip that ultimately caused the virus to spread. As time continues to pass, and more people turn into flesh-eating zombies, the group does everything they can just to keep on living.

I heard about Pathogen through another film - Zombie Girl: The Movie - that chronicled the making of Pathogen. After watching that documentary, I simply needed to give Pathogen a view, so I quickly shipped for my own copy of the film. What attracted the filmmakers of Zombie Girl was the fact that a 12-year-old girl was directing the flick. It was an unprecedented thought back in 2006, and it still remains so today. Anyone that young writing and directing a feature-length film seems nearly impossible, but I'd have to say that Emily Hagins does a fantastic job with her debut feature.

Now, you should know going in that this is an extremely low-budget film, and it definitely feels as such. Still, it took a lot of guts for young Miss Hagins to start this endeavor, and to see the final product is truly a treat. You shouldn't go in expecting brilliance; you kinda have to take it for what it is - a movie crafted by a twelve-year-old mind - if you want to enjoy it. That being said, there were quite a few things that I thought worked very well during the film.

For starters, I thought the screenplay was extremely well-written, especially considering Hagins's age at the time of its writing. Sure, the dialogue is a bit forced here and there, but the actual plot and storyline stands up against some of the better zombie flicks to have graced the silver screen. It's not easy to craft a plausible horror storyline, but Hagins does so rather well, giving us a realistic situation in which the film's events could ultimately fall into place. Does the film delve into cliché? Of course, but you can't hold that against Hagins in the slightest. Even when you feel like you've seen it before, there's something entirely refreshing about what we're seeing on-screen. It's as though we're seeing the beginnings of a director with tremendous potential, and we're eagerly waiting for more.

I could probably go on and on about the acting, which ranges from decent to comically bad, but there'd be no point in discussing it in great detail. Many of the featured actors are personal friends of Hagins, and some of the adult actors were her mentors in the filmmaking process. There is, however, a little bit of an Easter egg for you nerds out there: be on the listen for a vocal cameo from Ain't It Cool News founder, Harry Knowles.

I also want to give a little shout-out to the effectiveness of the music used during the film. While I'm not personally familiar with some of the selections, I thought that each piece added to their respective scenes quite well. Kudos there, Miss Hagins.

At the end of the day, Pathogen is not a movie that most people will ever see. It's the feature film of a young woman who has the potential to be a great director, but it will only ever reach a mass audience if she continues down that path and makes a bigger name for herself. Still, it's a fun film that's definitely entertaining from start to finish, and I would highly recommend watching this in conjunction with Zombie Girl: The Movie if you can find a way to score a copy of Pathogen. Once again, kudos to you, Miss Emily Hagins, on a valiant debut effort. I hope I have the opportunity to see more of your work in the future.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: B-
1.5 Thumbs Up

Addition to Awards
2006: Nominee - Best Horror/Thriller

Movie Review: TALES FROM THE SCRIPT

TALES FROM THE SCRIPT

2009
Not Rated


"A writer friend of mine once described screenwriters as 'egomaniacs with low self-esteem."
-- Dennis Palumbo

Tales from the Script is a 2009 documentary directed by Peter Hanson that bounces through a series of interviews with some well-known and renowned Hollywood screenwriters. We get an inside look at the trials and triumphs of the writers of some of the biggest films in Hollywood history, and each story is a little bit different from the next. The audience gets a massive amount of information thrown their way, but it's all pertinent and relevant to the story they're trying to craft. In addition, the film is broken into a number of sections, each prefaced with a scene from a classic film that references the movie-making process.

I'd like to start by saying that this film is by no means for everyone. I think it's safe to say that your average movie-goer isn't going to get excited about a movie talking to screenwriters. No, Tales from the Script is going to reach one of two types of people: 1) people who have legitimate interest in how films start getting made, and 2) writers themselves. As you can probably imagine, I'm rather interested in the writing portion - if you haven't noticed, I tend to write a bit for these reviews - so when I saw this movie sitting on NetFlix's Instant Watch queue, I figured I'd give it a shot. And boy, did I find it fascinating. It's essentially a how-to for screenwriters, getting into the dirt and grit of the screenwriting process. We see the highs and the lows that every screenwriter has had to face, and that's part of the appeal. Sure, there's plenty of moments where the interviewees talk about the troubles they had in their careers, but all you have to do is look at the films they've written to see that they've found a way to make it. Despite all of the pain and strife they may have met early in their careers, they found a way to find success even if it felt like they would never make it that far. So in a sense, it's a story of triumph from which any aspiring writer can gain hope.

Now if you are a casual movie fan, there are a couple things that you might find appealing. First and foremost, the film is jam-packed with reference to a number of films from cinema's past. We have screenwriters talking about dozens of movies, from Taxi Driver to The Bucket List and Alien to Ray. In addition, we get a number of film scenes from movies like Barton Fink, Adaptation. and For Your Consideration. All of this ties in very well to the overall point of the documentary, and it helps move everything along. In addition, we do have a couple of recognizable names in the interviewee list. Most film fans will instant recognize Frank Darabont, John Carpenter and Shane Black; however, also be on the lookout for some fantastic words of wisdom from the likes of Mick Garris, Antwone Fisher and Guinevere Turner, just to name a few.

If you're an aspiring screenwriter, as I have been in the past, then Tales from the Script is an absolute must-see film. I can't speak for the rest of the movie-watching community. I think the film offers an interesting insight into the psyche of the successful screenwriter, but there's definitely a target demographic for this one. If you've ever attempted to make writing your living, do yourself a favor and watch this film. Even if you haven't wanted to write screenplays, there's quite a bit of advice in this documentary that's worth hearing. So again, do yourself a favor. Watch Tales from the Script.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: B+
1.5 Thumbs Up
Rankings
Best Documentary - #16

Addition to Awards
2009: Nominee - Best Documentary

Movie Review: ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE

ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE

2009
Not Rated


"I just think I have communicating problems, which isn't good 'cause I wanna be a director."
-- Emily Hagins

Zombie Girl: The Movie is a 2009 documentary directed by Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall and Erik Mauck that centers around a young filmmakers attempt to make her first feature film. When twelve-year-old Emily Hagins came to her parents saying she wanted to make a feature-length film, she probably raised a couple of eyebrows. To compound her little project, she wanted to make a film about zombies. This film follows the two-year production of her debut film, Pathogen, from the finishing of the script all the way to its premiere in Austin, Texas.

One of my favorite things about having NetFlix is finding random, unknown gems in their Instant Watch section. Often times, I'll find movies that are so bad, they're good, like 2009's ThanksKilling. Other times, however, I'll find a true cinematic gem, like 2010's City Island. Fortunately, Zombie Girl falls into the latter category as I was floored by just how good it was.

The film works on a couple of different levels. On the one hand, we're getting a rather in-depth look at the making of a low-budget independent film. We see the creative process at work from the get-go as we see the trials and errors of writing and casting and filming. We see the slow and arduous editing process and how that affects the filmmaker. It's a fantastic look at the creation of a film, and it's definitely worth a watch for any aspiring filmmaker. On the other hand, however, we get to see a twelve-year-old girl taking her dreams and striving towards them, no matter the obstacles ahead of her. We see how the filming process affects her emotionally, and it's truly a sight to behold. At the same time, seeing this young woman craft this film is a rather inspirational tale. You get so swept up in everything that's going on that every pitfall that sets Emily back makes you feel for her. It's a truly emotional and inspirational story to behold.

I honestly can't think of much else to say about Zombie Girl. If you're interested in film or the film-making process, then this one's definitely for you. I can tell you now that I've already ordered a copy of Emily's debut film, Pathogen, and I eagerly await its arrival. I was that inspired by this movie that I just had to see Emily's final product. If that's not enough of an endorsement of Zombie Girl, then I'm not quite sure what else can sway you. Give this one a view. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up

Rankings
Best Documentary - #11

Addition to Awards
2009: Nominee - Best Documentary

Movie Review: DIAL M FOR MURDER

DIAL M FOR MURDER

1954
Not Rated


"In stories, things usually turn out the way the author wants them to, and in real life, they don't... always."
-- Mark Halliday

Dial M for Murder is a 1954 crime thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock that centers around a man's plot to have his unfaithful wife murdered. When former tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) learns of an ongoing affair between his wife Margot (Grace Kelly) and Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he sets into motion what he considers to be the perfect plot for murder. He hires an old college classmate (Anthony Dawson) to commit the crime in the hopes of achieving an alibi for himself. However, things don't necessarily go according to plan, with Margot inadvertently killing the murderer-for-hire after he attacks her. Taken aback, Tony starts to spin a web of lies and deceit that seem to place quite a bit of the blame on his wife. The stories become increasingly more convoluted, causing the characters an extreme amount of angst and confusion.

I've been meaning to watch Dial M for Murder for quite some time, especially considering the great Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors of all time. I finally had the opportunity to sit down and give this one a view, and I can honestly tell you that I'm anything but disappointed. Hitchcock crafts a tale full of twists and turns, delivering a final product that's worthy of every accolade it has ever received.

I'm going to start with the acting because I'll have more to say about the screenplay in a moment. I thought that the cast as a whole was terrific, with great performances from the aforementioned Kelly and Cummings. We also get a solid piece from John Williams, who plays the chief inspector in the film. However, this movie truly belongs to Ray Milland, who plays one of the most clever and intriguing villains I've ever seen grace the silver screen. He's charming and witty, and all that hides the sinister nature of his intentions throughout the film. There's something very charismatic about Milland's approach to playing the character, and he should be commended for his portrayal.

As good as the acting is during the film, however, the actors would be powerless without a strong screenplay; this is where the film truly succeeds and excels. From a plot standpoint, there's enough to keep even the casual viewer interested and engaged. Yes, we as the audience know the truth behind all the lies, but seeing the characters come to their realizations - or dealing with the realizations, as is the case with Milland's character - is part of the fun of the film. There's enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end of the film. That being said, I also have to applaud screenwriter Frederick Knott for also finding a way to keep the dialogue fresh and inspired throughout the film's entirety. Sure, the delivery of the lines is key, but having the base dialogue we're given is enough for me to fawn over this screenplay. While it's not the best screenplay from a Hitchcock film - I'm rather fond of Psycho, to be honest - it definitely ranks near the top of the list.

I'd also like to take a moment and applaud composer Dimitri Tiomkin for crafting an excellent musical score that suited the film rather well. Music can make or break a film's effectiveness, and I'm glad Tiomkin found a way to make it the former.

Overall, I would say that Dial M for Murder is a probable must-see. I know a lot of casual moviegoers from my generation are a little turned off by older films, but there's enough snap and bite to this one that I think they'll find something they can truly enjoy. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up

Addition to Rankings
Best All-Time: #139

Movie Review: MUTANT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM THE 'HOOD!

MUTANT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM THE 'HOOD!

2008
Not Rated


"Zombies? Man, you watch too much TV."
-- Dragon

Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! is a 2008 horror-comedy directed by Thunder Levin that centers around a group of people trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. After a solar flare passes across Earth, the human population is essentially turned into the living, walking dead (even if our characters can't agree on whether they're mutants, vampires or zombies). A group of gang-bangers led by the infamous G-Dog (Tyshawn Bryant) joins forces with a cop named David (C. Thomas Howell) and a rival Asian gang led by Dragon (Robert Wu). They hear a scientist named Dr. Reginald Monte (Gregory Alan Williams) over the television saying that he has a safe haven in Santa Monica with his grown daughter Lisa (Johanna Watts), so the group decides to head in that direction. When they finally make it to the house, the two groups devise a plan to escape the city and head to a less-populated area where they might be able to start civilization anew.

I'd like to start by saying that this film is exactly as ridiculous as its title posits it would be. Just the concept of everyday thugs and cops teaming up to do battle against swarms of zombies is enough to make for an entertaining flick, but when you add a relatively steady stream of film references throughout the dialogue, there's even more to enjoy. There's constant reference made to the zombie films of George Romero, as many of them are listed over and over again by one of G-Dog's boys. He also continually refers to the creatures as "Nosferatu," a throwback to the iconic 1920s German silent film of the same name. We even have nearly direct lines being stolen from films like 1975's Jaws and 2006's Snakes on a Plane. For a cinephile, there's quite a bit of fantastic dialogue to enjoy. All that being said, the dialogue is really the only piece of the screenplay that's working even remotely successfully in this film. The story itself is a bit shoddy and predictable, but it works well enough for this film's particular purposes.

The acting strangely fits this film relatively well, considering the type of movie we're being presented. As this is billed as a horror-comedy, it's safe to say that the actors were attempting to be as funny as they could possibly be. Some of the characters work more convincingly than others. For example, we get some rather good supporting performances from Maxie J. Santillan Jr. and Jeremiah Birkett, who definitely bring the funny to the table. The aforementioned Williams also serves up a couple of good laughs. The rest of the cast fills out rather nicely considering how ridiculous they all tried to be.

At the end of the day, Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! is an entertaining film that works well to pass the time. I wouldn't recommend seeking it out purposely for entertainment, but if you have nothing better to do, it's a nice way to throw away about an hour-and-a-half. If you have a knowledge of film, you might find a little more liking, even if the references are a little cheap. It's a nice effort, and the final result is pleasing, but it's ultimately an entirely forgettable film.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: D+
0.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: EVIL WEED

EVIL WEED

2009
Not Rated


"You need to come with me this very instant!"
-- Tinny

Evil Weed is a low-budget 2009 horror film directed by David Wexler that centers around three young couples who suffer through a strange and terrible ordeal while spending time at a vacation home in the Hamptons. Sisters Emily (Brianna Barnes) and Danielle (Genevieve Hudson-Price) take their boyfriends - Murph (Ryan Willard) and aptly-named "Boyfriend" (Nick Weil) - on a weekend vacation and bring along long-time friends Dan (Bekim Trenova) and Tinny (Cynthia LaForte). While relaxing and enjoying their time together, Danielle and her boyfriend partake in some extra-strong marijuana, but something isn't completely right about it. They both soon start to feel nauseous and have weird reactions to the weed. After some time, they both turn into werewolf-like creatures that begin to hunt and kill the people around them. The rest of the group has to do what they can to survive and avoid the contagious bite of these beasts.

If you're currently scratching your head wondering exactly what I'm rambling about, then you're in the perfect state of mind to read this particular review. I decided to give the NetFlix Instant Watch archives a gander and found Evil Weed hidden a few pages back under "B-Movie Horror." Because it's a short film - it tops out at seventy minutes - and because it seemed incredibly ridiculous, I figured I'd give it a shot, hoping for some "so bad, it's good" entertainment. Sadly, there isn't much entertainment to go around as it's difficult to find anything even to laugh at during this one.

The screenplay itself is nearly non-existent. We're shown the weed in the opening scenes, and the characters use it relatively soon afterward, but it takes another forty minutes or so for any of the effects to take place. It's an incredibly slow-moving film that finds every possible opportunity to bore you. Honestly, there's really nothing that happens. Yeah, a couple people get mauled towards the end, but it takes so long to get to that point that any audience would have shut their minds off long before.

The acting itself isn't the worst I've ever seen in a film, but it does come rather close. It's not that there's one actor going above and beyond in their terrible-ness; rather, there's a uniform level of badness present with the acting in Evil Weed that I can't even begin to describe.

I think my biggest issue with the film, however, was the cinematography. I couldn't quite tell whether they used a cheap hand-held camera or took a camera built into a laptop because the whole film felt like something straight off YouTube. It was a little off-putting because the film's visual quality was so cheap that I had a difficult time keeping my eyesight trained on the television screen. So if you do plan to watch Evil Weed, be forewarned of that particular problem.

Overall, there really isn't much good to come out of watching this film. I had hoped for a few good laughs along the way, but I think I only chuckled once. Evil Weed is just a bad movie, the type that you immediately wish you could erase from your memory. Proceed with caution.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: F
2 Thumbs Down

Rankings
Worst All-Time - #4

Movie Review: DINOSAURUS!

DINOSAURUS!

1960
Not Rated

Dinosaurus! is a 1960 B-movie adventure film directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. The storyline centers around a small Caribbean island where a group of American contractors are attempting to create a man-made harbor. After blasting some of the seafloor, head contractor Bart Thompson (Ward Ramsey) learns that the explosions have uncovered two frozen dinosaurs - a tyrannosaurus and a brontosaurus. He informs Mike Hacker (Fred Engelberg), the island manager and Bart's immediate superior with whom he constantly fights, of the discovery. Because the dinosaurs are frozen, they are presumed to be dead. Bart leaves the massive creatures in the charge of one of the hired hands, but a late night storm manages to awaken the prehistoric beasts. When Bart learns of the escaped creatures, he and his right-hand man Chuck (Paul Lukather) decide to lead the village people to an abandoned fortress to keep them safe. With the help of his lover Betty (Kristina Hanson) and a young boy named Julio (Alan Roberts), Bart does his best to avoid the dinosaurs that now roam freely on the island. And all the while, Hacker chases a re-animated caveman (Gregg Martell) who washed ashore with the dinosaurs...

Basically, we've got your standard B-movie fare with Dinosaurus! Had it not been for NetFlix Instant Watch, I probably never would have heard about this particular film, but I'm oh so grateful that it was at my viewing disposal. It has everything that a fantastic B-movie needs: a sketchy screenplay, shoddy acting, and unrealistic visual effects that border on the laughable. And all of that makes watching Dinosaurus! an entirely enjoyable experience.

Now, the screenplay isn't the worst I've ever seen, but there's definitely enough to make it "bad." The story itself isn't the problem. Sure, it takes a little bit of suspension of belief to assume that two dinosaurs could be frozen underwater and unearthed by depth charges. It also takes a huge leap of faith to believe that the said corpses would be re-animated after being struck by lightning. But once you can get past all that, the story moves rather smoothly. No, the biggest travesty in the screenplay is, as is often the case, the dialogue. It's all relatively laughable, to be honest. You'll be rolling your eyes with some of the supposed one-liners they throw out.

The acting is equally bad, with a couple of individuals taking the cake for just how bad they are. Ramsey and Hanson aren't too shabby, and Lukather holds his own with those two. I couldn't stand Engelberg's character for a couple of reasons: first, he was just a bad man bent on abusing a child and disrespecting women; second, Engelberg's "accent" shifted way too often throughout the film. At one moment, he sounded Spanish; the next, he could've been French. It just wasn't consistent, but it added to the hilarity. The young Alan Roberts was by far the most annoying part of the film, and his Spanglish was downright dreadful (and yes, I realize that's more the screenplay's fault than his own), but I found myself laughing at everything he had to say. I would like to say that I thought Martell played a rather good Neanderthal. In a different film, I might've been able to take him close to seriously.

The visual effects are okay, but they're nothing terribly stellar. The stop motion animation of the dinosaurs remains relatively consistent throughout the film, but it's still fun to see something so dated. Speaking of dated, it's also interesting to see how much of a change our thought process on dinosaurs has changed since 1960. The tyrannosaurus and "brontosaurus" (now known as "apatosaurus") both walk with their tails dragging on the ground, a piece of information that is no longer believed by paleontologists. Still, that's what the general thinking was back then, so the film does date itself a little bit with those little notes.

Overall, Dinosaurus! is not a film that you should be critiquing all that strongly. I feel like I've trounced it a little too much in this review, but it's definitely one of the more entertaining B-movies I've had the opportunity to see. It easily falls into the ranks of "so bad, it's good," so I think it's worth your time if you've got eighty minutes to kill. Just go in expecting something terrible, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: F
1 Thumb Up

Movie Review: MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID

fMEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID

2011

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid is another film brought to us by the Asylum via director Mary Lambert. The film opens with environmentalist Dr. Nikki Riley (Debbie Gibson) releasing a number of snakes and pythons that she "rescued" back into the wild of the Florida Everglades. Soon, the snakes grow much larger than they should, causing quite a bit of problems - including loss of life - in the community around the swamps. After her fiancé is killed by a snake, local sheriff Terry O'Hara (Tiffany) sets a personal vendetta against the creatures. Her plan to kill said pythons? Feeding anabolic steroids to the local alligator population. As one can imagine, the gators grow to massive size, and through their battles with the pythons, the snakes also continue to grow. Fast forward six months, and things seem to be moving along well for the Everglades community until giant pythons and alligators once again begin to attack. Nikki and Terry reluctantly have to join forces, and with the help of an herbatologist (A Martinez), the group sets out to stop the creatures before they can destroy the entire community.

Considering this is another film brought to us by the Asylum and the Syfy channel, it's probably not fair to go into too much detail describing just how incredibly bad it is. Looking back, I might've judged Mega Piranha a tad too harshly, but I'll stand by my review as it currently reads. Still, I'd like to say now that I won't be delving into the specifics of why Mega Python vs. Gatoroid was bad; rather, I'll be pointing on the moments that should make it a worthwhile venture for you to sit and watch.

While the acting is especially dreadful, there are quite a few performances that are so over-the-top that you'll find yourself rolling with laughter as the actors dish out their lines. None are more extreme than our two lead females, both of whom were 1980s pop sensations on the musical charts. By themselves, they're pretty horrendous actresses who definitely know how to make the worst of a line or a scene; however, when you put them in the presence of one another... let's just say we might have found cosmically-bad acting gold. Now to be fair, a lot of their laughable interplay works as a result of the film's "screenplay" - for example, there's one scene where they have a prolonged catfight that seems to drag on and on, and the only reason I could find to have it was for the comic relief it provided. They play characters on two completely opposite ends of the spectrum, and it's rather hilarious to watch them interact with one another.

And the film constantly refers to where these two got their start. For instance, the film's soundtrack includes Gibson's "Snake Charmer" and Tiffany's "Serpentine," and there's even a moment in the film where one of them says, "I think we're alone now," to which the other immediately responds, "There doesn't seem to be anyone around." Yes, it's ridiculously cheesy, but I couldn't help but chuckle at the in-jokes that surfaced here and there.

I already feel like I've talked a tad too long about this flick, but I'll try to give it just a little bit more. In the end, anyone watching Mega Python vs. Gatoroid obviously knows what type of film they're getting ready to see. If they actually expected something brilliant, then it wouldn't have crossed their mind in the first place. However, the people who want to watch this film are the ones who know what it hopes to deliver, and in that regard, I can say that Mega Python vs. Gatoroid is a success. Just remember: even a bad movie can be enjoyable. You just have to know what to look for.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: F
1.5 Thumbs Up

Addition to Rankings
Worst All-Time - #44

Movie Review: STAGECOACH

http://thismovieguy.blogspot.com/search/label/Louise%20PlattSTAGECOACH

1939
Not Rated

Stagecoach is a 1939 classic Western film directed by John Ford that many have called the greatest Western movie of all time. When a group of strangers aboard a stagecoach headed for Lordsburg in the New Mexico Territory are informed that Geronimo and his group of Apaches are on the warpath. As the group makes the trek, they stumble upon a man known as the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who has recently escaped prison. The stagecoach's armed guard, Marshal Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft) picks him up and arrests him. Ringo soon makes friends with the other members of the stagecoach, including driver Buck (Andy Devine), drunken "Doc" Boone (Thomas Mitchell, in an Oscar-winning role), pregnant officer's wife Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), and local prostitute Dallas (Claire Trevor), with whom Ringo takes quite the affection. While staying the night at an outpost, Miss Mallory gives birth to a child, causing the members of the group to vote to stay there until she is physically ready to continue their trek. However, with Geronimo and his Indians bearing down on them, strain begins to arise in the group as they debate what their next move should be.

As is normally the case, my brief synopsis does not really do the film justice. In fact, there's a separate side story for the Ringo Kid that involves him avenging the deaths of his father and brother, and this actually plays a rather large role in Ringo's motivations throughout the film. I also neglected to mention the three other members of the party - a whiskey salesman named Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), an avid gambler named Hatfield (John Carradine), and an embezzling banker named Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill). Each character brings an important piece to this film's puzzle, either helping or harming the group along the way.

To be sure, this is not quite the best western film I've ever seen, but it does rank rather highly, easily making it into my personal top five. I still put quite a bit of stock in spaghetti westerns like Once Upon a Time in the West (my favorite western) and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, and I think that Mel Brooks' 1974 spoof, Blazing Saddles, edges Stagecoach out. However, once you get past those three films, I think that Stagecoach has to take the next slot. It's iconic and extremely well-known, and it's the film that truly put John Wayne on the map. Considering he's still considered one of the most beloved actors to grace the screen, I'd say that Hollywood owes quite a bit to this 1939 venture.

And speaking of 1939, I'd like to go on a quick tangent. Now, Stagecoach is only the fourth film from that year that I've been able to see, but of the four, this received the lowest grade. That's quite a testament to the year, but considering the other three films (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind), you can see where I'm coming from. All three of those films rank in my top 100 greatest films of all time, so Stagecoach has truly entered some very select company.

But I digress. We're not here to talk movie history - we're here to discuss this particular film. We do get a solid story, albeit one that's a little bit predictable when compared to today's standards. However, back in 1939, it must have been rather revolutionary. Aside from the story, we get a string of extremely well-written characters that are acted to near perfection. As I previously mentioned, Mitchell garnered an Oscar statuette for his portrayal of the drunken doctor, and the great performances merely start there. I'll be the first to say that I haven't seen a ton of John Wayne fare, but from the films I have seen, I'd have to say his performance in Stagecoach has to rank right near the top. There's no doubt why his screen presence in this one skyrocketed him to super-stardom. We also get some solid performances from the likes of Andy Devine, who provides the comic relief, and from Claire Trevor as our "leading" lady, although there's really not straight lead in this story.

One of the best parts of the film is it's musical scoring, which also garnered an Oscar win. The music fits perfectly within the constructs of the film, and I think it set the standard for the sweeping scores audiences would hear for the next few decades with the release of western after western. It's hard to find a western that doesn't have a great set of music, and you can probably hearken it all back to Stagecoach.

Now, I know quite a few people in today's society that aren't very big on watching old-time, black-and-white flicks, and that's really a shame considering some of the best movies come from those generations past. I say this to you now: if you're one of those people, I think that Stagecoach will be every bit as satisfying as some of the more modern films you love, and it's certainly head and shoulders above much of the drivel that we see released every week. So, do yourself a favor and pop this one into the DVD player. It's definitely worth it.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #177
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE SECRET OF KELLS

THE SECRET OF KELLS

2009
Not Rated

The Secret of Kells is an animated Irish film directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. It follows a young boy named Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire) as he tries to write and create the famous Book of Kells. All Brendan has ever known was the village of Kells, which is watched over by his uncle, Abbot Cellach (voiced by Brendan Gleeson), and the walls being built around the village for protection from the North Men. When a man named Aidan (voiced by Mick Lally) arrives in Kells from Iona, Brendan immediately starts to question him about the famed Book of Iona which is said to be able to turn darkness into light. Against the wishes of his uncle, Brendan enters the forest outside the village walls in order to search for a special type of berry that will make an emerald ink so that Aidan may finish the book. Along the way, he meets a forest fairy named Aisling (voiced by Christen Mooney) who helps him in his search. When he returns to the village, the Abbot forbids Brendan from venturing outside the walls; instead, he takes to helping Aidan with the Book of Iona, all the while watching as his uncle slaves over the wall meant to protect the village.

I'm gonna start by saying that the above synopsis does this movie's storyline absolutely no justice. In fact, it's much more intricate than what I've provided, and that's saying a lot considering the movie's run-time barely passes seventy minutes. There's so many words that come to mind when I think about how I want to describe The Secret of Kells, and I don't think any of them really encapsulates it fully. However, I think I'll list them anyways, and hopefully they'll give you a little bit of insight into the automatic reaction I had to the film.

• Visceral
• Magical
• Real
• Dark
• Haunting
• Original
• Beautiful

I'm sure there's many other ways I could possibly describe this movie, but that's the immediate reactions I had.

The voice cast is also rather pitch-perfect. The only name you'd probably recognize on the list is that of Gleeson, but while I was watching the movie, I probably never would've guessed that was him. I have to give a lot of credit to McGuire and Mooney, who were absolutely fantastic. We also have a rather fantastic musical composition from Bruno Coulais that perfect accentuates the film's tone.

I know I'm not really saying much about this movie, but I'm really at a little bit of a loss for words this time around. Just take my movie review summary (listed below) as evidence of my admiration for this film. If that's not enough to sway you, ask me for more information. I'm sure I'll be able to give you some more at a later date.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up
*****
Lists
Top 10 Films of 2009
*****
Awards
2009: 1 nomination

Movie Review: DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER

DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER

2008
Not Rated

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 documentary that was written and directed by Kurt Kuenne. It follows his quest around the country trying to get as many stories and tidbits of information he can about his best friend, Andrew Bagby, who had been murdered near his home in Pennsylvania. During his travels, he learns that the woman accused of the murder, Andrew's ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner, has announced that she is four months pregnant with Andrew's child. As soon as they are medically certain of her claim, Andrew's parents - David and Kate - rush to Newfoundland, Canada (where Turner has fled after the murder accusations) in order to fight for custody of the child. Unfortunately, a very long and trying courtroom battle ensues that pits the Bagby's against the woman who murdered their only child.

I'm going to try my best to get through this review in an understandable fashion because I'm still reeling from this movie. I think I should start with this disclaimer: this movie is not for the faint of heart. If you're not okay with handling extreme emotional swings, then this movie probably isn't for you. It's going to take you on a journey that you may very well regret taking; at least, that's where I'm at right now. Well, it's slight regret, I suppose, because Dear Zachary is hands down the greatest documentary I have ever seen, and it's easily one of the greatest films I have ever seen.

There's so much I could say about the storyline, but if I tell you now, you won't receive the emotional impact of the film because you'll subconsciously brace yourself for the happenings within. One of the reasons this movie is so effective is because it plays like a first-rate crime thriller rather than a documentary. And yet, you never lose focus on the fact that all of this actually happened, and that just makes it all the more gripping. Kuenne did a fantastic job with editing, moving the moments along at a mile a minute. He also took the footage he had - a great deal, as you'll see - and whittled it down to the most pressing and most endearing portrait of a man who was loved by so many people. By the end of the movie, I felt like I knew Andrew Bagby intimately, and I was truly devastated by the loss of such an amazing person. Few documentaries have made me care so much about the central character (one exception being 2009's The Cove, another brutally emotional experience), but Dear Zachary is completely effective.

As with any documentary, a big part of a film's draw is the quality of the interviews surrounding the overall story. David and Kate Bagby, who essentially work as our leads, are so relatable that it's difficult not to fall in love with them instantly. The pain they've suffered as a result of the events shown in the film is palpable, but through it all, you see the strength within each of them rise to the surface as they fight for the life of their grandson. It's truly inspiring. We also have very effective interviews with the people closest to Andrew and Zachary who only paint the best pictures of them. I think it would be impossible not to be captivated by their descriptions. I wish I had known these people and had them in my life because they have obviously touched so many.

As I previously said, Dear Zachary is not a film for everyone. It's going to put you through the ringer. I will say without qualms that I shed many a tear during its entirety, and I have no shame in saying so. It's very emotionally draining, and you may hate it during its course. However, I think that once its all said and done, you'll see the movie for what it truly is: a labor of love from and for loving people who have been affected by a tragedy the likes that no one should ever have to experience.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A+
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #20
2 Thumbs Up
Addition to Awards