I was curious to see JCVD. I like the guy. I like several of his movies. Some are not so good but usually that's not his fault and I don't have to re-watch them. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a down and out version of himself from a slightly different universe. The details of the story are partially based on our reality. In JCVD J-C's in the middle of a nasty custody battle for his daughter. It mirrors the problems he had in the custody battle for his son in his real reality. His fictional daughter is ashamed of her father's career. The lawyer for the wife reads a list of the fictional murders he's committed while slapping dvd after dvd on the table. After losing Jean-Claude heads back to his home town Brussells. He stops at the Post Office to collect a wire transfer. They can't give it to him because he's walked in on a robbery. The robbers take advantage of the situation and confuse the police by making Jean-Claude pretend to be the leader of the gang. The police come, it works, and the standoff continues with them thinking it's J-C behind the crime. They even bring his parents to talk to him. The reality is Jean-Claude is thinking on his feet and trying to keep himself and the hostages safe. He comes up with ideas to keep the stupid criminals from screwing up the robbery. The leader is one of those guys who gets too excited and lacks the thinking apperatus to stop from making things worse. I hate those guys but they sure are popular in the movies. The movie opens with a great battle scene from a movie that Jean-Claude is making. It's one long 4 minute take that ends with a flubb that takes us out of the film and into the film makers universe. Jean-Claude complains to the uncaring director about being 47, which he was when the movie was made, and not having the energy he used to have. Action stars can have a short career and unless they can act they won't get comedy or drama parts. J-C shows that he can act here. You can see bits and pieces of good acting buried in many of his movies. The better the director the better the bits and pieces. Mabrouk El Mechri, who's French-Algerian, is the director and co-writer of JCVD and he's pretty good. His story excited Jean-Claude and his script melded the crime story to the movie stars introspectve journey quite well. Mechri's made a few films before but I hadn't heard of him. I don't spend much time looking for new movies to watch or directors to keep track of anymore. I can't keep up with the stack of stuff that randomly crosses my path. Mechri spends a bit more time than I might like on fancy techniques but he's got a pretty good script with good characters. The NetFlix wrapper said it was an action comedy but they lie. The film looks dark and bleak, bleached of much of it's color. I found it fitting for the somewhat sad and introspective subject matter. Don't worry the hostages are mostly ok at the end. I enjoyed this more than some of the other guys and I enjoyed our second film less than some of the other guys.
Repo! The Genetic Opera is a science fiction horror opera in the grand guginal style with way too much singing for me. It's got that Sweeney Todd style of talking singing with little or no rhyming. I can't stand that, I prefer musicals with real singing that advances the story. I tell you I have been spoilt by those damn South Park guys, Trey and Matt, and their musicals: South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut and Cannibal! The Musical. Now that last one is a fine merging of singing and gore. I don't remember anyone getting eaten in R!TGO, but the rest is filled with a lot of nasty stuff and skankerous characters. Some people like that. Paul Sorvino plays the dying head of a powerful genetic corporation. He's a right piece of shit and his three children are twisted psychopaths. They all expect to head the business and can't wait for pop to shuffle the fuck out of here. Nice, huh. Paris Hilton plays the daughter and though she's not that good an actress she does better than her average in this. There's isn't that much film acting, it's more posing with dialog. It's all stylized and often intentionally over the top. Even the actors have some level of CGI brushed over them. One of those single man visions that appeals or doesn't. The reviews were negative from more mainstream media and positive from more genre orientated sites and fans; there were lots of 10 stars on the IMDb. I'm in the middle. Kind of interesting fucked up future with lots of dislikeable people desperately destroying their lives, and the lives of those around them, with their ill conceived plottings. Not my favorite story line but one that can pay good dividends for sitting through the ride. Anthony Stewart Head, whom most will remember as Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, plays the Repoman. He's got a licence to kill, some big ass sharp knives, and he viciously chops up the no-payers to get at their repossessed organs. His jobs a secret from his daughter, played by Alexa Vega, who's got some illness and is supposed to stay in her room. That's pretty dull and she learns to slip out when daddy's at work. One night at the cemetary she meets a grave robber who's played by Terrance Zdunich, the creater, writer, composer and producer of the film. He's also a story board artist for tv and movies. The grave robber steals some sort of drug from the heads of the dead and sells that. It looks nice and blue in it's little bottles. The police don't care for that and they give chase. Alexa and the grave robber barely escape and he makes sure she gets home. As the movie progresses Paul and Anthony become bitter enemies and nearly everyone dies. This movie has the most songs, 64, of any musical movie. Oh joy! At least we didn't see the 150 minute version. I'd prefer the movie were more a story with background music but hey, it's one less I think I need to have.
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