Mini Movie Review: A Christmas Story (1983)

 

A Christmas Story (1983)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: Ralphie has to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift for Christmas in the 1940s. 

When I think about what my favorite Christmas movie is there really is only one movie I keep coming back to.  That's A Christmas Story.  It's amazing to see how the popularity of this movie has grown over the years.  It was a sleeper hit back in 1983 in the box office and it took about fifteen years to obtain the reputation that it has now by playing over and over on TV during the holidays.

Mini Movie Review: Elf (2003)

 

Elf (2003)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity. 

I don't think that it is a secret that a lot of people just can't stand Will Farrell and his comedy.  I think I fall on the side of people who do enjoy his comedy although I also understand why people just can't laugh at his stuff.  Elf is a pretty funny movie, but I wouldn't say that it is Will Farrell's best work.

Mini Movie Review: Bad Santa (2003)

Bad Santa (2003)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.

If you are tired of the ultra-happy Christmas movie and want something a little darker then Bad Santa is the movie for you.  Billy Bob Thornton does what he does best by playing a middle aged alcoholic loser who just doesn't care.  His character is a thief who accidentally befriends a troubled little boy who is played awesomely by child actor Brett Kelly. 

Mini Movie Review: The Ref (1994)

 

The Ref (1994)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: A burglar is forced to take a bickering and dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve. 

Denis Leary stars in this dark comedy as a burglar who holds a dysfunctional family hostage after a robbery goes bad.  I wouldn't exactly call Denis Leary a great actor, but he is a really funny stand up comic and can rant better than just about anybody.  As an actor he doesn't have a ton of range although I don't think it really matters especially when he plays pissed off ranting assholes like he does here.

Mini Movie Review: Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

 

Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot:  Davey Stone, an alcoholic with a criminal record, is sentenced to community service under the supervision of an elderly referee. Davey is then faced with trying to reform and abandon his bad habits.

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Adam Sandler.  Seeing how bad his movies have gotten I think it would be alright to say that I think most people have developed a love-hate relationship with him and his movies.  I'm not quite sure why, but I had never seen Eight Crazy Nights up until last week. I was only fourteen years old so I'm sure I would have enjoyed it, but I never really felt compelled to get up and go rent it.  Maybe I had some weird self-conscience premonition of the really horrible movies that were to come from Adam Sandler in the future.  Looking back now I think this movie was a bad sign of things to come.

Mini Movie Review: Home Alone 2

 

Home Alone 2 (1992)

 A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: One year after Kevin was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself in New York City and the same criminals are not far behind.
 

I can't say that I like Home Alone 2 as much as I like the first one, but I don't think it is a bad movie.  It does what a lot of sequels usually do.  It retreads the story in a much bigger way.  Usually for movies like this you automatically have to take points away for being unoriginal.  A good example of a recent movie that did this was The Hangover Part II (2011).

Mini Movie Review: Home Alone (1990)

 

Home Alone (1990) 

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot:  An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.

Throughout the '90s there was always one Christmas movie that I went crazy for.  That movie is Home Alone.  I just watched it again for the first time in years and although it is pretty goofy I still really like it.  The movie was written by John Hughes and starred Macauly Culkin as lovable smart ass eight year old Kevin McCallister. 

Movie Trailer: Stand Up Guys (2013)

 

Christopher Walken and Al Pacino star in this dramatic buddy gangster movie coming out this January.  It looks like it could be okay although watching the trailer it makes me think they should have called it Grumpy Old Gangsters.  I really like both actors so lets hope they brought their A-game to this one.

Watch the trailer below. 

Movie Trailer: Gangster Squad (2013)

 

I'm pretty sure most people have already heard about this movie, but I figured I'd put up the trailer anyway.  This was suppose to come out back in September, but it was pushed back to January of 2013 due to a scene showing gangsters shooting people in a movie theater.  From a publicity standpoint that was probably the right move considering the horrible event that happened in Colorado.

This is easily one of my most anticipated movies to come out in January.  It has a very similar plot to an older movie called Mulholland Falls (1996).  Both movies are loosely based on true events surrounding the infamous LAPD "Hat Squad".  Mulholland Falls starred Nick Nolte as the leader of the squad.  This time around in Gangster Squad though Nick Nolte plays the police chief.  Seeing Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Ryan Gosling in the cast gives me a lot of hope for this movie.  

Watch the trailer below.

Movie Trailer: A Haunted House (2013)

 

There is probably some broke writer sitting in a cheap apartment in a ghetto of Los Angeles right now writing very artistic and amazing screenplays.  Meanwhile Marlon Wayans is getting paid millions to write fart jokes in a hack parody movie.  Hollywood sucks.  The trailer is below if you really care.

Movie Review: Dredd (2012)

 

Dredd (2012)

A Movie Review by Dave Randal

Genre: Action | Crime

Cast: Karl Urban, Rachel Wood, Olivia Thirlby,

Director: Pete Travis

Writers: John Wagner and Carloz Ezquerra(characters), Alex Garland(screenplay)

Studios: DNA Films, IM Global, Reliance Entertainment

Distributed by: Entertainment Film Distributors, Lionsgate

Release Date: September 7, 2012

Plot: In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.

  

I was curious when I first heard that they were creating a new Dredd movie.  I wasn't all that impressed by the Sylvester Stallone version from the mid-'90s.  Once I saw the preview it was still really hard to tell if it would be any good.  My first opinion of the trailer was that it looked cool and violent, but if there is no story then it will be very mediocre.  It turns out that it's not a bad movie at all.

Mini Movie Review: Judge Dredd (1995)

 

Judge Dredd (1995)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

It's been quite a few years since I've seen this and it is about how I remember it. Stallone made two futuristic sci-fi movies almost back to back. First there was Demolition Man (1993) and then this movie.

Movie Trailer: Texas Chainsaw 3D

 

Here is the trailer for the upcoming Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013). I'm really not sure what to think of this movie.  For starters it isn't a good sign when they have to put 3D in the title.  Then again it is being marketed as a sequel to the original.  The look of the movie from what you see in the trailer looks alright and I like the music, but I won't get my hopes up for it.

I've seen all the previous Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and I'll be sure to put up Mini Movie Reviews of those the same week this comes out.

Watch the trailer below.

Mini Movie Review: Blade Runner (1982)

 

Blade Runner (1981)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

Plot: Deckard, a Blade Runner Unit cop, has to track down and terminate 4 Replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker. 

I first saw Blade Runner around the year 2000 when I was twelve years old.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting.  It was really slow and seemed kind of long although even at twelve years old I could tell that it was a very good movie.

Mini Movie Review: I, Robot (2004)

 

I, Robot (2004)

A Mini Movie Review by Dave Randal

 Plot: In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity. 

I'll start this off by saying that I enjoy Will Smith in his popcorn action movie roles.  Although they have flaws I think Independence Day (1996) and Men in Black (1997) are decent big blockbuster action movies.  I, Robot almost does it for me in the same way as those two movies, but the convoluted script just doesn't allow me to like it as much.