Lock, Stock, and Two Film Geeks

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week, we take on a movie currently in theaters. Specifically, the new film from Steven Soderbergh, The Informant! This movie is a showcase piece for Matt Damon, and takes what might be a serious subject matter, corporate espionage and the relationship between and informant and his FBI handlers, and turns it into a madcap comedy. So is it any good? James and Benn both saw it and have their takes for you.

The Informant!
Year: 2009
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Scott Z. Burns
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Tony Hale
Genre: Comedy

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible.  This week we take on something a little different in the form of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the con comedy starring Steve Martin versus Michael Caine.  It’s one of the more traditional films we’ve taken on, but it’s been out of the limelight for some time, and not a lot of people seem to be aware of it, so we thought we’d try it out.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Year: 1988
Directed by: Frank Oz
Written by: Dale Launer and Stanley Shapiro
Starring: Steve Martin and Michael Caine
Genre: Comedy (Con Film)

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week we review Darren Aronofsky’s first film: Pi. It’s a complex and intellectual film done on a shoe-string budget and it gave way to an already prolific career for its director. Once again though, we may have some disagreement among the two film geeks.

Pi
Year: 1998
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Darren Aronofsky and Sean Gullette
Starring: Sean Gullette
Genre: Drama

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week we look at The Cove, the new documentary in theaters now. In partnership with the Edwards University Towne Center 6 in Irvine, one of the few Southern California theaters showing the film, Benn and James caught the film, and are giving you their thoughts while you can still see it for yourself. See what they thought below.

The Cove
Year: 2009
Directed by: Louie Psihoyos
Written by: Mark Monroe
Starring: Richard O’Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Charles Hambleton
Genre: Documentary, Thriller

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump.

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Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week Benn and James tackle the french thriller, 13 Tzameti. You can’t blame them for having to get a little cryptic with this one, they’re only trying not to spoil the movie for you.

13 Tzameti
Year: 2005
Directed by: Géla Babluani
Written by: Géla Babluani
Starring: George Babluani
Genre: Thriller

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week we take on the strange French fantasy film The City of Lost Children. It looks like Benn and James actually may have a difference of opinion on this one so it’s worth a read for the novelty of that, if nothing else.

La Cité des Enfants Perdus
Year: 1995
Dir.: Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Ron Perlman
Genre: Fantasy

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

This is simultaneously an Early Bird Review and a Film Duel. In partnership with the Edwards University Towne Center 6 in Irvine, one of the few Southern California theaters showing the film, Benn and James watched the first showing of It Might Get Loud, the new documentary about three legendary guitar players: Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge. What follows is in our traditional Film Duel format, in which we both review the film and then comment on each others’ reviews.

It Might Get Loud
Year: 2009
Dir.: David Guggenheim
Starring: Jack White, Jimmy Page, The Edge
Genre: Documentary

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each others’ reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. While we meant to get to this one a lot sooner, we are finally able to give you our review of (500) Days of Summer. This movie is currently in theaters, so this review might be more relevant and you should jump on it fast if you haven’t seen it yet.

(500) Days of Summer
Year: 2009
Dir.: Marc Webb
Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Starring: Joesph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel
Genre: Comedy

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each other’s reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week we take on the cinema classic Double Indemnity. We’ve viewed a lot of noir films so far, so it’s only fitting that we take a look at one of the classics. This is a film that ranks 38th in AFI’s top 100 films of all time, and 47th on the IMDB top 250. So it’s both a critic pleaser and a crowd pleaser.

Double Indemnity
Year: 1944
Dir.: Billy Wilder
Written by: Billy Wider and Raymond Chandler
Based on: Novel by James M. Cain
Starring: Fred MacMurry, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Genre: Drama (Noir)

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading

Film Duel is our written review format in which Benn and James each review a film, and then comment on each other’s reviews to give a proper balance and really fill out the commentary as well as possible. This week we take on the abomination that is the legen — wait for it- DAIRY film that goes by the name of Troll 2.

Troll 2
Year: 1990
Dir.: Claudio Fragasso
Written by: Rossella Drudi and Claudio Fragasso
Starring: Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey
Genre: Horror

Benn and James’ reviews and rebuttals follow after the jump. Continue reading