Romper Stomper (1992)

This is a little known indie-Aussie film which helped propel Russell Crowe’s career. I find it extremely intriguing, but because of the split material, it comes off as a little unfocused.

“Romper Stomper” is a very close look at the lifestyle of an Australian neo-nazi skinhead gang and their trail of hate crimes against their neighborhood Asian-Australians.

Eventually, the film turns into a love triangle between the skinhead gang leader Hando, played by Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), his closest friend Davey, played by the late Daniel Pollock (Proof), and Hando’s girlfriend Gabe, played by Jacqueline McKenzie (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood).

The material for the picture is divided into two main acts. The first act is a straight look into the skinhead lifestyle, opening with a violent hate crime against a young Asian couple.

The following 40 minutes to an hour follows the gang during a loud and obnoxious party, more hate crimes, and finally ending with all the neighborhood Asian-Australian youths coming together to beat the crap out of all the skinheads and torch their hideout.

At that point, the love triangle begins when Davey falls for Gabe, and vice versa, forcing Davey to have a different perspective on life and leave the gang. Gabe gets pissed at Hando and drops a dime on the whole gang, leaving them to get busted by the cops. She seeks out Davey and the two begin their love affair, until Hando shows up, having escaped the cops.

The second half of the picture is by far the more interesting and exciting. The first half is simply sad and educational, but after see where the movie ends up, it makes much of the opening hour a little unnecessary.

Writer/director Geoffrey Wright (Lover Boy, Cherry Falls) wrote solid characters in his script, but his story writing leaves much to be revised.

Crowe was frightening as Hando, while Pollock was very subtle as Davey. McKenzie held her own between the two, but was not very memorable for the most part.

Pollock killed himself shortly after filming, by throwing himself under a train. Why is that such a common form of suicide for the British? Anyways…

If you like indie film, “Romper Stomper” is one to make sure you see, even though some scenes are tough to watch. It’s tough even imagining a group of youths living in such conditions; very strong in that regards.

Make sure you rent the DVD and not a VHS copy, since the DVD has some of the best corrective color and resolution film processing I’ve seen in a long time. It’s clear as glass on DVD, even though shot on 16 mm film.

Role Models (2008)

This one is what I call sit-com level comedy.

Basically, in sit-com writing, aided by a team of 12 or so comedy writers in the same room, a sit-com script has an industry standard of three big laughs for every completed page – which transfers to a minute of screen time.

That’s this movie. There were at least three big laughs in every minute of screen time, almost start to finish.

Danny and Wheeler, played by Paul Rudd (40-Year-Old Virgin) and Seann William Scott (Mr. Woodcock), are forced to perform 150 hours of community services after Danny has an emotional crisis, leading up to them smashing a company truck.

With the help of Danny’s recent ex-girlfriend and lawyer Beth, played by Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), the pair do their time with a “big brother”-like organization called Sturdy Wings, run by a former drug addict, played by Jane Lynch.

Once there, they meet the young foul-mouthed Ronnie and the live-action rollplaying teen Augie, and all four begin to grow in their respective ways.

This one isn’t the greatest comedy to hit the screens in 2008, but it is definitely one of the funniest and most enjoyable. It has some plot issues and un-established character archs. Aside from that, this one is a must see for me.

Scott and Rudd make a pretty good team, but their scenes with their respective kids are what made the movie. The story is more about Danny, and Rudd carries it nicely.

The standout in my opinion among the cast was Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played McLovin in 2007′s Superbad, as Augie. The picture’s best decision was to NOT make fun of the kid. Augie was real and funny cause we know kids like him are out there; however, the comedy came from Danny’s responses to him and his rollplaying fantasy world.

Augie and the world of LAIRE, as his rollplaying community is called, also served as the vehicle of non-stop laughter in the tail of act three.

Act three was actually pretty far-fetched, but the whole Kiss thing-which is all I will say-was a great twist. It had a VERY funny climax, and it’s definitely worth seeing.

Jane Lynch-who I find myself strangely attracted to-was also great as the Sturdy Wings founder and director. She’s starting to become one of my favorite comedic actors in her age group.

The only reason why other 2008 comedies stand over this one is, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” were just as funny but simply had more to say.

Also, a lesser-known actress Carly Craig was also smokin hot and actually gives us a topless scene. I’ll be watching for her to re-emerge for sure. On screen, I mean, not like from the bushes across her street.

See “Role Models.” There’s big laughs and plenty of them.

Roll Bounce (2005)

This is going to sound weird, but I have to compare this 1970s urban youth melodrama to the TNBC show “Saved By the Bell.” Not in story or character, but simply in its approach.

“Roll Bounce” is about a group of kids who love to dance-skate, but their local rink has been closed down. So, they start going to a more fancy rink on the other side of town, where they come face to face with Sweetness, the resident roller stud and his cronies. Eventually, the two groups clash, and they decide to compete at the upcoming roller-dance off for a $500 prize. I know that’s not much, but it is set in the 70s.

Much like the picture “Miracle,” which hired skaters and hockey players and taught them how to act, this picture hired roller-dancers and taught them to act as well. There were a couple of exceptions. What does this mean? The director Malcolm D. Lee (Undercover Brother) locked himself into a melodramatic presentation, cause his roller-dancers turned actors had no chance of pulling off a realistic performance.

I think the melodrama of the movie was corny, but I didn’t care. At least it was consistent and fit the concept of the show. The best reasons to see this movie are for the roller-dance sequences and the music. There wasn’t a single dancing scene were I wasn’t starting to move in my seat.

There is a subplot between Xavier, played by rap artist Bow Wow, one of the out of neighborhood boys, and his father, played by Chi McBride (TV’s Boston Public), having lost the matriarch of the family a year earlier. With their storyline, the actors had some very nice moments, which some what elevated the picture’s production quality from its melodramatic roots.

Another very funny and solid performance came from Wesley Jonathan (TV’s City Guys) as the nemesis Sweetness. The “coolness” this guy had dripping off him was TOO MUCH, to where I HAD to laugh at him. There was no taking the guy seriously, and his performance fit perfectly into the concept.

Mike Epps (Next Friday) and Charles Murphy (King’s Ransom) also make small appearances to pick up some laughs.

Overall, if the roller-dancing scenes interest you at all, you should love this picture. I’ll probably get it in my collection on those scenes alone.

Rocky Balboa (2006)

Sylvester Stallone hasn’t directed a picture since 1985’s “Rocky IV,” but this newest installment to the series doesn’t make him look very rusty.

At maybe-more-than-middle age, Rocky Balboa, again played by Sly (TV’s The Contender), lives in Philadelphia and manages a restaurant named after his late wife Adrian. Still unable to move on after losing his wife and mother to his only son, Rocky decides getting back into the ring may be a way to get some of his frustration out, much to the dismay of brother-in-law Pauly, played by Burt Young (Transamerica).

Eventually, after an ESPN Sportscenter-like show generates a computer match up between Rocky and the current 33-0 defending champion Mason Dixon, a real-life exhibition bout is created as a publicity stunt.

This is a simple heartwarming story about a guy learning to live on from his wife’s death. The movie’s element of boxing actually takes a back seat in this story.

There were a couple of references to the previous Rocky pictures, three of which (Rocky II, III and IV) were directed by Stallone, but for the most part, “Rocky Balboa,” written and directed by the former action-movie star, stands on its own. Stallone received Academy Award® nominations for acting and writing in the original “Rocky” in 1976.

There was actually one reference to “Rocky V,” notoriously the worst of the bunch which Stallone also wrote. It was the mention of ‘home team’ with Rocky’s son. It was a term of endearment the father-son duo came up with in the fifth installment. It was a brief moment in ‘Balboa,’ but even the slightest nod to No. 5 made me almost hurl. It didn’t hurt this movie any though.

“Rocky Balboa” calls back on many of the elements of what makes a Rocky movie great, particularly that moment in the climax where the title character is about to lose, but then he gets a flash of voices—including that of his late trainer Mickey—coupled with a large gong and intense music, which rings out with his new-found determination. Those moments in Rocky movies always gives me chills, as did this one. These are elements Rocky V DID NOT have.

The film was a little elementary in its story, and the sub-plot between Rocky and ‘Little Marie,’ played by Irish actor Geraldine Hughes, probably did not help or hinder, but overall, I smiled, I laughed and I got choked up at the end. That’s more than you could ask for of ANY franchise’s sixth installment.

This is a nice feel-good movie for 2006. I’m glad Stallone made it, and I’m glad I saw it.

Robots (2005)

Blue Sky Studios is finally back in the cinemas with their latest animated picture “Robots.” Previously, BSS was responsible for “Ice Age” 2002.

“Robots” is about Rodney Copperbottom, voice by Ewan McGregor (Star Wars prequels), a genius aspiring inventor who ventures to Robot City from the sticks to work for the master of inventors, Mr. Bigweld, voice by Mel Brooks (Spaceballs).

On his journey, Rodney discovers Bigweld’s nearly non-profit corporation has been restructured by new CEO named Ratchet, voiced by Greg Kinnear (Godsend). However, Ratchet’s overly commercial plans for the company are being manipulated by his evil mother, the queen of the Robot City underworld.

Soon, Rodney befriends a handful of friends, labeled as “out-modes” of their society, as well as the hot and sparkly Cappy, voiced by Halle Berry (Catwoman), an executive with Bigweld corporation. Rodney and friends soon uncover all the evil plotting and eventually lead a revolution against Ratchet and his mother.

The picture is loaded with big names in its supporting cast, including Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting) as Fender, Jim Broadbent (Iris) as Ratchet’s mother, Amanda Bynes (What a Girl Wants), Drew Carey (TV’s Drew Carey Show), Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Stanley Tucci (The Terminal), Harlan Williams (Rocketman) and Dianne Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway). Other vocal cameos are made by Terry Bradshaw, Jay Leno and James Earl Jones.

The picture was written by two of my favorite comedy screenwriters Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz (City Slickers, EdTV). The humor of the picture was very much their signature work, but dulled down a bit for the children audiences. However, the story was created by Jim McClain and Ron Mita, and this is where the weakness of the picture remains.

The story of “Robots” was completely predictable and very clichéd. We have seen this series of plot points in hundreds of other children’s movies, both live action and animated, with PG or lesser ratings. I have to simply say, the movie was very common, but very funny.

Directors Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Gone Nutty) and Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age) did a great job keeping the production design of an easily overblown picture within its limits. From the trailers, I thought the background sets and characters were going to be too distracting to the scene at hand, but I was wrong. The production design offers a good blend with the stories main characters.

Vocal performances were almost perfectly cast. I can’t think of a single weak link from the roster of well known actors, including four Academy Award winners including Williams, Broadbent, Wiest and Berry, as well as nominees Jones and Kinnear. Obviously, the cast is stacked and it shows.

Overall, the picture is very enjoyable, just VERY done before. At least Ganz and Mandel found a way to make the humor of the movie slightly different than most. I don’t think this picture is a must see in the cinemas, but I would have been just as entertained renting the DVD.

RKO 281 (1999)

This HBO made film is very important to me, showing what responsibility filmmakers hold even today, and what respect integrity holds in even a slimey, dishonest industry like the Hollywood motion picture industry.

“RKO 281″ simply put is the biogrpahical telling of young New York playwright, turned Hollywood filmmaker, Orson Welles and his battle to make and release “Citizen Kane,” the picture American Film Institute has labelled the best American movie ever made.

The picture focuses on Welles attempt to make a picture with the sole purpose of exposing the hypocricies of media giant of the time William Randolf Hearst.

Welles finally gets his script green lighted, after battling with rewrites from alocholic screenwriter and friend Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz, seduces the press to lay off his project until its finished. Then, after a rough cut screening for the media, Hearst catches wind that Welles’ new movie is about him.

Hearst then spends the rest of the movie trying to influence all the Jewish and homosexual Hollywood executives in town to keep “Citizen Kane” from opening anywhere, including RKO, the now defunct studio which financed “Kane.” Hearst spends Act Three going bankrupt.

“RKO 281,” which refers to the studio’s production number for “Citizen Kane,” is a very matter of fact picture, which doesn’t attempt to add much insight to the facts in the story.

The picture is based in part on a documentary titled “The Battle Over Citizen Kane,” by Richard Ben Cramer and Thomas Lennon. “RKO 281″ was penned by John Logan (Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Aviator), but I do not feel it reflects his best work.

Although the picture highly interesting, it doesn’t deliver from its monster build up. There’s hardly any big fight between renegade filmmaker and the media giant. Hearst simply goes bankrupt and loses his power over Hollywood cause he doesn’t have any more money to influence people with.

Otherwise, the picture was dark and kind of mysterious, giving the story a feeling of importance and a more entertaining quality than the script allowed.

Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate) play Welles well, capturing the man’s young demeanor, while making the role his own. It definitely shows Schreiber’s strength as an actor, and I’m surprised this role isn’t spoken of more in regards to his ability.

John Malkovich plays Mank with a voice unlike I’ve heard him do yet. His performance was fun to watch. James Cromwell ages himself well to play Hearst, but his co-star Melanie Griffith as his mistress Marion was fucking horrible.

I can’t stand this woman in film. She has her one stupid blonde way of playing every role I’ve seen her in, and it only worked for one of them, being “Working Girl.” Otherwise, as with this picture, Griffith drags the entire production down when she’s on screen.

If you’re interested in stories about filmmaking and Hollywood history, “RKO 281″ is one you should definitely check out.

Righteous Kill (2008)

As a thriller, this movie may actually keep some people guessing, so I won’t give away anything. As for me, you can see who is doing what early in the movie.

After that, it was just about watching Pacino and DeNiro be badass old men for two hours, which was cool.

Turk, played by Robert DeNiro (The Good Shepherd), and Rooster, played by Al Pacino (88 Minutes), are NYPD homicide detectives with 30 years of service are investigating a series of murders. The hunt leads to a serial killer whom they suspect may be a fellow cop since he or she is targeting acquitted felons.

After joining forces with a couple of detectives from another precinct, played by Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block-hahahahahahahahaha!) and John Leguizamo, the spotlight of suspicion beams brightest on Turk.

Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro are awesome together. I loved watching them rib each other while on the job and they were totally believable as having this 30-year bond between them.

That being said, the story was beyond predictable. They start giving you clues as to what’s going on from the very first line of the movie. By half way through I knew what the score was and who was behind it.

It is just as predictable and filled with red herrings as any crime drama ever to be forgotten in the last 25 years of modern cinema. Really, I think the only reason this script was developed was for Pacino and DeNiro to have a movie to star in together before either or both of them retired.

Let’s face it. This movie was about THEM. Not anything else. Or even being a good movie. Just THEM.

SO, If you like Pacino and DeNiro, you want to check this picture out, cause they are fun in it.

I’m also tired of these cop dramas without a decent female character. Apparently women who are involved in police work or related fields in the northeast areas of the U.S. are worthless bitches with no decency. Women are about as well represented in this film as they were in “The Departed.”

That’s about it. Yay, Pacino and DeNiro! Boo, everything else. Wait for DVD.