Watch This Cause It’s Better Than That
There seems to be a movie that comes out every couple of years that makes you go “didn’t they JUST make that?” In too many of these instances, the audience member shoots themselves in the foot by watching the lesser of the two just because they might hear about it more. Here are some of those instances, and the right choice to make between the two of them.
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If you are thinking of re-watching…
Kick Ass (2010): An ordinary teenager decides to become a superhero (despite not having powers) and go by the moniker ‘Kick Ass’. With a breakout performance by Chloe Moretz as ‘Hit Girl’, the film was well-liked by critics and fans alike while generating some controversy for it’s use of graphic violence and language by a child. It’s good but….
Watch this instead…
Super (2011) : After a small town fry cook named Frank (Rainn Wilson) watches as his former addict wife is lured away into the arms of a local strip club owner and crime boss, he decides to create his own secret identity and fight crime as ‘The Crimson Bolt’. With every character carrying more baggage than a Southwest flight, this film pulls no punches as it follows Frank and his sidekick fighting to get his wife back against the forces of evil. With Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, and a disturbing performance by Ellen Page, this lower budget version of ‘Kick Ass’ has it’s fair share of hard-to-watch scenes while packing a punch. Here’s the trailer on YouTube.
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If you are thinking of watching this again…
Dredd (2012): A mind altering drug called SLO-MO is released into the world by the local gangs, which holes themselves up in a massive high rise while the law enforcement called ‘judges’ try to fight their way up to the top. Carl Urban and Lena Headey star in the futuristic action thriller that won over critics with it’s effects and action. It’s not a bad movie but….
Watch this instead…
The Raid: Redemption (2011): Indonesia isn’t exactly known for their action films but ‘The Raid:Redemption’ is one of the best pure action films of the past decade. The film follows a S.W.A.T. team as they become trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs with no backup in sight. With brutal fight scenes and better cinematography than most Hollywood films, ‘The Raid’ has the feel of a horror survival film and doesn’t try to cross over into other genres by taking itself too seriously. Here’s the YouTube trailer.
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If you’re thinking of re-watching….
Scary Movie Franchise (2000-2013): The modern day parody franchise has been a huge hit with audiences with the series 5 films grossing over $800 million at the box-office worldwide. While spoofing every horror cliche imaginable, the ‘Scary Movie’ franchise has launched the career of Anna Faris as well as a stepping stone for the Wayans brothers and Charlie Sheen. The Scary Movie series was some good laughs but….
Watch this instead…
Black Dynamite (2009): A good parody movie doesn’t stuff every possible gag/reference down your throat that they possibly can and ‘Black Dynamite’ is one of the best ones in recent memory. Written by it’s star, Michael Jai White, ‘Black Dynamite’ spoofs the blaxploitation genre that was made popular in the 1970’s with perfectly timed jokes, gags and a look that expertly captures the soul era. White stars as the title character, ‘Black Dynamite’ a CIA agent who must avenge his brothers death by cleaning up the streets from the drugs and crimes that is ravaging the community. With homages to the low-budget value that the original blaxploitation films had, ‘Black Dynamite’ is the modern day film that every parody should hold themselves up to. Here’s a link to the trailer.
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If you were going to watch this again…
Cloverfield (2008): ‘Cloverfield’ tells the story of 6 friends living in New York City on the night giant monster attacks the city. Shot from the perspective of “Hud” (TJ Miller), ‘Cloverfield’ was one of the first films to capitalize on the ‘found footage’ style of shooting which makes it seem like you are watching someones home movies as opposed to the fixed, clear shots of a regular movie. A lot of people liked Cloverfield, but….
Watch this instead…
The Host (2006): If a monster was ever to appear from a river and start eating people, this is probably what would really happen. ‘The Host’ is a 2006 Korean film that tells the story of a somewhat dysfunctional family trying to rescue the protagonists daughter from the genetically mutated monster that took her back to it’s hideout. ‘The Host’ deals with several themes you don’t typically see in a monster movie, such as conspiracy theories, government distrust and the American military presence. With quality CGI and solid narrative, ‘The Host’ is unlike any monster movie you’ll see today. If you want to see the trailer, here it is.
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If you are thinking of re-watching….
Employee of the Month (2006): Dane Cook stars as Zack Bradley, a slacker working at the warehouse club store where he is competing against the head cashier (Dax Shepard) not only for the title of ‘Employee of the Month’ but for the affection of the new check out girl, Amy (Jessica Simpson). The film has a good ensemble cast to back up the lead with veteran comedians Andy Dick and Harland Williams bringing lots of comic relief. This movie had its moments but….
Watch this instead…
The Promotion (2008): Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly star as two assistant managers of a chain grocery store who are both vying for a promotion that would make one of them the manager at a new location in a much nicer part of town. The film doesn’t sugarcoat the aspects of basic suburban life while still bringing funny, cringe worthy moments. The film does an excellent job of having Scott and Reilly feed off each other so you aren’t heavily rooting for one character over another. The promotion was a much smaller film than ‘Employee of the Month’ but still gives more realistic depiction of American employment while still being very funny. Check out the trailer on YouTube.
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