I kind of got excited that the Hobbit was filming and I had some long Sundays full of freelance writing, so I turned once again to the Lord of the Rings trilogy to fuel my break time from the writing grind.

I have the Special Extended Edition at home and as I've probably mentioned, I really prefer the extended versions. They're just that much richer than the theatrical releases. Of course, I've been living with the extended versions for so long I kind of forget what the theatrical versions were like.

That is all.

I wanted to like District 13: Ultimatum. I really did. I loved the first film, so I was hoping this sequel would at least be its equal.

It wasn't. While the original had one absolutely thrilling sequence to open the film and then kept the pace and quality high throughout, this newest entry in the series doesn't have really ever hit the same levels as the original. The action here is good, it's just not at the mind-blowing level of the first. Since I was really hoping for bigger/better/more that's a real disappointment.

Oh well. This scene is still amazing:

I really liked High Kick Girl. I'll write a little bit about it in just a second, but if you'd like to skip that and want to know if you should watch this film, merely watch the following trailer. If you like what you see in the trailer, then rent or buy this film, because the film delivers on the promise of the trailer.

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I understand Peckinpah's Legacy, but The Wild Bunch was tortuous for me. Okay, maybe tortuous is a little strong, but… man oh man, this seemed long to me. The action scenes are what they are and without them I wouldn't have made it to the end, but the rest of the movie just didn't click for me.

This is one of those movies that I feel like I should watch again, just because I feel like I should have liked it. At this point I'm old enough to know I probably won't. There are still hundreds, even thousands of films I want to see, pushing one of those out to rewatch this film seems like a waste of precious time.

As does writing about this any further…

(oh snap)

This is a spoiler laden review. You've been warned.

Up in the Air was a very good, very cynical movie. I feel like a lot of people were down on it because, at the end of the day it sends a soul decimating message. Thing is, as negative as the film is, it's so bizarro-Hollywood, I felt like doing a little dance when the film was over.
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