Movie Review By Request - Repo! The Genetic Opera

This movie has been on my to watch list for quite some time, so when I received a request to give it the Rufus Reviews treatment I finally pulled my finger out and sat down for some musical gruesomeness.

Repo sees a worldwide epidemic cause major organ failures, the only cure is a transplant and a company called GeneCo come to the rescue offering finance on the expensive procedures.  It all starts going dark when the head of GeneCo, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) gets the legal okay to order repossessions should repayments not be kept up.  The story itself focuses mainly on Nathan (Anthony Head) and his daughter Shilo (Alexa Vega).  Nathan is desperate to keep his daughter safe after a tragic turn of events killed his wife when she was pregnant.  Nathan is even more desperate to keep his biggest secret safe, the fact that he is one of the masked Repo men charged with retrieving GeneCo's property.

This movie really took me by surprise.  I have heard mixed reports but I really found myself enjoying it.  There are songs aplenty and while some of them aren't all that great there are still a number of enjoyable set pieces and nothing that gets too annoying.  Special mention needs to made of the Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich) who works as combined narrator and plot driver.  He has some of the catchier tunes and a very strong presence for a supporting character.  Another big surprise is Paris Hilton's performance as Amber Sweet, one of Rotti's three insane children who do their fair share to add to the blood and violence.

There is a lot of blood and violence in this movie.  Unsurprising since the central premise is organ repossession.  This is of course fatal for payment defaulter and involves considerable amounts of blood and entrails.  Anthony Head performing this grisly duty while singing about his work makes for a very memorable scene.

The bit players do their melodramatic best whenever they are on screen, and like with the musical numbers, there are more hits than misses.

So if you have a strong stomach and want to see a very different and dark musical then Repo! The Genetic Opera may give you an entertaining evening.  Be warned though, this is a perfect example of a like it or hate it movie so I am not making any promises.

In three words - little glass vial

Movie Review - Pitch Perfect

After digging up the soundtrack for this movie today what choice did we have but to put it on the big screen this evening?  And since it is pretty fresh in my mind... Review time!

Pitch Perfect sees Beca (Anna Kendrick) being almost forced to go to college by her father however she is too alternative to want to do what everyone else does.  We know she's alternative since she has slightly untidy hair and wears darker eye makeup than everyone else, oh and she wants to skip college to become a DJ.  When her father says that he will let her drop out of college and take her to LA if she still doesn't like it after a year, but she has to try to get involved more, Beca ends up joining the Barden Bellas, an all female acapella group that has been trying to win the national championships for years.

Caught up in the rivalry between the Bellas and the college's champion singers, The Treble Makers, Beca soon starts clashing with the Bellas' leader, Aubrey (Anna Camp), who insists that strict discipline and perfecting the same routine they have always performed is the key to winning the championship.  Beca, of course, has other ideas.

Straight up, this movie is fun.  It does not take itself seriously and the comedy swings from clever word play right through to full gross out humour, and it all works.  Australia's own Rebel Wilson steals much of the show as Fat Amy with what is arguably her best ever performance.  The gags are shared amongst the main players and supporting actors nicely and the laughs come through nice and steadily throughout.

Since this is a movie about acapella groups it goes without saying that a lot of the emphasis is on performances and vocal arrangements, and it doesn't let you down.  The musical set pieces are spectacular and certainly add much to the enjoyment of the movie.

So it's simple.  See this movie, enjoy this movie and have an awesome time.

In a word - acca-awesome!

RETRO MOVIE REVIEW - PINK FLOYD THE WALL

I re-watched this movie the other day and it really holds up even after all this time. The themes of depression, violence and withdrawal still resonate and it its easy to find parallels nearly 31 years later.

Of course one of the main highlights is the music. Considering it is a movie built around the soundtrack the melding of video and audio is superb. From providing ambience for on screen action through to incredible animated set pieces to amaze, stun and even disturb you.

The film sees a rock star named Pink, played by a young and at that stage not all that well known Bob Geldof, locked in a hotel room. Burnt out from touring, drugs and alcohol he goes through events from his life that have created the wall in his mind. As he descends further into madness his hallucinations become more and more intense until the spectacular finale inside his mental wall. Let's be honest, this is not a happy movie.

If I had to make a list of movies that everyone needs to watch then Pink Floyd The Wall would be in the top 5.

In two words... Freakishly awesome.

PS.  Yes I know the trailer is for a Spanish release but it was the only one I could find!