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Martial Arts Movie Trio Movies Review

September 17, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez 1 Comment

By Eddy Once and a while, I get the need to watch a really good martial arts movie, unfortunately for me, most of the best films never come out in the United States. When they do, they are usually chopped up and disfigured beyond recognition. To remedy this I have two choices. I can go to a big retailer like the former Virgin Megastore, or FYE and Best Buy and pay 20 dollars or more for a DVD (the reason they are so expensive is that they are pretty rare, and most people are not tearing up the shelf buying these movies. So economies of scales are working against me) or I can go to my local mall and find what I call the Martial Arts booth. Let me explain what this is: in our mall there a little booth in the middle of the walking area that sells all type of martial arts movie, Japanese anime and all sorts of horror as well as action movies coming out of Asia. On top of that most of the movies are going for much less than what you would find them at the other … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Asia, Bruce Lee, Chocolate, Donnie Yen, Dragon Tiger Gate, Eddy, Film, Films, IP Man, Jackie Chan, Jeff, Kung Fu teacher, Martial Arts Movie Trio, Ong Bak, Ong Bak II, Tae Kwon Do, Tony Jaa, Yanin Jeeja Vismistanada

Taxi Driver: Collector’s Edition Movie Review

September 15, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

‘You're only as healthy as you feel' By Jeff You either love it or hate it. So it shouldn't be that hard of a decision if you're even remotely considering buying this 2-disc DVD set, a vast improvement from the previous version released in 1999. If you love Taxi Driver , then this is a must-have. If you hate it...you actually might want to give it another go around... So, ya'll know the plot. Oscar winner Martin Scorsese directed this cult-classic about "honorably discharged" Vietnam-vet Travis Bickle (a brooding Robert De Niro) who returns home to a disheveled New York City and finds himself working graveyard shift for a taxi service, living in a scabby apartment building, condemning society and plotting mayhem. It's an experience that envelopes you more and more in its dark shroud every time you watch it, with many scenes that remain permanently ingrained your memory (for me it's not so much the ‘gun-pointed-at-mirror scene' as it is the slow-mo shot of De … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Albert Brooks, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Hitchcock-alumni Bernard Herrmann, Jeff, Jodie Foster, Leonard Maltin, martin scorsese, Oliver Stone, Paul Schrader, Peter Boyle, Robert De Niro, Robert Kolker, Roger Corman, Taxi Driver: Collector’s Edition, ‘You're only as healthy as you feel'

Inglourious Basterds Movie Review

August 25, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez 1 Comment

Another grand, operatic Tarantino mash-up of movie genres By Jeff Inglourious Basterds is broken into titled chapters (first is ‘Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France...' ), very similar to other Quentin Tarantino movies. The style, tone, humor, characters, timing and pacing are also very comparable. But for some reason, and maybe it's the incredibly detailed WW2-era production value and cinematography, but Inglourious Basterds makes Tarantino feel more fresh and vivid than he has since the first Kill Bill . To the great benefit of the film, there are no actors present who have stared in past Tarantino films. That is except for a couple short, somewhat necessary voiceovers from Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel, and a small role for Hostel -director/semi-actor Eli Roth, who shines in the sinister role of one of Lt. Aldo Raine's (Brad Pitt) Jewish hit squad, nicknamed the ‘Bear Jew' because he brutally beats Nazis to death using a Louisville Slugger (this is not a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Brad Pitt, Cannes Film Festival, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Harvey Keitel, hostel, Inglourious Basterds, javier bardem, Jeff, Kill Bill, Melanie Laurent, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson

The Hurt Locker Movie Review

August 13, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez 2 Comments

An in-depth look into the turbulent lives of a Bomb Squad By Jeff Kathryn Bigelow's first film in seven years (since 2002's K-19: The Widowmaker ) is more of a sci-fi thriller in the vein of her ex-husband James Cameron's 1986 masterpiece Aliens than just another heavy message Iraq War-themed movie - which is precisely why it is now being hailed a masterpiece itself by critics and audiences across the globe. There's no denying that this film isn't uncomfortably intense, with scenes of our main characters struggling to defuse roadside bombs unfolding at such a realistic, dread-filled pace, that you can actually feel your heart in your throat and your stomach at your feet. Of all the jobs one could have, defusing IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in the heart of the Iraq war must be one of the most straining and yet strangely satisfactory (to be able to stop a bomb from exploding at any second is almost a God-like ability). This combination of danger (a horrible death) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Aliens, Anthony Mackey, Bomb Squad, Braian Geraghty, IEDS, Iraq, James Gameron, Jeff, Jeremy Renner, Kathryn Bigelow, sci-fi thriller, The Hurt Locker

Air Guitar Nation

August 7, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez 2 Comments

By Jeff When playing regular guitar is just not enough anymore... You're at home, outside, or in the car listening to music when suddenly a song breaks into an awesome riff or killer solo, and without even realizing it, your arms involuntarily begin to mimic the guitarist. Congratulations, you are now playing Air Guitar, something every rock fan has experienced, yet most are ashamed to admit it. That is definitely not the case with the subjects of Alexandra Lipsitz‘s true-life documentary Air Guitar Nation . With a plotline that oddly resembles 2006's Broken Lizard-soirée Beerfest , Air Guitar Nation follows the exploits of two Air Guitarists from New York, David ‘C-Diddy' Jung and Dan ‘Bjourn Turoque' Crane, who aspire to represent the United States for the first time at the ‘Air Guitar World Championships' in Finland. These guys buy into their artificial ‘stage' personalities so earnestly, it's like watching method actors of Brando and DeNiro's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Air Guitar Nation, Air Guitar World Champions, Alexandra Lipsitz, Beerfest, Dan Crane, David Jung, Finland, Jeff

Blog: One Year Blogiversary!!!

July 18, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

By Divina So today, July 18th is our ONE YEAR Blogiversary!!! It was been one year since Dancinghotdogs@.com became your favorite new entertainment review website. ; ) Thank you to all our readers and a big thank you to Rosa and Jeff for always giving us another excellent entertainment perspective! To celebrate Eddy, Baby Boy Thomas and I are off for a week of fun and adventure in CA. Eddy and I wrote a couple of reviews prior to the trip and will post during the week but we will be twittering! So signup to be our followers! http://twitter.com/DancingHotdogs Things on the schedule: Nutrilite event, Funny People Red Carpet, LA Bloggers Prom, Comic-Con and so much more! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Blog Tagged With: California, Comic-Con, Divina, Eddy, Funny People, Jeff, LA Bloggers Prom, Nutrilite event, One Year Blogiversary, Red Carpet, Rosa, Thomas, twitter

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Review

July 4, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez 2 Comments

Attack of the Critic(s) By Jeff Ahh, where to begin. This is robot porn people. Robot. Porn. And I mean that in as many different ways as you can think of. Two and a half hours of robots bouncing all over the place, leaving behind a trail of blurred polygons, weirdly toned sexual jokes, references or undertones, and seemingly sporadic spots of racial stereotyping. All the female characters are nymphomaniacs, including hero Shia LaBeouf's mother. There's even a dominatrix-themed robot disguised as a super-slutty college mega-babe (newcomer Isabel Lucas, gee what a future she has). At one point, a mini-robot furiously humps Megan Fox's leg. But it's not funny, it's just weird. Also thrown in, and I don't know how this passed the Censors Board (oh wait, I remember, because the movie is going to bring in a half a billion Hollywood dollars worldwide by the end of August), are two Autobots (read: good robots) who talk in jive, and come across as somewhat-to-very racist … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Isabel Lucas, Jeff, Michael Bay, Robert Downey Jr, Shia LaBeouf, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Tropic Thunder

The Girlfriend Experience Movie Review

June 28, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

Sex, Lies, and Economics By Jeff The Girlfriend Experience is like American Psycho but with uber-slick NYC wall street yuppie/delusional psychopath Patrick Bateman replaced by an uber-chic NYC call girl/jaded narcissist named Chelsea (played by real-life porno sensation Sasha Grey). After her dates with some of New York City's wealthiest men, Chelsea goes home and records her evening out in her ‘books,' which she keeps to remember what certain clients like and dislike. She describes what movie her date takes her to, where they dined, what they ate, the type and price of the wine or champagne they drank, the luxurious evening dress she was wearing, and of course, what happened when they retired to the bedroom. This is done to provide us an intimate look into a high-class hooker's lifestyle as possible. We learn all about her boyfriend, Chris, who is a struggling trainer for an upscale gym. It becomes clear early on that both Chelsea and her boyfriend work in professions … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: American Psycho, escort, Girlfriend Experience, Jeff, NYC, Ocean's Eleven, Sasha Grey, steven soderbergh

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Movie Review

June 21, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

‘To remake or not to remake, that is the question' By Jeff The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was a crackerjack thriller from 1974 about an NYC transit cop (Walter Matthau) drawn into a cat-and-mouse game with a criminal mastermind (Robert Shaw) holding possession of a crowded subway car for a ransom fee of 1 million dollars (hey, remember, it was a lot back then). The original Pelham had a respectable workman-like aesthetic to it and an optimally-paced story that ended in a classic moment of perfectly realized absurdity that still brings a smile to my face when I think about it. It grew into such a cult favorite that a remake was inevitably due. First came a television version in 1998 (I don't think I have to tell you how that went), and now, it's back on the big screen. Directed by Tony Scott (the younger, ADD-riddled, less talented brother of the superior Ridley Scott), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 sees Denzel Washington play NYC subway dispatcher Walter Garber (a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Vault Tagged With: Denzel Washington, Jeff, John Travolta, Remake, Robert Shaw, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Tony Scott, Walter Matthau

Band of Gypsys Music Review

June 18, 2009 by Divina Rodriguez Leave a Comment

The Greatest Album Nobody Knows Of By Jeff Recorded live at the Fillmore East in New York on New Year's Eve 1969-1970, Band of Gypsys is without a doubt the greatest live performance of Hendrix's all-too short career. Accompanying Hendrix on the stage was long-time friends Buddy Miles on drums and backup vocals (who sadly recently passed away), and Billy Cox on electric bass. Together, these three musicians successfully molded blues, funk, fusion, and rock in a way that nobody had heard previously. The performance begins with "Who Knows," which immediately draws the audience into Hendrix's world as he conjures up a slow groove and then improvises like an uncoiling piece of string around that melody, creating an incredibly varied array of musical color and tones. The vocals are handled by both Hendrix and Miles here, at one point using an amusing call-and-response technique. About halfway in, the song descends into a peaceful bridge that allows Miles the … [Read more...]