QUICK FIX Movies To Watch #86-90 are about having your world changed
NOTE: My apologies for the two week delay! The column got away from me a bit, but I’m back on track and looking forward to recapping when we reach 100 films!
QUICK FIX Movies To Watch is a weekly column of mixed movie suggestions for both the avid film fan and the casual movie-goer. Dive in, swim around a little bit, and come up with a new movie or two you think is worth watching. They’re all great!
This week’s QUICK FIX takes a look at Zombieland, Unleashed, K-PAX, Four Brothers, and Defendor. Read more about why you should watch them as soon as you can after the jump!
QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #86: Zombieland
Release: 2009 Rating: R Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard
In the midst of every serious zombie flick in recent history Zombieland stood out as a uniquely comical offering that also had a bit of heart (granted, it would be a few years still until we got Warm Bodies). Laying out rules in on-screen text, throwing a handful of colorful character personalities in a blender and hitting puree, underlying a few flaws with emotional back story, and essentially bringing back to life a genre that had grown stale, Zombieland made its mark at just the right time. The humor is quick and the zombie killing satisfying in more than a few ways (zombie kill of the week would be an interesting game to play), and although the ending is a bit “Why would anyone in their right mind do that?” in its idiocy the film is one of the better zombie nods we’ve gotten in a long time.
HIDDEN GEM: Easily the best surprise celebrity cameo ever! That’s all there is to say about this one.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #87: Unleashed
Release: 2005 Rating: R Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Jet Li, Bob Hoskins, Morgan Freeman, Kerry Condon, Vincent Regan
Jet Li does a lot of films in his native language, so when a good American movie with the action star front and center comes along it’s usually worth a watch. Unleashed sees Lee climb from being a trained fighting dog at the feet of Bob Hoskins (the film is alternately titled Danny the Dog) to a lovable, child-like new human of sorts, and the transformation is believable and weighted. Joined by a blind Morgan Freeman and a ridiculously cute Kerry Condon, Lee’s Danny character grows and learns as he tries to leave his violent past behind. It’s a lot of fun watching Danny explore the little things about the world for the first time, and it’s these small moments that make watching his struggle to control his primal instincts all the more painful and satisfying.
HIDDEN GEM: It’s the trio of Lee, Condon, and Freeman that form the heart of the film, and the sometimes dysfunctional family unit they’ve created feels honest. Also, like any Jet Li movie, watching the guy beat up some bad guys is always a good time.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #88: K-PAX
Release: 2001 Rating: PG-13 Director: Iain Softley
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack
A movie that was just a few years too late of being 90’s gold, K-PAX saw American Beauty’s Kevin Spacey trying to recapture the magic with a new worthwhile character. Unfortunately, the film didn’t necessarily have the attitude of Spacey’s earlier success, and a lot of people passed it by. K-PAX is offbeat while still being grounded in real world stakes and sadness. There’s a mystery buried deep down somewhere, and over the course of the film we’re only a little closer to understanding its intricacies, which is a good thing in this case.
HIDDEN GEM: Watching Kevin Spacey eat a banana, peel and all, without even a grimace is pretty impressive.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #89: Four Brothers
Release: 2005 Rating: R Director: John Singleton
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Terrence Howard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sofia Vergara, Taraji P. Henson, Josh Charles
What could easily be passed off as a run-and-gun action film of familiar flavors, Four Brothers manages to elevate itself as a movie with some soul and often-overlooked commitment to character relationships. The titular four brothers (Wahlberg, Hedlund, Gibson, Benjamin) are the core of the film, and it’s their believably pained quest for vengeance that drives motivations and often leaves the audience feeling heavily for these characters. While there are a handful of generic action beats, the majority of this movie tries to do its own thing and succeeds for the most part.
HIDDEN GEM: Andre Benjamin puts in a surprisingly nuanced performance, but it’s around Garret Hedlund’s youngest brother that the strongest connection and best gunfight of the film unfolds.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #90: Defendor
Release: 2009 Rating: R Director: Peter Stebbings
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh, Michael Kelly
In the semi-wake of the speedboat that was the average-joe-turned-superhero film craze, Defendor snuck through the cracks and went widely unnoticed. When marginally dysfunctional mask-wearers were beating evil-doers over the head with wrenches or blowing them to smithereens with rocket launchers Woody Harrelson’s Defendor dispatched bees, drained lime juice, and unleashed marbles. As silly as it sounds, this film is easily one of the better incarnations of a tortured-yet-gentle soul putting on some paint and trying to battle bad guys with the simple tools at his disposal.
HIDDEN GEM: From head to toe, backpack to helmet lamp, Woody Harrelson’s Defendor is a practical man’s superhero. Watching him in action is a mixed bag of the tasty trail-mix variety.
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