Zombies, Chicks, Luchadors, and Dr. Satan--Oh My!

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)
Director- Rob Zombie
Starring- Tom Papa, Sheri Moon Zombie, Paul Giamatti

Famous (?) luchador El Superbeasto (Papa) must save a woman he's lusting after from the nerd-farious Dr. Satan (Giamatti), enlisting the help of his secret-agent/cheerleader-type sister, Susie-X (Moon Zombie) and her smitten robot sidekick.

Along the way he rescues a has-been luchador named El Gato, who was imprisoned by Dr. Satan a long time before. He is now know more for his weird googly-eyes and dragging scrotum than for any wrestling moves.

Throw in some Nazi-zombies trying to retrieve from Suzie-X their fuhrer's stolen head-in-a-jar, and you have a pretty big monster-romp of an animated movie.

Unfortunately, not all of the jokes are that funny--some even seem forced, despite coming from good actors, and a lot of the female characters are visually, if not mentally interchangeable.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

A Hard Case To Defend

Hart's War (2002)
Director- Gregory Hoblit
Starring- Collin Farrell, Bruce Willis, Terrence Howard

Within the bleak atmosphere of a WWII POW camp, Lt. Thomas Hart (Farrell) must use his limited law school education to defend a murder case involving Tuskegee pilot Lt. Lincoln Scott (Howard) and another POW. Hart knows that Scott has been falsely accused, and knows Col. William MacNamara (Willis), unofficial leader of the prisoners, has something to do with it.

The movie quickly becomes heavily racially charged with arrival of the two African American airmen, and tension is almost constant throughout most of the movie. Col. Verner Wisser, acted incredibly by Marcel Lures, is a strong character, and despite being a "villian" in the movie still manages to force some respect from the viewer, especially toward the end. Wisser and MacNamara share what can be best termed a 'hateful friendship'. Wisser actually seemed broken when he learned of MacNamara's involvement and motives, and what actions he must take in retaliation.

The movie was visually arresting with flat colors and amazing special effects that didn't dominate the film.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Have a Slice...

Pizza (2005)
Director- Mark Christopher
Starring- Ethan Embry, Kylie Sparks, Julie Hagerty

Obese wallflower Cara-Ethyl (Sparks) flees her 18th birthday for a night out with "Pizza King" Matt (Embry). Throughout the night, Matt discusses his personal philosophies in an effort to help her be happier with her life. The two share some intense feelings for each other, she suffers humiliation at the hands of some popular girls (but subsequently gets her revenge using an ex-lax pizza recipe), and ultimately realizes that the philosophical "Pizza King" she fell for is nothing more than a pizza shop employee who never bothered to advance his life beyond his high school years.

The story sounds a bit hokey at first, but if you bear with it for a while, it gets pretty entertaining. Acting was good all around, especially from Kylie Sparks. Her character turned various embarrassments into learning experiences and bounced back with surprising fortitude and confidence.

Despite this confidence, she still suffers from a lack of self esteem, which Matt tries numerous times to refute. It was a little hard to see the veneer crack, but it was well-acted and timed.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.