Daybreakers

Goolphipp Award: 3.9 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:
I grew up with Ethan Hawke as Jack from White Fang and Troy from Reality Bites. You can say I'm a fan. Put him opposite Willem Dafoe (who plays Elvis) and add some vampires, you know I'm going to be there. I thought this movie was clever and had more to offer than just being another "vampire movie." Directors and writers Michael and Peter Spierig created a whole world where vampires are the norm and humans are the minority. This movie was horror first, drama second. The blood and guts were done well. I hate it when horror or action movies over use the gore factor and then use cheap blood to boot. We had realistic looking blood for the most part and awesome action moments. Plenty of "boo" moments for all. I appreciated the under story though. The drama between Hawke's character Edward and his military brother Frankie was well delivered and placed. I really liked all the details. Vampires need to drive in the daytime, so we've got modified cars with multiple driving cameras and black windows. There were subwalks (similar to a subway) for the vampires to walk around during the day. There were also coffee stations that served blood mixed with coffee.

I really liked this movie. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it gave me more than I thought. Give me a "smart" movie where the characters make smart life saving decisions and I'm good to go. This movie made us think and I always welcome that. This movie is not for the faint of heart. Daybreakers also had its faults, but they were minimal and easy to overlook.

Goolsby overall: 4.25
"We're the ones with the crossbows."

Phipps:
I generally like vampire movies. I wasn't as pleased with this movie as Goolsby...and I suppose it's because it is a horror movie. I'm not a fan of those. I felt it had too many boo moments. They were unnecessary, the plot was enough to keep me interested. But I liked the details of the movie, especially the tricked-out Chrysler with the sun shades.

This particular movie had different pieces from vampire movies that came before it. The golden eyes were most likely pulled from the Twilight movies. The swearing was akin to Blade, as was the blood and gore. I thought the CGI was on the same level as Underworld. While these are some of the similarities, I still think that Daybreakers had something special. With all the "cool" vampire movies out, where characters want to become the undead, this movie was a refreshing change. What if everyone became a vampire? An intriguing question.

So, I guess, at the end of the day, I would watch it again on DVD. It was done well. Heck, I even dreamed a couple nights later about staking the starving bat-like vamps in Daybreakers. For the record though, Ethan Hawke makes a better human than vampire.

Phipps overall: 3.5
For Willem Dafoe...the original ex-vampire.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox

Goolphipp Award: 3.75 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:
Hahaha. So I dragged Phipps to go see this with me because I knew my family wouldn't let me see it with them. I'm known for picking the random movies, and this one sure delivers. Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on the children's book by Roald Dahl and brought to life by Mr. Wes Anderson. I really liked this movie. Although I'm confused at the target audience. It makes sense that the 18 to 30 will enjoy this movie, but I don't think it's really meant for children. Children wont appreciate the stop motion animation, and the quirky humor will fly over their heads. So what is there left for children? I guess all that is left is a long plot and weird looking animals. Phipps and I saw this in a theater that had a handful of children, one even sat directly behind me. The kids got bored and the movie was not able to pull them back in. If you are an adult, go see a matinee showing and have a good time. The voices were great, George Clooney has been a busy man this year.

I loved the little things about this movie. The explanation of Ash's (played by Jason Schwartzman) odd character, and the hand gesture that ensued to explain "weird" to the opossum with a credit card. The modified tube sock burglar mask was a winner in my book. My type of movie all the way. I love Wes Anderson films.

Goolsby overall: 4
You know, you really are... fantastic.

Phipps:
Yeah, I really didn't want to go see this movie. That being said, I didn't hate it. I came out with some jokes I'll repeat. I think the hand motions associated with someone being "different" was amazing. I also found that the substitution of "cuss" for every swear word imaginable to be quite entertaining. It was super quirky, but the typical Anderson humor was there (as well as the typical cast). So, if you are a fan of their past work, you should see The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Really not a kids movie...or at least, not a young kids movie. Maybe 10+.

This was executed well, and was a good time. What else do you want?

Phipps overall: 3.5
Not my cup of tea, but still fun.

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The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Goolphipp Award: 3.75 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
All hail the return of the Saints! They are definitely older. The movie started off in the wilds of Ireland with insanely fake beards. Needless to say, it was a really rocky start. It took a good chunk of the movie to get back into the swing of things. Once you were in the groove, there were tons of jokes referencing the first movie, which were hilarious. It seemed like the movie had just embraced the campiness we all know and love. Believe it or not, Rocco returns to the story, and it was done well. Replacing Rocco, is a spry Mexican kid called Romeo, who actually has more of a brain than our Funny Man. Our favorite trio of detectives were back, enjoying a bigger role. Willem Dafoe’s place was, as lead FBI investigator, replaced by Julie Benz. Plot was a little unexpected, the Saints’ Dad being at the center. Like I said, it was rocky at times. However, the last ten minutes of the movie must be seen by every Boondock Saints fan. In the words of another reviewer, Writer/Director Troy Duffy “pulled a rabbit out of a hat.” I agree. My jaw dropped, hit the floor, and stayed there. I was flabbergasted in the best way possible. Go check out the best kept secret on film.

Phipps overall: 3.5
For the last ten, baby.

Goolsby:
I was excited for this movie, very. Phipps is right, it had a rocky start, but panned out in the end. The last ten minutes definitely going the extra mile. I think the second half of the movie was well done though. It paid homage to the greatness of the first one, but also brought a unique story too. However, I don't think the plot packed enough umph for me. I wanted to be completely blown out of the water, and I wasnt.

When you have such stellar performances from all the characters in the first one, its hard not to feel like each part is being replaced. The new Rocco is obvious and the new Dafoe was even more obvious. That was a bit disappointing. It's almost like making your grandma's famous cookies, just because the recipe works so well, doesn't mean that you cant tweak it. This movie delivered what I was expecting, but I still wanted a crunch.

There are a few scenes that just made my heart smile, so cleverly done. The old bartender with tourettes is one of my favorites. I want to say more, but can't! Go see it!

Goolsby overall: 4
For the old man and black cat cameo!

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