Before

The trailer to this movie was quite pathetic. But not so much because of one specific element but because of the movie as a whole. I remember very well that people were laughing when they first saw it.

Plot

Leon is a photographer. He and his girl-friend live in New York. He tries to capture the dark side of the city. Spurred by a possible recognition by some famous gallerist, Leon is staying until deep at night in the New York subway. One day he captures on film what he believes is a link to a recent murder. Unfortunately, the police does not believe him and so he goes on collecting more and more evidence until he finds out about the horrifying truth behind the mysterious disappearances.

Opinion

Midnight Meat Train--whoever came up with this name should not only get an Oscar but also be hanged. This title is so ridiculous that is hard to set the right tone to get into the mood for this movie. Maybe that's what happened to me when I was watching it. It took me quite some time to watch all of this without laughing. Lucky me, I got over this before reaching the end of the movie. Unfortunately, the climax was wasted.
This movie incorporates quite some good ideas. While some effects look particularly cheap, most are actually well-timed and thus do not over-stretch the whole blood and gore theme. But this is probably one of the very few horror movies that uses gore and violence without having its focus on it. After all, the main story is somewhat more behind the scenes.
It makes me feel very sad that even though you can see that the actors and the crew was trying to do everything to not make this movie appear cheap or simple. The actual story mixed with some rather cheap special effects is quite interesting as it offers some nice twists and turns. But when you get to the end, you know what I mean when I meant: I a, not convinced of this movie.

There is a little controversy and question about this lyric. Does Brandon Flowers sing "are we dancer" or "are we denser"? At first everything I could find yielded "denser," however, a comment from reader Blue turned me to the proof found here:

Are we human, or are we dancer?" He says the lyrics were inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson about how America was raising a generation of dancers.

Song (click for full lyrics): Human

Artist: The Killers

Album: Day & Age

Year: 2008

Own it on iTunes.

Leave a comment below. Let me know if you have corrections or suggestions. Do you own this music on vinyl, CD, or download for your iPOD?
Why is this lyric important to you? What lyrics would you add to Lyrical Wisdom?

After taking on a job as a watchman at a deserted shopping mall in the center of New York, Ben starts to see strange things in the mirrors.
Well done movie with good actors, high levels of gore, and a nice storyline. Go and watch--if you're in for some horror.

Before

The trailers looked promising: a gory horror flick that wasn't following the usual Saw 593. I couldn't miss this one.

Plot

Ben (Sutherland) has been temporarily suspended from the police force after he shot a fellow officer. When he takes on a job as a night guard at a old, deserted shopping mall in the middle of Manhattan, little does he know about the terrible things that happened on these premises. Although the whole mall was up in flames years ago, it hasn't been remodeled yet. But the most awkward thing is that all of the mirrors are intact and clean. It takes him so time to figure out what's going on and what the dark secret is that's behind these mirrors.

Opinion

The whole theme about another world in the mirrors has some great potential and I am quite happy with what Alexandre did here. The sets look terrific: dark, scary, evil. The story never feels stretched. The camera perspectives are what you would expect and let the building and rooms appear more frigthening, more mysterious. The level of gore and humiliation is set right from the start. Although the overall body count doe not reach levels of Dawn of the Dead, frequency and killing style compensate for this very well. Although there are moments when you don't follow the ideas of the director anymore (esp. close to the end), it still is a nice piece of horror movie. And Sutherland does his part well, too. I recommend this to anyone interested in the genre.

In a reckless race, a new lifer is competing against others for his early release. But the race is unlike any other race you've seen before: lots of gore and endless bullets. A typical Statham movie or one for car race enthusiasts.

Before

Statham is always good for some entertaining stuff (when he's not with Uwe Boll). Good for me I wasn't expecting too much anyways.

Plot

In 2012 the US is overrun by criminals after a massive economic collapse. Jensen (Statham) is framed for murdering his wife and sentenced to a life long sentence. The prison he is sent to is a for-profit prison, generating income with a deadly car race. It has become the most successful pay-per-view show with inmates fighting for freedom in a arcade like race with pimped up cars, collectable weapons, and defenses. There are no rules as long as somone wins the race 5 times. Frankenstein, currently the most popular driver in the race, has already won 4 times before dying in an accident. Jensen, who has been a former NASCAR driver, is selected by the prison ward to take over his place, keep viewers' attention high and win the race to be released early.

Opinion

Death Race is centered around action, violence, guns, and cars. All these elements promise a fun experience for the audience. With quite some money to spend, the movie looks quite nice: all SFX and settings look real. And while the actual story is pretty lame and predictable, the movie succeeded in keeping my attention high. This is due to a high and bloody body count, good acting (as far as that was necessary), and a rare mix of car races and gun fights. There isn't much more to say about it but the general warning about movies of this kind: it is unlikely that the movie will make a hit at the box office, however, it is still one of those movies you can go and see if you liked any of the former Statham flicks or are into car races.

In a war an ancient alien machine is being awakened, threatening to change the face of the earth forever. While humanity tries to escape the planet, a small group of elite soldiers is going right into the center to take out this machine. Average action flick, trying to imitate the box office hits but forgot to invest in a exciting story line and some good actors.

Before

The trailer looked interesting. But I have to admit that I had my concerns right from the first glimpse.

Plot

2707, the world is split into 3 company-led parties who fight each other in WWII-like battlefields. One day, in Eastern Europe, an ancient cave is accidentally opened. For centuries an alien machine was hidden there and has now been reactivated. The machine creates deadly killer mutants out of every human that is caught by it. As these mutants start to outnumber and defeat the human forces, one platoon of special weapons experts is sent to destroy the machine and save the human race.

Opinion

The fading colors set the whole movie in a rather surreal setting. We've seen this before in movies like 300. But mixed with the strange combination of old age weapons and vehicles, the whole atmosphere changes to an untouchable cloud of dust that causes you to focus more on the backgrounds than the actual story. There are numerous effects, not all of which look as good as what you saw in the trailers. However, at times it might be a good idea to pay attention to this unique setting anyway since the movie has its stretches. Furthermore, picturing the characters too bluntly has also had the effect of not feeling connected at any time, making the whole movie a rather synthetic and cold experience. Finally, the actors are sometimes doing not much more than simply reading the mostly stereotypical and utterly heroic lines.
But it's not all that bad. There is a form of climax, although quite modest in speed and depth. The storyline matches the overall appearance--nothing new here. Even at a closer look I tend to call this the average action flick you know. But it os trying to ride that wave of style and presentation of more impressive and successful originals. Too bed it didn't make it to the shores.

I don't know which direction i should head when i am standing on the crossroad. I admit i am losing some touch with GOD. That is the main reason i am LOST today.

My Career, my Love, my Friendship, My Church Serving...

Those are most important things in my life. I am confident GOD is there for me to lead me. HE won't leave me alone. I am now making my way coming back to GOD again. TO gain strength and power from HIM.

I have made up my mind to join GOD again and let HIM leave me on my life journey. I will never LOST again in the crossroad.

AMEN!