Straight to Dvd Gems
Butterfly Effect 2 and Push
You never know what you can get when you try out a straight to dvd movie. Usually its either going to be a complete positive surprise or the opposite, and you might as well have used your dollars and used it as paper to roll your cigarettes. Luckily both of these movies fall into the positive spectrum. I was really skeptical about Butterfly Effect 2 especially since it was a straight to dvd sequel which are usually worse than the original (i.e. Hollow Man 2). I enjoyed the original a lot and i woudnt say the sequel is as good overall but it was still very enjoyable. If you look at the imdb ratings they are all over the board. A lot of people hated it but a lot really really enjoyed it also. It was directed by first time film director John R. Leonetti who just recently was the cinematographer for Lucky Mckee's the Woods. It stars Eric Lively as Nick Larson and Erica Durance as Julie Miller. Its basically a love story that follows the same rules and laws of physics like the original. I liked the fact they didnt try too much into explaining how it all happens which was done thoroughly enough in the original. The movie starts with Nick, Julie and two friends that get in a car accident and Julie dies. It shows Nicks life after Julie and how miserable he is. Once he has the Butterfly Effect and goes back in time to save his g/f then thats where all the fun starts. Like the original it shows how his actions caused other actions to happen and how changing the past doesnt always add up to a better future. Sure this concept has been done to death but its still done in an interesting way. The acting by all the leads is excellent and the dialogue is pretty solid. It has a kind of predictable ending but the final ending twist is pretty cool. There are a few scenes where the soundtrack is kinda ridiculous and doesnt fit the scene at all. There is a sex scene and during the finale where the music doesnt fit and it got a couple of unintended chuckles by me and the other two people watching. Overall though it is definitely recommended for any fans of the original.
The next movie Push was also a very solid little independent movie by director Dave Rodriguez. Most of the actors are unknowns with the exception of Chazz Palminteri and Michael Rapaport. Neither of those are the leads but it was surprising they were in it due to the obvious limited budget the movie appeared to have. All the main actors were good especially Chad Linberg who plays Joe. The movie did have a bad transfer overall and in certain scenes it was either blurry or hazy looking. Not sure if that was done in post production or the cinemotographer just forgot to wear his glasses. Other than that the movie was a solid little drug movie.
Its about Joe and his two friends that regularly meet up at a local strip and dance club that employs Joe's g/f as a dancer. One night when they are there a local drug dealer is there with his minions. One of the minions drops his ecstasy pills right before he's busted by the fbi. One of the friends see the drop and picks up the bag and leaves with his buddies. They decide that they want to make extra money and they call the dealer to see if they can sell the drugs for him. The dealer named Paul is played effectively by Otto Sanchez. Hes one of the big dealers in Miami and he reluctantly allows them to sell on one condition. That they pay him every Friday and if they screw up it will be on Joe's head. So the movie shows how the friends deal with their new found money and power and how they make their connections. It was pretty cool and had a realistic type feel going for it. Without giving away too much i definitely recommend renting it and kicking back watching this intimate little drug movie. The ending was kinda weak but also pretty realistic and didnt really bother me that much. If you want to see another movie about dealing from a different perspective than the usual ghetto setup then i would definitely recommend checking it out.
Here's a trailer for butterfly effect 2