Repo Men
March 31, 2010
Imagine a world where cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other life-threatening maladies could all be erased…for a fee.
Repo Men is set in a future Toronto, where modern medicine has developed mechanical organs that can seamlessly replace their flesh counterparts, ensuring sick people can continue to live healthy, happy lives. All it takes is the signing of a contract, and a payment plan that ’suits your lifestyle needs’.
Sounds good…unless you can’t make a payment, and that’s when the ‘repo men’ (played brilliantly by Jude Law and Forrest Whittaker) step in, to repossess your newly acquired heart, lung, spleen etc., by any means necessary.
It’s a scary, and potentially real concept, that makes for a thought-provoking distopian picture, all while also being a gritty, bloody action flick, where cyborgs run for their lives from trained assassins. It’s all very fascinating until the movie takes a predictable turn halfway through and devolves into a standard shoot-em-up action flick, that at time borders on absurdity (see the self-mutilating, elbows-deep-in chest-cavities sex scene). However, a final plot twist at the film’s conclusion give the stylistic change some meaning and all feels right.
Hot Tub Time Machine
March 31, 2010
One of the most ridiculous movie concepts ever conceived of, Hot Tub Time Machine, is well aware of it, and uses that suspension of disbelief to deliver a highly amusing, albeit silly-as-hell comedy.
Perfectly cast, particularly John Cusack who’s spoofing the same films that made him famous, the characters (or caricatures) are spot-on, the jokes hit more than miss, and despite a thread-bare plot, the action never gets too dull.
You don’t need to have lived in the 80s to enjoy it, but if you did, there are plenty of in-jokes to get you feeling nostalgic. Look for side-splitting cameos from 80s standouts, Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover.
- Sam Stilson
UFC 111 Predictions
March 27, 2010
The main course in a 3-event offering, UFC 111 features two title matchups one of which features the long-awaited return of Georges St-Pierre who hasn’t competed since injuring his groin at UFC 100. Also, top heavyweights Frank Mir and Shane Carwin are squaring off for a shot at Brock Lesnar, when the champ returns this summer.
Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
Despite a 4-2 record in the UFC, Mark Bocek hasn’t really earned much interest in the 155 lb division. It’s probably because he hasn’t beaten anyone that isn’t a can. Jim Miller on the other hand has conquered some more impressive foes, having only faltered against Gray Maynard.
Simply put, Jim Miller is a much more skilled fighter and should easily dominate Bocek. In front of a home town crowd he should be focused, amped up and primed to put on a great performance. While Bocek has a slight edge in submissions, Miller is no slouch and has the wrestling credentials to come out on top in scrambles. On top of that he is the better striker. This should be fun and easy for the New Jersey native.
Most Hardbossin’ Films of 2009
March 7, 2010
When compiling a list of the best anything of a year, a little distance goes a long way. Taking a few months to catch up on the gems you missed and rewatching your favourites from a 12-month period tends to paint a much clearer picture, allowing the cream of the crop to rise to the top. So taking a cue from the Academy Awards, Hardboss is presenting our ‘Best Films of 2009′ a few months into 2010. Culled from a list of over 60 films, these motion pictures truly showed themselves to be worthy of praise and perhaps a little golden man come Mar. 7th.
* * *
The Disarming Persona of More or Les
March 4, 2010
More Or Les has a wry sense of detachment in the way he promotes himself.
He is quick to acknowledge a populist stance on hip-hop as a listener (he cited years, not artists when asked about his musical influences).
He is also not the slightest bit reluctant to suggest that he has the same likes and dislikes of most kids growing-up in Meadowvale (a neighborhood in Scarborough) in the late eighties and early nineties.
He is down-to-earth, and hints at some sophistication when he talks about the intricacies of influence in hip-hop (at one point talking about the specific contributions of Chuck D post-1998). More Or Les seems determined to strike a balance as an artist. Another way of stating this is that More Or Les is reluctant to take risks as an artist.