Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; Sin City

DVD reviews from Nick at Nite

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

From the same guys who wrote the Lethal Weapon movies comes this alternative private detective, Hollywood murder mystery. Filled with tongue-in-cheek dialogue and featuring understated performances by Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. this movie is a pleasant surprise. Much of the humor in the movie comes from the characters' interplay and the various plot twists that ensue, so I don't want to give away any of the plot. I will say watch out for Abraham Lincoln at the end of the movie. I give Kiss Kiss Bang Bang an "A."

Sin City

I stayed away from this movie for a long time because I am not into movies made from random comic books that I have never read or heard of, e.g., Daredevil, Howard the Duck, Electra, etc ... I only watched Sin City because I saw it on cable. Once I started watching it, I simply could not turn my eyes away from the film. Sin City tells the story of several individuals who stories are interrelated, but exist independent of each other (think Robert Altman's Shortcuts, but less confusing). Some of the stories are compelling, some are not. All of the stories are violent. The film is done in black and white and apparently with significant green screen work. An interesting effect is the director's use of color with an item or a few items in each shot. I am still not sure if I thought the stories were clever or if it was simply the imagery that was keeping me interested in the movie. Did I mention violence? There is gun play, mutilation, and torture scenes in this movie. There is also some nudity. Don't let your kids watch this movie. I give it a "B" and say rent it or catch it when it comes on cable. Watch for Elijah Woods' and Nick Stahl's creepy performances. Really creepy.