Rent this, and your friends will probably "cap" you
925146
*minor spoilers (not that reading them would help you understand this film)*

Narrated from the perspective of pseudo-protagonist Steve 5 (Jesse Woodrow), "The Hillz" is one of the more recent cinematic enterprises attempting to illustrate (invent?) a particularly sad genre of American culture:  that of young, bored, and rich white men seeking to acquire "street cred" by adopting a philosophy consisting primarily of women, drugs, death, and money.  Steve, his pal Duff (Rene Heger), and some toadies lead a pointless existence as children growing up in Beverly Hills.  Driven to hedonistic pursuits, wanting for nothing, and lacking any moral compass, the film follows these friends as their lives deteriorate around them.  It seems that pampered affluence is helpless to prevent one's slide towards a violent death in the `hood.

*end minor spoilers*

My obsession with obtaining "maximum value" from my purchases is to blame for my watching of this disaster.  I feel compelled to watch as many movies as my cable company (and my personal time) allow, as long as they are selected only from the "free on demand" group of films.  Occasionally, this practice unearths a gem I would not have viewed otherwise.  More often, I find myself trapped in the midst of a stampede of inappropriate musical timing, terrible acting, nonexistent directing, miscast after miscast, and writing which suggests English was the screenwriter's third language, as in this film.  Unfortunately, that is not the limit of my cinematic pathology, for once I begin a movie, I cannot "just turn it off."  I have never walked out of a movie.  I have never paused a movie to listen to something one of my many now-ex-girlfriends was saying.  I even sat through the entire travesty otherwise known as "The Postman" (the Kevin Costner one), at the same time a particularly raucous party was occurring in my own residence!

Compared to this movie, erstwhile horror-schlock tripe like "El Chupacabra" acquires depth.  It is an extremely sad thing when the talent of Paris Hilton is the only thing that rises above the putrefied morass making up most of this film's content.  Well, perhaps "rise above" is a generous designation for her almost invisible contribution to this film.  There is really no conceivable reason for anyone to view this movie.  Even if you harbor such unimaginably bad taste in women so as to lust after Paris Hilton, please spare your damaged psyche further pain and "Google-image" her, instead.  Halfway through this movie I wondered if I was perhaps the victim of a grand practical joke, and "The Hillz" was really a subtle parody of Hollywood's glorification of rich, impotent fools masquerading as young thugs.  Alas, the viewer realizes that this movie indeed attempts serious-storytelling, before time and again reverting back to inanity, random deaths, and ho-hum bursts of pointless violence.

This film makes the similarly-themed and mediocre "Havoc" seem downright monumental.  Not even valuable as entertaining B-movie "so-bad-it's-good" fare (a la "Night of the Comet").  Avoid at all costs, if you value your soul.
209440
Skills Like This, winner of the coveted Audience Award at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival, is finally being released on video after amassing a great deal of buzz during its festival circuit. Directed by Monty Miranda, this artful comedy is uniquely amusing.

Spencer Berger stars as Max Solomon, an aspiring writer who realizes his career is going nowhere. Fed up with his ineptitude as a writer, he decides on a whim to rob a bank. He is surprised at how naturally he takes to being a thief. In a Robin Hood-esque turn, he doesn't even keep the money that he steals. Rather, he steals for the exhilarating rush that he feels. His two best friends react differently to his new chosen career as an outlaw. Brian Phelan plays the incredibly daft Tommy, who is fired up and ready for action as Max's accomplice. Gabriel Tigerman is Dave, a much more reserved person with the level headed thought that Max's antics will land all three of them in jail. Lucy (Kerry Knupe) is the attractive bank teller Max robs and not too later finds himself involved with romantically. As Max continues down his blossoming career of thievery, his friends have to make hard choices about the future, especially when his stealing habits begin to effect the people he cares about the most.

As far as special features go, this disc offers thirteen minutes worth of deleted scenes and another seven minutes of cast and crew interviews. Two trailers are included. One of these is a "fundraising trailer," which is a screen test with the cast that is designed to look like it was lifted straight from the movie. The director realized that this movie trailer for a movie that did not yet exist was a fantastic sales tool. In a month and a half, with the aid of this trailer, half of the money necessary to make the movie was raised. The SXSW acceptance speech is included, as well as biographies and information about the soundtrack. All in all this is a nice package of extras.

This offbeat comedy is reminiscent of Fun With Dick and Jane, infused with a splash of Napoleon Dynamite. Skills Like This does a good job highlighting the eclectic music scene in Denver, and the outstanding music displayed throughout the movie is definitely one of the highlights. The chemistry between the cast is genuine, and watching the three friends play off of one another is amusing. Though it is on the shorter side (the runtime is just under 90 minutes) and the ending really leaves some frustrating ends (for one character in particular), this honest indie movie features a comedy style of a very unique brand, and it is worth checking out.
1529778
The built in speakers are not very loud, but as long as your friends can be quiet for a split second to hear the movie there will be no problem.
191391
OK, I agree.  It LOOKS wonderful!  But eye-candy isn't everything when it comes to great games.  This is NOT a great game.  This is an OK rental game, since it is easy to play.  Re-play value stinks except to show your friends.
4616220
This movie definitely belongs in the comedy section of horror movies.  It is definitely entertaining if you watch it with some of your best buds.  It does not belong with the greats but it is just a fun film that may reach a cult status just like "The Stuff."  All I really have to say is "PANCAKES!!!"...now I know all of you will go out and watch it just to find out what that exactly means...doncha?  LOL, it is really worth renting it just for the laughs. :0)
3708174
This thing is way cool. I saw a post for this on facebook from another site, but looked it up here and found an 8 gig for 19 bucks rather than a 2gig for 30 elsewhere. A ton of my friends have threatened to steal it from me.
2364669
This movie is very cute, and airy on the surface, but it also illustrates the cruelty of high school. (If you don't recognize and remember this cruelty from your own high school, you WERE one of the cruel ones!) There is more to this film than you may wish to see. Or, you can just enjoy it for the fun on the surface.
Romy and Michele don't seem to have progressed far since their high school days, so they invent fake lives. Of course, when you invent a whole new life on little notice, there are bound to be holes, and you are bound to get caught, as they are. There are charming sequences from the heads of both women, of how they hope things will go.
By the end, if you step back and look, Romy and Michele have gone through quite a bit of growth. When you look at some of the people who were on the most likely to succeed, you can see that they simply stagnated. Those often labeled as most likely to succeed are those who peak in high school. It must be a sad fate to have the high point of your life so early. It was great to see some of what had been the popular clique outgrow their previous friends, and see the merits of those previously 'below them'.
This is a fun movie if you are already out of school, and may give some hope to those still in the grueling experience of high school. Life does get better, once you are outside of that artificial world of school.
2194046
You may not use this often, or you may not need this often, but when you do use or need it, you'll be glad you have this around!
819720
This little unit will become more and more valuable as you own it.  I've already used it in ways or times I had not expected.
1439924
It's got a cool design, sure. And yeah, this 6-port won't come with any faulty ports like the cheap ones you'll find on Amazon. But wait until you bust this bad boy out at the next social gathering. Life. Of. The. Party. B o o m. No, but really, when you're bringing everyone up from 18% to 80% simultaneously, not only are you reliable friend but something like a legendary hero.
4069821
Whod a thunk it? Adam McKay, probably best known for the Anchorman movies, along with Step Brothers, gets a little more serious with his film about the Wall Street shenanigans surrounding the financial collapse in 2008. Maybe serious is the wrong word. Pissed is more like it. And after you see this film, you most certainly will be too.

A small group of financial investors, unknown to each other at the time, come to the conclusion that the booming real estate market will soon collapse. The rationale is that many mortgage loans were made to individuals who weren't credit worthy and who were lured by teaser (very low) adjustable rate mortgages. The risk to the originators was minimal as there was a secondary market that bought the loans, bundled into large bonds.

The earliest outliers are Michael Burry (Christian Bale) and Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), operators who have different styles and different means of accessing investment capital. Burry, a medical doctor who manages his portfolio barefoot and listening to heavy metal, is backed by a larger financial institution but has autonomy when it comes to what he invests in. He decides to put everything into a new form of security which is more complicated than just shorting a stock. Vennett, who like Burry, is a bit of a brilliant oddball, needs investors to help him accomplish the same thing. Essentially creating an insurance product that will protect them if the big banks (who own the bundled loans) lose their shirts if the loans fail.

If this sounds complicated, it is. But McKay, who also wrote the screenplay with Charles Randolph based on Michael Lewiss book, provides some funny talk-to-the-camera cameos by celebrities who don't come to mind when you think about Wall Street investing vehicles. They explain things in relatively simple terms.

Much of the film focuses on a small group of investors led by Mark Baum (Steve Carell). They are being courted by Vennett. Baum and his team actually do some field work to see what is happening to people being caught in a credit squeeze complicated by rising unemployment. The results are history and those who saw it coming were able to profit. Most, especially Baum, are uncomfortable with their winnings but the point is made.

The film is not without the obvious serious undertones, but McKay handles the crisis with a deft hand. Everyone in the film is terrific but most noticeable is Carell, who Im guessing is the character, McKay is most comfortable with. Baum is obnoxious, unlikeable and confrontational. But hes also concerned and dumbfounded by the ignorance of the big Wall Street investment firms, the credit rating agencies and the lack of oversight by the government. Me too. Excellent film.
2291137
After having rented nearly all the videos at our local mom & pop video rental store, and after this one came off the "new release" (more expensive) shelves, we gave it a try.  (I'll try any movie for $1.)... I'm proud to say that after renting it in excess of five times, we finally broke down and bought it.  A better purchase I could not have made!
This movie is clever, hilarious, and populated with some great characters.  Also, it's infinitely quotable, and nearly every scene rings true.  Thank goodness Mike Judge departed from Beavis & Butthead to make this gem of a cinematic masterpiece.  (Okay, you might not file it next to "The Godfather," but you would definitely put it somewhere between the Marx Brothers and Wes Anderson/Owen Wilson's "Bottle Rocket")  Make that comedic masterpiece.  For my money, it doesn't get much better than when John C. McGinley gives his monologue about Michael Bolton, or when Diedrich Bader comes over as the friendly neighbor, or when Mike Judge cameos and talks about "flair," or when vengeance is taken on a certain office appliance... you get the idea.  (As I was making that list, about eight other favorite scenes popped into my head).
If you haven't seen it, give it a try.  If you have seen it and rented it more than twice (or recommended it to all your friends) then do yourself a favor and get it on DVD before it's no longer being sold.  Movies this classic don't come along very often...
4799866
do yourself a favor and just get these  ahead of time...you WILL lose your cap, but you'll have back ups!
2629760
This is a humorous, warmhearted film that ends well for all concerned.  I greatly enjoyed seeing actors and musicians from my younger years still active.  And it's too bad we all can't end our days in such luxury.  But the adding machine in my head suggests that you'd have to shell out a few hundred thousand up front and come up with at least five thousand a month thereafter, if you could even find such a place.  My experience is that in America, retirement homes are wedged into the cityscape and offer little green space outside and only modest elbow room inside.  They're built to maximize income per square foot.  The chair-lift on Beecham House's grand staircase offered a hint of reality, however.
4614322
Rent it, you won't be sorry, action packed, and best of all it's within the doctrine of being believable too.
3410732
<div id="video-block-R1FWIFP3PXTBSN" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1lW-08E6IS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ki8LcssAS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;I got such a kick out of this book I covered it on my "Super Important Movie Reviews" series, because this sucker will be on the big screen in a few years. It's a fun concept and a good read.
4401513
This is so funny!  I've shared it with many of my friends and most of them have then bought it.