Saturday, December 31, 2011

My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2011

Just so you know, I didn't include my Sam's movie The Debt on this list because technically I saw it at a film festival last October. Otherwise it would have defenietly been on here. Same with The King's Speech (which got a limited release I beleive it was last December).


10. The Help

·         This was a surprise hit this year. While the movie started off a little slow, I really got into it in the second half. You really get a sense of what it was like living in the south in the 60’s. Amazing act by all. I particularly enjoyed Jessica Chastain’s performance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her and a few others from this movie get Oscar nominations.

9. Paul

·         I love a good comedy. Paul had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. This was a really fun road movie/spoof of other alien movies. Seth Rogen is the voice (he also did some performance capture for this) of the title character and he was really good. So were Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. My fellow nerds will love this.

8. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

·         I always enjoy watching Robert Downey Jr. He and Jude Law were my favorite parts of this entertaining mystery. Sure it’s flawed (the slow motion action scenes might annoy some people) but you can look past it. The soundtrack was really good. Guy Ritchie did an amazing job with the look of the time period.

7. The Descendants

·         I had a chance to see this back at a film festival in October. It’s a well done dramedy starring George Clooney as a man who must keep his family together when his wife is in an accident and is basically a vegetable. A shocking secret is revealed that he also must come to terms with. You wouldn’t think a movie like this would be funny but I found myself laughing out loud more than once. At the same time, I also cried. I really think George Clooney will win a Best Actor Oscar this year. He gives an unbelievable performance.

6. Breaking Dawn Part 1

·         I know people are going to think I’m crazy for putting this on my list but so what. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Twilight fan. I know they’re not the best movies out there (far from it) but I enjoy them for what they are. Breaking Dawn part 1 is probably the best one so far. The acting has actually gotten better. It’s nice to see Robert Pattinson show some actual emotion. This movie has Edward & Bella getting married, going on their honeymoon, Bella getting pregnant and giving birth in one of the most disturbing birthing scenes I’ve ever seen in my life. I wasn’t sure if this book would be possible to make into a movie, but I think Bill Condon did a really good job. He certainly did the best he could with the shitty script that was given to him. I still don’t think it needed to be split up into two movies though. I think they could’ve done just fine with one long 3+ hour movie. Still, I liked it.

5. Anonymous

·         Another great movie I saw at the local film festival this year. It goes with the idea that Edward DeVere was the real author of all those plays and not William Shakespeare. Is it true? Who knows. But the director argues his points well and I found the whole thing fascinating. The cinematography was beautiful. Amazing acting as well, especially by Rhys Ifans.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

·         David Fincher has done it again. This time he’s taken on an American adaptation of Steig Larson’s best-selling novel. It’s very a very faithful adaptation, with the exception of a slight change to the ending that I’m not crazy about, but I understand why he did it. Rooney Mara completely transforms herself and does it very convincingly as troubled young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Daniel Craig was just perfect for the role of Mikael Blomkvist. As people who’ve read the book or are familiar with the story know, things get EXTREMELY graphic, including two rape scenes. This movie is not for those with a weak stomach. Despite cringing in my seat a few times, I still enjoyed this well done mystery/thriller. I enjoyed the music as well. Although, I’ll never be able to listen to Enya’s “Sail Away” the same way again.

3. Fast Five

·         Easily the best in the franchise since the first movie. It includes the usual cool cars and chase scenes, but they added a heist theme to this one which I found really enjoyable. Vin Diesel & Duane “The Rock” Johnson’s bad ass fight scene alone was worth the price of admission.

2. The Hangover Part 2

·         While not as good as the first movie, I still loved this one. It’s always great to see the Wolf Pack (played brilliantly by Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms) in action. Yes, it’s pretty much the same movie as last time, only now it’s set in Bangkok and this time Stu is the one getting married. Still, the chemistry between the three main actors and the crazy things they get into makes for a good time.



This was a really difficult decision, deciding which movie would be my number one. I was very close to having just Harry Potter be it and making Warrior a very close second. But in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to make Warrior anything less than number one. I love both movies so much, for different reasons. So it’s a tie this year J

1. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows part 2

·         As I think back on this movie, I can’t help but feel a little sad. This is it. The final chapter in the epic Harry Potter franchise. My childhood is officially over. I’m so glad my friends and I decided to go to the midnight premiere. We dressed up as various characters and had an amazing night hanging out together and enjoying the movie. David Yates did an amazing job capturing the action, emotion, and just everything we all loved about the last book. It was a pretty faithful adaptation for the most part. Unlike Breaking Dawn, this definitely needed to be split up into two movies. There was just so much material to cover. As with most book to movie adaptations, some things were changed or left out altogether. Nothing major though that I can remember. Everything that I and many other fans wanted to see was included. My favorite scenes were Snape’s memories. Alan Rickman was so amazing in this. I had hoped he might have a chance at a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but that doesn’t look likely now. Such a shame. Anyway, I can’t think of a better way to end this franchise. Well done by everyone involved making the movie. It’s weird not having any Harry Potter movies to look forward to anymore. But it’ll be okay. These books and movies will definitely be enjoyed by many generations to come.

1. Warrior

·         Being such a huge Tom Hardy fan, I knew I had to go see this. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I enjoyed Warrior. You don’t have to like MMA (I actually do though) in order to like this movie. It’s an amazing, emotional family drama that just happens to include MMA. It tells the story of two brothers- Tommy (Tom Hardy), the youngest who’s a former Marine and an Iraq war hero with a lot of issues, and Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a married school teacher struggling to make ends meet and is about to l have his house taken away. They’ve been estranged for 14 years because of their alcoholic father Paddy (Nick Nolte, giving an Oscar worthy performance). Paddy wants desperately to reconnected with both his sons but (for good reasons) they want nothing to do with him. Both Tommy and Brendan enter the biggest tournament in MMA history. They each have their own reasons for needing to win the big 5 million dollar prize. Of course, it ends up coming down to a fight between the two of them. What I love most about what Gavin O’Connor (the director) did was he made you like both characters so much that you have no idea who to root for. That’s usually not the case with sports movies. So how does it end? I’m not going to tell you. But they made it work and you realize it was the only way it could of ended. Although there were a few rough spots with the dialogue, it was such a great movie that you can look past that minor flaw. The fight scenes were brutal and have you on the edge of your seat during the last half of the movie. You lose all track of time. It sure didn’t feel like an almost two and a half hour movie. Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton are very convincing as MMA fighters, especially Tom. He’s huge and scares the shit out of you. Anyone who doubts he’ll make a great Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, should see him in this. I know he’s going to be amazing in it.



So there you have it! I want to thank all of you for taking the time to check out my blog and read my reviews. It really means a lot to me. I hope everyone has a great New Years and I look forward to discussing with you all the movies coming out in 2012.


Friday, December 30, 2011

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (IMAX)

Just to let you know, I haven't really seen any of the previous Mission Impossible movies except a few scenes here and there. If I mess anything up, I apologize.

Here it is! My last review of 2011. And what a movie to end the year with.

I admit that at first, I had no desire to see this. But then I heard some IMAX theaters were playing a 6 minute preview of The Dark Knight Rises before it. Sadly, as I found out tonight, my local IMAX theater wasn't one of them. But they did show the latest trailer which was pretty bad ass. But lets move on before I get carried away with my Batman obsession.

I'm glad I decided to go. This movie was a lot of fun. I can see why it's getting good reviews. Was it perfect? Of course not. I don't think anyone really expected it to be.

What can I say? It's Tom Cruise (back of course as Ethan Hunt) literaley running around various countries while he and his team (Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton) save the world using cool gadgets. Oh, and occasionaly crap blows up.

As far as a "plot", from what I can understand, has Ethan and his team framed for a bombing in Russia. So then they must stop Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist, best known for playing Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), the man actually responsible, before he launches nuclear weapons and goes through with his plan to wipe out everyone on Earth and start over.

I know it sounds ridiculous and beleive me it is, but all the action and scenery more than make up for it. It's not one of those movies you go into expecting a great plot. Like I said though, it was fun.

Tom Cruise was really good. I had almost forgotten how great of an actor he was. I liked the cast as well. Especially Simon Pegg, who provides the comic relief.

If you're going to go see this, defenietly go see it in IMAX. There's certain scenes that to me just wouldn't look the same on a regular screen. Especially the scene where Tom is climbing up and then running down this huge, 100+ story building. It was such an incredible moment and felt so real that it scared the shit out of me. Everyone in the theater seemed to be gasping at that moment too.

Even though it felt more like a summer type movie to me, it's doing really well right now. I'm glad. It's very entertaining. Had me on the edge of my seat. Hope you guys get to see it if you get the chance :)

My Rating: 8/10

Just one more thing- For those that are interested, I'm going to be posting a list of my top 10 favorite movies of 2011. Be sure to look for that sometime tomorrow.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Let me start off by saying that (contrary to what some people think) this is NOT a remake of the brilliant 2009 Swedish film staring Noomi Rapace. It's simply a different adaptation of Steig Larsson's best selling book.

But I admit to being a bit skeptical when this project was first announced. I loved the 2009 film and didn't see much sense in another one. But I decided to give it a chance, especially when I heard David Fincher (The Social Network, Fight Club) had signed on to direct. I'm glad I did :)

The movie is about a disgraced journalist named Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). He's hired by the wealthy Henrik Vanger to investigate the dissapearance of his grandniece Harriet, which occured 40 years ago. Mikael is aided by a very troubled young computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara, who gives an unbeleivable performance).

For those not familiar with the book, I must warn you that this movie is EXTREMELY graphic. Not only the violence and torture, but there's two rape scenes that (even though I knew they would happen) had myself and pretty much everyone in the theater cringing.

This movie had me on the edge of my seat. I love a good myster/thriller. David Fincher did an amazing job setting the tone. The musical score (done by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, who also did the score for The Social Network) was really good. Will have to download it at some point.

But my favorite part of the movie was the performances. I'm a huge fan of Daniel Craig and think he was perfect for the role of Mikael Blomkvist. But of course the real star of this movie is Rooney Mara. She completely transformed herself for the role. I'm glad Fincher decided to go with a relatively unknown actress for the role of Lisbeth. Rooney was nominated for a Golden Globe for this and it was well deserved. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets an Oscar nomination as well.

I really don't have anything negative to say about the movie. Not that it's perfect by any means. If I had to pick something, I'd say that I wasn't too crazy about how Fincher changed the ending. It's not a major change or anything, but it's different from the book. That's really the only change that I can remember. The rest of the movie was a very faithful adaptation, even more so than the one from 2009.

So which version of the film was better, this one or the one from 2009? I really hate to compare them. They're both so good. Noomi Rapace was an excellent Lisbeth but I think Rooney Mara did just as good of a job. Although I must admit Rooney's version was more how I pictured Lisbeth when I read the book. And Daniel Craig was a much better choice for Mikael. Not to knock the actor who played him in the Swedish film. He was good but not at all how I thought Mikael should look.

As long as you have a fairly strong stomach, I would say go see this film. You don't necessarily have to read the book first (although I highly reccomend you read it and the other two books anyway). As I said it's a very faithful adaptation for the most part. Much credit to David Fincher for creating another amazing film. He's really proven himself to be a top notch director.

My Rating: 9/10

Friday, December 16, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Finally! A really fun, action packed movie that makes you think. I can't even begin to tell you how rare that is in movies these days. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was brilliant.

I would love to tell you the plot but I'm still trying to figure it all out. It's one of those movies you have to pay attention to every detail and most likely see a couple of times in order to understand. But this time around, Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) is investigating various crimes throughout Europe that he believes are connected to Professor James Moriarty played very convincingly by Jared Harris). Of course Watson (Jude Law), who's just gotten marrieds, gettting involved.
Alon the way homes encounters a gypsy named Sim. Sim is played by Noomi Rapacd, who's best known for her rolls as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of The Girl With the dragon tattoo (and its two sequels). She was amazing those and you should definitely check them out I you haven't already done so. While Noomi has a decent sized role in A Game of Shadows, and she plays the part well, it certainly isn't her best work.

It goes Withou saying that Robert Downey Jr. Was amazing. I've really enjoyed seeing him develop this character. Very charming and funny. And you get to see him in drag which to me alone was worth the price of admission. I loved seeing him interact with Jude Law. The two of them have great chemistry. It was one of the things I loved best about the movie. I really hope they both cd back for a third.

Guy Ritchie is back as director. I think he's really good and making you feel like you're in the time period. Of course, as wiu the first movie, there's a bunch of slow motion action scenes. And while normally that kind of thing really annoys me, it works here for the most part. There was only one of those scenes that I wasn't crazy about and that was when Holmes. Watson, and Sim were being chased in the woods. It was kind of stupid to be honest. That's really my only complaint. Everything else from the cinematography to the soundtrack were good. Guy is a really good director.

If you liked the first movie than you'll love A Game of Shadows. Although you don't have to have seen it (the first one) in order to watch this. I have unfeeling that A Game of Shadows will make lots of money. I had a blast and I hope you guys do too :)

My Rating: 9/10

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Breaking Dawn: Part 1

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a huge Twilight fan. Of course, I've read all the books. Now I know they're not great literature (far from it) but still... I enjoy a good cheesy romance novel every now and then. And I've always been fascinated by vampires.

It's been a tradition for me & my grandparents to go see the movies on openin night. I must like to torture myself lol. What I mean is I can't stand most of the crowd that Twilight draws- the loud annoying teenage girls. They get on my nerves and give Twilight fans a bad name. We're not all like that I promise.

That being said, Breaking Dawn: Part 1 was awesome. I definitely think it's the best one so far. It's nice to see that the acting has gradually gotten better and they finally got the look of the vampires right. I shudder to think back to the first film with the ugly blue tint and the horrible make up job.

This time around they got Academy Award winning director Bill Condon. I've only seen bits and pieces of two of his other movies (Chicago & Dreamgirls) but I was impressed. I wasn't sure how the book would translate to film (anyone who's read Breaking Dawn knows it's a crazy mess) but Bill pulled it off. He did the best he could with the material he had to work with.

WARNING: Some might call these spoilers but I really don't think they are. Everyhing I'm about to talk about appears in the various trailers out there.

In this movie, Bella & Edward finally get married in a beautiful ceremony that was just how I always pictured it. Jacob shows up as a "gift" to Bella. Eventually there's some tension (of course) but after that things settle down and Bella & Edward go on their honeymoon. This part was filmed in South America and looks absolutely gorgeous.

Then there's the much anticipated sex scene. All I'll say about that is it does include some headboard breaking and feathers flying all over the place. Woo hoo!

Of course, things don't exactly go perfectly. Bella soon finds out that she's pregnant. I never realized vampires could father children. Edward must have some super sperm or something. It's best not to think too much about this.

Bella wants to keep the baby (despite the huge risk) But Edward's convinced it's a monster and wants her to have an abortion. The newlyweds return home to try and figure out what's going on. The pregnancy is greatly accelerated and is sucking the life out of Bella. It's amazing what technology can do these days. Kristen Stewart looks so sick in these scenes it's scary. You really feel like Bella is at death's door.

There's also some issues with the werewolves. They feel that the baby is a threat to them and are hellbent on destroying it, even if it means killing Bella in the process. Jacob wants nothing to do with this and breaks away from the pack (along with Seth & Leah) to warn The Cullens and protect Bella.

And then there's the birth scene- oh my god!!! It's very intense. Hard to beleive, but it was toned down when you compare it to the book. Still, it was creepy. I'm honestly surprised they got away with a PG-13 rating.

I won't tell you where part 1 ends, but I think you can figure it out. I was, in my head, shouting "Noooo! It can't end now." I could've sat in that theater for another two hours. It really sucks that we have to wait until next November for part 2. It was hard enough waiting the 8 months in between both parts of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. It's far from perfect (there's a certain scene involving Jacob that prevents me from giving Breaking Dawn a higher rating) but so what. You can't take these movies too seriously. Honestly, and I'm not trying to be mean, if you go into a Twilight movie expecting an Oscar worthy experience then you're a moron. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Oh, and be sure to stay during the credits. There's a small but great scene that sets up part 2.

My Rating: 8.5/10

I gave it the extra .5 because before the movie they showed a trailer for Man On A Ledge- a new movie coming out soon starring my Sam Worthington ;) :D

Friday, November 11, 2011

Immortals (3D)

I must say, seeing Henry Cavill run around half naked in 3D is a pretty awesome way to spend a Friday night ;) Immortals kicked ass!! I knew it would be good but I didn't know it would be this good.

I absolutely love these kinds of movies. Always have. Yes, Immortals has everything you've seen before (an evil king, a poor man who ends up being the hero, and even the slow motion action), but it's still a lot of fun. The best way I can describe it is that it's pretty much Clash of the Titans meets 300.

I'm not going to go too much into the plot since you've seen it all before. But basically there's an evil king named Hyperion (played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke) who's got a lot of issues to say the least. He's hellbent on finding some magical bow (that I beleive had belonged to the Gods or the Titans. Can't remember which) and releasing the Titans. He doesn't care who or what he has to destroy in the process. Meanwhile, in a small village a man named Theseus (Henry Cavill) lives with his mother. They're very poor and pretty much considered outcasts. But Zeus sees something in Theseus and ultimately chooses him to lead an army and stop King Hyperion.

The visuals in this movie were really good. Some of the best I've seen this year infact. You really felt like you were there. Just to warn you, Immortals is VERY gory. There's blood and body parts flying all over the place. If you have a weak stomach this may not be the best movie for you.

Henry Cavill I thought did an excellent job (and no I'm not saying that because he's extremely good looking. Although it certainly didn't hurt hehe). He's probably best known for his role as Charles Brandon in The Tudors. It's a really good tv series that was on Showtime. I highly recommend it. Anyway, I think he's a really good actor and I look forward to seeing more of his movies in the future.

Frida Pinto (she was in Slumdog Millionare) plays a priestess. Can't really say more about her role without spoiling some of the plot. But you can pretty much guess what happens.

If I had anything "negative" to say, it would be that I wish they had tried to make the story a little more original. Not really a big issue for me though since I enjoyed the movie and it entertained me.

The 3D was actually good, but not great. Still, it's worth the extra money to see it that way if you can.

Go see Immortals if you're really into this genre. And if you're not, still go see it. There's a lot of great eye candy ;) ;)

My Rating: 8/10

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Tower Heist

I was in the mood for a comedy this weekend. I'd seen the trailer a few weeks ago and this movie looked funny so I thought I would check it out. While I'm glad I did, it certainly wasn't the best comedy I've ever seen. Still, I liked it.

Tower Heist takes place in New York City. Ben Stiller stars as Josh Kovacs, the manager of an apartment building called The Tower. These are no ordinary apartments. They're the kind that only the very wealthy can afford. One of the residents is a Wall Street buisnessman named Arthur Shaw. Josh and several other people who work at The Tower are shocked when they find out that Shaw is involved in a large scheme, which has cost all of them their pensions. Josh decides to make things right by robbing Shaw's apartment, in which he has hidden over 20 million dollars. He enlists the help of some of his coworkers as well as Slide (Eddie Murphy), his neighbor who is a "criminal" and has experience in this department.

As I said before, this was not the best comedy. But I did find it funny and laughed at several points. I must say, Ben Stiller was really good in this. So was Eddie Murphy, which I was happy about. Over the last several years, most of his movies have been complete shit with the exception of Shrek. The other actors characters were likable, but these were far from their best roles.

If you need a good laugh, go and see this. But Tower Heist is a movie you'll likely forget about in a few months. It was fun though.

My Rating: 6/10

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Paranormal Activity 3

I remember when the first Paranormal Activity movie came out. There was so much hype and when I finally saw it I was like, really? Don't get me wrong I liked it a lot. But I was a little disappointed. It certainly wasn't the "scariest movie ever" that people were claiming it to be. There were a few times I remember jumping in my seat, but that's about it.

This third movie however, really creeped me out. I mean that in a good way. I've been really let down by the horror movies that have come out lately. But not this one. I really enjoyed it. It's easily the best movie out of the three.

This movie is a prequel, taking place in 1988. It tells the story of a young Katie & Kristi (sisters, seen as adults in the first two movies) who live with their mom Julie and stepdad Dennis. One day Kristi starts talking to an "imaginary friend" named Toby and from there, all he'll breaks loose. Dennis decides to set up video cameras around the house to try and find out what's going on.

I can't say much more than that without giving away everything. But I thought they did a good job with the story. Much better than the first two.

The acting was pretty good too. Especially the two little girls playing young Katie and Kristi. And I really enjoyed watching the guy who played Dennis. His character was very likable.

This is not a perfect movie however. Far from it. Just like the first two, there's long periods of time where almost nothing happens. A door might creek shut or a picture falls off the wall but that's about it. It's not until you get to the last third of the movie when things really start to get interesting. The ending I wasn't too crazyabout though. Felt a little too much like The Last Exorcism.

Bottom line, if you liked the first two, then you'll love this one.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Film Columbia 2011

This is the second year I've attended and I was not disappointed . The Chatham Film Club runs this and they do a great job. The movies are shown mainly at the Crandell. If you've never been there, you're really missing out. It's a cute old fashioned theater. I remember going there many times as a kid. The prices really haven't changed much since then. Where else can you go these days and see a movie for $5?

Anyway, since the movies I saw technically haven't been released yet, I'm only going to post very brief reviews & my rating so as not to spoil them for you guys.

Anonymous:
Beautiful cinematography. Wonderful acting, especially by Rhys Ifans. Was Edward De Vere really the author of all those plays and not William Shakespheare? Who knows. But this was a great mystery/thriller. Really makes you think (a rarity in movies these days). Definitely worth checking out.
My Rating: 8.5/10


Like Crazy:
A really sweet, romantic, low budget movie. Took me a little while to get into it, but it was good. Really good performances by the two leads (Anton Yelchin & Felecity Jones). An honest look at relationships.
My Rating: 7/10


A Dangerous Method:
Great period movie. The kind Academy loves. Brilliant acting by Michael Fassbender & Viggo Mortensen as Carl Jung & Sigmund Freud. Kiera Knightly was amazing as well. I wouldn't be surprised if she got a Best Actress Oscar for this.
My Rating: 8/10


The Descendants:
This was the Saturday Night Sneak movie at the festival. A really good dramedy starring George Clooney. I both laughed & cried. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous (the movie takes place in Hawaii). While I don't know if it'll win Best Picture, I can see George Clooney getting the award for Best Actor.
My Rating: 8.5/10

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Thing

I have not seen the original movie from the 80's so bear with me. To be honest, the only reasons I went to see this were I was in the mood for a horror movie and Joel Edgerton is in it. He was in Warrior and if you haven't seen it yet you really should. Anyway...

The plot is pretty simple. An alien spacecraft is discovered in Antartica. A scientist enlist the help of a young paleontologist named Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, probably best known for her role in Scott Pilgrim vs The World) and several other people after they find a creature not too far from the craft. So they go to Antartica and start their experiment on the presumed dead creature. Surprise surprise- it's actually alive and begins infecting people. Once infected, the creature takes on the form of that person without them realizing at first. Let the paranoia begin.

The Thing has been getting mostly horrible reviews and I can understand why. But to be honest, I didn't think it was the worst movie ever. Atleast for me, it was so bad that I had a great time sitting there making fun of it and predicting what would happen next (and most of the time I was right). There were a few moments where I jumped in my seat, but overall the movie was more disturbing than it was scary. The special effects weren't too bad.

And aside from Joel Edgerton and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who are good actors and do the best they can with what they have to work with) the acting was horrible.

Overall I would recommend The Thing to anyone who's into bad horror movies. It was a fun way to spend a Friday night.

My Rating: 6/10

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Warrior

I'm so happy I finally got to see Warrior. I'm a huge fan of Tom Hardy and believe it or not, I like watching MMA (mixed martial arts). Although I haven't watched it recently.

Yes it's set in the world of MMA, but at the center of the movie is a family drama concerning two brothers Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and their alcoholic father Paddy. Years ago, Tommy left with his Mom after Paddy had basically beaten the crap out of her. Brendan, for his own reasons, didn't go with them.

Fourteen years later, Tommy is a former Marine and an Iraq war hero. He still holds a lot of anger towards both his father and brother. But he wants to get into fighting and needs someone to train him, which was really the only thing Paddy was good at. I can't remember the details, but I believe Paddy was involved with boxing at some point in his life.

Meanwhile, Brendan is now married and has two young daughters. He works as a high school physics teacher and to earn extra money, participates in small fights at night in parking lots. Despite this, he and his wife are struggling to make ends meet. Plus the bank is about to take their house. After getting suspended from his job as a teacher when word of his parking lot fights reaches the superentendint, Brendan decides to get back into MMA (at one point he was part of the UFC, but he wasn't exactly the best fighter out there) and compete in a big tournament in Atlantic City where the big prize is five million dollars.

Tommy ends up in the tournament as well. They both have a series of fights that ultimately lead to the championship where they must fight each other.

The fight scenes in the movie were some of the best I've ever seen. They're very brutal and intense. I cringed several times. But I couldn't take my eyes off the screen as they were playing out.

I think the best part of Warrior, for me anyway, was the acting. Tom Hardy was just incredible. You can really feel for his character and understand why he is the way he is. And the amount of training he had to do to prepare for the role... Wow! When you see him, he'll scare the crap out of you. He's huge! There's no doubt in my mind that Tom will make a great Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, which comes out next summer.

Joel Edgerton is really good as well. While he may not be as huge as Tom Hardy, he's just as intense. This is the first movie I've seen Joel in and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

Nick Nolte gives a brilliant performance as a father desperately trying to recconnect with his sons. His character did many horrible things and Tommy and Brendan have every right to hate him. But Nick does such a good job with the role that during one scene in particular, I kinda felt bad for him. I really think he's going to get nominated come award season. This role just screams Oscar.

The movie does have pretty much every cliche you've ever seen in a sports movie. But unlike most sports movies (where one opponent is usually more likable than the other), in Warrior it's really hard to pick a side. I liked both brothers so much and found myself routing for both of them. Warrior is so good that you can look past the minor flaws.

It's almost two and a half hours long but it doesn't feel like it at all. I got so caught up in the story and was on the edge of my seat. I never wanted it to end!

I can defiantly say that Warrior is one of my favorite movies this year. You don't have to be a fan of MMA to enjoy it. PLEASE go and see it if you get a chance. Hopefully you'll love it as much as I do.

My Rating: 10/10

Friday, October 7, 2011

Real Steel

I first saw a trailer for this movie a couple of months ago (I'm pretty sure they played it before Deathly Hallows part 2). I thought, this is either going to be really good or really bad. Turns out... it's really good! :)

Of course, the main reason I went to see this was for Hugh Jackman. What can I say, I have a thing for Australian men ;) Ladies I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is Hugh is shirtless in this movie. The bad news- it's only for about 10 seconds :(

Anyway, Real Steel takes place in the not so distant future where actual human boxing no longer exists. Instead they've been replaced by a high tech version of the Rock Em Sock Em Robots we use to play with when we were kids. Sound ridiculous? Yeah, it is but so what.

Hugh Jackman plays Charlie, a former boxer who now is reduced to a couple of underground robot fights here and there (in this world humans control the robots when they fight) and he owes several people a lot of money. In the midst of it all, he finds out his former girlfriend with whom he had a son (the boy's name is Max. Charlie ran off not long after he was born.) has died. Max's aunt wants to adopt him, but due to certain circumstances, he has to spend the summer with his Dad first.

Charlie basically treats the kid like crap at first. But eventually they start bonding when
Max finds a "sparring bot" named Atom. Atom is a bit smaller when compared to a lot of other robots, but Max thinks it can fight and he and Charlie start "training him". This leads to a couple of small fights that gain a lot of attention and eventually a shot at the world championship.

The movie was not without its flaws. The plot is filled with cliches and the dialog is at times cringeworthy. But unlike a certain other robot movie, Real Steel has an actual story with a lot of heart. Hugh Jackman was great in this. And the little boy who played Max was adorable. The chemistry between them was really believable.

Evangiline Lily was good too. She plays the owner of a gym (taking over for her father who died) and a longtime friend of Charlie's. Her father use to train him as well. And of course, she's eventually Charlie's love intrest.

The action & visuals were amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

I think people of all ages will enjoy this. There's something for everyone :) Go see it if you get the chance.

My Rating: 8/10

Friday, September 2, 2011

The Debt

Before I begin this review, I just need a moment-

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! NEW SAM MOVIE!!! *runs around the house screaming in excitement*

Okay, I'm good now :)

This is actually not the first time I've seen The Debt. I saw it with a friend at a film festival last October. I'm very happy it's finally getting released so all of you can see this amazing movie.

The Debt takes place in both 1966 and 1997. Back in 1966, three Mossad agents named David (Sam Worthington :D ), Rachel (Jessica Chastain), and Stephan (Morton Csokas) are assigned to capture the Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) and bring him back to stand trial. I can't really say much more than that without spoiling the movie. What I can tell you is that things don't exactly go according to plan. Now, more than thirty years later, an older David (Ciaran Hinds), Rachel (Helen Mirren), and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) must deal with the ramifications of what happend.

I really enjoyed this movie, which I would definitely call a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And no, I'm not just saying this because Sam is in it (really!). I can honestly tell you I would've liked this movie even if he hadn't been in it.

As far as the acting, I have to begin with Sam. He gives an amazing performance as David. David's background is extremely tragic (and that's putting it mildly) and Sam plays this very convincingly. You really feel for his character. I'll admit, I was crying at one point (somewhere out there I know you're laughing at me as you read this Ashley lol). I know some critics out there like to give Sam a hard time. To all those that do- you suck! But I'd like to hope they change their mind after seeing him in this.

Jessica Chastain (who's in another good movie out now called The Help) did a great job as Rachel. She's quickly becoming a really good actress and I can't wait to see more movies from her. Helen Mirren plays the older version of Rachel. Of course she was good. Helen can do no wrong in my opinion. I've been a fan of hers for years.

The actors who play young Stephan & older Stephan were good as well. And Jesper Christensen was very convincing as the sadistic doctor Vogel.

When award season comes around, I wouldn't be surprised if Helen Mirren or Jessica Chastain get nominated. I would love to see Sam get nominated as well, but I somehow doubt the Academy has the same enthusiasm for him as I do.

I have only one VERY minor complaint. I thought the director could've done a better job in terms of casting older David. Don't get me wrong, Ciaran Hinds is a good actor and played the part well, but he looks nothing like Sam! I definitely see Jessica as a young Helen Mirren and even Tom Wilkinson as an older Morton Csokas. But they should've tried to find an actor that somewhat resembled Sam. Like I said though, the issue was very minor and in no way changed how I felt about the movie.

Obviously, I highly recommend The Debt. PLEASE go see it! You won't be disappointed :)

My Rating: 10/10

Friday, August 26, 2011

Columbiana

As far as revenge movies go, this was pretty typical. However, I must say... Zoe Saldana kicked some serious ass!

I know I'm being biased since Zoe was one of the stars in my all time favorite movie, Avatar. But so what? :p

The movie is about a woman named Cataleya, who at the age of nine witnessed the brutal murders of her parents. She ends up living with her Uncle & Grandmother. Fifteen years later, Cataleya is now a cold blooded assassin (trained by her Uncle) who is hell bent on getting revenge on the druglord who is responsible.

The actions scenes, while predictable & absurd at points, were good. Kept me on the edge of my seat.

Aside from Zoe (who is always amazing), the acting was just average.

There were only two real issues I had, neither of them were what I'd call major though. First, they gave Cataleya a love interest which really wasn't necessary other than to give director an excuse to show Zoe practically naked & appeal to the men in the audience.

The other thing was the music. Don't get me wrong, I liked the songs, I just thought they weren't placed well at times.

Not sure how well this will do at the box office, but I liked it. I think you guys will too if you're into these kind of movies.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Friday, August 19, 2011

Fright Night (3D)

It's been awhile since I've seen a decent horror movie. Fright Night was actually pretty good :)

That being said, it's far from being perfect. The dialog was bad at times and the movie was very predictable. But it was fun. Infact it's a mix of both horror and comedy. Wether the funny moments were suppose to be intentional or unintentional I'm not sure.

Anyway, the plot is pretty simple. Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is a guy in his late teens living with his mother in a small neighborhood around Las Vegas. One day a new guy named Jerry (Colin Ferrel) moves in next door. People start disappearing and other strange things happen. Charlie quickly discovers that Jerry is (this really isn't a spoiler) a vampire. You can pretty much guess what happens after that.

Most of the acting is bad, except for Anton & Colin. Anton is a good actor. He's in two other movies I really enjoy- Terminator Salvation & Star Trek 2009. And I must say, Colin Ferrel is awesome as a vampire! As much as I like the Twilight movies (hey don't judge me :p ), it was nice to see vampires that don't sparkle and are more "traditional".

Do yourself a favor and see this in 2D. The 3D isn't that great and not worth the extra money.

My Rating: 7/10

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Help

I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to go see this. It looked interesting from the trailers. But trailers can be deceiving. Not in this case however. I must say I really enjoyed The Help.

The movie takes place in Mississippi in the 60's. During this time many African American women worked as maids for wealthy white socialites/housewives & their families. From one of these families is a young woman named Skeeter, played by Emma Stone (who seems to be becoming a great actress with each movie she appears in). She's an aspiring writer who ends up taking a job for a newspaper, answering cleaning questions in an advice column. She enlists the help of one of the maids (Viola Davis) who works for the family of one of her "friends". Over time Skeeter gets to know her & sees how she's being treated. She decides she wants to write a book from the point of view of the maids.

The movie is far from perfect. The first half starts out really slow, but gets more interesting in the second half when you really get to know the characters.

I think this movie will most be remembered for it's acting. Not just Emma Stone, but Viola Davis gives an Oscar worthy performance. Intact, I wouldn't be surprised if several of the actresses receive nominations. The performance that really stood out for me was Jessica Chastain. She's an amazing actress who actually has another movie coming out in a few weeks called The Debt (a really good movie that I had a chance to see at a film festival last year). Anyway, in this she plays a socialite/housewife who has been shunned by almost everyone for reasons you find out later on. At first I thought she was going to be just another ditzy socialite, but once you get to know her character and what she's been through, you find out that's not the case. Yes she's ditzy, but she's also very sweet and not like the other housewives. I won't spoil anything, but her stitching had me tearing up a bit. Bryce Dallas Howard is also in this, playing the leader of these housewives. The character is a complete bitch but Bryce plays the part well.

I thought the movie realty with the issue of racism well. They didn't sugarbush anything which I'm glad. I can't stand when movies sugarbush things.

This movie overall was really good. It's a drama, but there's plenty of comedy added in when it's appropriate. Not sure how many guys will like it but I think everyone should give it a chance.

My Rating: 7/10

Friday, July 29, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens

What do you get when you mix western with sci fi? A pretty awesome summer movie :)

The movie stars Daniel Craig as Jake. He wakes up in the middle of the desert with a bad wound on his side, a strange gadget on his wrist, and no memory of who he is or what's happend. He makes his way into a small town called Absolution (I'm pretty sure that's its name). While there he comes across a mysterious woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) and a guy who owns a cattle farm and is pretty much the richest man in town (Harrison Ford). Then that night a bunch of aliens attack and all hell breaks loose.

That's the plot of the movie. Ridiculous I know, but I really think you should give it a chance. I give it a lot of credit for being different than most of the movies out now.

The best part of the whole thing, for me anyway, was Daniel Craig. He is just totally bad ass know matter what he does. I've always been a fan of his. Intact, I can't wait to see him in the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Anyway, this is definitely his movie.

Harrison Ford was good too, but this wasn't his best role. Olivia Wilde surprised me. At first I thought all her role would be was to stand there, look pretty, and be Daniel's love interest. And while she is his love interest, she also ends up being an important part of the story later on. The rest of the actors I really wasn't all that impressed with.

But overall I would recommend this. There's something for everyone. Ladies, there's even some shirtless Daniel Craig time... although not nearly enough in my opinion ;) ;)

My Rating: 7.5/10

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger (3D)

Hell yeah! Another awesome superhero movie :) I really enjoyed this as you can tell.

I'll admit, when I first heard that Chris Evans was going to play Steve Rogers/Captain America, I wasn't crazy about it. Not that I don't think Chris is a good actor (I usually like his movies) I just didn't think he could pull it off. Boy was I wrong. He did a great job.

The movie takes place during World War two. Steve wants to join the army but keeps getting rejected because of his size. To pull this off, the director uses digital effects to make Chris appear smaller than he actually is. It looked a little weird to me at first but I got use to it. Anyway, one night a doctor (played by Stanley Tucci. The role isn't all that big but it's important) overhears Steve talking and decides that he's perfect candidate for a program that's trying to create an army of "super soldiers". To make a long story short, Steve finally gets to be in the army and they turn him into Captain America. He can run faster, beat the crap outta Nazis,etc.

What I liked about this movie was that it wasn't just action & explosions (although there's plenty of that too). The story was really interesting.

The movie is far from perfect however. I won't even talk about the cheesy dialog since that's usually what you find in a lot of superhero movies. My issue was with the chemistry between Chris Evans and the actress who plays his love interest. Unlike in Thor (where Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman had great chemistry, it just wasn't that believe. Also, and this isn't really a big deal, I thought the effects used to make the villain Red Skull looked ridiculous. I just couldn't take the actor seriously and started laughing (if you've seen it you know what I mean).

Be on the look out for another awesome Samuel L Jackson cameo. That guy is just totally bad ass no matter what he's in.

As far as the 3D goes, it was hit or miss with me. Some scenes looked really great while others I had to keep looking over my glasses to see if it was still a 3D movie I was watching.

PLEASE be sure to stay until after the credits. There's a really awesome teaser trailer for The Avengers movie. Made me really excited about it. I can't wait til May 2012! :)

My Rating: 7.5/10

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows part 2 (IMAX 3D)

I've been a huge Harry Potter fan for years and have been looking forward to this movie for months. I wasn't disappointed at all. Deathly Hallows part 2 was amazing.

My friends & I went to the midnight premiere in IMAX 3D. We all dressed up in costumes (I was Tonks). It was great. The theater was sold out of course, but for once I didn't mind. The excitement & energy amongst the crowd... I can't even begin to describe it. Everyone seemed really nice. Unlike the crowds at a certain other movie fanchise who's name I won't mention.

I won't go too much into the plot since I don't want the spoiler police after me. Anyway, part 2 starts right where part 1 left off. Voldermort (played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes) has stolen the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave. Harry, Ron, & Hermione are looking for & destroying Voldermort's remaining Horcruxes.

This movie is pretty much action, action, and more action. The Battle of Hogwarts in particular was spectacular.

My favorite thing about the movie though was the acting. Daniel, Rupert, & Emma were all great of course, but Alan Rickman really shines as Snape. He gives, in my opinion, his best performance to date. I really think he deserves and Oscar nomination for this. The Snape scenes were my favorite parts of this movie (as well as the book). David Yates, the director, did a great job bringing them to life.

Visually, the movie is gorgeous and should definitely be seen in IMAX if you have an IMAX theater in your area.

The music was really good too. Alexandre Desplat returns after already doing the score for part 1. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how he would do scoring a mostly action movie (which I don't think he's done before) but he did a beautiful job. There's several new songs as well as songs from the previous movies.

Overall, they stay very close to the book. Obviously some changes were made but they didn't really bother me. But pretty much every scene that fans loved in the book was included. Walking out of the theater, I didn't hear anyone complaining.

As far as the 3D, while it wasn't necessary, I thought was pretty good. Especially the scene at Grinotts.

I definitely recommend this movie to all my fellow Harry Potter fans. It was amazing. But I can't help but feel sad. This was it. It feels like a part of my childhood has just died. But it was a fitting end to the series. I know these books & movies will be enjoyed for generations to come.

My Rating: 10/10

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Horrible Bosses

I was debating wether or not to go see this movie. I saw the trailer a few weeks ago and it looked funny. I was afraid it would be one of those movies where the trailer showed all the funny parts. But I've seen pretty much every movie out there now that I would want to see so I thought I'd give this movie a chance. I'm so glad I did.

The story is about three friends (played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) who's bosses basically make their life a living hell. One night, while having a few drinks at the bar they all agree that their lives would be much easier if their bosses were dead. They end up meeting a guy named "Mother Fucker" Jones whom they hire as their "murder consultant". Jamie Foxx plays this character brilliantly. The role is kinda small but definitely memorable. So then the guys set off to kill their bosses. Of course things don't go as planned.

I thought the movie was hilarious! While my favorite comedies this year are still Hangover Part 2 & Paul, this runs a close third. The thing I liked best was the performances (most of them anyway). There was Jamie Foxx as I mentioned, but I loved the three main characters. They had great chemistry. Kevin Spacey & Colin Farrell (who's almost unrecognizable in this) were good too. If I had anything negative to say it would be Jennifer Anniston who plays the third boss. Her character annoyed me to no end and over the years so has she.

Anyway I would really recommend this. Will it go down in history as the best comedy ever? Probably not. But it was fun and if you need a good laugh, this is the movie for you :)

My Rating: 7.5/10

Monday, July 4, 2011

My writing part 2

Happy 4th of July everyone! :) Since I'm in a fairly decent mood, I thought I would post another scene of the story I'm working on. This particular scene doesn't follow the one I posted before. I haven't been writing the story in order yet. I've just been writing down whatever idea pops into my head at the time. Anyway, just like last time, this is a VERY rough draft of the scene. But I hope you like it regardless-

Patrick walked into the room, hopingto speak to Natalie. Instead he found her fast asleep on the bed. This didn't surprise him at all. Natalie seemed to be sleeping more and more lately. The pregnancy was really beginning to wear her out.

Patrick sighed, then slowly crawled into bed with Natalie. As he wrapped his arm around her waist, he could feel her ever growing stomach. Despite how he felt about everyhing, a small smile crept on his face as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The smile quickly faded however.

Patrick found himself in the middle of a crowded hallway at the hospital. Suddenly, he heard a blood curling scream. It was Natalie.

Without any hesitation, Patrick ran in the direction her screams were coming from. It lead him to a room at the end of the hallway that several nurses were running in and out of. But before Patrick could step inside, Natalie's screams stopped and were replaced with the sound of a baby crying.

A nurse came out holding a small baby wrapped in a pink blanket. She handed the baby to Patrick.

"It's a girl." the nurse said.

Patrick glanced at the baby briefly before he asked the nurse how Natalie was.

The nurse hesitated, looking very sad.

"What is it?" Patrick asked.

"She didn't make it." I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean she didn't make it?!!"

"We just couldn't get the bleeding to stop. We tried everything."

Patrick refused to believe it. "I want to see her."

"Maybe it would be best if we cleaned her up first." the nurse said. "She..."

"No! NOW!" Patrick shouted.

The nurse simply nodded and lead Patrick into the room. She offered to take the baby from him, but he refused to let go of his daughter. He slowly walked in.

As soon as Patrick saw Natalie, he froze in total shock. His heart began tightening in his chest. He couldn't breathe.

Natalie's pale, lifeless body lay in the bed surrounded by a pool of blood.

Patrick was so stunned that he couldn't even cry. He didn't even notice as a doctor tried to explain to him what had happend.

It wasn't until his daughter began to cry that Patrick turned his attention away. He pulled the small blanket back from her face and gasped as he really looked at his daughter for the first time. He could see the scars forming on the right side of her face and neck, and down part of her arm.

No! This can't be happening.

But it was. Patrick's biggest fears had come true- Natalie was dead and his child was just like him. The emotion became too much for Patrick as he cried out in sheer agony.


Patrick awoke from the nightmare and sat straight up. He gasped for breath and his body was covered in sweat.

Almost immediately, Patrick could feel someone gently rubbing their hand against his arm.

"Patrick what is it? What happend?"

Patrick looked to his right and saw Natalie sitting up next to him. Her green eyes were filled with concern.

"Natalie..." Patrick said quietly, sounding almost shocked. "You're alright."

"Of course I am." Natalie replied as she hugged him.

Patrick held her close, almost afraid to let go.

After a minute or two, Natalie spoke again. "Patrick you're scaring me. Please tell me what happend. Was it a nightmare? It wasn't real. I promise..."

"It felt real."

Natalie kissed Patrick softly and asked him what the nightmare was about. He could tell how worried she was.

But despite this, Patrick couldn't bring himself to tell her.

Natalie didn't push him any further. She suggested they both go back to sleep. Patrick nodded as he wrapped his arms protectively around Natalie.

"I love you." Natalie said quietly, snuggling into him.

"I love you too."

Natalie was asleep a few minutes later, but Patrick was wide awake. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping anymore tonight. Instead he stared at Natalie intently, hoping that his nightmare wouldn't come true.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)

Wow, and I thought Green Lantern was bad. I walked out of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (who the he'll came up with that title?) exhausted and feeling ten times stupider than I did when I first came in. I can't really be angry since I knew what I was getting myself into. I couldn't even sit through all of the first two movies. The only reasons I went to this were because I've already seen every movie out there now that I'd want to see and I heard that this is the best of the three.

And it is. But that's not saying much. I'm not a big Michael Bay fan. Not that he's the worst director out there (that title belongs to Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer). I actually liked Armageddon & Pearl Harbor.

Wanna know about the plot? Haha! There isn't one. Did you honestly think there would be? Here's what happens- giant robots blow shit up for nearly three hours. That's it. Just when I thought Michael Bay couldn't possibly blow anything else up, he found more to blow up.

I did manage to come up with some things that were good about the movie. Ummm... the action sequences during the last 40 minutes or so were pretty awesome. The 3d was good (but not Avatar good as some have been claiming). And Megan Fox wasn't in it. Not that the actress that replaced her was much better.

My Rating: 4/10

Friday, June 17, 2011

Green Lantern (3D)

After watching the latest trailer, I had a feeling this movie would be bad. Turns out... I was right for the most part.

The movie starts out with the history of the Green Lanterns. Basically they are a group made up of different aliens/species that protect the universe and defend justice throughout the galaxy or something like that. Anyway, this big evil creature thing that sucks the souls/fear out of people (and as we later learn can apparently read minds)ends up killing a few of the Green Lanterns. So they need some replacements and then they'll try to stop the creature. So in comes this odd looking purple alien (who looks like he came out of an old episode of Power Rangers that I watched as a kid). He's sent to Earth with one of the Green Lantern rings so that it can choose someone worthy.

Of course, it chooses a guy named Hal (Ryan Reynolds), a fighter pilot. As with a lot of movies, they decided to toss a tragic family element into this. And then for the next hour and fourth five minutes it's basically him learning to becoming a Green Lantern & trying to fight off the bad guys. One of which is a scientist (I can't remember the actors name) who ends up getting infected by the evil creature and strange things begin happening to him. One of which is his brain swells up so big that he looks absolutely ridiculous. Seriously, everytime he came onscreen I couldn't help but laugh hysterically, earning some strange looks from the people sitting around me I'm sure.

This movie was pretty bad (although not the worst I've seen this year). There were several cringe worthy scenes and the dialog was extremely cheesy even for a superhero movie. Blake Lively is in this. Although she serves no purpose other than to be Hal's love interest. The whole plot of the movie was pretty stupid and some scenes left me really disappointed.

There were some good things about it however. The biggest (surprisingly) was the 3D. It was actually good! I give the director a lot of credit for filming it in 3D rather than converting it in post production. The other thing was Ryan Reynolds. He's easy on the eyes and in a few moments in the movie his acting wasn't too bad.

I'm not sure if I'd recommend this movie. I guess if you like Ryan or you enjoy movies that are nothing but eye candy.

My stating: 5.5/10

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Super 8

I was really excited to see this movie. I'm a huge JJ Abrams fan. He directed the 2009 version of Star Trek (which is one of my favorite movies). I wasn't disappointed.

This movie was basically one big tribute to Stephen Spielberg. I grew up watching his movies so this one was refreshing to see. Brought back a lot of good memories. They don't make too many movies like that anymore. Spielberg was actually an executive producer on this one.

The movie takes place in 1979. The story is basically about a boy named Joe, who (along with his Dad, the town deputy) is dealing with a huge tragedy. At the same time Joe and his friends are making their own zombie movie to submit for a film contest. One night while they are filming a scene, a train derails nearby. Of course, there's more to it than that as the military gets involved and tries to keep what's really going on a secret. Meanwhile, several people in town go missing as well as a bunch of dogs. Joe's Dad tries to find out what's really going on.

I'd say more but then I'd really be spoiling the movie. I really enjoyed it though. The action scenes and special effects (considering the film's low budget) were great. Just to warn you, there are a couple of jump scares. I nearly had a heart attack during them. The music that played during the movie I thought fit perfectly.

This movie features a cast almost entirely of unknown actors. The only ones I recognized were Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's younger sister. She was in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and the guy who played Joe's Dad. I can't think of his name but I know I've seen him in other movies and/or tv shows.

I only have two minor complaints. First, some of the acting was not so good in a few scenes. But considering this is some of the actors first movie (that I know of) I'm willing to let that slide. The only other thing was some of the scenes felt a little long and dragged out. But not too bad.

I'm not sure if Super 8 will make a lot of money. It's not for everyone. But it could become a cult classic. Who knows. But I def recommend this if you like 80's/Spielberg movies.

My Rating: 8/10

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Pros & Excons (DVD )

NEW SAM MOVIE!! NEW SAM MOVIE!! *runs around the room squealing*

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I'll try and do my review.

This movie was originally titled Fink! (why they changed it I don't know). It was actually made about 6 years ago. It's one of those indy, straight to DVD (for the US anyway) movies that never would have seen the light of day if Sam hadn't have been in Avatar.

This is a really low budget Austrailian movie. I'd tell you the plot, but I'm still not sure what it is even though I just watched it. From what I can tell Sam (who is the only recognizable actor in this) plays a guy who's hired (along with another guy by some gangster to assassinate someone. And then for the next hour and a half all they really do is go around from place to place shooting a bunch of people.

There are several unintentionally (or maybe intentional who knows) funny moments in this. For instance, there's a scene where a guy is being tortured and ends up getting his fingers cut off. I don't know why, but when this happens I was laughing hysterically. Maybe it was the way the guy screamed. I'm weird I know. The blood looked really fake too. But for such a low budget movie, the picture quality is actually pretty decent.

Now let's move on to the most important part of this review- Sam's performance. You guys know me- Sam could read names out of a phone book for two hours and I'd think it was amazing. Seriously though, I think Sam does a great job with the material he was given. He's technically a bad guy but you can't help but root for him. He looks great too of course ;)

Would I have watched this if Sam wasn't in it? Probably not. I'd only recommend this if you are a huge Sam fan or you like watching low budget movies.

My Rating: 10/10 (this is purely based on Sam's performance)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

My writing

I know this isn't a movie review but it falls under the category of entertainment. Plus it's my blog and I'll post what I want.

About a year or so ago I had this really odd dream. Normally when I wake up I forget about my dreams within a few minutes. But not this one. I couldn't stop thinking about the people in it and what would happen to them. So I decided to write it down. The following scene is pretty much the dream that I had. It's a really rough draft. Only the two main characters have names at the moment.

I'm still not sure about posting this. I've only shown this to one other person. Please let me know what you really think. Be honest. If it sucks tell me. I promise I won't get mad.

Well, here it is-


The snow was beginning to fall more heavily on the ground. Despite this, as Natalie looked out of the large bathroom window, she could see countless people stepping out of limos and other expensive cars and into the mansion for the annual Christmas party. They were all smiling as if they didn't have a care in the world. A far cry from Natalie right now.

As if on cue, the timer went off. Natalie turned around and took a deep breath. As she walked foward, her eyes avoided the small white stick next to the timer.

Was this really happening? She was only nineteen. Plus she'd only been with Patrick for a couple of months.

After several seconds, she finally picked it up.

Even though deep down Natalie knew what it would say, she still felt a moment of shock as she stared down at the blue plus sign.

Pregnant.

Despite everything, she felt happy. She'd always wanted to be a mother. Granted this was happening a lot sooner than she'd expected, but there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted this baby.

Natalie looked down at her stomach, which was still flat underneath her dark green dress. She placed her hand gently on it. As she did this, a small tear trickled down her face.

She stood like this for awhile until she was brought out of her moment by the sound of someone banging against the door.

"Excuse me!" a woman's voice said loudly. "Could you hurry up in there?"

Natalie sighed, wiped the tear from her face, and placed the pregnancy test in her purse. After straightening out her dress she stepped out into the hallway. She briefly glanced at the woman who banged on the door, but did not speak to her. She had more important things to do right now.

"I have to find Patrick and tell him what's going on." Natalie said to herself.

Natalie had last seen him when they arrived twenty minutes earlier. No sooner had they stepped inside than Patrick's father glared at her and then asked to speak with Patrick. He nodded, told Natalie he'd be right, and then walked away.

"Where did they go?"

She walked two floors down to the ballroom, where people were starting to gather. She looked all around but she couldn't find them. Finally she spotted one of the maids and asked her if she'd seen them.

"They went into his father's study." the maid told her. "Do you know where that is?"

Natalie nodded, thanked her, and headed up towards the study.

Before Natalie even reached the door, she could heart Patrick and his father yelling. She saw that the door had been left open ajar. Slowly, she walked over and peaked through.

Patrick stood there by the fireplace with his father and three men she didn't recognize. She assumed they were friends of his father.

She leaned in closer, trying to hear their conversation.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to bring her here!" hiss father said. "What were you thinking?"

"She's my girlfriend!" Patrick told him. "I've been seeing her for months. Of course I'd bring her."

Natalie could see the scars on Patrick's face were becoming more red and prominent with each passing second. This was something that seemed to happen only when he was very angry.

His father sighed. "I hoped you would've given her up by now. She's just..."

"She's what?"

"She's a child. For god's sake, she's nineteen! You're thirty five."

Patrick shook his head. "Her age has nothing to do with this and you know it!"

His father's friends interrupted and spoke calmly, telling Patrick that they would gladly find him a woman his own age.

"I don't want anyone else." Patrick said, sounding irritated. "I love Natalie."

"She's not like us."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"She's trash! Do you hear me? Trash!"

Those words stun Natalie so much that she had to turn away. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying her best not to get upset. It was only when Patrick started talking again did she turn around and open her eyes.

"You don't even know her. If you did you'd know that she's been through hell. Yet she's still the kindest, most compassionate person you could ever meet. And not once has she ever looked at me like I'm a monster."

"You've been out with other women." his father's friend said. "They didn't look at you that way."

"Yes they did. They were just with me because of the money. They couldn't even look me in the eye most of the time. Anyway it doesn't matter. I love her and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Just how far are you planning to go with this? Are you going to marry her? Have children?"

"Maybe." Patrick said.

His father started yelling. "That's out of the question! I will not have someone like her in our family. Besides, you shouldn't be having children anyway."

"You know your condition is genetic." his father's friend said. "What if you passed it on to your child? And then there's Natalie. She could die in childbirth."

"Just like your mother." his father stated coldly.

Patrick didn't say a word. The look on her face was enough to tell her that he feared what everyone just said to him.

What would this mean though when Natalie told him? Would he not want the baby? She knew she did. Natalie didn't care if the baby ended up having the same condition as Patrick. She would love him or her no matter what.

Suddenly, the tears Natalie had been trying to fight back came pouring down her face. Because of this, she didn't realize that she had been standing too close against the door. It creaked all the way open. Everyone looked at her.

"Natalie!" Patrick said, shocked. "How much of that did you hear?"

Natalie couldn't answer him. Instead, she turned her back and began running down the hallway.

Not even a minute later, Natalie could hear Patrick's voice coming somewhere from behind her."

"Natalie! Natalie wait!"

But she didn't. Instead she only ran faster. Finally, she reached the elevator and got in. She just had to get out of that house.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator finally stopped on the first floor. Natalie quickly got out, took her car keys out of her purse, and ran out the front door.

The cold air shocked her body for a few seconds and it was then that she realized that she had forgotten her coat. Natalie continued walking towards her car though. There was no way in hell she was going back in there now.

When Natalie finally reached her car she quickly got in and wiped the tears from her face. In her head she could still hear Patrick's voice calling out to her. She felt bad for running off on him l

Friday, June 3, 2011

X-Men: First Class

Going into this movie, I wasn't expecting much. Don't get me wrong, I like X-Men. I remember watching the cartoons and even reading the comic books when I was a kid. But I'm more of a Batman girl. Sorry. Anyway, I've seen pretty much every movie that's out right I thought I'd give this a chance... I'm glad I did.

While this is not the best superhero movie I've ever seen, it certainly isn't the worst. This is a prequel to the previous films. It shows us the origins of Professor X & Magneto. It's about 2 hours & 20 minutes long but it didn't feel like it. I thought it was really interesting.

First, the good. James MacAvoy was well cast as Xavier/Professor X. He's a brilliant actor. The guy who played Erik/Magneto (can't remember his name at the moment) was good as well. The special effects as far as the mutants go was well done for the most part. The action (while out there) kept me entertained.

Now for the not so good. January Jones (who plays Emma Frost) couldn't act if her life depended on it. She has this deer in the headlights look all the time that drives me insane. And while we're on the subject of acting, Kevin Bacon appears in this. I like him, but his performance was way too over the top even for a movie like this. The dialog was bad at times and there were a couple of untentionally funny moments. Maybe it was just me. I think I was the only one laughing at certain points.

But overall, I would recommend this. It's a fun summer movie that'll keep you enteertained.

My Rating: 7/10

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Hangover 2

Warning: do NOT drink anything while watching this movie. I nearly did a couple of spit takes it was so funny.

It was so great to see the Wolf Pack again. This was one of the funniest movies I've seen all year. Yes, it's pretty much the same as the first one only it's set in Thailand and this time it's Stu who's getting married. Stu wants nothing to do with having a bachelor party, but Phil convinces him to have "just one drink" with the guys (including Stu's soon to be brother in law Teddy) out on the beach. Of course, the next morning they wake up in a sleazy motel in Bankok with no memory of what happens the night before, a crack dealing monkey, Teddy's severed finger, and a few other surprises. What's worse, Teddy's gone missing!

I won't say anymore about the plot, except if you've seen the first movie you know how it goes. As is the case with sequels sometimes, some moments felt a little forced. Nothing major though and it certainly shouldn't stop you from seeing it.

All of the actors did a really great job. Bradley Cooper was my favorite of course ;)

Bottom line- if you've seen the first Hangover, then you'll love this one.

My Rating: 8/10

Bottom line- if you liked the first Hangover, then you'll love this one.

My Rating: 8/10

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (IMAX 3D)

Captain Jack is back!

I'll admit, I wasn't sure how this movie would be without Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightly, but I really enjoyed it. Almost as much as the first one.

Johnny Depp(as always) was brilliant as Jack Sparrow. Why he doesn't have an Oscar I don't know. Something is seriously wrong with the Academy.

In this movie, Jack is on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth, but he's not the only one. Along the way he runs into a past love interest, Angelica (Penelope Cruz). She's looking for it in order to help her father, the infamous pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). We also see the return of Barbossa, played by the great Geoffery Rush.

The story overall was good. Although there was a subplot involving a missionary & a mermaid that, while not completly horrible, really wasn't necessary and felt a little forced. However, I liked their take on mermaids.

The chemistry between Johnny & Penelope was believable. Although my favorite scenes were the Jack/Barbossa ones. They cracked me up.

As far as the 3D goes, it was pretty good. Some scenes that were dark to begin with were even darker so that was a little annoying. On the IMAX screen the picture quality was amazing. Def see it that way if you get a chance. It's worth the extra money.

My Rating: 8.5/10

I gave it the extra .5 because before the movie they showed the trailer for Deathly Hallows part 2! :D

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thor (3D)

I'm a nerd. I'm not afraid to admit it. I love these kinds of movies. When I first saw the trailer for Thor a couple months ago I thought "This looks like it'll be awesome." I was right :)

Yes, the dialog is cheesy at times & you can tell pretty much right away who the bad guy is, but I don't care. I thought this was a great movie to start off the summer movie season. The action was sweet & the visuals for Asgard (where Thor comes from) were stunning.

I thought Chris Hemsworth was a great choice for Thor. The only other movie he was in that I'd seen was Star Trek (2009), but he was only in it for about 10 minutes if that. Anyway, I think he's going to be a really good actor.

Yes, at the beginning of the movie Thor is pretty much an asshole. I thought the director did a great job showing Thor's transformation into a real hero by the end of the movie. It was beleivable.

The chemistry between Chris Hemsworth & Natalie Portman was beleivable as well, which was nice to see. I can't begin to tell you how many movies were ruined for me because the two main actors had no chemistry.

This is also a good movie to take kids (older kids) to if they're into this stuff. Yes there's violence & some frightening images, but a lot less than some of the movies out there.

Overall, Thor was a really fun summer movie. I was so into it that by the time the movie ended I was like "Noooooo!". I wanted it to keep going.

BE SURE TO STAY AFTER THE CREDITS! I won't say too much, but there's a scene that follows that helps set things up for The Avengers movie coming out next year. I'm looking forward to it :)

About the 3D: Honestly, save your money & go see it in 2D. While some scenes (like the ones in Asgard) looked kinda cool, overall the 3D wasn't that great. It wasn't the worst 3D I've ever seen, but it's def not worth paying the extra money.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Friday, April 29, 2011

Fast Five (IMAX)

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker on an IMAX screen= holy shit!!! :o :o

This movie was awesome. I've been a big fan of this franchise for years, with the exception of 2 Fast 2 Furious (it was okay. Paul Walker was the saving grace of the movie) & Tokyo Drift (couldn't even make it through the whole movie it was that bad). I was really looking forward to this and I wasn't dissapointed.

Fast Five begins right where Fast & Furious left off- Brian, Mia, and the gang break Dom out of a prison bus. The plot from there.... well, I'm still trying to figure everything out. Of course there's plenty of action, hot guys, and cool cars. Most of the action scenes were way over the top (at one point Vin & Paul drive a car over a cliff and end up in the water with barely a scratch on them) but that's what I love about it. You kinda have to leave your mind at the door & just have a good time.

All of the actors I thought did a great job. Especially Vin Diesel, who is just badass as always. The scenes where he & Duane Johnson (who I'm not usually a fan of but was really good in this) face off were some of my favorite moments in the whole movie.

I highly reccomend this. It has something for everyone. If you get a chance, definitly go see it in IMAX. It's worth paying the extra money. The picture quality is incredible!

My rating: 9/10

One more thing: MAKE SURE you stay until after the credits. They play a scene which I won't spoil for you guys, but it's huge & totally makes me think there will be a 6th movie.

-Adrianne

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Water for Elephants

A bit of advice if you're going to see a movie starring Rob Pattinson on opening night- the later the showtime, the better. I almost went to a 6:30 showing, but decided to go later to avoid as many loud, annoying 12 year old girls as possible. Definitaly made the right decesion. There were a few people that pissed me off (including a group of women squeeling before the movie started. Funny part is they looked old enough to be Rob's mother.) but overall it wasn't too bad.

Moving on to the review. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Water for Elephants is based on a book that came out I beleive in 2004 or sometime around then. I skimmed through the book maybe a week or two ago and from what I can tell, the movie stayed fairly close. There were several changes of course, but I thought those changes worked for the most part.

I really enjoyed this movie. It takes place mostly in 1931 at a third rate circus and I thought they did a great job getting the look of the time period right. The music was beautiful.

As far as the acting goes, I think people are going to be really surprised at Rob's performance. He did a great job. You really felt for his character. As much as I love the Twilight movies, it was nice to see him play something other than a vampire. Reese Witherspoon, even though her character Marlena annoyed me a bit at times, was good as well. Been a fan of hers for years. The scene stealer in this movie has to be Christoph Waltz, who plays the circus owner/Marlena's husband August. If you haven't seen his performance in Inglorious Basterds, I highly reccomend it. Even though you really hate his character, Christoph plays him brilliantly. Interesting fact: the role was originally suppose to be played by Sean Penn, who had to back out at the last minute.

The chemistry between Rob & Reese was.... okay. I mean, it wasn't horrible or anything it was just a little weird at times. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm so use to seeing him with Kristen Stewart. Or because several years ago Reese played Rob's mother in another movie (can't think of the title at the moment), though the scene was cut out.

A warning to all my fellow animal lovers out there: there are a couple of scenes of animal cruelty. They were so hard to watch I had to turn my head away from the screen.

But overall I would reccomend this movie.

My rating: 8/10

Thursday, April 21, 2011

My first post!

I'm new to this whole thing so please bear with me.

After a lot of convincing from some friends, I've decided to start posting movie reviews. They seem to think I'm good at it lol. Not sure how many people besides them will read it but we shall see. Anyway, here's a few things you should know:

*I rate movies on a scale of 1-10. 1 being the worst, 10 being the best. Not very creative I know but it's what I'll use until I can think of something better.

*More than likely I'll be posting my reviews on Friday's. Unless the movie opens on a different day or I'm just too tired to get on here and post (in which case I'll do it Saturday).

*WARNING: As my friends know, I happend to have a huge Sam Worthington obessesion (although I prefer the word dedicated). Any movie of his will automatically get a 10/10 regardless if the movie itself is crap. Don't like that? Too bad :p

I think that's about it for now. If anyone has any questions or if there's a topic you'd like me to post about, let me know. Thanks :)

-Adrianne