Avatar

Title: Avatar
Year: 2009
Director: James Cameron
Lead: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi
Rated: Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

A paralyzed marine is sent to the planet Pandora on a unique mission and finds himself torn between two different worlds, he must choose to protect the one he feels is home.

This movie was amazing, it ranks in my top ten of this decade. It is visually remarkable, I have never seen anything like this in my life. It felt like I was watching Star Wars for the first time, again. I cant remember the last time I was pulled into a film like I was when I watched Avatar. James Cameron has created something very special that we wont see again, for a very, very long time (unless there are sequels like he mentioned). There was incredible emotion in this movie, I was tense, sad, excited, everything they wanted me to feel in this movie, I felt. This movie blew me away, some of my friends complained that it was too long (2:40), and they could have cut the movie down, what do I say? No way! this movie was worth all the time I spent in the theater and money I spent at the box office. The special effects in this film are unrivaled. Everything looks amazing, it is absolutely believable. You know that a movie is fantastic when the writer/director take a completely unbelievable story, and make you believe every single bit of it. I think that every person should see Avatar, it will seriously blow your mind. I would see it again, I will buy it when it comes out. Its crazy, it will be on a lot of peoples top movie lists. It will definitely win some goods at the AA's. Go see it, its so cool. 9 1/2 out of 10

The Blind Side

Title: The Blind Side
Year: 2009
Director: John Lee Hancock
Lead: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw
Rated: Rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references.

The remarkable true story about Michael Oher. An under-privileged kid from a broken home in the bad part of town, is taken in by the Touhys, who clothe him, feed him, and take him in and call them their son. He finds that he has a very big talent in football.

This movie is outstanding! Best movie I've seen all year, it is very emotional, and very dramatic, and quite possibly one of the best sports stories around. Its a great story about a bunch of extraordinary people. The Touhys took this stranger into their home and gave him everything he needed to succeed, and Michael, in turn, took what they gave him and made the best of it. He was given a scholarship to play football at Ole Miss, and was eventually drafted in the first round of the NFL draft to the Baltimore Ravens. Its the ultimate feel good story. Very well written and casted, Sandra Bullock does an amazing job, this is my favourite movie of hers by far. Go see it! its the best movie out right now, and is destined to win something come Oscar season. 9 1/2 out of 10! GO SEE IT!

Law Abiding Citizen

Title: Law Abiding Citizen
Year: 2009
Director: F. Gary Gray
Lead: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx
Rated: Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language.

A man seeks revenge on the judicial system after his family's brutal murder is mishandled in court.

This is very awesome. Very cool effects, a cool idea too! A man kills people from his solitary confinement jail cell. Gerard Butler is the new great action star, he his just a cool guy. Jamie Foxx does a great job in this film, he plays the lawyer that was in charge of Gerard's character's case, he is great at showing emotion. There are some tense moments in the movie, and some surprising moments also. A lady is killed when an explosive inside her cell phone detonates when she answers a call. The ending was a little anti-climactic, but they couldn't really end it any other way. Its a really smart movie, a lot of reverse psychology stuff that make it really interesting and attention holding. Go see it... you wont be disappointed. 8 1/2 out of 10

The Graduate

Title: The Graduate
Year: 1967
Director: Mike Nichols
Lead: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft
Rated: PG for Sexual Content (today would be pg-13)

A college graduate is seduced into having an affair with his fathers business partner, Mrs. Robinson.

This movie was fantastic, it was very funny, and very dramatic. Dustin Hoffman has some very funny lines like, "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me." or "Oh no dad, its completely baked". Its a very funny plot, a college grad has an affair with his dad's business partners wife who is two times older than him, however, he falls in love with her daughter. Its considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. This was Dustin Hoffman's first role and he does fantastic. The ending is great too, the last 30 minutes are very cool and quite funny. The last shot of this film is very cool also (as pointed out by my film teacher) Ben and Elaine's faces go from utter elation to absolute confusion. That's all I'm going to say, your going to have to watch it for yourself. Its funny, dramatic, and definitely worth the watch. The Graduate won an Oscar for Best Director. 9 out of 10

Paranormal Activity

Title: Paranormal Activity
Year: 2009
Director: Oren Peli
Lead: Katie Featherston, Micha Sloat
Rated: R for language

A couple becomes increasingly disturbed by paranormal activity in their home.

Let me start by saying, this was amazing. Finally, a director figures out that you don't need special effects and a couple million dollar budget to make a great horror film. This film cost $15000 to make, and was filmed in 7 days at the directors home in San Diego. The actors were paid $500 for their roles, they worked 14-18 hours a day. When they did sleep, they slept in the "haunted house". Katie was a waitress at Buca di Beppo at Universal City Walk, and Micha was a struggling actor/computer programmer, after this, they can forget about that.

Paranormal Activity is spine-tingling, it is very unsettling. It makes you hope it doesn't happen to you. The whole film is shot on a handheld camera, held by one of the leads most of the time, or set on a tripod. There is not one scene filmed off the property surrounding the "haunted house". The acting is fantastic, they are so believably a couple in real life, and are equally as freaked out as the audience when a scary moment comes along. Do not see this film alone, and see it while its still fresh, you don't want to be in an empty theater, most of the fun is the other audience members reactions. Its very very unsettling. I wasn't as scared as I expected to be, but its still scarier than any other film Ive seen. GO SEE IT! 8 out of 10

Singin' in the Rain

Title: Singin' in the Rain
Year: 1952
Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Lead: Gene Kelley, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds
Rated: G

A silent film studio has trouble making the transition to sound pictures.

This is one of the best films ever made. My favourite part of this film is the story about the making of it. Debbie Reynolds was a new actress coming up in the business, she could not sing or dance (singin' in the rain is a musical) and when Gene Kelly found out that he was going to co-star with her, he was upset and really gave her a hard time, and really didn't like her. He had to act like they were in love, and in my opinion, he does a darn good job at it. The film itself is quite funny and very fun to watch. The songs are very catchy. This was a required film to watch for my film class, and although they say "required" its not a bad thing. This film is great, and everyone should see it. Its a piece of Americana that everyone knows. Singin' in the Rain was nominated for 2 Oscars including; Best Supporting Actress in Jean Hagen and Best Music. 9 1/2 out of 10.

Couples Retreat

Title: Couples Retreat
Year: 2009
Director: Peter Billingsley
Lead: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content and language

A group of friends is convinced to go to a couples retreat in support of their friends desire to fix their broken marriage.

This film was funny. It wasn't that funny, it seemed like a pointless movie to be honest. It was kind of cute, There isn't alot to say about it. It was all over the place and it didn't draw alot of real laughs. Everybody plays the same parts that they have played in every other movie Ive ever seen them in. Vince Vaughn was over the top and sarcastic like he always is. This film left me feeling glad I used a free movie pass. 6 out of 10. Don't waste your money

Valkyrie

Title: Valkyrie
Year: 2008
Director: Bryan Singer
Lead: Tom Cruise
Rated: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Based on true events. The plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler takes place during WWII.

This film is great, I really enjoyed it, Bryan Singer did a great job capturing the intensity of the moment, and made you feel it. I don't talk about this ever because its never good enough to notice, but the costume design in this film was really well done. The cinematography was awesome, many cool shots, and Tom Cruise (I don't care what anyone says about him, he's a great actor) does so well in this movie. I really liked the opening scene of the film when Tom Cruise' character is speaking in German, and it transitions from German to English, it really makes you believe everything more, it kinda brings you into their state of mind. This film is based on true events, you'll be asking yourself during this film, "did this happen", yes it did. It is a great film, YOU SHOULD SEE! 8 1/2 out of 10

Dirty Harry

Title: Dirty Harry
Year: 1971
Director: Don Siegel
Lead: Clint Eastwood
Rated: R

A San Francisco Police officer tracks down a killer.

you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk? This movie is SO cool, Clint Eastwood is such a (for lack of a better word) badass. The villain in this movie is so weird, the creepiest, scariest villain Ive ever seen in a movie. Clint Eastwood, enough said, he makes this movie. He has no regard for the rules, and hes a jerk, but you love him, BECAUSE he has no regard for the rules AND he's a jerk. Every Clint Eastwood fan (big or small) should see this film if you haven't already, in fact, everyone PERIOD. should see this film, its awesome, really cool. 9 out of 10

Chaplin

Title: Chaplin
Year: 1993
Director: Richard Attenborough
Lead: Robert Downey Jr.
Rated: PG-13

The story of Charlie Chaplin. This is his life in a spectacular 2 1/2 hour film

This was great, very interesting. One of the catchphrases for this film is "Everyone has a wild side, even a legend." this is so true, Charlie Chaplin was one interesting man. This film does a great job on touching every aspect of his life, and telling the story from Charlie's point of view. This film was required watching for my film class, and for good reason. It gives a lot of background on some of the big directors, producers, and actors from that era. I felt really bad for Charlie at the end of this; he did do it to himself, but I still felt bad for him. This film is fantastic, and this is (in my opinion) Robert Downey Jr.'s best performance, He does so well! This really is a star studded cast, Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, and Diane Lane, to name most of them. Charlie Chaplin's Daughter in real life, plays Charlies mom (her own grandmother) in this film, which is really cool. This film will give you great insight to the man behind "The Little Tramp". Chaplin was nominated for 3 Oscars including, Best Actor, Best Art Direction- Set Decoration, and Best Original Score. I give this film a 8 1/2 out of 10.

Everything is Illumintaed

Title: Everything is Illuminated
Year: 2005
Director: Liev Schreiber
Lead: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin
Rated: PG-13 for disturbing images/violence, sexual content and language.

A young Jewish American travels in search of the woman that saved his grandfather. With only a photograph and a name, he and his "guides" go on an emotional journey to find her.

This film is a masterpiece. Perfectly put together, perfectly casted, perfectly filmed. Super well written from the novel to the screen. "Everything is Illuminated" is based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. I felt so good watching this movie, its a great emotional ride, very heartfelt. Its also cool to see two cultures come together in a humorous way, like when Elijah Wood's character says he's a vegetarian, and the chef brings him out a peeled potato by itself on a plate, very funny moment. Plus the cinematography is really amazing, I think that the shot when they find Augustine's sisters house in the field of sunflowers, is one of the best shots in a film. Period. Liev Schreiber took Safran Foer's novel and turned it from a masterpiece on paper to a masterpiece on the screen. I saw the preview for this movie in 2004 and really wanted to see it, forgot about it, found the novel in 2007, read it, then watched the film today, and was blown away. Its on my list of favourites. "Everything is Illuminated" won several awards at several festivals around the world, you should go on Amazon.com, and buy it for $8.99 and watch it several times, and keep watching it, because it is near perfect. Oh I forgot to talk about how awesome Elijah Wood plays Jonathon Safran Foer? (yes the main character in the film/novel is the same name as the author) Elijah plays him so well! The way he talks, walks, dresses... he pulls it all off perfectly! Its a great film. 9 out of 10

Vertigo

Title: Vertigo
Year: 1958
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Lead: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Rated: G

A retired acrophobic detective gets hired to investigate a friends wife's strange activities, and becomes obsessed with her.

This movie is awesome! So many twists and turns, it had me talking out loud by myself. Tons of weirdness! This truly is an Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece. I love how Hitchcock always gets himself into his movies, its really funny. This could be the best Hitchcock movie I've seen to date. James Stewart is SO awesome, he acts so obsessed its crazy. The cinematography is so cool, lots of cool, vintage special effects, I love it. This movie is fun, if you watch it closely, you can try and figure out the twists on your own. I think the ending is one of the craziest endings I've seen in a movie in a very long time... you need to watch this movie. Vertigo was nominated for two Oscars including Best Art and Best Sound. 8 1/2 out of 9

Casablanca

Title: Casablanca
Year: 1943
Director: Michael Curtiz
Lead: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
Rated: PG for mild violence.

An American bar owner in Casablanca during WWII meets a former lover that complicates his life.

This is one of the great American films. Its got a great story, its really good to watch and it keeps your attention. A little tough to follow at times, but it all comes full circle at the end. It shows that there is inherent good in all people, no matter how cold their outward behavior may be. Humphrey Bogart is fantastic in Casablanca, and plays his part to perfection. This is an American classic, the acting is great, and the story is great, its even pretty sad. Kind of a heartbreak tale, but its very good. Casablanca won 3 Oscars for Best Writing, Best Director, and Best Picture. 8 1/2 out of 10.

Amelie

Title: Amelie
Year: 2001
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Lead: Audrey Tautou
Rated: R for sexual content

A girl decides to start helping the people around her, and finds love along the way.

This movie was good, very odd, and interesting. The narration at the beginning was very weird, but pretty funny. This movie is in French with English subtitles, I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I'm not a huge fan of subtitles, they get kind of irritating, but the movie was good enough to keep it interesting. I really liked this movie, it showed that if you do good, good will happen to you, like karma. The cinematography was really cool, bizarre shots, there were some pretty cool shaky shots. All in all this was a good movie, it has a very cool story, and they don't forget anything they tell you, for example, at the very beginning of the film, the narrator tells you that Amelie likes to skip rocks, the whole film she is seen picking up good skipping rocks, its very cool cause you say to yourself "Oh yea, she skips rocks!" Amelie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Writing, and Best Foreign Film. 8 out of 10

Lost in Translation

Title: Lost in Translation
Year: 2003
Director: Sofia Cappola
Lead: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson
Rated: R for some sexual content

The story of how two people come together and develop a friendship that they will remember forever.

This film is fantastic! So awesome, Sofia Cappola makes a masterpiece. Lost in Translation was shot on location in Tokyo, Japan, and the cinematography is amazing, absolute eye candy. Its also really really funny, the experiences that Bill Murray and Scarlett J's characters have are hilarious. This movie is very emotional too, its sad, funny, and a little angry all rolled up into one film. Its a great lesson on life too, sometimes the small things in life are the ones we remember most. Scarlett and Bill play their parts perfectly, Bill is hilarious and Scarlett does a fantastic job making you feel bad for her. Its really awesome to watch two people come together and basically complete eachother, they both wanted someone to listen to them and they found it in eachother, and had a lot of fun along the way. Its a great lesson in cultures and life. Lost in Translation won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and nominated for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. See this film! 9 out of 10

3:10 To Yuma

Title: 3:10 To Yuma
Year: 1957
Director: Delmer Daves
Lead: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin
Rated: PG

You may be saying, "You already reviewed this." Well, yes, but at the same time, a very resounding no. This is indeed 3:10 To Yuma, but the original. Its still about a rancher who is hired to take a criminal to Contention to get on the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. That has not changed

This is the better version of 3:10 To Yuma. Granted, the 2007 version has more action and has more adventure, the 1957 version ends better and leaves you feeling more satisfied. And Glenn Ford plays Ben Wade better than Russel Crowe played him. In my opinion, the two films should stand alone, because I really enjoyed both, The ending really changes the whole plot of the movie. And in the 2007 film, there is more time for you to get to know Ben Wade then there is in the 1957 version. 2007 makes Christian Bale's Dan Evans seem more desperate for the money than 1957. The end fight scene in 2007 is much more dramatic that 1957 but 1957 still does a fantastic job with cinematography and imagery, body language is pretty important in 1957. In my whole hearted honest opinion 1957 slightly edges 2007 on meaning and emotion, but if we were judging solely on special effects and cinematography, then 2007 is the clear winner. Each film has a little bit of all 4 of those things, so you will no doubt be able to find what you need in this film. 3:10 To Yuma won a 2nd place price at the Laurel Awards for Best Action Drama. You should find this movie and buy it, it would go great next to your 2007 version. P.S. if you have Time Warner Cable, its free in the "free movies on demand" under TCM (Turner Classic Movies). I dunno how long it will be there, but go watch it there, its free! 3:10 To Yuma, 8 out of 10

A Trip to the Moon

Title: A Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la lune)
Year: 1902
Director: Georges Melies
Lead: Uncredited
Rated: NR

The first sci-fi film ever. Frenchmen build a rocket and travel to the moon, where they encounter another race.

This film is awesome! Its the first sci-fi film, first film with real effects. They are horrible compared to what we have today, but theres something about this film that makes you want to watch it over and over again. Its historical, its a glimpse into what was cool back at the begining of film. This film is so influential that directors today still use some of the techniques that Melies used. The band "Smashing Pumpkins" copied this film in their music video for "Tonight Tonight". Virtually every scene in their music video is a scene from Melies masterpeice, at the end notice the name of the ship;) S.S. Melies. Thats the only credit they gave him, their music video went on to win 6 awards at the MTV awards including best video. Anyway, this film is awesome. Heres a link to watch it.

Rear Window

Title: Rear Window
Year: 1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Lead: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Wendell Corey
Rated: PG

A photographer is stuck in a wheelchair, and is subject to watching his neighbors through his rear window, he soon becomes convinced that one of his neighbors is guilty of murder.

This has been my favourite movie since I was 13 or so, its so simple. I love that the whole movie takes place in one neighborhood. It keeps you on edge throughout, and you never get bored. It has alot of interesting characters, Hitchcock does a great job of giving us a little bit of a story on each neighbor. This is a film that everyone needs to watch at least once. Theres some cool shots, and theres Grace Kelly... that basically speaks for itself, she is beautiful and sweet, and fits her character so well. I love the ending, it seems like the neighborhood is so much better after the murder is solved, everybody in the neighborhood is better off, the lonely lady gets with the musician, the dog lady gets a new dog (her old one is killed) and James Stewart's character has two newly broken legs. But my favourite part is when Grace Kelly looks to have changed her persona to try to fit in with Stewart's character's profession, but when he falls asleep, she pulls out the fasion magazine. I love this movie. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Director, Cinematography, and Sound. Again, this movie will hold you throughout, you are interested from the begining to the end, Alfred Hitchcock legend grows. I dont do this often, only for the great films...... 10 out of 10

Citizen Cane

Title: Citizen Cane
Year: 1941
Director: Orson Wells
Lead: Orson Wells
Rated: PG

After the death of a publishing tycoon, a reporter struggles to find out the meaning of his final word.

This film is ranked on AFI's top 100 films as number 1. Let me say, it absolutely lived up to that ranking. everything about this movie was perfect, every shot was perfect, Orson Wells did not cut one corner with this movie. The way he aged in the movie was so believable. I specifically loved the meaning of almost every shot, like the shot where the reporter is interviewing one of Kane's former colleagues, and he starts reflecting on his life, and the shot pans so you can see the mans reflection in his desk along with his face. Or when Kane and another one of his colleagues are talking in his office, and the camera shoots from below to make Kane look more threatening and ominous, one of my favourites is the montage that shows Kane with one of his wives, and it shows them growing apart, at the begining they are sitting close to eachother at the table, and each shot they move further and further away until the end, they are on opposite sides of eachother and she is reading Kane's rival newspaper, Wells is brilliant. This film really shows that no matter how much money you have and whatever you buy, its the little things in life that matter. It won an Oscar for best writing. This film is not only one of the greatest American films ever made, but it also influenced a song written by The White Stripes, the song is titled "Union Forever" and includes lines and melodies from the film, I was watching the movie and I started hearing things that sounded oddly familiar to the Stripes song, really cool stuff... 10 out of 10 easy....

Burn After Reading

Title: Burn After Reading
Year: 2008
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Lead: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt
Rated: R For Pervasive Language, Some Sexual Content and Viloence

Two gym employees try to sell a disk containing an ex-CIA agent's files.

This movie is pretty funny, its very serious in a hilarious way. Every character is intertwined with the other, and to see how they kind of come together is funny. It reminded me of "The Departed" except way more funny. Lots of situational humor, like the way brad pitt talks, he could say anything and its funny. George Clooney is really a weird guy in this movie, its kind of strange how he gets into everything. The ending is really funny too, it was like a huge conflict throughout the whole movie, then at the end it kind of showed how insignificant everything really was on the scale of things. This was a good, short, comedy, with some big actors. It was nominated for 2 golden globes. 7 1/2 out of 10

The Time Traveler's Wife

Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Year: 2009
Director: Robert Schwentke
Lead: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Rated: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity and sexuality.

A man has a genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. However he seems to keep going to the same places, he meets a girl and is a part of her life forever...

This movie was good, it hit every emotion you could hit, scary, funny, sad, happy. It has a good story, its based off of the best-selling book by Audrey Niffenegger. Its a very interesting romantic drama about a guy who travels through time! its got some pretty cool effects. Its relatively short at 107 minutes, but it feels long. Theres a bit about midway through the movie where it keeps showing McAdams character all alone because her husband is gone, that gets boring. And its kind of confusing at the begining, it takes you a little bit to catch on to what is really happening. According to my girlfriend, there were alot of parts from the book that they left out of the movie that would have made it easier to understand, which I find very unfortunate. Also, there were a couple of obvious goofs in the movie too, those are irritating. The movie is still able to hit the emotional chord though, which is important. I wasnt dissapointed, I liked this movie. 7 1/2 out of 10

It Might Get Loud

Title: It Might Get Loud
Year: 2009
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Lead: Jack White, Jimmy Page, The Edge
Rated: Rated PG for mild thematic elements, brief language and smoking.

The three most prolific guitarists of all time are brought together into one room. What might happen "Probably a fist fight." according to Jack White. This documentary explains the styles of these greats and what music means to them.

This was simply awesome! Jack White is my favourite musician of all time, so it was fantastic to watch for me. (i could have watched a whole movie just about Jack) This is a great movie for any music fan, the three explain how they got their start and their influences and their favourite guitars. There isnt a whole lot of footage of the actually meeting of the three, its more individual. The music is great, Jimmy Page is great, Jack White is great, however, The Edge.... he looked kind of lame with these two greats, Jack and Jimmy play the hell out of their guitars, I cant really say the same for Edge, he is more into using effects to make his guitar do crazy stuff. They showed one scene where he played two notes, and with the effects, it sounded like he was doing alot more. It made him look, in my eyes, like a bit of a cheater. Even though he does show up towards the end, he is still a fantastic guitar player, better then me, thats for sure. This was great, the music is awesome, the footage is awesome, and the artists are awesome. Go see it if you can find it, I had to go to Irvine to see it, it was so worth it. 9 out of 10

Julie and Julia

Title: Julie and Julia
Year: 2009
Director: Nora Ephron
Lead: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
Rated: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality.

A woman tries to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook, and write a blog about it. She ends up learning more than just cooking, she learns how to be a better person.

This movie was fantastic, I really enjoyed it. Julia Child was a chef that learned everything she knew in cooking class in Paris, France... she didnt know how to boil an egg until after she was married. Julie Powell was a phone operator at an some kind of insurance company that takes claims from 9/11 victims, they lived decades apart and this story puts them together. It goes from segments from Julia Child's life to Julie Powell's life. The segments from Julia were very interesting and funny, watching Meryl Streep portray Julia quite perfectly was fun, and France looked so great on-screen. However, things got a little repetitve when Julie was on-screen, she would cook then freak out, it got a litte monotonous, but was still very humurous and very fun to watch. All in all this movie was great, it made you understand that cooking is more than just making food. Very good movie, go see it. Oh and at 123 minutes (2:03) it feels a little bit long, but its worth every minute. 7 1/2 out of 10

The Hurt Locker

Title: The Hurt Locker
Year: 2009
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Lead: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
Rated: Rated R for war violence and language.

The story of the daily struggles of a bomb squad in Iraq, they are put to the test constantly in a city where no one can be trusted and they must take every precaution to keep their lives.

This was the best movie Ive seen this year. There was so much tension in this movie, the kind of tension that keeps you on the very edge of your seat. This film had everything, probably the best 10 dollars Ive spent all year. The cinematography was AMAZING, the way the film was shot was perfect, there were times where you were put in the perspective of the characters, other times it was that quick zooming and panning, my favourite was the small bits of slow motion filming, when the bomb goes off and you see the rust shaking off of the car in SUPER slow motion, or when the shell casing is seen hitting the dirt in SUPER slow motion, and the special effects are SO awesome, the explosions are great, you can almost feel them they look so great, its absolute eye candy. The plot was fantastic, and the casting for the characters was perfect, Brian Geraghty's character was the most interesting, he had a bit of a psych problem from the effects of war and there were parts where I found myself asking myself, "whats he going to do right here?" Jeremy Renner's character was cool, he was always in charge and he made everyone know it, like he said "I say no to you, you do not say no to me." This movie accomplished what it set out to do, it made me feel uncomfortable at some parts, it made me feel tense, and it gave me a small glimpse into what life is like for our guys over seas. The Hurt Locker has won several awards at different film festivals around the world, including best director and best screenplay, you need to see it before its out of theaters, if you dont, buy it on dvd, its SO worth it. 9 1/2 out of 10

The Brave One

Title: The Brave One
Year: 2007
Director: Neil Jordan
Lead: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard
Rated: Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality.

A woman and her boyfriend are attacked in a tunnel in central park, her boyfriend was killed. She gets no answers about her case from the police, so she takes the law into her own hand.

This was a good film, a good revenge story, the relationship between Jodie Foster's character and Terrence Howard's was a little weird. it was one of those movies that you would be like "Heck yea" about. its cool to see Jodie Foster do work, its pretty graphic, which kinda adds to the excitement, she kills the kind of scum that make this world a bad place, and its awesome. Its a good movie, you should see it. 7 out of 10

3:10 To Yuma

Title: 3:10 To Yuma
Year: 2007
Director: James Mangold
Lead: Russel Crowe, Christian Bale
Rated: R for violence and some language.

A rancher who seems to never catch a break, is contracted to transport an outlaw to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison, and has to fight his way through Apaches, other outlaws, and even his own men.

This film reminds me of watching the old Clint Eastwood and John Wayne westerns, except better. This movie is awesome, exciting from the opening shot to the closing shot, it was filmed on location in New Mexico so the cinematography will not disappoint. The acting was fantastic, and I really like how they threw some kind of well known actors like Luke Wilson into the film. Everything was great. I was satisfied when the credits rolled. The gunfights were awesome, special effects were great, everything was believable. Christian Bale's character was really great, as was Russel Crowe's, they were so believable and they made this western one of the best Ive seen to date. 3:10 To Yuma was nominated for two Oscars including; best original score, and best achievement in sound. see it 8 1/2 out of 10

Funny People

Title: Funny People
Year: 2009
Director: Judd Apatow
Lead: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann
Rated: R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality.

A legendary comedian gets horrible news that he might die, he takes an upcoming comic under his wing and tries to find some meaning in his life.

This movie had its funny parts, and certainly had its not so funny parts. Its an Apatow film, naturally, he goes too far to get a laugh and comes up empty MANY times. Yea I laughed, there were some really funny parts, but it was dirty throughout, in my opinion, his dirtiest, nastiest films yet. I felt unsatisfied, it had a good story to it, and it was kind of touching I guess but it was SUPER nasty. go see it if you have some extra bucks on you that you wanna throw away. your not going to get your money's worth. Plus, this movie is really long, you feel like you just got out of a 5 hour movie. Bottom line... its funny, but its not THAT funny. 5 1/2 out of 10

Killing Santa

Title: Killing Santa
Year: ----
Director: Kris Hixson
Lead: Huyen Thi, Kieran C. Baroody, Mike Ferrell, Pam Calci, Gilly Conklin, Rudy Greene
Rated: F for Funny (haha)

This poor guy is traumatized throughout his lifetime because he never got boxing robots from Santa Clause as a kid, so in his adult years he plans to kill him. Their description is better so here it is
"Conner Creech hates Christmas. More specifically he hates Santa Claus. Ever since he was a kid he's only wanted one thing for Christmas, Boxing Robots. Now an adult and tired of being shafted year after year, Conner has decided to take matters into his own hands and rid the world of the judgmental, selectively generous St. Nick. His plan is fool proof. While his overly enthusiastic parents, sensible wife and sex deprived brother all eagerly await the holiday bliss, Conner remains focused on snuffing out the most beloved symbol of his most despised holiday."

This was the funniest short film Ive ever seen, Ive seen a few short comedies and this one takes the cake. Theres not a lot to it, no jokes that you have to think about for awhile, its straightforward humor, and its funny. The film was written by my dads co-worker, thats how we got the copy. Killing Santa was nominated for best comedy at the Cape Fear Indepepndent Film Festival. It was funny.

Collateral

Title: Collateral
Year: 2004
Director: Michael Mann
Lead: Tom Cruise, and Jamie Foxx
Rated: R for violence and language

A cab driver gets the fare of his life. Transport a contract killer around Los Angeles while he makes five hits.

This is an extremely tense film, there are some great shots, I particularly liked the shot where the wolves cross the road, it was really cool. Michael Mann did a great job not making any mistakes, for instance, when Jamie Foxx's character shoots through the glass door at the end, he doesnt know how to use the gun, he looks at it, and plays with it, and is then able to fire it. There are movies where the average joe guy saves the day and turns from a normal guy to some super killer, in this film, Jamie Foxx's character is jumpy and inexperienced, and I like that, hes not a killer, but is forced to be. Collateral was nominated for two Oscars; Best editing, and best supporting actor in Jamie Foxx. It was a great film. 8 out of 10

The Departed

Title: The Departed
Year: 2006
Director: Martin Scorsese
Lead: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg
Rated: R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material

This story twists and turns and ends dramatically. Its about a cop on the inside of the mob, and a mob inside of the cops and how the two cross paths trying to hunt eachother down.

Amazing film. Its insane, brutal, funny, dark, everything. You wont expect the ending, it keeps you guessing. This is not a movie you would watch with your kids, its brutal, the language is brutal, and mildly excessive, but somewhat necessary, they're from Boston... nuff' said. The parting shot in this film is the best parting shot I've ever seen, it is so fitting for the whole plot of the film. The Departed won 4 oscars, best directing, best editing, best writing, and picture of the year.
One thing that really bothers me (not in a bad way) is how there are a couple loose ends that i would have rather been tied up. But it gives you something to talk about the day after. haha. Anyways, this is probably the best mob film since The Godfather. 9 out of 10

There Will Be Blood

Title: There Will Be Blood
Year: 2008
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Lead: Daniel Day-Lewis
Rated: R for some violence

This film is loosely based off of Upton Sinclair's novel entitled "Oil!". Its about a greedy oil man and his son buying up land in to drill for oil.

This film is very dark. The score is very creepy, and there always seems to be trouble coming. We see Daniel Day-Lewis' character go through a giant transformation through this film, he gets crazier and crazier until the breaking point. This film won 2 Oscars, best actor and best cinematography, and let me say, the cinematography in this is an absolute work of art, they found fantastic places to shoot, and they caught everything just right, the setting is perfect, and Day-Lewis' performance is spot on, he does absolutely everything right... and let me say, this is my favourite film, I could watch it over and over again, it has everything. 9 1/2 stars out of 10

Capote

Title: Capote
Year: 2006
Director: Bennet Miller
Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rated: R for some violent images and brief strong language

This is the story behind author Truman Capote's defining work "In Cold Blood" which is an account about a quadruple murder in Kansas. Truman befriends the murderers while researching his book.

What I really liked about this movie is that Miller was able to perfectly balance the dark and light in this movie. This is a film about a brutal crime and the research to write a book about it, and I expected it to be a lot darker. It was not. This film is a must see, it won an Academy Award for best actor and was nominated for best picture. Another really great aspect about the screenplay, is that it isnt a biography sort of thing, its a story, its not something you would watch to learn about Capote, but rather something you would watch to enjoy the story behind his work. Its a GREAT movie, 8 out of 10 stars.

What is this?

This blog is devoted to film consumers everywhere. People who love to watch and analyze movies. I will try to post a review at least once a week. Im really looking forward to this. Thank you and enjoy.
-tod