The Royal Tenenbaums

Title: The Royal Tenenbaums
Year: 2001
Director: Wes Anderson
Lead: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Danny Glover
Rated: R for some language, sexuality/nudity and drug content.

An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when one of their member announces he has a terminal illness. (imdb)

Awesome Movie! Wes Anderson is really a genius in film-making. The Royal Tenenbaums is really a masterpiece, it has so much going for it; All star cast, great story, and awesome camera work. This film is so great to look at, it is visually stunning; I really enjoyed the trademark Anderson montages with titles, it brought me back to his film "Rushmore" when we are introduced to all the clubs that the main character is in, I love it, its really genius! Another great thing about the movie is the story. It is perfect, he ties the book into the film so well, and even though this isn't really billed as a comedy, its hilarious, there are many funny parts in this movie. The characters are so great too, plenty of depth to each story line in this film that you almost need a second and third and even a fourth viewing to really pick up everything, and even then, I'm sure you would still miss things. Really great film through and through that I recommend you go and buy and add to your collection. 8 1/2 out of 10

The Science of Sleep

Title: The Science of Sleep
Year: 2006
Director: Michael Gondry
Lead: Gael Garcia Bernal
Rated: R for language, some sexual content and nudity.

A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world. (imdb)

I loved Michael Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", I consider it one of my favorite films, and I was hoping the same for The Science of Sleep, it did not deliver. I was very confused on the point of this movie, along with the characters. The story seems very jumpy, and there are characters in this movie that have a bigger part then they should. The whole story doesn't make sense, a guy is in love with this girl in his mind, and then he tries to be in love with her in real life, and he acts like a jerk, it is as stupid as it sounds. On top of that, the language changes constantly from French to Spanish to English, subtitles pop up and then disappear it was very irritating. The dream sequences are cool, in fact, that's the only place that this movie excels, other than that, it was completely pointless to me. I do not recommend this movie, I constantly had the urge to turn it off. 5 out of 10

Just Go With It

Title: Just Go With It
Year: February 2011
Director: Dennis Dugan
Lead: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews, Brooklyn Decker
Rated: Not rated yet, but it will probably end up being on the lower end of PG-13

A man enlists the help of a woman and her kids to land the woman of his dreams.(imdb)

This movie is funny, and it reminds me of old Sandler movies, like Gilmore and Big Daddy, its just good funny jokes that work well at making the audience laugh. I saw this movie at a pre-screening, I sat behind Dennis Dugan, and got to talk to him a little bit before it started, he was excited about this movie, and for good reason; its good. The story is ridiculous; A man wears a wedding ring to pick up girls, until he meets the girl of his dreams. He enlists his friend and her kids to play the part of his family on a trip to Hawaii. They say that they re getting a divorce... on and on, its nuts, basically, one lie after the other until the truth comes out. Its funny, really funny, and its a good funny, you don't feel intellectually cheated at all, and there isn't any raunchy humor that you feel guilty at laughing at. I highly recommend going and seeing this film when it comes out on February 11th 2011 (01/11/11). Its very funny and surprisingly clean, i honestly cant remember hearing one profanity in the entire film, which actually made me feel good, like what i was watching was good for me. The story is perfectly ridiculous, and the jokes are successful at being hilarious. Sandler and Aniston's on screen chemistry is so great that it makes YOU feel great. Everything about this movie is good, except for Brooklyn Decker, she is great to look at, but she isn't a very good actress. Great movie, see it when it comes out 01/11/11. 8 out of 10

Cyrus

Title: Cyrus
Year: 2010
Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Lead: John C. Reily, Jonah Hill
Rated: Rated R for language and some sexual material.

John meets the girl of his dreams, then he meets her son.

Cyrus is a fantastic little indie film with some big names. The story is hilarious, who doesn't enjoy a movie where a weird son breaks up a relationship? Cyrus is filled with all kinds of different things. Its a comedy, a drama, and a romantic film all rolled up into one. The humor is hilarious; Jonah Hill (Cyrus) plays the weird son of John's girlfriend, and John C. Reily (John) plays the boyfriend. During the film, we watch them duke it out until Cyrus finally gets what he wants. This movie is great, its very funny, and touching, I recommend it to anyone looking for a good, funny, romantic comedy film this summer. My only problem with this film is the way it was shot. The directors, from what Ive read, really like the whole hand-held, documentary type camera work, with quick zooms and constant cuts. I, however, really don't enjoy watching that, because I know I could do it better. Put the damn camera on a tripod please, it would make this movie look so much better. Other than that, the movie was great, and I will probably end up buying this one on DVD. Go see Cyrus, I recommend it. 7 1/2 out of 10. (simply for camera work alone, would be an 8 1/2 if they used a tripod)

Inception

Title: Inception
Year: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Lead: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, and Michael Caine
Rated: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one's mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset. (imdb)

There aren't a lot of words that can truly describe this film. Its utterly breathtaking in every aspect of film making. Single shots in this movie are better then entire films, and action sequences that can only happen in your dreams are made to feel so realistic that even the audience member feels like they are a part of it. The story is basically flawless, and the script is so well written that nobody questions the idea of inception in the slightest. The actors back this script so perfectly as well. Leo is spot on, as usual, (but then again, when has Leo put out a movie we DIDN'T like?) and Ellen Page is so great in this movie, as well as everyone else. The cinematography is unreal, the zero gravity fight scene is one of the most insane things Ive ever seen captured on film. Chris Nolan has really outdone himself in every movie he makes, you keep wondering if he has another great movie in him; well, he does. Inception is the best movie of the summer, if not the year, we'll see what December and January give us. I recommend Inception to everybody, except kids; They'll freak out. See the movie while its still fresh in theaters, because probably the best part of the film is the audience reaction to the ending. Inception is fantastic, that's why I'm giving it the rare 10 out of 10. GO SEE INCEPTION!

Toy Story 3

Title: Toy Story 3
Year: 2010
Director: Lee Unkrich
Lead: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Rated: Rated G

Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys are dumped into a daycare center when Andy leaves for college.

I was 5 years old when Toy Story blew the doors off of every theater in America, 9 when Toy Story 2 did it again. I am nearly 20 now, and I can safely credit those two Toy Story films to my chosen career path in the film industry. When I was a kid, I just watched movies; I sat there and I just watched. These days, I am picky, I pick things out, I critique everything I see, its not really by choice, Its just kind of in my brain now. This morning I sat down in the theater, the lights went down, and the familiar faces of Woody, Buzz, Slink, and everyone else came up on the screen; I was a kid again, I just watched. Toy Story 3 is the best film of 2010, and I will tell you why. Pixar brings characters you know back for the third time, they integrate them with new characters in a story that is written so flawlessly that you don't even know your watching a movie. TS3 provides some of the most genuine feelings that I have ever felt in a movie. A lot of real life films cant even pull off moments like Pixar did with this film. The landfill scene is one of the most hopeless scenes I have ever watched, and the closing scene made me cry harder then I have cried in a very long time. Toy Story 3 will get a best picture nomination, and don't be surprised if it wins. Toy Story will live forever as the best trilogy of all time. Toy Story 3 is well worth the money to see it in 3d, its well worth the money to see it 3 times, go see it in theaters, and buy it on DVD, Blu-ray, whatever you want it on, maybe both. Toy Story 3 gets 10 out of 10

Fargo

Title: Fargo
Year: 1996
Director: Ethan & Joel Coen
Lead: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Frances McDormand
Rated: Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality.

A car salesman plans a harmless crime that goes horribly wrong after both him and his hired henchman make terribly stupid mistakes.

Fargo is awesome, its a film that should be on everyone's list, the description does the film NO justice, you need to just watch this ridiculous story unfold on-screen. The script is amazing, the little things make this movie great, its things like the funny Canadian/Minnesotan accent, and the awkward silences, and Marge's husband waking up in the morning, and many other fun, quirky bits in the script. This film starts out really harmless and things are very lighthearted, but the mood soon shifts, things get crazier and crazier until everything breaks. Steve Buscemi is one crazy guy, he has shocked me in his role as Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, he's such a great actor, he's so great in this movie. The cinematography in Fargo is really cool, a couple days ago I was talking to my dad about splitting the frame, as in, there are two actors on the screen but they are split by a wall or something where they cant see each other, the Coens did this in Fargo, in the breakfast scene when Marge gets up and walks out to her car, and her husband is sitting at the table, its really cool. The Coens can do no wrong in my mind. Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Big Lebowski, all of them are hits along with Fargo. Buy Fargo, watch it, put it on your movie shelf, right in the front, show it to all of your friends... let me warn, their are some disturbing scenes, I'm not going to spoil them, but they are graphic, and the language is out of control, but it makes this movie great. Fargo won 2 Academy Awards for Best Actress in Frances McDormand, and Best Screenplay by Ethan & Joel Coen. Watch Fargo! 9 out of 10