Into the Wild
Starring:
Emile Hirsch ... Chris McCandless
Marcia Gay Harden ... Billie McCandless
William Hurt ... Walt McCandless
Jena Malone ... Carine McCandless
Plot:
Chris McCandless has graduated from college. He is struggling to come to terms with his parents unhappy, sometimes abusive marriage and his own knowledge about the ugly truth which surrounds his family. Chris sets off across country without telling family or friends where he is going or where he plans to end up. Chris's last chapter of his adventure takes him to Alaska where he sets out on his goal of living off the land.
Review:
The movie is based on a novel taken from Chris's diary. A very moving and compelling work. It almost makes you feel like grabbing a backpack and heading off on a cross country adventure of your own. I enjoyed how Chris's journey was depicted through the high points and low points. It was also great to see Chris even though looked as if he was nothing more than a vagabond, had a set of morales he lived by, this was evident by how he handled a situation where an underage girl had developed a crush on him. The movie also showed his weakness and how he was tempted at least once to return home, like when he arrived in LA and went to stay at a shelter. He almost gave into getting an ID and re-establishing himself into mainstream society, once he realized he was about to give up his goal, he quickly returned to his remote travels.
If you like movies based on true events this is a spectacular movie for you to engross yourself in. Keep in mind this movie is based on the novel "Into the Wild" and theory of his death had been changed.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Ruins
The Ruins
Starring:
Jonathan Tucker ... Jeff
Jena Malone ... Amy
Laura Ramsey ... Stacy
Shawn Ashmore ... Eric
Joe Anderson ... Mathias
Plot: A bunch of friends are taking vacation/break from school at a Mexican resort. A German tourist befriends them and convinces them to take a trek to an uncharted Mayan temple. But not all is what it seems. The temple is cursed and the locals aim to keep the curse contained.
Review:
Surprisingly this movie is better than the horror/suspense movie that are being released. It all takes place on top of a Mayan temple. What I like about this movie is it doesn't pull "let's wrap this up in the last 5 minutes of the movie crap". The story really does unfold in front of the audience eyes. I do like how the plot revolved around the 5 main characters and I also liked how the they were contained in one relatively small space, giving the audience a feeling of being right there in the same predicament as the characters. I also liked how there were no subtitles when it came to the locals talking, making language a barrier, just like it is if someone who is not multi-lingual feels if they travel abroad. Though the movie does leave room for a sequel, hopefully it will be left alone. Sometimes not knowing if that last survivor really did make it adds to the movie's appeal.
Starring:
Jonathan Tucker ... Jeff
Jena Malone ... Amy
Laura Ramsey ... Stacy
Shawn Ashmore ... Eric
Joe Anderson ... Mathias
Plot: A bunch of friends are taking vacation/break from school at a Mexican resort. A German tourist befriends them and convinces them to take a trek to an uncharted Mayan temple. But not all is what it seems. The temple is cursed and the locals aim to keep the curse contained.
Review:
Surprisingly this movie is better than the horror/suspense movie that are being released. It all takes place on top of a Mayan temple. What I like about this movie is it doesn't pull "let's wrap this up in the last 5 minutes of the movie crap". The story really does unfold in front of the audience eyes. I do like how the plot revolved around the 5 main characters and I also liked how the they were contained in one relatively small space, giving the audience a feeling of being right there in the same predicament as the characters. I also liked how there were no subtitles when it came to the locals talking, making language a barrier, just like it is if someone who is not multi-lingual feels if they travel abroad. Though the movie does leave room for a sequel, hopefully it will be left alone. Sometimes not knowing if that last survivor really did make it adds to the movie's appeal.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight
Starring:
Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger ... The Joker
Aaron Eckhart ... Dist. Atty. Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine ... Alfred
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman ... Gordon
Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox
Not even doing a synoposis going to straight to the review
Review:
Fantastic. This move lives up to everything. I have already seen it twice. I already know there is not much more I can say that hasn't already been said. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I have no idea what you are waiting for, it is worth the admission price!
Starring:
Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger ... The Joker
Aaron Eckhart ... Dist. Atty. Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine ... Alfred
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman ... Gordon
Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox
Not even doing a synoposis going to straight to the review
Review:
Fantastic. This move lives up to everything. I have already seen it twice. I already know there is not much more I can say that hasn't already been said. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I have no idea what you are waiting for, it is worth the admission price!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)
The Happiness of the Katakuris
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast:
Kenji Sawada ... Masao Katakuri
Keiko Matsuzaka ... Terue Katakuri
Shinji Takeda ... Masayuki Katakuri
Naomi Nishida ... Shizue Katakuri
Kiyoshiro Imawano ... Richâdo Sagawa
Tetsuro Tamba ... Ojîsan Jinpei Katakuri
Naoto Takenaka ... TV Reporter / Singer
Tamaki Miyazaki ... Yurie Katakuri
Takashi Matsuzaki ... Utanômi
Description: A morbid musical about a family's plight to make their Bed and Breakfast venture success. The Katakuris family buy and fix up an old house in the boonies and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast, but their guest keep dieing and the situations leave the family scrambling to avoid local scandal and financial ruin. Based on the Korean movie "The Quite Family".
Review: This movie is surprisingly amazing and hilarious. I rented this from Blockbuster expecting a zombie/horror movie but what I got was something much better. It was entertaining with the way the musical numbers were embedded and how the claymation was used to replace expensive stunts and CGI; it gave it a surrealistic edge and added to the comical feel. The movie does have serious points but the scenes are not long and do not interfere with the films corkiness. If you are looking to watch a soon to be cult classic in America this would be it. It is right up there with Dead Alive and Army of Darkness.
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast:
Kenji Sawada ... Masao Katakuri
Keiko Matsuzaka ... Terue Katakuri
Shinji Takeda ... Masayuki Katakuri
Naomi Nishida ... Shizue Katakuri
Kiyoshiro Imawano ... Richâdo Sagawa
Tetsuro Tamba ... Ojîsan Jinpei Katakuri
Naoto Takenaka ... TV Reporter / Singer
Tamaki Miyazaki ... Yurie Katakuri
Takashi Matsuzaki ... Utanômi
Description: A morbid musical about a family's plight to make their Bed and Breakfast venture success. The Katakuris family buy and fix up an old house in the boonies and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast, but their guest keep dieing and the situations leave the family scrambling to avoid local scandal and financial ruin. Based on the Korean movie "The Quite Family".
Review: This movie is surprisingly amazing and hilarious. I rented this from Blockbuster expecting a zombie/horror movie but what I got was something much better. It was entertaining with the way the musical numbers were embedded and how the claymation was used to replace expensive stunts and CGI; it gave it a surrealistic edge and added to the comical feel. The movie does have serious points but the scenes are not long and do not interfere with the films corkiness. If you are looking to watch a soon to be cult classic in America this would be it. It is right up there with Dead Alive and Army of Darkness.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Disney's Enchanted
Disney's Enchanted
Patrick Dempsey
Amy Adams
James Marsden
Susan Sarandon
Timothy Spall
Idina Menzel
Plot: Prince Edward finds love with the fair maiden Giselle and sets out to marry her. His wicked step mother, the Queen not wanting to give up her crown, banishes the soon to be princess to the real world. Giselle ends up in New York. Prince Edward follows to rescue her. The evil queen tries to stop their reunion. During their time in the real world Prince Edward and Giselle learn more about real life and love.
Review: Reality meets a Disney fairy tale. The movie starts off as a cartoon with the Prince and Giselle's meeting. It turns real after the evil queen tosses Giselle down a well. The movie pokes fun at Disney stereotypes such as the fair maiden who talks to animals; Giselle sings the indigenous wildlife of New York into helping her clean up the apartment of her real world savior Robert Philip; pigeons and roaches show up. Of course there is also the plight of Prince Edward who thinks anything not human shape is a beast to conquer. He ends up battling a bus and freaking out a bunch of passengers. There is also the token animal friend, a chip monk, who tries to save everyone, the evil queens lackey who tries to stop the couple from finding each other and the evil queen herself.
It's a feel good movie which is ultra safe to take your kids to. It was enjoyable, the music numbers were not over bearing and the humor well written. It's a good movie to take the family to for an afternoon matinee.
Patrick Dempsey
Amy Adams
James Marsden
Susan Sarandon
Timothy Spall
Idina Menzel
Plot: Prince Edward finds love with the fair maiden Giselle and sets out to marry her. His wicked step mother, the Queen not wanting to give up her crown, banishes the soon to be princess to the real world. Giselle ends up in New York. Prince Edward follows to rescue her. The evil queen tries to stop their reunion. During their time in the real world Prince Edward and Giselle learn more about real life and love.
Review: Reality meets a Disney fairy tale. The movie starts off as a cartoon with the Prince and Giselle's meeting. It turns real after the evil queen tosses Giselle down a well. The movie pokes fun at Disney stereotypes such as the fair maiden who talks to animals; Giselle sings the indigenous wildlife of New York into helping her clean up the apartment of her real world savior Robert Philip; pigeons and roaches show up. Of course there is also the plight of Prince Edward who thinks anything not human shape is a beast to conquer. He ends up battling a bus and freaking out a bunch of passengers. There is also the token animal friend, a chip monk, who tries to save everyone, the evil queens lackey who tries to stop the couple from finding each other and the evil queen herself.
It's a feel good movie which is ultra safe to take your kids to. It was enjoyable, the music numbers were not over bearing and the humor well written. It's a good movie to take the family to for an afternoon matinee.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Shoot 'Em Up
Shoot 'Em Up
Director: Michael Davis
Stars:
Clive Owen
Monica Bellucci
Paul Giamatti
Synopsis:
A complete stranger called simply, Smith (Clive Owen) becomes the unexpected guardian of a new born after he tries to help the mother fiend off killers. Smith, not a stranger to gangland style violence bucks up and takes charge. He contacts a call girl (Monica Bellucci) he usually goes to help him take care of the child. The bad guys still wanting the child have their own resources and are constantly on Smith's heels.
Review:
If you like action, this movie is for you. It has a nice blend of storyline that doesn't get in the way of the action. If you plan to watch this film with friends who are hell bent on realism tell them to leave their disbelief at the door because this movie doesn't take reality into consideration. The visuals of the movie are really good. I particularly liked wide screen over head shot of the main character walking around a field in the aftermath of a mid-air battle, he just had; it made me giggle.
I also liked the way the main character's role was written. The viewer never truly knows where he came from, what his background is, or how he got to be so resourceful. The only thing the viewer really gets to know is the guy was sitting there minding his own business, drinking a coffee when he saw a pregnant woman being chased by guys with guns. Oh and he is a wicked good shot and frequents the red light district.
Director: Michael Davis
Stars:
Clive Owen
Monica Bellucci
Paul Giamatti
Synopsis:
A complete stranger called simply, Smith (Clive Owen) becomes the unexpected guardian of a new born after he tries to help the mother fiend off killers. Smith, not a stranger to gangland style violence bucks up and takes charge. He contacts a call girl (Monica Bellucci) he usually goes to help him take care of the child. The bad guys still wanting the child have their own resources and are constantly on Smith's heels.
Review:
If you like action, this movie is for you. It has a nice blend of storyline that doesn't get in the way of the action. If you plan to watch this film with friends who are hell bent on realism tell them to leave their disbelief at the door because this movie doesn't take reality into consideration. The visuals of the movie are really good. I particularly liked wide screen over head shot of the main character walking around a field in the aftermath of a mid-air battle, he just had; it made me giggle.
I also liked the way the main character's role was written. The viewer never truly knows where he came from, what his background is, or how he got to be so resourceful. The only thing the viewer really gets to know is the guy was sitting there minding his own business, drinking a coffee when he saw a pregnant woman being chased by guys with guns. Oh and he is a wicked good shot and frequents the red light district.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Director:Chris Paine
Writer:Chris Paine
Review: A documentary about the small amount of electric cars that came out in the late 90's and early 2000's. The documentary is very informative and well thought out. I liked how the facts were presented and also how they were able to get on film car manufactures representatives contradicting themselves and trying to misinform the public about the cars. the film goes into details about certain aspects as to why the electric car failed and how not all of the information being presented was accurate or how the ad campaigns were designed to make the consumer feel disconnected from the new technology.
It is obvious the documentary was shot over years of trying to fight the car manufactures to keep the cars on the road. Which as we all know did not work, thanks to several misdeeds of the government, government officials, oil companies, consumers, and car manufactures. If you have not seen this documentary I suggest you do. It is an eye opener and it is sad to think we had the answer to our gas problem so long ago and no one bothered to look or we were persuaded not to look by the government, oil companies and car manufactures.
Director:Chris Paine
Writer:Chris Paine
Review: A documentary about the small amount of electric cars that came out in the late 90's and early 2000's. The documentary is very informative and well thought out. I liked how the facts were presented and also how they were able to get on film car manufactures representatives contradicting themselves and trying to misinform the public about the cars. the film goes into details about certain aspects as to why the electric car failed and how not all of the information being presented was accurate or how the ad campaigns were designed to make the consumer feel disconnected from the new technology.
It is obvious the documentary was shot over years of trying to fight the car manufactures to keep the cars on the road. Which as we all know did not work, thanks to several misdeeds of the government, government officials, oil companies, consumers, and car manufactures. If you have not seen this documentary I suggest you do. It is an eye opener and it is sad to think we had the answer to our gas problem so long ago and no one bothered to look or we were persuaded not to look by the government, oil companies and car manufactures.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Women (1939)
The Women
Director:
George Cukor
Cast:
Norma Shearer
Joan Crawford
Rosalind Russell
Mary Boland
Paulette Goddard
Phyllis Povah
Joan Fontaine
Virginia Weidler
Lucile Watson
Marjorie Main
Hedda Hopper
Florence Nash
Synopsis:
Mrs. Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) is a New York elitist's wife, who finds out he is having an affair with a perfume counter girl, Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). She finds out because two of her gossipy friends Mrs. Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) and Edith Potter (Phyllis Povah) hear a manicurist talk about one of her friend's and Mrs. Haines's husband's affair.
Mary now has to decide if she is going to break up her family and file for divorce or swallow her pride and continue on like nothing happened. The decision to ignore it is nearly made impossible because of Mary's gossiping friends and her husband's blatant flaunting of the affair. After a confrontation with Crystal, Mary is left with saving her pride or her family.
Mary goes off to Reno where she meets The Countess DeLave (Mary Boland) and Miriam Aarons (Paulette Goddard). She has opted for the divorce and is staying at a ranch run by Lucy (Marjorie Main) for divorcee's in waiting. Later on Sylvia joins Mary at the ranch because she too is getting a divorce from her husband.
Later on Sylvia becomes friends with Crystal after she marries Mr. Haines. Mary decides stay on the outskirts of the gossip crowd, but keeps in touch with The Countess who has remarried a man named Buck and with Miriam who ended up marrying Sylvia's ex-husband. Mary still hears some of the gossip but mostly keeps to herself. After she finds out that Crystal is having an affair she decides to take back what is hers and confronts Crystal one last time.
Review:
Despite most of the characters being married it is an all female cast. No men are main characters or leads in this production which for 1939 was almost unheard of. The script is well written and the actresses play their parts very well. There is a remake coming in 2008 which I am sure will be updated to fit the times. This film is a great classic so the remake has a lot to live up to.
Watching this film shows how much hasn't really changed with the female mind set. I am speaking in terms of the cattiness that is displayed by all but one character (Mary). In a way it is sure to remind every female of that one friend who they knew really wasn't but was only there to cause trouble or stir the pot so to speak. I am sure we all have that one person we know that is more tolerated than anything.
If you are planning to catch the remake of this film then you may want to see the original first with the original cast. This way if the remake doesn't measure up you won't be put off from seeing the original.
Director:
George Cukor
Cast:
Norma Shearer
Joan Crawford
Rosalind Russell
Mary Boland
Paulette Goddard
Phyllis Povah
Joan Fontaine
Virginia Weidler
Lucile Watson
Marjorie Main
Hedda Hopper
Florence Nash
Synopsis:
Mrs. Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) is a New York elitist's wife, who finds out he is having an affair with a perfume counter girl, Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). She finds out because two of her gossipy friends Mrs. Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) and Edith Potter (Phyllis Povah) hear a manicurist talk about one of her friend's and Mrs. Haines's husband's affair.
Mary now has to decide if she is going to break up her family and file for divorce or swallow her pride and continue on like nothing happened. The decision to ignore it is nearly made impossible because of Mary's gossiping friends and her husband's blatant flaunting of the affair. After a confrontation with Crystal, Mary is left with saving her pride or her family.
Mary goes off to Reno where she meets The Countess DeLave (Mary Boland) and Miriam Aarons (Paulette Goddard). She has opted for the divorce and is staying at a ranch run by Lucy (Marjorie Main) for divorcee's in waiting. Later on Sylvia joins Mary at the ranch because she too is getting a divorce from her husband.
Later on Sylvia becomes friends with Crystal after she marries Mr. Haines. Mary decides stay on the outskirts of the gossip crowd, but keeps in touch with The Countess who has remarried a man named Buck and with Miriam who ended up marrying Sylvia's ex-husband. Mary still hears some of the gossip but mostly keeps to herself. After she finds out that Crystal is having an affair she decides to take back what is hers and confronts Crystal one last time.
Review:
Despite most of the characters being married it is an all female cast. No men are main characters or leads in this production which for 1939 was almost unheard of. The script is well written and the actresses play their parts very well. There is a remake coming in 2008 which I am sure will be updated to fit the times. This film is a great classic so the remake has a lot to live up to.
Watching this film shows how much hasn't really changed with the female mind set. I am speaking in terms of the cattiness that is displayed by all but one character (Mary). In a way it is sure to remind every female of that one friend who they knew really wasn't but was only there to cause trouble or stir the pot so to speak. I am sure we all have that one person we know that is more tolerated than anything.
If you are planning to catch the remake of this film then you may want to see the original first with the original cast. This way if the remake doesn't measure up you won't be put off from seeing the original.
I Am Legend
I Am Legend
Director: Francis Lawrence
Actors:
Will Smith
Alice Braga
Charlie Tahan
Synopsis:
A cure for cancer causes most of the US population to become zombies. One scientist Dr. Robert Neveill (Will Smith), a military doctor stays behind in New York city which is riddled with zombies, to discover the cure and save the world. Robert himself is immune to the air borne and blood contact form of the virus. He also sends out a message on the AM radio waves looking for survivors but he doesn't really hope to find any. He surprised to find out there are survivors and possibly more but being on his own for so long has him skeptical. He feels doomed to his fate of staying behind because he feels partly responsible for the death of his family and the spread of the virus.
Review:
When I first heard of this movie two others came to mind. Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth. I Am Legend is a remake of Omega Man and is based on the book "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. The CGI is pretty good and Will Smith does a good job of carrying the movie. Since the viewer only sees one human, Robert Neveill, for over half the film it is easy to say this role is a make or break commodity for a movie, put the wrong actor in this role and the film would be buried.
I'm not saying Will Smith does a spectacular performance but he carries the movie just fine. It is also nice to see a post apocalyptic movie with zombies portray them as more than just slow moving, mindless, want to eat your brains, zombies. For Example, when Robert captured a female zombie and took her back to his lab for testing, her mate mimicked Robert's trap and effectively used it against him.
The movie toward the end showed the parallel between Robert and the male lead zombie. The leader of the zombies showed tactical thinking with creating traps and having trained zombie dogs. Robert had a military background and a trained dog. The lead zombie also showed he in a sense cared about his mate and though animal like showed emotion toward being picked on by a human.
It's a good movie but I would not call it a blockbuster. If you can catch it on a matinee cool, but if you really don't want to spend the money you can always wait for DVD which will probably have extras, alternate endings and maybe a blooper reel.
Director: Francis Lawrence
Actors:
Will Smith
Alice Braga
Charlie Tahan
Synopsis:
A cure for cancer causes most of the US population to become zombies. One scientist Dr. Robert Neveill (Will Smith), a military doctor stays behind in New York city which is riddled with zombies, to discover the cure and save the world. Robert himself is immune to the air borne and blood contact form of the virus. He also sends out a message on the AM radio waves looking for survivors but he doesn't really hope to find any. He surprised to find out there are survivors and possibly more but being on his own for so long has him skeptical. He feels doomed to his fate of staying behind because he feels partly responsible for the death of his family and the spread of the virus.
Review:
When I first heard of this movie two others came to mind. Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth. I Am Legend is a remake of Omega Man and is based on the book "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. The CGI is pretty good and Will Smith does a good job of carrying the movie. Since the viewer only sees one human, Robert Neveill, for over half the film it is easy to say this role is a make or break commodity for a movie, put the wrong actor in this role and the film would be buried.
I'm not saying Will Smith does a spectacular performance but he carries the movie just fine. It is also nice to see a post apocalyptic movie with zombies portray them as more than just slow moving, mindless, want to eat your brains, zombies. For Example, when Robert captured a female zombie and took her back to his lab for testing, her mate mimicked Robert's trap and effectively used it against him.
The movie toward the end showed the parallel between Robert and the male lead zombie. The leader of the zombies showed tactical thinking with creating traps and having trained zombie dogs. Robert had a military background and a trained dog. The lead zombie also showed he in a sense cared about his mate and though animal like showed emotion toward being picked on by a human.
It's a good movie but I would not call it a blockbuster. If you can catch it on a matinee cool, but if you really don't want to spend the money you can always wait for DVD which will probably have extras, alternate endings and maybe a blooper reel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
