Saturday, January 19, 2008

Cloverfield Review

Synopsis: N/A yet at www.imdb.com

Other Reviews:

Ebert & Roeper: N/A yet at http://kplusb.org/ebertroeper/
Fandango: 27 Oh No, 8 No, 23 So-So, 18 Go, 92 Must Go
Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter Critics: 77% Fresh, Top Critics 69% Fresh, RT Community: 59 Rotten
Yahoo Movies: Critics: B, Users B-

My Review: I say go and see it. It is a great movie. Let me stop and say on thing before I say any else about the movie. J.J. Abrams is the greatest marketing producer. He hyped people up to see the film only so they could answer there question, “What in the world is attacking the city?” Yes, it is a good movie but there are some elements of the film that turn a lot of people off like: It is filmed in a documentary/ run around with a digital camera/ Blair Witch Project style…this make the audience feel uneasy (maybe even want to throw up). The film ends very hastily (some may even say it didn’t have a ending) Those were the two common things I heard people say about the film they didn’t like but I say go watch it and make opinion about it your self. I would agree this point on every film but I betting this will be one of this years best Blockbuster films.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Bucket List Review

Synopsis: Corporate billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and working class mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find the joy in life.

Other Reviews:

Ebert & Roeper: Thumb Down (Scott) and Thumb Up (Roeper)
Fandango: Oh No 3, No 7, So-So 34, Go 227, Must Go, 574
Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter Critics: 40% Rotten, Top Critics: 24% Rotten, RT Community: 70% Fresh
Yahoo Movies: Critic: C, Users: B+

My Review: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman are both great in this movie. Awesome acting but the story is cutesy. The title/ trailer give the whole story away, heck the synopsis above give away the whole story. I am recommending this film. Some sappy girls may need a Kleenex and guys with a soft heart will get a “man-tear.” The best part of the film is Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

El Orfanato

Synopsis: The Orphanage centers on a Laura (Belén Rueda) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her sons imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing. Upon seeing her family increasingly threatened by the strange occurrences in the house, Laura looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place.

Other Reviews:

Ebert & Roeper: Two Thumbs Up
Fandango: 2 Oh No, 2 No, 6 So-So, 35 Go, 65 Must Go
Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter Critics: 83% Fresh, Top Critics: 92% Fresh, RT Community 96% Fresh
Yahoo Movies: Critics: N/A Users: B+

My Review: It was a good film, very suspenseful and many parts that make one jump. It would be fun to take a date because she would hold ones hand because of her sacredness. Remember it is a foreign film so yes, there will be some reading of subtitles but it is a simple storyline and easy to fallow. Also it is in Spanish so there may be some words that are easy to pick up on. It was just as good as Pan's Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo del Toro) The Orphanage was presented by this same guy so good taste by a good director. If a local theater/ art house is playing The Orphanage go see it.

Monday, January 14, 2008

AWARD SEASON: Golden Globes

Best Picture (Drama): Atonement
(Musical/Comedy): Sweeney Todd
Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
(Musical/Comedy): Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Best Actress (Drama): Julie Christie (Away From Her)
(Musical/Comedy): Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Best Director: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly)
Best Screenplay: Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli (Atonement)
Best Original Song: "Guaranteed" (Into The Wild)

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Review

Synopsis: N/A www.imdb.com has no synopsis for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Other Reviews:

Ebert & Roeper: N/A
Fandango: 43 Oh No, 9 No, 6 So-So, 14 Go, 15 Must Go
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 4% Rotten, Users: 13% Rotten
Yahoo Movies: Critics: N/A, Users: C+

My Review: I going to say watch but bring a friend who can enjoy a laugh. Make sure this friend has seen all of the following: Lord of the Rings (all of them), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 300, and many other fantasy. This movie pulls a lot of the same archetypes, storyline, VFX, and camera shoots. A lot of the camera shoots (cinematography) had a Lord of the Rings fell. The battle at the end reminded me of the battle between Lord Voldemort and Dumbledore at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Some battle sequence and speech had a 300 quality. For an Indie film it had an all star cast: Jason Statham (Snatch), Leelee Sobieski (The Glass House), John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings), Ray Liotta (Wild Hogs), Burt Reynolds (The Longest Yard), Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo). It was over the top and fairly cheesy but it is one of the best “B” movies.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

AWARD SEASON: Critics' Choice Awards (BFCA)

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Best Director: Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Best Writer: Diablo Cody (Juno)
Best Documentary (Full): Sicko
Best Animated Film (Full): Ratatouille
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Original Score: Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood)
Best Original Song: Falling Slowly (Once)
Best Ensemble Cast: Hairspray
Breakthrough Performance (Actor): Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (The Kite Runner)Breakthrough Performance (Actress): Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray)
Best Comedy Movie: Juno
Best Family Film: Enchanted

Monday, January 7, 2008

One Missed Call Review

Synopsis:

What will it sound like when you die? In the supernatural thriller One Missed Call, a chain of people receive terrifying cell phone messages of their own final fatal moments. Though the messages can be deleted, their number is up. Beth Raymond (Shannyn Sossamon) is traumatized when she witnesses the gruesome deaths of two friend’s just days apart. Even more disturbing, she knows that both of them had received chilling cell phone messages, actual recordings of their own horrifying last moments. Impossibly, the calls were received days before they died, but each death occurred precisely when and how the messages foretold. The police think Beth is delusional, except for Detective Jack Andrews (Edward Burns) whose own sister was killed in a freak accident that bears a strange similarity to the deaths of Beth's friends. Together, Jack and Beth work feverishly to unravel the mystery behind the ominous calls. But even as they get closer to the truth, Beth's cell phone begins to ring with an eerie tune, and the readout says One Missed Call.

Other Reviews:

Ebert & Roeper: N/A
Fandango: 42 Oh No, 13 No, 26 So-So, 25 Go, 39 Must Go
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 0% Rotten, Users: 13% Rotten
Yahoo Movies: N/A

My Review: This movie was very lame. Not worth the money, time, or effort. Good thing I saw it for free. Not scary…well maybe jumpy to girls but that’s it. Even people into this type of horror will be disappointed. Worst film of 2008 so far and I bet it takes the cake on 12-31-08 also.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

AWARD SEASON: National Board of Review

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James)
Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Best Director: Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd)
Best Screenplay (Adapted): Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Best Screenplay (Original): Diablo Cody (Juno) & Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl)
Best Documentary (Full): Body of War
Best Animated Film (Full): Ratatouille
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Friday, January 4, 2008

Top Movies I Recommend To See In 2008

Number Ones for January:
National: Cloverfield
Indies: Cassandra's Dream
Comedy: Be Kind Rewind
Family: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - A Veggie Tales Movie

Number Ones for February:
National: Jumper
Indies: In Bruges
Comedy: Charlie Bartlett
Family: The Spiderwick Chronicles

Number Ones for March:
National: 10,000 B.C.
Indies: Under the Same Moon
Comedy: Run, Fat Boy, Run
Family: Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who

Number Ones for April:
National: Leatherheads
Indies: None
Comedy: Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo
Family: Nim's Island

Number Ones for May:
National: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, or Speed Racer
Indies: None
Comedy: What Happens in Vegas
Family: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Number Ones for June:
National: The Happening or The Incredible Hulk
Indies: None
Comedy: Get Smart
Family: WALL•E

July-December will be updated soon.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

P.S. I Love You Review

Synopsis:

On a country road in Ireland over ten years ago, it was love at first sight for Holly, a lost young tourist (Academy Award® winner, Hilary Swank), and Gerry, a charming local lad (Gerard Butler). Holly’s formidable mother, (Kathy Bates), disapproved of the couple, concerned that her spirited daughter was too young for marriage. In the years since, the once fearless Holly has become unsure of her own identity. When Gerry dies with a brain tumor and leaves Holly a widow just shy of her thirtieth birthday, her family and best friends (Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon) are concerned that she will never emerge from her takeout container-strewn Manhattan apartment. After weeks holed up watching old movies, a birthday cake and tape recording message from Gerry mysteriously arrives, marking the beginning of a series of letters instructing her to perform unusual requests. With the help of her girlfriends, Holly begins a year of wild adventures and a life journey that Gerry has planned for her, helping her to discover who she is without him and reminding her - p.s. I Love You. (www.imdb.com)

Other Reviews

Ebert & Roeper: Thumb Up and Thumb Down (bventertainment.go.com)
Fandango: 19 Oh No, 16 No, 60 So-So, 207 Go, 372 Must Go (www.fandango.com)
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 20% Rotten Users: 83% Fresh (www.rottentomatoes.com)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: C- Users: B (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie)

My Review:

It is a Great date movie. Bring your significant other to this one. It has sappy moments for the girls and the guys are going to wish to hear King Leonidas voice come out Gerard Butler mouth. Lets say it kind of dose when he his yelling. Anyways I would suggest it for a date movie only. It will be a better movie experience that way.

REVIEW: National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Synopsis:

When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Bens great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincolns death. Determined to prove his ancestors innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations but to the trail of the worlds most treasured secrets. (www.imdb.com)

Other Reviews

Ebert & Roeper: Two Thumbs Down (bventertainment.go.com)
Fandango: 40 Oh No, 42 No, 317 So-So, 1934 Go, 2507 Must Go (www.fandango.com)
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 35% Rotten Users: 63% Fresh (www.rottentomatoes.com)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: C+ Users: B (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie)

My Review:

It may become this generation Indiana Jones. It has that same type of story. It was good. I loved the comic relief character Riley Poole just as funny as the first. The second seem more over the top than the first. The first one focused on learning history while at the same time incorporating fiction. This one runs with historical legends, fiction and non-fiction. I say watch it but other may disagree.