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Reviews
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
A heartfelt masterpiece
Since his Apatow arrival on Freaks and Geeks, Jason Siegel, has always had the little parts in the past many Apatow produced films, at least until now, and it's a performance not to be forgotten. This beautifully scripted and wonderfully acted film features Jason Siegel getting over a recent break up in ways that'll make you laugh as hard as ever before, and in the end, you'll leave in a state of ecstasy because of how much fun you had. But my main point of interest was how well this film emotionally connected with its audience. The nakedness of Siegel during the break-up (which was strange and comical while also saddening), the wonderfully casted and beautiful Mila Kunis, and the script all come together to stretch out a sad yet hopeful hand that sweeps the audience up and never lets them back down even after the movie is over. I know of nothing else to say except...see this movie and enjoy.
9/10!!!
The Signal (2007)
beauty in blood
Independent films have always been enjoyable to watch for me because they normally show the real side of things, but, that not being the point of emphasis in The Signal (hah) I was nervous about seeing it, especially because I wasn't sure about the three different genres mixed. But man, was I surprised! The three genres of: Section 1: Horror. Section 2: Dark Comedy. Section 3: Science Fictions, were done by three different directors not making contact with one another after they had written the script and began filming. None the less, with the fantastic and willing cast, and the offset music that plays once in a while, these three men who wrote and directed, and I believe one helped produce, create a masterpiece that will be a cult legend forever as well as a movie everyone should see. BOTTOM LINE: The smoothness of three completely different genres surprises and amazes to bring one of the most enjoyable and momentous time at the movies this year.
In Bruges (2008)
Fantastic
This movie was great. Not so much that the town of Bruges was perfect, or that Collin Ferrell finally got to use his Irish accent, and was actually pretty good, it was the writing and directing of this film that made it better than the average action comedy. McDonaugh, fantastic job. The quick and witty use of words and the ability of Ferrel, Fiennes, and Gleeson to adapt from their normal acting to take on these characters was unbelievable. Even the sharp cut transitions that McDonaugh used allowed the movie to move smoothly. BOTTOM LINE: FANTASTICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCC (sorry I needed ten lines)
Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
mindless gun slinging violence at its apex....an OK movie
The violence was brilliant. Let's start with that because, after all, it is called Shoot 'em Up. And if the movie is anything but what the title says, I sure as hell didn't see it. Other than the gun violence, there was also surprisingly good acting, not in an Oscar winning sense, but for this movie Clive Owen's gritty dark British acting was perfect for Mr. Smith's role. Paul Giamatti, even though I have never really liked him, did show a promising sign as a future movie villain. And Belucci was well, good ol' sexy Miss Belucci, and the weirdness of her character fit the movie well. But, like many hard core action movies, this movie does falter in some ways. And I know, there wasn't really supposed to be that much of a plot, but come on, maybe a little more something realistic, maybe a different idea than a crazy senator! Also, the one liners that are common in action movies are also viewed here, and even though they are fantastic and fun at the beginning, they get so repetitive to where they lessen the fun of the movie rather than step it up. But to end it off I will say two more good things about this movie. FANTASTIC SOUNDTRACK. and, the carrot killing.... damned brilliant!
Léon (1994)
"You don't like Beethoven do you?"
All I can say is wow. This movie was fantastic. Because of not much time, I'll make this fast. Gary Oldman is the perfect bad guy, and acts well, and Jean Reno does a wonderful job of making the character's transition from not loving anymore, to falling in love with a girl who brought his feeling back. That girl is Natalie Portman, wow was she young. She also does well, although she contains the only fault in the movie, and it's not really her, it's the character. I know that Portman's character is supposed to be persistent, but it gets kind of annoying with her, but the acting done by Portman redeems the character anyway. The storyline by Besson is great considering other action movies, and the directing was so well done. BOTTOM LINE: A CLOSE TO PERFECT ACTION MOVIE THANKS TO THE ACTING, FANTASTIC DIRECTION, AND A SCRIPT THAT IS GREAT...IN COMPETITION WITH OTHER ACTION SCRIPTS....the "You don't like Beethoven do you?" is the best line of the movie said by Oldman, boy was he creepy.
Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Hanks is Hanks, Roberts is Roberts, Hoffman is the movie
No, this movie was not bad. Yes, it was good. Now that that's out of the way, i'll tell you why this movie rests at 7, not 8, not 9. The truth is, as many awards as Tom Hanks wins, or Julia Roberts wins (and nothing against them, they're tremendous actors), they are always the same. They can do what they've always done the best of anyone else, and that's what sets them apart. But the ability of Philip Seymour Hoffman to be the bad guy in Mission Impossible 3, then be Truman Capote in Capote (that being one of the best displays of acting ever done), and now be the one that supports Charlie Wilson's War on his shoulders, WOW!!! The story follows somewhat the life of Charlie Wilson, and gives him the praise, if that's what you'd like to call it, that he deserves. BOTTOM LINE: CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR IS A GOOD MOVIE, BUT NOT GREAT. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE ACTING. NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, IT'S JUST THAT TOM HANKS IS WHAT HE ALWAYS IS, JULIA ROBERTS IS WHAT JULIA ROBERTS ALWAYS IS, BUT Hoffman IS ABLE TO REVIVE A SENSE OF ORIGINALITY IN THIS MOVIE THAT HELPS IT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE A 7 OUT OF 10.
Juno (2007)
Truly....well....BEAUTIFUL!
Juno....what can be said. Going into this movie, I had no expectations other than having enjoyed the trailer. Walking out of the movie, I had high expectations for this film's future, and for a couple of reasons. First of all, is the acting. Ellen Page leads the way with amazing strength in her first real leading role of her career. She is followed up by some terrific not-so-famous actors, other than Michael Cera who brings his innocent seeming personality to the table like he did in Superbad. Second is the writing. Diablo Cody was formerly a pole dancer but soon after throwing that life away, she wrote her first script...Juno, and I'm so glad she did. Cody's vulgar/teen or young adult humor is unbelievably compassionate, a sign that not many writers possess anymore, and we are so lucky to have another rising star like Cody on the way. She shows the imperfect speaking of regular day teens and parents perfectly by using some snappy and uproarious one liners and well thought out statements. Lastly, the music and production. This movie is independent, and seems somewhat so, with a fantastic director to play things along at just the right pace and great timing, and although the directing was not so important here as in let's say...Transformers, it was still done extremely well. The music is also so beautiful. I'm a boy, but i'm not afraid of saying this, but the music is cute, fun, and truly beautiful...magnificently and unbelievably beautiful. BOTTOM LINE: THE TRULY AMAZING ACTING, WRITING FROM DIABLO CODY, AND PRODUCTION/MUSIC, MAKE THIS FILM ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR. THE GREATEST FEEL GOOD FILM OF THIS DECADE. ELLEN PAGE, THE WRITING, AND THE MUSIC....TRULY...WELL...BEAUTIFUL! See it....there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
The Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure of our time!!!
Before you start to think that I believe this was award winning, i'll tell you, it was far from that. Luckily for the film makers, Oscars and golden globes were not what they were looking for. They succeeded in doing what they wanted to do, making the best buddy comedy of our generation so far. To do so, they had to make a wonderful connection between both 'rold and Kumar as characters which was done very well, and then to top off the humorous part, they had to put together the best one-liner jokes, and best vulgar and stupid jokes that made movies like American Pie, and the jokes that made Bill and Ted funny in both of their movies. BOTTOM LINE: IT'S A BUDDY COMEDY, NOTHING AWARD WINNING. BUT, THE JOKES ARE ALWAYS RIGHT ON, AND IT SERVES AS OUR GENERATIONS BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, just plain old fun.
I Am Legend (2007)
Lawrence comes close to creating something totally different...it's just the ending
Lawrence, considering I had never heard of him before, pulls together the best of the Omega Man and such related movies. Truly, the movie starts off being possibly the best movie of the season. The CGI effects are wonderful in terms of the New York that is beautiful in its lonely state, yet scary and haunting at the same time. Also, Will Smith is wonderful, especially the acting he makes to show the affection between the dog and him. But as the movie drifts further into its story, Lawrence made a decision crucial to this films outcome....the monsters. The monsters are actually not as big apart of this film as they seem, and while they are the cause of this deserted New York, they don't have much importance, until Lawrence brings them on to the screen in CGI form. Nothing is wrong with CGI, and they tried hard, but with such a real seeming situation (considering), the monsters should not have been in full form at all. Rather, like I believe Omega Man, or maybe another related film, they didn't show the faces much, just blue eyes, bony and cold hands. These other monsters add well to the suspense feel and opens up room for the viewer's interpretation of what the beast is really like. BOTTOM LINE: Lawrence almost reaches a turning point in suspense movies with his quiet and well created beginning, but the monsters being CGI ruined much of the effect that this film could have had on its viewers. Go see it, it's good, but not legendary.
Dnevnoy dozor (2006)
Better than the predecessor....and an overall fantastic piece of film
Before looking on IMDb to see what Day Watch received as a rating, I went and rented it, having enjoyed the ever-so-confusing Night Watch, the first of this trilogy. I immediately put it in the DVD player, and found to my surprise that this was a fantastic movie, even in comparison to the first which was a pretty good movie. The second the credits hit, even though the film lasted more than two hours, I went to scene selection and watched the entire thing again. Not because this was movie of the year quality, but because the makers of this film put together artwork in the strangest form, with wonderful effects, and a soundtrack of fun heavy metal that match the movie perfectly. BOTTOM LINE: Day Watch is not award-winning quality, but with the fantastic effects, fun heavy metal soundtrack, and the good acting, and wonderful direction, Day Watch makes a fantastic film to go and watch.....if not more than once. Better than its predecessor, and it deserves much better than its 6.9 rating...trust me.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
One of the greatest sports movies of the decade can be found in the little town of Odessa
Not knowing any history or any part of the inspirational story of the Permian Panthers, from I believe 1988, I came into Friday Night Lights expected another inspirational story that had pointless inspirational lines from nowhere and an ending that you could predict from watching the first trailer. Thank heavens I was proved wrong. This movie was not the same at all; it lacked the Hollywood filming, it lacked the famous actors who aren't meant for these movies, and it actually had a good script (aka none of the inspirational crap that flows out of the mouth of the coach in most other sports movies. I have not been impressed with many sports movies, truly the best one I had seen before this was Glory Road, which was good at best. But enough of getting off topic, i'll give you my bottom line so.... BOTTOM LINE: With fantastic directing, acting and writing all combined, Friday Night Lights makes the perfect sports film without the stupid ideas that Hollywood provides to many sports movies. It is truly inspiring, which is half because it is based on a true story that the entire movie sticks to pretty well. I yelled at the ref with the bad call, I cheered with the sideline, and I felt sympathy for Coach Gaines after a loss or a problem with one of his players. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and if you have a pulse and a heart than so will you.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
excellent....period
Being a big fan of the strange comedy that Wes Anderson likes to throw at his audiences, I was extremely excited to hear that another Wes film was going to be released. Especially because it has many of the regulars including Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray (although his part is sadly quite small). I was also excited about fantastic newcomer Adrien Brody. Not only was I excited to see this film, but in addition, I was nervous. I had not truly enjoyed The Life Aquatic before, and I hoped that Wes could really make a film as good as The Royal Tenenbaums, or Rushmore. All that needs to be said is that he did. Excellence is shown in every seen of the film with great chemistry amongst the brothers Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrian Brody, with great scenes of Wes Anderson's true comic genius. The music was wonderful bringing back some fantastic Kinks Music, some Rolling Stones, and Indian music to go with the atmosphere. The character development could have been slightly better, but it was better that most movies already, and the comic moments could have been closer together, but those very minor faults were fixed with more character additions that were wonderful and developed well for however much time they received on screen, and the heart-warming scenes of three brothers trying to find themselves in a distance land while at the same time, dealing with the good and the bad of the world around them. Laughs come hard, tears may come on the end (depending on how emotional you are), and enjoyment can be found throughout Wes Anderson's terrific new film, The Darjeeling Limited. Pay, hop on, and enjoy the ride.
The Kingdom (2007)
Far above any level of mediocraty
First of, let me point out that i'm a huge fan of Jamie Foxx, and Chris Cooper, but that did not make my opinion of this movie biased. I went into this movie after hearing poor to mediocre reviews of this movie from all of the local papers and the Tennessean (Somewhat of a larger paper). My entire life, I have agreed with almost every review that has been provided by their writers, but now, I must say that I am quite disappointed with their reviews of this film. It starts off at a fast pace, and then slows down, yet keeps a consistently high intensity level within the relationship of the men keeping the Americans, and the men themselves. Many people said that Peter Berg was trying to make this a very political movie, but as I watched I realized that he made it to be more suspenseful and trying to show the situations faced by many people in the middle east, including our own people. He did not make this movie to be political, no, he made it to be a strong suspenseful and tension portraying film, with bits of political thought mixed in for good measure. The middle of the movie, as I have said, was pretty slow, but doors began opening and the viewer was able to get a picture of the outcome, and then, the most amazing thirty minutes of action I have ever seen coming out of a film that followed a steady, and not so fast pace throughout its previous running time. This blast of action may leave some upset that it was not needed in that film, or that the violence was stupid, but not only was the fighting an adrenaline boost for the audience, but it was a terrific way of leading up to a surprising and somewhat meaningful ending. In conclusion, this movie did have faults, no movie doesn't, but it's a quality film that is far above the level of mediocrity that it has been given. See it, have fun, and love it.
Sunshine (2007)
first two thirds amazing, the final third can't keep up.
After seeing Sunshine's trailer, I got very excited because I have loved all of Danny Boyle's work, especially the work done with the writer of 28 Days Later (who also wrote Sunshine!). The very day it came out, I went and saw it, and through the first two thirds of the movie I could not help but love this movie its 2001: A Space Odessey sort of feel where it shows the cool, new, and different things of future space exploration. The characters are well casted, and the first two thirds are well written and different than almost any movie ever before. But with almost every great success, there is a failure. The "failure" for this movie was its third act. The fun Space Odessey things disappeared which was the start of the downfall which was made up of some strange Alien homage, with people being picked off one by one. This was not a really bad idea, it just was not executed well because it felt rushed, and the camera effects that were used were far from anything different, truthfully, the camera effects that were supposed to make some of the third act cool only made it worse. You must realize though that I put the word failure in quotation marks, and I have a reason. Although I am complaining about the final act, it was far from failure, it was just a failure in comparison to the fantastic first two parts of that movie. In the end, I truly enjoyed myself watching this movie, just watch out for some decrease in the impressiveness of Sunshine within the third act.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
28 weeks later, 28 times better.
Zombie movies... normally the ones that not many directors can succeed at making bloody and fun, yet artistic and well made. That is, until 28 Weeks Later. The plot isn't perfect, but what zombie movie plot is? The great thing about this movie is the directing done to make all of the suspenseful parts scary, and the jump from your seats parts tremendously scary and affective. The action is terrific including one of the strangest, yet greatest ways to use a helicopter in a zombie movie. :). The acting, especially by the kids is pretty well done, and the story moves smoothly enough to make it an extremely fun, gory, artistic, and well made movie. THE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER!!!!!!
Accepted (2006)
Why does nobody like the outcome?
When the trailer for Accepted first came up, many people began to get excited about seeing it... really excited. Who could blame them, it looked like fun. But that's exactly the thing. People went into Accepted looking for a good movie, but if you think about it, Accepted isn't the type of film destined to be a good movie. It's meant to be a film that pleases its crowd without too much effort being given. That being said, for those of you who expected a great film, you need to think about what could be made of a comedy like this one. Think that, and you will truly enjoy the film (because you'll rid yourself of your idea that the movie will be fantastic.) BOTTOM LINE: Watch the movie, and have fun, but don't look for anything groundbreaking.