Reviews

Frankly I was shocked by just how good Christian Slater was in this film and trust me Christian Slater and good are definitely two words I never thought I would put in the same sentence. So yes you can say I was very presently surprised, I remember first hearing about this film and the quality reviews it had been getting and I was a bit reluctant when hearing just who was included in the cast. As much as I was surprised by Christian Slater I felt the exact opposite about Elisha Cuthbert, how she continues to get roles amazes me, I guess there are directors and producers that are just so mesmerized by they way she looks that they are fooled into thinking she is anything but god awful. Plus, was anyone really fooled by the obvious use of a body double in her nude scene. If she doesn't want to do the scene then just don't do it, or even be a little creative with you shot choices, instead we get one of the most unconvincing body double shots ever filmed. Anyway, enough on the cast, this film is very unique in it's story and the way it's director chooses to tell it, some very interesting special effects are used throughout and in some very unconventional ways. The films final act is by far it's weakest point, a cop out ending to a film that deserved better.

Far from Woody Allen's best, with that said I am far from sold on Scarlett Johansson. In my opinion she has been very lucky to work with good directors and be surrounded by great actors. In this film she is completely out shined by both Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, more so then any of her previous films. All I could think during this film is how a movie about Bardem and Cruz's characters would be way more interesting and at the same time spare me from Scarlet Johansson and her winy voice and sub par acting skill. Woody Allen is known for his quick, witty and intelligent dialog and most the time throughout this film it's present and promising, except of course when Johansson makes her attempt at it. The dialog does not sound at all convincing coming out of her mouth, it is as if she has no clue what she is saying and how her character should be delivering her lines. Not to mention the fact that her character doesn't even seem smart enough to talk the way she does. In another Allen film, Matchpoint, her part was to play the sexy, alluring and tempting girl, so natural that comes easy to her, but here she stands out like a sore thumb. Anyway back to the film itself, about three times this film feels completely Woody Allen, the characters are smart, witty and very interesting. Then later they turn winy, self obsessed and just plain boring in there search to find the meaning of love. Blah.

I don't want to give to much away about this movie, I know that sounds weird about a comedy but in this case it's true. Some of the films most laugh out loud hilarious moments are surprises, things you wouldn't have expected just from seeing the trailer. I am so glad that is the case because so many comedies lately have been ruined by their funniest moments being in the trailer. With all that out of the way, this is a entertaining movie, a lot of that is due to the quality of Robert Downey Jr., he is without a doubt the most underrated actor in the main stream today. Sure this movie does not really give him a chance to really stretch his legs but he does bring his quality of acting to a genre that most dramatic actors dare to go. At times this film is really aimed at movie buffs, so of course I love that, all the little references or shots stole from other movies. Sometimes it takes movies like this to realize how overly dramatic certain other movie moments really are. Bottom line on this one is this, this film was not all I had hoped it would be but maybe my hopes were a little high, it's not often that I am excited to see a new comedy in theaters, so when I was maybe I expected a little to much. This film has many hilarious moments, many memorable lines, and some great surprises. Compared to most straight up comedies this is definitely a step above all the rest.

First off to anyone that has, will or wants to see this film I would also suggest The Girl Next Door, which is based on the same story but takes liberties as this film does. It is very interesting to see the differences between the two interpretations of the same events. The other interesting thing is, in my opinion these movies are perfect if you put them together, everything one does wrong the other does right and visa versa. An American Crime was great in its more detailed set up to these events along with it's amazing court room scenes that added a much need closer element that The Girl Next Door was desperately lacking. On the other hand The girl Next Door was much better at visualizing the actual events, don't get me wrong what happened to this girl was horrible, but in An American Crime it was just not portrayed as well by Ellen Page. I know that sounds weird for me to say too, but I assume that it was either the directors choice or an attempt at realism, but Ellen Page's character just shut down. Were as in The Girl Next Door, we saw more of a fighter in Blythe Auffarth's portrayal of the same character, someone who was changed by the experience. Also The Girl Next Door did not shy away from the violence as An American Crime did, now for some I'm sure that is a blessing, because I have heard of several people who could not finish watching The Girl Next Door for that very reason, and because these situations all involved young kids it is completely understandable. My overall point is that together these two films would make a wonderful film, but definitely not a film for everyone. Both films still do leave me wondering, what exactly did happen, exactly, so many liberties have been taken that some of the facts are a little fuzzy.

This is one of those films that is difficult to review without reviling any key plot points, so I will try my best to not. First off the acting is really good in this film, the original premise of this film is great and even Academy Award material. Instead of taking advantage of this, the director Vadim Perelman tries to be to clever for his own good. Within it's closing minutes the director decides to pull the carpet from underneath the audience, sometimes that works, but in my opinion, not here. Mostly because I liked the direction the film was going, I liked the original idea, a lot, but instead of that we have a forced ending, that has the audience scratching there heads and trying to put it all together. Sure there are times when putting it all together after the film is good, but at the expense of a possibly great film, it's just not worth that. I don't want my comments about the directors decisions to take away from Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman's performances, they were both great and deserving of a much better and emotional final scene. There I think I did it, now you won't know what's coming, you'll just know it's going to be crap when it does.

This film is just plain fun, the performances by Francis McDormand and Amy Adams carry the film and keep in entertaining throughout. Sure the plot is tired and awfully predictable, but so what, both the scenarios and the caliber of acting in them makes this film a joy to watch. The supporting cast is nothing special but do what is asked of them so their duties of supporting the main characters are fulfilled and they are not a distraction. The look of the film is also great, from the sets to the costumes right down to the feel is spot on to the time period. Amy Adams continues to impress, both this film and Enchanted she has not played the brightest characters but yet she balances these characters so well that they are not just one dimensional and annoying as the could so easily be, but instead are surprisingly likable characters.

Bottom line, it's Training Day and Keanu Reeves in his wildest dreams is not Ethan Hawke and Forrest Whitaker just can't match Denzel Washington. Yes you could argue that the stories are different and the characters are different then the characters I compared them to, and you would be right. But everything this film did just made me wish I was watching Training Day instead. Does that make Street Kings awful, no just inferior, does that mean that there was nothing good about it, no it's just all been done better before. Bottom line is this film is far from bad but it exist in a world where it has all been done before and way way better.

Underrated, that is for sure. I was shocked at the low ratting of this film on IMDb and also that no one had said, "hey you have to see this movie". I think John Travolta gives one of his best performances and Dustin Hoffman is amazing as always and also a great supporting cast. Sure this film does not have the intensity of other films with it's same basic concepts but that is what makes it unique. I find it interesting that most movie critic reviews of this film are not very good, it makes me wonder if that has something to do with it's content. The film focuses on the media and the harm it is capable of causing by at times stirring the pot or reporting then news the way they want it be seen. So movie critics who are part of the media, for the most part hate this film, hmmm? Anyway a great film with great performances that deserved way more attention and praise then it has received.

Sub-par acting all around along with an especially horrible performance by Pink, even by B-Movie standards. The premise is OK and even the beginning is not completely horrible, but then the action get relentlessly repetitive as are made character is chased and chased and chased some more, which does work for me at times but with nothing unique thrown in there to mix it up a bit then it just gets old fast. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending, not only a twist but a twist that makes a little sense and actually works, it doesn't feel contrived and just thrown in at the end to screw with the audience. If your looking for a good horror movie you could do much better, but if you can stomach Pinks horrible attempt at acting for the length of this film (more power to you) then you could give this one a try, but only for it's unique ending.

One of the most honest documentaries I have ever seen, I never feel the documentaries personal politics or beliefs bleeding through in anyway, are multiple news channels and mediums around the country could really take notes from this honest and truthful reporting. It's unfortunate that some of the key players in this story refused to be interviewed, I wouldn't expect the president but if anyone involved in this quagmire really believed that they handled it correctly you would think they would step forward to defend it. No one does so I would assume no one believes this is the case. Sure, to be fair some of this was reported by our news channels but it was done in such an anti-Bush administration way that it just felt like more bashing and blowing things out of proportion as had been done for years. If they would have put that aside as these documenters have in this film and just report the story and get first hand accounts then maybe more Americans would truly understand what went wrong in Iraq and what we have done since to begin to fix it. Sure as the commander and chief ultimately Bush is to be held accountable, but he is just one man and as anyone who has worked with people under them, there are times when you have to delegate authority to people under you, and you chose the best people you can and sometimes they screw it up, and it comes back on you. That's the way it is, but that doesn't mean that Bush ever wanted all this, he made a bad choice in putting his faith in people who made bad decision. Also to be fair this was like no other war we had fought before and a rebuilding effort like we had never seen. Now choosing to go to war that's another issue for another time. Anyway, this was a very fair uninteresting look into why and how things went so wrong in Iraq.

A very interesting documentary about a misunderstood or maybe misrepresented man and presidential candidate in Ralph Nader. Now I have never been a fan of most of the politics of Ralph Nader, his stance on environmental issues and his mostly liberal leaning views have never agreed with me. That is not to say that I do not agree and side with Nader on a few other issues, for example his beliefs in campaign reform and something this film makes very clear, the desperate need this country has to reform it's whole election process, especially the dominating two party system that will continue to keep giving us more of the same every four years. This is not to say that I did or would ever vote for Ralph Nader, in fact I didn't and am grateful to Nader for any votes he took away from Al Gore. I was surprised to learn of all Nader had done in the automotive industry and how hard General Motors had tried to stop Nader, that is proof that money is all that matters to major companies even if it puts their consumers at risk. So, yes I greatly respect Ralph Nader for all the good he as accomplished and all the boundaries he broke down in his presidential runs but I do not stand behind his politics, at least not all of them. One thing I did absolutely loved about this film, when they showed Nader's campaign rally at Madison Square Garden and all these famous celebrities, Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore all singing the praises of Ralph Nader and singing the praises of real change, wow how quickly their true colors show, Nader goes onto loose and they turn on him just like that. Typical liberals, so passionate about something one minute and then not the next, say one thing do another.

First I do realize that this style of humor is not for everyone, and in fact some of the jokes fall flat on me, but I must say, for the most part I found this film to be hilarious. The young kids in this film, both the main character and his enemy at school are amazing actors for their age, the director Stephen Chow not only directs a good film but delivers a great performance as the main characters father as well. If I had any complaints at all it would be about the special effects, I do admit that they are very good at times and I'm willing to guess that they were intended to look the way they do, but I personally thought they just looked to fake. Also for this being a kids film, I sure thought there was a lot of anger coming from the main character towards CJ7 especially in a few surprisingly violent films, sure it's cartoon violence but in a kids film that doesn't work for me. I have heard many comparisons between this film and E.T. which in some ways I would agree with, but correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember Elliot ever beating the crap out of E.T. So yes there is that small detail, but that is all easily over looked along with some of the jokes that fall flat because despite it, a great film with great acting that at times is down right laugh out loud hilarious lies beneath.

First off, Dennis Quaid was really good in this film, I think one of his better films, the problem is Sideways and Juno are movies that have already been made. What I mean is that in Sideways Thomas Hayden Church played an annoying slacker friend here he is the annoying slacker brother and he's better in Sideways. In Juno Ellen Page is the smart and quick tongued daughter and here she is, well the smart and quick tongued daughter and in Juno she is just better. In a world were Sideways and Juno did not exist maybe I would have been more impressed. With that said the character development was weak, a lot of the characters quirks and decisions were never explained, Sara Jessica Parker's character was the biggest victim of this, why does she feel they way she does about Quaid, who is she, why does she act the way she does in the films finally and why don't I really care. So maybe without certain other movies this film would stand out a little more, but then again maybe not.

The look and sets of this film reminded me a lot of the Alien films and that's a good thing. The sets look realistically worn and lived in, in a time when CGI dominates the screen which in most cases means everything looks neat and clean and completely unrealistic, it's nice to see hard work going into making these sets look so good. I am also reminded of Alien in it's darkness, both in it's surroundings and it's characters, it brings to light a much darker vision of humanities possible future. I was shocked that I had not even heard of this film until recently, I think this is one of Sean Connery's finest performances and a very underrated film. The characters feel so real, none of them are cut and dry good or bad guys but instead they are people trying to survive within their circumstance. The last third of the film really rises the bar in the intensity department adding a very high amount of tension which is also very reminiscent of the Alien series. All and all a really well done film that deserves way more acclaim and attention then it received.

The third film in the Dirty Harry series and we have a definite fall off from the first two. Harry Callahan along with the series, has gone soft, what happened to the hard, mean and at times racist Callahan, where is the graphic violence that was shocking for the time. All of that is gone which turns a revolutionary series known for pushing the boundaries of expectable content into just another typical cop film. Dirty Harry without all his swagger and mannerisms is just plain boring, throw in a partner and the series has turned into a buddy cop movie. I still do look forward to checking out the remaining Harry films and hope they can set this ship back on course.

I was very surprised by this independent film, what some would not consider great performances because the characters don't speak very eloquently, I couldn't disagree more. The point is to make them act and sound like people from the deep south who live on the bayou, how do you think they talk? For a lower budget film the cinematography was great, some of that just comes from a good location choice, but some of the shots combined with great music through out were amazing. The film does a great job of building tension for events you can feel are inevitable but at the same times gives you an unpredictable ending. I'm glad I fell upon this film, it always irritates me though thinking of how many little films like this that slip right by me and tons of others because they're not done by a bigger studio. I mean if I barely hear about it then most people will miss it completely, and that's a shame.

With all the great movies there have been based on the Holocaust and the period surrounding it I am surprised that once again a fresh story is found from this material and turned into another great movie. I am amazed that this story has not been told before now or that it is not more widely known. The Counterfeiters is much deserving of it's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film last year at the Oscars. Karl Markovics is amazing as the films lead character, he captures the range of emotion and the dilemmas that constantly weigh down on his character Salomon Sorowitsch so perfectly. He is far from the hero of this film in fact at a time a criminal, but that adds so perfectly to the realism, that this is just a guy in all his in perfections forced to endure this horrible situation. This film really examines the internal conflict of standing up and dying for what you believe in or doing what you have to in order to stay alive. Strong arguments came be made for either side, throughout the film I felt the counterfeiters were just doing what they had to and I felt I would do the same thing, but when that fence falls (you'll know what I mean when you see the film) it changes everything including my mind.

Recently I have seen a slew of low budget independent films with Heather Graham staring. I'm not sure if she can just not find work in the Hollywood main stream or if maybe she is trying to hone her craft in the independent scene. Well, I'm going to have to go with Hollywood rejecting her, because her choices in films have not been great. In my opinion she is a beautiful woman who has done some pretty good work before but to me it's beginning to feel like just another Heather Graham movie, like this film here. OK, to be fair she does have an accent (no matter how bad it is) in this film so that is something to separate it. My point being she always delivers the same performance, exactly what the her character is and adding nothing new or unique, just a simple cookie cutter character for each film. Here is no exception, the premise could have been unique but is not, it could have brought about some very genuinely funny moments but does not in fact like Heather Graham this film does nothing more then it's simple story requires. In fact what is scary is that in most romantic comedies I feel it's the pointless supporting cast the can kill a film a take screen times away from your leads. Well in this case believe it or not the supporting cast is actually better an d more of them would have made for a better film instead we have same old Heather Graham and her on again off again boyfriend who is a jerk every time they are on screen together but then some how is the nice relatable guy when they are separate hmmm. Well, I have already drug this review on more then the film deserves, it's a waste of a good idea and just all to typical.

In ways this felt closer to a dramatization then a film in the classic sense which I think was a great thing. It makes it feel as close to reality as a movie can be without being a documentary. Jonas Ball who plays Mark Chapman in this film is just amazing, I don't know exactly how close to reality he plays this character but honestly, so what, he is intense, interesting, unique and a force on screen. The film maker used transcripts from the trial and the diary of Chapman to create the dialogue in the film and that authenticates it enough for me, it opens a window into the mind of Chapman that most people would never know. I think the film did a great job, no an amazing job of making everything feel real, like cameras were catching this all as it unfolded. Even with the outcome already known to the audience the anticipation and intensity was at times at a very high level. I was glad the film did not stop earlier but instead went on past the killing into what I feel is the best moments of the film when you see the immediate transformation of Chapman and then slowly his return to insanity. This film proves that a single actors performance can truly make a film. My hats off to this director for recreating such a horrible event with what feels like such authenticity.

Complete and total let down, this is how you ruin an entertaining franchise. I want to start off with an explanation of my ratting, the only thing that saved this film from a lower ratting was it's special effects. Having seen movies of this horrible quality that also have awful special effects I have to give The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor some respect because of the great special effects through out. Now back to the crap, replacing an actor in a franchise is always a bad idea, if Rachel Weisz didn't want to make another then just write her character out for the third movie and add a new female lead, that way if you make a fourth you still have the option to bring Weisz back then if she is interested. But instead the studio decides to push on without her, now Mario Bello is a great actress but not here, I'd like to hope that it was the terrible script that contributed in a large part to how bad and unconvincing she was as Evelyn. I must admit though I do have much respect for the director's unique way of introducing Maria Bello as the new Evelyn O'Connell, I thought it was a funny and very clever touch, unfortunately that was the last clever thing this film did. The script is awful the one-liners that we had come to expect after the first two films were in no way funny here and came way to often. The story was lame, not to mention once again all in the trailers. Also remember how the films in this series were once both scary and adventurous, what happened to that idea and why is Rick O'Connell now such a complete idiot. I was glad that Jet Li was in statue mummy form most the film because at least then through the magic of special effects they could even make Jet Li express emotions. So all summed up this film was hugely disappointing and over the top corny, I can't even find the words to express how stupid this film was at times. O, I know Yeti's kicking field goals, ya that pretty much hits it right on the head.

First off I do realize this film is not intended for me, but why? After all Disney & Pixar have done in turning children's films in to absolute classic for everyone then why do I still have to put up with crap like this. The corniness (is that a word?) just overflows in this film and I don't like popcorn so it just doesn't work for me. You take three very talented actors through them into a movie and then make them deliver some of the cheesiest (is that a word?) dialogue ever. Family films can be warm and caring without being over the top, it has been done, just not here. A few moments throughout the film when Foster and Butler have some screen time to themselves they actually have some OK chemistry but this must be boring the kids, so back to the dancing seal. I never expect great things from most live action PG movies it's like the kiss of horrible most times, but I really thought with this cast there was hope, wrong not even great actors can save this film from sinking into a pit of sappiness (is that a word?).

One liners galore, but what else would you expect from Adam Carolla he's like the king of one liners. So many times in this film another character says something and you can just feel a one liner coming and bam there it is, and for the most part it's hilarious. Especially a scene at the La brea Tar Pits, the hits just kept on coming line after line just kept getting funnier and funnier, I do wish that more of the film would have let Adam loose like that. Even though those moments are the highlights of the film that is not all there is to it, it has a unique story with dare I say a message and a believable bond between it's characters. Carolla could have easily have delivered his lines and just delivered a standard comedic performance and left it at that, but in some ways he really develops a great character who is unique and multifaceted. OK, maybe that's a little too generous but he does do a good job as does his supporting cast. Yes it's a simple film, yes it's a simple plot, but some times it's the characters from those simple stories that we can relate to the best.

OK, it's not The Ring but thank goodness it's not The Grudge either. So when are we going to stop ripping of Japanese movies and for the most part making them worse. When are these Hollywood types going to get it, the reason the ghosts or spirits or whatever they are, are all Japanese in the originals is because they were made in Japan. This does not mean that when you re-make them here in America the evil spirits all have to be Japanese, am I the only one that is bothered by this. If I ever saw a ghost that wasn't Japanese I wouldn't believe it was real and if it was Japanese I'd just kill myself right there because those spirits are relentless. Anyway back to the film, it didn't have the depth of story like The Ring (which I loved) did but it had way more story then The Grudge (which I hated). Sure all the story lines are a little weak but come on this is a horror flick so you've got to lower your standard a bit. The actors weren't great but did what was asked of them and I was glad they didn't go down the loan crazy women is the only person who sees these things road. I was genuinely surprised by some storyline tweaks at the end which was the same way I felt with The Ring. The attacks or appearances of the spirits whatever they are were unique and thankfully not over the top, well not too over the top. All said and done nothing great but as far as Japanese horror rip-off's go, I've seen worse.

I can not possible say enough good things about the action and stunt work in this film, it is absolutely jaw dropping, I have never seen anything like it, ever. The action is by far the star of this film but the story itself is unique as is the dialogue and the performances, maybe slightly over the top in all these categories but all put together it really works. I would recommend as always, not watching the dubbed version of this or any film just read the sub-titles and quite being so lazy. This film is a high octane adrenaline rush that is fun, intense and will keep your eyes glued to the screen. As I said the stunt work is like nothing I have seen before, I watched several scenes multiple times just to catch all that was going on and to try to catch any wires or something in the shot that would explain how and why anyone can or would be able to pull of crazy moves like these. So all this great action and a good story with some witty dialogue thrown in makes for a really fun film.

A bad Quentin Tarantino rip off, at least I hope that's what they were going for because at least then I could respect the director for admiring Tarantino. One scene a "singing" scene with Rose McGowan is far to well done and genius for this film and could have only been stumbled on by mistake by this director. So besides his Quinton inspiration and Rose McGowan and her one good scene this film sucked. Some of the crappiest dialogue I have ever heard, I'm willing to bet why McGowan doesn't speak much is because of how crappy her dialogue would have been. Tries to be funny, never is, tries to be dark and isn't, tries to be stylish and is just bland. Who dishes out the money to make movies like this, I'm hoping it was all the directors so no one else's money was wasted. If not for McGowan the whole cast is awful and when McGowan is your best hmmm, I gotta wonder.