Im a huge western genre addict. I'm glad this one went in the right direction. No fancy gun play or use of cgi. Just a plain badass ruthless take no names movie. Its very reminscent of tombstone, but of course falls short of that, not by much but it does. Viggo Mortensen from lord of the rings was by far the star of this film, Ed Harris was equally great. I loved his style of shooting this film, fast get to the point no stare offs, just shoot ask questions later. The plot is simple bringing justice to a town overrun by thugs. Renee Zellweger did pretty good in this film, although i find her annoying for some reason. Over all the film held true to the genre, and theat 8 gage shotgun...man amazing! 8/10
Think Saving Private Ryan! This film is extremely well produced and is showing the potential of the Korean film industry. I have seen several films now done through the same Korean film company that have left a very strong impression on me. The film follows two Korean brothers who unexpectedly get drafted into the war against the communist north. They are forced to join the Korean army and fight for their country by force. I have to say its almost a carbon copy of Saving Private Ryan, but a bit more sentimental, but only a small fraction more. The action scenes in this gave me the impression that they had a large budget behind them, equally as impressive as the scenes in saving private ryan. I gave this film a 10/10!
It's been a few months seen I saw the film, but I can't believe I haven't blog it yet. It is by far one of best films ever made and a film which many people don't seem to know about, at least in my neck of the woods. The story is set in Brazil, the slums. It shows a little bit of the history behind them. We follow a boy name Rocket, who is a teenager who is taking an interest in journalism/photography. Around him chaos thrives and many of his close personal friends are in gangs and at war. His own brother is killed by people whom he associates with. He however is trying to focus his energy in other venues, but the forces around him are trying to suck him in. Simply a marvelous movie, from beginning to end you are drawn to it! It would take a hurricane or some sort of natural disaster to lose focus while watching this film. By far one of my favorite movies! 10/10 IMDB link
I figure why the hell not. I typically write reviews for indie movies and the occasional good blockbuster. This movie wasn't the greatest movie in the world but does not fail to captivate the audience. Its very fast pace and filled with action. Shia Lebouf even though something about him screams d-bag to me, is amazing on screen...the kid has talent. He dominated in disturbia, a filmed which i feel with different actors would have been mediocre at best. The movie is set Chicago with a washed up Stanford undergrad who has long dropped out. He gets a call notifying him about his brothers death. The movie then trickles into a series of action filled events after receiving a phone call from a woman that forces him to outrun the authorities. The film shows off some of the latest air force technology, it again shows how the air force is dominating in hollywood films. I saw this at the imax in chicago, and have to say it was awesome! I have give this 7/10 due to the fact that at times some the events and parts of the plot were bit far fetched.
Love the line up of actors in this, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell(Greenmile, The assassination of Jesse James, Choke), Michael Angarano(The Forbidden Kingdom), and Olivia Thirlby(Juno). The movie is about a small group of people who are intertwined in a tragic event in the distant future. The movie starts out a little slow with not much going on, but you feel a storm brewing in the distance. First I should mention we start in the present, but go back a few days to show what led up the opening scene. It confused me at first because they didn't really mention it. Kate Beckinsale plays a mother dealing with depressed/bitter husband. Who drinks heavily and has a jealousy issue. When their daughter disappears thing take a turn for the worse and they all have to deal with whats in store. The movie had a nice feel to it, but need a little work put in by the director. Some of the scenes felt like they were forced into the film and a little unnecessary. When you have that much acting talent you should take advantage of it and use it. Over all it was good, I rated it a 8 on imdb, but wanted to give a 7.5.
This movie is very reminiscent of Pans Labyrinth, but with a different touch. It's the story of a little girl and an actor who end up in the same hospital during the 1920s. They befriend each other, and the actor named Roy begins to tell Alexandria an epic story about 5 heroes. Alexandria who has a very vivid imagination yearns to find out what happens. Unknown to her Roy is using her to try to get his hands on morphine and commit suicide. Alexandria being a unsuspecting child proceeds to help in order to finish out the story. The story soon crosses into reality with the help if Alexandrias' imagination. This is by far one most beautifully shot films I've ever seen. It's alot like 300 and pans labyrinth, but much more romantic in the use of colors in shots. I was blown away by its beauty. The plot was at times a little odd and during the first half kinda of bland, but it was tied together very well at the end. I gave this a 9/10
Yes i know this movie is old, but i do not follow time lines with my blog reviews. Im doing this for sake of keeping my blog alive. A sequel to 28 days later, and a far better film the its predecessor. This is a horror set in modern England. It is a zombie film, with gore and carnage to make you a little sick at times. The movie follows a a family who was torn apart by the virus. It starts at incredibly fast pace action filled beginning. I love that the director made the zombies incredibly agile and swift. It made the horror come to life in my opinion. There was only a few minute character flaws that and holes that made me rate the movie low, all in all it was at about 8/10!
The team that brought talledega nights to the world. This movie was funnier than then talledega nights by far in my opnion. I think its the type of movie where you either love it or hate it. I loved it! Will Ferrell, John C. Rielly and Adam Mckay are comedy power house. The movie is about two 40 your old guys who still live with their parents are forced to share their lives. They hate each other, but soon realize they have more in common than they thought. The plot itself was pretty weak, but overall every skit that they did was just amazingly funny. I gave this 8/10!!
WOW, simply wow! Everybody knows the plot to this movie and what its about. The actors in it and everything about it. For that reason i will only that it is by far the best movie of all year, maybe one of the best i've ever seen. Heath Ledger blew his performance of the joker to a whole another dimension. If could rate this over a 10 i would but 10/10! GO SEE IT IF YOU HAVENT DONE SO ALREADY!!
First time watching this movie I wasn't exactly impressed, and then it dawned on me. I didn't realize how much of an effect the movie actually had on me. As time progressed I actually kept thinking about the movie, I watched this film maybe 3 weeks ago. I felt that Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray really didn't work well chemically on screen to do this film. Now I can tell you I was completely wrong, it couldn't have been cast any better. The overall plot of the movie is about two people with seemingly different personalities connect in an emotional level that neither could have ever predicted. Bill Murray is an actor who is in Japan to do a photo shoot for a whiskey company. Scarlett Johansson is there with her newly acquired husband who is played by Giovanni Ribisi (You may may remember him from saving private ryan, the medic) who's there to conduct a photo shoot. The two meet while staying in the same hotel, what happens next is full blown romantic relationship between the two. If you decide to watch the movie go in with an open mind. I initially just though it was gross that Scarlett and Bill had the romantic relationship in the film. Maybe it's because I'm secretly jealous of him getting to kiss the most beautiful and talented person on the planet. I gave this a 8/10!
The melancholy in this movie is undeniably beautiful. An artistic creative look at suicide. What better punishment for those who commit the crime against life than sending them to an evening shittier life than the one they had before. Imagine being sent to place where there are no vivid colors and you are physically unable to smile. Torture at its best. I was pretty skeptical on even seeing the movie but i was really bored one day and stumbled on it by accident, im glad i did. I believe its one of those movies that you either love or hate. There's not a lot deep meanings or anything like that. The actors are encouraged to not show depth or emotion which is exactly what the director was to trying to achieve. It work perfectly i must say, beautifully well. The story is about a young guy named Zia(Patrick Fugit) who's devastated by a girlfriend and decides to take his own life. Rather than just dying he is sent to the world I would think nobody would want to live. Put in a mediocre job and rooming with a naggie guy. He meets eugene(Shea Whigham) a failed rockstar who took his own life with a guitar. They head out on roadtrip to find his girlfriend from before he commiteted suicide, who he learns had taken her own life shortly after he did. On the way he inexplicably meets a terribly attractive Mikal(Shannyn Sossamon), she alone is worth watching the movies. What happens next i will not ruin, but encourage you to pick up the dvd! I gave this movie an 8/10!
The long awaited combination of the greatest film martial artist finally comes true in this epic style movie. Jet li and Jackie Chan join forces and even have an amazing fight scene. Which of course ended in a draw. The film is about kung fu crazed misfit american kid who does nothing but live and breathe kung fu films ends up in unexpected adventure. Forced into a crime, he transcends into another world when the perps shoot his friend and nearly kill him. What then comes is what i can only describe as a Chinese chronicles of narnia adventure. I normally hate films that go into a foreign land and everybody there speaks English magically, basically americanized countries. I like when a film authenticates the situation by keeping true to the language, but surprisingly this film was tolerable. It wasn't by no means as bad as pathfinder, that is prime example western film forced into a movie. Overall this film was visually stunning and the fight scenes, although far fetched still worked. The only problem i had with the film was it was a bit corny at times but not overdone. I gave this film an 8/10.
Yes another foreign film about a paraplegic, although this one is very different. It takes on the issue euthanasia a very grim and taboo subject. One that many people would rather avoid. This movie features two great actors/actresses Javier Bardem(No Country For Old Men) and Belen Rueda(The Orphange). The plot is about a man (Javier Bardem) who becomes paralyze from the waste down at the tender age of 25, what then follows a 28 year up hill battle against the spanish government and religious figures. He states that he is able to reason and therefore should not be denied the right to end his own life. This a very sad film, but beautifully sad. It is directed extremely well and the actors all do their part in the film with astonoshing results. Overall I'd give this movie a 9/10.
A French movie, which makes you wonder when Hollywood will get on the ball. When will they learn to produce films which inspire, and motivate as human beings as well as entertain us. I will admit that maybe 1/100 movies are done really well, but its a rarity. This movie is shot from first person perspective, and also a third person. It works marvelously i must say. The underlying plot is about a man who suffers a stroke, and wakes from a three week coma to find that he has lost everything in his human capabilities other than his reasoning, and the use of one eye and eyelid. He has to learn how to communicate using only one eyelid. I was deeply moved by his intricate use of words, the melancholy of his situation saddens you at times, but when he puts his grieve behind he makes you wonder how you yourself would survive if put into that situation. This is based on true story, and its indeed remarkable. I gave this movie 10/10. A well worth rating.
Guillermo Del Toro. Wow i was so impressed just by the begining credits. This guy is like the really dark and subtle version of Tim Burton. Although the film was not directed by him it had his presence through out every scene. The film is set on old orphange where Laura(Belen Rueda) was once an orphan, but now years later she has bought the house in hopes of trying to re-establish in some sense. However she does not realize that she is not alone in there. Her abducted son, who normally plays with two imaginary friends starts to befriend others which end up being far less imaginative than they previously thought. This movie by far is the creepiest film i have seen in a while, it had me wanting to look away at times, but still suck me in as if the television was an inescapable black hole. I gave this film a 9/10, prepare to be scared and completely creeped out, fyi this is 100 times more creepy than Pans Labyrinth.
As your attorney I advice you to watch this movie This why Johnny Depp is one of most versatile actors in the hollywood today. I think this was honestly his best film yet. Fear and loathing is an utter of mass confusion, but still a relatively comprehensible film. It is the pure chaos of drugs of all genres. Honestly you feel like your actually on the same trip the characters are in, it takes you into the full depth of what they see when become beasts, as put in the film. Though at times this film seems garbled, it actually makes quite a few amazing quotes. For instance when Duke(Johnny) sees Gonzo(Benico Del Toro) off in a particular scene, he utters these lines which I found incredibly well thought out. He mutters out "There he goes...One of Gods own prototypes, a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production, too weird to live and too rare to die." Overall i'd have to give this movie a 10/10 this is my second time watching it, and its even better the second time through!
How often do you find someone who you can truly communicate with, someone who truly understands you. In this world we all know that there is only a handful of people that we ever get the chance to do that with. This what Before sunrise achieves to capture on screen, the pure perfection of connecting with that one person. The movie is shot in a fashion that makes you feel as everything is happening in real time. The conversation between the characters feel like your own. I truly connected with Ethan Hawke's character Jesse, his outlook on life is astonishing. I felt i held a lot of his beliefs which made me like the film so much more. Of course Julie Delpy's performance is worth mentioning, they couldn't have cast anyone better for the part. She is stunning, beautiful, sexy, everything that a French woman should be. I gave this film 9 on imdb. Of course i have to recommend the sequel to first film, which is filmed years later and continues where the other left off. I have to say these two films are honestly on the high end of spectrum in my movie list.
The film was sad, funny, sexy and a little bit raunchy at times. The dialuage of the movie is indeed very native of the way people from Mexico talk. I loved the scenery, it reminded me of living there as a child. This movie stars Gael Garcia Bernal, who is indeed my favorite mexican actor. There are also two other actors which i never seen on film before, Diego Luna and Maribel Verdu. They both impressed equally. The basic plot of the movie is two young friends and an older woman embark on a road trip, they are set on finding a tourist free beach location. On the way things that could not have been forseen unfold and changes their friendship forever. This film feel so naturally shot you forget your actually sitting in your living room and feel like your actually in Mexico along for the ride. Overall i give the movie 9/10, it would be a 10/10 if hadn't been for one scene if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about, not my taste.
I Felt it necessary to add the trailer and another scene
It has been quite a long since movie has achieved what this movie achieved to do me in terms of entertainment. First of all this movie is unlike most hollywood movies out there, it sole purpose is get you to use your mind. If you are open minded, and accepting of theories that would seem blasphemous to some, then this movies is for you. This movie has two basic scenes, so it is indeed "boring" to those can not sit still and give a movie their undivided attention. The plot is not easy to explain and thus i will not. I can only ensure that is enriching and entertaining. The only movie that i can think of that is at all comparable would be k-pax. This a must see, and I'm officially declaring this my top favorite movie at the time. My rating for this movie is a 10/10 undoubtedly!!!!
There are a few select actors who have gained or shed weight to make a true transformation on screen but the one that will probably remain imprinted for years to come is the truly shocking display by Christian Bale who lost a whopping 63 lbs. to a skeletal shell of 120 for his portrayal of dank creepy perfection.
Bale stars as the afflicted Trevor Reznik, a shell of a man who works in a machine factory and apparently is nursing some horrible demon that has led to his astonishing appearance, ghostly pallor and paranoia soaked delusions that call to question his amazing confession: How can a man not sleep for an entire year and waste away to a shadow of his being and keep his sanity?
The answer isn't so transparent as Reznik becomes submerged in some sort of dreamscape nightmare of conspiracy theories and the innate distrust of his own mind playing tricks on him one night when he encounters the perpetually grinning Ivan (Sharian sporting the sharkiest Cheshire Cat smile in recent film memory) an apparently new shift employee who distracts him to the point of a horrific accident that causes his employer and co-worker to mistrust him and suspect his deteriorating looks as something a tad more sinister.
Reznik's only solace is in literally a mother-whore relationship he shares with a well-meaning lovely waitress (Sanchez-Gizon) at the airport diner he frequents as much as the hooker he lies with to express his thoughts and odd happenings (Leigh in her umpteenth whore role that must have filled her quota by now).
After the accident Reznik is plagued with a series of Post-Its sporting a game of hangman that leads to a few clues to his rationale and ultimately to his fate of 'Who Am I?'
Directed by Anderson who helmed the criminally underrated spooky horror flick 'Session 9' a few years back returns to a dark story of a man clearly unraveling and destroying himself in the process that echoes Stephen King's 'Thinner' by way of the identity crises of 'Memento' and the psychological thriller 'Angel Heart' yet invokes a sharply executed script by Scott Kosar (who penned the worthy remake of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' last year) that recalls David Fincher meets David Lynch paroxysms of fate and the build up to a discovery that is all too recognizable to the thriller genre in recent years of identity masked as phobic reality with its latter day Hitchcock everyman skewed nicely. Kudos to cinematographers Xavi Gimenez and Charlie Jiminez for its bleak, green/grey drudgery and the Herrmannesque score by Roque Banos mixes perfectly to the dread at hand displays.
Bale went above and beyond the call of duty in his somewhat controversial display of Holocaust invoking demeanor yet it works shockingly well as it delves into the troubled soul of a man who is wasting away not only as a metaphor but as a penance for some hell to pay.
There have been many films about the aftermath of war, but never have I seen such a brutally honest and shocking depiction of the de-humanization of soldiers back from war. This is the underlying premise of the new crime thriller from academy award winning writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash).
Hank Deerfield (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired veteran and military police officer searching for his son who has gone AWOL. A detective Emily Sanders (played by Charlize Theron) becomes interested in the case and starts helping Hank outside of her job. When Hank's son's body is found, the search suddenly turns into a search for the murderer.
One of the many aspects I appreciated was that director Haggis did not turn this into a typical Hollywood crime thriller and also not turn it into a political propaganda piece against the war and President Bush. Instead he mixes the two plots together seamless and subtle, letting you decide for your self.
Tommy Lee Jones gives the best performance of his long career as he plays a quiet, emotionless war vet, but still shows tremendous amount of emotion. Just watching his face as he sits in a diner and listens to one of his retired friends tell him about plans to go visit his grandchildren is heartbreaking. We can almost see the internal emotional struggle as he realizes he will never be able to do that. Charlize Theron does a wonderful job as the detective, and despite her small screen time Susan Surandon plays the grieving wife of Jones to perfection.
This film is such a moving masterpiece on so many levels it is simply wonderful to watch. The quiet pacing of the film building up to the climax is captivatingly intense in its own way. I am sure this will be a popular film at the Oscars this year, and if they gave out awards for best scene this would be sure to garner a nomination for a simple, poignant, yet profoundly moving scene when Frank tells the story of David and Goliath (which took place in the Valley of Elah) to the little son of detective Sanders.
Review provided by imdb. My rating 8/10. Jerry Bruckheimer and his Hollywood cohorts must be shaking their head in disbelief. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, British born and bred, have outdone America's effects laden finest, and at a mere fraction of the price. Armageddon ($140 million) and Pirates of The Caribbean 2 ($225 million) have nothing, nothing on the majestic visuals that Sunshine offers. From the jaw dropping opening sequence to the fantastically realized final moments, Boyle's latest is a mighty treat for the eyes.
But of course, effects do not make a film. You need only consider the two aforementioned Bruckheimer blowouts for proof. But happily, behind the blinding visuals, Sunshine has a violently beating heart. One that offers absolutely no let up, that gains speed and then gains a little more, before finally threatening cardiac arrest. You can't help but live and breath every moment of the crew's breathless existence.
The year is 2057 and a select group of astronauts are given that most trifling of tasks. The sun is dying. Drop a bomb in it. Save all of mankind. And to top it all, on a ship rather ominously named 'Icarus II'. Add inevitable inter crewmember tension and you have a rather heated situation. The sweaty crew are played wonderfully by a decidedly un-starry, but talented cast. Cilian Murphy, taking the lead role as the ship's resident physicist Cappa, the only member who has the wherewithal to actually drop the bomb, is coolly enigmatic as ever, the blue orbs of his eyes forming a nice counterpoint to the never far rather redder orb of the sun. You can't help but feel he isn't particularly challenged as an actor, but nevertheless he provides a suitably ambivalent, androgynous and faintly unsettling core to the proceedings.
Perhaps more impressive is Chris Evans. Recently seen in a similarly hot headed role in the undercooked comic book adaptation 'Fantastic Four', he consistently snatches scenes from Murphy as engineer Mace, about as volatile and fiery as Cappa is composed and cool. Without Evan's energetic performance, the film would sink into an anti-libidinal quag. Mace's emotive instability injects pace when it's needed and brings some welcome variety to the otherwise glum faces. Evans is surely on the brink of big things. A small quibble would be that there are perhaps a few too many characters; meaning that a fair share of the cast never really gets a chance for development, which is irritating, as one gets the feeling that there's a lot of wasted potential.
Another chink in Sunshine's spacesuit, is in many places, Alex Garland's screenplay. Whilst he has a remarkable talent for creating intense psychological tension, of which there is plenty in Sunshine, his philosophizing is much less satisfactory. This is not to say he doesn't play with some fascinating ideas. With the crew circling so close to the Sun, to the giver of life, Garland begins ask the biggest of questions. Is there something, something inestimably greater than ourselves, something that could create such a magnificent star, or are we, like the sun, simply dust? It's a great idea, but for the larger part of the film, it seems oddly shoehorned into what is at base a sci-fi pot-boiler. In fact these ideas are better expressed in Boyle's imagery. Time and time again we see members of the crew staring aghast at the immensity of the burning ball of gas and dust in front of them. The relationship between giver and taker is better explored here than in any line of Garland's.
The structure of his screenplay is also a little unwieldy. The first hour and a half play as an intense psychological study - the pace at times painfully weighty as the tension is ratcheted up ever higher. The film works beautifully here - it may not introduce anything particularly new; claustrophobic stress is certainly nothing new in sci-fi, but it follows genre conventions with such panache and artistry that it's difficult to fault. However, come the final 20 minutes, Sunshine takes a rather abrupt and unwelcome turn. A pretty hammy (not to mention poorly explained) plot twist is ushered in and suddenly we find ourselves in a horror film - a clichéd one at that. To say much more would spoil things, but needless to say, had the filmmakers showed a little restraint in the closing moments, they would have had a real classic on their hands. When the film ditches pretensions, and sticks with the clammy, slow burn thrills it excels at, it's fantastic. When it descends into predictable melodrama, it's still alright, it's just disappointing considering what we know it's capable of. As such it's remarkably well shot, superbly rendered, occasionally poignant and occasionally flawed. Whatever the case, Sunshine is never far from entirely thrilling, and, all said and done, film recommendations don't come much higher than that.
My rating 7/10 "Eagle Vs Shark" is the story of two people considered 'losers' by society and how they might...just might...be right for one another. On one hand you have Jerrod, a twelve-year old boy trapped in a man's body who enjoys making candles, plotting revenge on the school bully that ruined his life and playing the video game 'Fight Man'. On the other hand, you have the fragile Lilly who sings songs about tangerines, lets people walk all over her and dreams about how Jerrod (a regular customer at the fast food restaurant where she works) may one day love her.
Creating a quirky, whimsical movie featuring two geeks who are awkward and barely able to function in society is difficult to pull off but New Zealand film maker Taika Watiti manages it. What makes this movie different to many others which focus on similar characters is that "Eagle Vs Shark" never stoops to mocking its characters despite the opportunity to do so. The audience is invited to share in their hopes and defeats, rather than stand back and laugh at their offbeat behaviour. It is a romantic comedy about two characters who are ill-suited to the genre (Lilly wears her shark costume while lying in bed with Jerrod for example).
Whilst both leads are magnificent, Loren Horsley is the real find here. With her wide innocent eyes, crooked smile and shy demeanour, she creates a character which you can truly connect with. Jerrod may be a complete jerk and oblivious to everyone around him but you never doubt that Lilly truly loves him. She's the type of girl who fades into the background of any room and Horsley manages to convey her joy and heartbreak in a way that you really want her to have a happy ending. Jermaine Clement as Jerrod is a lot harder to warm to because of his actions (and inactions) throughout the movie but ultimately you come to share Lilly's faith that the two are right for one another.
It's hard to avoid the comparisons to "Napoleon Dynamite" when reviewing "Eagle VS Shark". The deadpan deliveries of the characters in both movies is similar and the tone is almost identical. It's safe to assume that if you hated "Napoleon Dynamite" then you're absolutely going to loathe "Eagle VS Shark". Everyone else should give this movie a chance. Like the characters it features, it's not perfect but, like love, it's an uplifting experience.
Quite honestly i was feeling lazy and borrowed a review from imdb. If you are the writer and wish to have it removed from the blog, please contact me and i will remove it. Thanks. Anyway my rating on this is 9/10! Here is the review from the writer Auberus:
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is for me the film that saved 2005. Written by Guillermo Arriaga, also writer of "Amores Perros" and "21 grams" and the first movies of Tommy Lee Jones as a director (but also lead actor), "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" tells the story of Ranch hand Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) who wants to fulfill the promise he made to his recently deceased Mexican friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico. The power of this modern western and initiatic journey resides in the complexity of the characters, their depth and their controversial behavior. None of the protagonists are one dimensional; none of them are right or wrong but all of them do right and wrong things. They are not always rational, and most of the time they feel lost. In one word they all appear profoundly human. Build over a chase dynamic fueled with contrasts and paradoxes, the film opposes Wild West landscape and Modern carton built houses, 4WD tracking hunt and horse back journey, fake TV soaps and true friendship but maybe most of all Freedom and Prison. Indeed most if not all characters are trapped in their apathetic lives from which they can't or don't want to escape forcing us to ask ourselves how close is our lives to the spectacle projected in front of our eyes. Melquiades Estrada embodies this possibility of Escape and now that he has been buried 3 times he transcends this Freedom making redemption possible not only through death but also through rebirth, suggesting that nobody is beyond it.
Dan In Real Life, all i can say is wow. It had me laughing through out almost the whole movie. I couldn't help but fall in love with every character. It's just one of those movies that brought me to feel many of the emotions that the characters were feeling. This a one of kind indie film. From the famous focus studios, the same people who brought Eternal Sunshine in the world. This movies is nothing short of spectacular. Steve Carell plays Dan a journalist who writes advise columns for a newspaper, however in real life Dan can't seem to put them into application in his own life. He struggles to be a single Dad with 3 daughters, trying to raise them as best as he can, but ends up over protecting all of them. Dan who lost his wife, ends up meeting somebody at a book store, but he gets an unexpected surprise. This movie is a great romantic comedy and anybody with sense of humor will love it. It shows how love is lost, but can always be found again. Overall my rating is a 10/10 on it!
One of the best indie films i've seen a long time. I just finished watching it. I got to say that i'm incredibly impressed with Ryan Gosling performance in this movie, he owns the screen. I'm sure it was incredibly difficult to pretend that a doll could be a real person, but he never dropped the ball. Another actor that I'm starting to see in a wide variety films, which i have continually been impressed with is Paul Schneider. He has certain presence on screen which you just can't help but love. Patricia Clarkson, dominated her part as Dagmar, Lars(Gosling) therapist. The basic plot of this movie is about a recluse man named Lars who rarely interacts with people on a real deep personal level. He avoids as much contact as he possibly get away with. One day he shocks he's entire community by ordering a life like doll and introducing it as his girlfriend. His community and family are faced with the moral dilemma of dealing with it or having him committed. They chose to help him, and they play along with it. This movie shows the real effects a mental illness can have on a person and the social views that can occur, a subject which is not spoken about often. The community and family really pull together and show how caring people can really be. My rating for this movie is a 9/10!
Eternal Sunshine, is a movie that just never gets old. It maybe one of my favorite movies ever made. It's a story which indeed most of us can relate to, at least the ones who have stood on the front lines of love and been trampled by it. The plot in this movie is about a couple whose relationship has hit a critical rut, has come to a dead end. Rather than deal with situation, Clementine Kruczinski(Kate Winslet) decides to get an experimental procedure which erases past memories of loved ones. Joel Barish(Jim Carey) discovers that she has done the procedure and decides to get the treatment himself. What leads is a twisted look at the mind when the distress of love consumes it. I'd rather not spoil too much of it, so go watch it and prepare yourself to what i can only describe as a roller coaster ride down a dark cave. My Rating 10/10!
A timeless love movie would be the best words to describe this movie. The movie is about two people who are forbidden to love each other because of there roots. Their relationship has to be kept hidden, and it is until one day it is broken on up by false accusation. That accusation trickles a chain of events that eventually shatters each of the protagonist worlds. Keira Knightley plays Cecilia Tallis and is just amazing throughout the entire film, she's with out a doubt one of most gorgeous girls in hollywood. James McAvoy plays Robbie Turner, I don't if there could have been a better person for the job absolutely phenomenal. One of key reasons i thought this movie was even worthy of being on here is the cinematography. The scene changes where extremely thoughtful using very artistic ways to progress to next scene. The locations where breath taking, just absolutely beautiful. I think overall the movie was about an 8/10.
One of the most compelling films I've ever seen. This is one of those movies that you can watch again and again. From the same director who brought us The Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he delivers another astonishing film. Gael Garcia Bernal plays, Stephane Miroux an artistic man with a sleep disorder which makes it almost impossible for him to distinguish reality. His spells of sleep walking lead to unfortunate revealing details about his neighbor Stephanie who he has romantic feeling for. This movie really uses alot of abstract art and mixes it in stephanes bizarre dreams. It is shot in three different launguages, Spaish, French, and English which add to the confusion of the dreams. Another notable character is Guy(gee) played by Alain Chabat, who is a middle aged pervert who's life revolves around getting laid. He scene brought alot of comedy to the film, and without him i think the film would have been completely different. This film won a few independent film festival awars, and really should have won more. My rating 8.5/10!
I'm usually not a big fan of Gorge Clooney films, but this movie maybe his best performance of all time. More importantly this movie finally brings light to Tom Wilkinson's phenomenal acting talent. In fact he steals the the spotlight in every scene he so happens to be in. His relentless ranting, as a manic depressive is breath taking. The plot in this movie, is corporate malpractices and the dirty hidden truths on how they are kept from the public light. Gorge Clooney plays Michael Clayton, a lawyer who's sole purpose is to defend and protect the rich from being criminally prosecuted. He's called to Arthur Edens(Tom Wilkinson) assistance after a scandalous inappropriate display at conference room in Milwaukee. The case progresses from something simple, into a depth of lies being concealed by U North, a weed killer corporation. This movie is nominated for 7 oscars, and in my opinion they are well deserved. My rating 9/10!
I am reluctant to say that I'm slowly becoming an Affleck fan little by little. Not Ben Affleck, but by Casey Affleck(Gone Baby Gone), his far more talented younger brother. Right from first scene he's in he steals the show with his melancholy smile. He portrays the coward Robert Ford, and gives a creepy yet vibrant feel through out the whole movie. Brad Pitt delivers a strong, brilliant performance as Jesse James, the infamous outlaw bandit. The basic plot of the movie outlines the last moments of Jesse James life. Jesse James seems to be getting tired and even suicidal at times throughout the movie. He seems to regret his actions and the unsettling consequences that they bring later in his life. Robert Ford always seems to be shadowing and lurking in the background, awaiting an opportunity to arise. A snake in the the grass is how I would describe Ford in this movie. The movie features a great cast in my opinion; Sam Rockwell(Green Mile), Jeremy Renner(28 Weeks Later), Sam Shepard(Black Hawk Down), Garret Dillahunt(No Country For Old Men), and Paul Schneider(Elizabethtown/Lars and the Real Girl). This film would not have been the same without each of this individual actors and what they brought to the screen. My rating 8.5/10!
This movie is amazingly simple but yet complex. It is a movie that really takes you to a desert of violence and action. The movie features Tommy Lee Jones(Ed Tom Bell) as a small town sheriff in Texas, Josh Brolin (Lllewelyn Moss) as a simple modern day cowboy, and Javier Bardem(Aton Chigurh) the insane dark killer. The movie plot is a drug deal gone bad. Moss who stumbles upon drug money and dead drug traffickers while hunting out in the desert. He takes the money and what follows is all out death and destruction. This movie has a modern day western feel, it may very well be the best western since Unforgiven. The fact that no music effects were used, makes the movie feel more realistic and true to its nature. My rating is 9.5/10.
