The Hurt Locker

The most realistic Iraq movie i have ever seen. One of the most realistic military movies I've ever seen. Although they did get some minute things wrong that only people who have been in the military can identify, myself being one of them. But if you can look past that this movie is absolutely perfect. It stars Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant Williams James, he was absolutely perfect for the part. You remember him from 28 weeks later. He delivers another great performance this film absolutely made me a fan. It also co-stars Anthony Mackie as Sergeant JT Sanborn, his most memorable movie was We Are Marshall. Brian Geraghty who is probably most remembered for his role in Jarhead does a great job in his role as Specialist Owen Elridge. The plot of the movie is about three EOD memebers who have what is one of the most dangerous jobs in the military. The movie captures the grittiness of what it is like to deal with the dangerous of Iraq and ieds. The realism and beauty of the film is incredible which is why i have to give it a 10/10!

The Wrestler

Not a wrestling fan? You don't need to be for this film. This movie is for anyone who wants to see what it is like to be on top of the world and be pulled down into misery. Mickey Rourke without delivers the performance of his lifetime. The story is about a superstar wrestler who sacrificed everything to reach the top and years later has nothing to show for it. Hated by his daughter and treated like a worthless piece of #%$@, the only place he can seem to find a break is in the ring. However what it takes for him to perform is extremely detrimental to his body and is slowly killing him. After a near death his forced to choose between two life's which doesn't come easy. The wrestler is by far the best movie I've seen in 2009 and deserves all the hype it has gotten from critics. 10/10!

Bella

If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans. Bella is shot in New York City. What seemed like it could have been a normal New York Day ended up far from what either character could have expected. Jose a former superstar soccer player turned into a cook tries to help out Nina after being fired from Jose's brothers restaurant. Nina who happens to be pregnant and in dire need of friendly support allows Jose to accompany her through out the day. The films directing style reminded me of the divine bell and butterfly. It was very touching and yet happy. There are many twist and turns but its not overbearing. If you have latin roots, I believe you'll enjoy the film even more. 8/10.

Nick and Norah's Infinate Playlist

I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, few movies have everything i want. This movie had it all, a good soundtrack, a good plot, great actors, and a very simple indie style. I can only name three other movies with all that, Garden State, Dan in Real life, and The Last Kiss. Right away i was taken away by the way the intro itself was shot. It reminded me of juno but with better music. This movie is the the very essence of what makes an indie alternative kid. I couldn't help but connect on a deep level with the characters as they went through their voyage of love and getting to the perfect show. I gave this movie an 8/10.

Appaloosa

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

Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo

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!


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Cidade de Deus(City of God)

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
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Eagle Eye

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.

Snow Angels

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.


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The Fall

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



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28 Weeks Later

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!

Step Brothers

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!!

The Dark Knight

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!!

Lost In Translation

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!





IMDB

Wristcutters (A Love Story)

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 Forbidden Kingdom

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.

Mar Adentro

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.





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The Diving Bell and The butterfly(Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)

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.





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The Orphange(El Orfanato)

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.






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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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!