Top 5 Films Of The Year

Hey Everyone! It's the end of the year which means that its time to look back at what movies were the best of the best! It was a year of extremes with some really awful movies (I'm looking at you Jack and Jill) and some really good ones! Now remember this list is my personal opinion not an objective list like at Rotten Tomatoes. Still I would love to hear people's opinions because the debate for the best of the best is always fun. So read on to find out what movies I thought were the best of the best!

Now for the unfortunate news, while I have seen lots of films this year there are still some films that I have not seen. I would like to mention them because they would most likely end up on my list. They are Shame and Melancholia, two films by some of my favorite directors that I cannot wait to watch some day. I would also like to include The Skin I Live In, A Separation, A Dangerous Method, and Midnight in Paris as honorable movies that I haven't seen yet.


Now for the movies that I really enjoyed and received high praise form me but didn't make my top five. My honorable mentions are: Rise Of the Planet of The Apes, Win Win, 50/50, The Muppets, The Help, Moneyball, Crazy Stupid Love, and Bridesmaids. Those are a few of my personal highlights from this year but overall I felt this was a solid year of movies. Anyways time to begin my top 5 countdown starting with...

5. Hugo

As a huge Martin Scorsese fan I had high expectations for Hugo and luckily they were met and went beyond that. Hugo is a magical journey into cinema and reminds us why we all fell in love with it in the first place. With some impressive acting from Asa Butterfield and Ben Kingsley, Scorsese's latest adds another classic to his long lists of impressive films. A kids movie that appeals to anyone who loves film, Hugo takes my number 5 spot for its amazing use of 3-D, its glorification of the beginning of film, and the wonderful cast comes together to make one of the best films of the year. Now to number 4...

4. The Descendants

After my grandfather died this year, I found a very special connection with Alexander Payne's The Descendants. A wonderful filme about dealing with loss of a loved one while at the same time gaining a lot of knowledge about life. George Clooney gives the best performance of his career as Matt King and takes on a deep, emotional journey on dealing with a wife in a coma, family being greedy over inherited land, and trying to reconnect with his daughters. The biggest surprise of this film though comes from Shailene Woodley who gives one of the best supporting actresses turns this year including the most emotional underwater shot I have ever seen. The film was a wonderful experience with a superb script and impeccable direction from Payne. Along with a wonderful soundtrack to back up the film, The Descendants stands out as one of the year's best. It was a tough battle between this one and number 3, but eventually I gave in and gave the number 3 spot to...

3. Drive

I did not know much about Nicolas Winding Refn before seeing this film, but I am sure glad I know about him now. This film blew me away at its direction, action, acting, script, music, and overall amazing filmmaking. This is one of those films where everything comes together to create a true cinematic experience. Ryan Gosling stands out as the Driver here and gives a powerful performance along Albert Brooks with one of the best supporting actors performances of the year. Still its the score and soundtrack and Refn's direction that take this film to the next level making it one of my favorites of the year. Number 2...

2. The Artist

What an amazing film here by Michel Hazanavicius that embodies everything I love about silent film and gives some of the best performances of the year from its cast. The whole feel of the film and story takes us back to the golden days of silent cinema. The acting by Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are some of the best of the year along with an incredible supporting cast including John Goodman, James Cromwell, and the cutest dog on film since Beginners. The sets, costumes, and score are brilliant additions as well but Hazanavicius is the reason this movie soars with its wonderful visuals and great story. Overall I loved every single second of this film and that's why its at number 2. Now for my favorite film of the year...


1. The Tree Of Life

As one of the biggest Malick fans around I wasn't surprised that I loved this movie to death. The thing that is really amazing about this film is that even non-Malick fans should love this movie. This is what cinema is all about. You put the crap to the side so that we can go on a journey that Malick has taken us on. A brilliant and deep look into the hardest questions that every person must face in their life. Why does God let a dinosaur live but take away innocent people's lives? Why do people do bad things? What is the way to live in this world? I was blown away the first time I saw this films and continuously am when I watch it to this day. Its beautiful, emotional, deep, thought provoking, philosophical, religious, and powerful all within one film. Malick has made another masterpiece and it might just be his best yet. I adore this film. It is not only my favorite this year but one of my favorites of all time. I could've watched the universe footage for 4 hours but along with that we get a family story dealing with a lot of issues we all deal with. Its visually dominating and it is a perfect film. You might have hated it but I loved it to death. I want more Malick, especially if its going to be like this.

There we go, thats my top 5 for 2011. I believe it was a pretty good year in film, but boy does 2012 look good. So you then, and Happy New Year! Long Live Cinema! Cheers!

The Artist Movie Review

This year has had it movies about nostalgia that's for sure. Hugo took us back to the roots of cinema and reminded us why we feel in love with movies in the first place. My Week With Marilyn brought us back to the days of the 1950s and brought one of film's biggest stars with it. Even Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris featured one of my favorite writers F. Scott Fitzgerald in the story. Least to say nostalgia was in the air. Then we come to The Artist, a silent film that radiates and glorifies the days of silent cinema. Shot in black and white and done in silence, The Artist transports you back to the days of the glory days of silent film. Was this able to work though? Would director Michel Hazanavicius be able to bring silent film to life in a day and age where new silent films are hard to find? Read on to see my thoughts...

The Artist stars Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a silent film superstar at the peak of his career, who bumps into Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) whose destinies seemed to be intertwined. Soon "talkies" are introduced to Hollywood and as Peppy starts to rise, George begins to slowly fall apart losing his money, stardom, and even his wife. Peppy soon becomes the biggest starlet of the big screen and must find a way before  George's career is over or something even worse happens.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Movie Review

Movies goers should know the name David Fincher as a go to for one of the smartest, innovative, and creative minds behind the camera in this day and age of cinema. He started his career with the underwhelming Alien 3 but since then has created some of the best movies of all time. His impressive credits include Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, and The Social Network. Now we have The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo the start to the Millennium Trilogy from the acclaimed series from Stieg Larsson. The trailer for this movie set up high expectations for this film and promised a dark, gritty "feel bad" movie. Not only that, it promised the return of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to score the film. Needless to say, I was excited and expecting another instant classic from Fincher. Would Fincher be able to meet his expectations? Will this be a great start to the rest of the trilogy? Read on to find out...

The film follows Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) who has been recently charged with libel sa his reputation crumbles. Surprisingly he is hired by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to solve the unsolved case of the murder of Henrik's great-niece Harriet. The film also follows Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), an asocial surveillance agent for a security company, who must deal with a sadistic guardian before getting hired by Blomkvist as a research assistant to help him solve the case. As Blomkvist and Salander get closer to getting answers, the higher the threats and risks the search becomes as they uncover a deep and immense corruption beyond their imagination.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows Movie Review

Some movies I stumble upon, I didn't ever mean to see them but I actually end up watching them at the theater anyway. Sometimes it's cause my Mom wants to see a movie so I go with her. While this may sound bad it actually introduced me to some really good and fun films like Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one) and The Incredibles (before I knew how good Pixar was). Sometimes I go to theater expecting one film and I end up seeing another, which is how I saw Kung-Fu Panda 2 which was surprisingly good. This time I was going to the theater to see Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol and ended up being late so I had to se Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows to pass the time. I had slept through the first one but the scenes that I was awake for I found somewhat entertaining so I thought I would give the second one a chance.

This Guy Ritchie flick stars a few years after the first film as Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return to replay their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. As the film begins, Watson is a newlywed which Holmes is resist to. Unfortunately, a new villain is on the block in the form of Professor James Moriarty who is bent on creating world chaos and war. As Professor Moriarty's plans grow bigger and more dangerous, Holmes and Watson must stop Watson's honeymoon early to find out the Professor's plans stop him before he can become successful. 

HUGO Review

Every once in a while a movie will come out that reminds me why I love movies. Nolan has done that recently with The Dark Knight and Inception, both film were able to take me away to a different world and amaze me with every frame. Jurassic Park is one because it is one of the earliest film I ever saw when my Dad left me in front of the TV. Lastly, There Will Be Blood showed me that when you combine the best acting, script, and visuals together you create a truly remarkable cinematic experience. Now I have Hugo to look at for inspiration. In one film, I was amazed at the advancement of film technology, laughed like the child I used to be, and cried at the pure brilliance of the beginning of cinema. Martin Scorsese is a film school's filmmaker and uses his knowledge of film history to the fullest in his last cinematic masterpiece. I haven't written a review in a while but this movie was so inspiring that I had to write about it and express my feelings about it. So read on if you want to read my love letter to Scorsese's love letter of cinema.

Hugo takes place in the 1930s at a Paris train station. The film follows protagonist Hugo Cabret, a young boy who lives in the train station fixing the clocks and trying to collect gears and tools for a strange mechanism called a automaton. He soon gets in trouble with toy shop owner George who steals his late father's notebook. Hugo then meets Isabelle, the god daughter of George who helps him get back the notebook as they form a friendship. Hugo must now find a way to complete his father's automaton and learn about the strange secrets the robot holds. Hugo stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, and Ben Kingsley.

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Review

I have never seen any of the other Mission Impossible films to tell the truth. I was never even that interested in seeing this one but was I was interested in was seeing the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (which was epic!). Fortunately for me, I was able to sit in on one of the most enjoyable movie theater experiences of the year. Ghost Protocol was more than I had ever expected it to be. Brad Bird has once again shown just how good of a director he can be and made a smooth and impressive transition from animated to live action cinema. Read on to see my review of Ghost Protocol…

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol finds the IMF team in Russia where after busting Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out of prison, the team (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton) must stop an international terrorist, “Cobalt”, from gathering Russian nuclear launch codes. While on the mission, they are incorrectly accused for a bombing on the Kremlin by “Cobalt”. The President officially shuts down IMF but the IMF Secretary allows Ethan Hunt and his team to escape, along with a new member (Jeremy Renner), to take out “Cobalt” before he is able to start global nuclear war.

13 Assassins

Samurai films have been some of my favorites after being spoiled by Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Unfortunately there are not many great samurai here at the states so it had been a while since I had seen a solid samurai flick, but as soon as I saw this flick on Netflix I immediately played it. This was also my second foray into director Takashi Miike. I had previously seen Audition and was highly impressed so I had high expectations and knew that I was in for a ride. So would this film be able to meet my expectations? Did Miike continue his solid streak of films? Read on to find out my thoughts...

13 Assassins is about the evil and heartless Lord Naritsugu who is rampaging the land and taking advantage of his power. When news comes out that he might rise to considerable power in the government, a group of samurai decide that he must be stopped. Samurai Shinzaemon forms a team of 12 samurai and one hunter to trap the lord in a nearby town and to end his evil reign.

30 Minutes Or Less

I haven't reviewed many comedies on this blog so far. It is not that I don't enjoy them, it's just that a movie has to give me something good in the trailer to get me to the theater with the high prices of tickets. So how did this flick get me off my ass and into the theater? Well I first saw that cast and thought that it had some awesome potential. Plus I am a HUGE Aziz Ansari so hopefully he would bring his unique style of comedy to the big screen. Then I saw that Ruben Fleischer was directing, the same man who did Zombieland. That was enough for me and I was confident going in that it would be worth the $10 ticket. So was 30 Minutes or Less good? Did I enjoy it? Read on to find out...

30 Minutes Or Less stars Jesse Eisenberg as Nick, a pizza delivery boy who gets a bomb strapped on him by two fugitives (Danny McBride, Nick Swardson) who are trying to score some cash. Nick comes to his friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) to help him rob a bank and hopefully get the bomb off of him. Nick must try to survive the bomb, and learn a little bit on the way to not be selfish anymore.

Welcome Back...A quick wrap up of the past few films I have seen

Hey Readers! It feels like forever since I have written but as Summer rolls on I get more lazy. Luckily I can stop being lazy for a few moments and catch you up on my thoughts for the past few films I have seen. Theses won't be in depth reviews but short paragraphs just giving my brief thoughts on the film plus whether I think you should spend your money on them.  So read on if you are interested in any of these films to get my thoughts and to leave your own thoughts! Read, watch movies, and Enjoy!

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America is the second of two Marvel movies this summer and what feels like the 5th of comic book films. Needless to say this summer has had lots of Superheros and not all of them have been great. Nevertheless, Captain America triumphs and is able to stand on its on as a great film. Joe Johnston creates a nice period piece that compliments that character and storyline well. The best part of the film is Chris Evans who is able to become Steve Rogers beyond my expectations. He captures the "stay true to yourself" message in a strong way that hold the film. Luckily, Evans has a strong supporting cast behind him to help make the film more than an average comic book film. Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were some of my favorites because they were hilarious with a scent of truth behind them. Tucci especially brings the message of the film to the audience by reminding us that power must be given to those who can handle it and not abuse it. Hugo Weaving, whose performance is not as strong as some of his previous roles, gives Red Skull a nice spice that would otherwise be missing. While the love story between Rogers and Peggy is corny throughout, it comes through in the end with a powerful scene between the two. Overall this was obviously the best comic book movie of the summer and a must see for fans of the genre. My suggestion is if you liked Thor or X-Men First Class then you will really like this one. Some may find it boring and repetitive of previous comic book films but I would disagree. The action is fun and enjoyable and Captain America is a great ride. Also stay after the credits, trust me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

I won't lie, I am a big sucker for romantic comedies. Some of my favorites include Definitely, Maybe, 10 Things I Hate About You, and (500) Days Of Summer. So when I saw the trailer for this movie I was excited. A great cast with what looked like a nice insight into love that while other movies have explored seemed to feel new and refreshing. Indeed, this movie met my expectations and went beyond even. The cast makes this movie awesome without a doubt. Steve Carell plays a down on his luck husband/father of two when his wife decides to get a divorce. He meets Ryan Gosling, a player who shows him the ropes of the dating fame, who eventually and unexpectedly falls in love himself. Gosling is the best part of the movie being hilarious and has some of the best quotes from the smart script. Emma Stone, a personal favorite, also shines in this film along with Julianne Moore and Analeigh Tipton. What really surprised me was how much I laughed throughout this film. In one scene in particular near the end, I couldn't stop laughing for about 2 minutes. In the end, I think you know whether or not your going to see this already but I highly recommend it. It is funny, lovable, and in the end one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a long time. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Cowboys and Aliens

I have been a Jon Favreau fan since Swingers, Elf, and especially Iron Man. So when I heard this movie was in the works I thought it had great potential. Blending two genres together along with Craig and Ford, how could you go wrong? Unfortunately a lot can go wrong. The biggest problem with this movie is the script, which went through 5 people before getting to the big screen. The story is bad and uninteresting and the script feels like a 5 year old wrote it. I don't know who told Harrison Ford to use the voice he did in this flick but it was damn annoying and felt very unrealistic. That said there are some cool things about this movie. I enjoyed Daniel Craig's action sequences and most of the time he was on film. There were some funny moments and nice allusions that combined Western with some Sci-Fi. Overall though this film was plainly a waste of my money. Favreau didn't use Sam Rockwell to any of his potential plus I question why Noah Ringer was in this movie at all. Ringer was awful every time he as on screen and an epic waste of time. Don't waste you money here, rather spend your money elsewhere. 2 out of 5 stars.

Audition

The best out of this list without a doubt! I was worried to watch this movie because of the rumors of its disturbing nature. While I won't try to say its not disturbing, Audition is one hell of a cinematic journey that will make you want to look away but you won't be able to. This was my first Takashi Miike film and I definitely want to watch more. This movie starts out as a slow look into a man trying to find a new wife. Slowly it turns into a psychological horror that will scar most men for life. The thing that gives this movie its power is that while it is also visually disturbing, it also messes with your mind. As a guy I learned that I will never mess with a girl because next thing I know she will be trying to kill me with piano wire. Horror fans will love this film and find it entertaining. I certainly loved it and thought it was an incredible film. Fair warning though, this movie is not for the weak of heart, there are disturbing images and stuff you won't be able to forget. Still, this is a powerful film that is worth a watch for any movie lover. You will be unprepared thought. 5 out of 5 stars.

Looking ahead... July 20th

So it is always good to look ahead at what is coming out at the theaters and to decide whether anything is worth the trip to the theater or if you should stay home and relax. Some weekends are going to be crazy and must see films will be in theaters, like Harry Potter, and others weeks you should forget about a theater experience, like Transformers 3. So what movies this week are worth watching? Read on to find out...

The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

So we finally get a look at The Amazing Spider-Man trailer and my doubts and worries are starting to go away. I was nervous at a reboot especially since it hasn't been that long since the last Spider-Man movie. Still this movie looks to have a lot of potential. It feels darker and definitely has a new feel to it different from the last trilogy. The most interesting thing in my eyes is the great cast. Andrew Garfield looks awesome as Peter Parker and if he is anything like his Social Network performance than I think he will be great. I am a huge Emma Stone fan so I am pumped to see her as Gwen Stacy. So overall it is a great teaser and I am definitely interested. Love the last POV shot as Spider-Man flies through the city. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself if this reboot will work out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2

I thought I was a nerd until I went to the Harry Potter premiere. Wow I must say that behind Star Wars, Harry Potter fans are some of the most devout die hard fans and they aren't afraid to show it. At the premiere I was at, fans were in costume and singing Potter Puppet Pals songs. To my surprise, some fans went to the front of the theater and performed some scenes from the earlier films. I even saw some people reading the books while waiting for the movie to begin. It was certainly a fun environment to be in and added to my excitement to this movie. So read on to get my review of Part 2...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 is finale film in the epic Harry Potter journey. The film starts at the end of the last film with Voldemort obtaining the Elder Wand. Harry and the gang must hunt down the finale Horcruxes in preparation for the finale showdown with "You Know Who". On the way, Harry must team up with his professors and classmates at Hogwarts and learn more about his destiny. Friends will die and it will all end here. Beware Spoilers ahead...

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Poster

The new Dark Knight Teaser Poster has finally been released on the film's site and it looks epic. I loved the Batman symbol coming out of the destroyed building, or are they being rebuilt? Needless to say that this movie looks to be Nolan going crazy again which I love. I don't know how it is going to stand up next to The Dark Knight but I surely can't wait! Click on the picture for a closer look!

Source: thedarkknightrises.com

A Look Back At Harry Potter...

As we reach the final Harry Potter movie, I thought that it would be nice to reflect on the past films and my thoughts on them. It is amazing to think how big this franchise has gotten. What started as a small book released by a then unknown author, now has become an phenomenon with 8 movies, a theme park, and billions of dollars in profit. Harry Potter will always be an icon to people in my generation because we grew up reading and watching this story grow and become what it is today. I have friends who have told me they are forcing their kids to read and watch the movies when they grow up. It is no doubt that the final release of this film will be a big deal to a lot of people. It is not everyday that people will dress up, spend late hours at book stores and movie theaters, and even form bands all in the name of a book. Harry Potter has accomplished something that is undeniably rare. Even if you do not enjoy the books or movies you cannot deny it's impact and power over audiences world wide, remind you it has been translated into over 67 languages. So now I will look back at the past 7 films to remember the magic and to relieve the journey and story of The Boy Who Lived.

Horrible Bosses

Going to the movies by yourself is a little awkward but what is even worse is when you are planning on meeting people at the theater. If the people don't show up early, then when they show up you have to stand up and wave your arms around to get their attention while the lights are off. What is even worse is when they still don't see you and half the theater looks at you like you walked out of the looney bin. That's exactly what happened to me before Horrible Bosses started and even though it was a rough start I was excited to see this movie. It had a great cast including some of my favorite actors like Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day. So hopefully this movie would meet my expectations and give me a good laugh like Bridesmaids had done earlier last month.

Horrible Bosses is about 3 friends with some awful, painful bosses that ruin their lives. Nick (Bateman) has a boss (Spacey) who tortures and abuses him and even tricks him into working harder for a fake promotion. Dale (Day) has a boss (Aniston) who constantly is sexually harassing him even though Dale is engaged. Kurt (Sudeikis) has a boss who abuses the company's money and fires people who "freak him out". The men decide that they cannot take it anymore and plan to kill their bosses. The only problem is that this plan is harder than it seems and gang must find a way to get rid of their terrible bosses all while trying to dodge the cops and stay alive.

Top Ten Comedies

With Horrible Bosses coming out this weekend I thought it would be a good idea to look back at my personal favorite Top Ten Comedies.

As I said in my Easy A review, comedy to me is simple you either laugh and enjoy the experience or you don't. Still I always love a good comedy because there is nothing better than a good laugh. Plus the different types of comedy are fun to watch. There is slapstick, dark, political, social commentary, and even more which is a nice mix. Still how can you rate something funnier than something else? For me it is consistency, you know you have found an hilarious movie when no matter how many times you see it you will laugh your ass off. So what made my list? What was left off? Well read on to find out in my newest Top Ten List!

The Tree Of Life

I absolutely love films that make me want to make movies. The first movie that did this to me was Requiem For A Dream. After I saw that I felt a passion to go out and make a film like that. American History X, American Beauty, and The Dark Knight are just a few movies that fall into that category. Now I have another classic to add, The Tree Of Life. I had been waiting for another Terrance Malick flick after seeing Badlands and The New World and I was lucky to actually catch one of his pics in the theaters. Boy was it an experience.

The Tree Of Life was written and directed by Terrance Malick that also stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. The movie follows a family growing up in the 1950s. The movie focuses on Jack, the first born, who must deal with a demanding father and unconditional loving mother. As Jack grows up, he loses his innocence and must learn about growing up at the same time. Later in life, Jack reflects on his youth and the meaning of life all while dealing with the loss of his brother, who died at age 19. The film also explores the beginning of the planet Earth and its progression through time all the way to its inevitable end.

 

Rubber

Rubber was a movie that I was originally going to see at a Film Festival in the big NC but unfortunately my Cinema group never went. So thankfully for the powers of the all powerful Netflix, I was able to see this on streaming and was pretty excited about it. If you had heard the premise of this film, it might sound weird but I am always a big fan of the unusual and strange. This film is so strange that at first I didn't even think that it was serious at first. But then I realized this was legit and sat down to give it a nice watch, and boy am I glad that I did.

Rubber is a movie about a tire, a tire that has psychic powers and can blow things up that is. The tire learns that it can destroys and gets addicted to it. Soon the tire causes trouble in near by towns by killing people and causing problems for the police department. At the same time, an audience watches the story unfold from afar with binoculars. The audience must survive long enough to watch the show and the police must stop the tire's mad rampage throughout the town.

Cars 2

Finally back. It has been a while since I wrote a review but I was just getting exhausted from writing so much that I needed a break. I went back to watching some of my favorite TV shows and if I have a suggestion I would watch Parks and Recreation which may be the funniest show on the planet. So I decided to go see Cars 2 yesterday because I am a huge Pixar fan so I was excited to see it. I was worried though because it had been around that Cars 2 was the first "flop" of the Pixar films so I was a bit nervous. Nevertheless I was excited to see another Pixar film on the big screen.

Cars 2 stars all the big names from the first Cars film like Lightning McQueen and Mater. This time around McQueen has been dominating the Piston Cup races while Mater and friends stay back in Radiator Springs. A new alternative fuel company is now sponsoring a new World Gran Prix and McQueen wants Mater to join him. Unfortunately Mater's antics start causing a problem in his friendship and McQueen tells him to go back to Radiator Springs. On his way back, Mater gets confused as a secret agent by British Intelligence agents McMissile and Shiftwell. Now Mater must work with the secret agents to stop the plan to ruin the Gran Prix, grow up, and fix his friendship with McQueen to make things right again.

Casino

I haven't written a review in forever but every once in a while I need a break or else this gets exhausting. Since the few movies that came out this weekend that look interesting, Green Lantern and Mr. Popper's Penguins, got awful reviews I decided to stay in this weekend and watch some Netflix. I have been trying to finish Scorsese for a while now and Casino is one of the few on my list. I had heard that it was like Goodfellas 2 so I was definitely interested.

Casino, directed by Martin Scorsese, stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci. The movie is about Sam "Ace" Rothstein and Nicky Santoro running the mob business in Las Vegas. Sam is the operator of the Tangiers Casino making sure that it makes money and to kick out all the cheaters. Nicky is the strongman that straightens loose ends and controlling the locals. Soon Sam falls in love with Ginger, a smooth hustler, and tries to straighten her. As time passes, Nicky falls into violence and drugs that put the mob operation in jeopardy and Ginger falls into alcohol as the Feds start catching on to Sam and the mob's questionable ways. Will Nicky and Ginger be able to escape their addictions? Will the Feds catch the mob? Read on to find out...

The Ridiculous Pricing Of Movies

I need to talk about something that is causing a problems with the movie going experience. For those who go to the movies know what I am talking about and today I wanted to asses the problem and then propose my solutions to it. It might never make a difference but hell it bothers the crap out of me.

THE PROBLEM: The amount of money it costs to go to the movies is getting ridiculous. To go see a movie these days it costs around $10. For me at my theater it costs $10.50. Why is this getting so expensive? At the same time that I don't understand I do understand. The theater does need the money to take care of its employees, the costs of purchasing a movie, and running the everyday costs of the building. But $10 is just way too much. Just a few years ago it would cost around 7 dollars. And I understand that it is tough times but at the same time these rising prices are going to overall hurt the theater in the long run and here is why. At some point people will get tired of having to pay so much for going to the movies and they will have to choose only the great crowd pleasures to actually go the movie theater. So the smaller films will not get good money in the box office and studios will lose money. Then studios will start becoming more paranoid about what films to produce and eventually less films will be made, less people will have jobs because of this, and overall money will be lost. So how do we fix this? Here is what I think:

THE SOLUTION: The first part to this solution is for the studio to start planning their money better. Stop spending money on movies that are going to bomb where that movie could be much better used. Examples include "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" "The Adventures Of Pluto Nash" "Mars Needs Moms" "Catwomen" "Son Of The Mask" are just a few examples. If the studios were smart and actually decided to cancel some of these films they would have more money for better films which would conclude with a  better box office and help with profits so that they wouldn't have to charge theaters so much and therefore lower ticket prices. See if the studios would sell more tickets then they would get just as much money as selling a sad amount of high priced tickets for a bad movie. So we need to put pressure on the studios to make better films. If they make better films overall, ticket numbers will go up and then the studios and the theaters will not need to have the prices so high. We also need to lower the price because even if we only increase ticket numbers for the good films, both parties will still feel no pressure to lower prices. Maybe a boycott is necessary but something will need to pressure the price.So we must boycott the horrible films, support the really good ones, and pressure lowering the price

Realistically: The prices probably won't drop because people, including me, will continue to see movies. As long as they keep making them people will be in the theater to see them. If I have any suggestions try to go to the matinee showing or just wait for it on DVD, Online, or on TV. 

Now a lot of this is idealistic but its hopeful and it's my thoughts. I can't stand these prices and let's hope something changes. What are you thoughts? Am I being ridiculous? Do I have good ideas? Comment! Enjoy! And watch some movies!

Top Ten Movie Endings! First Top Ten!

Hey Ladies and Gents! I have always enjoyed doing Top lists when it comes to movies fro some reason, I guess I just like ranking the best of the best so I thought that it would be a good idea to start doing a weekly Top Ten list. For the first week I decided to do Endings, Definitely watch out for spoilers, enjoy! Comment! and watch some movies!

How To Train Your Dragon "Everything we know about you guys is wrong"

I am not going to lie, Dreamworks Animation is not my favorite studio. They ruined the Shrek franchise with 3 and 4 which were absolutely dreadful. Then they made garbage like Bee Movie, Over The Hedge, and Shark Tale. It is sad because at the same time they have done great movies like Prince Of Egypt and Kung Fu Panda. So I had been weary to see this movie, worried that it would also turn out to be a major disaster. After seeing the awesome Kung Fu Panda 2 though, I decided to give this movie a chance and see how it did. Hopefully this movie would change my mind on Dreamworks Animation, but did it? Read on to find out...

How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) is about a viking named Hiccup who is different from the other vikings. He is small and very lightweight while the others are fighters and strong men. Their village must survive by fighting off dragons and protecting their food for winter so if you can't fight you are seen as worthless in the eyes of the vikings. Unfortunately his father is the leader of the Vikings and Hiccup feels that he must prove to his dad his worth but shooting down the terrifying Night Fury. When he successfully takes down the dragon, he realizes that he cannot kill it and sets it free. The dragon though lost half of his tail wing and cannot fly anymore. Hiccup decides to help by building him a replacement wing and taming him at the same time. Hiccup and Night Fury, or Toothless, form a strong friendship and Hiccup learns along the way that dragons are not furious creatures but animals that are trying to survive just like the vikings. So Hiccup and Toothless must change the way of the Vikings and save the day before either humans or the dragons destroy one another.

The Lives Of Others "I'm your audience"

I always try to keep in touch with international cinema. Every time I do I always get surprised and find a good story and a well done piece of film. The last foreign film I saw was from France so I thought I would change it up a bit and see German cinema. This movie also won the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign Picture so I was interested to see this movie for a while. Plus on some of my favorite sites and podcasts this movie had been brought up multiple times. If you can't tell, I have been waiting for this one for a while. So would it be worth the wait? Read on to find out...


The Lives Of Others is set in the 1980s in the former East Berlin. Agent Wiesler works for the Stasi secret police and has been given a new assignment. He must wire and observe a writer, Georg, and his lover, Christa-Maria who is also an actress, and try to find any suspicious activity. As the observations continue, Wiesler becomes more and more interested in their lives. He finds out that Christa-Maria is cheating on Georg and goes out of his wave to make Georg catch her in the act. But things are bigger than Wiesler realizes, as Georg starts to plan to write material against East Berlin, a serious offense. As the government tries to catch Georg, Wiesler must decide if his loyalty lies in the state or with his newest obsessions.

Exam "Any Questions?"

One of my favorite things about movies are trailers. They are so exciting and bring a lot of anticipation and entertainment to movies. Some of my favorites are The Social Network, Inception, and my new favorite The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. So I always pay close attention to trailers to see what looks good and what doesn't. This film, Exam, is one of the films that caught my eye by its trailers. It look fun, tense, and most of all exciting. So I had been wanting to watch this film for a while. Recently one of my friends from college also mentioned it saying that it was a good watch, so it was about time that I say down to watch this flick. So what did I think of it? Read on to find out...

Exam is a thriller directed and written by Stuart Hazeldine that opens up by introducing up to 8 people all in a room to take an "exam". An Invigilator enters and lays out some rules for the exam. We slowly learn throughout the film that these people are applying for a high position in a prosperous company. When the exam starts, all the candidates have are a pencil and a blank piece of paper. The candidates must find out what the question is and how to answer before the time runs out or before they destroys themselves. Who will get the job? What is the question? Read on to find out...

Elizabethtown "I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to remember"

I had not seen Elizabethtown in a long time to tell the truth and I am not sure I would have ever watched it again if it weren't for one Joe Weins. Joe had recently been getting on my case calling this the "greatest movie ever made" and I was so intrigued why he had chosen this one. I was a huge Cameron Crowe fan so any of his movies I was glad to watch again. So he came on over and we popped in Elizabeth town to see if I had missed something on my original viewing that would help me understand the "greatest movie ever made" according to Joe Weins.

Elizabethtown stars Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor, a shoe designer who has just recently caused his company to lose one billion dollars. Drew decides to commit suicide but right before he does, he gets a call from his sister informing him that his father has died. On the flight over to Elizabethtown, Kentucky he meets flight attendant Claire (Kristen Dunst) who is different than his typical cup of tea. Drew must now deal with all his family in Kentucky while dealing with the death of his father and his feelings for Claire. During this wild journey Drew learns about himself, his family, Claire, and most of all his father.

All Quiet On The Western Front "War isn't the way it looks back here"

I have always been a big fan of war films ever since seeing Saving Private Ryan. I thought that it was amazing how films could take us back to battles and give us the best look at what really happened. At the same time though do we really understand what it was like? War was more than just battles and fights. There was loss, corruption, and eventually death. That's what All Quiet On The Western Front (AQOTWF) is all about. It explores what these men in the trenches really experienced and gives a not so bright vision of World War I. The original book written by a veteran from WWI, this movie came out in 1930, but would it still have the same impact today that it had back then? Read on to find out...

AQOTWF is about a group of German schoolboys who got caught up in the patriotism of their teacher and decide to sign up for the war. They are excited to be the iron men of Germany and can't wait to see some action. Slowly and surely, everything they thought about the military is not what they hoped for. Their boot camp is exhausting but things only get worse as the boys get shipped out to see their first action. As the boys see death and horror surround them, their numbers decrease and their emotions run rampant. The film explores their changes in personality because of the war and and lasting effect the fighting has on them.

True Lies "You're Fired"

True Lies has always been a favorite movie of my parents ever since it came out. Whenever it is on they usually watch it and still enjoy it to this day. I also wanted to see it because it was a pre-1997 Cameron film which means it should be awesome. If you don't understand what that means here is an explanation: in 1997 James Cameron's Titanic came out and he hasn't done anything good since, and that includes Titanic. So anything before 1997 means Cameron gold. So let's see what is more than meets the eye with True Lies.

True Lies is about secret agent Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who doubles as a husband and father to Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Dana. Harry, while trying to fix his family relations, believes that his wife is cheating on him. As he tries to pull a prank to get back at her, he accidentally gets her caught up in his spy work and puts her and Dana in danger. Now Harry might fight against an fundamentalist Islamic group and stop their plans of nuclear proportions and save his family all at the same time.

The Thing "Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens"

One of my favorite movie genres is horror because sometimes it produces some of the best film making in cinema (Silence of the Lambs) and it also scares the crap out of me at times. The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, Poltergeist, and Psycho all have been horrifying and yet have a lot of cinematic value. The Thing was one of those cinematic horror films that I had heard about so I was excited to see it. At the same time I had not seen anything by director John Carpenter so needless to say I had some expectations for this flick. Read on to see how I felt

The Thing is about a group of American scientists in Antartica conducting studies until one day they encounter mad Norwegians trying to kill a dog. They stop the Norwegians and take the dog in and try to investigate what drove the foreigners crazy. Slowly, the dog becomes more and more suspicious until at one point the team realizes that the dog is indeed an alien that adapts to anything he touches. Even though they kill the dog, the scientist are leery about each other and soon turn against one another suspecting each other to be the alien.Will the crew be able to find and kill the alien before it touches everyone? Will they be able to stop it from getting to mainland and conquering the planet? Read on...

American History X "Has anything you've done made your life better?"

American History X is a film like no other that causes you to explore not only the modern history of race relations but also your own perspective of race relations. Not since Do The Right Thing was film able to give so much power and provide a great medium to allow discussion and analysis of the subject. I didn't know about this film until I passed it on youtube and was able to watch the whole thing. It really made an impact on me unlike any film before it. Now since then I have seen multiple films that have deeply impacted me but American History X will never leave my mind. It is powerful, deep, emotional, and a masterpiece. Read on to get my full on analysis about American History X.

American History X focuses on two brothers Derek (Edward Norton) and Danny (Edward Furlong). Both are involved in a white supremacist movement in L.A. and are heavily involved in racial hate crimes. One day, Derek kills two African Americans and is put in jail. After being paroled 3 years later, Derek must come back home and fix the damage he has done. Danny has become more involved in the supremacist movement and Derek must share his experience and teach him to stop his feelings of hate. Will Derek be able to save Danny from the never ending cycle of hate? Or will Danny be drawn back into the white supremacist movement and continue crime against those different form him? Read on for a long, full analysis of one of my all time favorite films.

Easy A

Easy A is a film I have been hearing about for a while. Since it came out last fall, people from my freshmen hall went out to see it. They came back bragging about how funny it was calling it the new Mean Girls. Then my parents went out to see it and they couldn't stop talking about it. So it was about time that I finally catch this film and see if it matches up to what everyone had been telling me. I will admit I did want to see Emma Stone pull out another great performance and it was going to be nice seeing Thomas Haden Church in a comedic performance again. Read on to see if I enjoyed Easy A.

Easy A is about Olive, a high school girl whose life gets turned around after a little white lie about losing her virginity spreads like wildfire around the school. Even after Olive tries to fix her mistake, kids are still convinced that she lost her V-Card.  Soon people approach her and offer her money to continue her "lies" and to help out with their social reputation. As the lies build up, in reflection with Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Olive must decide to either continue the lie or to reveal the truth.

Super 8 "I believe you"

Remember when movies had an epic scale and a huge heart to boost? That a movie could have a huge production value with great mystery and political statements but at the same time be emotional and touching? These days it is hard to find those films. As we look back to the past we see films like either the Goonies or E.T. and get nostalgic. Thankfully, J.J. Abrams has given us a wonderful film that brings back that style. Giving the same feel that he gave Cloverfield but adding to the youth and emotional storyline that we haven't seen in one of these movies for so long. Now before I get rambling more let me give ya a synopsis, keep reading to get the rest of my feelings on Super 8.

Super 8 is a movie about a boy Joe and his friends who are trying to make a film. At the beginning of the film we learn that Joe's Mom has died in a factory accident and he is left with his father and it is clear they don't have a perfect relationship. As Joe tries to help his friend shoot the movie, Alice joins the shoot and Joe falls for her. During one night of shooting, a train passes and collides with a truck, leaving a trail of devastation and destruction along with something busting out of the cargo. As chaos ensues in the town, the military tries to cover everything up along with keeping secrets from police and citizens. The thing that busted out starts kidnapping people and eventually kidnaps Alice. So Joe must sneak past the military, save Alice, and try to find out what the thing is from the train before the military catches it.

Caché (Hidden) "I wanted you to be present"

I really want to start off this review by suggesting my readers to, if you haven't already, to really watch some international cinema. You would find some awesome stories, great direction, and exciting, thrilling characters. I used to be bias and not enjoy international cinema but recently I have realized that they are sometimes better than half the movies that come out here in America. I highly suggest to explore international cinema because you will enjoy it more than you may believe. So for this week's taste of international cinema I decided to check out Haneke's Caché (Hidden). Haneke caught my eye with Funny Games and I was always interested in seeing what else he had to offer for cinema. So what is Caché (Hidden) and will it be another great piece of international cinema? Read on and find out...

Caché (Hidden) is about a regular family the Laurents including Georges (Daniel Auteuil), Anne (Juilette Binoche), and their son Pierrot. Their normal life is shaken when they start receiving video tapes of his family and his life. The tapes are outside of his house, following him, or even taping his conversations. Since the police won't help, Georges must dig into his past to try to discover who is doing this and Anne must dig the truth out of her husband all while trying to keep her family from falling apart. Who is sending the tapes? What in Georges' past is the key to the mysterious camera man? Watch Caché (Hidden) or read my review to find out...

Equilibrium "If you like action then watch this movie!!!!"

The first time I heard about this movie was on a list of best action scenes. I am always a big fan of action movies so this one got on my list of must sees. With the recent boom of Christian Bale's talent over the years this one was always sticking in my mind. Luckily my house has a Tivo so I am able to record a bunch of movies that I am interested in. This one popped up on the guide so I made sure to tivo it and I was finally able to watch it. So would Equilibrium be able to meet my expectations and keep me interested? Read on to find out...

Equilibrium stars in the distant future after World War III when the world has decided to prohibit emotions in order to stop war and violence. The government created a drug named Prozium which sedates people's emotion. In result, a special task force was created to hunt down anyone or thing that conveys emotion. John Preston (Christian Bale) is the elite cleric, who after killing his partner for showing emotion, stops taking the drug and starts exploring his emotions and the corrupted government system. As Preston explores the world of emotion he decides to help the resistance and take down the tyrant government. Will Preston be able to take down the government and bring emotion back to the world? Or will the clerics be able to catch him and continue the reign of terror? Beware of spoilers ahead

Clerks "I wasn't even supposed to be here today!"

Kevin Smith has always been a fun director in my point of view not necessarily because of his films but because of his personality. He is a smart man and knows a lot about cinema. He also is fucking hilarious so I had been trying to watching his first movie Clerks for a while now and thank you Netflix for finally signing with Miramax because I was now given that opportunity. So would Smith's first feature be worth the wait? Read on to find out...

Clerks is about a day in the life of people behind the counter. The main protagonist, Dante (Brian O'Halloran), is called in to work at the convenience store when he was supposed to have the day off. He hangs out with his current girlfriend (Marilyn Ghigliotti) and his video store clerk friend Randal (Jeff Anderson). As the day progresses Dante must deal with weird and annoying customers while dealing with his high school ex and trying to not lose his job. At the same time he plays hockey on the roof, visits a funeral, and gets charged for selling cigarettes to a minor.

Irreversible "Time Destorys Everything"

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts "The Film Vault" and their list was the Top 5 Most Disturbing Films list and this film had come up as number 1 on the list. Now I had heard about this movie multiple times and I needed to catch some Gasper Noe in my film watching resume. Now I must give clear warning to people before you consider watching it. It is not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of disturbing images and shots in this film and it was hard for me to watch at points. At the same time, it is all for a great point and has meaning but it is still hard to watch. So be warned, not for the faint of heart.

Irreversible is a movie shot in reverse chronological order about one traumatic night for 3 people: a couple and the girl's past ex. The movie is about Alex (Monica Bellucci) who when leaving a party gets abused and raped by a mysterious man. The follows Alex's boyfriend (Vincent Cassel) and ex (Albert Dupontel) has they search the city to get revenge. It also follows the couple before the rape and explores their relationship and friends. Beware spoilers.

The Hustler "How Can I Lose?"

 Paul Newman, ever since he passed away, has become sort of an icon in my eyes. I did not know much about Newman at first but lately I have seen a lot of him. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Sting. Road to Perdition. The Hudsucker Proxy. The Verdict. Cool Hand Luke. The list goes on and on and he will forever be remembered through his films and the impact he made on acting. So The Hustler was a classic that I needed to get my hands on and just recently Netflix made me happy by streaming it. So hopefully Newman was going to once again amaze me.

The Hustler is about Eddie Felson (Paul Newman), a pool hustler, who is on a mission to defeat pool shark Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). After losing, Eddie must get his life back together in order to face Fats again. On the way he meets Sarah and falls for her and tries to balance pool with her. Bert (George C. Scott) soon catches up to Eddie and makes him an offer to take down Fats but while working for Bert. Eddie must decide if he is willing to let his competitive edge ruin his life and if his obsession will ruin his relationship with Sarah all before the big showdown with Fats.

A History Of Violence "Tell me the Truth"

 This is one of those movies that when it came out, I thought that it looked awful. I wasn't the biggest Viggo Mortensen fan and I didn't even know who David Cronenberg was. But that was a long time ago and I am completely different. Recently I have become a Cronenberg fan after The Fly, Videodrome, and especially eXistenZ. So I needed to check this movie out to see if it was as good as some critics had been saying.

A History Of Violence is about Tom Stall, played by Viggo Mortensen, an average all-American husband and father who is living a life of normalcy with his wife played by Maria Bello. Tom's life gets hit with a shock wave after he saves his restaurant from criminals and becomes a local hero. Suddenly mysterious men show up in the small town and claim that Tom is not all that he seems to be. Tom's life is turned upside down and his wife must figure out the truth about her husband, his past, and who he really is. Is Tom Stall someone else? Is his life a lie? Read on to find out. Beware spoilers.

X-Men First Class "Killing will not bring you peace"

Well finally X-Men First Class had its midnight premiere and boy was I excited but it was also the end of a long road. When they first announced they were doing X-Men First Class I was worried that it was going to be another crap pile like X3 The Last Stand. As time passed and a great cast and crew were put on board, this film started to gain some confidence. Then the reviews started to come in and I was relieved and excited to see the X-Men is top form. So did it meet my expectations? Was it worth the wait? Read my full review to find out!

X-Men First Class takes the story back to its origins before mutants were known in the public. Erik Lehnsherr, played by Michael Fassbender, is on a mission to avenge his mother and learn more about his magnetic powers every day. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), with childhood friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), join forces with the CIA to stop a rouge team of evil mutants from starting World War III. Erik and Charles meet up and join forces and recruit mutants from across the globe, but will they be able to stop the Hellfire Club? Will Charles be able to help Erik's rage before it gets the better of him? Read on...

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Kaufman and Gondry. What a pair. This 2004 flick flew under my radar until my senior year of high school and man am I glad I caught it. It is a film that not many heard of but when you do hear about it, you want to talk to everyone about it. I remember on my dorm hall freshman year, a bunch of people who saw my Eternal Sunshine poster either said "huh?" or "oh my god you have seen that movie! what did you think?". It is definitely a movie that you do not forget.

A man, Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realizes that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake. Clementine while dealing with the after effects of the procedure must deal with new love and life after Joel. At the same time, the company hired to erase Joel's memory must keep themselves from falling apart. Keep reading for my review, beware of spoilers.
5 out of 5 stars.

Thor "I need a horse!"

Even though Fast Five had already came out, I consider that Thor was the first "blockbuster" type film of the summer and marked the beginning of summer cinema. Out of all the movies coming out this summer I must admit that I was nervous more about Thor than any other. I liked Thor in the comic books and always saw him as a badass but was worried that Marvel was not going to be able to transition him to film easily. Thor had a lot of backstory to cover and it would be hard to condense it to a pleasable fashion for the audience. Did Thor work out? Read on for my opinion.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring "The One Ring To Rule Them All"

When the first LOTR movie came out, I was 9 years old and wasn't obsessed with movie like I am now. When I saw Fellowship I must admit that I was not impressed at first and I did not understand all the hype and praise for the movie. Now that I am 10 years older, I thought it would be a good idea to return to LOTR and give it another shot. It was a great idea indeed.

Dear Zachary, A Letter to a Son About His Father

Ever so often a film comes around that shakes my core. It makes me deal with tough issues that sometimes we don't want to talk about. It gets to my heart and plays with my emotions like a punching bag. It makes me reflect on myself and my life. It makes me reflect on the world and wonder why? and how? It makes me suffer for not only those involved but for me and I question what have I done? Dear Zachary is one of those films.