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.