The Manifesto Review

Alien 3

2009-06-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Right off the bat, you can tell this is an unnecessary sequel. They destroyed pretty much everything gained in the second of the series immediately. In spite of that, it was still a great movie.

The best part about Alien 3 is that it restores the power and scariness of the Xenomorph that Aliens took away. It is once again a very difficult to kill creature that has astounding killing ability.

The plot was lacking in quite a few aspects, but it was still quite enjoyable. Some parts really felt unrealistic-- for example, the Alien's surviving molten lead. It never really made much sense having Ripley have a chestburster, much less a queen, in her. Also, how could she tell it was a queen?

It was still a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it more than Aliens, though it still isn't up to par to the original installment of the series.

MPAA Rating: R for monster violence, and for language.

Rating:

Coraline

2009-06-24T22:43:00.001-07:00

It's quite a rare thing for me to enjoy a film adaptation of a novel more than the actual book itself-- offhand I can only think of The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather. This film joins the ranks of that very small but elite list.

Don't get me wrong-- I enjoyed Neil Gaiman's novel very much. It was very solid and well-plotted, especially for a children-to-young adult novel. It was much darker than I ever expected. This film took the things that were good in the book and then took them to the next step, while cleaning up some points in the plot that could have used more clarification. Wybie, for example, was not in the book at all but adding him helped make some more sense out of everything.

The stop motion is beautiful and has a lot more detail, especially in facial expression, than I ever expected. It was very well done. The world is artistically very beautiful at times and very dark and intimidating when it needs to be.

The voicework was spot-on, with each character being fitted excellently to a great voice actor.

I really wish they hadn't been so extreme in the play scene-- nobody should ever have to see that. If you've seen the movie you'll know what I mean. *shudder*

It's just a great movie, but here's a warning-- it's not for kids, like the trailers seemed to indicate. I would recommend it for ages 11 and up, as there are parts that are quite frightening in nature.

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor.

Rating:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-06-24T02:28:00.000-07:00

This sequel of the very entertaining Transformers film was nothing special. Of course, it features some great visuals with some exciting action sequences, but the plot was much less tangible than the first and the humor was extremely stupid and forced.

The plot idea was pretty cool, but overall it just didn't deliver. It had much to explain about the Fallen, and though it told a lot, it missed on some very basic things-- like maybe his actual name. I was curious the whole movie and it never told me. They should have given more logic behind why it had to be the dagger to revive Optimus, instead of something like the cube shard? More explanation about the past and the teleportation that happened would be nice too. All of the president's desires were totally retarded. Bumblebee should have still been able to talk.

Characters-- why did they have to bring back that Section 7 agent? He was retarded in the first one. The roomate was worthless and annoying, as were the twin Autobots.

The humor was stupid. It consisted on random crude references and the apparent humor in a robot swearing or acting like a gansta. The marijuana brownie stuff was dumb (well, the mom was pretty bad the whole time). The dogs or the little Decipticon humping stuff was really really retarded and totally unfunny.

It's not something I'd go see again. Entertaining, but that's about it.

MPAA Rating:PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.

Rating:

28 Days Later

2009-06-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, another movie that I feel very indifferent about.

I have often heard this movie regaled as one of the greatest zombie (I'll throw in my response to the debate of whether or not this is a zombie movie in a second) movies ever made. What a lie that is.

This is a very well-loved movie, and I don't mean to insult, but my honest opinion is that it was boring. If any horror movie is boring, that's a very bad sign indeed. The main source of the boredom I felt in watching this film was from the camera style-- it was just terrible! There were so many long shots and scenic shots that I kept getting bored between the action sequences (which there were far too few a number of).

The acting wasn't anything to be very impressed with, either. Everybody seemed so fake. Much to my surprise, Cillian Murphy was particularly unimpressive (a big disappointment as I really enjoyed his work in Nolan's Batman movies and in Red Eye). The characters were pretty bland as well.

It just didn't feel very realistic to me. There would be times where the main characters would be worried to get attacked in any given situation and other times it was like they were on a nice holiday with not a care in the world. The infection time being like 12 seconds was way too fast to be realistic. There were times when characters would say something and then do the exact opposite (example-- the leader of the soldiers tells Jim they'll give him a chance to cooperate and then immediately take him out in the woods to shoot him). If Rage were so infectious more people would be infected and less dead.

Oh, and having Jim be totally nude in the first scene he's in was totally unecessary and really lost some points in my book. Wow, I sure wanted to see Cillian Murphy's manhood when I came expecting a zombie movie!

It was a good idea, but it really just fell short across the board, making a mediocre film-- not bad nor good, just "meh."

And now for my argument about zombies: Traditionally, the definition for the fictional creature, zombie, was a person who was dead and came back to life as a monster seeking human flesh. As time has gone on, storytellers have come up with more and more realistic ways to explain zombies. It used to just simply be magic, then it went to cosmic things (parasites or rays) from space. Soon we had zombies as the result of radiation. Today, the most popular explanation is a disease, usually caused by a virus.

A growing number of stories (books, short stories, films, and other media) began to have monsters that were textbook zombies in every way except being dead. They were struck by some terrible virus and, though still technically living, are now mindless monsters seeking human flesh. I feel that these monsters still count as zombies. They are a new class of zombie, not the living dead but the mindless living. I still feel these monsters capture the essence of the horror of zombies. I'm not saying one or the other is better, though still-living zombies are probably more realistic and more frightening in that aspect.

There are many examples of these new zombies in popular culture-- in the 28 Days/Weeks horror movies, in Resident Evil 4 and 5, in Left 4 Dead, in Quarantine, and in many horror stories.

Back to 28 days later-- the "what if" alternate ending where Jim dies is a lot better. It fits the story better, it makes it come full circle. The plane thing was dumb.

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and gore, language and nudity.

Rating:

City of Ember

2009-06-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

If I were to describe this film in one word it would have to be "meh."

It's not bad, it's not good, it's simply unremarkable-- not to the point of disliking it, it just wasn't anything special.

It's an interesting premise-- a group of scientists create an underground city to "save humanity." This city is unaware of anything else after one generation (hey, kinda like The Village...). After 200 years, a box left to the people of the city is supposed to open up and tell them how to get out. Stuff happens, nobody knows about the box, some kids find it during the crisis that their generator is failing. Not the best premise, but at least intriguing.

Well, unfortunately the movie kinda skims over a lot of the essential "why" stuff. Why does humanity need saving? Wikipedia tells me that in the novel it explains something about an apocalyptic war. If nukes are involved then that would help explain the giant animals you see every once and a while. That would help the audience. Why was there a problem when the 7th mayor died, thus resulting in the loss of the box? What are half of the characters' motivations (the mayor, for example)? There's just a lot of blanks that, if filled, would make this a much better film.

Overall, the characters were bland in development and in the way they were acted, so you didn't really care about any of them. A lot of people seemed to like Poppy, but I found her annoying. The effects were unimpressive and behind-the-times. It just felt like a sloppily made movie, as though they figured it would just sell because of the medium-popularity of the book, so they didn't really have to try very hard.

Once again, not a bad movie, but nothing special at all.

MPAA Rating: PG for mild peril and some thematic elements.

Rating:

Mars Attacks!

2009-06-18T21:41:00.001-07:00

I was very surprised at how star-studded the cast for this film was-- Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black, and more. This roused some concern in me, as generally movies that are half this star-studded are trying to compensate for a bad movie by having a bunch of famous people.

This wasn't so much the case.

This is definitely a far stride from Tim Burton's best work, but it is still a very entertaining film. When you look at what it essentially is-- a parody of B-budget sci-fi films such as Attack of the Bodysnatchers-- instead of watching it as a serious film, the humor and fun of the plot comes out.

It is undeniably a funny movie. That's not to say you'll be busy rolling with laughter, but rather you'll get some good chuckles in here and there, noting some clever bit of satire or the like.

The acting is overdone, but that's all part of the parody. The effects are just so-so, but it was made to look like a B-movie while still having the large budget. I really did enjoy Danny Elfman's score-- it fit the movie perfectly. I enjoyed the film, it's just fun.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi fantasy violence and brief sexuality.

Rating:

Hannibal Rising

2009-06-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's a strange thing to be almost cheering for a serial killer, but Hannibal Lecter is a character that you can't help but be attracted to. He is very interesting and complex, and this grows the more you discover about him. You really pity his tragic life, and are fascinated by his response to it.

This is the second film featuring Hannibal Lecter I have seen thus far, the first being the brilliant Silence of the Lambs. As Lecter played a considerably smaller role in that film but still was so fascinatingly brilliant, it was good to see and understand him more. This is a very interesting origin story of the serial killer-- showing why he is a cannibal, how he started killing, and showing the origins of his high-class interests in art and behavior.

It would be nice to see the bridge between the events of this film and his psychological work and murders in the US, but I suppose I'll just have to piece more together in Red Dragon and Hannibal when I watch them.

The acting is very good, and the selection for the youthful Lecter does the character some justice. You can tell his performance is very studied out to play the role like Anthony Hawkins. Admittedly, this young actor can't fully fill the shoes of that great man, but he did a much better job than most ever could hope to achieve.

MPAA Rating: R for strong grisly violent content and some language/sexual references.

Rating:

Evil Dead 2

2009-06-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

A step back from the first. Much more sloppily plotted, especially in it's “recap” and “continuation” from the first. It was as if Raimi wanted to rewrite the first one out of convenience to slap together this sequel. The plot really makes little sense based off of the first, especially based on the “recap” of the first. A good chunk of it feels like you're watching a bad remake of The Evil Dead instead of its continuation. This remake feeling continues as the plot follows the first almost exactly in most elements, just featuring “different” characters stuck in the cabin. There is some interesting new stuff, such as translating the new pages of the Book of the Dead that does make it not totally redundant in watching.

The acting is noticeably worse, especially in the characters Ash and the male country bumpkin. Ash wasn't that bad before, but this time around he's way campier.

There are times when Ash is making verbal noises on the audio track but isn't moving his lips at all visually. Things like that really indicate how sloppily this film was done. It feels lower-budget than the first, which I know isn't actually the case.

There's a lot of random stuff obviously meant to be creepy, like the inanimate objects laughing scene, but it just takes away from any horror elements and replaces them with camp.

At times, just to mix things up, they change the color of blood from red, to black, to green. The quantities of blood are beyond absurd. Ash's level of griminess changes up and down frequently and without any explanation.

People also become possessed at the drop of the hat, no explanation given for their transformation.

The “professional” camera work made me nauseated when films like The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and Quarantine didn't.

It's not without it's good points-- the idea of a chainsaw hand is fun. It comes together a lot more at the end, especially concerning its sequel, Army of Darkness.

It's not scary or funny-- it's jumpy and campy. Here's hoping Army of Darkness is better than this one, because this one didn't hold up to the original.

MPAA Rating: R for violence, gore, and language.

Rating:

Clerks

2009-06-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Definitely very witty with some of the dialogue of the film, but there is an over abundance of unfunny crude content that really just takes away from what could have been a true gem of independent film. It has an interesting message that I did enjoy.

As it was filmed in the 90s, I thought the choice to film in black and white to be a very interesting one. It worked, but I didn't really see a purpose behind it. I can only guess that black and white film was cheaper at the time of filming.

It's definitely a low-budget film. There are some parts where it can easily be seen that the actors half-mess up and catch themselves with lines, but instead of doing another take (probably too expensive) they just stick with it.

There isn't much plot, but the characters do have pretty vivid personalities. Overall, it's worth watching segments of, such as the discussion of Death Star contractors in Return of the Jedi, but the rest of the film's references to things of a sexual nature ruin it.

MPAA Rating: R for use of sex-related dialogue.

Rating:

Anger Management

2009-06-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is definitely a funny movie. I laughed quite heartily throughout.

This is also one of Adam Sandler's best movies. As I've gotten older I've realized that I really don't care for most of his stuff. This is a pleasant exception.

Jack Nicholson was a great actor, as always. He was perfect for the role, and played it great.

Other than disliking some of the cruder humor, my big problem with this movie was the ending-- it felt really sloppy, forced, and unrealistic. I felt like they couldn't think of anything better so they just had that over-the-top conclusion.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language.

Rating:

The Blair Witch Project

2009-06-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of the scariest films I have ever seen.

The presentation is fantastic, it being portrayed as amateur camerawork by amateur documentary filmmakers that get caught in their own piece of hell as they are haunted and hunted by what they are making a documentary about-- a mysterious local legend, the Blair Witch. It feels real. The filming style draws you in like few other films do. You feel like you are on the trip yourself.

The characters are very convincing and real. The actors did a great job, especially in portraying realistic fear and other emotions. Each had a very strong personality, and the fights felt solid and well-played as well.

Something I thought that would've been nice is to see a single, small glimpse of the witch-- not even identifiable, but just something to help confirm it. I think this would've given the conclusion a more solid feeling.

My only complaint is that the whole mythology of this Blair Witch was very shaky in the film itself. You heard little snippets, but it never made sense with what little you had, especially with the story of the hermit. I think it would've been that much more frightening if the mythology was more solid, so the audience had a better idea of what they were so afraid was coming for them. I was a little disappointed that I had to do some digging online to make it make sense.

MPAA Rating: R for language.

Rating:

Big Fish

2009-06-10T00:33:00.000-07:00

To put it simply, this film is absolutely enchanting--a marvelous, fascinating, and most of all unique story that draws you in and makes you smile.

The premise, a son trying to find out who his father truly was when all he had was his larger-than-life stories, is good as it is. To walk through these stories is absolutely breathtaking, especially how well things come together in the end.

And there's nothing to dislike about this masterpiece-- the acting is sublime, the score is simple but elegant, the visuals are bright and happy throughout, but dark and gloomy in just the right parts. Tim Burton's direction is excellent.

This is one of my favorite films, and as I said before, it just makes me smile.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference.

Rating:

The Big Lebowski

2009-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I don't understand this movie at all.

Bowling, a mysterious kidnapping, pot, a rug... I honestly don't understand this, nor how most "funniest movies" lists have it listed very high.

It has funny moments, but not even laugh-out-loud moments, just small chuckles at the strangeness of it all.

I'm not saying I disliked this film. That isn't the case. I just didn't like it, either.

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence.

Rating:

Planet Terror

2009-06-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Robert Rodriguez definitely succeeded in his purpose of re-creating the experience of an exploitation film. There was a lot of over-the top violence and gore, crazy monsters, cheap film techniques and effects, and more.

But regardless of how cheap and ridiculous it all seemed, it was still a very entertaining film.

The plot is ridiculous, the acting is over-the-top. The story is very loosely told, relying on acting and vague dialogue to get you up to speed. The characters were extreme and unrealistic. But that's how this film was supposed to be.

This was actually the first exploitation film I've ever watched (unless one would consider Dance of the Dead one, but this feels quite different), and I must say I enjoyed it much more than I thought. I'm not crazy about it, but it kept me entertained throughout.

I'm definitely going to shortly follow this with Tarantino's contribution to the Grindhouse double feature, Death Proof.

MPAA Rating: R for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, and drug use.

Rating:

Batman: Gotham Knight

2009-06-06T22:20:00.001-07:00

Batman: Gotham Knight is a collection of six short Batman films, each created by separate artists, that all come together for one interesting story that is meant to happen between Nolan's Batman films.

Overall the story is well-presented, interesting, and exciting. I really liked some of the short films sub stories, others, not so much.

It is really cool to see each film's different visual styles for the Batman universe. I particularly liked the style of "Field Test." Why couldn't this animation studio make a new, better TV Batman series (I mean, come on, The Brave and the Bold and The Batman are terrible)? I didn't care for the styles of "Have I Got a Story for You," and "In Darkness Dwells."

It is notable that this collection is quite a bit darker and more violent than most Batman cartoons one may be used to. I really enjoyed that, though it's just a good disclaimer that it isn't for younger kids.

Overall, this is very well-written and enjoyable for Batman fans.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for stylized violence, including some bloody images.

Rating:

Austin Powers in Goldmember

2009-06-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Much to my surprise, this film was by far the best in the series. It brought some solid laughs.

This film, also to my surprise, was by far the least crude. It seems that once they try to have some non sex-related jokes they actually made a much better film.

The start-up sequence really surprised me and made me laugh really hard.

Michael Caine as Austin Powers' father was also riotous.

The plot twists, though stereotypical, fit well as it is a spy parody.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual innuendo, crude humor and language.

Rating:

Repo! The Genetic Opera

2009-06-06T00:39:00.001-07:00

The idea of this film intrigued me very much. After all, there aren't very many horror musicals. I suppose I should have been more warned by the "from the producers of Saw" label on the DVD case, but my curiosity was piqued so I went for it.

I honestly didn't really care for it. Though the story was interesting in concept, it wasn't very well delivered. I felt there should have been some sort of a reason for the organ failures-- just saying there was a problem didn't really do it for me. Most of the acting was really shaky. The characters weren't well-developed at all, something they tried to make up for with little one-minute comic book-style backstories that really don't make up for it in any way.

And, since this is a musical, the songs come under scrutiny. Unfortunately, the music really failed. There were a few enjoyable, well-thought-out songs, but most of the songs felt like they were songs for songs' sake. As in they took conversations, muddled them up to try to sound vaguely poetic, and then put strange rock/metal music to it. Most of the songs were really really forced. With only a few exceptions, the singers weren't anything special, either.

There were many scenes that just felt disjoint, such as anything with the grave robber. He felt like he was just randomly thrown in there because they felt like they needed more characters.

I absolutely loathed Rotti's kids. I gathered they were supposed to seem annoying, but they took that too far, to the point where they weren't annoying, they were just campy and fake.

I did really like the dark, gothic, beautiful visual style. That was definitely the high point of the film.

Something that never ceased to entertain me is the fact that Nathan looked almost exactly like David Hasselhoff when he was wearing his glasses. For a while I actually thought it was Hasselhoff.

MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence and gore, language, some drug and sexual content.

Rating:

Dance of the Dead

2009-06-04T18:18:00.003-07:00

This is a low-budget B-horror film about a town attacked by zombies on prom night. The plot line isn't anything special. The acting is, by most of the cast, mediocre. The effects are mediocre. Exaggerated high school stereotypes are rampant. The love story is laughable.

And yet, despite how obviously this is a B-movie, I loved it. It was a lot of fun, one of the most entertaining zombie movies I've ever seen. To be frank, I like this zombie movie more than any Romero one I've seen.

The violence is over-the-top, but fun. The humor didn't feel like it was intentional, it just felt like laughably bad serious lines, but since this film is labeled as a horror comedy, I suppose it was intentional. It is quite hilarious.

Really the only aspect I didn't enjoy was the plot element that the zombies were pretty much hypnotized by the druggie band's music.

MPAA Rating: R for horror violence and gore, language and some drug use.

Rating:

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-06-04T18:18:00.001-07:00

An entertaining and very unique film that is often misclassified as a comedy. It is a drama, pure and simple. There was some situational humor, but nothing to really laugh at. I had a feeling throughout that there was some deep message I was supposed to be gathering, but I never quite got one.

The acting was great. You really wanted to punch the dad when he started going off on his "winner" spiel. It was nice to see Steve Carell in the most serious role I've ever seen him in.

It was cool to hear Sufjan Stevens as a majority of the soundtrack. Good, soothing indie music that really fit the mood for the film.

MPAA Rating: R for language, some sex and drug content.

Rating:

The Mist

2009-06-04T18:17:00.003-07:00

It was a very good film adaptation, one of the more accurate film adaptations of any of King's works. It was refreshing that they actually didn't include the unnecessary sex scene that the novella contains.

The effects and acting were only so-so, but the storyline was good. I didn't care much for the depressing ending that differs from the potentially hopeful ending of the novella.

Quite well done overall, pretty effectively scary.

MPAA Rating: R for violence, terror and gore, and language.

Rating:

This Is Spinal Tap

2009-06-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

This is one of those films that I started watching with high expectations, but unfortunately the film didn't meet them. If I hadn't heard that this film was very very funny, I probably would have enjoyed what there was to it more.

This is an entertaining and enjoyable film, and it was funny, but not some side-splitting riot that I had been led to believe. There were some parts that did get some good laughs.

In the aspect that the film was trying to be a convincingly realistic fake documentary, it succeeded fantastically well. None of it seems scripted, it all seems like a real band dealing with odd situations. It was so convincing I have heard (I have no way of confirming this) that Ozzie Osbourne thought it was real.

Unfortunately, the humor felt like it fell to the wayside of making it seem real.

Some clever satire is here, I especially loved the Beatles-related jokes.

The acting was great, it seemed very real. The music was very entertaining as well, and I felt it was worthy to obtain the soundtrack.

MPAA Rating: R for language.

Rating:

Land of the Dead

2009-06-04T18:16:00.004-07:00

This was a terrible zombie movie. Just terrible.

Bad plot, terrible acting, stupid and unlikable characters, unexciting action, and worst of all-- just awful, awful social commentary. It didn't even make a solid message-- all it really seemed to say was "Zombies are people too!" Gag me.

The zombies getting more intelligent and human-like is exactly the opposite of what I want in a zombie movie. Zombies are scary because they are the dark mirror of society, and this is trying to undo that.

This is particularly bad because Romero is such a significant player in the zombie genre. This failure is truly bad on an epic level.

Don't waste your time on this, no matter how passionately you love Romero or zombies. In fact, if you love either of those things, run so you won't be so extremely disappointed like I was.

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use.

Rating:

Wayne's World 2

2009-06-04T18:16:00.003-07:00

The problem with this movie is not the fact that it was obviously just cranked out quickly to try to ride the success of its predecessor, that the plot is just a derivative restatement of the plot of the first film, that it had about a third as many jokes as the first, that Christopher Walked was terrible, that it was ridiculous in a bad way, that the parodies were cranked out without more than two second's thought. Well, those are all some serious problems, but the biggest problem with this movie is that it couldn't have been more obvious that the actors didn't care about it at all.

What made Wayne's World (1) so awesome was that the actors became those characters, that they put their souls into their performance. In the original movie, that made these characters convincing and funny, because you identified and loved them. In this movie, it felt like they were just going through the motions, acting wacky because they were being made to. It showed, and it made the movie terrible.

There are a few laughs-- the duel and the gay bar come to mind-- but nothing could redeem this movie.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for ribald humor.

Rating:

Up

2009-06-04T18:16:00.001-07:00

Disney Pixar can't miss!

As usual, a beautiful CGI movie. I absolutely love Pixar's distinctive visual style. The characters look so unique, I love it! And the balloon house always is fun to look at throughout.

The characters are very round and well-developed. You feel what they feel. The movie is a roller coaster of emotions.

The humor is very solid and enjoyable. Dug was particularly enjoyable in that aspect.

I was surprised to see some blood in this movie. There isn't a lot, but even a little bit was unexpected for Disney Pixar. Also to see the villain's demise be almost certain death was kind of a surprise as well.

A great film, worth watching at any age. It's so good I've happily seen it twice in theaters (within 3 days of its opening). It's my second favorite of Disney Pixar's masterpieces, just behind Monsters, Inc.

MPAA Rating: PG for some peril and action.

Rating:

Aliens

2009-06-04T18:15:00.003-07:00

Definitely a good film, pretty dang intense in many parts. However, I had higher expectations for this one than Alien, as so many reviews, such as Rotten Tomatoes, state that is better, bar none, than the first, placing it very high on horror and sci-fi lists for the best of all time.
It was really cool to see how the Aliens worked more, to see the queen and so forth. Fighting many Aliens was quite intense in some scenes.

However, this had some problems, too. I felt that in a lot of ways it was a step back from the first Alien film. I felt that the first was much more scary and intense in that it was only one Alien that did some much damage, killed so many. This one features many Aliens that died relatively much easier than in the first, even though they were the same level-- adult Xenomorphs. The queen Alien seemed more just as difficult to defeat as the Alien from the first film. Heck, the marines seemed to have an easier time killing a lot of the Xenomorphs than Predators did in AVP.

But it was good. The effects were fantastic for the time, the Xenomorphs even quite good by today's standards. The music was very good in building a very tense mood. The acting was either good, as performed by some actors, or just terrible, by a majority of the marines.

MPAA Rating: R for monster violence, and for language.

Rating:

The Mask

2009-06-04T18:15:00.001-07:00

Funny, and Jim Carrey is perfect for the role, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I had remembered it being. It's one of those movies that though it wasn't intended for kids, it was much more enjoyable at a younger age.

It's an entertaining film that is lacking in plot, but that's okay-- it's going more for humor.

I had no idea this was based off of comics until Wikipedia told me. Apparently, they were considering taking a horror route instead of comedy with this film, which would be... interesting to compare.

Good for a few laughs, but nothing that special.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some stylized violence.

Rating:

Batman Beyond: The Return of Joker

2009-06-04T18:14:00.002-07:00

Batman Beyond fans. I've never enjoyed Batman Beyond nearly as much as some other Batman things, but it is a cool alternate future storyline. This movie is definitely the shining star of that series.

The flashback stuff I thought was very very clever, brainwashing Robin and all. Really cool. I really like that part, in fact, that part really made the whole film. I'd watch it for that part alone.

The plot was overall lacking in quality, especially since it had such potential-- for example, the Joker having that kind of technology way back then, though, was very cheesy, the transformation into him even cheesier.

Still a lot of fun, and great to hear the same voices from the various good Batman series.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence.

Rating:

Terminator Salvation

2009-06-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

A very enjoyable movie, fitting well into the Terminator storyline. Christian Bale is definitely the best John Connor.

Great action, good story, cool sci-fi. The effects were, of course, fantastic, a great improvement over previous films in the series (which only stands to reason, it being the newest). The acting was also very good.

It was really cool to see more of Skynet's arsenal.

The Marcus/Skynet stuff was a little fuzzy, I wish they would've got into that a little bit more. They kinda explained him, but it never truly seemed to click all the way for me.

To get straight to the point, this was a good movie. What kept it from being considerably better was the pacing-- the whole film felt like they were in a rush. You felt almost worn out watching it, like you just had done a hundred-yard dash. If they had slowed it down and allowed more time for plot and character development it would have been just right.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language.

Rating:

The Happening

2009-06-04T18:13:00.002-07:00

What? What did I just waste an hour and a half watching? Why do I feel so extremely ripped off by renting this for a buck at Redbox?

This might be the worst movie ever made. Overall, Shyamalan's movies are at least somewhat intriguing. The whole movie I was hoping it would get to a point, but it never really got anywhere-- it was pretty much a bunch of people killing themselves. A pathetic excuse to throw out some vague environmentalist theme that really doesn't even make any sense.

Horrific acting, bad writing and direction (I mean, for heaven's sake, it had a slo-mo yelling out the name as somebody dies moment), a terrible story, no signature plot twist, a bad romance story, no emotion, stupid grusome scenes, no horror, no suspense, just a big "huh?" feel to it and a feeling like Shyamalan just took a crap and shoved it onto movie screens for sucker followers to watch.

Heck, the trailer was much more exciting and interesting than the movie itself.

Oh, and I'm so very disappointed that Zooey Deschanel wasted her talent in this film.

MPAA Rating: R for violent and disturbing images.

Rating:(That's right-- zero hearts. It was that bad.)

The Silence of the Lambs

2009-06-04T18:13:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, this movie is so freaking brilliant it hurts. The story is absolutely riveting, the characters are so real and fascinating. This is truly a masterpiece.

The mood is dark and is just gruesome and harsh enough to get the job done.

The plot is sublime, the pace is perfect, the action is well-done. There's nothing not to love.

And I have to say that the acting is some of the best I've ever seen, especially on the part of Anthony Hopkins. He isn't a man playing Hannibal Lecter, for those 2 hours he BECOMES the character, so convincing that it is scary.

Wow. This is one of the greatest movies ever. I need to see the other Hannibal movies. This is a new favorite.

MPAA Rating: R

Rating:

Angels & Demons

2009-06-04T18:12:00.002-07:00

A very exciting movie, and in many aspects pretty close to the book. The movie would have been much better, earning it another half star, if it were closer to the book.

Most of the dissimilarities would have been very easy to have not changed and would have made the movie more exciting and enjoyable. They should have had Vittoria get kidnapped like in the book. That resulted in the brilliant eye-for-an-eye line that is a great "Yes!" moment. They could have had the four brands become the one Illuminati diamond instead of changing it to the gay keys. I remember when it was the Illuminati diamond in the book I was totally stoked and actually exclaimed "That's so cool!" Why on earth would they take a moment like that out?
I don't really understand the point of saving that one cardinal and making him pope. I liked the book better on that as well.

Also, why did they not mention that the anti-matter researcher is Vittoria's father?

One change I really did like, though-- the fact that Robert Langdon didn't hop in the helicopter too. The whole him flying through the air with a tarp as a makeshift parachute was just plain stupid in the book. I'm glad they didn't include that.

Another thing I didn't really like-- Tom Hanks is about as far from how I imagined Robert Langdon as he humanly could be. Yes, he can act, but he just doesn't fit the role, at least for me.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material.

Rating:

Batman and Robin

2009-06-04T18:12:00.001-07:00

This is an absolutely terrible movie, not worth watching in the least.

A bad cast all-around: Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze (a character I hate anyways)? Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy? I thought poison Ivy was supposed to be a seductress, not an ugly hoe bag! George Clooney as Batman? Shoot me in the face!

Campier than Adam West Batman, and unintentionally so.
And it, in the words of Mr. Clooney himself, "made Batman gay." That's a sin that cannot ever be forgiven, hence the lowest score I could give.

It's just bad. Never watch it for any reason.

Run away.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong stylized action and some innuendos.

Rating:

The Boondock Saints

2009-06-04T18:11:00.003-07:00

An enjoyable movie that is action-packed, features some clever humor, and more.

The acting is very good. I was really surprised to see Willem Defoe in that role, especially during the cross-dressing scene.

The are parts of the movie that really don't need to be there, such as a lot of the stuff in the strip club-type place.

Rocco is really an annoying character, I must say. I think it would have been better if he had stayed a much more minor character.

Hearing the F-word 246 times in less than 2 hours really gets old, I must say.

Didn't enjoy it nearly as much the second time I watched it, though. Still good, but not as impressive as the initial feeling I got from it.

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, language and sexual content.

Rating:

Dawn of the Dead

2009-06-04T18:11:00.001-07:00

Definitely the best Romero zombie movie I've seen so far (though admittedly I still have one, Day of the Dead, left). I enjoyed it, but strangely enough I enjoyed the "remake" of it much more.

I can see why this movie is so very significant for the zombie genre, and I definitely respect it for that.

I has a pretty good story for a zombie film, definitely a must-see for any zombie buff, or horror buff for that matter.

It is weak in a variety of areas, though. I never actually felt scared at all-- it didn't really draw you in. Most of the acting was really blocky and mechanical, and that was in the characters that weren't zombies. Heck, the zombies were more lively than the protagonists. I felt the bright colored blood took away from the rest of the gory effects which, to my understanding, were top-notch for the time. My biggest complaint was the music-- it was terrible. Totally took away from the mood. There was no atmospheric horror at all, it was just random, cheerful songs, which only belongs in zombie movies to have humorous intent, methinks.

MPAA Rating: R

Rating:

Night of the Living Dead

2009-06-04T18:10:00.004-07:00

The 1990 remake.

One of the most satisfying horror movies I've seen in a long time. I actually enjoyed it much more than the original-- I felt the characters were more well developed and, well, less stupid, overall.

It does have a pretty slow pace, and the acting is only lukewarm at best.

A good zombie movie, definitely a worthwhile watch. The end is quite satisfying.

MPAA Rating: R

Rating:

Se7en

2009-06-04T18:10:00.003-07:00

Very dark and disturbing, with an excellent plot, great acting, and realistic horror. Very well thought out, especially the last 2 sins.

You can tell a great deal of detail went into the creation of each terrifying crime scene. It's really brilliant the level of depth this film goes into psychological horror.

The acting is great across the board.

I have split feelings about the ending and think the unfilmed alternate ending would've been a little better.

It's really a scary but ingenious film, rising above most modern horror.

MPAA Rating: R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings, and for strong language.

Rating:

Doubt

2009-06-04T18:10:00.001-07:00

A very interesting film with a great message, sharp writing, and fantastic acting.

Every single line in the film is very clever and deliberate. Any given line could point to the innocence or guilt of Father Flynn, which left be frustrated and awed at the same time. You honestly have no resolution, which works perfectly for this film.

Each actor brought their A-game for this film-- of course, they're big-name actors, but they really impressed me. Some of each's best work.

It's a masterpiece of writing, and it is very though-provoking. I highly recommend it.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic material.

Rating:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-06-04T18:09:00.003-07:00

A very beautiful, yet very sad story. Overall I enjoyed it very much and appreciated the messages it conveyed.

I do think it is interesting that he grew larger as an old man and then grew smaller again for his childhood. I can't think of any logical way it would have been not that, but it doesn't quite make sense.

The acting was excellent. The effects were convincing, especially in regards to his age. It had a great musical score. The writing was excellent.

This is overall a very good movie that I enjoyed very much

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

Rating:

Meet the Robinsons

2009-06-04T18:09:00.001-07:00

A fun Disney movie, worth watching with some good laughs. It was much better than I expected. Well, I saw a trailer and said loudly, "Dumb!" My mistake.

The plot is actually pretty clever and it is delivered quite well. The plot twist wasn't that surprising for me, but for younger audiences I'm willing to be it's quite a shocker.

The characters are funny, the animation is top-notch, and the dialogue is enjoyably quotable.

The voice acting was good. I think it's really awesome that it was Adam West who was the pizza guy.

MPAA Rating: G

Rating:

The Rescuers Down Under

2009-06-04T18:08:00.002-07:00

I used to absolutely love this movie. I thought it was a gem in Disney's productions over the years. I just rewatched this for the first time in years-- well, it's definitely not nearly as good as I had remembered it being. A decent Disney movie, but nothing too special.

The plot is kinda stupid and very samey to the first. The new characters were pretty annoying, overall, though.

I was surprised they got the same people for Bernard and Bianca.

MPAA Rating: G

Rating:

Penelope

2009-06-04T18:08:00.001-07:00

Better than I thought it would be. Pretty enjoyable, but wouldn't go seek it out again.

Very chick-flicky, but features a better plot than most out these days.

The acting was considerably better than most of the genre feature.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating:

The Spirit

2009-06-04T18:07:00.002-07:00

Visually stunning, this film takes film noir and comic book style to the extreme. It's absolutely delicious to look at. The plot is ridiculous, acting over-the-top, action overdone, but even still it delivers thrills and excitement. How exaggerated it is is what makes it fun.

I really enjoyed it. It's not the best movie ever, but it really appealed to me stylistically. I think it's really a shame that people aren't appreciating the fact that it's over-the-top nature is just imitating what it's coming from. If all comic book movies followed the true nature of their original work, they would be much more like this.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity.

Rating:

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter and Under the Hood

2009-06-04T18:07:00.001-07:00

A fantastic depiction of two of my favorite pieces from the Watchmen graphic novel. Tales of the Black Freighter was beautifully animated, dark, scary, violent, and bloody, fully living up to the comic book in the graphic novel. It was refreshing to see how the style of the comic book was well-imitated for the short film.

Under the Hood was also fantastic. I wondered how they would depict the book-within-the-book, and doing it as a TV news special worked great. Stylistically it was perfect, totally capturing the old-school TV feel. Even it's use of commercials, such as the Nostalgia one, were great.

I really am looking forward to the ultimate edition of Watchmen that will integrate these gems into the film itself.

MPAA Rating: R for violent and grisly images.

Rating:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-06-04T18:06:00.002-07:00

Unlike most people, especially X-Men fans, I actually enjoyed this film quite a bit.

It's pretty dang close to the origin story of Wolverine as portrayed in the comics. I wish they would have gone more depth into his earlier years-- childhood and the wars, as in the comics it really is very interesting and worthwhile, plot-wise-- but besides that it pretty solid in those respects. Admittedly there are flaws as far as some of the characters-- The Blob, Emma Snow, and Deadpool, for example, were pretty far off. Gambit wasn't nearly all that he should have been (plus, he wouldn't fit then, age-wise) and since he's my favorite of the X-Men, that made me sad.

Fantastic fight scenes, good acting, amazing effects, and more!

In spite of its flaws, it as a good action movie that I felt was a lot of fun.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.

Rating:

Space Jam

2009-06-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

To be upfront with this movie, I am very biased towards it. I grew up on this show, and love this movie completely. It's amazing in every way. One big thing is it really only can be appreciated fully by children of the 90's.

This movie came out back when I loved Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. I am no longer into sports at all, but this movie still brings back nostalgic passion.

It's funny, the plot isn't half-bad for such a ridiculous crossover. It's simply a masterpiece of the 90s, summing up all that made that decade what it was.

MPAA Rating: PG for some mild cartoon language.

Rating:

The Orphanage

2009-06-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

The film style of this movie, is fantastic. The camerawork is done very very well. The acting was great.

The story was very interesting, though I can't say I care much for the end. While I was watching it I said, "You know what would suck?" and then proceeded to say what the results of the search was. I do see the merit of the ending regardless of how I personally feel about it.

Creepy, though, not very effectively frightening.

Overall, I enjoyed it pretty well but I had a little bit higher expectations for a film with Guillermo del Toro in its involvement.

Rating:

Zorro, the Gay Blade

2009-06-04T18:04:00.002-07:00

I had completely forgotten about this movie until I stumbled across it again on Netflix--

A very funny movie. I never thought there would be a movie with a flaming Zorro in various colors of disguise, much less that it would be great. As my girlfriend put it, it sounds like the name of a gay porno, but surprise, it's a great comedy!

It's very cheesy, the plot is kinda dumb, but it's very funny. Bunny Wigglesworth is a hilarious character, his laugh is hysterical. If you're in the mood for something silly, look it up and pop it in.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating:

Bonnie and Clyde

2009-06-04T18:04:00.001-07:00

Overall a very enjoyable film.

Most of the actors were pretty good. An interesting story, fascinating characters with unique motivations. A very cool style about it.

I must say that the relationships between all the different characters were frequently kind of weird. Really weird was the love story between Bonnie and Clyde-- they felt really awkward, like they didn't know what they wanted at all. It was weird from the moment they met.

Pretty good fight scenes in this. I was also surprised by how much humor is in here. I must say, one of my favorite parts is when they pick up the couple, one of whom is played by Gene Wilder. It made me laugh quite a bit.

I personally would've preferred some different music than banjos when they were being chased, but that's definitely not enough to deter a recommendation of this film.

It's good. It's classic. Watch it.

MPAA Rating: R for violence.

Rating:

Australia

2009-06-04T18:03:00.004-07:00

Overall a very enjoyable film. Beautiful filmography with stunning environments. Fantastic acting, I was really impressed with the kid who played Nullah. The chemistry between Kidman and Jackman was very sincere. You really really hate Wenham's character.

It was very long. There were many scenes that were unnecessarily long. Also, near the beginning there was a lot that it didn't explain that well and left you in the dark for a fair part of the film. Eventually I made sense of it all, but a lot of the Aboriginal stuff was confusing for most of the film.

I really liked how sensitive it was to Aboriginal beliefs, even having that little disclaimer at the start.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language.

Rating:

Pan's Labyrith

2009-06-04T18:03:00.003-07:00

A beautiful, yet dark and haunting film. A great message amidst the horrors of war and the cruelty of fascism and frightening but beautiful world of fantasy created.

Beautiful, amazingly realistic effects and creatures. If fantasy were real, this is how I could see it being. Great score, fantastic acting. My only real qualm with this movie is how in-your-face it depicts the horrible actions of the captain. Though this contributes to the theme, it was pretty unnerving.

A great fantasy piece, and unlike many features of the genre, it is very mature and deep.

MPAA Rating: R for graphic violence and some language.

Rating:

The Evil Dead

2009-06-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

This is one of the most over-the top horror movies ever when it comes to gore and violence, but that's what makes this film so great.

It is almost laughably bad in many aspects-- the acting mediocre, the violence unrealistic, the effects cheesy, but it works. Looking past its low-budget flaws, there is a real gem of the horror genre.

I have to say I enjoy this film very much. It was quite exciting, and well-plotted. Also of note-- it's much better than it's sequel.

MPAA Rating: NC-17 for substantial graphic horror violence and gore.

Rating:

Sahara

2009-06-04T18:02:00.003-07:00

Overall a "meh" action movie. I felt a lot of it was more over-the-top than I care for-- "oh, wow, how convenient that us throwing bombs behind us to hide us from a helicopter perfectly uncovered the ship we've been half-looking for the whole time." It did have its moments.

I really felt that sidekick character, Al, was just bizarre-- at times trying badly to be comic relief, other times being way too smart for the statement he had made before his intelligent one.

Also I felt like I was missing a lot of character relationships, as if this should have been the third or forth installment in a series instead of a standalone movie. I'm aware this is from a book series, but I felt kind of lost with what a lot of characters were doing.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for action violence.

Rating:

Silent Hill

2009-06-04T18:02:00.001-07:00

Easily the best video game adaptation I've ever seen (to clarify, not the best video game-related film, but adaptation-- I like Advent Children more overall).

Very solid in its depiction of the atmospheric horror of Silent Hill. Very impressed by the environments. Though they could use a little bit of CGI touchups, I felt most of the monsters were pretty much spot-on. Pyramid Head was very impressive.

Not a perfect adaptation-- of course the plot went some different directions than the game, but naturally that is just how it works. The plot was very well done, though, and flowed very nicely and intelligently, especially for a horror film.

I must say I have split feelings on the fact that they changed Harry to Rose, though the essence of the character was still there. I see why they did it thematically, as the directional focus was on motherhood, but I still like Harry more than Rose.

More nitpicking-- Pyramid Head wasn't in the first game. He is very iconic to the series, though, so I understand why they put him in. Quite frankly, he's the scariest thing the series has to offer, which makes his insertion into the film more of a sampling of how terrifying the world of Silent Hill is. There were some different types of monsters than what was in here versus the game, but I felt they chose some excellent monsters from the series and really made it happen.

A very, very scary movie.

MPAA Rating: R for strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language.

Rating:

Revenge of the Nerds

2009-06-04T18:01:00.002-07:00

Was funny at times, but overall failed to be consistently humorous. A lot of unwanted dirty humor.
As a nerd, I was disappointed in this. When we shall have our revenge it shall be truly epic, not some pathetic victory in a Greek carnival.

MPAA Rating: R

Rating: 2/5

Ocean's Thirteen

2009-06-04T18:01:00.001-07:00

Not as good as 11, much better than 12. Felt kinda samey as 11 without being too similar.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief sensuality.

Rating: 3.5/5

Seven Pounds

2009-06-04T18:00:00.002-07:00

I really enjoyed this film, it's very different and unique but very good. I'm very glad the previews revealed virtually nothing. I'm really surprised I caught on to what he was actually doing halfway through the movie-- it was very subtle in its foreshadowing.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality.

Rating: 4.5/5

Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God

2009-06-04T18:00:00.001-07:00

This time around they tried a lot harder to make a good D&D movie, but in doing so took away from the fun of the horribleness of the first one. The guy didn't have blue lips this time!
If you do watch this, watch for the random staring guy behind the chief mage. I laughed my butt off.

MPAA Rating: NR

Rating: 1.5/5

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie

2009-06-04T17:59:00.002-07:00

Really mediocre. Mostly just fun to make fun of.

MPAA Rating: PG for scary combat and monster images.

Rating: 2.5/5

Yes Man

2009-06-04T17:59:00.001-07:00

Overall a pretty good movie-- definitely an interesting concept-- but it really didn't deliver that many laughs. A lot of the times it went over the top with unwanted crude humor that was very unfunny. It was more enjoyable for the romance than anything.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity.

Rating: 3.5/5

Dawn of the Dead

2009-06-04T17:58:00.002-07:00

A very enjoyable zombie flick. I was happy to have screamed "don't do that you idiot" many less times than I normally do in zombie movies.

Overall a very solid, intense film, especially impressive as this was Zack Snyder's first. Being made by said director, there was of course some inappropriate bits as in all of his films that really could have been left out to make it a better movie.

The acting was better than most horror movies, the soundtrack was great for a variety of reasons (great choices all around, and using Richard Cheese's version of "Down With the Sickness" made me laugh), the zombies were scary.

I would hardly call this a remake of Romero's original. It's really only similar in the elements of zombies and fighting them in a mall.

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality.

Rating:

Fight Club

2009-06-04T17:58:00.001-07:00

Good, surprising twist. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

MPAA Rating: R for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality and language.

Rating: 4.5/5

Hard Candy

2009-06-04T17:57:00.004-07:00

Very good thriller. Well made, while sensitively dealing with the subject matter, is very cold and harsh.

MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language.

Rating: 4/5

Watchmen

2009-06-04T17:57:00.003-07:00

This film is a great companion to the graphic novel. It is a great film without having read Watchmen, though having read it makes it far more enjoyable.

Very accurate to the graphic novel, with the exception of the changes made to how Ozymandias went about his purpose. The change still fit the story very well, though, and the end result was the same. Really pleased with the acting, casting, costuming, action-- almost everything in this film. One of my biggest complaints is how off the music felt-- for example, "Flight of the Valkyries" in Viet Nam felt really... campy. The music selection for the sex scene, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," is laughable.

And it was almost too accurate to the graphic novel-- I didn't want to see Dan and Laurie gettin' their groove on for that long, nor did I want to see Dr. Manhattan's manhood the whole movie.

I really wish they could have put in more subplots, but I suppose that would be unreasonable with the length the film was already (though I wouldn't have minded more). I'll have to enjoy those on Black Freighter/Under the Hood. I'm really looking forward to the ultimate edition of the movie, which is said to include The Black Freighter and additional scenes.

A great movie, I love it.

MPAA Rating: R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language.

Rating:

Night of the Living Dead

2009-06-04T17:57:00.001-07:00

Good movie, though I was surprised to find that I liked its 1990 remake better. This movie is most assuredly a classic and had an enormous influence of the zombie subgenre that I find so captivating. Worthwhile movie, especially to zombie buffs.

MPAA Rating: NR

Rating: 3.5/5

Shaun of the Dead

2009-06-04T17:56:00.002-07:00

Very very funny zombie movie. A good watch.

MPAA Rating: R for zombie violence/gore and language.

Rating: 4.5/5

White Noise

2009-06-04T17:56:00.001-07:00

A decent horror movie. Fairly scary at parts. Really had some cool ideas that could have been developed into a much more effective film, though.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and language.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thunderball

2009-06-04T17:55:00.002-07:00

Pretty good James Bond movie. Sean Connery is hardcore. It's feels a little draggy at some parts, though.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 3.5/5

Patch Adams

2009-06-04T17:55:00.001-07:00

Very touching movie. Funny, sad, intelligent. The acting was superb.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and crude humor.

Rating: 4/5

Quaratine

2009-06-04T17:54:00.002-07:00

Very scary-- quite possibly the scariest movie I've ever seen. The filming techniques are fantastic. A very realistic approach to horror.
In short-- Cloverfield or The Blair Witch Project meets zombies.
Excellent film.

MPAA Rating: R for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language.

Rating: 4.5/5

Deathtrap

2009-06-04T17:54:00.001-07:00

A pretty dang good interpretation of the play. I wish they would've laid off some parts and had kept the real ending as it fits the story much much better.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 3.5/5

Stay Tuned

2009-06-04T17:53:00.002-07:00

Funny movie. I really loved some of the parodies, especially Duane's Underworld.

MPAA Rating: PG for some off-color humor and language.

Rating: 4/5

Porco Rosso

2009-06-04T17:53:00.001-07:00

Very funny Miyazaki film.

MPAA Rating: PG for violence and some mild language.

Rating: 4/5

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

2009-06-04T17:52:00.002-07:00

Enjoyable Miyazaki film. A little long, but has a very good story.

MPAA Rating: PG for violence.

Rating: 4/5

Kiki's Delivery Service

2009-06-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Decent, but doesn't compare to some of Miyazaki's other movies.

MPAA Rating: G

Rating: 3.5/5

Alien Vs. Predator

2009-06-04T17:51:00.004-07:00

Quite an entertaining movie, very action packed, pretty scary at times. It makes me really want to see the Predator and Alien movies.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, horror images, slime and gore.

Rating: 3.5/5

Equilibrium

2009-06-04T17:51:00.003-07:00

Pretty cool action movie. Very interesting premise. I enjoyed it.

MPAA Rating: R for violence.

Rating: 3.5/5

Hitman

2009-06-04T17:51:00.001-07:00

Enjoyable, pretty cool action movie.
Definitely gonna have to compare it to the games.
Story decent, not quite solid enough.
Annoyed with the unnecessary nudity.

MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Rating: 3/5

Be Kind Rewind

2009-06-04T17:50:00.001-07:00

One of those movies that is a lot funnier in concept than in presentation. Also is one of the films that shows almost all the funny parts in the trailer. Really, it was quite disappointing-- I was very intrigued by the concept of the film, saw its potential hilarity, and was saddened when it fell short across the board.

Overall, it's an okay show, but it tried too hard to have a feel-good plot instead of focusing on the hillarious Sweded films they were making.

The character are really quite stupid. For a good portion of the film I was unsure whether or not they were supposed to be mentally retarded (I know how bad that sounds, but I thought that was maybe what they were going for).

Oh, and the start is really boring.

Where is there VHS rentals any more?

Worth maybe renting through Redbox, definitely not worth buying.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references.

Rating:

Horton Hears A Who!

2009-06-04T17:49:00.004-07:00

Funny-- a great adaptation of a classic children's book. Jim Carrey and Steve Carell's voices were perfect for the characters.

MPAA Rating: G

Rating: 4/5

Eagle Eye

2009-06-04T17:49:00.003-07:00

Pretty cool. Reminded me a lot of GlaDOS from Portal.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and for language.

Rating: 3/5

Ghostbusters

2009-06-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

Classic. Funny, action packed, amazing.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 4.5/5

Taken

2009-06-04T17:48:00.002-07:00

Enjoyable, but not the best. More worthwhile to spend the money on renting, not seeing in theaters, methinks.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Rocker

2009-06-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

Funny stuff. I was scared that it was going to end up being really dirty, but my fears weren't needed-- it was very enjoyable.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language.

Rating: 4/5

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2009-06-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Really enjoyed this. Very unique.

MPAA Rating: R for language, some drug and sexual content.

Rating: 4.5/5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze

2009-06-04T17:46:00.002-07:00

Classic. Funny, actionpacked, and nostalgic. I do wish it had Bebop and Rock Steady instead of the wolf and snapping turtle. The ninja rap is amazing. Not as good as the first film in storyline, but still a great show.

MPAA Rating: PG for swashbuckling violence and mild language.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pulp Fiction

2009-06-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

Really not sure what to think of this film. On one side, I enjoyed watching the story come together like it did, but it in some ways felt pretty disconnected. What the piss is in the briefcase? Samuel L. Jackson was awesome.

MPAA Rating: R for strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality.

Rating: 3.5/5

Beetlejuice

2009-06-04T17:45:00.002-07:00

Pretty funny, unfortunately it was over-hyped for me.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 3/5

The Amityville Horror

2009-06-04T17:45:00.001-07:00

Decent, scary at some parts.

MPAA Rating: R for violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and drug use.

Rating: 2.5/5

Vantage Point

2009-06-04T17:44:00.002-07:00

Very exciting, cool concept. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language.

Rating: 4/5

Alone in the Dark

2009-06-04T17:44:00.001-07:00

Completely terrible movie. Terrible writing, casting, and acting, inconsistent-in-quality CGI. Gotta love that the rival characters become buddies midway through the movie for no apparent reason. The ending was beyond awful. They tried to turn a deeply plotted old horror video game into a hardcore crazy action movie. There were more bullets flying than in most Rambo movies.

Who's "alone in the dark" in this movie? The audience.

In short, Uwe Boll should not be allowed to make movies, especially not video game-related ones.

MPAA Rating: R for violence and language.

Rating:

Caveman

2009-06-04T17:43:00.002-07:00

Surprised to see some of those actors in such a low-grade movie. It's funny, but it's definitely a stupid funny.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 3/5

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

2009-06-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

Once again, an enjoyable sci-fi film. A little more action-oriented than plot-oriented than the others, but still good. An unnecessary sequel that managed to tie very well into the plot line. Makes me really stoked for T4.

MPAA Rating: R for strong sci-fi violence and action, and for language and brief nudity.

Rating: 3.5/5

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

2009-06-04T17:42:00.002-07:00

Though there were a few spots lacking, it was also a great movie. Overall the plot of the first one really didn't need any follow-up, but it a very well-connected sequel that, in almost all aspects, improved upon the first.

MPAA Rating: R for strong sci-fi action and violence, and for language.

Rating: 4/5

The Terminator

2009-06-04T17:42:00.001-07:00

Great movie. I normally don't go for extreme action movies, but when coupled with an excellent sci-fi plot it becomes very enjoyable indeed.

MPAA Rating: R

Rating: 4/5

The Dark Crystal

2009-06-04T17:41:00.002-07:00

An enjoyable Frank Oz/Jim Henson film. Pretty good, but Labyrinth was better.

MPAA Rating: PG

Rating: 3.5/5

Traitor

2009-06-04T17:41:00.001-07:00

Very good movie. Presents a terrorism thriller in a very fresh way. Excellent action and a deep plot.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language.

Rating: 4.5/5

Bedtime Stories

2009-06-04T17:40:00.004-07:00

Overall pretty enjoyable, though not as fun and mystical as I had hoped.

MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor and mild language.

Rating: 3/5

Constantine

2009-06-04T17:40:00.003-07:00

I was confused at the start, but the plot started to really come together to make a pretty good movie at the end. Really piqued my interest in the Hellblazer comics.

MPAA Rating: R for violence and demonic images.

Rating: 3.5/5

Hancock

2009-06-04T17:40:00.001-07:00

This film is nothing like you expect it to be. You watch it with the expectation the trailer has given you-- that it will be a film about a silly hobo with super powers.

Well, it starts out like that... after about ten minutes it's a whole different movie.

But, to my pleasant surprise, that wasn't a bad thing. You get your fix of silly antics right off the bat and from there it becomes a deeply and unexpectedly well-plotted and intelligent super hero film unlike any you've ever seen. I don't want to spoil it for you, it was just an unexpected treat of a film.

I must say that there was a lot more language than I expected, so heads up there.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.

Rating:

Alien

2009-06-04T17:39:00.002-07:00

This is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies. It is a great idea that is well-made. It is really scary, and has aged very well.

What makes this film so great is that you're left in the dark for most of it-- you don't know where the monster is hiding-- heck, you know almost nothing about it besides its frightening growth from egg to facehugger to chestburster to full Xenomorph. You don't know how powerful it is, you don't know what it's capable of. Being as unsure as the characters really makes this movie effective-- you feel like it could pop out and jump on you.

The effects were great for the time, especially those of the Alien. It's realistic and brilliantly done-- it feels like it could be a real creature, and since this film was made in the late 70s, that's a truly tremendous accomplishment.

Check it out, it's the best installment of the series-- it's a great horror and science fiction film.

MPAA Rating: R for sci-fi violence/gore and language.

Rating: