Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011):

Starring:

Tom Cruise - Ethan Hunt

Paula Patton - Jane Carter

Simon Pegg - Benji Dunn

Jeremy Renner - William Brandt

Michael Nyqvist - Kurt Hendricks

Vladimir Mashkob - Anatoly Sidorov

Samuli Edelmann - Wistrom

Anil Kapoor - Brij Nath

Lea Seydoux - Sabine Moreau

Josh Holloway - Trevor Hanaway

Miraj Grbic - Bogdan

Tom Wilkinson - IMF Secretary (Cameo)

Ving Rhames - Luther Stickell (Cameo)

Director:

Brad Bird (Ratatouille; The Incredibles; Iron Giant)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Flixster: 85%

Synopsis:

When a bomb destroys the Kremlin, the IMF is blamed and its members labeled as terrorists intent on inciting a global nuclear war. Ethan Hunt and his team must unravel the conspiracy. 

Review:

To go with the current trends of furthering trilogies into quadrilogies or more here comes Mission Impossible 4. When they extend some of them, they are really just grasping at straws with the studios desperately trying to bring in money from things that were great before so they hope that another one will be great (see Men In Black III). Sometimes they fail miserably (Indiana Jones 4) & sometimes they completely surpass expectations (Fast Five). I had my doubts about seeing this at first. Wasn't quite sure what to expect. Tom Cruise is NOT one of my favourite actors, yet he is in a lot of movie's that I love. So now that he will turn 50 in July, wasn't sure that doing an action film of this magnitude after doing some non-action roles was the right choice. However, I was gladly mistaken. Sure maybe he has an old man body now, with saggy pecks & no definition. Maybe he is starting to get the "Shawn Michaels" look. (His eyes are starting to wander to the middle) but he is still somehow able to pull off some major physical action throughout the entire film. Great action sequences, even paying homage to earlier Mission movie by having him hanging from the side of a building Ala the cliff scene in #2. Awesome fight sequences all around, great shoot em ups too. Cast is full of great actors from top to bottom. You've got the top level actors like Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg & Tom Wilkinson in a cameo role. Then you have established foreign actors like Indian actor Anil Kapoor, who is best known by us whitey's as the host of the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" In Slumdog Millionaire. This brings me to the best performance of the film by far which is Swedish actor & the man who is the BETTER & Original Mikael Blomqvist in the Swedish version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" & subsequent sequels, Michael Nyqvist who really does bring you back to the days of evil European super villains from the 80's & 90's. Does a really good job. Simon Pegg ads great comedic relief like he did in #3. Lost cast member Josh Holloway (Sawyer and/or Ford and/or Lafleur) has a smaller role but it's great to see him in mainstream film. A few babes are also involved in this film. Paula Patton (who you might know from Hitch & Deja Vu) is super sexy & you have new comer & sexy French actress Lea Seydoux. The plot however did kind of feel like I have seen it before & was slightly unoriginal. I will inform you now that the final showdown between Cruise's character & Nyqvist's character is unbelievable. Without giving it away it is incredibly done & takes place in a car garage in Dubai. The film is shot in great locations all over the world including Russia, India & Dubai. Director Brad Bird, who oddly enough is known for his animated films, transitions to major action films with flawless precision. Going from animated to action cannot be easy, also taking over the reigns of an established franchise, give mad props to Mr. Bird. If your looking for a great action film. SEE THIS FILM!!

96%

Lead Acting: 14/15
Supporting Cast: 14/15
Plot: 9/10
Compared To The Genre: 10/10
Cinematography: 20/20
Intrigue: 19/20
Extra: 10/10

We Bought A Zoo (2011):

Starring:

Matt Damon - Benjamin Mee

Scarlett Johansson - Kelly Foster

Thomas Haden Church - Duncan Mee

Colin Ford - Dylan Mee

Maggie Elizabeth Jones - Rosie Mee

Angus MacFadyen - Peter MacCready

Elle Fanning - Lily Miska

Patrick Fugit - Robin Jones

John Michael Higgins - Walter Ferris

Carla Gallo - Rhonda Blair

 J.B. Smoove - Mr. Stevens

Director:

Cameron Crowe (Jerry McGuire; Almost Famous; Vanilla Sky)

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Flixster: 78%

Synopsis:

Based on a true story, a widowed father buys a dilapidated zoo in hopes of making a fresh start. Facing enormous odds, he and his children, along with a small but loyal staff, work to get the zoo re-opened.

Review:

A very warm & happy family film based on a True Story of a lost man searching for something missing since his wife died. Great mix of comedy & drama. I really have nothing bad to say about this one. Everything was good. Acting was light & fun, great characters throughout including two highly underrated actors (in my opinion). First being Thomas Haden Church who is the attempted voice of reason as Damon's brother who is trying to help him move on with his life which ultimately ends up with him buying the farm to the dismay of Church. The other being a great comedian also with 3 names, John Michael Higgins who as usually adds his sarcastic style as the Zoo Inspector who holds the ability to shut down the Zoo if he sees fit. Angus MacFadyen (who I'm sure most people don't know, or if they do only from Saw 3 & 4) is really funny as the Zoo designer who is a fumbling drunk by night who is out to get revenge on Higgins who years earlier stole his ideas & designs & gave them to other zoos. It's a Cameron Crowe films which can only mean one thing, a great soundtrack. The one thing that Crowe loves maybe more than movie's is music, considering the story of "Almost Famous" is based on his own teenaged years. Great songs throughout that fit perfectly with the movie. The little girl playing Damon's daughter is possibly the most adorable little girl actor since Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. Now I'm going to just say this, Am I the only one who doesn't find Scarlett Johansson the least bit attractive? I hope not because her jaw is HUGE. Anyways, feel good movie, you won't hate it. Might not LOVE it, but you'll enjoy it enough that you won't be mad you spent 2 hours of your time on it.

 69%

Lead Acting: 8/15
Supporting Cast: 9/15
Plot: 8/10
Compared To The Genre: 8/10
Cinematography: 14/20
Intrigue: 15/20
Extra: 7/10

Push (2009):

Starring:

Dakota Fanning - Cassie Holmes

Djimon Hounsou - Henry Carver

Chris Evans - Nick Gant

Camilla Belle - Kira Hudson

Cliff Curtis - Hook Waters

Neil Jackson - Victor Budarin

Ming-Na - Emily Hu

Nate Mooney - Pinky Stein

Director:

Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin)

Rotten Tomatoes: 22%

Flixster: 47%

Synopsis:

The Division, a shadowy government agency, is genetically transforming citizens into an army of psychic warriors and brutally disposing of those unwilling to participate. Nick Gant, a second-generation telekinetic or mover, has been in hiding since the Division murdered his father more than a decade earlier. He has found sanctuary in densely populated Hong Kong, the last safe place on earth for fugitive psychics like him, but only if he can keep his gift a secret. Nick is forced out of hiding when Cassie Holmes, a 13-year-old clairvoyant or watcher, seeks his help finding Kira, an escaped pusher who may hold the key to ending the Division's program. Pushers possess the most dangerous of all psychic powers: the ability to influence others actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. But Cassie's presence soon attracts the attention of the Division's human bloodhounds, forcing Nick and Cassie to flee for their lives. With the help of a team of rogue psychics, the unlikely duo traverses the seedy underbelly of the city, trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities as they search for Kira. But they find themselves square in the cross hairs of Division Agent Henry Carver, a pusher who will stop at nothing to keep them from achieving their goal.

Review:

Look. Not all blockbuster with big budgets aimed at tweens can be amazingly we'll done & bring in the crowds. This is one of those. Big budget, decent sized stars, major lack of structure & plot really brings down the whole thing. Plus Camilla Belle's horrible acting & blank expression makes me think she wasn't taking it too seriously either. That & the fact that she is a terrible actress. Chris Evans wasn't bad, but wasn't anything special. I am a big fan of Djimon Hounsou however, he's good in almost everything he's in.... except this. You also have a major lack of romantic chemistry between Belle & Evans which really makes it feel like a brother & sister being forced to be romantic opposites in lead roles. Overall the effects are OK, the story is shitty & the acting sucks. It's a good time filler to be on in the background.

 49%

Lead Acting: 7/15
Supporting Cast: 7/15

Plot: 4/10
Compared To The Genre: 5/10

Cinematography:12/20

Intrigue: 10/20

Extra: 4/10

War Horse (2011):

Starring:

Jeremy Irvine - Albert Narracott

Peter Mullan - Ted Narracott

Emily Watson - Rose Narracott

Niels Arestrup - Grandfather

David Thewlis - Lyons

Tom Hiddleston - Captain Nicholls

Benedict Cumberbatch - Major Jamie Stewart

Celine Buckens - Emilie

Patrick Kennedy - Lt. Charlier Waverly

Toby Kebbell - Geordie Soldier

David Kross - Gunther

Matt Milne - Andrew Easton

Robert Emms - David Lyons

Eddie Marsan - Sgt. Fry

Liam Cunningham - Army Doctor

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Synopsis:

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, "War Horse" begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.

Review:

The most unexpected & unbelieveable journey that a horse has ever had. Unless of course your including the movie "Zoo". The most visually appeasing film that I have seen in a while. Because there was slim to none computer generated anything through out the entire film, just simply breathtaking sets, incredible costumes & realistic back drops of World War I Europe. There are so many scenes that had me completely drawn into every aspect of what was occuring at the time. Two scenes in specific are the scene where the British Calvary are first setting up their attack on a German camp by persumably sneaking up on them through the long grass behind their camp. The scene that captivated me was as they are rushing through the camp scaring the German's into the woods, but as they reach the tree line they have a massive artilliry of machine guns set up & they begin to mow down the attacking British, as they do so you get the camera cutting back & forth between the British attacking & then unridden horses running past the German's. The second is the epic scene that features "Joey" (the Horse) having what I can only imagine is an emotional freakout after his friend/girlfriend (I never quite figured it out) dies. I don't want to say anything about it because it is just filmed so incredibly well & the result of this scene is what sets in motion the incredible finale. The whole movie is somewhat filmed as a narrative from a character who can't actually narrate anything. It is very interesting to see that as a horse who can't actual express facial emotions, yet somehow he does. It's really quite precious. Something really cool about the film, is that throughout you are introduced to new characters & new stories as the horse Joey travels through war torn Europe, something you don't see that often in movies. The films really shows how something as beautiful & powerful can bring out the best & worst in humanity. Showing the warmth & love that can be expressed even by showing it towards an animal. The score was also unbelievable of course because it's done by John Williams, a man who doesn't do anything small scale that isn't the best thing you've ever heard in films. The various emotions that are brought out from his masterful ability to conduct an orchestra to do such outstanding scores is what has made him one of the most powerful composers in movies. Overall the film shows that some good can come from such a tragic time in the world's history, the love between friends & the loyalty between a boy & his horse to find each other again. I will gladly admit that this one got me twice! YES I cried twice. I'm not afraid to say that movie's make me emotional, isn't that the idea? To bring out all the emotions? We'll this one really did succeed. The acting was good, what you would expect from talented British actors. This was the only non- Loki role I had seen Tom Hiddleston portray & thought he did a very good job, even though he was a character role. Really good small roles done by Eddie Marsan & Liam Cunningham. It did move a little slowly at the beginning, the set up was maybe a little too long, but in the end it ads to the story & the climax. If you can get past all of the early talking & calmness, then you will be rewarded with an amazing story & great film. SEE THIS FILM!!

92%

Lead Acting: 14/15
Supporting Cast: 13/15

Plot: 9/10
Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 20/20

Intrigue: 18/20

Extra: 10/10

Puncture (2011):

Starring:

Chris Evans - Mike Weiss

Mark Kassen - Paul Danziger

Marshall Bell - Jeffrey Dancort

Brett Cullen - Nathaniel Price

Jesse L. Martin - Daryl King

Vinessa Shaw - Vicky Rogers

Roxanna Hope - Sylvia

Michael Biehn - Red

Tess Parker - Jaime Weiss

Directors:

Mark & Adam Kassen

Rotten Tomatoes: 53%

Flixster: 53%

Synopsis:

Mike Weiss is a talented young Houston lawyer and a functioning drug addict. Paul Danziger, his longtime friend and partner, is the straight laced and responsible yin to Mike's yang. Their mom-and-pop personal-injury law firm is getting by, but things really get interesting when they decide to take on a case involving Vicky, a local ER nurse, who is pricked by a contaminated needle on the job. As Weiss and Danziger dig deeper into the case, a health care and pharmaceutical conspiracy teeters on exposure and heavyweight attorneys move in on the defense. Out of their league but invested in their own principles, the mounting pressure of the case pushes the two underdog lawyers and their business to the breaking point.

Review:

Captain America smoking ice, sniffing nose candy, shooting up & being a lawyer.

43%

Lead Acting: 8/15
Supporting Cast: 5/15

Plot: 5/10
Compared To The Genre: 3/10

Cinematography: 9/20

Intrigue: 8/20

Extra: 5/10 

Three Kings (1999):

Starring:

George Clooney - Archie Gates

Mark Wahlberg - Troy Barlow

Ice Cube - Chief Elgin

Spike Jonze - Conrad Vig

Cliff Curtis - Amir Abdulah

Nora Dunn - Adriana Cruz

Jamie Kennedy - Walter Wogaman

Said Taghmaoui - Captain Said

Mykelti Williamson - Colonel Horn

Holt McCallany - Captain Van Meter

Judy Greer - Cathy Daitch

Director:

David O. Russell (The Fighter; I Heart Huckabees)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Flixster: 70%

Synopsis:

The Gulf War is over, and three soldiers want to go home rich. Major Archie Gates retires in two weeks. Sergeant Troy Barlow is a new father. Chief Elgin is on a four-month paid vacation from Detroit. Saddam Hussein stole a great deal of gold from Kuwait, and these soldiers have no problem with stealing it from him. But on their way to collect their booty, they bear witness to the the disturbing results of the war effort. President Bush has encouraged Iraqi citizens to fight back against Saddam and pledged to support them, but when they rise up, they get NO American support, and they're getting slaughtered. As the soldiers realize the true situation in Iraq, they're confronted with their own humanity, and they're forced to rethink who they are and what they're doing.

Review:

Totally underrated movie. For both it's comedic aspects & it's awesome storyline. I do not know of a lot of people who have actually seen it however, which is a shame. You have powerhouse actors George Clooney & Mark Wahlberg, you have the comedic relief of Jamie Kennedy & an awesome first major role from Spike Jonze. On top of that you have an exceptionally unique style of directing brought by David O. Russell. As a war movie, there is nothing special about it. Since it is set at the very tail end of the Gulf War, you do not get a whole lot of action. You get a few scenes of standoff between Iraqi Guard & American soldiers, but nothing to constitute being warfare. A few fist fights thrown in makes this a lack luster war movie, so if you're looking for tactics, killing & all that, WRONG PLACE. However their is more than enough action throughout the film, so don't worry. Between exploding cows, oil trucks full of milk & several military vehicles it is really entertaining. The plot is very creative & unique. You have the four soldiers (Clooney, Wahlberg, Cube & Jonze) tracking down the stolen Kuwaiti gold stolen by Saddam Hussein, along the way they meet up with an Iraqi military captive who is somewhat of a folk hero to his people, played by a personal favourite character actor of mine Cliff Curtis. Who is of aboriginal New Zealand heritage but for whatever reason can be cast as apparently almost any & ever ethnicity on the planet. The film has a wide range soundtrack that features a lot of the early 90's best hits mixed in with a few classics. A very small cameo made by comedian Jim Gaffigan in his early days listed under "Cuts Troy's Cuffs Soldier". An outstanding performance by Nora Dunn. Super funny, very witty & clever.

 90%

Lead Acting: 14/15
Supporting Cast: 12/15

Plot: 10/10
Compared To The Genre: 9/10

Cinematography: 18/20

Intrigue: 18/20

Extra: 9/10 

The Darkest Hour (2011):

Starring:

Emile Hirsch - Sean

Olivia Thrilby - Natalie

Max Minghella - Ben

Rachael Taylor - Anne

Joel Kinnaman - Skyler

Veronika Vernadskaya - Vika

Dato Bakhtadze - Sergei

Director:

Chris Gorak (First Feature Film)

Rotten Tomatoes: 11%

Flixster: 25%

Synopsis:

The American software designers Sean and Ben travel to Moscow to sell their software to investors. However, their Swedish partner Skyler pulls a fast one on Sean and Ben, and they are out of the business. They go to a nightclub, where they meet the Americans Natalie and Anne and they flirt with the girls and see Skyler in the club. Out of the blue, the population is surprised by lights, which they mistake for natural phenomena. But soon, they learn that the lights are aliens invading Earth and using power supply to annihilate mankind. Sean, Ben, Natalie, Anne and Skyler hide in the kitchen and when they leave the place, they seek out survivors on the street.

Review:

Chris Gorak: "Hey guys, how would you like to spend 80% of the movie's budget to go to Moscow to film a movie?"

Cast: "Awesome Yeah. What's our motivation, our character story, what style of acting do we need to do?"
Gorak: "Oh it doesn't matter. Do whatever you want, we're going to Russia."

This is what you get when the man directing your film is only known for being an art director. You get a movie who's budget is large enough to make this film not a piece of shit, but then the majority of it is spent going to Russia. The actors could not care less about the role they are playing because some don't show a single emotion, no range nothing & then some are just over the top scared & just fucking annoying (see Rachael Taylor, star of WWE Films See No Evil). The review I read said that the film has "mind-blowing special effect" that were absolutely nothing more than clouds of dust & balls of static & lightning. If by mind blowing they must be talking about when the glowing ball orb things walk past a light bulb THEY TURN ON! WOW I can't believe they were able to do that. My mind has been blown. This had the feel of a mid level theatrical release with the special effects of the SyFy channel. Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus was more realistic than this. And can I also say how incredibly sick of alien invasion movies I am at this point? Every single movie involving alien invasion runs along the exact same plot line. They land, they start rampaging, people survive, they try to get out, they run, they figure out how to kill them, they imply that the world if fighting back. Same old lame boring ass shit. Let's try something new one of these days.

28%

Lead Acting: 3/15
Supporting Cast: 2/15

Plot: 3/10
Compared To The Genre: 2/10

Cinematography: 6/20

Intrigue: 8/20

Extra: 4/10

The Grey (2012):

Starring:

Liam Neeson - John Ottway

Frank Grillo - John Diaz

Dermot Mulroney - Talget

Dallas Roberts - Pete Hendrick

Joe Anderson - Todd Flannery

Nonso Anozie - Burke

James Badge Dale - Lewenden

Ben Bray - Hernandez

Director:

Joe Carnahan (The A-Team; Smokin' Aces)

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Flixster: 66%

Synopsis:

An unruly group of oil-rig roughneck's plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. Battling mortal injuries and merciless weather, the survivors have only a few days to escape the icy elements - and a vicious pack of rogue wolves on the hunt - before their time runs out.

Review:

Another film staring another of my all time favourite actors, Liam Neeson. Now this was the 2nd time I had seen this, the first since I saw it in theaters opening night. I'm fairly confident that if I had reviewed it immediately following seeing it the first time I would have given it an A+/50. It had incredible first time presence but the allure might have been a simple high from the action & intensity. After watching it the second time, I did in fact still love it & think it was the best film I had seen so far this year but once you step away from the initial shock & awe & are able to view things that maybe you didn't see the first time or have less of an excited view of it you get a different outlook. The acting was still intense, full of dramatic performances with the very rare comedic relief thrown in. The backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness is perfectly formed to fit the movie, everything from the snow storms to the mountains, it was just all the perfect setting. Now after that this is where my opinion of the film changed slightly. The wolves themselves were not quite as well created as I had originally thought. Maybe it was the fact that we were in a theater so your not as close so you can't quite see the details as much as you would on the Blu-ray. Some of the shots are filmed using real life wolves & dogs but that it mostly the far away shots of them running or close ups of their faces. When they are interacting with the human actors or doing something that maybe you can't train a dog or wolf to do is where it gets a little dicey. Obviously you can't just stick wolves in there with people & get them to do what you want, but for being 2012 & a movie who's budget was pretty decent, the CGI of the wolves wasn't actually very well done nor nearly as well done as you would expect from a film made in 2011/2012. Other than the lower production on the CGI everything else in the film was still just as good the second time around, other than the obvious lack of suspense because I knew what was coming. There is one scene where they kill a wolf while they are being scouted out by the Alpha & they decide to roast & eat it to keep them alive & to attempt to establish dominance. We'll as it turns out they (I'm not sure if it was the director or the actors or who) decided to get a tracker to hunt down a wild wolf, kill it & then they would roast & eat it for real. NOW I have only speculative Internet rumours but from what I have read, it is true. Kind of Fucked Up when you think about it. Anyways, if your looking for an incredibly intense, dramatic & kick ass movie involving Liam Neeson VS Wolves. SEE THIS FILM!

93%

Lead Acting: 15/15
Supporting Cast: 13/15

Plot: 10/10
Compared To The Genre: 10/10

Cinematography: 18/20

Intrigue: 18/20

                                                       Extra: 9/10 

The Dictator (2012):

Starring:

Sacha Baron Cohen - Aladeen / Efawadh

Ana Faris - Zoey

Ben Kingsley - Tamir

Sayed Badreya - Omar

Jason Mantzoukas - Nadal

Anna Katarina - Angela Merkel

Bobby Lee - Mr. Lao

Director:

Larry Charles (Borat; Bruno)

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Flixster:  60%

Synopsis:

The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. 

Review:

Man. Could not have been let down anymore for this one than I was. The highs were really good, but the lows were C.H.U.D. Esq (sewer dwelling). The underdeveloped, inbred, retard baby of Borat, The Love Guru & Jack & Jill. It was one entirely too long (which is sad because it's not even an hour & 1/2) penis & fart joke culminating with Baron Cohen (playing the "evil" version of Borat) hanging from a rope above the streets of New York City & taking a dumb that falls & hits a lady in the head. This films attempt at a laugh were so bad that even the horrible laugh track from Two & A Half Men would stop itself from being played. Mike Myers himself would be ashamed to see this. Borat was one of only two films that I have laughed so hard that it hurt when I saw it in theaters (the other being Team America: World Police). I thought even Bruno had its high moments that were really laughable. But this one had the appeal of a Scary Movie film. Which is quite the coincidence since the lead female role is played by the star of said films Anna Faris. Playing a feminist, organic farming, hippie who The Dictator falls in love with & eventually marry. As much as I find her incredibly annoying & a horrible actress, she is usually really hot. They could not have made her look more like a little boy. They make several jokes about her looking like one as well in the film. Like a lot of comedic films a lot of the funniest moments were shown in the various trailers & teasers played on TV. The one & only saving grace from this was the incredible sound track that featured younger brother Erran Baron Cohen composing "Arab" or Fake Arab vocals to popular songs such as "Still Dre" By Dr. Dre & "Everybody Hurts" By R.E.M. However as awesome & hilarious as they were, definitely not enough to actually save the film from its poop & pee jokes. Some of the subtle racism is funny but in a childish way. A small side storyline is played by MAD TV alumni Bobby Lee, playing a Chinese Diplomat who is paying male American celebrities to perform oral sex on him. You know your film is a success when.... you have a MAD TV Alumni on the cast listing. Was Ike Barinholtz busy? Cameos are also brought to this masterpiece by SNL Alumni Chris Parnell, yes Dr. Spaceman himself, Horacio Sanz & Fred Armisan.

35%

Lead Acting: 4/15

Supporting Cast: 2/15
Plot: 4/10
Compared To The Genre: 1/10

Cinematography: 10/20

Intrigue 10/20

Extra: 6/10

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2010):

Starring:

Guy Pearce - Alex

Katie Holmes - Kim

Bailee Madison - Sally

Jack Thompson - Harris

Alan Dale - Charles Jacoby

Julia Blake - Mrs. Underhill

Director:

Troy Nixey (First Feature Film)

Rotten Tomatoes: 59%

Flixster: 34%

Synopsis:

Blackwood Manor has new tenants. While architect Alex Hurst and his girlfriend Kim restore their Gothic mansion's period interiors, Alex's young daughter Sally investigates, spurred by the voices-rasping whispers who call out to her from the basement, who promise her understanding and friendship, who are so very hungry and would like to be set free. When Sally gives in to her curiosity, she opens a gateway into a hellish underworld. Confronted with the horror that now threatens to taker her life and destroy her family, Sally desperately tries to warn the whole house, but no one believes her. Will she make them understand in time, or will they become another chapter in the centuries-long horror story of Blackwood Manor?

Review:

Most predictable, underwhelming, non-scary movie I have seen in a while. The dramatic factor was incredibly low, almost no suspense & the worst child actor of all time. She is just horrible, not only to look at but she is such a bad actress. She literally cries at everything that happens. She has no emotional difference between something that she is uncertain about, or investigating or terrified of. She just cries at every moment that anything happens. The supporting cast isn't much better. A surprising role from Guy Peace because he is usually pretty solid but he's not quite as convincing as he usually is. Maybe he figure that this was going to be a piece of shit & he just mailed it in. Katie Holmes somehow escaped from Tom Cruise enough to do this? I think we should have locked her in their basement & let someone with a little more oh what do you call it.... Talent? This film is the wonder child of film maker Guillermo Del Toro & obviously you can tell. Everything has no eyes or too many eyes, lots of teeth & weird ass movements. Quite a few aspect are similar to Pan's Labyrinth but not quite as good. The production value is extremely high but that doesn't save the movie from itself. Overall it was a drawn out bore with no twists which is common for the genre & poor acting. It SUCKED!

38%

Lead Acting: 4/15
Supporting Cast: 4/15

Plot: 4/10
Compared To The Genre: 2/10

Cinematography: 12/20

Intrigue: 8/20

Extra: 4/10

The Natural (1984):

Starring:

Robert Redford - Roy Hobbs

Glenn Close - Iris Gaines

Robert Duvall - Max Mercy

Kim Basinger - Memo Paris

Wilford Brimley - Pop Fisher

Barbara Hershey - Harriet Bird

Richard Farnsworth - Red Blow

Joe Don Baker - "The Whammer"

Michael Madsen - Bump Bailey

Darren McGavin - Gus Sands

Director:

Barry Levinson (Sphere; Sleepers; Toys)

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

Flixster: 86%

Synopsis:

An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.

Review:

Widely considered as the greatest sports film of all time. This is the film that set up all the other movie's in the genre. OK so let's start off in the opening moments of the film where a young 20ish year old Roy Hobbs is getting ready to make the move to the major leagues as a pitcher. Now unlike modern day films where they hire a younger actor who looks a lot like the main actor to portray him in younger form (ie. Billy Beane in Moneyball) they allow Mr. Redford to play the younger version of himself. Which in most films is completely acceptable, especially when your dealing with actors who look like they are younger. The best part of this is you have Robert Redford who at the time of the film was 48 playing himself at 20. Again which would be totally acceptable if he looked the part. However he doesn't. No matter how much make up or clothes or the way in which he acts can make him not look almost 50. I laughed pretty hard as the story progressed & he's still playing a 20 year old. Even better is his main romantic opposite as a younger man is Glenn Close, who is also playing 20 year old version of herself. At the time of the film she was 37, slightly more acceptable however she looks her age no matter how much they cake face her up. This film answers a question that I might ask myself, which is: Was Glenn Close attractive when she was younger?. The answer is NO. Speaking of unattractive women, Kim Basinger. YUCK. Anyways back to the actual film. I love the character of Roy Hobbs. His desire & love of the game coupled with his dark & mysterious past & then you throw in the long lost love. This is some good movie making. The baseball scenes aren't overly anything special but the movie is so much more than just baseball which makes it the best in it's genre. I will say that the scene where Bump dies is really stupid & quite ridiculous. It just looked so fake & poorly done. It's actually quite crazy how much younger Robert Redford looks like current Brad Pitt. There are so many scenes where you take a quick look at him & you can see almost an unrecognizable difference between the two. Same jaw line, similar hair, the same age lines in the same places. Uncanny. The cheese factor is somewhat high for this even if it is considered the first of its kind. The "if you play one more game you might die" gimmick that has been mistreated & abused since this film. The old "throwing the big game" shtick. A woman trying to screw her way to the top of baseball. And of course this is the one that started it all. The bottom of 9, 2 out, down by 1, full count, bases loaded. It's all here, but it was the first so it's kind of allowed. Overall movie holds up great for being slightly older than me, better than my body is holding up. Acting is good, story is good, cinematography is good enough for the time in which it was made. I also loved the knock off Babe Ruth character "The Whammer" that they introduce early on. Pretty darn funny. Really does hold up as one of the best sports movies of all time. To set the record straight as good as it was & as much as I like it I still personally feel that Field Of Dreams is the best sports movie ever made. But that's just my personal opinion.

80%

Lead Acting: 12/15
Supporting Cast: 11/15

Plot: 8/10
Compared To The Genre: 9/10

Cinematography: 16/20

Intrigue: 16/20

Extra: 8/10

The Debt (2010):

Starring:

Helen Mirren - Rachel Singer (1997)

Tom Wilkinson - Stephan Gold (1997)

Ciaran Hinds - David Peretz (1997)

Jessica Chastain - Rachel Singer (1965)

Marton Csokas - Stehan Gold (1965)

Sam Worthington - David Peretz (1965)

Jesper Christensen - Doktor Bernhardt / Dieter Vogel

Director:

John Madden (Shakespeare In Love; Captain Corelli's Mandolin)

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%

Flixster: 67%

Synopsis:

The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel and Stefan about their former colleague David. All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations.

Review:

An incredible true story about Israeli special forces attempting to bring to justice Nazi German war criminals by sneaking into Soviet Occupied East Germany in 1965 & the after math of their encounters when the daughter of two of them writes a book about the mission in 1997. I've never seen the actual Israeli original but from what I've read this movie does it pretty good justice. Both the younger group playing out the 1965 storyline & the accomplished older group playing the "modern day" group as they deal with the things that occurred during that mission do an outstanding job. Helen Mirren is easily the sexiest person over 50, although she's not overly in this film, I'm able to look past that. The back drop of the Soviet occupied Germany is actually quite powerful especially a scene that features them attempting to escape across the train tracks at night back into West Germany while being tracked down by the Soviet military patrol.

84%

Lead Acting: 14/15
Supporting Cast: 11/15

Plot: 10/10
Compared To The Genre: 9/10

Cinematography: 15/20

Intrigue: 16/20

Extra: 9/10 

Legacy (2010):

Starring:

Idris Elba - Malcolm Gray

William Hope - Mark Star

Monique Curnen - Valentina Gray

Richard Brake - Scott O'Keefe

Clarke Peters - Ola Adenuga

Julian Wadham - Gregor Salenko

Gerlad Kyd - Gustavo Helguerra

Eamonn Walker - Darnell Gray Jr.

Lara Pulver - Diane Shaw

Director:

Thomas Ikimi (2nd Film)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Flixster: Unrated

Synopsis:

A haunted black-ops soldier struggles with paranoia and anxiety while hiding out in a seedy Brooklyn tenement building, and plotting to expose his brother - a rising New York Senator with White House ambitions. Malcolm Gray (Idris Elba) was on a mission to assassinate a powerful Eastern European chemical weapons dealer when he was captured, and brutally tortured. Years later Malcolm has returned home, but the psychological wounds from his harrowing ordeal still run deep. Now, shut away from the world with nothing but his suffocating memories to keep him company, Malcolm begins to suspect that his politician brother has succumbed to corruption, and vows to prevent him from reaching the White House by whatever means possible.

Review:

Starts off Incredibly unorganized. It's just all over the place. Almost the entire film takes place in a small apartment where the various actors visit Elba with flashbacks mixed in which makes you feel completely incoherent & confused. Don't know that anyone else has seen this thus why there is no Flixster rating. Had a pretty intense fight scene however with some pretty good techniques. There were so many things that I didn't understand, even after I had watched the whole thing. Elba wasn't horrible, he had tons of intensity but since you couldn't understand what the hell was going on, it was completely irrelevant. The ending wasn't bad, it had somewhat of a twist that was revealed in the final scenes of the film. Intensity gets turned up further into the film.


36%

Lead Acting: 8/15
Supporting Cast: 2/15

Plot: 5/10
Compared To The Genre: 4/10

Cinematography: 5/20

Intrigue: 8/20

Extra: 4/10

Margin Call (2011):

Starring:

Kevin Spacey - Sam Rogers

Paul Bettany - Will Emerson

Jeremy Irons - John Tuld

Zachary Quinto - Peter Sullivan

Penn Badgley - Seth Bregman

Simon Baker - Jared Cohen

Mary McDonnell - Mary Rogers

Demi Moore - Sarah Robertson

Stanley Tucci - Eric Dale

Aasif Mandvi - Ramesh Shah

Ashley Williams - Heather Burke

Director:

J.C. Chandor (First Feature Film)

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Flixster: 74%

Synopsis:

Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, "Margin Call" is a thriller entangling the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster. Expanding the parameters of genre, "Margin Call" is a riveting examination of the human components of a subject too often relegated to partisan issues of black and white.

Review:

A film overflowing with incredible actors & talent from both the old school & some new rising talent. This film features two my absolute top 10 favourite actors in Jeremy Irons & Kevin Spacey. Over the years I have loved every single role that they have brought to the screen. It also features two actors who I feel are incredibly underrated & over looked as some of Hollywood's best, Stanley Tucci & Paul Bettany. Sure maybe Bettany hasn't chosen the best roles (ie Priest, which I will review in the coming weeks) but that doesn't mean his other roles aren't incredible. Both He & Tucci have incredible range with the ability to play both dramatic & comedic roles perfectly. The genre of film might not be attractive to everyone because you have to figure it is going to be slow moving, full of dialogue that might be over your head & no comedic relief. We'll it is partial right but for the most part nothing like that. Sure it has nothing but board room conversations, meetings & the occasional dramatic pause. But on the whole it has a very followable plot with great dramatic performances showing the battle between what is right & what is wrong in the world of finance & stock trading. Zachary Quinto (of Heroes & Star Trek fame) is very convincing as an MIT graduate with a degree in rocket science. The entire cast delivers an emotional journey based on true events leading up to the financial crisis of 2008.

64%

Lead Acting: 13/15
Supporting Cast: 12/15

Plot: 8/10
Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 13/20

Intrigue: 12/20

Extra: 8/10 

Anonymous (2011):

Starring:

Rhys Ifans - Earl Of Oxford

Vanessa Redgrave - Queen Elizabeth I

Sebastian Armesto - Ben Johnson

Rafe Spall - William Shakespear

David Thewlis - William Cecil

Edward Hogg - Robert Cecil

Xavier Samuel - Earl Of Southampton

Sam Reid - Earl Of Essex

Joely Richardson - Young Queen Elizabeth I

Jamie Campbell Bower - Young Earl Of Oxford

Director:

Roland Emmerich (2012; The Day Of Tomorrow; 10,000 BC)

Rotten Tomatoes:  47%

Flixster: 56%

Synopsis:

"Anonymous" speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely: who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

Review:

Done in the style that you are watching the play Anonymous as if it were a movie. Cool concept. However there is nothing special about the film. It is your average period piece done with good acting, slow moving plot & story. The costumes, makeup & sets where actually quite amazing. Much more colourful, elaborate & noticeable than other period pieces. Rhys Ifans is the only really out standing performance, but it is still slightly boring & quite hard to stay interested. The storyline was actually quite intriguing but the slow moving pace really made it hard to keep interested or involved in the story. Who knew that supposedly Elizabeth I was all about the incest...

 62%

Lead Acting: 12/15
Supporting Cast: 11/15
Plot: 7/10
Compared To The Genre: 7/10
Cinematography: 12/20
Intrigue: 9/20
Extra:4/10