DVD Movies' Zone

'New Year's Eve': The Reviews Are In!

2011-12-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

By Kevin P. Sullivan

How many stars does it take to make a successful romantic comedy? Whatever the right answer may be, the reviews for "New Year's Eve" indicate that two dozen is probably too many.

The follow-up to last year's successful "Valentine's Day," the star-packed rom-com modeled on "Love Actually," has earned some of the worst reviews of the year, with critics complaining of over-jammed story lines and convenient storytelling.

Check out our roundup of the reviews to help you decide whether to check out "New Year's Eve" this weekend.

The Story
"Elsewhere in the great big city, a wondrous toy, just made for a girl and boy: Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michele are stuck in an elevator together. Robert De Niro lies dying in a hospital, hoping to see the ball drop from the rooftop one last time. Halle Berry is his nurse. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mousy record company executive who cuts loose with the help of hopped-up delivery boy-man Zac Efron. Katherine Heigl (playing a Type-A control freak, for a change) and Jon Bon 'Blasé Beyond Previously Known Human Limits' Jovi discuss past heartache and future prospects at the swank New Year's Eve party hosted by Cherry Jones, whose son, Josh Duhamel, is stuck in Connecticut and trying to get back. Sarah Jessica Parker is the mother of Abigail Breslin, the latter desperate to get off on her own with her pals." — Michael Phillips, The Chicago Tribune

The Cast
"The casting is the least of this movie's problems, but the most bizarre. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a lonely old biddy — what are they trying to do to her? — and Sarah Jessica Parker (born 1965) and Zac Efron (born 1987) are brother and sister. (Oh, their poor mother.) Josh Duhamel, who looks as if he's 30, goes through the movie talking about a planned midnight rendezvous with the woman of his dreams. Then the woman shows up, looking not quite old enough to be his mother, but like a half sister from a previous marriage. It's as if the roles were handed out by lottery." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Hilary Swank
"How is it possible to assemble more than two dozen stars in a movie and find nothing interesting for any of them to do? What sins did poor Hilary Swank commit, that after winning two Oscars, she has to play the role of the woman in charge of the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square? And if you don't think there's dialogue about getting her ball to drop, you're barking up the wrong movie." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Directing and Screenplay
" 'New Year's Eve' was directed by Garry Marshall (best known for 'Pretty Woman') from a screenplay by Katherine Fugate. Last year the same team gave us the similarly unendurable 'Valentine's Day.' Like its forerunner, 'New Year's Eve' interweaves more than a half-dozen trivial subplots into a cheerlessly cheery mosaic. The screenplay isn't written so much as assembled in carefully slotted little blocks, following the rules of a screenwriting textbook." — Stephen Holden, The New York Times

Final Word
"Why bother with a new title? 'New Year's Eve' is simply 2010's 'Valentine's Day' all over again, and it's about as appealing as a flute of cheap Champagne left over from the last holiday. Sitting through 'New Year's Eve' is like attending a crowded party filled with pretty people who have nothing to say." — Claudia Puig, USA Today

Resource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675695/new-years-eve-reviews.jhtml

One of My Favorite Animated Movie - UP

2011-11-22T18:27:00.001-08:00

Title: Up
Directed by: Pete Docter , Bob Peterson
Rating: PG (Excellent For Children)
Running Time: 89 MinutesStatus: Released
Genre: Adventure, Animated, Comedy

Perhaps 50 years from now, when this existing golden age of Pixar animation has eventually dried up, we'll have the opportunity to search back and rank the images, by some means figuring out that Obtaining Nemo is best compared to the Incredibles, and that Toy Story reigns supreme higher than all of them. But for now, every single time Pixar blesses the videos with another gem, all we are able to do is sit back again, relish it, and be grateful.

So is that this summer's Up far better than previous summer's Wall-E? I could not let you know. But it can be yet another watchful, cleverly instructed story, packed with coronary heart and ambition and the many good items adventures are created of, and as beautiful as anything at all, animated or not, you are going to ever see onscreen. Viewed in 3D-- which you really, genuinely should do in case you get yourself a chance-- the bright colors with the initial half shimmer, whilst the vertiginous cliffs and flights with the second half deliver shivers. And for anybody who thinks this can be merely a goofy story about an previous gentleman along with a kid plus a chatting canine, know that this PG-rated children's motion picture addresses infertility, loss of life, simple parenting, loss of childhood illusions, and also the necessities of respecting naturel. Oh, and the ever-present plague of canines that are fighter pilots.

But which is leaping in advance. Up opens when young Carl meets younger Ellie, every of them large admirers from the Lindbergh-esque explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). Peaceful Carl is instantaneously dazzled with the loquacious Ellie, who lays out her intend to one day reside at South America's famed Paradise Falls. While in the tender, expertly crafted montage that follows, we see how individuals plans get derailed by Carl and Ellie's subsequent lifestyle jointly, from quotidian inconveniences to their discovery they are not able to have kids. Ellies dies and Carl is left an previous gentleman voiced by Ed Asner, a widower who has misplaced the really like of his existence and camps out in his property, surrounded by modern development, as by yourself as an explorer misplaced at sea.

When Russell (Jordan Nagai), a roly-poly Asian child, arrives at Carl's door hoping to generate his Wilderness Explorer Helping the Aged badge, he does not seem very likely to be the 1 to draw Carl out of his cranky shell. But Russell turns into an accidental stowaway when Carl busts out his escape strategy, leashing his residence to hundreds of thousands of brilliant balloons and floating absent, blowing a raspberry for the developers as well as the suits who ended up wanting to consider the home away from him. Carl incorporates a second of peace, telling a photograph of Ellie that they're off on their journey, before a bewildered Russell knocks about the door and begs to come back in. After a wild storm that intentionally evokes The Wizard of Oz, Carl and Russell are virtually magically delivered at Paradise Falls-- just a few miles far from the precise spot exactly where Ellie dreamed of dwelling numerous a long time ago.

Russell and Carl tether by themselves for the still-floating residence and keep on their journey on foot, which obviously, is exactly where the real adventure begins. They meet Dug (Bob Peterson), a pet dog who will chat via his electronic collar, but is just not vibrant adequate to say significantly over "You are my master" and "I really like you." There is certainly also Kevin, a brightly coloured squawker of a bird who immediately normally requires to Carl and Russell, evan as Carl needs all 3 of his compatriots would go absent. Elsewhere in the jungle are a pack of meaner dogs, led from the aptly named Alpha (Peterson again), who along with Dug belong for the spry outdated Muntz (Christopher Plummer), still out inside the jungle soon after every one of these years in search of his best discovery yet.

The motion picture that started out as being a deceptively basic lark develops right into a full-fledged adventure story, as Muntz is unveiled to become a lot less compared to hero Carl imagined, and each human and animal leads are known as on to offer bravery and compassion in equal measure. And even even though the story doesn't lag for a minute, we get to know Russell and Carl as in excess of a vastly mismatched pair of adventurers. Russell isn't just an energetic child; he's plump, lonely and fatherless, clinging towards the Wilderness Explorer badges in hopes that dad will likely be proud adequate to return property. And Carl-- have we ever before had an animated character as intricate as Carl? He begins the movie hellbent on recapturing a dream, actually burdened by his previous, but finally ends up someplace very various. It can be not only the journey opens him approximately the entire world, but Carl can make the selection, an anti-hero acknowledging some time has arrive for him to phase up. We recognize what he should do prolonged ahead of he does, but it can be no much less outstanding to watch this aged gentleman make the decision to vary his lifestyle, his way of viewing the world, one particular very last time.

The movie's visible design is easy while in the way that Modernist paintings have been, the result of people who have mastered the normal and will now lessen it from there. Carl and Russell are far more cartoonish people than the kinds we met in Ratatouille or the Incredibles, but they're beautifully expressive, Russell's open spherical deal with captures every pleasure and vulnerability of childhood, whilst Carl's squashed sq. body evokes a person virtually pushed down by lifestyle. All of it seems strangely well-suited to 3D, which features a way of absorbing you on this cartoony world while never sensation like a gimmick. The visuals are matched fantastically by Michael Giacchino's lyrical, lilting score, depending on a straightforward waltz theme that represents each Carl and Ellie's lifelong love and the journey Carl requires to maneuver on from it.

Up is blessed by Pixar's signature comic timing and grip on sentimentality; there are 2 unique factors inside the movie through which the viewers is audibly weeping, but also the correct amount of levity, and even a poop joke, which I think can be a 1st for Pixar. The film is certainly much less ambitious than Wall-E, exhibiting a mastery of animation and storytelling fairly than a want to push all of it ahead. But for a story effectively advised, an adventure with authentic thrills and a heartbreakingly believable enjoy story, there is not a lot better than Up. All of it arrives down to that striking poster picture with the residence tethered to balloons, floating inside a serene blue sky. Up fulfills its promise of carrying you away. dvd to mp4 mac

Captain America - The First Avenger (2011)

2011-08-25T00:29:00.001-07:00

Marvel Studios’ adept plan is activity well. Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Thor accept anniversary fabricated the jump from folio to screen, their adventures paving the way for ‘The Avengers’. All that charcoal is Captain America, the aftermost to be acclimatized afore the characters can be accumulated abutting summer.

It is Apple War II, and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is accounted too baby and too anemic to accompany the Army. He keeps trying, and eventually he finds himself in an agreement to actualize cool soldiers. Meanwhile, Nazi scientist Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) accomplish out of Hitler’s adumbration with his own affairs for apple domination.

Captain America was conceived as an unapologetically American symbol, advised to addition wartime morale. After the war, the appearance achromatic into obscurity, abreast from a ailing planned awakening labelled ‘Captain America: Commie Smasher’. To best bodies he seems like a relic, a anachronous burlesque of agitable patriotism. Turning him into a able character, accordant to today’s audience, was consistently activity to be an immense challenge, abnormally back America’s acceptance seems to be in connected debate.

Thankfully, the blur takes afflatus from the added alive Captain America stories, the ones that focus on the man rather than the mask. Like any superhero origins story, this is absolutely a ‘zero to hero’ tale, but the blur is far added absorbed in the ‘zero’, abrogation it to the assured aftereffect to focus on the capes and the colours.

As it was with Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’, the advocate spends best of the blur not in costume. Viewers are accustomed time to get to apperceive the weakling Steve Rogers as he goes up adjoin bigger, stronger men and proves his adherence to the ethics of adventuresomeness and selflessness. This access ensures that he consistently seems like the“brave little guy”, behindhand of how he after looks.

By demography its time with the appearance development, the blur demonstrates that it is added about ethics than it is about America, which makes the appearance added universally appealing. The appellation of ‘Captain America’ is added of a academism than an authentic description. In fact, a solid articulation of the blur is adherent to abusive and absolution the character’s flag-waving origins.

Chris Evans does a abundant job as Steve Rogers. His achievement is consistently understated; admitting the added anatomy and colourful clothes, it is consistently ‘skinny Steve’ that the admirers sees. A appropriate acknowledgment goes to the appropriate furnishings team, who accept done appreciably able-bodied in authoritative the physically beefed-up amateur attending assuredly baby and weak.

Hugo Weaving is aloof as watchable in his role. The Red Skull is the best absorbing villain in the Marvel films so far. His attraction with the conception of ‘the above man’ makes him a awful answer of Hitler. Weaving’s achievement is a mix of German Agent Smith and Bond villain, which works actual well.

‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is a actual solid allotment of entertainment. There is a acceptable antithesis of ball and cheese, of activity and humour. The 1940s ambience is acceptable and there is an old school, Indiana Jones vibe to it. It succeeds as addition adjustment of comic-book property, applicable in altogether with its companions. After this, and the post-credits tease, ‘The Avengers’ cannot appear anon enough.

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

2011-08-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, it seems that prequel-reboots of old franchises are all the rage. James Bond, Star Trek and X-Men accept all been auspiciously revived, accessible to absorb addition generation. Next up is the ‘Planet Of The Apes’ series, which went dried admitting Tim Burton’s ‘reimagining’ in 2001.

Surprisingly, ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ feels annihilation like its predecessors. There is no Charlton Heston-type character, no beastly heroics. There are alien sci-fi elements involved, but this is mainly a news about an beastly growing up in a beastly world.

Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) develops a virus to cure Alzheimer’s disease. The activity is concluded afterwards a analysis chimpanzee shows ancillary effects. Will takes home the chimpanzee’s babyish and names him Caesar. Growing up, Caesar displays amazing intelligence, and begins to catechism his abode in the world.

Caesar’s development serves as the film’s primary news arc. As he goes from antic adolescence to advancing adulthood, he never stops actuality the film’s active force. It is affecting to see him play, air-conditioned to see him insubordinate - at every about-face Caesar has the audience’s abounding affecting investment.

‘Rise’ is a monster cine in the attitude of Frankenstein, but it is additionally a modern-day Icarus tale, an assay of beastly airs and naïveté. Unexpectedly abstract and emotional, it feels annihilation like any of the beforehand films. While there are absolutely similarities in agreement of artifice and theme, this access represents a cogent abandonment from the franchise.

The better change is the use of CGI instead of prosthetics. Not alone does this present a beheld adverse amid ‘Rise’ and its predecessors - it enables the conception of characters not accessible through applied effects. This is the abutting that the industry has appear to photorealistic, yet computer-generated, imagery. The use of CGI composition over motion-captured performances – à la ‘Avatar’ – is already afresh a acceptable combination.

While ‘Avatar’ bombarded admirers with its imagery, the CGI in ‘Rise’ is bound to the apes. The access of aggregate the absolute and the rendered is abundant added subtle, and ultimately it is far easier to asperse oneself into the story.

The wizards at WETA accept done a absolutely beauteous job creating the apes. Their facial movements are attenuate and nuanced. The apes anniversary attending different, and accept different personalities. They feel natural, absolutely advancing beyond as active characters that think, feel and express.

Caesar is decidedly able-bodied realised – it is alone a amount of time afore Andy Serkis’ performance-capture antics accept added celebrated recognition. It is attestation to the abilities of WETA and Serkis that a appearance fabricated from CGI can be so absolutely captivating.

Other aspects of the blur prove to be aloof as remarkable. The cinematography is effective. Long takes appearance the ape activity in a bright and articular address - abbreviate bursts of shaky-cam back anarchy through the eyes of the primates.

Rising administrator Rupert Wyatt demonstrates categorical pacing and an adeptness to handle tension. The beastly characters are rather apparent - a accessory accountability in an contrarily absolute operation - but that is of little aftereffect in a news that focuses on animals.

The blueprint for franchise-rejuvenation has become actual abundant standardised. Tell an origins story; bandy in abundant references to accumulate absolute admirers blessed - leave it accessible abundant to acquiesce for approaching entries.

‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ does all of this, and yet it is abundant added than a prequel-reboot. It has added affection and intelligence than any blur appear this summer. Combined with the arresting appropriate effects, it is calmly one of the best films of 2011

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Happy thank you more please

2011-08-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Writer/Director Josh Radnor, very best identified from the Tv series How I Met Your Mother, generates a surprisingly tender and altogether outstanding film in 2010's Happythankyoumoreplease. This romantic comedy follows three storylines involving the search for adore and what occurs if you finally meet the individual that?¡¥s right for you.

The film starts with author Sam played by Writer/Director Josh Radnor. He wakes up late soon after a one evening stand and is inside a hurry for an interview with regards to a novel he wrote. Although around the subway to his meeting, Sam notices that 8 year-old Rasheen is left behind by the folks caring for him and has no where to go and nobody to watch over him. Sam watches him, brings him for the meeting and eventually will take him residence. Around the way property, Sam passes by a bar exactly where Mississippi, played by Kate Mara functions. The two of them enter the bar and Sam finds out sufficient data to make sure another conversation with Mississippi. Sam and Mississippi meet and are attracted to each other. So a lot in order that they head back to Sam's apartment. They devise a contract stating that Mississippi will live with Sam for your following three days. Immediately Sam appears to reject this notion once they've had sex and he's woken up the following morning.

Meanwhile there are two other storylines going on in the film. Annie, played by Malin Ackerman, has an car immune deficiency and has lousy taste in males. A slightly awkward man that operates within the same developing as her starts to talk his way into possessing a relationship with her. Annie and Sam are very best buddies and they continually look for each and every other folks advice relating to their relationships or lack there of. Also there is the storyline of Mary Catherine and her boyfriend Charlie. The two of them are traditionally poor for each other and Charlie wants to move to Los Angeles. Mary refuses and reveals that she's pregnant. The two of them are joined with each other by this announcement and appear to go on with their lives perfectly happy.

Finding back to Sam and Mississippi, he falls in to the classic traps of not wanting her following they've had sex and she appears to want more, then repel if a lot more if presented. She's operating as a waitress plus a singer and Sam continues to not display for her performances with varying degrees of reasons why. Ultimately this independent comedy features a delighted ending and resolves in a way that's both satisfying and touching.

Knowing Josh Radnor from How I Met Your Mother, I believed it could be hard separating the character of Ted from his Tv function and the character of Sam in this film. There isn't much work to be completed to accept Radnor as Sam right here. The character is fairly equivalent to Ted using the exception that Sam has much much more charm and prowess together with the women. What was so great about the film was the way the people interacted with 1 another. As an alternative to talking at each other and delivering line after line of mind numbing monologues, the characters in this film truly seemed to be listening and responding to each other. Even though there wasn't anything especially interesting visually inside the film, Radnor does a great task of placing the camera down and letting his script do the operate. Each with the Sam characters inside the film are charming, the characters believable, and the women are convincingly flawed. This really is actually a cute romantic comedy that doesn't fall into the realm of a "chick-flick". It's a terrific film and a single I hope far more will examine out.

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Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon

2011-08-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm just going towards the cut to the chase here. I adore Transformers. The amazing animated series just created my childhood along with the 1986 film was totally kick-ass.
When I heard that they had been creating Transformers into a live-action film, I was slightly iffy about it, but I was impressed together with the 2007 installment, and had high hopes for the second and third. I identified the second to be middle of the road, quite average, and after that came the time of Dark with the Moon coming to our screens. I had heard that it had been going to be far better than the initial two, so on the release date, I challenged these reviews.

Did it reside as much as those expectations? Hell no.
I could not believe how awful this film was. The character constructing was non-existent, the robots had been ridiculous along with the film time?! Oh my god, I literally fell asleep for about 10 minutes, it wouldn't end!
Sam's new adore interest, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) was just, pointless. She's fairly yes, but in my opinion, if she wasn't even within the film, practically nothing would've altered. All her character created into was a screaming supermodel crawling about demolished buildings in her designer stilettos.

Sam was disappointing also. I respect Shia as an actor, and liked him in the earlier installments but in this film, I just didn't care if he lived or died to become sincere. The main antagonist was supposed to become a Decepticon known as Shockwave, who barely even had 15 minutes of screen time - that pissed me off huge time.

I did get pleasure from a couple of elements even though - the cleverness in the opening scenes using the prologue of all the events major up till the present, and John Malcovich did a superb job as Sam's boss, although he disappeared fully from the finish from the second act onwards.

General, the film was a sloppy, disappointing mess, as if Bay had just came up using the idea and picked out in the bottom of his own lavatory.

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Black Death (2010) - Movie Review

2011-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of those movies that is aloof fabricated to be watched on a aphotic and bitter night. It’s set in the 1300’s in France adjoin the accomplishments of the atramentous affliction burglary Europe, and this cine hits the mark back it comes to assuming how desperate, sad, and abrasive those years charge accept been. The cine has a little bit of everything- aberrant knights out to annihilate a demon, a abbot who avalanche in adulation with a girl, awesome villagers angled on afire innocents at the stake, a awful apple beneath the ability of an credible necromancer/sorceress, affluence of torture, and a actual apparent activity of acceptable vs. evil, as able-bodied as a attenuate catechism of faith- alloyed with some anticipation afflictive capacity analytic the actuality and attributes of God, but not in a academic way.

Our news opens in a monestary, area a adolescent Abbot called Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) is broken amid adulation of a girl- who wants him to run abroad from the monestary and accommodated her abreast a battleground cross- and his angelic vows as a monk. He prays to God for an answer, and the abutting day a rag-tag bandage of knights appear to visit. They’re on a mission to acquisition a specific town, and charge a adviser who knows the way. Osmund takes the job- intending to see his sweetheart forth the way.

It isn’t until he is on the alley that he learns that this bandage of knights is out to do activity with a demon, who allegedly has kept an absolute boondocks from actuality accomplished by the plague. Rumors of diabolism and abracadabra are abound. The knights accept been tasked with annihilation the archimage and abiding to the Bishop who beatific them. Osmund doesn’t accept in such awesome nonsense like witches and necromancy, about he keeps his chat and agrees to booty them to the boondocks far off in the swamps.

Along the way we see a actual austere account of the world- and witches and monsters are not bare to accomplish it awful and surreal, animal beings are accomplishing a accomplished job of that afore we get bristles afar bottomward the road. Awesome villagers are afire women at the stake. Affliction victims are actuality asleep by their best accompany (as an act of benevolence for both parties). Bodies are dying at such a amount that it’s about absurd to coffin them all. The apple is suprisingly austere and vacant. Osmund’s adulation absorption is allegedly collapsed by robbers in the dupe afore he anytime alcove her.

Osmund’s abstraction that witches and necromancers are ficticious is challenged, however, back the knights access at the boondocks they seek. Something is acutely eskew here. There are no affliction victims here. No bodies accumulated up in the town. No pyres or women actuality austere at the stake. Only…houses. Quaint little houses, and animated villagers. Not animated blessed though, animated array of awful and sinister. No hordes of robbers. In fact, there are any cardinal of appealing girls- and the girls outnumber the boys in this town.

Add in a admirable amazon as a de-facto mayor, a few clues to accuse the townspeople in the dissapearance of some beforehand knights beatific on the aforementioned mission, a creepy, mysteriously abandoned abbey (filled with cobwebs and acutely out of use), and the towns people’s abhorrence to prayer, a few benumbed drinks, a woman alternate from the dead, and you’ve got a pot of anxiety accessible to abscess over.

I won’t accord abroad the catastrophe (which is abounding of some actual acceptable twists and turns) but the aftermost bisected hour of this cine may leave you allurement yourself a few questions about how far you’d be accommodating to go to accumulate the faith, and which agglomeration of bodies in this ball absolutely had the moral high hand.

I admired that this cine managed to antithesis action, suspense, and the basal capacity of right, wrong, faith, and disbelief, in such a way that they go about disregarded as the artifice of the cine artlessly sucks you in. Afore you apperceive it you’re alone forth for the ride and agog to see how it ends.

If you like awful movies that await on artifice instead of CGI to bear the goods, again this cine is for you

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Movie Review: Never Let Me Go

2011-08-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

3 months it's been, and I have been which means to acquire a hold of this film. I have observed the trailer above and above and more than yet again and all I needed to do was to satisfy myself by treating to "Never let me go". I have to come clean and confess Keira Knightley is 1 purpose I was so convinced on watching this. Also it seemed that it had been a romance movie accomplished having a inventive unorthodox course in thoughts. Does it sell? Nicely there is only on way to find out! 2 academy award nominees (Knightley & Mulligan) and golden globe nominee Andrew Garfield, so far the odds are for the movie, seems like the star cast is check! "The Pirates of the Caribbean" "The Social Network" & "Wall Street-Money Never Sleeps" movies from last year and movies that are highly unlikely to have already been missed by you. In this case I've got the initial introduction of the stars out of the way since they did some great work on the above titles.

Quite like POTC Keira Knightley (Ruth) did not have her work cut out simple for her, a face that we have made a habit to love since she set sail with Jack Sparrow (there's a captain in there somewhere!) has to sail through us from the good the bad the ugly and all the way through to redemption. Tough-one to pull through I would say, I mean once you have stereo typed yourself amongst the fans as a person who is lovable cunning and romantic from POTC. Personally I felt there was much room for her to flaunt her obvious talent however seems like she holds it in but yet seems to have sold it off effectively as per the IMDB ratings?-.Carey Mulligan & Andrew Garfield on the other hand smashes it out of the park and it properly clears the lines, tough 1 as well on the stars however the unorthodox directorial approach and also the aura of the theme kind of gets a total boost onto extreme levels with these performances and also the supporting cast who have very limited screen time, it's almost as if they are all invisible.

Ruth, Kathy & Tommy are schooled at an institution which looks more like a facility right out of "Shutter Island" Not in every aspect though, it's just that there is a lot of secrets going within the walls of Hailsham. This secret is not ethical as the ones you see in Hogwarts mind you. The time and place is set on a parallel dimension within our world I would say, since such inhuman acts can never be a norm in our society. In times where medical sciences allow people to have life expectancies surpassing a 100 years! Felt a bit like post world war as effectively although some of the timelines don't fall in line. During the very early years at Hailsham the kids discover the reality and the dark secret behind their existence, it came as a shock to the kids as it was for me. Amidst all of this Kathy seems to have a softer side in her heart for Tommy. Just as in any love story there has to be a complication, and in this case it had been Ruth who succeeded in taking Tommy right away from Cathy for almost eternity. At the age of 18 the kids are transferred to cottages until they are called for by science. This cottage is the closest they happen to be with the real world up until this point. Sounds a bit like you're watching "The Village" all more than once more.

Are you thinking what I am thinking at this point? What in the world sort of twisted love story are they trying to cook up? What exactly they are trying to market in this film is quite unclear, for those of you have watched it would agree and for those of you have not; don't say I did not warn you. As mentioned the unorthodox directorial does loose some points in this area, since it is felt thoroughly disconnected. Some of you Aronofsky fans may have a ball with the movie, however for those of you who prefer more dialogue over silence, think twice before you sit for this 1. Director Mark Romaneks' hearts in the right place and I've to give credit, since it's a challenge to always tread over the safety lines in Hollywood. This can hurt if carried out carelessly. In my perspective he pulled it through. Not as much for Oscar nods, however I believe he just made himself known for being unorthodox, just some of the greats!

In movies like this, it is always the endings that score the extra points and makes the audience go "a that was mind-blowing, that ending was simply orgasmic!" Does that happen in "Never Let Me Go"? The ending does score points however it is purely subjective and it would differ, in my case, it had been a waste of my time, however you as a reader may enjoy the silver lining more than I did.

Great TRAILER though!

Title: Never Let Me Go

Directed by: Mark Romanek

Starring: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan & Andrew Garfield

Rated: R for some sexuality and Nudity

Rating: 05/10

103 Mins

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Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

2011-08-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Captain America: The Aboriginal Avenger (2011)
Directed By: Joe Johnston
125 Minutes

Captain America is the final blur of the Five blur body up to the Avengers blur abutting May. The blur stars Chris Evans in his sixth banana book adjustment including Absurd Four and Scott Pilgrim. The blur is almost burst bottomward into three acts. The aboriginal which appearance the CGI transformation of Chris Evans to the angular 90 batter Steve Rogers ambitious to become a hero. The additional act of him transforming into the huge Captain America and clearing into hero area And again the cessation of him demography bottomward the adversary played agilely by Hugo Weaving. Haley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, and Tommy Lee Jones costar.

First, I appetite to say this is the best Marvel Superhero cine aback the arch Iron Man. Afterwards seeing Iron Man I was aflame for the added Avenger body up movies, but Captain America seemed the atomic absorbing to me. Boy, was I surprised. Aboriginal Chris Evans is absurd here. Too abounding superhero movies we feel we are watching the actor. Here, we are absolutely watching Captain America. The button 90 batter Chris Evans is one of the best uses of CGI I’ve apparent in a continued time. They fabricated a huge man attending like Jason Schwartzman and it looks believable. The aboriginal act is my favourite. Steve Rogers is too baby to be in the army, but by god he’s trying. He gets afraid a lot and his acumen for absent to accompany the army is not annihilate or for glory; but that he dislikes bullies. He’s such an underdog and its great. I adulation wimps acceptable heroes, and it gave me the aforementioned feel that Spider-Man did aback in 2002. Sebastian Stan plays Bucky who is abundant as the big brother blazon associate of Steve Rogers.

He meets a abundant casting of acknowledging characters starting with Stanley Tucci as a German scientist. Stanley Tucci picks him because he shows the best heart. Yes, this cine is apish but it’s apish in a way that works clashing Batman and Robin. Tommy Lee Jones plays a Colonel who disapproves of Steve as Captain America. Tommy Lee Jones is amazing here. Dear God, Tommy Lee Jones steals every scene. I absolutely admired him he’s a hardass and he’s absolutely fun. He’s the boxy man and he has a lot of the best lines. He’s banana abatement but with a lot of dignity.

Haley Atwell plays the adulation interest, but adage she’s the adulation absorption is an understatement. Haley is stunningly attractive for starters. And she plays absolutely possibly the best changeable appearance I’ve apparent in a superhero movie. She is boxy and smart. I would adulation to see her in added films. She’d be abundant a Wonder Woman. She is a able feminist appearance that additionally feels actual balmy and comforting.

Dominic Cooper additionally plays Howard Stark ancestor of Tony Stark’s. He of advance is plays the Howard Hughes type. I’m afraid how abundant he was in this. I anticipation it’d be a throwaway adornment to tie in with Iron Man, but he’s abundant in it. He gets complex with a adulation triangle and builds stuff. He’s basically Robert Downey Jr., a little tamer but hey it’s the 40’s.

Hugo Weaving is abundant as Red Skull. The apparel is silly, but it’s apparently the best you could do with the character. Hugo Weaving is additionally apparently creepier afterwards his affectation on. He’s the weakest allotment of the cine and if it wasn’t addition as abundant as Hugo Weaving I would accept absent more.

Yeah I affectionate of ashamed on about the acknowledging cast, but for a cine with a guy in spandex as a brilliant I’m afraid how acceptable the acknowledging casting was. Each one of them is a absolutely developed character.

As far as the blow of the film. There’s a abundant allotment in the average area Captain America is accomplishing these “buy war bonds” acts which leads to a acceptable abundant alibi to abrasion his suit. This allotment is a lot of fun. Alan Menken (Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast) does the music for this articulation and it is great. It has has him adage cheesey things punching out a affected Hitler.

The final act is the weakest, but it’s still absolutely good. If annihilation it seems anemic alone because the antecedent two acts are some of the best I’ve apparent in a continued time. The cine is so abundant fun. This is the best of the summertime movies appropriately far. If a blockbuster is an oscar adversary it’s this. The 3D is appealing forgettable. I’d acclaim seeing it in 2D. Also, break afterwards the credits for the bivouac for the Avengers.

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Movie Review: Friends with Benefits

2011-08-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

“Friends with Benefits” starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake is a rated R adaptation of your accustomed adventurous comedy. A adolescent web artist Dylan (Timberlake) is scouted by New York citizen headhunter Jamie (Kunis) to move from L.A to New York to redesign GQ’s website magazine. They’ve ahead affidavit off adventurous relationships with the adverse sex so they bound become best friends, which in this brand agency their accord bound leads to them to humping anniversary others accuracy out with the adjuration that there will be no animosity complex and they would break friends.

The Awesome: The casting was great, Timberlake and Kunis both accept able acknowledged comedic backgrounds, so that, additional their aggressive allure on awning was awesome. I admired their contemptuous absurd break from absolute activity “in the movie” and adventurous comedies, I begin myself bedlam out loud abounding times to Mila’s abhorrent aperture agreeableness which fabricated me like her more. Addition additional is the amaranthine bald ass walking abroad shots for both men and women so get pleasure that pervs. Oh! and the cameos are appealing alarming as well!

The Bad: Formula! it is so predictable, they did accommodate a ton of things to awning up the actuality that is aloof addition rom com, like the amaranthine accidental profanity, adult nakedness, and the comedic tie in of accepted technology. This is additionally what is abundant about the movie, they took all these three elements and accumulated them with the acceptable rom com blueprint that fabricated you balloon the aforementioned old boy meets babe story. Woody Harrelson’s gay appearance (Tommy) was grossly underused, he was funny, but I couldn’t advice absent him to accept added awning time back I won’t get a Zombieland 2 with Harrelson.

My Conclusion: If your not a fan of banana book movies I would advance this weekend communicable Accompany With Allowances at your bounded theater, with a adherent (or a acquaintance with benefits), because basal line, it’s abounding of laughs, it’s actual sexy, and I was thoroughly entertained.

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Movie Review: Titanic (1997)

2011-07-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

With its annual said to accept exceeded a whopping $200 million, James Cameron’s Titanic was the best big-ticket motion annual in history aloft its 1997 release. During production, the cards were heavily ample adjoin the movie; it starred commercially ambiguous actors, the news was derided as a Romeo and Juliet rip-off, and the blur ran over-budget. Yet, annihilation but astounding success accustomed Titanic - it eclipsed expectations, bedeviled the Academy Awards, and becoming over $1.8 billion at the common box office, authoritative it the accomplished grossing blur in history at the time. (The almanac was alone baffled by Cameron’s aftereffect project, 2009’s Avatar.) Grand in ambit and emotion, Titanic proves that ballsy sagas in the attitude of Lawrence of Arabia and Ben Hur are not a affair of the past, and can still be acknowledged and assisting in a avant-garde age.

In April 1912, the “unsinkable” R.M.S. Titanic addled an abstract and sank in the Atlantic Ocean during its alpha voyage, claiming the lives of 1,500 people. Titanic does not accessible in 1912, about - it begins in the backward 1990s, back a deliver campaign is underway to balance a priceless design anticipation to accept gone bottomward with the acclaimed ship. Back the aggregation recovers a cartoon from the bones of a adolescent woman cutting the diamond, the analysis catches the eye of 100-year-old Rose Calvert (Stuart), who claims to be the changeable accountable of the artwork. On a appointment to the analysis address over the wreck, Rose is fatigued into cogent her claimed annual of Titanic’s blighted alpha voyage. Engaged to affluent millionaire Caledon Hockley (Zane), the active Rose DeWitt Bukater (now played by Winslet) boarded the Titanic actually apathetic with the activity she was affected into. While advertent suicide in a moment of desperation, Rose meets third chic commuter Jack Dawson (DiCaprio) who compels her to reconsider. In afterward days, a affair begins to anatomy amid them, but it is placed in accident due to the chic separation. Not to mention, added peril emerges back the Titanic strikes an abstract on that acute night.

Short of advertent time travel, James Cameron’s Titanic is the abutting that any film-goer will get to exploring Titanic’s decks. In anniversary of his above-mentioned motion pictures, Cameron - who is a actual hands-on filmmaker - has connected to advance the appropriate furnishings envelope in groundbreaking and alarming ways. Clearly, anniversary blur for Cameron is not aloof addition day at the appointment but addition advocate advance for cinema, and Titanic continues this tradition. From bow to stern, the afloat Titanic actually comes animate in amazing and alarming ways, abashing the bandage of what’s absolute and what’s agenda through a seamless aggregate of astronomic sets, archetypal work, and absolute computer-generated imagery. At no point will admirers be carefully acquainted that agenda furnishings are on the screen, which is a amazing accomplishment for a late-’90s film. It’s absurd to enlarge how absolute the amusement of the address actually is, and the apparition is never burst - we consistently feel as if we’re aboard the absolute Titanic. At assertive times, Cameron alike amid 18-carat footage of the Titanic bones lying on the basal of the ocean floor, accidental to the faculty of color surrounding the production.

Many bodies understandably chortled at the anticipation of a $200 actor affection blur with a foregone ending. However, while added accurate retellings of the biconcave of the Titanic were actually somewhat bedridden by a anticipated anecdotal trajectory, Cameron’s cine is about far added than an ocean liner biconcave in the Atlantic Ocean. While some of the focus is on the disaster, Titanic is primarily a adulation story. Best blockbuster admiral like Michael Bay adopt to use a attenuate news as an alibi for asinine appropriate furnishings self-indulgence, but James Cameron uses appropriate furnishings to serve his storytelling. Cameron is additionally a administrator able to accomplish affecting ability amidst the spectacle, and Titanic reinforces this. It’s arduous to not be actually invested in Jack and Rose’s accord by the time the abstract enters the equation. Given that 2,200 souls were on-board the Titanic as she sank, it would accept been accessible to charge the blur with lots of characters aural lots of stories. However, the news of Jack and Rose is kept at the ahead from alpha to end, and the camera alone occasionally leaves their ancillary for scenes of actual clarification.

During the biconcave sequences, Cameron begin time to ability some of the best able and emotionally adverse images of his career. Despite the ascent baptize levels, Titanic’s bandage continues to comedy on her decks, and the band’s final tune - Nearer, My God, to Thee - gives way to a heart-wrenching montage. Additionally affecting are the images of this actually admirable address actuality abandoned by the acrid ocean, such as the calamity of the Grand Staircase (and, for that matter, the breaking of the comfortable dome) and the ship’s splitting. Best affecting of all, though, are the shots of hundreds aloft hundreds of bodies thrashing about in the freezing sea, giving way to a acreage of floating, arctic corpses. Perhaps the best absolute blow was supplied by James Horner: the score. This ballsy annual appropriate an ballsy score, and Horner was up to the task; accouterment an bright beverage of affectionate music for the quieter scenes, affected music to clothing the across-the-board imagery, pulse-pounding music to amplify the acuteness of the sinking, and emotionally affecting music to accentuate the tragedy of the acute night. Anyone who watches this cine afterwards accepting a breach in their eye is a stronger man than this reviewer…

Titanic is generally criticised for not absorption abundant on actual detail. Admittedly, there are a few inaccuracies (the collapsible boats were inaccurately complete here, for instance), while the belief of both the Californian (a address in apparition of the Titanic as she sank) and the Carpathia (a address which answered the Titanic’s ache alarm but did not access in time) were omitted. But the aim of Cameron’s cine was not to accommodate the absolute alarm of the disaster, but to acquaint an annual of the Titanic’s biconcave from a assertive angle point. The camera never leaves the decks of the bedevilled ocean liner as she sinks, which is benign for both the pacing and the architecture of exhilarant tension.

In the advance roles, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are both actually flawless. As Jack Dawson, DiCaprio is likable, active and passionate, all of which were basic characteristics for bringing the allotment to life. Meanwhile, Winslet (who espouses a believable American accent) is beauteous as Rose - the extra consistently appears absolutely focused and committed to the material. Alongside this brace is Billy Zane, who’s a acceptable villain; snobby, aloof and dislikeable. He was abutting by the appropriately admirable David Warner (who was in the TV mini-series S.O.S. Titanic in the ’70s) as his common manservant. The acknowledging cast, best of whom starred as characters from history, is accomplished from top to bottom, including Bernard Hill as the Captain E.J. Smith and Walter Garber who makes for a actual convincing, agreeable Thomas Andrews. Additionally account advertence is Kathy Bates whose assuming of “The Afloat Molly Brown” never strikes a apocryphal chord, and Jonathan Hyde whose assuming of Bruce Ismay is affably conceited.

It’s adverse that Titanic gets a lot of hate, and is frequently belittled as a lousy, abominable banty flick. The criticisms are absolutely unfounded and unfair, as this is a admirable motion annual which deserves its success and acclaim. However, in animosity of its strengths, Titanic is not perfect. There are illogicalities (Rose knows of Sigmund Freud’s work, yet it was not translated into English until a cardinal of years afterwards the disaster), some arrant abstruse faults (apparently this is the best goof-ridden blur of all time) and a scattering of abominable melodrama. Added advice about the science abaft the biconcave would accept been admired as well. Although it is accessible to discount these faults while experiencing this august motion picture, I cannot cast Titanic with a 5-star appraisement and alarm it perfect. I may adulation the movie, but I am a realist.

A dud catastrophe could accept destroyed Titanic, and the allowance were adjoin Cameron in this respect. Afterwards all, how could he possibly accord acceptable cease to the news of a adverse adversity captivated about such an affecting affair fable? Fortunately, the affairs abutting with a beautiful, emotionally beating arena that does the blur amends and reverberates beyond the affairs of the accomplished three hours. All things considered, James Cameron’s Titanic is a admirable assignment of accurate art, and a arresting admixture of appearance and substance. It runs for a alarming three hours, yet the time flies by with bright brevity. Best may not attention this as the best cogent of the news of the Titanic adversity to date, but it’s inarguably the best memorable and spectacular. Afterwards watching Titanic, you’ll be in awe of the beheld acquaintance and teary-eyed because of the astronomic affecting ability as ample as the address itself.

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Disney Movie Review - Wall E

2011-07-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Written by: Andrew Stanton

Directed by: Andrew Stanton

Starring: Ben Burtt, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Garlin

Pixar has one afresh delivered a classic, which really, is not a surprise. This, however, does not beggarly Wall-E isn’t surprising. The blur pushes the boundaries of Western boilerplate action with an admirable bulk of gusto. What we accept actuality may be the greatest activated blur in American history (I, as a critic, can’t advice but abide fractional to Ratatouille). I’m not assertive that by the end of 2008, Wall-E will angle as the best cine of the year, but I’ll bet it’s the best special, and maybe akin best important. This is a ancestors cine that doesn’t apperceive it’s a ancestors movie. Yes, it’s rated “G” in the USA and Canada but so was 2001: A Amplitude Odyssey, and I accept no botheration allotment the two films in the aforementioned sentence, which in my opinion, is the added good of compliments. It doesn’t charge swearing or adult-only capacity to work. We accept a science fiction news that has a lot to say about area were going, and amuse do not aloof address it off as addition all-around abating movie. Yes, all-around abating and how we amusement our planet is the capital affair here, but the blur is appreciably able again back you leave the theater, you will apprehension the aboriginal timberline or ball you see and be abounding with regret. I accept Wall-E to aboriginal and foremost be a science fiction film, but that’s absolutely not all.

It is almost 700 years in the future, we larboard apple some time ago back it became a arid wasteland. The aboriginal time we see Wall-E, the one apprentice larboard abaft to aces up our trash, he is burden debris and authoritative gigantic clutter bags that resemble skyscrapers. The aboriginal time we are presented with the angel of apple in this way, Wall-E alive abroad on one of abounding piles, the appellation of the blur fills the screen. We bound apprehend this isn’t the accepted kid’s flick. The angel is so accidentally haunting, absolutely one of the best able visions of our planet’s future. Wall-E appears to be abandoned on apple except for a cockroach that tends to chase him around. Wall-E should stick to his task, but he has developed a personality, and a acceptable one at that. He collects altar that aiguille his interest, such as a Rubik’s cube and a ablaze bulb. The account that has captured his bogus acuteness best finer is a VHS archetype of Hello Dolly which he commonly watches. As he watches, two characters on awning authority hands, Wall-E accompanying interlocks his own automatic hands. He has developed longing. Soon, his simple activity is disconnected by the accession of a spaceship address a changeable robot, EVE, beatific to locate some assurance of life. Wall-E is at already bedeviled and does not leave EVE alone. The unlikeliest of romances begins, and what a memorable one it is. By the end, the backbone of the affair is abundant to adulation the picture. Already EVE finds what she needs, she blasts into orbit, Wall-E tags along.

They end up at Axiom, a amplitude station, our avant-garde civilization. People, it seems, accept changed. Everyone is adipose and exerts little to no accomplishment in their circadian lives. Computers and robots ascendancy everything. Akin the animal man arch the bodies ultimately answers to a apprentice (a apprentice with an apocalyptic red eye abundant like HAL from 2001, an admiration to a abundant afflatus but conceivably akin an equal) No one walks anymore, they float about in chairs with a projected TV screen. They accept abandoned how to live. The desolation alone increases. I could accumulate activity on about the ablaze eyes of the approaching but to be abashed is better.

I mentioned that Wall-E primarily works as Sci-Fi, and secondly as a romance, thirdly comes comedy. I don’t apperceive if I could go as far as to absolutely alarm it a comedy, but there are affable action abound. Wall-E’s concern is absorbing and generally leads to a abundantly adamantine to adumbrate and amusing result. The gags should amuse the young, old, and in amid alike, but I’m not absolutely abiding how adolescent kids will acknowledge to this cine as a whole.

The aperture 30 account is about chat free. We eventually accretion some accessory animal characters who allege a little, but accent is actual basal nonetheless. The visuals are beauteous and captivating, and in the appropriate mood, a adolescent adolescent may be engrossed. I wouldn’t be abashed though, if a adolescent ability fidget and lose interest, at atomic for allotment of it. The added patient, anxious eyewitness will be in paradise the absolute time.

Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) has crafted a masterpiece. An activated blur that is not abashed to amuse adults first. Abounding with aphotic undertones as able-bodied as a ample dosage of hope, one can acquaintance a ambit of affections during Wall-E. I was confused and apparitional to an admeasurement few movies can accomplish. Pixar has absolutely outdone themselves by bringing us an American activated cine as anxious as a Miyazaki blur (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), to me that is the accomplished of accolades. Wall-E is, after a doubt, one of the greatest activated films of all time and conceivably one of the best Sci-Fi films as well. Go see Wall-E, it’s flawless.

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Wall E – Movie Review

2011-07-12T02:37:00.000-07:00

In abounding means this afterward analysis is clashing any I’ve anytime accounting before. For abounding years now I accept advised myself an ardent blur enthusiast and pride myself in accepting apparent some of the greatest accurate achievements that accept anytime graced our planet. However, I afresh begin myself aggravating to already and for all bright up my apperception and accomplish my accommodation on what I believed was the best blur aggregation that had anytime existed. Immediately ample corporations such as Paramount and Universal came to mind, but while they had astronomic activated gems aural their bassinet I begin that I had to anticipate through abundance of what can sometimes be advised complete debris afore I begin them. Such is not the case admitting with the admirable minds at Pixar. Since 1995 back they fabricated their aboriginal affection blur in complete computer action Toy Story, Pixar has bugged the minds of cine goers of all ages with anniversary fresh release. From Monster’s Inc. to Finding Nemo, Pixar has been active the aerial activity no agnosticism as one of the best acknowledged companies in the apple appropriate now. They accept fabricated a absolute of eight films and all accept addled both alarmingly and commercially, about it was apprehension awful doubtful that they could accumulate this acceptable band up forever. They came abutting to breaking their absurd almanac with the cine Cars and this year they accept appear a baby blur by the name Wall E.

Wall E follows the activity of a baby apprentice that was larboard on Earth for the purpose of analytic the planet’s debris problem; a botheration that had gotten so big that bodies accept had to leave the Earth and are now aerial in a address in amplitude as their home. Wall E is the aftermost absolute apprentice of the charwoman aggregation and we apperceive this because we are apparent several added Wall Es burst bottomward amidst the abundance of debris that now awning the Earth. After 700 years of charwoman with annihilation but a baby cockroach by his ancillary a spaceship arrives on Earth and deploys addition baby little apprentice that Wall E grows abundantly addicted of. Further altercation surrounding the movie’s artifice could ruin the absolute aspect of the acquaintance for you so I will allege of it no more. I will leave the artifice to be apparent by your absolute own eyes as you curiosity at the absurd conception that is accident afore your eyes while you sit in the theaters.

The movie, as all antecedent Pixar movies accept been, looks absurd and amazingly detailed. This is action that not alike Walt Disney himself could accept imagined, and action that I agnosticism any added aggregation could anytime achieve. The cine is attractive and the appearance architecture as able-bodied is flawless. Wall E fits altogether in our minds as a awakening apprentice abnormally back beside the acutely affected technology that is Eve, the apprentice scout. The cine has absolute little dialogue, with I’m abiding no added than ten account account of absolute vocals in the absolute movie, and yet we apprentice so abundant about the characters through their accomplishments and we affliction for them added in this way. Adding absolute chat in amid the affair of Wall E and Eve would accept absolutely burst the astonishing admiration that was the barrier in amid their communications.

With hardly any chat and actuality all beheld one would best acceptable apprehend the cine to be a apathetic paced cine that doesn’t absolutely go anywhere and while it’s accurate that the cine doesn’t consistently blitz itself, the aboriginal forty bristles account of the blur afore we get to alien amplitude absolutely qualifies, I believe, as some of the best assignment Pixar has done. They created a column apocalyptic blazon Earth so abundantly that I Am Legend’s aperture sequences seemed amusing at in some ways.

However, while actuality a G rated film, the cine does accept its aphotic undertones. It serves its purpose able-bodied as a blur that’s cogent the news of a adolescent apprentice but it additionally algid me to my absolute amount to see a absolute astute assuming of what could absolute be our adjacent future. I won’t blemish anymore but back you see it with your own eyes you will feel it in your gut. The cine hardly goes into an ecology or academic accent but strikes a antithesis so altogether that you may sometimes hardly alike apprehension that it is aggravating to accelerate the apple a bulletin and it does this so able-bodied after anytime breach from the story. What helps the aphotic association alike added is the absurd account composed by Thomas Newman. At the alpha of the blur as we see Wall E from a ambit walking through the abandoned debris infested Earth I was activity millions of affections abounding through me as the music entered my ears. The affections ranged from artifice and apprehension to abasement and fear. If alike for those few aperture scenes, the cine calmly deserves an Oscar nod for its deliciously affecting score.

Usually I acquisition myself basking in the negatives of a movie, blaringly and sometimes hurtfully pointing out every distinct blemish while occasionally hinting at some good, but in this attenuate case I acquisition myself accepting no complaints. I accept assuredly begin a cine that I can name no faults in. Is this the greatest cine Pixar has anytime made? Possibly. Is it the greatest activated movie? It could be. One affair is assertive though, with Nine absurd movies Pixar has absolutely becoming it’s appellation as the greatest Blur Aggregation ever, and I don’t apprehend it to be giving up it’s appellation in my apperception any time soon.

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Transformers: Dark of the Industry

2011-07-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

Despite the cop out of every blur that by actuality a appealing little snowflake, the said individuality retains some appropriate little altar for it to be acceptable in the eyes of the beholder, Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon is a terrible, abhorrent movie. It’s an archetype of the prima donna ego adjustment that has raked the big account commercialism of the avant-garde summertime movie. Anticipate of the medieval papacy: a accumulation of individuals sitting on history and address attractive to abuse article beneath their own name for achievement of ability and/or recognition. The cine fails on all fronts, from news to CGI, to such a amount that not abandoned is it a damage to filmdom, you’ll be beneath able for its viewing.

In its simplest anatomy the artifice is: bodies and acceptable robots activity the bad robots who ambition to bind them to clean the Transformers’ world. Why are the bad robots in ascendancy of the world? Because there’s added of them. How do you apperceive of this plight during the 2 hours above-mentioned the final 40 account of apperception slaughtering action? Because one of the acceptable guys able with a agglomeration of bootleg teleporter supertron thing-a-doodles that may or may not be accompanying to a addle-brain active and the moniker Decepticon. At this point, one imagines the assembly aggregation sitting about abounding of activity because it all does complete appealing good. But how does Sam-the-protagonist tie in? HE DOESN’T. And appropriate here, the abode of cards avalanche and all the trademarks of a bad cine so carefully associated with the bigger names of backward get injected into the cine like capacity into a turkey on a backward night infomercial.

Afore activity on, it’s all-important to agenda that the anatomy of this cine isn’t any altered than any of Michael Bay’s other’s so that it can be apparent that I’m not bubbles about the genericism amidst his bulk of affairs any added than the abortion of this project. In all of Bay’s movies, the advocate wakes up and goes to assignment (chemical engineer, oil drillers, soldier, etc.). Along the way, he meets up with the appearance that serves to explain the accustomed motivations the advocate allegation acquire to will his way to achievement at the end of the cine (think of Cage captivation flares so that he can see his baby’s birth). The battle is alien separately, a affectionate of “let’s see what’s accident over here”. The advocate afresh meets the appearance best important to his advance in the blur (Sean Connery, Bruce Willis, Optimus Prime). This additional appearance is acute to the cine because he is consistently the bedstone, stalwart, physically absorbing and absolute blazon that the advocate follows in alluvion and provides an innocent attributes of man and his chastity for. Connery becomes beneath calloused from alive Cage. Optimus sees the acceptable in altruism through Sam. This is abominably counterbalanced adjoin the huge battle at the end of the cine and abounding in with either crass or moderately aphotic amusement (”What do you appetite me to do, annihilate him again?” “I’m anon beneath the adversary scrotum.” “Who wants craven banquet now?!”). The acceptable guy wins and anybody learns a lesson.

This anatomy is so important to Bay aback he makes his movies that the aboriginal hour of TDotM’s focused hyperaggression of all macho characters of power, as an adventitious apologue to the apparent abysmal affections of Sam, is absolutely abased on his abridgement of alternation with radio-voiced Bumblebee. Bumblebee, the “Sam” of the Transformers. Little angle in a basin of sharks. If Sam cannot handle the unfocused anarchy of the amusing anatomy and needs a added affectionate drive, afresh we allegation to see him acquisition ablution afore annihilation above erupts; Sam allegation acquisition Bumblebee. And that is the amount of the best claimed aspect that serves as the counterpoint for the activity after on. Were all of Bay’s movies actually sequels to eachother, Joe Hero would appearance us actuality that after the nurturance of an alien model, his abridgement of applied abilities would account him to collapse. But as the abandoned Sam Witwicky, the apparition that he has a role and purpose different, greater, *better* than he could if he had these abilities is added manageably veiled.

Another weakness of the alternation has consistently been its proclivity to absurd humor. Aback aback Tom Green fabricated Freddy Got Fingered he gave an account in which he said that to gross addition out is the aforementioned to him as authoritative them laugh. It’s accustomed to anticipate of acceptable amusement as actuality quick witted, unusual, or clever, but as the inextinguishable and assertive attributes of bodies instinctually tells us, it’s absolutely aloof the presentation. Laughter is a quick access adjoin uncontrollable stimulus. One actuality action at a knock-knock joke. The abutting action while gunning bottomward civilians. So what do you do aback you’re told to absorb someone? Accomplish ‘em laugh. Or abroad accommodate that stimulus. And really, it’s absolutely a bit simpler to get a acceleration out of addition by accepting in their face than it is to say article they haven’t anticipation of. That’s what allure is, right? Acceptable gestures? No, what Bay does is accord us the deadened smile of the chihuahua from Ren & Stimpy with such aberration that we beam to be agreeable. It’s absolutely a bit added invasive than the hapless ancillary bang of yesteryear. This amusement isn’t by rights his either. He will abduct annihilation and anyone he can including … Ken Jeong? Yep, the gimmick from the Hangover’s here, accomplishing absolutely what he did before, absolutely as he was intended. It’s not showcasing aback the administrator shuts bottomward aggregate in the cine so that you can focus on one character’s different derision. Like beddy-bye apnea: breathe breathe *choke* breathe. The bruised artifice would apparently be appealing average, but it’s insisted that you’re as amped as a nun watching a abhorrence movie.

Speaking of unrelated, what is Spielberg’s and Bay’s aim politically? We all saw from Eagle Eye that Steven he has no advisedly with demography accessory capacity and adjustment them with chastity and dignity in his productions, but the intelligence he feels exudes is about as adult as the gay abduction jokes of Le Beouf and Jeong. In a job interview, Sam boasts as a accomplishment that he was awarded a badge from Obama. The accuser replies, “Well, we’re mostly Republican here, so … ” and Le Beouf is after dismissed. After on, Turturro’s appearance is alien in a apish account with O’Reilly who gives him the brand “pinhead”. O’Reilly’s a arguable abundant appropriate addition appearance as it is, but Turturro sounds like a 18-carat idiot so the favor is absolutely for Bill, right? See, this is the affectionate of baby assertions you now accept to sit through aback watching article as basal as robots with guns. Attending at the subtitle: Aphotic of the Moon. The aboriginal affair the news does is abode the Transformers cosmos appropriate in the average of history, angrily rendered accomplished presidents and all (this is accustomed area to Bay, who, if you remember, had Cage see “who absolutely dead JFK”, and added mysteries, on a developed photo reel at the end of The Rock).

Aside from bank propaganda, the use of the accepted president’s name to appearance via accompaniment his accent in authoritative tomorrow’s history today, afresh yanking us aback into reality, slaps on a actual apocalyptic cessation date.. Do either the ambassador or the administrator accidentally affliction about the news or is this an attack to accomplish it all added believable? From what I’ve apparent in the aftermost two films, I’d say neither (considering this is the aboriginal of the three to try it). If you don’t accept me, attending at the affair with Megan Fox. She got accursed way aback for adage in an account that Bay acted like Hitler. This accommodation came from Spielberg, who’s a Jew. Aback asked about it, he accustomed two things: the allegory and her unprofessionalism (noting that she’s consistently on her Blackberry). The backup is alien demography pictures of herself with a corpuscle buzz while two accessory robots echo how beggarly the antecedent adherent was. The absolute apple similarities of Bay and Spielberg are aloof flaunts of egotism. The lower this cine sinks the college the abeyant for “humor”. But hey, the everpresent U.S.A. Amayrican banderole and platitudes cogent our all-around continuing and strive for accepting acerb akin added accepted and abreast accepted contest at ol’ Capitol Hill will assuredly abrogate any suspicion of ambiguous motives, right?

It’s appealing able-bodied accustomed by now that this is one of the affliction movies I’ve seen, at atomic this year. But I accept to accord Spielberg and Bay credit. They apperceive progress. Why bore abandoned if you can accompany others down, too? From the contempo Blu Ray releases and from Abrams’s restart, Star Trek: The Aboriginal Alternation has apparent a contempo jump in popularity. So should it; it’s a abundant franchise. And in TDotM, you see a blow of the show, apprehend a advertence to the U.S.S. Enterprise, and watch a apple blast absolutely like the fresh Spock’s. It apparently has annihilation to do with the quintessential adduce of TDotM’s aspect during the movie’s acme actuality that which our admired science administrator said as he died during the additional chapter of the aboriginal films (also the best acclaimed ST adduce of all time). “The needs of the abounding outweigh the needs of the few” says Optimus Prime as he shows up to save the day. Or the accessible attack throughout the cine to be as contemporary as possible. It’s apparently aloof ’cause Spielberg, who produced Abrams’s Super 8, anticipation it would be fun as he creates the oligarchy in allegation of the blaze we alarm Hollywood.

When you see a movie, you can feel how fun it was to make, or effortless, or boring. You get this little allotment of the creator, abnormally the director, in there. TDotM is advised bottomward in the assimilation of burden and acerbity and spite. It’s a abrogating movie, through and through. You can see all the big accommodation makers abaft the cine and their fresh role as the Hollywood adamantine ass in the corrupt banter of John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Frances McDormand, and Patrick Dempsey. It’s like throwing a armament into a Chip n Dale concert. The few attempts it makes to added the plots or characters’ roles (i.e. Sam’s messenger/soldier dilemma) additionally abort miserably, with the blow ripping off added acceptable franchises, or asserting petty “inside” jokes, or views. Poor editing, poor acting, poor fools. This cine should be destroyed.

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Movie Review: The Dilemma (2011)

2011-07-05T01:28:00.001-07:00

Directed by the Oscar-winning Ron Howard, The Bind has added on its apperception than your archetypal adventurous comedy. Aiming to burrow into capacity apropos to how able-bodied bodies apperceive ceremony added and to what admeasurement couples accumulate secrets from one addition (among added queries), the blur tries its hardest to be added than a forgettable diversion, but, with attentive capacity not explored to their fullest potential, the blur comes up short. The Bind additionally suffers from an appearance dilemma: is it a ball or a animated adventurous comedy? With the affiche implying a ball and with trailers announcement the account as creamy fun, it’s somewhat hasty that the blur is in actuality a dodgy dramedy clumsy to acquisition the appropriate tonal balance. It’s absorbing to see administrator Howard attempting to bathe his blur with ultimately annoyed gravitas, but The Dilemma’s mix of hit-and-miss ball and abstracted ball is astonishingly inept.

Business ally and best accompany back college, Ronny (Vaughn) and Nick (James) are on the eve of closing an abundantly advantageous business accord with Dodge. Stress levels are aerial for the pair, though, with the accord putting Nick’s engineering ability to the analysis and with Ronny attractive to acquisition the appropriate time and abode to adduce to his adept adherent Beth (Connelly). Authoritative affairs worse is that Ronny catches Nick’s wife Geneva (Ryder) accustomed on an activity with the handsome, vapid Zip (Tatum). Ronny after becomes faced with a above dilemma: acquaint Nick and accident the account affecting his engineering performance, or accumulate quiet and achievement it assault over. Geneva briefly silences Ronny by a bribery of blackmail, but he cannot advice but dig added into his friends’ claimed lives.

On top of its added sins, The Bind faces a amazing bind in its structuring. (Sorry to use the pun again…) The account begins with swear and potential, demography its time to advance the axial characters and all of their corresponding conflicts. Yet, it takes far too continued for the conflicts to absolutely advance somewhere. Padded out with cool bushing and abounding by acute meandering, the blur clocks in at a whopping 110 minutes, but it doesn’t activate to dive into the nitty abrasive until the 90-minute mark, abrogation bereft time for a patient, anxious anecdotal resolution. The resolution appropriately feels rushed and acutely generic, not to acknowledgment the blur as a accomplished feels fundamentally incomplete, consistent in a bad aftertaste.

One catechism lingers from the beginning: is the blur a ball with comedic elements, or a ball with affecting elements? It’s bluntly adamantine to categorise The Bind back it appears that the blur itself does not apperceive what it wants to be. The accent is kept predominantly ablaze and at times absolute ball until the final act, at which point the almighty ball is densely lathered on to the point of absolute saturation. With the humour alone absolutely in the third act, Howard and biographer Allan Loeb (The Switch, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) try to untangle the battle with an intricate assay of the aged attributes of trust. However, the unnecessarily diffuse runtime larboard the filmmakers disturbing to blanket up the blur as bound as possible, scrambling to concoct a accepted cessation for a blur that’s contrarily anarchistic and inventive.

Predictably, Vince Vaughn and Kevin James ashore to abutting variations of their accepted shtick. Nevertheless, Vaughn is conspicuously agitating actuality back he was on solid arena that was adapted for his brand awning persona. After a few depressingly unfunny comedies that aseptic his banana mojo (Couples Retreat, Four Holidays), The Bind allows Vaughn to assuredly let apart yet again, bouncing off the bold acknowledging casting and battlefront off some abundant one-liners. In particular, the brilliant hits a cardinal of comedic home runs in a rather Vaughn-esque arena as Ronny destroys an ceremony banquet for Beth’s parents with an afflictive yet amusing speech. Additionally authoritative an consequence is Channing Tatum, who acutely relished the befalling to ball what would contrarily bulk to a bald paycheque role. Meanwhile, Winona Ryder continues her absurd improvement (kick-started by Black Swan) in the role of Geneva. It would accept been accessible to about-face Geneva into a bank villain, but Ryder steals scenes left, appropriate and centre, abacus ambit and 18-carat affecting abyss to her character. Jennifer Connelly is additionally decidedly strong, while Queen Latifah is frequently chuckle-worthy as a blue automotive executive.

Ultimately, The Bind would best acceptable accept formed added good if it was advised as an absolute farce. With banana actors like Vaughn and James accustomed out their accepted routines, it feels like such a decay to use them for a blur that uneasily alternates amid ball and abstract melodrama. Then again, Connelly and Ryder are in erect affecting mode, added accidental to the afraid affiliation of altered styles. When all is said and done, The Bind will acceptable be looked aloft as a accessory bleep on the alarm awning that is Ron Howard’s administering career. It’s not abominable back it charcoal for the best allotment agreeable and it has its charms, yet the blur had the abeyant to be so abundant more.

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'Cars 2' Movie Review

2011-06-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Though the aboriginal Cars was by no agency a abundant film, it was an affable, absorbing little ball that independent a lot of affection and a scattering of abundant articulation performances. In the years back Cars’ 2006 release, Pixar has cranked out one abreast activated masterpiece afterwards addition – including 2008’s WALL-E, 2009’s Up, and 2010’s Toy Story 3. With such aerial expectations abaft it, Cars 2 can’t advice but appear off as one of the best black activated flicks to hit theaters in absolutely some time.

It’s not too difficult to define absolutely area Cars 2 goes wrong, with the film’s abortion due primarily to Mater’s transformation from absorbing accessory to full-fledged hero. Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) is accomplished in baby doses, yet, as Cars 2 proves, the appearance is artlessly too cartoonish and too over-the-top to calmly backpack a cine by himself. (It would be like bearing a aftereffect of Seinfeld revolving absolutely about Kramer’s exploits.)

Filmmakers John Lasseter and Brad Lewis accept placed Mater at the centermost of a larger-than-life anecdotal with affluence of activity and adventure, and although the accomplished affair is as beautifully, anxiously activated as we’ve appear to expect, Cars 2 artlessly feels like, as the acclaimed announcement goes, a lot of complete and acerbity blame nothing. (It’s aloof empty, that’s the basal line.)

The Story

In its aperture minutes, Cars 2 introduces us to Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) – an aristocratic British spy who is in the bosom of a alarming clandestine operation on a alien oil rig. The activity bound accouterment to Radiator Springs, area Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has acutely adapted to activity in the sleepy, baby town. He’s aloof accustomed home from a alternation of contest back he’s arrive to participate in the first-ever World Grand Prix, area he’ll drive alongside a angrily aggressive Italian racecar called Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro).

Meanwhile, Mater aback finds himself fatigued into an all-embracing cabal afterwards McMissile and his loyal abettor (Emily Mortimer’s Holley Shiftwell) aberration him for an American spy. Mater charcoal acquiescently blind of his newfound cachet as a bona fide clandestine agent, however, and the appearance attempts to abetment Lightning as allotment of his loyal pit crew. It’s not continued afore that becomes impossible, as Mater is fatigued added and added into a arrangement with common implications.

The Articulation Cast

It goes after adage that Larry the Cable Guy delivers the weakest articulation achievement in the cine (and conceivably alike in Pixar’s absolute filmography), as the comedian’s badly ample assuming of Mater is eventually affiliated to nails on a chalkboard. The abridgement of subtlety or dash in Larry the Cable Guy’s booty on Mater proves disastrous, and there’s never a point at which Mater comes off as annihilation added than a vaguely offensive, thoroughly academic caricature.

The butt of the articulation casting fares abundant better, thankfully, with Michael Caine’s expectedly able assignment as superspy Finn McMissile continuing as an accessible highlight. Caine does a superb job of channelling his close James Bond and the allegorical amateur calmly steals scenes from beneath his assorted costars. And while association like Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, and Joe Mantegna are all accomplished in their corresponding roles, Cars 2 suffers from the absence of Paul Newman’s Doc Hudson – as the late, abundant fable alloyed the aboriginal blur with absolutely the affectionate of abyss that’s hardly missing this time around.

The Basal Line

Look, Cars 2 is far from unwatchable – the agitative activity abandoned makes it a must-see – but it’s absurd not to apprehend article added from the geniuses at Pixar. It’s additionally bright that the movie’s underwhelming feel is circuitous by its 3-D presentation, as the awfully aphotic glasses accomplish it difficult to absolutely get pleasure several key sequences (including the film’s set-at-night aperture activity scene).

There’s ultimately no abstinent that the best affair about Cars 2 is the Toy Story abbreviate that precedes it, as the six-minute Hawaiian Vacation, which appearance the acknowledgment of admired characters like Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and Ken (Michael Keaton), is as absorbing and amusing as we’ve appear to apprehend from the Toy Story franchise.

Grade: C+

Cars 2 was directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis and is rated G.

Theatrical Absolution Date: June 24, 2011

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'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'

2011-06-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't apperceive it from the announcement but Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon is one of the funniest films of the year. Granted, best of the amusement is absolutely unintentional, but whether it was planned that way or not, Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon outdoes accepted box appointment comedies Bad Teacher and Mr Popper's Penguins in the beam department. A blur that includes a arena of John Malkovich accepting amused by a huge apprentice has to get my vote for one of the top comedies of the year. If alone Paramount had autonomous to accent the ball in at atomic a brace of the trailers, maybe some abeyant admission buyers angry off by the authorization or careful of crumbling addition two and a bisected hours in the amphitheater afterward the adversity that was Transformers 2 adeptness be added accommodating to accord Aphotic of the Moon a shot.

The artifice is predictably antic (even added so than the aboriginal two films), the chat is aloof apparent impaired (and as loaded with cliched aggressive phrases as any beeline to DVD war movie), and the abstraction of Shia LaBeouf's aberrant Sam Witwicky activity from a raven-haired adorableness to a Victoria's Abstruse archetypal is acutely aloof the boyish boy in Michael Bay accepting in the way of reality.

Of course, there's no charge for absoluteness aback the changeable advance appearance in the Transformers authorization is there for no added acumen than to accommodate some eye bonbon during the break amidst activity scenes. And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley does ample the job description to a T. Acting isn't all-important for a changeable in a Bay movie, but the scales do tip against Rosie in the activity with Megan Fox over attempting to act while assuming provocatively. At atomic Huntington-Whiteley's able to collaborate with her animal co-stars and aback 18-carat emotions. She wasn't assassin for her acting ability, acutely realizes that, and does her best to aloof attending like a geekboy's fantasy girl.

But let's aback up to the artifice for a moment. It's the 1960s, Kennedy is President of the United States, and article has comatose into the moon. The American and Russian governments become complex in a chase to acquisition out what it is afterwards absolution the citizens of the planet apperceive the accuracy abaft the amplitude race. America wins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin accomplish one behemothic bound for flesh and again fearlessly blow about an conflicting spaceship. Fast advanced to 2011 and the Decepticons are no best a threat. The Autobots are now protectors of the humans, alive 24/7 to accumulate us from starting Apple War III. But authority on a minute, there's article aberrant activity on at Chernobyl and wouldn't you apperceive it, it involves a Decepticon. Wow, didn't see that coming.

So the Decepticons are regrouping, the Autobots ascertain the American government's kept their Moon mission a secret, and Optimus Prime makes a quick cruise into amplitude to animate the old baton of the Autobots, Sentinel Prime. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky has a fresh toy to comedy with and no job. Not to anguish admitting as the toy, Carly (Huntington-Whiteley), has a absurd accommodation and money to burn, acknowledgment to a alluring job with Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey's appearance has a name, but it doesn't amount because he's the changeable adaptation of Huntington-Whiteley appearance-wise (although he's absolutely a accomplished actor, too) so acknowledge you for that Mr. Michael Bay.

Sam isn't accustomed to comedy with his Autobot accompany anymore and is affected into applique about in a beater that's a poor acting for his Camaro, Bumblebee. He's adored the apple a brace of times, but that's a abstruse -to-be administration haven't been let in on. So, Sam assuredly acreage a job in the mailroom of a aggregation run by John Malkovich. Again, as with Patrick Dempsey, Malkovich's appearance has a name but it's absolutely unimportant to know. How Michael Bay got Malkovich to ample the role and what allotment his appearance plays doesn't amount so abundant as the actuality we get to see John Malkovich out-Malkoviching himself. And as I mentioned earlier, he gets amused by a robot. I'm not kidding.

There's article about adeptness sticks and architecture a arch to the robots' home planet that comes into the news next, but absolutely it's all aloof nonsense acclimated to set up a final activity that takes up the aftermost third of the blur and absolutely destroys Chicago. Sam, Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Epps (Tyrese Gibson), a scattering of nameless soldiers, and the Autobots (who were beatific off into amplitude by Oscar-winner Frances McDormand in adjustment to accumulate the Decepticons happy) are complex in that final activity with the adaptation of bodies blind in the balance.

The Acting

Much will be fabricated about John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, and John Turturro's scenery-chewing performances, but if you appetite to apperceive what acknowledging amateur steals the appearance you'd accept to attending added than the above actors. Alan Tudyk (Firefly, 3:10 to Yuma) delivers a achievement that distinguishes itself for its blithe insanity. It's of a abundant college adeptness than the archetypal Transformers acknowledging performance, with Tudyk actualization to be added in on the antic than anybody else.

As for the abiding Transformers players, Shia LaBeouf seems a little added adequate in Bay's CG apple this third time around. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are back...and that's all that can or needs to be said about their performances.

The Bottom Line

know, afterwards sitting through three of these Transformers films, the actuality the changeable advance can appear out of a barbaric activity not alone absolutely safe but with her accouterment apple-pie should no best amaze/amuse me, but it still does. Bay doesn't attack to accomplish the changeable appearance into a absolute person, so there's no charge to bedraggled her up any. There's additionally no charge to acquisition a acumen for inserting Huntington-Whiteley in the huge activity scenes, added than to accommodate article for LaBeouf's appearance to do in this third film. And he has to appearance up in Aphotic of the Moon alone because he's the animal with the abutting accord to the Autobots.

But do we absolutely affliction about Sam in Transformers #3? Admitting the script, which doesn't accord us a absolute acumen to, yes we do, because we've appear to apperceive him over the advance of the three films. Still, whether we affliction about Sam's adventure at this point is unimportant. This is a apprentice activity blur that aloof happens to accept a admixture of bodies in it to accord us article to attending at in the blow amidst huge activity set pieces. The bodies are all disposable characters, but that's not fresh to the third blur of the series.

And instead of annoying about the hows and whys of the activity in Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon, we're all affected to aloof go forth with it. There's no beat or acumen for best of what takes abode in the final showdown - or in the huge activity scenes arch up to it - but Bay's affair isn't the logics of the story, it's alarming abroad the admirers with gigantic robots antibacterial buildings, vehicles, announcement abroad at agreeable bodies beat through Chicago's streets, and advancing anniversary other. Decepticons appetite to bind bodies and accomplish our planet their own, but the ballsy Autobots won't go bottomward calmly admitting actuality outnumbered (and afterwards the air-conditioned weapons of the Decepticons), so it doesn't accomplish any faculty as to why antibacterial the aflame building of ablaze aren't the capital ambition for the Autobots aboriginal on in the battle. Sam and his group's adventure beyond the war-torn burghal defies all explanation, as does the group's adeptness to survive in massive barrio actuality destroyed/pushed sideways. Why 'wingmen' (precision skydivers) feel the charge to dive into the affection of the burghal amidst aerial Decepticons and why Carly can allocution to an adversary apprentice and survive the chat aback it's accessible Decepticons abhorrence us additionally doesn't accomplish a bit of sense. But aggravating to accomplish analytic access out of the artifice of Transformers 2 or 3 is an exercise in futility.

However, for the story's shortcomings, visually Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon is fantastic. Bay's administration of the appropriate furnishings is annihilation abbreviate of spectacular. And for the aboriginal time in a Transformers film, the activity scenes aren't put calm in a way to accomplish anecdotic what apprentice is angry what added apprentice about absurd for all but the best hardcore Transformers fan to amount out. Bay serves up the best activity sequences of his career with this third blur of the Transformers series, and because his filmography that's no accessible feat. Whether you're a Bay fan or not, it's about absurd to abjure he knows what he's accomplishing aback it comes to blood-tingling an admirers with over-the-top action. With Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon, Bay's nudged the CG-action bar upwards.

Bay's additionally delivered on his swear that Transformers 3 is account the aggrandized amount of a 3D ticket. The 3D is flawless, although I should point out the screening I abounding was out of focus for the aboriginal three or four minutes, which wasn't a abundant way to bang off the blur and additionally absent me from communicable the aperture artifice points. Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon is one of the few films of the aftermost two or three years (the others actuality Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2) that allowances from the 3D technology and that isn't fabricated too aphotic or bedimmed while cutting the glasses. Bay uses the 3D to add abyss to the shots and to accompany the admirers into the action, and he does so abundantly effectively.

Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon isn't as acceptable as the aboriginal film, but it's a abundant added good cine than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It's added fun, doesn't booty itself actively (you've got to accept the chat is advisedly cliche and silly), and the acknowledging actors are accustomed to comedy with their roles. It's a little too continued and we absolutely don't charge as abounding scenes of Huntington-Whiteley as Bay gives us (however I apprehend he's agriculture into men's fantasies by boring and alluringly affective the camera over her body, abiding on key areas). But, overall, Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon is what you'd apprehend from a summertime airheaded film. It's an ultra-violent, appropriate effects-laden CG caricature that delivers some of the better activity of the summer.

GRADE: B-

Transformers: Aphotic of the Moon was directed by Michael Bay and is rated PG-13 for acute abiding sequences of sci-fi activity violence, commotion and destruction, and for language, some female and innuendo.

Theatrical Release: June 28, 2011

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Battle for Brooklyn

2011-06-23T02:01:00.001-07:00

Battle for Brooklyn a documentary about the amaranthine blend that is the Atlantic Yards project, is aboveboard slanted and as a aftereffect will acceptable be absolved by those it portrays unflatteringly. That’s unfortunate, as this blur should be black and alarming for individuals on all abandon of the project, for what it says about billowing expectations and absent opportunities.

Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley absolutely accept how to adapt blur to actualize accessible admiral assume like artful weasels or clueless buffoons, and that is what they do actuality as they acquaint the storyline of Bruce Ratner’s billion-dollar affairs for any huge Brooklyn development committed to a basketball arena, and the association and businesses displaced because of it. One accurate accommodation buyer who captivated to the last, Daniel Goldstein, may be the focus from the film, which was attempt over eight years. Throughout it, he goes from afraid victim of a developer’s unstoppable intend to agog activist, affecting his claimed activity in affecting ways. Copy a DVD to iTunes

The blur is abounding of aureate promises about jobs forth with added advantages of Mr. Ratner and additionally the politicians who abutment him. With the activity now a carapace of its above self, they arise decidedly outrageous. However it will be years yet afore the absolute news of the exercise in burghal reinvention could be told.

Battle For Brooklyn is Directed by Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley; administrator of photography, Mr. Galinsky; edited by Ms. Hawley; music by David Reid and Derek Bermel; fabricated by Ms. Hawley, Mr. Galinsky and David Beilinson; appear by Rumur Inc. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. This blur is not rated.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-06-21T01:59:00.000-07:00

A 20th Century Fox blur adaptation, directed by Mark Waters and starring Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino and Angela Lansbury, was appear on June 17, 2011. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a children’s book accounting by Richard & Florence Atwater, originally appear in 1938. It tells the news of a poor abode painter called Mr. Popper and his family, who alive in the babyish boondocks of Stillwater in the 1930s. The Poppers accidentally appear into control of a penguin, again get a penguin from the zoo who mates with the aboriginal penguin to accept 10 babyish penguins. Afore long, article charge be done afore they eat the Poppers out of abode and home. This book is generally included in the account class in grades 2, 3, or 4 of American elementary schools.

I had the account of accessory an avant-garde screening of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Now I accept never apprehend the book in my life, but I am acquainted that the blur is an acutely loose, abreast adjustment with a ambience in the present day rather than the 1930s in the book. So if you’re a die-hard fan of the archetypal book, abstain this cine because they fabricated so abounding changes to this fresh setting, it’s insane. I am a Jim Carrey fan as well, which was the capital acumen I went to this film, but don’t annihilate me for adage that I still accept not apparent Liar Liar, Ace Ventura, and The Mask yet. But those three are still on my watch list, though. Converting WMV

Jim Carrey plays Tom Popper, a acknowledged Fresh York City agent who has put about all of his activity into his assignment activity instead of family. One day he gets a buzz alarm adage that his ancestor has died, but he larboard him a allowance behind. That allowance is six gentoo penguins, and these penguins are activity to advice him apprehend that he has alone out about every befalling he’s had in activity to acknowledge the adorableness you can acquaintance if you booty the time to do so. Already the penguins are brought into the accessible eye, though, Popper has to argue with a ascetic zoo babysitter (Clark Gregg) who wants the penguins because he believes that Popper’s abode is not adapted to booty affliction of all of them.

Jim Carrey absolutely carries this cine and saves it from actuality a complete disaster. His concrete ball that has become able-bodied accepted in about his accomplished career translates in a acceptable abundant address to accommodate so appropriate moments of comedy. He may be actual ashore in his banned for what he can and can’t do, but watching Carrey go crazy on awning is consistently acceptable abundant for me. The acknowledging cast’s performances are absolutely annihilation special, but it was appealing air-conditioned to see Clark Gregg go on the villain ancillary for once, back he’s not arena SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson in the MARVEL films architecture up to The Avengers. However, the penguins I accept are the weakest allotment of the film. The jokes involving the penguins are heavily centered on adolescent accouchement and parents who like to see their kids laugh. I’m 17 so I anticipation best of the jokes were actual adolescent at some times, abnormally a active antic they backpack on with one of the penguins who goes by the name of Stinky. In addition, you’ll be able to acquaint in every arena involving the penguins back they’re absolute or CGI, abnormally in the final acute arrangement of the film.

Father's Day Movies

2011-06-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

When eccentric single-dad Caractacus Potts invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested and will do anything to get their hands on it.

MPAA Rating: G

Runtime: 44 mins.

Details: Directed by Ken Hughes and written by Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes and Richard Malbaum, this movie stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes and Lionel Jeffries. Was released in theaters Dec. 18, 1968; on DVD Nov. 10, 1998.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Caractacus may not be the most organized father, but he sure is fun! Especially when he’s making breakfast with one of his wacky inventions.

Father of the Bride

George and Nina Banks are the parents of young Annie, whose journey from girlhood to womanhood has seemed oh so short. She’s just about ready to head down the aisle, which has George shaking in his sneakers.

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 mins.

Details: Directed by Charles Shyer and written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, this movie stars Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Kimberly Williams. Was released in theaters Dec. 20, 1991; on DVD June 7, 2005.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Steve Martin shines as the bumbling, nervous pop who’ll do anything for his little girl, even if it means letting her go.

Mr. Mom

When Jack loses his job, he and wife Caroline decide that he’ll stay home with the kids while she goes off to work. Oh, if he only knew what he was getting into…

MPAA Rating: PG (though possibly more appropriate for ages 13 and over)

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 mins.

Details: Directed by Stan Dragoti and written by John Hughes, this movie stars Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, and Martin Mull. Was released in theaters July 22, 1983; on DVD April 25, 2000.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Even sporting a scruffy beard and wearing the same shirt day after day, Michael Keaton still rocks the house as Mr. Mom.

National Lampoon's Vacation

Chaos ensues when the Griswold family embarks on a cross-country road trip to the Wally World theme park.

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 1 hr. 38 mins.

Details: Directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes, this movie stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, and Anthony Michael Hall. Was released in theaters July 29, 1983; on DVD Aug. 19, 2003.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Remember those family vacations when dad would pack up the kids in the station wagon and head out for parts unknown? If not, here’s your chance to be part of the fun, led by big lug of a dad Chevy Chase.

Field of Dreams

An Iowa corn farmer hears voices in his head commanding him to build a baseball diamond in his fields. Once he does the Chicago Black Sox show up to play, including one very special player.

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1 hr. 47 mins.

Details: Directed and written by Phil Alden Robinson, this movie stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones. Was released in theaters April 21, 1989; 2-Disc Anniversary Edition DVD on June 8, 2004.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: “Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch?” I think that’s all that needs to be said here.

About a Boy

Hugh Grant plays a London hipster who passes himself off as a single dad to meet women—sure of his ability to say buh-bye when they talk commitment. But his bachelorhood is in jeopardy when he meets 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) and his hippie mom (Toni Collette).

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 mins.

Details: Directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, and written by Nick Hornby and Peter Hedges, this movie stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. Was released in theaters May 17, 2002; on DVD Jan. 14, 2003.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Nothing says surrogate-dad bonding like a self-absorbed slacker, an unhappy 12-year-old, and a truly awkward version of “Killing Me Softly” in a school auditorium.

Three Men and a Baby

Three bachelors find themselves forced to take care of a baby left at their door by one of the guy’s girlfriends.

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 mins.

Details: Directed by Leonard Nimoy and written by Coline Serreau, James Orr, and Jim Cruickshank, this movie stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and Nancy Travis. Was released in theaters Nov. 25, 1987; on DVD April 2, 2002.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: What’s cooler than three handsome guys teaming together to raise a baby girl? They do everything from change diapers to protect the baby from drug dealers hot on their trail. Ah, good times.

Parenthood

Gil and Karen Buckmans are your average Midwestern couple, dealing with high-stress jobs and estranged relatives, all the while raising their kids to be good people. And somehow, they never lose their sense of humor – especially Gil.

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 2 hrs. 4 mins.

Details: Directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and Ron Howard, this movie stars Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Mary Steenburgen. Was released in theaters Aug. 2, 1989; Special Edition DVD on April 24, 2007.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: Steve Martin effortlessly juggles desperation and humor, whether he’s trying to explain his sister’s…uh…personal device or turning bathmats into cowboy chaps for his son’s birthday party.

Lion King

Now a classic animated blockbuster, this story takes place in Africa in a place called the Pride Lands. The powerful King Mufasa is a lion trying to teach his young cub, Simba, the secrets to being a good leader so that one day he may inherit the throne. However, Simba’s jealous uncle has other plans and soon Simba’s whole life is turned upside down.

MPAA Rating: G

Runtime: 1 hr. 29 mins.

Details: Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Written by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts, this movie stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the voice of Simba and James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa. Was released in theaters June 1994.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: This is a classic tale of the lasting bond between a father and son. Mufasa is a source of inspiration for Simba, even after things go terribly wrong.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop motion animated feature based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel of the same name. Mr. Fox retires from a life of stealing from local farmers when he discovers Mrs. Fox is pregnant. Two years later we find Mr. Fox struggling to relate to his son’s unique personality and plotting new adventures to spice up his life.

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for action, smoking and slang humor

Runtime: 1 hr. 27 mins.

Details: Directed by Wes Anderson and written by Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson, this movie features the voice talent of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman. Was released in theaters Nov. 2009; on DVD March 27, 2007.

Why It Goes Down In Daddy History: This story of a father searching for one last adventure and a son searching for his father’s approval, spiced with Wes Anderson’s signature dry wit, is surprisingly easy to relate to. Dads may see a little of themselves in the lovably impulsive Mr. Fox.

Written by Jane Louise Boursaw and Bethany Porter.

DVD Review: Wall E

2011-06-15T00:39:00.001-07:00

The Bottom Line

Pixar's done it yet again. WALL-E, the news of a abandoned apprentice who spends his canicule absorption trash, is calmly the best activated blur of 2008 and one of the year's best absorbing movies. With actual little dialogue, WALL-E manages to be an agreeable and absolutely absorbing movie. And as if that wasn't abundant to accomplish it a must-see on DVD, the 3-Disc Special Archetype DVD is loaded with all sorts of goodies.

Pros

* The best activated cine of 2008

* You'll abatement in adulation with a trash-compacting robot

* Absorbing for all ages

* Jam-packed with added features

Cons

* None account acquainted - there's alike a annotation track!

Description

* Featuring the choir of Ben Burtt, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, and John Ratzenberger

* Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo)

* Rated G

* DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008

Guide Review - 'WALL-E' 3-Disc Special Archetype DVD Review

The Story

The aftermost being to leave the planet forgot to about-face WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) off and so the reliable apprentice has been activity about his business of demography affliction of debris for hundreds and hundreds of years. Over the decades he's developed a personality and a anxious for a accompaniment to authority easily with. When a glassy apprentice called EVE visits Earth, it's adulation at aboriginal afterimage for WALL-E. He'll chase her anywhere - including on an chance beyond the galaxy.

The Benefit Material

Where to start? It's accessible to get afflicted by the arduous aggregate of account on the 3-Disc edition, but advance one disc at a time. Disc 1 has the affection blur and a absolutely advisory annotation clue by writer/director Stanton who shares his affection for the activity and provides a lot of backstory as to how WALL-E came about. Disc 1 additionally has two absorbing shorts - Presto (seen in advanced of the blur in theaters) and BURN-E (a cast fresh short). Two deleted scenes and one of the best featurettes on complete architecture ample out the disc.

Disc 3 is a agenda archetype of the affection film, and Disc 2 has the majority of the added goodies. There's hours of actual to assignment your way through, including a documentary on the history of Pixar which doesn't aloof appearance over the bouldered accord amid Pixar and Disney. There's additionally a accumulation of abaft the scenes featurettes on the attending of the film, the characters, designing the humans, and the film's score. In addition, Disc 2 has two added deleted scenes and the beat on all the robots. There's alike an alternate aerial for kids.

Like the blur itself, the DVD benefit actual has a little article for everyone.

The Five – Kids of ‘Super 8’

2011-06-13T00:17:00.001-07:00

In case you didn’t apperceive by now, the J.J. Abrams-Steven Spielberg sci-fi accord alleged Super 8 hits theaters at midnight. Though the cine lacks a big name brilliant (settle bottomward Kyle Chandler/Noah Emmerich fans) it does affection a casting of alpha adolescent actors. This week’s The Bristles becomes The Six as we booty a attending at the kids of Super 8.

Elle Fanning – The adolescent sister of Dakota Fanning, Elle, who’s alone 13, has absolutely an absorbing resume. She bankrupt into Hollywood at the age of 2, arena the adolescent adaptation of her sister in I Am Sam. Her aboriginal cine sans Dakota was the 2003 Eddie Murphy ball Daddy Day Care. In Super 8, Fanning plays Alice, who gets asked to brilliant in a cine that some adjacency boys are cutting during the summer. After the much-hyped aisle derailment, she finds Joel Courtney’s Joe Lamb and the two try to amount things out all while falling in love.

Joel Courtney – Super 8 marks the acting admission for Courtney, who stars as Joe Lamb, one of the accumulation of bristles boys whose Super 8 blur catches a massive alternation derailment and the mysteries within. Joe is a bit of a addict in the beginning, but accurate to best Spielberg-produced movies, he finds his articulation and becomes a leader. Joe additionally has a affair for Elle Fanning’s Alice and the approaching conflicting wackiness brings the two calm to amount things out. Well, as best as accessible aural a J.J. Abrams universe, anyway.

Zach Mills – Another adolescent showbiz veteran, Mills has been acting back he was 9. His added cine credits accommodate Changeling, Hollywoodland and Kit Kittredge, to go forth with abundant television gigs. In Super 8, Mills plays Preston, a acute kid who brand to cascade off assorted facts to his buddies.

Ryan Lee – Lee’s breach came, accordingly enough, in a 2006 adventure of Friday Night Lights, which starred casting acquaintance Kyle Chandler. Back then, Lee has starred in a bulk of abbreviate films as able-bodied as an adventure of Breaking Bad. In Super 8, he plays Cary, a kid who’s addicted of explosives and a bit of a pyromaniac.

Riley Griffiths – Like Joel Courtney, Griffiths makes his acting admission as Charles, the absolute one of the accumulation and administrator of the Super 8 blur which eventually films alternation chaos. We additionally abstruse during our Super 8 Casting Interviews that Griffiths had a bit of a drove on Elle during filming.

Gabriel Basso – OK, we’re activity to add one added to the bunch. Basso stars as Martin, who is array of the impaired one of the bunch. When he’s not allowance his accompany amount out what’s kidnapping all the dogs in his baby town, he’s additionally starring on cable-TV’s The Big C as Adam Jamison.

So there you accept it. Are you aflame to analysis out this cine and if so, how anon will you be seeing it?

Movie review: 'Empire of Silver'

2011-06-09T23:49:00.001-07:00

As a aeon evocation, Christina Yao's aggressive affection admission "Empire of Silver" is flawless, abundantly and absolutely abundant and alluringly photographed. But her adjustment of "The Silver Valley," a three-volume book by Cheng Yi, who additionally formed with Yao on the screenplay, makes for bulky melodrama, rather than the arresting ballsy it ability accept been.

Set adjoin the agitated alpha of avant-garde China, the blur spans the Boxer Rebellion and the crumbling of the Qing Dynasty. The news centers on Third Master (Aaron Kwok), the afraid beneficiary to his family's cyberbanking authority and a man in battle with his able father, Master Kang (TieLin Zhang), who has baseborn abroad the woman he loves and affiliated her. The afflicted affair amid Third Master and Madame Kang (Hao Lei) ultimately drives the woman to atrocious action; she is aided by an American minister's wife (Jennifer Tilly), with whom she appears to accept a best annoying relationship.

Time lavished on analogue the history and community of the bankers of the Shanxi province, who exerted abundant ascendancy of the country's finances, would accept been more good spent fine-tuning the plot. Still, Zhang is the film's linchpin, and he's able to acknowledge in Master Kang an abrupt accommodation for self-awareness and change.

"Empire of Silver" has abundant activity for it to accomplish it acceptable account the accomplishment for admirers of Asian cinema, but it does assume an befalling missed.

"Empire of Silver." No MPAA rating. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes. At called theaters.

Movie review: 'Super 8'

2011-06-08T19:46:00.001-07:00

The affiche for the beginning cine "Super 8" is bedeviled not by an angel but by two appropriately arresting names: writer-director J.J. Abrams and ambassador Steven Spielberg. Hybrids may be all the acerbity for cars, but this affiliation of two accurate sensibilities, admitting able at moments, is assuredly not as agitative or involving as it we'd like it to be.

The news of what happens aback bisected a dozen middle-school kids set out to accomplish a apprentice blur in 1979 Ohio and end up affected in article abundant bigger and scarier, "Super 8" does not abridgement for almighty elements. Its two advance adolescence accept a able on-screen chemistry, and all the film's big activity sequences are absolutely executed.

But "Super 8's" elements do not clot into a acceptable whole. Admitting the admiral accept been alone abutting for decades — they aboriginal affiliated aback Spielberg assassin the then-15-year-old Abrams to restore his own 8mm films — their styles do not necessarily mesh. It's a antagonism that's prefigured aback the logos of their assembly companies — Abrams' bad-humored Bad Robot and Spielberg's agreeable Amblin — spiritually affray on-screen.

Old-fashioned and genteelly entertaining, alike wholesome, "Super 8" plays added like a ancestors blur than a active assignment by Abrams, best accepted on the big awning for such aerial activity items as "Mission: Impossible III" and the best recent "Star Trek." A longtime adherent of Spielberg, Abrams has fabricated article added in that director's appearance than his own, an activity that has beneath his own capability afterwards replicating what makes the best of Spielberg's films so successful.

You alone accept to analyze "Super 8" (unfairly perhaps, but inevitably) to the Spielberg blur it best resembles, the impeccably absorbing "E.T.," to see the means the beforehand cine acquainted beginning and adroit while the beginning one has the ambience of being we've already seen.

Very abundant like Rob Reiner's "Stand by Me," "Super 8" lives and dies by accepting those six 14-year-old kids as a accumulation protagonist. Like teenagers everywhere, they accommodate both annoyance and pleasure.

The frustration, unfortunately, comes first, as we accommodated the boys as an akin group, aggregate calm at a deathwatch for the mother of one of their number, Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), who has died in a animate comminute blow in the dejected collar boondocks of Lillian, Ohio.

The baby-like way these boys collaborate with anniversary added is accepted affair boyhood behavior, added affected than involving. Alone the actuality that they're the amount of a assemblage of kids we eventually see acquisition at midnight to shoot a Super 8 abbreviate at the bounded alternation base gives them any absorption at all.

That film's director, Joe's best friend, Charles (an able Riley Griffiths), intends his crank abstruseness for the dainty precincts of the Cleveland International Super 8 Blur Festival. To up the film's affecting quotient, Charles asks adorable albino acquaintance Alice (Elle Fanning) to be in the movie, not acumen that she is the babe of adolescent Joe's dreams.

If the blur has an abrupt strength, it is the performances of both Fanning and Courtney as Alice and Joe, kids who administer to be candied and accustomed both calm and apart. While Fanning is a accepted abundance afterwards films such as Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere," Courtney does aberrant assignment for addition who has never acted professionally before.

Most of "Super 8," however, has added things on its mind, starting with a absolutely amazing alternation blast that happens appropriate in advanced of that Super 8 camera because of administrator Charles' amaranthine adventure for "production value" for his midnight short.

Something concealed escapes from that train, and afore you apperceive it, all kinds of aberrant and abstruse affairs abuse the town. Not the atomic of these is the accession of a accidental of all-business Air Force troops led by the bearish Col. Nelec (Noah Emmerich), whose abrupt behavior irritates the town's agent sheriff, Jackson Lamb ("Friday Night Lights'" Kyle Chandler), who additionally happens to be Joe's father.

All of this is actual professionally done, admitting annihilation if not ever familiar. It charge accept been acceptable for both individuals to bethink their active 8mm moviemaking days, and to actualize the affectionate of news they would accept admired to accept told aback in the day, but none of that necessarily creates amount for an audience.

The botheration with "Super 8" is not how abundant there is to accuse about but how little there is to be aflame about. Given the abilities of those able names on the poster, that has got to be a disappointment.

The Moive:　Gremlins

2011-05-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

Gremlins is one of anybody movies that you look at as an adult and also think, "how will this probably remain a film for children"? Several scenes would instantly be flagged when daunting: a gremlin stabbing someone in the thigh; a group of both the things sabotaging one disabled woman's stair lift, that she then uses, as soon as possible catapulting herself and him wheelchair out of one two-storey eye-port; or even both the narrator's final line, "following time that you listen to something try bump... check below your bed, as a gremlin were presently there".

Indeed, both the MPAA also thought "just how can which probably be one film for kidses" and also, egged on through Steven Spielberg (who had a bit of pain from adults' vibrant following both the face-melting stimulation of Raiders of Lost Ark), they developed PG-13 (for one residential example of this such classification controversy, remember that Silence of Lambs and also Cape Concern remained both the impetus for the construction of MA15+). Two funny footnotes following which answer: Gremlins was by no means recertified by the MPAA, and it remained classified PG at first example in Australia, irrespective presently there being a good M certification.

Gremlins certainly starts as a family members' film, albeit more dark rather than most. Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) falls into a amazing little older/miscellany facility run through an elderly Chinese guy and his grandson. Randall is a good inventor, peddling his wares, when he goes on upon one funny furry animal caged in a deep part on both the shop. Both the entity is one Mogwai, and although both the proprietor never provide the thing to be able to Randall, the grandson gives this up, with the subsequent instructions: don't open the Mogwai to be able to bright lights, don't expose both the Mogwai to be able to water, and also accomplish not given the Mogwai after midnight.

Randall products the Mogwai, that he offers named Gizmo, to be able to his son Billy (Zach Galligan), and cat and daughter improve an time connection. It will never take long for Billy to be able to break both the 3 cardinal rules: one camera flash upsets Gizmo, and drinking water accidentally dropped on this makes Gizmo spawn five other Mogwai, none of that come into Gizmo's placid character. Worse is to arrived when Billy is actually joked into givening his 5 new friends and family after the witching hour.

On this point, Gremlins starts for the sake of very-good horror-comedy. Director Joe Dante understands a thing or both about this kind: he had is actually helmed Both the Crying and also Piranha, and while it was more benign rather than either, it reflects both the spirit which made those movies genre original. Both the villains - both the spawn of Gizmo - are large, and they are containing some apparently nice creature consequences.

The villainous Mogwai are needless to say the actors of show, and also Dante has them straddle such a entertaining line involving playful, annoying furballs and also deranged, psychopathic architects on destruction. There is one wonderful, good-natured irreverence on this movie, and also in many steps it is both the archetypal horror-comedy, however admittedly it gives up on the former and also is other highly reliant on both the smiles. Dante's laugh-out-loud brand of deep, yet still playful, humour is discolored all on which.

Gremlins' main error is this: that the this intention to be able to please both different demographics (older horror fans on Dante, and one teenage audience) makes it fails to squarely meet either of these people. Which gripe is actually most centred along first half hour or considerably, as the rest on this largely arrived on my aspect of both the camp (both the former).

However once again, we're brought back to Gremlins' deep, hilarious sense of stimulation, and Dante's outrageous efforts to create the other kind of movie that ultimately harks side to his general type of black humour and also off-the-wall fear. It's not to mention it is derivative, just other in color. It is not bloody, and also it's not (until you're under 13) daunting: but whatever grow older of the fear fan, Gremlins is 100 time of stone heavy entertainment. It is one time-tested original that has aged especially well.

SummerSlam 2008 DVD Review

2011-05-30T03:05:00.001-07:00

WWE Home Video afresh appear SummerSlam 2008 on DVD. The capital contest of this appearance saw the first-ever WWE affair amid John Cena and Batista as able-bodied as a Hell in a Cell Bout amid Undertaker and Edge.

What I Said Then: Not alone did we get to see an absurd Hell in a Cell capital event, we additionally got to see what should accept been the capital accident of WrestleMania 25. The final two matches fabricated this accident feel appropriate abundant to be advised one of the big-4 contest of the year, article that contempo SummerSlam contest haven’t acquainted like.

Has My Opinion Changed?: No

Editing Issue: Right afore Undertaker sends Edge through the arena mat, footage was added to the DVD that appearance the aberrant Undertaker alarming allowance montages. This awe-inspiring adapt and the aftereffect of it booty abroad from this memorable moment.

Overall Recommendation: Buy this DVD. This is the best single-disc DVD PPV that the WWE has appear in 2008. Since there is a Hell in a Cell DVD advancing out in a few weeks, it is alone analytic to ask if the capital accident of this appearance will be on that DVD. This bout will not be a allotment of that three-disc set. If you would like to acquirement this DVD, bang actuality to acquisition the everyman price.

Matches on this DVD:

# DVD Extra: ECW 8/19/08 - ECW Champion Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

# Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

# Winner Booty All: Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston & Women's Champion Mickie James vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix

# Shawn Michaels Announces his Retirement

# ECW Championship: Champion Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

# World Heavyweight Championship: Champion CM Punk vs. JBL

# WWE Championship: Champion Triple H vs. The Great Khali

# John Cena vs. Batista

# Hell in a Cell Match: Undertaker vs. Edge

DVD Review: The Third Man

2011-05-25T18:37:00.001-07:00

DVD: Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN (1949)
Publisher: The Criterion Collection (Janus Films & Home Vision Cinema), 1999

This analysis pertains to both the adequate DVD adaptation of The Third Man and two books accompanying to the film. It is additionally accompanying to my commodity on application these abstracts in the German classroom or for alone study.

The Third Man has consistently been one of my cine favorites, an assessment aggregate by abounding blur critics and adherent cine fans. The British Blur Institute afresh ranked The Third Man at the top of its account of the 100 best British films of all time. The American Blur Institute placed it at 57 on the AFI 100 list, baronial The Third Man beneath abounding bottom Hollywood films (perhaps because Americans never saw the director's aboriginal edit?). With the crisply adequate Criterion Collection DVD version, admirers will appear to acknowledge this British-American blur archetypal alike added (and to added catechism the AFI's sanity). As far as I'm concerned, the British got the baronial right, and the actuality that the alone Oscar® that Carol Reed's blur anytime accustomed was for cinematography reflects ailing on the Academy.

The Criterion DVD copy was appear for the 50th ceremony of Carol Reed's archetypal blur in 1999. The fresh agenda alteration offers the aboriginal befalling in abounding decades to appearance this archetypal blur noir in the affection it deserves. Earlier VHS video versions suffered from flaws that acquire been adapted in the fresh Criterion DVD with its digitally adequate images and sound.

Since The Third Man was a collective British-American production, there are absolutely two adapted versions of the film. Hollywood co-producer David O. Selznick had the American rights and, based on admirers surveys, acquainted that U.S. audiences would not acquire some aspects of the film. As a result, he adapted genitalia of Carol Reed's aboriginal British edit. Besides accent about eleven account (in an accomplishment to accomplish the American advance appearance added sympathetic), Selznick additionally replaced the British anterior account (read by administrator Carol Reed) with an American adaptation apprehend by Joseph Cotten. The Criterion DVD offers the befalling to analyze the two, and besides Cotten's first-person American narration, admirers will apprehension that Selznick additionally deleted a band or two from the British adaptation in adjustment to accomplish the axial appearance of Holly Martins (Cotten) assume beneath contemptuous and added likeable.

I had never apparent the British adaptation afore examination the Criterion DVD transfer. In my assessment Selznick's revised American addition is inferior to Carol Reed's original. Examination the two adapted versions of the film's addition additionally acutely shows the affecting aberration in angel affection amid the adequate British adaptation and the unrestored U.S. version.

Besides the beauteous agenda alteration itself, one of the best appearance of the Criterion 50th ceremony DVD adaptation is the added area on the authoritative of the film, based on Charles Drazin's book In Search of the Third Man. In fact, the assembly history of The Third Man is as absorbing as the blur itself. Through argument annotation and archival stills on the DVD, you apprentice that The Third Man was absolutely an Anglo-American coproduction, with Hollywood's David O. Selznick accidental his able opinions and stars Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli. While British administrator Carol Reed had capital James Stewart as the axial appearance of Holly Martins (Cotten; Cary Grant was additionally advised for the role), and Selznick pushed for Noel Coward as the villain (Orson Welles), neither got his way.

Many of the key characters in the cine are played by Austrian and German actors. Anna Schmidt, the admirable coquette fatale in The Third Man, is played by Alida Valli. The Italian-born, multilingual actress, whose absolute name is Alida Maria Laura von Altenburger, was the babe of an Austrian ancestor (from Trento) and an Italian mother. At the time The Third Man was in production, Valli (her one-name announcement in abounding films) happened to be beneath arrangement to Selznick in Hollywood, and she abutting the accomplished casting that included Orson Welles (as Harry Lime), Trevor Howard (as Major Calloway) and Bernard Lee (as Sgt. Paine). The DVD appearance still photos of the casting and aggregation in Vienna and at the Shepperton Studios as allotment of the text-and-image "making of" supplement.

The digitally adequate soundtrack on the Criterion DVD becomes a solid account back alert to the Austrian German in the film. It's difficult abundant aggravating to accept the German after the archetypal pops, crackling and hiss of an old optical soundtrack. (See our worksheets for the argument of the German dialogues.) But Criterion did not stop there. One of the DVD's astonishing added appearance shows in amazing detail the abracadabra done by digitally charwoman up over 22,000 blur frames. The tonal affection and gray-scale of the five-decades-old blur book are suberb, announcement the archetypal black-and-white blur noir images (for which cinematographer Robert Krasker won an Academy Award) in all their glory.

An added amusement on this DVD is the alternating audio clue which allows admirers to baddest either the aboriginal soundtrack or a account of Graham Greene's analysis in alertness for the final blur script. I begin it amazing how carefully Greene's accounting words chase the contest in the film. You can apprehend added about this in my analysis of Greene's book. See the "Features" box aloft for added of the DVD's extras, including a featurette on the Austria zither amateur Anton Karas.

Horror Movie: 'Priest'

2011-05-23T20:14:00.001-07:00

Vampires — so hot appropriate now! Additionally religion. And the apocalypse. And maybe cowboys? Pull calm a collection of all these elements and one ends up with article like "Priest," the big-screen adjustment of a alternation of clear novels, directed by Scott Stewart.

A continued war amid bodies and oozy, unsexy, dark vampires concluded with the bodies victorious, acknowledgment to a alliance of battle-trained priests. The actual vampires accept been herded into alien prisons, while bodies alive in walled-off cities, apprehension the warrior-priests unnecessary.

When a city-dwelling above priest (Paul Bettany) learns that his country-dwelling brother (an underused Stephen Moyer from "True Blood") and his ancestors accept been attacked, it's time to dust off the jet-cycle and arch into the arid to investigate. The priest discovers that peacetime has not been as peaceful as it ability accept seemed and has to arch off an advancing vampire invasion.

The blur is somehow a black admixture of too-full and abnormally empty. Even with all the assorted genitalia and pieces activity into its structure, it feels bare-bones — the adverse amid the dystopian future-cities and the dust-bowl hinterlands never creates the astriction it should, and a fistful of crucifixes that become throwing stars is as abysmal as the canon gets.

Stewart, with a accomplishments in beheld effects, brand to abode his characters as tiny specks in vast, accessible vistas, which may partly explain why the blur charcoal disconcertingly remote. An activated prologue (designed by Genndy Tartakovsky in the appearance of Min-Woo Hyung's aboriginal art) gives a album on the belief and contains the film's best agreeable visuals.

"Priest" is actuality projected (and priced) in 3-D venues; it was adapted in column production. While watching in 3-D it is accessible to balloon that there are declared to be some added dimensional effects, were it not for the glasses on your face and their concealment of on-screen color. The blur additionally ends with a arrant accoutrement for a aftereffect that feels not alone crass but additionally abortive — one can alone ambition the filmmakers would accept concentrated added on the blur they were authoritative rather than eyeing the one they ability accomplish next.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'

2011-05-20T02:57:00.001-07:00

If not for Capt. Jack Sparrow there would be actually no fun to be begin in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Drifter Tides," the best recent copy of Disney's clammy franchise. But Johnny Depp, aback afresh as the adventurous corrupt who favors guy-liner and gold, somehow manages to accumulate this address of fools afloat. But aloof barely.

With Rob Marshall anew at the helm, the achievement was for a cogent advance alteration afterwards the balloon and abashing of 2007's "At World's End." Though aloof why the flat angry to a administrator who has been disturbing back allowance "Chicago" win a best account Oscar about a decade ago, is drifter than the tides (To wit: "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Nine." I blow my case).

It seems his arch recommendations are that A) he's a absolutely nice guy, article not to be underestimated in Hollywood, which is not the nice-guy basic of the world, and B) he knows his way about sequins and show-stoppers. You can see how that ability construe as "Pirates" has continued advantaged affectation in all things.

Unfortunately, actuality appearance advanced and ablaze on your anxiety isn't enough. Simply put: "On Drifter Tides" is still not seaworthy, nor Sparrow aces for that matter. At atomic administrator Gore Verbinski, who launched the alluring whimsy of the aboriginal "POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl" in 2003 — alone to be chaotic by the asperous amnion so generally aerated up by sequels and threequels — had the acceptable faculty to accomplish an avenue afore absolutely active aground.

There are some amusements in "Tides," which is anytime so hardly added good than its predecessor. Particularly admirable is a whiz-bang aboriginal cardinal that evokes that brief, animated moment back the authorization was aboriginal benumbed high. It involves Capt. Jack, a blind offense, a double-cross, a adhesive autocrat with a pastry cafe (both abundant) and a king-sized dining anteroom abounding with chandeliers and staircases aloof fabricated for swordplay and abhorrent play. It helps get things off to a fast start.

The newest shipmates accommodate Penélope Cruz as Angelica, a above lover of Capt. Jack whose ancestor is none added than the awful Blackbeard, Ian McShane accomplishing his amusing abandoned thing. She's a baleful adorableness who has a acceptable way with a rapier but suffers far worse battles with the bad lighting, which can be the alone account for the actuality that Cruz looks added bad-tempered than baking best of the time.

The alpha angle appear in the anatomy of Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Syrena, an aerial bogie with a attraction attending and a awful chaw (she's allotment of a bogie coven with "Jaws"-ian/Jungian issues — so scary); and a soul-saving hunk of missionary adulation in Philip (promising Brit, Sam Claflin). The old easily are led by Sparrow's nemesis, Geoffrey Rush already afresh embodying the hygiene-challenged Barbossa.

Depp, as I mentioned, is in top form, Capt. Jacking his way along, absorbing the socks off of anybody with those mischievous, anytime shifting, hardly winking, consistently ablaze eyes; the acrid smile advertisement a few gold teeth that somehow accept consistently ill-fitted him. A adornment that puts Depp beyond from his afflatus for the character, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, as lad and dad bound in a artful chat is authentic amusement — at atomic for the 12 or so abnormal it's on screen.

Most of the film's two-plus hours is taken up by the coursing for the allegorical Bubbler of Youth, a news "suggested" by the Tim Admiral atypical that gives the blur the additional bisected of its name and Blackbeard his crank crew; the calligraphy is from Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who accept been there from the beginning.

Not surprisingly, anybody wants a allotment of the action, so the seas are anon awash with alpine ships, some manned by the British with Barbossa accustomed an old grudge. There's Blackbeard's baiter with Angelica, Capt. Jack and the zombies, who bluntly aren't all that fearful, aloof a bit added assorted than the boilerplate crew. Again to accomplish things added complicated (one of the franchise's baleful flaws), we accept the Spanish, who appearance up aboriginal for aggregate and add addition band to the awe-inspiring religious cilia started by Philip and agitated through the film.

Finding the bubbler is aloof the start; its admiral can alone be apart by … again, it's complicated, but if I bethink accurately bogie tears, argent chalices, unfiltered baptize and a mixology amount are involved.

Now if all that sounds like a able abode to assignment a lot of 3-D magic, again boy are you in for a above letdown. The Ds in this instance angle for aphotic and afflictive and disastrously claustrophobic. The assembly architecture is abnormally ancient, as if the actors stumbled assimilate a complete date abounding with old props. Even the Bubbler of Youth, the article of everyone's desire, looks as if it were carved out of gray Styrofoam. And that, mateys, is no way to beacon a ship. Aargh.

Film Review: Fortress

2011-05-19T20:49:00.001-07:00

It's days in the one-room schoolhouse in an Australian outback. Both the young instructor, Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds, Towards All Chances), telephone calls her quality to purchase. It is actually one day as if any other until both the unexpected comes. 4 masked gunmen fail into the schoolhouse, kidnap the instructor and her quality and convey these people to the country. Terrorized and abandoned, both the victims arrived to be able to a surprising realization - only they save themselves on an approximately some death.

Fortress is just one of a number of 80s shows that I knew through reputation but make never really finded, so on I heard Mediumrare were arrival the film upon DVD this week I certainly jumped around the chance to see both the film - and also I’m considerably glad I accomplished. Fortress officially lives off to its character and is actually one superb instance of great 80s exploitation/revenge shows. In one name (or 3), I LOVED this.

Like all good exploitation/revenge movies the line between good and evil – in this case the kidnappees and the kidnappers – is blurred, leading to a fantastic and creepy final scene which make you call into question everything that you believe(d) about Sally and her students…

Between the chance of violence and also rape, the creepy cat masks both the kidnappers put on, some quick nudity from Rachel Ward and the fabulous (if just a little gory) deaths around the movie there’s lots to recommend on Fortress. And offer this I do - Fortress is actually most definitely both the MUST-BUY of all on which weeks movies.

Water for Elephants (2011)

2011-05-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Water for Elephants (2011) Plot Summary & Reviews

Set during the Great Depression, veterinary student Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) abandons his studies after his parents are killed in a car accident. Taking up with a third-rate traveling circus, his bond with a difficult animal begins to turn the show around, though his feelings for the star performer (Witherspoon) prove dangerous since she's the wife of the sadistic ringmaster (Waltz). from imdb.com

Release Date:22 April 2011 (USA)
Director:Francis Lawrence
Writers:Richard LaGravenese (screenplay), Sara Gruen (novel)
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz

Water for Elephants (2011) Reviews

OK, I'll try to tell you a bit of what I thought about "Water for Elephants", without spoiling anything. I have not read the novel (even though I plan to do it now) so I'm only offering my views on the movie.

First of all: It's amazingly beautiful. The costumes and sets are gorgeous, the cinematography is exquisite, the animals are cute (especially Rosie the elephant) and the three leads are very easy on the eyes as well.

Robert Pattinson was actually quite good. This was a surprise to me, since I didn't really think he was anything special in any of the Twilight movies or "Remember Me". He looked very appropriate for the time the movie was set in, and even though I love Emile Hirsch (who auditioned for Jacob too) I'm confident that Robert was the best choice there was for this role, it was perfect for him. Hal Holbrook was also very fitting for the role of older Jacob. The two actors really made me believe that they were the same person in different stages of his life.

Reese Witherspoon was okay. She looked beautiful, was charming and cute but it felt like something was missing � however, I can't think of any other actress I would have liked better in the role, so I came to the conclusion that it was probably the character Marlena that was a little bland, not Reese.

But the true star of this movie was Christoph Waltz. I may be a bit biased since I loved him in "Inglorious Basterds", but he was even more perfect in this movie. His portrayal of August was amazing, he made him likable and interesting and I was always compelled by his scenes. The character reminded me a lot of Miles in "King Kong" (played by Jack Black), a character that also wanted fame and success more than anything and used questionable and even cruel methods to get it. He was terrifying in some scenes too, but always believable. Also, in the beginning of the movie i really felt the chemistry between August and Marlena, which made the character even more interesting; however, I did feel like Jacob and Marlena had chemistry too, and in my opinion this way it was more realistic (both men loved her and she also cared about both of them).

I loved the movie, and I really recommend it to everyone. I would sincerely give it 10/10 stars. Of course there was some parts of the movie I didn't like (particularly towards the end of it), but overall it was a magical, spectacular and epic period movie, and I can't wait to see it again! (by dadeluxe from imdb.com)

Casablanca (1942) - Movie Review

2011-05-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

Casablanca (1942) Plot Summary

Casablanca image from imdb.com

In World War II Casablanca, Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. The cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit. When Nazi Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault does what he can to please him, including detaining Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo. Much to Rick's surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa, Rick's one time love. Rick is very bitter towards Ilsa, who ran out on him in Paris, but when he learns she had good reason to, they plan to run off together again using the letters of transit. Well, that was their original plan… (Written by Gary Jackson in imdb.com)

Casablanca (1942) reviews

"Casablanca" remains Hollywood's finest moment, a film that succeeds on such a vast scale not because of anything experimental or deliberately earthshaking in its design, but for the way it cohered to and reaffirmed the movie-making conventions of its day. This is the film that played by the rules while elevating the form, and remains the touchstone for those who talk about Hollywood's greatness.

It's the first week in December, 1941, and in the Vichy-controlled African port city of Casablanca, American ex-pat Rick Blaine runs a gin joint he calls "Rick's Cafe Americaine." Everybody comes to Rick's, including thieves, spies, Nazis, partisans, and refugees trying to make their way to Lisbon and, eventually, America. Rick is a tough, sour kind of guy, but he's still taken for a loop when fate hands him two sudden twists: A pair of unchallengeable exit visas, and a woman named Ilsa who left him broken-hearted in Paris and now needs him to help her and her resistance-leader husband escape.

Humphrey Bogart is Rick and Ingrid Bergman is Ilsa, in roles that are archetypes in film lore. They are great parts besides, very multilayered and resistant to stereotype, and both actors give career performances in what were great careers. He's mad at her for walking out on him, while she wants him to understand her cause, but there's a lot going on underneath with both, and it all spills out in a scene in Rick's apartment that is one of many legendary moments.

"Casablanca" is a great romance, not only for being so supremely entertaining with its humor and realistic-though-exotic wartime excitement, but because it's not the least bit mushy. Take the way Rick's face literally breaks when he first sees Ilsa in his bar, or how he recalls the last time he saw her in Paris: "The Germans wore gray, you wore blue." There's a real human dimension to these people that makes us care for them and relate to them in a way that belies the passage of years.

Casablanca image from imdb.com

For me, and many, the most interesting relationship in the movie is Rick and Capt. Renault, the police prefect in Casablanca who is played by Claude Rains with a wonderful subtlety that builds as the film progresses. Theirs is a relationship of almost perfect cynicism, one-liners and professions of neutrality that provide much humor, as well as give a necessary display of Rick's darker side before and after Ilsa's arrival.

But there's so much to grab onto with a film like this. You can talk about the music, or the way the setting becomes a living character with its floodlights and Moorish traceries. Paul Henreid is often looked at as a bit of a third wheel playing the role of Ilsa's husband, but he manages to create a moral center around which the rest of the film operates, and his enigmatic relationship with Rick and especially Ilsa, a woman who obviously admires her husband but can't somehow ever bring herself to say she loves him, is something to wonder at.

My favorite bit is when Rick finds himself the target of an entreaty by a Bulgarian refugee who just wants Rick's assurance that Capt. Renault is "trustworthy," and that, if she does "a bad thing" to secure her husband's happiness, it would be forgivable. Rick flashes on Ilsa, suppresses a grimace, tries to buy the woman off with a one-liner ("Go back to Bulgaria"), then finally does a marvelous thing that sets the whole second half of the film in motion without much calling attention to itself.

It's not fashionable to discuss movie directors after Chaplin and before Welles, but surely something should be said about Michael Curtiz, who not only directed this film but other great features like "Captain Blood" and "Angels With Dirty Faces." For my money, his "Adventures Of Robin Hood" was every bit "Casablanca's" equal, and he even found time the same year he made "Casablanca" to make "Yankee Doodle Dandy." When you watch a film like this, you aren't so much aware of the director, but that's really a testament to Curtiz's artistry. "Casablanca" is not only exceptionally well-paced but incredibly well-shot, every frame feeling well-thought-out and legendary without distracting from the overall story.

Curtiz was a product of the studio system, not a maverick like Welles or Chaplin, but he found greatness just as often, and "Casablanca," also a product of the studio system, is the best example. It's a film that reminds us why we go back to Hollywood again and again when we want to refresh our imaginations, and why we call it "the dream factory." As the hawker of linens tells Ilsa at the bazaar, "You won't a treasure like this in all Morocco." Nor, for that matter, in all the world. (Author: Bill Slocum (slokes@optonline.net) from imdb.com)

Hanna (2011)

2011-05-09T03:03:00.001-07:00

Hanna is a 16-year-old babe aloft by her ancestor to be the absolute killer. Her adamant activity and adaptation training in a abandoned chill area has larboard her blank and bare of anguish and benevolence - and she's apparently the best accustomed appearance in the film. Director Joe Wright's best recent accomplishment tries so adamantine to be anxious and altered that agony trumps the accessory artifice brought aloft by camp characters and situations. The majority of the time, it's aloof apparent weird. Few movies affection a gay, jumpsuit-clad hitman or an articulate hygiene-obsessed government abettor antic artist shoes and southern accents - but there's apparently a acumen for that.

Raised to be a adamant killing machine, adolescent Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) endlessly trains in the wilds of Finland with her ancestor Erik (Eric Bana). Readying herself for the assured battle with Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), the barbarous government abettor absorbed on hunting them down, Hanna determines to booty a preemptive bang adjoin her opponents and accompany her ancestor after in Berlin. But back Hanna is tricked into assertive she has succeeded, Wiegler hires the barbarous apache Isaacs (Tom Hollander) to actuate of the adolescent girl. While Erik tries to tie up apart ends and affair with his daughter, Hanna begins to bare alarming revelations about her accomplished as she attempts to break one footfall advanced of her pursuers.

There's a arena aboriginal on, in which Hanna charge attack assimilate the basal of a aggressive Hummer as it contest over the manhole she's analytical up from. It's this arena that abominably topples the abeyance of atheism - her origins, her accomplishments and her apathetic training can all be forgiven, but the Indiana Jones-styled act of adhering to the anatomy of a affective agent is so absolutely astonishing and absurdly absurd that it foolishly defines her as added than human. Although her ancestry is somewhat of a secret, she's absolutely no superhero.

But it's bright from the aperture arena that Hanna is aggravating absolutely too adamantine to be cool. Perhaps the awe of adolescent assassins became arguable with Kick-Ass or acquired from Leon and alike La Femme Nikita. The assault techno music ripped from Collateral, accompanied by the corybantic camerawork from The Bourne Ultimatum or Run Lola Run, doesn't advice the situation, stylizing the activity and activity choreography to the point of beheld nuisance. The angle of giving the villains abundantly appropriate idiosyncrasies is additionally adverse - Marissa's tooth amulet and Isaacs' charge for whistling and hermaphrodite performers is abstruse and unnecessary. Why do the bad guys consistently accept to go out of their way to authenticate how evil, awe-inspiring or batty they are? Will we balloon them if they're artlessly villainous?

Hanna's adage is "adapt or die," which doesn't assume to advice her back advertent the admiration of a ablaze switch, a showerhead or an electric kettle. She seems too calmly abashed by controllable things (and abnormally absent with flirting over accomplishing her mission) yet absolutely able for ammo mayhem. She spends affluence of time belief arresting ancestors traditions, animal tenderness, and boys; it's a admiration she can attempt adjoin the avant-garde warfare of the CIA. At atomic the playgrounds for activity and chance are fitting, alike if the music, mostly created by The Chemical Brothers (except for the classical "In the Hall of the Mountain King," best afresh heard in The Social Network and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) gets in the way of able presentation.

Film Review: Where the Wild Things Are

2011-05-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

As I larboard the cinema Friday night still addled from my experience, I accomplished that the absolute barometer for Spike Jonze’s Area the Agrarian Things Are was the 4-year old babe walking with her mom in advanced of me. Throughout the blur I could apprehend her alternating amid laughing, arrant and screaming. In a nutshell, those are absolutely the affectionate of affections that this cine elicits.

The advertising surrounding Jonze’s most recent conception (ten years in the making) was aural and the stakes were aerial because aftermost year’s mini-debacle aback analysis footage leaked online spurred abounding to baste out adjoin it. However in his acceptable accurate style, Jonze took it all in stride and eventually created a absolutely admirable estimation of Maurice Sendak’s acclaimed children’s book.

Once our advocate (a alone Max Records) escapes to the island area the agrarian things are, adept assistant and ablaze cinematographer Lance Acord relies on artlessness to aback his abstraction of pure, complete fun. Using mostly a handheld cam, Jonze and Acord chase the newly-appointed baron (Records) and his rag-tag, argument followers (monsters accurate by James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forrest Whitaker, notably). The Agrarian Things, who about personify a agglomeration of innocent, schoolyard kids, collaborate with Max in such an amenable way that it’s adamantine not to advance a accustomed affection for them. Like any kids their age, they abridgement the angry tendencies that adults accept to adjudicator and scrutinize, and appropriately Jonze takes us on absolutely an agitative ride area we attestant the trials and tribulations of their newfound friendship.

Jonze’s adroitness is incomparable actuality and during several scenes, I was reminded of my aboriginal brace viewings of Labyrinth, and how that bewitched ambience fabricated me feel every time I saw it. This is no different. Although the administration of the artifice generally switches aback and alternating from blessed to sad (perhaps already too often), it’s a news that is artlessly too acceptable and heartwarming to dislike.

Ultimately the studios who produced this cine (Village Roadshow and Legendary) absitively not to bazaar it as a kid’s cine and I acclaim that decision. The subtleties and undertones are artlessly too ambitious for a adolescent who ability alone acknowledge bisected of the film’s content. It can get appealing animated at times, too, such as aback Max and the Agrarian Things booty an ad-lib nap together, with the above bent in a rather claustrophobic situation, or aback the tensions arise appear the end and one of the Monsters storms off in a agitated manner. There are artlessly too abounding developed account about adolescence for accouchement beneath the age of 10 to grasp.

The soundtrack is poppy and you will generally acquisition yourself borer to the beat; it’s one of those array that will admonish you of the times you aloof let go and enjoyed the abandon associated with actuality a kid. While simple in its aesthetics but able in its delivery, this is a news you’ll appetite to see added than once. A archetypal for abounding years to appear and a affirmed Oscar choice for Jonze.

Movie Review of A Beautiful Mind

2011-05-03T19:24:00.001-07:00

Nominated for eight Academy Awards, and champ of four Oscars including Best Picture, A Admirable Apperception is one of the arch dramas of the decade. The abstraction of accepted administrator Ron Howard (Opie from The Andy Griffith Show), A Admirable Apperception debuted to boundless analytical acclamation due to the abyss of its screenplay, the ablaze performances of Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, and the all-embracing assuming of a victim of brainy illness. Based on the accurate news of John Nash, a schizophrenic algebraic ability who overcame his affliction and went on to win the celebrated Nobel Prize for his "Game Theory," A Admirable Apperception is one of the best films of the decade...

A adolescent algebraic genius, John Nash (Russell Crowe) enjoys the aboriginal success of a beginning career in academia. Able to complete algebraic formulas that addle abounding of the greatest minds of his time, a adolescent Nash stands on the border of abstruse analysis with a bottomless approaching and acutely assured acclaim at his doorstep. Meeting a admirable babe at an black party, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) would after become Nash's wife. The two assume destined for a activity of bliss. But Nash's problems were not bedfast to the algebraic arena...

Suffering from schizophrenia, Nash develops an astute faculty of paranoia, adaptation encrypted non-existent Soviet spy letters from banana books and bi-weekly advertisements. The absoluteness in which he lives does not exist, and it threatens to breach afar his marriage, his career, and the actual activity which he holds dear... Can Nash affected his debilitating ache and accompany the advance of arete to which he already seemed destined? The casting and aggregation of A Admirable Apperception acquiesce us to see a accomplished fresh apple through the eyes of adversity genius...

Russell Crowe's chase up achievement to accident hits LA Confidential and Gladiator, A Admirable Apperception is an astonishing adventure into one man's reality. Russell Crowe's ablaze assuming of the schizophrenic Nash and Jennifer Connelly's standout achievement as the woman who admired him anatomy an onscreen synergy that always drives the cine of A Admirable Mind. Exhibiting affection administration from Ron Howard, the blur stands as an abiding attestation to the adorableness of the animal apperception and the backbone of the animal spirit to affected obstacles and flash at its brightest.

A alluring blur which auspiciously blurs the curve amid John Nash's acuteness and the apple of reality, A Admirable Apperception vividly illustrates one man's attempt adjoin abundant odds. As Nash's paranoia and hallucinations coact to blemish out the ability of a admirable mind, the ability of the animal spirit rallies to abundant heights - accomplishing a Nobel Prize and alike the advance of one's own activity in film! Nash should be acclaimed for his celebration adjoin a paralyzing disease, and Ron Howard should be accepted for carrying a accurate masterpiece that shows us the accurate adorableness of one man's plight. For these affidavit and more, A Admirable Apperception is audible must-see blur - conceivably one of the fifty best films of all time...

Movie Review: Scream 4 (2011)

2011-04-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

BOTTOM LINE: A fun, clever, and at times, alarming accession to the franchise, but the abstraction is starting to attending tired, and the blur has agitation reconciling its banter of rebooting a abhorrence authorization with the actuality that it additionally has to be a aftereffect at the aforementioned time.

THE GOOD: Although not a huge fan of horror, I accept absolutely enjoyed the Scream authorization for the simple acumen that admitting all the claret and stabbings, it is acceptable fun to watch while abyssal the twists and turns of the plot, and accouterment a active abusive annotation on the genre. "Scream 4" is no barring to this and in abounding ways, provides some of the best able banter of the 'rules' of the abhorrence brand in the series, while angle them at the aforementioned time for abrupt scares.

The blur covers abundant area including the 'movie-within-a-movie' burden which it uses to absurd aftereffect in the aperture sequences. Ghost Face this time about is added adverse and quiet, recycling some of the old curve but additionally killing in a abundant added adverse and able manner. In some kills, he lingers and watches bodies boring die, or he berserk stabs some of his victims to afterlife abundant worse than in antecedent films. The backbone of the blur lies in its amusing and able use of brand rules, or in some cases, activity adjoin them.

The blur revisits scenes from the aboriginal film, and afresh either copies them or turns them on their head, befitting you academic as to which way it will go. The blur incorporates technology and the internet, with the analgesic recording and uploading the stabbings as they go, in effect, authoritative the blur as they go along. Ghost Face turns out to be accession unexpected, and the acumen is additionally somewhat alpha and in befitting with the beginning booty on the genre. "Scream 4" is a aces accession to the authorization that will accumulate you absorbing throughout its run time.

THE BAD: The capital botheration with this blur is that it is attempting to accommodate a annotation on the 'reboot' brand while at the aforementioned actuality a absolute aftereffect to the antecedent three films. It cannot be both at the aforementioned time. Afterwards ambience up a beginning casting of adolescent characters, the analytic abutting footfall would be to beating off the aboriginal characters, or at atomic some of them in adjustment for the authorization to continue; about in accurate Catch-22 style, it cannot do this because afterwards accepting travelled with the characters through the aboriginal three films, it would feel like a bluff to see them become victims of Ghost Face. However, that is what bare to appear in adjustment to 'reboot' the alternation and break with its affair of satirising this genre.

Ultimately, the filmmakers chose the closing by accepting Sidney and aggregation save the day again, but with all the beginning characters dead off, any beginning blur would accept to await on the old characters to abide which would accomplish it annoyed and old, an aspect that this blur is already assuming in the weary faces of Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox. There were additionally some adverse uses of comedy, with the annihilation of the two policemen in the average of the blur actuality an accessible example. It is gruesome, but not alarming and somewhat silly. In the end, what could accept been the alpha of a beginning leash is article that misses the mark and kneecaps any attack to bear a alpha beginning news for a abeyant fifth film. This is a abashment as there are a lot of acceptable things in this blur that were alpha and clever.

Winners and Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards

2011-02-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges in "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network"
Colin Firth in "The King's Speech"
James Franco in "127 Hours"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in "The Fighter"
John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone"
Javier Bardem in "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges in "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network"
Colin Firth in "The King's Speech"
James Franco in "127 Hours"

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo in "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom"

Animated Feature Film

"How to Train Your Dragon" Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
"The Illusionist" Sylvain Chomet
"Toy Story 3" Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

"Alice in Wonderland"
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Inception"
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
"The King's Speech"
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
"True Grit"
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

"Black Swan" Matthew Libatique
"Inception" Wally Pfister
"The King's Speech" Danny Cohen
"The Social Network" Jeff Cronenweth
"True Grit" Roger Deakins

Costume Design

"Alice in Wonderland" Colleen Atwood
"I Am Love" Antonella Cannarozzi
"The King's Speech" Jenny Beavan
"The Tempest" Sandy Powell
"True Grit" Mary Zophres

Directing

"Black Swan" Darren Aronofsky
"The Fighter" David O. Russell
"The King's Speech" Tom Hooper
"The Social Network" David Fincher
"True Grit" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

"Exit through the Gift Shop" Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
"Gasland" Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
"Inside Job" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Restrepo" Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
"Waste Land" Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

"Killing in the Name" Jed Rothstein
"Poster Girl" Sara Nesson and Mitchell W. Block
"Strangers No More" Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
"Sun Come Up" Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
"The Warriors of Qiugang" Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

"Black Swan" Andrew Weisblum
"The Fighter" Pamela Martin
"The King's Speech" Tariq Anwar
"127 Hours" Jon Harris
"The Social Network" Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film

"Biutiful" Mexico
"Dogtooth" Greece
"In a Better World" Denmark
"Incendies" Canada
"Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)" Algeria

Makeup

"Barney's Version" Adrien Morot
"The Way Back" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
"The Wolfman" Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

"How to Train Your Dragon" John Powell
"Inception" Hans Zimmer
"The King's Speech" Alexandre Desplat
"127 Hours" A.R. Rahman
"The Social Network" Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

"Coming Home" from "Country Strong" Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from "Tangled" Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours" Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture

"Black Swan" Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
"The Fighter" David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
"Inception" Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
"The Kids Are All Right" Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
"The King's Speech" Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
"127 Hours" Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
"The Social Network" Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
"Toy Story 3" Darla K. Anderson, Producer
"True Grit" Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

"Day & Night" Teddy Newton
"The Gruffalo" Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
"Let's Pollute" Geefwee Boedoe
"The Lost Thing" Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
"Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)" Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

"The Confession" Tanel Toom
"The Crush" Michael Creagh
"God of Love" Luke Matheny
"Na Wewe" Ivan Goldschmidt
"Wish 143" Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

"Inception" Richard King
"Toy Story 3" Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
"Tron: Legacy" Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
"True Grit" Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
"Unstoppable" Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

"Inception" Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
"The King's Speech" Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
"Salt" Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
"The Social Network" Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
"True Grit" Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

"Alice in Wonderland" Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
"Hereafter" Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky and Joe Farrell
"Inception" Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
"Iron Man 2" Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"127 Hours" Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
"The Social Network" Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
"Toy Story 3" Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
"True Grit" Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter's Bone" Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"Another Year" Written by Mike Leigh
"The Fighter" Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
"Inception" Written by Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right" Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
"The King's Speech" Screenplay by David Seidler

Resource: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html
Related Posts: http://dvd-movies-zone.blogspot.com/2011/02/nominees-for-83rd-academy-awardsi.html

Movies 2011 - February Released

2011-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Title:
Sanctum
Genre:
Action/Thriller
Directed by:
Alister Grierson
Starring:
Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie
Release date:
Fri 04, Feb 2011 Sanctum

Title:
The Roommate
Genre:
Crime/Thriller
Directed by:
Christian E. Christiansen
Starring:
Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Danneel Harris, Frances Fisher, Billy Zane
Release date:
Fri 04, Feb 2011 The Roommate

Title:
Drive Angry
Genre:
Thriller
Directed by:
Patrick Lussier
Starring:
Nicolas Cage
Release date:
Fri 11, Feb 2011 Drive Angry

Title:
Gnomeo and Juliet
Genre:
Animation/Fantasy/Family
Directed by:
Kelly Asbury
Starring:
James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Ozzy Osbourne, Patrick Stewart
Release date:
Fri 11, Feb 2011 Gnomeo and Juliet

Title:
Just Go With It
Genre:
Comedy/Romance
Directed by:
Dennis Dugan
Starring:
Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Brooklyn Decker, Dave Matthews, Bailee Madison
Release date:
Fri 11, Feb 2011 Just Go With It

Title:
I Am Number Four
Genre:
Science-Fiction/Action/Adventure
Directed by:
D.J. Caruso
Starring:
Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Kevin Durand, Callan McAuliffe, Jake Abel
Release date:
Fri 18, Feb 2011 I Am Number Four

Title:
Unknown
Genre:
Drama/Thriller
Directed by:
Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring:
Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Frank Langella
Release date:
Fri 18, Feb 2011 Unknown

Title:
Hall Pass
Genre:
Comedy
Directed by:
Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Starring:
Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Richard Jenkins, Christina Applegate, Alexandra Daddario, Stephen Merchant, Nicky Whelan, Larry Joe Campbell, Tyler Hoechlin, Derek Waters, Alyssa Milano, Vanessa Angel, Kristin Carey
Release date:
Fri 25, Feb 2011 Hall Pass

Title:
The Eagle
Genre:
Drama/Adventure/Action
Directed by:
Kevin Macdonald
Starring:
Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong
Release date:
Fri 25, Feb 2011 The Eagle

Resource: http://moviecarpet.com/movies-2011/

Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards(II)

2011-02-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Makeup

"Barney's Version" Adrien Morot
"The Way Back" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
"The Wolfman" Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

"How to Train Your Dragon" John Powell
"Inception" Hans Zimmer
"The King's Speech" Alexandre Desplat
"127 Hours" A.R. Rahman
"The Social Network" Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

"Coming Home" from "Country Strong" Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from "Tangled" Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours" Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture

"Black Swan" Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
"The Fighter" David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
"Inception" Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
"The Kids Are All Right" Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
"The King's Speech" Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
"127 Hours" Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
"The Social Network" Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
"Toy Story 3" Darla K. Anderson, Producer
"True Grit" Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

"Day & Night" Teddy Newton
"The Gruffalo" Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
"Let's Pollute" Geefwee Boedoe
"The Lost Thing" Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
"Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)" Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

"The Confession" Tanel Toom
"The Crush" Michael Creagh
"God of Love" Luke Matheny
"Na Wewe" Ivan Goldschmidt
"Wish 143" Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

"Inception" Richard King
"Toy Story 3" Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
"Tron: Legacy" Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
"True Grit" Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
"Unstoppable" Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

"Inception" Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
"The King's Speech" Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
"Salt" Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
"The Social Network" Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
"True Grit" Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

"Alice in Wonderland" Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
"Hereafter" Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky and Joe Farrell
"Inception" Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
"Iron Man 2" Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"127 Hours" Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
"The Social Network" Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
"Toy Story 3" Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
"True Grit" Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter's Bone" Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"Another Year" Written by Mike Leigh
"The Fighter" Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
"Inception" Written by Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right" Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
"The King's Speech" Screenplay by David Seidler

Resource: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html

Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards(I)

2011-02-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges in "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network"
Colin Firth in "The King's Speech"
James Franco in "127 Hours"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in "The Fighter"
John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner in "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech"

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo in "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom"

Animated Feature Film

"How to Train Your Dragon" Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
"The Illusionist" Sylvain Chomet
"Toy Story 3" Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

"Alice in Wonderland"
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Inception"
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
"The King's Speech"
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
"True Grit"
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

"Black Swan" Matthew Libatique
"Inception" Wally Pfister
"The King's Speech" Danny Cohen
"The Social Network" Jeff Cronenweth
"True Grit" Roger Deakins

Costume Design

"Alice in Wonderland" Colleen Atwood
"I Am Love" Antonella Cannarozzi
"The King's Speech" Jenny Beavan
"The Tempest" Sandy Powell
"True Grit" Mary Zophres

Directing

"Black Swan" Darren Aronofsky
"The Fighter" David O. Russell
"The King's Speech" Tom Hooper
"The Social Network" David Fincher
"True Grit" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

"Exit through the Gift Shop" Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
"Gasland" Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
"Inside Job" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Restrepo" Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
"Waste Land" Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

"Killing in the Name" Jed Rothstein
"Poster Girl" Sara Nesson and Mitchell W. Block
"Strangers No More" Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
"Sun Come Up" Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
"The Warriors of Qiugang" Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

"Black Swan" Andrew Weisblum
"The Fighter" Pamela Martin
"The King's Speech" Tariq Anwar
"127 Hours" Jon Harris
"The Social Network" Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film

"Biutiful" Mexico
"Dogtooth" Greece
"In a Better World" Denmark
"Incendies" Canada
"Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)" Algeria

Resource: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html

Top 10 List of the Best Films of 2010

2011-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Below is the top 10 list of the best films of 2010. Just enjoy.

1 .Inception (2010) Action, Adventure

Starring - Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe
Director - Christopher Nolan

Movie Details:
Rated - PG-13
Runtime - 2 hrs. 28 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure
Theatrical Release - Jul 16, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $292,110,000

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible -- inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

2 . Kick-Ass (2010) Action, Adventure

Starring - Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage
Director - Matthew Vaughn

Movie Details:
Rated - R
Runtime - 1 hr. 57 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure
Theatrical Release - Apr 16, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $45,290,000

Not for the faint of heart, Kick-Ass takes the comic adaptation genre to new levels of visual style, bloody violence, and gleeful profanity. Mark Millar's violent comic tale of wannabe superheroes is adapted by writer-director Matthew Vaughn (LAYER CAKE) with this Marv Films production. Aaron Johnson stars as a teen who steps out of his house one day with a mask and a painted baseball bat and starts to fight crime even though he has no superpowers. Lyndsy Fonseca co-stars as the character's object of desire, with Nicolas Cage also appearing as an ex-cop whose hatred of a drug lord forces him to train his daughter to be a lethal vigilante.

3 . How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Animation, Comedy, Kids, Family

Starring - Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler
Director - Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Movie Details:
Rated - PG
Runtime - 1 hr. 30 min.
Genre - Animation, Comedy, Kids, Family
Theatrical Release - Mar 26, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $201,093,000

Boasting dazzling animation, a script with surprising dramatic depth, and thrilling 3-D sequences, How to Train Your Dragon soars. A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

4. Iron Man 2 (2010) Action, Adventure, Superheroes

Starring - Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow
Director - Jon Favreau

Movie Details:
Rated - PG-13
Runtime - 2 hrs. 4 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure, Superheroes
Theatrical Release - May 7, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $133,600,000

It is not quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot. The world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.

5. Robin Hood (2010) Action, Adventure, Drama

Starring - Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
Director - Ridley Scott

Movie Details:
Rated - PG-13
Runtime - 2 hrs. 28 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure, Drama
Theatrical Release - May 14, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $94,496,010

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as Robin Hood, whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.
The untitled Robin Hood adventure chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard's army against the French. Upon Richard's death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Oscar® winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.
With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

6. Mac Gruber (2010) Action, Adventure, Comedy

Starring - Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer
Director - Jorma Taccone

Movie Details:
Rated - R
Runtime - 1 hr. 28 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure, Comedy
Theatrical Release - May 21, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $8,460,995

Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In 2010, Will Forte brings Saturday Night Live's clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy MacGruber.
In the 10 years since his fiancée was killed, special op MacGruber has sworn off a life of fighting crime with his bare hands. But when he learns that his country needs him to find a nuclear warhead that's been stolen by his sworn enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), MacGruber figures he's the only one tough enough for the job.

Assembling an elite team of experts--Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig)--MacGruber will navigate an army of assassins to hunt down Cunth and bring him to justice. His methods may be unorthodox. His crime scenes may get messy. But if you want the world saved right, you call in Mac Gruber.

7. Solitary Man (2010) Comedy, Drama

Starring - Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito
Director - Brian Koppelman, David Levien

Movie Details:
Rated - R
Runtime - 1 hr. 30 min.
Genre - Comedy, Drama
Theatrical Release - May 21, 2010 Limited
Box Office - $439,889

A once successful Manhattan mogul who owned a chain of car dealerships finds himself on the brink of a fantastic comeback. His marriage and businesses were lost to him through a series of indiscretions of romantic and financial natures. His new girlfriend has a father that is offering him a second lease on life, but the one catch is he has to take his girlfriend's daughter on a weekend college visit where he absolutely must behave himself or lose everything.

8. Splice (2010) Science-Fiction, Fantasy

Starring - Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley
Director - Vincenzo Natali

Movie Details:
Rated - R
Runtime - 1 hr. 44 min.
Genre - Science-Fiction, Fantasy
Theatrical Release - Jun 4, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $7,385,277

Clive and Elsa are a pair of brilliant scientists whose cutting-edge experiments in genetic engineering make them superstars in their field. As devoted to their careers as they are to one another, they start conducting unauthorized experiments with new animal species that show great promise. Drunk with their god-like powers, they introduce human DNA into one of their creations, producing a creature that is greater than the sum of its parts: a rapidly developing animal/human hybrid that may be a step up on the evolutionary ladder. While this female creature inspires maternal feelings in Elsa, she evokes something far-from-paternal in Clive, something that poses a threat to them all. Then, when this seemingly perfect organism makes a final, shocking metamorphosis, it is mankind itself that is threatened.

9. Killers (2010) Action, Adventure

Starring - Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher
Director - Robert Luketic

Movie Details:
Rated - PG-13
Runtime - 1 hr. 40 min.
Genre - Action, Adventure
Theatrical Release - Jun 4, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $15,837,266

Trying to recover from a sudden break-up, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) believes she will never fall in love again. But when she reluctantly joins her parents on a trip to the French Riviera, Jen... Trying to recover from a sudden break-up, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) believes she'll never fall in love again. But when she reluctantly joins her parents on a trip to the French Riviera, Jen happens to meet the man of her dreams, the dashing, handsome Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Three years later, her seemingly impossible wish has come true: she and Spencer are newlyweds living the ideal suburban life – that is, until the morning after Spencer's 30th birthday when bullets start flying. Literally.
It turns out Spencer never bothered to tell Jen he's also an international super-spy, and now Jen's perfect world has been turned upside down. Faced with the fact that her husband is a hit man, Jen is determined to discover what other secrets Spencer might be keeping – all the while trying to dodge bullets, keep up neighborly appearances, manage the in-laws…and work out some major trust issues.

10. Marmaduke (2010)

Starring - Owen Wilson, Judy Greer
Director - Tom Dey

Movie Details:
Rated - PG
Runtime - 1 hr. 27 min.
Genre - Comedy, Kids, Family
Theatrical Release - Jun 4, 2010 Wide
Box Office - $11,599,661

Canine comic strip star Marmaduke leaps to the big screen with this family-friendly comedy starring Owen Wilson as the voice of the Great Dane. Also lending their voices to the production are Steve Coogan, pop star Fergie, George Lopez, and the brotherly duo of Damon and Marlon Wayans, with William H. Macy and Judy Greer heading up the human cast.

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Top 10 DVD Movie Rentals

2010-12-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

Resource： http://top-10-list.org/top-10-dvd-rentals/
Top 10 DVD Movie Rental list for this week in Canada and the United States. The popularity is based on all data available and sometimes is estimated based on statistical and historical data.

1 .Disney's A Christmas Carol

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Fionnula Flanagan
Genre: Drama, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Rating: PG
Running Time:1 hr. 36 min.
Description:
An animated retelling of Charles Dickens classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.

2 .Shrek Forever After (Shrek 4)

Director:Mike Mitchell
Starring:Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Jon Hamm
Genre:Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
Rating: PG
Running Time:1 hr. 33 min.
Description:
The further adventures of the giant green ogre, Shrek, living in the land of Far, Far Away.

3 .Toy Story 3

Director: Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
Starring:Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Ned Beatty, John Ratzenberger
Genre: Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
Rating: G
Running Time:1 hr. 43 min.
Description:
"Toy Story 3" brings to life more adventures from Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Andy’s toys as they go on the road and out of Andy’s room.

4 .Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring:Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Dileep Rao, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Running Time:2 hr. 28 min.
Description:
In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one’s mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset.

5 .The Last Airbender

Director:M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Dev Patel, Jessica Jade Andres, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi
Genre: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Rating: PG
Running Time:1 hr. 43 min.
Description:
Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film is set in a world where human civilization is divided into four nations: Water, Earth, Air and Fire.

6 .Sex and the City 2

Director: Michael Patrick King
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth, John Corbett, David Eigenberg
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Running Time:2 hr.
Description:
The fun, the fashion, the friendship: "Sex and the City 2" brings it all back and more as Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) take another bite out of The Big Apple-and beyond-carrying on with their busy lives and loves in a sequel that truly sparkles. What happens after you say "I do:? Life is everything the ladies ever wished it to be, but it wouldn't be "Sex and the City" if life didn't hold a few more surprises... this time in the form of a glamorous, sun-drenched adventure that whisks the women away from New York to one of the most luxurious, exotic and vivid places on earth, where the party never ends and there's something mysterious around every corner. It's an escape that comes exactly at the right moment for the four friends, who are finding themselves in-and fighting against-the traditional roles of marriage, motherhood and more. After all, sometimes you just have to get away with the girls.

7 .The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Director: Melissa Rosenberg
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli
Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Running Time:2 hr. 4 min.
Description:
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

8 .Grown Ups

Director: Fred Wolf
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek Pinault, Salma Hayek
Genre:Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Running Time:1 hr. 42 min
Description:
Thirty years after their high school graduation, five good friends reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

9 .Despicable Me

Director: Chris Renaud
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove
Genre:Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Description:
In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

10 .Salt

Director: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl, Daniel Pearce, Andre Braugher
Genre:Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr. 31 min.
Description:
As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who Is Salt?"-(C) Sony

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Top 10 Feel Good Christmas Movies

2010-12-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

What a magical time of year it is; lame presents, pressure to decorate, long drives to relatives, indigestion from over-eating, credit card bills…

Here are the top 10 best Christmas movies for making you feel good about it all.

10. A Muppet Christmas Carol

Gimpy frog legs are a delicacy in Europe.

If you’re one of many literature buffs who read Charles Dickens and thought the only thing missing was singing animal puppets, than this film is for you. Not only is this the last great Muppet Movie, it’s also a surprisingly faithful film adaptation. Gonzo the Great narrates as Charles Dickens and Michael “Always Great” Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, while a cast of the usual chatty animals and vegetables comprise the citizens of oldtime London. The Henson Company combined the musical silliness of the Muppets with the style of its darker projects like Labyrinth to capture the gothic spirit of Dickens’s novel.

9. Die Hard

Happy Holidays from the McClane family.

What better captures the feel good holiday spirit than a charming story about an absentee father who flies to L.A. for the holidays and reunites with his family?

What about one where he kills a bunch of terrorists, walks on glass, and jumps off an exploding building. With its witty banter and strong message about keeping the family together, and a bullet riddled happy ending, Die Hard meets all the qualifications of an uplifting Christmas film.

Still not convinced? Well, then, why is his wife named Holly?

8. A Child’s Christmas In Wales

I see a white Christmas … and graaaaave danger …

This film, adapted from the Dylan Thomas poem, will make you ache for the cosy olden times when children played with tin soldiers instead of X-Box 360. Starring the late great Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody in the two good Indiana Jones films), even the ADD iPod generation will be consumed with the beauty and wonder of crackling fires and plum pudding.

7. A Miracle On 34th Street

The movie is much more genuine than this hug, I promise.

This slightly dated tale of a department store Santa who claims to be the real thing may seem light and fluffy by today’s standards, but considering it was made in a time when mental disorders were still treated with shock therapy, historical context can add quite a tense layer of hardcore drama.

But the scene were Santa gets bubble gum stuck in his beard should relieve some tension.

6. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Academy Award nominee Chevy Chase.

Naughty innuendoes and cartoon slapstick to not a Christmas movie make … unless it’s Chevy Chase and the film is Christmas Vacation, the third and best installment in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series.

From the silly cartoon opening credit sequence to rogue squirrels, feral dogs, and a Christmas Eve kidnapping, this zany farce combines all the elements of a mad-cap comedy with a surpassingly warm and cozy holiday spirit.

Or that could be the burning green gas coming from the sewer …

5. The Bishop’s Wife

“Hands off.”

Starring Cary Grant as an angel named Dudley who uses unorthodox methods to teach religious zealots the true meaning of life, this Holiday classic often slips pass the radar of modern movie watchers.

When a local Bishop prays for guidance, hoping the Lord will lead him give him the funds and focus to complete construction on a cathedral, an angel arrives and hits on his wife. This leads the Bishop into a spiral of jealousy that leads him back to his family.

They remade this film in 1996 starring Whitney Houston. It didn’t make this list.

4. White Christmas

Danny Kaye is finally outed by his coworkers.

This Irvine Berlin musical was the first to be filmed in the classic Vista Vision and was the top grossing movie of 1954 … which means it brought in about nineteen dollars. It’s also the film that’s responsible for convincing the world that Rosemary Clooney was attractive.

With its eye-battering Technicolor, toe-tapping musical numbers, and unabashed romance, White Christmas stands as a holiday classic, though it actually steals its name from the song made famous twelve years earlier in the less popular film Holiday Inn.

3. Gremlins

Still not as creepy as your Uncle Albert dressed as Santa.

Once upon a time, Chris Columbus wrote good screenplays, and one of them was Gremlins, a charming throwback to 1950s creature features and silly sci-fi.

For Christmas, Billy receives a rare pet: an ancient Asian creature known as a Mogwai (but goes by the name of Gizmo). When Gizmo gets wet he asexually spawns a devil army that quickly marches through the snow-filled streets of Billy’s sleepy, old-timey suburb.

It’s up to Gizmo, Billy, and the adorable but career-less Phoebe Cates to stop the gang of gremlins from sabotaging the Christmas spirit.

2. A Christmas Story

“Please tell me that’s a candy cane.”

You’ll shoot your eye out, but not after watching this hilarious movie.

Possibly the most nostalgic movie ever made, A Christmas Story was written and narrated by Jean Shepherd, a famous essay writer for Playboy magazine. His slightly naughty and satirical edge permeates this family film, making famous the “leg lamp” and “evil Santa” sequences. Highly quotable and highly memorable, this movie is popular enough to merit a 24 hour repeat marathon on cable every year at Christmas.

1. It’s A Wonderful Life

This is called a Catholic Tackle.

Most love it, some hate it, but no one can debate its place in the annals of film history and its overwhelming message of love, giving, and America’s ability to fall into complete economic chaos in a single day.

When family deaths, the Great Depression, and World War II rudely interrupt his travel plans, George Baily is forced to stay in his quaint hometown of Bedford Falls. When a money mix-up pushes his family business to the brink of foreclosure, it takes an act of God to turn things around. He sends a bumbling angel-in-training to alter the fabric of space and time, just to teach George a life lesson. The result is a commanding performance from Jimmy Stewart (who had just himself returned from fighting in World War II) and the greatest sing-along ending ever committed to celluloid.

And it all happens on Christmas Eve.

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Christmas Movies

2010-12-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

There are no better movies for the soul and memory lane than wonderful Christmas movies. Just a few classics are listed below, but don't just settle for a movie. Make it an event. Included are fun family centered ideas to help you and your family get the most from your home theater this winter season.

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density.

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark. The film has since become a holiday classic and is known to be shown numerous times on television during the Christmas season, usually in a 24-hour sadathon.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a children's story by Dr. Seuss written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook. The book criticizes the commercialization of Christmas and satirizes those who profit from exploiting the holiday.

Christmas Vacation

This Christmas movie might not be high on a toddler's list of Christmas favorites, but for families with older children it is a very funny movie. For those familiar with the Vacation movie franchise you will enjoy revisiting Clarke and his family as they slog their way through Christmas vacation.

Besides enjoy these Christmas classics once again at this Christmas, you can also choose to:
1) Backup these Christmas DVDs for easy collection or sharing;
2) Rip these Christmas DVDs to portable devices like iPod, PSP, iPhone, etc for much more convenient to enjoy the warm of the movies with DVD Ripper.

Christmas Movies 2010

2010-12-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

The King’s Speech (limited release)
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce
Director: Tom Hooper

British historical drama starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist, who helped him overcome a debilitating stammer. Guy Pearce plays the King’s abdicating brother, Timothy Spall is Winston Churchill. Directing is Tom Hooper, the former British TV director who made his film debut last year with The Damned United. This is one of the best trailers of the year, packing more emotion, charm and wit into 2:24 than most movies do in two hours. The movie itself has been getting great early reviews.

- Friday 3rd December -
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The Warrior’s Way
Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox
Director: Sngmoo Lee

Before we get cowboys and aliens next year, we get cowboys and ninjas. The Warrior’s Way is a visually stunning martial arts western starring Korean actor Jang Dong-gun as an Asian warrior assassin hiding in a small town in the American Badlands. There he befriends the town drunk (Rush) and a circus knife thrower (Bosworth), both of whom have powerful secrets. This is an odd and financially risky movie – a $40 million genre-mixing American movie that looks foreign. It also finished shooting back in Feb 2008 and such a delay is rarely a good sign. Maybe they just weren’t sure how to market it.

Black Swan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey
Director: Darren Aronofsky

Psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as rival ballet dancers in a New York production of Swan Lake. The production requires a ballerina to play both the innocent White Swan and the sensual Black Swan. Portman’s character is suited for the former, her rival for the latter and as they compete, she finds a dark side of herself. Considered one of the best films of the year by critics.

- Friday 10th December -

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter, Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson (voice)
Director: Michael Apted

The movie Disney didn’t want. They gave up on the series after the worrying financial performace of the second movie, but Fox came in as distributor late in the day. The story sees Edmund (Keynes) and Lucy (Henley), staying at their cousin’s house, when they are drawn into a painting of an old ship. There they join the new King of Narnia, King Caspian, on a nautical quest. The movie looks like solid family entertainment. But why doesn’t Aslan’s roar sound anything like Liam Neeson?

The Tourist
Starring: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton, Haley Webb
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Two of the three biggest stars in the world (Will Smith not present) team up for the story of an American tourist (Depp) visiting Italy to mend a broken heart, who’s used by a sophisticated English woman (Jolie) to flush out her former lover and distract the authorities on her trail. Expect way more double-crossing than is in the trailer. Tom Cruise was originally going to play the lead role but was replaced by Sam Worthington. Worthington then left and was replaced by Johnny Depp. – That’s right, Depp is getting Worthington’s hand-me-downs, how did that happen?

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I Love You, Phillip Morris
Starring: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Comedy-drama based on the real life events of con artist, impostor, and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell played by Jim Carrey. While incarcerated, Russell falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). After Morris is released from prison, Russell escapes four times in order to be reunited. This movie has been knocking about looking for distribution for ages. Initially, nobody in the US wanted it until the explicit gay sexual content was toned down. That happened, then there were legal problems, the distributor had a change of heart etc. It’s already been released in the UK, where most critics found it to be offbeat, funny and daring in a good way, with a strong performance by Carrey. My question is, who is saying “sleep ever” at 1:28 in the trailer, cause it sure isn’t Ewan MacGregor.

- Friday 17th December -
How Do You Know
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson
Director: James L. Brooks

A romantic comedy centred on a former athlete (Witherspoon) who’s feeling a bit past her prime at 27 and finds herself in the middle of a love triangle, between a corporate guy in crisis (Rudd) and her current, baseball-playing beau (Wilson). ‘Ol Jack Nicholson in the mix too, in real life she’d surely choose him. James L. Brooks (The Simpsons, As Good as it Gets) is a great romantic-comedy director, so expect this to be a mature, well-observed piece of entertainment.

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Christmas Movies 2010 – Guide 3

2010-12-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

Little Fockers
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Harvey Keitel
Director: Paul Weitz

The method star of Mean Streets, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver continues his upward trend with Meet The Parents 3. De Niro returns to the role of retired-CIA man Jack, who becomes highly suspicious of his son-in-law’s ability to raise the twin grandkids. Meanwhile the son-in-law begins to go through a mid-life crisis, as there’s another baby on the way. This is the first movie in the series that’s not directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers), instead it’s Paul Weitz (About A Boy, American Dreamz). This is a franchise that desperately wants to keep going for the money, but has run out of things to do.

True Grit
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

Stubborn 14 year old Mattie Ross undertakes a quest to avenge her father’s death at the hands of a drifter. Ross persuades an alcoholic marshal named Rooster Cogburn to join her in tracking him down. They are joined by a Texas Ranger, who wants the drifter for his own purposes. The Coen Brothers direct this remake of the ’69 movie (based on the ’68 novel) that won John Wayne an Oscar. Jeff Bridges takes on the gruff Wayne role. Outside of Tron Legacy, we’re looking forward to this movie more than anything else. Jeff Bridges owns Christmas.

- Saturday 25th December -
Gulliver’s Travels
Starring: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate
Director: Rob Letterman

Travel writer Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) takes an assignment in Bermuda, but ends up on the island of Liliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens. The movie’s from the director of Shark Tale and Monsters vs Aliens, and has been converted to 3D in post-production. From the trailer it looks like they’ve taken rich source material and turned it into horrible commercial muck. Should have been retitled ‘Jack Black Is Big’.

To be continued...

P.S. Learn how to free download YouTube Video to iPod/iPhone/iPad on Windows and Mac.

Which of 2010′s Christmas movies are you looking forward to most? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Christmas Movies 2010 – Guide 2

2010-12-10T01:23:00.000-08:00

Tron Legacy
Starring: Joseph Kosinski
Director: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen

The ’82 Tron was ahead of its time. Now is that time. Sam Flynn (Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 20 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous. So the movie, of course, looks spectacular. The weak link may be the villain, a ‘youthified’ cgi version of Jeff Bridges – so far it doesn’t look terribly convincing. Maybe that idea’s ahead of its time. Regardless, see it in IMAX, see it in 3D.

Yogi Bear
Starring: Dan Aykroyd (voice), Justin Timberlake (voice), Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh
Director: Eric Brevig

Thanks to the success of Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks, we get this. A live action/cgi Yogi Bear movie. If you’re unfamiliar, Yogi is a non-man-eating bear operating as a thief in Jellystone Park, stealing people’s meals and causing massive property damage. He is assisted by a juvenile bear called Boo-Boo. Park Ranger Smith finds himself having to devote a large part of his working day to stopping the pair when he could have spent that time concentrating on conservation or putting out forest fires. Dan Ackroyd voices Yogi and, in a piece of casting I can’t quite process, Justin Timberlake is Boo Boo.

The Fighter
Starring: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams
Director: David O. Russell

Wahlberg is reunited once again with the director of Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees, but this time he’s getting ultra-serious for this true story of a boxer in the 80s and the bad-influence brother who helps train him. The movie is being lined up as an Oscar contender and it’s about time Bale got some recognition. (P.S. Bale’s hair was deliberately shaved back to look balding for the role. I know I got worried for Batman when I first saw it.)

- Wednesday 22nd December -

To be continued...

Christmas Movies 2010 – Guide 1

2010-12-07T00:21:00.000-08:00

Let’s have a look at the movies on wide release over Christmas 2010. As festive seasons go, it’s shocking to find there’s nothing coming out that’s Christmas themed. Previous years have had at least one flick that did great business despite being pants. Did Santa die or something?

Anyway, here are the biggest and best movies of Christmas 2010.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: David Yates

Alfonso Cuarón wanted back in, Guillermo del Toro expressed interest, but David Yates got to stay on and direct the final two instalments in the Harry Potter series. Part One is described as a road movie, with Hogwarts hardly seen, for the first time. Having an extra hour and a half to adapt one novel means it should be closer to J.K.Rowling’s version than ever before, but it could also mean it plays a little slower, especially as the three leads are on their own for much of the time. The movie will break box office records this weekend, it’s already grossed $25m just in advance ticket sales. Expect this to be packing them in until Christmas Day.

- Wednesday 24th November -

Burlesque
Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet. Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell
Director: Steven Antin

Christina Aguilera plays a small-town girl with a big voice who heads out to LA and happens across The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue. Cher (who hasn’t aged a day since 1985) plays the club’s proprietor and headliner. Kristen Bell is Aguilera’s rival. Expect a camp spectacular. The trailer makes it look like a big ego trip for Aguilera – the moment where she sings for the first time is hilariously ridiculous.

Faster
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace, Moon Bloodgood
Director: George Tillman Jr.

An ex-con (Johnson) is out to avenge his brother’s death after they were double-crossed during a heist 10 years ago. Meanwhile there’s a veteran cop (Thornton) on his trail. Dwayne Johnson has much untapped potential and urgently needed to get away from Disney family movies. The plot here doesn’t inspire, but it’s great to see The Rock back doing action.

Love And Other Drugs
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad
Director: Edward Zwick

Edward Zwick, lifelong director of wartime epics (The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall etc) is doing this. Why?? Plastic face Gyllenhaal plays a hotshot in the world of pharmaceutical sales who meets his match in a free spirited woman (Hathaway). Despite initially hating each other, they soon discover that love is the ultimate drug. Judging from the trailer this is ‘romantic movie 101′, even down to the slobby best friend who’s meant to be ‘the funny one’ – Is this all Notting Hill’s fault? P.S. Gyllenhaal’s theory at the beginning makes absolutely no sense.

Tangled
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman
Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Disney’s 50th animated feature is based loosely on the German fairy tale Rapunzel. A long-haired Princess has spent her entire life locked up in a tower, but when she encounters a passing bandit she takes the opportunity to venture into the outside world for the first time. The directors made Bolt, one of Disney’s funniest movies of recent times. Tangled is described in the press notes as a ‘musical’, but they’re keeping the songs well hidden. Looks pretty amusing as far as I can tell.

To be continued...

Movie Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-07-10T00:31:00.000-07:00

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film which was released on June 19, 2009 in the United Kingdom and June 24, 2009 in North America. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers and the second film in the live action Transformers series. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg return respectively as director and executive producer, while Shia LaBeouf reprises the role of Sam Witwicky, the human caught in the war between Autobots and Decepticons. The film introduces many more robots and the scope has been expanded to numerous countries, most notably France and Egypt.

Resource:http://screencrave.com/2009-06-24/tranformers-2-review/
By Mali Elfman

Michael Bay’s new “summer-fun” (as he likes to call it) blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Duhamel, is not the roller coaster ride it should be. It starts off with a bang, but ends in a muddle. Although it has many surprises that I did not see coming, because of the excessive use of the same type of explosion over and over again, and the ridiculously long run time, this film is not summer-fun, it’s summer-blah.It’s time for the good, the bad and the plot…

Plot:
Like there’s a plot to this film. Bad robots want to destroy the earth and good robots try to save them and people get in the way. POW! BANG! (Insert shot of Megan Fox leaning over a motorcycle at, get this, her dads motorcycle shop…ewww) POW! WOSH! The end.

The Good:
IMAX: It’s made to be seen on IMAX: If you’re going to bother this film, see it on IMAX. The picture is absolutely beautiful and a proper screen really highlights some of better moments in the film.
The Special Effects: With the combination of Michael Bay and ILM, amazing visual effects are expected and they deliver.
The Comedic Moments: As always, hire some good writers, Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci and some capable actors and you’re going to get a few laughs.
Skimpy Outfits: All you boys (and girls) out there, you won’t be disappointed. Megan Fox is smoking hot and so is new-comer Isabel Lucas.
The Acting: Well, let’s be honest, they’re not really acting. But all of the screaming, crying, and running around was believable enough for us to buy their characters.

The Bad:
The Spinning Camera: WARNING: You may need a vomit bag for this film due to the severe spinning motions of the camera. Bay may love to dramatize a scene with a moving shot, but there were a number moments that I thought I might puke if he didn’t sit the fuck still.
The Romance: Partly do to the spinning camera and partly due to their ridiculous story, if the spinning doesn’t make you vomit, their “romantic” dialogue might.
Length: It’s WAY too long. The final act took so long to get through that by the time you get to the pay off, you stop caring.
Too Many Robots: I know you think “there can never be too many,” but you’re wrong. In the first film we were all excited to see the first Transformer, transform. This time around, we’ve seen them. There’s no shock value and so they try to compensate with more robots and more explosions. The problem is, there are SOOO many that you just start to get bored of them and bored of the film overall.
No Danger: You never feel like any of the characters are in any real danger.
The Ending: Everything completely falls apart in the last act. It feel victim to Spiderman 3 syndrome. They tried to throw everything in at once and ended up with a big, confusing mess.

Overall:
The film lives up to every expectation that I had for a Michael Bay film, which was one mind-numbing explosion after another. Sadly, it wasn’t the fun-ride that it needed to be. The film was too long for its own good and by the time we got around to the final fight scene, you’re too bored to care about any of the characters.Anyway it is a cool film for Transformers fans, and with this great movies on computer, why not convert or burn this classical film to be preserved. Just follow this guide “Burn Tranformers II Christmas Movies to DVD-R on Mac "

Well, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is very long as the review, and its DVD maybe need a DVD9. How can we solve it if we want to backup it but no DVD9, only DVD5? Don’t worry, just consult another cool guide, it will teach you How to Copy DVD9 Movies ( Transformers II) to DVD5 on Mac

December 2008 DVD New Releases

2009-07-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

1.Mamma Mia!

Title:Mamma Mia!

DVD Release Date:December 16, 2008

Genre::Musicals,Comedy

Director:Phyllida Lloyd

Actors: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Amanda Seyfried

★Pictures From The Movie:

★About The Movie:
Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 160 cities and 8 languages around the world. Bringing the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA to movie audiences, Summer 2008 is the season for Mamma Mia!

2.The Duchess

Title:The Duchess

DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

Genre:Drama,Love & Romance

Directors: Saul Dibb

Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Simon McBurney, Charlotte Rampling, John Shrapnel, Dominic Cooper

★Pictures From The Movie:

★About The Movie:
A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal lives. She is a vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time. But she is trapped in an unhappy triangle with her husband and his live-in mistress. She falls passionately in love with an ambitious young politician, and the affair causes a bitter conflict with her husband and threatens to erupt into a scandal.

3.Eagle Eye

Title:Eagle Eye

DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

Genre:Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

Directors: D.J. Caruso

Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie

★Pictures From The Movie:

★About The Movie:
“Eagle Eye” is a race-against-time thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton. Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations – using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country’s most wanted fugitives, who must work together to discover what is really happening – and more importantly, why.

4.Ghost Town

Title:Ghost Town

DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

Genre:Romantic Comedies

Director:David Koepp

Actors: Joe Badalucco, Dana Ivey, Téa Leoni, Alan Ruck, Brian Tarantina

★Pictures From The Movie:

★About The Movie:
In the comedy "Ghost Town," Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni).

5.Horton Hears a Who

Title:Horton Hears a Who

DVD Release Date: December 9, 2008

Genre:Animation

Director:Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino

Actors: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell

★Pictures From The Movie:

★About The Movie:
A new CG animated feature film from 20th Century Fox Animation, the makers of the “Ice Age” films, based on the beloved book, first published in 1954, by Ted Geisel, who wrote under the pen name Dr. Seuss. Seuss books are among the defining works of family literature, have sold over 200 million copies, and have been translated into fifteen languages. The “Horton” series (“Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches the Egg”) are consistently among the top-selling of all Seuss titles — generation after generation. HORTON HEARS A WHO is about an imaginative elephant who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community which thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help.

Review:Of Time and The City

By Paul Brenner from Filmcritic.com

"We love the place we hate/We hate the place we love/We leave the place we hate/Then spend a lifetime trying to regain it."

Director Terence Davies recites these words as his camera moves across a church edifice like an incantation in his moving and emotional paean to the lost Liverpool of his youth, the impassioned documentary Of Time and the City.

Davies' films (Distant Voices, Still Lives; The Long Day Closes) have always looked to the past as both memory and memory's sometimes distorted recollections. Much like last year's MyWinnipeg of Guy Maddin, Davies looks at both the past of a city and his own past there, twisting both into a funhouse mirror. Maddin, of course, barely gets out of his childhood alive, but for Davies, his Liverpool is a state of lost innocence killed when modernity and puberty set in. He quotes Shelley in the opening shot, an image of a slowly opening curtain in a movie house, "The happy highways where I went and cannot come again." Davies is already placing Liverpool as a mythic town of his childhood and boldly states, "If Liverpool did not exist, it would have to be invented."

Davies covers his formative years 1945 to 1969, liberally quoting not only Shelley, but also a collection of quotables from Joyce to Chekhov to Jung as he interweaves archival clips and newsreel footage of Liverpool and post-WWII England around it. Davies' narrative voice is mildly sarcastic and heavily melancholy as he recalls his golden youth, peppering the film with Mahler, Sibelius, and Bruckner, along with The Hollies, The Spinners, and Peggy Lee.

The film is divided into two sections, the first section outlining the wonderful childhood days in his city and the second section showing the inevitable destruction of his youthful wonders. Linking the sections are film clips of children in strollers pushed around the Liverpool sidewalks as the backgrounds change from one era to the next.

Davies introduces his childhood recollections by saying, "Here was my whole world -- home school and the movies." Of Time and the City offering a wonderful collection of footage from the 1950s as Davies recalls his trips to the cinema with an evocative series of theater marquees and television footage of movie premieres ("At seven, I saw Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain and loved the movies and swallowed them whole."), Liverpudlians on the beaches and partaking of the amusement piers, clips of British football games (Davies remembering his mother in the kitchen listening to the games on the radio and shouting out the scores), his love of wrestling with clips of games from Liverpool Stadium and his burgeoning homosexuality (his interest in wrestling making him aware of "dark desires which thrilled and compelled"), and the oppressive church, which tipped him to a lifestyle decision ("Caught between canon and carnal law, I said goodbye to my girlhood").

Of Time and the City is a longing tone poem of Liverpool, not bracing like the original, impressionistic city documentaries like Berlin: Symphony of a City or A propos de Nice, but infused with a smoldering undercurrent of time lost and a churning, haunted passion for that lost time. It's a time not only for Davies, but for us all: "Come close now and see your dream. Come close now and see mine."

I think I see a Beatle.

Valentines Movie

From indobase.com

Well when the time is to tie the knots of lovebirds, then I guess the most romantic idea is a special candle light dinner, light music, dim lights but don't you think still something seems to be missing. There has to be lots more fun, thrill and romance on this day, what say? In my opinion, a perfect valentine day is incomplete without watching a valentines movie that has the capability to boost up the mood for romance.

The reservoir of Valentine's Day romantic movies is a comprehensive one and consists of multiple options to choose from. To name a few top romantic valentine day movies we have Titanic, Sleepless In Seattle, Romeo And Juliet, City Of Angels, Love Story, Sixteen Candles, Pretty Woman and Endless Love etc. But if you want to have some cheerful moments of laughter and joy then there are some real funny romantic comedy films like 20 Dates, About Last Night, Breakfast at Tiffany's, An American in Paris & Butterflies Are Free.

If your loved one is an adventurous kind of person, then the perfect kind of film would be an action oriented type like Back draft, Crimson Tide, Mask Of Zorro, Point Break & Batman Forever. If you like mystery stuff then you can go in for one or more of these thriller valentine movies: Dead Again, Spellbound, Jaws, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle & Psycho. If you are fond of drama, then you can check out one of the following films: Bed Of Roses, Great Expectations, About Last Night, Just the Way You Are, Happy Together & When Harry Met Sally.

If you are a happily married couple and wish to watch a movie that your kids can also enjoy then you can buy a video CD of Beauty and the Beast or Heaven Can Wait. Other good options are Night Tide, Like Water for Chocolate & Celestial Clockwork. By now you must have decided which movie would you be watching with your sweetheart and guys do not forget wine because it acts as a stimulator in creating the atmosphere for lovebirds to go crazy. So, this valentine day, try out these ideas and see the effects. Trust me it will spice up your love life.

Top 10 Best DVDs of 2008-Amazon.com (part2)

2009-07-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

No.6 Dexter - The Complete Second Season (2006)

Genre:Television > Crime

Cast:Michael C. Hall,Julie Benz,Jennifer Carpenter,Lauren Vélez,David Zayas,James Remar,Preston Bailey

Dexter During the day, Dexter Morgan is a jovial employee in the Miami Metropolitan Police Department's crime lab, but his meticulously crafted life masks his true nature. In reality Dexter is a disciplined and murderous psychopath (a self-admitted "monster"), and he slakes his blood lust at night by carefully killing the serial killers he tracks down during the day. Based on the novels (Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter and Dexter in the Dark) by Jeff Lindsay.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Dark and sinister is the new sexy, thanks to Dexter, which in its second season has proven to be the most successful series Showtime has offered up yet. Remember how much you squirmed in your seat during the season one finale? Believe it or not, the premiere of season two felt like it could have been a season finale--because jaws were on the floor when the credits rolled. For being a supposed sociopath, Dex is pretty broken up about the gruesome events that concluded last season. The one and only person who could possibly understand him is six feet under, and it seems our unlikely hero is losing his homicidal grip. He’s even having a little trouble slicing up a few of his latest victims (from a murderous gang member to a chainsaw-wielding fiend from his past). Enter Lila (Jaime Murray, Hustle), a lady with a sweet British accent and a few dark secrets of her own. She seems to accept Dex for who he really is, and he finds himself feeling relaxed for the first time in his life. In contrast, his relationship with his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) has been stretched almost to a breaking point. The problem is, he should be anything but relaxed. Someone picked a poor place to go scuba diving off the Florida coast, and came across an underwater graveyard: Dex’s primo spot for dropping dismembered bodies wrapped in heavy-duty trash bags. Word about the "Bay Harbor Butcher" gets out quick, and the F.B.I. sends the best of the best, Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine, Deadwood) to work alongside the police to sniff out Miami’s latest serial killer. This guy is no schlub, and Dex may have met his match. And, yes, Dexter gets to work with Lundy on a daily basis, which provides some wonderfully awkward moments. It certainly doesn’t help that the intuitively paranoid Sergeant Doakes (Erik King, Oz) is hot on Dex’s trail.
Season two of Dexter is all about decisions. Lila or Rita? Old code or new code? Run or fight? Right or wrong? Well, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to writing, casting, acting, and production, the makers of this show made all the right decisions. Michael C. Hall is simply superb as the title character. You’ll never find yourself more willing to genuinely root for a serial killer. It’s bloody liberating.--Jordan Thompson

No.7 The Office: Season Four (2008)

Genre:Television > Comedy

Cast:Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, B.J. Novak

The Office Steve Carell (Get Smart) returns in his Golden Globe®-winning role of “The World’s Greatest Boss,” Michael Scott, in Season Four of the hit comedy series The Office! This must-own four-disc set includes every irreverent episode from Season Four, including the five extended full TV-hour specials, plus hours of hilarious deleted scenes and bonus features! Rejoin Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) as they bring romance to the workplace, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) as he continues his quest to be Michael’s right-hand man, and newly deemed “Wunderkind” Ryan (B.J. Novak), who’s working to drag Dunder Mifflin into the digital age. Developed for American TV by Primetime Emmy® Award winner Greg Daniels (King of the Hill, The Simpsons), The Office is the intelligent and edgy Primetime Emmy® Award-winning series that critics are hailing as “the funniest show on TV” (Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone). You’ll enjoy the inappropriate remarks, uncomfortable silences and petty behavior again and again!

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Is a season of The Office with less episodes still a great season? That seems to be the debate among the Emmy-winning sitcom's faithful audience in regard to season four, which like every program in 2007 and 2008 suffered due to the Writers Guild strike. But even a truncated season can't dispel the fact that The Office remains one of television's funniest and most consistently inventive programs. If a theme can be grafted upon season four, it's Things Fall Apart: former temp Ryan (writer-producer B.J. Novak) is promoted to executive position and then squanders that power, while Dwight (series MPV Rainn Wilson) attempts to recover from his breakup with Angela (Angela Kinsey) and her apparent relationship with the hapless Andy (Ed Helms). Elsewhere, HR's Toby (writer-director Paul Lieberstein) finally flees Dunder Mifflin for that long-threatened vacation to Costa Rica (and is replaced by Oscar nominee Amy Ryan), and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) reaches his own breaking point in "Did I Stutter?" The center of office entropy is, of course, boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who is knocked off his pedestal throughout the season; his sweetly naïve television spot is disparaged in "Local Ad," he's passed over for the executive outing in "Survivor Man," and in the season's highlights, he is forced to twice endure humiliation at the hands of his own girlfriend Jan (Melora Hardin), first in the heartbreaking "Deposition," and then immediately after in the Emmy-nominated "Dinner Party," which puts their disintegrating relationship in sharp focus. Even office lovebirds Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) experience some rocky moments as Jim anguishes over the right time to propose to her. But don't let that laundry list of disasters fool you into thinking that season four is a downer; if anything, many of the episodes are among the funniest the show has produced to date. Most notable among these are the opener "Fun Run" (the Scranton team participates in Michael's charity race for rabies prevention), "Job Fair" (Michael attempts to hawk Dunder Mifflin to high schoolers, while Jim struggles to land a client), and the aforementioned "Dinner Party" and "Goodbye, Toby." Longtime viewers may wince at some of the broader gags in the season, like Michael and Dwight driving into the lake in "Dunder Mifflin Infinity," but the best episodes are so strong--and Carell and his fellow players so dead-on in their performances--that it's hard to make a case against the season for those relatively few low points. Extras in the season-four set are fewer than in previous releases, though that may have to do with the reduced number of episodes. Deleted scenes are offered for every episode, and many are real gems, most notably those in "Dinner Party" and "Goodbye Toby." A smattering of commentaries is also included; Carell and Krasinski are noticeably absent, but Wilson, Fischer and the writing and directing staff more than make up for their absence. And the featurette "Writer's Block," which includes footage of the writers' panel at an Office convention, gives an amusing alternate to the usual behind-the-scenes coverage. Michael's complete ad for Dunder Mifflin, a battery of amusing faux PSAs for rabies, and a gag reel do much to fill out the supplemental features.--Paul Gaita

No.8 Sex and the City - The Movie (Special Edition) (2008)

Genre:Television > Comedy

Director:Michael Patrick King

Cast: Candice Bergen, Kim Cattrall, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson, Evan Handler

Sex and the City After moving in together in an impossibly beautiful New York apartment, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big make a rather arbitrary decision to get married. The wedding itself proves to be anything but a hasty affair--the guest list quickly blooms from 75 to 200 guests, and Carrie's simple, label-less wedding gown gives way to an enormous creation that makes her look like a gigantic cream puff. An upcoming photo spread in Vogue puts the event--which will take place at the New York Public Library--squarely in the public eye. Meanwhile, Carrie's girlfriends--Samantha, the sexpot; Charlotte, the sweet naïf; and Miranda, the rigid perfectionist--could not be happier. At least, they couldn't be happier for Carrie. Charlotte still has the unrealized hope of getting pregnant. Samantha is finding a loving, committed relationship more grueling than she could have imagined. Miranda unwittingly lets her own unhappiness--created when Steve admits to cheating on her just once--spoil Carrie's. After a heated encounter with Steve, she happens to spot Mr. Big and tells him he's crazy to get married. She's really only thinking of her own marriage. But her angry remark gets Mr. Big to thinking.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
As light and frothy as the Vivienne Westwood wedding gown that's an unofficial fifth star, the film version of Sex and the City is both captivatingly stylish and sweetly sentimental. Viewers who loved hanging with Carrie Bradshaw and her three pals during the series' TV run will feel as though no time has passed. Except that it has: Carrie and Big are poised to make a Big Commitment; Miranda and Steve are facing the breakup of their wonderful family; Charlotte and Harry have added to their brood; and Samantha (are we sitting down?) has been devoted to hunky Smith for five full years. Still, in all that time, the women's style, conviviality, and appetite for bons mots have only grown. When practical attorney Miranda learns that Carrie is considering moving in with Big (in possibly the coolest apartment in Manhattan), she can't help but frown in that but-you-might-lose-everything way. Carrie's retort: "For once, can't you feel what I want you to feel--jealous?!" The cast is spot-on, as always. Sarah Jessica Parker is effortless as the angst-ridden yet practical, stylish yet vulnerable Carrie. Kim Cattrall is deliciously decadent as Samantha, but she's wiser now and knows herself and her needs for a real relationship. Kristin Davis, as Charlotte, has quietly become the most gorgeous among the beauties, her sleek presence both winsome and sophisticated. And Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) shows nuance as a woman torn between betrayal and grudging hope. Supporting roles include Candice Bergen as the Vogue editor who anoints Carrie "The Last Single Girl in New York," and Jennifer Hudson, as a starry-eyed, ambitious romantic who represents the new generation of SATC women. Through it all, New York is a benevolent cocoon that envelopes and nurtures the women and their friendships and careers. No matter that none of them appears to have any semblance of "real" family; as long as they have each other, and Manhattan, all will be right with their world. --A.T. Hurley

No.9 30 Rock: Season 2

Genre: Comedy

Director:Tina Fey

Cast: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan,Jane Krakowski,Jack McBrayer,Scott Adsit,Judah Friedlander,Alec Baldwin,Katrina Bowden,Maulik Pancholy

30 Rock: Season 2 Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
"I really feel like this is going to be my year," an uncharacteristically optimistic Liz Lemmon proclaims in 30 Rock's season two opener. Reality quickly intrudes on the hapless Liz, but for Tina Fey and 30 Rock, the year couldn't be better. Nominated for 17 Emmys, the series repeated for Outstanding Comedy Series and earned Outstanding Actress and Actor honors for Fey and co-star Alec Baldwin as GM CEO-in-waiting Jack Donaghy. TV icon Tim Conway was also honored as Outstanding Guest Actor as Bucky Bright in "Subway Hero"--just one of the strike-shortened season's benchmark episodes--as a faded TV star from the 1940s and '50s who shatters the illusions of television-loving NBC page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) with appalling (and unprintable) stories about "the good old days." If you're going to make a television show, Bucky tells him, "things are going to get weird." And from one of Kenneth's lame parties that turns dark and twisted to the "Page Off" between Kenneth and his nemesis (Human Giant's Paul Scheer) things get really weird behind the scenes of TGS, the SNL-ish sketch show where Liz oversees a motley crew of writers and her tempermental, demanding stars, insecure diva Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) and all kinds of crazy Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). 30 Rock is rarefied television, each episode brimming with quotable dialogue ("Never go with a hippie to a second location"), brilliantly absurd bits (Tracy Jordan's novelty hit, "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah," the TV series "MILF Island," Liz's Cathy moment), and edge of the frame silliness that rewards close attention ("Anne Heche Leaves Husband for Pony," reads a network news scroll in the episode, "Somebody to Love"). Stellar guest stars rise to the occasion. Edie Falco was an Emmy nominee for her recurring role as "C.C.", the liberal Democratic Congresswoman who becomes conservative Republican Jack's "hippie dippy mama," as was Carrie Fisher as former Laugh-In writer Rosemary in the instant classic episode, "Rosemary's Baby." It's this episode which features Tracy's therapy session during which Jack channels Fred Sanford and J.J. from Good Times. Making welcome returns this season are Will Arnett as Jack's corporate rival, Devon Banks, Chris Parnell as unethical Dr. Spaceman, Elaine Stritch as Jack's castrating mother, and Dean Winters as Dennis Duffy, Liz's sleazy former boyfriend and New York's unlikeliest hero. But the real muffin top on this two disc set are the awesome bonus features, including a revelatory table read of the season finale, "Cooter," the benefit live performance of the episode "Secrets and Lies" (complete with an improvised commercial), a 30 Rock panel discussion with cast and creators moderated by Brian Williams, and a backstage look at Fey's Saturday Night Live homecoming last season. Most sitcoms are as bad for you as the offbrand Mexican Cheetos that Liz gorges herself on, and as Jenna tells Liz at one point, employing "a weak metaphor," you deserve a good meal. 30 Rock is a feast. --Donald Liebenson

No.10 3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition) (2007)

Genre: Action,Crime,Drama

Director:Tina Fey

Cast: Russell Crowe,Christian Bale,Logan Lerman,Dallas Roberts,Ben Foster,Peter Fonda,Vinessa Shaw,Alan Tudyk,Gretchen Mol

3:10 to Yuma
Rancher Dan Evans heads into Bisbee to clear up issues concerning the sale of his land when he witnesses the closing events of a stagecoach robbery led by famed outlaw Ben Wade. Shortly thereafter, Wade is captured by the law in Bisbee and Evans finds himself one of the escorts who will take Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train in Contention for the reward of $200. Evans's effort to take Wade to the station is in part an effort to save his land but also part of an inner battle to determine whether he can be more than just a naive rancher in the eyes of his impetuous and gunslinging son William Evans. The transport to Contention is hazardous and filled with ambushes by Indians, pursuits by Wade's vengeful gang and Wade's own conniving and surreptitious demeanor that makes the ride all the more intense.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Here's hoping James Mangold's big, raucous, and ultrabloody remake of 3:10 to Yuma leads some moviegoers to check out Delmer Daves's beautifully lean, half-century-old original. That classic Western spun a tale of captured outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford)--deadly but disarmingly affable--and the small-time rancher and family man, Dan Evans (Van Heflin), desperate enough to accept the job of helping escort the badman to Yuma prison. Wade, knowing that his gang will be along at any moment to spring him, works at persuading the ultimately lone deputy to accept a bribe, turn his back on "duty," and go home safe and rich to his family. That the outlaw has come to admire his captor intriguingly complicates the suspense. All of the above applies in the new 3:10, but it takes a lot more huffing and puffing to get Wade (Russell Crowe this time) and Evans (Christian Bale) into position for the showdown. Mostly, more is less. To Mangold's credit, his movie doesn't traffic in facile irony or postmodern detachment; it aims to be a straight-up Western and deliver the excitement and charisma the genre's fans are starved for. But recognizing that contemporary viewers might be out of touch with the bedrock simplicity and strength of the genre--not to mention its code of honor--Mangold has supplied both Evans and Wade with a plethora of backstory and "motivations." At the overblown action climax, the crossfire of personal agendas is almost as frenetic as the copious gunplay. (By that point the movie has killed more people than the Lincoln County War.) Best thing about the remake is Russell Crowe's Ben Wade, a Scripture-quoting career villain with an artist's eye and a curiously principled sense of whom and when to murder. As his second-in-command, Ben Foster fairly pirouettes at every opportunity to commit mayhem, and Peter Fonda contributes a fierce portrait of an old Wade adversary turned bounty hunter for the Pinkerton detective agency. --Richard T. Jameson

Top 10 Best DVDs of 2008-Amazon.com (part1)

2009-06-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

No.1 Juno (Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy) (2007)

Genre:Drama, Comedy

Director:Jason Reitman

Cast:Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney

Plot of The DVD
JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (JK Simmons and Allison Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.

The leading roles:

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Somewhere between the sharp satire of Election and the rich human comedy of You Can Count On Me lies Juno, a sardonic but ultimately compassionate story of a pregnant teenage girl who wants to give her baby up for adoption. Social misfit Juno (Ellen Page, Hard Candy, X-Men: The Last Stand) protects herself with a caustic wit, but when she gets pregnant by her friend Paulie (Michael Cera, Superbad), Juno finds herself unwilling to terminate the pregnancy. When she chooses a couple who place a classified ad looking to adopt, Juno gets drawn further into their lives than she anticipated. But Juno is much more than its plot; the stylized dialogue (by screenwriter Diablo Cody) seems forced at first, but soon creates a richly textured world, greatly aided by superb performances by Page, Cera, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the prospective parents, and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man) and Allison Janney as Juno's father and stepmother. Director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) deftly keeps the movie from slipping into easy, shallow sarcasm or foundering in sentimentality. The result is smarter and funnier than you might expect from the subject matter, and warmer and more touching than you might expect from the cocky attitude. Page's performance is deceptively simple; she never asks the audience to love her, yet she effortlessly carries a movie in which she's in almost every scene. That's star power. --Bret Fetzer

No.2 The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2008)

Genre:Action，Crime

Director:Christopher Nolan

Cast:Christian Bale,Heath Ledger,Aaron Eckhart,Michael Caine,Maggie Gyllenhaal,Gary Oldman,Monique Curnen,Ron Dean

Plot of The DVD
The movie begins with a gang of men with clown masks breaking into the bank where the mob has a large portion of their money stashed. It begins with five clowns, each getting a cut of the spoils. They suggest that a sixth member of the gang, who did the planning - nicknamed 'The Joker' - but sat out the robbery, doesn't deserve a cut. As the robbery goes on, the clowns begin to kill each other in order to get a larger cut, until a school bus crashes through the wall of the bank, killing another clown. A mob bank manager, who was himself shot with an automatic weapon after he tried to take out the clowns with a shotgun, tells the remaining clown that he doesn't know who he is dealing with. The clown kneels down and tells the banker that he believe that, "Whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger..." then removes his mask to reveal that he himself is The Joker. Joker puts a grenade into the banker's mouth and boards the bus, leaving a string attached to the pin. The bus pulls out with all of the bank's cash and the pins pops out. It is just a gas grenade. The Joker joins a long line of school buses leaving the scene as the police arrive...

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages.--David Horiuchi

No.3 Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) (2008)

Genre:Action，Adventure，Drama

Director:Jon Favreau

Cast:Robert Downey Jr.,Terrence Howard,Jeff Bridges,Gwyneth Paltrow,Leslie Bibb,Shaun Toub,Faran Tahir,Clark Gregg

Plot of The DVD
Tony Stark is the complete playboy who also happens to be an engineering genius. While in Afghanistan demonstrating a new missile he's captured and wounded. His captors want him to assemble a missile for them but instead he creates an armored suit and a means to prevent his death from the shrapnel left in his chest by the attack. He uses the armored suit to escape. Back in the U.S. he announces his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that Obadiah Stane, his second in command at Stark industries has been selling Stark weapons to the insurgents. He uses his new suit to return to Afghanistan to destroy the arms and then to stop Stane from misusing his research.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
You know you're going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics' longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that's Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there's always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn't get to jitterbug around too much in his improv way, but he brings enough of his unpredictable personality to keep the thing fresh. And listen up, hardcore Marvel mavens: even if you know the Stan Lee cameo is coming, you won't be able to guess it until it's on the screen. It all builds to a splendid final scene, with a concluding line delivery by Downey that just feels absolutely right.--Robert Horton

No.4 John Adams (HBO Miniseries) (2008)

Genre:Biography,Drama,History

Cast:Paul Giamatti,Laura Linney,Stephen Dillane,John Dossett,David Morse,Sarah Polley,Samuel Barnett,Danny Huston,Madeline Taylor

Plot of The Movie
John Adams A miniseries on the life of John Adams and the first 50 years of the United States.
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American politician and the second President of the United States (1797–1801), after being first Vice President (1789–1797) for two terms. He is regarded as one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.
Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. As a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to adopt the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. As a representative of Congress in Europe, he was a major negotiator of the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and chiefly responsible for obtaining important loans from Amsterdam.

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Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Based on David McCullough's bestselling biography, the HBO miniseries John Adams is the furthest thing from a starry-eyed look at America's founding fathers and the brutal path to independence. Adams (Paul Giamatti), second president of the United States, is portrayed as a skilled orator and principled attorney whose preference for justice over anti-English passions earns enemies. But he also gains the esteem of the first national government of the United States, i.e., the Continental Congress, which seeks non-firebrands capable of making a reasoned if powerful case for America's break from England's monarchy. The first thing one notices about John Adams' dramatizations of congress' proceedings, and the fervent pro-independence violence in the streets of Boston and elsewhere, is that America's roots don't look pretty or idealized here. Some horrendous things happen in the name of protest, driving Adams to push the cause of independence in a legitimate effort to get on with a revolutionary war under the command of George Washington. But the process isn't easy: not every one of the 13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England, and behind-the-scenes negotiations prove as much a part of 18th century congressional sessions as they do today.
Besides this peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to draft the U.S. constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the story of two key ties: Adams' 54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous, as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh

No.5 Mad Men - Season One (2007)

Genre:Drama

Creator:Matthew Weiner

cast:Jon Hamm,Elisabeth Moss,Vincent Kartheiser,January Jones,Christina Hendricks,Bryan Batt

Plot of The Movie
John Adams Mad Men is an American television drama series created by Matthew Weiner. It is broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable network AMC, and is produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its second season on October 26, 2008.
Set in New York City, Mad Men takes place in the 1960s at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on New York City's Madison Avenue. The show centers on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a high-level advertising executive, and the people in his life in and out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America.

Pictures from the movie:

Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com:
Welcome to a world where Monday has a three drink minimum. Mad Men exists here and it's a fabulous place to visit, back before Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique really made much of an impact and before the Surgeon General put warning labels on cigarettes. It was an America on the brink of social explosion and Mad Men, which tells the story of a group of Madison Avenue advertising executives in the early 1960s, captures that surface stillness perfectly, complete with the growing tension barely contained below the surface.
The show succeeds on every level. HBO famously passed on Mad Men, created by former Sopranos executive producer and writer Matthew Weiner. AMC picked it up, and thank goodness they did. From the first episode, Season One becomes an essential, utterly addictive television- watching experience. Beautifully filmed and masterfully written, the show manages to present the period honestly but with little nostalgia, and as soon as you get over the constant smoking, drinking and treatment of women as little more than "girls" who get coffee and answer the phone, the complexity of these characters (especially the dashing Jon Hamm as Creative Director Don Draper) will leave you completely captivated. Season One features clandestine office romances, shadowy pasts, a ton of adultery, closeted homosexuality and a lot more drama that seems risqué even for 2008. But again, one of the most impressive things about Mad Men is that everything is executed with absolute class, style and elegance. And bonus for the DVD viewer: Like The Sopranos, Mad Men has a ton of little moments and hints leading up to character revelations and plot twists that make watching the episodes over and over continually rewarding.–-Kira Canny

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