Eagle Eye

Takes technologies power to a whole new level. It is a nonstop thriller with strong performances throughout.

rating: B
stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, and Billy Bob Thornton
genre: action/adventure
year released: 2008

The story is about the power of government and the roadblocks set up to stop the control the government has over the people. The plot may seem a little bizarre, but with the performances of the actors and the quality of the directing it seems real and possible. It is the story about Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) who was living his average life until he came home one day to find out his brother had died and there was incriminating evidence all over his apartment. He receives a call from a mysterious woman telling him to get out, and this is where the journey begins. Jerry goes on the run where he meets up with Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) who got a similar phone call. Both are driven to keep listening to this woman because if they disobey Jerry will be considered a terrorist and Rachel will lose her son. The two have no control of where they are taken, she know and controls everything. Through the film Jerry and Rachel are investigated and tracked by two agents one is an FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) and the other an air force agent (Rosario Dawson). The film never lets up with scene after scene of intense action.

I just bought the film and watched it for the first time yesterday. I thought that it looked interesting, but was afraid that it might be a little too out there. I was glad I was wrong. The film seemed very real and possible. It kept me drawn in the entire time. Shia LaBeouf does a very good job yet again. He had very good support from the rest of the characters as well. It was a well rounded film and that had all kinds of positives and very few negatives. I definitely recommend checking it out. It has a good story that keeps your heart racing.

The Spirit

All the big names and an interesting visual quality still don’t make The Spirit worth watching.

rating: D
stars: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, and Jamie King
genre: action
year released: 2008

The film is about a cop who comes back from the dead and calls himself the Spirit (Gabriel Macht). He is the protector for Central City and is in a war against his enemy Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). The Spirit is trying to stop Octopus and his assistant Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) from gaining immortality and wiping out the city. Throughout the film the Spirit chases Octopus throughout the city having multiple battles. Along the way he meets up with his childhood love Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) who is somehow connected into the story. The story just ends after a battle without really giving much closure to the film.

I just saw this movie the other day and went into it expecting it to be pretty bad, and sure enough it was. It was not just bad it was horrible. The story was not comprehensible, the characters had terrible corny lines and they never developed. I would like to try to pick out a few good things that happened in the film except all I can think of is that Eva Mendes was in it. To me the film felt like an incredibly over dramatic play. I have yet to see a Samuel L. Jackson film that I enjoyed. If you could not tell already I would not recommend wasting your time to watch this film.

Seven Pounds

Will Smith delivers again. It's a truely amazing story that hits hard.

rating: A-
stars: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson
genre: drama
year released: 2008

Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is haunted by the past, looks for redemption by transforming the lives of seven people he does not know. Once his mind is set, nothing is able to stop him. At least that is what he thought. The one thing Ben had not planned on was falling in love with one of the people that he had chosen. She was ultimately the one who ended up transforming him. The movie opens with Ben making a 911 call to report a suicide, his own. The rest of the movie leads back to that scene. It takes you briefly through the story of seven people’s lives he touches. Those people are: Ben his brother an IRS employee, a child services worker named Holly George a junior hockey coach, and a young boy named Nicholas. These were the minor characters, but the whole story really revolves around the other three characters. Those being: Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), a blind meat salesman who plays the piano, Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a self-employed greeting card printer, and Connie Tepos, who lives with an abusive boyfriend. The story does not just end though it continuously pulls at your heart for a good fifteen minutes before coming to a close. It leaves the audience in silence and tears.

I just saw this film the other day with my girlfriend. We both really enjoyed it. The story is very touching, but kind of predictable. I figured it out right towards the beginning of the story. Even with that, story is still very sad. There are many great details put into the film, which help the story all come together at the end. Will Smith is probably my favorite actor and again he delivers again here. It was another very deep role, which he magically gave that character a real life feel. You could really feel the emotions that his character was feeling. The story was annoying at times because you wanted him to do something else instead, but his mind was already set. It is a real and amazing show of humility. I definitely recommend seeing this film. It is one of Will Smith’s top performances. If you have cried after any movie, there is no doubt that this film will bring out some tears. Its just a great story.

The Fast and The Furious

Non-stop action from start to finish. Its fast, loud and out of control. Definitely a ride of a lifetime.

rating: A
stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster
genre: action
year released: 2001

The movie opens with a high speed truck robbery and it carries the same intensity throughout. It is the story about street racers, specifically a “gang” led by Dominic or Dom (Vin Diesel) who is the best around. Other crews from the area meet at night on the streets of LA to race. This is not the whole story though. An undercover agent, Brian (Paul Walker) gets in with Dom and his crew to investigate the truck robberies. Brian gets close to Dom and his sister, Mia (Jordan Brewster), but his investigation leads him to a conclusion he did not want. The film comes to a conclusion with a multiple high speed scenes that leave the story open for more to come.

I just re-watched the film to brush up for the new one. After many years of waiting, Dom and his crew are back. The new Fast and Furious was just released and I cannot wait to see it. This was one of the first movies that I consider to be on my top five list. I have seen it probably ten times and love it each time just as much. There are outstanding special effects to make the many action scenes even better. It’s a classic movie for current times. The film is perfect for young guys. It has lots of hot women and sweets cars. A Definite adrenaline rush for over an hour.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Very well done. The re-make is a hit with the high quality visual effects and a successful modern portrayal of the original story.

rating: B+
stars: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith
genre: sci-fi
year released: 2008

The story begins when astobiologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) is taken from her house to consult for the government on a top-secret issue. The journey leads her back home to her stepson (Jaden Smith) where he gets caught up in the issue and goes along for the ride. The secret matter is the landing of a giant sphere in Central Park with a giant robot and an alien, Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who transformers into a human to communicate with them. He is there to decide if the human race is worth saving. To figure this out he ends up going on the run with the Bensons where he gets his ultimate decision as to what to do with the humans. Everything comes down to the last seconds to make a very intense ending to the story.

I thought the film was very successful. I had just seen it for the first time last week and was not expecting to enjoy it very much. Much to my surprise it was very well filmed and the story developed nicely. The film had a very strong cast. In the film it is very easy to get annoyed with Jaden Smith’s character, but he does an outstanding job. He has done another fantastic job. Keanu Reeves was a surprise. I don’t really like him as an actor but he fits the role well making his character very interesting. Connelly plays a strong woman that easily fits her personality. The story kept you on edge the entire time, especially towards the end. The message was one that is very important in modern times. The film was explaining how humans are destroying the earth. This directly relates to global warming and the need for us to live much more sustainable lives. This is a topic I am very passionate about, so to see this message broadcast on the big screen makes me very happy. It is definitely one of the better films I’ve seen lately that is well rounded with a story and visual effect instead of one or the other.

Death Race

An exhilarating, fast-passed, mind-blowing trip. Death Race takes action movies to whole new heights of insanity.

rating: A-
stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane
genre: action
year released: 2008

The film is about a man named Frankenstein (Jason Statham of Transporter and other action-packed films) who is racing for his freedom. In a bizarre story that sends prisons into races for their freedom. If they win five they are free, but the warden of the prison (Joan Allen) won’t let anyone out. All the races are fixed to her liking so that it can bring in an internet audience. She broadcasts the death races live on the internet. Frankenstein’s top competition and future partner is Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). It’s all about ratings, so when Frankenstein figures it out he puts together a plan to escape. The film is extremely bold with its fast-passed, gory, and intense action. The movie relies on its visual effects, but is backed up with a sold storyline.

I just saw the film after it was released on to DVD. I really wanted to go to the theatre to see it but couldn’t make it there in time. The film has outstanding visual effects that put you right in the action. The action never stops. Statham is one of my favorite actors. He does another wonderful job of being the hero in the film, with his unique personality and great performance in these fast-passed scenes. The casting was perfect with the other actors falling right into their roles. This film was really well put together. The only reason not to see this film is if you absolutely hate action movies, otherwise you better at least check it out once. It’s loud, fast, and tons of fun to watch.

The International

Unbelievable picturesque locations, an outstanding action scene, but no strength in how the plot unfolded.

rating: C
stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
genre: drama
year released: 2009

The International attempts to tell the story of current economic times with a twist. The story is about the evil and corruption that is brought on by an international bank attempting to take control of countries across the world by controlling debt. When Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and his kind of partner a D.A. in New York, Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Wattts) figure out what the bank is up to, they attempt to take them down. Their efforts are consistently shut down by local authorities. In their attempts to catch the people in charge they discover how widespread the banks influence is and also how far he is willing to go to catch these people. The search to catch these people takes the duo across the world, which leads to some magnificent scenery to shoot in. Owen plays an almost typical role where he is out to get everyone because the whole world is against him, but does shine in a few particular scenes. The scene with the shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum is one of the best I have ever seen, but unfortunately the rest of the movie could not live up to that quality.

I just went and saw the film in theatres hoping to see a fast-paced action thriller. Instead I got a film with too much of a bizarre and at times confusing storyline. I usually am a huge fan of Clive Owen, but in this film he did not live up to his potential in many scenes. There was too much talking and not enough action. I was very disappointed in how they choose to put the film together, considering they had some of the most beautiful pieces of architecture, amazing landscapes and quality actors with a storyline that had potential. With all the factors mixed in it might be worth checking out if you are not concerned about the amount of action otherwise you should wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it just to watch the scene at the Guggenheim Museum. It’s one that you can’t afford to miss.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

A well performed movie that mixes the perfect amount of crude humor with cute romance. Sure to make you laugh and entertain you for two hours.

rating: B+
stars: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader
genre: comedy/romance
year released: 2008

Forgetting Sarah Marshall producers have had great success in their previous comedies. So it was no surprise when this film came out and was hilarious. The film gets started when Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) gets dumped by his girlfriend of five years, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). He is really depressed, and tries to get rid of his sick feeling by having one-night stands, but he is to desperate to get back Sarah. His stepbrother, Brian (Bill Hader) tells Peter to head off to Hawaii for a vacation to get his mind off of his situation, but things only get worse when he finds out that Sarah and her new boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) a wacky British singer, are staying at the same hotel. In his state of shock and complete sadness, Peter is befriended by Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis) a hotel employee, who encourages him to start fresh and pursue his dreams. His dreams happen to include writing a musical of Dracula and performing it with puppets. Even while Peter grows closer to Rachel he is still hung up on getting back together with Sarah. Through Peter’s time at the hotel he experiences many strange adventures, which ultimately lead to a strange evening with Sarah where he realizes he no longer has feelings for her and that he wants to be with Rachael. While telling Rachael what happened between them she tells him that she never wants to see him again and that he should go home. Peter, although really upset, goes home and tries to do something with his life. He ends up finishing his musical puppet show of Dracula. He sends an invitation to Rachael for the shows opening night, but he doesn't expect to see her there. To his surprise she comes to the show which was a huge success and the two make up and get back together.

I saw the film for the first time this past weekend with my girlfriend. We both enjoyed it. I could have done without Segel getting fully naked several times, but it was a solid performance for him in his first major starring role. It is outrageously funny but still touching and sweet. With all the other better known comedic actors stuck in for little parts throughout it strengthens the parts of the lead characters. It was a great job of casting even though Segel was not quite the perfect looking guy that would have been matched with Bell, but Kunis was perfect for her role. She is a beautiful young women and was perfect to set Peter back in the right direction. I am not a big fan of Russell Brand, but since his character played the same role that he plays in real life it was a good fit. There were many memorable parts that leave you laughing for days afterwards. Some slow parts didn't hurt the film because of the mix of comedy and romance; this helped to set the very successful plot. The story and the characters continued to develop throughout. I was very happy with how the film ended instead of him getting back together with Sarah he choose the better girl, Rachel. It’s definitely worth checking out or maybe even buying.

Role Models

A film that delivers throughout. Its crude but hilarious. Definitely able to brighten up your night.

rating: A-
stars: Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb'e J. Thompson, and Elizabeth Banks
genre: comedy
year released: 2008

The partnership of Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) go around promoting Minotaur an energy drink to high school kids. Danny is not happy with where his life has gone, but it is all topped off when on the day when his girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) dumps him. Danny’s reaction to his terrible day sends the two to face jail time. The only way to not serve time is to do many hours of community service. They are sent to the an organization called Study Wings which give kids a older figure to look up to and spend some time with. Danny is matched with the incredibly dorky Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Wheeler is paired up with Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson) who is a foul mouthed little boy. The two start off rough, but come around to connect with their kids. Through the journey they go from fighting with swords as if they were back in the middle ages to picking up chicks at parties. They also end up almost losing their friendship and losing everyone else’s respect for them. The film delivers with a lot of crude humor and ridiculous acts, but it never loses touch with the meaningful story line.

I just saw this movie over the past weekend with my girlfriend. We were both very entertained throughout. I had not heard of the film until right before I went to see it. I thought that it was going to be really stupid and a failure of a movie. Instead I was pleasantly surprised. The film was really funny, sometimes a little vulgar, but always entertaining. The actors and actresses were perfect for their parts and didn't disappoint. The story developed and made you want things to work out for the two guys. The comedy pressed the line of what is acceptable by throwing young kids into vulgar scenes, but they made it work. The film is definitely worth checking out because it will leave you laughing for the rest of the night.

Jumper

A film that attempts to jump into a redefining role for sci-fi movies, but falls short with its lack of organization and weak characters.

rating: C-
stars: Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Samuel L. Jackon
genre: science fiction/action/adventure
year released: 2008

The movie is based off the novel, Jumper. It starts off with the main character David (Hayden Christensen) just happening to realize he has a supernatural power that allows him to teleport or jump as it is referred to in the film. His power allows him to jump into a bank and get rich, but despite all his money his misses his crush from his childhood days, Millie (Rachel Bilson). One day he jumps back to take Millie to Rome, but his actions haven’t gone unnoticed. His jumping has put him into the war between jumpers and paladins, a secret group that hunts jumpers, which is led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson). The paladins end up tracking David down while on his journey across the earth with Millie. This leads to some action packed scenes, but not enough to salvage the terrible organization of the film. It jumps back and forth and never lets the characters story unfold to make you interested in what is happening to them. The film is ambiguous hard to follow. It simply couldn’t take it to the level it needed to be for the action scenes they wanted to show. It’s a good effort and interesting storyline, but it fails to deliver.

I just watched this movie for the first time. I purchased it about two months ago but I never got the chance to see it until now. Too bad I couldn't put it off until later though. I bought it because the previews were intriguing, but like many other movies those were about the only highlights from the film. I watched it with my girlfriend and we both agreed that the story and the characters were never given a chance to develop. The story jumped back and forth between scenes which made the movie hard to watch and follow. It had potential to be successful but couldn't match its potential. There were some action packed scenes but they couldn't save the film especially with Samuel L. Jackson thrown into the mix. The only other positive thing to take from the film is the fact that Rachel Bilson is very very attractive. Jumper shouldn't be anywhere near the top of your list for movies to see anytime soon.

Quantum Of Solace

Action packed with a little bit of emotion and story crammed in between the thrilling scenes. Not as good as the first of the new Bond series, but still worth checking out.

rating: A

stars: Daniel Craig, Olga Kruylenko, Judi Dench, Mathieu Almalric

genre: action/adventure

year released: 2008

Bond is back. Daniel Craig makes his return as 007 for the second time with a follow up to the huge success, Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace Opens up with a bang and never lets up. Thrilling scene after thrilling scene James Bond (Daniel Craig) continues his search for the killers of his girlfriend Vesper in the last movie. With this new found passion for revenge Bond picks up some violent and careless habits that his boss M (Judi Dench) would like to get a hold of. On his careless killing spree Bond discovers a secret organization that he believes is responsible for Vesper’s death. He follows these men across the world to Haiti where he meets a woman, Camille (Olga Kurylenko) who becomes his partner in crime on the journey. He runs into the head of this organization, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almalric) in Haiti as well. Greene is planning to overthrown local governments in Latin America to gain control of a valuable piece government lands. Along the way Bond fights every type of scene you could image, leaving the viewer with some truly memorable scenes. Bond fights in the air, water, and on land, incorporating plenty of knife fighting, shooting, kicking, and punching. The movie is beautifully shot in all scenes making feel as if you are right in the action the entire time. The one flaw in the film is a little lack of story, but if you going to watch some awesome action scenes you found the right film.

I have already seen this film twice. The first time was right when it came out because i loved the first one, and then the second time I saw it was this last weekend. Both times I went with my girlfriend. I enjoyed it just as much the second time as the first because I love all the action, but my girlfriend understood the story more the second time so she liked it more that time. So it is a film that I recommend seeing. If you don't really enjoy it the first time give it one more shot before you declare that you didn't like. Its action packed with Daniel Craig putting on another worthy show.

Zack and Miri Make A Porno

An outrageous film that will make you laugh out loud, but can't back up the humor with a solid storyline to make it a solid film.

rating: C+
stars: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks
genre: comedy
year released: 2008

I don’t recommend the film especially to people who are easily offended or too young, It is extremely raunchy, but could be a big hit with a young adult crowd who enjoys this kind of humor. It makes an attempt to be romantic but the foulness of it all overcomes the attempt to put a story behind the madness. So the basic storyline is that Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) who are roommates and friends since they were young had bills piling up and they couldn’t pay them off. They were trying to come up with a way to make some money, when they went to their ten year reunion and meet an old crush that was in the porn business. The two set up a cast of like six people who are out to make a few bucks and will do just about anything. While in the process of filming the two realize that there is some chemistry between them, but an argument separates the two for some time. There are many times where you are laughing out loud or turning away because things get pretty gross at times. The only thing that saves the film from being just outrageously stupid is the charm that Rogen and Banks share.

I just recently watched this movie with my girlfriend over this past weekend. The title kind of gave the whole movie away, so we knew what to expect. We were right. Was basically a really weak porn with lots of swearing. It makes you laugh just because its so outrageous, but I never really was drawn in to the story. It was worth seeing one time if you're into this kind of film, other wise its one you won't regret latter for passing up the chance to see it.

V For Vendetta

A very exhilarating and well thought out film. The film makes you really think about what goes on behind the closed doors of our government. Besides putting the viewer into deep thought, it also entertains with its intense scenes and great visual effects.

rating: A+
stars: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving
genre: action/adventure
year released: 2005

Hello everyone, hope you're all back for another week of my movie reviews. I didn't get the chance to go out and see a new movie this past week, but I will have a new one for you all soon.

The film is about a young woman, Evey (Natalie Portman) that is rescued from a near death event by a masked man only known as “V” (Hugo Weaving). It is set in future Great Britain. V is a radical thinker who is out for revenge and who has his mind set on freeing the people from the government. He was once a friendly and caring man until he had firsthand experience of the cruelty and corruption of the British government. V sets out a date, November 5th, for the people to stand by him on the steps of Parliament before he blows it up. He gives the government ample time to prepare, one year to be exact, while he finalizes all his steps to make his plan succeed. Along this journey through the year Evey spends a lot of time with V, discovering herself as well as his past, which leads to an unlikely alliance between the two, helping to ignite a revolution.

I have seen this movie at least five times and I enjoy it just as much every time. I remember the first time I saw a trailer for it on TV, I thought to myself, “Wow that looks really stupid.” After it came out on DVD my family had rented it. They turned it on but I had no interest in finding out what happened in it so I left and came back for something in the room like twenty minutes into it. I turned to look at the TV and was just completely draw in. I sat down immediately and began to watch. I had no idea of what was going on, but for some reason it looked very interesting. I finished watching it without getting up once and I said, “Wow that was really cool!” I later went out and bought it so I could watch it from beginning to end and at that point I considered it one of the best movies I had ever seen. To this day it is still in my top five favorite movies. I think that there was an incredible use of action/intense scenes mixed in with a great story. Not once did the action over take the story. Everything happened for a purpose so if you watched closely through the whole film you could catch the clues given earlier. It was a rewarding film to watch because you were able to follow along with what was going on while still being entertained. The question that this film proposes is amazing because there is not one person in the world who has never thought of what the government might be doing behind our backs. I highly recommend this film, its sure to be a classic.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

A cute and funny adventure for a "couple" in the streets of beautiful New York.

stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings
rating: B+
genre: comedy/romance
year released: 2008

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a romantic comedy about a guy and a girl forced together by friends. That leads the two on a very funny and adventurous night. Nick (Michael Cera) is into the New York indie rock scene. He is trying to get over his ex-girlfriend when his band mates force him to spend some time with Norah (Kat Dennings). Norah is questioning the world and where her life will take her. The two have only their taste in music in common. Their encounter leads them to an all-night quest to find their favorite band's secret show which turns out to be their first date.

I went to this movie with my girlfriend, not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be somewhat of a chick-flick, but one that a guy could sit through with no problem. There were many parts that you just have to smile and laugh. I believe there was a great job casting as the actors and actresses fell into their roles seamlessly. I found the movie particularly interesting because I enjoy the style of music that was featured in the film. One thing that I would have liked to see more of was actual performances of some songs, but that may have taken away from the flow of the story. There were no parts in the film where you are sitting there watching and you are thinking to yourself, no! why did you just do that. There a few parts though a guy could have been asking Nick what he was thinking in scenes involving Tris (Alexis Dziena) if you know what I mean, but they know he makes the right choice in the end. It appeals to many more people with the addition of Norah's best friend who is a complete drunk and Nick's band mates who are a little gay, but these characters add another dimension that keeps you laughing and watching. All in all this is a very cute film that is fully entertaining throughout. I recommend it to everyone especially to a young couple, its a great date movie.