Tuesday, January 27, 2009

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.


Friday, January 16, 2009

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.