Mama Review (2013)

Mama Review

 
  There were a lot of things that really worked for this movie. Guillemero del Toro found ways to recreate the cliches of your typical horror film and make the experience fresh.
  Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse were excellent as Lily and Victoria. I was surprised at how these young prodigies stole the show. It is always exciting when you discover good child actors and these girls were no disappointment.
  Jessica Chaisten also nailed this role beautifully, keeping us all on the edge of our seats with suspense. Her character's development was great to watch and she actually made us care about what happened to her. 

  The camera work was good and so was the cinematography. It didn't rely on cheap scares to keep it going which is also a plus and it was very elegantly executed.
  Unfortunately, I found the third act to be quite lazy. Once they showed us what was behind the curtain, it ceased to be as frightening as it was before. The ending was a bit hokey and not satisfying enough for me. For that reason, I give this film a 3 out of 5 stars. (Rent It)

The Hunger Games Review (2012)

The Hunger Games

 
  Being a HUGE fan of the books, I was very very excited for this movie. Was it everything I wanted it to be? To a certain degree. What I really liked about this film was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. She gives a really strong performance and is very memorable in this role. 

  The script was great and the music was quite lovely. They kept the movie a lot closer to the book than most film adaptations do, but it was missing just a few things. I felt Josh Hutcherson's line delivery as Peeta wasn't the best and that some of the characters (Cato for instance) were portrayed more shallow than they actually were in the book. 

  Because of reading the books before seeing this movie, I saw the places where they could have taken it up to the next level and didn't and for that reason it was somewhat disappointing. Is this a bad film? Absolutely not! It manages to portray the powerful moments beautifully but just needed work on some of the less powerful. Katniss and Peeta's relationship seemed forced at some points in the film, but maybe that is how they intended it in order to show how Katniss doesn't love Peeta the way he loves her. It's hard to tell considering the fact that we were in Katniss' mind the entire book series and she explains everything to us. 

  Overall, this movie was a big success and I give it a 4.5 out of 5 rating. (I'd Buy It)

The Amazing Spiderman Review (2012)

The Amazing Spiderman Review (2012)

    There were several things that I liked about this movie and several things that I disliked about this movie. Let me start off with the things I liked.    

  Andrew Garfield did an excellent job as Peter Parker. Even with the not so impressive script, Garfield highly succeeded in making Peter endearing, relatable, and even funny at parts. Emma Stone, who had the potential to be the annoying girlfriend that most of these superhero movies typecast, was surprisingly delightful and I really bought her relationship with Peter. The chemistry of both actors was great and I really liked the first two acts of the film in which they were developing the story. 

  Now for what I didn't like about this film. The villain, played by Rhys Ifans, has the most cliche' storyline in the history of cliche' storylines. Not only have we heard and seen this story before, but the CGI on the giant lizard was extremely sloppy. I absolutely hated the villain in this movie and his goals never made any sense to me. To make matters worse, the screenwriters seemed to get lazy by the third act. That, or they never changed it from the first draft. It felt rushed and the stakes weren't high enough to make the climax fulfilling. If I had gone to see just the first two acts of the film, I would have really liked this film. Unfortunately, the ending was messy and let's face it, not so amazing. 3 out of 5. (Rent It)

Parental Guidance Review (2012)

  My Parental Guidance Review!

  Parental Guidance stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler as the grandparents and do they do a good job? Yes they do. However, between the somewhat cliche' moments and the verging on annoying children, this movie is more irritating at parts then it is funny. Is it as bad as I thought it would be? Surprisingly not. It did actually have some good humor in it and I did laugh at certain parts, unfortunately, the youngest boy was annoying and ruined a lot of it for me.
  So is this movie worth seeing? If you have kids or you are a grandparent yourself, you will probably enjoy this movie. It had it's moments that were really good and moments where you just want to spank the kids yourself. Overall, I give this film a 2 out of 5 stars because I feel they actually did try.  (It's Okay)

Warrior Review (2010)

My review of Warrior (2011)

 

  Warrior stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. The performances by all three of the actors deserved nominations and were absolutely wonderful. The story is deep and and the script is powerful. Not only will MMA sports fans enjoy this, but anyone who enjoys a good movie about family relationships and forgiveness.
  The fighting scenes are brutal and entertaining but what I enjoyed most about this film was the dialogue. The characters were developed extremely well and little by little, through the dialogue, we are allowed peices of each characters history.
  This film is fantastic and moving, fillied with a lot of heart.  I have really no gripes at all with this film and the only thing  I can really do is recommend you watch it, if you haven't already! Warrior really sets a high standard for fighting films and is so emotionally involving that the characters all seem alive and breathing. I give this film a 5/5 stars! (A Must See)

The Dark Knight Rises Review (2012)

Review for The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

 

   I had very high expectations going into this film as a HUGE batman fan and an even bigger Christopher Nolan fan. Luckily, my every expectation was met. The Dark Knight Rises is a masterpiece with brilliant performances from the entire cast. The third chapter of this Nolan franchise is perhaps the most emotional yet. 

   It's riveting, powerful, and epic as we are given new heroes to root for, new story goals, and new villains. Tom Hardy is terrific as Bane and the choreography between batman and him in each of their fight scenes is hauntingly beautiful. Anne Hatheway kicks butt as Catwoman, Detective Blake is very well played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and same to say for Miranda Tate played by Marion Cottilard. Yes, the movie does have some minor flaws but nothing you can't overlook for the epic cinema it is.

   The score is breathtaking, specifically in a extremely moving scene regarding a pit, which happens to be my favorite scene in movie history. Christian Bale is simply touching in this last performance as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The pace was perfect and I even found myself, after it being nearly 3 hours, wishing it was even longer. I loved this movie and give it a 5/5 rating, because while it wasn't perfect, it was a wonderful climax to the trilogy and nitpicking over little things isn't even worth the time. (A Must See)

Inception Review (2010)

Here is my review of Christopher Nolan's 2010 thriller, INCEPTION.

 

  I will immediately start out by rewarding Inception with 5/5 stars. This film is a remarkable feat in film making and gives the audience a challenge that not many movie makers dare to make. This film is so well thought out and so clever that you can't help but be in awe by the end of it. Not only is it smart, but it is emotional and the story is as deep as the dream layers. The music by Hans Zimmer is fantastic. The cinematography and direction are breathtaking.
  The cast, which includes: Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Ellen Page give memorable and outstanding performances.
  Inception is not a film that you can watch casually because it does require a lot of attention, but if you are tired of cliche' film making, bad acting, and cookie cutter scripts, I suggest you go see this. You will not be disappointed! (A Must See)

Peacock Review (2009)

Let me take a trip back to 2009 and review the movie Peacock...

 

  I want to start this review by praising Cillian Murphy's astounding acting chops in this film. The way that Murphy takes on each character and successfully makes them so different from each other is truly a work of art. John is a fragile and mousy character with child like behavior and neurotic shyness. Emma on the other hand, is outgoing and curious. Murphy pulls this off brilliantly, although it can be somewhat uncomfortable to watch the female parts. The supporting cast, which includes: Ellen Page, Josh Lucas, Bill Pullman, and Susan Sarandon are also great in this film, though no one quite compares to Murphy's performance. 

  Not only is this movie a lot deeper than you would expect from a thriller, but it is also very metaphorical. The soundtrack is quite gorgeous and the cinematography and camera work are stunning. Despite the subtleness of the film, it is really engaging. It keeps a steady pace and takes its time to tell the story. It is compelling, memorable, and original. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. (It's Great)

Trivia and Sex and Nudity from http://www.imdb.com/

The Impossible Review (First Review of 2013)

My first review of 2013 will be a review of The Impossible.

  

  When I went to see The Impossible, I expected it to be intense, but not as emotionally draining and overwhelming as it was. The cinematography, special effects, direction, and acting were top notch. It was brutal and relentless, grabbing the audience by the throat and refusing to let go at any point in the film. This was far more graphic than I would have ever expected from a PG-13 rated film, but honestly if it were any less unsettling it wouldn't have felt right or true.

  Naomi Watts gives a phenomenal performance as Maria Belon that is Oscar worthy and by far the best I've seen from her. Newcomer, Tom Holland, also handles his own in his first feature film and is a surprising and delightful find. Ewan McGregor has a smaller part than both Holland and Watts, but steals every scene he's in. 

  A lot of people have a gripe with this film because the original family is a Spanish family and they use white actors, but I feel as though not very many actors in Hollywood, that I can think of, could have played this family as realistic and well as the actors chosen. 

  Although this film is compelling and beautiful, the director holds nothing back and if you can't stomach a lot, I don't suggest you see it. The Impossible is really an experience more than a piece of entertainment. I give this poignant film a well deserved 5/5 stars. (A Must See)