Review - The Final Destination (3D)

This will not be a very in depth review as there is not much too say.

The Final Destination (in 3D) is the fourth (and hopefully the last film) of the series baring its name. The story is the same as the earlier movies. Except it is not as well written, directed, or acted out as those. I do believe the only reason it got made at all was to put in the 3D and hope people will go see it. That being said the 3D effects are not that great in my opinion. I have seen 3D films in the Georgia Aquarium that were better.

There really isn't anything else I can think to say. I really want to give this movie a "warn people" rating but the fact it's in 3D makes that hard. Not so great 3D is still worth something I guess.

Here's how I'll rate it...If you want to see some OK looking 3D stuff go on and see it. BUT if you know someone who's talking about seeing the regular version, please warn them not to. Perhaps there's not a theatre near them or you that has 3D. In that case, if you think you have to see it...FX/TBS It. Do NOT spend any money on it.

Review - Halloween II

Halloween II is the latest movie from director Rob Zombie. It is the sequel to his remake of John Carpenter's Halloween which came out to theatres back in 2007. The new movie returns the surviving cast of the previous film.

Unlike the 2007 movie this is a completely original film with a new story and new ideas. The basis, of course, is the same. Michael Meyers is after his sister Laurie. But for what purpose? That is where the new re-imagining takes place. This Halloween movie is unlike any you have ever seen. Michael has a new twisted kind of purpose and motivation that you never have seen. What is the force behind it all? I don't really want to give that away because it's something that wasn't shown in the trailers. But you do see it early in the film and it developes nicely. It is pretty realistic and I have heard about in discussions by psychologists. It really impressed me to see it as the main theme in the movie. It is quiet possible that Zombie was drawing from an earlier concept shown in the Halloween sequels in the late 1980s but it is still quiet different and unique.

Furthermore, the character of Michael Meyers continues to be original. He does move differently and seems to think a little differently than in the earlier films.

From a graphic content stand point I don't think this movie was as quite as violent as Zombie's 2007 film. But it is no walk in the park either. Some of the most intense stuff is early on in the hospital. There is also more of a creepy atmosphere in this movie. Not incredibly scary, but creepy. More dark looking.

I am glad I got to see this movie. It provided the type of entertainment you expect plus it does provide some things to think about. I loved it...

HALLOWEEN II - GO NOW!!!

Quentin Tarantino's new movie Inglourious Basterds is definitely a Quentin Tarantino movie. It is Nazi Europe meets Pulp Fiction. Filled with extravangant cut scenes to give bring the viewer up to date on certain characters and interwoven story telling, Inglourious Basterds is a war movie like I have never seen.

The movie, despite its title and the images on most of the posters out there, doesn't really center on Brad Pitt's character (Lt. Aldo Raine) and the so-called "Basterds" he leads into Nazi-occupied France. It primarily seems to focus on a young woman named Shosanna Dreyfus (Me'lanie Laurent) who escapes when her family is murdered by a group of Nazi officers led by the so-called "Jew Hunter" Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). These type of Jewish executions is where the Basterds come in. Moving throughout France, the Basterds are a specially organized group of Jewish-Americans determined to turn fear on the Nazis. Their primary means of doing so are killing Nazis while letting some live with Swatiskas engraved on their foreheads for purposes of future identification. This proves to be very effective.

While the movie is a fun-style of movie with a reasonable amount of humor, it does illustrate the fear and trepidation that Jews in Europe must have felt during the era of the Third Reich. Within these scenes lies intense suspense. There are also moments where we get a glimpse of the intense love the Nazi officers had for their Fuehrer.

The performances were well played by all the actors. There are moments when Eli Roth (Sgt. Donny Donowitz) seems outright crazy. He even gets his own cool nickname, "The Bear Jew."

There is one possible downside to the movie. About 50% of the dialogue is in French or German. It is pretty necessary to the story but can be difficult to keep up with at times. However, all the subtitles are in bold yellow so they are easy to see.

Overall I have to say this is an outstanding movie. The climatic scene at the end is classic. Reminds me of when Dorothy and her companions meet the Wizard of Oz. It's a Nazi's worst nightmare.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS...GO NOW!!

Review - District 9

District 9 is the latest movie from Peter Jackson as a producer. It is directed by Neill Blomkamp and co-written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. It takes place in present day South Africa and tells the story of a race of aliens resembling insects that became stranded on earth about 25 years ago. The aliens, referred to by most humans as "prawns" ("bottom-feeders") are forced to live in a closed off, concentrated area called District 9. The district soon becomes nothing more than a slum where the prawns are forced to search for food and supplies. The prawns, who are mostly passive, are subjected to strict regulations from the human organization referred to as the MNU. Early on we see MNU, led by Wikus Van de Merwe, serving eviction notices to the prawns. It is this Van de Merwe that becomes entangled in the lives of the prawns and finds himself helping their cause to get back home...but we won't tell you why as to not spoil the details.

When you watch this film it is obvious that this is not a Hollywood movie. This is an independent film which is a good thing. Every now and then a break is needed from seeing the same actors, same special effects, and unnecessary humor. We probably need a few more independent movies. The semi-documentary style in which it's filmed is very nice to see and not overdone or difficult to watch. Also it is interesting to see a movie not having to take place in the United States, as if this really happened it would have to happen in the USA.

The overall theme of District 9 is the question of how would you, and humanity in general, react if another race of intelligent life showed up on earth. Would we help or think of them as second class inconviences? There are obvious parallels drawn between the humans in District 9 and The Holocaust of 70 years ago and other similar events. Which side would you be on?

This movie should definitely be seen...


DISTRICT 9 - GO NOW!!!!!

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I decided to go into this movie with an open mind, having read the novel by Audrey Niffenegger. And we all know that movies are never as good as the novel. The movie centers around the life of Clare Abshire, an aspiring artist, who meets and falls in love with her future husband, Henry DeTamble, at the age of six. The only problem: he is 36. Ok, pause......I know what you're thinking, because I thought it too. He later reveals that he is a time traveler from their future, and they are married. It turns out that he time travels at random, while trying to build a life with his beloved in the present day.

The movie follows the chronological order of Clare's life, while also showing what happens to Henry during his many uncontrollable time travels. Although I know that some details were changed for the sake of moving the film along, I thought that some pretty important details were skipped over. This is one time where I can say that reading the book beforehand filled a lot of gaps that I might have otherwise had.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, because I was definitely ready for it to not live up to my expectations. Although they were not able to fit all of the details in, an excellent job was done in keeping with the spirit of the book. I speak for all the sappy at heart when I say.............



GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review: G.I. Joe The Rise Of Cobra

G.I. Joe is a film based off of the long running franchise. Personally, I have only seen a few episodes of the cartoons and have never read the comics or owned the action figures. I truly have no idea of how the movie stands up against the source material. The movie follows the Joes and their newest recruits, Duke(Channing Tatum) and Ripcord(Marlon Wayans). Apparently, nanobots have been invented and turned into a weapon capable of eating through an entire city. Duke and Ripcord are military officers tasked with seeing that the United State's shipment of these weapons are safely delivered. Along the way a mysterious group steals the nanobots and its up to G.I. Joe to recover the weapons.

If you go to this movie expecting it to be the greatest movie ever made, you will be disappointed. If you go into it with realistic expectations, you may be pleasantly surprised. The story is easy to follow if you pay attention and it makes logical sense. The acting is what you would expect from a big budget effects driven summer movie. The dialogue is fine and well paced. This movie has action from the first moment till the last, so be prepared for a nonstop ride.

The only major complaint that I have is with the CGI components of the film. In this day and age it is possible to have good computer generated components and have them seamlessly added to the film. It appears though as if the people who worked on the CG for this movie barely even tried.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The film has that quality about it like the first Transformers movie, we can only hope that if they make a sequel to this that they don't botch it up. I can only speak for myself with the rating that I give, but I say.........

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review: A Perfect Getaway

A Perfect Getaway follows a newly wed couple while they are on their honeymoon in Hawaii. The main portion of the movie follows them as they hike to a secluded beach. All seems to go according to plan until we learn that a murderous couple is on the loose. Unfortunately for our main protagonists, they just happen to meet up with two very odd acting couples. The tension soon grows as all begin to wonder if the killers are in their midst.

A Perfect Getaway holds your attention for the most part. I seldom ever found my mind wandering to other things. I really did like the story and I can honestly say that this was like nothing that I had ever seen before. The acting was par for the course, there were a few times though in which I believed that some of the actors were trying a little too hard.

With the good you have to have the bad. The movie seems to fall apart at about the third act. The twist is revealed too early and overall it was done just to have a happy ending. The so-called twist that the movie's trailer boast of can be predicted from the start of the movie. In fact, I knew what the twist was going to be once I saw the trailer.

While this movie has some good points, there is just not enough to warrant a go now rating. Bottom Line.......

RENT IT!!!

Review: Funny People

Funny People is the third film from director Judd Apatow, and it is probably the funniest movie about terminal illness you’ll ever see. The film centers around George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a famous comedy actor who in the beginning of the movie finds out that he has a fatal blood disease, and Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), a budding stand-up who gets hired to write jokes for/assist George as he prepares for what could be his final days. Sounds hilarious, right? Well actually, it kind of is. The film explores the question “What would you do if you got another chance at life?” Would you make changes, or would you continue doing the same things all over again?

I think the dialogue is the best part about Funny People. Many of the characters in the movie are stand-up comedians, comedy writers, or actors and I think Apatow’s experiences in these fields end up making the movie’s dialogue feel very real and very funny. A real love of comedy shows through the whole movie. I was laughing quite a bit during this movie, often times out loud. I also enjoyed watching Ira and his roommates (Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill) interact, but most of all I liked the actual stand-up comedy scenes of the movie. I think those parts of the movie had some of the best laughs. They almost make you want to start writing and performing jokes, until you realize how hard it actually is.

As much as I liked this movie, there were a couple things that took me out of it. The biggest problem I had was the movie’s ability to bounce from comedy to drama. This movie is just as much a drama as it is a comedy. Most of the time, I was following right along with the movie; but other times I felt like I was missing the benefit of some of the jokes because I was still sad from the previous scene. Jumping between comedy and drama is hard, and with this movie it was hit or miss. The only other thing that disappointed me was that I felt this movie was a little too long. At two hours and twenty minutes, this movie would have been well served by a little tightening up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. While it has its ups and downs, it is a very good comedy that also makes you think about life. This is a tough decision, but I am giving this movie a solid…


Rent It!!!

Review: The Collector

The Collector is a new entry into the horror film genre. The basic premise is that a man attempts to rob a house. What he doesn't know at first is that a sadistic killer is in the house torturing the family that lives there. He soon finds out that the killer has rigged the house with many deadly traps. Now the robber has to save the family members and get them out of the house before the killer realizes that he is there.

The premise of The Collector is a new one. I was actually surprised that someone came up with something this original. The story is set up with a killer and someone that serves strictly as an anti killer, if that makes sense.

Now the premise was good, but the execution of that plan was not as good. Think of this movie in this way, if you have seen any of the Saw movies you have seen The Collector. The scenario is played out as a what if Jigsaw came to your house type deal. There are plenty of moments that you cringe at and want to turn away from. That is exactly the place where most horror movies fail. The movie itself is not scary, it just has a lot of bloody, gory and disgusting sequences. They even try to give a cheap scare at the end of the title sequence. I shouldn't be too hard on this movie in particular though as most horror movies now fall under this category. Perhaps this type of movie is an example of what is wrong with the horror movie genre, nothing is created simply to scare you.

The Collector is worth watching at least once, but in my opinion you can wait and.....

Rent It.