the box

'donnie darko' is one of my all time favorite movies. i love how many of the questions presented in the film are left open to interpretation, yet enough is resolved and comes together at the end where i left satisfied and intrigued. i did not harbor these same warm feelings toward director richard kelly's second film 'southland tales.' it was simply awful, and only god knows why dwanye johnson continues to act.

being such a huge fan of 'darko,' i was excited to see 'the box.' the premise seemed promising, and i had heard it presented some interesting topics for discussion (something i love when a film does).

it starts out pretty solid. the dialogue wasn't tremendous and some interactions felt awkward, but i had no major complaints at first. when the family is presented with the box and given the option to press it for a million dollars but someone they don't know will die, the story began to get rolling and i was enjoying it. the mystery of the presenter of the box, and whether or not the family was next in line to be killed seemed to be setting up for a really solid middle act. however, this is not what kelly delivers us. like an ADD kid on the way to the store to get some milk, this movie loses its focus and gets way off track. it happens so fast too, that i had to step back and wonder how the beginning of the movie led to this point, with an army of 'zombies' chasing people through a library. it really gets completely absurd during the middle of the film.

the nice twist at the end regarding the fate of the family was not strong enough to erase all the nonsense that had just occurred. i was very disappointed with this film, more so than with most bad films, because this could have been a very good film. if it would had stuck to the plot and rooted itself into some sort of foundation, then i might be recommending it right now. however, it ends up being just mediocre. it is definitely not the worst movie i have seen this year, but a very forgettable average one.

paranormal activity

this movie was scary, very scary. i don't often watch scary movies unless they are supposed to be exceptional, so i have seen movies such as the strangers, the shining, and blair witch project. the latter appears to be the film that this one is drawing from. a cast of no name actors shot entirely on a home camera, add to that a shoestring budget, and you have the scariest movie of the year (perhaps the past few years). this film is also a testament to internet buzz, as word of mouth helped it go from select theaters to a large nationwide release.

this film is surprisingly well done. it has excellent pacing and development as the hauntings grow worse and worse as the film goes on. there is a great atmosphere and unease carried throughout, and during the night scenes the unease becomes outright terror.

talking to people who have seen the movie, i find it interesting that most define different moments in the film as the scariest. there was however a consensus that the film itself was a terrifying experience. the few actors in this film were all great. the two homeowners had great chemistry, were very funny at times, and acted very genuinely during the supernatural scenes.

this film is definitely a highlight in a year where i have watched many new films. i am always a fan of watching films that elicit specific emotions from the viewer, and while excitement/anger/joy/relief/redemption are the ones that people usually like, i myself also enjoy the feeling of absolute terror when elicited by a well-done scary film

where the wild things are

i was not one who read 'where the wild things are' as a child (it was more my older brother's generation's book), but i was very familiar with the work and i am always interested in anything spike jonze does. he has such an inventive mind, and the group of directors/writers he associates with are all equally innovative.

being a short book that needed to be adapted into a full length film, jonze adds some great depth and background that does not compromise the story at all. it helps make the film much more than a mindless kid romp. deep inside it really is a story about adolescence and how kids interact with others in the real (and often unreal) world. parallels in the monster's personality's mirror situations he struggles with his regular life.

the film is very funny at times, very scary at times (i thought for a minute he really was going to get eaten!), and very heart warming at others, which is everything a thoughtful summer kids tale should be.

the world and the monster's look absolutely sensational. i credit jonze and his team with creating a perfect visual rendition of the book. the characters are greatly voice acted too, with the exception that k.w.'s voice is a bit too chill/surfish for the rest of the gang. other problems are that some of the interactions between the characters in the middle of the plot feel a little strange, and i didn't understand where the director was going with them; some situations were just a little wonky. another slight problem i had was that i felt the kid was a spoiled brat and was only likable in the most dangerous of situations when you didn't want him to die.

otherwise, i really enjoyed this film. it definitely made me reminisce about the days when me and my friends were create absurd wonderful stories out of our minds and then act them out as if everything was real. i look forward to building an awesome snow fort as a result of this film (though the fort in 'snow day' trumps the one in this movie). due to its scary parts and deep themes 'where the wild things are' is primarily suited for adults who need to remember their youthful days, though i do not doubt that kids will like this film too.

the informant!

both steven soderbergh and matt damon are great. this movie has them teaming up once again, and the hilarious trailer and website had me real excited for it.

i had a great time watching this movie. i had a slight fear going in that a lot of the funnier scenes would be spoiled being in the trailers but thankfully this film was chalked full of really funny stuff. the way damon would narrate his character's thoughts was ridicolous and laugh at loud funny. these completely random moments often occurred during very crucial serious points of the film, which made it all the funnier. off hand, the polar bear contemplation along with the observation of the ants are my favorite moments the character has in thought. the whistleblower plot was interesting enough to keep the story moving. it did tend to drag a bit toward the middle/end but i did not have any trouble keeping attention to it. the best and funniest scenes of the film are when damon begins to do his undercover work.

i loved the way, the 90s feel was pulled off by the very yellowing tone used by the camera, and damon's hair along with his wardrobe. damon is fantastic along with the rest of the cast. i was particularly happy to see arrested development's buster bluth, tony hale, in the role as damon's lawyer; as always he was hilarious.

this was a great late summer movie. it was really funny, had a decent plot and good acting. i definitely recommend it to soderbergh or matt damon fans, or even cohen brother fans, because it had shades of their funnier work in it.

district 9

i was extremely excited for the release of this movie. finally it looked like something bold and fresh would be released in the sci-fi genre. the brilliant viral campaigning for this film, along with peter jackson's name being attached as a producer, definitely helped hype up the attention it received.

let me first say that this movie is worth nearly all the attention it has received. it is truly a science fiction masterpiece, and one of the best films of the past year. neill blomkamp has crafted an exciting, completely original movie that is also a thinly veiled allegory and social commentary on the injustices of south africa. the documentary style helps create a sense of realism that normally would not exist in an alien action movie. i was enthralled throughout the entire experience, it was both unpredictable and original.

this was the first time in quite some time that my emotions were so well captured (anger, disgust, redemption) in a film. and the strangest part was that most of these emotions were sympathetic towards the aliens. that is the genius of blomkamp.

without giving anything away, the movie has two halves. the first part is mainly documentary style explaining the circumstances surrounding the terrestrial beings presence in johannesburg leading up to the turning point for the main character. the second half of the film is more action oriented. both parts work equally well, and i was not bored at any time.

sharlto copley, a fellow director friend of blomkamp is magnificent as the lead character. he plays a naive south afrikaner who is oblivious to the immoral actions he and his crew engage in. the scenes involving him in his office were similar to the humour present in the tv show 'the office,' and he also reminded of the character murray from 'flight of the conchords.' i was completely shocked by the fact that this was copley's first acting gig. he was phenomenal.

not enough can be said about district 9 and copley's performance. neill blomkamp has earned my full and undivided attention for any future projects he works on. however, i have that feeling that despite what he does from here, this will always be remembered as his masterpiece.

funny people

judd apatow has had his name on nearly every big comedy that has come out in the last few years. that being said it is strange that 'funny people' is only his third time actually directing a film. his other two movies, '40 year old virgin' and 'knocked up' were well received and very funny, so i along with many others were looking forward to 'funny people.'

this film is much different than apatow's previous projects. it is much more of a serious comedy (dramedy is the term) and deals with some very dark subject matter. people expecting to go see a light-hearted raunchy tale with a standard plot will likely be disappointed.

i, however, was not disapointed with this movie. i am not exactly a fan of adam sandler's previous comedies; my favorite role of his is 'punch-drunk love.' but i found him very funny in this movie as the terminally ill comedian superstar who seemingly has it all but really has nothing. seth rogen, jonah hill, and jason schwartzman also do great jobs as up and coming comedians struggling to make it big. while watching i really felt like i was getting insight into the lives of standup comedians, and i found it rather fascinating and personal. chemistry wise, rogen and sandler both work well together on screen. it is also worth noting that apatow's choice to use spielberg's cinematographer janusz kaminski makes a world of difference in tone and seriousness when compared to apatow's previous works.

the plot of this film kept me engaged the entire way. it is both hilarious and serious all the way through. watching sandler befriend rogen while also coping with his illness and loneliness seemed satisfying enough, but then when you think the movie is winding down, almost a second movie starts where sandler attempts to reconnect with his former girlfriend who now has a husband and two kids. this portion of the movie drags a bit, because it is not as funny as the first half and the subject matter is pretty heavy at this point. however, i enjoyed it thoroughly, because like life itself, this film does not follow any set formula. it has twists and turns where the character's imperfections are illuminated. i feel that the second part of the movie is possibly where most casual fans who came to see a basic sandler comedy might be lost a bit.

i liked this film a lot. it is clearly judd apatow's best movie and one of rogen and sandler's best performances. it is quite artsy for a comedy of this nature, and i found myself thinking about it afterwards, both for the jokes and all the memorable events that occurred. i think that average moviegoers who thought the film was just ok when it finished, will find themselves liking it more and more the more they reflect upon it.

public enemies

i have always held a curious interest about bank robberies and stories of them. who better to tackle the cinema friendly true story of john dillinger than michael mann of 'heat' fame.

johnny depp is a very good actor, and he is in top form in this form here as the charming dillinger who loves fast cars, women, and robbing banks. the gun fights were very intense, and i liked the realistic sound of the guns, like how they echoed and sounded different when they were fired inside as opposed to outside. mann appears to do his research when it comes to these finer details that take a film to the next level.

i could tell i liked this film because throughout its entirety i was rooting for the bad guys (aka the bank robbers). i mean these were people who did some bad things. they commited crimes and routinely shot at the police, yet they were presented as likable characters (except baby face nelson) so i, along with the rest of the audience, was hoping down in my heart that dillinger would just walk away when he got the chance.

i liked this movie quite a bit. the camera angles and shots were all spot on, and i felt the two main stars, johnny depp and christian bale were directed well. some people did not like mann's choice of using high-def cameras, but i did not mind it. i prefer film, but high def camcorders do not make me like a film less.

this is a good summer flick. it's got everything going for it: a great cast, a seasoned director, good source material with plenty of action and plot development. it did run a little long, and i feel more time should have been spent with the emotional development of bale's character. those minor complaints aside, i rather enjoyed this movie. i do not think it is a masterpiece that will sweep the academy awards, but it is one of the better movies i have watched this summer, and i recommend it to any movie lover.

harry potter and the half-blood prince

i love the harry potter books so watching the latest installment on the big screen at midnight was a special treat. this is one of my favorite books in the series (though i feel they are all tremendous).

i came into the movie realizing that being a lengthy book, aspects of the story might have to be cut out or compressed. i was completely ok with that, and felt the director did a good job at it. i did feel however that the relationship stories with ron/hermione, and harry/ginny was definitely overplayed and got old after a while. i felt too much time was spent on that part and not enough on the half-blood prince story. this made the revealing of who the half-blood prince actually was at the end of the movie much less shocking than it was in the novel.

some scenes towards the end of the movie slightly disapointed me. while i found scene where harry and dumbledore travel to the cave to be completely terrifying, i wish the director would have stuck with the images and details from the book, (for ex. crystals and seashells instead of the book's goblet and basin). i felt the images in the book would have elevated an already haunting scene to new levels. Yate's decision to not really have a real hogwarts battle at the end of the movie made it feel less climatic.

those few gripes aside i liked this movie a lot. it was very dark; i'm surprised that it only got a PG rating. despite it's extremely dark subject matter, i found the movie to be very funny at times. it was acted well, and the direction and cinematography was also done very professionally. i had the thought while watching this film, that if all the potter films were directed this well and were this dark (similar to lord of the rings) i would like them better.

i recommend this film to fans of the book series and fans of the film.

angels and demons

i went to see 'state of play' at the dollar theater but the reel machine apparently ate the film so instead we saw 'angels and demons.'

this movie is much better than the at times dull 'da vinci code,' and it seems dan brown's first novel with robert langdon translates much better to the big screen. that being said, the movie is simply ok. it's a watchable summer film, but it remains largely forgettable. tom hanks and the leading woman in the film don't have very much chemistry and interactions between them come across as a little awkward.

another awkward part of the movie was the pacing and urgency of the characters. with every hour they had before another catholic bishop was murdered, it seemed everyone spent the first part of the hour leisurely figuring out the location, taking time to do trivial things like when tom hanks washes his face. then, when the location is determined, suddenly everything goes into high urgency mode and they race to save the victim with only minutes to spare. being a book adaptation one could tell that certain details were cut out and other details were crammed into the dense dialogue. all these different things created a wonkiness to the film that made it much less believable.

ron howard is a talented director (watch the great 'frost/nixon' and it is immediately apparent), and so the cinematography is great as the vatican shines as the film's set. the plot has enough twists and turns to keep the audience interested. this film is mediocre at best. after watching it you will not feel that your time spent was a complete waste of time, and i do not suggest going far out of your way to see it. my suggestion is to wait until it's a rental.

star trek

i have never been a huge 'star trek' fan. not that i don't like it, i've just never gotten into it. i've always been more of a 'star wars' guy. that being said, the trailer for the new 'star trek' movie got me really excited.

this movie is good; it is really good. probably the best movie i have watched this year, and a great summer blockbuster. it it instantly accessible for anyone who hasn't watched any 'star trek' in the past (i hadn't).

j.j. abrams crafts the perfect combination of action, humour, and plot. the story isn't far fetched like most epic sci-fi movies tend to be, and is a major strong suit of the film. there really are no weak suits to this movie. this being a largely esemble piece, the acting is outstanding from all the crew members of the USS Enterprise. simon pegg is hilarious and probably my favorite performance, though they all are note worthy. i can see this film being the catalyst for a lot of these young actors to go on and do great things in future projects. what is interesting is that i did not realize that it was eric bana of 'munich' and 'incredible hulk' fame that was the bald tattooed villian.

i recommend this film to all people: people who like good movies, casual fans who like action packed funny blockbusters, and for families. contrary to some belief this is not just for 'trekkie nerds.' while i do think they'll be happy with this film, i would consider abram's version to be a reboot of the franchise, where my generation can enjoy it.

if the sequel(s) are just as good as this one, which i imagine will be the case, i would say that this film is on trek (get it...) to be my generation's 'star wars.' i honestly feel the first installment in on par with those films.

do not wait for it to come to dvd, it is so good on the big screen!

gomorrah

gomorrah is a italian mafia movie set in naples and the surrounding area where the huge crime organization the comorra operates. this is not your glamorized hollywood mafia movie with tons of action. it is shot in a documentary style and is one of the most realistic movies i have watched in quite some time. i felt like i was learning about italian culture and the crime that emcompasses the area, as i watched it.

the trade off with an extremely realistic movie was the lack of action, which i absolutely have no problem with. however, i could see an average movie goer losing some interest in the middle. despite this, i felt the story was fantastic. from the exciting first scene, the movie then built to it's shocking conclusion. likewise, everything in between was fantastic.

the direction was superb as was the acting. the two mischievious kid characters were a bit old for the parts they were playing and it was noticable in the underwear weapon firing scenes. this may have slightly affected any sympathy that viewers may have for them, though i found the fact that they were extremely annoying as my justification for not feeling bad for the trouble they frequently get in.

on the other hand, the story of the other two very young boys who join up with opposing factions of the criminal underworld was very eye opening. those scenes had me reminsce of 'city of god.' this film is like 'city of god,' only more refined, more realistic, and more realized. it's not that this film is any better than 'city of god,' it just goes in a different direction.

watching this film you get the idea that the director truly knows of all the dark dealings that occur in naples, and walking out of the theater was almost like getting a history channel lesson and a good story all at the same time. likewise, the story included enough twists and turns and shocking moments to keep me entertained. not enough can be said about this movie; it is truly a masterpiece that will be definitely hold up to the test of time and be watched for years to come.

adventureland

this movie was directed by greg mottola, who directed 'superbad' and from the trailers you could tell that it was being advertised as the next superbad/judd apatow style comedy. thankfully, however, this movie was much different and deeper than those films.

it was still very funny and made me laugh quite a bit, but a large portion of the movie was serious and dealt with the lead character, played by jesse eisenberg, and his questions on what happens in life after college. since it was largely an autobiographical story of director mottola's life as he worked in the adventureland park after he graduated college, i felt there was a certain sincerity that existed in the film that made it seem very authentic and enjoyable to watch.

jesse eisenberg is a great actor. some may consider him a copy-cat of the other successful awkward actor, michael cera (who was in 'superbad'). eisenberg seems to choose better projects however, as 'the squid and the whale' and 'roger doger' were both great indie films that he starred in. he is definitely an actor that whenever he stars in a film, it instantly has my attention, and i make a point to watch it.

being set in a amusement park, this was largely an esemble piece film and the acting from the different workers was all around solid. bill hader and kristen wiig were especially funny, and kristen stewart was cute as eisenberg's love interest. ryan reynolds seems to excel at always playing a jerk. i absolutely loved the show 'freaks and geeks' and it was cool to see martin starr in this movie.

another cool tidbit about this movie which i personally found exciting, was that it was filmed in 'kennywood amusement park' in pittsburgh, pa, which is close to where i live in pennsylvania. i've been to kennywood on countless occasions and it is nice to think that a big movie has now been shot there.

this is a good film, which i recommend to anyone, especially college-aged students. it is much deeper than the ads and trailers billed it as being, and i can imagine a lot of kids being disapointed by how much focus on plot existed over cheap laughs. that being said, i still felt that many funny moments prevent it from being the least bit boring. i really enjoyed this movie.

watchmen

'watchmen' is on TIME's list of 100 greatest novels of all time. alan moore does such a great job creating his own little dystopian world in all his graphic novels, this being no different. i loved this graphic novel, and was worried about it's translation to the big screen. i am not a fan of zack snyder and his works; i did not like his new 'dawn of the dead,' nor did i like '300.'

despite this i held out hope that this film would be good. the trailer looked awesome and i was hopeful because i heard it was long, meaning a lot from the novel would make it into the movie.

first off, i did not really like the opening credit/picture sequence that everyone seems to be raving about. the scene felt very staged, like i was watching a play where a stage director thought up this idea to convey a sense of time passing. i continued to get the feeling like i was watching a play/musical when i saw the sets. the city sets did not look like actual cities to me, like gotham city did in the dark knight, it looked like a set. watching it i did not get the feeling that the city continued off screen. it was like, what is on screen is all there is.


i found the soundtrack to be terrible. such a serious dark movie should have a symphony/score soundtrack rather than a modern soundtrack that seemed very out of place. cohen's 'hallelujah' during the sex scene actually took me and everyone in the theater out of the experience and produced laughter. a soundtrack should not do this in a such a somber dark tale.

the adaptation was extremely faithful, to a fault. comics, along with every medium such as books, must adapt when coming to the big screen. certain things that appear in the graphic novel are a bit corny and comic book like and should have been adapted or cut out for the movie. the nolan brothers did this perfectly for the 'dark knight.' 'batman' comics can be very cheesy at times, and they left those moments in the comic and instead, translated a very gritty realistic story.

i felt the movie got better as it went along. the actor's performances keep it flowing. Patrick Wilson does a great job. Rorscach was amazing, while the silk spectre was servicable. crudup as dr. mahattan was also fantastic. i loved his performance and every scene where he is on screen. i expected his voice to be different but i found it to work perfectly. it was apathetic like his mind was always somewhere else. awesome. on the other hand, sally jupiter was not good. her scene was very awkward, and it reminded me of a soap opera.

i watched the movie 'the thin red line' a few weeks after seeing this movie, and after viewing it i realized what is missing from 'watchmen.' it's missing a weightiness to the deaths that frequent it. it makes murder and other atrocious events seem so trivial. 'the thin red line' creates such a realistic feeling of people's lives where the viewer feels an immense burden when they do die. 'watchmen' has none of this.

this movie was ok; it is not the epic movie it should be. snyder was not the correct choice to direct this film, and i feel he does the best possible job he could have. it's category of a film is a bit puzzling also, because it does not come across as an art house cinema project, and it passes on the title of popcorn flick because of its immensly dark source material and content. all this being said i'll probably still own this movie because of what it is, a different medium for one of the greatest novels of all time. but honestly, i can't imagine watching it that often.

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle is one of my favorite directors. I loved shallow grave, trainspotting, the beach, 28 days later, and sunshine. And now his next movie... Slumdog Millionaire. This movie was fantastic, a great love story that had serious moments, sad moments, and often hilarious moments all wrapped up in the adventure of Jamal's transformation from little boy to teenager.

The soundtrack was awesome. A.R. Rahman did an exceptional job. It really captures the spirit of the movie perfectly.
The story is interesting, while the ending/climax had me almost in tears. The movie reminded me of 'city of god' but a lighter version, though it did have its dark moments.

I almost don't want to talk about this movie for fear of ruining it for the reader. You just need to see it. It is definitely the best film of the year and should win the oscar (previously i had 'doubt' as number 1). Families can enjoy it together; it is just for anyone who loves cinema.

Doubt

Phillip Semour Hoffman is a great actor. He always brings a great performance to every picture he stars in. him along with the premise of a catholic school in the '60's fighting change and scandal had me super excited for the movie 'doubt.'

first off, me along with my three friends that attended the movie were by far the youngest people in the theater. the film was a very slow moving character piece that i enjoyed thoroughly. it was very apparent that the film was an adaptation of a play, which i would like to also see.

interactions between all the characters are intense and really what keeps the movie exciting. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams along with Hoffman all bring oscar worthy performances to the table. they are truly that good.

the plot is also a major strong point. it never reveals too much and doesn't give a clear answer to what actually occurred. thus, the title 'doubt' because despite which view of innocent or guilty the viewer leaves the theater with, that little bit of doubt is always present. my friends and i discussed whether or not we feel Hoffman did it or not, he entire way home. this is the mark of a great movie: discussion afterward. before i watched 'slumdog millionaire' i felt 'doubt' was the best movie i saw in 2008.

if you like movies that make you think, with strong performances, or if you like plays with lots of symbolism and meaning, then i suggest you watch this film.

Valkyrie

Way back in the day Bryan Singer was my favorite director. This was when i saw 'the Usual Suspects' the two X-men movies, along with 'Superman Returns.' Needless to say i was pumped to hear that he was headed back to Nazi waters for the first time since 'Apt Pupil' which i also liked.

i'm a big history guy, and was interested to learn more about this particular plot to assasinate the fuhrer. Tom Cruise was solid in the film, nothing spectacular however. Something i really liked about the movie was the technique in how they attempted to explain why noone in the film spoke german or had german accents. it opens with subtitles and german speech and slowly faded to english, having it first overlapping with the german then slowly taking it over completely. so it was basically showing that in the movie the people were talking in german however we could understand it.

like tom cruises performance, the movie itself was good not great. it successfully creates tension particularly in the assasionation scene(s). the problem was that the movie tried too hard to be a thriller and should have focused more on being a drama/oscar worthy movie. it fizzles a bit as a straight forward thriller. more attention should have been spent on Cruises family and kids and what he had at stake in attempting the operation. it is hard for me to feel sad or any of emotion for the safety of his family because we hardly know them. the brutality in the final scene was realistically done and probably my favorite of the movie.

the camera work was excellent and the movie was directed well. the style was good. more substance would have been welcome. All in all, Valkyrie was a good popcorn movie, although i expected a little more from a project by bryan singer.