Category Archives: Movie Reviews

Alice in Wonderland Review

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Alice in Wonderland seemed like a movie that couldn’t go wrong. It’s a classic tale we all know filled with a handful of memorable characters and an insane world that could only be called Wonderland. Tim Burton seemed like the absolute perfect director for a reboot of this fantastic story. I’m a huge fan of Burton’s and I was excited for Alice in Wonderland, but I was a bit disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong I had a lot of fun with this film. It’s practically hard not to, but I just expected more from Burton. With films like Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare Before Christmas, he was able to find away to appeal to children and adults, but at times Alice and Wonderland felt almost too childish.

Two particular parts I could think of right now would be the unnecessary dancing The Mad Hatter does after victory. It was just kind of awkward. Another complaint was the incredibly corny line when Alice cuts off the head of the jabawaki. There were a number of other parts that seemed a little immature and just unlike Tim Burton.

Other than that, Alice in Wonderland was a good time at the movies. It was visually stunning. Depp and Carter were fantastic as always and the absolute saving grace of this film was the Cheshire Cat. I knew going in that Cheshire Cat would be my favorite character, but my expectations were exceeded with this aspect of the film. There were many parts of this film I can admit I actually loved, but especially the parts with the Cheshire Cat.

Overall, Alice in Wonderland was pretty good. I enjoyed myself a lot. Alice in Wonderland is actually a good example of a movie being visually amazing while still caring about other aspects of the movie. Some movies aren’t able to do that, such as the Transformers movies and most of all, Avatar.

Grade: B

A Prophet Review

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A Prophet is a movie I just got to see recently. I got it on netflix the day it came out on DVD and I’ve been wanting to see it for a very long. I wasn’t able to see it in theaters because it wasn’t playing anywhere near me. The anticipation grew and my expectations were high. I’m happy to report that they were met.

A Prophet was spectacular. Every single moment of the film felt necessary and real. It was a stunning look into the life of an inmate of a prison run by crime. We get the full story of his rise through the ranks of the prison and it is realistic, tense, thrilling and some what epic.

A Prophet is a gritty crime film like no other I’ve ever seen, but I am so pleased I did. The acting is top-notch, the music is fantastic, the editing works so well and the direction is relentlessly awesome.  It’s hard to say much else. I just loved this film.

It’s a foreign film and among some of the greatest I’ve seen. It’s right there with Pan’s Labyrinth, City of God and Oldboy. I’ve already purchased my own copy and can’t wait for my next view. It’s seriously that good. There’s nothing more I can say. Just watch the movie.

Grade: A

Shutter Island Review

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Shutter Island is a pretty difficult movie to review. First of all, it’s hard to express into words exactly how much I loved this film. Second of all, there’s so much going on in this story and its hard to talk about loving this film with out risking giving something away. I’ll try my best though. First, let me start by saying that Martin Scorsese is among the three directors working today (others being Tarantino and Coen Brothers) that I truly can not and will not let me down by. That opinion is once again justified by his release of this masterpiece.

I absolutely love when each character in a movie is able to give a great performance, even the minor ones. That is exactly the case here. Each character realized his/her importance and expressed that in their performance. The main characters were the stand outs though of course. Mark Ruffolo was fantastic as the partner, but even better was Ben Kingsley as the mysterious owner of the institution, he was subtly, but surly able to chew up every moment he was on screen. The masterful performance here was DiCaprio’s though. He really threw everything he had into this one. I’m going to have to re-watch some of his other movies before officially stating this, but this might be the greatest performance he’s ever given.

This isn’t the horror movie that the trailers are making it out to be, and to tell you the truth, I really wasn’t really expecting it to be. What it was, was an intense and almost draining psychological thriller, and possibly the best I’ve seen. The movie really takes a lot out of you because of its edge-of-your-seat intensity. That’s not a bad thing though, it was really an adrenaline rush at every turn, a roller coaster ride of the mind, which is exactly what the main character Teddy goes on.

!!! SPOILER !!! !!! ALERT!!! !!! IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE, DON”T READ THIS PARAGRAPH!!!

!!! SPOILER !!! !!! DON’T READ !!!

I love this movie because it starts off with such a simple story. Two U.S. Marshall’s looking for a dangerous patient who has escaped from her cell. Then it takes you in so many different directions and you never know what to expect. There are so many questions circling your head because you have so much information to work with and really no answers. You are brought on a journey with Teddy and you feel every bit of insanity he does. Shutter Island is really the greatest depiction of insanity ever put on screen.

!!! END OF SPOILER PARAGRAPH !!!

Shutter Island is directed so mind-numbingly well, its hard to believe. But that pretty much goes with out saying, it’s Scorsese. Even for this masterful director, this film was an amazing feat in story telling. I truly think this film stacks right up there with all of his other masterpieces. Shutter Island isn’t just an unforgettable film, it’s an unforgettable experience.

Grade: A-

Nine Review

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This is a review that is long overdue, but that’s for the most part because it took me a while to actually see this film. Originally, when I heard about it a year ago I was very excited. It was a film about a film maker starring my favorite actor of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis. I was planning to see it the day it came out and not a second later. Then a week before its release, reviews started to poor in.

Almost every single one of them expressed that the movie was a waste of time or a movie that could’ve been great and unfortunately failed epically. I also read a minority of reviews saying that the movie was ok or sub-par, but not the great film it should’ve been. Needless to say, after reading these reviews I was quite saddened and much less excited to see Nine. No, I did not see it on its release date as I originally planned and as a result I kept putting off seeing it in order to see movies I thought I’d enjoy more. I eventually realized, a couple weeks ago actually, that this is a movie starring the one and only Daniel Day-Lewis. I can’t not see this movie.

So I finally sat in a theater and watched Nine expecting nothing more than to be disappointed. My expectations were surprisingly and fortunately exceeded. My opinion on this film actually matched my original expectations so I think the fact that I went in there not expecting much made the move that much better. I loved every moment of Nine.

The sound and style made every part interesting and appealing. The songs were catchy and memorable and the acting by all was fantastic. The real stand outs were Judi Dench, in a subtle, but great performance. Penelope was chirpy and fun in the role of the mistress. Cotillard was amazing as the wife. And of course Day-Lewis was doing what he does better than anyone else. Its impossible for him to let me down.

I got a huge amount of enjoyment out of Nine. It was fast-paced, light hearted and fun. It was the tale of a film director attempting to work on his ninth project, while juggling the many women in his life. I really can’t see what so many didn’t enjoy about this film. I seriously loved it and can’t wait to own it on DVD. Nine is a beautiful piece of entertainment complete with great performers and fun.

Grade: A

The Book of Eli Review

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The Book of Eli is the perfect example that even some of the best actors out there performing admittedly pretty great can’t always save a movie from falling flat. I’m not gonna lie I think both Washington and Oldman gave pretty great performances, but I did not like the movie as a whole at all. Post-apocalyptic movies always have that same gritty and deserted style as does The Book of Eli and it works, but even that couldn’t save this corny story.

This was new territory for Denzel, he was still that tough kind of character that we’ve seen him in many times before, but it was played so differently hear. He played the role as if every action was necessary and at the same time morally straining. When it comes to Gary Oldman, I always love his work. He is so fantastically versatile and you know you have an ace in the hole when you put him in the role of the villain. Arguably his greatest screen presence is seen in The Professional as Norman Stansfield, which is another movie I’m not a huge fan of, but I absolutely love him in.

The movie as a whole was weighed down by a pretty awful script, an even worse supporting cast, and worse of all, effects that tried so desperately hard to be intriguing, but failed miserably. The Book of Eli is just another waste of time concerned more with its fight scenes and the money it will bring in than the actual art behind the tale they could be telling.

It’s always sad to see some of your favorite actors in a movie you don’t enjoy, but it doesn’t make me question them because they were still able to give good performances. Obviously it was their attached names that drew me to this film. They weren’t enough to save this project obviously. I don’t doubt for a second that they will be acting in masterpieces again soon.

Grade: C-

Crazy Heart Review

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There are always rare points in cinema where an actor will get a script and due to their performance and good directing, a movie will feel so immensely real that almost every moment, good and bad, is pleasing to watch. That’s what you get in the movie Crazy Heart. With Crazy Heart you have Jeff Bridges, a phenomenal actor, in what might be the performance of his career and with his prior accomplishments, that is saying something.

Crazy Heart tells the tale of an old alcoholic country star far past his prime. Known only to his fans as Bad Blake. Blake’s routine usually consists of waking up hung over, drinking, driving to his next gig in the middle of nowhere, which is usually some bowling alley or bar, drinking some more, sleeping with an old groupie, drinking, oh and did I mention the occasional drink here and there. Blake is considered lucky if he gets the chance to open for his once prodigy and now big time country star, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) , Blake considers it a kick in the head. One day a reporter (Maggie Gyllenhall in a fantastic performance) comes along looking for an interview from the washed up country star.

Crazy Heart is very comparable to the movie The Wrestler. Both are fantastic movies that required outstanding performances. They are a bit different though. In Crazy Heart, I think you’ll find a light hearted take on  this similar story. It all depends on you which you enjoy more. I lean a little more towards The Wrestler as a whole, but performance wise I think I’d lean toward Bridges, but only slightly.

Crazy Heart is one you won’t want to miss if only to see one of the greatest actors of our time in one of his greatest performances. The movie would not and could not have been the same with out the powerhouse performance that Bridges gave. He really threw his all into the character and its always a pleasure to see a performer do just that.

Grade: A-