Changeling - 10/10

Perfect example of filmmaking. Absolutely heartbreaking, emotionally draining, and thought-provoking. The lighting and camerawork are superb, and the performances are both raw and engaging. Angelina Jolie is my pick for Best Actress and the film itself is my pick for Best Picture, until The Wrestler comes out, at least.

Tropic Thunder. 3/5.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in an adult comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the ultimate action movie, set during the Vietnam War, but end up deep over their heads and dealing with the real thing. Interesting premise (albeit not an original one) for a adult comedy movie, having lots of laugh-out-loud potential, but mostly poorly executed, here. (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short did this sort of thing much better in Three Amigos.) I found myself merely chuckling over a few scenes, throughout the movie. The only time I laughed out loud was the scene with... Spoiler: the little Asian child gripping onto Stiller's back, repeatedly stabbing Stiller in the shoulder with a paring knife (or something like that) as Stiller was desparately trying to get away, across the bridge; and then Stiller casting off the little child with a throw so mighty, it somersaulted the child over the bridge, into the river below. That scene was like something out of a Monty Python movie.

Lust, Caution 8.5/10
Directed by Ang Lee. Starring Wang Lee-Hom and Tony Leung. It's a movie about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WWII and the efforts of a group of student to assassinate a Japanese collaborator. It focuses on one student's seduction of and relationship with the collaborator. . I really enjoyed the film. It was one of the best films I have seen in the last year.

Wild Hogs 7/10: The ending was good but the beginning was mostly the four main characters proving how much their lives suck and how straight they were. I watched it as I cleaned my apartment. It was worth that.

Casper 8/10: This movie came out in 1995 but it is still sweet. The CGI has held up pretty well.

In Bruges 8.5/10

It stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. It's about two criminals from England that are sent to Bruges (it's in Belgium) by their boss to hideout for a few weeks. I don't normally like Colin Farrell, but I really enjoyed him in this film. Lots of good dialogue.

Jean de Florette 9/10

I'd seen this one in the theater when it came out but hadn't seen it since. It stands up as a beautiful gem about a man's struggle to maintain his family and the farm he inherits, which is coveted by his greedy neighbor. Great acting and cinematography, reminiscent of an impressionist painting.

I had watched Stardust its 4.5/5

Young People Fucking 3.5/5

It was funny but not hilarious. Worth the rental.
Really, it made me laugh that there was even a controversy up here about it (Income Tax Amendments Act, 2006 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Quantum of Solace: 7.9/10.

A good movie, but not the equal of Casino Royale. Lots of action, loose ends tied up.

Mongol

8/10

Excellent. Godd storyline, great acting, beautiful cinematography. Highly recommnended. Warning: its in Mongolian with subtitles

Australia - 10/10

This movie had stuff in it for everyone. It had romance, comedy, adventure, suspense, and great scenery. It's one of those movies that you could watch with anyone.

Lola Montes (restored German version) Max Ophuls dir.

This was Ophuls last film. It's a European Hollywood spectacle, with a cast of thousands, elaborate costumes and sets, widescreen, and that fifties colour. It's not quite as good as la Ronde, which it resembles. I liked the variety of characters in la Ronde, and Lola Montes has Lola Montes and a handful of men who have more or less the same relationship to her. On the plus side, Martine Caroline is nice to look at, and more of Anton Walbrook is a good thing. But still, i liked Walbrook's as le raconteur in la Ronde more.

Young Frankenstein

Why the Frankenstein themed movies in the seventies? There was this one, Rocky Horror, Espíritu de la colmena... probably a few i've forgotten. This one is faithful to the thirties version, but where Mel Brooks sees an opportunity to make a juvenile gag, he takes it. It was more funny when i was more juvenile. I did like Gene Hackman as the blind man. "I was going to make espresso."

JCVD : 8/10

I've not yet watched a Jean Claude Van Damme film all the way through, but from what I gather they tend to be cheesy action flicks, and he is regarded as a clown. However, this movie depicts him in an alternate reality as an out of luck, washed up actor that gets caught up in a post office heist in Belgium. It's funny, engaging, and touching--the monologue about his real life especially. The flashbacks tend to be repetitive since they show the same scenes but with a different perspective, but overall it's a pretty (Damme) good film.

The Dark Knight - Absolutely loved it. Enjoyed how they kept things in a fairly "real" realm - no weird super powers or supernatural experiences - but it still felt other-worldly. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are brilliant!!! Could done with out Maggie (her performance seemed to actually dull the mastery - like she just didn't want to be there at all). Great movie! Can't wait to see what's next.

5 stars

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) vs. The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

Why do they (I think we can say Hollywood) have to mess with a classic like this movie? The movie is a bit cheesy at times, but overall had an excellent story and characters. Klaatu played by Michael Rennie portrayed the character as a compassionate and intelligent alien from another world trying to understand the human race.

Now, the remake sort of followed the story of the 1951 version, but made Klaatu into an insensitive and emotionally distant alien that wanted to destroy Earth after two failed attempts at holding a press conference with the president and representatives of all nations.

I think what made this movie hard to watch was Jaden Smith’s acting; in summary, he couldn’t deliver his lines and looked clumsy in the environment. The kid may have done well in The Pursuit of Happyness by looking cute and innocent, but that is not going to work in this film.

Rating

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951): 8/10

The Day The Earth Stool Still (2008): 4/10

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I was intrigued by this film just from the trailer, but because of the hype that it was one of the best films of 2008, I went to the theater with low expectations. I was hooked from the beginning of the film until the end of the film and I didn’t want the movie to end. The story, special effects, characters, and the music were amazing. The transformation or special effects of Benjamin Button was incredible and I felt like I was seeing the world through his eyes.



Rating: 9/10

TMNT - 7/10

Fantastic to watch. I wish someone would have forced me to see this in the theater. The story is okay, but not up to snuff with the usual comic book stuff. Standards are a bit higher than the used to be. Still fun to watch the turtles back in action and I would love to watch a sequel. Need an R rated version so Raphael and Leonardo can actual stab and cut.

Hogfather 4/5

I'm a HUGE Terry Pratchett fan and so it was great seeing his work come to life. Only loses a point due to the fact that it was a BBC production and to be honest it showed in the effects. Sometimes it actually worked for the film (Death looked awesome dispite being a cheap costume) and sometimes, well, not so much. Still if you are a Pratchett fan you should definetly check it out. If you've never read Pratchett this is a great starting point to see if he's for you.

Bolt 3D - 9/10 - Great disney movie for all ages. Cute, fun, heartwarming.

quantom of solace 8-10

curious case of benjamin button

8.5/10

Marley and Me 1/10

Don't bother. Not even worth a rental. The first 15 minutes held promise, but a severe bottoming out followed. And if you do decide to see this, don't watch it with a theatre full of children.

Quantum of Solace - 8/10
I sneaked in this movie after 20 horrible minutes of watching Twilight. I missed the first 10 minutes but that's ok. James Bond kicks a lot of asses, just the way I like it.

7 Pounds - 8/10
The movie makes little sense until the end when everything is pieced together. Definitely better than Will Smith's two previous movies.

Changeling - 9/10

This movie was amazing, especially for being a true story. I highly recommend it.

Eagle Eye - 8/10

Very entertaining, even with Shia Lebouf as the main character (I usually can't stand him)

30 Days of Night

2/4

I didnt hate it I guess, but I didnt like it much, and didnt like the violence against female characters.

I'm the same way famous; I don't understand why so many movies have to make it a point to be violent against women

Slumdog Millionaire 9/10

I enjoyed the movie. I thought one of the characters was underdeveloped and it could have used a better ending. Though the Bollywood homage at the end was impressive!

Get Smart: Fun little movie, probably enjoyed best if you have some familiarity with the 60s TV show as there are a few references without it being slavishly devoted to the original.

7/10 - good rental.

Slumdog Millionare 9/10
Great story. Emotional, evocative and powerful. All despite being very Americanized Bollywood.

Milk 8/10
The romantic scenes between Sean Penn and James Franco really stole the show for me. Harvey Milk's story is a great tale but their portrayal of having been in love is so natural and so fluid and beautiful...

Gran Torino 10/10
Clint Eastwood is getting old and with that, I don't think he'd waste his time doing anything that isn't incredible. This movie went way beyond my expectations, from laugh out loud funny to heart rending sorrow..Clint is god.


The Boy In The Striped Pajamas 7/10
Nicely done. Depressing as hell. I'm done with movies about The Holocaust.

I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) 9/10
I can't help but to wish it'd have moved a little faster but it's a French film of rebirth and forgiveness. Kristen Scott Thomas is totally believable as a woman recently released from prison after 15 years for having murdered her own son without any explanation. Great cast, great acting.

Religioulous 8/10
Much less abrasive than I expected.

Changeling 10/10
Angelina was so believable...

Going to see The Wrestler tomorrow. Che, Doubt and Wendy and Lucy look so good...

Doubt 10/10

Undoubtedly, one of the best films I've seen this year. Streep was at her best, as usual. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is amazing.

I could see this again, and I rarely say that.

I thought that was just a given with anything.

Battle Royale II: 6.5/10

I loved the first one, but the sequel lacked the character development of the first one. The entire thing just seemed disjointed, and everything was an effort to just one-up what happened in BR-I.

Transporter 3
I almost cried. I love Jason Statham. I have a serious thing for Statham. I have dreams of Statham covered in motor oil fighting in suit pants with no shirt on.
I hated this movie. It was so bad I almost cried. Plot could have been interesting if the supporting cast could actually act and if the stunts weren't so damn inconceivable. They were well done but so ridiculous that I almost turned it off. Why, Jason? WHY?!

2.1/10 And only that because there were some great no-shirt shots and the scenery was interesting. And... well, Jason Statham was in it.

There Will Be Blood - 9/10

Great, great, great, but 10/10 would mean my favorite of all time, which it wasn't.

The Hoax - 8/10

How anyone thought they could write an "authorized autobiography" about a man such as Howard Hughes without his permission or knowledge and really expect to get away with it is beyond me. I surprised he got as far as he did. I'm not a big fan of Richard Gere but thought he was great in the role.

Hancock - 7/10

On demand rental for my wife and I. I thought it was an good movie, but after the 3 minute explanation of why hancock was different than everybody else I was let down. Both of us thought it was a plot that had excellent potential but that potential went unfulfilled in this movie. But it had its moments and overall I came away liking the movie.

Watched "The Bank Job" - Jason Statham and a bunch of other Brit actors. It's a semi-factual portrayal of a bank robbery committed in London in the 70s and the divergence of the interests of organized crime, the government and black power radicals funded by John Lennon (seriously!).

I'd call it 7.8/10 - good rental.

Wendy And Lucy 10/10
Michelle Williams is awesome. Beautifully shot, really nicely done.

curious case of benjamin button 10/10 awesome story line!!!

Curious case of benjamin button - I have to give this 10/10... Any movie that can make ME feel something is worth a 10 in my book.

The Spirit 8/10

A fun, silly, film noir style take on Will Eisner's spirit. You could tell they had fun making it, and although not exactly like them, it made me remember why I loved reading those comics. All in all, a good time.

Wall-E: 10/10

I didn't expect to like this film so much.

Children of Men: 9/10
This movie about Clive Owens protecting a pregnant woman in a world where children aren't able to be conceived surprised me. It had an Oscar nomination which usually turns off a movie for me because they tend to be way over-dramatic and very long. This movie however was very nicely paced, didn't try to pack too much into the plot and had good acting.

Clive Owens shows again he can play a brooding man who has to save someone (see Shoot 'Em Up). Michael Caine has the comedic part in this film and it is worth renting to see him.

Seven Pounds 2/10

Not quite as bad as Marley and Me, but close. I gave this film a chance, and I am so sorry now. After 15 minutes I knew everything that was going to happen. The storyline was weak and the character development was vague to non-existent. Perhaps a little more of the other actors and a little less of Wil Smith would have helped. But, maybe not.

I didn't hate Seven Pounds at all. I thought it was okay, but as bad as the critics have made it out to be.

I just finished watching:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - 9/10

Truly remarkable in its vision and its story

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button 6/10

As heartfelt and touch as certain parts of it was, it was just too damned long. I found myself bored with the characters by the time the movie finally ended.

My best friends girl
7/10

I only found certain parts of the movie funny, but it was a bit better than I thought.

The Spirit
1/10

This is without a doubt one of the WORST comic book movies ever. Okay not quite Catwoman bad but close.
I really wish that Frank Miller would just retire from both comics and movies. I don't know what happened to him but he's turned from being one of the best writers in comics to being a total and complete hack. This isn't The Spirit this is Sin City 2 without any of the good points of Sin City. Actually thats not quite true. Miller needs someone to a) write for him because he hasn't written anything remotely good in about a decade and b) realise that not everything needs to look like Sin City.

Really the only thing this succeeded in doing was making me want to read Eisner's Spirit to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Almost Famous 10/10

Doubt 8/10

Great performances - Streep and Hoffman were incredible. But I suppose my expectations were a bit too high. I'm seeing it again tomorrow.

Let The Right One In 9/10

Wonderfully awkward, childlike, innocent, beautifully shot. Go see this movie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons - 9/10 - Great story, great acting.

Twilight - 5/10

Equilibrium - 9/10

Yes Man! - 7.5/10

The story is entirely predictable after the first 10-15 minutes. Lots of funny moments, including some that didn't work quite as well as it would like. Either Jim Carrey has lost his touch or the directing/writing needs to be improved. Overall I left the movie feeling satisfied. Probably because I didn't expect much.

Twilight - pure crap (haven't read the book)

Iron Man - 7/10

Fun but predictable. Would probably be a 4 or 5 out of 10 if not for Robert Downey Jr. Terrence Howard was awful (glad he's being replaced) and Gwyneth Paltrow was nothing special.

The Dark Knight - 9.5.10

I'd seen it before, but just rewatched on Blu-Ray. It's really unfair to every other comic book movie that this movie exists, as it set the bar at an unreachable height.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button:

9.5

Gran Torino - 5/5

If you have plans to see a movie this weekend, aren't easily offended, and aren't sure what to pick, this is the one. Best movie I've seen in a very, very long time.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona 9.5/10
Woody Allen can do no wrong. Great cast: ScarJo, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem
I loved that while it was a story about love and self discovery, it didn't attempt to make any sweeping judgments about romance or reconcile everything nicely in the end. Great movie.

Gran Torino...

at least 10/10.

as medusa said, quite the engaging flick. No need to be offended, this is real gut stuff. plus entertaining.

Young People Fucking - 7/10. Was awkwardly funny.

abso-abso-abso-LUTELY agree! REALLY liked this one. I like the social commentary on everything from ageism to estranged relations between the generations to race relations...very well done. Eastwood is a champ. definite 10/10

on a side note

I thought the C. Case of B. Button was long, boring and had some irrelevant and discordant scenes that made the move draaaaaaaag...kind of a cool premise though. I'd say 3/10

Just saw Slumdog Millionare for the second time tonight. Awesome movie. 10/10

The Wackness 9/10
Good story about rebirth and reinventing yourself, coming into your own and the awkwardness of being young. Awesome soundtrack.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) 6/10
Must've been incredible in it's time. Enjoyable - I'd do it again.

Appaloosa 7/10
Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, and Renee Zellweger.
So many better westerns to see than this one. I was disappointed.

Death Race - 7/10

The plot was a bit predictable, but there was plenty of good action. And I like the fact that I can actually see this happening in real life; with corporations running prisons and pay-per-view internet broadcasts of inmates participating in gladiatorial games.

Gran Torino 9/10

The language is graphic at times other than a very good flick. Great story of how neighbors become friends. Need to see movie.

But you gave it "0/10"?

Thanks little typo.

Notorious 5/10
Totally unnecessary and generally uninteresting. subpar acting, rife with logical fallacies, unbelievable at times, far too romantic and the pretty bow of an ending was just plain ridiculous.

Pride And Glory 7/10
As formulaic and stupid as I expected it to be. Interesting enough.

Love In The Time Of Cholera 6/10
By far, one of the greatest love stories of all time. Sadly, the magic and complexity of the story and the manner in which it forces you to love the characters is impossible to build in a 2 hour film. Couple that with bad acting and it becomes too easy to see where this movie flops.

Even without having read the book, the movie is too long and far too uninteresting to be worth the effort. Don't do it.

Defiance 8/10
David Craig and cast put on a stellar show about an incredible historical event. Vague review but an incredible movie.

In Search Of A Midnight Kiss 10/10
This movie is so up my alley. Cynical, witty and hilarious. With a premise like: Man puts out craigslist ad on New Years Eve to find someone to spend the night with, it's pretty easy to have low hopes for the movie but smart writing and good acting really elevated the movie to a point in which it was engaging and you could really feel for the characters.

The Ruins - Interesting take on a horror film, but i'm not sure it really did it as well as it should have... Basic premise of the film is a bunch of teenagers are on vacation somewhere in mexico, meet a german(?) kid who invites them to a uncharted temple ruin... They go and find villagers that at first warn them not to go closer, than they go closer and than aren't allowed to leave the site... Thats all i'm gonna say without spoiling the whole film... It was definitely entertaining, the fact that most of the "gotcha!" scenes took place in broad day light was supposed to give it a surreal kinda feel according to the commentary but didn't really make an impact on me like the way "Tremors" did... 6+1/2 / 10

My Bloody Valentine 3D - 7/10

While it doesn't even come close to the original, it doesn't really try. This remake decided early on that it was a campy slasher and stuck with that, taking extra energy to create rude, offensive, gory slasher magic. A few plot holes aside, it's a well-built little vehicle, and while I figured out the plot twist early on, I imagine casual moviegoers will be surprised to the very end. Oh, and a midget gets slammed into a ceiling light via pickaxe.

Frontier(s) - 7/10

I thought I wasn't going to like this movie. Indeed, the beginning left me rather bored. Bank robbers on the run meet a crazy family? Boooring. Girl is taken by evil neo-nazis to help them breed? I'm interested. All-out gory vengeance? HELLZ YEAH! The gore is extreme (though I don't think it warrants an NC-17, which the MPAA felt compelled to slap on it) and the little pregnant girl absolutely made the movie for me. My only real complaint is that the camerawork feels like it was done by a pedestrian cinematographer trying to look like he worked for MTV, and the story isn't anything special.

Heaven's Gate - 5/10

No wonder Michael Cimino's career went down the drain. Somewhere in this pile of rubbish there lies a brilliant movie, but the ridiculous amount of intellectual filler tears the whole damn thing down. What the fuck was the point of John Hurt's character? Why did they feel the need to show real cockfights? What does the ending even mean and why do certain final act events feel lifted from On Her Majesty's Secret Service? Why was there A FUCKING INTERMISSION?!! This doesn't need to be a 3 1/2 hour movie! And perhaps the biggest question: How did Cimino manage to fuck up a project with Christopher Walken, Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, Mickey Rourke, Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Isabelle Huppert, and Terry O'Quinn?!! SERIOUSLY!!

Oh, and thanks for fucking over directors ever since, Mike.

Slumdog Millionaire - 10/10 - Great story, very well told. True depiction of Mumbai from what I've been told.

Gran Torino - 9/10 - Clint Eastwood is the man.

No Country for Old Men - 7/10 - Not a big fan of the ending.

少年　Shonen (Boy), 1969, Oshima Nagisa dir.

Amazing. A thorough negation of Japanese film and Japan, and surprisingly timely to boot. This is the story of a family of swindlers who fake accidents and extort money out of drivers. The story is told through the oldest son.

I was taken with the realism in this film and especially its interpenetration with the surreal. Like a number of Oshima plots, the story is taken from the tabloids. In that sense, it's "true", but on another level, it's completely unreal for a family to live on accident-faking scams. (Y'know, kinda like a country that tried to live on flipping real estate.) The family functions as a swindling operation and nothing else, and this is obviously unsustainable. Compare this to one fo the melodramas of the "Golden Age" of Japanese cinema. Even if an Ozu or Naruse film portrays a dysfunctional family, it still appeals to an ideal of family. Just think of Hara Setsuko in Tokyo monogatari: the kids are all jerks, but the Hara Setsuko character fills the emotional and moral void they create. Naruse films are darker, but people weep for what has been lost or lost chances. No one weeps for this family.

As in Ozu films there were a lot of train shots -- this is a road movie, too. In Ozu, the train shots never seem so real, partly because they enframe or set the rhythm of the melodrama. Here the train shot is more or less what you see and the family & their scams are within that. It almost has to be, because the action takes place on the street, not around the kitchen table.

The screening i saw is part of a Oshima retrospective running from September 2008 to June 2009. The venues are: New York Film Festival; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge; Pacific Cinematheque, Vancouver; Gene Siskel Film Centre, Art Institute of Chicago; American Cinematheque and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Northwest Film Center, Seattle; Cleveland Cinematheque; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus; National Gallery of Art, American Film Institute, and American Film Institute & Freer Gallery, Washington D.C.; George Eastman House, Rochester; College of Moving Images, Santa Fe; Madison Cinematheque; Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley.

Bloody Valentine 3d

it's ok. nothing special. It's the usual slasher movie. Dude has a pickax but noone has a gun in town. for the 3d effect, i rate it 6.5 but without the 3d, it would be an extremely bad horror movie at 5/10.

Che - good movie but dont see it all in one sitting. 8/10

Curious case of Benjamin Button - Forrest Gump part II - 7/10

The Wrestler - Really fantastic, but not for the squeamish.

Thats the new one with Mickey Rourke, right?

The Devils Advocate: 7/10 Great premise and story line. Al Pacino is awesome. Keanu Reeves...not so much. Would give it a 10/10 if Keanu hadnt gone all "Bill and Ted" with a shitty southern accent.

Army of Darkness: 10/10 The special effects are on par with Monty Pythons Holy Grail. Bruce Campell overacts so much that Daniel Day Lewis thinks its excessive....Best B movie ever.

yes, and if he doesn't win the Best Actor Oscar it'll be a crime.

Gran Torino - 8/10

Clint Eastwood was awesome as an angry old man. That's what I enjoyed the most in the movie. Even when he's in a good mood and is happy, he's angry. Best line Spoiler: I blow a hole in your face and sleep like a baby Sad ending though. I was hoping to see him whooping some ass.

Spoiler tag maybe??? :confused:

Saw Ink Heart on Friday: 7/10.
An extra point for the adorable Brendan Fraser *sighs* I wants to have his babies. <3
It was...ok. I had no idea what it would really be about (my friends dragged me out to see it), so I had no expectations. Even so, it always felt a little off, poor Helen Mirren. Her character was so retarded and useless.
Regardless, it was interesting enough to watch start to finish, with a little eye candy aid, and hilarious lines referring to THE SHADOW. (See a short low budget film called The Gamers to see why that's so funny, me and my friends laughed every time).
Overall, I can see why it would be cute for older kids to watch.

While I agree that Mickey Rourke deserves an Oscar, I really don't think he deserves it anymore than Sean Penn for Milk. 9.5/10 film right there.

The Dark Knight 8.5/10

Again Christopher Nolan makes a good Batman movie but like the last one was overly long. I was sitting there taking mental notes about what he could have cut in order to make it quicker. Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman and Aaron Ekhart did a fantastic job.

Tropic Thunder 7/10

This was better than I thought it would be and yeah I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. he was good! But my god did Les Grossman steal the movie!!! Best role he has had in a long time!

Don

Revolutionary Road 9/10
Great great acting. There's such chemistry between Kate and Leo that they weren't acting - they simply were their characters. It really felt like a glimpse into their lives...

And Kate Winslett is easily one of the most beautiful women currently acting.

the curious case of benjamin button 4/5

Push

This film is stylish, the music is fantastic and the actors did an excellent job at portraying their characters.

I liked the idea of the story, but I felt that something was missing, like why didn't Chris Evan's character not practice using his powers? If I were telekenetic, I would be using it every day until I was comfortable with the power.

On another note, I wanted a side story and more character development on the villains, which was lacking in this film.

Rating: 7/10

Taken

7/10

my kinda movie. lots of suspense, twists and turns a little, the inevitable car chase, action, people getting killed and a happy ending :)

Coraline - 4.5/5
My only real complaint with it was that I FUCKING HATE 3-D. Sorry. It gives me a headache everytime so I had to watch the movie with one eye closed. Other than that it's fantastic. For people worried that it's too scary for your kids... well you know your kids. Do they like scary stuff? If so they'll love Coraline. It's got some spooky stuff in there (nothing graphic just spooky). If they aren't good with the spooky stuff maybe this one should wait a few years. A good baseline is are they too scared to see Nightmare Before Christmas? If yes then don't see Coraline.

Tonight for me "Ki Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma Ma". It's Friday the Thirteenth.

King of Kong

Fun documentary that will have you hating Billy Mitchell

Let's see, I've watched a few.

Hancock: 9/10
The Secret Life of Bees: 9.5/10
Akeelah and the Bee: 8.5/10
Nick and Norah: 7/10
The Woman: 8/10
Hamlet 2: 8.5/10

Friday the 13th (2009)
So I don't want to call it the remake because it really isn't. I'm a big fan of the early Friday movies, so did this one live up? Well kinda. Jason is pretty good, it's not the super-zombie Jason from the last bunch of movies which to me was a good thing Spoiler: except at the end when he comes back from the dead for the final scare. The kills were... well just okay. The kill where Spoiler: he has the girl burning alive in the sleeping bag was fantastic, and there were a few other ones that were nice just because Spoiler: there is a bunch that kinda come from nowhere like the kid getting an arrow in the head while driving the boat but a bunch of them were just average and what you would see in any slasher flick. Heck Spoiler: they introduce a damn woodchipper and no one goes through it!
All in all though I did enjoy it. It's not the best slasher flick of all time but it was a fun hour and a half.
3/5

Sweeney Todd - 7.5/10

Liked the look, liked Depp, but it felt long.

Taken.

I enjoyed this one a lot. 8/10.

watched The Simpsons Movie and Juno last night. Neither were great, but neither was awful.

Death Race 6/10

It was ok i guess but I could think of better ways to waste 2 hours of my life.

wow, I keep forgetting to post here:

Reign over me 8/10
much more touching than I thought it would be. Almost like a girl movie but for guys. I even was intrigued by the 9/11 connection but it was quite played down. Cheadle was interesting, but I don't see his acting range in this at all.

On Missed Call 6/10
fucking creepy more than anything.

Synecdoche, New York .....about a 4

I'm always fascinated by the abilities of Philip Seymour Hoffman, but I found this "metaphor" to be overdone and more a mind game of how much you can figure out than a good film. Sold out theaters in Europe but Americans are either too obsessed with action thrillers to waste their time on something different or too stupid to read the title and automatically assume it's a foreign film. A first night run here was me, Red and five others. Oh, there were also 4 more who left 30 minutes before it ended to catch Medea because the earlier Medea showing had been sold out and they wiled away their time before the next showing with us. Don't waste your time, unless you're like me.

3.8/5 - He's Just Not That In To You

The Duchess: 4.5/5
This was a beautiful film. Set in the 18th century, the costumes are gorgeous. The story moved along quite well. Kiera Knightly was very good in the title role.

Finally gave in and saw "Slumdog Millionaire" last night, not at all expecting to enjoy it. I was totally wrong!

Slumdog 10/10

Spectacular. Excellent writing, acting, directing. Beautiful cinematography and editing. Superb music choices. Very clever use of various kinds of plot devices, shots, and color schemes to fuse Hollywood and Bollywood styles in what amounts to a comparatively gritty yet vibrant revisionist Indian cinema. A must see, and a shoo-in for Best Picture.