Night at the Museum is just a never ending train wreck of a movie. If you like Ben Stiller acting the same way in almost every movie he's in over and over again, you'll like this film, if you don't like that, and you find it annoying, you won't...
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Night at the Museum is just a never ending train wreck of a movie. If you like Ben Stiller acting the same way in almost every movie he's in over and over again, you'll like this film, if you don't like that, and you find it annoying, you won't like this film. I don't like Ben Stiller. The cast is great, they have great actors, legends and newbies alike. Paul Rudd, barely is in the movie. Kim Raver, from 24, plays the ex-wife, in a cliched character. Dick Van Dyke Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs, play the old late night guards. Their characters aren't likeable or funny, especially Mickey Rooney who is just annoying with the worst dialogue, ever. I'm not even going to go on with the other actors, who are stuck with completely forgetable roles. The CGI is really good, and that's about it. The story is cliched beyond belief. The jokes are directed at kids, which makes sense, but it's just annoying for adults to watch. Night at the Museum is the night I really should had taken sleeping pills before watching this absolutely terrible film.

Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Sound familiar? Tony Scott's reteaming with Bruckheimer is an explosive ordeal, but when is it not? The basic premise, is beyond common sense, and for that matter, makes little sense. The cast is good...
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Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Deja Vu. Sound familiar? Tony Scott's reteaming with Bruckheimer is an explosive ordeal, but when is it not? The basic premise, is beyond common sense, and for that matter, makes little sense. The cast is good with hampy dialogue, and Denzel Washington gives a good performance by playing the same character for about the hundredth time again. Scott's direction is past faced with action scenes, and is suited for this kind of movie, imagine another director handling this movie, could had been a disaster, or a masterpiece, who knows? The main problem with the movie is time travel or whatever they're talking about. Watching people in the past, from a satellite in space, a folding piece of paper, seeing what's happening at an earlier date with wearing what looks like an over sized hockey helmet, I don't know. The movie tries to explain the techniques that they're using, and then they explain it again, and again. That's what they must had meant by Deja Vu. It gets repeative and doesn't clear anything up, rather, just blurries it further. The action scenes are okay, and the movie does set itself up rather interestingly but far too easily, but by the time things are being shown to give the viewer an understanding what little detail meant in the present, well, I don't know how to explain it, let's just say that we don't care by that time. Deja Vu is just another forgetable action film in conclusion.

Judd Apatow comes back to movie theatres with his new film Knocked Up. Long story short, if you loved 40 Year Old Virgin, you'll probably like this one movie too. However, Knocked Up isn't as good as 40 Year Old Virgin, but there are some ways...
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Judd Apatow comes back to movie theatres with his new film Knocked Up. Long story short, if you loved 40 Year Old Virgin, you'll probably like this one movie too. However, Knocked Up isn't as good as 40 Year Old Virgin, but there are some ways that makes Knocked Up better than Apatow's previous film. Seth Rogen returns to the screen as the pot smoking and slacker, Ben who ends up with the girl whose out of his league, Alison, played by Katherine Heigl. Knocked Up takes the more sentimental path, but still delivers a belly full of laughs. The cast is very good, especially the leads, who became very likeable and will make you cheer for them. Leslie Mann is perfect as Paul Rudd's wife, and speaking of Paul Rudd, well he's just pure comic genius as he always is, making references to Everybody Loves Raymond, again. However, Ben's group of friends aren't as funny as Steve Carell's friends from Virgin, instead they're more annoying, especially Jonah Hall. But the constant references to Martin Starr's bearded character are quite hilarious, especially when they reach the joke I was waiting for: a reference to John Lennon. Though, Knocked Up isn't as funny 40 Year Old Virgin, in my opinion, Knocked Up is more heartfelt and is more realistic through the tribulations that people go through everyday, offering a clever new spin on a basic movie premise. However, one sad thing is that Ben's dad in the movie, played by the ever so talented Harold Ramis shows up for only two scenes and his character is fantastic and it's disappointing that him and Seth Rogen didn't have more scenes together. Overall, Knocked Up is a notch up from almost every comedy that has come out since Virgin and definitely should not be missed, if you are old enough to see the movie that is.

Spider-Man 2 easily tops the first Spider-Man film, and it just adds more of the things people want to see in these kind of movies. The film takes a daring turn with showing Peter Parker sturggling to cope with his duties while balancing his life....
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Spider-Man 2 easily tops the first Spider-Man film, and it just adds more of the things people want to see in these kind of movies. The film takes a daring turn with showing Peter Parker sturggling to cope with his duties while balancing his life. In most sequels, you would just see the person continuing their duties faithfully without struggle. Peter's turmoil is compelling to watch, you want to cheer for his success and you feel down when he stumbles. The love story is better, more defined and realistic. The film has a great sense of morality and teaches you a valuable lesson. The characters are very well detailed, especially the main characters, and most importantly, the villian. Alfred Molina is pitch perfect as Doc Ock. His character is so well defined and detailed, mostly because of the exceptional writing. The action scenes are exceptional. Offer exhilirating thrills as Spidey fights on the tallest skyscrapers and on subway carts. Spider-Man 2 is a terrific film that is just better on all levels than its Spider-Man, mostly because it's just lots of fun and a joy to watch.

Even before Spider-Man 2 was released the release date for Spider-Man 3 was already announced, May 4th 2007. I wrote this down onto a sticky note and lost it somewhere in between then and now. But 3 years passed and I was very eager to see how...
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Even before Spider-Man 2 was released the release date for Spider-Man 3 was already announced, May 4th 2007. I wrote this down onto a sticky note and lost it somewhere in between then and now. But 3 years passed and I was very eager to see how this movie was going to shape up. I love Spider-Man 2, it's one of the best superhero movies out there and I was hoping that the third installment would do the same. I was unfortunately wrong. Spider-Man 3's biggest fault is its unfocused storytelling. There are too many characters and too many plotlines in the movie. Three villians is a lot, but they're generally balanced well with the expense of developing them. We barely know the characters by the end of the movie, Harry is somewhat focused on, but Eddie Brock and Flint Marko are barely touched except for a few scenes, which don't offer much of an explanation. The movie focuses mostly on Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson, but by the end of the film, we don't really feel as connected to them as we did in the previous movies. Like I found it really hard to take Peter seriously as this hipster when he just looks emo. And the I really felt like there was going to be a musical scene in the jazz club. The film tries to take advantage of a darker tone, but it loses the fun factor and the joy that was in the other films. And the humor in it is almost borderline slapstick. However, if you're a fan of Bruce Campbell, you'll enjoy his cameo. The visual effects are indeed top notch and you can tell that a lot of detail and dedication went into it, but the action scenes just aren't as exciting as you may expect them to be. Like they're great as eye candy, but you just don't get the compelling feeling to them. Also, the movie is far too long, nearly breaking two and half hours is too long. Overall, Spider-Man 3 is a disappointment. It suffers from unfocused story telling, underdeveloped characters and it just doesn't feel as satisfying as you would hope.

Long time buddies Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team for the second time (first being Sin City) to bring you two back-to-back films with advertisements and fake movie trailers in between them. There is considerable hype surrounding this...
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Long time buddies Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team for the second time (first being Sin City) to bring you two back-to-back films with advertisements and fake movie trailers in between them. There is considerable hype surrounding this film mostly coming from the power of the internet. Generally now a days, people, including myself, had never heard of a grindhouse in their lives but the people who were around in 70's probably recognized the term. Basically, grindhouse theatres were basically the theatres you went to, to see the most outrageous movies out there when it came to violence, sex, language and other extreme subject matter. Now the two talented filmmakers have brought back the grindhouse to new age cinemas without the possibly of being stabbed halfway through the movie. First, you get the fake trailers of Machete, about a scarred mexican hitman (Danny Trejo) to kill some politican but gets double crossed in the end and Machete goes on a vengeful rampage, which sounds an awful a lot like most revenge films. However, it's just over the top and it's all good and you get reminded of the feel you got from watching the El Mariachi. Then there was the other fake trailer "Hobo with a Shotgun," which was showcased in select theatres and it's just not as good as the other trailers. Then the film bursts right into the action with Planet Terror. A zombie movie to heart with hard edged characters, both heroes and villians. Simply said, zombies try to kill everybody but the survivors fight off the hordes of zombies then take the fight to the military, which are evil in this case and aren't there to save the day. Rose McGowan is terrific as the Go-Go dancer who ends up with a machine gun for a leg (best performance by a women with a machine for a leg, ever!). Then there's Freddy Rodriguez (no relation to Robert), whose just a never missing gun slinger and knife slicing abilities, Napoleon Dynamite would be jealous, who is the typical leader in this zombie genre. Then there's Bruce Willis, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Michael Parks, Josh Brolin, and Marly Shelton. Great cast with fantastic results. Planet Terror is over the top, which it intends to do, and is gory, violent, sexy, thrilling and is just a blast to watch. Next, are a few more trailers, inclduding the wierd British horror film "Don't," the Nazi film by Rob Zombie "Werewolf Women of the SS" with the best performance by Nicolas Cage since Adaptation with only being on screen for thirty seconds. Finally, Thanksgiving. Yeah, it's just twisted and let's leave it at that. Then there's Death Proof. Death Proof on its own merit starts off kind of slow. The characters, in typical Tarantino movies, talk and talk about numerous topics without the camera stopped rolling. As in one scene where the characters sitting around talking with coffee in hand, with the character circling around the table, exactly in Reservior Dogs. However, the talking goes on for a bit too long and the dialogue isn't as sharp as you would naturally expect from Tarantino. The first bunch of characters aren't generally likeable except for their looks. However, Kurt Russell is terrific as the crazed serial killer Stuntman Mike, who uses his car to kill people, good original weapon of choice. Then the story of Death Proof follows a new group of women, which are the more entertaining than the first group. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Tracie Thoms, Rosario Dawnson and Zoe Bell are the traveling women who go after a classic Dodge Charger and plan to do some pretty daring stunts. Then the car chases start. This pretty much makes up for the slow beginning because this car chase is truly amazing. I never figured Tarantino could pull off a car chase this amazing, he proved me wrong. Now did I mention this car chase is incredible? Really fast paced and just exciting, exciting, exciting. Other than that, in the end you'll be cheering for the trio of women. Top lining the performances, Zoe Bell and Kurt Russell come out blazing to first. Russell is dynamite and Bell is just so awesome to watch on screen, especially doing her own stunts, because she was Uma Thurman's stunt double in the Kill Bill films. Music wise, Death Proof isn't the best soundtrack of Tarantino's movies and it's a bit disappointing. But did I mention the car chase is just crazy awesome? So deciding moment: which film is better? It's hard to say because they're both dastrically different in all regards. Better put, which one did I enjoy watching more? Probably Planet Terror, because it's more exciting. But see the films as a double bill, it's a great way to spend your money, and kill three hours that just breeze by! Overall, go see Grindhouse!

There are so many reasons why you should go out to your local video store and rent Heat, but I'll give you the fine line: see it because it is a masterpiece. Heat is an epic crime saga about two men on opposite sides of the law. One is Neil...
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There are so many reasons why you should go out to your local video store and rent Heat, but I'll give you the fine line: see it because it is a masterpiece. Heat is an epic crime saga about two men on opposite sides of the law. One is Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a tight drawn and complex robber and an obsessive and intelligent cop Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). The film tells the story of the people connected to one another and more is an intriguing character story with Neil and his crew planning their heists, Vincent trying to catch Neil, Neil, Chris (Val Kilmer) and Vincent's love lives and many other sub-stories that seemlessly blend in right into the movie. The supporting cast in tremendous with Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, and the ever so talented William Fichtner. However, the best performances in the movie are done of course by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. They've created their characters from words to real believable people. Both are energenic, intense, and intriguing and that's what you would expect from two of America's best actors. These guys will literally keep your eyes glued to the screen. And just seeing these guys sharing two scenes together is totally worth seeing this. The dialogue is top notch and is some of the best writing you could expect to see in a movie. Pulse pounding music gives the flim a grittier and tougher feel, which just makes this film even better. Then there is the direction. One word: exceptional. Michael Mann is an incredibly talented director and this is proof. Heat has some of the best shoot outs ever put on screen. The action is loud, bombastic, exciting and thrilling. Overall, Heat is a masterful accomplishment for Michael Mann. People say it's too long, but I don't think they can appreciate the time devoted to this story and the characters in it. In my opinion, Heat is one of the best movies ever made and it was totally robbed of all the Oscar nominations is should had gotten, but it got none, so that almost makes me hate Hollywood.

There are always something to you can count on for a Michael Bay film: 1) Explosions 2) Hoaky Dialogue and 3) .... More explosions. A certain trend that Michael Bay nearly breaks in this film but then goes back to that. The beginning is a stylish...
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There are always something to you can count on for a Michael Bay film: 1) Explosions 2) Hoaky Dialogue and 3) .... More explosions. A certain trend that Michael Bay nearly breaks in this film but then goes back to that. The beginning is a stylish creepy science fiction story with many plot holes. But then the film ends up being a loud and violent chase film with explosion after explosion. The Island's biggest fault is the advertising. Giving away the movie's biggest twist in the trailer is not a good advertising method. The film is quite generic after a while that qith hoaky and campy dialogue and action scenes with nicer cars in them, not much evolution in Bay's action scenes. Finishing up, the acting ain't that special either. Anyway, The Island is just basically a mess and should be avoided unless you're a Michael Bay fanatic.

The Batman franchise never seemed right for me, until I saw Batman Begins. This is a perfect example for how you successfully re-energize a movie franchise, giving it a dark and much needed reboot. The plot is darker and more complex, thanks to a...
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The Batman franchise never seemed right for me, until I saw Batman Begins. This is a perfect example for how you successfully re-energize a movie franchise, giving it a dark and much needed reboot. The plot is darker and more complex, thanks to a great screenplay by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer. The dark roots for how Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight is very well handled and seems much more plausible than most super hero beginnings. Christopher Nolan's precise direction is very good with great cinematography to boot. The cast is great, and Christian Bale is a suitting addition to don the dark cape. With a fantastic supporting cast with Morgan Freeman, Michael Cain, Liam Neeson, Ken Wantanabe, and Gary Oldman. If there is one odd choice of casting, it is Katie Holme, who holds her own, but just doesn't seem to fit. Although, the Batman theme by Danny Elfman is classic in its own merit, it's no where to heard in this film and the score was done by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer who deliver a darker and more haunting score. And it's great to see that the Bat suit doesn't have nipples! Overall, Batman Begins is a long awaited success story for the influential comic book hero and you got to love that new Batmobile!

Man on Fire is a powerful revenge movie, if revenge is a proper term to describe it. It seems to blatant to say it is, when it's underlying is a complex and emotional thrill ride. The story is basically simple. A former CIA operative, Creasy, is...
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Man on Fire is a powerful revenge movie, if revenge is a proper term to describe it. It seems to blatant to say it is, when it's underlying is a complex and emotional thrill ride. The story is basically simple. A former CIA operative, Creasy, is hired by a family in Mexico to protect the family, mainly their daughter. However, Creasy suffers from depression and alocohol dependency issues. Denzel Washington puts in a fantastic performance as the disgruntled body guard. Soon he becomes intrigued by the curious Pita (Dakota Fanning) and begins to care for her. The first half is very powerful and the second half is a violent thrill ride. Creasy will go to any end to find Pita when she's kidnapped. No person will get in his way. A lot of people complain about the film saying that the second half struggles to show humanity with its tantalizing brutality. However, I believe it is the opposite, it is a compelling gritty and realistic violence. Does it go over the top? Perhaps a little. But the film is just a great film on top of that. Tony Scott is an extremely talented director. And him and his editor and cinematographer deserve a lot of credit for their work done of this film. Also, the film's composer Harry Gregson-Williams deserves a huge credit for the extremely beautiful score, the track on the soundtrack called "The End" is just beautiful in every regard. Overall, Man on Fire is just a great film through and through if you enjoy films of this genre and can forgive its violence.

Superman Returns marks the return of the Man of Steel on the big screen. After being away from Earth for five years, Superman returns only to find that indeed Krypton had been destroyed and nothing remained of it. A lot happened while Clarke Kent...
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Superman Returns marks the return of the Man of Steel on the big screen. After being away from Earth for five years, Superman returns only to find that indeed Krypton had been destroyed and nothing remained of it. A lot happened while Clarke Kent was away, including his long love Lois Lane having a son and being ingaged, and the mastermind Lex Luthor being free from the law. The casting for most of the characters seem well done, except for some instances that Kate Bosworth and Brandon Routh don't seem particulary qualified for the role. Kevin Spacey is probably the best casting as a darker and grimmer Luthor, although he doesn't stand up to Gene Hackman's original performance. The screenplay is pretty good except the second half needs a bit more action in it to keep a faster pace. Although, the action in it is really impressive along with the CGI. The director, Bryan Singer, is one of my favorite directors and he does a really good job with this. Overall, Superman Returns is a great film, and a great Superman movie, but not as good as the first Superman movie.

Lucky Number Slevin is a daring thriller through and through and it keeps you guessing until the end. However, there is a problem with this strategy. The case of mistaken identity can be a confusing mess of a story, but Slevin arounds that. The...
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Lucky Number Slevin is a daring thriller through and through and it keeps you guessing until the end. However, there is a problem with this strategy. The case of mistaken identity can be a confusing mess of a story, but Slevin arounds that. The first half of the film is a great talkative, slow moving mystery, but the second half suffers in turn. The film tries to be too clever in Tarantino or Guy Ritchie way and borrows some from other mystery movies. The direction of the movie is expertly done. And the screenplay is tight, and perhaps too tight. Every detail is important and it's not good because it demands the viewer to pay attention to every thing and remember until the end. The cast is an all star one and they seem to be having fun with the script. Except every character appears that they have a grade A vocabulary. Plus, the set design is dizzing and ugly. The climatic twist at the end hits you head on and hard, and it all feels too forced. Overall, Lucky Number Slevin is alright mystery/thriller.

Three Kings is set during the events after the Gulf War where the U.S. came to liberate Kuwait from Iraq. There was a lot speculation about why the Gulf War actually even happened, many say that it was for the oil. One of the problems of the war...
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Three Kings is set during the events after the Gulf War where the U.S. came to liberate Kuwait from Iraq. There was a lot speculation about why the Gulf War actually even happened, many say that it was for the oil. One of the problems of the war was that it made no sense and the soldiers weren't fully aware what they were supposed to be doing. The Gulf War is also known as the rouddiest wars ever with very little to admire for the troops. No honor there, many of the troops partying and making jokes about the Arabic people there. Three Kings shows this, very very well. The slip of paper at the beginning of the film to tell what the Iraqi soldiers were supposed to do are real and were used then. Three Kings is a thought provoking story of when four soldiers find a map that leads to a secret Iraqi bunker that holds stolen gold from Kuwait. The story is great and refreshingly original from other war films. The acting from the leads are fantastic and with some great supporting performances as well. What makes this film different from any other war film is that it blends a mix of satire, humour, action and drama perfectly. Some scenes are really funny, some are poignant and thought provoking, and some are just really exciting. Three Kings is a truly outstanding war film.

The first entry into the prequel trilogy telling the story of the young Anakin Skywalker and his long journey to become one of the greatest villians in cinema history. This was probably one of the most anticipated movies ever and probably the most...
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The first entry into the prequel trilogy telling the story of the young Anakin Skywalker and his long journey to become one of the greatest villians in cinema history. This was probably one of the most anticipated movies ever and probably the most over-hyped film of all time. Fan boys charged to the theatre and I remember seeing it for the first time and seeing people standing up in the theatre and having light saber duals in the aisles and I also remember some people, after the movie ended, booing it. I thought then it was a great film, but I was younger then, and looking back, I can safely say it was a disappointment. The action and CG is incredible and ground breaking for it's time and it has a truly amazing dual but besides that, the film fails. The story is bland and it doesn't seem like a Star Wars film considering the entire plot is about trade embargos and economic repression. Probably half the kids who were too young to understand that kind of stuff were probably left clueless. Some of the story is interesting but it's not Star Wars quality. In transition from the original trilogy to this film, the Star Wars flavour disappeared. Overall, Phantom of the Menace is probably the worst entry into the Star Wars franchise, but hell, it made money, I guess to some people, that's all the matters anyway.

Attack of the Clones was the second installment into the new age trilogy of the Star Wars franchise. Let me cut to the chase, if you didn't like Phantom of the Menace, you probably wouldn't like this film as well. That's because the film barely...
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Attack of the Clones was the second installment into the new age trilogy of the Star Wars franchise. Let me cut to the chase, if you didn't like Phantom of the Menace, you probably wouldn't like this film as well. That's because the film barely improves on what the Phantom Menace did. And what Attack of the Clones does improve on is action, which is really disappointing. The story picks up 10 years after Phantom of the Menace and it basically sets up the events of the infamous Clone Wars. Anakin now a near jedi knight, but still under the wing of Obi-Wan, is arrogant and over confident and we witness some his pre-dark transformation. However, those are as poignant as you may think and they seem a bit dull and generic. Possibly, the worst thing this movie has against it is one of the worst castings of all time. The casting of Anakin Skywalker is really really bad and throughout the film you keep thinking to yourself "what the hell were they thinking?" The acting in the whole movie is sub par at best. But the action is there. Attack of the Clones is a technical marvel, and the visuals explode onto the screen and they're a blast to watch, too bad the rest of the film isn't like that. Storywise, there are some interesting revealing plot lines but not enough. The story is actually down right boring in some spots, and that's not like Star Wars at all! I would had been happier if the movie sacraficed some of the action into dedicating more into the story. The Empire Strikes Back worked amazingly well because it focused on the story more than a New Hope while making very little sacrafices when it came to the action. But Attack of the Clones fails in that respect. This isn't the best Star Wars film out there and lacks much of the magic and wonder that the other films in the franchise had.

The final chapter in the Star Wars saga is of course Revenge of the Sith which provides the final answer to the ultimate question: how did Anakin become Darth Vader? This has been the long awaited question since the first trilogy. For every Star...
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The final chapter in the Star Wars saga is of course Revenge of the Sith which provides the final answer to the ultimate question: how did Anakin become Darth Vader? This has been the long awaited question since the first trilogy. For every Star Wars film, there has always been expectations and huge hype for every film. Now the first two films of the new trilogy that Lucas has created have been disappointments storywise but finally Revenge of the Sith gets back on track. The saddest part of that statement is that is it the final film. The film opens with a massive space battle which leads staright into the a rescue mission on foot, I cannot think of a better way to start a Star Wars film without something that large scale and it's a blast to watch. Soon we discover that several years has passed since the events of Attack of the Clones and the war has caused many different circumstances to arise. Palpatine has grown more powerful and the jedi council has become more weary of his power. Also, we learn that the Separtist army is beginning to lose ground in the war and starting to struggle although their leader Darth Sidious believes other wise. Along with that Anakin and Padme are now married and expecting. That's pretty much summed up in the first half hour of the film. Now the film's story is a bit tighter than before and it's better told. The story has several interesting twists and Revenge of the Sith does an exceptional job at filling in the blanks and making the loose ends come full circle. On top of that, Revenge of the Sith does top Attack of the Clones action wise. The visuals are spectular and the action is exhilirating. However, there are problems. Some of the action goes on for a bit too long. Such as the climatic duel. Perhaps they're too good at duelling than they should really be. The acting again, is "wooden." Except for Yoda, Ian McDiamid and Ewan McGregor. The dialogue isn't the greatest and some lines are just unintentionally funny. What should be poetitic is sloppy. However, there is enough to be had in the film that makes it great on its own merit and those overshadow the bad stuff in the film. Revenge of the Sith is a classic return to the original Star Wars formula.

Since the first teaser trailer for 300 was released last year, many people, like myself, have been dying and aching to see this epic. The trailer delivered some truly visual thrills and with the hard pumping song "Just as You Imagined"...
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Since the first teaser trailer for 300 was released last year, many people, like myself, have been dying and aching to see this epic. The trailer delivered some truly visual thrills and with the hard pumping song "Just as You Imagined" by Nine Inch Nails pounded into the background, the trailer quickly made a statement. This movie was gonna be different than anything we've seen before. Time kept passing and then a second trailer was released, which topped the teaser, more people got excited. And as the week of 300's release rolled around, the massive excitement for this film just became out of this world. But the final question everybody has come down to is this: is 300 everything that we had hoped for and does it live up to the hype? In short, it does indeed.

300 is the adaptation of the graphic novel by Frank Miller, fresh off of fame from the Sin City movie, and Lynn Varley. The story tells that tale of the epicly famous Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., where King Leonidas of Sparta ferciously combatted the massive army of the Persian Empire, lead by the God King Xerxes. Leading 300 devotedly trained Spartans into battle, Leonidas united all of Greece to fight to the bitter end to keep democracy and not to drawn into the submission of the Persian forces. Now, about the film. Of course, the movie centers on what it wants to deliver and it focusses on that the most and it pays off. You have to come into the film with the proper outlook. 300 doesn't rely on the full historical accuracy with its dialogue and its storytelling won't focus much on the diplomatic part of the story. Instead, diplomacy takes the back seat. What 300 sets out to doing is creating a new visual feel to violence. The battle scenes are gruesome, bloody, violent and stunning. You would think that the violence would get repeatitive but it rarely does. The violence keeps pounding and its just awesome. This is the new age feel to epic combat and hell, it's just an amazing thrill ride and it's a great change of pace since Narnia. Also, with violence comes visual effects. Just as Sin City, the entire film is done in front of a blue/green screen and seeing the trailers, you go wow, that looks incredible. Now since it's on the big screen, it looks simply and utterly, beautiful. The background blends seemlessly and your mind just accepts that it's real. The music has some historical epic sounds and themes to it but the composer Tyler Bates has added a hard rock feel to it, which adds to the film's feel. Zack Snyder does a terrific job when it comes to directing this film and he should be considered now to be a rising director that'll keep making great films to come. Overall, 300 sets out what it wanted to do and succeeds. They wanted a visually stunning movie with incredibly epic feeling action scenes that are just mind blowing and 300 delivers every step of the way and it never lets up. Some people may be disappointed by it because they might be looking for a more deeper meaning to it, besides its honour and combatant code. But if you come into the film expecting what Snyder wanted to do with the film, you'll love it.

Crash is a multiple storyline movie about the racism, descrimination and prejudice in Los Angeles. The story is very well told following each character(s) through their trials and tribulations through crimes of chance and some of quite heart...
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Crash is a multiple storyline movie about the racism, descrimination and prejudice in Los Angeles. The story is very well told following each character(s) through their trials and tribulations through crimes of chance and some of quite heart breaking. Each story has elements of controversy because of the realism in them, the things that happens to the characters are possible and are heart breaking when it occurs. The cast is just amazing in every regard, if there is a movie that has a better cast, it's hard to find one better than this because Crash's cast has some of the best. Don Cheadle, Michael Pena, Matt Dillion, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, William Fichtner, Terrence Howard, and Larenz Tate probably give the film's best performance. The script is very thoughtful and sharp by Academy Award Winner Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco. The direction, also done by Haggis, is fantastic too. The song "In the Deep" is a truly breath-taking song that is so beautiful. Along the lines of music, Mark Isham's score is very good as well. There are some truly haunting and memorable scenes in the movie, but that's just not what makes Crash a brilliant movie. The movie as a whole is amazing, everything comes together perfectly, and this movie, in my opinion, deserved its Best Picture Oscar.

The Illusionist is a very good film, enough said. The cast is outstanding, especially Edward Norton who is fantastic in his role. Jessica Biel also holds her own. The story is probably the best part of the movie, as every magician movie attempts...
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The Illusionist is a very good film, enough said. The cast is outstanding, especially Edward Norton who is fantastic in his role. Jessica Biel also holds her own. The story is probably the best part of the movie, as every magician movie attempts to do. And The Illusionist has an awesome story and as it unfolds, it grips you even more. The music is great by Phillip Glass, and the cinemotography is great, because it has a sepia tone look with black faded edges, and that really gives the film the right look. Overall, the Illusionist is probably better than the Prestige when it comes to magic movies, but that's saying alot as it is.

Ridley Scott is indeed a very talented director and you can count on him to shake things up when it comes to movies and Black Hawk Down really shows how good of a director he is. Black Hawk Down is a fast paced non-stop war film that is bound to...
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Ridley Scott is indeed a very talented director and you can count on him to shake things up when it comes to movies and Black Hawk Down really shows how good of a director he is. Black Hawk Down is a fast paced non-stop war film that is bound to be another addition to the classic war film genre. The realistic violence is thrilling from start to finish and rarely hitches up on the non-important moments. The cast is very good, a lot of actors, whom you may not recognize by their name, but once you see their face, you'll realize, oh it's that guy! And the cast fits their roles very well. Of course, some of the character development takes a back seat to the action, but there is enough of it to sustain interest into the characters. However, you know that every soldier relies on a code: leave no man behind. The cinemotography is great and looks great, great, great. However, the best part about the movie is the sound. It's like the new age Apocolapyse Now when it comes to sound. In conclusion, Black Hawk Down is a truly outstanding film with great realism and great momentum.

Flags of Our Fathers is yet again, another film depicting the events of World War II. However, the story tells the events surrounding the violent Battle of Iowa Jima and the power of the extremely famous flag raising photograph that captured the...
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Flags of Our Fathers is yet again, another film depicting the events of World War II. However, the story tells the events surrounding the violent Battle of Iowa Jima and the power of the extremely famous flag raising photograph that captured the hearts of America. If there is one thing you can say about this film is that it was incorrectly marketed. I think a lot of people were expecting a huge epic scaled war film, such as Saving Private Ryan, however it doesn't stray too far from the blue print that film laid out. Instead, Flags of Our Fathers depicts the battle and also the propaganda of the photograph that the American government utilized in order to fund the war effort. Clint Eastwood is a very talented director, though not always known for that until recently. The acting is very good in the film, especially by Adam Beach and Ryan Phillippe. The action is very intense, gory, realistic and gritty and that's a good thing. And the propaganda aspect in very intriguing as well, for a certain amount of time. After a while, you realize that America tried to milk every cent out of its citizens to fund the war, but after countless speeches and memorial services, you get it and then it becomes too much. And the story goes back and forth between the battle and the aftermath, and the story telling becomes a bit scattered, where the more interesting story is on the island. Also, the film goes on a bit too long and the musical score is pretty bad. Also, there is this narrative done some what similar to what happens in Amadeus with the interviewer talking to one of the surviving soldiers and this shows up briefly from time to time but then it goes full force at the very end and this screws up the pacing of the film and it seems unneeded. In conclusion, Flags of our Fathers is a good WWII film, but if you want to see a WWII masterpiece, watch Saving Private Ryan.

The Prestige a magical thriller originally as a novel by author Christopher Priest, but now it has its screen debut that is helmed by Christopher Nolan. The back drop of the story is during the age of magical acts being the main form of...
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The Prestige a magical thriller originally as a novel by author Christopher Priest, but now it has its screen debut that is helmed by Christopher Nolan. The back drop of the story is during the age of magical acts being the main form of entertainment with two magicians, one earnest and one over confident working for Cutter (Michael Cain) who work within a magicians act. However, after an accident occurs, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) grows angry and blames his co-worker Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) for the tragedy. Borden goes off on his own and soon he meets, his future wife Julia (Piper Perabo). With fortune to be had, Cutter takes advantage of the oppertunity for Angier to have his very own act, with the hiring of Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson). After several events occurring where each magician scars each others reputation. But wait! This all comes after the first scene where we see Christian Bale in prison. And then later, Jackman goes adventuring to meet the infamous Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). The story may seem daunting at first, but how it unfolds, is very intriguing and very well done. The film keeps you guessing until the end. All of the acting in the film is also very good, especially by the leads of Bale and Jackman, with a great supporting cast as well, with a stand out performance by Bowie. The set designs are great to look at and visual effects are suitable enough to fit the movie. The downsides of the movie is that some scenes do run a bit slow and interfere with the pacing, although there are some secrets and hints dropped then. The music isn't that as impressive as Phillip Glass' score from the Illusionist and it seems more generic and doesn't emphasize the true mystery and wonder of the film. And probably the saddest down side is probably the ending. Yes, it is a surprising one, but a tad too convoluted. If you recall from the movie, the hints and events make sense but it just seems to convoluted to be taken likely. Overall, the Prestige is another great picture from Christopher Nolan and if you enjoyed the other magician film of 2006, The Illusionist, you'll probably enjoy this film as well.

Marie Antoinette is the new period piece by rising female director Sofia Coppola. Kirsten Dunst plays the doomed Austrian royalty who marries French prince Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman). The movie follows the drastic changes through Marie's life,...
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Marie Antoinette is the new period piece by rising female director Sofia Coppola. Kirsten Dunst plays the doomed Austrian royalty who marries French prince Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman). The movie follows the drastic changes through Marie's life, which she seems like she's been glamorized as the old age Paris Hiltion, through he countless spending, eating and gossipping. Dunst does put in a good charming and loving portrayal as Antoinette but in my opinion the show is stolen by Schwartzman's hilarious scene stealing performance as the pathetic Louis XVI. With the addition of new age rock songs don't add much to the effect of the movie and can't compare to other movies who have used the effect before and used it better. The costumes and set designs are very eye popping to look at but after a while it begins to grow tedious. At first, seeing Versailles is breath taking but after seeing it over and over again, it goes quite tiresome. Along with the shoes and food, enough is enough, there was alot of food of course, but I don't need to see it over and over again. It's almost like subliminal advertising to buy more cakes. The first portion of the film is quite good but then in the final hour the film drags on and feels more like two hours longer. The good thing about the movie is that the characters are more human and seem more believable, but then you realize that they didn't have much responsibility and never seemed like they had something like they should had been doing, like... I don't know, how about the Estates General (Which is never ever mentioned at all in the film)? Plus all of sudden, the French Revolution pops out of now where. It mentioned once before hand for a brief moment and then it shows up right out of the blue. The most important historical step in government politics ever, the creation of today's democracy (though not the first, done by Greece but then forgotten) was a result of the French Revolution and yet it has no impact on the movie. Marie Antoinette had a huge impact on history when it came to the Revolution and it's never mentioned until the final two minutes of the film. She says that her infamous quote: "let them eat cake" was nothing but gossip, which seems to be rewriting history. In conclusion, this film had so much potential but it just comes off completely wrong in the end. The story is just terribly constructed. Even though it focusses on Marie's life, it would had been nice to have a few more scenes that illustrated the details of the French Revolution. However, it fails to do so, and it just makes little to no sense of how Sofia Coppola didn't believe it was neccessary to include such a pivotal role as the French Revolution until the end of the film.

Breach is the new thriller by acclaimed director Billy Ray, who wrote and directed 2003's Shattered Glass. His new film is based on the true story about one of the largest security breaches in United States Government history. Robert Hanssen...
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Breach is the new thriller by acclaimed director Billy Ray, who wrote and directed 2003's Shattered Glass. His new film is based on the true story about one of the largest security breaches in United States Government history. Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) is promoted to a new division that deals with analystic data processing and the unexperienced and ambitious Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) is asigned to work along side the veteran FBI agent. However, not everything is what it seems when O'Neill is secretly working to expose Hanssen's dark secret, that he is a traitor, who willingly traded government classified secrets to the Russians. This movie flows steadily and swiftly and hardly misses a beat when it comes to the story. The intense and riveting story makes you think and makes you grow intrigued by the nature of Hanssen's actions. The intelligence of the screenplay can possibly be added to the new age spy genre, which has been dominated lately by the Bourne franchise. Though the story is fictionalized and some details remain true, it makes you wonder how deep and how dark this whole tale goes. The cast in tremendous, with a great performance by Phillippe and a truly masterful performance by the brilliant Chris Cooper. Breach is a tense and taut government thriller that shouldn't be missed.