The most anticipated movie of the summer, The Dark Knight, does not disappoint.

The midnight showing was what I would have expected. The entire place was sold out and people were clapping, before (in a chant like way) and after. Trust...
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The most anticipated movie of the summer, The Dark Knight, does not disappoint.

The midnight showing was what I would have expected. The entire place was sold out and people were clapping, before (in a chant like way) and after. Trust me, after you see this movie, you will clap, or rather it's hard not to clap. To get a good seat, I had to get in about 45 minutes before the movie started, and yes, they did let us into the theater that early. But let's get on to the movie.

The Dark Knight starts out with the introduction of the Joker, taking a look at Batman as he deals with a couple of thugs, and also being introduced to Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Everything seems to be going well. The criminals are scared and the arrival of Harvey Dent, the new DA in Gotham brings another big hitter for the side of good. But that's where everything goes wrong. The Joker is unleashed. Now the games will begin. The Joker in seemingly unstoppable considering, as he puts it, by having no rules. As such, he's a curveball that no one can seemingly hit or see coming. But of course battles are waged, and certain people will realize who they truly are.

What everyone is probably wondering and probably already know is the fact that the late Heath Ledger, in his last performance is beyond spectacular. He is the embodiment of The Joker. He shows you why The Joker is one of the most feared villains in history. This is true greatness that he brings to the screen and he steals the show. Much like Johnny Depp did with Captain Jack Sparrow, but to a much larger extent. You can't help but both laugh and be horrified by the character of The Joker. Perfection. May you rest in peace Heath Ledger.

But of course, the great acting doesn't end with Mr. Ledger. Aaron Eckhart is fantastic as the DA Harvey Dent. He is aggresive and emotional as he tries to get things to go his way, doing a great job at portraying the character. While not stealing scenes like Heath, just wait until the end, when the character's true colors show, and Eckhart is hard not to admire. The same can be said for Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Gordon. With everyone else shining, it can be hard to witness Oldman doing at times a better job. He doesn't have a large part, but he brings it all to the table. Dare I say that this movie is one of the best acted movies of the year? Why I do dare.

Katie Holmes is the only loss actor-wise, as she's replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes. It is an improvement to say the least with Gyllenhaal in the film.

The Dark Knight is also one of those films that wouldn't be the same without its spectacular musical score from Hans Zimmer (who also did the past two Pirates of the Caribbean movies coincidentally). Hans Zimmer is at his best here and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets an Oscar nod for his effort. The mood of each scene is perfectly emulated through his score. "Why So Serious" perfectly gets you ready for each scene that goes wrong. Check out the soundtrack on itunes to get an idea.

It's very rare that I see a film that does pretty much everything almost to perfection. While The Dark Knight isn't the perfect movie, it comes close. There are a couple of slight problems, but they're negligible unless you want to look for them. The movie is clocked at a fast two hours and 40 minutes. I say fast because you won't know it's that long. The Dark Knight is the movie this summer, and may well be the movie of the year.

It's rare that I give out a score like this, but considering that the line "Why So Serious" is still ringing out in my head, along with a couple of other classic lines from the Joker, it makes sense.

10/10

Do not miss this movie.

I wasn't all too sure if Kung Fu Panda was going to be a good movie worth watching, considering Dreamworks' track record. Was it going to more like Shrek, a great family film, or more like Madagascar, a film that fit more for the younger audience...
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I wasn't all too sure if Kung Fu Panda was going to be a good movie worth watching, considering Dreamworks' track record. Was it going to more like Shrek, a great family film, or more like Madagascar, a film that fit more for the younger audience that didn't quite hit the family market. As such, I was pleasently surprised.

Kung Fu Panda tells the story of Po (Jack Black) a panda who has aspirations of becoming a kung fu master alongside the Furious Five, the protectors of the valley. Unfortunately for him, he's extremely out of shape and currently works at a noodle shop with his father. Meanwhile, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is told that the time to find the Dragon Warrior is upon them as the evil Tai Long (Ian McShane) is going to be set free. A quick search is made, and Po is chosen as the famed Dragon Warrior, much to the Furious Five's and Shifu's surprise. What comes next is a series of gags and all out fun as Shifu tries to train Po before Tai Long appears.

The story itself isn't an overly great one, but what makes this movie is Jack Black. Plain and simply his great excitement and complete embodiment of Po really stands out here. Every action and reaction is perfectly done here. It's hard to imagine anyone else with as much enthusiasm of Jack Black for this role. Perfectly done. As for the rest of the voice actors, Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane do great jobs as the disgruntled and ashamed master and evil protege respectively. The rest of the all-star cast, which includes the voices of Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Lucy Liu, and Jackie Chan, aren't in the movie as much as one would like, and don't really affect the film in any which way.

The next great surprise of the film, for me that is, was the great action sequences. They're fast, furious, and utterly fun to watch. Fantastically choreographed and mapped into the animation.

Overall, Kung Fu Panda is a fun fun movie to watch.

Yep, that's right, I stayed up late last night to see the new Indiana Jones movie at midnight, heh. I actually bought my ticket a couple days in advance thinking that the place might be sold out. It wasn't, but that was probably because the...
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Yep, that's right, I stayed up late last night to see the new Indiana Jones movie at midnight, heh. I actually bought my ticket a couple days in advance thinking that the place might be sold out. It wasn't, but that was probably because the theater I saw it in was located in one of the smaller towns around Cincinnati. Yep, smart thinking there . Anyway, everyone was buzzing in anticipation in the about third-full theater (maybe just a quarter-full); only the hardcore Indy fans showed up .

The lights dimmed and the previews started; they included the other highly touted summer movies including Get Smart, Wall-e, and Hancock. There were just a little too many, but oh well, the buzzing stopped as the Paramount Mountain opened up, along with the classic Indy start - they always start each movie with a mountain, or in this case a mound, that looks like the Paramount Mountain. Anyway, the movie started off a little differently than your typical Indy film (of course I won't spoil anything ). But it wasn't until the introduction of the main villain, brilliantly played by Cate Blanchett, that red flags went off in my head. The red flag went off due to the character not the actor. It just provided an awkward moment. But soon we learn what the main object of the movie is about, a crystal skull, and the fact that the Soviets are looking for it. I do have to mention that for some odd reason, the word Soviet is never mentioned during the film, even though it takes place in 1957 during the Red Scare. I just thought that was somewhat odd and a nice FYI. Anyway, we're soon off on a regular Indy adventure with Shia LeBouf and Karen Allen along for the ride. Karen Allen, who returns as Marion Ravenwood (from the Raiders) is spectacular to watch onscreen, especially when she and Indy get at each other. As for Shia, I'm not quite sure how I felt about his character. But unfortunately, the newest Indy adventure is hit with unexpected bumps along the road.

While I'm not going to say anything bad about the action sequences, as those were pulled off nicely, but I just want to say how poor the dialogue was. There were more than a couple of times where the dialogue just fell flat. The acting, from LeBouf and Ford could have been a little better, as their scenes together felt off. I'm not saying that neither of them were terrible, just decent, but lacked excitement, and when you're just discovering things for the first time, like a couple of scenes in the Amazon Jungle, it felt stiff and bored. But luckily when Karen Allen arrives on screen, everyone seems to pick it up. Most likely due to her energetic behavior, and the fact that aside from Cate Blanchett, she was the only person that seemed to be in character consistently. But the dialogue wasn't the only problem. I have more than one gripe about the central story.

The central plot of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull of course involves the retrieval of a crystal skull, no shocker there. But how the story turns and develops near the end just doesn't fit. I'm not going to spoil the movie, but if you see it, then you'll know what I'm talking about. The ending and what the crystal skull is just seemed not right. I'm not sure if it's because it's definitely not what I expected, or if it seemed cheesey in a way. But from my standpoint, the story is a change from your typical Indy adventure in a way, but not in a good way. Plus the way how the Soviets wanted to use the skull was, well, you'll understand.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a good action movie, but is unfortunately hit with inconsistencies with the acting and dialogue along with a story that may not be believable (is that the right word here?). Fans of the series (minus the really hardcore) will probably like it as they know how the movie could have gone. But overall, it's just hit with a little too many inconsistencies to bring it up to the same level as the first three Indy movies.

And before I give my score, I just have to say, what the hell was up with that lame scene with Shia LeBouf in the jungle aciton sequence and them monkeys? I'll leave it at that and hope the warning doesn't make you cringe in embarassment as I did while watching it.

You have to give J.J. Abrams knows movies. Cloverfield, the latest from the producer, is a new look at the giant monster genre. Think Godzilla. This time around, the point of view of the monster attack is from a camcorder, providing a much more...
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You have to give J.J. Abrams knows movies. Cloverfield, the latest from the producer, is a new look at the giant monster genre. Think Godzilla. This time around, the point of view of the monster attack is from a camcorder, providing a much more dramatic look at surviving this impossible scenario.

Cloverfield opens up with a look at the main character, Rob, as he begins his day. The shot suddenly shifts to a month later, where people are getting ready for set up Rob's going away party. Here we meet Rob's best bud, Hud, who takes control of the camcorder for the rest of the film. The party goes well, with the exception of Rob's girlfriend, Beth, showing up with someone else, until the first tremors start to arrive. The monster arrives and suddenly everyone is running for their lives. Cut off at the Brooklyn Bridge by the monster, Rob receives a call from Beth who's trapped in her apartment. Rob makes the decision to go and help her. The rest of the movie revolves around the small group trying to reach Beth while avoiding the monster and other horrors.

As a film, Cloverfield is just great to watch. The atmosphere and interactions between the characters perfectly portray a scenario exactly like this. The cast, mostly unknown, do a terrific job here. Not to mention the director for keeping the thrills coming. It's hard not to get hooked to this movie. As such, the only real downfall would be how it ends. Cloverfield ends suddenly, leaving you a little disenchanted. But overall, Cloverfield is a very good movie and people looking for a new way to see a monster movie, or a disaster movie as a matter of fact, you should check out Cloverfield.