Category: Movie Review (Page 8 of 9)

Yeah, that’s right. I really enjoyed Titanic (1997) and declare it my favorite “Chick-Flick” of all time. This movie really gets to your heart. James Cameron, the director did an excellent job of movie-making. I read that he was a super perfectionist and I’m glad, he made this movie what it is. I also read this movie was extremely expensive, I’m also glad about this, money helps. On to acting….

Kate Winslet does a sensational job convincing me of her character, her struggle against the upper-class expectations, her situation. Leonardo DiCaprio is just a good all-around actor. He’s convincing and easy to like. This movie features a lot of good acting from, not only the main character, but the supporting roles and extras as well.

The thing that really gets me about this movie is the historical accuracy. I don’t claim to be a historian, but nothing in this movie is completely absurd and I can comfortably believe it as history or close to it. I read that the center propeller is done wrong, but who cares? I like how they work in some historical characters: John Jacob Aster, Molly Brown, and Thomas Andrews (the ship builder). They even work in some historical people who were crew members and some in smaller roles. Details go a long way. It made me happy to read that some of the smaller roles represent actual people, not just movie fakes. This film really does a good, believable job of representing the time period. The costumes, the attitudes, and the actions of all the characters convinced me that they were in the early 1900s.

I like the history a lot, but the plot combined with history is what made this film the highest grossing film of all time and won it 11 Oscars. The love story. Classic, but not copycatting anyone. It gets you right in the heart. They really excelled in the area of romance and did an excellent job transitioning to the quick survival mode during the hour and a half of sinking. This movie kept me on my toes and didn’t lose my interest for one second, even though it was three hours long.

The technical aspects of this movie are excellent as well. The special effects are very good, the sinking of the ship was almost entirely done by computer. For 1997, these are top notch effects. The music was also sensational. I am currently listening to the soundtrack, which happens to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, and became the best selling orchestral soundtrack of all time. It really brings the already amazing movie to the top tier of movies.

Like I said before, I really love this movie. It is rated PG-13 and runs 194 minutes. I wouldn’t let anyone too young see it.

Even though this movie wasn’t perfect, I’m still going to go ahead and give it 10 ramheads out of 10.

Sure we’ve seen him in comedies, but he’s not really acting, he’s just being himself. Yeah he’s funny, but that’s just what he does. So when I heard that Stranger than Fiction (2006) isn’t really a comedy, I was intrigued. Will Ferrell plays an IRS agent who lives a very routine and boring life. Then one day he’s hears a voice. A voice that no one else can hear. This voice narrates his life. It wasn’t until the voice said he would die when he really needed to figure this out. He tries to track down his “author” and stop her from killing him.

Will Ferrell does a surprisingly good job in a serious role. The story is really interesting and unexpected and the plot moves at a good pace. Co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal (Dark Knight), Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, and Queen Latifah make this a solid cast and the movie just makes you happy and sad at the same time. Don’t expect a comedy.

It runs 113 minutes and is rated PG-13. Pretty much anyone can watch it, anyone under 13 wouldn’t really enjoy it. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10 and recommend it.

Yeah, I know, I haven’t posted in a long time…I’ve been working and traveling and watching movies. SO, without further ado, REVIEWS:

The first movie I’m going to review is one I watched this morning.

Lord of War -2005-
Lord of War stars Nicolas Cage as an arms dealer who sells to anyone and everyone who will pay him. He marries a model, lives like a rich man and single-handedly supplies guns to thousands of RUF and other “revolutionary” and “patriotic” forces in Africa with child soldiers. This movie is loosely based on actual events (meaning it happens, just not with Nic Cage). It is sad to face the fact that this happens. It is rated R and runs for 123 minutes. Don’t show this to anyone under 18. It is very well done and I give it 7 ramheads out of 10.
Lord of War‘s depiction of wars in Africa reminded me of another movie that deals with similar conflict.

Blood Diamond -2006- Blood Diamond stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of a South Afrikaner who smuggles “blood diamonds”, those diamonds that are sold to fund conflicts. He gets word of a large red diamond and wants it for himself. DiCaprio does a tremendous job with the accent and the character. He’s a very good actor and he’s very believable. The story is extremely moving and does a good job of getting its point across. Here’s another essay I wrote about the movie: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18651478/Blood-Diamond The movie is rated R and runs 143 minutes. I wouldn’t show this to anyone under 15ish. I really suggest watching this movie. It will change your perspective of the world. I give it 9 ramheads out of 10.
This brings me to another movie I watched starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I watched it last night.

Catch Me If You Can -2002-I’ve always enjoyed this movie. It is a little long, but so what. Leonard DiCaprio and Tom Hanks both do an awesome job. They are convincing, they are easy to like, and they are funny. This movie is based on the true story of Frank Abignale Jr. and his amazing feats of impersination, check fraud, and stealing of millions of dollars, all before his 19th birthday. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. If you’ve seen it, watch it again. This movie is rated PG-13 for some language and runs 141 minutes. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10.Finally, I’m going to give a quick review of the Ocean’s 11-13 movies. -2001, 2004, 2007-

These movies are funny, clever, and packed to the brim with big name actors. The endings are always awesome. I recommend these movies to pretty much everyone. They are rated PG-13 and run between 113 and 126 minutes. I rate them 7 ramheads out of 10.

So I haven’t posted in a while. So what. I’ve been tired, lazy, and frankly enjoying summer. But part of enjoying summer is watching some movies. Some older ones, some newer ones, and some in 3D! So here’s a quick review of a bunch of movies I’ve seen somewhat recently:

Monsters Vs. Aliens (In 3D) -2009-
This movie was quite funny, suitable for all ages, features a good story, and the 3D was sweet. AND there was only gimicky moment of 3D, right at the beginning. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10. It runs 95 minutes.Up (In 3D) -2009-
This movie was funny, heartwarming, will entertain kids from ages 5 to 85, and the 3D was like second nature. It felt so right. The only thing telling me that I was watching in 3D was the glasses (which I kept). I really enjoyed this movie and it really hit me in my heart. 9 ramheads out of 10. It runs 96 minutes.The Princess Bride (not in 3D) -1987-
INCONCEIVABLE! This movie is a classic. I’ve never heard anyone say they disliked this movie. It features a solid cast, funny moments, action, cheesiness, and it’s a love story(but not a chick flick). What more can anyone ask for a movie? It is definitely a family film. Everyone should watch it. I give this movie 10 ramheads out of 10. It runs 98 minutes.

Jurassic Park -1993-This movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, was the true start and key to development of CG special effects, features an amazing story and great cast. It also co-stars Jeff Goldblum. I wouldn’t recommend it to younger children due to some scary/violent moments. This is a wonderful film. 9 ramheads out of 10.
This is part 1 of my summer short movie reviews. (Hopefully I’ll see Transformers 2 and some other good ones. Harry Potter 6 will get it’s own review. No worries.)

Last night I decided to watch Taken instead of going to bed. I do not at all regret this decision. Taken may have gotten some mixed review, many of which are bad, but I thoroughly enjoyed this short (about an hour and a half) action packed thriller.

Taken stars Liam Neeson as a retired “Preventer” that worked for the U.S. government. He retired to spend time with his now 17 year-old daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), who lives with his ex-wife and her rich husband. The first fifteen or so minutes get you to really feel for the guy, he’s such a smart, genuine man who wants to patch up the relationship he has with his teenage daughter. Then his daughter wants to go to Paris with her friend, and, being underage needs her father’s approval. He’s hesitant but in an effort to preserve the thin relationship with his daughter and with the comfort of a satellite phone, he approves under certain conditions. After a couple of hours in Paris, Kim and her friend are kidnapped while Kim is on the phone with her father. He promises to find her. I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll say he keeps his promise and does much more.

The film features a decent story, I thought it was compelling. It was slightly unrealistic in the abilities this man has, but it was severly entertaining. The special effects were tremendous, the action was fast paced, focused, and nearly non-stopped. I thought of Neeson’s character as a much cooler, more dangerous James Bond. Also, especially in the beginning of the movie, the music was AMAZING. The music played a critical role in captivating me. I felt like I was part of the film.

The film is rated PG-13 and runs 93 mins. I wouldn’t recommend it for children under 8th grade do to some pretty freakin’ awesome violent scenes. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10.

As a sophomore in high school, I read the book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. It was a good read, a true story, and included cannibalism. When I found out that there was a movie, I didn’t put the effort into finding it. Last week when I was wandering my college’s library, I saw it, sitting there, the Alive DVD. (The movie was released in 1993.) I was curious as to how they would compress the decently large book into a movie, so I decided to watch.

The story is about a Uruguayan rugby team (and family/friends) who’s plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Most of them die in the end, either because of the plane crash, the cold, or starvation.  Some do survive and venture to Chilean civilization and bring help so the rest could be rescued.

Honestly, the filmmakers did a mediocre job at adapting the story. The movie was okay, but it didn’t hold a flame to the book. The acting was decent, but not outstanding. The movie flew by really fast, the only means of gauging the time in the movie were the on-screen subtitles (ex. “DAY 60”). Nothing about this movie makes me want to watch it again. It is not flashy, the special effects were done just well enough to be believable in 1993. This movie is definitely one that you wouldn’t want to spend any money on. Don’t buy, don’t even rent. Get it from the library, but only if you are interested.

This movie is runs 127 minutes and is rate R. This is the tamest “R”-rated movie I’ve ever seen. It probably would be PG-13 with today’s standards.

I give it an average 5 ramheads out of 10:

That’s right, I just saw Twilight. Yes, I am a guy. No, I wasn’t with my girlfriend. I’m man enough to say I saw Twilight.

Guess what?

IT WASN’T THAT BAD!! In fact, it wasn’t bad at all. Actually, I was kind of entertained.

Twilight is a Romeo & Juliet type movie, but not quite. The main characters don’t commit suicide, they actually don’t die at all (one of them is, in fact, undead). I have not read any of the books by Stephenie Meyer, but I heard a lot about it going in. If you don’t know anything about it, you haven’t read the paper, been on the internet, or had human contact for the past week. It is a movie where a human girl falls in love with a vampire in her high school class. He loves her but has to fight the urge to kill her (vampires drink people’s blood as their main source of food). It makes for entertaining irony.

The acting was good, the casting was good. I’m pretty sure the music was fine–it added to the movie without attracting its own attention. The movie features some awkward funny moments, but I couldn’t really tell if all of them are supposed to be funny. There was a good mix of dramatic moments, funny moments, and action. My only slight on this film is the special effects (which most teenage girls don’t care about coincidentally). They were actually quite lame. For example, there is a scene in which a vampire runs really fast up a mountain, the way it is portrayed on the film is really poorly done and unrealistic. It sorta looks like he’s flying/gliding…

There is a fight scene at the end of the film and some of the violence is rather sudden and unexpected. The scene was actually very short and could have been a little longer. Nonetheless it achieved its purpose for the movie.

Several times in the movie foreshadowing for a sequel occurs involving wolves or werewolves. Like I said, I haven’t read the books, but I’m just using the movie’s clues.

Twilight is rated PG-13 for violence and some sensuality. I would worry most about the violence when taking children. Most kids have seen worse, but there is a broken leg and a bloody shard of glass in the other leg. I wouldn’t have a problem taking my 12 year old brother, but not my 9 year old sister. Twilight runs 120 minutes and is an intriguing and entertaining film.

I give it 7 ramheads out of 10

I‘ve been thinking….I only review those movies I think are good. This post is a list of movies, with a short explanation that I really hated, couldn’t finish, or just found extremely stupid.

Eragon – 2 ramheads out of 10
Eragon the movie featured bad acting, bad special effects, and is not similar to the book in many many ways. As a fan of the book, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth after watching. For a full list of differences click here

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over – 1 ramhead out of 10
The Spy Kids movies were never anything special, but this one was the worst, head-ache causing one yet. I went with my little brother to this movie, only to see the 3D. That was one of the worst decisions of my life. The 3D was so poorly done, I had a head-ache. The plot was lame, the acting was poor (Stallone got an award for worst supporting actor). Do NOT see this movie.

Ok, this is all that I can think of….I’m sure there are more to come…

It’s almost Halloween, and I’ve been in a piratey mood lately. This essentially means that I watched Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, downloaded the soundtracks, and I’m writing this post. I’ve decided to review the entire DISNEY’S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN GENRE. Yeah, that’s right, I’m hardcore.

It all started at Disneyland in 1967 with the audio-animatronic pirate boat ride and the theme song “Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me)”. I give the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney (Disney World) 10 ramheads out of 10.It was left alone (aside from going to Disney World) until the early 1990s, when a couple of screen writers wrote a script based on the ride. It got pushed aside for Muppet’s Treasure Island until 2002. Disney had some other screenwriters try and fail until they brought the original two back and here we are today with (Captain) Jack Sparrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released in 2003. I hadn’t heard about it until it came out on DVD and some of my friends said it was good. I eventually got to watch it at my aunt and uncle’s house. It was awesome. I was a Pirates fan. The acting is excellent, the music is excellent (and catchy–I listened to all the credits music), the special effects are near flawless, and the story is engaging. It was the first ever Disney movie to be rated PG-13. The movie runs 143 minutes and is a must see. I suggest that if you haven’t seen it, see it ASAP and show your kids. 10 ramheads out of 10.
Moving on, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was released in 2006. It was very much anticipated (by me and others) because of the first movie’s brilliance. It picks up a few months after the first movie left off and features more solid acting, intriguing story, excellent visual effects, and very good music. It is slightly more “out there”, but once the movie gets going, it justifies itself. My only objection to this movie is the fact that it only sets up its sequel. This adventure runs 150 minutes and is rated PG-13. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10.Finally, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End finished the trilogy and was released in 2007. Action was never in short supply in this film. It was a long one, but it still managed to pack it in and engage the viewer every minute. It got many negative reviews, but I thought it was an excellent movie. Every aspect was brilliant: acting, visuals, music, story, action, humor. It runs 168 minutes and is rated PG-13. I give this movie 9 ramheads out of 10. P.S. Watch the scene after the credits, it’s good. Also, if you want an explanation of it click here (it is a post by the screenwriter explaining.)
OVERALL, The Pirates of the Caribbean is an amazing, fun, and immaginative genre that definitely has made itself a place in the hearts of many. I’m no exception. I give the genre itself 10 ramheads out of 10.