The Strangers 5/10 There was nothing bad about this film. It just failed to connect with me. The leads weren't particularly boring or uninteresting, I just didn’t feel much for them. For those not desensitized to horror flicks, this movie might scare the crap out of you. It definitely hit on some root fears and did a good job of delivering them. This movie scared the bejesus out of my wife. She said this movie is exactly why she hates being home alone.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 8/10 Seen it plenty of times before, but it's Halloween time and therefore I watched it. This is a great flick that unfortunately suffers from being made in 1984 with no budget and Wes Craven behind the camera. There are moments of sheer genius in the script, but this movie truly succeeds in the psychological idea of the insanity and fear for a such a character a Freddy. With a more capable director and bigger budget, this movie could easily be one of the greatest ever. Instead this movie rocks because Freddy is iconic. Sadly, it's virtually a cult flick because of it's flaws and it's inability to stand the test of time.

Saw V 7/10 I have no clue what I rated part IV or III or II, but I don't care. I had fun. I always do. I feel this series is misunderstood to some extent. They aren't "torture porn" and are hardly the downfall of horror flicks. Most horror films wish they had the intriguing story or level of "quality" that these have. However, of the finished films, this one feels the cheapest. The series is definitely starting to show signs of low-budget, but it's not clearly obvious. If this movie and the one to proceed it have any huge flaw, it's that they must rely on a sequel to fill in the gaps. Anyway, I and MrCl3an dig this series quite a bit and we will at least see number VI next year. If they don't wrap it up at that point, I will personally get a little agitated as I want the story completed. As it stands now, the sequels have become a bit of a gimmick and superfluous in the grand scheme of things. *shrug* oh well.



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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.

Role Models 5/10 Fairly mediocre, quite vulgar film. This could have been a DTV flick and no one would have known any better. I really don't get the massive acceptance this movie is getting. A big problem is a subplot that runs parallel to another becomes the main story and the movie loses huge focus and shoves other characters to the side. This could have been much better if the flick stayed on track and characters actually grew by the end. There were a few funny and enjoyable parts, but I suggest you ignore the hype.

Futurama: Bender's Game 6.5/10 Maybe the weakest of the three films thus far. Quite opposite of Role Models, I don't know why so many people trash these flicks as "sellout, not as funny as the show, etc." Sure, the movies really struggle with the focus of a 90 minute story, but they are still creative, well-written and hysterical. It was the same problem that plagued The Simpsons Movie; Groening and team only work well with 20 minutes at once. I hope that these movies usher the show back onto the air. Anyway, if you liked the other three, then you should like this. I would say that if you liked the show, you should like this too, but I appear to be in the minority somehow...


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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.

Quantum of Solace

Oh, James. . .

Yes, the Bond movie has turned into a Bourne movie. So many things, from the shaky cam to the emphasis on hand-to-hand combat to the general tone of the film has become quite far removed from the Bond of old. "Casino Royale" worked well in laying the groundwork for a grittier, tougher Bond and confirming how well-suited Daniel Craig was for this take on 007. Watching "Quantum of Solace", however, almost makes one yearn for the tongue-in-cheek charm of Pierce Brosnan. Bond is almost too ruthlessly single-minded in this one, and frankly, I got lost somewhere along the way of the talky plot. The villain is not memorable, and the film doesn't have an iota of the sexiness of many Bond films. Olga Kurylenko, however, leaves some other Bond "actresses" like Denise Richards and Lois Chiles in the dust.

This film also has the worst Bond theme song in the history of the franchise.

Disappointed, but still happy to see the words "James Bond will Return" at the credits.

Grade: C

I can't say I'm suprised by what you're saying EPlayer. Although it's taken huge money over here, the reviews have been mixed and word of mouth has been pretty bad too. I know four people who've seen it and all of them were very disapointed by it.


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I often wonder how I'm going to die. You don't want to embarrass friends.

Quantum of Solace 7/10 After Casino Royale blew my mind, a bar had been set for the James Bond franchise. Hearing that Paul Haggis was returning to the writing staff and Marc Forster was directing the sequel I was very excited. Needless to say, the movie was a little bit of a letdown. However, I expected it to be. To sustain the amazingness of the previous flick would have been quite a feat. Reviews were mixed, but fairly consistent in terms of what to expect. I will address the bad real quick. The editing of at least the first twenty minutes was irritating. The editor must have ADHD or something because he could not hold a shot for more than 5 seconds before cutting again to a different angle or camera. It felt like the movie couldn't focus, and they were rushing to some sort of ending. On top of this, Marc Forster clearly doesn't know how to handle an action scene, and feels it's better to have tight, steadi-cam shots. Finally, the story was definitely a bit muddy. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't razor-sharp like the previous flick. I did wonder a few times how this story had anything to do with the previous movie, and if I was understanding it correctly, then "was that it?" Since the previous film ended with a great lead-up, this movie ended up feeling very anticlimatic in it's inability to present a story with huge scope.

And as serious as those negatives are, I ended up enjoying the movie anyway. There were some outstanding things about the movie. The locations were top notch, and they were introducted in a very fun manner with stylized title cards. I love Daniel Craig as Bond. He is simply perfect for me. The opera sequence was amazing, if not a little too short for my tastes. I love the idea of Bond being a cold, heartless killer. When I think back on Connery's Bond flicks and consider that Bond, it makes sense that he could have fallen in love with a woman, was burned by her and he closed himself off to love. That idea pushes the concept of womanizer plus killer to the limit. Also, as frustrated as I was about the writing, I couldn't help but feel like the style was very much like an older Connery or Moore flick, and I couldn't totally fault the movie for that.

Overall, the movie was pretty good, just not amazing. Had Martin Campbell returned, and the film felt more like a sequel to a great flick, then I would have liked it a great deal more. I bet this will be a delight to watch back to back with Casino Royale though...



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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.

Elf 8.5/10 It's the holidays, so I wanted to jump start them with one of my favorite christmas movies. Elf is simply a kind-hearted, family film that harkens back to the classics from decades ago. For those that hate Ferrell, I find this to be an exception for many people. It has many flaws, but I can’t help but love this movie more every year.

Fred Claus 6/10 If you know this is a family film going into it, and you don't mind family films, you might enjoy it. It's fairly paint by number, with some interesting, yet undeveloped ideas. Ultimately harmless minus some creepy elves.

Tropic Thunder 5/10 Rewatched on rental. I don't remember my first score, but this is my current score. This movie just can't get past the Ben Stiller-isms. RDJr is outstanding and Jack Black is hilarious, but the story is pretty lamely fleshed out.

Hancock 3/10 What in the hell? Terrible, awful movie. When it's a comedy, it's too silly. When it's a drama, it's way too heavy. The story doesn't make much sense. The movie is just not very good and fails in almost every aspect.


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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.

Transporter 3

Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin in what is likely the end of "The Transporter" series (coming in 7th opening week isn't too great, though $18 mil is high for 7th). Frank must transport Valentina, the ULTRA-annoying kidnapped daughter of the head of the EPA for the Ukraine. Robert Knepper
(T-Bag from "Prison Break") makes for a fun villain, but the film is often awkwardly edited and doesn't make the most of Statham's physicality. The romance is also awkward, but it's still entertaining in a mindless way, especially for Statham and Knepper fans.

Grade: C

Twilight

Being unfamiliar with the novel, I can't say how faithful this film adaptation is. However, for myself, I found this film a little too heavy on the teen angst and melodrama to appeal to me.

Grade: C-

Milk 9/10 Wonderful film about the gay movement and recognition Harvey Milk strived to provide to the gay community. The movie was wonderfully edited with superb moments of archival footage woven in. The pacing was pretty phenomenal, with outstanding tension when necessary. All of the cast turned in great performances. James Franco and Emile Hirsch were mostly excellent, but the real kudos must be given to Sean Penn. His performance was truly remarkable and touching. This really had the tears welling up a few times. I just can't get over the performance and dedication that James Franco and Sean Penn put into their roles. They really encompassed compassionate lovers with true dedication. Remarkable. I would love to applaud Franco for a complete commitment, but I felt his character lost some direction halfway through and he reverted to his Spiderman performance of brooding looks and welled up eyes. This was a complete 180 from his performance earlier in the film.

Sadly and ironically, I must warn some of you about the images on screen. There was a lot of gay sensuality on display that clearly made a large chunk of my theater uncomfortable. I found it disheartening and funny all at once. I wish I could wholeheartedly suggest that anyone see this, but not everyone will want to watch it. The times the movie depicted were sad and atrocious, and it saddens me further to see what little progress we have made in 30 years. Sad and frightening.


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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Milk and your review has done nothing to dent my enthusiasm. Your description of the audience is indeed sad but, to be honest, I'm more disapointed that these idiots didn't know enough to consider that there might be homosexual scenes in the film. Had it really not occurred to them? Considering how they reacted to the scenes, I'd have thought it was uppermost in their mind.


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I often wonder how I'm going to die. You don't want to embarrass friends.

Bedtime Stories

"Bedtime Stories" is a predictable and harmless little family film starring Adam Sandler at his least annoying. When his sister has to leave town for a job interview, Skeeter (Sandler) is tasked with watching his niece and nephew on alternating schedules with Jill (Keri Russell). As his bedtime stories to them seem to magically come true, he tries to steer the children's contributions in a way to benefit his own problems working as a handyman at his father's former motel. In a change of pace, Guy Pearce has some fun mugging the villainous role of Skeeter's rival for the managerial position at the new hotel.

Grade: C

Frost/Nixon

The performances by Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as David Frost and Richard Nixon alone makes this film a gripping, engaging watch. Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell and Matthew MacFadyen stand out in supporting roles. While much of the award buzz has centered on Langella, Sheen is equally worthy of consideration for his role.

Grade: B

Doubt

Fine performances by Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams anchor this likely Oscar nominee. The touted performance by Viola Davis, however, is akin to the short, but powerhouse moment recognized by the Academy for Beatrice Straight's work in "Network" -- memorable, but perhaps not worthy in relation to much meatier, truly supporting roles. The acting holds your attention until the somewhat overwrought conclusion.

Grade: B-

On 2008-12-29 15:05 , EPlayer Wrote:


Is Sheen one of the famous Sheen brothers or is he on his own?

Ghost Town 7/10 Sweet little movie with good laughs and fun performances. The movie struggles to balance the humor and hard drama a bit, but overall this was pretty enjoyable for me.

The House Bunny 2/10 Two points for each laugh. Hell I knew what I was getting myself into. However, I think Anna Faris is funny, the movie seemed harmless and I like Clueless. Well this movie was dull. It could have been somewhat light satire that was a little more amusing has Adam Sandler not been involved, and the writers spent more time on the script than a first-go-through.

On 2008-12-30 13:01 , Kenage Wrote:


Michael Sheen is a UK actor not related to the other Sheens. He's most famous for playing Tony Blair several times, including in "The Queen".

Eagle Eye 2/10 I really like Shia Lebouf, but this movie was as ridiculous as it gets. Silly stunt after another. Illogical plot advancements. Just a terrible movie.

Traitor 2/10 Love Don Cheadle. Love Guy Pearce. Hated this borefest of a movie. It was predictable and lame. The makers seemed to think that adding an upbeat soundtrack would make this movie exciting. I had to spend more effort keeping myself awake as there wasn't any other challenge present.

I'd have to agree with you WD40 on Eagle Eye. It honestly could have been pretty good if they changed one major thing...


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We came. We saw. We kicked it's ass!

On 2008-12-31 10:17 , wd40 Wrote:


I loved "Traitor" and found it completely riveting.

Resident Evil: Degeneration 6.5/10 This isn't the astounding animation offered by Square/Sony like The Matrix short or the Final Fantasy movie. The animation is video game quality. The story and zombie factor are pretty good. My biggest problem, however, was with the awful, awful, awful lip syncing. It was rarely ever spot on, and clearly the makers didn't really care about that stuff. It does set up the gap between the 4th and 5th video games though. Just ok, but better than the live action flicks by far.


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Hello, fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you. Thank you. If you vote me, I am hot. What? Taxes. They'll be lower, son. The democratic vote for me is the right thing to do, Philadelphia. So do.