Reviews

When I first saw this film, I had low expectations. Based on what little I knew about the film, I figured it was your typical teen rom com period piece, set in the 80's or something. This film is anything but that, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Carried by strong up and coming actors Timothée Chalamet and Maika Monroe, this film takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the summer of 1991 in Cape Cod. Powered by a dominating soundtrack of late 80's early 90's top radio play tracks, it definitely sets the tone for the entire film and plants your mind firmly that time. Without giving away too much, this film definitely takes a turn you weren't expecting and ends in such a way that is both equally satisfying and frustrating. Even if you weren't a teenager in the early 90's, you feel a sense of nostalgia just watching this movie. As others have stated, director Elijah Bynum's cinematic style is similar to that of Martin Scorsese, and this is especially present in the opening of the film. While this film is unlikely to win any awards or get a lot of attention, it's definitely worth the watch at least once.

Some 36 years ago completely unknown director George Miller released what went on to be one the biggest cult action films in history, Mad Max. Starring the also unknown at the time, Mel Gibson. Who much like Harrison Ford in Star Wars released only 2 years earlier, was the lone star of the film to make it big in Hollywood. Mel would go onto become on the biggest names in Hollywood throughout the 80's and 90's while director George Miller fell into obscurity, maintaining a presence as a working Director, but releasing radically different films like the animated hit children's film Happy Feet. I didn't have the highest hopes for Mad Max: Fury Road when I first got wind of it some 4+ years ago. I grew up as big fan of the original Mad Max trilogy as my dad is a huge fan of Mel Gibson. I knew that Fury Road was going through production hell and always was scrapped entirely with how long the process was taking, some 10+ years with changing stories, actors, etc.

When I finally heard that they were in pre-production and had a set cast in Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult, I anxiously waited word on who the new Mad Max was going to be. My original bet and hope was for Terminator Salvation / Avatar actor Sam Worthington, when they announced Tom Hardy, I thought to myself...okay, okay. After seeing the first full length trailer, I was jaw dropped. I knew that George finally achieved in making the film he envisioned making some 36 years ago. Mad Max, the way he saw it in his head. Everyone delivers an amazing performance. Including the unknown Hugh Keays-Byrne, who is only well known for his role as Toecutter in the original Mad Max film.

I think what baffles me the most is how in the world this movie gets made. Honestly? How does a director at the age of 70! Who is only known primarily for a film series with a mere cult following at best, get granted a $150 million dollar budget!? Unlike Star Wars which established a massive following in it's time before releasing it's newest trilogy. George Lucas also maintained a heavy industry presence in writing films (Indiana Jones) before the new Star Wars trilogy was announced. That was also a mere 16 year difference between the release of Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace.

I think what helped this film was the nature of the story, it's even more relative today than 30+ years ago, it follows a central "post apocalyptic" theme that is also very popular now. It appeals to adults young and old, admirers of the original "Mad Max" story, and those looking for a good action film. I'm so excited that this movie was able to get made. I'm still mind boggled by it, but still very happy that this movie got made. I saw it a month ago and I'm still geeking out about it.

To put it simply, this is to the original Mad Max Trilogy, to that of what George Lucas hoped for with the Star Wars prequels.

For a reboot, this one isn't as bad as others I've seen. I definitely feel that this film lacked a lot of the story substance that the first film relied more heavily on because of it's restrictions involving visual effects. Where this film relies more heavily on stunning CGI for the latter half of the film to keep the viewers attention. Sam Rockwell delivers a pretty solid performance as the father, he brings subtle comedy to his character as well as some deep emotion at select points in the film. Out of of everyone I think he delivered the best performance alongside the new "Carol Anne" aka "Madison" played by Kennedi Clements. Who delivers a very good performance for someone of her age, however I still feel Heather O'Rourke was even more convincing in the original. I'm still not sure why they changed the last name of the family, there was really no need to change the character's names. All in all, not a terrible film. A good watch around Halloween, not one I'd see more than once though.

This movie is absolutely amazing. I first saw it when I was in Junior High and still love it to this day. There are so many wonderful elements about this film, that its impossible to pick just one. While there are a few "Yeah,..right" kind of scenes, if you really watch this film. I mean REALLY watch it and look at the point of the film, you'll understand. Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello really show their talent as young actors, and have amazing chemistry as brothers, even if they look nothing alike, lol. While I don't want to spoil anything, there are scenes that are difficult to watch. What I love is how unapologetic and real Donner was with this film in how he held nothing back. He wanted to shock the audience and be in their face real with certain elements of this film and for that I applaud him. He didn't sugarcoat it, that's for sure. Once you watch this film you'll know what I'm referring to. This is what you'd call a hidden gem of top grade cinema. Oh, and for those of you thinking of seeing this strictly because you saw Tom Hanks is in it, I think it's only fair to tell you that he is only a narrator for about 95% of the film and has only brief screen time.

When I first saw all the positive reviews on this movie I had to look into it. I was a little hesitant after seeing that Jason Bateman was taking on a more serious role in this film, but he doesn't disappoint. While some may argue that the stories portrayed by each set of characters may be too played out, it's not as far a stretch as you'd think. In particular the story involving the family with the teenage boy and his unfortunate incident with a "friend" on Facebook. It's a hard watch in the sense of how certain events play out, but important to see all the same. This film is just a hint at how dark the internet can be. My only gripe is the multiple story concept, it's not a terrible idea when done right, like in the film 11:14. But here, I think they could have cut down to just 2 stories and still have a great film.

I first saw this movie a few weeks ago out of pure interest. The high ratings and rave reviews intrigued me enough to give it a look see. I knew nothing about this film apart from it being based on "actual events". Now, like any film based on real life events, there's always two sides of the story being told. What those who experienced it say, and what we see on the big screen. Nevertheless, I went into this film with an open mind. Tom Hanks once again proves his range as an actor, although for this film it wasn't as extended as in other roles he's portrayed. The reason I'm giving this movie a 6 out of 10 has nothing to do with any of the performances in this film. Everyone was excellent, including Barkad Abdi, who does incredibly well for his first time on screen ever. The reason for the low score, the story is bland. I understand that not every film needs to have guns blazing, cars exploding, or CGI in every scene to be a good film, this movie is just bland. There are a remote few times where your heart gets racing about how a scene will play out, then you get dragged on for extended periods of time where nothing happens. I mean no disrespect to anyone in this film, nor those who went through this ordeal, but this is just not the type of story you turn into a major motion picture. This is something you read about in 5 paragraphs on a headline article on Yahoo News.

I'm 23 and I've seen almost every type of teen coming of age kinda movie that's out there, and this one is definitely one of the best I've seen. It's depressing and underwhelming for most of the film, but that adds the realism, nothing seems fake about it. The acting, dialogue, etc. All is top notch, even 26 year old Miles Teller still does a convincing job posing as a high school student. The story is somewhat predictable, but then it does have its own personal twists that leave you going "hmm, didn't see that coming". Miles Teller reminds me a lot of a young John Cusack, his overall look and mannerisms are slightly similar to John's, if not slightly more turned up. If you are looking for A Walk to Remember or She's All That, look elsewhere, because this movie is anything but. It's a slap you in the face realistic portrayal of the teenager in today's world. Many would argue that this isn't all true, but coming from someone who was a teenager not all that long ago, I can say this movie is pretty darn close. A good watch overall.

I've watched a number of Val Kilmer movies over the years and this is by far Val's best performance. While Val has always been more of a supporting actor, he really shines as the main character Danny Parker/Tom Van Allen in The Salton Sea. The plot is great and the acting is solid all around. The serious dramatic nature works well with the splash of dark humor throughout the film. It's sad to see The Salton Sea not get the notoriety it deserves. Coming from someone who has seen A LOT of movies, this is in my top 50 for sure. Val really shows he's more than the hunk from Top Gun, the crazed college kid from Real Genius, and even the gambling junkie/pro thief from Heat. Val outdoes even his performance as Jim Morrison in The Doors(1991).

So, give this film a look and let yourself slip into the underground life of the perpetual night party. And get a taste of the life of Danny Parker. A tweaker with nothing to lose and a life he'll never get back.

Simply put, this is a great new show that a lot of people can and should enjoy. Granted, the audience for this show is guided more towards teens and those in their 20's, this show is quite funny. Your parents and some of your older friends may not get the jokes or the humor behind it, but depending on how old you are, you probably will. Rob, Glenn, and Charlie are all great writers and don't try to hard to make the show funny, it just is. They do go overboard with jokes sometimes, but the more you watch it the more you get that that's just how the "gang" is. While watching you can tell a majority of the dialogue is improv, but everyone in the show pulls it off extremely well. The chemistry between the characters is great. I give this show two thumbs up, Roger Ebert style.

This game is great to say the least and is a awesome modern day adaption of the infamous Indiana Jones film; for a game of course. Granted some call it a rip off of the Indy series, I call it picking up where Indy left off. Nolan North does a great job voicing the character Nathan Drake and his dialogue is superb; very realistic. I've read reports of a film adaption for the first game. Personally I'd love to see Nolan North play Nathan Drake in the movie. If the fans reviews of the Drake series are any consolation, the film will be a hit. I think a BIG part of the Drake Series success is highly in part do to the fact SCEA is the maker of the games. Sony Computer Entertaimnet America or SCEA, the creators of the Playstion 3 system essentially, know how to make PS3 games better than anyone pretty much. Why's that you ask? They know how to build a game to it's strengths. Working with what they know the system is capable of and making sure the layout of the buttons is easy to get used to. This is grade A gaming in my eyes. Action, Adventure, Great Story Line, and some humor mixed in to boot. This series is great and is only getting better.

I've loved Vigilante 8 ever since I first played it at age 8 back when it first came out. In my opinion it was just as good if not better than Twisted Metal. At least it had somewhat of a "realer" story behind the characters in the game.

I think if done RIGHT this could make a great movie. Way better than other game to movies done like Silent Hill or Doom. All that needs to be done really is have the game's story established a little more and it'd be great. I'm not gonna get into the cast and such but if produced well and made with a solid budget, it could be epic.

Okay, okay..I can't resist. My cast consist for the following . NOTE: I wrote this cast a few years ago, and some of the actors are to old by now to play the characters they would represent in the movie.

Vigilantes

Chassey Blue - Jessica Biel Slick Clyde - Cillian Murphy Sheila - Michelle Rodriguez John Torque - Samuel L. Jackson Dave - Johnny Depp Convoy - Sam Elliott

Coyotes

Loki - Wesley Snipes Houston 3 - Zoe Saldena Boogie - William Lee Scott Beezwax - Phillip Seymour Hoffman Molo - Mark Addy Sid Burn - Ryan Reynolds

Most of you are probably wondering why someone would even begin to consider giving the Jack Frost (black comedy) a 9 outta 10. Well, I'll tell you why; this movie is just flat out funny. First and foremost this film is very cheesy, and MUST be viewed from the viewpoint of it being a low budget film. This includes the animations of the snowman, gore, etc. Don't watch this movie and expect it to be a legit scary horror movie, it clearly isn't that by any means. This movie isn't dumb unless you make it out to be that. I've seen this movie a number of times and the lines Jack Frost says get me every time. So, I know this movie is a hit or miss with a lot of people, but if you haven't seen it, give it a shot.

Okay, as almost everyone already knows, Antz is part of the film battle list including films of similar style and story released during the same year. IE Antz/A Bugs Life. I think both films are very good, but most would probably say A Bugs Life takes the cake. Yeah, that's only because Disney, one of the biggest film companies in the world was backing it, along with every other Pixar movie for that matter. I thought A Bugs Life was good, but was too much like a kids movie for me. I think personally Antz appealed to a wider audience. Maybe not for little kids, but a wider audience none the less. I guess it's the mild level of vulgarity in Dreamworks animated movies that I like. They are a little more lenient with swearing and such, and "cruder" humor. Where as Disney has a threshold on making sure all dialogue is pretty much censored. So, in my opinion Antz is the winner. Just as funny as A Bugs Life, and actually it was a little more "real". Umm...no blue ants.

First off, before you go an watch this movie and jump straight to giving this movie a 4/10. Stop and remember, it's a Coen Brothers Movie. So in that being said you have to look at the comedy from the perspective of watching another Coen movie. I knew when I read that the Coen brothers made this movie and picked up on it being a comedy I knew it was gonna be good. Another thing, its nice to see Clooney and Pitt playing characters that are far from their typical styled roles in movies. I mean come on, Brad Pitt as an athletic instructor at a health and fitness gym, and George Clooney as an everyday man pretty much. So overall I give this movie about an 8.5 or 9 outta 10. A high rating I know, but this is grade A Coen Brothers at their comedic best. Give it a chance and watch it. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I thought I might start off with a bit of a joke. For those of you that have seen District 9 already and The Fly with Jeff Goldblum, you got my joke. Or at least I hope you did. Anyway, I was very surprised by District 9. It took a very interesting approach and not one I expected at all. It's nice to see a change of pace with these alien Sci Fi movies. The story is a little unusual and is a little difficult to understand and follow with the semi-documentary style of filming they do. But none the less, a great film. A pretty graphic movie at times so hope you have a strong stomach. But if you can get past that, you're in for a treat with this movie. Not bad for a "first" time actor and director if you ask me.