Suspect's Reviews

Trying this to see what happens, here is where you can find all my reviews. Good or bad

Review List:


PAGE 1

Dead-Alive

Dark city

Lord of The Rings: Return of the King

Land of the Dead

War of the Worlds (2005)

Million Dollar Baby

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Sideways

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Cherry Falls

Dog Soldiers

2001: A space Odyssey

Memento

Ginger Snaps: Unleashed

The Aviator

Maria Full of Grace

Identity

Page 2

Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith

Mr. In-Between

Starship Troopers 2

Campfire Stories

Primal Fear

Primer

Face/Off

Pulp Fiction

The Matrix Reloaded

Broken Flowers

Page 3

Gangster No.1

Battle Royale

Transporter 2

Oldboy

Page 4

Cannibal Holocaust

28 Days Later

Evil Dead II

Blade Trinity

Layer Cake

Bubba Ho-Tep

Dead & Breakfast

Freddy VS Jason

Jeepers Creepers 2

Inside deep Throat

Page 5

Corpse Bride

Spider-Man 2

Batman Begins

Mindhunters

ENVY

Page 6

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

House of Wax

Undead

Chicken Little

Man With The Screaming Brain

Rollerball

Bad Taste

Darkness Falls

Page 7

The Devil's Rejects

Jarhead

SAW II

Crash (2004)

Naked Lunch

House of the Dead

Alone in the Dark

Page 8

Sky High

Seven Samurai

Bewitched

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

American Pie Presents: Band Camp

The Family Stone

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Cry_Wolf

Serenity

Lord of War

Page 9

Munich

Izô: Kaosu mataha fujôri no kijin

The Brother's Grimm

Suspiria

Capote

Batman & Robin

Ghost Ship

Red Eye

Page 10

DOOM

Good Night & Good Luck

Three...Extremes

Waiting...

Christmas With The Kranks

Hoodwinked

Eight Below

Failure To Launch

The Ice Harvest

Inside Man

Page 11

King Kong (2005)

Sin City

2001 Maniacs

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Thank You For Smoking

Silent Hill

Twelve Monkeys

Army Of Darkness

Page 12

Mission Impossible III

The Da Vinci Code

Fun With Dick & Jane

Shooting Gallery

Rushmore

Unleashed

Basket Case

Carnivore

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Kicking & Screaming

Page 13

X-Men: The Last Stand

Superman Returns

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Ultraviolet

Clerks II

Snakes On A Plane

Page 14

The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari

Scary Movie 4

City of Rott

Over The Hedge

Grandma's Boy

Crank

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Departed

The Grudge 2

Flags of our Fathers

Page 15

SAW III

Night of the Living Dead 3-D

Aeon Flux

Borat

Belly

Wolf Creek

Click

The Break-Up

United 93

Casino Royale

Rocky Balboa

Smokin' Aces

Letters From Iwo Jima

Half Nelson

Page 16

300

You Me & Dupree

Grindhouse

Hot Fuzz

Spider-Men 3

1408

SiCko

Live free or Die Hard

Page 17

The Simpsons Movie

Hostel

Page 18

Cannibal Ferox

Superbad

Story of Ricky

Halloween

Shoot Em Up

SAW IV

We Own The Night

Across The Universe

No Country For Old Men

Juno

Page 19

I Am Legend

The Bucket List

Death Sentence

Cloverfield

Page 20

There Will Be Blood

Good Luck Chuck

Ryan

Jumper

Vantage Point

The Nines

Iron Man

Speed Racer

Southland Tales

Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Page 21

The Mist

The Happening

The Incredible Hulk

WALL-E

The Dark Kight

Doomsday

Be Kind Rewind

Page 22

Tropic Thunder

Burn After Reading

Ghost Town

SAW V

Changeling

Quantum Of Solace

Yes Man

Page 23

Gran Torino

The Wrestler

Slumdog Millionaire

Watchmen

Wolverine Origins

Star Trek

Terminator Salvation

Page 24


UP
The Hangover
Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen
G-Force
The Hurt Locker
A Perfect Getaway
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
Halloween II

Page 25

Life During Wartime
The Invention of Lying
Where The Wild Things Are
Saw VI
Paranormal Activity
GI Joe
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Nine
Avatar
Up In The Air


Page 26

Push
The Book of Eli
Premium Rush
The Purge
Bad Words
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes


Page 27

Expendables 3
Predestination

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

DEAD-ALIVE (Peter Jackson)



"Tounge in Cheek Horror"

Wow, what a film from Peter Jackson, the guy that went on to do LOTR. If you are a gore lover, this is "the" ultimate film to check out.

Here is a movie that has comedy, zombies, blood, guts and lots of it...did I forget to mention a lawnmower. Which is one of the bloodiest scenes ever filmed, more or less on par with Kill Bill's House of Blue Leaves.

I was hooked right from the beginning of this film when the two men climbed down in the rocks of the Island. BUT when looking for this film, make sure you get the UN-cut version, because the R rated version literally cuts everything up to pieces, this is a classic gore fest that should not be missed from any horror movie fan.

It's one of those low-budget B horror movies, where you would expect there to be bad acting, which it has, bad special effects, which not exactly right, because for this film, the special effects were astounding. Three scenes in this film stand out in my mind, one is the opening, because you do not know what you're in for until you see the guy get hacked to bits!!!!

Second would be the baby in the park scene, that goes down as one of the funniest scenes that I've ever seen. Of course the last one is a given, the lawnmower plowing through the zombies!!!!!

Watch this movie and you will not be disappointed, with a house full of zombies and 3 people fighting to survive, limbs will falls, heads will fly and rib cages will be ripped out!!!

8.5/10

Dark City (Alex Proyas)



"Underrated Brilliant Film"

Dark City is all about a man who has incredible powers but doesn't realise it. Everyone is under the control of mysterious 'strangers' who are injecting them with false memories/altering their reality. This man (Rufus Sewell) finally confronts these men in a battle for the city.

This is one of those films that inspires you to learn more about sci/fi. The whole movie is cold, dark and it never lights up for a minute. This movie is an underrated brilliant sci-fi film and it bares a resemblance to 'The Matrix', but was made before it, so there is no denying that Dark City must have been an inspiration for The Matrix.

The story is complex but develops itself as a drawn tight yet frequently entertaining thriller. It is thought provoking, which is a lesser thing you'll find in films today.

The performances are all very good, specially the three lead men. Rufus Sewell is plays the confused lead, William Hurt plays the film noir detective and Kiefer Sutherland is the quirky side switching doctor. Don't forget Jennifer Connellywho plays the role with great expertise. Alex Proyas much like The Crow has created this gothic world where the sun never rises and inhabitants live in darkness. The sets and costumes are beautiful. The acting is top-of-the-line, with Sewell in the lead part. Everyone does a great job.

The villians in this film, THE STRANGERS, are creepy and will send chills down your spine everytime you see them in their long black coats and hat. The costumes for them are perfect and could not have been done better, they live in the world underground and you see the different lifestyles between them and the people they control, yet live above them.

The thing that amazed me the most would be the cross between the 1950 to 1980's, it was brilliant, the set pieces were perfect for this film. Everytime I saw the buildings changing, I was in amazement. Everyone that took part in this film should be praised, this is a film that should get more attention from the general public, but is overshadowed by films that like to put more action then story in it's plot.

10/10

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

(Peter Jackson)



"Cinematic Brilliance"

My friend asked me if I wanted to go, I said okay, but he didn't want to leave until 7:30. Of course I knew we would get bad seats, and we did. 3rd row from the very front, far, far left. My neck still hurts. I had nothing to eat or drink, people were talking throughout the opening scenes. Yet this did nothing to distract me or harm the movie in any way.

Let me start off by saying and you can quote me on this "Move over Star Wars, there's a new trilogy in cinema" This movie (movies) are amazing. Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy out there and will be for some time. The matrix's last installment full flat, I have not seen Godfather, Evil Dead is a cult classic trilogy and Star Wars just lost the top spot. I seriously believe Jackson will get Best Director and this movie "deserves" to have Best Picture, even though the Academy will **** it's chances over and this will be one of the biggest snubs ever on the Oscars.

I'll begin with the CGI. If you thought the first two had great CGI, you haven't seen anything yet. Gollum, of course looks amazing and it is so believable that he is a character on the screen. "He is there, you believe it, he is not cgi" The way he talked to himself was better than the way it was presented in The Two Towers, the water reflection was so beautiful and imaginative. When he is atop of Frodo and bites his finger off, it was amazing; I was actually in awe, CGI on top of CGI. The battle, what an amazing battle, if you thought the battle at Helm's Deep was amazing, cool, the best, then you are in store for something spectacular. You will get your socks knocked off.

The battle scene is the absolute best battle scene ever created. The bodies, the emotion, the action, the excitement, the chills, the suspense, the cheers, the tears. This battle had it all. The men who were cursed, beautiful, how they tore that mother****er down. In Fellowship of the Ring, we see Legolas climb atop of a Cave Troll; yes it did look fake, cheesy. In Two Towers, we see him do some weird stunt to climb back onto his horse, it also looked weird and fake. In Return Of The King, he takes down the elephant and all the men on it. This wasn't fake, this wasn't weird or cheesy. It looked beautiful, it looked real, it was amazing. He did it with ease as well, and as he counted his victims, brings down the big boy, gimli (serving as comic relief only) still states that the one only counted as one.

The acting, was utterly "uber" great. Aragorn IS the king, he is the man, the legend, Mortesen is the one and only person who can play him, who can bring him to life, he is Aragorn. Everyone did their part, and boy did I ever hate the "filler king" He p*ssed me off so much, I actually liked it. Merry and Pippen, were extraordinary, this movie is where they shine. Sam, I think everyone knows what a great actor Astin is, and what a GREAT job he did with Sam, I honestly believe that he should be up for supporting actor. He almost made me cry, the emotion was utterly amazing. Hate, Anger, Love, Fear, Sadness. He brought all of these emotions into this character and he did it extremely well. Frodo...what can I say, you are a troubled young...err..old hobbit. You are tired, you cannot go on...you trust the untrustworthy, you are fearful of a giant Shelob. You have courage and find the strength to go on and destroy the ring, only to be consumed by it's evil power, and want the ring for yourself. Agent Smith/Lord Elrond...one word, GREAT. I believed Liv Tyler should of had at least 5 more minutes of screen time, but with the time she did have, she made me believe that she truly was in love with Aragon and willing to become mortal.

The direction, Peter Jackson is my new Favourite director. Yes, I have seen his previous films before he did Lord of the Rings, yes I loved them, but this "EPIC" trilogy, has made him the man. Only a true fan of Tolkien and Lord of the Rings, could of brought this masterpiece to film, creating another masterpiece. You honestly deserve to win best director, for conveying epic battle sequences, strong emotions, bringing something fake to life (Gollum). I don't know anyone else who could of done this, and if he is not behind the camera for The Hobbit, then it should not be made.

The characters, one of the things that I love about the books/movies are the characters. Their fears, their anger, their courage, their optismistic approach on life. Eowyn (sp) Not very convincing in Two Towers, but amazing in this installment, I could not believe it. She is a warrior. Everyone cheered when she took off her helmet and said "I am no man". Then stuck that sword right into the f***er. Merry and Pippen have love for each other and you can feel it, when they say goodbye to each other, you can feel their pain, there sadness. Gimli, was really funny as well as Gandalf, who is just as always, excellently portrayed by Ian Mckellen. Everyone cheered again when Gandalf took over command of Minus Tirith (sp).

The movie itself, was just brilliant. It deserves everything it gets, and should get more. I felt sad when Frodo was back at the Shire, in his little home all alone, a huge adventure had just happened, how can you go back to your normal life? You made courages friendships, with man, drawf and elf. Now you're back with hobbits, I saw their expressions in the pub, just before Sam got married (yeah all the girls cheered) I know how they feel.

The adventure was EPIC, the adventure was Amazing, it's sad to watch the movies all in a row, I know I will cry when I do (not only because my ass will hurt from 9-13 hours either. My uncle asked me a year ago, what movie has changed my life, what movie made me look at movies in a different way. I didn't know the answer yet, he told me for him it was Star Wars, his whole generation loves Star Wars. Well, there is a new generation.

Lord of the Rings has and will change the way we look at movies today. It has a new following (yeah, someone dressed up as a hobbit). I will have these films on DVD, Extended Edition. a friend today asked me four questions. Was it good? YES. Good enough for Best Picture? Yes. Good enough for Best Director? Yes. Where did you sit? In a bad spot.

10/10

Land of the Dead (George A Romero)



"Zombie Movie From the Legend"

Here is a classic zombie movie, where gore is back in the high seat. I Really liked this movie, not as good as Dawn or Night, but a big improvement over Day.

I dug J.L.'s character and basically....no one else. Everyone in this movie I felt was flat, even Dennis Hopper who should have been a delight.The movie felt really short, it could have been a little bit longer, but that is not a complaint.

My two main problems with this film were the characters (with J.L. as an exception) and their learning ability.

There is one zombie a big black man who doesn't just grrr...or moans like other zombie's, but he screams. They do learn, it's just like Day of the Dead, you'll see zombie's shooting people with guns and using gasoline to blow things up. One character says "They're trying to be like us, like they use to be. They are trying to live again". I found that to be a bit annoying. Another little thing I noticed it the "main" zombie was in the front line but was never shot, it was always the zombies around him that died, I found that to be far fetched.

What did I like about it, the whole idea that they live in a new world that they built and they try to live in it, even with zombies everywhere. What's the very first thing you see? A Zombie...none of this how did it happen or character introduction, you get zombies from the beginning. There is a lot of blood, yes there is a lot of CGI blood, which was distracting in a Romero film, but there were at least two very neat deaths that I liked, mostly the throat ripping out through the mouth.

I'd say it's a better zombie edition then the ones as of late. Thumbs up Romero, you still have it in ya.

Yes, I saw Savini and the two from Shaun of the dead. Which was great because my friend and myself were the only ones in the theater who cheered for them.

7/10

Why don't you cut and paste all the reviews you already posted into here. You don't have to, because I already listed 'em as reviews, so they're there in your profile. But having them all together never hurts.

EDIT: I just peeked after I added these, but they're not there. I'll ask Yoda why and get back to you.

__________________
"Today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."

War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg)



"Lacks everything, except special effects"

This is a movie where plot holes run wild....yes there are tons of them. But the ones that can't go unmentioned are the scene where the plane has crashed outside the wife's house, amid all this rubble, cruise's car is fine, and there's a neat little path right down the street through the destruction so they can drive away. Of course all the electronic crap.

The special effects are spectacular. This of course is expected with this type of film, being a Spielberg/blockbuster film. Every turn in the movie there is a tripod alien destroying a part of the city and people being vapourized. This is the highlight of this film because the plot lacks, the characterization lacks and the directing is below average for Spielberg.

Anybody want to slap not only Tom's character in the face....but every other character??? Not one sympathetic human character in the entire film. Tom is an *******, Dakota is crying all the time which made her extremely annoying, the son is a whiny bitch, Tim Robbins is an insane annoying useless character. Tim Robbins does nothing but distracts, he serves no point but to chew up screen time and make us think Tom will do anything for the life of his kid, but this comes across of jokey when they close the door and "fight" Robbie should have died---it was a cheap move to have him show up in the end after saying he had to see the fight over the hill. Whenever this happens in the movie, it brings it down(Jurassic Park III.) Is it just me or does every Spielberg flick have to end in the happy we're okay ending in all of his movies.

The pacing's horrible, it just suddenly ends, WAY TOO ABRUPT. The aliens catch colds and die. Film over. And most surprisingly in a Spielberg flick, there's no emotional clout here. There is no climax....that's because the whole movie is just destruction after destruction, if your into that kind of thing, then this movie is for you. But the best scene in this movie is not the destruction of the cities, but the basement scene involving the pointless character of Tim Robbins. Even though the scene is laughable at parts, it still holds up as suspenseful.

The motivation of the aliens are difficult to follow, at first, when they want to rid the earth of mankind, They content themselves with firing death rays, at individual fleeing humans, the most inefficient method of extermination. Why didn't they just use gas, it would be more efficient and alot faster. Then, midway through, suggest that, for no particular reason, the aliens are harvesting the humans to make those red vines things out of their blood.

I felt cheated at the end of the film. The world was left in sh*t, everything was destroyed, covered in the blood vine things and we go to Boston where everything is fine...no houses destroyed, family all nice and neat and of course the happy Spielberg ending. This film was a huge disappointment, Spielbergs worst movie since A.I.

6/10

Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood)



"Good film, not as great as they say"

In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, boxing trainer Frankie Dunn has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time, then Maggie Fitzgerald walks into his gym. More than anything, she wants someone to believe in her. The last thing Frankie needs is that kind of responsibility, let alone that kind of risk, but won over by Maggie's sheer determination, he agrees to take her on. In turns exasperating and inspiring each other, the two come to discover that they share a common spirit that transcends the pain and loss of their pasts, and they find in each other a sense of family they lost long ago. Yet, they both face a battle that will demand more heart and courage than any they've ever known.

So what is all this talk about Million Dollar Baby about? Well it is a good film, mostly directing. Clint I believe has himself another Oscar (Sorry Marty). The film does indeed look and feel real, which is a good relief from the recent Big Budget Fantasy films. Clint handles the characters extremely well and gives them each their moment in the sun.The gritty old feel of this film is perfect for it's style and the theme of boxing.

Everyone gives great performances, unfortunately, Swank, doesn't deliver on the level of expectancy. Don't get me wrong, she does a very well job of giving the character emotion and depth and you feel for this girl, but it seems like we've seen it before and it becomes clichéd.

The script was well written, the film actually becomes something of it's own in the third act, which is the best part of the film. Morgan Freeman and Clint both deliver great performances which saved the film from being another random "Oscar" movie, is this Clint's best? NO Is it this years best? No, Is it going to Win an Oscar? Yes, because it's the Oscars...

8/10

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
(Tim Burton)




"Weirdest Film of 2005"

First of all, let me say that this film is nothing like the original, there were so many things that were not in this film that were in the original, which made the film seem very short. Through out the whole film you know what is going to happen and when you don't see it you kind of feel let down, but then the film goes on after the ending of the original and you get new material on the screen.

This film has BURTONS style written all over it, the opening score, the Buckette's house, evening the references to his other films are in here. (Peewee, Edward). It's always a treat to see a Burton film because his sense of style is always "twisted" and unique.

The music other then Elfman's score was sung by the Oompa Loompas and they were short and only happened after a child was disposed of. Of course it was funny to see that little guy sing and do the little dances, but I still say that the original Oompa Loompas were great and should never have changed. I never read the book, but in the movie it shows the back story to the Oompa Loompas, living in some kind of jungle, it was neat to see that.

In saying that, this film, unlike the original which centered on Charlie, deals more with Wonka. Going to the jungle or Loompa Island and finding the Oompa Loompas, hell even going as far back as to show Willy as a child and his father the great Mr. Lee, or as someone said in the audience. "Holy Sh*t, it's Dooku". As stated before this film is full of references to other movies and one is 2001: AOS, in the TV room (the big white room) it has 2001 on the screen and I know that I was the only one in that theater that knew what it was.

So Depp as Wonka eh, well this is the part that scares me, he was freaky. Not like the original Wonka at all. He sounds like a child, looks pale and acts like a child. Depp was quoted as saying that the inspiration was a game show host locked up for 20 years and then finally let out and I believe it. He was great, had the right funny/scary/weird sense and look to him. Of course Wonka and Depps performance is the most weird part of this film, that doesn't take apart from the fact that the film itself is weird, it goes up there with any Lynch or Cronenberg film as being F'd up. Not in an I don't understand way, in a this is F'd up way.

Which film do I prefer, hard to say cause the original is a classic and I never read the book, but as good as the film is there were some parts that I could of done without. Mainly one being Burton showing the other children leaving the factory. Agustus is covered in Chocolate, Violette is still blue, and I won't tell you about the other two, but what I liked about the original is that you never knew what happened to them, if those Oompa Loompas really did take care of those kids or if there were something darker going on in that factory. All in all, the kids did the job of acting like kids and the parents did the job of acting like parents, so nothing special there.

Depp's performance, the sets, comparing to the original and Burton behind the camera are the reasons to see this film, but if you loved a lot of things about the original....like Slugsworth, the floating/burping, Wonkas office, then you'll end up being disappointed because they are not present in Burtons film.

8/10

Sideways (Alexander Payne)




"Oscar Bound?"

For people to say you have to be around 30 or so to enjoy this brilliant film....you're wrong, I'm 16 and absolutely loved it.

Paul Giamatti robbed again. This performance is one of the best all year (How the hell Clint got in over Paul, I will never know). Here is a performance so touching and yet hysterical at the same time that you can't help but love the guy. You feel his sadness, you feel his love, you feel his laughter and of course you feel his drunkenness.

My favourite scene in this film was when Miles finds out that his ex-wife is pregnant. The hurt on Giamatti's face is perfectly executed, and yet he also feels a closure and tries to show that he is also happy for her, which he is, all these emotions were portrayed perfectly. Thomas Haden Church was great, the character was an *******, but hey, I still liked him, Church gives the character a human quality that you can't dismiss and for some you will attach to him, for others, you will hate him, but in the end, you know that the performance is worthy of a nomination.

Virginia Madson and Sarah Oh, both give great supporting roles and are the glue to make the film stick together, without them the film would have been missing a lot of emotion on the other end of the spectrum (meaning we get a lot from giamatti, but here are some others).

The script was very clever and human. You don't know what is going to happen next because we as humans are unpredictable, so their actions are unpredictable. I honestly did not think this film was going to be funny, I walked into the theatre thinking it was a drama and walked out laughing my ass off. There are too many funny scenes (involving dialouge) to name, but my favs include: "I am not drinking any f*cking Merlot"

The direction here is perfect, who better to get to direct a movie then the writer, who can handle the characters perfectly and guide the actors into the right direction. Unlike other writers who can't direct if their life depended on it...I'm talking to you David S. Goyer. I love the ending, it is so ANTI-Hollywood, (just like Eternal Sunshine and hell even The Aviator for that matter).

We need more films like these, instead of films with talking animals and crappy sequels (Do we need a mask 2). We need movies that we can connect with, we need characters that we can relate to, films that will touch our hearts and make us feel every emotion that one can have in 2 hours or so.

The film is my 3rd favourite film of 2004. Eternal sunshine and Kill Bill Vol 2 taking the first two spots, but I'm excited to see what Payne can show us in the future and as always, I'm looking forward to one of Giamatti's next films, he is quickly becoming one of my favourite actors.

9/10

Eternal Sunshine of the spotless Mind
(Michel Gondry)



"Best film of 2004"

Joel (Jim Carrey) is a rather milquetoast man who meets up with free spirit Clementine (Kate Winslet), and they become romantically involved. However, they endure a messy breakup and Clementine goes to a business called Lacuna, Inc., where she has all of her memories of Joel erased. Not wanting to be left out, Joel also goes to have his memory erased. However, soon after it begins, Joel realizes that he wants to keep the memory of Clementine, so he tries to reverse the process.

Well, if you're familiar with Kaufman's work, then you know what your getting yourself into. This is just as weird if not weirder then his previous work (maybe even John Malkovich). Anyways, I knew what I was getting myself into, but 90% of the movie I was saying to myself "What the f*ck", but in a good way. It opens with Joel calling in sick for work and going on a different train and meeting Clementine, they hit it off, now this is about 15 minutes into the movie, then out of nowhere come the credits for the opening. I will admit, I thought it would be different, but I'm glad that it is the way it is, the movie is 80% of the time in Joel's head.

If you think you know Carrey, think again. This movie is his best performance, better than Majestic, Truman show and all of his comedic roles (which is what I love him for). Just looking at his face from the second we see him, we feel his pain, then like that, we feel his joy, embarrassment, hate. Just amazing acting on his part, and Winslet was great as well with her warm heart, and sky high spirit throughout the film, she is the perfect counter-weight to Joel.. Everybody, Wood, Dunsts, and so on, just add to the emotion on the screen. I can see at least one Oscar nomination for acting(hope).

But if I were to bet any money on any Oscar nominations it would obviously be the writing, what a mess, but beautifully constructed. You think to yourself, is that scene really necessary but everything is so out of it, that you think later on that it does, that's beautiful, crazy, give me whatever he's smoking kind of writing. Charlie Kaufman's writing is always clever, but this time he's one-upped himself by making something not only bizarre, but emotionally engaging. It seemed like his earlier movies were clever for the sake of cleverness, but 'Eternal Sunshine' manages to dazzle you with it's originality and it's poignancy. The fact that this movie was able to wrap such profound loss, emotional tenderness, and hope in such a self-consciously stylized package illustrates the incredible talent of the people behind it.

Michel Gondry's use of colours and quick camera movement give the film a very involving first hand feeling. The constant use of the handy cam is very all involving for the viewer, and I suppose that this is exactly what is needed in such a personal movie. His work on the dream sequences is incredible as well.

One fault with it, would have to be the last minute of the film, the fade to white and the same scene playing over and over did nothing for the film, except take away from it.

9.5/10

Cherry Falls (Geoffrey Wright)




"MPAA screwed this film"

A killer is killing off the virgins of a small town Cherry Falls. Sounds like your typical teen slasher movie, but with a lot of horror fans saying they liked it, I gave it a try. CHERRY FALLS is a major disappointment. Mainly due to extreme editing. Then again, the script didn't help this movie either.

CHERRY FALLS lacks almost everything in terms of a teen slasher these days. The deaths are all editted to nothing, which hurts this film beyond everything, in horror movies the deaths scenes are what makes it good or bad, with Cherry Falls lacking in this department, you can bet your ass that it will not make up for, and unfortunately it doesn't. It takes notes from Psycho, by making the ending a similar twist, but unlike Psycho where it schocks and made people talk about how great it was, here it did not shock and most certainly did not make people start talking about it, other then negativity.

The idea of a killer killing off virgins is a neat thing to do, and of course the people in the town have a secret they want to keep from their kids, but one of these kids investigate and finds out who this "girl" is and why she is doing these things. Have we seen this before?

I can't stress how bad the terrible editing is, it seriously distracts the viewer from any enjoyment they may get out of this film. The director and editor should have taken more care of this film, even with the pressure from the MPAA. In horror movies it's cliche to have nudity in them, and when the last part of the movie involves a huge orgy so no one will die, you'd expect a tit popping out here and there, but again, nothing. It sad when you don't see the deaths, it's even sadder when you can't even see the dead body after the fact, and with no nudity to hold off those horror fans, what left is there?

This movie had a good idea, but with a terrible script and a not knowing what to do with anything director. You need these two things to be good in order to have any direction for the actors in the film, other wise why should we even care? Then again some people just can't act. The only movie I ever liked with Jay Morh in it was Suicide Kings. No wonder he is the host of last comic standing. Yes, even the acting in this movie is laughable. Not laughable in a good way either, it takes itself serious at some points, then at others throws that whole concept out the window.

In the end, this is a copy-cat movie of scream, much like every other horror teen slasher out there, but when every teen slasher movie is out there you need something in the film to make it different from the others, what does this film have to offer, other then a bad viewing expierence?

3/10

Oh, crap. Here we go again.

Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall)




"One of the best werewolf films to date"

Dog soldiers opens in Scotland, where two campers are attacked by an unknown creature from the woods, but judging from the title, you'd guess it was a werewolf. So we move ahead and we see soldiers that are left in woods as part of some kind of training. Lead by Sergeant Wells (Sean Pertwee) and motivated by Private Cooper (Kevin McKidd), the squad is surprised when they see a mutilated cow that is thrust into their campsite. Following the bloody trail of the animal, they are soon led to the massacred remains of the elite Special Forces team that was stationed in the same woods. There were no bodies, but obvisouly a struggle, no one was there except one survivor, Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham) who was injured during the night.

Here is a movie that takes it cues from many classic movies, such as The Evil Dead, An American Werewolf in London and Aliens. Soldiers stuck in a cabin in the woods, with the werewolf predators lurking outside, it's blood and bullets for the rest of the night as they try to survive till morning.

This is Neil Marshall's first flick and I'm surprised at the quality of what he has brought to the table, he has blended a mis of horror/comedy/action in one tight little neat werewolf flick, which in my opinion is one of the best to this date.

While watching the flick, you know that they are not too serious once a soldier has a bare-knuckle fight with one of the werewolfs. Pertwee, one of the main characters, spends much of the film trying to hold in his own guts, which mark an uncanny resemblance to jello. Can't forget that they tape them back in.

Here is a little flick that makes you bite down on your nails and keeps you to the very edge of your seat, not many horror films can do that, hell not many films in general can do that. Not only does this film do that perfectly but it makes you want more, and when it's over you can't help but feel a little saddened by this, but then again there is a sequel in the works.

8.5/10

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)



"Fantastic ART film, medicore film"

So, I finally saw this weird film and I still don't know what to think of it. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. One of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. It's visionarly brilliant, but......nothing happens. It's hard to explain, but something about this movie I didn't like. There is VERY little story, and whats there is not that interesting. Its an art flick, and a big leap in sci-fi films at the time.

HAL 900 was of course great and probably the highlight of this film with it's cold horrorific voice, send chills down anybody's spine. The ending is obscure, but with repeat viewings, is comprehendable.

I understand that it was not meant to be understood as a whole and for that fact it succeeds, but as a film it fails.

Very difficult to rate this film, because as an art film it warrants a 10/10, but as a film for entertainment value I see myself giving it a 4/10.

6.5/10

Memento (Christopher Nolan)


"Landmark in Cinema"


Here is one of those movies that need more then one viewing to comprehend, and in my case took 3 or 4. It's so unique and a giant leap from the Hollywood movies that are out there today, that you want to see it again and again not to just figure out the puzzles in the film, but to enjoy a great landmark film.

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator whose memory has been damaged following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife's murder. His quality of life has been severely hampered after this event, and he can now only live a comprehend-able life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera. Now he tries to find his wife's killer and end the madness of his life.

Through out the movie, as it is told backwards Leonard is lost as are we and this is where we get hooked, we are connected to the main character straight from the beginning. The people around him who claim to be his friends, do we trust them, should Leonard, he only has his notes and pictures to look at to know who to trust. From the beginning we meet Teddy and are told not to believe his lies, why is this? We want to know why we can't trust him, what has he done to make Leonard not trust him and trust Natalie.

Joe Pantoliano always chooses great films to be apart of and here he is with his matrix co-star Carrie Anne Moss, both give good performances, but it's Guy Pearce who runs the movie.

This is a movie that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime because it is so unique and visually stunning in it's chronological order. Once you know what's happening in the film, and see how each scene ends, you desperately want to know what happened before it. Christopher Nolan gives us great suspense in a way that no one has ever done. In every thriller we want to know what happens next, what happens at the end. Here, if you want to get technical, we want to know what happens at the beginning, how did he get his memory amnesia, did he really kill John .G already?

There lies another greatness of the film, it never really tells you if Teddy was lying or not, just because Leonard thinks he's a liar, he's made out to be one throughout the rest of the movie, and then our whole experience with him changes. Was he really telling the truth? Does Sammy Jenkins really exist or was it really Leonard, this my friend is up to you to decide.

10/10

Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (Brett Sullivan)



"Does it live up to the original?"


Tell me why it's called Ginger Snaps again, she already did, isn't it Brigitte's turn? This movie continues the story from the first one, so it helps if you've seen the original. Where does this movie go? Who knows, it doesn't keep in track very well with the whole werewolf thing till the last 15-20 minutes of the film. Ghost seems to be more of the main character than Brigitte is in this one, which is sad because her character is boring and inane. Ginger is hardly there and it seems like she is only there to get more people in the seats...damn eye candy. She serves no other function than narrator. Sad, because Katharine Isabelle is a good actress, but you wouldn't know it here. Brigitte's character has become smarter and stronger, as has Emily Perkins's acting.

It was never explained where the male werewolf came from that was trying to mate with Brigitte, though it was a neat idea, much like the link of a woman's cycle with werewolves in the first one. Was the male werewolf Jason? Was it Sam? We will never know...we are never given a back story of an idea if this virus is going to get out of hand, or if Brigitte and the male werewolf are the only ones in existence.

The story is interesting, but don't expect the character development and plot of the first one. Here, most of the characters beyond Ghost and Brigitte are 2-D, the girls in the institute are annoying and sexual playthings for Tyler, never going beyond that, Tyler himself is the typical scumbag aide who shoots girls up in exchange for sex (very unlike the character of Sam in the first one, who is a drug dealer, but has a very honorable smart side to him that comes out), Alice is a typical instructor who really doesn't do anything but serve as a plot device, coming in here and there, so Ghost won't be left alone. Even the male werewolf is just there, he is there to be killed. That's all.

You don't have the sympathy you have in the first one when, for instance, Sam is killed. You feel bad because you learn he is a good guy deep down and you feel like you know him by the end. I for one, loved the original Ginger Snaps because it was unconventional, the characters were deep, the violence only when needed, a whole neat idea about women's periods being linked to werewolves, two strong female leads and an ending that was scary and sad at the same time. Not too many films do that!

This movie, lacks emotion and trys to copy the same ending in emotion, but onyl half heartly gets there.

5/10

The Aviator (Martin Scorsese)




"Up there with the driver and the fellas?"

Fantastic. That's what The Aviator is. Yeah, it's a little long, but overall, fantastic. Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of his career in this, and Marty is excellent as always. He's paid his dues, I think it's time Academy voters. Yeah, it's not as good as many of his other films, but is still very excellent in its own right.

The music, the cinematography, and oh, the colours of it all. All excellent and visually grand. One of the best aspects of the film.

The acting was great also, of course DiCaprio. Cate Blanchett was alright, little on my nerves, Kate Beckinsale was very good with what little she had, and even the bit parts by Gwen Stefani, Jude Law and even random cameo by Willem Dafoe were all very well acted. I was disappointed with the lack of more for Ian Holm to do, but he still did very well.

Overall, a solid effort, and a great job from Scorsesel. Not the best film of the year, but deserving of recognition. One of Marty's best films, ranking up with the likes of Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. (Although, not better)

9/10

Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston)



"Clever Visuals"


This is the harrowing story of a (not quite) typical mule: Maria Alvarez (Moreno), an intelligent and fiercely independent 17-year-old girl from Colombia who agrees to smuggle a half-kilo of heroin into the United States.

My third favorite foreign language film (#1 City of God #2 Battle Royale) This film deals with a very disturbing circumstances, which in fact, are real in this world we live in. Maria looking for a job agrees to smuggle drugs into the United States and while watching this movie, it had my full attention, I was literally on my seat when they stopped her at the airport. Even though she is doing something awful, for money, you can't help but root for her to get out of that situation and are happy when another poor woman gets caught.

The script was well written and felt completely real. You can't help but feel sorry for these girls who do indeed go back to Columbia, just to get stuffed again and fly back and fourth and not always end in the good way.

The acting was surprisingly good. Moreno brings this poor, confused, heroic young woman to life with one of the best performances from a female actress in 2004. Not only is the leading lady giving us a powerful performance, but the supporting characters are just as great and intense. You feel sorrow for Lucy and her sister, and depending on how you look at it, hate or feel sorrow for Blanca, Maria's friend.

This movie had such a powerful story, each scene is just as tense as the other. There were also some clever visuals in the movie particularly at the end. As Maria walks away...read what it says behind her...Then, you will realize what the movie was all about.

7.5/10

Identity (James Mangold)



"Predictable, yet...not"


When a nasty storm hits a hotel, ten strangers are stranded within and as they begin to know each other, they discover they are being killed off one by one.

This is a really dark film that succeeds in confusing you and gets you wondering whodunnit, I would have been disappointed if it had ended any other way. Identity is a stylish looking film, full of wet, dark imagery that increases the creep factor. The film is also suspenseful throughout, featuring plenty of genuine scares and surprises for the most part. However, as the film continues to run, it becomes obvious that we, the audience, are being set up for a switch in the film's basic premise. I figured out that they were all different personalities, but did not see Liotta being a convict, or the kid being the killer. Which is why I liked this film so much, because it constantly throws curveballs at you left, right and centre.

The direction of the film is influenced in equal amounts by many different people, for instance Fincher, Hitchcock and Agatha Christie. Throughout the film, I was impressed with the atmosphere created. The acting, was convincing and this helped the director throw as many curveballs as he did.

Liotta is as always the hot tempered guy about to blow in every scene, Cusack gives a great performance as always and I was surprised by Peets performance, she hold up with the more expierenced actors on the set. The chemistry was really good as well between the characters, even though most of the time they distrust each other.

I essentially believe that this film is worth watching for all fans of a wide range of genres: thriller, horror, and pure whodunits (especially anyone who has read Christie's And Then There Were None). This is a film that tries to throw a twist or two in and actually succeeds with it, unlike films that try to hard and stuf it down your throat.

8/10