Saturday, January 30, 2010

Review: The Lovely Bones

Grade: D-

The Lovely Bones tells a story about a young girl, Suzie Salmon, who is murdered on her way home from school on December 7th 1973 by one of her families neighbors. She narrates the story from a place referred to as "the in-between", a place that is not quite heaven and not quite earth. She watches as her family tries to solve her murder and she watches her murderer as he plans his next possible victim and she learns a more about her murderer. She watches as her murder tears her family apart and see's how her death affects everybody around her.

This movie was just not good. When I first heard about the story and this movie it sounded intriguing. Well, it totally did not live up to anything. I did not read the book but if it is anything at all like this movie, I won't like it. The story was just weird and kind of stupid at times. The "love story" aspect was utterly insane and ridiculous. She basically worships this guy from afar, they have one conversation (just before she is murdered) were he essentially proclaims his love for her, then long after her death he is still in love with her, drove me insane. It will take too long to explain but there were so many aspect of this story and so many things that happened that were just ludicrous and kept bringing this down more and more, like her sister almost not showing her parents or anybody the solid evidence she found that proves Mr. Harvey killed Suzie because her mom came home. Also, this movie had the worst ending since the theatrical ending to I Am Legend. There is no justice and so many stupid things happen that I about screamed.

I will say, however, that Peter Jackson did a great job with the visuals of the movie. All the sequences that take place in the "in-between" are really beautiful and fun to look at. He also really nailed the 70's aspect of this movie.

Relative new comer Saoirse Ronan plays the main character, Suzie Salmon. Ronan did a decent job with this role, some of the narration got pretty annoying at times. Mark Wahlburg (The Departed, The Italian Job) played Jack Salmon, Suzie's dad. He did a pretty good job with this role, especially with the parts where his character becomes obsessed with finding his daughter's murderer. Stanley Tucci (Julie and Julia, The Terminal) plays the role of George Harvey, Suzie's murderer. Tucci was one of the only good parts of this movie, he played creepy and disturbing so well that it's kind of unnerving. Rachel Weisz (The Brothers Bloom, The Fountain) plays Abigail Salmon, Suzie's mom. I don't get why they got such an amazing actress to play such a small and kind of insignificant role, she's hardly in it and her character is actually gone for half of the movie. Susan Sarandon (Speed Racer, Enchanted) plays the comic relief character of Grandma Lynn, she was ok.

If you really want to see this movie I suggest saving some money and waiting for DVD. It was weird and very drawn out, I feel it could easily be about a half hour shorter. In the meantime if you want to watch some good movies along these line I recommend watching The Invisible, about a boy stuck in limbo watching people as he waits for his body to be discovered, really good. Also, if you want to see a movie with some proper justice, I recommend Taken, starring Liam Neeson, or, even though I haven't seen it, Edge of Darkness, starring Mel Gibson.

Good quote: "My murderer was a man from our neighborhood. I took his photo once; he stepped out of nowhere and ruined the shot. He ruined a lot of things."

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Review: Legion

Grade: B-

God has lost his faith in the human race once again. This time, rather than sending a flood or a shower of fire and brimstone, he sends hordes of angels to destroy the world. A diner in the middle of nowhere then becomes an unlikely battleground for the salvation of the human race as a group of strangers help protect a girl who is pregnant with mankind's savior against the onslaught of angels with the help of the archangel Michael. Michael has cut off his wings and become human because he still has faith in mankind.

The plot of this movie sounded so very awesome to me, it has so much potential. Unfortunately whoever wrote this movie failed to realize that potential. The movie, in my opinion, focuses far too much on each of the characters personal drama, which in turn fills the movie with pretty boring dialogue that doesn't have much to do with the crisis at hand. Also, considering that the apocalypse is happening and all the angels in heaven are trying to kill one person there are huge gaps of action that appear to take place hours apart from each other, makes no sense.

Paul Bettany (Da Vinci Code, A Knight's Tale) plays the lead role of Michael. I really enjoy Paul Bettany and was excited to see him enter the world of action movies but he does surprisingly little given that he is the main character. Relative new comer Adrianne Palicki plays Charlie, the pregnant diner waitress. Palicki did a pretty good job for her first major role. Dennis Quiad (G.I. Joe, Pandorum) plays Bob, the owner of the diner. Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wild Hogs) plays the angel Gabriel and he did a pretty good job with the role. The movie also features Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Charles S. Dutton, Willa Holland, Kate Walsh and Doug Jones.

If you like sci-fi action/horrorish movies than you might enjoy this. I did enjoy it I was just pretty disappointed in all of the wasted potential. It is worth seeing but it can easily wait for DVD if you want.

Great quote: "I knew he'd send you, Gabriel. You were always so eager to please him."

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Review: It's Complicated

Grade: C+

Ten years ago, Jane and Jake Addler got divorced and Jake is now married to a much younger woman. Now as the last of their three kids is moving out of Jane's house and their son, Luke, is graduating from college in New York, Jane is experiencing a little bit of empty nest syndrome. When the family flies out to New York to attend Luke's graduation, Jane and Jake run into each other at a restaurant and, with the help of some alcohol, reignite some old feelings. Jane is content with leaving the affair on the other end of the country but Jake insists on continuing it as he is no longer completely happy with his current marriage and convinces Jane to continue it as well. Jane, however, is being pursued by a smitten architect, Adam, and is worried about her kids finding out.

This movie was better than I thought it was going to be but it wasn't that great either. Most of the performances were very good. It was actually pretty funny at times. It is very interesting seeing a romantic comedy using a different formula than most. It deals with an older couple, they are in their mid to late fifties, and it deals with a divorced couple, which was very interesting to watch. Now, there were many great jokes that made me laugh but there were also a bunch that I feel writer/director Nancy Meyers put in to try to be raunchy but it just came off as awkward to me. I know this sounds weird, but I had a slight problem with the fact that all of the main characters were filthy rich. Specifically Jane, she has a big gorgeous house with a big gorgeous kitchen (that she's unhappy with and is therefore putting an addition on the house with a new larger kitchen) and a very successful business. This makes some parts towards the end of the movie very awkward to me because it seems like Nancy Meyers was trying to have a strong female lead but then Jane kind of gets screwed over the most.

The movie is rated R but it should only be PG-13. Yes, the movie has some raunchy jokes and some slight sexuality, but nothing you wouldn't see in many of the PG-13 comedies coming out. There's not much language throughout either. In fact, the only reason the movie is rated R (as stated by the MPAA) is for one scene where two of the characters smoke pot. This is ridiculous. I don't know why the MPAA is now so severely joining the fight against marijuana, but they've decided that two people enjoying a joint is worse than portraying underage drinking (Whip It and many other movies that only have PG-13 ratings), sex and nudity (Titanic and several others) or even strong violence (Terminator Salvation, The Dark Knight or many other recent PG-13 movies). Just had to get that out, sorry.

Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia, Doubt) played Jane, the central character of the movie throughout. I like Meryl Streep a lot actually, but I didn't care for her much in this movie. She seemed very giggly and weird through most of her scenes and I don't know, I just didn't like her as much as I normally do. Alec Baldwin (The Departed, TV's 30 Rock) plays Jane's ex-husband, Jake. Alec Baldwin was hilarious in this movie as he seemed to bring some of his wit from 30 Rock to this role, his characters determination to be with Jane was sweet and very funny at times. Steve Martin (The Pink Panther, Bowfinger) plays Jane's architect and new love interest, Adam. Steve Martin was good and he had his funny moments but not as many as one would normally expect from him as he seemed really toned down in this movie. John Krasinski (Away We Go, TV's The Office) plays Harley, Jane's daughter's fiancé. John Krasinski stole every scene that he was in. His role alone made the movie worth seeing. I don't think that there was one second that he was on screen that I wasn't laughing, I'm not sure what this all says about the movie but it's true, Krasinski is hands down the best part of the movie. Lake Bell (Pride and Glory, TV's Boston Legal) is also in it as Jake's new wife. She's not in it much but she seems to mostly be in it to be really hot, which she does well. The movie also features Mary Kay Place, Rita Wilson, Hunter Parrish, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Zoe Kazan and Nora Dunn.

If you like romantic comedies I suggest checking this movie out. If you really want, go ahead and see it in theaters but I feel that it's perfectly ok to wait until DVD to rent this one. As I said before, it's far from terrible but I really didn't find it to be all that great either.

Great quote: "Yes, I prefer a lot of semen."

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Review: The Book of Eli

Grade: B+

The Book Of Eli is takes place thirty years after a war has destroyed the world. The movie centers around a man, Eli, who has been on a journey for the last thirty years walking through the ash that was the United States. The world has broken into chaos and any survivors live by no law and do anything to survive. Eli is a peaceful man who only fights off the roaming gangs, who will kill for water, clothes or simply for fun, only as a means of self defense and preservations. His is being guided by a higher power to make his way to the west coast with a book that he has in his possession. After entering a small town along the road to resupply, he encounters the "leader" of the town who discovers the book and is willing to do anything to get it from Eli.

This movie was shot beautifully. The camera work and cinematography do a great job showing the barren wasteland that the world has become since the war. It is constantly cloudy yet bright because the ozone and everyone needs to wear glasses outside. Many of the survivors have turned to cannibalism and are not welcome in populated areas. Overall the filmmakers did a great job depicting a post nuclear war world.

I do have a few problems with the movie. Firstly, it is a 118 minute Oakley commercial. As I stated before, everybody is wearing sunglasses in the movie and most of those sunglasses are Oakley sunglasses. Also, Eli has a pack on throughout the movie, it is an Oakley backpack and you see the O many times displayed prominently. This fact isn't really distracting though and a movie needs to get money from somewhere to be made. The second problem I had with it was much larger. The rest of this paragraph will discuss a minor spoiler that is discovered about 20 to 30 minutes into the film. The book that Eli is carrying is a bible. Here comes the problem: the filmmakers spend the first half of the movie bashing the bible and religion by saying that it was those two things that caused the war and Gary Oldman's character wants the book because he says that with it you can control people's minds and make them do whatever you want if you read from it. Then the second half of the movie is spent praising religion and faith. I just feel that the writers were confused and didn't want to risk offending anybody.

Denzel Washington (Déjà vu, Training Day) plays the lead role of Eli. He did a great job with the character and his action scenes were fantastic. Gary Oldman (Dark Knight, The Fifth Element) plays Carnegie, the leader of a small town who is hell bent on getting the book from Eli. Gary Oldman is an amazing actor and really made this character, a fantastic performance. Mila Kunis (Extract, TV's That 70s Show) played the role of Solara, a young girl who decides to travel with and help Eli. She is really becoming a better and better actress in my opinion and she did a great job with this role. The movie also features performances by Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, Tom Waits and Malcolm McDowell.

Over all the movie was fun and exciting to watch and I did really enjoy it. If you enjoy post apocalyptic movies, than this movie is definitely for you. Despite the writer's confusion I still feel that overall the movie is extremely enjoyable with an amazing twist ending that is making want to watch it again.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Best Movies of the 2000's

Well, we've entered a new decade and I've decided to take a look back at the movie's of the 2000's. There were many great movies and I think I've managed to narrow it all down to the best fifteen movies of the last ten years. It took a lot of work and thinking but I think I did a good job.

Honorable mentions: Battle Royale, Being John Malkovich, Blood Diamond, The Bourne Trilogy, Children of Men, Crash, Donnie Darko, Downfall, Finding Nemo, Frost/Nixon, Good Night and Good Luck, The Host, The Hurt Locker, Iron Man, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, Memento, Milk, Monsters Inc., Moon, Oldboy, Stardust, Tropic Thunder, Watchmen, The Wrestler.

15. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

I know, off to an interesting start. Well, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright created one of the most brilliant horror/comedies I've seen since Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies. Shaun of the Dead has the perfect mixture of comedy and brutal horror. It has extreme re-watchability and I laugh every time I watch it. The writing is great and the performances are wonderful. I will admit, 2009's Zombieland rivals it pretty well, we'll see how it lasts over the next couple years.

14. World's Fastest Indian (2005)

A very sweet and heartfelt movie that tells the amazing true story of a man who broke the land speed record on his motorcycle at the age of 63. Extremely well written with what is one of Anthony Hopkins best performances of his career. I love to watch this movie, it is very moving and quite funny at times, not to mention incredibly motivating. After watching this movie you will never think "I am too old to do that" ever again.

13. O' Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

An interesting twist on Homer's classic tale "The Odyssey" set in the deep south in the 1930's. The Coen Brother's struck gold with this movie. An amazing cast including George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson and John Goodman. Clooney was amazing as the leader of the gang, Everett. This movie is absolutely hilarious and fun to watch from start to finish. Every shot in the movie is absolutely beautiful and it's no wonder it was nominated for an Oscar for cinematography. To top it all off this movie had one of the most perfect soundtracks of any movie, just great.

12. Avatar (2009)

I know a lot of people don't consider this movie all too original because the story line seems like a merger of Dances With Wolves and Ferngully. While I can admit, that is relatively accurate, I feel that what James Cameron did with the story and the characters was amazing. I connected to the characters on a level I didn't think I would. Also, the technology Cameron used to make this movie, to create the people and to create the beautiful world of Pandora was amazing and when I saw it on IMAX 3D I felt completely immersed in every aspect of the movie. Meaning I felt connected to the world and all of the characters. It's just a really well made movie.

11. Casino Royale (2006)

This, essentially, reboot of the James Bond franchise was wonderful. I went into this movie with relatively low expectations because the quality of the Bond movies seemed to be slipping and I had only seen Daniel Craig in Layer Cake and Tomb Raider so I didn't know how he would fit into the role. Well, the movie blew me away. Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond rivals only Sean Connery in the role. This movie got back to the basics with gorgeous girls, fast cars and cool gadgets, and what really made it that much better in my opinion was seeing Bond get beat to no extent and still keeping his cool. This movie is just fun to watch whether or not you are a fan of 007.

10. Up In The Air (2009)

A movie about a man who flies around the country in order to fire people from their jobs when their companies don't want to. In all honesty, part of what makes this movie so great is its timing. It comes out when the country is experiencing an economic crisis and many people are losing their jobs. What makes it great is how it makes you feel about that. I saw this movie shortly after losing my job and this movie really made me feel better about the situation. Also, George Clooney gives the performance of his career. His character experiences an extraordinary identity crisis and George Clooney just played the role perfectly. Not to mention that it has the perfect combination of humor, romanticism and drama. Just an amazing movie, I can't stop thinking about it.

9. There Will Be Blood (2007)

This movie was just beautiful. From start to finish the cinematography is just breath taking. Paul Thomas Anderson did an amazing job of directing this movie. Daniel Day Lewis gives an amazing performance. His character is very intriguing and seems to have many sides to him and Daniel Day Lewis did a wonderful job of depicting the character of Daniel Plainview. Paul Dano gives his best performance yet as the (slightly crazy) preacher, Paul Sunday. The movie's story and plot are gripping and exciting at times and the movie really just grabs you and doesn't let go until the credits.

8. Pixar - 3 way tie

Pixar just knows how to tell a story and they just keep getting better at it. During the last decade they put out several great movies but there are three in particular where I feel they really excelled.

Up (2009)

This movie was so amazing that I really feel that it shouldn't just be nominated for best animated picture at the Oscars but it should be nominated for Best Picture. The story is simply amazing and is full of emotion. During the beginning sequence of the movie Pixar shows how they can tell a story without saying a word and it is so emotional and so sad that it actually makes me tear up when I', watching it. Everything about this movie is so good and I would argue that it's not actually a kids movie as it deals with many grown up issues that most kids wouldn't understand. Just great.

Wall-E (2008)



Another movie where Pixar said so much while saying so little. They did amazing things with this movie. They gave Wall-E and Eve such great personalities that you really connect with them and feel for them even though they are robots. The story is wonderful and the visuals used in the movie are amazing and beautiful. Not to mention all the great references to classic sci-fi movies. This movie was great and it really shows Pixar's abilities pretty well.

The Incredibles (2004)




The story of this movie is fantastic: What happens to superheroes when they retire? Such an amazing new look at the world of superheroes. All of the characters are absolutely amazing and the visuals once again are just great. This is the Pixar movie that I can watch over and over and never get tired of.

7. Sideways (2004)

A wonderful comedy about two friends approaching middle age going on a road trip through California's wine country. This movie has two of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, in some of the best performances of their careers. One of the most interesting things about that is that both are playing rather unlikeable people, but you end up feeling for them and sort of bonding with them. As well as the beautiful scenery of California's wine country. This movie is charming and moving and very funny. The movie really deals very well with the issue of human nature and the writer/director did a wonderful job with it.

6. The Departed (2006)

This movie is, in my opinion, Martin Scorsese's best movie yet. This movie tells an amazingly compelling story about two people from opposite ends of the law living undercover in the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia. Both people, while undercover, have moments where they seem lost in their undercover personas. The movie is beautifully shot and has one of the best casts of any movie including Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCarprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga and others. This movie, along with Blood Diamond, convinced me that Leo DiCaprio can be a good actor because I didn't like a single movie he was in pre 2006.

5. El Laberinto del Fauno aka Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Set in fascist Spain in 1944, this movie tells a beautiful story about a bookish young girl with a sadistic army officer stepfather who escapes into an eerie but beautiful fantasy world. Guillermo del Toro is one of the more visually fascinating director's out there today and he does not disappoint with this gorgeous movie. All the creatures and what not that he creates are amazing and beautiful. The story is really intriguing and very sad when you see why this young girl is creating this odd world in order to escape from her horrifying reality. Not to mention that all of the actors in the movie gave amazing standout performances all around. I also love the fact that many parent's only heard or saw the word's "fairy tale" in the advertising so they brought their kids only to watch a man get his face/skull smashed in with a wine bottle in the first five minutes.


4. No Country For Old Men (2007)

Brilliantly adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel about a local Texas man who comes across two million dollars from a drug deal that's gone awry then begins to be hunted down by a contract killer. Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones give amazing performances in this movie but it's Javier Bardem who steals the show as the disturbingly calm yet excruciatingly brutal killer, Anton Chigurh. All of the performances are captivating and the scenery of this movie set in Texas. The Coen brothers deliver their best movie yet and did such an amazing job they won best picture and best director at the Oscars. Just an amazing movie that really gets you thinking at times.

3.The Dark Knight (2008)

Proof that comic book movies can appeal to everyone if made correctly, The Dark Knight was a triumph in the world of comic book movies and was so perfectly made that it is an insult that it wasn't nominated for best picture. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer wrote a perfect script and storyline. The cinematography and direction were astounding. Not to mention amazing performances by Christian Bale as Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal as the woman Batman longs to be with, Michael Caine is perfect as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Bruce Wayne's ally of sorts, and Aaron Eckhart as a Two-Face I couldn't have dreamed of and of course the performance of a lifetime by Heath Ledger as The Joker. Ledger's Joker was chilling and terrifying as the Joker should be.

Batman Begins (2005)

I of course have to mention Batman Begins because if Christopher Nolan hadn't taken on this movie and reinvented Batman in a way that nobody could have expected, we wouldn't have The Dark Knight. What worked so well for Batman Begins were all the performances as well as Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer wrote a story that's not exactly a superhero movie but rather a gangster movie that's set in a world where a superhero exists.

2. Gladiator (2000)

A beautiful story about a Roman general who is betrayed and his family is murdered by a corrupt prince. He then becomes a slave and a gladiator and fights his way to Rome in order to seek revenge. The script is just amazing. Helmed by one of the best directors out there today, Ridley Scott, who made this movie look absolutely beautiful and you really felt like you were in ancient Rome. Russell Crow did a fantastic job as the Roman general Maximus and you really felt for his character. The rest of the cast that included Juaqin Phoenix in one of his best performances as well as Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris and Djimon Hounsou. This movie nears perfection in how well it's made and it has extreme rewatchability.

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

The amazing story of a man who ages backwards and all of the adventures he takes in his life. In my opinion there was no better movie over the last ten years than Benjamin Button and it is probably in my top five movies of all time. Thanks to director David Fincher and cinematographer Claudio Miranda, this movie was a work of art from start to finish, it is definitely one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. From the early scenes set in gorgeous 1920s New Orleans to the later scenes in New York and Russia, every frame is just beautiful. The script and screenplay were written so well and the story was just amazing. Brad Pitt gives the best performance of his career yet as the titular character, Benjamin Button, I loved his acting in this movie. Cate Blanchett did a great job as Benjamin's love interest, Daisy. Taraji P. Henson just stole every scene that she was in as Queenie, Benjamin's adoptive mother. I still feel that she deserved the award for best supporting actress, simply amazing. Not to mention all the great performances by Tilda Swinon, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Jason Flemyng, Elle Fanning and Jared Harris. I feel that this movie is greatly underappreciated and I can't figure out why. I hear a lot of people complain about the length but what I get a kick out of is that it is shorter than all of the Lord of the Rings movies (especially their extended cuts) by far but people love those movies and at least Benjamin Button has an interesting story and plot and it has good acting. I personally don't care how long a movie is so long as it's good and this movie is absolutely amazing.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Review: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Grade: A

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is tells the story of a man, Dr. Parnassus, and his amazing "Imaginarium", a traveling road show where audience members get the irresistible chance of a lifetime to see their imaginations come to life and they are faced with a choice between light and joy and darkness and gloom. Centuries ago, Dr. Parnassus made a deal with the devil, Mr. Nick, to gain immortality. Centuries later Parnassus met his one true love and made another deal with Mr. Nick in order to gain youth on condition that his first born child becomes the property of Mr. Nick upon that child's sixteenth birthday. As that milestone approaches for his daughter, Mr. Nick decides to make a new wager in order to give Parnassus hope of keeping his daughter and Parnassus comes across a mysterious young man who they enlist to help them win the wager.

This movie comes from the wild and bizarre mind of writer/director Terry Gilliam (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and is a lot of fun to watch. The visuals of the movie are absolutely beautiful, especially the sequences inside the Imaginarium which are so rich and vibrant. The story is actually quite fascinating and very intriguing. All the characters are great and very fun to watch. This movie is the late great Heath Ledger's true final performance. He was actually in the middle of filming it when he passed and the movie was almost shut down but Terry Gilliam came up with a great idea. Gilliam felt that there are different aspects and sides to Ledger's character, Tony, and I feel he was right. So Gilliam had three great actors, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, finish the role in a way that was great, funny and very tasteful.

Christopher Plummer (Syriana, Twelve Monkeys) plays the main role of Dr. Parnassus, the man with the ability to make people's imaginations come to life. Plummer did a great job with this role and showing the inner torment that Parnassus feels towards everything he has done. Verne Troyer (Austin Powers, The Love Guru) plays the role of Percy, Parnassus' closest friend. Troyer actually gave a great performance in this movie and was really enjoyable. Tom Waits (Domino, Coffee and Cigarettes) plays the devious Mr. Nick. Tom Waits, who is normally a singer, did was fantastic with this role as the devil, he really made the role. Relative new comer Lily Cole plays the role of Dr. Parnassus' daughter, Valentine. Cole shows great promise after her performance in this movie. As I said before, Heath Ledger (Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale) plays the role of the mysterious Tony in the movie in his final performance. Ledger was great as always and it made me sad once more because he had so much potential and the world is a sadder place without him. Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Public Ememies) plays "Imaginarium Tony #1" and did a wonderful Job. Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, The Holiday) plays "Imaginarium Tony #2" and was fun to watch. Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Phone Booth) plays "Imaginarium Tony #3" and did a great job playing the part of the movie where we find out the truth about Tony.

This movie was fantastic and if you love Terry Gilliam's movies, as I do, then you should definitely check it out. It is a fun, mysterious and wonderfully beautiful movie that really makes your imagination go wild. It is a bit crazy and weird at times but it works so well for the story and only makes it better.

Great quote: "In love? Who gave her permission?"

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Review: Daybreakers

Grade: B+

In the near future a plague has swept across the globe transforming most of the world's population into vampires. Any remaining humans are considered enemies of the state and the vampires are hunting them in order to farm their blood. As the Human population dwindles so does the blood supply for the vampires. As the vampires work on creating a fake blood to sustain themselves one vampire works with a small group of humans to find a cure.

This is the vampire movie I have been wanting to see for a very long time. Every time I watch a vampire movie I always wonder what would happen if the vampire numbers became so great that they actually became the majority. This movie actually answers that questions rather well. The plague has made everybody immortal but if they don't get enough blood they start transforming into large bat like creatures. The vampires only really go out at night, of course, but they do have an underground walkway system and have modified their cars so they can drive during the day if they need to. The vampire world was very interesting and the best part, the vampires don't sparkle.

The movie has a pretty good cast as well. Ethan Hawke (Lord of War, Training Day) plays the role of the (unfortunately named) vampire Edward, who is a scientist working on finding a blood supplement and a cure for vampirism. Ethan Hawke did a pretty good job with this role as a vampire who is sympathetic towards humans. Sam Neil (Jurassic Park, Wimbledon) plays Charles Bromley, Edwards boss and the owner of a blood farm. Neil was great as the evil Bromley who is willing to do anything to make money. Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, Inside Man) plays a human, Lionel "Elvis" Cormac. Willem Dafoe was great in this role, as he always is, I just feel that he would have made a better vampire, but he was still very enjoyable.

If you love true vampire movies, go see Daybreakers. It is a lot of fun and very enjoyable throughout. I feel the film makers did a great job of depicting a world where vampires are the majority and did a great job depicting a species of immortals facing a dwindling food supply. It was just a lot of fun and everything I really expected from it.

Great quote: "Well, life's a bitch and then you don't die."