[center]Christmas Vacation Review

[font=Book Antiqua]Rating: 7/10
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly DeAngelo, Randy Quaid, and Doris Roberts
Genre: Comedy/Holidays

[font=Century Gothic]It's Christmas in June! Finally, I've seen a VACATION movie... and it's all thanks to Kevin Robbins! The film is utterly hilarious and the cast seems so much like a family, that they are completely endearing! I laughed out loud and smiled hundreds of times because how happy this film made me. I have to say that it's definately one of the best Christmas films out there. The reason I gave it a 7 is because I really wanted a plot, but I didn't get one. But, that doesn't mean it's not a good movie, because it is. I also didn't like Randy Quaid in this film because he just added the disgusting humour, which made the film seem less classy. Anyways, this is a great film and I'll definately have to watch it again come Christmas time! Now, to watch the other three!

Concensus: A really great holiday film that's exceptionally hilarious... not for the whole family, though!

Rent or Buy: Buy, because it's a film that can be enjoyed every Christmas, for years to come!

Kevin Robbins 10/10: "Christmas Vacation is an all-time classic holiday film..."
TreyGirl 6/10: "You'd have to be crazy not to love Clarke and his family..."
mommiezombie 10/10: "This movie has become a Christmas tradition..."



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[font=Arial Black]Hostage High Review

[font=Book Antiqua]Rating: 2/10
Rated: R
Starring: Freddie Prince Jr, Rick Schroder, and Henry Winkler
Genre: Drama/Action

[font=Century Gothic]Don't ask me why I'm interested in school shooting movies, and NO (Don't say that I'm gonna' shoot up my school, because I'm definately NOT), but for some reason the idea chills me, but also makes me think about life. The problem is, I haven't seen one film deal with this thorny subject in a positive or entertaining way at all. I mean, Elephant was a complete waste of time... even though when the kids finally shot up the school, it was enthralling. This movie though, just plunges you right into the shooting, barely explaining the character of the shooter, and makes you fall into a pit of bore. I mean the kids are all trapped in a room and the shooter allows them to watch TV and eat pizza, that's a bunch of bull if you ask me! Oh, and I'm sad to say though, that Freddie Prince Jr. was not the cause of failure of this movie, he actually wasn't too bad. Yes, a shiver just ran down my spine as I wrote that...

Concensus: Deals with the subject poorly and not nearly thrilling or realistic enough.

Rent or Buy: Neither, don't waste your time... even if you enjoyed Elephant.




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[center]Mini Reviews #1
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I saw three films this weekend and decided I didn't want to write or bore you with three long reviews of each... so I'm writing three mini reviews for ya'll! I'll probably be doing this often when I'm up to my tail in films and don't have enough time to write full reviews.
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Whisper of the Heart:
[size=2]Master Director Hayao Miyazaki writes this charming, endearing, and sentimental animated picture. Its simple, but thats what makes it so special... no American animated film (except "The Iron Giant") would dare quiet down or delve into issues such as this. This is the kind of animated movie that I would love my kids to sit down and watch... its not as wierd or bizarre as most Miyazaki pictures, and settles into being magical and enchanting while being easy to follow. Its not as great as My Neighbor Totoro or Princess Mononoke, but this is easily the best Studio Ghibli film not directed by Miyazaki.


My Grade: A

[size=4]The Woods:
[size=2]My first horror film of the month and its already started out pretty crappy, "The Woods" is a typical horror film that isn't scary, full of cliches, and an unexplainable plot. This film, which was made three years ago and was put through production hell, skipped the theatres and came out straight to DVD last week. While there's some shining moments and its star (Agnes Bruckner) could carry any film, she isn't given much to work with. Kudos though to the fantastic special effects, you probably won't see evil branches like those in any straight to DVD films in a long while! You can do alot better this month though with films alot like this one, but that are done so much better (i.e. The Village and Watcher in the Woods.)

SCARE-O-METER: [size=1]1/2 [size=2]/


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Easily the best scene in the film

My Grade: D+

[size=4]Thank You for Smoking:
[size=2]I was really looking forward to this film and while I know many of you liked it... I couldn't get into this satire at all. It has a great and original plot, but I felt it wasn't made up to its potential. It had some funny moments and some interesting dialogue, but to me this movie dragged on and was comftorbly sitting on the line of uninterest. I also was bugged that the movie had so many powerful prescenses, but none of them were on the screen for very long and their parts in the film were useless. Its a movie that could do and mean alot to this world and speak to the smokers out there, but instead it lulls back and forth into awkward and annoying stories and by the end you'll feel like they couldn't come up with anything to happen, so they decided to make it totally unrealistic. One of the most dissapointing films of the year...


My Grade: C


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I am truly upset about my feeling towards Spike Jonze's recreation of Maurice Sendack's "Where the Wild Things Are". There are some very beautiful touches to the film... that including the mix of animatronics and CGI to create the Wild Things, themselves. There's also the cinematography, which crosses through deserts, beaches, and forests that captures this fantasy world to a tee. But, the praise ends there for me, I'm afraid. The very limited storyline and oddly confusing, dark scipt don't hit the mark here. This is a movie for kids that hits an emotionally dark level that will be hard to handle for children. It also doesn't provide enough of an "oomph" or compelling twists and turns, to fully entertain the adults in the audience. Max came to The Wild Things, and left The Wild Things. The End. Production quality aside, I believe Spike Jonze and Co. have missed the mark on their dark children's fantasy.
-Hopso78

Grade: C-

Oren Peli's "Paranormal Activity" lives up to all of the hype, and even exceeded my expectations. Taking his no-name actors, micro-budget, and a digital camera, Peli has created something truly horrifying. With great use of camera angles, sound effects, and technical effects, he fries your senses, and slowly builds the suspense until it is too hard to handle. "Activity" has come out of no where and has become a huge success already... and I hope it continues it's reign. The public have spoken, and the studio has released it nationally... now, its time for everyone to gather together in their local movie theater to be scared shitless for a terrifying 90 minutes.
-Hopso78

Grade: A-

[center]Gardens of the Night
[size=3]My Grade: A
[color=Black][size=2]Starring: Gillian Jacobs, Evan Ross, Ryan Simpkins, Tom Arnold, Jeremy Sisto, Kyle Gallner, Harold Parrineau, Kevin Zegers and John Malkovich
Rated: R
Out on DVD NOW!

While I know I've been away for quite some time (directing and starring in shows, getting ready for college, etc) I wanted to take time away to revisit RT and let everyone know about a very special film. "Gardens of the Night" is the lovechild of director Damien Harris, who spent 17 years trying to get it made. Those 17 years paid off. "Gardens" is an unflinching, intense and heartbreaking story of lost childhood that I will never forget. It is a film brimming with life and beauty in the darkest of places.
The movie starts out with a young girl named Leslie being coaxed into a car and being taken away by two men who's names are Alex and Frank. They bring the girl to their home, with another boy named Donnie who is already there, who knows for how long. For almost a decade, they live with these men who control their every move and all knowledge of outside life has been stripped away. It is within eachother, that they find their safe haven away from the dark world that they have been sucked into. Fast forward, Donnie and Leslie are almost adults and living on the streets of San Diego, abusing drugs, selling their bodies and ultimately not knowing their place in life. Donnie is in love with Leslie and she is slowly slipping away, trying to cope with a life that was never lived.
Words cannot express how heartbreaking and emotionally challenging "Gardens of the Night" is. Without showing any nudity or gratutious sexuality, Harris makes the film almost unbearable to watch, for how difficult these situations are. But, that is not a bad thing. The film never feels unreal or fake, it unfolds like it is happening before your own eyes, in your own life. The characters are fleshed out just enough for you to care, yet they are distanced because of the trauma that they have endured. The ensemble cast is brilliant... in every way possible, but Tom Arnold steals the show... he is undeniably terrifying. As the credits appeared, I was lost in my own emotion. I reflected and I cried. And then I fell in love.
After 17 years, Damien Harris brings us a film that I will never surely forget.
And a film that you must experience for yourself.


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My Grade: B

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Clint Eastwood's new movie is basically a shrine to everything Clint, but that's definitely not a bad thing. He directs, stars, produces and even sings the end credit song in "Gran Torino". A film about racism, revenge and redemption, "Torino" is powerful, hilarious and gripping. The film teaches about the Hmong culture while weaving a heartfelt story of two neighbors who become unlikely friends. Though extremely crass and frank, the film never feels rude or unpleasent, due to Eastwood's incredible performance. I think the one fault in "Torino" though, is the supporting cast of unknowns, who pale in comparison to the veteran actor. Despite this, Eastwood's movie is a worthy addition to his pantheon of classics.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Red]My Grade: C+

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]"Doubt" is a dragging peice of cinema, elevated by superb performances. I found this movie to be so self-aware of its brilliance at times, and then I feel like in moments it was extremely inspired. In no doubt, is this a good film, but it is not a great one, or so I felt. Meryl Streep, Philip Hoffman, Amy Adams and an absolutely jaw-dropping Viola Davis bring the play to life amazingly, yet I feel that "Doubt" showed no life at all. Worth seeing, but I'd rather see the play instead.


[color=Green][font=Arial Black][size=3]My Grade: F

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Speaking of Meryl Streep, what in God's name was she thinking signing on to star in this abomination. "Mamma Mia!" contains catchy songs, but they're sung awfully. It has some good ideas, but never executes them to their potential. Stars are thrown at you left and right, but they have nothing productive to do. And on top of it all... there is absolutely no direction, its as if the director told the actors to run free and sing songs to Abba and then they made it into a movie. Seriously, this is one god-awful film.


My Grade: C

Frank Miller's "The Spirit" could've been soooooo much better, but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. There are alot of problems here, like the terribling pacing, the uncomfortably weird humour, and the sketchy looking action. But, the stars give it their all, and I thoroughly loved Gabriel Macht as the lead. It looks awesome and there are some really cool moments of noir, but it feels like it was edited and put together by an amateur. I'd say skip the theatres and rent it, you won't feel as let down.
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My Grade: B

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Clint Eastwood's new movie is basically a shrine to everything Clint, but that's definitely not a bad thing. He directs, stars, produces and even sings the end credit song in "Gran Torino". A film about racism, revenge and redemption, "Torino" is powerful, hilarious and gripping. The film teaches about the Hmong culture while weaving a heartfelt story of two neighbors who become unlikely friends. Though extremely crass and frank, the film never feels rude or unpleasent, due to Eastwood's incredible performance. I think the one fault in "Torino" though, is the supporting cast of unknowns, who pale in comparison to the veteran actor. Despite this, Eastwood's movie is a worthy addition to his pantheon of classics.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Red]My Grade: C+

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]"Doubt" is a dragging peice of cinema, elevated by superb performances. I found this movie to be so self-aware of its brilliance at times, and then I feel like in moments it was extremely inspired. In no doubt, is this a good film, but it is not a great one, or so I felt. Meryl Streep, Philip Hoffman, Amy Adams and an absolutely jaw-dropping Viola Davis bring the play to life amazingly, yet I feel that "Doubt" showed no life at all. Worth seeing, but I'd rather see the play instead.


[color=Green][font=Arial Black][size=3]My Grade: F

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Speaking of Meryl Streep, what in God's name was she thinking signing on to star in this abomination. "Mamma Mia!" contains catchy songs, but they're sung awfully. It has some good ideas, but never executes them to their potential. Stars are thrown at you left and right, but they have nothing productive to do. And on top of it all... there is absolutely no direction, its as if the director told the actors to run free and sing songs to Abba and then they made it into a movie. Seriously, this is one god-awful film.


My Grade: C

Frank Miller's "The Spirit" could've been soooooo much better, but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. There are alot of problems here, like the terribling pacing, the uncomfortably weird humour, and the sketchy looking action. But, the stars give it their all, and I thoroughly loved Gabriel Macht as the lead. It looks awesome and there are some really cool moments of noir, but it feels like it was edited and put together by an amateur. I'd say skip the theatres and rent it, you won't feel as let down.
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My Grade: B

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Clint Eastwood's new movie is basically a shrine to everything Clint, but that's definitely not a bad thing. He directs, stars, produces and even sings the end credit song in "Gran Torino". A film about racism, revenge and redemption, "Torino" is powerful, hilarious and gripping. The film teaches about the Hmong culture while weaving a heartfelt story of two neighbors who become unlikely friends. Though extremely crass and frank, the film never feels rude or unpleasent, due to Eastwood's incredible performance. I think the one fault in "Torino" though, is the supporting cast of unknowns, who pale in comparison to the veteran actor. Despite this, Eastwood's movie is a worthy addition to his pantheon of classics.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Red]My Grade: C+

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]"Doubt" is a dragging peice of cinema, elevated by superb performances. I found this movie to be so self-aware of its brilliance at times, and then I feel like in moments it was extremely inspired. In no doubt, is this a good film, but it is not a great one, or so I felt. Meryl Streep, Philip Hoffman, Amy Adams and an absolutely jaw-dropping Viola Davis bring the play to life amazingly, yet I feel that "Doubt" showed no life at all. Worth seeing, but I'd rather see the play instead.


[color=Green][font=Arial Black][size=3]My Grade: F

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Speaking of Meryl Streep, what in God's name was she thinking signing on to star in this abomination. "Mamma Mia!" contains catchy songs, but they're sung awfully. It has some good ideas, but never executes them to their potential. Stars are thrown at you left and right, but they have nothing productive to do. And on top of it all... there is absolutely no direction, its as if the director told the actors to run free and sing songs to Abba and then they made it into a movie. Seriously, this is one god-awful film.


My Grade: C

Frank Miller's "The Spirit" could've been soooooo much better, but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. There are alot of problems here, like the terribling pacing, the uncomfortably weird humour, and the sketchy looking action. But, the stars give it their all, and I thoroughly loved Gabriel Macht as the lead. It looks awesome and there are some really cool moments of noir, but it feels like it was edited and put together by an amateur. I'd say skip the theatres and rent it, you won't feel as let down.
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My Grade: B

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Clint Eastwood's new movie is basically a shrine to everything Clint, but that's definitely not a bad thing. He directs, stars, produces and even sings the end credit song in "Gran Torino". A film about racism, revenge and redemption, "Torino" is powerful, hilarious and gripping. The film teaches about the Hmong culture while weaving a heartfelt story of two neighbors who become unlikely friends. Though extremely crass and frank, the film never feels rude or unpleasent, due to Eastwood's incredible performance. I think the one fault in "Torino" though, is the supporting cast of unknowns, who pale in comparison to the veteran actor. Despite this, Eastwood's movie is a worthy addition to his pantheon of classics.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Red]My Grade: C+

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]"Doubt" is a dragging peice of cinema, elevated by superb performances. I found this movie to be so self-aware of its brilliance at times, and then I feel like in moments it was extremely inspired. In no doubt, is this a good film, but it is not a great one, or so I felt. Meryl Streep, Philip Hoffman, Amy Adams and an absolutely jaw-dropping Viola Davis bring the play to life amazingly, yet I feel that "Doubt" showed no life at all. Worth seeing, but I'd rather see the play instead.


[color=Green][font=Arial Black][size=3]My Grade: F

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]Speaking of Meryl Streep, what in God's name was she thinking signing on to star in this abomination. "Mamma Mia!" contains catchy songs, but they're sung awfully. It has some good ideas, but never executes them to their potential. Stars are thrown at you left and right, but they have nothing productive to do. And on top of it all... there is absolutely no direction, its as if the director told the actors to run free and sing songs to Abba and then they made it into a movie. Seriously, this is one god-awful film.


My Grade: C

Frank Miller's "The Spirit" could've been soooooo much better, but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. There are alot of problems here, like the terribling pacing, the uncomfortably weird humour, and the sketchy looking action. But, the stars give it their all, and I thoroughly loved Gabriel Macht as the lead. It looks awesome and there are some really cool moments of noir, but it feels like it was edited and put together by an amateur. I'd say skip the theatres and rent it, you won't feel as let down.
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My Grade: D-

[color=Black][size=2][font=Century Gothic]An absolute disaster, roaming here and there without any purpose. Unfunny, terribly written, awful characters and an almost racist feel to it. The only good thing about this "Chihuahua" is that it can be cute, at times. Thats not saying much.


My Grade: B+

[color=Black]A smart, biting farce with a wonderful all-star cast at the top of their game. Though its a more minor event in the filmography of the Coen's it is still a very funny, very captivating little film.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Red]My Grade: B-
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Though David Fincher's "Curious Case" is an extroardinary and groundbreaking achievement... it is also overlong and plodding. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expecations, because it left me in a slump. This is a damn good movie that needed to be cut and maybe got an injection of adrenaline pumped into it. The fifteen minutes with Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt are spellbinding, and the acting over-all is fantastic.


[font=Arial Black][size=3][color=Green]My Grade: C-

[font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=Black]"Quarantine" is a whatever movie... I didn't care for it, but I didn't hate it. I feel like this film was overracted, compared to the wonderfully acted original Spanish Language film "REC". The end wasn't nearly as effective as the original as well. I appreciated the further exploration of the forces outside of the walls, however. Yeah, its scary... but, in almost every way the original is superior.


[/color][/size][/font][/color][/size][/font]My Grade: A

Plain and simple... I will never ever forget Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire." Everything youve heard about this masterpiece is truth. A compelling story, mixed with absolutely breathtaking direction, beautiful acting, a pulse-pounding soundtrack... create an experience, that well, must be experienced. Its simple and complicated. Beautiful and gritty. Joyful and meloncholy. This is filmmaking at its finest, and its a film everyone in the world will be able to rejoice in.
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