DIRECTOR: David Fincher
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
STARRING: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
RATING: R
GENRE: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
GRADE: A+
This is my very first A+, and I'm proud it say it's a movie this epic!! Almost everything about this movie is flawless. The acting, the directing, the dialoge, the symbolism. Everything!!
Even towards the beginning, I noticed something odd about the connection between the two characters, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, and it was so subtle, I just ignored it at the time. Edward Norton plays the transition from his white-collared job, condo-living man, to a radical rebel who fights every week perfectly. I've decided to watch some more work of Norton.
Helena Bonham Carter never fails to disappoint. Outstanding, as always and if anything, her character was the least developed, because of less screen time, but all in all, every moment she was on screen was genius. Definitely one of my favorite actresses.
The movie WAS a little long, (2.5 hours) but you really couldn't tell, because there were literally no boring parts in it. It's basically set up in 3 acts, and all are different, but perfect in how they're set up.
Surprisingly, this movie has very little fighting in it, but when it does, it plays a huge part in it. It's a way for the men to release their inner-instincts and the way the set is used, you can tell that they're only motivated by that.
So, please watch this film if you've yet to, because everyone needs to see a movie like this if they haven't yet.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Graduate (1967)
DIRECTOR: Mike Nichols
STUDIO: Embassy Pictures
STARRING: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross
RATING: PG
GENRE: Drama, Comedy, Romance
GRADE: A
It's hard to think what happened in 70s that made comedies in the 1960s and 1980s so different! Not better, nor worse, just polar opposites! Nonetheless, this movie isn't really a comedy, but I loved it all the same!!
Out of all the films I have ever watched, this one probably had the most symbolism, which I ADORED. I love it when the film makes you think more than an average one does, and it allows you to explore your mind.
This movie is about this guy, Benjamin, who just graduated from college, and doesn't really know what to do, career-wise, while his parents are concerned for his unknown future. An old family friend, Mrs. Robinson (We all know the song "...here's to you, Ms. Robinson...") starts to fatally get attracted to Benjamin, and seduces him. But, meanwhile, he starts to fall for her daughter, who has no idea about the affair!
The director of cinematography was phenominal! You connected with Benjamin and all the stress and excitement that was thrust upon him with this movie. The angles and lights and shadows created the symbolism needed for any particular scene. For some reason, Dustin Hoffman gets a lot of negative reviews for his performance, but his dry humor makes it all the more easy to laugh at.
It's a great movie, that is referenced for parodied many times in popular movies and shows. I know of one "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" episode, that parallels this almost completely! I'm sure you'd recognize at least one scene or line from this film.
STUDIO: Embassy Pictures
STARRING: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross
RATING: PG
GENRE: Drama, Comedy, Romance
GRADE: A
It's hard to think what happened in 70s that made comedies in the 1960s and 1980s so different! Not better, nor worse, just polar opposites! Nonetheless, this movie isn't really a comedy, but I loved it all the same!!
Out of all the films I have ever watched, this one probably had the most symbolism, which I ADORED. I love it when the film makes you think more than an average one does, and it allows you to explore your mind.
This movie is about this guy, Benjamin, who just graduated from college, and doesn't really know what to do, career-wise, while his parents are concerned for his unknown future. An old family friend, Mrs. Robinson (We all know the song "...here's to you, Ms. Robinson...") starts to fatally get attracted to Benjamin, and seduces him. But, meanwhile, he starts to fall for her daughter, who has no idea about the affair!
The director of cinematography was phenominal! You connected with Benjamin and all the stress and excitement that was thrust upon him with this movie. The angles and lights and shadows created the symbolism needed for any particular scene. For some reason, Dustin Hoffman gets a lot of negative reviews for his performance, but his dry humor makes it all the more easy to laugh at.
It's a great movie, that is referenced for parodied many times in popular movies and shows. I know of one "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" episode, that parallels this almost completely! I'm sure you'd recognize at least one scene or line from this film.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Last Exorcism (2010)
DIRECTOR: Daniel Stamm
STUDIO: Lionsgate
STARRING: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Horror, Thriller
GRADE: D-
Here we go again! Okay...so a little flimsy camera is making a "documentary" and OBVIOUSLY, that makes it so much more scary!! Actually...it just means the production company has a pretty frickin' low budget! Oy, how that annoys me that people actually buy into the "realness" = "more scary" crap.
Well, now that that rant is over, onto the review. Not only did that make tons of demerits on my little score card, there were many problems with this film. Maybe it was the fact that the editor was sloppy. It almost seemed that there were 3 or 4 cameras, instead of just one, because in the same scene, it would jump locations in just a fraction of a second. Also, there was background music in some of the scenes! That just irritated me, too! If I'm not mistaken, there is no music playing behind the wall when something significant happens.
The acting was decent. Almost everyone had this weird, awkwardness about them that just set me off, but then I understood that it was the point. Everyone in that town had something wrong with them, and we understand why later on.
Overall, I hated this movie, but I would hate to give it my first "F" ever on a review, so "D-" it is. Even for someone who hates horror films and likes to make fun of them as I watch, this one is probably the worst of it's genre.
STUDIO: Lionsgate
STARRING: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Horror, Thriller
GRADE: D-
Here we go again! Okay...so a little flimsy camera is making a "documentary" and OBVIOUSLY, that makes it so much more scary!! Actually...it just means the production company has a pretty frickin' low budget! Oy, how that annoys me that people actually buy into the "realness" = "more scary" crap.
Well, now that that rant is over, onto the review. Not only did that make tons of demerits on my little score card, there were many problems with this film. Maybe it was the fact that the editor was sloppy. It almost seemed that there were 3 or 4 cameras, instead of just one, because in the same scene, it would jump locations in just a fraction of a second. Also, there was background music in some of the scenes! That just irritated me, too! If I'm not mistaken, there is no music playing behind the wall when something significant happens.
The acting was decent. Almost everyone had this weird, awkwardness about them that just set me off, but then I understood that it was the point. Everyone in that town had something wrong with them, and we understand why later on.
Overall, I hated this movie, but I would hate to give it my first "F" ever on a review, so "D-" it is. Even for someone who hates horror films and likes to make fun of them as I watch, this one is probably the worst of it's genre.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Scott Pilgrim VS. the World (2010)
DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright
STUDIO: Universal Pictures
STARRING: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Comedy, Romance, Action, Fantasy
GRADE: A-
Honestly, this has been one of the hardest movies yet for me to decide whether to give it a B+ or an A-. And I've made my decision!...obviously. It's mostly because it was funny, cute, original and a very good film altogether, but did it REALLY deserve an A? Even a A-? That's what I will try to figure out.
The story is about a guy named Scott Pilgrim, who falls for this girl, Ramona, who has seven evil exes, and he has to defeat them all. Now, this world is kinda like a video game, where you have lives, powers, levels, ETC and if you defeat somebody, you get coins. He also discovers things about Ramona through defeating the exes and the story gets more complex, which isn't confusing, but makes it all the more fun for the viewer.
The director on this film was SPOT ON. Every single set item had a place and a place for every item. Things reflected on Ramona's hair and Scott's feelings, from clothing articles to trash cans behind the characters. Every scene blew me away with the details and it really made me appreciate the work of this director.
Now, me -not being a fan of action films- felt that some of the fighting sequences were a bit too long, but the editing was well for most, if not all. The acting was very substantial and dialogue pretty well written.
For the most part, there's not much wrong with this film. Some people may not enjoy the uniqueness of it, but that's what I loved most about it. I definitely stand by my rating and recommend this to EVERYONE.
STUDIO: Universal Pictures
STARRING: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Comedy, Romance, Action, Fantasy
GRADE: A-
Honestly, this has been one of the hardest movies yet for me to decide whether to give it a B+ or an A-. And I've made my decision!...obviously. It's mostly because it was funny, cute, original and a very good film altogether, but did it REALLY deserve an A? Even a A-? That's what I will try to figure out.
The story is about a guy named Scott Pilgrim, who falls for this girl, Ramona, who has seven evil exes, and he has to defeat them all. Now, this world is kinda like a video game, where you have lives, powers, levels, ETC and if you defeat somebody, you get coins. He also discovers things about Ramona through defeating the exes and the story gets more complex, which isn't confusing, but makes it all the more fun for the viewer.
The director on this film was SPOT ON. Every single set item had a place and a place for every item. Things reflected on Ramona's hair and Scott's feelings, from clothing articles to trash cans behind the characters. Every scene blew me away with the details and it really made me appreciate the work of this director.
Now, me -not being a fan of action films- felt that some of the fighting sequences were a bit too long, but the editing was well for most, if not all. The acting was very substantial and dialogue pretty well written.
For the most part, there's not much wrong with this film. Some people may not enjoy the uniqueness of it, but that's what I loved most about it. I definitely stand by my rating and recommend this to EVERYONE.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Movie Facts Thursday!
Every Thursday, I've decided to post 10 interesting facts about films! So, check in at least every Thursday to see what the new trivia is.
AVATAR (2009):
1) At the time of auditioning, Sam Worthington (Jake Sulley) was living in his car.
2) In Korean, "Na'vi" is spelled like "nabi", the Korean word for "butterfly".
3) Each frame (1/24 of a second) of the CGI scenes took an average of 47 man-hours to complete.
4) The Na'vi are left handed and the Avatars are right handed.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND(2010)
5) This film marks the 7th time Johnny Depp has worked under the direction of Tim Burton and the 6th time for Helena Bonham Carter.
6) This is the number-one highest grossing movie of 2010, and 5th highest grossing movie of ALL TIME.
7) In contrast to the previous films, this is the first time that Mad Hatter has a complete name: Tarrant Hightopp.
THE GODFATHER (1972):
8 Voted #2 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies
9) Richard S. Castellano (Peter) ad-libbed the line "Take the cannoli".
10) The early buzz on the film was so positive that a sequel was planned before the film was finished filming.
AVATAR (2009):
1) At the time of auditioning, Sam Worthington (Jake Sulley) was living in his car.
2) In Korean, "Na'vi" is spelled like "nabi", the Korean word for "butterfly".
3) Each frame (1/24 of a second) of the CGI scenes took an average of 47 man-hours to complete.
4) The Na'vi are left handed and the Avatars are right handed.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND(2010)
5) This film marks the 7th time Johnny Depp has worked under the direction of Tim Burton and the 6th time for Helena Bonham Carter.
6) This is the number-one highest grossing movie of 2010, and 5th highest grossing movie of ALL TIME.
7) In contrast to the previous films, this is the first time that Mad Hatter has a complete name: Tarrant Hightopp.
THE GODFATHER (1972):
8 Voted #2 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies
9) Richard S. Castellano (Peter) ad-libbed the line "Take the cannoli".
10) The early buzz on the film was so positive that a sequel was planned before the film was finished filming.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
WEBSHOW REVIEW - Little White Lie
YOUTUBE ACCOUNT: StarKidPotter
STARRING: Elona Finlay, Darren Criss, Lauren Lopez, Chris Allen
GENRE: Comedy, Drama
GRADE: B+
Okay, I've decided that at least once a month, I should review a webshow/webmovie on Youtube (since it's where I spend most of my time anyways), so anyways...on with the review!!
"Sami and Duder Reese are in a band. They are brother and sister. And they suck. They steal all their music and try to become famous in this new webseries." That's basically all StarKidPotter gives to prepare us for this very creative and adorable new series! You'll truely fall in love with Toby and Duder and Jim. Also, if you've ever heard of Very Potter Musical/Sequel, then you'll recognize at least half the cast.
There are a few flaws, such as we HATE the main character, Sami, and I just felt like we at least needed to side on the herione's side at least one time. There were a couple great laughs, but nothing that had me rolling for days, like some ameteur work out there.
Overall, I DO enjoy this web series, and I still re-watch episodes to relive the glorious "totally awesome"ness.
STARRING: Elona Finlay, Darren Criss, Lauren Lopez, Chris Allen
GENRE: Comedy, Drama
GRADE: B+
Okay, I've decided that at least once a month, I should review a webshow/webmovie on Youtube (since it's where I spend most of my time anyways), so anyways...on with the review!!
"Sami and Duder Reese are in a band. They are brother and sister. And they suck. They steal all their music and try to become famous in this new webseries." That's basically all StarKidPotter gives to prepare us for this very creative and adorable new series! You'll truely fall in love with Toby and Duder and Jim. Also, if you've ever heard of Very Potter Musical/Sequel, then you'll recognize at least half the cast.
There are a few flaws, such as we HATE the main character, Sami, and I just felt like we at least needed to side on the herione's side at least one time. There were a couple great laughs, but nothing that had me rolling for days, like some ameteur work out there.
Overall, I DO enjoy this web series, and I still re-watch episodes to relive the glorious "totally awesome"ness.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
DIRECTOR: Jon Chu
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
STARRING: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Sevani
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Drama, Music, Romance
GRADE: C-
Okay, so the new movie "Step Up 3D" is coming out, so obviously the other two are playing on TV for the next month or so. So, I managed to catch this and decided to use it as another review, since I've been lacking lately.
So, the movie starts out with this girl who talks about how her mother inspired her to dance and now it's all she really does. BUT, however, her other school is failing her, so she has to go to a different private school for the Performing Arts. But, when her crew finds out about it, they kick her off and she has to create her own crew to perform at "The Streets," a dance-off of the local street crews.
Obviously, you can point out everything in this movie that will happen. Nothing really special or new or different than the last one, only the roles are fliped. The dancing was nice, though, and I did like the final scene in the rain.
Overall, if you're bored at home, and want to watch a film with dancing and this plotline seems to interest you, then why not, really? It's a cute film, and I'm sure the series is decent.
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
STARRING: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Sevani
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Drama, Music, Romance
GRADE: C-
Okay, so the new movie "Step Up 3D" is coming out, so obviously the other two are playing on TV for the next month or so. So, I managed to catch this and decided to use it as another review, since I've been lacking lately.
So, the movie starts out with this girl who talks about how her mother inspired her to dance and now it's all she really does. BUT, however, her other school is failing her, so she has to go to a different private school for the Performing Arts. But, when her crew finds out about it, they kick her off and she has to create her own crew to perform at "The Streets," a dance-off of the local street crews.
Obviously, you can point out everything in this movie that will happen. Nothing really special or new or different than the last one, only the roles are fliped. The dancing was nice, though, and I did like the final scene in the rain.
Overall, if you're bored at home, and want to watch a film with dancing and this plotline seems to interest you, then why not, really? It's a cute film, and I'm sure the series is decent.
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