Personal Effects

WOW. so I had no Idea what to expect in this very different role for Ashton Kutcher. Deeply emotional subject matter didn't seem his forte but he played the withdrawn and disconnected charector well and when it was time for big emotion it delivered with precise jabs. Michelle Pfeiffer is stunning and the film memorable though quite slowly paced. Have patience and give this heavy drama a shot only if you like the heavyhearted emotion drama genre. Hope this is Helpful!

Slumdog Millionaire

--NO SPOILERS EVER!!-- Why is this a must see? There are NO Hollywood tricks gimmicks or special effects. No explosions CGI or magic. Gimmicks are avoided here to focus on the story. What TO expect is two fold; storytelling and filmmaking. The STORY has an incredibly significant & inspiring message. Every life experience adds to who you are and what you know. Whether you believe in destiny or not it is a comforting truth to see value in perseverance. --MESSAGE ONLY NO SPOILER-- The story itself is about an underdog. It is a touching heartwarming story of love. Love for a brother for one. And also it features unstoppable love fueled quest to reconcile with a true love lost. This has enough heart to melt every unquenchable hopeless romantic. And yet the real word action and dark side is intense enough with torture, murder, chases and more. It will keep even the unaffected realist interested. FINALLY the filmmaking is a marvel! The use of editing is remarkable. It is used to artistically foreshadow events to come; to chronologically tell a life story through flashbacks anchored of course by a game show and then to flash back the significant moments revealing a deeper layer of meaning. It is BEAUTIFUL! These elements going for it is enough to warrant a must see from me. A few friends reported the movie seemed normal scene by scene, so I reeled in my expectations for a supernaturally special experience. I recommend the same for mainstream viewers. Gurus, buffs, and filmmakers will find tremendous fodder for celebration; while ALL viewers will find a heartwarming, well-told, inspiring -sometimes tragic story, underscored by great music and likeable characters. IN SHORT: it receives my highest stamp of recommendation a MUST see! Hope this is Helpful!

Jet Li's Fearless

Fearless is not just a phenomenal martial arts movie it is the final installment of Jet Li's life work in the art of Mu Shu (sp?). Yes the choreography is brilliant and but even more than that this touching story of a misguided fighter seeking the path but also tells everything Li felt necessary to be said about the art AND it is symbolically a story that parallels Li's own life. Be sure to watch the special features on the disc are a highlight. This is a must see for MA fans and Li fans particularly. Hope this is Helpful!

Bolt

Bolt is tons of fun for the whole family. The kids loved it. A new look for an underdog type hero and for me it seemed reminiscent of the old inspector Gadget days (but maybe that is just because the girl Penny has lots of gadgets and her dog saves the day). Miley Cyris, John Travolta and the rest of the voice cast is terrific! The CGI crisp and visually a delight. The characters are very likable and nicely developed. It becomes much more a heartfelt story of personal growth than I expected. Its filled with good action and decent dose of comedy. Everyone in the family will be pleased with this immensely feel good film. Recommended. Hope this is Helpful!

The Visitor

The Visitor may be slowly paced but it kept me glued the whole time. The characters are very likable. the message is strong and you can't help but to root for them with all your heart. I liked the concept but the movie has as much heart ache as it does hart warming feel. It is not a feel good film but a quest to find himself and to find happiness or at least peace is one many people will relate to. Recommended! Hope this is Helpful!

Death Note

WOW. Death Note - Desu nôto is a three anime episode series that bring the manga (Japanese comic) to big screen and now DVD. I am new the series. I haven't seen the comic and I held of on the live action films until now. This is sensational story becomes a supernatural thriller, a battle of wits and journey into the nature of human. Light Yagami is an overachieving student headed to be a lawyer. Is he capable of handle the absolute power given in this notebook he found? Would anybody do better? Is his form of justice good for humanity if less than fair? Many thought provoking concepts arise. The story gets of to a slow start but as the detectives tracking him and move closer and another mysterious adversary challenges him directly, the tension builds to a thrilling edge of your seat adventure that will appeal to beginner and experienced anime fans! Highly recommended! Hope this is Helpful!

Wanted

Wanted is Great fun! If you thought the Matrix Bullet time was cool, just wait until you see this! YEAH MAN!! =) Too call them "stylish" is not doesn't start to describe what you are about to see. This is high paced action with an interesting twist or two. It does require the suspension of disbelief but you knew that if you watched the preview. This is a type of superhero film that hits all the points it aims for has a decent story too. Action fans are going to love this thrill ride! Highly recommended! Hope this is Helpful!

The Amateurs

[3.5*] This is not at all what I was expecting. It is not a gutter comedy about an adult film its actually an inspirational drama about a town full of friends coming together and about a father and son relationship. Much more touching and much less sexy than expected but certainly worth watching anyway! The film is loaded with an a list cast and with the exception of some very slow moments it becomes a very touching drama. Recommended! Hope this is Helpful!

Big Stan

I knew nothing about this going in. Rob Schneider is hit or miss on comedy but when I saw David Carradine I was intrigued. The entire movie is over the top ridiculous, completely unbelievable and almost entirely tongue in cheek. The initial joke is funny but gets beaten to death to the point of becoming obnoxious and offensive. As my friend PGDGM points out in another great review. At the point I was about to lose hope it becomes a martial arts training movie which peeked my interest again. Unfortunately it is down hill from there. I did not turn it off early. I did laugh a couple of time but mostly I was preoccupied with other tasks and never fully captivated. It is equal opportunity racism so everyone gets a chance to be offended. If it were a bit more believable I could have given it 3 full stars for effort but with an abundance of roll your eyes it barley scrapes by. Still its entertaining at spots and if you are not offendeable it may be worth a peek. but keep the expectation low. Hope this is Helpful!

Quantum of Solace

How is it that James Bond never ages never becomes tiresome or out of date and never dies? you would think after so many years and so many films there would be nothing left. SO NOT TRUE! This incarnation of the great hero follows Casino Royale but evolves in tone to a darker more aggressive intense 007. The fights are more violent than the flashy stylish choreography we have seen before. While there is all the elements you expect form bond this intense fight the big explosions the chases and even more. This time there is more attitude a resolve that says this time it more than just my fun game. I like this gruff tone and found Quantum of Solace to be a fresh bond despite the many times we have seen this character. Highly Recommended for Bond fans and even for those who gave up on him. Hope this is Helpful!

Gardens of the Night

Gardens of the Night is on the surface EXTREMELY depressing. if you dig enough there is a survivor story in there but it is heavy dark and hard to watch especially for parents. Tom Arnold does a creepy but possibly innocent but still untrustworthy character very well. You never really know his intentions until, well you'll see. I described the movie Trade as a truly terrible story. Heart wrenchingly horrifyingly terrible. This is not quite that affecting but its the basic idea. A bit of trade meets the darker side of Slumdog Millionaire. There is that survivor story the, buddy friendship story of the boy she leans on but this will not leave inspired or warmed it will more than likely leave you heartbroken and depressed. From a productions standpoint the acting is solid the filming is good, but the story itself was too dark and gritty for me to call it enjoyable. I am sure some viewers are going to like this a lot more than I did so this is not a warning against it just a suggestion to approach the film with caution. Hope this is Helpful!

Twilight

Reviews are mixed and opinions split on Twilight. There are several reasons for this. First the book is popular. Book fans either love it enough to accept the movie or hate that its not as good as the book. Vampire film genre fans are split on this as well because it does not fit the typical fast pace dark Gothic even violent or sexy themes that usually are expected in a vampire film. This is a Romeo & Juliet romance! It is not as good as the book (how could it be) and it is different from what vampire fans expect (subdued and paced methodically) and so the market for people who like this is not the same as the people the previews and marketing suggested. This is a romantic teen drama with a bit of after school special tone It approaches the vampire lore from a perspective much closer to the of the real vampire movement than the typical Dracula fantasy we all have of vampires. My wife said it felt like a woman writer and director it was tender. Of course that is true (she deduced it with out knowing). So even if you are not a teenage girl in love with the book there may be something to enjoy. I am a 31 year old male but one who does watch teen drama, blame it on the cousins ;-). Edward is a morose and tortured soul who feels his life has little or no purpose. Bella is new to town and to school. In the film you need to accept that passion they feel is deep. Giving it a little faith and grace was all it took to find this particularly enjoyable. Series aside it is certainly unique enough as a film to warrant a peek from many viewers. Hope this is Helpful!

Wonder Woman

This is with out question the best Wonder Woman available. Its not the best DC Comics ever animated but it is an important Origin story to revive this neglected heroine! Where to even begin? Wonder Woman has never gotten a fair shake in the on film. She appeared in All Star Comics #8, December of 1941. Winning a fan base as a unique look in comic books and the first really strong woman in comics. WW2 at hand women's roles were changing and a Strong, Smart and Sexy woman was welcomed. In the comics she has been a great character. She paved the way for other female heroes and still topped them all. To pop culture unfortunately the perception of feminist or a hero for the women is a stigma too often attached and one hard to shake off. While I liked the 70's TV series it was really goofy and low budget. The appeal of the TV series was Lynda Carter -easy on the eyes wearing leotard that showed legs appealed to men and a woman who could wail on the men appealed to everyone but...great? No. And it did not advance the character. Xena Warrior Princess did more for the perception of Wonder Woman since subconsciously the likenesses could not be denied. Where has Wonder Woman been in film? ITS ABOUT TIME!! This is an Origin story that will introduce all those not familiar and re-capture the love of all fans waiting for this more than 60 years! It is a thorough Origin story laying all the necessary ground work. The script does deal with the perception of man and the integration the Amazons face. It becomes a charming story of love with out losing the excitement of the battles. The comedy is solid and voices spectacular. Just look at the ensemble cast, I'm outta room or I could sing there praises. The only flaw is that the animation is decided PG to PG-13 and I could have used a bit more brutality BUT that would have turned off some of the potential new viewers. The series is going to continue in this medium an THANKFULLY! Highly Recommended for all viewers! Hope this is Helpful!

Punisher: War Zone

Punisher: War Zone (2008) is a very different tone than the more polished bright colors of the introspective 2004 Origin story. In this movie there is no Frank Castle! This is ALL PUNISHER! It is gritty, dark excessively violent and has the tone the comics aimed for. Critics will point out that this movie struggles in the script having week dialog and focuses on 80s type shootem up thuggish killing. Fans will find this may border on throw back cult classic with 80s-ish street thug killing, pulp detective fiction hits the screen with an angry make-em-pay tone. This is the has the same atmosphere as the Darkman movie and its sequels. Its no secret that Darkman (the other dark masked vigilante in marvels line up) is a late addition but a throw back to pulp style writing and the movie to 30 horror look. Punisher: War Zone will have the same effect, collecting a cult following anxious for more of this Character. I am one of the people who enjoy the vengeful tone, the revenge the violence and yes the hard choices that have to be made involving life and death. If blowing the brains out of a bad guy makes your chest swell then you may be right for this movie. Ray Stevenson was the perfect casting choice. While changing actors for the character is not always a safe gamble Stevenson plays the part like the character was written better than anyone has and brings the necessary swagger and attitude. It is definitely one for the FANS and not for the Critics. There are no Iron Man Stunts or Spiderman morals it is an unapologetic bloody actioner that gets the testosterone flowing and the arms beating on your chest while snarling and shout "take that mofo". BANG BANG! Splatter! I LOVE IT! lol. Not everyone will. Do not go here looking for inspirational or insightful dialog. This is about delivering justice PUNISHER STYLE! Hope this is Helpful!

The Punisher

Now that I have seen Punisher: War Zone (2008) I am back tracking to review The Punisher (2004) since these to are interesting to look at side by side. I have been a Fan of the comic book and read many but not all. I have never been able to get the old Dolph Lundren movie on DVD so I can't comment on it but heard it was poor from reliable sources. When I saw this movie I was immediately elated to see the character I liked in a dark action movie and in 2004 it was a 5* movie. However it pales tremendously to the spectacular Batman Begins of (2005) so I may drop it to 3.75 now if I were to make a change. This has been the fate of The Punisher as a character in pop-culture. Punisher stands out in the comic books as the darkest of the Marvel Characters and to me Frank Castle was always the Marvel response to DC comics Bruce Wayne. DC does dark and tortured souls much better than Marvel, while marvels strength has been on heart and inspirational overcoming stories. Clearly both camps have great characters and this generalization is not fair 100% but its more true than not. This Punisher (2004) movie is an origin story. And it has heart! It focuses on the man Frank Castle. It covers the before, the breaking of the man and the reason for the birth of The Punisher. There is a moral dilemma, guilt and pain as he evolves into the man he would ultimately become. As a broken and lonely man he does not make friends easily and the movie deals with his adjusting to a new life. There are of course bad guys and very cool fights and shoots and fast paced stylized gun fights and this blew my mind in 2004. The last several years have pushed the limits even further but that takes nothing away from this movie standing solid as a worthwhile Origin story and a good instruction to the character for the unacquainted viewers especially if you plan to see Punisher: War Zone (2008). Recommended. Hope this is Helpful!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 2

Season 2 of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is even better than season one. Throughout the season the twists escalate. "Who is who and who is hiding what;" are the mysteries that make this series even more than a great action series. It is clever and it tells that part of the story the movies never hit. What happens between the message and the war. What happens during Skynets evolution. This is a great addition to the movie series but it takes a different tone. Season one focused a lot on Sarah Conner and her desire to protect her son. Which is perfect chronological order, because season two focuses on the personal growth and challenge John faces. he is learning the lessons he need to be the leader that future John becomes. Of course I mustn't neglect to point out the fights and action are as great as the drama. VERY highly recommended! Hope this is Helpful!

Meatballs

Meatballs (1979) is the epitome of teen camping classic. This genre was flooded with films in era and I think almost everyone I know has seen this one. It not that its original or exceptional by any writing or filming standard its just a great balance of humor and coming of age teen topics (boy like girls and girls tease them back) and underdog story. everyone of the camping movies has a competition the less popular versus the more popular camp. This one predates so many copies and though its not the best camp movie ever its a good one with lots of laugh and paved a way. Its nostalgic and Murry is great. His speech "IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!" is unforgettable. What makes this come together so well is the likable characters. It is not one of the unrated teen gutter comedies we see today, it is a light comedic look at the dirty mind and teases with out ever becoming exploitative. Which will please some viewers and disappoint others. In the end its a feel good classic teen comedy that I recommend! Hope this is Helpful!

Fight Science

WOW!! If you dig this stuff this inside look goes deeper than I have ever seen before. I love Mixed Martial Arts but never realized the physiological make up of these master athletes is nothing short of superhuman. These skilled MMA masters have not only perfectly conditioned there bodies but they also keep there mind sharp for strategy that goes far beyond other sports of physical combat. MMA is a hybrid complex sport that optimizes techniques from boxing, karate, Kung Fu, Kickboxing, Wresting, jujitsu. They alter there very muscles bones and nerves and condition there minds to withstand physical conditions a normal human body could never stand. They not only have to land blows but withstand impacts that would crush other humans. Are MMA the most all around physically disciplined athletes? It seems hard to refute. maybe one heavyweight boxer has a heavier blow but in the all around we include the kick too. Measured on a crash test dummy you would fair better in car crash than one of these blows. Not only does this fascinating National geographic series dig into the techniques but they drop a superhuman into an ice bath and measure the bodies reactions. long after a normal human should have been dead they add more ice and show what the mind is doing to alter the muscle and blood flow to protect the core. Even if you have never watched the Ultimate Fighting Championships this high quality study of human physiology uses CGI to illustrate inner organ and muscle reactions and will certainly spark your interest in the peek conditioning the body is capable of and it will introduce you to the sport! The ultimate fighter is a trained warrior. A combination of genetic advantage and rigorous training! This is no ordinary human. If you are a fan of the sport and the science behind it this is a must see! Hope this is Helpful!

Far and Away

Far and Away was a huge surprise to me 10 plus years ago. It takes place in three different worlds. Ireland, New York, and the unsettled West. It is a 19th century romance, a rich girl and poor boy have the obvious conflict and then find they have more in common than initially obvious. It becomes a quest. An epic journey to find a place to settle. He wants land. She wants freedom. They have great chemistry. I am not always a fan of period pieces but this one has something to offer so many viewers. A love story, a fighter a bit of the west is a little bit of everything and in the end spread just a little thin but still very worth the watch. With Saint Patrick's Day around the corner I am prone to re-visits some Irish faves and this one along with the opposite of it in every way Boondock Saints were two that came to mind and as an instant watch option its a solid pick. Hope this is Helpful!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 1

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is specifically targeted at star wars junkie like me who can't get enough and at a younger audience. It is successfully winning over my kids and cousins to the starwars world. Loaded with action and more battles this is great animated TV. It is not big budget cutting edge movie quality animation. We have all seen CGI that blows your mind. this doesn't but it is extremely easy to watch and like. Simply fun. Its not one I need to see every week but I do most of the time. On Cartoons Network there are time a little 30 minute episode is exactly what you want. Recommended for Star Wars fanatics with kids. Hope this is Helpful!