"The Wrestler" - Darren Aronofsky's new movie trailer

This is what Aronofsky has been up to since directing "Requiem for A Dream" and "The Fountain"

Release date is January 2009.

New "Gran Torino" Clint Eastwood trailer

This one looks really good.

Release Date: January 16, 2009

Upcoming Reviews

Stay tuned for the following upcoming reviews in the next week:

-Quantum of Solace


-Pulp Fiction
-A Clockwork Orange

Many more!

Juno (2007) Review

Juno walks to counter of the drugstore with a pregnancy test in hand that has a bright pink positive on it. “This is one doodle that can’t be undid, home skillet,” says the eccentric clerk (played by The Office’s Rainn Wilson). “Silencio, Old Man!” retorts.

Juno, the 16-year-old pregnant spitfire teen in the independent comedy ‘Juno’ that has gotten four Oscar nods, including Best Picture.

It takes talent to produce comedy out of an unwanted pregnancy, and to avoid the pitfalls of Hollywood gimmicks and lower echelon toilet humor. Director Jason Reitman does just that, as he comes sizzling back from the poignant cigarette company satire “Thank You for Smoking” just two years ago, with the story of a young girl who decides to give up her baby for adoption. Reitman visualized a stellar film from a script that was meticulously crafted by first comer Diablo Cody.

Juno, played wonderfully by the talented 20-year-old Canadian native Ellen Page (who has received an Oscar nomination for her role) is a reflectively intelligent, wacky, and completely dazzling character that one is only privileged enough to meet in life’s ingenuous moments of brevity.

Included in the cast is Michael Cera, (of “Superbad” and “Arrested Development”) who plays the innocuous skinny Pauly Bleeker, a member of the proverbial cross country team, routinely popping tangy red Tic Tacs into his mouth (one of his redeeming qualities according to Juno) whenever he feels inadequately fruity. He is also the father of Juno’s baby. But, as Juno’s stepmom (Allison Janney) puts it, “You know it wasn’t his idea.”

What’s great about this film is the emotional depth of its characters. The audience is left to its whims and subtly grows with Juno as she goes through the challenging and emotionally charged journey of having a baby. She humorously calls herself a legend at school, the self-proclaimed “cautionary whale.”

Loaded into the mix of the film, is a great mix of actors including J.K. Simmons, the type cast father of Juno who is allowed to step out the usual role with some rather inventive witticisms, with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the “perfect” couple who wish to adopt Juno’s baby. Garner is excellent as the immaculate wannabe mother whose home is about as clean as her bright white pearls. Bateman (who played Michael in “Arrested Development) is excellent as a television commercial composer with a love of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ slasher films and alternative rock. The soundtrack includes Sonic Youth, Mott the Hoople, and Kimya Dawson. Perfectly suited for the film, it was Ellen Page herself who suggested her character would like the anti-folk styles of Dawson that helps bring out a true loveliness that only music has the power or authority to unleash.

While some people might be put off by the heavy stylized dialogue (and I do agree that the dialogue is much too fast paced and intelligent for your average teenager), this movie is a gem, full of wonderful multi-dimensional characters, snappy one-liners, and a uniquely charming soft soundtrack that brings to life a unique story about growing up. In a world where films are accused of being “too smart” and having too much self-conscious dialogue, I commend this film for slapping those critics in the face with a well crafted piece of work.

In a year that has featured some fabulous work in film, with the dark “No Country” and black gold epic “There Will Be Blood” leading the pack for Oscar glory, I say that those films aren’t free to break out the champagne yet, because they still have to contend for this “cautionary whale” of a film.

My Score: 9.2/10.0

Critique: It does get kind of formulaic.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Defiance Trailer

A new film by director Edward Zwick ("Blood Diamond" and "The Last Samurai."




It stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell.


Release Date: January 16, 2009.

"300" (2006)

300 Spartans vs. millions of Persians…well kind of. The newest movie by graphic novel writer Frank Miller (who also wrote Sin City), "300" is based loosely on the real Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The story is told from the point of view of the Greeks, led by King Leonidas who defend their homeland from the threat of Persia.
A fleet of “millions” of Persians sail to Greece for war. The leader of the Persians is Xerxes, a self proclaimed God. While the film "300 "tells the eight hundred Greek warriors fighting the Persians, the real battle had a force of between four and seven thousand heavy infantry fighting for Greece. All experts agree that the Greeks were led by a force of three hundred Spartans -- all "sires," warriors chosen not only for skill, but also because they were fathers to male children, which would preserve their bloodlines after what was to be a suicide mission.The Persian army is numbered in the millions in the movie, while historians agree it was between sixty thousand and a quarter million.
But, "300" was, if anything, very “loosely” based on the real Battle of Thermopylae and it wasn’t meant to be taken as genuine historical facts. Thermopylae, defined as “Hot Gates” in the movie was the only way for Persia to enter Greece via a narrow pass bordered by a mountain wall on one side and the ocean on the other. King Leonidas leads his force of Spartans to this pass to defend their lands where they face wave after wave of Persian soldiers.
Death and destruction pave the way for glory in this epic film. Before the battle really starts, a Persian Archer calls out to the Spartans saying, “Our arrows will blot out the sun!” A Spartan retorts. “Then, we shall fight in the shade!” The Spartans hold their ground by fighting off massive waves of Persian attackers, using the famous Phalanx formation (forming an impenetrable a line of defense at a pass in the mountains).

"300" is excessively yet entertainingly violent, almost like playing an extremely brutal but enjoyable video game. It is an incredible visual experience. The film was shot over the course of 60 days in Montreal almost entirely in front of a blue screen (except for one outdoor shot). Post-production of the film was handled by a total of ten special effects companies and took one year to complete. Many sequences of film were de-saturated and tinted to establish different moods. Several computer programs dedicated alone to the “spraying blood” in the film. Kids, don’t go see this movie. It is rated “R” for “graphic battle sequences and some sexuality and nudity.”













(This picture above pretty much sums up the whole movie)


Critic Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times reviewed the film. “…director Zack Snyder has created a jaw-dropping, surrealistic dreamscape filled with stunning images, simmering and seriocomic homoeroticism, a topless oracle-babe, a sexy queen, larger-than-life warriors, hot love scenes, cutting-edge special effects and battle sequences so ambitious, you sometimes have to laugh at the sheer audacity of the whole thing.” Snyder has achieved a brilliantly seductive and enthralling film that has just set the bar for future blue screen productions.

A.O. Scott of the New York Times was not so receptive of the film, describing "300" as "about as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid," as well as criticizing its color scheme and suggesting that its plot includes racist undertones. Ephraim Lytle of the University of Toronto said, “300's Persians are monsters and freaks. Xerxes is eight feet tall, clad chiefly in many body piercings and garishly made up, but not disfigured. No need – it is strongly implied Xerxes is homosexual which, in the moral universe of "300", qualifies him for special freak hood. This is ironic given that pederasty was an obligatory part of a Spartan's education.”

Greek film critic Robby Eksiel said moviegoers would be dazzled by the "digital action" but irritated by the "pompous interpretations and one-dimensional characters." Some critics have seen the movie as a clash of “West vs. East”, a United States vs. Iran allegory (as Persia is modern day Iran). You shouldn’t read too deep into this movie though. Director Zach Snyder has repeatedly said it is nothing of the sort, merely an action film.

These Spartan men are 'real' men, fighting for glory and for their country. Outnumbered one-thousand to one is a good fight for them. They have been bred to fight since childhood. They are expelled to the wild as children and forced to survive before being accepted back as Men and as Spartans. They are the world’s finest soldiers.

Don’t go to this movie expecting a brilliantly conceived foreign film about a mesh of cultures and history. It’s a movie about brutality, sexuality, and entertainment. All of this is done in an all-encompassing viscerally brilliant visual hypnosis. Don’t look to this movie for facts of the real battle. The real battle involved a great many more people on the Spartans side. The Spartans were not perfectly shaped men. They were rough and sometimes unattractive men who indeed wore breastplates (they tend to show off their chiseled stomachs in 300) and wore unpretentious tunics. Persians are not monsters, and non-Greek warriors aren’t weaklings.

As Richard Roeper states in his review, “Snyder directs "300" as the tallest of tall tales -- a vivid dream. You want realism and devotion to the hard facts, watch the History Channel. You want to experience the Battle of Thermopylae as a nonstop thrill ride, here's your ticket.”

My score: 7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Critique: It really doesn't offer anything of substance besides mindless violence. If you want something violent to watch, this is it.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Director Bryan Singer’s unusual story presents one of the most shocking and interesting twists of all time in “The Usual Suspects.” The tag line for the movie goes something like: Five Criminals, One Line Up, No Coincidence. That is a great sum of the movie in itself. What is amazing about this film is not the characters, or the director, but just the flow of the story. Christopher McQuarrie, who won a well-deserved Oscar, wrote the screenplay with opacity in mind that confuses the audience until the very end.

Gabriel Byrne stars as leader of the group, Dean Keaton. He is a reputable burglar and former corrupt cop who heads a job to steal over $90 million dollars worth of cocaine that is being smuggled on a boat. The job is facilitated by the mysterious Kyser Soze.

The members of Keaton’s group include Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin); Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro); and Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollack). Kevin Spacey (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) gives one of the best performances of his life as Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint, the only survivor of the convoluted robbery on a boat that ended in the death of his ‘colleagues.’ As he tells the story, in the format of being interrogated by the police, we see it unfold through flashback.

“The Usual Suspects” uses time-shift principles of selective perception to emphasize ambiguity over substantive facts and the audience is just in for the ride.

The filming style of this film is classified as neo-noir, in that it includes elements of film noir (a minimalist lighting principle that accentuated appearances and emphasized mood and silhouettes) combined with some modern film techniques of today. The style is a complete success, because it really shapes the mood and fits perfectly with the story.

This is a great story and I highly recommend it for people who enjoy a thrilling plot with a clever twist.

I have only one recommendation for you to think about during the film: Who is Keyser Soze?

This movies runs 1hr 46 minutes.

My Rating: 9.0/10

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%

Critique: It can be a bit hollow at points, and sometimes the story lags on.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

“This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.” That line is probably the most famous of this film’s screenplay, and the bullet ridden ending is perhaps one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history. But, I think that the most striking thing about Arthur Penn’s 1967 epic masterpiece “Bonnie and Clyde” is the dynamic interactions of the ill-fated duo. Bonnie, played beautifully by Faye Dunaway, is a common small-town girl for the Midwest, until she meets up with Clyde (Warren Beatty) who introduces her to a highly romanticized world of bank robbery.

The film personalizes the duo to the audience, as they pick up car mechanic C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard) and Clyde’s brother (Gene Hackman) and his wife as they find themselves wrapped into a life on the run.

One of the extraordinary facets of the relationship of the duo is the status of Clyde, an anti-hero. He is a figure of real-life importance, but one that is highly different from the archival solemn antagonist that has been repeated so many times in the past. He is a trickster. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it, instantly attractive to Bonnie, who is looking for a little adventure in her life. He is also not, as he so describes himself, not a “lovey boy.”

Clyde Barrow, the real bank robber, was recorded to have been a bisexual. In this film, he specifically states that he is not into boys, and we find out later that he is impotent. His childlike personality makes him think that he is doing nothing wrong, just robbing banks for fun. In one scene, Clyde is holding up a grocery store for some food while Bonnie is waiting in the car for him just across the street. Clyde is asking the cashier for some raspberry pie when all of a sudden he is attacked by the butcher wielding a knife. Clyde and him scurry about on the floor until Clyde manages to hit him on the head. Clyde runs to the car in a panicked state. “What’d he do that for?” he asks Bonnie. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.” From this, we get a little bit of foreshadowing to the fact that Clyde doesn’t want to hurt people, merely just get what he wants.

The movie is a great story, but unfortunately that is not all that is needed for a great film. This is a great film, and I must humbly ask myself what qualifications I have to judge such a movie. I have none, but I will do so none-the-less out of a purely educational point of view. I don’t think that the transitions were very effective. Time seems to slip into and out of certain scenes.

It is historically true, though, that one of the gang member’s father set up Bonnie and Clyde for their infamous deaths. The cold-hearted way the father treats his son, Moss, in the film shows why Moss wanted to go with the gang and be on his own.

Also, this movie had Gene Wilder ("Young Frankenstein"), as a scared townie.

My rating: 8.9/10

Critique: I think that they should have stuck more to the historical accuracy of the story, although I understand that in different mediums, some things need to change. Overall, a great story with solider performances by all parties.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%

The Top 10 Movies for Halloween

10. Sleepy Hollow- Watch your head!
The Headless Horseman comes once again. It’s an instant classic tale of the unfortunate Ichabod Crane by Washington Irving. The earliest rendition of the film was in silent form in 1922, and the most recent was the 1999 violent version with Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton.

9. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Pray for Rosemary’s Baby
This freaky Roman Polanski directed horror masterpiece is the story about an innocent woman who is slow to realize that the menace she senses in her new apartment building has already been rooted in her own body.









8. Poltergeist (1982) They’re Here
A family’s home is haunted by a host of ghosts. It’s a wild ride through the realms of the supernatural world. Music by Jerry Goldsmith that is very haunting.








7. Dracula (1931) A nightmare of horror
If you like vampires, then you will probably recognize the title. Loosely based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it follows the story of one of the world’s most widely known bloodsuckers. Over 160 movies had been made with Dracula as a main character, and this is one of the best.








6. The Shining (1980) A Masterpiece Of Modern Horror
My parents made me watch this film when I was around eight years old, and I still can’t look at a hotel hallway without cringing. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, it follows the eerie story of a family that is pitted up in a hotel for a winter, but not alone. Don’t go in room 237. Redrum.







5. Silence of the Lambs (1991) In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer
A great creepy story about Buffalo Bill, the serial killer who likes to skin his victims and a young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer (Hannibal Lector, one of the greatest villains in cinematic history) to receive his help on catching the killer. A chilling and extremely suspenseful film, it won Best picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay at the Academy Awards.






4. The Omen (1976) It is the greatest mystery of all because no human being will ever solve it
An American ambassador learns to his horror that his son is actually the literal Antichrist. With another great score by Jerry Goldsmith, this is one of the most creepy stories of 70’s. Watch out for Damien Thorn.








3. The Exorcist (1973) Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house
This is probably the film to watch for Halloween if you really want to be scared. It is the landmark of horror films. Based on real events, this is a story about the attempt to drive away an evil spirit that has laid its roots in a little girl.








2. Halloween (1978) The Night HE Came Home!
You just have to watch this one. John Carpenter created an instant classic that had a host of sequels. Mike Myers, the deranged psychopath, escapes from prison to pay a little visit to the town of Haddenfield. The music is really creepy, and this is a great movie to watch late at night.









Drum Roll Please........................



1. Psycho (1960¬) A boy’s best friend is his mother.
A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother. It also has one of the greatest and most memorable scores by Bernard Herrmann. Alfred Hitchcock, although he might not like the credit, sparked the idea of the “slasher” film with this movie. Period.