I’m not going to bother trying to touch on any plot points or elements of the story, because the film is set up in 5 chapters, and each chapter feels like it’s own short film, even though they are all directly related.  What’s more important, and more worth reviewing (to me) is the unbelievable amount of tension that saturates each chapter.  Tarantino really does an incredible job of creating a scene for his actors to really dive into and swim around.  Each scene plays out considerably longer than a typical film would usually let on, but I feel that really lets the characters come to life, and really gives the tension a chance to build and eventually explode.

I’m finding it hard to write anything else.  So I’m just going to boil it all down.  Most of the acting and dialogue are incredible.  I expect an Oscar nomination for Christoph Waltz who plays Col. Hans Landa, the main antagonist in the film.  Melanie Laurent also gives a terrific performance as Shosanna Dreyfus, and does a great job of allowing the audience to really feel every ounce of emotion that she experiences.  As for Brad Pitt and the Basterds, their performances are good enough.  They seem a bit like caricatures from different American regions that aren’t terrible, but aren’t that great either.  They’re just good enough to keep things moving without taking you out of the story.

So there you go, loads of drama and intensity, terrific performances, and pure gratification make Inglorious Basterds an incredibly enjoyable and satisfying film to watch.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I want to write more about this film, but all I can think about is just how disappointing the film was.  There were a few funny moments throughout the film, but most of the humor centers around the idiocy of the entire situation, and how deep of a hole Mark can dig for himself.  Ultimately you just end up feeling sad for Mark and his situation after the humor wears thin.

Also, the cinematography is just terrible to look at.  It’s not bad or poorly executed, I just think that the choices are all wrong.  Given that the film is set in the early 90′s, it’s lit and shot to kind of resemble the color and tone of video from back in the day.  Unfortunately, it just doesn’t look good.  I actually began to feel disgusted by the lighting in the film, but that may be just me and my background in cinematography.

Regardless, the disappointing elements in the film are too detrimental to it as a whole, and really weigh down the humor as opposed to letting it shine.  I think the story and situation could be rife with great material and entertainment, but ultimately it all feels very convoluted, boiled down, and simplified which cheapens the experience.

The Informant! provides a few laughs and is still an interesting story despite its flaws.  I’d recommend waiting for it to come to Netflix on DVD and not Bluray (because it’s just really really ugly looking).

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

To start, the movie is absolutely hilarious.  The writing of the characters is brilliant because it allows the film to mock other film genres and tropes while also setting up who these characters are and their detachment from the norm as seen through this veil of humor.  Flint’s vocal narrations of his actions are both delightfully humorous and almost heartbreakingly flawed because it is such a deep part of his reality.

The rest of the characters are just as funny and likable, in large part due to the writing, but also due to the excellent performances given by the actors.  Bill Hader and Anna Faris turn in really strong performances, but the surprise of the film comes from Mr. T who brings all of his usual energy, but also adds in a great deal of heart and life to his character.  Additionally, each of the character’s relationships with one another are very well realized and touching, which brings purpose to nearly every character interaction within the story.

On top of all of this, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is visually stunning.  The animation style, color palate, and use of 3D all work together to form something that is incredibly entertaining and engaging to watch.  I’ve written before about how I may not be the best person to judge the use of 3D in the recent wave of films that have employed it, but I feel that this film really uses 3D to add a meaningful depth to the film and characters, where the same attempt felt unnecessary with Pixar’s UP.  There were no incessant or inane attempts to hurl objects out of the screen and into the audience, and I’m thankful for that.  It’s examples like this and hopefully Avitar that will show the world that 3D can be used to enhance a story and should not be used simply as a gimmick.

Overall, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is an incredibly entertaining film that the kids and parents can both enjoy and I’m definitely looking forward to purchasing it on Bluray.  Go see it in theaters and in 3D while you have the chance.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Based on Shane Acker’s short film of the same name, 9 focuses on a group of numbered, sackboy-esque characters who are the last remnants of life in a world destroyed by war.  As they spend most of their time hiding from a beast that is bent on hunting all of them down, 9 decides to fight back and lead a charge against the beast and creatures that stand against them.

Unfortunately, this is where things go sour.  The biggest downfall of the film is that it makes huge leaps from point A to point B and so on, without really fleshing out any semblance of a plot.  It’s as though in the development of the expanded story, the writers were so rushed to throw anything down on paper, that they completely forgot that the things they wrote need to actually make some kind of sense when seen in the context of the whole film.

Additionally, the voice acting was pretty bad.  With such an excellent cast who have all done some very terrific work in their careers, they all just seemed to phone this one in, and I imagine one would have to attribute that to the direction, or lack of, on Acker’s behalf.  Most of the characters feel so one dimensional that combined with the flatness of the acting, they ultimately feel about as worth while as the potato sacks that they’re made of.

I really wanted to like this movie.  I tried very hard to look past all of its flaws, but instead only gazed past them and stared right into the gaping holes in the plot and wished for more than a vague outline of what could have been very interesting characters in an interesting world.  Unfortunately this isn’t a movie that needs to be seen in theaters.  If you’re curious about the visual effects and the style of the film, I suppose you could wait til it comes to Netflix, but even then, don’t expect much.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Being the 4th film in a franchise that basically exists to find unique and contrived ways to kill people, the premise has been entirely squeezed dry by the last 3 films.  If you take what’s left of this somewhat beating heart of a concept, let it bake in the sun for 10 years, then go stale, then grind that remainder into a dry and lifeless pulp, that’s the kind of stuff that’s loosely sprinkled onto a hollow shell of a story that makes up this horrible movie going experience.  In addition to all of that, the film throws on a pair 3D glasses and is completely directed around objects unnecessarily flying at the audiences face, in order to garner the lowest common denominator of thrills.

The Final Destination has absolutely nothing going for it.  The characters are completely uninteresting and lifeless.  I went through the entire film without ever knowing or eventually caring what the lead character’s name is.  Ultimately you’ll just end up saying to yourself, “The guy with the brown hair has to save the girl with the blonde hair from dying… I think…”  That’s seriously the level of attachment these ‘characters’ generate.  And the worst thing of all is that there’s absolutely no subtlety or surprise with the film.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Literally every death that takes place in the movie, is referenced in the trailer.  And if not, it’s basically spelled out for you before it happens.

Please do not go see this movie.  It is a sad world that we live in when amazing horror films like Drag Me to Hell, will make less at the box office than this terrible dump of film making.  I hope for everyone’s sake that this is the end for the Final Destination franchise.

Rating: 0.5 out of 5 stars

ADDITION: The half star rating that I gave to this film, is only due to the opening credit sequence, which was interesting to watch, and by far the only well done thing about the film.

First off District 9 has two very distinct styles within the film that are prevalent from the two different trailers I posted on here earlier.  The first covers the documentary aspects of the film and gathers perspectives from outside observes and experts to weigh in their opinions on the situation at hand.  The second trailer weaves in the main story line following Wikus the MNU agent, as he goes about his job in dealing with the aliens living in District 9, and ends up as literally the most wanted man on the planet.

The film does an incredible job of blending documentary style filmmaking with intense action sequences, while grounding the notions of science fiction in the film as an entirely plausible and likely scenario of how our current societies would likely deal with alien relations.  On the other hand, Wikus provides the film with a sense of comedic relief as a kind of bumbling anti hero that is thrust completely into a world he barely understands.  Despite his remarkable journey throughout the film, he still remains an enjoyable geek to watch as he tries to manage a situation that is completely beyond his comprehension and limitations.

One thing that I greatly enjoyed from the film is how it really lets the audience see everything that is going on, which is such a treat.  Some directors (read M. Night Shyamalan and Michael Bay) would provide either an obscured or completely rushed look at the aliens and technology involved, so that you don’t truly get a sense of what’s going on, or what exactly it is that you’re seeing.  Neill Blomkamp sets the stage and lets all of his actors and visuals really settle into the scene so that they feel like a natural part of this world.  You actually get several opportunities to stare at everything and really take it all in and figure it out, instead of only stealing peeks at the aliens, or the cool new weapons, or shying away from showing the violence onscreen.

While the film is very violent, it’s done in almost a video-game-violence kind of way, where it actually seems to have the audience cheering with each new kill.  The violence is spectacular but it’s detached enough to not feel too gruesome or grotesque, instead you’re just surprised and amazed at what you’re seeing.

Overall, the film is fantastically made and the effects fit seamlessly into this alternate version of our world that has been crafted on film.  It takes notions of science fiction and makes them plausible while also providing social commentary (however obvious) on how humans treat one another.  I highly recommend going to see this film and letting yourself get completely carried away by how intriguing, fun, intense, and crazy District 9 can be.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I had hoped for more from Yates in his second time around with the characters and this world, and thankfully, he did not disappoint.  Right from the start, one of the things I appreciated most about The Half Blood Prince, was how it starts off by calling back to one of the ending scenes from The Order of the Phoenix and really establishing a continuation of tone by allowing this connective tissue between the films to exist.  The earlier films all feel very separate from one another, with only slight references to the previous films through the sparse use of certain items that Harry has acquired along the way.  Thankfully, The Half Blood Prince takes those items, and really brings them back to the forefront to remind the audience of just where Harry has been and all the things that he has gone through in the past years.

One of the best things from the film surprisingly, was the performances.  Yates pulls out some really terrific moments from his actors which at times adds a surprising amount of realism and depth to the characters that is often overshadowed in the previous films by the need to make things dark.  It’s one thing to allow a character to seem angry on screen, but that’s often the extent of it.  This film however, lets the characters really struggle with the choices they are making, and it’s exciting to actually see how these actors and characters have matured into sometimes very complex individuals.  On the other hand, some scenes fell very flat and the emotional responses to the situations just felt way too rushed and not given nearly the credit they deserve… but that has been a norm throughout the entire franchise.  If you want incredibly deep and nuanced characters who respond to each situation and circumstance perfectly and with sincere depth, go watch There Will Be Blood.  This is Harry Potter.  This is a world of spectacle and wonder and we should be fortunate to have moments that take the filmmaking above the typical level of the genre.

Now that only one book and two films remain, I’m very glad to know that David Yates will be finishing the series.  He has certainly paved the way for some great adventure and excitement as the series comes to a close, and I can’t wait to find out the fate of Harry Potter.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Tom Hansen and Summer Finn are two very quirky and endlessly likable characters who seem to remind us all of someone similar in our lives.  Through the film’s ups and downs, and the sweet and bitter moments of their relationship, I was always intrigued to see how they would deal with each situation, and how that would ultimately define and affect their relationship.  The film succeeds greatly in the scenes when Tom and Summer are first exploring their new found “relationship” with each other, as the sense of excitement and tenderness really pulls you in.  Conversely, when things go wrong, you feel just as alienated and confused as Tom does.

The shift in time from the earlier days to the latter days also adds a great comedic element, providing humorous and ironic shifts in tone and circumstance that are ultimately very successful for the film.  Additionally, the film also takes liberties with certain genre conventions, and isn’t afraid to burst out into song and dance, or sink into the artsy and obscure styles of film making as a means of expressing Tom’s state of mind.  Also, the soundtrack and visual style and themes really add an extra level of depth to the story and characters that makes the film even more engaging.

(500) Days of Summer left me rife with feelings that took me a couple of days to really sift through and sort out, and even then, I’m still not entirely sure how I feel.  Ultimately, there is a lot of emotion put on screen, and the frequent jumps back and forth from bliss to sorrow really took a toll on me emotionally.  But after walking out, I knew that I loved the film, despite having a deep feeling of sadness.  Most viewers should be able to find something, if not several things that they will love about the film.  It’s one of the most unique, quirky, well told, and emotionally charged romantic comedies that I’ve seen in the past decade, and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Hurt Locker is one of the most steady and well paced films that I have seen in a long time.  I’ve grown so used to seeing frenetic cuts and fast paced action and editing that seem to truncate the sense of time for the characters and the film in general, but The Hurt Locker is not one of those films.  Its strength lies in the almost real-time feel it places on its most tense moments.  This draws the audience in and allows them to truly experience and feel the emotions of the characters involved, as well as the duration and tonal shift of each feeling.  There is one scene in particular that plays out much longer than a conventional film would dare to go, and it ends up being the most exciting and terrifying sequence of the film.  The Hurt Locker is one of the few movies out there that allows its scenes to take a deep breath before plunging the audience into the action, and letting them explore and experience the moments until they are finished.

Given that the film is about a bomb disposal team, there are a number of hard hitting, chest pounding explosions that take place throughout the film.  Each one is filled with a sense of realism and style that strays away from the cliched explosions of Hollywood blockbusters, while also managing to add a sense of beauty, awe, and terror, especially to one explosion in particular.  Additionally, each explosion that takes place in the film is treated like its own character, with its own flaws, personality traits, and emotions attached to it.  This sense of personification allows for the interactions between the squad and each bomb, to be very personal and engaging while also providing a sense of catharsis for each diffused situation.

Ultimately, the film really shines in its emotional exploration of the three main characters, as they each deal with the stresses of their job, their lives back home, and the often careless decisions of James and the consequences that arise because of them.  Overall, The Hurt Locker is full of well paced action, very real emotions, edge of your seat tension, and a reminder that the sacrifices our soldiers give, can often be more than just their lives.

The Hurt Locker opens in limited release in the US on June 26, 2009.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars