Movies I want to see in 2008

The Dark Knight was simply incredible. Spiderman 3 was a disappointment after all the wait. The Dark Knight however is even better than I hoped for. It takes Batman and the villains seriously. So you don't get shots of Batman's butt or him saying awful lines, like "I don't fit in at a family pic-nic", or "it's the car, chicks dig the car". While the villains don't act like something from the 60's tv series.

The Dark Knight has Batman (Christian Bale), Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) teaming up to bring down criminals. They aren't doing a bad job; a new criminal named the Joker (Heath Ledger) just might be more than they can handle though. He's a twisted and creepy villain with no compassion for anyone. He threatens to kill a different person until Batman reveals who he is. Which starts to become too much for Bruce Wayne since people he cares about start to become targets.

The movie is an ingenious masterpiece with many twists and turns. You never know what to expect from the movie. Despite being a super hero film it also works as a thriller/mob movie. Sometimes I even had a hard time convincing myself that Michael Mann wasn't the director lol.

Comic fans should still be pleased though. Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker and it's sad that he won't have a long career of playing the part. He's creepy, twisted, funny and menacing in the role. What also helps the movie is that everyone else is in top form as well. While Christopher Nolan knows how to handle having more than one villain, unlike Sam Raimi with Spiderman 3. He does have a task ahead of him though to try and top this with a 3rd film. I don't see that happening but I can't wait for more either way.

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull is a fun movie and that's about it. A 4th film was rumored since 1997 but they couldn't agree on a script they liked. If this was the best script of them all, then I'm scared on how bad the others were. But still there's a lot less to whine about than there was with episode 1. This movie is never dull like that was. It's goofy and cartoonish though. But I didn't have a problem with that since the others have had their share of unbelieveable moments. Like Indy using a raft as a parachute and landing on to a river of all places in Temple of Doom for instance.

The action alone really isn't the only goofy thing about this one though. Cate Blanchett is an excellent actress but I stopped taking her villain Russian character seriously after she tries to read Indy's mind with the palm of her hand. Shia LaBeof befriending monkeys the second he sees them and swinging on vines with them wasn't needed as well. But still, people shouldn't whine so much. I'm just happy to finally see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again. I mean all the reviews here that say stuff like Spielberg and Lucas let me down again just make me wanna puke. I mean when Lucas is coming up with the story you should know that you shouldn't be too excited any more. The Star Wars Prequels are examples of that. His imagination has gone to a galaxy far far away.

The movie still managed to make me feel like a kid again though. No matter how goofy the action got I was still entertained. Ford is at least in good form as Indiana despite his age. He also has some fine chemestry with Shia LaBeouf (Transformers). They almost make as good of a team as Ford did with Sean Connery. It's also nice to finally see Karen Allen's character reintroduced as well. While Ray Winstone (The Departed) and John Hurt (Hellboy) are fun in supporting roles.

The movie wasn't perfect like I said but I still left with a smile and so should other fans. They should just be happy that the movie was finally made and it could have been worse. Like, Indy could've had a new sidekick called Jar-Jar Binks for instance.

Iron Man is Marvel's best movie since Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and X-Men 2. It can be a little slow which is why it has been compared to the Hulk. It's a lot more fun than the Hulk was though.

Plus even if it slowly picks up, Robert Downey Jr. is entertaining through-out as Tony Stark. So you're never bored with Iron Man. The supporting cast is excellent as well.

Gwyneth Paltrow keeps up with Downey Jr's quick wit with some quick wit of her own. The two also have some great chemestry. While Terrence Dashon Howard is fine as Stark's friend in the military. A bald Jeff Bridges does a good job as Stark's business partner as well.

When the movie has action it's cool and very well done. Another reason why it shouldn't be compared to the Hulk is because it never makes you scratch your head saying "what's going on ?". It's more involving and more of a crowd pleaser than the Hulk as well.

It has cool looking creatures and Ron Perlman is in top form once again. The action is great as well. Other than that, I wasn't as blown away as I expected. I sort of liked the first one more.

I enjoyed this second movie. It's less corny with better action and the kids are less annoying. Georgie Henley is still the best of the bunch though as Lucy. While newer characters add some charm to the movie as well.

A talking mouse with a sword would've stole the show if there was more of him. While Peter Dinklage (Elf) and Warick Davis (Willow) are good as dwarfs. It's nice seeing 2 of the best midget actors in the same movie.

The villians though have nothing on the White Witch. The fighting was done so well that I didn't care that the villians were less of a threat. Still, I did feel as if the movie was slow at some points and that it dragged on a little.

It's a little more darker and violent than the first one as well. I didn't have a problem with that but it is less of a kids movie than the first. Plus hopefully the next one has more character build-up with better direction and is more magical as well. Sometimes this one wasn't involving enough with what's going on as well.

It's hard to explain my feelings for Speed Racer. Sometimes I found it lame or even simply retarded...lol. The movie has enough entertaining scenes for me to recommend it though.

The reason I'm mostly recommending it is due to the cast. Emile Hirsch is well casted as Speed Racer and not bad but the supporting cast is so good that he's less interesting. Matthew Fox surprisingly makes the perfect Racer X. While John Goodman as Speed's dad and Christina Ricci as his g/f are both well casted as well. Hell even the monkey in the movie is good. I also thought Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights was really good as Speed's older brother Rex in flashbacks.

If someone hates this movie I doubt it will be because of the cast. Well eventhough the kid can be an annoying distraction lol. I think the direction is the only problem. It's good and bad at the same time.

The Wachowski brothers handle the 2 fight scenes in the movie well. The racing scenes though honestly didn't do much for me. It just looked too unrealistic; like I was watching someone play a racing video game. I didn't find them that involving. The script though is smart and does the show justice.

It's hard not to laugh while watching Get Smart. It's constantly funny with Steve Carell in top form. Even Anne Hathaway who I didn't think was right for the part of a spy was in top form. The Rock and Alan Arkin get some laughs as well. I also liked the small appearance by Bill Murray.

The movie is a goofy good time. I felt silly with how much it made me giggle. I just found it predictable on who the secret bad guy was. While the movie also runs out of steam a little towards the end. Neverless I recommend Get Smart for a good laugh. It's also Carell's best movie since the 40 Year Old Virgin.

WALL.E is probably my favorite movie of the year so far. It's original, imaginitive and actually one of the best science fictions movies. It's also fun while being sweet, charming and romantic.

It's smart as well with how mankind is off getting fat on a ship after they ruined earth. They are so used to technology doing everything for them that they don't even walk. With how things are going now...it could happen lol.

I was watching seasons 6 and 7 at the time of the release of this movie. So it could be why I was disappointed. Compared to how good the series was, the movie is a let down. It's nice to see Mulder and Scully back together and the 2 leads are still really good in the parts.

Billy Connolly (A Series of Unfortunate Events) even does fine work in a more serious role for him. He plays a psychic ex priest who's also a convicted pedifile. Some of Gillian Anderson's best scenes are when she rips into him for his past crimes.

I just thought that if they weren't going to have aliens that they at least had another great story to tell. I've seen plenty of episodes that didn't have conspiracy plots or alien plots but were still excellent episodes. Hell those were my favorite episodes even.

This movie may have someone with psychic powers in it but it's not a worthy X-File for Mulder to be brought back to solve. I mean since he was gone from the F.B.I you'd think they had a lot stranger cases that they'd need him for. Instead, they need him just because they found an arm under ice and because an F.B.I woman is missing. Plus also since they are working with a psychic.

I wanted to really love the movie but I sadly had scenes that I was bored during. I was constantly waiting for it to turn into the show I loved but it never does. It did at least make me wish that it was back on tv though. It at least would work as a 2 hour pilot for a new show. But if this is the last that we're going to ever see of the X-Files then it's sad that it didn't go out with more of a bang. It does at least give some answers to what happened to Mulder and Scully after the series finale.

The movie I think is at least well made. As a thriller/mystery it's well done. But even the show and other movies have had scarier serial killers than this movie does. We were also supposed to care about how Scully "wants to believe" that she can save a sick boy patient". Gillian Anderson's performance is good and so is the kid who plays the ill patient. So I did care a little, but I didn't wait this long for more just to get scenes of Scully looking up stem-cell research on the internet to try and save him.

The Mummy 3 is dumb fun just like the first 2 movies. It does at least have a fresher story than the last movie. It's also even slightly less silly, well just slightly.

This time, Brendon Fraser is battling a new Mummy played by Jet Li. Along for the ride are his wife, brother and law and son again. Except this time we're supposed to believe that Fraser is old enough to have a son in college. I never bought that, he just comes off as his older brother. They could have at least off added some gray to his hair to make him look older lol.

Expect more martial arts this time around since Jet Li is in it. The horror aspect of the other films were done better. While Arnold Voslo was actually a scary Mummy. It helped that the effects for him were well done as well. No matter how old Li gets, he has too much of a baby face to look scary. While the effects with decaying flesh for the Mummy was done much better in the first film.

What the film has going for it though is the look of it. It has more of an Indiana Jones look than....Indiana Jones 4 had. It also takes the big summer movies out with a bang also. It's not fantastic but it's enjoyable.

wow awesome poster

Harold and Kumar are back and so are the laughs. The movie is basically a stupid good time, but so was the first. But this one is a lot more prejudice, crude and had so much nudity that it should've been NC-17.

It's not a fantastic movie but it's very funny neverless. Neil Patrick Harris is as.....awesome here as he is in How I Met Your Mother. For a gay guy he plays one of the coolest and funniest straight guys on the small screen and big screen. While there's also a funny appearance by a Bush impersonator that looks absolutely nothing like him yet he's supposed to really be Bush in this. Yet, he manages to get some good laughs.

Don't get the title wrong, this isn't a prison movie, hell they are barely even there. It's another funny road trip Harold and Kumar movie. It does drag on a little though, at times I felt like I was watching a 3 hour movie.

Daniel Craig is back as Bond and is as macho and rugged as he was in Casino Royale. However the story is harder to follow and the direction isn't as good as Martin Campbell's was with Casino Royale. He really needs to come back for the next film. The action sequences are exciting at least though, I admit.

Craig is the main reason to check out the film though. People still complain that he's not good looking and doesn't have charm. Well, they are going for a tougher Bond who cares for women but is less of a horn dog than usual. He also can careless if his martini is shaken, not stirred. So it's obvious that Craig wasn't casted for his looks because they weren't going for that, people need to get over it. Craig kicks ass anyway even if he isn't the Bond we're all used to.

I also like that they don't cast well known actresses that stick out like a sore thumb. Denise Richards, Terri Hatcher and Halle Berry are all good examples of just that. Olga Kurylenko is a sexy Bond girl and I have no clue who the hell she is or what she has been in lol. She's good in this though even if I felt as if she never got a chance to really build any chemistry with Craig.

I wish Seth Rogen wrote the script for every comedy that came out. Pineapple Express is hilarious and great fun. If you didn't like Superbad though, you might not like this either. I do think it is a lot funnier than it though.
Think of Seth Rogen's character from Knocked Up with the weed but guns and crooked cops as well. You also have brilliantly funny fight scenes. Every one of them could even wind up being nominated for Best Fight at the MTV Movie Awards.

While James Franco should just do comedy roles for now on. He does his best work here than he has in any other movie. Danny R. McBride also is hilarious as their friend Red who can sure take a beating I'll just say lol. His scenes might just be worth seeing the movie for alone. Bill Hadar (Superbad) makes a very funny appearance in the opening of the movie as well.

My only problem with it is that it would have been great to actually hear the M.I.A Paper Planes song in the movie that's from the trailers. It went great with the movie in the trailers and it's not in it at all. You also get a scene in the end where the characters talk about basically everything that happened. Which wasn't needed. Still, I didn't care that much since I laughed so much that the movie made me feel like a stoner myself.

Tropic Thunder is no doubt Ben Stiller's best comedy in awhile. Jack Black does his best work as well. While Robert Downey Jr. is just as much of a show stealer as the trailers hinted.

I think that both Tom Cruise and Matthew McCounaghey try too hard to be funny in supporting roles though. McCounaghey just looks dopey and lost with no scene where he has to lose his shirt lol. He plays Stiller's agent who's obsessed with getting him a Tivo. While the funny Bill Hadar (Superbad) is wasted as the yes man to Cruise's nutty producer character.

Still it is fun seeing all these big actors in one movie. Stiller also does a fine job with his direction. He does a good job making fun of Hollywood while spoofing classic war films as well. What is also very clever, is how trailers starring characters in the movie are shown before the movie starts. They are hilarious, especially the one with Tobey Maguire.