em's Talk

No Country for Old Men

Excellent film...not overhyped at all, unlike There Will Be Blood...did I mention how much I hated that movie? The villian in this movie is extremely scary and could possible haunt my dreams...cold, nonempathetic, and downright psychopathic. Slow in the middle, but well worth the wait in the end.

There Will Be Blood

I don't get it...Academy Award Winning? In my opinion, NOT so much. I utterly hated this movie...it was a waste of 2 1/2 hours of my life...I tried to turn it off after 30 minutes, but my boyfriend said "it must get better! Right?"...so we waited it out...and waited....and waited...and guess what?...it never did get better! The entire movie could have been 30 minutes long and it would have gotten the same point across. The scenes where LONG and drawn out, the score was ridiculous, and it had no real point...I know, I know, "its about the American dream, greed, blah, blah,blah"...Stop the shenanagans! I would not recommend this movie to anyone...well, maybe insomniacs who need a good nights rest...look, I know Lewis is great actor and there parts of the movie that were interesting, but they were few and it did not make up for the other 2 hours of drabness. Two thumbs down and two middle fingers up!

Just Add Water

Great indie flix! Its billed as a "romantic comedy" but its not so much. Yes, there is a central love story, but it takes a back seat to the main character's bleak existence and attempt to reclaim his life.

Let's face it, Ray is a loser, lives in a dump, his town is horrible, and has no goals or dreams for himself. However, upon a significant life event, Ray starts to take notice and realize he is a mess...and does not like his community. Ray takes on the local meth dealer and makes something of himself.

Character driven, off-beat comedy...for those who appreciate things of that such.

Factotum

A nice little indie flix that could....the story of the down and out writer, Charles Bukowski...and you're probably asking, "who the hell is Charles Bukowski?" Well, I've never read his books, but know about him due to some friends word of mouth. Whether you've read his material is irrelevant...the movie stands on its own. An autobiography of sorts about a man who is unconventional to say the least...he enjoys booze, women, and gambling...but his writing is what motivates him the most. The story follows his ramblings along life. Bleak and beautiful, honest, no frills...my favorite scene: watching Dillon and his lady friend recover from a night fueled by alcohol...when asked how he feels, ..."I feel bad."

10,000 B.C.

What a mess of a movie! The actors were horrible, the plotline was implausable, and the timeline was completely off..since when did cave men and Egyptians coincide? And since when can a caveman travel by foot through the snowy mountain tops through the African desert and end up in Egypt in a few days?? I could not get past the historical inaccuracy of this movie. The only saving grace was the visual effects...otherwise, I would have rated this movie 1/2 star. Don't bother with this one...watch something like Apocalypto which is outstanding!

Dragon Wars (D-War) (War of the Dragons)

This movie should have been great, it had so much potential but lets check where it failed.
Shit script. Awful acting. Stupid Plot. Cheap TVesque CGI (in fact Dr Who looks better CGI wise and thats on a £10M budget for a whole season) I was glad when it was over, i couldnt care less for either main character and the ONLY thing that saved this film from a 1 star rating was the pretty good dragon transformation at the end. Take my word, avoid. Watch Reign of fire, dragon heart (or godzilla or cloverfield) instead.

Across the Universe

Highly recommended!!
A social and political musical about the turbulant late 60s culture...war, free love, drugs, and general feeling of unrest. Set the music of the Beatles. I am not a Beatles fan, but this movie is visual exciting and entertaining. On of the best musicals I have seen in a LONG time...its almost like a two hour music video with deep emotional undercurrent. I am fascinated by 60s culture and this fits right into my favorite genre.

Angels in America

Surprisingly excellent! An adaptation of a play for an HBO mini-series. Not for the weak in the stomach or staunchly homophobic... Follows the story of several people affected by the early epidemic of AIDS in New York. Visual beautiful and etheral in nature. Check it out!

The Bucket List

Funny, heart warming, and worth watching...however, do not expect any real twists or unlikely endings...it is what it is!! I shed a tear...
As usual, Nicholson is funny and makes the movie...how can one person make so many facial expressions that speak louder than words?? OH YEAH, its called talent, unlike so many new "actors and actresses." Freeman plays Nicholson's opposite (in everyway) in this movie...and it would not be as good without him. I encourage all of you to make your own "Bucket List" and enjoy life before it is near the end and you are scrambling to experience life to its fullest.

El Norte

Excellent movie about illegal immigration in the U.S...from the immigrants perspective. A young man leave his home in Guatamala to seek a better life in the U.S...it shows his stuggles along the way along and his hope of creating a better life. If you are lacking in the compassion department toward illegal immigrants, this may soften your heart a little bit.

Gritty, raw, and difficult to watch at times...there is a scene in a tunnel that will make your stomach turn upside down. A modern day classic!

Waitress

Slightly entertaining, but nothing special or unique about it. A story about a woman stuck in a love-less, abusive relationship who is longing to be free... to open her own pie shop??? Yup, I said it. Don't bother renting it, wait til its on TBS on a Sunday afternoon.

Very middle-of-the-road...

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Complete utter CRAP!!! Don't waste your minutes or money to rent it...not my cup of tea! Slow, pointless, and meaningless ..what the hell was Brad Pitt thinking?? Wannabee westerns are not his deal...go back to something like Fight Club and use your acting chops appropriately. Even the score of the movie made me bonkers...I wanted to strangle the narrator, he was trying too hard to sound cool, like the cowboy in the Big Lebowski...didn't happen for him, he needs to go back to his day job. Casey Affleck was annoying and unbelievable.

All around, a waste of my Sunday afternoon. I didn't even get through the entire movie...

Charlie Bartlett

I've read some horrible reviews about this movie...I HIGHLY disagree with them! I really liked this movie...one I will add to my "dysfunctional family favorites" list.

I found this movie smart and funny...but not in the slap your knee, laugh out loud kind of way...at times, Bartlett reminds me of Harold (from Harold and Maude) and his dry humor is entertaining. The counseling scenes in the boy's bathroom are my favoriite...watch and see!

Semi-Pro

TRAINWRECK! I am so disappointed...yeah, I know some of you are saying..."its Will Ferrell, what do you expect?" I usually like hisbrand of humor, but I guess there is a point where it is just too much and over the top...and a piece is missing. Let's hope his next one doesn't miss the mark...I will cry...

True Romance

Where have I been since 1993? I can't believe I did not see this until recently. Everyone I know loves it. I read an article in Maxim and it inspired me to watch it.

Written by Tarantino, directed in his style of blood and gritty violence by Tony Scott. Slater plays a man obsessed with Elvis and his lady Alabama...a love story with a suitcase full of cocaine to sell, so they can leave their past behind them and start a new life together. One of the gnarliest fight scene I've seen...almost unbearable to watch.

If you haven't seen this (like me), you really need to jump to it...especially if you are a Tarantino fan and you enjoy a insane love story.

"YOU'RE SO COOL."

Wristcutters - A Love Story

In one word: BRILLIANT!!! In two words...brilliantly bleak...watch to find out what I mean.

I enjoyed just about every aspect of this movie...cast, plot line, set, underlying meaning...in a nut shell, this movie is a love story with a backdrop of suicide and some pergatory-type alter-reality. I haven't seen Fugit in a movie since "Almost Famous" and he still has the quirky looks that speak multitudes and perfect timing. Fugit plays a suicide victim who goes to this alter-reality. The highlight of the movie for me was Tom Waits' character...if you do not who he is, check him out. Waits is singer that been around since...well, forever. Either you will love or hate his music. Anyways, back to the movie review...Waits' character is weird and cool at the same time...he organizes a commune in the alter-reality where bizarre things happen.

This review is vague on purpose...if I give too much, there won't be much to look forward to. 1/4 love story, 1/4 road tip, 1/4 spiritual questioning, 1/4 comedy...if you're looking for action packed summer blockbusters, this is not for you...its way too bleak. If you are looking for sappy cookie cutter love story, this is not for you. If you ARE looking for character driven, the weird and the insane...this is for you!

Lars and the Real Girl

Different than expected...it was marketed as a comedy, which it is to some extent. But it is far beyond that...a movie about deep seated childhood fears manifesting in adult life. Gosling portrayed an enduring delusional man who falls for an anatomically correct doll that he falsely believes to be "real"..it ends up uniting the family and community. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it!!

Reign Over Me

I wasn't the least bit interested in this one...not a fan of Sandler playing serious roles, I prefer the comedy. HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and his acting ability. Sandler plays an individual who loses his entire family in 9/11 and it drastically affects his mental health...PTSD and schizophrenia-like symptoms. Some parts were diffcult to watch because they are gut wrenching and just plain sad. Not a "feel good" movie...but an accurate portrayal of how devastating loss can affect the psyche in horrible ways.