Rylan's Talk

Law Abiding Citizen

AWESOME!!!! Gerard and Jamie Foxx are a fantastic pair.Intense and twisty,I loved it!!

Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Loved it! This has been on my see it soon list forever.A film desidned to have the viewer fall in love with the story.I have never really seem anything quite like it.Its amazing what one random act of kindness for a stranger will spark off in another persons life.See this movie if you haven't already!! =)

Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Loved it! This has been on my see it soon list forever.A film desidned to have the viewer fall in love with the story.I have never really seem anything quite like it.Its amazing what one random act of kindness for a stranger will spark off in another persons life.See this movie if you haven't already!! =)

Paranormal Activity

This one got way too overhyped for me.I was expecting some truly terrifying stuff.Really let down.Still some things you aren't ready for and one hell of an ending,I would just wait for the dvd. =)

Michael Jackson's This Is It

Electrifying!! What a sad sore reminder that Michael is gone.Anyway we are so lucky that this film was put together to hold Michael's legacy together.I do believe that this concert would have put Michael back on top.This concert was amazing and over the top,but in a good way.You get to see this man in a firm,creative businessman,yet he remains humble and full of love.He has so much energy and charisma. The new version of Thriller is AWESOME.Just am amazing film,See this one!!!

A Perfect Getaway

Starts out kinda slow,Pretty good overall. =)

Couples Retreat

Freakin Funny!!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cute and fun! Great family film!

The Hurricane

This is a powerful and compelling look at the life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) and his highly publicized fight for freedom from imprisonment. Based on a true story, the movie is an in-depth character study including Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's early life, the murders for which he was incarcerated, his coping with prison and his court battles. Veteran director Norman Jewison creates a tight weave of factors affecting Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's life: his childhood, the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960's, and the people who came to his defense. It is an impressive panoply of the forces that swept over his life like a tidal wave. The period props and costumes were well done and accurate in the 1960's scenes. The movie presents some good historical footage of the civil rights movement, but gets a little too preachy at times. This was a superb performance by Denzel Washington, perhaps his best to date. His portrayal of the internal struggle to use his seething anger to help him survive was sensational. Vicellous Reon Shannon's performance was great too. He exuded sincerity, toughness and genuine empathy, and had very good chemistry with Denzel Washington.

Zombieland

Pretty Funny! It was also great to see Woody Harrelson again,He is hilarious in this one! See it!

Ali

Muhammad Ali is a heroic character with legendary wit, humanity, and boxing skill. This movie captures the champ's many battles, not the least of which are the internal battles he wages with himself over politics, his ego, money and his own destructive patterns in relationships with women. But thankfully, it does so in a respectful way which does not compromise the man's heroism, nor does it spare the audience of the laughter, mischief and joy Muhammad Ali became so well known for. Michael Mann's movie has relatively little boxing in it, and is in no way a chronicle of Muhammad Ali's career. This movie is about how and why Muhammad Ali is who he is, and how he drove himself and everybody around him to reach phenomenal heights. The cast is very strong. Will Smith gives a fine performance wonderfully recasting Muhammad Ali's wonderful facial expressions, gestures, physical style and speech pattern. Jamie Foxx, Ron Silver and Mario Van Peebles are all excellent in their supporting roles. And the boxers are all very believable. They even look like the people they play. Highly recommended for those interested in real-life drama and heroism, the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and the intelligent and political side of American sports. Not recommended for fans of boxing movies and action movies. This is a slow moving, intense drama and neither a feel-good movie nor a slug-fest.

The English Patient

Anthony Minghella's The English Patient is a movie that takes us back to the golden years of Hollywood. It is grand and impressive in scale, and yet so heartbreakingly intimate in its portrayal of human love and suffering. Based on Canadian author Michael Ondaatje's 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, The English Patient is a touching meditation on life, love and loss, tracing the history of a critically-burnt man in the aftermath of World War Two. It's certainly easy to see why The English Patient was so successful at the Oscars. It is such a beautiful movie, blending the quiet beauty of the Italian countryside with the endless golden sands of the desert. Cinematographer John Seale captures the landscape to perfection. Even in the movie's more intimate moments, excellent use of close-ups and lighting capture the emotion of the scene, coupled with the brilliant performances from all the cast members. The English Patient might just contain Ralph Fiennes' finest performance and Juliette Binoche is excellent as Hana, the lonesome nurse who fears to love because of the tragedies that have always harmed those close to her. At 160 minutes in length, The English Patient wonderfully evokes memories of the classic romantic epics of old, successfully finding a balance of mystery, love, joy and tragedy. The ending of the movie is heartbreaking and sorrowful, but also uplifting in its own way. Whilst some romantic relationships are doomed from the very beginning, others have a very good chance of bringing happiness. Nevertheless, in every case, it is always better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

3:10 to Yuma

Some 50 years ago, audiences were introduced to the duo of impoverished rancher Dan Evans (then played by Van Heflin) and the number one outlaw of the land, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford). Even for those who have seen the original, I am glad to say that on the whole, this version ranks far superior than the original version. The earlier version, being made half century ago, will definitely need a decent update for modern audiences, and that aspect did not disappoint, with more in-depth character development, and exciting shootouts. However, the ending of the original packed far more a punch that this one, given that the ending in the 2007 version is likely to be more in line with stories these days, the cynical, non-saccharine sweet ending. The structure and development remained about the same, and even some lines from the classic were reused in this remake, in particular in the first half of the movie. Character wise, you can't get any more better than having Russell Crowe and Christian Bale flesh out their characters and giving both a sense of angst, who on a better day, could probably have been good friends. You follow them as the duo gain newfound respect for each other, and the longer running time provided ample chances for the audience to find reason to connect and understand the characters at a deeper level. 3:10 to Yuma is a perfect balance for those looking for mean gunfights, and powerful drama, and this remake delivers it all where it should matter, adopting the best bits in the original, and plugging the gaps when those portions falter.

Changeling

J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame wrote Changeling, which is based on the true story of one woman's fight against corruption, incompetence, accusations and intimidation, all the while in searching for the truth of what happened to her beloved 9 year old son, who vanished without a trace, only for the LAPD to try and convince her that the boy they found, was indeed her son. But that's just the gist of the first hour with plenty more in store, keeping you gripped to the screen as the story develops. Clint Eastwood movies over the last few years have been nothing less than excellent, and Changeling adds to this stellar repertoire of his. There's a certain quiet confidence in the way his movies get presented, like a veteran hand masterminding all elements to fall in place perfectly. But of course the star of the show here is Angelina Jolie. She provides a very solid performance that hinged on everyone in the audience being able to connect with her plight and exasperation, of sympathizing with her, and rooting for her as she faces obstacle after obstacle as she goes about doing sensible things that the authorities frown upon. There are a number of threads running that converge nicely together, and while the movie clocks in over 140 minutes, you'll never feel time plod, as you get engaged into the story, feel for the characters, and at the same time, enjoy the excellent recreation of the 1920s. There's a little bit of everything that managed to cram itself here, from mystery to courtroom drama, showcasing a variety of story settings, dealing with themes such as justice and integrity. John Malkovich has a supporting role here as Reverend Gustav Briegleb, who has a congregation behind him as he tells it as it is in his weekly radio shows, and provides much needed intervention to assist Angelina Jolie's Christine Collins along the way.

Angels & Demons

There may be something to be said for a getting a second chance. Ron Howard's movie based on Dan Brown's first Robert Langdon offering, Angels & Demons, is a tighter better-wrought experience than the first movie, The Da Vinci Code, which is actually the second Robert Langdon novel. The plot itself is not that dissimilar to The Da Vinci Code. This movie is a nice blend of religious art history with the intensity of a political thriller that you might find in a Robert Ludlum novel. And being able to peruse the Vatican archives, arguably the greatest collection of ancient books dating from the early Middle Ages to the present time, is a scholar's dream. Simultaneously, the intensity never lets up for those who like the sensibility of an action thriller. The outstanding performance of this movie has to be Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. In what seems a small insignificant role at first gains high import as the story unfolds. High marks for Tom Hanks, reprising his role as Robert Langdon, who seems to better understand his character than in the first movie. And Ayelet Zurer as Vittorio Vetra holds her own in a stellar cast. Angels & Demons is an incredible movie with an incredible ending that makes the entire movie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This movie accomplished so much through such simplicity. Everything was top notch from the elegant directing to the subtly wonderful performances down to the magical score. The movie demands you to feel not only for the death we witness, but for the incredible life we discover. It prays on the obvious morality issues we all deal with but also dangles the idea in front of us that everyone goes through the same joys and grievances, just not in the same way. This is a momentous tale that deserves nothing less than the title of brilliance. The direction in the movie is almost flawless. Hopefully, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will garner David Fincher the recognition he deserves. He winds this clock so well and with such grace that the movie has this undeniable flow that is enjoyable from start to finish. At nearly 3 hours, there is not a minute wasted. Every shot is jaw dropping and while some will find issue with the time, it is used wisely. The acting is also a thing of wonder. This is by far Brad Pitt's best performance. He is so believable and realistic throughout. His nuances are spot on and despite the heavy use of make-up and CGI used to portray his character, it is Brad Pitt who makes Benjamin Button that much more curious. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an extremely graceful depiction of life, love and the things we lose. This movie is probably not for everyone though. It's not your average drama that spoon feeds it's audience their emotions. It is something of awe and astonishment, an absolute gem.

The Ultimate Gift

Great film,A feel good movie everyone should see this!

Coraline

Henry Selick's latest movie, and his first in 8 years is a true treat. It was excellent in every way, except for the emotional punch, which wasn't even really necessary. The 3-D is very good and without the 3-D, though the movie would lack the depth, it still would stand out. It is the visuals that make this movie so great, but the characters, plot and music are all top notch too, which add up to a fantastic movie. Coraline is just as good looking as any of Henry Selick past works and the animation has gotten better and crisper. Every little set, and every character is bizarrely designed to fit into this surreal movie. The main critique for this movie seems to be that it has no emotion in it. Though emotions aren't a prominent aspect of Coraline, there is emotion. Coraline as a character has enough emotion to be the lead to a movie like this. This wasn't meant to be a tear jerker animation. It was clearly made to bring Neil Gaiman's strange plot to life with dazzling animation. Doing the music is Bruno Coulais and his score is beautiful, strange and most importantly, fitting. This was an excellent animated movie and is one that can actually be qualified as a family movie, in that all members of the family can and probably will enjoy this.

Valkyrie

The pace at which Bryan Singer puts this movie through that's what, at breakneck speed rarely slowing down to take a breather. And that's quite the winning formula actually, keeping things tight and moving with clockwork military precision. Providence played a huge role in the movie, with changing of key locations and the ease with which certain key elements of the plan get arranged and completed. Improvisation without hesitation in execution, especially without thorough, objective and robust planning devoid of emotion, becomes an Achilles heel, with wanting to strike fast an overbearing condition in the plan proving to add complexity for everyone. The cast is a mouth watering one. The cast is nothing but spectacular on paper, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Jamie Parker who played excellently the loyal Lieutenant under Tom Cruise's Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and with what I deem as cameos by Kenneth Branagh, as well as the grossly underused Carice van Houten who was also in another WWII-set movie in Paul Verhoeven's Black Book. Save for the initial one-sided battle at the African front in the first few minutes of the movie, the rest became a battle of the minds and resolve of its participants in a fierce power struggle.

Gone With the Wind

This movie shows the best of the American cinema. Gone with the Wind represents a monumental leap, as well as a departure, for the movies, as they were done prior to this movie. The vision of David O. Selznick, the power behind bringing Margaret Mitchell's massive account about the South, before and after the Civil War, pays handsomely with the movie that Victor Fleming directed. This movie brought together the best people in Hollywood. The end result is the stunning movie that for about four hours keep us interested in the story unfolding in the screen. Of course, credit must be due to the director, Victor Fleming and his vision, as well as the adaptation by Sydney Howard, who gave the right tone to the movie. The gorgeous cinematography created by Ernest Haller gives us a vision of the gentle South before the war, and the Phoenix raising from the ashes of a burned Atlanta. The music of Max Steiner puts the right touch behind all that is seen in the movie. One can't conceive another Scarlett O'Hara played by no one, but Vivien Leigh. Her beauty, her sense of timing, her intelligent approach to this role, makes this a hallmark performance. The same thing applies to the Rhett Butler of Clark Gable. No one else comes to mind for playing him with the passion he projects throughout the movie. The other two principals, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard, give performances that are amazing to watch. The rest of the cast is too numerous to make justice to all the actors one sees on the screen, but omitting the contribution of Hattie McDaniel to the movie would be sinful. This movie speaks about the not too distant past where all kinds of atrocities, such as the slavery, were the norm of the land. While those things are repugnant to acknowledge, in the movie, they are kept at a minimum. After all, this movie is based on a book by one of the daughters of that South, Margaret Mitchell, who is presenting the story as she saw it in her mind, no doubt told to her from relatives that lived in that period of a horrible page in the American history.