Saran's Talk

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Why the hell are all the critics hating on this movie so much???With 767 explosions how can you go wrong?? J/K.Anyway Pretty good summer action flick I thought the best stand out performance by far was Joseph Gordon Levitt,WOW 2 thumbs up to him and his make up people cause that was amazing.Anyway I would definitely say check this one out! =)

The Ugly Truth

Lmao!!! Flick the Bean!!! HILARIOUS!!!! See it!!

The Invisible Man Returns

Vincent Price takes over for Rains as the lead, and in the end, I liked this story a bit better than the original. I agree with what someone else here on Flixster said about this movie being more of a film-noir style mystery than a horror picture.

Sutton plays the original invisible man's brother, Dr. Frank Griffin. He understands the danger of the drug since it made his brother go mad, but he gives it to his friend Radcliffe who needs to escape his death sentence. Radcliffe has a better relationship with his fiance and he is well liked by the factory workers who work for him at his mining operation. He's basically a good guy, not a monster, not a villain. True, he does begin to go mad with power, while Dr. Griffin rushes against the clock to find an antidote that will make him visible again. But, Radcliffe uses the madness, the urge to seek revenge, to find who framed him for murder. I like that it doesn't play like a comedy, that it takes itself more seriously, that the invisible man is doing some good by seeking justice.

This was made almost seven years later and there are some improvements to the effects. Except I have to make one exception. The wires are visible more often on the props, but this may just be because Universal didn't spend as much time remastering or improving these sequels as the original. I don't know. Still the props are used realistically. And Vincent Price's voice is just as expressive or maybe more so in acting when you can't see him. Oh, and Curt Siodmak contributed to the script on this one.

(500) Days of Summer

The spoof of Enchanted's dancing in the street complete with a cute little animated bird, the dream sequence where Gordon-Levitt is inserted into foreign film scenes (mostly Bergman I think), the expectations vs. reality segment, playing house in IKEA, and the city street becoming an architect's sketch: I LOVE THAT STUFF! The references to The Graduate were great. It gives me a new interpretation on that story. You don't see how it really connects till the end, but it has to do with what the narrator says about this not being a love story.

The movie is non-linear in a way. It is quirky in its role reversal of the stereotypical male and female attitudes toward casual and long term relationships. It's about if love is real. Thinking about it afterward, I thought the sister who gives Gordon-Levitt grown up advice didn't really make sense. Why are there no parent characters in this movie? It's a sign that the writers create characters that all talk with their voice, and so kids sound unrealistically like adults. However, while watching the movie, it didn't really matter because it was all so funny.

Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Deschanel as Summer have great chemistry. During the happy times, their smiles and laughs and the twinkle in their eyes look so genuine. It appears that they truly enjoyed acting with each other. This is despite the fact that their love does not end in the typical romantic way.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

OMG!! What happened?I mean I am not the big Harry Potter geek or anything but this was a huge disappointment!What happened to the developing love stories?What happened to all the VERY COOL magic surprises and special effects,well I'll tell you they are few and far between.Anyway if you are looking for more of what you have seen in the past you guys are going to be let down,Sorry to say....

Orphan

Pretty good.The horror/Suspense fans will like this one.Sure one evil child?? lol

Brüno (Bruno)

Jaw is still on the floor after seeing this movie,I am not sure how they didn't manage to piss off every single human rights/activists groups out there.Sooo funny.Everyone needs to stop comparing this to Borat because they are 2 different characters and there's no need for that.If you want some shock and awe see Bruno!

My Sister's Keeper

OK lesson learned never underestimate a Nick Cassavetes film.Anyone who had their heart captured by the brilliant man that brought us The Notebook will probably love this film.You go into it knowing that you are dealing with an uneasy subject matter from the get go,so as long as you have come to grips with that and have several tissues on stand by you will be fine.The cast was amazing,ALL of them.I do have to say the standout for me in this one absolutely has to be Cameron Diaz.She showed me before that she could shake the giggly girl next door image when she took on Any Given Sunday.She has proven to me once again to NOT put her into any single catagory for a film.She was a character that embraced the mother role very well and the over-bearing never want to give up on her sick child mother even better.Was what she did right or wrong who is to say?I am not God and I am dam sure not going to judge others for situations such as this because I don't like being judged either.However coming from the standpoint of being a mother myself I cannot imagine the enormity of making decisions like this and trying to justify to yourself and the world around you that you just want your child to live.There is depth and balance in this movie and a bittersweet balance that really kind of surprised me was Alec Baldwin's role,very well done.I will recommend this movie to everyone I see whenever I hear the name,you can bet on it.SEE THIS FILM!

Public Enemies

Awesome!!Bale and Depp are the yummiest duo onscreen in 2009 so far for me,that probably won't change.Anyway the film was as great as I thought it would be,I learned quite a bit and think the casting was excellent.Definitely see this movie.=)

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Pretty cute Fantasy /Adventure movie.Kinda feels a little Free Willy but with a Scottish ring to it.Anyway great film for the whole family. =)

Ip Man (Yip Man)

Awesome,Awesome movie.This has been recommended to me a few times now,finally got a chance to see it.It kicks the Badassery level way up there! Great Martial arts flick if you are a fan you want to see this one for sure.=)

The Horsemen

Pretty good,Could have been alot better.The whole deal with Ziyi Zhang being the 'bad guy' just felt a little artificial to me.I guess on this one judge it for yourself.

The Last Emperor

First, let me recommend the Director's Cut though it is 3 hours and 20 minutes. There is so much historical and political content that I found a second viewing helpful too. The costumes, sets, cinematography, and music are all sumptuous.

The movie covers almost 60 years of Chinese history from the perspective of one person. The last emperor, Pu Yi, lived through so much history during the first half of the 20th century. I don't know how much of the story is completely historically accurate, but the changes of the decades and major historical events seem to be presented authentically. The story reminded me at certain points of the movie and book, The Good Earth. While that story shows some of the cultural changes in Chinese history from the perspective of peasants out in the fields, this story is told mainly from within the walls of the Forbidden City or the walls of a Communist re-education camp. There is a strong imprisonment theme! The story is told in flashbacks, and I thought this device was well crafted with interesting parallels.

Pu Yi's life is incredibly tragic and yet I found all the drama enthralling. He becomes Emperor at 3 years old and so hasn't formed any ideas for himself. Even later in his life you can't really say that he ever gained much experience as a leader. Earlier in China's history this might have worked out better to have a leader start so young without much conflict, but with all the changes preparing to take place in the 20th century it is inevitable that Pu Yi would become a tragic figure. He becomes spoiled because every want and need is taken care of for him. He's a puppet controlled by many others through his life. Early in his life China becomes a Republic and he no longer has any real power, but traditions stay the same inside the Forbidden City. Just before WWI O'Toole arrives as a Western tutor and Pu Yi begins to learn about the modern world. Eventually he tries to reform the traditions of imperial China, but he still takes a wife and a consort (a second wife). China then becomes a Communist country and some people turn against the Manchurian part of northern China. Since Manchurian is the Emperor's heritage, he and his remaining staff are kicked out of the Forbidden City. He ends up being welcomed by Japan in the early 30's before WWII and they feed him some misinformation. At this point he still craves the power of being Emperor and there is a lot of political intrigue as Manchuria becomes independent (but, Japan is really pulling the strings). He has relationship issues with his wife and consort, one feeling like a third wheel in the more westernized Japan and the other becoming addicted to opium. After WWII the Communist powers in China change a bit and in 1950 we catch up to the "current" events where Pu Yi and all the other imperial supporters are being re-educated. Ying gives an impressive performance and human face to the "Governor" of the camp. It is an amazing, in depth, dramatic conflict from the American audience perspective when you realize that Pu Yi was working with the Japanese, one of the Axis powers of WWII, and the Communists are trying to turn him into a comrade. Between a rock and a hard place. There's a good portion of Americans that wouldn't see either side of this conflict as worth cheering for. But still I found it very engaging to watch John Lone portray the struggle.

One of my favorite quotes: The Governor- "You are responsible for what you do! All your life you thought you were better than everyone else. Now you think you're the worst of all!" There's also a quote about how all the new generals and changes in the communist regime are just like the battling war lords of tribal society. There's a sense that the differences between the old and young in society will lead to history repeating itself, and in fact power keeps on shifting but nothing in history really changes.