| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Into the Wild - R |
SUMMARY drama starring Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart and Vince Vaughn. adapted from the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. directed by Sean Penn. MY TAKE this film is phenomenal in every aspect, I have no idea where to begin. the direction by Penn is great, as well as his adaptation of Jon Krakauer's novel... he definitely earned my respect. the cinematography by Eric Gautier is stunning, capturing the beauty of America... truly makes one want to venture out and see more of this beautiful country. the acting is amazing, such a wonderful cast... Emile Hirsch is definitely one to watch. and finally, the original songs by Eddie Vedder... they capture the emotion of this film perfectly. beautiful and inspiring. definitely one of the best ever made. I absolutely love this film. ♥ QUOTEWORTHY I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong. |
January 7, 2010 | N/A | |||
| American Beauty - R |
SUMMARY dark comedy drama starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, Wes Bentley, Thora Burch and Mena Suvari. cinematography by Conrad L. Hall. written by Alan Ball. directed by Sam Mendes. Lester Burnham (Spacey) is not very different from most men. he's in a sexless marriage with a woman (Bening) he doesnt even recognize anymore, has a teenage daughter (Birch) with whom he barely speaks to and has a job which he hates. after meeting his daughter's friend (Suvari), whom he develops an attraction for, he decides to start making changes and live the life that he wants. changes that affect not only him, but those around him. MY TAKE the combination of the spectacular cinematography of Conrad L. Hall and the direction of Sam Mendes bring to life Alan Ball's wonderfully penned script, making it an instant classic. Ball without a doubt captured the desperation and monotony of the everyday life of average suburbia flawlessly. the entire cast all deliver great performances, but it is Kevin Spacey's performance that is once again incredible. had the character of Lester Burnham been portrayed by anyone else, he would have seemed creepy and pathetic. but Spacey manages to make the viewer empathize and cheer Lester on, as he makes the drastic changes in his life that ultimately lead to the shocking, albeit poetic, ending. this movie is one of my favorites for a reason. it truly is a phenomenal film. ♥ QUOTEWORTHY Carolyn: Uh, whose?s car is that out front? Lester: Mine... 1970 Pontiac Firebird, the car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule! |
January 7, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Secret Window - PG-13 |
SUMMARY psychological thriller starring Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton. based on the novella Secret Window, Secret Garden by Stephen King. directed by David Koepp. after finding his wife in bed with another man, writer Mort Rainey (Depp) wants nothing more than to just be left alone. enter John Shooter (Turturro), a man claiming that Rainey stole his idea for one of his novels. MY TAKE what happens when you cross my favorite actor with a movie based on a novella by my favorite writer? one of my favorite movies of all-time of course! to say that I love this film is an understatement. the writing is fantastic and the acting is amazing. Depp once again dives deep into character, becoming the broken individual that is Mort Rainey. I love Mort. he is my favorite fictional character of all-time and I must say, I am somewhat envious of his life. I, too, would love to live in a bathrobe, in a cabin by a beautiful lake, working on my writing, eating corn all day. xD one of Depp's finest performances. this is the reason why I love this man so. he is one of the best actors of our time. period. simply perfection. ♥ QUOTEWORTHY what do you think it means, you ignorant hick? I'm in the middle of a divorce. d-i-v-o-r-c-e. dee-vorce! |
January 7, 2010 | N/A | |||
| A Clockwork Orange - R |
SUMMARY dark crime drama starring Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, Patrick Magee and Michael Bates. based on the Anthony Burgess novel of the same name. directed by Stanley Kubrick. the tale of Alex DeLarge (McDowell) and the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via a controversial psychological conditioning technique. MY TAKE after hearing for years about how amazing this film is, I decided to finally attempt to watch it... and was extremely disappointed. maybe it's one of those that have to be watched all the way through, in order to appreciate it. but within minutes, I had to change the channel. I am sorry, but I do not find such a film entertaining. and I would certainly never call a film that shows not one but TWO women being sexually assaulted in such an extremely graphic way, within the first fifteen minutes by the way, a classic. I didn't watch the entire film... just the first fifteen minutes. as soon as they started to cut the clothes off of the woman, I changed it. I just don't find watching someone being raped a decent form of entertainment. when a scene of rape or abuse is a crucial part of the story (i.e. A Time To Kill, The Accused, Hound Dog) I normally just fast-forward those scenes. but it was on television and I didn't have the option to ff it. I may give it a chance some other time... but I doubt it. and yes, I know that those things do happen in the "real world". I just cannot stomach any form of sexual abuse and when I watch a film, it is to be entertained and to escape from the ugliness of the world. but that's just me. |
January 7, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Pee-wee's Big Adventure - PG |
SUMMARY comedy starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily and Mark Holton. written by Paul Reubens, Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. directed by Tim Burton. when childlike Pee-wee Herman's bike is stolen, he sets out across the United States to get it back. MY TAKE this is one of those movies that I love as much now as I did when I was a little kid... if not even more. I can still quote the dialogue and still crack up at the over-the-top silly-ness that is Pee-wee. he will always be one of my favorite characters. Burton + Paul Reubens = awesomeness! ♥ QUOTEWORTHY but what? everyone I know has a big but. c'mon, Simone, let's talk about your big but... |
January 7, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon - PG-13 |
SUMMARY fantasy romance starring Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Robert Pattinson, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz and Chaske Spencer. based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. directed by Chris Weitz. at a time when most teenagers are excited and cannot wait for their lives to begin, Bella Swan (Stewart) is dreading turning eighteen. she is afraid of getting older because the love of her life, vampire Edward Cullen (Pattinson), will never age. however, that fear is soon the last thing on Bella's mind. after a very close call, Edward and his family decide it is best for them to leave the small town of Forks, Washington... and for Edward to never see Bella again. broken and devastated, Bella falls into a deep depression and just when it seems as though her life is over, in enters her childhood friend, Jacob Black (Lautner). Bella realizes that as long as Jake is around, that deep hole left by Edward seems to not be as severe. she also realizes that whenever she risks her life, Edward "appears" to tell her to stop being foolish. so she pushes herself and risks her life to be able to see Edward once again, if only for just a few brief moments. however, things soon change when after an awkward night out at the movies, Jake disappears for days. when he returns, he is no longer the Jake that she remembered and she soon realizes that her best friend has a dark secret of his own. MY TAKE let me start by saying that I loved this movie so much more than the first. definitely a much truer adaptation than Twilight, this film is a definite improvement. I had been jones'n for my wolves and was very happy with the cast of actors that they chose, including local AZ boys Alex Meraz and Kiowa Gordon, as well as the very talented Chaske Spencer and the beautiful Tinsel Korey. however, the actor that most surprised me was Taylor Lautner. yes yes, he is a very cute young man with an insane build, but the kid can act. who knew! maybe it seemed as though Stewart was delivering a great performance as the deeply brokenhearted Bella because she does depressed so well, but I liked her much much more this time around. and of course, Dakota rawk'd what small time she had on screen as the deliciously wicked Jane of the Volturi clan. cannot wait for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn! better direction, better CGI, better acting... just all around better! loved it! |
January 6, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Twilight - PG-13 |
SUMMARY fantasy romance starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser and Nikki Reed. based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. directed by Catherine Hardwicke. when seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan (Stewart) moves to Forks, Washington, to live with her father, she is anything but happy. gone are her friends. gone is the Arizona sunshine. gone is the life she once knew. but soon, Bella finds herself being drawn to the strikingly handsome Edward Cullen (Pattinson) and the mystery that surrounds the Cullen family. MY TAKE let me start by saying this: I did enjoy this film. I enjoyed it for what it is: a cheesy love story... which is exactly what I love about the books. they are a great escape and are a wonderful distraction from the crappy-ness that is reality. I can truly understand why they have been such a hit with teen girls and adult women. they allow for a nice little break from reality... and who doesn't want that? but back to the film. sure, it will never be as good as the book, but when are film adaptations? the CGI sucks, but that can be excused due to the low budget that the film was allotted. the acting wasn't the greatest, but maybe these young actors will improve with time... hopefully. then there is the added "scare" factor, which was just ridiculous. snarling vampires without fangs just seems silly to me. but the one thing that irk'd me the most was the way that the two most important scenes were so rushed. the first being the La Push beach scene between Bella and Jake. the second being the big "reveal" scene between Bella and Edward... it just does not flow the way it should. overall, it was an okay effort. like I said, I enjoyed parts of it. and judging by all of the TwiHards that attended the same show as me, Team Edward and Team Jacob tees on, books in hand and hearts all a flutter, this is going to be a huge success. Interview with a Vampire it is not? nevertheless, I still enjoyed this flick. good stuff. |
January 6, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Mad Money - PG-13 |
SUMMARY comedy starring Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah. directed by Callie Khouri. three employees of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City decide to steal currency that is scheduled to be destroyed. MY TAKE cute little comedy starring three actresses that I love. I found it enjoyable, but very predictable. an okay flick. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Station Agent - R |
dramatic comedy starring Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams and Patricia Clarkson. written and directed by Thomas McCarthy. ** full review to come ** only caught the last hour of this one, but what I saw, I really liked. great writing and great performances by a top notch cast. Dinklage is definitely an underrated talent. good stuff. definitely need to catch the entire film sometime. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Fisher King - R |
SUMMARY comedy drama starring Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Michale Jeter and David Hyde Pierce. written by Richard LaGravenese. directed by Terry Gilliam. when cynical shock jock Jack Lucas (Bridges) goes too far with a caller and causes the caller to commit a horrifying crime, Lucas falls into a deep depression. one night, while attempting to kill himself, he has a chance encounter with a homeless man named Parry (Williams). the men form an unlikely friendship and soon learn that they are connected in a very significant way. MY TAKE another one that I had been wanting to see for quite some time but never had the opportunity to. so glad I happened upon it one night while channel surfing. wonderfully written, wonderfully directed and top notch performances by Williams and Bridges. love Gilliam. love Bridges. love Williams. good stuff! ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - PG |
SUMMARY fantasy film starring Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent. based on the novel of the same name by C.S. Lewis. directed by Andrew Adamson. a magical wardrobe leads to a world where a wicked queen, called The White Witch, rules and where animals speak. MY TAKE never having read the books as a child, I was kinda iffy about this one. however, it was much better than I had thought it was going to be. I look forward to seeing the rest of the series. very enjoyable family film. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Shrek the Halls - G |
SUMMARY animated flick featuring the voice talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas. directed by Gary Trousdale. in this made-for-television special, Shrek sets out to make the perfect Christmas for his family... and learns the true meaning of Christmas along the way. MY TAKE cute little Christmas-y flick that'll make the whole family laugh. good stuff! ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Olive, the Other Reindeer - Unrated |
SUMMARY animated flick featuring the voice talents of Drew Barrymore, Edward Asner, Joe Pantoliano, Dan Castellaneta, Jay Mohr, Peter MacNicol and Michael Stipe. directed by Steve Moore. when Christmas loving Olive (Barrymore) sees her owner putting away the decorations and hears him say that "Christmas is over", poor little Olive is heartbroken. but then she overhears a bulletin on the radio... Blitzen has injured himself and won't be able to fly! Santa tells the reporter that hopefully he will still be able to make his Christmas run with "all of the other reindeer", which Olive mistakes for "Olive, the other reindeer". so Olive sets out on a journey to the North Pole to save Christmas. MY TAKE I watch this one every year. very cute little Christmas flick that leaves you with a good feeling. one that the whole family will enjoy! ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| All About Steve - PG-13 |
SUMMARY comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church and D.J. Qualls. directed by Phil Traill. after a very brief date with whom she considers the perfect man, Mary Horowitz (Bullock) becomes smitten with cameraman Steve Mueller (Cooper). the date is cut short when Steve is called away on a work assignment and afraid that she may never see him again, Mary sets out to find her Mr. Perfect. MY TAKE I don't know why, but I liked this movie. yes, it was silly and a little over the top at times, but for some reason, I liked it. cute little film about being true to yourself and loving you for you. ♥ QUOTEWORTHY If you love someone, set them free. If you have to stalk them, they probably weren't yours in the first place. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Jennifer's Body - R |
SUMMARY dark comedy horror flick starring Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J.K. Simmons and Adam Brody. written by Diablo Cody. directed by Karyn Kusama. Jennifer Check (Fox) and Anita "Needy" Lesnicki (Seyfried) are unlikely best friends. Jennifer is a gorgeous sexpot and Needy is a quiet wallflower. but after a sacrifice gone wrong, which leaves Jennifer becomes possessed, it is up to Needy to save the local teenage boys from becoming Jennifer's next meal. MY TAKE went into this film not really expecting much, but found myself pleasantly surprised. I have been a Amanda Seyfried fan for quite a while now, so I knew she was gonna be great. I just wasn't as sure about Megan Fox. but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by Miss Fox's performance and her deadpan delivery of the Diablo Cody's witty dialogue. sure, she is amazingly gorgeous, but in this role, she proves that she does have some actual talent. and of course... the kiss. O M G. so freakin' hawt! kinda like a cross between Heathers and a really cheesy horror flick. pretty damn good. ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Star Trek - PG-13 |
Abrams. Orci. Kurtzman. Quinto. Nimoy. AMAZING. ♥ ** full review to come ** |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Proposal - PG-13 |
SUMMARY romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson and Betty White. directed by Anne Fletcher. when shrewd New York book editor, Margaret Tate (Bullock), is threatened with deportation, she forces her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), to marry her. however, before they can tie the knot, she has to go home with him and meet his family... in Alaska. MY TAKE I love Sandy B. and would watch her in anything... I watched Speed 2 for goodness sakes!... and despite the fact that this is a very predictable film that follows the good ol' rom com formula to the letter, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Betty White once again steals all of the scenes that she is in, as the silly, yet very frank, Gammie. I love her! just wanna pick her up and put her in my pocket! another happy little find for me was The Office's Oscar Nunez, as Ramone, the town's go to man for everything... including the town's exotic dancer. he made me giggle several times. oh! almost forgot about the soundtrack... Katy Perry, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, Lil' Jon... good stuff! sweet, funny little rom com. ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Ice Age 3) - PG |
SUMMARY animated flick featuring the voice talents of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg and Chris Wedge. directed by Carlos Saldanha and Michael Thurmeier. with Manny (Romano) and Elli (Latifah) expecting their first child, Sid (Leguizamo) and Diego (Leary) are feeling left out. so Sid decides to adopt three eggs that he finds. the eggs hatch and Sid becomes the father of three cute little T-Rex babies. soon Mama T-Rex shows up, takes her babies and along with them, Sid. so the remaining group sets out to rescue their darling Sloth friend. meanwhile, the lovable Scrat (Wedge) returns and this time finds love with the beautiful Scratte. but soon he must make a choice between his beautiful lover or his beloved acorn. who will he choose??? MY TAKE sequels are seldom as good as the first, especially when it comes to those of the animated variety. but I found this third film of the very popular Ice Age franchise to be quite entertaining. definitely one that the whole family can enjoy. aye... and Simon Pegg as Buck = perfection. very cute family flick. ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Blood: The Last Vampire - R |
SUMMARY action flick starring Jun Ji-hyun, Allison Miller, Masiela Lusha and Koyuki. directed by Chris Nahon. based on the live action anime film of the same name, the film follows Saya (Ji-hyun), a half-human half-vampire, who hunts down other vampires and demons. MY TAKE in a post-Matrix world, it is difficult to get excited about most fight sequences, but this one has a few scenes that are very well done. beautiful visuals and great action made this one entertaining. pretty damn good. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| The Ugly Truth - R |
MY TAKE romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Cheryl Hines, John Michael Higgins and Kevin Connolly. directed by Robert Luketic. television producer Abby Richter (Heigl) is successful, intelligent and very beautiful, but when it comes to the opposite sex, she just doesn't get them. enter the very blunt and very sexy host of the show she produces. he makes a deal with her... help him and he will help her get her very own Mr. Perfect. MY TAKE typical rom-com formula... one is cynical about love, the other is not. they hate each other at first, but then end up falling in love with one another. yada yada yada. what is not typical... the language and dirty jokes. I was quite surprised at some of the things that were coming out of Mr. Butler's mouth... and finding myself even more attracted to the sexy Scot. definitely not your mother's romantic comedy, but funny and sweet at the same time. pretty good. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - PG-13 |
SUMMARY sci-fi action flick starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox and John Turturro. written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Ehren Kruger. directed by Michael Bay. in this sequel, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) is heading to college and hoping for a normal life. but of course, things happen and once again he must help save the world. MY TAKE yet another flick that I enjoyed but others seemed to dislike. great action, great special effects and an uber hawt cast... what more could you ask of a summer blockbuster? good stuff. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Dead and Breakfast - R |
SUMMARY comedy horror flick starring Ever Carradine, Portia de Rossi, Bianca Lawson, Jeremy Sisto, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Erik Palladino, Diedrich Bader, Brent David Fraser and David Carradine. directed by Matthew Leutwyler. a group of friends on a road trip stop for the night at a small town bed and breakfast, where soon they find themselves surrounded by local towns folk who are being controlled by an evil spirit. MY TAKE this was one of those films that I had never even heard of and just happened upon. was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this flick. intentionally cheesy and full of great comedic gore, I found myself laughing throughout most of this one. zomg... almost forgot about the songs! was singing We're Comin' To Kill Ya for like a week after watching this! xD good stuff. great little zombie comedy. ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Hellraiser - R |
SUMMARY horror flick starring Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence and Clare Higgins. based on Clive Barker's novel The Hellbound Heart. written and directed by Clive Barker. man finds box. man receives all kinds of kinky pains and pleasures. man is killed. man's lover and her husband move into old abandoned house, where he once lived. the lover discovers he is dead... sorta. man must convince lover to do horrible things so that he can be whole again and they can once again be together. MY TAKE disgusting, yes. but scary, no. I mean, come on... the dripping, oozing dude was just nasty. and the whore that wants to get it on with him... even worse! it made me laugh once or twice, but mostly it just made me sick to my stomach. I honestly don't know how I ever thought this film was scary. another film that is way over-hyped. |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Scream - R |
SUMMARY horror flick starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lilliard, Skeet Ulrich and Drew Barrymore. written by Kevin Williamson. directed by Wes Craven. a serial killer with a fondness for classic horror films stalks a peaceful community. MY TAKE my absolute favorite horror film hands down and one of my all-time favorite films. I can recite it word for word and have seen it at least 100 times... just ask my family and friends. I remember when this film first came along. it was such an interesting take on the whole horror film genre. I loved the mix of comedy and suspense and how it made fun of these classic scary flicks, yet gave a good scare of its own. I instantly asked "Who is this Kevin Williamson guy?" and have been a fan of his work ever since. people say its cheesy now, but this was the film that revitalized the horror genre for a whole entire new generation. awesome cast. awesome script. awesome film. love it! ♥ |
January 4, 2010 | N/A | |||
| Carrie - R |
SUMMARY horror film starring Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Piper Laurie and John Katt. based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. directed by Brian De Palma. Carrie White (Spacek) is a socially awkward girl that has recently discovered that she has telekinetic abilities and who is continually humiliated by her peers and her overly religious mother (Laurie). however, after a horrifying incident at the prom, Carrie snaps and gets her revenge on those that have hurt her. MY TAKE when I was girl, this film seemed very scary, but over the years, I started to look at it in a different way. no longer do I see it as a horror film, but as a drama. the humiliation that Carrie endures from the bitches at school as well as that of her Jesus-freaky mother (who even has her very own Jesus closet where she locks Carrie in as punishment!) doesn't scare me. instead, I found myself empathizing with young Carrie and cheering her on as she got her revenge on the asshats who tried to break her. Spacek is one of my favorite actresses and this film is a fine example why. she is amazing. good stuff! ♥ QUOTEWORTHY They're all gonna laugh at you! They're all gonna laugh at you! |
January 4, 2010 | N/A |
2727 ratings
473 reviews
