Star's Talk

Scary Movie 5

The Unborn

Gary Oldman? YES!!!---That was my review a while back & that's what I was hoping. That because he was in this one, it may not suck. WRONG! Boring, cliched, stupid. Those words just came off the top of my head. Lord, please...PLEASE will someone make a decent horror movie in America????

Apocalypto

Nothing But the Truth

"Don't Reveal the Source"

In Washington, D.C., a female reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source.

REVIEW
Wow. Just wow. I did not see that coming. As you might have already known, I'm not the usual kind of guy who enjoys politically charged movies, its just not my cup of tea. It either tends to be just pure propaganda BS or just plain preachy. There are some rare occassions however when handled by a man with a vision, all pretentiousness aside not taking sides whatsoever, the end result might turn out to be something great. Such rare occassion is this movie, I was just floored. Speechless. Its journalistic integrity vs national security, the government's ever growing control over the people vs freedom of speech, its all even handed arguments and this movie excellently fleshes it all out bit by bit until we reach the shocking conclusion. This is a movie that will captivate you, it goes past the glamour of its leading actors and all that hoopla and brings you right in the complexity of the story. It makes you think, it lubes up the rusty spots in your brain and gets you involved. After watching this movie, I just felt sad because this is the kind of movies Hollywood rarely makes anymore.

Rod Lurie, on double duty here both as a director and a writer deserves all the kudos he can get. He shines in both departments, there was no right wing-left wing backstory here, it was an unflinching and inspired look at some of today's current issues and it was handled very greatly. It was intense, it was emotional, it was hard hitting and it is definitely one of 2008's most underrated films. The acting department all turned in some very fine performances. Matt Dillon who exudes a commanding presence playing a special prosecutor. His unnerved emotions served greatly in portraying the role and its one of the best I've seen of him so far. Alan Alda plays a high powered attorney with gusto, I've never really been a fan of his but after this one, I'm gonna check out some of his other works soon. Kate Beckinsale turns in an intense performance as the reporter and this is by far her greatest performance to date. And lastly, Vera Farmiga who has always been a top dog in the acting department turns in a mesmerising and captivating portrayal of a hard edged CIA agent and yet also a caring mom to her daughter. Her portrayal was never out of tune and the delivery was as natural as one actress can get. God only knows why she wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the recently concluded Oscars.

The ending will just floor you and I promise you, you will not see it coming. Not by a long mile.

Chaos Theory

"This man will bring order to the universe...or not."

The story of an obsessively organized efficiency expert whose life unravels in unexpected ways when fate forces him to explore the serendipitous nature of love and forgiveness.

REVIEW
I can't believe this one flew under my radar for almost two years. Chaos Theory is one of those rare gems in between, you never hear it being talked about but has also built quite a fanbase. Chaos Theory is a quirky, surprising little gem with a great script and an impressive vision. Directed by Marcos Siega (Pretty Persuasion), the movie works on both ends. It has enough comedy to give a chuckle or two and exact amount of drama for the love sick. Ryan Reynolds, whether you love him or hate him, is always the impressive actor and this is by far one of his best on screen performance. Emily Mortimer is always terrific and the elusive Stuart Townsend graces us with his charisma and almost-never-seen talent. This is a rarity of a gem with a great cast and a perfect blend of heartwarming drama and spot-on comedic timing.

However, its never gonna get the wide audience that it deserves mainly because the stars aren't exactly top draws in the box office which is just sad really because the wider audience would rather just watch a dude dressed as a lady in a fatsuit (I'm looking at you Tyler Perry) than real good quality filmmaking.

Películas para No Dormir: La Habitación del Niño (Films to Keep You Awake: The Baby's Room)

Even though it was supposedly made for TV, this was a different kind of film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dialogue between the husband and wife was much more believable than any American movie I have seen. The movie depicted what sane people "actually" would do in scary situations. The storyline was different. For a TV movie, it was better than some of our Hollywood horror lately.

Penny Dreadful

Very quickly adding to my "worst movies" list. I mean...really quickly. Have you ever seen movies so terrible that you keep praying for the bad guy to hurry up and kill everyone already? This is one of those.

Journey to the End of the Night

Brendan was truly believably evil. I was amazed. A crazy, shocking, twisted, little movie. Mos Def is the most underrated actor today. He was awesome. Scott Glenn's portrayal of an older, sad, burnt out man who just wants to get out was just that...sad. Do you really want to know what the old, blind fortune telling man has to tell you?

Rachel Getting Married

"I am Shiva the destroyer, your harbinger of doom this evening."

A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.

REVIEW
Rachel Getting Married is a remarkable film. Shot in handheld which gives the film a grainy, raw picture also strikingly similar to 2008's another remarkable film, The Wrestler. It felt like watching a home video/documentary and to some, it may come off as annoying but alas, it totally worked for me. I'm glad to see the director took a big leap by doing guerrilla style camera shots, and it mesmerisingly paid off. It worked for The Wrestler and make it a 2-0 for Rachel Getting Married.

When it comes to the acting department, every body is in top form. Debra Winger is superb. Rosemarie Dewitt is just brilliant and Anne Hathaway turns over a new leaf with her performance as Kym, a recovering drug addict. Its amazing how far Anne went from The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted and wouldn't you know it, 4 odd years later she's in the running for Oscar gold. She deserves it. Jonathan Demme, the director of 90's epics like The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia returns to form with this 2008 outing. Great film, a must watch.

Victim

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)

"A timeless story of innocence lost and humanity found."

Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.

REVIEW
Another "Oscar-bait Holocaust" movie? I don't think so. Its not even nominated in the Oscars so now its a "Holocaust movie" but alas, its more than a Holocaust movie. As seen through the eyes of Bruno, an eight year old child who forms a forbidden friendship with a Jewish little Boy, Shmuel. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an especially moving film coupled with a heartbreaking ending and some great performances from the whole cast. Child actors Asa Butterfield (Bruno) and Jack Scanlon (Shmuel) both give stellar performances and the adults doesn't fail either. Vera Farmiga gave a dead on performance as Bruno's mother while David Thewlis took one for the home team as the Herr Komandant of Auschwitz and Bruno's father. Rupert Friend also gives a notable performance as Thewlis's right hand man Lieutenant Kotler.

But what really struck me the most in the movie is the ending. They stepped out the usual Hollywood norm where everybody everywhere is happy and giddy. I'm not gonna spoil the ending for you so I'll only tell you this, you surely won't be smiling once the film reaches its tragic conclusion. In fact its the exact opposite, you will cry buckets.

The Graduate

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?"

Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.

REVIEW
The Graduate is a true timeless classic that struck all the right chords. Benjamin Braddock is character that I can totally relate to and pretty much all the teens who had the same exact problems after graduating college. Dustin Hoffman's breakout role as Ben is a dead on impression. He gives a wonderfully underplayed performance, he got the awkwardness bit right down to that uneasy smirk and the deep lifeless stare. Anne Bancroft on the other hand, plays the legendary major cougar Mrs. Robinson. I have heard a lot of things about the character and my expectations for the infamous cougar queen were really high and after watching the film, my expectations were more than met. She plays the role like she knows it by heart and steals almost every scene she's in. Screw that TV show, Mrs. Robinson is the real desperate housewife.

Another great aspect of the film is the soundtrack. Never have I seen a song used more appropriately in a film and The Graduate's 'A Sound of Silence' represents the problem and turmoils the characters face in the film. This is Mike Nichols' best film and easily one of my favorite movies of all-time. If you still haven't seen this, by all means watch it at any cost. Highly recommended.

The Detonator

Pretty good action film. The opening scene reminded me of Snipes' performance in Too Wong Foo. :) Wish they'd give him more roles.

Turtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand)

Watch this movie and wake up each day with a renewed resolve to make each day matter, be thankful for what you have, and to hug your children. A sobering vision of what war does to them. Will we ever learn?

Victim

I'd never heard of this movie and happened upon it on cable today. When it was first released in 1961, Victim was banned in the United States. Yet this movie continues to tap into something truly timeless...man's inhumanity to man!

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Great documentary. If I hadn't seen this I would not have known that this man was the genius behind many of MLK Jr.s' marches. What a courageous and wonderful man. To be openly gay in a time when it was political and personal suicide took guts. The FBI wiretapped and investigated him, and they tried to label him a pervert. Yet he never apologized for the way he lived, and taught people peace and the art of civil disobedience.

The Lucky Ones

"Sometimes losing your way home means finding yourself"

The story revolves around three soldiers --Colee, TK and Cheever -- who return from the Iraq War after suffering injuries and learn that life has moved on without them. They end up on an unexpected road trip across the U.S., with Colee on a mission to bring her boyfriend's guitar back to his family because he saved her life, TK seeking confidence to face his wife after a shrapnel injury that threatens his sexual function and middle-aged Cheever planning to hit the casinos in a desperate effort to pay for his son's college tuition.

REVIEW
Neil Burger's offbeat, quirky, dramatic movie is a triumph. It succeeds in all the aspects, from the technical parts to the acting, I can't find a single negative thing about it. Burger doesn't dilly-dally around, he went straight to the point of his subject, giving a fair amount of time for each of the three characters (McAdams, Pena and Robbins) to develop and eventually you can't help but really like them...a lot. Especially McAdams but more on that later. The script is tightly wound, the chemistry between the three protagonists doesn't seem forced, the movie doesn't force you to like them the moment the movie starts but instead, these colorful characters will gradually grow on you.

Tim Robbins, one of my favorite actors, doesn't dissapoint. 2008, I have seen him in two movies the other one being The City of Ember. And as long as a movie has Tim Robbins in it, I'm sold. That's why I watched the movie in the first place. Michael Pena, another great guy, gives off a good vibe towards the movie and once you know what's been bothering his character, you can't help but laugh at how one-sided and ridiculous his problem is. Pena gives one of his greatest performance on screen. And of course, the belle of the ball, the star of the show, Rachel McAdams gives a quirky, zesty and joyful performance as a loveable Southerner and I can't help but be reminded of another quirky, zesty and joyful character, Amelie. She just keeps the laughs rolling in and steal every scene she's in. She gives the character such depth that one might come off as one dimensional had it been portrayed by a lesser talent. Definitely an underrated performance for 2008.

Highly recommended.

Conrack

In honor of Black History Month, everyone should see this very moving and heartfelt film, based on a true story about a white teacher in South Carolina who traveled to an island off the coast of Beaufort to teach African American children. I lived in South Carolina and knew of his story. Great movie.

Haunted Forest

Haunted Forest

Going into my list of the worst movies of all time. FearNet has to step up the game!