Compilation

I have gotten lazy the past couple of months and let these films build up without blogging about each. So, instead of either spending hours to get this done or throwing it down the toilet, I've decided to do a mini-critique of each. Enjoy, those of you who still look at this thing.

Born Rich - 2 Stars - Slightly informative, but amateur.

Easy A - 4 Stars - Very Funny. Similar to Mean Girls.

Dear Zachary - 5 Stars - Real representation of a human tragedy.

American Teen - 3 Stars - Great vision. Seemingly fake.

The Social Network - 5 Stars - Still think about it. Great Dialogue!

Food Inc - 5 Stars - Very Informative. Well covered.

Iron Man 2 - 3 Stars - Visually appealing. Not my kind of film.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape - 4 Stars - Classic. Slow. Great acting.

You, Me, and Dupree - 2 Stars - Inappropriate. Slightly funny.

The Town - 4 Stars - Great delivery. Unoriginal. Entertaining.

Letters to God - 2 Stars - I want to like it, but come on. Inspiring.

Open Water - 1 Star - Waste of time. Respectable filming approach.

Saints and Soldiers - 2 Stars - Unoriginal. Boring. Good effects.

The Stepfather - 3 Stars - Surprisingly good thriller. Great tension.

Eat. Pray. Love. - 2 Stars - Love my girl, but that's all. Slow.

500 Days of Summer - 5 Stars - Great all around! Top 5.

To Save a Life - 1 Star - Barely remember it. Subtly inspiring.

Gone Baby Gone - 4 Stars - Great acting and writing. Good twist.

Fantastic Mr. Fox - 2 Stars - Animation just doesn't do it for me.

Date Night - 4 Stars - Enjoyable comedy. Good themes. Great pair.

Meadowoods - 1 Star - If I gave less than 1, this film would get it.

Remember Me - 3 Stars - Great twist into reality. Creative.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

2/5 Stars

Christian film trying to compete in Hollywood. Just didn't cut it for me. The acting and writing were both extremely lacking. The film did have great moral moments and high values. It makes you think a little about how you, as a Christian, are impacting the people around you. I love what the film was trying to do, it just failed at doing it beautifully. Great themes and intentions, not so great delivery.

Acting: Almost unbearable

Writing: Juvenile

Cinematography: Manageable

Story Line: Great!

See it, might make you think.

Inception

Don't you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone!

5/5 Stars

Didn't want to see this film, but so glad that I was talked into it! The approach to the concept of dreams and the implementation of it blew me away. Of course, we all could talk about this for hours after watching it, so I will make this brief. I feel as though soo much thought and creativity went into making this a success. It is definitely original and striking. This film keeps you engaged and passionate the entire time. I would love to see it again in order to understand it better. It encapsulates this unknown world we all share called dreams.

Acting: Excellent

Writing: Phenomenal

Cinematography: Are you kidding!? Exceptional.

Story Line: Intriguing

See it, at least twice.

She's Out of My League

It moved...

2/5 Stars

I did enjoy this film, but its extremely crude and has bad language. That makes up for part of the bad rating. The other part is due to the fact that its not original. You can tell what will happen in the film and it does. Nothing sets this film apart. It is funny and there are amazingly awkward situations, but doesn't keep me coming back for more. It does however encourage you to go for any girl no matter how gorgeous or out of your league she may seem. I'm sure high schoolers will have a different take.

Acting: Good enough

Writing: Crude, yet funny

Cinematography: Bland

Story Line: Typical

Skip it, better things to fill your mind with.

Edge of Darkness

CRAVEN!

2/5 Stars

Love Mel Gibson, the film just didn't do it for me. Kind of boring and unoriginal. I didn't seem to care who his daughter was and what she did. When we found out, I was uninterested all over again. The action and some combat approaches were appealing, but other than that, it was pretty bland.

Acting: Great!

Writing: Not so great

Cinematography: Expected

Story Line: Not captivating

Skip it. There are better films out there.

Toy Story 3

Well, FAO my Swartz!

4/5 Stars

I mean, come on, it's Toy Story 3! They successfully made three great Toy Story films. Loved the first the most still, then this one, then the second one. This one was by far the most sad, but a great ending to such and epic film series. The characters were all there making us laugh like always. I think there could have been a better plot and probably better developed new characters. On the whole, it was enjoyable and will always have my vote.

Acting: Amazing, duh!

Writing: Didn't meet expectations

Cinematography: Enjoyable

Story Line: Not my favorite

See it!! Great for the whole fam!

Crazy Heart

I keep feeling obliged to apologize for being less than you probably imagined me to be.

3/5 Stars

The previews pretty much sum this film up quite well. There are no surprises of any kind. It is a very slow film, but you get a great glimpse into the real life is a struggling human. This film captures the essence of those final chances we get to bring something great to this world. It is inspiring and warm, but also real and desolate. Not my cup of tea.

Acting: Phenomenal

Writing: Good enough

Cinematography: Fitting, not striking.

Story Line: Typical

Skip it, unless you want to take a nice nap on a Sunday afternoon.

Green Street Hooligans

Yes... cheeky slag!

4/5 Stars

Kept thinking of this movie well after I watched it. Every man would love to get caught up in this kind of gang and camaraderie. The thrill of actually punching someone and standing up for your manhood is every boys dream. Elijah Wood gets that chance. This was an enjoyable, not always predictable film. The language is bad, but is also smart. I enjoyed its originality and visual appeal.

Acting: Excellent

Writing: Convincing

Cinematography: Real

Story Line: Ups and Downs

See it. For mature audiences only.

Boondock Saints II

Let's do some gratuitous violence.

1/5 Stars

Loved the first one and hated the second. Just not as well written or engaging as the first. I fell asleep a number of time. Nothing beats the original. Just some classic lines and well thought out story-line. Because of my fatigue, I am not suitable to aptly give a review, but I do know that it was mutually agreed upon in the room as a fail. The tag line above pretty much captures the entire movie.

Acting: Mostly good

Writing: Below par

Cinematography: Expected

Story-Line: Can't remember

Skip it.

The Invention of Lying

Ok, you're annoying me. You're voice is shrill. Goodbye.

1/5 Stars

Just frustrated me throughout. I mean, its a cool concept for a film. I just wish they would have taken a totally different angle. As this man discovers that he is the only one in the world that can lie, he begins making up this "man in the sky" that is supposed to symbolize God. He begins to tell all these true and untrue stories about who God is, while all along lying that "the man in the sky" exists. So basically, this film is portraying God as a myth that we are buying into and throwing comedy and A list actors on top to add some sort of credibility. Sad.

Acting: Good

Writing: Yeah, right

Story-line: Neat concept, terrible delivery

Cinematography: Under-par

Skip it.

The Crazies

Don't ask me why I can't leave my wife and I won't ask you why you can.

5/5 Stars

Great thriller! Great beginning scene. Of course it had it's cheesy moments, but it kept me on the edge most of the time. I loved the creepy effect and how they could scare you by not necessarily even jumping out at you. This thriller will keep you on your toes. It seemed pretty logical as well. Except I still hate how people travel into the unknown with the lights off...

Acting: Believable

Writing: Dramatic

Cinematography: Well meditated

Story Line: Similar to most, but well done

See it. I've seen it twice now! Looking for my third.

Zombieland

Someone's ear is in danger of having hair brushed over it...

3/5 Stars

This film sure does start off with a bang. Pretty gory, yet funny at the same time. I take that back, the entire film is this way. It also has terrible language. I don't even like zombie movies that are only meant to be gory and scary. YET, this film is actually funny and comes about it from a different angle. It is very entertaining to watch the camera work and the usage of CGI. I surprisingly enjoyed it. Some of it is so sick its great.

Acting: Good enough

Writing: Clever

Story-line: Nothing extraordinary

Cinematography: Selling point

Prob should skip it, but I kinda enjoyed it... in a sick way.

Adam

I can see that you're upset, but I don't know what to do.

4/5 Stars

This is your not so typical comedic love story. Very enjoyable and entertaining from a fresh perspective. The film is slow in parts, but great nonetheless. Loved the well thought out dialogue and unique comedic timing. The characters are not seen in everyday films.

Astronomers especially would appreciate this film from more than one perspective.

Acting: Spotless

Writing: Rich

Story-line: Moving

Cinematography: Slightly above avg

See it.

The Natural

The only thing I know about the dark is you can't see in it.

3/5 Stars

Robert Redford - Just the man

This is your classic story about a baseball hero that just never gave up. I enjoyed the look and feel of the film. It is great for it's day in age! The only thing was that it was a little slow and of course predictable. If you are a baseball fan, you can truly appreciate the film. My heart simply wasn't in it as much as it could have been.

Robert Redford did a heck of a job, of course. I loved the dialogue and they inventive cinematography. This film goes to show that if you are truly gifted at something and want it bad enough, you should never stop at attaining it. Its heart warming, yet dated.

Acting: Classic

Writing: Simple, yet intriguing

Cinematography: Inventive for its time

Story Line: Predictable

See it if you love baseball or Redford.

The Lovely Bones

...He doesn't understand how much a father could love his child

2/5 Stars

Marky Mark - Kudos

Most of this film looked like that picture above. I had no idea that it was going to be so spiritual. It was a mix of Gone Baby Gone and What Dreams May Come. This girl that was murdered is stuck between Heaven and Hell. I loved the visual effects, just unexpected. It was odd and confusing at first. The film goes back and forth from real life to spiritual world. I didn't particularly enjoy it. I would rather not waste time watching her debate on whether or not to go to Heaven or try and help her family. I wanted to get more into the suspense and depth of figuring out who the murder was.

The main reason it only received two stars from me is because it was weird. I'm sorry. The acting was great, the story was believable, the writing seemed to work. It did keep my attention and intrigue. Susan Sarandon's character fit her perfectly. I feel as though, actually I know that it is her real attitude in life. Good job, Susan.

Two things I took away: Listen to your dog and listen to your instincts.

Acting - All, but the boyfriend were great

Writing - Better than most

Cinematography - The highlight of the film

Story Line - Unique, dull

See it if you want. I won't again.