King Kong, 2005

I know Peter Jackson was probably handed a bazillion dollars to make this movie exactly how he wanted but even still, the man is a visionary. Every frame was beautifully lit, perfectly framed & back dropped, and the CGI was just amazing. The whole movie is absolutely gorgeous.

Jack Black was quite interesting in this. I expected him to be the comedic relief but I was very wrong. His role is serious and he was quite good at it. The cast was unusual, I thought, but well acted no less. Adrian Brodie, Naomi Watts, Jack Black... and Kong. The iconic bigger-than-life creature was beautifully crafted and realistic, so expressive and threatening. A villian at times, a hero at others, he deffinately evokes emotions from you when you watch.

Yes, this movie is much longer than it truely needs to be (clocks in at 3hrs 8 mins) but the length of the movie is no matter when its so chock full of beautiful imagery and thrilling action. Yes Jackson could have done without all the backstory of some of the secondary characters but, oh well.

Without giving any spoilers, I'll say that I agree with a friend of mine... this movie has one of the best fights scenes EVER!

I was so overall impressed with this movie and I didn't expect to like it near as much as I did. I'm a fan of the original & have fond childhood memories of watching it soI was afraid that would be tarnished. Boy was I wrong. The only negative I can say about this is the movie's length. Other than that it was fantastic & I highly recommend it.

I give the movie King Kong 5 out of 5 stars

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, 2004

I've never read any of the stories, even still I was looking forward to seeing this. The whole tone of the movie is gloomy... its an imaginative story about greed, loss and family ties.

The artful, spooky sets were lovely, very Tim Burton or Edward Gorey-like. The drab costumes & lighting were impressive, as well. And the wonderful music, I must not forget that... I had listened to the soundtrack long before seeing the movie and really enjoyed it. All this topped off with its twisted plot makes for a very nice looking, entertaining movie.

Jim Carrey was his usual over-the-top (over acted?) self as the wicked Count Olaf but he seemed fitting for the part. It's a tough call since I've not read the books, though. He actually plays a few other characters in the movie since Olaf is an "actor". I particularly enjoyed him as Stephano. The recently orphaned, resourceful children in the movie were adorable & honest. The baby was especially cute and funny, a deffinate scene stealer. You finding yourself wishing you could help them escape the Count & thwart his plans.

I think this is a good movie for adults and children alike. I don't think it was 'too dark' as it does send a heartwarming message. However, parents take note, it is rated PG.


I give Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 3 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Grass, 1998

A documentary exploring the history of American marijuana prohibition. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, this dvd takes a look at the history, the cultural myths and scare tactics the US goverment have used on its people reagarding this plant. (The vintage propoganda news reels were quite interesting.) There are even a few tongue-in-cheek laughs to be found in this.

You'll be shocked to learn of the lack of scientific evidence & misinformation about this plants negative effects on the body, and you'll be dumbstruck when you learn how many billions of dollars gets used every year fighting this drug war.

You don't have to be a pot smoker to enjoy this informative documentary. It's well filmed, well edited, well narrated, and an eye-opener.

I give the movie Grass 5 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Red Eye, 2005

Hmm... not quite what I expected out of this film. It had Wes Craven's name attached to it so I assumed it was an in-flight tension filled horror movie. It turned out to be a mild thriller. That's not to say that it lacked suspense and tension totally but it just wasn't enough to make this movie great for me.

The story is a rather interesting one... up until the plane lands.
It starts off good and then it seems to loose its creativity & becames contrieved and predictable. The acting isn't bad. Cillian Murphy actually makes for an interesting bad guy and it was fun to see Rachel McAdams (from Mean Girls) play the roll of the damsel in distress.

In all, it was somewhat entertaining but not very interesting. I could think of worse things to do with 90 minutes than watch this.

I give the movie Red Eye 2 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, 2004

A real digital beauty. This movie is set in a dream-like world straight out of the golden age of Sci-Fi. It's amazing to know that the movie was completely acted out in front of green screens.

Although it has great cast (Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi), stunning visual effects & production design, I was hoping still for something more; a stronger story. It didn't stand out as special to me, just an old fashioned sci-fi story. But perhaps that's all it was meant to be... A stunning, visual feast to go with a nice comfortable story.

This digital gem is worth a watch. There's so many visual elements I could speak highly of and the dvd has some nice bonus features to it as well.

I give the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Cinderella Man, 2005

A friend spoke highly of this movie so I added it to my que, not sure I'd like it since I'm not a big boxing fan but I was surprised. Based on a true story, it's not so much a tale about boxing. It's an inspirational story of a devoted husband trying desperately, during the Great Depression, to provide for his family while setting a good example for the children.

It was wonderfully acted by the entire cast and the time period was very well recreated. You could almost feel the hunger in the stomachs of the children, the coldness of the poor home they lived in and the moments of great joy they all shared.

It's very emotional, exciting & inspirational, if you can tolorate realistic boxing scenes, I recommend watching this quality movie.

I give the movie Cinderella Man 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Underworld - Evolution, 2006

The continuity between the first and second film is great as this picks up right where we left off in the first one. However, Evolution takes us back to the beginning, via flashbacks, and we discover just how the war between the Vampires and Lycans began. It's an interesting backstory. We also get to see Marcus and he's quite the match for Selene.

Full of excellent special effects and tons of action, Underworld - Evolution proved to be a really enjoyable movie. Also enjoyable were the special features on the dvd. We get to see the revamping of the Lycan costumes and how some of the special effects were created, among interviews and other footage.

All this plus Kate Beckinsale in tight shiney latex... what more could you ask for? :-)

I give the movie Underworld - Evolution 4 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Zathura, 2005

Highly recommended to me by a friend, I went into this movie knowing nothing about it... I'm glad I took his advice and rented it.

It's an exciting & fun family-oriented sci-fi adventure full of excellent special effect eye candy (space ships, robots, monster, oh my!), good acting by the children, topped off with a unique storyline with a few unexpected plot twists & laughs. A very enjoyable movie for kids and adults alike. However, a few scenes may be a bit scary for the wee ones.

I give the movie Zathura 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Firewall, 2006

First... I'm a fan of Harrison Ford, I love how he can say so much without saying a word. His facial expressions, the tension in his eyes... he's a great actor. However, I got the feeling when I was watching this that I'd seen it before. - Mr. Ford needs to break away and do something new.

I was sadly disappointed with this movie due to the tired, recycled plot. We've seen it so many times in so many other action thrillers. I never found myself on the edge of my seat, I was actually a little bored. It's too bad this one didn't live up to its potential.

It was well acted though. I particularly enjoyed watching Paul Bettany (a new favorite of mine) play the villian.

I give the movie Firewall 1 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: The Libertine, 2006

Filmed in a grainy, almost dirty sort of way, The Libertine is not a pretty period movie. And Johnny Depp doesn't play a gentleman. He's a bastard; a debaucherous unforgiving drunkard and he warns you of this.

It's a dark, brooding, passionate tale about the scandalous life of the Earl of Rochester and Depp performs it brilliantly. It is a roll unlike any of his others.

- I should mention the costumes & set design... wow! Beautiful and detailed, even in their desaturated glory. I would certainly watch this movie again.

I give the movie
The Libertine 5 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Ultraviolet, 2006

Eye candy galore! Beautiful lighting. Unique set & costume design saturated with color. And of course... Milla doing what she does best; looking good while kicking ass.

While it's not likely to win any awards, this stylistic Science Fiction flick definatley provided entertainment. It's action packed, visually different from other films and deserves a watch if only for for the fresh ideas played out in a few action sequences and through fighting styles.

I give the movie Ultraviolet: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: Alice, 1988

This is one of the most unusual movies I've ever seen. I was REALLY looking forward to seeing this dark and creepy adaptation of Lewis Carroll's novel 'Alice in Wonderland'. Part live action, part stop-motion animation, this movie deffinately serves up a heaping dish of bizarr.

Part of me loved it. Part of me did not. I can't quite put my finger on what about it I did not like. I belive it was the lack of mood/ambient music & I feel the sound effects were too hot. The many quick edits to a close-up of Alice's mouth as she was narrating was a bit annoying as well. But the characters .. oh the characters were fantastic and sinistser!

If you're looking for nightmarish imagery in a very un-disney version of Alice In Wonderland, then I highly recommend this. If your looking for a happy-go-lucky Alice tale... don't bother with this.

I give the movie Alice 3 out of 5 stars