Feed

Starring Alex O'Lachlan

Directed By Brett Leonard

Release Date: January 1, 2005

What a boring and tiresome "thriller". Almost nothing happens in this movie, and the finale makes no sense, but those words "that makes no sense" are used so often they eventually lose their meaing. The premise was clever, but after that there's little to no plot to follow it, the characters are two-dimensional, and the villain gives such plodding and tiresome monologues I wanted to throw the remote at the TV screen. Skip this monotonous movie and go watch something better.

Rating: * of 5

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Batman: Under the Red Hood

Starring the voices of Bruce Greenwood, Neil Patrick Harris, Jensen Ackles
Directed by Brandon Vietti
Release Date: July 27, 2010

Batman and Robin: The Dynamic Duo. After Dick Grayson had decided to become Nightwing, Batman took a new young ward to become Robin, The Boy Wonder: Jason Todd, a young man constantly getting into fights and may be down a path of crime. Soon, young Jason is putting on the tights and fighting crime with Batman, until a fateful day where The Joker has kidnapped the young crimefighter....

Five years later and things have changed: Batman (Greenwood) has become a solo crime fighter, and Nightwing (Harris) has become a name of his own. Soon enough, a new villain is in Gotham demanding criminals to either swear allegiance to him or prepare to die: The Red Hood (Ackles), who thugs soon realize crosses the line that Batman never would. Will the Dark Knight discover the connection between him and Red Hood? Will Black Mask (Wade Williams) get rid of The Red Hood?

After the good-but-not great "Crisis on Two Earths" and the mediocrity that was "Green Lantern: First Flight", "Under the Red hood" may be one of the best DCAU movies to come out yet. the story line is complete, but never rushed or wrapped up too quickly , the action is great, the animation style is gritty, blocky, but never cartoonish, and the voice casting is great. Sure, Greenwood is not Kevin Conway, but Greenwood really sells his Batman. Jensen Ackles makes a stunning performance as the Red Hood, a man who wants to clean up crime in a different way, no matter what the cost. Also, I really dug Wade Williams as Black Mask, a vengeful, venom spewing drug lord enraged that a new crime lord is trying to usurp his "territory".

Rating: * * * * * of 5

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Funny People

Starring Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann

Directed by Judd Apatow

Release Date: July 31, 2009

Before watching this movie, do these activities first: 1) make a list of all dirty jokes involving male genitalia 2) imagine Adam Sandler is a complete douchebag and all the young comedians tell terrible jokes. When you've done both, you'll be ready to sit through 2 hours of terrible jokes, sophmoric humour, and a smug sense of ego. Because of his success with "The 40 Year old Virgin" and "Knocked Up", it seems that Judd Apatow has built quite a list of contacts in his Hollywood career and this film was made just to do a few favors for other comedians and celebrities such as Andy Dick or Marshall "Eminem" Mathers. This movie is terribly disappointing because it's full of talented people giving very untalented performances. Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill deliver horrible jokes and stilted performances; yet both did better with
2007's Superbad, which Rogen and Hill starred in and Rogen co-wrote.
Do yourself a favor: skip this movie. It's just....not funny.

Rating: * 1/2 of 5

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Inception

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Release Date: July 16, 2010



From the Director of "The Dark Knight" and "Memento", comes a journey into the human mind and the concept of reality. In the future, there exists a technology where one can enter into someone's subconscious, stealing their most private memories in a process called "extraction". During one extraction, wealthy businessman Saito (Watanabe) hires the world's best extraction expert, Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) to enter into the mind of Robert Fisher: the son of a competing rival. Saito wants Cobb to not only enter Fisher's subconscious, but to create an "inception" an infulenced idea that will take development in Fisher's subconscious.

This film is an epic masterpiece with amazing set pieces and concepts that are stunning to speculate on: where did the "extraction" technology come from? How did Cobb and his team become experts? For those who are concerned that the runtime is 2 hours and 28 minutes, this is a thrilling psychological drama with compelling action that moves at a fast pace without feeling rushed. The performances are stunning, with DiCaprio playing leader Cobb, a man who is constantly trying to determine whether he is perceiving reality or the dream. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a great straight man, keeping the group on track and focusing on the details despite a "lack of imagination". The only actor that could have done better is Ellen Page; it's not that Page is a bad actress, just that her performance is underwhelming compared to performances from DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy and Levitt. Inception is a mind-bending psychological/philosophical science fiction movie that questions the perception of reality and dreams.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Wyatt Earp

Starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Michael Madsen, and Mark Harmon

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan

Release Date: June 24, 1994

In 1993 and 1994 two westerns about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday came out, 1993's Tombstone starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer and 1994's Wyatt Earp starring Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid. Now, personally speaking, my favored film between the two is Tombstone. Now, here are my reasons: 1) this film is just boring, and i'm not suring whether to blame the actors, the director/co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, or the editor. Still, for a western about a famous deputy who was involved in one of the most famous shotouts in history it's just so dull. One of my chief complaints is Kevin Costner, who plays Earp so hamfisted and wooden that it becomes that much harder to become interested in his life as a lawman. 2) If you want a more memorable and interesting portrayal of "Doc" John Holliday, it's not in this movie. Val Kilmer's Doc is just so fully developed against the scenery chewing acting that is Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday. In short, this is just a mediocre western that at times is too long to be justfied clocking in at 3 hours.

Rating: * * of 5

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Howl's Moving Castle

Hauru no ugoku shiro (original title)

Starring the voices of Christian Bale, Jean Simmons,Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Release Dates:

Japan-November 20, 2004

USA-June 10, 2005

Love and magic abound in a story about a young girl who was cursed by a witch to transform into an old woman. Jean Simmons and Emily Mortimer are fantastic as Sophie, each playing to the strengths of playing the same character at different ages. Christian Bale is also exemplary as Howl, the mysterious and at times aloof magician Howl, left without a heart and thrown into a war he wants not to be part of.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

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Ponyo

"Gake no ue no Ponyo" - Japan (original title)

Starring the voices of Noah Cyrus,Frankie Jonas, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and Tina Fey

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date:

Japan-July 19, 2008

USA-August 14, 2009

Hayao Miyazaki goes to new lengths with his tenth film: the sea. Usually, Miyazaki shows off his affinity for the skies but in Ponyo his eye is to show the wonder and beauty that the oceans entail, such as in the film's opening sequence. Though not as detailed as Spirited Away or as action-packed as Porco Rosso, Ponyo is more of a whimsical fairy-tale about a little girl/fish who falls in love with a little boy named Sosuke and wants to be human. The film is also very playful, entertaining and heartwarming. This is a film that you'd take your kids to when you're tired of watching Aladdin for the 20th time. The A-list cast is great, particularly Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, and Tina Fey (Sorry, Matt Damon, but your involvement in the story isn't as felt as the others). Finally, i'd like to compliment the main characters and their young voice actors, Frankie Jonas as Sosuke and Noah Cyrus as Ponyo. Jonas gives Jonas a youthful exuberance, being a very responsible young man who loves his family and wants to protect his new friend Ponyo. Cyrus is just wonderful as Ponyo, giving the magical little girl an air of wonder and whimsy, that is cute and entertaining. A great animated film that has an environmental message but never forces its' message to the audience.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

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District 9

Starring Sharlto Copley
Directed by Neil Blomkamp
Release Date: August 14, 2009


Absolutely brilliant, one of the best films this year. A science fiction film that has amazing special effects sequences and a great story with real world issues tied into it. 20 Years ago, a giant space ship appeared over Johannesberg, South Africa and the world was on the edge of its' collective seats. The Questions abound: Where did they come from? Why Johannesberg? Do they come in peace or as an act of war? Soon enough, first contact is made and it turns out our alien visitors are dying and in need of medical assiantance and food. Eventually, a shantytown is established below the hovering starship known as DISTRICT 9; after so many years, the people of Johannesberg have had enough of the "Prawns" and have decided to have the MNU (Multi Nations United) evict the population of District 9 and move them out of the city. This is a very gripping film that puts you into a world where the creppy looking aliens aren't the villians but the governmental leaders looking to take control of their alien technology by any means necessary.

Rating: ***** of 5

Orphan

Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Fermiga, and CCH Pounder

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Release Date:July 24, 2009

Oh my god was this movie bad, and I mean bad. The writers seem to think that using every cliche in Horror movies is equivalent to good storytelling and so you'll see several instances of characters turning around expecting to see someone where no one is there and creepy music falsely leading to what would bea suspenseful scene but again, turns out to be NOTHING. Then again there's the supporting characters, who always seem to doubt the protagonist when bad things happen until it's too late. Then there's the third act reveal, which is so STUPID that several people in the audience burst out laughing for several minutes. This movie had some potential, but squanders it 20 minutes into the film. Bottom line: this is the type of movie you'd go to with several friends and heckle the screen while the characters spout their bad dialogue.

Rating: * of 5

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House of Wax (1953)

Starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronsen

Directed by Andre De Toth

Release Date: April 10, 1953

Forget the more recent remake starring Paris Hilton, the original with Vincent Price has waxy good scares. All Professor Jared (Price) ever watned out of life was to share his wax-sculpture friends with the world. Sadly, his precious figures are destroyed due to Jared's business partner wanting his money back in favor of a wax museum that focuses more on the criminally deranged and famous deaths shown in wax. Soon enough, a mystrious figure begins to stalk New York citizens to fatally recreate Jared's lost figures for a new House of Wax. In terms of mood, this is a great moody horror story because whenever someone is stalked by the mysterious figure in black. Vincent Price is great, as you sympathize with him when he looses his "friends" and even when he obsesses over his devotion to findng the perfect model for his Marie Antionette figure. The problem with the film is the balance between the action in the first act and at the finale. The battle between Jared and Matthew is gripping and exciting, while the final battle in the wax museum is good but not as fantastic A good moody horror movie.

Release: * * * 1/2 of 5 House of Wax

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Predators

Starring Adrien Brody, Michelle Rodriguez, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne

Directed by Nimrod Antal

Release Date: July 9, 2010

Dropped into a foreign jungle, Royce (Adrien Brody) comes across other abducted soldiers/combatants who are stalked by an unknown force (or forces?) until they slowly realize their situation: they are being hunted as prey, and it will take all their skills to survive this fight.

AvP? AvP:Requiem? Never acknowledged in this new entry to the Predator franchise from producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal. In fact, Predators revels in how faithful it can be toward the 1987 predecessor starring Arnold Schwarzenegger: group of rag-tag soldiers, jungle backdrop, and so forth. This is how the franchise should have continued; not with cop-out PG-13 team-up movies but with a progression of the rituals seen in the Predator movies. The casting is great: Adrien Brody makes for a great anti-hero and has great chemistry with Alice Braga. Lawrence Fishburne makes a great small appearance as Nolan, a survivor of the "hunt" whose experiences have warped his sanity (yes, it does bring to mind Marlon Brando's performance as Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now). The other characters, however, I would have preferred to have a little more development with Danny Trejo's character or with the Yakuza assassin (Ozawa Changchien).

Rating: * * * * of 5

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The Invention of Lying

Starring Ricky Gervais, Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louie C.K. and Tina Fey

Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson

Release Date: October 02, 2009

What if you could never lie? How would the interactions between you and the people you know and care about differ? this is the setup of THE INVENTION OF LYING, written and co-directed by Ricky Gervais. The set up for the movie is quite interesting, and the characters within this alternate universe are quite hilarious, but how does the film set as a comedy? The jokes are quite humorous, as there are many chuckleworthy moments where the characters literally speak their minds, but nothing truly memorable or sidesplitting. The casting is either hit or miss, depending on how you enjoy the actors who portray their characters. louis c.k. and jonah hill are good "sidekick" characters to Gervais' loveable loser, but I found tina Fey a tad aggrivating at times and Jennifer Gardner could have been better. still, this is a good comedy with great humor within its' dialogue and character interactions.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

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Role Models

Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jane Lynch

Directed by David Wain

Release Date: November 7, 2008
Director David Wain, whose past credits include the comedy duo STELLA and WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, aims his satyrical eye at Big Brother Organizations with Role Models. Riding the wave of Judd Apatow's improv comedies the jokes here are obviously cutting and pasting different jokes to reaction shots and repeating the cycle; it's a cycle, but a funny cycle. The leads are funny, especially the dynamic between William Scott and Rudd, and the two kids are hilarious; Mintz-Plasse milks his awkward teenage character into a hilarious plastic-swinging dork. And on that note, let's discuss the activity involved in this movie, Live Action Role Playing or LARPing. It's actually interesting to see this sub-culture presented on film, especially seeing how awesome/hilarious the battle scenes could be. Overall, an enjoyable comedy.

Rating: * * * * of 5

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Starring Kristin Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner

Directed by Chris Weitz

Release Date:November 20, 2009

The Twilight Saga returns, and it's not that "epic": at best this is a 2 1/2 hour movie about a girl reeling over her first break-up. First, I think that for the majority of the movie, Bella is a very selfish, spoiled character who uses Jacob as a rebound after Edward leaves her when he fears for Bella's safety. As in the previous film, the dialogue for me is very heavy-handed and corny so sometimes it will drive the plot forward, or they'll be a character who complains about zombie movies having analogues (I forget the character's name but it's Bella's blonde friend). On the good aspects of the film, I enjoyed the character of Jacob being more involved with the saga of Bella Swan and his evolution into a werewolf. The dialogue is corny at times, the action could have been better, but it's still a good film that suffers from 'second film" syndrome in a series: it only serves a purpose as a bridge to the next film.

Rating: * * 1/2 of 5

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Overnight

Starring Troy Duffy, Harvey Weinstein, Mark Wahlberg, and Billy Connolly

Directed by Tony Montana

Release Date: November 10, 2004

"you do deserve [the money] but you're not gonna get it"-Troy Duffy, writer/director of The Boondock Saints, talking to friend/co-manager of Duffy's band.

My parents always told me, never burn any bridges when dealing with people. Someone should have watched Troy Duffy like a hawk and kept him from letting loose his venomous tounge and destroying his chances in Hollywood, but the relationships of family and friends. "Overnight" is like watching a spectacular car crash: you don't want to look at the carnage, but you can't seem to keep your eyes away. This fascinating documentary should be shown to all up and coming filmmakers who feel just as cocky as Duffy, but should be aware of how much an inflated ego can truly hurt.

Rating: **** of 5

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Spirited Away

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (original title)

Starring the voices of Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, Jason Marsden, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date September 20, 2001


Another gem from Miyazaki. This is the story of Chihiro, a little girl who journeys into the spirit world and must make great personal leaps and bounds to return her and her parents back to the mortal world. Chihiro must work for Ubaba, a powerful sorceress whose bathhouse is made to appease the spirit world who also cursed chihiro's parents into transforming into pigs if she ever wants to return home. This may be Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, the one film where if people ask "what's his life's work summed up in one film?", this is it. The animation is absolutely surperb, with astounding details in the background animation and layering the story with so many interesting background characters (such as the Radish spirit or the many unnamed bathhouse workers). A beautiful film about a young girl's journey toward growing into adulthood and a deeply passionate animated film that Miyazaki fans (or Pixar's John Lasseter as the US translator) will absolutely cherish.

Rating: * * * * * of 5

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Zombieland

Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenburg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

Release Date: Oct 02, 2009

Zombies have taken over the world and it's up to Tallahassee (Woody Harelson) to find the last box of Twinkies. zombie films can rarely combine comedy and horror (except for the sheer brilliance of 2004's Shaun of the Dead), but Zombieland does it extremely well. The jokes are very well done, the interactions between the charcters is playing against the sterotypes found in survival horror films, and the setup of the story is interesting and very quick to follow. speaking of the story, it's certainly not the best, but i found the journey of the characters more entertaining than thinking about how the story was going to wrap up. A fun, gory mess with zombies.

Rating: * * * * of 5

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Where The Wild Things Are

Starring Max Records,Catherine Keener,James Gandolfini,Paul Dano,Catherine O'Hara,Forest Whitaker,Michael Berry Jr.,Chris Cooper,Lauren Ambrose,Pepita Emmerichs,Max Pfeifer,Steve Mouzakis,Mark Ruffalo,Joshua Jay Santiago,Ryan Corr, Vincent Crowley,Sonny Gerasimowicz,Nick Farnell,Sam Longley,Angus Sampson,Mark McCracken,John Leary,Alice Parkinson,and Garon Michael

Directed by Spike Jonze

Release Date: October 16, 2009

Let the wild rumpus start! Director Spike Jonze brings the classic children's story to life, where rebellious Max (Max Records) runs away from home to become king to a group of "Wild things". While this film doens't have a standard plot line, it is an interesting character study about children and brings up feelings in adults about what it was like in their youth to feel so helpless or misunderstood by their families. For example, early in the film Max is buried under the remains of a homemade igloo by his older sister's friends: when his sister doesn't try to soothe Max's hurt feelings, he goes on a rampage in her bedroom by stomping wet snow into her carpet and smashing a gift he had made for her. After an altercation with his mother (Catherine Keener), Max journeys to an island with gigantic monsters, voiced by such talented actors such as James Gandolfini (Carol), Forest Whitaker (Ira) and Lauren Ambrose (K.W.). My fullest compliments go to the Jim Henson Company for the detailed and beautiful work on the Wild things.

Rating: * * * * of 5

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Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Starring the voices of Kevin Conroy, Tim Sale, and Clancy Brown

Directed by Sam Liu

Release Date: September 29, 2009

It's DC's two most popular superheroes brought together to save the world from an impending crisis.Based on Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness's storyline "Public enemies", the movie is a more streamlined and more action oriented story. Gone is the duel narrations of Superman/Batman, the appearance of a Kingdom Come-era Superman and a revelation towards the murderer of Bruce Wayne's parents. Instead, we are treated to a fast-paced, no time for plot/character development story about stopping a Kryptonite meteor and President (?) Lex Luthor. Okay, so I didn't enjoy the storyline, but there are some redeeming aspects of this film: first, the animation is based off the artwork of Ed McGuiness, and it looks amazing, particularly Batman and Power Girl. Also, the interactions between Batman and Superman are as strong as they were during the crossover episodes of Batman/Superman in the 90's. last, Andrea Romano's voice casting is as strong as ever. not the worst DC animated movie, but it won't top JL: The New frontier or Wonder Woman.

Rating: * * * of 5

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An American Werewolf in London

Starring David Naughton,Jenny Agutter,Griffin Dunne,John Woodvine,Brian Glover, David Schofield,Lila Kaye,Paul Kernber,Don McKillop,Frank Oz,Joe Belcher,Sydney Bromley,Michael Carter,Christine Hargreaves,Paula Jacobs,Rik Mayall,Albert Moses, Paddy Ryan,Frank Singuineau,Gordon Sterne ,Mark Fisher,Linzi Drew,Roger Rowland,John Salthouse,Alan Ford,George Hilsdon, and Elizabeth Bradley

Directed by John Landis

Release Date: August 21, 1981

Two American tourists tour the English countryside when they are attacked by a large creature: Jack dies, and for David a worse fate. Directed by noted comedy legend John Landis, An American Werewolf in London became a landmark for its' groundbreaking work in Make-up, special effects and combining the horrorific with comedic moments dispersed. One of my favorite moments happens when Jack, becoming more and more decayed and corpse-looking as the film progresses, talks to David about his night activiites and gets an earful from the people he killed the previous night: its creepy and humorous. The soundtrack filled with "Moon" puns, you'll either buy into it or you won't. An enjoyable horror movie with some bite to it.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy American Werewolf in London Special Edition An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

Starring Vincent Price,Joseph Cotten,Virginia North,Terry-Thomas,Hugh Griffith,Peter Jeffrey,Dallas Adams,Edward Burnham,Sean Bury,Peter Gilmore,Derek Godfrey,James Grout,Thomas Heathcote,David Hutcheson,Norman Jones,Maurice Kaufmann,Barbara Keogh, John Laurie,Ian Marter,Caroline Munro,Alex Scott,Susan Travers,Alister Williamson , Aubrey Woods,Julian Grant,Walter Horsbrugh,John Cater,John Franklyn, and Charles Farrell

Directed by: Robert Fuest

Release Date: May 18, 1971

A creepy and goofy horror movie from the 1970s.Years after the death of his wife, the distraut and slightly psychotic Doctor Phibes is out for revenge against those who failed to save his wife after a fatal car wreck. Set up with a moody atmosphere, death traps crafted after the ten plagues of Egypt, and for some reason, a wind-up orchestra, the Abominable Dr.Phibes is a strange concoction of tounge in cheek humor with gory death scenes. If you're looking for a different horror film or just a fan of Vincent Price, you'll enjoy the Abominable Dr. Phibes.

Rating: * * * * of 5

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The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day

Starring Sean Patrick Flanery,Norman Reedus,Billy Connolly,Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz,Peter Fonda, Judd Nelson, David Della Rocco, Bob Marley,Brian Mahoney, and David Ferry

Directed by Troy Duffy

Release Date: October 30, 2009
After ten long years, The Saints are back! When you thought you'd never get the opportunity to see what would be after the credits ran on the 1999 cult classic, director/screenwriter Troy Duffy brings back the McManus brothers and their vendetta against the mobsters of Boston. By now, you've probably seen numerous negative reviews bashing BDSII, saying that it's "stale, cliched, one-dimensional" and so forth: Well, rejoyce my Boondock fanatics, as those complaints never came across my mind while I enjoyed a sequel that revels in over-the-top action, raunchy humor, and scheming villains just as much as the first film. And, as this film becomes a love letter to the fans, you'll find numerous references to the first film, such as Connor's devotion to bringing rope on a job or getting to see long dead Rocco (David Della Rocco) as the Brothers' guiding spirit from beyond the grave. If you're a fan of the first film, Equilibrium, or Hard-Boiled, you'll get a kick out of The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]

Street Kings

Starring Keanu Reeves,Forest Whitaker,Hugh Laurie,Chris Evans,Cedric the Entertainer,Jay Mohr,Terry Crews,Naomie Harris,Commo,The Game,Martha Higareda,John Corbett and Amaury Nolasco

Directed by David Ayer

Release Date: April 3, 2008

From the screenwriter of L.A. Confidential, comes a movie that tries too hard to be L.A. Confidential and FAILS. I shouldn't be so harsh on this movie but it's just so dull; for almost 90 minutes nothing happens and soon you'll be begging to see anything but Keanu Reeves' racist character or Jay Mohr's mugging for the camera. Thankfully, there is a small beacon of light: Hugh Laurie's character is entertaining and interesting enough that you'll be clamouring for him to return in focus to the action, but to no avail. This isn't a terrible movie, but a terribly forgettable one.

Rating: * * of 5

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One Piece The Movie: Episode of Arabasta - The Desert Princess and the Pirates

One Piece: Episode of Alabaster - Sabaku no Ojou to Kaizoku Tachi (original title)

Starring the voices of Akemi Okamura,Hiroaki Hirata,Kappei Yamaguchi,Kazuki Yao, Mayumi Tanaka,Misa Watanabe,Ikue Ootani,Ikue Ohtani

Directed by: Takahiro Imamura

Release Date: Mar 03, 2007

Summarizing episodes 93- 130, Adventure in Alabasta is an enjoyable One Piece movie if a bit too choppy at times and not as satisfying an epic as those episodes were. For one thing, you'd have to know how Vivi and Carue got on to the Going Merry in the first place, which the movie just assumes you'd already know. For another, the movie never fully explains the organization of Baroque Works or how all the top villains come to acknowledge how someone like Crocodle could be a governmnent sanctioned pirate and still be the shadowy boss "MR.0" of Baroque Works. On the other hand, the movie does do an exemplary job of hitting most of the high points of the Straw Hat pirates' adventures in Alabasta, but don't expect to see Luffy's brother Ace, the Sand Pirates, or Igaram. One Piece: The Desert Princess an the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta is commendable film for the One Piece fans, but for those who know the Alabasta arc like the back of their hands, they'll be disappointed.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy One Piece - The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta (Movie No. 8) One Piece: The Princess and the Pirates - Adventures in Alabasta Movie #8 [Blu-ray]

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams

Directed by Guy Richie

Release Date December 25, 2009

Absolutely a sheer delight. This film takes what one knows about Sherlock Holmes and expounds upon his personality: Here, Holmes is an obsessive-compulsive strategist/inventor/amateur bare knuckle boxer who needs the thrill of a mystery to keep his mind occupied lest he go mad in solitude. Also, the budding relationship between Holmes and Watson is fun, playful, and a thrill to watch, almost as if in another life these two sleuths could have been a vaudeville act. Go out and see this captivating mystery thriller. Also, if you're looking for another take on the Holmes series, look for Without a Clue starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

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One Piece Movie: Great Gold Pirate

One piece the movie: Kaisokuou ni ore wa naru (original title)

Starring the voices of Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kazuya Nakai

Directed by Atsuji Shimizu

Release Date: Mar 04, 2000

There was once a pirate known as Woonan, who stole from evil men and hid all his treasures on a hidden island. Now, long after the Great Gold Pirate has disappeared, two pirate crews are after the treasure: the Straw Hat Pirates aboard the Going Merry and the villainous gold obsessed pirate, El Drago. Fitting into the series after picking up the lying marksman Usopp and before heading to the Sea Going restaurant Baraite, The Great Gold Pirate is a great addition to the One Piece cannon but one that won't feel like viewers will need to know all the back story or wonder where the story will fit into the show in the future. Instead, you'll enjoy an hour long adventure with Monkey D. Luffy searching for treasure and having a few laughs. The only complaint I have is the animation, I felt that it was too darkly shaded than on the TV series. A good movie that captures the energetic spirit of the show.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Star Wars: Holiday Special

Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harvey Korman, Peter Mayhew and James Earl Jones
Directed by: Steve Binder
Release Date: Nov 17, 1978

You think you're prepared for how atrocious this 'special' is: you'd be wrong. The major problem with this addition to the Star Wars mythos is that it's BORING: almost nothing happens for two hours. It's supposed to be a variety show, but the comedy falls flat and all the action sequences are stock footage from the movies. Even the infamous cartoon which introduces Boba Fett falls flat in the end. Why did anyone think that a plot about Chewbacca's family be good? Did anyone think there should be a 40 minute sequence of Wookie screeching without knowing what the hell they're all yelling about. So now you must be wondering, "It's got the cast. How do they do?" Well, you get to see Han, Luke, and Leia enter and exit on camera, just long enough to collect a paycheck. Don't see this movie, I implore you. No one needs to see this movie, to wipe your brain in alcohol is not enough.

Rating: 1/2 of 5

Daybreakers

Starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neil

Directed by Peter and Michael Spierig

Release Date: January 8, 2010

Interesting premise, bad acting/CGI blood and lack of plot. If you're a diehard VAMPIRE fantatic, you may be the only person who'll fully enjoy this mostly boring, unintentionally hilarious movie. Everyone else, you can skip this movie. Finally, there are Vampire Monkeys. That's right: Vampire...Monkeys.

Rating: * * of 5

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Knight and Day

Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Paul Dano

Directed by James Mangold

Release Date: June 23, 2010

An entertaining action-comedy with great performances and hilarious combination of comedy and stellar stunt sequences. Imagine a James Bond movie where instead of following Bond, it's the Bond girl's point of view.

Rating: * * * * of 5

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