Atonement

The acting in this film is everything you have heard and more, the scenery and cinematography were amazing. You truly feel like you are in 1930's England ( or what I would imagine it to be anyway ), and the base storyline to this film is really very good. All that said to be honest I really didn't love this film. The film is 130 minutes long and feels like so much more, the dialog is written in such a way that out of everyone there is only one character that I cared about. I'm not sure if it was direction, or editing, or just that it was possibly a really good book that didn't transfer over to film well. I looked at the time twice while watching this film, waiting to leave but not willing to because I paid for it. I am giving this film a B-. I so wanted to give this a higher grade with the wonderful acting, and all but I just can't. If you see this film I would love to know your thoughts on this.

http://www.atonementthemovie.co.uk/site/site.html English site

http://movies.universal-pictures-international-germany.de/abbitte/site/site.html German site

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783233/ IMDB

27 Dresses

Predictable chick flick. After the first 10 minutes I was always ahead of the film knowing what was coming. While I was watching it I also heard the elderly women in front of me, and the teenagers to the right of me mention things that changed during the scenes that weren't suppose to. Yes one of my biggest pet peeves and the ones in this were bad enough that most people looking at the screen could see them. It just comes down to there was nothing new in this movie. What can I say but it's all been done before. The acting in this film is really good though, and the songs are great. This is movie I doubt I'll watch again unless I have it in the background as I clean house. I give this film a B-.

http://www.27dressesthemovie.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988595/

Beyond the Sea

Soundtrack was really good, and the over all acting was pretty good too. However during the first half it might have been nice to have more story and a little less singing. I was expecting some songs as it is a film about Bobby Darin however the first part of this film was really more of a musical with the amount singing and dancing. As much as I love Kevin Spacey it felt more like his singing and dancing film more then it did a biographical film about Bobby Darin. . I give this film a C+.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363473/ imdb

Charlie Wilson's War

If you are a person that is interested in political films this should definitely be on your to see list. The writing is smart, occasionally witty, and except for a small part near the middle keeps at a constant pace. Tom Hanks acting in this is pretty much par for the course however the loss of the Texan accent in the middle of sentences did bother me some. I think this was the best acting from Julia Roberts since Erin Brockovich. Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman were outstanding supporting actors that deserve every bit of acclaim people have been talking about. There are some scenes with children missing limbs, and talking about the killing that was going on in front of them. Some of the battle scenes in this film are also quite gruesome and should not be viewed by young children. Over all I would give this film an B+. I would grade it higher but with the small drag of storyline in the middle and the loss of the accent through out the movie I really can't.
I'll say right now that this is a film that for many will have them talking about the politics behind it, and while I am a person that is always up for a good political discussion that is not what this page is about so I will not be talking government politics here.

http://www.charliewilsonswar.net/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/

Enchanted

So here we have the classic fish out of water story with a completely different twist. Cinderella meets New York city. Honestly when said like that it sounds like a disaster, however what you really have here is one of the best family films of the year. This is a film that has the fun of the Disney animation, the charm of the old fashion live action Disney films, with a nice big pinch of New York city. Now I do have two small gripes about this film, although very minor. First would have to be the little singing thing Giselle does to call all different kinds of animals to her aide, there was just something annoying about it. I've talked with a few others on this some like it others hate it. It only happens 3 or 4 times through out the movie so it's not too big of a deal. Second is about half way though the movie you know how it's going to end. You don't know how you are going to get there but it is obvious how it will be in the end. I give this film a solid A, and because of the last 30 min I also suggest seeing it in the theatre, it is well worth it.

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/enchanted/ US site

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461770/ IMDB

http://www.disney.fr/FilmsDisney/iletaitunefois/ French site

No Country for Old Men

This film is interesting and different but doesn't really have a new story line. We have drug money found by a sort of good guy, drug runners looking for the money, and a bad cop with absolutely no problem killing someone just because also looking for the money. What sets this apart from other movies that had the same basic storyline would have to be the characters. I don't know how to describe it other then the characters in this somehow feel less extreme then characters in many movies. If you have a weak stomach this is not the film for you. Although there isn't extra blood and guts you do see things like bodies days after a gun fight, and an injured person giving them selves stitches. I give this film a B. I would give it a higher grade but the storyline has been used many times it would have been nice to see something a little fresher with these kinds of characters.

http://www.nocountryforoldmen.com/

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Heart warming tale of a magical toy store and what your belief in things can do. There were a lot of sappy overly sweet moments that almost made you feel like there should have been a warning for diabetics on the movie poster, still for some reason I have to say I liked this movie. The acting, editing, and over all storyline of this film is well done. The primary actors in this film are Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, and Zach Mills a boy I'm sure we will see more of if he chooses to go in to the acting world as an adult. I give this film a B. It's a good family film that wont bore the parents and isn't too much for the children.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457419/ link off of IMDB currently isn't working but will more then likely be working later I was on there earlier.

http://www.rtl.de/film/specials/mr_magorium/ (german website for this film )

Remakes

A few weeks ago I was talking with a good friend of mine that I often see movies with and the subject of Will Smith's new movie ( I Am Legend ) came up. I had said that I wasn't sure I wanted to pay to see a Will Smith movie at the moment because of the talk that he was wanting to remake Karate Kid. I just felt that in a round about way paying to see a movie he is staring in is a way supporting him. Now it does look like the Karate Kid remake isn't going to happen ( thank goodness ) I'm still like in some ways I don't want to help support someone that would want to remake a film that was perfect the first time. I understand that many people feel that I may be overreacting to this situation however it did start a whole other line of thinking about remakes. So now that you know what spurred on this topic that I am going to be writing more about you can give a comment or two.
In the past few years there have been quite a lot of remakes. My question is why? After talking to people about it I have heard many different answers to this. One friend seems to think the film industry is just plain out of ideas and is now taking from old movies, everything has been done. Another person said if it worked once it has to work a second time with better technology. There is also a popular response of "this generation must be introduced to the ideas of the original movies but in a way they will understand it". Is this true? Would today's generation not understand Hitchcock's Psycho, and that is why a new one had to be made? How about Yours Mine and Ours, or Footloose ( currently being remade )? There are few remakes that are as good as the first and I can't think of one that is better then the original.
So what is your opinion on this? I would love to hear some feedback on this.

Dan in Real Life

I saw this on Monday and I'm still having problems writing this review. I guess I'll start off with saying this was a really well acted film, interesting storyline, and will at times really make you laugh. First problem I am not a fan of film that like to have a lot of those really ultra sweet moments. Few times is fine because you will find those in life, but in this film it seem to happen every few minutes. Second problem with what the trailers had portrayed it seemed to be about a single dad ( Dan/ Steve Carell ) raising 3 girls, and while that is a part of the story it is not the focus of the movie. The film is really about Dan meeting a woman ( Marie / Juiette Binoche ) and falling in love with her soon after. Problem is they can't be together because she is already with someone else. I can't really go in to the story more then that as it will ruin it if you choose to see this. Third and tiny little gripe I have is not all of the things that were in the previews are actually in the movie. I know it's a little thing but it still bothers me. I do love the fact that Dan is suppose to be a advice columnist for parents and does seem to have some basic problems in this area of his own though. So I'm giving this film a B-.
If you see it I would love to know what you think.

http://daninreallife.movies.go.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480242/

The Private Eyes

I love this film. It has a kind of comedy and fun that the whole family can watch, and other then one small part that might scare only the extremely young it is a good little mystery. The key to enjoying films like this is to just love it for the screwball, zaniness. Then there is the also a special feature of Tim Conway doing commentary with the producer of the film, well worth hearing if you have the time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081376/

But I'm a Cheerleader

I loved this film. It is about a girl named Megan who is sent to a sexual redirection school because her parents, friends, and boyfriend think she is a lesbian. I'm not going to say if she is or not I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I will say this film has many layers to it. There is the obvious comedy they make of the whole thing, the not so obvious things with cardboard cut outs in their little make shift forest, and then sometimes even the dialog. Definitely a film worth seeing if you can. I give this film an A+.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179116/

Coyote Ugly

This is a movie I had wanted to see for a while but kept putting it off thinking "eh it will be OK nothing spacial" I have to say however this is a energetic fun film with a great soundtrack, and a good storyline. This film does get a little taken off for continuity errors (which I don't take much off because I know many people don't notice things like that), and amount of alcohol that is spilled by the so called bartenders would cost anyone their job no matter how much the other drinks are so that got on my nerves a little. This film gets an A- from me.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200550/

The Squid and the Whale

This film has varying levels of oddness, with true moments of brilliance, and lines that I will be quoting the rest of my life. However over all at the end of the movie I was left feeling as though it didn't really finish, and it was kind of flat. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney are parents that separate on pretty bad terms and the effect that is has on their children is quite extreme. Yet you kind of feel like there was something kind of off base with the children to start with anyway so the separation just added to it. Both kids (Jesse Eisenberg, and Owen Kline) in this film pull off really amazing acting jobs and I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more of both of them in films to come. William Baldwin also has a small but important role in this film. Baldwin's acting isn't wowing and I've definitely seen him do better but he didn't kill the film either. Over all I would have to give this film a B-. You can really wait til they show it on HBO or something like that. I don't think I would watch it on regular TV though they might cut out one or two important things to know.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367089/

http://www.squidandthewhalemovie.com/

Prick Up Your Ears

Gary Oldman, and Alfred Molina are lovers in London during the late 1960's. Oldman plays a play write Joe Orton that is very Promiscuous and lies a lot. While his lover Kenneth Halliwell (played by Molina) has emotional problems trying to deal with the fact that he is not as good of a writer as his partner. The love scenes are not really explicit however the kissing is believable (which is something I liked because I hate to see what looks like fake kissing). So anyone that feels they would have a problem with a same sex love scene rest assured you should still do OK with this film. About 45 min in this film it drags for a bit, but over all this is a likable film. I give this film a B+.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093776/

Rory O'Shea Was Here aka Inside I'm Dancing

Hard film to describe but really amazing. Rory O'Shea is a young man with MS that can only move his head and I believe it was 2 fingers on his right hand. Rory has an amazing spirit and sense of wanting to be treated just like an average guy. Rory befriends another guy (Michael) at a home that other people can't really understand too well. Before Rory comes to the home Michael spends day after day sitting in his chair, and having other people make all his choice's. Rory teaches Michael to be independent and outspoken. The acting from James McAvoy (the actor the plays Rory) is so amazing in this that when he won the BAFTA for best newcomer in acting my friend and I were amazed that he could walk. I will tell you however this film will take you on a rather large emotional roller coaster. Leave the tissue behind and grab a towel. You will have many tears of laughter and sadness from this one. This film as you can more then likely tell is getting an A+

http://www.roryosheawasheremovie.com/

http://www.insideimdancing.co.uk/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417791/

Imagine Me & You

This is a very cute film about self discovery, and knowing that it is never to late to get that. I love the idea about this film of the love at first sight. I like that it is not only something that apparently happened in the film but something they discuss if it is even possible. I also like that although it is about two women falling in love there is a lot of focus on love it self, I'm not saying there isn't discussion about one of women even figuring out that she might be or not, there is some of that, I just mean I like there is more focus on being with the one you love weather or not they are the same sex as you. The scenes with the little girl in this are also amazing; actually those scenes have some of my favorite lines of the whole film. I give this film a B+. I would give it a higher grade but I can see where it wouldn't appeal to everyone and it did have one or two small continuity errors. It is a very cute film that I recommend watching though.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/imaginemeandyou/

http://www.paramountpictures.co.uk/imaginemeandyou/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421994/

Mrs. Henderson Presents

I really liked this film. The acting is great, storyline touching, and the music was great. Now I will be honest about in the middle there was a little bit of kind of a time displacement. You know time has passed you just really have no idea if is anything from a month to years because they don't really do anything to indicate that. I thought it would have had a little better of a flow had we of known how it was going. So all though I gave this 5 stars I rounded up from 4 1/2. The relationship with Dench and Hoskins is truly fantastic, and one that I'm sure will be remembered down the years. I give this film an A-.

http://www.mrshendersonthemovie.com/

http://www.mrshendersonpresentsmovie.co.uk/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413015/

Private Resort

Johnny Depp, Rob Morrow both very young and you can tell this is one of their first real acting ventures. This film being made in 1985 had that definite 80's feel all over it. For the most part I really liked it too. It had that light hearted, fun atmosphere that most of the 80's films had. However it also copied a big thing that was happening at that time in films that got a little tiring, the really unrealistic love screen montage, and the unrealistic caper of the story it self. It's cute every now and then, but for some reason most romantic comedies from the 80's end up having that, and it's kind of old. That is really the only thing that marks this film down for me. I give this film a B

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089839/

Hunchback of Notre Dame

I loved it. I just loved it. Everything from the subtle joke about the old guy getting freed during a parade to the things that are really obvious about humanity. I know you can say most films like this are about love but this one truly is. Not just about loving someone else for who they are, but loving your self for who you are as well. The music in this is also a lot of fun. I think this is a film great for the whole family to watch together and nobody will be bored. I give this film an A+.

http://disneyvideos.disney.go.com/moviefinder/products/2331503.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116583/

Brick

This is a young, bizarre, and new kind of film noir. You could say it has to do with a teenager trying to find out how an old girl friend of his died after a strange phone call. Personally I think it is about that and so much more. It is about looking at the same thing from many different perspectives, and simple words are not what they might be otherwise unless you know the alternate meanings. This stars Joseph Gordon Levitt which most people will recognize from 3rd Rock from the Sun, but he is a wonderful actor far beyond what he was allowed to do on the show, and stars Lukas Haas as a very different bad guy. I give this film an A.

http://www.brickmovie.net/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393109/