Reviews

Mickey Rourke returns to the big screen in Darren Aronofsky's brilliant character study, The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke gained about 35 pounds of muscle to play Randy 'The Ram' Robinson and looks the part of an old beaten down wrestler. Aronofsky creates a cold atmosphere that leaves the audience feeling as old and depressed as Rourke's character. The Wrestler doesn't have the look or feel of any previous Aronofsky film, it is mainly hand-held and has a gritty look to it that gives it a documentary feel. This film sucked me in. I really felt for the main character. I felt his pain and anger throughout the film. I felt his desperation. When a film has you reflecting the emotions expressed on the screen then it has accomplished something. I also appreciated that the story focused on two professions that are frowned upon in society, that being professional wrestling and stripping. Both professions are linked in the film and has the audience realize how similar they are. We also see the hardship of carrying out such a profession. I really enjoyed this film and had the pleasure of meeting the director after the showing. I was most impressed with him and can't wait till this film gets released.

There was no doubt in my mind that Grindhouse would be awesome. Two great directors making back to back movies. All films paying homage to the old grindhouse films the two filmmakers grew up on. I have just returned from the advanced showing of the picture and will have to say I am completely satisfied with this great film, or should I say films. The audience was cracking up and cheering and it made the entire experience more memorable. This is the kind of film where I will always remember the first time I saw it. Rodriguez seems to have the most fun with his film Planet Terror. The film is Rodriguez's dream project that he has wanted to make since he was a teenager. Quintin seems to take his a little more serious, but delivers an original story with one of the most satisfying endings. 10/10 is the rating I give this film. I recommend this movies to anyone who is a lover of films.

This movie went far past my expectations. My aunt brought this movie to our Christmas dinner. She bought it at some garage sale for $1. It was a great investment! My whole family loved it. You know a movie was well made when it can still entertain after 35 years. My younger cousins weren't too happy about watching it at first, and everyone was making fun of it in the beginning. But about 10 minutes into the film, everyone shut their mouths and got totally hooked to the screen. By the time the movie was over, everyone was singing "Thank you very much ... thank you very much ... that's the nicest thing that anyones ever done for me!" Everyone loved it and couldn't get the songs out of their head. Great direction by Ronald Neame, who also directed The Poseidon Adventure. Great performance by Albert Finney, a very convincing Scrooge. Great effects for a movie made in 1970. Memorable music. I absolutely loved this movie!

Let me just start by saying that Stanley Kubrick is my all time favorite director. He is the Michael Jordan of films. Clockwork Orange is by far one of his finest films. If you are a fan of the book, you will be very happy with SK's interpretation of it. It is hard to say why a person would like a film like this. Most people would tend to not like a person like Alex, but for some reason, people like seeing violence on the big screen. A movie like this takes you to a darker side that everyone has thought about going to. The movie is explained in the title. Clockwork Orange. Clockwork is mechanical, an orange is organic. The words are opposite of each other. The first half of the movie is the complete opposite of the last half. Alex inflicts pain on society in the beginning, and in the end, the role of Alex completely switches in the opposite direction. It is a great story that asks the question, "If man has good imposed upon him, does he cease to be a man?". I give this movie my highest rating of 10/10. This is the movie that every film buff must see!

I personally love this movie. If you don't enjoy non-professional looking shots or don't personally like annoying guys who don't know how to hold a knife when cutting a steak, then this movie is not for you. I don't usually like people like Brian Herzlinger, but I enjoyed watching him get his date with Drew. The only mistake they made was in advertising. When I saw this movie at blockbuster, I ignored it because of the cover. It looks like some chick-flick when you first glance at it. I would have never suspected it was a documentary. But when my aunt mentioned the movie and the great premise, I rented it right away. I loved how the movie was put together. The only thing that can get a little annoying is when he gets sad in front of the camera and pouts about his dream being crushed. But other than him crying like a little b!tch, it was a overall great movie.

I am a huge Gilliam fan, but when I saw this film, I saw nothing special in it. Gilliam has admitted that the only reason he did this project was to make some money so he can make his next film. This movie has no love put into it. When the director has no love put into the film, you can see it effect the actors and the rest of the crew. Laughs were minimal. There was hardly a chuckle from the audience. Scenes were shot that seemed unnecessary. Horrible French accents. This movie misses on so many levels it gets hard to remember every single flaw. If you are a Gilliam fan, do not waist your time with this movie. The film has no Gilliam in it!

A great no-budget short about the last day of a suicidal student. Josh Caldwell is a young writer/director who is sure to impress anyone who stumbles upon his work. Josh seems to have film-making in his blood. Caldwell made a film that was all about the visual experience. When there is talking in the film, it is brief, but very well done. The only thing I didn't like about this film is how it copies American Beauty with the opening scene, final scene, and the music. It makes the movie feel unoriginal. But overall, it is a great piece that is sure to impress anyone who stumbles upon it and realizes that a filmmaker, still in high school, made this film.

Spider-man 2 is arguably the greatest superhero movie as of now. What really impressed me is how they can continue telling a good story into the second installment of the Spidey trilogy. This is very rare because sequels of movies like these tend to fail in telling a good story. This movie has some of the greatest CGI effects I've ever seen. Very impressive choreography and Sam Raimi's wimsical camera movements make every fight scene both enthralling and convincing. I can not tell you how many times CGI lets me down in action films. If CGI is crappy in a film, it ruins the whole illusion and you don't take the film seriously. Let me just tell you right now, SM 2 does not do this. Great story and character development. Great acting by Grace and Dunst. Supperb directing by a Raimi. Spider-man 2 is sure to please almost any audience. 8/10 stars.