The highly anticipated Batman: The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart hit theathers early this morning and with no surprise there was a large crowd waiting to see the newest character in this series. Unfortunately, the film left me wanting more, I left the theather with more questions and loose ends. I hate to say it, but I wasn’t blown away.

The story is about Bruce Wayne a successful business man by day and a masked hero by night; Batman teams  up (sort of) with Harvey Dent (Eckhart) to clean up the city of Gotham, but the Joker a psychopathic criminal has other ideas. Throughout the film Batman struggles with his image and identity as a hero as several friends both personal and on the police force start dying curtsy of the Joker. By the end of the film Harvey Dent has turned into Two Face and is seeking revenge and Batman speeds away to continue to fight crime. I don’t want to give the whole story away so when you do see the movie you won’t know what’s coming.

Some of the problem I had with this film was the length of the film, The movie was over two hours and could have easily had a good 15 minutes taken out to answer some of the questions that remained once the film came to an end. Another issue is Scarecrow he’s in the film for five seconds and no time is spent on him at all the audience isn’t evan sure if it’s an impostor or not. Another problem was Maggie Gyllehhaal playing the character of Rachael. I felt that anyone could have played this role and it would have been any different. As I’ve mentioned before there were loose ends with the Joker and finally, there was no set up for a sequel which is in the work.

Even though I may have left the theater slightly disappointed I do feel that the film is worth the time and money. There are some truly great depth shots and great explosions and the makeup for both the Joker and Two Face was fantastic much better than the character from the 90s. The new and improved Batman suit is very cool as well.

Starring Will Smith as Hancock, Jason Bateman as Ray Embrey,  and Mary Ray’s wife played by Charlise Theron.  Hancock is the story of a one of a kind superhero who leads a less than clean lifestyle know for saving the day in a destructive manner. Hancock goes to prison based on the recommendation of his PR representative Ray Embrey after the crime rate goes threw the roof Hancock is called to save the day and is now a new man. The minute Hancock gets out of prison he has to take care of a bank robbery where the audience meets the main bad guy of the movie. At this point the movie seems to be a classic superhero movie where the good guy has found the right path and has to defeat the bad guy, but in this story their is a slight twist Hancock isn’t the only one of his kind. This is when the movie turned slightly sour for me for Mary is connected to Hancock; at first the audience is lead to believe that the two are brother and sister which is plain ridiculous evan for a movie. Finally,  the audience learns that the two are former lovers. The audience also learns that when the two are near one another that they are more susceptible to injury.

One small theme that I notice that I thought was a nice choice to go with was the symbol of the bold eagle an American symbol this tied nicely with the name of the main character John Hancock. Another theme that become more annoying as the movie went on was the different ways people would try to provoke Hancock and Mary what no one can just chicken anymore. I was also surprised by the music most of the music was older some songs were only a few years old while others were as much as 20 including “Colors” by Ice Tea.

I enjoyed this film despite some ideas here and there the comic relief moments were great and what happens to the bad guy in the end was perfect. I would recommend seeing this movie, but I do not feel this film is appropriate for kids under 13 as the film is rated PG-13.

In this fun goofy comedy Ryan Reynold’s character Van Wilder is the big man on campus who is putting off graduating college after being there for seven years. Wilder’s dad decides that he’s no longer going to pay for his son’s tuition. The school’s newspaper decides to write a human interest piece on Wilder when he realizes that he needs to graduate and start the next chapter in his life after a party goes aerie. This film is 90 minutes of fun jokes and crazy hijinks, it’s not the kind of movie that makes you think, but the kind that lets you escape from life if only for a little bit or to remind you of the crazy time that is college.

I enjoyed this movie and it definitely launched the career of Ryan Reynold’s the film also stars Tara Reid as a newspaper writer, Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) as the assistant, and Teck Holmes(Real World) and Wilder’s roommate/ best friend.

The best part about this film is that the view sees that Wilder isn’t your typical parting big man on campus, but that he feels that everyone no matter what they look like or where they came from should have a good time and one of the best lines from the movie is “You shouldn’t take life too seriously” this is a true statement that our society has forgotten.

The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton is fun thrill ride with great special effect, a great story, and even better cameos.

The Incredible Hulk is a story about a man working for the U.S. Military who gets injected with an experimental drug that cause him to grow at an incredible rate when he gets angry oh ya and he turns green. Eric Banner(Norton) is on the run trying to control his anger and life a new life in Brazil when the military find him and he begins to run again. He finally ends up in America (Virginia I believe) where he finds his ex-girlfriend Betty (Liv Tyler) and continues to run. His main goal is to get rid of this power so he can live a normal life. The problem is that Betty’s father wants to kidnap him and use his power as a weapon for the U.S. Gen. Ross (William Hurt) hires Emil Blonsky a decorated military veteran to get the job done. Eventually Blonsky gets the same injection and become a nasty monster himself the two then meet in New York City(Harlem) and the battle begins. The Hulk triumph and is on the run only it appears that Banner can control the power of the Hulk.

This film is fun exciting and extremely entertain and is great for the whole family. This film is just a kick in the pants ride leaving you wanting more. When the idea was first presented I was very hesitant to go see the film based on the 05′ disaster, but this film delivered oh and you’re just going to have to go see the film to see the great cameo in the film.

Kicking off the summer movie season is Iron Man another Marvel Comics creation.  Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is a wealthy man who is famous for designing military weapons; on his way to a demonstration Stark and several military personnel are attacked. Stark is then held hostage for three months where he learns that a terrorist group has been using weapons made by his company. The group forces Stark to make a missile, but Stark builds a suit that helps him break free and get back at the terrorist group. The twist is that Tony Stark finds out that a close friend and business partner has been shipping his weapons to the terrorist group. The story is simple a newly gained conscience vs. greed and power shown in the character Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who builds his own suit.

This is a fun and entertaining ride with a really cool suit, cool cars, great shots and nice effects. The film grabs your attention immediatly by showing the scene where Stark and the military personnel get attacked  and then going back showing the events that lead to the attack. This is a style not often used, but is a great way to go.  The film is well acted including actress Gwyneth Paltrow as assistant Pepper Potts and Terrace Howard as Col. James Rhodes, a close friend and colleague. My fear of Robert Downey Jr. in a comic book  film was quickly cured because the character he played was brash and driven by his ego and the character has a playboy image. The movie is funny, however the film is long and several scenes are slow and drown out, but it doesn’t destroy the experience of seeing the film. This film is a great way to start off the summer season and will get you excited for the movies to come. Oh and if you see this film in the theaters trust me when I say watch the end of the credits it’s worth it.

Indy has been gone for 20 years, but he’s back and better then ever. Harrison Ford teams up with Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allan, and Cate Blanchatt in what is sure to be a blockbuster smash. The film is 2 hours and 4 minutes long and is rated PG-13, the film is directed by Steven Spielberg.

Archaeologist Dr. Henry Jones is asked to go on another adventure after being entangled with a Soviet woman (Cate Blanchatt) who is obsessed with an artifact known as the crystal skull. Along the way Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) learns that Mary (Karen Allen) has been kidnapped from his son Mutt.(Shia LaBeouf) The two head to Peru where they uncover clues that will help them find the skull as well as Mary.  After getting into several uncompromising situation the two find Mary and an old friend of Indy’s while discovery the dangerous power of the crystal skull which turns out to be a supernatural power. Naturally, the good guys get away and the Soviet’s including Irina Spalko(Blanchatt) who after seeing the alien melts to death. Indy, Mary, his son Mutt/Henry Jr. and Indy’s friend Professor Oxly make it out safely and Indy and Mary finally get married.

Entertaining, fun and exciting are just a few words that can be used to describe this film with detailed set, great sound and incredible special effects the film is perfect for the whole family to enjoy. The film also covers the history nice not perfectly, but close. I will say that my only complaint with the film was the lack of wipe action one of the characteristics that made Indy what it is. However, I did enjoy the scene when Indy has to grab a snake in order to get free from the quick sand. There are several moments that have left people saying that’s not possible, but one must remember that Steven Spielberg has brought back dinosaurs and as made several alien film himself so this shouldn’t be mush of a surprise. The film is just as entertaining as the first three and is best scene in the theaters.

Milla Jovovich stars in her first lead role as Alice, a military trained superpower working for the Umbrella Corporation. Well beneath the surface lay a bioengineering plant where several scientist work on highly classified material. A computer controlling the “Hive” senses a threat when a powerful virus known as the t-virus breaks free into the air vent system and mutates everyone into flesh eating zombies. Alice (Jovovich) who is suffering from amnesia and has no idea who she is and why she’s been forced to go down to the “Hive” with a group of military men and women in order to shut the computer off and get back safely, the only thing she knows is that she needs to shut down the computer and get back to surface before the t-virus spreads above the surface. 

This film is highly entertaining and is surprisingly good I didn’t see the film in theaters and wasn’t pressed to see the film when it was released on DVD, but I was told by other that I needed to see this film and I’m glad I did. The movie has great makeup,  a creepy mutated beast,  mutated dogs and several scenes made to make you jump out of your seat. One of the surprising highlights was a death scene when the captain tries to dodge the beams traveling from one side to the other when the beam turns into cubes leaving the captain with no place to go.

Being a fan of zombie films I enjoyed the plot and the flashback that Alice(Jovovich) has revealing who she is and who the people around her are throughout the film. I would recommend this film to those who enjoy zombie movies and the casual movie goer.  This movie is well done and sets the stage for the second and third one. Even if you’ve never played the video game and know nothing about the game I feel that the movie explains  the plot of the game nicely.

The year was 1984, Michael Jackson was the “King of Pop;” Prince had just released Purple Rain, and a young woman from Detriot was raising some eyebrows, among it all Indiana Jones was released in the summer of 84′. The film starring Harrison Ford is set in 1935 and begins in Shanghai and winds up in India. Needless to say Steve Spielberg hit another gold mind with this fun and exciting action adventure.

The plot of the film is as follows Indiana ends up in India after his plane crashes, he is then set to find magic stones that control these children who are slaves searching for the remaining two stones. After enduring several obstacles Indy sets the children free and returns them to their homes safely and defeats the bad guy who has the power to rip a man’s heart out of his chest.

What helps make this movie a sequel is a reoccurring theme; Indiana’s whip and his fear of snakes which is a great choice of phobia because many viewers can relate.  

This movie is a favorite for several reason; for starters their is never a dull moment, from start to end the movie moves with easy. Another reason why I enjoyed this film are the visual elements of the movie everything from the lighting to the costuming and the set design. The film has several examples of shadows that give the scene texture. The jungle and the animals also help with the visual feel of this movie. Finally, this movie is just fun the scene when the three main characters are trying to get away in a cable car. In this scene the viewer feels like you’re riding with them.

I would definitely recommend seeing this film. The movie sparks the imagination and makes us all feel like having an treasure hinting adventure. I would also recommend this movie because the new Indiana Jones movie getting ready to hit theaters next week.  

In 1984 a film was released that had special effects that audiences had never seen before in Terminator 2 the effects went above and beyond anything we thought possible. The 1991 James Cameron masterpiece is a heart pumping adrenaline rush with a well thought out story and plenty of action packed scenes.

The story is about a young boy(Edward Furlong) who is destined to be the best military soldier in the world.  His mother does everything in her power to keep him safe till she ends up in a hospital she breaks out only to find that the man who tried to kill her the terminator is now hanging out with her son. What Sara Conner ( Hamilton) doesn’t know is that the terminator that tried to kill her ( Schwarzenegger) is now the good one and that there is another terminator (Robert Patrick) who is trying to kill all of them.  In the end there mission is accomplished and they have destroyed everything harmful to them and in one of the saddest ending both terminators must die.

Some unforgettable scenes from the movie include  the opener when Arnold enters a bar after having just arrived completely naked and finds a man who has the same size cloths; while George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone” is playing the background. Another great scene is with Sara (Hamilton) shooting a gun while cocking it in the air.   

This film was nominated for 6 Oscars and won 4 for sound and special effects. The scenes with the evil terminator are some of the most eye catching scene  still to this day. Even the car crashes stand the test as some of the best.

Another wonderful element to this film are the moments of comic relive which have become a part of American pop culture and are some of the most unforgettable phase in cinema. “Hasta Lavista Baby” and “I’ll be Back” nearly 20 years after the films release and they can still be heard today.

This movie is fun, exciting, thrilling film, there is never a dull moment and if you haven’t seen this movie in a while do yourself a favor and watch it.  

Director Rom Zombie took on the challenge of writing his own version of a 1978 horror classic the story of Michael Myers. Zombie decided to start at the beginning when Myers was a 10 year old child; in detail he shows how and why Myers killed his family.  From the beginning of the film the audience learns that Myers lives in an unstable environment and starts taking it out on animals the child who is fascinated with mask gets into a fight with a kid at school and the killing begins. The film then jumps to Myers who has been committed to a hospital and spends his days talking with Doctor Loomis played by Malcolm McDowell who is most famous for his work in A Clock Work Orangeand several over projects. In one of the last visits with the doctor a young 10 year old kills a nurse and never speaks again. “The machine” Myers  finally breaks out of the hospital and after an hour into the film the character of Lori Strode (his baby sister) is introduced Myers chases after her in many scenes that are extremely dark and hard to see, but the ending is a surprise as Myers is shot, but how and where is the surprise.

The movie follows the standard horror antics where the token African-American man from the 70s gets it and the teenagers who partake in premarital relations also get it in the end. Another defence between the original and the Zombie version is the other friend of Lori’s whose’s babysitting down the street(played by the little girl who was in Halloween 4 and 5) survives.

The movie is entertaining and interesting if your a fan of the Halloween series; if you expect the movie to be a direct remake then you will be disappointed. If your a Lori Strode fan then you will be disappointed as the focus is on Michael Myers. Another interesting part of the story is the music as each song has a significant meaning to move the story.  I would recommend seeing the movie.

Imagine having two brothers whose mission is  to reek havoc in New York City and you’re the one sent by your father The Devil (Harvey Keitel) to bring them back. While having a talking dog named Beefy as your guide; a dog that shots thing out of his backside while drinking beer.  There’s one problem you lack the evil side your brothers possess because your mother is an angel. That’s the problem that Nicky (Adam Sandler) faces in this rude, poorly acted,  often not funny comedy. 

The film has a sea of cameos from many of Sandler’s friends everyone from the late Rodney Dangerfield, to John Lovitz, to Dana Carvey, even Quentin Tarantino; unfortunately all of these cameos do not help the film and only cause insulting, rude and often offensive dialogue. Perhaps one of the worst acting attempts comes from Patricia Arquette playing the girlfriend Valerie who falls in love with Nicky while he’s on earth.  In the end Nicky saves his father and restores order and The Devil shows a soft side by sending Nicky back to earth to be with Valerie and start a family. “You take care of the middle.” (Keitel)

Some examples of what made this film so rude are the characters played by John Lovitz and Kevin Neilen. John Lovitz dies from falling out a tree while being a peeping Tom while Neilen has breast put on his head where at one point he puts a bra on them. Both characters and completely unnecessary and do nothing for the story.  Another example of how rude and offensive this movie can be is the religious factor. Quentin Tarantino plays a holy man who ends up dying in a fire his crass dialogue is enough to make one cringe.

If you haven’t seen this film don’t bother you’re not missing much and you’ll save some brain cells in the process.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a fun action packed film that helped launch Harris Ford into a leading man. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a three part series in the 1980s with the forth installment arriving in theaters in May. The film was a big box office hit and one of the most successful for  that summer. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas  waste no time in getting the action started within the first ten minutes of the film, the audience is sitting on the edge of there seat wondering if Indiana Jones is going to safely capture an artifact and if he can avoid the obstacles and traps in his path in one of the most recognizable scenes in cinematic history. 

The story  is set in 1936, Jones is hired by the U.S government to obtain ”the ark” before the Nazi’s.  Along the way Jones meets old friends and travels to several place including a remote island where “the ark” is finally opened. Along the way many people try to kill Jones for the ark which is said to be an ancient artifact from Jewish history and a way to communicate with god.  Jones is a professor by day and a dedicated archaeologist who collects artifacts for a museum, but one of the best traits Indiana Jones has is his fear of snakes “why did it have to be snake” (Jones) this is a brilliant choice by the writer because it makes Indiana Jones relatable.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a well done, well written, extremely entertaining movie that grabs your attention and keeps it for all 115 minutes. This four time Oscar winning movie is a must see and easily one of the best of all time.

Tommy Boy is a comedy featuring Chris Farely and David Spade about a small town in Ohio and the car parts company owned by Tommy’s father. Tommy’s father has a heart attack and so Tommy has to hit the road in an attempt to save the company. Just before Tommy’s dad dies he gets married to Beverly(played by Bo Derek) a former fitness training who turns out to be a con artist.  Majority of the movie takes place on the road with Richard (Spade) and along the way the Richard’s car gets destroyed the car provides several scenes of comedy throughout the movie. After all the trouble the two go through they finally sell enough brake pads, save the company and figure out that both Beverly and her “son” are con artists they also end up stopping them in their attempt to sell the company.

This movie is memorable for several catch phases that helped make Chris Farely a star. Several times throughout the film he says “holy schnike” and “son of a that’s going to leave a mark” as well as “fat guy in a little coat.” 

Another scene that I notice that I loved living in the midwest is when Tommy’s trying to figure out that he’s going to do with his life now that his dad is gone. There a long shot that shows Tommy walking and what I love about his shot is the midwest in the fall with leaves of several colors, oranges, browns and red, it’s just a shot that stood out to me.

This movie is fun comedy not only does the dialog provide the comedy, but a deer and several songs provide the comedy. One scene in particular is when they’re flipping through the stations and the Carpender’s ” Don’t you Remember” comes on the radio and they’re crying while singing at the top of there lungs. This scene shows that the two characters are developing a friendship and well it’s funny.

I would recommend seeing his movie because it’s definitely good for a laugh and laughter is always the best medicine.  

The Labyrinth starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie is a story about a young teenage girl still in love with fairy tales and stuffed animals. The story begins with Sarah acting out a scene in a long white dress looking like a princess when all of a sudden it begins raining. Sarah runs home only to realize that she has to babysit her crying baby brother Toby. Sarah tries to make the baby stop crying, but to no avail, finally she screams to the Goblin King to take the baby away and he does just that. The rest of the movie consists of Sarah travel through a Labyrinth in order to get her brother back before he turns into a goblin.

The Labyrinth is a film based off a wooden toy in which you must move a marble from one end to the other avoiding any holes/ pits while going through the twists and turns of the Labyrinth.

This is one of my favorite movies as a child. I loved Jim Henson(the director of the film) and I loved the puppets he created not only in this film, but in everything he did. The Labyrinth is about a magical journey with unique characters and obstacles with everything from a talking worm to a large monster who calls on rocks for help in sticky situations. I also love David Bowie in this movie I truly believe that no one else could have played the part of the Goblin King. One can also go as far as calling this movie a musical because on three separate occasions both David Bowie and some crazy puppets that pull their body parts of their body all while singing.  Another interesting scene is when Sarah is trying to get the baby back and she has to climb and run down several staircases that go in every possible direction this is a very cool visual effect.   

This movie is perfect for child because the movie explores the imagination and takes the viewer on a fun little journey. I strongly recommend seeing this movie or going back and seeing the movie again. Even all you Dark Crystal fans can appreciate this film.

Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox as Marty Mcfly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown is simple a great sequel. The movie starts off right were the first one left off only this time instead of going back in time the two must go to the future. 

In the first Back to the Future film Marty had to make sure his parents got together to ensure that he existed in the future in this film Marty has to go to the future to make sure his son doesn’t go to jail. Within the first roughly half an hour mission accomplished however, the menacing Biff Tannen makes things a little difficult. Marty notices a novelty store that has an almanac containing the results of every sporting event from the past 50 years. Biff gets his hands on the book and goes back in time thus creating an alternate 1985 where he is a rich man as a result of the almanac. A much darker 1985 so Marty and Doc have to go back to 1955 to get the almanac back to set things straight. Everything is back to normal when a lightening storm comes along and Marty is stuck in 1955 thus setting the stage for the third installment in the three part series.

I love this movie one because it’s a slice of the 80s personified and the fact that it plays a big part in my childhood. I hadn’t watched this movie in years so it felt like watching it again for the first time. I love how Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis envision the future. I guess in seven years we’ll be driving cars,  going to see Saws 19, while our food pops up from a counter in a nostalgic cafe, but everything will still be in deglo. I also got a kick out of the Cubs winning the World Series against Miami (which was interesting since Florida baseball is not very popular)  My favorite part of this movie is the story I love how it’s much darker and how the neighborhood that was once viewed to be a safe cosy place for families is now a rough neighborhood.  I also love how Marty and Doc run into one another while trying to get the book back these  scenes are well done.

Overall I enjoyed this movie and I would recommend seeing it or simple going back and watching it again. The movie is definitely worth watching over and over again.

The Coen Brother have done it again with a story that’s both confusing and interesting with a two hour long film with murder and an air gun.

The story is about a Texas hunter Llewelyn Moss played by  Josh Brolin who discover several dead bodies, and bed full of heroin in the back of a truck and $2 million under a tree.  Anton Chigurn played by Javier Barden is a psychopathic killer who is looking for the money and won’t stop at any expense. Tommy Lee Jones’ character is quiet possible the most interesting character because his character help explain the title of the film. Lee’s character Ed Tom Bell is an old sheriff near retirement; the character explains how old men simply can’t catch the young criminals because times have changed. In the end Ed Tom Bell retires, Llewelyn Moss gets shot in a hotel room and Anton Chigurn literally walks away. What makes this movie confusing is that in classic Coen Brother’s fashion the audience is left with several question. What happened to the money and What happens to Anton, what happens to the people who killed Llewelyn Moss and did Anton really kill Llewelyn wife?

I enjoyed this movie however I felt confused and somewhat lost this is definitely a movie that requires one full and undivided attention. The movie also had some surprising death scenes where men where shot both in the head at close range and shot in the neck. Blood doesn’t bother me, but it may others so if you haven’t seen this film consider this a warning.  Another element that I enjoy was some of the shot in particular the opening shot of the dark night and mountains in the background. I felt this was a great opener because it let the audience know that this wasn’t going to be a happy ending kind of movie. Another shot I enjoyed was when Llewlyn’s character when back to the scene of the shot out to bring the man some water. The truck was on top of a hill with a some source of light around the truck. The shot was  a wide angle long shot and it came out nicely.

I would definitely recommend seeing this film after seeing the film I can see why the academy gave the film plenty of praise.