“Invisible Target” stars Nicholas Tse (The Promise), Jaycee Chan (Son of Jackie Chan), Shawn Yue (Internal Affairs), and Jacky Wu Jing (Kill Zone). It’s written, produced, and directed by Benny Chan.

After an armored car is robbed of millions in American money by a lethal mercenary gang, an apostate cop, an adolescent officer of the law, and an experienced detective must join hands in taking down the group of outlaws for both justice and revenge.

This martial arts flick is very reminiscent to every kung fu picture I have seen, making this about as derivative as you can get. Every fight scene is very familiar, dishing out the usual flips, kicks and karate chops that duplicate previous scenes explored in the film. There is more explosions and glass shattering than there is hand-to-hand fight scenes. It’s just becomes loud and blaring rather than being the hardcore martial arts film it set out to be.

The stunt work was admirable and realistic most of the time, but it is hard to concentrate when your head is spinning in confusion. The storyline is convoluted with subplots and so many incoherent characters, that it ends up being much too perplexed to follow. As for Jaycee Chan, he turns out to be one of the worst fighters in the film, getting his butt-kicked more than he kicked-butt. With a limited amount of dialog and more fist-to-fist action, this would’ve been a much shorter and more palatable attempt at pleasing the target audience.

I really wanted to enjoy the film, but it’s never really able to kick its way out of being a cliche-ridden kung fu flick. The leaps from story-high buildings and the fist fights are rousing, but become weighed down with too much filler. It’s like pieces of the script were thrown up into the air and where they land they stay. A scattered mess created in the matter of hitting its fan base with a diligent DVD cover. 1.5/5 stars

 Written by: Derek Fleek

DVD available in prize catalog at www.popcornmonsters.com for 2000 pts or 20 reviews.

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Pulse stars Veronica Mars hot young thing Kristin Bell, singer Christina milan and Rick Gonzolez.  It is rated R unless you get the unrated version, pretty much for scenes of intense violence and supernatural horror (no blood).  The movie runs an hour and twenty-eight minutes long.

This movie is an electric horror.  It stars Kristin Bell as Maddie, a young woman whose friend/boyfriend (not totally sure) commits suicide.  She finds that he had a secret, and he had unleashed something on the world, something that he wishes he could take back, something that sucks the will to live from those who interact with it.  Everyone end up dying, killing themselves or just disappearing.  Maddie tries to find what has happened, and with the help of a handsome young man that she has never met before she learns who started it all and how they might be able to stop it.  With the loss of a few friends along the way, she tries her hardest to stay alive.  Everyone succumbs to the dead and give their lives over, becoming one of them.  In the end the dead rule the cities, but they can only get you through electricity and cell phones.  Don’t use the internet.  Don’t use the cell phone.  When asked what they want they want what they haven’t got anymore: Life.

Based on a Japanese movie titled Kairo this is an interesting interpretation, and it make a little more sense than the Japanese version does.  I enjoyed one of the main points of the movie, that we are too dependant on our cell phones and computers to keep in touch with others and loved ones.  Reaching out isn’t that hard, through a letter or a visit (well these days with gas prices) and unless we want to become a living zombieland where everyone sits in front of their webcams and intamacy involves devices like the one in Demolition Man Sandra Bullock uses to seduce Stallone, maybe we need to put away the computer and drop the cell phone.  In the end Maddie does just that, leaving the modern world behind in hopes of surviving the return of the dead.  They reach out and murder your will to live, and they prevail. 

The visuals in this movie were very well done.  Most of the supernatural beings were so limited and fuzzy that it gave the viewer room to imagine who they wanted, or what they might fear.  There is one scene especially where on of Maddie’s friends loses his battle with the evil undead and disappears into a wall.  It is a great scene that mixes visuals with horror.  Could you really die and dissappear so that all that is left of you is a black stain?  That is what most of the deaths ask. 

Problems: well the creation of this virus, the release of these beings, is never explained well enough to satisfy me.  I didn’t really understand why the dead were coming back, or what had allowed them to come back.  I also didn’t understand how the boyfriend had released this virus onto the world.  It didn’t make sense to me, and to be honest I feel that sometimes horror films rely too much on scare tactics and not enough on plot and story.  I wanted a little more, a little more description and reasoning.  A little more about why the boyfriend had  been hacking into things and released this thing.  Was he a hacker for a job or was he a hacker for fun?  What did he gain?  Plus why wasn’t the government more involved?

I say to everyone if you like watching different things watch the Japanese version of this film and then this film.  If you like horror movies this one isn’t really that scary, but if you like visual horror movies then you should see this movie.  It has some pretty good special effects.  If you want a really fun movie, don’t see this one, watch Enchanted, that one was great fun.

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This title suggests everything I’m thinking. Why can’t we let Juno go? Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this film. Aside from the pompous high-schoolers and ridiculous slang, this film was really “cute,” but why can’t everyone just stop talking about it and enjoy other, more important films all around us; Juno does not stand alone. This film that I call a ‘hipster flick,’ just did not carry the plot solidly, but instead captured audiences because of Juno’s martyrdom; giving her child away and the ultra-cool essence that makes her so different. She can play a few chords on the guitar and even wears (are you ready?)–sweater vests! How unique. The cliche nature of the whole school misunderstanding her the way she thinks she should be understood got really old over 90 minutes, but this is just one element of the film.   Even worse, I can only imagine 15 year old girls strutting around their highschool campuses proud to show off their Juno-like pregnancies, a notion that is utterly disturbing and outwardly possible. Besides, if we all want to be like Juno, doesn’t that make us all the same? The arrogance carried in Ellen Page’s acting, Diablo Cody’s writing and the overall dialogue in the film is almost too much to stomach and makes me want to tell them all to just bite me.  For me the cake was taken by Jason Bateman and Juno’s parents comedic instances and frankly, the film would be unbearable without. Though I understand the way in which the film tried to establish Juno’s character as someone we walk away truly caring about, I just did not get this. And now, we can’t discuss today’s films without someone asking “Did you see Juno? Oh, that was SO cute!” Let’s be real. Just because a film is trendy does not mean it’s a masterpiece.  Take a deep breath.  Let it go.  Just stop talking about Juno already.  Please?

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“Drive Thru” stars a handful of unknowns including Leighton Meester, Nicholas D’Agosto, and Van De La Plante. It’s written and directed by newby Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn (writer/director of Rednecks).

A beautiful young teen named Mackenzie (Leighton Meester) becomes the ensued victim of a deranged clown. This killer clown is determined to get revenge for being killed on his eighteenth birthday by Mackenzie’s mother. Now the killer clown must kill Orange County teens while waiting for Mackenzie to reach her eighteenth birthday to do what he does best.

All you need is a glimpse at the first five minutes of the film to get the drift that this has as much brains as every other killer clown movie. But, what the film lacks in brains it almost makes up for in gooey gore, campy humor, a cute lead, and one helluva killer clown. I have no problem admitting that the dialog is dated, the story is silly, and the film isn’t entirely memorable. It is simply a film not to be taken seriously. If you take this film seriously to even the smallest extent, every flaw will stand-out and dwell in memory. But if you tune into the mood for this kind of stuff, these flaws wont matter as much.

In a film of this type with a concept this daft, one would expect full-on gore, half-baked one-liners, and bad acting. The gore is certainly there and the sleazy one-liners are as present as can be, I had a hard time scoping out “bad” performances. The main actress does become drained of her acting skills that were surprisingly convincing near the end, but she still held her ground and never displayed what I would call bad acting.

I can’t quite go as far as recommending it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself for the most part. The kills are repugnant (this is a good thing) and the crowd-pleasing ending are the film’s most redeemable qualities. While it is a long shot, “Drive Thru” has a very minimal chance of gaining a fan base. Mind you this chance is minimal.

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Batman Begins (2005)Directed by Christopher NolanStarring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ket Watanabe  

“[Bruce awakens from a nightmare]
Thomas Wayne: The bats again?
[Bruce nods]
Thomas Wayne: You know why they attacked you, don’t you? They were afraid of you.
Bruce Wayne - age 8: Afraid of me?
Thomas Wayne: All creatures feel fear.
Bruce Wayne - age 8: Even the scary ones?
Thomas Wayne: Especially the scary ones.” 

The tale finds the disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne, in the wake of his parents’ murder, travelling the world to seek the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to
Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city. Learn about batman origins and feel what it is like to be a normal human who trying to fight against evil all by his own. Well, maybe not all on his own, but with help of bats- the biggest fear of his life.   Batman begins perhaps the best batman film of its time. The title says it all: it’s a beginning of a new batman era and it’s a perfect beginning for a perfect film series. It starts with a story of Bruce Wayne’s early life (I believe I don’t need to tell you who Bruce Wayne is) and his fear for bats. We see how his life goes on and what happened to him to make him who he is by the end of a movie. 

  The acting is really intense. Christian Bale does the batman so well that I think he is the perfect guy for a role. His movements, his fighting and his speech are all fantastic and his voice really lets us know why all of the villains are scared when they face batman. More to that he shows the human part of batman really well, he acts like a complete jackass millionaire and makes himself look all elegant when Bruce works on his business. I really couldn’t find a better person to play batman than Christian Bale and that is weird as in previous batman movies there were many numerous actors who played this character and they all didn’t do such a great job. But not this one; Christian was a top performer out of them all. Christian is an actor who is very strong on screen and you can rely on him doing a great job which he did. 

  Michael Cane was perfect guy for Alfred role; he showed that he is British throughout and his care and humour was essential in this film. The rest of the actors done well too: Cillian Murphy was a great villain, so was Liam Neeson playing a guy with a mysterious alibi and a really dark past. Only one look into his eyes will give you the chills. Morgan freeman little role showed that he can do little roles and be noticed by the viewer as his acting perfect and Garry Oldman showed that little bit of professionalism in his acting as his character is desperately trying to save his city but being fully outnumbered until batman arrives. I didn’t particularly liked Katie Holmes performance but I didn’t hate it either so I think its fine as long as it doesn’t affect the whole movie. But she needed more enthusiasm I think and that’s what she really missed. 

  The special effects were amazing. Perhaps that will sound weird but this film didn’t have as much special effects as all other barman films and yet it tops up most of them. The batman gadgets are exciting and they all look awesome as for bat suit it is just what the real one would probably looked like.  It is interesting to see how batman obtained all of his gadgets as it is different to all of the other batman films which make you feel more interested in this movie. Special effects are essential in films like that and they were fully delivered here. 

  Finally the story tells us about the real Bruce Wayne. It is not just about a badass superhero, it’s about a boy who lost his parents and was fortunate to own all of his parent’s empire. But he needed none of that as he seeks revenge and he promises to fight against all of the evil in this world and in his home city
Gotham. He doesn’t seek death and destruction to all of his villains no, he is trying to save the lives of all the innocent people and his ultimate challenge is to prevent Gotham from becoming a city filled with corruption and crime. He faces his fears and personal problems on his way to becoming the most fearful superhero in the world. A story of his dark childhood and even darker adulthood is all we see and it is being fully delivered here. I love the way they show us his childhood and the fact that he was afraid of bats when he was younger. An ordinary man, with no super powers or any other special abilities, who is fighting against crime and trying to overcome his biggest fear-Bats. This films will delivers everything you could possibly expect from it and much more. 

  So, this film is not an ordinary one; it is a mix of action and intrigue filled with tragedy and sadness which will keep you on the edge of your sit throughout the whole movie. We get a little clue about a sequel to this film right at the end of the movie and when you think that there is nothing else to hope for, you understand that there is going to be a sequel and that completely blows you away. Now, usually the sequel turns out to be worse than the first movie but I have a feeling that such a talented director as Christopher Nolan will deliver something really special with his second batman movie. After all, he created this absolute masterpiece.  

Review Date: 14^th of April, 2008.

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“Diva” stars Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frederic Andrei, Richard Bohringer, and Thuy An Luu. It features the directorial debut of Jean-Jacques Beineix, who took this story from a novel written by Daniel Odier.

After a postal man named Jules (Frederic Andrei) illegally tapes the concert of his favorite Opera singer (Wilhelmenia Fernandez), he is soon being chased by Taiwanese bootleggers who are after the tape. Making matters even worse, a call girl slips another tape into his bag containing evidence that incriminates a police chief. Now he must keep the tapes safe while struggling to stay alive.

Let me start by warning the illiterate, or just plain lazy people, that this is subtitled. The stylishly conducted score, the unique and somewhat cluttered storyline, and the fashionable atmosphere helped this film gain its acclaimed cult status. The camera is in good hands (lets not forget it won awards for cinematography), but the scenery is murky and gloomy the majority of the time giving the film an unclean look. There are some obvious flaws on the editors part, including an prolonged scene relating to detailed instructions on how to spread butter. Scenes like this could have hit the cutting room floor.

It’s certainly not a bad film, just one I couldn’t quite get into and had trouble following the multiple subplots thrown into the mix. Many of these subplots seemed meaningless. This is the type of film that has a 90 minute story stretched out to 117 minutes, resulting in a crawl to the last frame. The movie also never has a steady pace, leading to a fragmented plot and hard-to-follow storyline. I really wanted to like this film, I am just having a hard time expressing any true praise for it.

“Diva” contains too much dialog and not enough action sequences too keep viewers on their toes. The result is a film I can’t recommend for tasteful purposes, but I still don’t have the guts to divert any true movie buff from experiencing an acclaimed cult thriller such as this one. Although there is a great deal of beauty to be found in the French language and the high pitched tone of an opera singer, the whole experience felt like an effort rather than a pleasure.

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“I’m Not There” stars Marcus Carl Franklin, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and Ben Whishaw. It’s directed Todd Haynes (Safe, Far from Heaven) who wrote the screenplay with the help of Oren Moverman (Face).

The film follows the life of Bob Dylan with six different characters portraying the artist. The six characters are all different looks at the way Dylan lived his life, portraying many different forms of personalities that are all reminiscent to a legend who grows up to care about absolutely nothing. None of these characters are referred to as “Bob Dylan” in the film. Each have their own pseudonyms.

“I’m Not There” is an ambitious, unique, and strong disposition towards honoring a folk music legend. Everyone wants to know if Cate Blanchett lives up to all the acclaim that she received for her depiction of Bob Dylan. Let me answer that question by saying she gives the performance of her career looking sufficently natural puffing on a smoke stick. Not to give the impression that she steals the show from all the other A-list performances. It’s an all around well-acted film with Cate Blanchett giving the most accurate impersonation of them all, pin-pointing Dylan’s moves and voice to near perfection.

From the star’s rise to fame, reaching of fame and near downfall from fame, the film tries to truthfully follow the real life experiences of this famous poet. Although convoluted at times, I was thoroughly engaged. Even non-fans of the music can admire the style in which they honored this folklore. A manner in which a female actress portrays this musician most accurately is just an amazing feat. Although Richard Gere gives the most forgettable performance in the film, it just might be from the near impeccable performances by Marcus Carl Franklin, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw and most of all Cate Blanchett.

When I come across a respectful piece of work from a director I’m not familiar with, it makes me wonder what he has up his sleeve in the future. This was a great movie. A well-scripted, tightly-edited, and somewhat tarnished film that deserves all the praise one could give. To put in more simple terms, it’s a flawed masterpiece.

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“Diary of the Dead” stars Joshua Close, Scott Wentworth, Michelle Morgan and other unknowns. It’s written and directed by the master of horror George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Bruiser, Monkey Shines). Although he isn’t the first to make a zombie film, he is the first to create the horror sub-genre known as “zombie apocalypse”

A group of film school students encounter real flesh eating zombies while shooting their movie. The cameraman Jason is determined to get everything on tape to show the world what really happened and what our society resorts to when panic strikes.

Some people might find that the problem with this film is there isn’t enough zombies and too much filler. Personally, I would’ve liked a zombie movie to have been made. But I don’t think Romero was trying to make a zombie movie as much as get a powerful message through, which he does in the last scene. What I didn’t like about it is the acting and how awfully written the script is at times. There are moments that shine, but I was expecting better writing and directing from The Master of Horror. This is Romero in rare, rusty form.

Was this trying to be a spoof, a horror movie, or a social commentary? I can’t quite tell. It works better as a social commentary than anything else, raising the question “Are we really worth saving?”. It is hard to tell if Romero was actually putting effort into making all of this seem real. It managed to feel more artificial than concrete the majority of the time, thanks to the scripted dialog and the not-so-good acting. The beginning and the ending are sharp and definitely show what George A. Romero is all about. It is the middle that drags, slowly improving in suspense and gore along the way. It’s as if he forgot what he was doing ten minutes in and remembered in the last frame.

I thought the ending was really well done and made me think long after it was over. It also has many redeeming qualities such as jaw-dropping kills, a good dose of gore, and a sometimes taunting score. It’s almost enough to win me over, but it doesn’t quite do the job. Being a hardcore fan of the slow-moving dead from the classic 1968 Night of the Living Dead, I would like more zombies and less political double talk. Lets hope the next entry in the series will be a zombie movie.

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“The Forbidden Kingdom” stars Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michael Angarano. It’s directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little 1 & 2, The Haunted Mansion) and written by John Fusco (Hidalgo).

An American teen who is overly familiar with marital art films, stumbles upon an ancient legendary stick that belonged to the legend known as the Monkey King. The stick sends him back to ancient China to bring the stick back to its rightful owner. Along the way he encounters friends, foes and falls in love.

Take Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon choreography, Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master character, and throw in a touch of The Neverending Story. That is the winning formula for The Forbidden Kingdom. An exciting, fun-to-watch, martial arts crowd-pleaser. It’s silly, but light-hearted and rarely heavy-handed. Everyone wants to know how well the fight scenes were. They were spectacular and very seldom were they mishandled. I like how the movie starts off in a violent and desolate world and shortly takes us to a much brighter world full of beautiful scenery, Kung Fu Masters and gorgeous women.

Although Jackie Chan and Jet Li show that age doesn’t faze a true Kung Fu Master, the real surprise here is Michael Augarano. I was really impressed by his Kung Fu skills once he conquered them. I also enjoyed the villain who uses her long white hair as a weapon. Goofy, smile-inducing antics are performed when these graceful fighters defy gravity, but it’s the fight scenes on-ground that are the most engaging and well-executed ones. Not to mention the scene where Jet Li and Jackie Chan square off is one of the best fight scenes I have seen in a while.

Overall, the storytelling drags a bit and it is a little scatterbrained. But does this really matter? It all comes down to the final showdown and the sight of these two great fighters in action. That is what everyone wants and that is what everyone gets. As far as entertainment goes, this one delivers with energy to spare.

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“War, Inc.” stars John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hillary Duff, and Ben Kingsley. It’s directed by Joshua Seftel (Lost and Found, Old Warrior) and written by Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser.

A troubled hitman named Brand Hauser (John Cusack) is hired by a former U.S. Vice President (Dan Akroyd) to kill a Middle East oil minister. His latest mission gains the attention of a sexy reporter (Marisa Tomei) and sets up a crossroad relationship with a young and seductive Pop Star (Hillary Duff) that seems hard to shake off.

This is a daring subject to tackle (let alone parody in a forgivable way), but “War, Inc.” does so in a stylish and darkly funny manner hard not to enjoy. John Cusack plays the hot sauce swigging assassin with a charming feel (like always) and Hillary Duff nails a sexy accent and plays the scorpion-friendly, child-like go-go dancer with a scorching sex appeal to near perfection. This is a witty political satire with a Tarantino-esque vibe to it. Although it is too satirical for its own good to match the essence of a Tarantino film, this is about as close to matching his brilliance as a poetic film-maker as you can get. That is a compliment that no other film beholds and one this film should admire greatly considering it wasn’t well recieved at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“War, Inc.” has a western-like score to it. This might sound unsuitable for a political satire, but it works just fine. Sharply directed and smartly written, this movie rarely misfires. John Cusack stars, produced, and even co-wrote some of the slick and shadowy humor that is present, which just makes me admire his work even more. Being a fan of almost every John Cusack movie I have seen, this film delivers as his best dark comedy since “The Ice Harvest”.

The high caliber cast zips though this material with ease and style, proving to appear very comfortable in this particular genre. This is the perfect type of film for a home viewing, but I wouldn’t discourage you from seeing it when it is released in limited theaters May 23rd if my life depended on it. This will be a controversial film when released and will create a mixed impact on viewers and critics. For me it’s just another under-rated success from an actor that deserves more attention.

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“Speed Racer” stars Emile Hirsh, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Paulie Litt. It’s written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta).

Speed Racer (Emile Hirsh) is a young man following the footsteps of his deceased brother and is a natural when it comes to racing in the most extreme conditions. He is aggressive and determined to win every race he competes in. But will Speed Racer pull of the win of a lifetime in the 91st Annual Grand Prix?

Sure the film has its defects, like all the characters the film tries to introduce us to in the 120 minute running time. This leaves no room for a coherent story or even solid character development for the supporting cast. However, never once did I truly dwell on any of the film’s flaws, nor could I get the smile off my face. It may be just a little too violent for children under 10, but teenage boys should have a blast and the parents will be in awe. This film features more color than you would find in a box of crayons. The neon fluxes are simply candy for the eyes, possibly making this the coolest movie I have ever seen.

An exciting, razzel dazzle, edge-of-your-seat roller coaster ride. Every flaw was overlooked when I saw the clear blue skies, eye-popping explosions, and emotionally fueled race scenes. If any movie has the capacity to “blow you away”, this film is it. A visual masterpiece complete with some favorable performances, particularly Christina Ricci in her most liveliest form. There is nothing like this out there and probably never will be. Originality at its best, delivering the goods at every stretch and every turn.

Those of you who are of a later generation never in a million years would have imagined seeing something like this. Never before has a film been so clearly and beautifully shot as this one. The target audience wont be disappointed. Using a green-screen just about the entire time doesn’t affect the attributes of the film as much as it enhances them. In fact, movie buffs will be astonished, bemused and will not believe their eyes once the credits roll.

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Zathura” stars Jonah Bobo, Josh Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stuart, and Tim Robbins. It’s directed by Jon Favreau (Made, Elf) and based on a book written by Chris Van Allsburg.

Two competitive brothers, Danny and Walter, end up having their attention geared towards a game that shoots them into outer space called Zathura. After the first move is made, there is no turning back and you must complete the game to get back home. The two must form a team and beat the game before the game beats them.

Although this concept has been explored before, it has been years since then and if anyone has the ability to make it another fresh approach, Jon Favreau has a pretty good chance. Apparently he fails at doing so by clustering a rampage of destruction into a two hour movie without any real sentimental attachment. The film keeps centering on the moments of bickering between Danny and Walter, it becomes quite obvious that it is leading a twist of an ending that reaches top-notch cheesiness. When you run out of movies to watch and haven’t yet seen Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji rip-off, it’s not a complete disappointment.

Stan Winston manages to slip in an overload of lively special effects. The special effects are impressive but overused and the film never focuses the on the emotional fondness of its characters, something the film was in dire need of. It’s not exactly a film that will appeal to grown-ups as much as kids, but if I were ten years younger I would probably have a blast and it succeeds in not being entirely forgettable. Every kid should enjoy this high octane family flick, while adults might ask the question “Where’s Robin Williams when you need him?”. Unlike the film it so deliberately copies, this movie dwells on the unconstructive relationship between the main characters and plans the set-up for a mawkish moral, rather than just making the movie a fun-filled adventure. A better version of this film was released thirteen years ago and I highly suggest renting that version for more enjoyment.

This movie does have a big heart, it’s just dislocated thanks to the rambunctious occurrences that dim the emotion level immensely. This is such a destructive film, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find your kids more catastrophic than ever. Jumanji has enough distractions (wild animals, a handful of characters, ect.) to overlook the massive disaster that occurs in the movie. While I can’t quite recommend Zathura to adults, kids should find it to be a solid piece of entertainment. Just be prepared for a rowdy bunch afterwards.

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“The Prestige” stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlet Johansson, and David Bowie. Directed by Christopher Nolan and based on the novel by Christopher Priest. Adapted for the screen by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.

Set in turn of the century London, two magicians become bitter rivals after an onstage trick goes horribly wrong. Now each will stop at nothing to learn the others secrets and prove themselves the better magician. Alfred Borden(Bale) is a great technical magician but lacks the showmanship of Robert Angier(Jackman) and vice-versa. When Borden introduces a new trick, Angier goes to any length to discover his secret and each confrontation becomes deadlier than the last. The movies final moments are some of the best in film history, and will leave you with your mouth agape and your mind numb as you try and decipher the great art that is “The Prestige”

The reason I basically worship this film is the tremendous plot. It beautifully blends elements from science fiction, drama, and even a little comedy to make this a great movie. The story is absolutely amazing and just goes to show that a great movie can be made with a bit of creativity and some patience. The great thing about this movie is that it doesn’t have a tired, cliched story. The entire movie is a fresh and beautiful masterpiece.

 A great story is nothing though without a fantastic cast of actors and actresses to put it into motion, and capture the essence of the script. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are fantastic together, and their personalities are perfect compliments of one another. Michael Cainne is amazing as always as the intelligent illusion engineer for Angier. Scarlet Johansson does a very convincing performance as the very beautiful and mysterious Olivia Wenscombe. David Bowie rounds up this all star cast and does a fantastic job as the scientific genius of Nikola Tesla. His facial expressions as his machine fails to work again and again are better than most actors when they are following lines on a script.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The real trick is having a great movie, coupled with a fantastic cast. Easily one of the best films of all time, my review of it does the film little justice. If you have seen the movie you know why I love this movie. If not, why are you still reading this review? Go out, buy the movie, and watch it again and again. I know I will.

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“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” stars John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry and the ever famous Neil Patrick Harris. It’s written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who are credited for writing the cult classic original.

Taking off just minutes after the first one ended, this sequel follows the two lovable potheads Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) as they head to Europe to find Harolds true love Maria. Things don’t go as planed and the two end up in Guantanamo Bay where they escape and become fugitives. As usual, the two encounter strange and wacky characters while on the run from the joint.

Being a fan of the original, I was very excited about this sequel upon its arrival to theater. John Cho and Kal Penn reprise their roles as the characters they were born to play. This time they get more political and racial on us, actually hurting the film critic wise. However, this critic couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the hard-to-swallow jokes. It’s Politically incorrect, full of gratuitous nudity, and displays its vulgarity with an optimistic charm (something the original was afraid to do?). I got more than I expect with cameo appearances by everyones favorite NPH, the popular The Big Bag of Weed, and a scene that might go down as a vintage in movie history involving George W. Bush.

Neil Patrick Harris and Rob Corddry’s characters are priceless. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it has one of the funniest and surprisingly important scenes in a comedy. This is definitely the most hilarious film of the year so far. It may be early, but it will certainly be hard to top this gutsy approach to comedy gone vulgar with style. Most critics and those with a fragile conscious will hate the 9/11 references and profiling comments on every race imaginable. But if there ever was a list of my guilty pleasures, this is near the top. You’ll have to forgive the pun, but never once does it blow stale smoke.

This sequel is ruder, cruder, and astonishingly much funnier than the original. I admire a film that acquires some audacity, and this stoner comedy has audacity to spare. This is the comedy event of the year and qualifies as a gut-busting, laugh-till-you-cry motion picture. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg poke fun at every race and do it in a truly forgivable way (considering it’s really funny), even adding a few messages down the road. A wacky, smart and most of all tremendously funny ride with the most lovable on-screen duo since Cheech and Chong. A must-see.

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Iron Man” stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) and the screenplay was written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (First Snow, Children of Men).

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the wealthy CEO of Stark Industries, known for producing advanced weaponry. After demonstrating his latest creation called the Jericho Missile, his Humvee is attacked by terrorists leaving shrapnel in Tony Starks body. He is now required to have a device inserted to keep the shrapnel out of his heart.

Superheros aren’t born, they’re built. “Iron Man” is a great way to kick off the summer season. There are a few problems I had with the movie. The action sequences could have been more evenly distributed and without that frantic feel. It starts off slow and when it picks up the pace, it does it so vigorously it becomes loud and without any real emotional effect. Not to mention the Black Sabbath song Iron Man isn’t played until the credits roll. The dialog is very smart, with truly brilliant lingo scattered throughout. Since I haven’t read an Iron Man comic book, I’m not too sure that it accurately followed the storyline. Seeing that the character development was greatly explored, I can’t imagine it being anything other than faithful to the comics.

Robert Downey Jr. (who is clearly not the hero type) does a surprisingly good job here playing the greatly flawed character Tony Stark. He is a gambler, a compulsive drinker, a womanizer and also a genius inventor. He creates a total of three suits before perfecting his invention, which takes up too much of the running time. I would have enjoyed a little more action to go with my smarts, but the film works on a certain level of popcorn entertainment. His arch nemesis (Obadiah Stone) is played so riotously by Jeff Bridges that it wouldn’t be that same with a full head of hair. What really keeps the films energy intact is Robert Downey Jr.’s ability to keep up with the snappy dialog, pratically carrying the film freely on his shoulders (even with that distracting goatee).

This is the best acting ever displayed in a superhero movie. I am looking forward to a more action packed sequel now that we got to know the tarnished character Tony Stark. Stan Winston, who took part in creating the special effects, proves his talent once again. The work of a master is shown when the special effects don’t weigh down the films story, like most superhero movies do so reluctantly. This will leave fan boys and even those who don’t read the comic foaming at the mouth for more. Be sure to stick around after the credits for a surprising cameo by none other than one of my favorite actors.

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The Brave One is rated R for violence and some nudity.  It is two hours and two minutes long.  Stars Jodie Foster, Terrence Howards and Naveen Andrews. 

Vengence is mine saieth Jodie Foster in a movie about citywide violence and revenge.  Erica Bain is a radio talk show host and she does all the talking.  She describes walking the city of New York and all the wonderful things that the city has to offer.  Then one night on a walk with her fiancee and her dog they get ambushed.  Both are severly beaten and the fiancee (played by Naveen Andrews) is murdered.  She is in the hospital for three weeks.  After this time gets a little skewed but the movie moves on quite well.  Erica gets a gun and a vigalantee is born.  A modern day Charles Bronson in Death Wish, and for the female of the species too.  Go girl.  Terrence Howard plays a straight detective who is befriended by Jodie Fosters character.  In the end he has to make a decision that will affect her life and possibly his own.

 For all those who didn’t like this movie I say I understand but Boo.  I thought this was a pretty okay movie.  The action was a little slow but the character of Erica Bain made you feel her pain enough so that you wish you had her tormented courage to go and get justice for those who might never see it otherwise.  There are several ways this movie could have gone, a Death Wise Remake or a Vigalante is Good story, but neither of those happened.  Jodie Fosters character is so tormented by what she does, but she knows she can’t stop, at least not until justice is served for her and her dead fiancee.  You feel sorry for her, but also scared and a little disgusted.  Terrence Howard gives another fine performance here and you feel for him as a tormented cop, who knows right from wrong and it tortured by the fact that he always has to uphold the “right” end of things.

My only real problem with this movie was that at times it was a little slow, and the beginning seemed to drag on a little bit.  I was wondering when we would get to the meat of the story when all we were getting was the happy life of a radio host/dj.  I thought the action scenes could have started a little earlier.  I wanted to see more of the damage, and a little more of the life of Terrence Howards character, who I felt we didn’t get enough information on to form a real opinion.  Like why did him and his wife divorce?  Was it because he was a good cop? 

I reccomend people watch this movie and wonder why there aren’t many vigalantees out there in the world.  With so much crime and injustice, is this movie a tip of an iceberg that is on the point of melting or falling apart.  Then again people probably asked the same questions about Death Wish.  This is a good movie, with an excellent performance by Terrance Howard and Jodie Foster.  Interesting.

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