Movie Review #44: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Before I begin, I would like to say that this is my 50th post on the blog and I just want to say thank you to all of you guys who have been reading my reviews. I appreciate every one of your views!

In On Stranger Tides, Captain Jack is back and he is searching for the Fountain of Youth. But as it turns out, he isn't the only one.

As I said in my previous Pirates review, I think that this shouldn't be considered a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Here's why:

1. They spent very little time at sea. In the first three, the majority of them took place on either the Black Pearl, the Flying Dutchman or on a boat in general. There wasn't enough time at sea for it to be considered a Pirates movie. On Stranger Tides should have been called "The Adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow" or something along those lines.

2. This might sound rather ridiculous, but when I was re-watching this I found myself missing the crew of the Black Pearl. After watching the first three films, I grew to really like the characters. I missed Will and Elizabeth and yes, I know they wouldn't return for the fourth movie. But with them gone it felt like something was missing. I also really missed characters like Pintel and Ragetti, that one little person who's name I can't remember and even Jack the monkey. Even the Pearl itself wasn't in the movie!

That's why this shouldn't be considered a Pirates movie. There's another thing in this that I didn't like. They changed the character of Barbossa. He went from being a ruthless pirate lord to a privateer for King George. I understand why they changed his character and the story for his change is cool, but seeing Barbossa follow anyone's rules but his own made me feel that that wasn't Barbossa. At the end of the film, (Spoiler Alert,) Barbossa killed Blackbeard, resigned from his service to King George and became the captain of Blackbeard's ship. And before they sailed away, he put on the hat he wore in the first three films and then they set sail for Tortuga. That last scene was the only time that I saw Barbossa on screen. I hope that makes sense.

Even though I have been bashing this movie, there were some elements that I liked. Johnny Depp was hysterical. He hasn't been this funny since the first one. I enjoyed the adventure they went on. I loved the inclusion of the mermaids. And Penelope Cruz in anything is always a positive!

Judi Dench made a cameo that I didn't notice at first. So look for that.

Final Report: Even though I don't think that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides shouldn't be considered a Pirates movie. It had a good adventure, good humor and mermaids. So it could have been worse!

Movie Review #43: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

And here is my long overdue review to the conclusion to one of the best trilogies of the 21st century. I know they made a fourth movie, but I consider the fourth movie the beginning of a new trilogy. I consider the first three films The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the movies that follow them are the Jack Sparrow trilogy. Does that make sense? Good. Now let the review begin.

In At World's End, the crew of the Black Pearl has to rescue Jack from Davy Jones locker and reunite the nine pirate lords to defeat Davy Jones.

The biggest problem with this movie is that I think the writers just got lazy and decided not to think up a cohesive story. I have watched this movie over five times and just now do I finally understand what is going. Except for when Calypso explodes into crabs. I still have no idea what was up with that.

Even though the narrative is incredibly confusing, the dialogue between the characters is still quick a witty. Particularly the scenes between Jack and Barbossa. Both of them keep trying to one-up each other to show who's a better captain of the Black Pearl. Those scenes were very funny. The other jokes are bound to get you laughing consistently.

 The action is also insane. I check what the budget for this film was on IMDB and it was estimated that it was over $300,000,000! If you are like me and you can't even comprehend that amount of money, then you won't even believe your eyes during the final battle. Even though the budget was through-the-roof, you could see that the money was well spent because the visuals are fantastic. If you didn't like how the Curse of the Black Pearl was almost non-stop action, then you will most likely not care for this because that final battle goes on for roughly 30 minutes. Maybe even more than that!

Keith Richards also makes a cameo as Jack's dad and let's be honest, Keith Richards looks more like a pirate on a good day.

Final Report: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End suffers from a confusing story but is made up for with awesome action.

Movie Review #42: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

With this being my 42nd movie review, it would have been fitting to review either the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy or 42. Another missed opportunity, but I figured I should finish reviewing all of the Pirates movies. Savvy?

In Dead Man's Chest, Captain Jack races to find the heart of Davy Jones to avoid getting his soul enslaved on the Flying Dutchman for all eternity.

Some of my friends say that Curse of the Black Pearl was the only good Pirates movie. I disagree. The first one is the best, but the second is even more fun! Dead Man's Chest is definitely the funniest Pirates film. Curse of the Black pearl was funny, but the humor came from Captain Jack most of the time. In Dead Man's Chest, the humor usually came from Pintel and Ragetti. Granted Sparrow still has many funny moments, but he didn't steal the show like he did in the first one.

As much as I adore Curse of the Black Pearl, my biggest complaint is that Johnny Depp stole the show. I enjoyed the movie nonetheless, but like The Avengers I enjoy when movies don't single out one actor in a movie with an ensemble cast. A cast should work as a machine, with each actor performing as a whole. This movie does that very well.

While watching the movie you can tell that the cast works really well together. It looks like everyone is having a good time or that they are all friends. The newest addition to the cast is Bill Nighy as Davy Jones. The character of Davy Jones is really cool. He has a beard of tentacles and a crustacean arm which look really boss. Bill Nighy's voice fits the character very well because Nighy has an English accent and it worked for the character to Davy Jones because if Hans Gruber taught us anything, it is that villains with distinct voices are more villainous and more menacing.

The fight scenes are fantastic as usual. Gore Verbenski is a very visual director so when watching one of his films the special effects, makeup and action is going to be superb.

Final Report: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest profits from quick and clever humor, entertaining action and top of the line special effects which lead to a very enjoyable and fun adventure.

Movie Review #41: World War Z (2013)

An astronomical budget, production troubles and countless re-shoots are just a few of the cinematic speed bumps World War Z encountered. But the million dollar question is: Were they able to salvage anything good from this?

The plot  of World War Z is that the zombie apocalypse has begun and Brad Pitt's character has to find a cure to save the fate of the world's civilians.

I was both excited and nervous for this movie once I saw the first trailer. These were my thoughts:

Pros:
1: Brad Pitt is in the lead role.
2: The type of zombies in this movie are running zombies.

Cons:
1: From the trailers, fans of the novel say it is very inaccurate.
2: The CGI zombies looked very mediocre.

Having weighed in the pros and cons from the trailers, I was unsure what to expect. I ended up getting what I wanted it to be!

When the film starts out, I saw a lot of things from the second trailer in the very beginning. Luckily, once the action began I was completely immersed in the story and action. There are quite a few jump scares in the film that I didn't care for because I don't like those types of scares. I think jump scares are put in movies when they couldn't think of anything genuinely scary so they just make you jump during one scene. That being said, they actually made me jump!

The zombies are crazy cool. They aren't like the zombies on The Walking Dead. These are the type of zombies in 28 Days Later. They don't shamble people, they full out sprint and when the are chasing Pitt it is incredibly tense and thrilling.

The performances are also fine. This movie is basically Brad Pitt's show because even though there are other supporting characters, he is the only big name. The only characters I had a problem with were his family. His wife was alright but his kids irritated me beyond belief. If his kids weren't in the movie at all, it wouldn't have been any different. Watch the movie and tell me I'm not right.

Final Report: World War Z is a thrilling, action-packed zombie flick that is quality summer movie material.

Movie Review #40: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Since I am going to see World War Z tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to review one of my favorite zombie films. (I will try my best to post that review tomorrow).

Shaun of the Dead is about a guy named Shaun who tries to win back his girlfriend and also has to deal with the zombie apocalypse that is happening at the same time.

Most zombie movies go for style over substance. By that I mean that quite a few zombie movies are gratuitously gory but the story is lazy. Shaun of the Dead is both violent and frequently hysterical.

Simon Pegg plays Shaun and I am really like the movies that he is in. He always adds great comedic timing to the movies that he stars in. He was one of my favorite characters in Star Trek Into Darkness because he can deliver lines with that aren't flat-out hilarious, but when he says them they make you laugh because in comedy, timing is key. Not many people know that.

Edgar Wright, the writer and director of this film, is one of the most original breakout film-makers. I would go on record saying that in no particular order, Edgar Wright, Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, Gore Verbenski and Duncan Jones are five of the most promising break-out film-makers of the 21st Century.

I'm a stickler when it comes to comedies of the 21st Century. They are either far too crude for my taste or just unfunny to me. This film has humor that I find very funny. The humor in this film is very dry and dry humor would fail in the hands of almost any other director other than Wright. Since he writes his movies, he makes sure that the material is delivered by the actors in the way he planned it to be.

If you aren't sold on this movie yet, Bill Nighy becomes a zombie. How can you not be intrigued by now?

Final Report: Shaun of the Dead works as both a witty English comedy and a solid zombie movie. You can't go wrong either way.

Television Review #6: Arrested Development Complete Series (2004-2006, 2013-)

This television review is a bit different from my other for a couple reasons.

1. It is a sitcom.
2. I am not reviewing it season by season.
3. It isn't British.

It occurred to me that the only TV shows I have done reviews for are British shows. So I thought it would be a nice change to review a good old American sitcom.

The story revolves around Michael Bluth, his family and the Bluth Company. After his father gets arrested, Michael has to save the family business. But the rest of his family makes his life a living nightmare.

My friend Zach recommended this show to me and I am so glad that he did. This is the most original and funniest sitcom I have watched since The Office! The writing is hilarious, but the characters are really what make this show so great.

The main character is Michael Bluth and he's a really nice guy who tries to hold his own when dealing with his dysfunctional family.

His oldest brother is Gob Bluth and he's a magician. He acts like he's top banana when he's actually the biggest goober you've ever met. And his name is spelled Gob but it's pronounced like Job. So that's weird.

Michael's twin sister Lindsey is a complete airhead. She throws all of these parties for charity when she really doesn't care about the charity. She only cares about herself, how she looks and money. She's completely spoiled, self-centered and that's why she's so hilarious.

The youngest brother Buster completely different from his three siblings. He's the epitome of a mommas boy. His mother babied him his entire life and he never grew up and left her motherly grasp. He's perhaps one of the smartest of his siblings, but that side of him isn't seen very often because his mother won't let him leave her.

Lindsey's husband Tobias is the perhaps the funniest character I've ever seen in a sitcom. His character is hilarious because when you look at him and Lindsey, you wouldn't even guess that they are married because Lindsey is a hot blonde and Tobias looks like someone who would work in a comic book shop. Tobias is both an annalist and a therapist and when you put those two together you get the worlds first.... never mind. But he tries to become an actor which is hysterical to watch because he can't act at all. There is also a running joke that just about everything he says has an inappropriate double meaning and he is the only one who doesn't understand the other way his words could be perceived. It's the funniest innuendo I've ever heard.

Michael's son is named George Michael and Lindsey's daughter is named Maeby and the two of them are a part of a hilarious subplot about how George Michael is in love with Maeby even though she is his cousin. Watching George Michael trying to hide his feelings for her is incredibly awkward and funny.

Michael's mother Lucille is an incredibly irresponsible parent. And when she is actually acting like how a parent should, she comes off as completely overbearing and almost psychotic. And her husband is no better! He wasn't always there for his kids and he went to prison for stealing from the company and for doing business with Sadam Hussein himself!

One unique thing about Arrested Development is that throughout the shows three season run, there are dozens of recurring inside jokes peppered throughout each episode. Which both benefits the show but can also be a drawback. The jokes are hysterical, there's no doubt about that, but you will only be able to fully appreciate their cleverness if you have watched the show from the very beginning. This isn't a sitcom like The Office where you can just turn on any random episode without having watched every episode prior to it. You actually need the backstory to the jokes. Only then will they be even more funny.

Just by describing the characters is enough of a reason to watch this show. Seriously. Just watch it if you haven't already. If you have watched it, watch it again because it's still funny.

Final Report: Quirky humor, memorable characters, fabulous writing and countless running inside jokes make Arrested Development a sitcom that is like no other.

Movie Review #39: King Kong (2005)

 I re-watched this movie on a three hour drive to Chicago on Saturday and I decided that I had to review it.

King Kong is actually the second remake of the 19313 original. The first remake starred Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, this one stars Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts.

I love this movie. It has everything I wanted in it when I watched it for the first time. That being said, I do have a few issues with it.

My biggest complaint with this movie is that it is long! This is not a casual watch. If you are going to watch this movie, it is a three hour long investment that will wear you out.

The ending was also really drawn out. If they shaved off at least ten minutes from the run-time, it would have been better. I really don't like downgrading movies due to their run-time because I feel like a hypocrite saying that because I can watch all three of the Lord of the Rings  Extended Editions and be left wanting more. See what I mean?

With those few personal gripes aside, this movie is marvelous. This is a remake that surpassed both the first remake and the original in film-making creativity and visual ingenuity. The visuals are incredible to say the least. There is one scene when the crew is in a dark pit and they are surrounded by bugs the size of pigs. That scene grosses me out ever time I watch it because one guy gets eaten alive by these creatures that look like 12 foot tall sea cucumbers. That scene was bananas! I also find bugs and insects pretty creepy.

The performances were solid all around. Most of the time with monster movies, they focus on the visual aspect over the acting. I've never seen Jack Black in a serious role like this. I only know Jack Black from roles like The School of Rock and Kung Fu Panda, so it was refreshing to see him in a role like this. Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts are good actors so they unsurprisingly gave great performances. In the scenes that take place in New York City, they captured the look and feel of NYC during the 1920's, so I liked that.

Final Report: With state-of-the-art visual effects, very strong performances and insane action, King Kong is a beast of a movie if there ever was one.

Television Review #5: Doctor Who Series 3

It's been a while since I posted one of these so I thought that I should.

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers will follow from here on out. Do not read this if you either haven't seen Series 3 or you could care less about spoilers.

In series 3, the new companion is Dr. Martha Jones. She is the prettiest companion in my opinion. Even though she is stunning, there's more to her than just looks. She's intelligent, funny, determined. Did I mention beautiful? Her mother is perhaps the most unlikable character I've ever seen on Doctor Who. You just want to see her die she's that unlikable. I hated her more than the main villain in the series!

In the season finale, we are introduced to The Master. In case you don't know, the Master is a Time Lord like the Doctor. He actually was the Doctor's mentor. The only difference between him and the Doctor is that the Master is evil. John Simm, the actor who plays the Master was perhaps the funniest a villain could be. He was able to walk the line of sinister and hilarious without coming off as too goofy. He was occasionally goofy, but not so goofy that it took you out of the moment.

Captain Jack Harkness returned for the season finale and I am a huge fan of Captain Jack. I love his character and his personality. It also doesn't hurt to have an American on the show! I have not watched his spin-off show Torchwood but it does intrigue me. I might check it out one of these days.

Final Report: Doctor Who Series 3 is a great season with fantastic adventures and a season finale that raises the stakes to a whole new level.

Movie Review #38: Rango (2011)

Yes, this counts as a western. This is more of a western than Wild Wild West is.

Rango is the story of a chameleon winds up in a town called Dirt and he ends being thrust into becoming the sheriff. In order to save Dirt, he has to find water and brig it back to its former glory.

13 years ago back in 2000, I saw a movie called Chicken Run. I remember watching that movie for the first time and I had never seen anything like it before. It was original, funny and had animation that was beyond belief. I think that Rango is Chicken Run for a brand new generation. It has all of the same things that I liked about Chicken Run and then some!

Rango is played by Johnny Depp and he was perfect for this character. He delivered lines that I can only imagine Depp saying. The supporting characters are just as memorable and hysterical. Bill Nighy plays a gunslinger named Rattlesnake Jake and he just might be one of the coolest villains in western history. The other voice actors like Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina and Abigail Breslin are also worth honoring. Every single character in this movie is memorable. There is also a cameo by Timothy Olyphant in this movie that might be the greatest cameo in a western. Then again I can't think of many westerns with cameos, but this one takes the cake!

The dialogue is filled with jokes that only adults will laugh at which makes me happy. I love it when an animated movie can be enjoyed by people of all ages. That's why I love films by Hayao Miyazaki. In Japan, animated films are targeted for everyone to enjoy. Whereas in America, animated movies are targeted for only kids 95% of the time. Rango finally broke the boundary as one of the first non Disney/Pixar movies to do so.

I haven't even started praising the animation. It's incredible. It's so realistic. The skin on Rango is so detailed it's baffling. And that's just on one character! It almost looks like a mosaic it's so detailed. The action scenes are beyond fun. There was a chase between the lizards and moles that was fast-paced, slightly goofy and irresistibly entertaining. The score fits each scene so well. The song that plays during the end credits is beyond great. Don't turn the movie off once the credits appear because that song is worth listening to.

Final Report: Rango is a unique, quirky, screwball, roller-coaster acid trip of an animation and proves to us that Gore Verbenski is a filmmaker to be reckoned with.

Movie Review #37: Appaloosa (2008)

Christof from the Truman Show, Lord Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, Roxie Hart from Chicago and Scar from the Lion King. That is either the cast to a western or one interesting dinner party.

Appaloosa is about two friends who are hired to police over a suffering town called Appaloosa.

I have to say that I was let down by this film. I am a fan of Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons. I'm a fan of westerns in general so I was looking forward to this! This ended up being a big disappointment. Here's why.

1. I can't stand Renee Zelllweger in anything she does. She plays the same character in everything. In every movie she's in she thinks that she's the most attractive girl to ever walk the face of planet earth but then she just becomes an attention leech and only wants to be noticed. My opinion of her is the same for her performances in Chicago and this. Not to mention she looked very unattractive. I'm not sure if plastic surgery is to blame, but her cheeks look like they're frozen in place. I'm not sure what happened to her.

2. It's not entirely interesting or entertaining. The shoot-out scenes don't last very long and when they do happen, they aren't riveting or enjoyable. The plot isn't altogether very interesting and the dialogue meanders along at a snails pace. I believe that Ed Harris is to blame for that because this is his first time writing and second time directing and he doesn't know all of the ins and outs of writing and directing.

It may sound like I hated this film. I did in fact like some aspects of the film. The chemistry between the four lead actors was great. I believed that they were friends and it looked like they were having a good time. The chemistry between Harris and Mortensen was the best. But aside from that, this movie really doesn't have much to it. I must say that my favorite character was Viggo Mortensen's character. His character was smooth, likable and has awesome facial hair.

Final Report: With the exception of the evident chemistry between the four leads, Appaloosa has very little meat on the bones not just as a western but as a movie in general.

Movie Review #36: 3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Another remake this time starring Inspector Javert and Bruce Wayne from the director of Walk the Line. In order for a remake to actually be good, get a well known director and two Oscar winning leads. It worked for True Grit. Hollywood should really know that this is the formula to make a good remake.

3:10 To Yuma is a remake of the 1957 film of the same name. The story is that an outlaw named Ben Wade gets captured and it's up to a posse of lawmen to take him to the train station to get him on the 3:10 to Yuma.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this. I just wanted to see Christian Bale and Russel Crowe in the west. I actually ended up enjoying this! Bale and Crowe are perhaps what made this movie. Russel Crowe plays Ben Wade and he kills it in this role! This character was tailor made for him. I haven't seen Russel Crowe in a role like this since Gladiator. He's both sinister, evil and charismatic. He was great. Christian Bale was also good. Bale in this movie wasn't like Russel Crowe how it was his role but he was still good. Bale's role would have been great for a more lesser known actor. Like this would be their breakout role. The guy who plays Milton on The Walking Dead is also in this movie and he more or less plays his character in the Walking Dead. So that made me laugh, but he was also good.

The shoot out scenes are also pretty cool. The final chase to get Ben Wade to the train is really well shot and action packed. The ending was a bit of a bummer. It ended on a major down note and even though I expected that it would happen, I didn't want it to.

Final Report: Thanks to the charisma and acting chops of Christian Bale and Russel Crowe, this is another solid western remake.

Movie Review #35: True Grit (2010)

The Dude, Jason Bourne and George W. Bush in a remake of a western classic directed by Coen Brothers. If any remake was bound to be good, it's this one.

True Grit is a remake of the John Wayne classic of the same name. The story is about a little girl named Mattie Ross and she's set to avenge her father by killing Tom Cheney, the man who killed him. But in order to do so, she hires Rooster Cogburn to assist her in bringing Tom Cheney to justice.

I personally hate remakes. None of them ever end up being as good as the original or even good in general. That being said, I honestly enjoyed this remake more than the original! Here's why:

Jeff Bridges is a great actor and is just plain awesome in general. In this film, he's a gun-slingin', angry drunk and he plays his role as Rooster Cogburn almost too well. He was also pretty funny at times but his humor wasn't said at a time where it would feel awkward or just fall flat. A little unknown actress named Hallie Steifeld plays Mattie Ross and she actually held up next to Jeff Bridges. She managed to not be one of those irritating kid actors that try to act cool but they really just come off as irritating. Because if the Phantom Menace taught us anything it is to tread lightly when watching movies with kid actors in the leading roles. Her character was determined, independent, headstrong and also pretty cute. What's not to like? Matt Damon plays a Texas ranger that assists Mattie and Rooster and his character is more or less the comic relief. Granted his character is important to the story, but his character was more or less the comic relief. For me, that didn't detract from the film, I'm just being nit-picky here.

The biggest bummer about this movie is that you don't actually meet Tom Cheney until more than halfway though the run-time. I would have liked to see more of him but for the time he was in he was good.

The dialogue between Bridges, Steifeld and Damon is really well written and entertaining. The film has a great look to it also. It has an artsy look to it but it isn't artsy at all. If anything, it's gritty and realistic.

Final Report: True Grit is well acted by the entire cast, sharply written and features a star-making performance by Hallie Steifeld. If you don't like this movie, then I have to believe that you're a one-eyed fat man.

Movie Review #34: Tombstone (1993)

"I'll be your Huckleberry."

Tombstone is the story of a town called Tombstone that is run by cowboys and it's up to Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday to serve up some justice and bring back order to this once great town.

This movie is a classic because it's perhaps the most fun a western has or can ever be! This is largely due to the great shoot-outs and incredibly memorable characters.

Kurt Russel plays Wyatt Earp and he's great. But even though he's the main star, the stage belongs to Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday. Val Kilmer honestly was born for this role. He plays a womanizing alcoholic and he's perhaps the most charismatic drunks I've ever seen. This is how awesome he is: Even though he's slowly dying of tuberculosis, that doesn't mean he's going to stop fighting. He ends up sticking by Wyatt Earp's side until the day he dies. That is the definition of loyalty my friends! I wish I had a friend like that. Or any friends...

Val Kilmer aside, Wyatt Earp's brothers are also pretty cool. Sam Elliot has a fantastic southern twang to his voice and a mustache like no other. Bill Paxton is the only forgettable guy. It isn't his fault that he was overshadowed by Sam Elliot's enormous mustache.

Final Report: Tombstone is one of my favorite westerns with great shoot-out scenes, cool characters and Val Kilmer giving in my opinion an Oscar worthy performance.

I'm in a western mood so I'm going to review a total of five westerns with this being the first.

Movie Review #33: The Village (2004)

This is the last M. Night Shyamalan film that I will be reviewing for one reason: It is his last good film. That being said, what on earth did I just watch?

The population of a small village believe that their alliance with the creatures that inhabit the forest is coming to an end. If that summary confused you beyond belief, I felt the same way until the last 20 minutes of this film.

This movie is perhaps M. Night's most interesting film because unlike The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, you know what the plot is. In The Village, you don't know jack squat. In the aspect of keeping the audience in the dark for almost all of the film, The Village succeeds.

The cast is Shyamalan's most star studded cast yet with the talents of Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. All of them are great actors. The main star of this is Bryce Dallas Howard. I thought that this would revolve around Joaquin, but he is only in it for the first half. I found that fairly deceiving since his name was the first that appeared on the credits. I was kind of bummed that this wouldn't be the Joaquin Phoenix showcase that I hoped it would be, but for the half that he's in, he's fantastic (as usual.)

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers will follow from here on out. Do not continue reading this unless you have seen this film or you don't care.
There are multiple things in this film that I just didn't buy at all. In the second half, Bryce Dallas Howard has to leave the village to get medicine for Joaquin Phoenix because Adrien Brody went bananas and stabbed him because he loves Bryce even though she loves Joaquin. That being said, unless she gets the medicine to stop the infection, Joaquin will die. That should be pretty simple but Bryce's character Ivy is blind. So a blind girl is given a quest to go through unfamiliar territory by herself. That seems completely possible right? Now I enjoy watching films that are completely unrealistic. That being said, this film is grounded in reality and I just didn't buy that at all. Even though the big plot twist wasn't as lame as the twist in Signs was, it felt like it was really convenient and you end up seeing it coming before it happens.

Final Report: Aside from the absurdity, The Village is well acted. Upon watching this for the first time, it keeps you interested and you want to know how it all ties together in the end.

Movie Review #32: Signs (2002)

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen this movie before, watch the film and then read this review (unless you could care less about spoilers.)

Dead people, superheroes and now aliens. M. Night Shyamalan has really covered the bases of science fiction within his first three films.

Signs stars Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix and they are two brothers that live on a farm. One day they discover these crop circles in their corn field, but this symbol doesn't just appear in their field. The same symbol appears everywhere around the world and if you know anything about science fiction, that's a dead giveaway sign that aliens are coming.

Now this is not your typical alien invasion flick. Shyamalan kind of did what Spielberg did with Jaws: He didn't show what the creature looked like until the finale. I found that very interesting because doing something like that intrigues the audience and gets their attention.

Keeping with typical Shyamalan, the pacing is slow and most of the film is dialogue base. The movie really doesn't get going until at least half way in, but if you've enjoyed M. Night's first two movies and didn't get bored, you'll be fine with the pacing in Signs. Even if the pacing bothered you, the actors won't. Mel Gibson gave a very realistic portrayal of what a father would do for his kids and brother during an event like this. Joaquin Phoenix is great in almost everything he stars in so this goes without saying.

The biggest gripe that I have is the plot twist. I felt that it really wasn't a twist or a surprise. The aliens weakness is water. I just don't buy that. If they die when exposed to water, why in all of time and space would they come to a planet that is 75% water?!?! Taking in the fact that they're aliens, you would think that they would have some scanners on their spaceships that could detect if there is any water on the planet. That seems like the logical thing to do if you are an alien race and you plan to invade and conquer a planet. You better check that the planet you plan to invade doesn't have an abundance of what can kill you. It felt more like a convenient ending that was completely last minute.

Final Report: I still think that Signs is a good alien invasion movie even though I wasn't a fan of the ending.

Movie Review #31: Unbreakable (2000)

A movie about superheros without any powers. Well if anyone had to play a real-life superhero, Bruce Willis is the first and obvious choice.

Unbreakable is about a man named David Dunn played by Bruce Willis and he seems like your average guy. But after a horrendous accident, he discovers that he's actually very special. He later meets Elijah Price played by Samuel L. Jackson. Elijah tells him what he believes David to be: A comic book hero. Elijah believes that comic book heroes walk the face of the earth and that is our movie but it's so much more! 

Elijah Price is also called Mr. Glass because he has a disease that makes his bones extremely fragile. He broke his bones very often as a child, causing him to get the name Mr. Glass.

Now I think that this film is incredibly underrated. I believe that this film will forever live in the shadow cast by the Sixth Sense even though I feel that this is far superior to the Sixth Sense! Me preferring Unbreakable over the Sixth Sense is completely biased because I wasn't able to enjoy the Sixth Sense as much because I had the plot twist spoiled for me. But not this plot twist. This caught me completely off guard and I guarantee you that I would've felt the same way toward the Sixth Sense if the surprise wasn't ruined.

I also think that this was robbed at the big award ceremonies. Sam Jackson's performance really is Oscar worthy. It seems weird to hear the words "Sam Jackson" and "Oscar worthy" in the same sentence, doesn't it? Bruce Willis proves once again that he can also do more serious and dramatic roles. Oddly enough, his two dramatic roles are both Shyamalan films!

Final Report: Unbreakable, in my opinion, is M. Night Shyamalan's best film to date, and my favorite performance by Samuel L. Jackson.

Movie Review #30: The Sixth Sense (1999)

With M. Night Shyamalan's After Earth currently in the multiplex, I felt it would be appropriate to review some of Shyamalan's other films. So let's start where his luck streak started!

The Sixth Sense is about a young boy played by Haley Joel Osment, who can see people that don't know he's dead. In order to deal with this, he gets help from a child psychologist played by Bruce Willis.

This review is going to be spoiler free because let's face it: EVERYONE KNOWS THE PLOT TWIST. But on the slightest off-chance that someone reading this review hasn't seen this movie or had the twist spoiled for them, I will not be the guy that spoiled it for you. So you're welcome America.

The two leads were fantastic. Haley Joel Osment gave a star-making performance before he fell off the face of the earth (or at least Hollywood). Bruce Willis also proved to us that he can do more than a bunch of generic shoot-em up films.

The story and script is also interesting. Even if you already know what the plot twist is, you're still captivated and anxious to see what's going to happen next. The film is slow, but that's Shyamalan's film-making style. His films are slow, fascinating and have a trademark plot-twist.

Final Report: The Sixth Sense is a slow movie, but it's well acted, well made and is written in a way that intrigues you and leaves you wondering until the very end. This is also a classic film of the 1990's.

Movie Review #29: The Great Gatsby (2013)

I apologize for this review coming out so late. I wanted to see this opening weekend, but I decided to save my money for Star Trek Into Darkness. But regardless, I saw this movie because I read the book and was interested about what Baz Luhrman could do with this. It turns out he did this....

The Great Gatsby is another retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of the same name. Now I've actually been looking forward to this movie since it was set to be released last Christmas. I am a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, I am a fan of Tobey Maguire, and I am a fan of the book so why shouldn't I be excited for this? For one reason only: Baz Luhrman.

I'm gonna get right to it: Baz Luhrman was not the right director for this. His style is very unique. He's kind of like an artsy Zach Snyder. He makes movies with lavish and flashy visuals and loud music. He also directed William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and I despise that film.

Now in some of Baz Luhrman's movies, his trademark lavish visuals work. Not in this case. The Great Gatsby is meant to focus more on the characters. it's a very character driven story and when I read the book, I was emotionally invested. I received none of that in this. During the parties at Gatsby's mansion, there was so much going on it was overwhelming for the majority of the time. It reminded me of the battle of Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. There was so much happening that you weren't sure what to focus on. Don't get me wrong though, that battle sequence in Attack of the Clones was the best part of the film! The parties were entertaining, albeit a bit ridiculous. I was also on the fence about the soundtrack. I checked iTunes and I saw that the entire soundtrack was filled with music by Jay-Z and Lana Del Ray. I was perplexed by that. I thought that there would be jazz and music that fit the 1920's. After watching the movie, the songs actually fit the tone of the parties surprisingly well! I still would have liked some jazz though.

The actors were pretty solid in this film. DiCaprio played Gatsby and I knew before the trailer came out that Leo would be just fine as the title character. I was correct. I also had a feeling that Tobey Maguire would be great as Nick because the character Nick basically represents us. He's a fish out of water when it comes to the rich life and he worked really well. Joel Edgerton plays Tom Buchanan and he was perfect as Tom. Author John Green said that Tom Buchanan is perhaps the most detestable person in the history of literature. Joel Edgerton played the role perfectly. The only person I had a problem with was Carey Mulligan's character Daisy. I felt like she was trying to be Kristen Stewart, only she showed more emotion in this one film than K-Stew showed in all five Twilight films. A newer actress named Elizabeth Debicki plays Jordan Baker and I want to see her in more things. Not only was she good in the film, but she's so pretty. And that is all.

Final Report: Contrary to the title, Gatsby isn't "great".