Anonymous - Movie Review

Normally when the name Roland Emmerich is attached to a film, you can expect to see a blockbuster sized spectacle that pushes the boundaries of what can be done visually on a movie screen. Pictures like 2012, Universal Soldier, and Independence day are prime examples of Emmerich's style so he would be the last person you would expect to take on a political thriller/period piece that tries to bring light to the theory that William Shakespeare was not really the author of the works he is known for.

Paranormal Activity 3 - Movie Review

This series has been very polarizing as people either love the intensity and scares, or they just can't stand the "found footage" type of film making. Either way, the first two movies have gone on to become huge hits at the box office. Each being made on a shoestring budget and raking in millions of dollars has guaranteed that we will keep seeing Paranormal Activity during the month of October for years to come. How long can the story be milked? This third installment leaves some the history untold and may eventually branch out from Katie and Kristie's family.

The Artist - Movie Review

'The Artist' begins in 1927 during the heyday of silent films and follows the lives of two people as Hollywood begins to transition in to an era of sound. One is in danger of being left behind while the other becomes an overnight sensation and, although their stories are intertwined, they are constantly being pulled apart by both time and technology.

This movie is primarily a love story but is also so many other things that, by the time the credits role, you realize you are appropriately at a loss for words when trying to describe such a beautifully crafted silent movie.

Margin Call - Movie Review

One look at the cast of this movie and you feel like you are guaranteed to see a great film...I mean, look at all those heavy hitters from Kevin Spacey to Jeremy Freakin' Irons! Would the story be able to hold up its end of the bargain and deliver material worthy of all this talent or would their skills be wasted on a bland, boring, and soon to be forgotten tale? First, I will tell you a bit about the story before you decide if it is worthy of your attention.

The Thing (1982 and 2011) - Movie Review Double Feature

 

This is a review of both the original 1982 film and the 2011 prequel since they are pretty much one story split in to two movies. The 1982 film features Kurt Russell in what, at the time, was one of the scariest and coolest sci-fi movies this side of Alien. The new release takes us back to the same snowy location and tells the story of what happened just prior to the events of the first movie. If I had ever watched the original, I don't remember it, so I took the opportunity to see it on Netflix's streaming service the night before I attended a screening of the new one.

Like Crazy - Movie Review

A movie that is riding a wave of hype from the film festival circuit should certainly be something to get excited about and especially when the lead actors are all relative youngsters that appear to be on the fast track to stardom. Brought to the screen by up and coming director Drake Doremus, this picture focuses on the relationship of two students as they fall in love and try to overcome obstacles that are thrown their way and also ones they bring upon themselves. The question that we try to answer here ends up not being if they will succeed, but what that success ultimately means to each of their lives.

Blackthorn - Movie Review

The classic Western film, when done well, can be a thing of beauty, like a prized horse within the midst of all the tumbleweeds and empty shotgun shells. There have been several movies that have told the tale of the legendary Butch Cassidy along with his partner, the Sundance Kid, and I'm sure there will be more of these stories along with the occasional re-imagining of ones we have already seen. Blackthorn is the telling of what may have happened if the rumors are to be believed that Butch and Sundance were not killed by Bolivian soldiers in 1908.

Footloose (2011) - Movie Review

Some of you will remember the version of this movie from the 1980's which starred Kevin Bacon in a breakout role and gave us timeless songs and images that still stand strong today. The remake follows the story very closely although bringing it up to current times to make room for ipods and songs featuring current artists. The cast is full of newcomers like Kenny Wormald and Miles Teller as well as seasoned veterans like Dennis Quaid and Andie McDowell. The main question here is if this remake will step on the toes of its predecessor or will it two-step past expectations and share space on the dance floor with a timeless classic.

Real Steel - Movie Review

"Hey, look! It's Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em, Robots!"

That seems to be the first thought people have when they see the trailer for this movie as most kids have had some version of the classic robot boxing toy. I know my brother and I had ours and this movie takes the concept of robots duking it out and gives it a high tech makeover that has the perfect one-two punch combination of stunning visuals and the classic inspirational sports story. This is rags to richest at its finest in the tradition of Rocky and The Karate Kid (the original) and there is no shortage of moments that will tug at the heart strings mixed in with lots of fiercely intense robot battles.

The Debt - Movie Review

The debt is a classic tale of espionage and intrigue set primarily in 1960's Berlin and is full of suspense along with several surprising twists and turns. You have three reluctant but extremely dedicated heroes and their brilliantly mad adversary who is at times on the level of Hannibal Lechter when it comes to creepy villainy. I enjoyed watching this movie as it doesn't try to force feed the story to the audience and also does a great job of weaving through plot lines that are revealed over two different time lines.

Machine Gun Preacher - Movie Review

First I would like to say thank you to the Seattle International Film Festival for presenting a special preview screening of this film and for bringing in Sam Childers and screenwriter Jason Keller for a post movie Q&A.

Machine Gun Preacher is based on the true story of Sam Childers as he goes from heroin addicted drug dealer and all around trouble maker to becoming a major force in protecting children and families from violence bordering on genocide in the heart of war ravaged Sudan. When I very first heard the name of this movie, my instant reaction without knowing any story details was that this would fall in to the same category as Hobo With a Shotgun and Machete which were very stylized Grindhouse movies that play for cheap thrills and indulgence. This movie turned out to be about as different as could possibly be and surprised me in several different ways.

The Lion King 3D - Movie Review

3D Technology has certainly been the story of the year so far in the world of cinema. The release of James Cameron's Avatar set off a virtual wildebeast stampede as movie studios set out to turn as many feature films in to 3D blockbusters as quickly as possible. The result of this obvious cash grab was met with mixed results as films like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender were so poorly converted to 3D that it actually made the image quality worse.

It was soon discovered that the preferred methods of making a 3D movie were to either film it with 3D cameras like the visually breathtaking and box office record smashing Avatar or spend as much time as possible and make every effort to make sure the conversion process is done right. Disney was at the forefront of this "quality over quantity" idea and they also had an edge with animated features being ideal candidates to present in this emerging format.

Movies like Toy Story 3 and Tangled were huge successes with the latter being a major surprise hit and only partly due to the 3D format. The studio remembered that story is more important than anything else when it comes to making a movie people will truly enjoy and want to see again and again. They were in fact the same folks that brought us The Lion King in the first place and the only question now was if they would make the conversion of this all time classic to 3D just as magical as the rest of the film.

Drive (2011) - Movie Review

Up and coming director Nicolas Winding Refn, who hails from Denmark, has made a very bold statement with his first mainstream Hollywood effort. Best known previously for his direction of critically acclaimed films like Bronson and Valhalla Rising, Drive will definitely get his career going full speed ahead as he brings us a story full of understated drama contrasted by brutally intense action sequences.

Straw Dogs (2011) - Movie Review

First, let me just say that I have not seen the original version of this film from 1971 which stars Dustin Hoffman and Susan George so I am not able to offer any comparison between the two. That being said I still had a pretty good idea of how the movie would play out based on the trailer which can be viewed at the end of this review. This is a fairly straightforward tale that does have some interesting twists and turns, but could it live up to the promise of being the intensely violent thrill ride we see touched on in the trailer?

Contagion - Movie Review

There seems to be a lot of hype about the quality of this movie partly due to the star studded cast featuring Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburn, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet just to name a few. Director Steven Soderbergh also adds a large credibility factor due to previous critical successes that he has brought to the screen including the likes of Traffic, Erin Brockovich and his breakout feature Sex, Lies, and Videotape. All of this quality star power both in front of and behind the camera should certainly have Contagion primed for some award season honors down the road, but after watching this movie I walked out of the theater with a differing opinion that what I had already heard and read.

Warrior - Movie Review

The Movie: Warrior

The Director: Gavin O'Connor

The Cast: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn

The Story: The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.