TAKERS

SEXY.

SEXY.

SEXY.

SEXY.

SEXY.

I could just leave it at that, but for my male readers, I will go on. The movie is comprised of an all male cast of Hollywood's leading actors right now. Because you do not think of a lot of these actors as gangster-types, or types that would play in heist-movies, you root for them the entire film. You want them to succeed. Hayden Christiansen has a boy-like quality about him onscreen, and even though he's a criminal, he has this innocence about him and you want him to succeed. The same goes for all of these actors. Paul Walker is not exactly new to playing somewhat of a badass in films (Fast & the Furious films) and to be honest, his character in this one is not far from his character in those movies. However, once again, as an audience member, you still find yourself rooting for him.

The films is based around this group of men that commit major heists once a year. They do it once a year, because when they do it, they do it big. Period. In one robbery, they may steal multiple millions of dollars. Because they only do it once a year, this is also how they never get caught. Their heist's are highly stylized, and incredibly strategic. Idris Elba is as beautiful as ever and is very much the "father figure" of the film. T.I.'s character is the one that stirs everything up. I find his acting to honestly be annoying. Overall, the character he plays is himself. He's a criminal fresh out of jail, and immediately is into more illegal mischief, sure to have him end up right back in the "Big House." I found his acting to be over done and like I said, pretending it was just a reality show of his life would have gone over much better.

Saying much more will give away too much of the film's plot. I will just say this. The film is not the next Goodfellas. It's not The Departed. However, it is an action-packed film, with an A-list cast of actors that are NOT at all bad to look at. Overall, the acting is fine. The plot is fast-paced and fun. It's a good time. You felt for these characters. In some sick way you might even want to be them. The film is entertaining and sometimes that's all the cinema is supposed to be.

Case 39

I do not know about all of you, but there's nothing more horrifying than children in horror movies. Remember 1984's Children of The Corn? How about The Omen-the 1976 original and the 2006 remake? And let's be real, The Exorcist is a film that has frightened generations and will continue to do so.

Would I put this film amongst the same ranks as that of The Exorcist? No. It's not that scary, and it's not quite that good. It has its moments, however. You will jump. You will scream, and you do not see right away the turn the film is going to take until about midway through. Renee Zellweger does a good job at playing the hardworking, "truly caring," frumpy, social worker. Bradley Cooper is honestly not in the film as long as I would have liked. It's not his best work, but this is not exactly a film that showcases true acting ability. Let's be real-the man is hot, and it's never disappointing to see him in a film, even if just for a short while.

My overall conclusion: Is it going to go down in horror film classic records? No it's not. It's a horror flick with a moderately over-done plot, and just decently scary. However, If you're in the mood for a good scream, I do recommend it.

For Colored Girls

Well...To maintain a sense of diplomacy with my feelings on this film, I will talk about the good in it first. First off, I genuinely wanted to like this film. I am a Tyler Perry fan. I respect his work and his tremendous brilliance in terms of his entrepeneurship in the industry. When I heard he was doing For Colored Girls, I was excited that he had this opportunity. I knew of the "heavy" nature of the material presented in the play, and I knew that Tyler Perry would certainly be majorly stepping out of his own genre with such a film. I felt that him directing this film would truly expose his ability to get gritty, to get real. That is what I was hoping to see from him with this one.

The turn out ended up being quite the contrary. The film featured a cast of African-American, A-list actresses, but unfortunately, not even they could save this cinematic debacle. As I mentioned above, the film deals with a lot of raw, difficult material. There is rape, there is abortion, there is trauma from years of forced incest masked through promiscuity, there is poverty, murder, and life-changing deceit. Every issue that the film deals with are issues that regular women face on a day-to-day basis. All women, not just those of color face these problems. That is the beauty within the storyline. This is also where Tyler Perry fails in his direction of the work. The film revolves around these issues but he never quite lets you come to terms with them. In the film, you see the murder of two children, but then immediately are cut away from it. It's shocking and appalling, but let me be shocked and appalled! Let me absorb what happened before you cut away to the next scene of the film before I can even come to grasp the horror that has just taken place on the screen. There is rape, and during the rape, the disgust of the act taking place in front of you is masked by interjected cuts to a different scene with an overlay of opera music. There is something just off about this. I know what Tyler Perry was trying to accomplish with such cuts, but he failed. When making a movie that is very real, and very raw, in order for the film to have the necessary effect on its audience, these disturbing scenes cannot be masked with attempted, but failed cinematic style choices. We need to see it. That's it. We need to see the acts and we need to see the reactions these acts have on the characters
.

Because Tyler Perry is so caught up in this filmmaking style where everything has a happy ending and nothing is really that bad if we have faith, etc, etc, he never makes films that are real enough. In life, sometimes things are not okay. Some situations do not have happy endings. Life for some, does not always have a silver lining. Perry is doing the cinema a disservice by not showing the truth that lies in everyday life. Cinema is great in that things can be fantastical and can take us out of our everyday lives into a new world that is completely made up. However, when brought with a script like that of For Colored Girls, where the storyline revolves around the honesty, by not bringing out that nakedness within the script, you have brought cinematic detriment upon yourself as a director and your viewers.

Perry tends to make jokes at interviews and in his blogs about the fact that he will never win an Oscar for this reason or for that one. The fact is, he will never win an Oscar because he does cookie-cutter cinema. Give me something raw. Give me something real. For Colored Girls was his opportunity for that and he failed. He let what could have been one of the best, most talked about and acclaimed films of the year fall through his finger tips. I'm disappointed.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

So it's no secret that I think Shia LaBeouf is beyond sexy. Buttt before you call me biased in how fantastic I think this movie is based on Shia's sex appeal, I also think he's incredibly talented with incredible potential as an actor. Shia is at the top of the Hollywood A-list these days, and certainly for good reason, but this movie has much more (film) street-cred than just LaBeouf as the leading man. Oliver Stone directed the film, following up his initial classic, 1987's Wall Street starring Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglass. For those of you who are not quite familiar with Stone's work, this is the same man who directed the 1986 Vietnam War classic, Platoon, Any Given Sunday, and writer of Scarface. That's right, he wrote Scarface.

Oliver Stone is a true visionary. This fact is no less apparent in Money Never Sleeps. For those interested in film aesthetics and cinematography, it truly is pleasing to look at. He utilizes a great amount of cinematic and technological effects in conjunction with the wall street/business/economic world. It's artistic. He makes use of the split screen technique throughout the film, which is something I have not seen in a very long time. There are numerous phone conversations throughout the film, most often with a broker and a client. Stone is showing the Wall Street world and how it intertwines with the lives of all parties involved, even outside of the office or "working" daytime hours. He is displaying greed and it's disease-like nature. Once you have succumb to it, there is no coming back from it.

Outside of film aesthetics and logistics, there is an intriguing storyline. This is another one of those films for me where I feel as though there is something in it for everyone. If you're in the mood for a chick flick or a good romance, the chemistry between Shia LaBeouf and leading lady, Carey Mulligan is phenomenal. She is a brilliant young actress. It is no surprise at all that she has made her way from indie film work like that in last years, An Education to the mainstream screen. She's a natural, and she and Shia are natural together in this movie. It is no surprise that they are now together in real life. If you're in the mood for a high speed action flick, there's some of that to! There is a racing scene between Labeouf and Josh Brolin on Ducati motorcycles. It's fast and it's sexy. It's a film for intellectuals: econ buffs, business moguls. It forces you to pay attention to the subject matter. I definitely learned a lot about the stock market world and in order to follow the movie and the progression of the plot, you have to pay attention. It forces you to pay attention in a non-forceful way. Saying that, I mean that the movie is entrancing. You want to pay attention. You are intrigued by the characters. You want them to fail. You want them to succeed. You want them to be happy. You want them to be together. You want them to make that multi-million dollar deal. In some twisted way, you want to be them!

The movie does not come without it's faults and weaknesses. The ending is less than satisfying. It was kind of cheesy, kind of corny and it just did not need to go that direction. I won't go into anymore detail because you need to see it yourself. But really, who the hell am I to critique the man who wrote Scarface? Just sayin. Either way, Wall Street 2 is definitely a must-see.

The Social Network

The movie is everything the previews said it would be. FANTASTIC. Plus, with a director like David Fincher, the man behind the madness and the genius that is Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, how can you really go wrong?

One of the best things about the movie is the fact that the two main characters are Hollywood unknowns. You do not go into the film with expectations in terms of performance because you have no idea who these two kids really are. The film was more exciting that way. It was not a great flick because it starred Brad Pitt or Shia LaBeouf. It was not even great because Justin Timberlake was featured in it. It was great because it was true. It was great because the cinematography was innovative, eye-catching, and authentic. It was great because it was absurdly well-scripted, quick-witted, fast-paced, and honest. It was great because it was REAL! It's about a world that literally everyone knows about and/or uses! I have a Facebook. You have Facebook. Your parents have Facebook. Your professors have Facebook. Your boss has Facebook. Your Grandma MiMi has a Facebook! It's insane.

The movie tracks the creation and evolution of the biggest social networking business the world has ever seen. The coolest part about it? The guy started it when he was my age, and he was my age, only six years ago. At 26, he is now the youngest billionaire in the world. It blows my mind. Watching the movie is a surreal experience. In the theater, I updated my Facebook status to, "Seeing The Social Network!" How weird is it that I Facebook'd about a movie made about Facebook? What did I do when I was finished seeing The Social Network? I checked my Facebook to read all of my comments on my status about the movie I was seeing about the site I was currently visiting....yeah... Think about it.

The point I am trying to make is that the film is so thrilling to see because it is about a culture we are completely immersed in. I check my Facebook countless times a day. It's on my phone. It's on my laptop. It's on my iPod. I monitor who I am interested or not interested in by someone's Facebook pictures, relationship status, interests, activities and the wittiness of their status updates. The cultural phenomenon Facebook has become is kind of sick. All in all, Facebook and new technology has both helped and hindered our human-to-human interaction.

David Fincher takes all of this and puts it into narrative form about the guys who started this unparalleled website that has literally shaped a generation. CEO Mark Zuckerberg started this site as a 20 year old at Harvard. Why? Not for money but to make a name for himself. To lose the geek image and to get some recognition. For friends. For the girl. Wait, did you just ask why? Why the hell not?! If had the means to change the entire world, I sure as hell would.

Eat Pray Love

This highly anticipated Julia Roberts vehicle was exactly what I expected it to be which means it accomplished exactly what it set out to accomplish. It inspired.

The movie follows Liz Gilbert, a married and successful 30 something woman who ideally has everything she thought she ever wanted in life. After a few years of marriage, she finds herself unhappy and unfulfilled and sets out on a one year journey to Italy, India and Bali. In Italy she finds the unprecedented pleasure in wholesome nourishment. In India she finds inner peace through prayer and in Bali she finds humanities ultimate felicity in her discovery of pure and true love.

As a 21 year old, I cannot say that I can relate on the level that my mother could relate to this film. I am still in college. I am not sure if I've ever been in love. I am still in pursuit of my dreams. However, as a woman, with incredible dreams of success and tremendous dreams of falling in love, I can see how one can get lost, and truly lose sight of the real importances in life. Like Liz at 21 I'm sure, I do not doubt in life that I will make my career dreams a reality, and that I can ultimately accomplish any thing that I put my mind to. It's the higher pleasures in life I worry about. Sometimes our pursuits of success and accomplishing our ultimate career goals cause us to forget what we really need in life, and all we've ever really wanted. Sometimes we can become so tainted along the way by never finding love, or by being hurt in pursuit of it, we hide behind our careers and pretend we have found our inner happiness that way. Sooner or later it all gets old. The fame doesn't mean much. The people who are supposed to be there for you, are not who you thought they were. Something is ultimately missing.

There is far too much pressure placed on women today to maintain a certain image; to be a size 2, to not live "promiscuously," to dress a certain way, to have a certain amount of intellect-not too little but certainly not too much-we can't be more intelligent or successful than our male counterparts right? As the movies tagline states, we have to let ourselves go. We have to let ourselves be happy, to be free. Without any of these things, the other pleasures in life are meaningless; we are ultimately incapable of truly enjoying them.

So I say to you...

Live your life. Love yourself. Love. And go see this film. See it with your girls. See it with your mother. See it with your boyfriend. See it.

Charlie St. Cloud

AWFUL.

Horrendous.

Horrific.

Terrible.

Puzzling.

Ridiculous.

Absurd.

Simple.

Complicated.

Convoluted.

Annoying.

Poorly-Scripted.

Mediocre(ly) Acted.

Aimlessly Directed.

...I could go on, people, but for the sake of time and space, I will not. I must tell you how hard it is for me to say all of these things because I genuinely wanted this movie to be good. I thought it was going to be good! I am not just a movie fanatic, but I'm a movie advocate. I love films. I love seeing movies. They make me happy and I ALWAYS want them to be good, and typically, there is always something good I can say about a movie, even if the overall rating of the film is poor. I unfortunately just cannot say that this time. There is nothing about this movie that saves it from its utter badness.

I first saw the trailer when I was at the theater seeing Sex and the City 2 with my Mom. We both gasped at the scene of the car accident, when the drunk driver hits the little brother and we just knew it was going to be a good movie. After seeing the trailer for months leading up to the film's release, my expectations changed a bit. I no longer thought it was going to be a movie of epic tear-jerking nature as I did when I saw the trailer the first time. Lets face it-the trailer tells you everything major that happens in the film. So at the least, I thought it would be a cliche´ "feel good" movie where tragedy happens to boy, boy falls from grace, and boy falls in love, and love conquers all. That's pretty much how the trailer makes it look right?

Yes. But what about this whole boy talks to dead brother aspect? Lets revise: boy falls from grace, boy lives in the past by seeing dead brother, boy falls in love, and love conquers all. I wish I could tell you guys this was it to the movie. This predictability would have been so much better than the abashed multi-themed, foreseeable(ly) scripted, and feebly acted cinema absurdity that ensued.

I sat there as this movie got worse and worse and did my damnedest to try and some how rescue this movie, to try and see the silver lining so that I could some how tell my readers that like the trailer displays, love, film love, that is, really does conquer all. I know how badly Zac Efron wants to be a serious actor and I want it for him! He does a decent job acting wise, and he is perfectly good eye candy if nothing else. But even the costuming fluidity is poor in the film because even after Charlie St. Cloud's fall from societal idealism after his brother's death, he's still beautiful and terribly attractive. I understand that Zac Efron is hard to "rough up" but make up these days is revolutionary and even Efron, the metrosexual himself, is capable of having a bad day. The movie misses the mark completely...on so so many levels. It attempts to combine multiple themes and is unsuccessful at fully eliciting any of them, and in no way ties them all together.

Unfortunately, everyone, even my love for the cinema couldn't save this film. I am sure none of you after reading this blog are going to go "run to the theater" to see this one, unless of course you're in the mood for a good laugh at the joke this movie is in its attempt at anything rightly cinematic. If nothing else, I hope you were at least minimally entertained in reading this blog.

INCEPTION

If you have not heard the hype surrounding this movie in the last couple of months then you must have been living in a different universe altogether. The buzz around this movie in the last month has been getting continually bigger until the film's release this past  Friday, July 16th. I saw the movie this Saturday, and let me just say-it MORE than lives up to the hype.

Most people, I'm sure, were sold by the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio is the lead in the film. I personally cannot think of one film that I have seen DiCaprio in that did not receive tremendous acclaim, and if I am being perfectly honest, the mere fact that DiCaprio was starring in INCEPTION, sold me at the start.

So you've seen the trailers and you're probably wondering what the hell this movie is even about?! That was definitely my thought after seeing the trailers time after time again. When I stepped foot in the theater on Saturday, I was still pretty damn clueless. I knew the film was about dreams, and somehow entering them, or something of the sort, but that was it. I knew the film would be amazing but I had no idea of the thrill ride I was about to embark on.

The movie takes an in-depth look into our dream world and I don't mean that place where we go in the middle of a boring college lecture to escape or that slump of the work day, around 3pm when the most exciting thing one can think about is getting home to feed their chihuahua and children. I am talking about our real dreams. The things that we have every single night. The things that allow us to fulfill our deepest desires and create the most fantastical of worlds-those dreams. The best stories told in life are those stories that the audience can most relate to. INCEPTION is one of those films. It is said that we dream every single night. Often, we never end up remembering the dream when we wake up, and all we know was that it was either incredibly frightening or incredibly satisfying, and we often wish we could get back to sleep just to relive it. Time is also warped in our dreams. We may have fallen asleep for all but a mere 15 minute nap, but we may have just had a dream where we lived days, maybe years of our lives. These are all things that are familiar to us; things that we have all had experiences with when it comes to our dreams. They are without question a fascinating phenomenon. INCEPTION is so good because it explores a world that we are very familiar with, because it is something we all experience, and share with one another on a day to day basis. Dreams are a commonality amongst every earthly soul.

INCEPTION takes this commonality and explores, and intellectualizes the hell out of it. I cannot lie- the movie is incredible, and it is absolutely something you cannot take your eyes off of while watching, but the film throws an incredible amount of information at its viewers, and in order to fully grasp the entire film, you must pay attention to and remember every detail as you journey throughout the film.

The great thing about the movie is that it's a film that even those that are not movie lovers can enjoy. Lets face it-not all of us are lovers of sparkling vampires. Some people cannot watch cinema for pure entertainment sake and instead, if they are going to see a movie, they want it to have true artistic purpose and some sort of real world/real life connection. INCEPTION has just that. However, I cannot emphasize enough that it is definitely a "smart" movie. If you are not into psychological thrillers or movies that force you to be completely in-tune to the film for the entire 2.5 hour span, the movie probably is not for you. However, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to miss this film. It is truly an event.

No matter what your taste in film, give this movie a chance. You've heard me say this before, but I say emphatically, you DO NOT want to miss out on seeing this movie in theaters. This is not one you want to wait to rent out of your local RedBox in 4 months. I say this without exaggeration- the film was 2.5 hours long, and it felt no longer than an hour. The movie literally takes you on a complete thrill ride from beginning to end. It is action packed from beginning to end. There is twist after twist. Turn after turn. Rarely do you find a film to be both aesthetically and psychologically pleasing. INCEPTION is that film.

SEE IT! Period.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

This is not a film I could pass up writing about immediately, just based on the simple fact that it's Twilight. I saw Eclipse last night at the midnight showing, right here in Charlottesville, VA. In the three years I have been attending college in the City of Charlottesville, it doesn't really seem to be a "movie-goer" place. I bought my tickets on Fandango of course, and I arrived at the theater at 11:45 pm, sure that the theater was not going to be nearly as packed as other theaters in more major cities would be across the country...

I could not have been more wrong. I showed up to the theater, right at 11:45pm and there was literally one parking spot left-one parking spot in a lot that held hundreds upon hundreds of spaces. It was pure insanity. Honestly speaking, I am not the Twilight fanatic that so many millions across the world are. I've never read any of the books. I've heard that they are addicting, but poorly written. I saw the first two movies; the first movie absolutely beat out the second one in terms of content and plot. However, having not read the books, and now seeing Eclipse, I know that New Moon was purely and simply a segue into the incredibility that is part three of the series-Eclipse.

Before I appear to be getting far too carried away, let me clarify that I am in no way saying that this film is Oscar-worthy in terms of acting or plot, or even cinematography. We all know that these movies are commercial, cinematic embodiments of the books, and we also know that the books are not Nobel Prize worthy. They are spectacle and entertainment in its purest form (isn't this obvious in its portrayal of "sparkling" vampires?). Academy Award worthy or not, the films are certainly worth talking about. Isn't that why we go to the movies anyway-to be entertained? To live vicariously through these fantastical characters? To just have fun and feel good? I know that's a huge part of the reason I love the movies so much.

OK so let's get to it. If you're like me, and not an obsessed, crazed Twilight fan, you want to know why you should run to the theaters to see this film. To put it simply, if you're not the psycho-obsessed fan now, after Eclipse, you will be. The movie combines all elements of cinema that we all want to see when we go to the movies, and that is something I definitely cannot say about the first two films. First off, the movie is literally laugh-out-loud hilarious at certain points. I never thought Twilight could be funny before last night. Second, it's sexy as hell. Watching the first two films, I find myself wanting Bella and Edward to just be passionate! The kissing scenes between the two of them in Twilight and New Moon are just weak. These two people are supposed to be so head-over-heels in love with each other, but it's just not obvious in the physical nature between the two of them in the first two films. Trust me, all of that changes in Eclipse. And if you can even fathom such a thing, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) is even hotter, and the sexual tension between he and Bella (Kristen Stewart) definitely comes to a culmination in this movie.

Not only is the movie sexy, but it's romantic. If you're not already, you find yourself really just wanting to be in love after the movie, and if you are in love, you just want to go home to that special person. Corny and cliche right? But trust me, see the movie and you'll understand. So it's funny, sexy, romantic, but what about for you dudes out there that want a little more "meat" out of your films? Eclipse will be a major hit for you as well. The best scenes are between the vampires and werewolves, and you DO NOT want to miss the battle scene at the end of the movie. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. For you film maker's out there that enjoy artistic camera use, the film even has quite a bit of cinematic variation in terms of shot style and special effects, which I was personally pleasantly surprised to see.

Like I said, the rave in this review is coming from someone that is not a member of the Twilight craze. The film obsessed?-Sure. Just see the film . No matter what your type of film may be, I guarantee you will love Eclipse. If you don't, please come back here and comment about it. I'd love to hear what you guys all think-whether you're just as excited as I am or completely disappointed in this film. This blog entry does NOT do the film justice. So right now, I'm giving you permission to leave my blog, go to fandango.com, check the next Eclipse show time in your area, and get the hell out of here, and to the theater...NOW!

She's Out of My League

To put it simply, the movie is funny. It follows a guy who ends up finding a beautiful blonde girl's phone in the airport terminal. The two meet up later in the week so that he can return the phone, and they end up falling head-over-heels for each other. The only problem is that under societal standards discussed in the movie, the girl is a "10" and the guy is a "5" on the attractive scale.

The character, Kirk, played by Jay Baruchel plays the insecure, nerd, that we all fall in love with, fantastically well. He's clearly a natural at these comedic parts, and I think Hollywood will be seeing quite a bit of him for quite a while in the future. Although the movie is a laugh-out-loud comedy, the story line still hits home with a lot of us. The truth is, we all compare our selves at some point to someone else- even the most attractive person has insecurities, and knowing how we rank amongst our peers is a way of keeping ourselves in check-sometimes for the good, allowing us to work harder to become better people inside and outside, but most often for the bad. Sometimes these comparisons prevent us from going after what we really want because we are afraid not necessarily that we actually are too good, or not good enough for the person, but that society will think so.

Without a doubt, the movie is funny as hell, but it also teaches us a little lesson about life and about ourselves....FOLLOW YOUR HEART! TAKE RISKS! The only person ultimately holding you back from anything good in life is you.

The movie is funny, but it in no way matches up to the hilarity of this past summer's hit, The Hangover (2009). You will leave the theater having laughed like hell though, and ultimately feeling good. That's why we go to the movies anyway right?

Valentine's Day

I'm not sure if any one of you went to see He's Just Not That Into You-the movie that came out last Valentine's Day (2009), but Valentine's Day is very similar in its construct and appeal. The ensemble cast of this one is even bigger than that of He's Just Not that Into You.

I can't say that it's a cinematic masterpiece and that you need to run to the theaters to see this one, but I'm sure you knew that anyway. It is a very cute movie though, and an absolute chick-flick and I do not mean that in a bad way. It's a movie about love, and it actually gives very real accounts about the trials and tribulations with relationships that we all go through on a day to day basis-the movie just puts a very, once again, cute, cinematic spin on it.

With the A-list ensemble cast, there is quite a bit of "eye candy" in the movies for both the ladies and the gentlemen, making it a perfect date movie, and a perfect movie for girls night.

For those Grey's Anatomy watchers, McDreamy AND McSteamy are both in this one, and you DEFINITELY do not want to waste a chance at seeing these two warm up the big screen ;)

Shutter Island

So, you saw the preview, and you said to yourself, "A Scorsese film huh? Oh, DiCaprio's in this one too? I don't even need to see the rest of the trailer. This is gonna be good."

This is probably the train of thought most of us have when we see "A Film by Martin Scorsese" under any trailer title, and Shutter Island does not disappoint. Scorsese casts DiCaprio in his films for a reason-he's a damn good actor. It's as simple as that. I've watched DiCaprio for years, and he was good then, and he is even better now.

The movie opens with spine-tingling music that gets you sitting on the edge of your seat from the very start. Scorsese of course uses the camera uniquely well, adding to the constant suspense and whirlwind of a ride the plot of the movie takes you on.

There is a chance that you may guess the ending at the beginning of the film. I personally guessed a form of the ending myself, however, I guarantee that you will have many moments in the film where you are second guessing your own first instincts, and may at points completely neglect your original thought. I did during the film, time after time again, and it's only a 2 hour movie. Either way, you will absolutely not guess the complete, and entire ending-there is far too good of a twist for that.

No matter what, you will not leave the theater disappointed. There is not a dull moment in the entire 2 hours, and if you have not seen it already, get to the theater as soon as possible to see this one. You do not want to miss it!

BOOK OF ELI

Denzel Washington, Hughes Brothers....nuff said.

For most of you, all you need to know to have you running for the theaters are these two simple facts; Denzel Washington is the leading male, and the Hughes Brothers, the same guys that brought you Menace II Society, and From Hell, directed the film.

For those of you that need a little more convincing, that is where I come into play. If you are into the artistic components of film, such as the cinematography, and style of shoot, then the film is absolutely a must see. The diversity in uses of camera shots of different lengths and angles is very well and uniquely done. There is a dark but dreamworld sense of reality in the cinematography of the film. The artistry of the setting is intensely pleasing to watch, adding to the constant suspense of action that the plot intertwines within its cinematically artistic elements.

For those much more concerned with plot, simply put, it is a very good film. It is a movie about the post-apocalyptic world, which may seem to be a little over done these days. This movie, I assure you is better than any you have seen recently. The script has a very unique take on the new world, post apocalypse or "the war" as it is referred to in the film. Denzel Washington shines of course. The man is hardworking and brilliant as hell. You have not seen a Denzel Washington like this since his Oscar winning role in Training Day. Don't get me wrong; his character is a hero, not at all a villain. However, he has a great badass quality to him that is always refreshing to watch with an actor like Denzel, that typically plays the good guy. The fight scenes are quick, sharp and brutal. You will not be able to take your eyes off of the screen.

The film, however, does not come without its problems. There is a major revelation at the end of the film that is released about Washington's character (Eli). This revelation may be jarring to many of you because it contrasts starkly with the action throughout entire film. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the revelation at the end of the film, this is just more incentive to go to the theater and see it for yourself. No matter what your final critique be, checking it out in theaters for yourself will be money well spent-guaranteed.

So, I say again, GO SEE IT! Then hit me back right here with a few comments and let me know what you think!

Up in the Air

"I can't believe that Hollywood is going real." This is a direct quote from an elderly woman leaving the theater with me this afternoon and I could not have put the movie into better words myself.

The film includes an impeccable cast with a mix of Hollywood legends (George Clooney) and Hollywood women to look out for which include actresses Vera Farmiga from The Departed (2006) and Anna Kendrick, Twilight (2008). Clooney plays character Ryan Bingham who has built a career on ending the careers of others. The movie opens with Ryan (Clooney) introducing us to his life "Up in the Air". Due to his occupation, he lives the majority of his day to day life in an airport and he loves every minute of it....so it seems anyway. He has built a life free of any human connection, free of any desire to settle down, have children, or build any "real" relationships. It is jarring to see initially because Clooney is so damn convincing. Ryan actually does appear to be incredibly comfortable in his airport/hotel traveling home environment. However, as an audience member, there is something that still forces you to ask, "What is he running from? Something is missing with this guy but I just can't put my finger on it...."

This film comes from the same person that brought you Juno a couple of years back. If you like Juno, Up In The Air is a slightly more grown up, concrete version of the film. Farmiga, playing sexually liberated Alex, has pretty good chemistry with Clooney. Onscreen, the two work well together. It is comfortable and easy to watch. Natalie, played by Kendrick has come a long way since the teenage, annoying, insecure character she plays in 2008's Twilight. She shines in this film and I think we can expect to see quite a lot more of her. The film comes with a fast paced, quick-witted script, and very real characters that lack the Hollywood, superficial glamour that so many films today rely on for their success. This film goes deeper than that. It takes a very real look into the everyday lives of real people. It cuts out all the BS and tells the stories of actual people and actual occurrences that are relevant to today's American society. To top it all off, the film does not end in the typical, cliche way you might think it would. The film is in a word, "refreshing."

Til next time...

AVATAR in Digital 3D

James Cameron has done it again with Avatar. The movie is now the number two grossing movie of all time under Titanic which is also a James Cameron film. The movie has been in theaters a little over one month and it has already grossed 1.6 Billion dollars, catching up quickly with Cameron's Titanic which grossed a total of 1.8 Billion.

My History of Film II professor today made a comment about the film and the importance technology has played in the history of filmmaking over the years. Professor Korte said, "The history of the cinema is the history of the invention of its means." James Cameron's idea for Avatar came into existence 15 years ago. The movie has taken so long to hit the silver screen because Cameron literally had to wait for technology to catch up to his idea. The man is a pure genius.

Ok, so the movie is beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing, but you may be asking yourself how one could make such a claim as to call Cameron a Cinema Genius? One of the first elements of the film I noticed was the number of different film genres that Cameron comprised into one 2.5 hour film. The film is a romance, a fantasy, a fairytale, and a science-fiction film. Cameron encompasses all of these different genres based in the American story of European Bigotry Vs. the Native "Savage."

To add to the brilliance of the film, Cameron has created an actual language for the Na'vi people, living on Pandora. Leading lady, Zoe Saldana plays Neytiri, who is the first native of Pandora the audience is introduced to. Saldana was the first actor presented with learning the language and made it her own. All other cast members followed her lead with pronunciation, dialect, and accent.

Perhaps this is the philosopher and the hopeless romantic speaking in me, but Cameron has created an ideal, perfect world with Pandora and the Na'vi natives. These people live in a world where their energy, the energy of their forests, and the energy of their diety are all one entity. There is not civil war amongst the Na'vi people. There is no tearing down, and destruction of their forest for bigger and better technological advances. There is not harsh competition and jealousy amongst the natives. Even the most aggressive animals in Pandora survive as one unit with the Na'vi people.They feed on each others energy, the energy of the forests, and they all work, live, survive, and prosper as one. If one suffers, they all do. In the world of Pandora, the Na'vi people have what appears to be nerve synapses at the bottom of their manes of hair, that connect with the synapses of the animals that they use for transportation in their world. The two organisms' actually physically connect, feel each other's energy, and they work as a machine. It is incredible to see. Cameron has created a world unlike anything our mortal world has ever known. It is simple. It is pure. It is a world you cannot help but wish existed, which is what makes the movie so enchanting.

The movie called for a great deal of physical work from the actors which is the reason why when watching the film, even though these actors when in Pandora are approximately three times as large as their human selves, they look, move and respond identically to the way they would in their human bodies. Cameron accomplished this through new technological advances. The actors were put in black suits where they did all their physical work against green screen type technology. It is amazing to see these actors with an incredibly alien-like appearance, but still know without a doubt that it is Zoe Saldana herself playing the part. The Na'vi had the same mannerisms, facial expressions, body stature, and physical responses to that of the actors playing the part. It is obvious how much work, time, and detail went into making the film and that is precisely why it is the cinematic masterpiece it is. This film has completely broke the mold for filmmaking today. Filmmaking will never be the same again. Well done, Cameron.

I apologize for the lengthiness of this post. I guarantee you not all of them will be this long. Avatar is just one of those films...

Til next time...