Review of Watchmen. Who watches the Watchmen?

Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, tells the almost three hour tale of a band of masked vigilantes and their origins. With naked blue nuclear guys, a crazy guy with a cool voice, and a lot of flashbacks, this movie wasn't half bad. A bit long at times but in the end, Zack Snyder crafted a good production. Sometimes, though, there were flashbacks right after an important event happened and I wouldn't know that it actually was a flashback. Taking place during the cold war in an alternate 1980s America where Nixon was elected for three terms, vigilantes were part of society, and it's okay for a giant nuclear blue man not to where any clothing. I mean, seriously. Was it really necessary for a giant blue wang to be hanging out for two and a half hours? Somebody get that guy some boxers.
The Verdict:
Watchmen dragged on for a few hours and it was hard to follow at times, but in the end it was a good experience and there are even a few things that you'll be able to catch that you couldn't if you've only seen it once. I give it four GIANT BLUE WANGS out of five. 4/5.

Review of Mystic River. Looking for a great feel-good film? Good. Now go look somewhere else.

Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood, is a sad, but thought provoking film. It was about friendship, and going through tough times. Most of the time while I was watching it i was thinking how this could have been a real story because of the things that I hear on the news. Sean Penn plays a rough and tough guy who's daughter is brutally murdered and his two friends, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with the murder and find the killer. Penn, Robbins, and Bacon all do a great job here, but Tim Robbins stood pout for me because of the way he portrayed such a disturbed character. Eastwood also does well in setting the right mood for each scene, shot entirely on location in Boston, was able to put everything together nicely with the lighting, effects, and lack of music. The lack of music especially hit a mark for me because most of the time a director would put in dramatic music or a sad score for parts where they needed to strike an emotion in the viewer. I like that Eastwood didn't put in a lot of music because it made the movie seem even more real and as if the viewer was experiencing the events themselves.
The Verdict:
With great direction, great jobs done by the leading roles, and even a little bit of an emotional attachment that came along with it, Mystic River was a good, feel-sad film that's worth seeing if you want to make someone rethink their lives or just play a really mean practical joke. I give it four oddly picked names for a person out of five, 4/5.

Review of The Royal Tenenbaums. And I thought my family was messed up!

The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson, follows Gene Hackman's character, Royal Tenenbaum and his quest to get his dysfunctional family back together after almost twenty years of separation from each other. With an all-star cast including Luke Wilson, Gweneth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Anglica Huston, Danny Glover, Ben Stiller, and, of course, Gene Hackman. They all do well confusing themselves almost to the point where I could believe this as a true family. I personally thought that Luke Wilson was the best out of the bunch, playing a somewhat demented ex-Tennis Player in love with his (adopted) sister. Gene Hackman did great as well, being acting as if his character were a rebel to his own family, trying to teach themn to have a bit of fun every once and a while. No film is without flaw, though. At times this film felt a bit too melodramatic for its own good. Gweneth Paltrow over-acted her role a bit, being too depressing for the character's personality. I could go on and on naming the pros and cons of this film, but why bother?
The Verdict:
The Royal Tenenbaums, Had a few problems. That, I won't deny. But Wes Anderson puts enough charm into the sadness that seems to overpower the movie to make it a decent dramedy worth a look. I give it 3.5 grandpas riding on a garbage truck out of 5. 3.5/5.

Review of The Usual Suspects. How dare you trick me!

It took a lot of thinking to figure this one out. Directed by Bryan Singer, The Usual Suspects starts by jumping through two periods of time. The present day, and the six weeks leading up to the present day. Don't be discouraged, it fits together nicely and there aren't many plot holes involved. Mostly following Gabriel Byrne in the past and narrated by Kevin Spacey in the present, who does a fantastic job playing a cripple named Verbal in the past and present, has five guys lined up one night and when they're locked away for the evening, decide to pull off one more heist but stick with it for a few more. This is one of the most thrilling and tense film I've ever seen. I was guessing the entire time and when I thought a problem was resolved something else came up and pushed the intensity even higher every time. Acting was phenomenal, especially on Spacey's part. There's Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollack, among others including Spacey and Byrne both of whom I mentioned before, who do a great job communicating with each other and each adding their own flair into the mix. Direction is great, Bryan Singer did an amazing job on keeping things discreet and with a little tilt of the camera, was able to change the whole film. And this films is very, very heavy on small details, and very light on just giving away the things here that mattered most. Even at the end, I had to sit and think for a few minutes to understand what had happened at the very end.
The Verdict:
I know that "ever seen" is a strong phrase to use in a movie critic's vocabulary, but it truly did apply here. This was probably the most gripping, thrilling, intense film I have ever seen. But enough with the adjectives, I'll just get to the point. If you're looking for a good thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat, look no further, this movie is just for you. With an original script, great dialouge, amazing direction, fantastic acting, you can't go wrong with The Usual Suspects. I give it five I ALMOST CRAPPED MY PANTS! moments out of five. 5/5.

Review of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Two films, one director, one amazing weekend.

Ah, it's good to be back. I've got two reviews for you guys today, both directed by Frank Darabont, both on my top ten list. Let's start of with the newest of the two, The Green Mile. The Green Mile is about Tom Hanks working on death row and Michael Clarke Duncan being a Jesus-type figure. Now, I know that may seem a bit odd, but it worked well and although at times the idea became a bit farfetched, became necessary for the good part of the plot to move forward. What is the good part of the plot, you ask? The parts with the inmates and seeing their characters develop as well as the authorities on duty amongst Tom Hanks. Sam Rockwell does a great job playing the most demented of the inmates, Wild Bill. Wild Bill made many inappropriate and stark comments that made even the most dismal moments relatively funny. And this films was surprisingly funny. I laughed more here than many recent self-proclaimed "comedies." This movie can be funny, sad, shocking, and sometimes a little weird, but part of what makes it so good is the amazing character development that is involved. By the end of the extensive three hour ten minute run time, I didn't feel like someone watching these events happen on a screen, rather a character myself, engrossed in what was going on inside the film. If a movie can make ME do that, then the filmmakers have hit their mark, at least in my book.

Next we have The Shawshank Redemption, the epic of Tim Robbins following his life convicted to a double life sentence in prison. Also starring Morgan Freeman, who narrates the story as well as plays a major role in it, is also sentenced to life in prison. They both do an absolutely fantastic job together on screen and have some of the best chemistry in a film I've ever seen. Not to say that the supporting cast didn't do great either. When there is a movie about prison, you have to have a great supporting cast to back up the leads, and it's definatley pulled off here. The story is great, coming from A Stephen King novel, as well as The Green Mile, but we can get to that in a minute. I've never read the source material but as a standalone experience, the screenwriters nailed it. There were no plot holes, the story proceeded at a steady pace, and it was interesting as well. Not once did I think,"How did that happen?" Very well done.

Unfortunaltley, friends, we've come to the end of my reviews. I'm sure you'll want to know the scores, but first, my final comments.
The Verdict:
Both The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are fantastic films that were both adapted by Stephen King novels, and both were directed by Frank Darabont, making it a perfect double feature. Acting is great, stories are both fantastic, directing is prestine, and the overall time spent watching these films, was very well spent for me. About five hours and thirty minutes total. It's a long haul, but one worth taking. I think it's safe to say that Frank Darabont is the "King" of adapted films.

The Shawshank Redemption- Five posters of women out of five. 5/5
The Green Mile- Five magical mice out of five. 5/5

New Reviews Soon!

I'll be putting new reviews up soon but in the mean time check out my NEW top ten list and tell me yours!

Sorry!

Hey guys I'm sorry I haven't posted a review in over a month, I plan on starting back up A.S.A.P.