Review of Mulholland Dr.

Before viewing Mulholland Drive (2001) I was prepared for a bizarre experience primarily because David Lynch has made some of the most abnormal movies ever created (Blue Velvet and Eraserhead). Although I was one of the few people who hated Blue Velvet I went into viewing Mulholland Drive with high expectations because the film was met with such high praise from critics. I was disappointed to say the least. After watching the film I immediately went to Roger Ebert's review of the film to see if I had missed anything within the story or in Lynch's camerawork. I had not but I was intrigued by Ebert's last paragraph in which he states that if you need your movies to contain logic, Mulholland Drive is not the film for you. Personally for me I enjoy movies in which the connections are made clear between the characters as well as a storyline which makes sense. In my opinion Mulholland Drive has neither, which made it almost impossible for me to care about what happened within the plot. I'll admit that there is some interesting camerawork done as well as some entertaining scenes, but the majority of the time I was so distracted by the ridiculous occurrences in the story that I simply did not care what was happening on screen by the time the movie reached the half-way point.

I am all up for films that require you to come up with your own interpretation to what is happening but there is a difference between challenging the viewer and straight up confusing the audience beyond words. Mulholland Drive falls in the latter category. So if you like asking yourself the question, What the fuck is going on? every five minutes, Mulholland Drive is the film for you. Otherwise avoid it at all cost.

RANKING: 2.2/5.0

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Review of Panic

It has long been debated whether genetics or the environment have more of an effect on childhood development. Although there are many cases supporting and disapproving both theories, it is hard to argue against the fact that children raised in a hostile environment are usually aggressive themselves. In Henry Bromell's Panic (2000) Alex (William H. Macy) was trained to be an assassin at a very young age by his father (Donald Sutherland). After a childhood of practicing on squirrels, rabbits, and other animals, Alex becomes the primary hitman in his father's family business of contract killing. Years go by and Alex never complains about having to assassinate numerous people (some innocent). However, eventually Alex realizes that he is suffering from severe depression and he can't figure out why. He has a loving family, yet he aspires for a dramatic change in not only his occupation but his entire lifestyle. In an attempt to transform his life, Alex begins forming a romantic friendship with a young girl (Neve Campbell) he meets at his psychologist's office. Also, for the first time he begins to stand up to his parents, who have always demanded perfection from him especially when working on the job. The relationships that Alex has with the people closest to him including his psychiatrist and his new love interest are what make Panic a superior thriller.

Personally my favorite scenes are the flashback sequences in which Alex's father (Donald Sutherland) teaches his son the art of murder. All of these scenes have a very creepy undertone caused by the way Sutherland reacts lightly to the murdering of innocent animals and people. Very few actors are able to pull this off to the same extent as Sutherland does, which can also be seen in one of my favorite films from the 1980s called Eye of the Needle (1981). Overall, Panic may be hard to find at Blockbuster or Movie Gallery since it was such a low-budget film, but if you are a member of Instant Netflix it is definitly worth your time. Although there are not many action sequences, it is more thrilling than most films.

RATING: 4.0/5.0

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Review of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

It is a hard fact of life that respectable people do not always come out on top. The same is true for law enforcement officers. Many times it is the bad cops who are willing to plant false evidence, kill unarmed criminals, and take bribes, yet it is these negative actions that often lead cops into receiving praise from both their superior officers and/or their community. In Werner Herzog's new film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Terence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is a crooked detective who uses his status as a police officer to obtain illegal drugs, steal money, and gain sexual favors from prostitutes. Yet despite being coked up all the time, McDonagh is one of the highest ranked detectives in the New Orleans police force because he is willing to break all the rules including wrongfully abusing civilians to obtain information and murdering unarmed criminals he knows to be guilty.

There are crooked police officers in every U.S. city, but Nicholas Cage's Detective McDonagh is truly a disturbed human being to say the least. It is scary to think that there is even a possibility that police officers such as him could exist. There are certain scenes, such as the pharmacy sequence (link below) that truly display McDonagh's erratic behavior. This film really gives Nicholas Cage a chance to demonstrate why is he known as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. There are many times where you can actually see the evil bearing behind Cage's eyes. Sometimes he can be hard to watch because his insanity adds so much suspense to the film. You never know what he'll do and often you feel a little nervous to find out. Personally I think Cage should have been nominated for an Oscar this year for his portrayal of McDonagh. It is one of his best performances ever.

On the other side of the camera is Werner Herzog, one of the most experienced and bizarre filmmakers in cinematic history. There are very few directors who have done such variety of works as Herzog. For example, Herzog is known for doing very successful documentaries such as Grizzly Man (2005) and Lessons of Darkness (1992). However, he is also known for creating some very successful recreations of historic events such as Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) and Rescue Dawn (2006). Perhaps most foreign to Herzog are main stream non-fictional works, yet he still has made several successful pictures that portray non-realistic occurrences. In Bad Lieutenant, Herzog combines elements of the different kinds of movies he has created. For example, in scenes in which animals are involved, he uses a handheld camera to give the movie a documentary style. He often intertwines this with long shots that feel much more main stream. Herzong is known for taking a lot of chances and Bad Lieutenant is no exception, yet the risks all pay off to form one of the best films of the year.

Overall, Bad Lieutenant is one of the most interesting pieces of filmmaking of 2009. At times it can get a little weird, but if you enjoy movies that challenge viewers and keep you guessing, Bad Lieutenant should not be missed.

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RANKING: 4.2/5.0

Review of Green Zone

By now it is basically a fact that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction and that the United States government under the Bush administration falsified evidence in order to invade Iraq. Now to what extent Bush and Cheney knew that there were no operational WMDs is not clear. Perhaps they were lied to by other high ranking government officials or perhaps they knew the entire time that Iraq posed no immediate threat. Paul Greengrass' Green Zone pulls out all the punches in the direction of the Bush Administration and openly declares the Bush administration as war criminals for sending troops to Iraq without proof of any WMDs. Intertwined with the political statements are intense action sequences, in which Greengrass uses a shaky handheld camera style (as seen in the last two Bourne movies and United 93) to add a sense of realism to the film.

Personally I enjoy action sequences in long, progressive takes such as the action scenes in Children of Men because it allows the viewer to feel as if they are right along side the characters (the camera acts as the eyes of the audience) without any cuts between takes. In my opinion, longer takes allow the viewer to become more fully engrossed within the cinematic experience. However, there are benefits to the quick editing found in all of Greengrass' films. First of all the fast paced cuts and shaky camera may not make you feel like you are personally watching the action, but you do feel as if the camera is actually part of the story. Whenever I watch a Greengrass film I almost feel as if I am watching a documentary because of the handheld camera use. I sometimes forget I'm viewing a multi-million dollar motion picture and not the nightly news. The documentary style used by Greengrass worked perfectly in United 93 because the filmmakers were attempting to recreate the events of 9/11 as realistically as possible. The problem with Green Zone is that it pretends to be a documentary, yet the events it covers are fiction. Even if some of the events that take place were true, Green Zone tries so hard to make political statements that it is often hard to take it seriously.

Overall, Green Zone is not as entertaining as the Bourne trilogy, but it still remains an effective and thoughtful thriller. So although the action scenes may give you a headache, it is hard to not be impressed by the original and fast paced camera work.

RATING: 3.4/5.0

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Review of Precious

I sometimes question why I am usually really entertained by films focusing on depressing subjects. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I like films that portray realistic events such as Schindler's List, Das Boot, and Munich, which all focus on historical, yet depressing topics. I think another reason why I tend to like dark-themed films such as Se7en, Zodiac, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is because depressing films are often shocking and succeed in putting the viewer on the edge of his/her seat. However, as much as I seem to like films covering depressing topics, it only works when the story has either a powerful message, is a realistic account of a historical event or is thrilling. Precious is at times shocking over how terrible a young, teenage African-American girl (Precious) is treated, yet I wish it focused more on how Precious is able to overcome the odds instead of concentrating on how the many hardships she must endure. By the end I simply felt sorry for Precious, instead of feeling like she overcame her horrific upbringing.

The film Precious is based on the book Push by Sapphire. From what I know about the book, the film follows it almost down to the last word. From the moment she was born, Precious was given almost no chance to succeed in life. Her father began sexually abusing her when she was just a young girl and by age twelve Precious was pregnant with her first child (her father's). Her mother does not have a job and spends her time sitting at home awaiting her welfare check. Even when Precious has an opportunity to attend a good school, her mother simply wants her to stay at home and cook. Despite all these setbacks, Precious eventually finds a mentor at an alternative school named Ms. Rain. With the help of her new teacher, Precious gains the courage to stand up to her abusive mother and takes control of her own life. Now even though Precious learns something about herself, there are certain points within the story that prevented me from believing that Precious was going to be okay in the long term. In short, I didn't feel hopeful for her future.

Overall, Precious is a powerful story about a young girl who learns that the only person she needs to listen to is herself. Unfortunately, I often felt the film tried to hard to push the personal difficulties that Precious had to go through. Still it succeeds at showing the life of a broken home in Harlem during the 1980s and how one mentor can affect the life of young adolescents.

RATING: 3.3/5.0

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Review of The Crazies

Although recently I have seen quite a few horror films, I am not very familiar with the original horror classics made by George Romero. Most of them are supposed to be thrilling and much better than the modern day remakes, yet I did enjoy Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (2004). Originality is hard to develop in horror films because most audiences have seen everything before in previous motion pictures. You can make a blood-splattering zombie, vampire, or serial killer movie but chances are another filmmaker has already created a film with a similar story, bigger stars, and more gore. Yet every once in a while a director will come up with a clever story in order to make up for the lack of innovation in modern horror films. Last year's Paranormal Activity (2009) is one of those exceptions and so is Breck Eisner's The Crazies (2010).

If our own government accidentally dropped a biological weapon on a small country town, would it take precautions to cover it up or would it admit the mistake and take necessary measures to help those infected? This is the situation in The Crazies, in which each family of a small town in Iowa begin developing violent symptoms and start losing their minds. One day at a high school baseball game a local farmer comes onto a baseball field with a double barrel shotgun. After failing to talk the crazed man out of dropping the gun, the local sheriff named David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) is forced to shoot him. At first it is believed that the incident was a consequence of the farmer drinking too much but soon other citizens of the town begins acting in a familiar way. One man burns his house down while his wife and child are locked within. Another man appears to have lost the ability to speak. Confused about what is happening, David and his deputy go searching for possible leads to what could be causing the disturbing behavior of the locals. In their search they discover a crashed plane underneath the town's river and they soon see that it is no coincidence that those who live closest to the water supply are slowly developing symptoms of the strange disease. A few days after the first signs of the virus, military personnel suddenly appear and take everyone in town into custody. At the military base, David and his wife are separated because it is believed that she has been infected. The rest of the film follows David's journey to try and save his wife. Can he trust the government to do the right thing and take care of his wife or is he the only one who can save her?

Although the Crazies themselves are entertaining, it is nothing viewers probably haven't seen before. They basically act exactly like zombies minus the biting. What separates this film from other horror films are the emotions shared by the main characters and the political questions brought up about how our government might handle the accidental insurgence of biological weapons on U.S. soil. Naturally every character begins to become paranoid over the fact that his or her friends and family may have become infected, yet how to you deal with knowing that your loved ones will soon become uncontrollably disturbed and may try to kill you. It is amazing, yet understandable how people's personalities can suddenly change at the first sign of any danger.

Overall, The Crazies has enough action and gore to satisfy horror movie fans, but is also clever enough to separate it from most other modern horror remakes. So far this has been the biggest surprise for me in 2010.

RATING: 3.4/5.0

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Review of World's Greatest Dad

When you are a father I can imagine it is extremely difficult to distinguish the line between being a friend and being a disciplinarian. I'm sure things are further complicated when your son or daughter's purpose in life seems to be to make your life miserable. What do you do when your child appears to hate you? An even more interesting question: What do you do when you don't even like your own child? These are questions explored in Bobcat Goldthwait's World's Greatest Dad, which is in my opinion one of the best dark comedies of 2009.

As a high school teacher, Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) has tried his whole life to have his writings published but has always failed. However, after a bizarre incident involving his son, Lance has the source material available to write some of his best works, which eventually receive national acclaim. At first Lance appears to enjoy his newly found success, but then he begins to realize that his achievements are occurring at the expense of his son. Lance loves his son, but because he does not trust or respect him he believes it is okay to achieve success at his expense. However, after his works are published he begins to realize that though he may not always like his son, he loves him and has certain responsibilities toward him.

Overall, World's Greatest Dad works best as a dark, raunchy comedy, yet there is also an interesting and original story about a father and son that keeps the viewer entertained. So if you are looking for a raunchy comedy and you have to choose between re-watching one of the Judd Apatow films (40 Year Virgin, Funny People, Knocked Up) or World's Greatest Dad, check out Robin William's latest film on Instant Netflix. It's one of his best of the last decade.


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RATING: 3.5/5.0

Review of Moon

It is rare for a science fiction film to be slow paced, yet remain entertaining. Last year's Moon is one of those exceptions in that although there is little action, it is clever, suspenseful, and is never boring. When most people think of science fiction films they think of a fast-paced, technically stunning experience (i.e. Avatar, District 9, Aliens), yet Moon was made for a tiny budget and still manages to be visually ravishing. This is caused by the impressive camerawork as well as the futuristic setting.

The film follows astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), who is only a few weeks away from completing his three-year contract with Lunar Industries, the company responsible for extracting helium 3 (Earth's main energy source after all oil has been depleted) from the Moon's surface. Sam has been completely isolated during his stay on the Moon with the exception of a robot named GERTY (Kevin Spacey). He does keep in contact with his family via video transmission, yet the transmissions are not live feeds because of a failure with one of the communications satellites located on the surface. After Sam wrecks his Moon rover into an harvesting machine, he is saved by another suspicious astronaut. After recovering he is bemused to find that the astronaut who saved his life turns out to be himself. Throughout the rest of the film it is up to Sam to figure out whether the other him is indeed real or simply a fragment of his imagination. Now I know that you are thinking that this movie sounds confusing and weird, but somehow director Duncan Jones pulls it off. In fact, the most interesting part about this film is trying to figure out what is happening to Sam. Is he being cloned or has being completely alone for 3 years simply lead him to lose his mind? This question posed by the filmmakers is what makes Moon more suspenseful than most science fiction dramas.

Overall, Moon is a superior small budget film thanks to its original story, clever dialogue, great visuals and a fantastic performance by Sam Rockwell. Besides District 9, this was the best science fiction film of 2009.

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RATING: 4.0/5.0

Review of Crazy Heart

Although Jeff Bridges was not my personal choice to win the Oscar this year for Best Actor, it is impossible to argue against the fact that he is absolutely terrific in Crazy Heart. Despite having more respect for the character played by Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker, I believe Jeff Bridges deserves an Oscar for over 30 years of superior performances. Jeff Bridges may not be as widely popular as George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, or Brad Pitt, but he is an actor who appeals to almost every generation. One of his first performances was in the Oscar nominated film, The Last Picture Show (1971), which is now known as a cult classic because of the way the movie portrayed small town life in the 1950s. Since then Bridges has played a variety of rolls from the hero in King Kong (1976) to the piano expertise in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) to the villain in Iron Man (2008). Despite being fantastic in almost every roll he plays, Bridges is perfect for the character Bad Blake in Crazy Heart, which is essentially the same character as the Dude from The Big Lebowski. There is no actor I can think of that plays the washed-up lazy drunk better than Bridges.

In Crazy Heart Bridges plays a 50 year old country singer named Bad Blake, who despite having natural musical talent spends more time drinking than playing the guitar. In his early years Blake supposedly attracted masses of fans, but as he got older he lost popularity and now plays at smaller locations such as bowling allies and bars. At one show on the road he is interviewed by a local reporter named Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who he falls immediately in love with and the two begin a relationship. Although Jean as well as doctors warn Blake about his bad habits, he cannot stop drinking. The relationship between Blake and Jean is the weakest part of this film, primarily because I didn't buy that Jean would fall for such a wreck of a personality (as likable as Blake is). Although Gyllenhaal gives it her all, I think someone older and perhaps less attractive would have made the story more believable.

Overall, the two best parts of this film are Bridges portrayal of an alcoholic musician and the songs themselves. This film really gives viewers an idea of how both music and alcohol can deeply affect an individual in two completely different ways. So despite not buying the romance between Blake and Craddock, Crazy Heart is worth your time because of Bridges performance. This is especially true if you love country music.

RATING: 3.6/5

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Review of Shutter Islad

The main reason I was looking forward to viewing Shutter Island was not that Scorsese was directing it (although that was part of it), but it was the fact that from the moment I viewed the trailer I was captivated by the environment of the island itself. The idea of Shutter Island is the same as Alcatraz, and it makes for a very interesting concept. Even if the inmates escape from their cell, they are still in prison. You can only leave Shutter Island if the guards allow it. The setting is what makes this film worthwhile. With this in mind I believe Shutter Island would have been better if Scorsese had focused more on the history of the island instead of on the mind of the main character.

If you are considering going to see Shutter Island I would strongly recommend heading to the theater with a clear head. This film is one hell of a puzzle to say the least. Fortunately the film has a clever ending, which saves it from becoming a maze with no way out. Although there are a lot of scenes and characters that I felt were not necessary to the story, the twist at the end and the strength of the first 45 minutes, in which the audience learns about the history of Shutter Island as well as Teddy Daniel's (Leonardo Dicaprio) disturbing past are worth the price of admission.

The film begins with Federal Officers Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule arriving by boat to Shutter Island, a location reserved for only the most dangerous mentally disturbed convicts in America. They have been assigned to investigate the disappearance of a disturbed murderer named Rachel, who became a patient at Shutter Island after she murdered her three children. From this point on every sequence is part of the puzzle and I don't want to risk giving anything away. Similar to any puzzle, Shutter Island can get frustrating at times, but once you put together the missing pieces you feel satisfied after it is complete.

Overall, Shutter Island is a beautifully shot film by perhaps the best director of our time. Unfortunately, the plot of the film throws too much at the audience to be considered a classic psychological horror film. Filming the human mind is a complex task which few directors have ever been able to pull off and despite making the hallucination sequences interesting, Scorsese fails at intertwining them within the story. So despite not being in the same league as some of Scorsese's other works (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed), Shutter Island is still better than most recently released thrillers.

RATING: 3.0/5

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Review of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days

It is unfortunate that the people who would benefit the most from watching 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days are probably never going to hear about it or see it. When I started this blog I decided that I was going to try and avoid stating my political opinions, yet after watching a film such as 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days it is basically impossible to review it without mentioning the impact that the movie had on my opinion of abortion laws. Despite already being a believer in a woman's right to choose, this film gave me an idea of what might happen if there were laws preventing women from obtaining an abortion. In a similar sense to films like The Hurt Locker, this film feels like a documentary caused by infrequent cuts, the feeling of hand held camera use and the realism of the issues that the movie explores. The personal feel of the film makes 4 Months, 3 weeks, and 2 Days an incredibly powerful cinematic experience.

I am not sure how close the U.S. government may be to passing an anti-abortion law, but I hope if it ever becomes a more serious issue that those opposed to a woman's right to choose will seriously consider the negative consequences it could have. According to the Guttmacher Institute, over 20% of American pregnancies end in abortion meaning that there are over one million legalized terminated pregnancies per year in the U.S. In our current state abortions are performed by trained professionals who have medical degrees and know how to safely terminate a pregnancy. Yet, if abortions became illegal, the question comes to mind of whether women would still find ways to obtain them and who would perform them. I personally had never thought about this until I watched 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.

This film takes place over the course of one long day in Communist Romania during the mid 1980s. The dictator of Romania has made abortion highly illegal not because he is personally against it but because he wants more people to control. A college student named Gabriela is 4 months pregnant and wishes to get an abortion. She speaks to a few of her friends who have gotten abortions before and learns of a man who performs them. Feeling scared and insecure, she confines in her roommate named Otilia to help her raise the necessary money and to go with her. However, things do not go as smoothly as planned. After a lot of difficulty in finding a hotel room, the man they hire to perform the abortion named Mr. Bebe turns out to want more than just money. Overall, this film brings forth the question, if doctors are not allowed to perform abortions, what kind of people will end up terminating pregnancies? The answer, people who are not qualified, experienced, and/or people who are greedy for money, sex, and/or drugs. It is unrealistic to assume that accidental pregnancies are not going to happen. This film is not meant to assert when the fetus becomes a human being, but is simply meant to show what could happen if people are not allowed to have legal abortions. People make mistakes and no matter if abortions are legal or not, women will continue to get them so it is better that it remain legal so they can be performed safely.

Although 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is slow at times, the steady gradual pacing adds to the suspense. Throughout the film I had absolutely no idea what could happen in the next scene. Overall, this film may be dark yet it is unforgettable. Once again if you have Instant Netflix, be sure to add 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days to your queue.

RATING: 3.8/5

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Review of Big Fan

For many Americans today is one of the most important days of the year. You guessed it, The Super Bowl. So although I am not a fan of any NFL team and have yet to watch a game this year, I feel obligated to watch tonight's game. Why? Because the Superbowl is so much more than just two teams playing football. The Superbowl is in many ways a celebration of the American way of life. It is a day where people can forget about their personal troubles and spend their time with friends, eating pizza, drinking beer, and watching football. For most Americans they will be cheering for one team or the other, despite their favorite team being knocked out during the regular season or the playoffs. Yet for those lucky fans of the Saints or the Colts, they truly care about who wins and who loses. In some rare cases the level of team pride that fans have may match that of Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) from Robert D. Siegel's Big Fan (2009).

Big Fan follows a character who literally lives for New York Giants football. Although Paul doesn't have the money to go to the games, he makes the effort to head to the stadium to cheer for the Giants. Despite being a 36 year old parking garage teller who lives with his mother, he makes it clear to his family that he is satisfied with his life. One day while at a gas station, Paul sees the Giants starting quarterback and decides to follow him all the way across New York in order to express how big of a fan he truly is. However, when he finally meets the star player and tells him how he traveled hours just to say hello, the quarterback becomes enraged and hospitalizes Paul for a week. As a result the quarterback ends up being charged with aggravated assault and is suspended by the National Football League. This leaves Paul with a tough decision, sue the quarterback so that he can make millions of dollars and start a new life or let it go so the star player can continue to help the Giants get to the Superbowl.

Most sports movies focus on the success of a particular team or player, so the idea that sports are not simply about the players themselves but about the fans and the city the team represents is an original and refreshing concept. Yet while watching Big Fan I couldn't decide whether to feel sorry for Paul or laugh at him. Although Paul seems satisfied with his life, you have to wonder whether it is because he actually likes being a fan or because he has never been able to experience anything better. The scenes showing the conflict between Paul and his mother are easily the funniest in the film. She can't understand how Paul is content with living the way he does and he can't understand how she just can't seem to let it go.

What makes this film superior to most other comedies is the great cast of characters. It is as if every actor and actress was born to play the character they portray. This is especially true for Oswalt, who plays the lead better than anyone that comes to mind. So although this film only contains a few laugh out loud moments (mainly between Paul and his mother), the relationships between the different characters kept me interested and entertained for 90 minutes. If you have Instant Netflix, add Big Fan to your queue because it is well worth your time.

RATING: 3.1/5

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Review of Falling Down

Have you ever had such a bad day that you could just lose your mind? We all have our boiling points, yet the boundaries of society normally prevent us from exploding at the simple injustices presented day by day. However, in the case of William Foster (Michael Douglass) from Joel Schumacher's Falling Down, he lashes out at every simple societal transgression after he loses his job, gets divorced from his wife, and is issued a restraining order so that he is not able to see his daughter. The violent acts performed by the frustrated Foster are what make Falling Down worth a rent. Every person has their pet peeves about how society functions and it is really interesting to watch a common citizen attack the fundamental norms of everyday life in America. For example, in one scene Foster goes to a fast food restaurant in order to eat breakfast only to discover that breakfast is no longer served because it is 11:35 a.m. and the restaurant quit serving at 11:30 (I've been there). Where most of us would just be disappointed and would order something off the lunch menu, Foster whips out a gun and begins shooting the place up. There are several scenes such as this that are really entertaining. Unfortunately the scenes where Foster is not thrashing out at people are where this film suffers. There are a lot of scenes that I felt were not needed. I love Robert Duvall but we've seen his retiring cop character many times in other films. In all honesty every time his character appeared on screen I simply wanted Schumacher to cut to a scene in which Foster was belaboring the citizens of L.A. Overall, this film is filled with some fascinating scenes and a great performance by Michael Douglass. So although the story did not keep me captivated and the other characters are not nearly as interesting as Foster, some specific scenes are enough for me to recommend Falling Down.

RATING: 3.2/5

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Review of The Hurt Locker

Most of the war films I have seen are meant to demonstrate the mental and physical horrors of warfare such as Paths of Glory, Apocalypse Now, and Saving Private Ryan. Although Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker shares this characteristic, it also shows how soldiers can become addicted to war. This was surprising to me, in that I was expecting a movie about the faults of the war in Iraq. Instead, The Hurt Locker serves more as a character study about a soldier who feeds off the adrenaline rush during the process of defusing bombs and how his team reacts to his gallant personality.

I get nervous over taking an important test or going to a job interview, so I can't even imagine the state I would be in if I had a job defusing bombs in Iraq. The idea that one wrong move might blow up myself and my team would be much more than I could handle. The Hurt Locker does a fantastic job of showing the kind of personality a soldier must have in order to succeed in dismantling bombs. The story revolves around Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner), a bomb diffuser who remains calm during almost any crisis. Though he is certainly the best at what he does, the Sergeant's reckless personality causes the rest of the bomb squad to worry. Understandably the team does not want to die with only a month left in their tour, and it appears that James does not have a care in the world whether they live or die. However, as the squad continues to go on missions, the rest of the team soon discovers that there is more to James' personality than meets the eye. He may be reckless with his own life, but this allows him to put the lives of the rest of his squad over his own.

What separates The Hurt Locker from other war movies is that it demonstrates how fighting for one's country can be appealing to people with certain personality types. Through watching James dismantle bombs throughout the film, I gained more respect for those soldiers who love the thrill of knowing that life could be over at any second. In many ways I wish I was like that. Being unafraid (or at least appearing so) of death is a luxury that most people do not have and in many ways I admire the courage it must take to face death with a big smile on your face.

The Hurt Locker feels like a documentary in many ways, partially because it represents an actual war (Iraq). However, I think the main reason why it feels so realistic is the characters are believable. I don't know if The Hurt Locker is based on a true story, but I am almost certain that there are people similar to the characters played by the three leads. Bigelow does a great job of capturing the environment of Iraq. The townspeople look on with confusion, there are destroyed cars along the road, and the buildings all look like they have gone through an earthquake. I almost felt as if I was watching the news, except The Hurt Locker is much more entertaining and thought-provoking.

Overall, The Hurt Locker is the best war film I have seen since Black Hawk Down. It is suspenseful, action-packed, thoughtful, and contains one of the best lead characters in recent memory. I believe The Hurt Locker will go down as a modern classic and a film that demonstrates a different side of war.

RATING: 4.0/5

Review of Paranormal Activity

I remember one time I was in a restroom and out of nowhere the sink came on (was not a sensor sink). At the time I simply figured the plumbing somehow short circuited, but who knows. Perhaps some supernatural ghost or demon was haunting the bathroom on the 3rd floor of Buckman Hall at Rhodes College and was trying to tell me to wash my hands. Most people have had something unexplainable happen to them, and it just depends on the individual to decide whether the cause was coincidence or if there is such a thing as ghost.

In Paranormal Activity a young couple begins questioning the weird sounds in the night and the mysterious things that happen while they sleep. In an attempt to get evidence of the ghost or demon haunting their house, the husband named Micah buys a video camera to try and catch the "paranormal activities" on tape. Day by day the camera records stranger and more evidential activities of demons in the house, who appear to be trying to control the body of the wife named Katie. The couple has no idea what to do because the demon seems to have been following Katie since she was a small girl. They want to leave the house but they know that the demon will only bring torment to other people they come into contact with. In broad terms, they're fucked. Micah wants to figure out the problem, but his pride and reckless personality does not allow himself to call for help. Katie just feels desperate, confused, and guilty. She doesn't understand why this is happening to her and simply wants it to go away (who wouldn't).

What is very frightening about Paranormal Activity is despite its extremely low budget, it is one of the most believable horror films ever made. It is shot with a hand-held camera and with simple effects, which makes it almost look like a home movie. With this in mind, Paranormal Activity makes the audience question those sounds they may hear in the night. This is what makes this film really scary and unique. So if you like horror films, Paranormal Activity is a must see. First time director Oren Peli has proved that a big-budget, experience and all-star actors are not needed to make a top-notch horror film. All it takes is an original, interesting idea and 10,000 dollars (The Paranormal Activity budget) to scare people out of their seats.

RATING: 3.6/5

Review of Cop Land

When I was in college I remember one of my professors telling me about her experiences as a Spanish instructor for the Memphis Police Department. It was her job to teach the officers common phrases that may be used by Spanish speaking criminals. However, although the officers had been hired as protectors of society, she said that she had never seen a classroom where there was more lying, cheating, and misconduct (and she had previously taught elementary school). In theory police officers are meant to enforce the law, yet this raises the question, who enforces the law upon those who are in many ways above it? In James Mangold's Cop Land (1997) an experienced sheriff in a small town in New Jersey named Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) slowly learns that the cops in New York City are using their status to get away with murder. When a rookie cop shoots and kills two young African-Americans, a team of New York city officers attempt to cover up the murder by declaring the young cop had committed suicide. Slowly Heflin learns of the corruption and decides to do something about it by taking on the corrupt cops by himself. This film is not necessarily packed with action, but it is certainly never boring. In fact, the slowness of Cop Land adds to the intensity during the final shootout between Heflin and the corrupt officers. Overall, this is one of Stallone's best films, not because of the action sequences but because of the ideas the film explores. Is it the duty of an officer to disturb the peaceful nature of a small town in order to promote justice? In the case of Heflin he decides that since an officer has made an oath to protect society, there are no exceptions in promoting justice even if those who threaten society are officers themselves.

RATING: 3.5/5

Review of Up in the Air

Whenever I watch a movie I attempt to put myself in the main character's position. In the case of Jason Reitman's Up in the Air I pictured myself as a person who makes a living traveling from place to place releasing people from their jobs, in which the majority of time they have at least ten years experience and have done nothing to deserve being let go. For me it would be an impossibility because I personally have a hard time being the bearer of bad news. However, for Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) firing people is simply a job, in which he believes is a necessity. Most people have been fired at least once in their lifetime, and for Bingham he attempts to make the experience of being let go as painless as possible.
There are many people who believe movies should be created purely as a means to escape reality. If you are one of these people I would recommend avoiding Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, a film that prides itself on depicting realistic situations, characters, and relationships. I for one believe that in this modern time period our society can benefit from such a movie, because it explores the same individual and societal challenges most of us are experiencing presently. Up in the Air is a character study of a man who chooses to avoid relationships with all people because he has discovered that being alone is better than the complications that come with romances and friendships. However, after meeting the woman of his dreams he has a tough decision to make. Relationships are the cause of true happiness, but they also have the potential to produce misery. Perhaps a life a neutrality is the way to go. Up in the Air is not a movie that supports the actions of a particular character. Instead it simply presents realistic relationships and allows the audience to decide for themselves who is right and who is wrong. This is what makes Up in the Air so clever. This movie is one of the smartest movies I've seen in years, which for me makes it one of the best films of 2009.

RATING: 4.6/5

Review of District B13

I haven't seen many foreign films that were purely action flicks with the exception of films from China. I guess this might be because most foreign film production companies do not possess the finances to compete with the big-budget blockbusters of Hollywood. The CGI that is now so common in American action films is absent in the majority of foreign films. However, in District B13 (2006), director Pierre Morel proves that using none or at least very few digital effects can actually be beneficial to the action genre. District B13 is more visually stunning than the majority of the summer blockbusters released in recent years. This is caused by the superior stunt work as well as the amazing features of free running (running without stopping no matter what obstacles get in your way). The story follows a separated district in Paris where all people of poverty and crime have been isolated from the rest of the city. When a group of thugs from District B13 hijack a rocket, it is up to two men (one a undercover police officer, the other a former resident of District B13) to stop the bomb from going off. The story is simple, yet it presents a political message about poverty life in the big city. Overall, District B13 is one of the best foreign action films I've ever seen mainly because of the impressive stunts performed by the two lead characters. If you love action movies, you should check this film out.

RATING: 3.9/5

Review of Sherlock Holmes

I’ve never been a moviegoer who minded peculiarity in films, yet I do sometimes question why some filmmakers insist on making a movie idiosyncratic when an uncomplicated plot is suitable. This is the problem I have with many of Guy Richie’s films, which I typically characterize as “all over the place.” Often Richie's cinematography is much like the stories within his films, unsystematic and at times just plain bizarre. Unfortunately his latest film, Sherlock Holmes, suffers from these same detrimental characteristics. The film follows Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) as they attempt to stop a cult leader named Blackwood from taking over the world. Though it appears as if Blackwood has supernatural abilities, Holmes slowly begins to uncover Blackwood’s methods. Many times you cannot help but smile at Holmes superior logic in order to figure things out, yet there are simply to many aspects thrown towards the audience to develop any interest in the complete story at hand. In short, I was a bit overwhelmed by the plot of Sherlock Holmes. Undeniably there are moments in this film that are crafted adeptly, such as the moments when Holmes analyzes how he would be most successful at approaching brawls. However, overall the film unnecessarily bewilders the viewer by presenting too many plot devices, too many pointless characters, and humor that simply isn’t funny. The only real reason to see this film is Robert Downy Jr., whose version of Sherlock Holmes is of course a genius, yet clumsy enough so that he doesn’t appear arrogant. Though it isn’t necessarily a bad film, it is very forgettable. At this point in the movie season there are many better films that have recently been released (Avatar, Up in the Air, The Blind Side)

RATING: 2.9/5

Review of A Chirstmas Carol 3D

This holiday season perhaps the most known Christmas adaptation in the world has been released in 3D. Of course I'm talking about A Christmas Carol, yet instead of being excited only one simple question comes to mind, Why? Certainly Robert Zemeckis (who directed Forest Gump, Back to the Future, and Romancing the Stone) could have found a story more fit for 3D animation. This is not to say that A Christmas Carol is not great tale about one man discovering the Christmas spirit. However, by making the film in 3D, Zemeckis overuses digital effects that are not necessary to the plot. Sure its cool to see an old man fly through the air every once in a while or see a 3D ghost coming at you head on but the effects in this film are overused. So despite entertaining at times A Christmas Carol displays no originality and is less superior to the other versions of the film because it focuses more on effects and less on character development. By the end of the film I didn't really care whether Scrooge learned about the joy of Christmas, which is supposed to be the entire moral of the movie. After getting out of the movie all I could think about was why can't Hollywood create new original Christmas films?

RATING: 2.8/5