The Dark Knight Rises

Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime // Running Time: 164 minutes // Release Date: July 20, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Synopsis: The story picks up 8 years after the end of The Dark Knight, and we find Gotham relatively crime free and in a time of peace. After taking the rap for Harvey Dent's murder, Batman has disappeared and Bruce Wayne has become a recluse. However, the appearance of a new villain named Bane forces Batman to emerge from hiding and try to save Gotham from total destruction at the hands of this new foe.

The movie itself is quite visually impressive. Batman's new toy 'The Bat', is much cooler than 'The Batwing' from earlier Batman films. There are a lot of great explosions, gun battles, and hand-to-hand fight scenes that are fantastic to watch (especially in Imax). That being said however, the story is not nearly as good as the previous two films in this series. Christopher Nolan seems to be working too hard to try and live up to the expectations generated from the first two films, as well as trying to tie up all the stray storylines to wrap up and put a nice bow on this series. There are a few too many flashbacks, tie-ins and otherwise distracting plotlines tied into the main story. The other key component missing from this film is that of a great villain and supporting cast. Tom Hardy's Bane is definitely evil and menacing, but nowhere near the level of Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight. He is close to level of The Scarecrow in Batman Begins, but when you combine The Scarecrow with Ra's Al Ghul, he falls far short of the level of villainy from the first two films. His voice is also unnecessarily strange and distracting, and it was pointed out to me that it sounds like Darrell Hammond's Sean Connery impression from the Celebrity Jeopardy skit on Saturday Night Live. Anne Hathaway does a good job as Selina Kyle (who is never actually referred to as Catwoman), but in comparison to supporting characters like Harvey Dent and the aforementioned Scarecrow and Al Ghul, she also falls way short.

Convoluted plot and slightly disappointing supporting cast aside, the movie still has its positives. You still have Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, and both of them are great (as always) in this movie. Michael Caine is especially good in this installment and you leave the theater wishing he was your butler, or father, or just your friend to give you advice all the time. The special effects and score are also great. I felt my heart pumping at times simply from the music accompanying the scenes. And as I mentioned before, there are plenty of explosions for action fans, and the hand-to-hand combat scenes in this movie are also excellent.

As a standalone movie, it would be an excellent piece of cinema. It's exciting, entertaining, and has some great characters. However, since it is part of one of the most (if not the most) popular series of movies (comic or otherwise) in the last 10 years, it will be compared to it's two predecessors and will undoubtedly fall short. It is nearly impossible to live up to the standards set by Heath Ledger, and even without his death making his performance that much more memorable, The Joker is still one of the greatest villains in movie history (in my opinon) and that is a pretty tough act to follow. Don't get me wrong, The Dark Knight Rises is still a great movie to watch, I did give it an 8/10 after all, but I would have given the first two a 9 or 9.5 in comparison. Maybe I'm just being too picky ... guess I'm turning into a real movie critic :-)

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy // Running Time: 88 minutes // Release Date: July, 13 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1667889/

Overall Rating 8 out of 10

Synopsis: Manny, Sid and Diego are stranded on an iceberg as the continents of the Earth begin to shift caused by Scrat and his never ending quest to get his acorn. The movie follows the trio, and Sid's Granny, as they drift through Earth's oceans in an effort to get back to Manny's family who are still on the continent. The group encounter giant crabs, hurricanes at sea, as well as a gang of pirates on their quest to return home.

As far as animated films go, this movie was fairly entertaining. It has a good pace to it, and for the fourth installment in this series, it's still pretty funny. As has been the case in all the movies in this series, the voice acting is excellent and each actor seems to suit each character perfectly. The addition of Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as Captain Gutt only serves to make the cast even better.

The animation in this movie is more or less the same as the other three in the series. I didn't watch this one in 3D, so I can't comment on whether or not the extra money would be worth the glasses in this case.

The movie is a decent one to watch. It has a lot of excitement and slapstick comedy that generally does well with the younger audiences. Adults will still find the movie entertaining and there's a few good jokes in there just for us ... although with the internet and the speed at which kids seem to be growing up these days, they might get the jokes that you don't.

Ted

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy // Running Time: 106 minutes // Release Date: June 29, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637725/

Overall Rating 8 out of 10

Synopsis: A young boy makes a wish that his new Christmas present, a teddy bear, will really come to life and talk to him and be his friend. Obviously, for the purposes of making a movie, that wish comes true, and the film follows the adventures of John (Mark Walberg) and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane).

Basically, any movie that is made by the guy who makes Family Guy, and has a main character voiced by the guy who makes Family Guy, is going to seem pretty damn funny if you like, you guessed it, Family Guy. If you're one of those weirdos out there who doesn't "get" the humor of Family Guy, or finds it too crass, or too much like the Simpsons (it is), well first, stop reading my blog because we are no longer friends! And second, if you're still reading then I guess you're entitled to your own opinion.

This movie started out at a pretty high level of hilarity that I think would be tough to maintain for any movie, but they made a good effort in trying. I was laughing so hard through most of the movie that I had tears running down my face, but there were a few parts where the movie focuses in on the more serious stuff (romance, relationships, abduction, etc), and in those parts the movie seems to drag on just a little bit. However, that could also have been due to my high level of anticipation for what funny thing was coming up soon. I also couldn't get over the fact that you have the voices of Peter Griffin ("I do not sound like Peter Griffin"), Joe Swanson (Patrick Warburton) and Meg (Mila Kunis), but it's a live action movie and Meg is not ridiculed or ugly. Actually, I've watched so much Family Guy that it isn't until I see Mila Kunis that I remember her voice actually belongs to an attractive woman. MacFarlane also throws in Stewie & Quagmire's voices at one point I believe just to add to the Family Guy-esque experience.

Bottom line, the movie is pretty damn funny. I enjoyed it immensely. There's a ton of jokes, references, and random celebrity ridiculing for everyone to enjoy. And Giovanni Ribisi has a great show stealing role in this film and he is fantastic in it.

The Amazing Spider-man

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy // Running Time: 136 minutes // Release Date: July 3, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/

Overall Rating 7 out of 10

Synopsis: After growing up without knowing what happened to his parents, Peter discovers his father's old briefcase in his Uncle's basement which provides him with some clues about his father's past and leads him to Dr. Curt Connors, his father's old partner. On his trip to Oscorp to find Dr. Connors, Peter goes into a biolab and is bitten by a radioactive spider giving him enhanced strength, reflexes, and the ability to stick to things (hopefully you already knew all that!).

I was quite surprised by this film. Going in with little to no expectations might actually help to make movies seem better simply because I'm not disappointed by the film not meeting my expectations. I thought that this movie was pretty decent. It's definitely better than any of the 3 films with Tobey 'Seabiscuit' Maguire. First, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are better actors than Maguire and Dunst. Secondly, the supporting case is also stellar. Rhys Ifans is excellent in his role of Curt Connors and quite menacing as The Lizard. Martin Sheen provides his usual solid performance in the role of Uncle Ben, and the best part is, he doesn't tell Peter that "with great power comes great responsibility". And Dennis Leary, who in my mind should have been a police officer not a comedian because he plays these types of roles so well, brings a little humor into the film as Captain Stacy. Also, don't confuse Dennis Leary with Willem Dafoe who played Norman Osborn in the other Spiderman films, they look similar, but they are in fact different people.

The special effects in this movie are excellent. There's a great mix of CGI and physical stunts, and they use some of that parkour stuff the kids these days seem to love. The way they give Peter the ability to shoot 'webbing' was both clever and much more believable than past efforts. While the entire movie didn't have stunning 3D effects, there were parts in it that were absolutely fantastic. There are a few scenes where the 3D is used to give you a first person Spiderman view as he runs, climbs, and swings through the city, which in my opinion, was worth the extra money for 3D alone. There's also a few other parts where the 3D is used rather effectively, however like most movies, the 3D is only useful when the movie is using mainly CGI and not real actors.

This movie also has Stan Lee's best cameo appearance to date. When you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about. And for those of you who don't know who Stan Lee is and why he keeps appearing in all the Marvel Studios movies, go look it up and educate yourself!

Fans of the comic book genre will definitely appreciate this movie, as will people like myself, who spent their childhood watching the same 5 frames of animation every morning before school. I don't know if it will live up to summer blockbuster status, but I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Brave

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure // Running Time: 100 minutes // Release Date: June 22, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: Merida is a princess who enjoys her freedom and doing her own thing, but when her parents tell her she is to be betrothed, she seeks the help of a witch in the woods to change her fate.

I must say that I was a little disappointed with this movie. After seeing the preview and knowing it was a Disney/Pixar production, I guess I had some lofty hopes. My main problem with this film is that is was far too focused on emphasizing the moral of the story, which just ended up making certain parts of the film seem very long and boring. However, in an attempt to balance these parts out, there were some really funny bits, and good action sequences which was kind of nice.

I was very impressed with the animation, but of course, it's Pixar, so obviously it will be top notch. The characters and the scenery were a visual treat for the eyes, and the voice acting was also pretty decent. However, I still feel like they tried too hard to really bring home the life lessons they were trying to get across and by spending multiple scenes and long stretches of time on these lessons, I found that it really detracted from the overall enjoyment I got from the film. If you have kids you can take them as I'm sure they'll enjoy the movie a lot, but otherwise just wait for the DVD.

Movies On The Fly

The following is a review of movies I watched while travelling back to Taiwan from Canada, hence the movies on the fly title (sleep deprivation makes you think you’re more clever than you actually are). These movies I presume are all out on DVD, so this one will be a DVD review rather than a cinema review.

Underworld: Awakening

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror // Running Time: 88 minutes
Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496025/

6/10

Synopsis: The humans discover the existence of Vampires and Lycans and set out to exterminate them. Selene, the Vampire community’s most hated death dealer, is caught by the humans while trying to escape the ongoing purge and the story picks up after Selene awaken from cryostasis 12 years later.

If you’re a fan of the Underworld series, you’ll enjoy this one as well. If you’re not, well it’s definitely not the best one of the four, so you’ll probably want to skip it. If you like fantasy action flicks, this one’s not too bad, and if you’re looking for something to order on Shaw On Demand, or rent a DVD for a mindless night in, you could do worse than this one (you could also do better).

Man On A Ledge

Genre: Crime/Thriller // Running Time: 102 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568338/

7/10

Synopsis: An ex-cop convicted of a crime he insists he didn’t commit, escapes police custody and sets into play an elaborate plan to prove his innocence masked as a simple potential suicide.

The plot twists in this flick are pretty decent, there are a few things you might not see coming and the suspense level is maintained fairly well throughout most of the movie. If you’re a fan of police dramas or crime capers, you will enjoy this movie. This movie has slightly less action than Underworld, but there’s still a high speed car chase, a shootout, and some random explosions for the action junkie. This is another good choice for a quiet night in, but you’ll have to do a bit more thinking for this one.

21 Jump Street

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime // Running Time: 109 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232829/

8/10

Synopsis: Two ex-classmates from high school meet in police academy and discover that a friendship/partnership could prove beneficial and they become a team of brain and brawn. They are later transferred to an undercover division where they must pose as high school students to attempt to infiltrate a drug dealing ring.

The reason I gave this movie a 4/5 is because it was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. I’m glad I watched this one early into the flight when most people were still awake, because I spent the first 45 minutes laughing rather loudly  (and obnoxiously) on the plane. There is a lot of humor in this movie of various kinds and it will definitely keep you entertained. The story itself isn’t the greatest, and the acting is also less than Oscar caliper, however, the random action and non-stop hilarity make this movie a great flick to watch if you’re looking for a good laugh and a good time. I was extremely surprised by how much I liked this movie and chances are, you will be too.

Contraband

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama // Running Time: 109 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524137/

6/10

Synopsis: An ex-smuggler who turned legit is forced back into the smuggling game when his wife’s brother botches a deal and the debt becomes a potential threat to the whole family.

I honestly thought this movie was going to be a little more action and a little less story, however, the focus is more on the details of the story and the plot twists than the action. There’s definitely a bit of action involved, but mainly this is a high intensity drama film. This is the second movie I watched with Kate Beckinsale in it, and I can tell you, she’s not getting any uglier! If you’ve got nothing else to do (like say being stuck on a plane for 12 hours), give this one a look and who knows, you might enjoy it.

The Debt

Genre: Drama/Thriller // Running Time: 113 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226753/

7/10

Synopsis: The story centers around a team of spies who are attempting to capture a Nazi doctor responsible for the massacre of thousands of Jews and bring him back to Israel where he can stand trial.

The plot of this movie isn’t overly complicated, but the makers of the film work hard to make it seem more complicated than it actually is. They seemed to draw out and focus on parts that I felt weren’t overly important and I felt the story moved a bit too slowly for my liking. That being said, there are a few good twists at the end that make the movie worth the watch. It’s an interesting story, and if you enjoy espionage and drama, you’ll probably enjoy watching this film.

Prometheus

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-fi // Running Time: 124 minutes // Release Date: June 8, 2012 (Canada)
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/

Overall Rating 8.5 out of 10

Synopsis: After discovering ancient cave symbols at an archeological site that are identical to symbols discovered at numerous other sites from other historical cultures, two scientists convince a rich industrialist to put together an expedition to a distant world in hopes of discovering the origins of human life.

I thought this movie was really well done. The story and the ideas it brings with it are very interesting and will force you to think about things introspectively a little bit, which is a nice change from the usual no brain required action films that have been released recently. Also, the interplay between characters really helps to build and keep the suspense throughout the film. It seems like almost every character has a hidden agenda and you find yourself constantly refining your ideas about what each character is trying to achieve as new twists in the story unfold. The acting in this movie is also fantastic, I felt that each character was well casted and very well played. I was especially impressed with Michael Fassbender, whose cyborg character David, supposedly devoid of human emotions and desires, seemed to have a sort of malevolence to him that made him a wild card character for the entire film, leaving the audience to wonder whose commands he was following or if he was simply acting on his own.

The special effects in the film are also fantastic. In this day and age, that is almost always a given for a big budget blockbuster film like this one. However, you don't need to pay the extra money just to see this in 3D. Some of the 3D was cool, but not so much that you must see it in 3D, 2D should be more than adequate.

If you're a fan of Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien, Matchstick Men ... it's a long list), you will definitely enjoy this movie. Touted as somewhat of a prequel to the Alien series, this movie definitely has a similar feel as Scott's Alien. There is a lot of build up, suspense, and tension, and it might even be a little scary for the faint of heart out there. I really enjoyed this film, and after sitting down to think about it again to write this review, I want to go see it a second time. I guess that's the only part of the review you need to read ... too bad it's at the bottom.

Snow White & The Huntsman

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama  // Running Time: 127 minutes // Release Date: June 1, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: After being held captive for most of her life Snow White escapes into the dark forest and is pursued by the Huntsmen and the Queen's men. The Huntsman quickly changes from working to capture Snow White to helping her and they set off to elude the Queen's brother and his men.

If you read the synopsis on the IMDB website, you will know that it is inaccurate, in that the Huntsman is never ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed, or is he ever ordered to kill her. Perhaps that was an early draft of the script, or someone got the plot for this Snow White movie confused with the Mirror Mirror plot.

Speaking of Mirror Mirror, this adaptation of Snow White is much more entertaining and a much better film than Mirror Mirror. The story is much better, and definitely much more exciting. I didn't feel like sleeping through this one, so that's probably a strong indicator that it's better than Mirror Mirror already.

Aside from casting Kristen Stewart, I thought they did a relatively good job with this movie. It had a lot of good action and fight scenes. The story was at least mildly interesting with a few good twists in the plot. There's quite a few parts that are pretty funny, and the acting (aside from Kristen Stewart) was also good. The dwarves are especially good with Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, & Eddie Marsan particularly. Charlize Theron looks fantastic and also plays a deranged evil witch rather well. Chris Hemsworth is good as the Huntsman, but it's still pretty hard not to look at him and think of Thor, even with the dyed hair. Kristen Stewart still can't act her way out of a paper bag and I don't know if I'd go so far to say she's the fairest in all the land, but she's not hideous, so I'll let that one go.

All in all, I felt the movie was worth my money. It was entertaining and there were no overly dull parts or anything like that to ruin my experience. It's a touch long for my liking, but it's not boring so I didn't really notice. If you've already seen The Avengers and MIB3, this is probably one of your best bets for an entertaining night at the movies.

MIB 3

Genre: Action/Comedy/Sci-fi // Running Time: 106 minutes // Release Date: May 25, 2012 (Taiwan)
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1409024/

Overall Rating 7 out of 10

Synopsis: Agent J travels back in time to keep his partner Agent K from being assassinated by a time travelling alien.

My only gripe with this movie is that my dog wasn't in it. Seriously, where the hell is Frank? There's a huge poster of a pug above J's bed and you see on the ad for the Coney Island carnival that there's a talking pug, but they never show him. What is up with that??

Personal issues aside, this movie is pretty decent. It's got a lot of sweet special effects and new gadgets. If you've seen the trailer, you know about the cool looking future cycles. Well, they're even better when watching them whip through the streets of New York in 3D. The movie is full of action - there's the aforementioned cycle driving, large scale gun battles, and some sweet hand to hand(s) combat. There's also some other pretty sweet effects related things going on that any fan of the other MIBs will definitely enjoy.

The cast in this movie is also awesome. Obviously, you have Will Smith who is one of the funniest people alive in my opinion and definitely one of my favorite actors and can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes (I even liked him in Wild Wild West). Then there's Tommy Lee Jones reprising his role as Agent K masterfully, and you've got Josh Brolin playing a younger Tommy Lee Jones and his performance is fantastic. You've also got Alice Eve and a cameo by Nicole Scherzinger who are both incredibly attractive, which never hurts any movie in being more fun to watch. The dialogue and character interaction is awkward but funny at times, but always very entertaining. The story has some great twists and the ending is really quite interesting. Just go watch it and find out for yourself.

You don't need to see it in 3D, but the part where J jumps off the building to time jump, is almost worth the extra money for 3D in itself. And I already mentioned the future cycle scene. Obviously, there's other stuff in there that the 3D makes pretty good use of. I think in general, Hollywood is getting better at using 3D. It's almost becoming worth it to pay the extra cash for every movie to see it. That being said however, it's not essential to the enjoyment of this or really any movie. Movies that are good in 3D are still good in 2D ... except maybe Final Destination 5, but that's another blog entry altogether.

American Reunion

Genre: Comedy // Running Time: 94 minutes // Release Date: May 4, 2012 (Taiwan)
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605630/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: Jim, Michelle, Kevin, Oz, Finch, and Stifler reunite back home in East Great Falls for their high school reunion.

This movie is definitely super funny in parts, but I didn't find it to be quite as funny as the original. It was nice to see that they got all the orginal characters for this movie, I won't name all of them specifically as some people might consider that to be a type of spoiler, but pretty much everyone you remember from the original is in this movie.

This movie, much like the original, has a good mix of different kinds of humor. There's some gross out stuff that's funny, some slapstick-type stuff, and of course hillarious dialogue between characters. I think Stifler is still one of the most entertaining characters, simply because of his way to insert an air of awkwardness into any situation with nearly everything he says. However, much like the original (and the sequels), Jim's dad does his best to steal the show. Eugene Levy is a comedic genius in my mind, and I always laugh the hardest in any of the American Pie movies when he's giving advice or inadvertently saying something that makes Jim uncomfortable, and there's no shortage of that in this film.

As I said, the movie is funny, but I honestly thought it would be funnier. I was entertained, but I didn't come away with stomach pains from laughing too hard, which in my books is what should happen with any great comedy. You can definitely get away with waiting for this one on DVD.

The Avengers

Genre: Action /Adventure / Sci-fi // Running Time: 142 minutes // Release Date: April 25, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/

Overall Rating 9.5 out of 10

Synopsis: All those heroes you've been watching in movies over the past couple of years (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Black Widow & Hawkeye) are joined together to form one kick-ass team with one simple goal - saving the world. However, for the sake of those who don't consume every comic book movie being made, Thor's half-brother Loki returns to earth to steal a power source of unlimited potential, the Tesseract, which will open a portal to another part of space allowing an army of Chitauri to invade and ultimately conquer earth and it's in the hands of Earth's greatest heroes to stop Loki and save the day.

First of all, I personally would give this movie a 5. If I'm ever going to give a movie a 5, which I'm not, this would be the movie. In my mind, this is one of the best movies ever made - for it's genre. This is the comic book action movie to end all comic book action movies. I have my doubts that even the sequel, and yes there will be at the very least one sequel, will be as good as this one.

This movie is awesome from start to finish. The plot is complex, but not overly so for an action flick. The characters are already pre-established so there isn't a lot of time wasted developing them, aside from Black Widow and Hawkeye who have only been seen in limited doses in prior Marvel films. What this means for the audience is that there's more time for action. Which is good, since you have to get all of these big name heroes in on the action sequences. Also, the acting is as good as it gets for an action movie. I mean Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Ruffalo, would do pretty well in any movie, but everyone seems to hold their own. Sammy owns his role as Nick Fury and Chris Hemsworth also makes a great Thor, but obviously the character with the most successful franchise is bound to take over. Robert Downey Jr. definitely steals this film. He's charismatic, funny, and demeaning to just about everyone, but in a semi-charming kind of way. His nicknames for other characters are absolutely hillarious, and similar to the Iron Man films, he makes being a hero seem pretty damn cool!

I should also mention that Joss Whedon does a really great job with this movie. The timing and pace are all very well put together. And there's no shortage of funny one-liners and glib remarks to lighten the mood, which works very well for this type of movie. He attempted to pull off something massive in scope by making this movie, especially in terms of special effects, and I would say he accomplished it and then some. The CGI is obviously top-notch and what surprised me, was that the 3D stuff was actually pretty good. Not the usual half-assed attempts at 3D we've seen attempted by multiple movies since the success of Avatar.

Go see it, you'll love it! If you don't ... stop reading my blog, because obviously our tastes in movies are extremely opposite!

Battleship

Genre: Action / Sci-fi / Thriller // Running Time: 131 minutes // Release Date: April 11, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440129/

Overall Rating 8 out of 10

Synopsis: Loosely based on the Milton Bradley board game of the same name, Battleship sees an international fleet of ships accidentally come across an armada of alien ships while participating in the RIMPAC Naval War Games and the battle for the continued existence of humanity begins.

If you're looking for a totally kick ass, non-stop action movie, this might be the best one I've seen in a long time. I thought this movie was incredible. I was extremely curious how they were going to turn a relatively tame board game into a full-length feature film. Turns out that the answer was to not base much on the game other than the name of course, having battleships and destroyers in the movie, and one small scene where they attempt to hit the other ships by calling out coordinates (which is totally awesome). The movie is literally a non-stop action ride for 2 hours. There's a few sub-plots thrown in as well to create some dramatic tension and comedy, but what this film boils down to is humans vs. aliens and you know you're gonna root for the humans ... unless you're an alien, in which case, why haven't you told me!???!

The acting, although not really necessary for this kind of movie, is pretty good. Liam Neeson and Alexander Skaarsgard are both very good actors, and they are both fantastic in this movie. Taylor Kitsch is a very believable action hero and I think his acting is getting better with each film. And Brooklyn Decker is one of the hottest women on Earth in my opinion and you get to stare, I mean see, her a lot throughout the course of this film (I hate you Andy Roddick!). Even Rhianna does a pretty good job and, spoiler alert, she doesn't even really sing!

Similar to Wrath of the Titans, this movie is a non-stop action extravaganza! It's not going to win any acting or writing awards, but that's not the point. If you're in the mood for a fun, entertaining bit of cinema, this is definitely the place to find it!

Mirror Mirror

Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Drama // Running Time: 106 minutes // Release Date: March 30, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1667353/

Overall Rating 3 out of 10

Synopsis: A retelling of the classic fairy tale Snow White. An evil queen is ruling a kingdom straight into bankruptcy and must take drastic measures to attempt to stave off becoming flat broke. She sets out to try to marry a handsome young prince who turns out to be in love with a girl named Snow White, which leads to the queen ordering for the execution of Snow White. This of course is botched and Snow White ends up meeting seven rebels and together they will try to take back the kingdom and restore it to all its former glory.

The short review for this movie is simple - this movie sucks! If you feel like throwing your money away recklessly, by all means, just cut me a cheque. You might get more satisfaction out of that than wasting it on this movie. It's terribly acted, even Julia Roberts comes off as a TV movie of the week-type actress in this. There are a small number of humorous parts, but they are few and far between the seemingly never ending parts of "romantic tension" and whatever is supposed to make up the drama portion of this film. Truly terrible. My friend fell asleep several times during this movie and later asked me to go along with her in a little white lie that we had never seen it. I liked Shark Night better than this movie, and if you've seen Shark Night, well, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Wrath Of The Titans

Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy // Running Time: 99 minutes // Release Date: March 30, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/

Overall Rating 7.5 out of 10

Synopsis: After being told about an upcoming apocalypse from his father Zeus, Perseus must once again use his demi-god powers to battle the forces of evil and attempt to save mankind. This time, Perseus must battle the once imprisoned Titans and make his way into Tartarus itself to rescue his father, who has been captured and is being used to awaken Chronos, the father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

The first thing that should be noted is that the special effects in this movie are spectacular! This might be the first movie that has had even remotely impressive 3D since Avatar. After trying hastily and very unsuccessfully to convert Clash Of The Titans to 3D, the makers of Wrath seem to have done a much better job in this one. There were some pretty visually exciting scenes in this movie that made you feel like you were almost in the movie ... almost. I'm sure however, that without the 3D, the movie will still be visually fun to watch.

Secondly, there is a lot of action in this movie. Pretty much non-stop action, actually. The story definitely seems to play second fiddle to the battle scenes in this movie, which is a bit disappointing with the caliber of acting available. I mean, you have Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Bill Nighy for starters, so the potential is definitely there. Sadly, it's pretty much wasted in this film. That being said, the battles are pretty intense and exciting, right from the first run in with a Chimera, all the way until the final battle scene, the action just keeps coming. There are battles with all sorts of mythical creatures in this movie - chimeras, cyclopes, minotaurs, weird double torso warriors, and a giant volcano monster. There's sword fights, explosions, large scale military battles, and some other pretty ridiculous things that are sure to entertain any action fan.

The story is a bit rushed, and they definitely could have done with some more Bill Nighy, as he pretty much stole the show in his short appearance, but this movie is still far better than the first release. I went into the movie expecting an all out CGI assault, and that's exactly what I got. So obviously, I wasn't disappointed. If your looking for a movie with substance, full-bodied characters, and a well drawn out storyline, you'll want to skip this movie. But if you're like me, and you just want to be mindlessly entertained, this movie definitely hits the mark.

The Hunger Games

Genre: Action / Drama / Sci-Fi // Running Time: 142 minutes // Release Date: March 23, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: Set in the future sometime after the next big war, the story centers around a competition held every year pitting 24 children/teenagers in a fight to the death. Every year a lottery is held to select one girl and boy from each of the 12 districts of Panem for the Hunger Games, which are used to both entertain and intimidate residents into keeping the peace.

I haven't read the books yet, but I'll probably start this week, so I definitely can't compare the movie to the books. Although from what I've gathered on the ole' internet, there are some things missing, and 'shockingly' the book is supposed to be better. So teach yourself how to read, or take lessons or something, and read the books. Use your imagination kids!

I realize that in today's movie world, everything is a copy or a rip-off, but that still doesn't stop me from noticing the similarities in this story to that of things done before. I definitely was reminded of Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running Man while watching this movie. A violent, to the death game show, that was used as a way to keep the masses content while making money for those in power. It also reminded me of Van Damme's Hard Target and this other movie I saw a long time ago that I had to look up called Surviving The Game. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It stars Gary Busey, John McGinley, Rutger Hauer and F. Murray Abraham. Basically, as I watched the movie, I kept thinking that I'd seen all this somewhere before, which was uber distracting, and after looking a few things up after I got home, I know why.

Similarities aside, the movie itself is fairly entertaining. I wouldn't call it spectacular by any means, but it was a fun watch. There is some scenes of high drama and suspense, quite a bit of action, and the interactions between the characters is believable even if some of the other parts of the plot aren't. I would elaborate, but it would result in some spoilers. Let's just say some children are plucked out of farming and mining communities and are competeting against other children who have been training for the games their whole lives and we're supposed to believe they stand a chance after a week (or less) of martial arts, weapons, and survival training. But whatever, it's a fantasy right?

Like I said, the movie is fun to watch, and it's not overly violent despite the fact that the characters are in a fight to the death, so you can take your children to see it without fear of overly terrible nightmares and future therapy bills. But if you do, please educate your children on proper theater etiquette because my movie experience (and possibly this review) was tainted by one little turd constantly asking his father for explanations about every little thing without waiting to see if his question would be answered in the next 20 seconds, which it almost always was!

Gone

Genre: Drama / Thriller // Running Time: 94 minutes // Release Date: February 24, 2012 (March 16, 2012 - Taiwan) Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1838544/

Overall Rating 6.5 out of 10

Synopsis: A year after escaping from being abducted and taken to a remote location in the woods, Jill returns home to find her sister missing and fears that the same abductor has returned and took her sister by mistake. Unfortunately, no evidence was ever found and her case was never solved, so the police continue to believe she is simply suffering from mental health problems leaving Jill no choice but to track down the abductor by herself before he kills her sister.

I found this movie to be pretty gripping and interesting. It's a perfect length for this type of movie. I believe if you make these thriller, suspense-type movies too long, it's hard for the audience to maintain a decent level of nervous tension. This film did a good job of creating suspense, providing a handful of shady/weird characters that could be possible suspects, and keeping you guessing throughout the movie. I thought Amanda Seyfried's acting was also quite good in this film and her performance was definitely believable and added to the overall tension of the film. Without giving too much away, the sub-plot (shown in the trailer) with her being chased by the police for her vigilante-esque behavior is also pretty intense, with many close calls (as you'd expect).

Overall, I went in with low expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. Like I said, the film was the perfect length and I think that really helped to make it effective and enjoyable. I know this plot has been done quite a few times in the past, but you know Hollywood, it's either a remake or a rip-off ... or a comic book movie. I would recommend it as a date flick. It's not gory or gruesome, but exciting enough to put a little scare into the light-hearted movie goer. And the research says that a little fright is good for arousal, which is always good for a date right?

John Carter

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy // Running Time: 132 minutes // Release Date: March 9, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/

Overall Rating 7 out of 10

Synopsis: A civil war veteran turned treasure hunter ends up being mysteriously transported to Mars after a run in with a strange man in a cave he is exploring. This leads to his capture by a race of 12 foot tall creatures who he wins over with his courage during a battle in which he saves a humanoid woman trying to escape a forced marriage, and the two of them then team up to prevent the potential destruction of Mars.

I feel like because I've know Taylor Kitsch, I am obligated to give his movies a higher rating so that I can feel like I'm helping someone I know become more famous and popular. However, I put those feelings aside and gave the movie it's current rating instead, even though I felt like I wanted to give it at least a 4 or higher. I mean, I really liked this movie, but I could see other people thinking is was more of a "so-so" experience.

The film had a lot of really cool action and they definitely made great use of the lower gravity on Mars to bring some fun and exciting elements to the film. The plot is decent, although highly predictable, and the acting is alright as well. I don't really go to an action movie looking for high quality acting anyways, so I'm never disappointed in that regard. That being said, there were some good actors in this movie - Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Dominic West, and Bryan Cranston aside from the main stars Kitsch and Lynn Collins.

 The movie also has some funny moments thrown in to lighten the tension in between the intense chase and battle scenes. I was particularly fond of Carter's "dog" Woola, who reminded me of my own dog, and had me fairly convinced that they were showing you what the Mars version of a pug would be like. However, I will say that my favorite thing about this movie was Lynn Collins. She is a stunningly beautiful woman, and the costumes she wears in this movie definitely highlight that. The fact that she requested that the original designs be modified so that they were a little more risqué is also something I think many people will enjoy.

I saw this in Imax 3D and I definitely didn't feel cheated by paying the extra $$ for the 3D and Imax experience. I'm sure regular 3D or even 2D will probably suffice, as is the case with most 3D movies. But the vastness of the landscape and the backgrounds seemed like it deserved the massive Imax screen, and as I said, I wasn't the least bit disappointed.

Jack & Jill

Genre: Comedy // Running Time: 91 minutes // Release Date: November 11, 2011
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810913/

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

Synopsis: Jack is a successful marketing executive and family man whose normally peaceful life gets thrown into chaos with the annual visit of his identical twin sister Jill.

I had no idea that this movie was released in the States almost four months ago. It was only released in Taiwan last week. So I guess you can use this as a DVD rental guide, as opposed to a what to see in theaters guide ... unless you live in Taiwan.

This movie is my second straight surprise like. After seeing the trailer and the poster, I kind of assumed this movie was going to be pretty terrible. However, if you're an Adam Sandler fan (and I am), and like his style of comedy, you will probably love this movie. I was laughing almost the entire time, whether it was from the hillariously awkward dialogue in social situations, the slapstick spills and tumbles, or just watching some of the cameo actors steal the show. Seriously, you've got most of the old SNL cast in here (as usual), Shaq, John McEnroe, Regis Philbin, even the Sham-Wow guy is in this. The guy who steals the show though is Al Pacino. He plays himself, or rather a super neurotic/psychotic version of himself (hopefully not true to life), that is a lot of fun to watch. I didn't even know he was in this movie, but he definitely made the movie for me. He was so intense and creepy that it made the storyline even more hillarious.

This is an old school Sandler comedy, so if you like movies like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, you'll probably like this one too. If you don't like those movies, a) WTF is wrong with you? and b) you won't like this one either.

This Means War

Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Romance // Running Time: 97 minutes // Release Date: February 17, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596350/

Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Synopsis: After blowing an assignment, two top CIA operatives are taken out of the field and punished with desk duty. They decide to use this time to try and develop their personal lives a little and end up trying to date the same girl, resulting in some conflict between the two friends as the two agree to let the girl make up her own mind about which one she wants.

This movie was surprisingly good. I went in with no expectations and really no real notion of what kind of movie it was going to be, and it ended up having a nice blend of action, comedy, and romance. I spent most of the movie laughing pretty hard, which is always a good thing ... unless it's a horror movie I guess.

The interplay between the two spies, played by Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Tom Hardy (Inception and soon to be The Dark Knight Rises), was very entertaining to watch. There was a lot of really funny scenes and situations, as well as some pretty sweet action sequences. Of course, with any romantic comedy, there has to be romance involved, and there was some of that as well. However, I didn't find the romantic part to be a dominant theme, the focus was more on the two guys trying to undermine or one-up each other, and that was mostly just hillarious. It kind of gives you an idea of what could happen between two friends if they had the kind of resources that the characters in this movie have access to and end up competing for the same girl.

Reese Witherspoon is also pretty good in this movie. She's charming and funny, and definitely sexy enough for me to believe that these two guys would go through all this trouble for her.

All in all, this is a pretty good date movie. There's a nice mix of stuff to keep everyone entertained.

Safe House

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Mystery // Running Time: 115 minutes // Release Date: February 10, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1599348/

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10

Synopsis: A young CIA agent played by Ryan Reynolds has his usually boring and uneventful post at a CIA safe house in South Africa thrown into chaos when the arrival of a highly wanted fugitive results in an all out assault on his safe house forcing him to take the fugitive and run for his life.

This movie would have gotten a little higher rating, but I found the last 30 minutes or so to drag on a little too much for my liking and that kind of skewed my overall evaluation I think. That being said however, this movie was fantastic! I'm a huge fan of Denzel Washington, especially when he gets to play a villain role. The way he acts and talks and just his general presence when he's on screen is incredible and is definitely something other actors should learn from and try to adopt into their acting style.

There is also a large element of conspiracy and mystery in this story, which when combined with the great acting, makes this movie really fun and interesting to watch. Then on top of that you add some well shot, exciting car chase scenes, random gun battles, and some high speed hand-to-hand combat scenes, the movie becomes pretty much the epitome of what an action movie should be. Yes, it even has explosions!

I strongly recommend this movie. I would even go so far as to say that this is the best movie I have seen this year. If you're one of those people (apparently the average person), who only sees three movies a year, this should definitely be one of them. Unless of course you don't like action movies ... and if that's the case then I guess I have nothing further to say to you.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence

Genre: Action/Fantasy // Running Time: 95 minutes // Release Date: February 17, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071875/

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

Synopsis: The sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider, revolves once again around Johnny Blaze, who is now hiding out in Europe in hopes of outrunning his curse of transforming into the vigilante Ghost Rider. He meets up with a priest who recruits him to help prevent the Devil from possessing the body of a young child which will serve to give him a true human form and increased power on Earth. "I don't save people!" ... possibly the most over-acted line in the film.

This movie wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, it wasn't drawn out or too long, which left almost the perfect amount of time to cram in a bunch of high action scenes. That being said, it's not really a good movie, but you do have to go see a movie like this with a certain mind set, namely, this is a popcorn, comic book movie and as such you should expect a lot of ridiculous action sequences and not too much in the way of a story. Nicholas Cage is, well, Nicholas Cage. People complain a lot about Keanu Reeves being the same in all his movies, but what about Nicholas Cage? I find him to be pretty much the same guy in just about everything. Especially his action films. Except for Con Air, where for some inexplicable reason, he did that stupid accent and ruined what could have been a decent (might be reaching here) film.

Basically, the plot is super easy to follow and the movie doesn't drag on too much. The 3D was relatively decent, but not so spectacular that you should pay extra to see 3D over a cheaper 2D version. The action sequences and stunts were generally pretty cool. It's a comic book movie, expect cheese, explosions, and moderate level acting. If you enjoy just having an hour and a half to turn your brain off and just watch some mindless action, you'll probably enjoy this flick. If not, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (3D)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy // Running Time: 136 minutes // Release Date: June 26, 1999
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

Synopsis: The story follows the adventures of two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) as they set out to settle a trade dispute on the planet of Naboo and end up playing pivotal roles in something far more vast and complex then they could have ever imagined. (But seriously, you knew all this right?)

When this movie originally came out in 1999, I was working at the Cineplex Odeon in Lethbridge, Alberta. On opening night, during the soldout midnight shows, the projector in theater 6 had a melt down and I had to go in front of 200 or so people (mostly nerds) and inform them that they could go home to bed because the show would not go on. I had popcorn thrown at me, lots of hateful things shouted, and one guy with a great sense of humor who came out after my speech and suggested I get out of there quick because a bunch of guys with black glasses taped in the middle were looking to kick my ass. I made the local paper as "the management sent some kid down to deal with the crowds while they hid in their office". (I was 20). I also spent a lot of time watching the parts of this movie that I enjoyed most, mainly the pod race and the sweet lightsaber duel at the end of the film. Fortunately for me today, the film did not break down and I was the only nerd in the theater, which was also pretty awesome!

Anyways, being a big Star Wars fan, I was pretty pumped when this movie was released. Not camp outside a movie theater for a week to get tickets pumped, but pretty pumped none-the-less. Needless to say with almost 20 years of build-up and hype and super high standards and expectations, this movie let a lot of people down. I thought the movie was pretty damn awesome myself, but I can see where people would get upset. I mean it boils down to simple math really: Liam Neeson & Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi = +6, Young Yoda = +5, Pod Race = + 3, Double bladed lightsaber = +3, The first not super slow, awkward Star Wars lightsaber battle = +10, and the general Star Wars awesomeness = +5 which gives us (let me get out my calculator) 32 points. Then you have the introduction of probably the most hated character in the Star Wars universe, if not any movie ever made, Jar Jar Binks. And that alone is about -30 in my books, which left this movie pretty much at a zero. Today however, that balance was toppled over and pushed back into the plus side by the addition of 3D technology. Not all the movie really needed a 3D touch and it doesn't seem to do much when it's actors and stage sets anyways, but considering a large majority of this movie is CGI, there was a lot of opportunity to 3D it up, and Lucas and the boys did just that. The pod race alone was worth my price of admission, but there was also a space fighter battle and the underwater through the core part that were both greatly improved as well.

Basically, if you're a Star Wars fan - See it you must! Enjoy it you will!

One For The Money

Genre: Comedy/Action // Running Time: 91 minutes // Release Date: January 27, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598828/

Overall Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Synopsis: An unemployed and severely broke woman named Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) ends up getting a job as a bounty hunter for her cousin's bail bond business. As luck would have it, her first target is a man whom she has some history with and holds a pretty serious grudge towards. As she learns the ins and outs of bounty hunting and starts to uncover things about the case, she discovers that being a bounty hunter is not quite as safe as selling lingerie at Macy's.

Despite my serious reservations about seeing this one in theaters, it was the movie choice of someone else and also paid for, so I guess I can chalk that up as a plus. The movie starts off a bit slow for my liking, but seems to pick up the pace a bit towards the end. I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline of this movie, as it managed to have enough twists and turns to keep me interested more or less the whole way through. There was also a fair amount of comedy thrown in which made the movie seem borderline fun to watch.

I'm not an overly huge fan of Katherine Heigl, but she was pretty hot in this movie and she ends up next to naked at one point, so that may have worked to counter balance my pre-conceptions about her work and definitely resulted in the movie getting a slightly better rating.

All in all, for a romantic comedy, this movie was alright. There's some good action stuff - guns, fighting, explosions, and such for the guys, as well as an interesting, if not predictable, romantic story for the ladies. But seriously, am I the only one who didn't know Katherine Heigl was that ... what's the word ... voluptuous?

Chronicle

Genre: Drama/Action/Sci-Fi // Running Time: 83 minutes // Release Date: February 3, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706593/

Overall Rating: 4 out of 10

Synopsis: The movie centers around 3 high school seniors who develop telekinetic powers after finding a strange glowing rock in a cave near a party they were attending. As they learn to control and develop these powers, they quickly discover that not everyone in their group is capable of handling the responsibilities associated with these new found powers and things rapidly spiral out of control.

I don't know what it was exactly I didn't like about this movie, but this is one of the worst movies I've seen in a while. At least with Shark Night, I expected to watch something terrible, but this one kind of took me by surprise. The acting wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't horrendous, and the premise is something I find very interesting and has a lot of potential, so I'm not entirely sure where it went all wrong. Maybe it was the super annoying, motion sickness inducing, Blair Witch-esque, first person camera thing. Or maybe it was the fact that for such a short movie, the plot really seemed to drag itself out at the beginning, and then struggle to wrap up at the end, which is never a good thing. I think if it had not been for the fantastic 'battle scene' in the last 10-15 minutes, I would have given this movie a much lower rating.

Basically, don't waste your money on this in the theater and maybe don't even bother with the DVD, unless you're really into the idea of superpowers and stuff like that. If that stuff interests you, 83 minutes on DVD probably won't be the end of the world, if not, I'd recommend skipping this one.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Genre: Adventure/Comedy // Running Time: 94 minutes // Release Date: February 10, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1397514/

Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Synopsis: A teenage boy named Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a radio message claiming the existence of a fabled island from a Jules Verne novel and believes it to be from his currently missing grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine). With the help of his mom's new boyfriend Hank (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), who conveniently enough, was an ex code-breaker in the Navy, he uncovers the location of the island. After quickly convincing the boy's mother of the merits of the trip, the pair set out to find the island, and hopefully the whereabouts of the missing grandfather in the process.

While this movie is definitely not the greatest movie ever made, it definitely isn't the worst. I'm still not a huge fan of 3D movies, mainly because not much of the movie is actually improved with the use of 3D technology. However, I did get to see a trailer for Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D so I'm excited to see that series hit the theaters again! This movie is sadly much the same as the previous attempts at 3D movies, and while a few bits here and there 'pop' out at you, for the most part, the 2D version will give viewers an identical experience for less money. So if you're given a choice, see it in the cheaper 2D format.

If you haven't seen the first movie of this series, Journey to the Center of the Earth, I wouldn't be overly concerned. None of the characters carry over, and there's no real plot ties other than the first movie is loosely based on a Jules Verne novel as well. I have seen both movies and I must say that I found this one to be much more enjoyable than the first. It could be because The Rock is more fun to watch than Brendan Fraser, and you also have Michael Caine who is always good, even if the movie isn't. The story is pretty far-fetched and ridiculous at times (flying on giant bees), but it is a movie based on the idea of finding an island where the sizes of things is reversed, so you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. As far as family films go, this one isn't terrible. It's got some good jokes and one-liners, lots of action and adventure, the CGI is pretty good, and there's even some adolescent romance between Sean and Kailani played by the attractive (I checked her age to make sure I could say that) Vanessa Hudgens. You even get to hear The Rock sing and play the ukulele and he's surprisingly decent ... never thought I'd get to say that. If you aren't dying to see it, wait for the DVD and save yourself a few bucks. But if you need a family film that's not a cartoon, this one is entertaining and fun.

Contagion

Genre: Drama // Running Time: 106 minutes // Release Date: September 9, 2011
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Synopsis: Pretty straight forward here, it's a movie centered around the outbreak of an unknown and deadly virus that quickly escalates to an epidemic threatening to destroy civilization as we know it.

First of all, this movie has a large and excellent cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, as well as a few other notable actors and actresses. It is also directed wonderfully by Stephen Soderbergh. And secondly, for being a movie about a virus and the battle to identify and hopefully cure it, they keep the technical science and associated vocabulary to a minimum. And in the rare moments where they are forced to be a bit technical, they explain things clearly enough for most 5th graders to understand.

I really enjoyed this movie because it was fast-paced and worked hard to keep me involved in the story and caring about multiple characters all the while wondering about different potential side plots, cover-ups, and conspiracies. Soderbergh does an excellent job throwing in elements of government conspiracy, big business pharmaceutical cover ups, and gives you a pretty realistic look at what would happen in our society if an event like this were to occur, without focusing on any one element for too long. I was also struck by the idea that this movie would fit pretty nicely in the middle of Will Smith's 'I Am Legend'. In that movie they show the beginning of a viral epidemic and then fast forward to the future where it's pretty much just Will and his dog, and it seems to me, that this movie could fill the middle part of that movie pretty well.

However, all personal sidetracking aside, this movie is a pretty good watch. It's got a good pace to keep you interested, great acting, and it's well within the realm of something that could actually happen, which makes it a bit frightening. So much so, that when I finished watching it, I felt compelled to go wash my hands and add hand sanitizer to my shopping list.

It also has a great quote about blogs, which is perfect to post on a blog: "Blogging is not writing, it's just graffiti with punctuation!"

Real Steel

Genre: Action, Drama, Sci Fi // Running Time: 127 minutes // Release Date: October 7, 2011
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lily, Dakota Goyo - Full credits at IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433035/

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10

Synopsis: Charlie Kenton is an ex-boxer struggling to make it in the futuristic world of robot boxing. After being unexpectedly reunited with his 11 year old son combined with the discovery of an old discarded sparring robot, Charlie and his son Max begin their quest to conquer the ranks of robot boxing and attempt to build/repair their severely damaged father/son relationship.

While at the beginning this movie looks to be a science fiction piece about robot boxing in the near future, it becomes obvious fairly quickly that it's much more than that. We are introduced to our main character Charlie Kenton, played by Hugh Jackman, and it is painfully apparent that he is a deadbeat loser who may or may not survive long enough to make it through the movie due to all the money he owes to several questionable, and in all likelihood, dangerous characters. Charlie is then reluctantly reunited with his son Max, played by Dakota Goyo, and the futuristic robot boxing, science fiction aspect of this movie quickly takes a back seat to the far more intriguing and interesting father/son relationship developing between these two characters, as well as the romantic relationship that develops between Charlie and Bailey Tallet, played by Evangeline Lily. Hugh Jackman is fantastic in this movie, he makes being a deadbeat loser seem almost appealing with his charm and confidence and that damn sparkling smile. And let's be honest, the ladies don't seem to find him too hard on the eyes either. What really surprised me in this movie was the performance of Dakota Goyo. His character Max is really fun to watch, he's snarky, sarcastic, condescending, and gives a real convincing feel to the character. By the end of the movie, you really feel yourself rooting for Charlie and Max and you may even feel a little emotional with the touching father/son moments along the way. This movie is very fun and very watchable for any audience (barring a little language at times). If I was the skinny guy and the fat guy, I'd give this one two thumbs up!

Shark Night (3D)

Genre: Horror  //  Running Time: 91 minutes  //  Release Date: September 2, 2011 (USA)
For more information (cast & crew etc) check out IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1633356/

Overall Rating: 2 out 5

Synopsis: A group of college students head out for a weekend of fun, drinking, and hopefully some hooking up at their friend's lakeside cabin, but see all their well laid plans ruined by a mysterious wakeboarding accident before anyone can even get drunk. They quickly find out that the cause of the accident is a rather large and menacing shark and the adventure to survive unfolds.

I think the most surprising thing about this movie was that the acting really wasn't as terrible as the plot would indicate. Nothing seemed overly forced or over-acted, and I can't recall being distracted from the "movie experience" by laughing at really bad acting, which is usually the case with movies of this genre. I also think the movie would have been slightly more fun in 3D, but I would have been very upset if I had paid money, especially 3D ticket prices, to see it. So if you have a 3D television and absolutely nothing else to do, you could give this movie a watch.

The behavior of the sharks and sheer absurdity of their physical feats (you'll know what I'm talking about after the jet-ski scene) is probably the only reason I gave this movie a 2 out of 5 instead of a 1. That, and I kind of feel bad for Donal Logue. He went from being a co-star in Blade to this? Poor, poor man.