Movie Review: Dark Shadows

When you see this movie, you know that it's Tim Burton. From the sets, the characters, the effects, the source material, everything. There's Tim Burton basically written on the walls. This is Burton and Johnny Depp's ninth movie collaboration, and is a very loose adaptation of the cult 1960's T.V. "soap opera" of the same name. We follow Barnabas Collins, played by the wonderful Johnny Depp, who is the heir of the Collins Seafood Company fortune and business in the 1800's in Collinsport, Maine. He has a fling with a maid named Angelique, who also happens to be a crazy witch. Barnabas eventually falls in love, only to have his intended lured to her death by Angelique, and being turned into a vampire by her. He is chained in a coffin and buried, only to be discovered by a (very unfortunate) construction crew a few (hundred) years later. He is now in the 1970's, his seafood business is in shambles, and his beloved mansion CollinWood is rundown and overlooked by quite a bizarre array of characters, headed by Elizabeth Collin Stoddard, played by the fantastic Michelle Pfeiffer. He is also joined by her daughter, Carolyn, (Chloe Grace-Moretz), her brother, Roger, (Johnny Lee Miller), her nephew, David, the groundskeeper, Willie, and Davids psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman, played by the lovely Helena Bonham Carter. Each of the supporting characters have their own supernatural secrets, most of which are disappointingly kept secret until the near end of the movie. Angelique is still living in Collinsport, and is the seafood business that has kept the Collins out of business. She is still bent on revenge, and does everything in her power to stop Barnabas from ever finding true love again. The ending is satisfying, yet ends with the viewer wondering what will happen next.

Overall, the movie had a terrific look, with many relics from the '70's present, such as lava lamps and music from the era. It is often interspersed with humor, sometimes a little too much humor, but nonetheless providing some relief from the dark story line. The plot drags quite a bit, especially near the middle of the movie. Barnabas trying to get used to the new era is quite funny, and shows off the acting skills of Johnny Depp. Not the best Depp/Burton collaboration (that has to go to Sweeney Todd), it's still a very entertaining, good looking, and well directed and acted movie, despite the various problems in the plot and script.

Rating: B

Carolyn: "Are you stoned?"
Barnabas: "They tried stoning me, my dear. It did not work."

Movie Review: The Avengers

After years of hidden after-credit scenes, several movies that all connected with each other for this one, and what felt like a millennium of waiting, the Avengers have finally assembled. Picking right up with where it left off at the end of Captain America, The Avengers moves at a very fast pace, picking up a new superhero at every turn. Loki, Thor's younger brother, has decided that Earth cannot handle itself as a free world, and believes that everyone should be ruled unitedly by a tyrant (himself). Thus begins the war between Loki and his alien "army" and the Avengers and their Hulk. I'm sure you can figure out who wins. The ending comes with a hint at who will be the next target of the Avengers for the next Avengers movie. Along with being extremely well paced and very entertaining, the Avengers also features some incredible performance, both individual and the group as a whole. Samuel Jackson does what he usually does as the man who assembles the Avengers, Nick Fury. The "big 3" superheroes, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor do very well in their respective roles. The newcomers to the Avengers, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Scarlet Johansson as Black Widow, do extremely well in their supporting roles. But the main breakout star in this film is Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. I couldn't count the times that The Hulk got cheers and claps from the audiences of the showings I went too. Mark Ruffalo has finally gotten The Hulk right, both emotionally and physically, something that it's prior incarnates, Eric Bana and Edward Norton have failed to do. And The Hulk also has been executed perfectly in the visual and design category for the first time, with an actual plausible look instead of choppy CGI that looks like green play-doh. Tom Hiddleston also does well as the main villain, Loki. As an ensemble, it's possibly one of, if not the best, ensemble acting in recent memory, in comparison to the lovely ladies of The Help. A huge amount of credit also goes to director Joss Whedon, who quelled the fears of fanboys world wide that an Avengers movie, especially one of this size and quality, would ever happen. He has created a masterpiece, and has completely shattered box office records, squashing the opening weekend record previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, grossing an unprecedented 207.4 million dollars. The Avengers is an amazing movie of the highest quality. Whedon has created an ensemble cast, that, although had the potential to be too cluttered, works perfectly. The best movie of the year so far.

Rating: A+

Loki: "I have an army."
Iron Man: "We have a Hulk."

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Finally, through the very creative mind of Joss Whedon, they have made a smart, scary, and funny scary movie. This film proves that all horror movies don't have to be gore and guts to be entertaining, or frightening. The story follows the usual horror movie crew: the dumb blonde, the jock, the stoner, the token black guy, and the girl who is too smart for her own good. They travel to, you guessed it, a cabin in the woods. There, they are tricked and controlled by unknown operators in a building, who monitor and regulate everything (and I mean everything) that goes on in the house. Unfortunately, I cannot give away too much more information, as the ending is very well made and provides for a twist that M. Night Shaymalan would blush over. There were some fantastic performances by everyone involved, the standouts (in my opinion) being Richard Jenkins as one of the operators, Chris Hemsworth as the jock, and a (very) surprising cameo by Sigourney Weaver as "the Director". Also, near the end, there is an 8 minute gore fest in which everything from your worst nightmares is released, and they decimate everything in their path. This movie was very smartly made, and provides a very fun and scary movie-going experience. An underrated movie that deserves a lot more praise and attention than it has received.

Rating: A-

Movie Review: American Reunion

In the words of Thin Lizzy, The Boys Are Back in Town. In this 4th "official" American Pie movie, the original crew is back and just as raunchy and sex-obsessed as ever. Jim and the gang are back in town for their 13th High School reunion. Jim (Jason Biggs) is married to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), and they have hit a "rough patch" in their marriage due to the birth of their son. Oz is a "celebrity" sports show host, now made infamous by his appearance on Celebrity Dance-Off. Kevin is also married, yet is forced to sit through "girly" drama TV and play househusband. Stifler is well...Stifler. Still living at home with his mom (played by the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge). So, as usual, things get wild, temptations rise and are either given into or overcome, and everyone is happy in the end. Especially Jim's Dad (played by Eugene Levy), who gets with Stifler's mom. There was not a single moment in the movie where I was not laughing, and the comedy was very well paced. It was nice to see literally EVERYBODY from the first two movies, and to see what happened to them after high school. A very funny movie with a cast of very funny actors/actresses. I must say, it feels good to be reunited with the original crew after all this time.

Rating: A-

Movie Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

This film, adapted from Steig Larsson's bestselling Millenium Trilogy, is an unflinching view into the human psyche, a view into the world of evil and lies that often times go unseen. Rooney Mara plays the role of Lisbeth Salander, a ward of the state, who is the best computer hacker around. She is enlisted to be the assistant of Mikael Blomkvist, who's journalism career has just been shattered by a scandal he published that he cannot prove. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Lundkvist to solve a mystery that has plagued his family for over four decades, the disappearance of his niece, Harriet. Lisbeth and Mikael, both with their own strengths, work together in order to solve the mystery. Lisbeth eventually falls in love with Mikael, after having been put through some harrowing sexual abuse in the first half of the movie. The film ends on a somber note, however leaves plenty of room for the continuation of the story, The Girl Who Played With Fire. The movie is very intense, with multiple scenes of torture, two of them being of a sexual/rape nature. Rooney Mara does an amazing job as Lisbeth, displaying all the intensity and subtleness that is present in the novel. She is beautiful, though you can see the pain in her face from the ordeals she has suffered through. Daniel Craig also does well as Mikael, and the cast of many supporting actors/actresses do amazing also. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is also very well done. The title sequence was, as well, a fantastic oily montage of Lisbeth's journey through the three books in the trilogy. Overall, a very intense, emotionally and physically, journey through a great detective story, all brought together by the brilliant and enigmatic performance of Rooney Mara as Lisbeth.

Rating: A

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

I'm going to start this review by saying this: Jennifer Lawrence is beautiful. She is one of the most enigmatic actors I have ever seen grace the screen, and I believe this is partly because she is one of the most beautiful people alive, and she's a terrific actress, and an Oscar-nominated one at that. Now, on to the actual movie. Adapted from Suzanne Collins' addictive best-seller trilogy, The Hunger Games, (followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay), this film is one of the most successful adaptations of a book I've seen, next to the Harry Potter series. Panem, the nation formerly known as the United States, is now divided into 12 districts, all manned by a Captiol in the center of the districts. The Hunger Games, created in response to the rebellion of the now-extinct District 13, pits 24 teenagers against each other in a fight to the death, with the winner being bathed in riches for the rest of their life. Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, lives in the very poor District 12 with her mother (her father died earlier in a mining accident) and her sister, Primrose (Prim for short). She has a hunting partner in Gale, played by newcomer Gale Hemsworth, in a relatively minor role compared to the books. On the day of the Reaping, where the contestants for The Hunger Games are selected, Katniss, Prim and Gale gather in the town square to hear this years tributes called. Prim is called for the female tribute, but Katniss comes to her rescue and volunteers as tribute. The male tribute nominated is Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, who has a sordid past relationship with Katniss after giving her bread when she was starving, and later confesses during the tribute interviews that he is in love with her. That's the basis of the story, without giving too much away. Peeta and Katniss enter into the Hunger Games, and fight for the latter half of the movie. The casting for the movie was incredible. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect for the role of Katniss, as are Liam Hemsworth as Gale and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. The one supporting role that really stood out in my opinion was Donald Sutherland as President Snow. Sutherland provides an unflinching performance as the cruel President of Panem, and is very successful in displaying the subtle evil that he gives off in the books. Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson also do terrific as Peeta and Katniss's mentors, Effie and Haymitch, and Lenny Kravitz does very well as Katniss's stylist, Cinna. With an almost scene for scene adaptation of the book, a FANTASTIC cast of many wonderful actors, one of the most beautiful actresses ever in the lead role, and enough action and drama to satisfy boys, girls, men and women alike, The Hunger Games is the best movie of the year so far. It definitely lives up to the hype. If you haven't read the books or seen the movies, do it. They're enthralling, and very satisfying. 

Rating: A

Movie Review: 21 Jump Street

Jonah Hill got skinny. No longer in his awkward days of playing sex-starved teenagers in movies like Superbad, Jonah Hill is in his second major "grown-up" role, the other being his Oscar-nominated portrayal of a stats genius in Moneyball. Channing Tatum is also making quite a name for himself, with roles in this movie, The Vow, and Magic Mike. The story in this adaptation of the TV show of the same name, is that two cop partners, Hill and Tatum, join the police force together after having the traditional bully/victim relationship in high school. They expect a lot of action to go down, but are instead put on bike duty. They have a big drug bust in the park they're patrolling, but they forget to read the criminals their Miranda Rights. Then, the partners are sent to 21 Jump Street, an undercover operation that sends cops...you guessed it...undercover, into high schools to solve various drug problems with the students. But, how the times have changed since they were both in high school. The people who used to be outcasts are the cool kids, and vice versa. And the story goes on, etc. etc., and they figure out who makes, supplies, and sells drugs. The movie, surprisingly, was actually very funny. It was well written, had plenty of raunchy material without "going there", and provided a solid 2 hours of hilarity. The plot never really slows down, and the jokes keep up with the pace of the movie. There was also a fantastic cameo by original 21 Jump Street TV star Johnny Depp. This movie is no Oscar winner, but it was funny and clever, and had some great starring roles from Hill and Tatum. Overall, a good comedy that never lags, and constantly provides new material to laugh at.

Rating: B+

Movie Review: Dr. Seuss's The Lorax

The latest animated film from Dreamworks Studio, and the newest Dr. Seuss children's book adaptation, The Lorax, was a half-cheerful, half-depressing movie with a very strong message about the environment. Ted, voiced by Zac Efron, has fallen for a girl in his city of Thneed-Ville, named Audrey (in an actual enjoyable performance by Taylor Swift). Audrey's greatest wish is to have an actual tree, which are now non-existent. So, Ted travels out of the city limits to visit The Once-Ler, an old man who is the only person who knows the story of the trees, and the only person who can give Ted a tree for Audrey. Then the story of the title character, The Lorax, begins. The Lorax, voiced by Danny DeVito, is an enjoyable character who conveys a strong message about protecting the environment. In the end, the boy gets the girl, the girl gets the tree, and the Once-Ler is forgiven of his misdeeds by his old pal, The Lorax. The movie is very well-paced, alternating between past and present segments, and interspersed with various musical numbers that are characteristic of this type of film. There are some great supporting roles, mainly by Ted's Grandmother, voiced by the hilarious Betty White. Overall, a very well-adapted representation of the Dr. Seuss classic, that combines comedy, music, and a message about the importance of preserving our environment. Even if the kid's don't understand what the movie is trying to convey, the adults who take them should. It may get a little too dark for a children's movie, but the book did as well. An entertaining and thoughtful adaptation. 

Rating: A-