Wings (1927 Film) Review

For the first film to ever win Best Picture, this doesn't disappoint. It's epic, it's tragic, it's funny, it's heartfelt, it's just an all around great time. People sometimes criticize it for several reasons, like the bubble scenes, which we'll get to later, the fact that Clara Bow isn't in it long enough, it being to slow and/or melodramatic, but I didn't find any of those problems existent or major (Well, except for the bubbles. Oh the bubbles). The story is about two men who are in love with the same girl. They go off to war, and basically turn from rivals to friends. It's a very simple story, but executed amazingly with the acting and pacing. Clara Bow, Buddy Rogers, and Richard Arlen all did outstanding, and the Gary Cooper cameo was great, pretty unexpected too. Now, every movie has at least one flaw, right? Well, this movie is no exception. The comedy relief and simple story really should have been improved to make it deeper and less annoying. Now, because I can't think of much else to say, it's time for The Best and Worst of Wings. The best has to be the dogfight halfway through the film. This scene wasn't matched for years, and it's extremely entertaining and thrilling. You feel afraid for the main characters, but at the same time, you want to see airplanes do aerial flips and explode into a fiery explosion, and you don't have to worry, they do. The worst is... The bubbles. I know it's just one scene, but the joke drags on for over 10 minutes, and you're bored to death when it's over with. It starts with one of the main characters getting extremely drunk, and then he hallucinates, seeing a lot of bubbles, and the audience also sees the bubbles, showing the real effects of the hallucination. Besides the occasionally funny line from the characters slurring of words, this scene is boring and unfunny. Worst of all, when it's all done and over with, it's never mentioned again (I would make a Doug Walker joke here, but it would probably confuse most of you). Other than that though, I didn't find many flaws in this picture. It brings out plenty of emotions, makes you care for the characters and their interaction, and the action scenes are extremely intense and exciting. Overall, it's an epic film, worthy of it's Best Picture win. Unfortunately, this is the only Best Picture film never released on VHS or DVD (Cavalcade had a limited VHS release). Luckily though, the film WILL be released on DVD on January 24, 2012, so definitely pick it up when it comes out, it would definitely be a wise purchase.

5/5

Top 10 Historic Moments in the World of Film

You may have wondered to yourself time and time again, what is THE most historic moment in film ever? Whether it's a film itself, a big advancement, infamy, anything, I have come up with the Top 10 Historic Moments in the World of Film. Let's begin:

10. Walt Disney is Formed, 1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first film to be made by Walt Disney Productions, which would end up becoming the most successful film company ever. Their talent has now been spread out among live action films and TV shows.




9. First Horror Film, 1896

The Haunted Castle is known as the first horror film in history, although it was originally discovered the images were meant to amuse rather than disturb. However, it's still regarded as the first "Scary" film.


8. "Sequels" Introduced to Film, 1916

"Fall of a Nation, a sequel to the very popular "Birth of a Nation", was the very first sequel in the history of film making. Unfortunately, the film is now lost, and all that remains is a few stills that are unknown if they are from the movie or the original Birth of a Nation.


7. 3D First Introduced to Film, 1903

"L'arrivée du train" was shown using 3D glasses in 1903, and the tradition would continue for years, and getting popular in the 50s.


6. Color Introduced to Film, 1903 and 1912
  
"Vie et Passion du Christ" of 1903 was the first film to have color, but was stencil based color. The first natural color in film was in "With our King and Queen Through India" in 1912.


5. CGI Introduced to Film, 1973 and 1976


Computer Generated Imagery was rendered possible in 1968, but first used in a film in 1973, in "Westworld", where 2D computer animation was used. 3D computer graphics were first used in 1976's "Futureworld", and sequel to Westworld. Although CGI has it's flaws, it is a very important part in film history.


4. Animation Introduced to Film, 1906


Humorous Phases of Funny Faces is the first known film with animation. Though animation wasn't as popular back then, it would gain popularity later.


3. Academy Awards Introduced, 1929


The Academy Awards have become the ultimate film award ceremony, and winning one of these awards is basically like climbing Mount Everest without a scrape in under an hour. The two biggest awards that night were "Outstanding Picture", won by "Wings", and "Unique and Artistic Production", won by "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans".


2. Synchronized Dialogue Introduced to Film, 1927


The Jazz Singer was the first film to have the sound of spoken word coming from the actual actors mouths. Unfortunately, the sound era would start off slow, with 1929 said to be one of the worst years in film, as that was the year sound films became widespread.




1. "First Motion Picture Ever Made", 1888


Only 2 to 4 seconds long, depending on who you talk to, Roundhay Garden Scene has the distinction of being the first motion picture ever made. It is available on Youtube, and I highly recommend viewing it, as none of your favorite films would even exist without this.

Is there any I missed? Leave your ideas in the comments!

Top 5 Film Rules You Need to Remember

I'm not the best film critic in the world, not by far, but I noticed far to many films COULD have been good, but fall flat because of overlooked flaws in the film, or that a film critic calls a film good, because they don't notice the flaws the first time around. Sure, several film rules are well known, but others really needed to be expressed to people who want to create or watch films. So, without any further ado, let's begin:

5. When writing a female character, write them as characters before females

This is mostly evident is children's films. It's when you get a female character who has absolutely no personalty, and is just in the film either to get the plot moving, or to show girls aren't equal to guys, they're BETTER than them, which is a sign of intense feminism. Write a female character with personality, and don't make her perfect just to show off the male lead, who probably is annoying as well. Make them equal, or at least not annoying.

4. Subtlety is key

Did any of you see the 70s horror film, Black Christmas? It's about a murderer who calls several girls in a house. Basic stuff, but in the end, *SPOILER* you never discover who the killer is. There's a suspect, but nothing definite. You want to find out, but if you do find out, you'll most likely be disappointed. That's how subtlety works. 

3. Suspense and/or Surprise is often the biggest step to horror

A long walk through a scary hallway like in Shutter Island, that shadow before the shower murder in Psycho, the face in the window at the end of Eminem's "Stan", SOMETHING. And no, I'm not talking about jump scares. A good example of surprise that isn't a jump scare is Psycho's shower scene, as you see a shadow, you get nervous, you know something will happen, and THEN you're surprised. 

2. CGI shouldn't be used for EVERYTHING

CGI stands for Computer Generated Image(s). CGI has been used for films like Avatar, The Matrix, etc. The main problem with CGI is rarely does it ever look like the image is in front of the camera. Take Indiana Jones for example, the first 3 films had amazing action, but this was before CGI, so when the objects were in front of the camera, you knew it. The fourth film however uses CGI, and guess what? The action was not as good. It shows that CGI doesn't always make a film better, and should only be used when absolutely necessary. 

1. For suspense to exist, you need likable and developed characters to back it up

I... cannot stress this enough. If suspense involves a character or more, you need to care about the characters. You will be afraid for the characters, and hope nothing happens to them. This is why I think films like Rear Window and The Hurt Locker are horribly overrated. I don't know or like the characters, so I don't feel any suspense. 

What film rules do you think should have been here?

Top 5 Films With The Best Special Effects

Depending On:
Visual Appeal (Looks Colorful and Atmospheric)
Realism
Ground Breaking
Subtlety

5. King Kong (1933)


I know you were probably expecting the 2005 remake here, but no, I prefer this one. The attention to detail is fantastic, and all the hard work really pay's off, and makes for special effects not matched for years to come. Peter Jackson himself actually attempted to recreate King Kong's lost scene, featuring a giant spider, using the same crude techniques used in 1933. It didn't look close to as good as this.

4. Tron Legacy (2010)


It's not as subtle as the other films on this list, but good god is it awesome. Filled with color, detail, and spectacles that need to be seen to be believed, this movie revives CGI to make me enjoy it again.

3. Titanic (1997)


I'm still not sure if CGI was really used in this film or not.

2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)


It's quick, it's detailed, it's realistic, it's just awesome.

1. Inception (2010)

Was there ever a doubt? Best Special Effects yet. Watch it and you'll see.

Honorable Mention: 2001: A Space Odyssey

I Will Never Include: King Kong (2005), The Matrix, Avatar (All Have to Much Overused and Unrealistic CGI) 

Arthur Christmas Review

This movie is so great, it doesn't just get you hyped up for Christmas, it creates an entirely different universe to modernize the original Christmas story itself, while not totally excluding the original story to begin with, which is an amazing feat for this film to accomplish. Also, it has likable, creative, and memorable characters, outstanding action scenes, great voice acting, and just a certain charm that makes this film one of the best in the recent history of holiday motion picture. Sure, it has a few flaws, it can be predictable, all the edgy moments are just ploys to make the children laugh, and it has several plot holes or two, like after watching the first couple minutes, you figure "That's how Santa delivered the gifts in one night", only to learn the reindeer and sleigh were still used, just many years ago, which is kinda cool, considering it still keeps the old story while modernizing it, but it still leaves the age old question handy: "How DID Santa Claus travel across the earth in one night"? Oh well, I guess we'll keep on having to remind ourselves and the young children screaming in the theaters "It was all magic", and hope they accept that. Now, before I continue with the film, let me mention that this film opens up with a Justin Bieber song. Didn't know that? Neither did I, I guess both of us forgot to look in the bottom left corner of the movie poster (Look closer, you'll find it soon enough). It's probably one of his better songs, but that's probably because he didn't write it, because if he did, he'd probably add a sub-plot about "Love" in the song. Unfortunately for Justin, one month after this film was released, he admitted to "Not believing in Santa Claus". That was a horrible move on his part, because his biggest fan base comes from young girls. Anyways, off topic, his song was kinda enjoyable, but not something you'll put on your MP3 or IPod. Now, to the story, because this is the best part about the film. The opening scene shows a young girl writing a letter to Santa, and then it shows our main character writing back (OK, OK, this is a plot hole. First of all, who ever received a letter BACK from Santa, let alone one of his elves! Second, later in the film, Santa looks at the letter Arthur wrote back to the girl, on Christmas day, STILL ON ARTHUR'S DESK. Now, back to liking the film). It's a pretty heartwarming scene besides the OBVIOUS flaws. Next, we get the scene of the elves delivering the toys to the children in their homes, and this part you gotta love. It's intense, it's cool, and it explains a lot, like how the team of Elves and Santa can really tell if you're naughty or nice, why naughty children still get gifts, and what happens if a child wakes up when an elf or Santa is in the house. It's really creative and very fun. The rest of the story tells the story of Arthur, a clumsy tall elf who loves Christmas more than most, but he discovers a child has been missed, and that child won't be getting a present this year, as at that point in the movie, it's extremely late on Christmas Eve. Santa knows that it's wrong to leave a child behind, but Steve, Arthur's brother and Santa's son, convinces him that it's too dangerous, but Arthur joins the former Santa (The one with the sleigh and reindeer) to get the present back to the child. Now, I watched a film not to long ago, a spin-off of the TV show called Animaniacs, the film being called Wakko's Wish, and I don't want to explain the plot to deeply, but basically one of the 3 siblings are sick, and they have to take her to a wishing star (Don't ask) by sled. It's very similar to Arthur Christmas, with Arthur and old Santa take the sleigh to the girl, but Arthur Christmas done it was better, for 3 reasons:
1. Just because you're in a sleigh doesn't mean character interaction isn't obsolete. Arthur Christmas knew this, and had the characters discuss strategies, talk about the past, talk about the new Santa, etc. Wakko's Wish... Literally, for the 30 or so minutes they're riding on the sleigh, all they do is sing a very bland and boring, but mildly amusing song.
2. Arthur Christmas has amazing scenery, with excellent detail and making sure you didn't miss any of the scenery while still listening to the characters talk. Wakko's Wish has just snow and trees.
3. Arthur Christmas takes advantage of it's surroundings, doing tricks on the sleigh, flying through city street, and using compasses and maps to get to their destination. Wakko's Wish has no maps, no compasses, no small breaks, just sledding and singing the whole way through.
Now, because I do it in every new review, it's time for the Best and Worst of Arthur Christmas! The best is obviously the story. It has plot holes, sure, but the idea and execution of it will make children love it for answering many questions. The worst is probably the character Steve. I know, you thought I would have said plot holes, but that's a tie for the worst with Steve, the brother of Arthur. He's intelligent, and seems cool with the start of the movie, but then becomes the obvious villain and it down grades the film a little bit. But heck, every film has flaws, but the innovation and creativity of this film will make you want to watch it every year. Check it out. Oh and one more thing, Happy Holidays.

5/5

Saving Private Ryan Review

I decided to watch this movie to see if it was better than the admittedly adequate "Thin Red Line", which came out the same year. In my opinion, this movie is WAY better. The acting is great, the action scenes were amazing, and the story was pretty good for a war film. This movie always keeps you on the edge of your seat as you're watching people get killed in horrendous ways. Actually, this entire movie is kinda a horror. Watching people die either slowly or instantly as you can do nothing to stop it. Its quite terrifying knowing that all of this actually happened. It makes the movie more gripping and intense, which is why I love Steven Spielberg's movies so much. Another thing that this movie did right, which "Thin Red Line" did wrong was the characters back stories. In "Thin Red Line", only one character has actual back story, and it sucks. Here, several characters have back stories, and they're all interesting. Enough comparing, let's talk about the experience as a whole, because it makes you feel as if you're in the war yourself. The camera angles, the horrendous sights and sounds (In a good way, if that makes sense), and the overall realism makes the movie feel as if a camera crew went into WW2 and just directed there. Yet, whats a movie without an awesome opening? Spielberg must have realized this because the Normandy sequence is outstanding and really well put together. I actually think if they just made the opening a feature length film, i'd still give this five stars. My only problem with the film is they risk the lives of 8 men to save one person. Well, isn't that kinda dumb to risk plenty of people to save one person who could even be dead, its just a little far fetched for me, but its still an unforgettable movie.

5/5

Vampires Suck Review

This movie is so horrible, there was only ONE GOOD JOKE in all of it, and this is a spoof of Twilight! The only good joke was the Count Chocula joke, but that's it. The only joke I laughed at was a cereal joke that lasted 3 SECONDS!!! It's jokes are forced and childish, the acting is unfunny, and after this was over, I had to take a shower to wipe away the uncleanliness this movie offers. It's like a bad Youtube video which uses swears and pointless, unsatisfactory jokes to get views. It's THAT BAD. Now, I never watched Twilight, but I bet you $20 it's better than this abomination. Just think about that for a second; A spoof being worse than the movie it's spoofing! Also, some of these jokes could have been funny, like the Jacob having to take off his shirt every 10 minutes, but it's the execution, as well as the bad actors that ruin the jokes all together. I feel as if it's trying so hard, yet it's acting as if it doesn't care what the audiences think, which is a bad mix. Sounding desperate while being rude just makes your bad movie worse. Plus, this movie's trying to take the "Family Guy" route by making fun of celebrities and T.V shows randomly (Also known as "Pop Cultural References"). Except in Family Guy, the show's still good. Here, it just brings a movie to an even bigger low. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Yeah, but you should expect that, with it making fun of Twilight and all". Yeah, but just cause it spoofs one movie, doesn't mean you have to make fun of EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. (Wow, I'm getting angrier by the second.) Please, PLEASE don't watch this movie. It's horrible beyond all accounts. Now, to finish off with a pun that everyone used on this movie at least once, "This movie SUCKS."

0.5/5

Wayne's World Review

Let me just say I didn't expect much, even though this movie is, for the most part, critically acclaimed. I thought the jokes in the trailer were lame, and the fact that I got this movie for $7 for Home Hardware kinda lowered my expectations. Shockingly enough though, this is a good movie. No wait, I take that back, it's a GREAT movie. I think they followed one big rule that turned this from a strange 90's film into a awesome unique comedy? Well, like I said, the jokes weren't very funny, but they didn't focus as much on the written jokes as much as the character humor. Wayne and Garth, the main characters, are hilarious people in general, not as much spewing out jokes, but a funny personality, which is what made this movie funny. That's not all, it's not just Wayne and Garth who are funny, it's every single character. Each character is unique, hilarious, and just plain enjoyable to watch. Take Wayne's girlfriend for example, she has slapstick happen to her all the time, but the slapstick isn't the funny thing, it's the fact that it's happening to a character that's hilariously annoying, as well as enjoyable. As much as I've been talking about the awesome characters, there so much more, the story, some of the surprisingly funny jokes, the dialogue, the creativity, the discussions are endless. If you're a comedy fan who either doesn't mind weirdness or actually likes it, you'll find this a enjoyable flick with creativity exploding everywhere.

4.5/5

Lemonade Mouth Review

This wasn't that bad a movie (Which shocked me because it stars Bridget Mendler, who's career has has been going down the tubes since she started starring in "Good Luck Charlie"). The story was decent, the acting was good, and the songs were pretty dang catchy. If I had to pick one thing I hated about this movie, it's the fact that everything is overblown. Just think, five kids started a revolution because the school was going to get rid of a lemonade machine. Another overblown moment was these bullies insulted the girl in the band, and then they decided that was what to call there band. Bridget Mendler cries because her cat is old, Adam Hicks hates the girl his dad is dating even though the dad is divorced and the girl is nice to him, a dad says that a high schooler is to young to wear lipstick, I could go on all day with these overblown moments. Besides that, though, it's a nice film with some good, dramatic moments to it, and Bridget Mendler does good. Overall, despite that it's overblown like crazy, it's OK, I guess. It has a nice ending, they have some nice sub plots, and kids would enjoy it.

3/5

The Great Dictator Review

This movie was good and brave, but boring and the humor wasn't up to my standards. Sure, there were some funny scenes, but it's like a little kid made up some of the jokes, like having a language that makes no sense or falling down some stairs. Chaplin was good, but not great. The plot was better than Modern Times but not as good as City Lights. Also, I couldn't even tell it was the barber pretending to be the dictator until right before the speech at the end. The supporting actors were decent, but the best ones only were in a scene or two. I love Charlie Chaplin, but this wasn't as good as some as his other works. If you can't get enough of Charlie, you might like this movie, but if not, you might not like it as much as some other great comedies such as The General, which was made more than 10 years before this. So, it's a good movie, but not great.

3.5/5

Random Passage (2002 Mini-Series) Review

Random Passage is a six hour long mini series that really delivers on it's content. The series is separated into 4 parts, kind of like a TV show, but every episode is an hour and a half long. Now, with that sort of run time, I thought I would get really bored, really fast, but, to my surprise, it was a top notch Mini-Series, with great acting, great characters, and a great story. Even though I thought all of those things, my absolute favorite part was one scene, it's entirely pointless, never mentioned after it's done and over with, but good god is it funny. (No Spoilers, Remember, This Scene Is Pointless and Happens Around Half Way Through) OK, this big kid who lives in Random Passage is annoying a little kid, which is basic stuff, seen in movies before, nothing special, but then the older boy puts his finger on a tree stump and tells the younger boy he's to chicken to cut off his finger with the axe. So, let's make this clear: A young boy who's bullied by a older boy has an axe, pushed to insanity by the older boy, then the older boy puts his finger on the tree stump... Yes, the young boy does it, and that would be a shock, but the older boy was so annoying, I laughed so incredibly hard, it shook my whole couch. It was completely AWESOME. But in all seriousness, this movie is not just about that, it goes deep into character struggles and the difficulties of living in a small, poor area. It feels incredibly realistic and also tragic, which makes it a really well done and enjoyable series. Now, that we've gotten the good stuff out of the way, let's get to the complaints. First, everybody dies. No, not everyone, but most everyone does, and it kinda gets predictable after a while. Second, it covers a few years in the series, but the only people who seem to age are the kids. Well, that's it. It's hard to get into detail, but, hey, I really enjoyed it, so I didn't find many flaws. Overall: It's long, but never boring.

5/5

My Reaction To Golden Globe Nominations

(Opinions come from trailers, film viewings, critic responses, and influences that cause me to consider something good or bad)



Best Drama:
Pros: Moneyball and The Descendants were good choices, and I hope one of them win. Also, Hugo was a nice surprise.
Cons: The Ides of March should have been snubbed if The Descendants was nominated, as both star George Clooney, The Help isn't as well reviewed as many other films of the year, and War Horse probably should have been ignored because of it's late release date, as it might not be as good as expected.

Best Musical or Comedy:
Pros: Everything.
Cons: Nothing.

Best Dramatic Actor:
Pros: Clooney, Dicaprio, Fassbender, and Pitt are good choices.
Cons: Gosling probably should have been replaced with someone else.

Best Dramatic Actress:
Pros: Davis, Mara, Streep, and Swinton are excellent choices.
Cons: Close was a huge shock for me and probably shouldn't be in this.

Best Actor in Musical/Comedy:
Pros: Dujardin and Gordon-Levitt were nice choices.
Cons: Wilson and Gosling were OK choices, but I think several people could have replaced them, and Gleeson was another shock, except not as painful as Close for Dramatic actress.

Best Actress in Musical/Comedy:
Pros: Williams definitely was expected, but Wiig, Theron, and Winslet were nice surprises.
Cons: Foster shouldn't be nominated along with another actress from the same film.

Supporting Actor:
Pros: Hill, Mortensen, and Plummer are good choices.
Cons: Brooks and Branagh I feel aren't as good choices as I would've expect, as they're overcome easily by the main actors.

Supporting Actress:
Pros: Bejo and Woodley are good picks.
Cons: Only one supporting actress from The Help should be nominated to give other actresses a chance at nominations, and Mcteer should have been ignored.

Best Director:
Pros: Everything.
Cons: Clooney's nomination is a little questionable, but not argue worthy.

Best Screenplay:
Pros: EVERYTHING. PERFECT CHOICES.
Cons: NOTHING.

Best Original Score:
Pros: Everything.
Cons: Some weird feelings about W.E, but I'll let it slide.

Best Original Song:
Pros: Hello, Hello definitely never got snubbed, and The Living Proof and Masterpiece are worthy of nomination too.
Cons: The Keeper and Keep your Head Down are not the best to be nominated.

Best Animated Film:
Pros: Tintin, Arthur Christmas, Puss in Boots, and Rango were good choices.
Cons: Cars 2 over Rio? One second, comparison time:
Cars 2: 38% of Critics liked it.
Rio: 71% of Critics liked it.
Yup, that was a mistake.

Best Foreign Film:
Pros: Everything.
Cons: If Once Upon a Time in Anatolia could be nominated, that be fine with me.

Well, what do you think?


  

Pop Culture Questions Answered

Inspired by a pretty unknown, but funny Youtube user who did the exact same thing, but only with movies and in a comedic tone. Nothing wrong with that, the video was hilarious, but what if this type of thing actually existed, in serious tone? It might, but I never heard of it, and MY BLOG IS CALLED POP CULTURAL OPINIONS. I'll be doing movies, TV shows, songs, everything, just leave your questions in the comments below, and I almost guarantee I'll answer them, whether in a edit of this blog (If it's been edited, I'll call it Version 2, 3, 4, etc, or V.2, V.3, etc), or in another blog post entirely. So, let's begin:

In "The Wizard of Oz", where does the Red Brick Road lead to?
 

If you watch the movie with an open eye, you'll notice the carriage Dorothy rides in follows the red brick road. The road ends up at the "Munchkin City Hall".

The Shawshank Redemption is dedicated to Allen Greene. Who's that? 

Frank Darabont's agent and close friend. He died because of the AIDS complications.

Why hasn't Animaniacs come back for the 100th episode?


Several reasons, but the biggest reason has to be the death of the main composer for the show, Richard Stone, 2 years after the movie and 3 years after the show ended.

Can I audition for Avatar 2 & 3?


A huge cast is expected, and unknown newcomers are expected for this film. Auditions are supposedly already began, but it's hard to find info. If I find more info, I'll post it sometime.

When do the Star Wars movies take place, the future or past?


The past, as indicated by the picture above.


How did the Doomsday device actually work in Dr. Strangelove?


It was how Russia was going to prevent a nuclear attack. The device was hooked up to enough bombs to end up destroying life on earth. It was also unstoppable. Russia made it to prevent other countries from attack Russia, in fear the device would destroy the world. Russia, however, kept it a secret, so no one knew about the device itself, so no one knew that their attacks could be deadly, and with that huge bomb being dropped, it set off the device, almost immediately after Dr. Strangelove says the last words of the film.

Why isn't Robin in the new Batman films?
 


Christopher Nolan said Robin is "In a crib, out there somewhere", as Nolan is depicting the early Batman, before Robin came aboard. 


If you have any questions for me about anything pop culture, leave it in the comments!

The Wizard of Oz (1939 Film) Review

Have you ever wondered what a new generation would think of this movie? Well, you came to the right place. As a young teenager, whenever I ask a person my age if they watched it, I always received the same response; "It sucks". Well, I just watched it for myself, and let me just say it doesn't suck. It's great. The characters are legendary, the acting is amazing, and the story is very entertaining. Now, I know what you're thinking; "If you liked it so much, why didn't you give it 5 stars?". Well, there are some flaws, both major and minor, that bring this movie a little lower than I expected. Firstly, all the songs haven't aged well. The lyrics are primitive and strange, and it kinda makes the movie less likable. The only exception is "Over the Rainbow", which is an amazing song. Another flaw is editing. Sometimes it's done excellently, other times, not. For example, after the group get's the witch's broomstick, they don't show the long boring trek to get back to the wizard, they just skip to when they get to the wizard. That's excellent. But, other times they just screw it up. For example, you don't have any idea how long the trip to the Emerald City takes. They always just edit to something important, which, sure, makes the movie less boring, but you don't feel like you're going on the adventure with the friends. If they made the trip longer, with some dialogue thrown in to make it less boring, you could have actually felt as if you were going on the trip. If these flaws didn't exist, this would've been a 5 star film, but that isn't so, but even with those flaws, it's still a great movie, really deserving more recognition from people my age. Before I end this review, let me just say if you knew that every main character in this movie was dead (I say "Main Characters" because 3 munchkins are still alive), it makes the movie very surreal to watch. Try it for yourself, it's weird.

4.5/5

Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump Review

This is a good documentary about the excellent film "Forrest Gump". Even though it was good, it could have been improved. I feel as if they left out so many questions I wanted to ask about the film and answered so little. However, the few questions they did answer, they answered very well, with footage of the people actually showing how they did a good special effect or thought of certain plot points. One thing this documentary did great is have most of the cast answer questions and talk about the movie, even though I got tired of people saying "Forrest Gump is a great movie". I actually think every person in the documentary said the movie was great at least twice, and, after a while, it got old. In the documentary, they discussed what they did in the movie, and they answered several questions, but I think they mostly discussed special effects, which was pretty interesting, but once again, after a while, it got old. Luckily, by the time you start to get bored, they move on.... right to the credits..... GAHHH!!!! Couldn't they make the documentary longer so they could discuss more? I have to admit though, even though I complained a lot, it isn't a half bad documentary. It answers some good questions, has a lot of the cast in it, and it keeps you interested for most of it. Long story short, it's an interesting documentary for you Forrest Gump fans, but it doesn't feel finished, like they were planning to make it longer but just decided not to. It's good, but it should have discussed more topics.

3/5

Forrest Gump Review

Before I watched this movie, I thought to myself "I'm finally going to see how this beat The Shawshank Redemption for best picture of '94".Well, it's not as good as The Shawshank Redemption, but it's pretty dang close. I think the thing I liked most is how many stories it actually has. It's about a guy who is very unintelligent, yet has a pretty eventful and amazing life, and the best thing about it is the character, Forrest, doesn't even realize how awesome his life is. He becomes a war veteran, a shrimp boat captain, a millionaire, a husband, a footballer, a table tennis player, and more. Somehow, it seems sort of realistic, I guess it's the fact it explained in great detail how he did all those things, even if it was a little goofy. The thing I like the most about this movie is how long it is. I was very well intrigued by the story and I thought "It's gonna be over soon, right? All good movies end at around this point in the plot", yet I saw there was more than an hour left in the movie! Also, another great thing is when different people come on the bench Gump is talking on. You actually learn their personality just by how they act while listening (Or not listening) to Gump's story. Imagine, those characters could have had a movie like personality. It's kinda like if Joel Barrish stopped at the bus stop. They don't act awesome, they just are. Anyways, back to the actual movie and not just rambling, the only major flaw is definitely that it doesn't take itself seriously, like it's trying to be silly during the war in Vietnam. Other than that though, it's still an excellent movie, goofy or not.

5/5

The Hurt Locker Review

All this movie is is disabling bombs and grinding enemies. I'm sorry, I just spoiled the movie for you. Yet, this movie, with a plot worth only 10 words beat Avatar for best picture??? The first thing I have to mention is the cinematography. It sucked. It's not that I have anything against women or Kathryn Bigelow, but didn't she ever hear of a tri-pod? The camera moved around so much, I couldn't see the main characters half the time. Secondly, I have sort of a deal with war films. The film has either got to have great action or a great story, and then I'll at least I'll call the movie "O.K", like I did with "The Thin Red Line" because the action was great, even though the story sucked, so I gave it 2 and a half stars. This however, has a boring story and almost no action scenes, which made the movie extremely boring and sometimes even stupid because the plot line didn't even exist half the time. You know what? There are to many bad things to mention, so I'll just mention the only two things this movie actually did right. Firstly, the tension was pretty good, to bad you didn't care about the characters so you didn't even enjoy the tension much, but I appreciate how you know they tried. Secondly, the ending was pretty unique and likable, even though it was a little unsatisfying. Besides that, everything else was either mediocre or worse. To prove it, I'll mention everything. The acting was mediocre, you don't care for the characters because you don't know much about them, the dialogue was god awful, the special effects were good, but could have been improved, like when someone was shot, and the movie itself is drawn out and boring. You should not see this movie unless you like long, boring scenes of bombs being disabled.

1.5/5

Donnie Darko Review

This movie is weird, unrealistic, and involves a talking animal. Usually, those are the three things I hate most in a movie, (Even though The Lion King involved all of these things, yet was still awesome) but this is definitely one of the most creative, freaky, and surreal movies I've ever seen. I think the thing I liked most is the fact that it's trying to give it a horror movie feel without actually being a horror film, except without any of the "shock" type of horror. I love that because I hate shock horror. It always gets you when you least expect and it's being frightened isn't the same, or as fun as being actually scared. Another amazing thing about this movie is Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko, as I think it was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a Sci-Fi Film. No, better yet, It's one of the best I've seen EVER. It's up there with Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump or Christopher Lloyd as "Doc" Brown. Whenever he needs to emote an emotion, such as happiness, sadness, scared, bored, etc, he does it with ease. When I watched this movie, I didn't see Jake, I saw Donnie. The supporting actors also did really well, sometimes they had a minor encounter when they didn't act like they should have, but they still did very well. *SPOILER!!* Now, I think I should discuss the ending, as it's different in the DVD release. On the version I saw, it ends with Donnie going back in time and getting crushed by the jet plane engine, afterwards, Gretchen talks to a neighbor about what happened. I later figured out that was an alternate scene for the DVD, with the real ending being the scene before it, with the mother and the daughter being on a plane and the engine fell off, going back in time. I would definitely prefer the DVD version because it's more clear, more rewarding, and more memorable. If you get the chance, get this movie on DVD or Blu-Ray. You wont regret it.

5/5

District 9 Review

This is a good movie, but I felt as if it didn't execute as much as I expected. I think the thing I disliked the most was how they depict man. This movie depicts man as rude, unintelligent freaks who love violence, especially on the aliens. If I had to pick Humans or Aliens, I defiantly go with the aliens because sure, they're violent sometimes, but they don't often look for trouble and they're actually quite likable. Now, lets get the main things out of the way, the acting was decent, the story was pretty good, and the way they treat the moral is O.K at best. I think the thing that they do the best is the cinematography. Sure, it's a little cliched, but I always loved the documentary style of camera work in Sci-Fi films. That style appears both in the beginning and the end of the film and I think it's done well. Another thing I liked was the chemistry between the adult alien and the child alien. I know that sounds stupid, but trust me, it's pretty entertaining and heart warming. Also, the main human character gets infected and starts turning into an alien. It's actually pretty depressing if you think about it long enough, which is good for this movie. This definitely isn't movie of the year, but I still think it's a pretty good alien movie.

3.5/5

Enemy at the Gates Review

Ever since I became a movie buff last year, I wanted a full on war film that had great action scenes as well as a great story. Saving Private Ryan had great action scenes, but the story could have been more detailed and just all around better. Paths of Glory was great in both categories, but the action scenes were pretty short, and you wish the movie was longer for more great action. The Thin Red Line had wonderful special effects but the story sucked, and the less I say about The Hurt Locker, the better. Well, those are some of the most critically acclaimed war movies ever, so my hopes for a war movie with great action scenes like Saving Private Ryan and a great story like Paths of Glory both in the same movie basically went down the tube. So, when I was recommended this film by my friend who works at a movie rental store, I didn't have high hopes, but since I rarely get recommendations from a person face-to-face, I decided 'Why Not"? Little did I know this movie would answer all my prayers. Not bad for a movie I rented just to make a friend happy. The story is amazing, the action scenes (Excluding the airplanes) were awesome, the characters had noticeable personalities, the actors did well, the atmosphere was wonderful, and the director, Jean-Jacques Annaud, made a movie I didn't think could be possible. This movie did have some flaws though, like sometimes, a character either acts stupid, does something stupid, or should have died but didn't. One thing I liked is that they try to keep things simple, they don't keep a huge secret locked up for the whole movie and announce it at the end, it just tells you everything you should have to know at that moment, which I liked, it spares me half a movie trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Even though this film does everything right, I almost never see a 5 star rating on this website, and I don't know why, because it's an excellent film that deserves more attention.

5/5

Titanic (1997 Film) Review

I always wondered what this movie was like. Critics said it was good while viewers thought it was either the best thing ever or extremely overrated. When I was a kid, I thought it was good, but I never watched it all, I just watched the sinking. Now that I'm a lot older, I can say it's an awesome movie. Call me a fan boy, I know people always insult the movie, as well as it's fan base, but I found it as a very enjoyable movie. Instead of just saying the things I liked and disliked however, I'm going to discuss the most popular, and sometimes most ridiculed, things in this movie. First, the romance. Some people say it's awesome, some say it's horrible and fake. I thought it was good. I cared for Rose and Jack and the actors (Which, by the way, are played by awesome actors) did really well. My only problem with the romance is that it seemed doomed from the start. What I mean is they act like every day is their last, and they're over-dramatic about everything. They're very enjoyable however, and you feel really worried when the boat is actually sinking (It's not a spoiler unless you're not in school). Next, the special effects. This is a no brainer. The special effects are outstanding. I think it's because the CGI is just a detail and not shoved into your face as much, unlike James Cameron's other movie, Avatar, which otherwise is an awesome movie. Next, something that only lasts less than 20 seconds, yet has been known as both an awesome moment and a over-dramatic mess. Yes, I'm talking about "I'm The King Of The World!". This is the most discussed quotation I've ever heard and my life, and I just have to mention it here. Let me just make it quick so I don't talk about one line of dialogue throughout the whole review, it's cheesy, but in my opinion, acceptable. Finally, the actually movie itself (Finally!). The acting is great, the story is great, even though it's half fact, half fiction, and the characters are mixed. Some are likable, others, not. Overall; it's a great movie that has a fault of two, like those snooty idiot characters who don't even die, or there are one of two pointless scenes, but it's still an enjoyable and all around great movie.

4.5/5

Top 5 Scariest and Disturbing Movies I've Seen

These movies still haunt me to this day. Never watch these unless you're used to making fun of horror's, but even then, these will probably still scare you.

5. Psycho (1960)
Several scenes are really freaky and shocking, but the scariest has to be the shower scene.

4. Donnie Darko
Suspense can be the most disturbing and nerve wracking part of the film, and this film got that down perfectly. Oh, and the main character is really creepy too.

3. American History X
Extremely disturbing, but with some scary parts too, like EDWARD NORTON'S STARE, ARGHHHHH!!!

2. Black Swan
Disturbing, scary, with direction and unpredictable characters really make this a scary film.

1. Johnny Got His Gun
You think The Exorcist was scary?... Well, it probably is, because I never seen it, but I bet you I'd be more scared watching this again then The Exorcist. Did you think Black Swan was disturbing? THIS IS DEMONIC. In short, NUMBER ONE!!!

What films do you think should be here?

The Matrix Review

I was really looking forward to this movie because of it's story, that our world is a hoax, and that you were imprisoned in virtual reality. That sounded like the best thing ever, a mind blower that won't stop. This movie did not deliver on my expectations however, and I felt ripped off. The movie is good though, it just didn't meet my expectations, and I think I know why. The main character, Neo, is the main focus in this whole movie, and he's played by the overrated hack, Keanu Reeves, and because of that, the character becomes less interesting, so much so that you don't care about the story because it focuses almost all it's attention on Neo. By the way, I do not know Reeves in real life, and he probably a nice guy in real life, it's just his acting is so bland, boring, wooden, and unlikable, you have to complain. Of course, there are good things, like the story is good, even if it does focus on you-know-who, and the action scenes are superb as well as the special effects. Also, Morpheus is pretty cool, being cool, yet you can tell he has emotion. So, if Morpheus could be twelve times better than Neo, WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST FOCUS THE WHOLE STORY ON MORPHEUS??? Sorry, I'm a little mad after having to watch this after "Titanic" which is a pretty excellent film. I have to give this film credit though, because without this, Christopher Nolan probably wouldn't have gotten inspired to make "Inception", but I feel this movie could have been done better, without Reeves.

3/5

Comparing "Best Animated Picture" Nominees From the Past

With the website "Rotten Tomatoes" at my side, we can tell whether a film that won Best animated film in the past really deserved to win over it's competitors, and since Oscar season is rolling around soon, and you can't do all that comparing by yourself, I made this post to help you out. So, here are critics ratings of past films nominated for Best Animated picture:

2001:
Winner:
Shrek: 89% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Jimmy Neutron - Boy Genius: 75% of Critics liked it.
Monsters, Inc.: 95% of Critics liked it.

2002:
Winner:
Spirited Away: 97% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Ice Age: 77% of Critics liked it.
Lilo & Stitch: 86% of Critics liked it.
Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron: 69% of Critics liked it.
Treasure Planet: 70% of Critics liked it.

2003:
Winner:
Finding Nemo: 98% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Brother Bear: 38% of Critics liked it.
The Triplets of Belleville: 94% of Critics liked it.

2004:
Winner:
The Incredibles: 97% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Shark Tale: 36% of Critics liked it.
Shrek 2: 89% of Critics liked it.

2005:
Winner:
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: 95% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Corpse Bride: 84% of Critics liked it.
Howl's Moving Castle: 86% of Critics liked it.

2006:
Winner:
Happy Feet: 75% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Cars: 74% of Critics liked it.
Monster House: 74% of Critics liked it.

2007:
Winner:
Ratatouille: 96% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Persepolis: 97% of Critics liked it.
Surfs Up: 77% of Critics liked it.

2008:
Winner:
Wall-E: 96% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Bolt: 88% of Critics liked it.
Kung Fu Panda: 88% of Critics liked it.

2009:
Winner:
Up: 98% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
Coraline: 90% of Critics liked it.
Fantastic Mr. Fox: 93% of Critics liked it.
The Princess and the Frog: 84% of Critics liked it.
The Secret of Kells: 91% of Critics liked it.

2010:
Winner:
Toy Story 3: 99% of Critics liked it.
Nominees:
How to Train your Dragon: 98% of Critics liked it.
The Illusionist: 90% of Critics liked it.

Final Verdicts:
Best Animated Picture Over The Years: Toy Story 3 (2010)
Worst Animated Picture of the Listed: Shark Tale (2004)
Best Year For Animation of the Listed: 2009
Worst Year For Animation of the Listed: 2006
Best Animated Film Not to Win: How to Train your Dragon (2010)
Worst Animated Film to Win: Happy Feet (2006)

I hope you enjoyed these statistics, and more reviews to come!

Best Foreign Language Film Predictions

With a huge list of possible nominees, but none decided yet, this is a perfect opportunity for me to make more Predictions. So, from most likely to least, here are my predicted films to do well at the Oscars, that are Foreign Language.

1. A Separation (Iran)
Come on, it's foreign, but it's already considered one of the best films of all time. How can I NOT put this at number 1?

2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey)
Not as popular as A Separation, but people say it's just as good.

3. Montevideo: God Bless You! (Serbia)
If something goes wrong with numbers 1 and 2, or the Oscars have biases towards those countries, this'll probably be the one to win.

4. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Brazil)
This would've been number 3, but the Oscars have biases towards action films and sequels.

5. Pina (Germany)
It's a documentary, but well received, and looks very artistic.

6. Bullhead (Belgium)
Well received, and like Elite Squad: The Enemy Within without the action, but with less popularity and good reviews.

7. Le Havre (Finland)
A safe film for the Oscar, something that would probably make a filler nomination or a shocking steal.

8. Tilt (Bulgaria)
A good story for the Academy to consider.

9. Black Bread (Spain)
Probably the last really popular and well received film.

10.  Jose and Pilar (Portugal)
Not very popular, but extremely well received.


What movies do you think will be nominated or win the award?

The Fighter Review

Even though I could safely call this film overrated, it's still a great movie. It almost feels real, what with the dilemmas that go on within the family, and within the ring. Sure, it's no Rocky or On the Waterfront, but it's entirely unique and well executed. The story is that a boxer by the name of Mickey Ward (Yes, the real life famous boxer Mickey Ward) is a determined boxer who's always overshadowed by his half-brother, Dicky, who was an amazing boxer who's career was almost ruined because of drugs and crime. Now, Micky has to show that he's a good boxer after a string of losses by dominating in the ring. That's basically the plot of this film, and it's a basic story, and done well here. But enough of that, I bet you all want to know about what I thought of the acting, right? Well, I thought it was OK. It wasn't really anything special, but it wasn't horrible. Wahlberg was OK, but not memorable, Bale was good, but tended to overact at times, Adams was pretty good, but there wasn't much of her in my opinion, Leo did OK, and McGee also did OK, but no one really stood out to me. Everyone says the acting is so amazing, but I felt it wasn't the acting wasn't so good, but the characters and the dialogue that really made people believe the acting was great. Now, because it's been in a lot of my reviews, let's find out The Best and Worst of The Fighter. Now, for the best, I either had to go with the the characters or the cinematography, but I decided to pick the cinematography, as it was AWESOME in this film. It was laid back and cool for most of the film, and intense and direct during the boxing scenes. The cinematography was just really cool in this film. The worst thing about this movie... I really can't say. Nothing was bad. Sure, several stuff was mediocre, but definitely not bad. So, for the worst of this movie, I'll just say the worst is the hype. One more thing worth mentioning, if anyone knows of anymore good David O. Russell films, can you let me know? He did awesome. Overall. this was a great movie, but slightly overrated. I would recommend it to fans of past boxing movies, or fans of any of the actors.

4/5

Is 3D Worth the Extra Price? (Rant)

3D has been around for years and years, changing from a cheap gimmick, to what some people explain as a "Necessity for home and theater going audiences". Of course it sounds good on paper, making you feel as if you're "Immersed in the action" by having the picture literally explode out of the screen and right in front of your own eyes, but over the years, it's gained criticism. It has existed since the '50s, and it still has it's fair share of flaws. The original 3D involved a special type of glasses with red and blue colored lenses, which could produce 3D if the program or film is accessible to 3D use. These glasses were most popular from the 50's to the 80's, but some films following those years still used those type of glasses. Nowadays, 3D has several different forms, the most well known being IMAX, where you would go to the theater, pay extra, be given a different pair of glasses then mentioned above, and watch the movie in 3D. However, some companies taken 3D to whole new levels. A new portable game system, the "Nintendo 3DS" has 3D, but doesn't require glasses. But the big one has to be 3D TV's. 3D TV's have been very popular recently, with 3D Blu-rays being all the rage, and several TV shows taking several minutes of their time to film several scenes in 3D for the buyers. All these advertisements and 3D viewings can kinda make you feel kinda out of the times, so you're probably considering buying a 3D TV, or spending $20 just to get a movie ticket IMAX, but is it really worth it? My final verdict is no. Why no? Several reasons. First, most movie's have mediocre to horrible 3D. Let me give you the names of 3 films: Avatar, How to Train your Dragon, and The Polar Express. What's so special about these films? These are the 3 movies with the most critically acclaimed 3D in the film. I have not seen any other film that has critically acclaimed 3D other then these 3. You can't just watch an IMAX film and expect the 3D to be good every time, 3D has to be perfect to not feel like a gimmick, and rarely is that ever done in film. Second, less and less people are buying into 3D products. Sure, the Nintendo 3DS is going strong, but most people don't buy into the expensive televisions or IMAX tickets, so you should probably wait until the possible fad either dies out, or the prices lower. Finally, what's the point? Besides 3D Blu Ray's and the occasional TV special, it's not like you'll have any use for the 3D. As for IMAX, is it worth an extra $20 just to see the picture pop out at you? I don't think so. Overall, I don't think 3D is worth all that extra money. I feel 3D is still in it's early stages, and needs time to grow. It was begun in the 50s, way to early for this type of technology, and took 30 years just to have a major advancement. So, if you're considering getting a 3D TV, or going to a 3D movie, save your money and go standard. 

The Princess Bride Review

I think almost everybody likes this movie, and for good reason. First, it has probably the most genres a film can have. Let me list them off: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance, and Sport! Second, it's just a ton of fun to watch. When my friend at the movie rental store said this was one of his favorite movies of all time after he recommended it to me, I looked at him funny. I thought, "His favorite movie is a chick flick?". Little did I know how amazing it would be. It's as funny as Back to the Future, as romantic as Titanic, and as likable as The Wizard of Oz, and if that doesn't lead to a 5 star film, I don't know what will. It actually shocked me on how good it is, and that's mainly because the director, Rob Reiner, directed The Bucket List, which was good, but had the stupidest plot imaginable. Luckily, he kept things simple here, with just a grandfather telling a fairy tale to a young boy, who is oddly enough played by Fred Savage. This movie also has a great cast, featuring Cary Elwes, Chris Sarandon, and Peter Falk. The characters are comedic and likable, with my favorite one being Inigo Montoya. He's funny, likable, athletic, and has a developed personality. Even though Inigo is my favorite character, there are tons of great ones to choose from, and none are either unendurable or unfunny, which is another thing this movie has going for it. My only problem with the film was there were one or two boring moments, like the beginning of the boat scene, but luckily they don't last to long and they're worth enduring to watch the great scenes. Before I end this review, let me just say, Guys, don't let the romance vibe drive you away, the movie is amazing and hilarious, and even if you don't enjoy the romance, there are lots more things to enjoy to this movie.

5/5