This post is an assignment about my outlook on the fourth quarter of school. Well the last nine weeks is always the hardest with assignments, exams, and just being ready for summer. I have two research papers that I am stressing about. Pre Calculus is getting harder, Chemistry is really starting to drag on, and in computer we are starting to do web pages with HTML. In advanced english we are starting to read The Cost of Discipleship by Deitrich Bonhoeffer which is going to be very different than the previous books 1984, A Tale of Two Cities, and Macbeth. Finally in British Literature I really have no clue what we are doing but it will probably be Victorian period authors. Altogether the last stretch of the year should be tougher than the rest of the year but I expected nothing less.
8/10
The Illusionist is the story of Eisenheim(Edward Norton) the magician who is in love with a prince’s fiance Sophie von Teschen(Jessica Biel). This sounds pretty cheezy but it’s actually a decent but simple story that gets more interesting and enjoyable as it goes along. Basically Eisenheim and Sophie were in love when they were younger but are forced to be separated because of social status. Many years later Eisenheim is performing a show for the prince and Sophie is selected to be his assistant. They recognize each other and soon their love is rekindled, but not without trouble. This movie kept me entertained even without a lot of action. Ed Norton does an excellent job acting like he usually does and the visuals were great. Many compared this with The Prestige which released at almost the same time as The Illusionist. I preferred The Prestige but that’s because I’m not a huge romance plot kinda guy, but this was still a good movie nonetheless.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for some sexuality and violence. |
8.5/10
The Patriot occurs in America during the war for her independence. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a former hero of the French and Indian War, a widower and father of seven hopes to shelter his family form the Revolutionary War. His attempts are made useless when his oldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) enlists in the colonial army to battle the Brits. Eventually Gabriel returns home wounded but also so does a cold hearted British colonel who murders Martin’s second child and takes Gabriel prisoner. Benjamin then joins into the fight and forms a militia. Everything in the patriot just seems to fit well together. The acting, the battles, the sets, the costumes, the cinematography and the music, all blend to make this a very compelling movie. I highly recommend it if you are into war movies at all, and if not then you should still check it out.
| MPAA Rating: | R for strong war violence. |
8.5/10
Walk the Line is the story of the man in black Johnny Cash. If you somehow don’t know who this is you really need to get out more. The movie follows his life of transformation through the good and bad, fame and the failures, and religious struggles. It goes through all his troubles with drug addiction, women, and basically self destruction. Jaoquin Phoenix plays Cash and does and amazing job. Reese Witherspoon plays June Carter who was also a famous singer during the time. Both Witherspoon and Phoenix do the singing for the movie and sound amazingly like the real deal. The storytelling in the movie is great although it does drag on in parts but it is well worth it to keep watching. Cash paved the way for music and this movie is a great representation of his life. Definately check it out.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency. |
7.5/10
The Invasion is the fourth movie adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel The Body Snatchers. I personally have not read the book or seen any of the other versions of the movie so I don’t know how true this holds to the original, but in my opinion this is a decent movie. A space shuttle crashes with a mysterious substance on it. It turns out that the alien gunk is an intelligent creature and when it goes into humans and they sleep they become basically empty shells of themselves with no emotion execpt the instinct to turn others into empty shells as well. Eventually those with the alien disease die out. The main character Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) discover the truth about the epidemic and try to find a cure. Overall the suspense is there with a few jumpy scenes, car chases, and tense moments. Also the acting is decent but thats about all the movie has going for it. It’s not that there is much that I truly dislike about the movie but there’s not alot of things that are original and super interesting. I recommend this movie but I am Legend is a much better thriller although this is worth checking out as well.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and terror. |
9/10
A Beautiful Mind is the true story about nobel prize winner John Nash. Nash is a mathmatic genius who struggles with schizophrenia. I cannot tell much of the story without spoiling alot of the movie but the story of Nash’s life is truly amazing. Russell Crowe plays John Nash and gives a powerful performance that covers 47 years of Nash’s life. All the other actors do excellent jobs as well. Some may not like the movie because it is not filled with action or comedy but it is definately a great story and if you don’t know the story previously it will keep you in suspense. This movie is well deserving of all the acclaim it received and I highly recommend it.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence. |
8/10
Déjà Vu is defined as the experience of feeling sure that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously (an individual feels as though an event has already happened or has repeated itself). Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) experiences a situation somewhat like this when a ferry explodes killing hundreds of people. Doug an ATF agent is tasked with helping in the investigation, but this is no ordinary case. The government has created technology so advanced that they can see four days exactly into the past at the same moment in the past. That may seem confusing but the movie explains it pretty well. Deja Vu is an intense movie with some good although anticipated plot twists. Denzel Washington does a great job acting as usual along with the rest of the cast. In my book Deja Vu is altogether a solid thriller with some neat ideas and is worthy of a viewing.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images and some sensuality. |
Well it’s valentines day so watch some love movies to celebrate! Here are some people have recommended but I’ve not really seen many of them so if they stink then they stink I guess.
Sleepless in Seattle, A Walk to Remember, Titanic, The Notebook, The Lakehouse, Phantom of the Opera, You’ve got Mail, Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Gone with the Wind, Top Gun, The Wedding Singer, And Many Others
I personally won’t be watching any of these but if this is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then check em out.
8/10
Red Eye is a light thriller that stars Rachel McAdams as a hotel manager named Lisa Reisert. She has a fear of flying but has to because of a death in the family. One the trip back from the funeral while delayed for a flight to Miami she meets the creepy but seemingly nice Jackson (Cillian Murphey) and talks with him. They end up sitting beside each other on the plane, but once they take off he becomes a whole new person. He is plotting to kill some high ranked guy in the government and has to have her help doing it. If she refuses then her father will be killed. The movie is pretty exciting even though most of it takes place on the plane and the acting is great. I would definately recommend this movie.
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence, and language. |
5.5/10
WHOOHOO Sylvester Stallone is back! WHOOHOO Sylvester Stallone is old! WHOOHOO Blood and Gore! WHOOHOO RAMBO IS BACK!!! If this is what you think like when you want to see a movie or hear the name Rambo then this movie is for you but if you care for more than extreme blood and guts in a movie then look elsewhere. The new Rambo is a bare-bones story with lame acting and an old Stallone. Basically some missionaries are captured by the Burmese army and it’s up to Rambo and a few other bad boys to rescue them. The action itself is a one man army kinda deal with Rambo shooting on a mounted .50 cal for a quarter of the movie. Rambo has to break some kind of record for the most limbs and heads lost in a movie or something because it’s ridiculous how many people he messes up. If you are a hardcore Rambo fan or find uber-graphic movies to be your thing then maybe check this out but if not then I would not really recommend it.
| MPAA Rating: | R for strong graphic bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images and language. |
