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Up in the Air (Movie Review)

How much does a person's life weigh?

The question ponders over my head as I write this review, still in awe of what I just saw. Ever since its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, "Up in the Air" has been garnering rave reviews and serious Oscar buzz, and rightfully so. Once in a blue moon, I am fortunate to see a movie like "Up in the Air" because it entertained, delighted, depressed, and challenged me all in one viewing.

Settling down in one place, raising a family in the suburbs, and keeping a stable job might be everyone's dream, but for Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), it sounds like a nightmare. Bingham works for a company that lends him out to corporations too afraid to fire their own employees. This job requires him to travel around the United States nearly every day of the year, making it impossible for him to have any kind of human connection.

While all this is perfectly fine for Ryan, his company forces him to train an ambitious Cornell graduate, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). Along the way, he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), a woman who, exactly like Bingham, spends most of her life away from home without a care in the world.

From the previews, one would think this is just a fluffy and simple-minded premise, but this is a much more complex movie the ads may be leading people to believe. I know I expected one thing and received something else entirely, which was actually better because I was genuinely surprised. Adapted from the book of the same name, writer and director Jason Reitman has started on the script long ago, but the filming of "Thank You For Smoking" and "Juno" took up his time, and since then, the world has become a different place.

Reitman, along with co-writer Sheldon Turner, has made the interesting choice of tying the story with the current economic recession the nation is in. Interweaved within the movie are real interviews with people who have actually been fired, making it tragic to watch. If I may say so myself, including these interviews was a genius idea. It doesn't shy away from what is happening all around us because millions lose their jobs every day. This is a modern movie taking place in today's world, which is not a very pretty one.

The script and direction is magnificent, and virtually flawless. It's a lot more heartfelt and mature than his previous works. This could've easily been a messy and irritating experience, but everything is executed with grace and precision. "Up in the Air" is a small movie with big ideas. It has a lot to say about not only the recession, but people in general. It's a comedy, drama, satire on traveling, observation of society, and above all, a character study. In order to like the movie, the viewer must be invested with the people onscreen.

Performances by the three main actors are all top-notch, and I would even go as far as to say this is their best work yet. Bingham could have easily been a detestable character if played by anyone else, but Clooney brings a wit and charm that makes him easily accessible. Farmiga plays Ryan's love interest, Alex, with confidence and delivers her dialogue with a sassy charisma. However, it is the standout performance by Kendrick that really deserves Oscar recognition. While most will know her as Jessica Stanley from the "Twilight" franchise, some may remember her from a little movie called "Rocket Science." There, she plays the arrogant, whip-smart teenager everyone hates, and here she portrays a naive young girl who is confused at why her expectations with life aren't being met. Kendrick not only plays the role, but she owns it by skillfully bringing out the character's hidden emotions as the plot progresses.

Alas, the main reason I enjoyed "Up in the Air" very much is more from a personal standpoint. What scared me is I saw a bit of myself in Ryan Bingham. This reason alone, I found the experience ten times more emotionally exhausting than the average viewer. By the end credits, I sat in my chair with my heart broken and contemplated on not only what I just saw, but my own life as well. I know everybody won't see what I found the film to interpret to, but this can be analyzed on so many different levels and everyone who gives it a chance will come out with something different.

"Up in the Air" is a powerful and philosophical work of art that still lingers through my head long after the viewing.

MY GRADE: A

(500) Days of Summer (Movie Review)

500 Days of Summer Poster

Is love just a fantasy? Considered the anti-romantic film at Sundance earlier this year, 500 Days of Summer is a fresh perspective of "boy meets girl" in the modern world.

A storybook-like narrator warns the audience what they are in for. This is not a love story, but simply a story about love.

500 Days of Summer chronicles the rise and fall relationship between Tom Hanson (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). Tom is an aspiring architect, but has settled for working at a greeting card company. He is a hopeless romantic, whose favorite film is The Graduate and believes that true happiness will never come until the day he meets that special girl. Introduce Summer, his boss' new assistant. Summer is the complete opposite of Tom. She believes that love is just a trick and that relationships take away any fun that life has to offer.

Of course it does seem a bit corny and contrived, but that's the beauty of this entire film. It's a tender slice of life that combines with romantic comedy clichés and twists into a refreshing relationship study that does what most mainstream films are afraid to do: be honest.

Its greatest strength is that it plays as a fairy tale stuck in the real world. It asks life's big questions, and faces the truth in a manner that is lighthearted, but at the same time, brutally honest. It doesn't have an overly pessimistic viewpoint on love, but rather a realistic take.

Combine this with a great soundtrack, the beautiful city of Los Angeles as a backdrop, good performances, and incredible direction, and the outcome is a near-perfect experience that almost anyone can relate to.

500 Days of Summer is not only one of the best films of the year, but the best romance comedy in recent memory. It is shockingly bittersweet, delightfully humorous, and best of all, truthful. Part Cameron Crowe and part Woody Allen, 500 Days of Summer is a true indie gem that teaches us that it is not about what we come to expect, but what we have to accept.

Don't be startled if this follows in the same footsteps as Little Miss Sunshine or Juno becoming 2009's "little movie that could."

MY GRADE FOR "500 Days of Summer": A-

Quantum of Solace (Movie Review)

More Photos

James Bond is easily one of the most iconic film characters of all time.  Not only that, the 007 franchise is known as the longest running film series ever, with Quantum of Solace being Bond's 22nd adventure.  Ever since I was little, my parents would always show me a lot of Bond adventures, from Connery to Moore and all the way to Brosnan, I always had a great time watching this franchise. 

Two years ago, I was honestly very excited to see Casino Royale because I could, for the first time, witness a new James Bond for myself.  Next to Sean Connery, Daniel Craig is easily the best James Bond.  And that is how much I loved Casino Royale.  It was the start of something new, but not too completely different.  It was an exhilarating action movie that added a little more seriousness to the series, but not too much.  It had still had its hokey and fun action moments, and it was proud of it.

After the awesome Casino Royale, I couldn't wait for the next installment.  Quantum of Solace does what no other Bond sequel has done before.  It plays as a true sequel to Bond's previous adventure.  It's a pretty bold move to make, especially since one can consider each and every one of the 007 films to stand on its own.  There is only one question that remains: does it work?

Quantum of Solace takes off about an hour after the ending of Casino Royale with an action sequence right from the get-go.  After that scene, James Bond (Daniel Craig) and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) about who he works for.  White claims that this organization they're dealing with is "everywhere."  He laughs, taunts, and ends up escaping. 

This all basically leads up to the real deal of Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the antagonist of the story.  Bond ends up meeting him after a mishap with Dominic's girlfriend, Camille (Olga Kurylenko), whom Greene wants dead.  After saving her from her death, Bond begins to learn the true nature of Dominic's plans.  He poses as an environmental organization that aims to plant trees and forests.  Little do people know, Greene Planet wants to find oil… and take over Bolivia's water supply?  I think.  On top of that, Bond wants revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green from Casino Royale), the woman he loved.  And so this mission is personal.

I find Quantum of Solace to be an experimental Bond film.  It does a lot of things that other its predecessors would never think about doing.  I think it's ambitious and could've easily worked.  I also think if that this were a science project, and if I were the judge, I'd give it an honorable mention. 

The sad fact is that barely anything in this works.  The biggest problem is that the story relies heavily on Casino Royale.  If somebody didn't see Casino Royale and walked into the theatre playing Quantum of Solace, they would only get about 40% of the movie, compared to the people who did see Casino Royale getting only… 50% of the movie?  And that's the biggest problem.  On top of having a messy plot, Quantum of Solace plays more of like an expansion pack to Casino Royale rather than a stand-alone movie.

Quantum of Solace wants to be a hard-edged tale about a man who lost his love and wants revenge.  The problem is that the revenge elements were unoriginal, convoluted and clichéd.  In fact, they went overboard with the revenge elements.  All Bond does for about three-fourths of the movie is whine and moan about Vesper.  All the characters toss Vesper's name around like a hot potato.  I felt like her character had more to do in Quantum of Solace than Casino Royale, and she's not even living.  I think it tries too hard to be emotional and real that it ends up forgetting to be something that other Bond films are known for: thrilling.

Another problem with that is the inconsistency.  One minute he's on the verge of crying thinking about Vesper, and the next minute, he's sleeping with Mrs. Fields (Gemma Arterton), an MI6 agent.  And after that, he's bent on getting more revenge for his lost love.  The main Bond girl, Camille is uninteresting and boring.  While she does look very beautiful, her character is shallow and the story expects too much sympathy from the audience for her, even though I didn't care.  The way Camille and Bond's relationship gets tied up is anti-climactic and uneventful.

Another problem is that there are too many characters in this movie.  There are characters going in, out, and in again.  Jeffrey Wright revives his role as Felix Leiter, along with a partner that looks like Philip Seymour Hoffman's long lost twin brother.  Even Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis makes a return.  And is there a reason for these characters?  No.  They should be focusing on the villain, but too bad he's just as boring as the girlfriend he wants dead.  This villain is weak and his so-called "evil" scheme to take Bolivia's water supply is insubstantial. 

Roger Ebert complained in his review that James Bond should "leave all the action to Jason Bourne."  A funny thing to know is that Quantum of Solace had the same editor as the Bourne trilogy.  And I also find funny that I thought the same exact thing watching this film.  There is a scene where Bond goes into a hotel room and another man attacks him.  There is no music to go with the scene, like all of the other Bond action sequences.  Instead, all the viewer can see and hear is bruised knuckles and blood.  Bond ends up brutally beating him and then stabbing him to death.  That is not what Bond would do.  I get what they're trying to go for.  They want to make this more realistic, but it just doesn't work, especially looking at the ridiculous action sequences that follow after.  It ends up being an attempt at realism that backfires.

My final complaint comes down comes to, what should be, the best part of Quantum of Solace: the action sequences.  All the action scenes are poorly put together.  They have some good set pieces and situations to make good action sequences.  Now if only the camera can stay still for me to piece together what's happening during the action, than maybe I can appreciate it.  The camera angles and shots are literally everywhere when something is happening.  I'm seeing somebody run, then I see a gun get fired, and then I see quick shot of an opera piece performing. 

To be fair, Quantum of Solace started out on a decent note.  The problem is that it became bad.  And this isn't as lousy as other Bond films such as Moonraker or the atrocious Die Another Day, although, it is close.  I really think Quantum of Solace is capable of much more and could've possibly worked if executed better.  The main disappointment ends up being how much it promises and how little it delivers.  I still think Daniel Craig did great and hope to see him much more. 

Even though I'd rather them not, the next Bond film is the further continuation of this story.  To be honest, I really don't care about what happens next in this inadequate plot, especially after this lame entry to the 007 series.  I guess all I can do now is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

MY GRADE FOR "Quantum of Solace": D+

 

Righteous Kill (Movie Review)

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star in Overture Films' Righteous Kill

There's no denying that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are two of the greatest actors living today. They have been in some of what are considered the greatest movies ever made. In 1995, the two actors were together for one scene in Heat, which still remains memorable.

It's 2008 and we have Righteous Kill. A movie starring these two talents should be an epic event that delights movie lovers everywhere. However, because of this film, I would love to get De Niro and Pacino in one room and slap them both in the face for taking my hard-earned money and making me experience what felt like a slow and painful death.

Righteous Kill starts off with two cops viewing a tape of a man admitting to murdering 14 people in the past couple of weeks. In this tape, he explains what happened and why. The story is told through this person's narrative and explains what led to the filming of this confession.

The basic gist of the plot is that Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are two NYPD cops looking for a killer who has murdered many people from priests to cops to random people on the street. The only clue this murderer leaves is a poem on each victim's body. From what starts as a small murder case eventually grows into a tale of intrigue and deceit. Soon, two more cops, and even Turk's girlfriend, get tangled in this mystery.

Honestly, I don't know where to begin. Righteous Kill has such an abundance of problems I can go on forever ranting about it, but for the sake of this review, I'll keep it to a minimum.

The main problems are the script and story. For any average moviegoer, the ending of this film can be predicted within the first 30 seconds of the movie. In fact, for most of the film, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the unbearable inconsistency of the entire picture.

The story is messy, clichéd, and the direction makes it even worse. Honestly, there are not enough fingers to count how many useless scenes and character motives they add for no particular reason.

Everything in this movie feels forced, and nothing feels at the slightest bit realistic. The dialogue was atrocious and would make any decent screenwriter's ears bleed.

This all leads up to my opinion of the only thing Righteous Kill has going for it: De Niro and Pacino. In all honesty, they don't do very good, but they're not to blame. I believe that they did the best with what they had to work with, but the two main roles could've easily been played by anyone. They don't own the roles, but merely, read off whatever was written on the paper.

Righteous Kill is such a terrible catastrophic event that it's not even good enough to go straight-to-video, but instead, straight-to-TV where I could've easily flipped the channel and save my $10. The fact that De Niro and Pacino actually wasted their time to make this movie makes it an even bigger disaster than it already is.

For what cinematic garbage is, this is the closest one is going to get. If it weren't for the second X-Files film that released a couple of months earlier, I would easily consider Righteous Kill the very worst film of 2008.

MY GRADE FOR Righteous Kill: F

A Bunch of Movie Grades for Recent Movies

Harrison Ford stars in Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

MY GRADE FOR Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: C-

Paramount Pictures' Iron Man

MY GRADE FOR Iron Man: D+

New York Comic-Con limited edition poster for Universal Pictures' Wanted

MY GRADE FOR Wanted: B

Will Smith stars in Sony Pictures' Hancock

MY GRADE FOR Hancock: D+

wacknessposter.jpg

MY GRADE FOR The Wackness: B-

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star in Sony Pictures' Step Brothers

MY GRADE FOR Step Brothers: C+

20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe

MY GRADE FOR The X-Files: I Want to Believe: F

New Line Cinema's Journey to the Center of the Earth

MY GRADE FOR Journey to the Center of the Earth: D

Edward Norton stars in Universal Pictures' The Incredible Hulk

MY GRADE FOR The Incredible Hulk: D

Po (voiced by Jack Black ) in DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda

MY GRADE FOR Kung Fu Panda: C

Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway star in Warner Bros. Pictures' Get Smart

MY GRADE FOR Get Smart: C

Universal Pictures' Hellboy II: The Golden Army

MY GRADE FOR Hellboy II: The Golden Army: B-

Paramount Vantage's The Foot Fist Way

MY GRADE FOR The Foot Fist Way: C-

Universal Pictures' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

MY GRADE FOR The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: D-

Seth Rogen and James Franco star in Columbia Pictures' Pineapple Express

MY GRADE FOR Pineapple Express: B-

Questions? Comments? I'll be happy to answer any of them, especially the ones questioning the grades I gave some of the movies. :D

OH YEAH, and R.I.P. Mr. Mac :(

Bernie Mac in Warner Bros. Pictures' Ocean's Thirteen

The Dark Knight (Movie Review)

Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight

What makes a good superhero movie? Everyone asks me that frequently every time I express my hate for movies such as Iron Man or The Incredible Hulk. I always point the fact out that I've been waiting for a superhero movie to express how much a hero sacrifices in order to become what he or she is. What they lose. What they gain. I want to feel as if being a superhero isn't the best thing in the world. It also helps for the story to translate well from comic book to screen, as it should take its own route and create a great script. For years, I've been waiting for another Spider-Man 2 and I can finally take a rest.

The Dark Knight continues the story of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) who leads a double life as Batman. Bruce is still a wealthy man with his own company and his trusty butler, Alfred (Michael Caine). His love interest, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has taken an eye on Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who is also Gotham City's new District Attorney. As Batman, he sets to get rid of crime for good and cooperates with Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) in order to do so. Soon, Dent joins in and the three meet and help each other to see their goal through. While it's effective for an amount of time, they soon find themselves up against a madman who poses as the unstoppable antagonist, the Joker (Heath Ledger).

Everybody has been waiting for this movie and the hype has been huge. From being Christopher Nolan's second Batman movie to Heath Ledger's unexpected death, everybody has been expecting nothing but perfection. While it's certainly not perfection, The Dark Knight definitely lives up to the hype. And while we're on the note, Heath Ledger's performance is an achievement. His portrayal of the Joker is brilliant and makes Nicholson's Joker look like a joke. Every scene Ledger is in, he steals it and makes it his own. Everybody else's performance is also great. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the Rachel Dawes upgrade from Katie Holmes and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent does great as well.

As stated earlier, The Dark Knight is the superhero movie I've been waiting for. It's one of the few superhero movies that perfectly captures what it takes to truly become a hero. Two and a half hours will go by in a snap because of a great script, clever dialogue and an intriguing story. This is what Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk wishes it could be. While there are flaws to be found, it's the bigger picture to be looked at. This is a dark, dense and sometimes, truly intense character study. It's not only one of the best movies of the year, but it ranks up with one of the best superhero movies ever made and is equally good as Spider-Man 2. Simply, this is an awesome crowd-pleasing movie that deserves every bit of praise it's getting.

MY GRADE FOR The Dark Knight: A-

Wall-E (Movie Review)

Disney's presentation of Pixar's Wall-E

As I walked into the theatre, I noticed the abundance of little kids throughout and my expectations suddenly lowered. I felt like a strange kid in his teen years amongst the many families and their loud annoying children. The only piece of information I knew about Wall-E was that he is a robot and he is embarking on an adventure. After last year's amazing Ratatouille; Pixar, once again, proves that they are the masters of their domain. From Toy Story to Finding Nemo, Wall-E is in a league of its own and doesn't even compare to any of their previous movies because it's, simply, that amazing.

Wall-E is a robot that, for 700 years, has been left alone on Earth because the humans forgot to turn him off. For that amount of time, he's been doing what he's programmed to do: collect garbage and turn them into cubes. Also, during that time, he's developed a personality and has grown lonely surrounded by nothing but trash and a cockroach. After watching the musical, Hello, Dolly, all Wall-E wants to do is fall in love. All this is about to change as a female robot, EVE, comes to Earth in search for plant life. Wall-E's love for EVE brings him on a journey full of danger, romance, excitement and the discovery of living life to its fullest.

Wall makes Wall-E unbelievably amazing is its lack of dialogue and use of body language to convey what the characters (mostly robots) feel or even want to say. It's not only the best animated film out there, but is also one of the weirdest, wittiest, strangest and funniest love stories ever told. It has a lot of heart, and without almost any speaking at all, the romance between the two lets off a giant amount of energy and chemistry that it's impossible not to feel for the two. While some may complain that the inside commentary on our society was a bit much, I thought it was perfect and surprisingly thought provoking, especially for this kind of movie.

What more can I say? Wall-E isn't just one of the best movies of 2008, it may as well be considered one of the best films ever made. It isn't just a masterpiece, it's an achievement and simply sets the standard by which all animated films should go by. My love for Wall-E goes above and beyond and it's the only film that achieves its goal by being a movie for all ages. It's a wonderful, heartfelt and incredible experience from beginning to end. There really isn't any reason why anybody should miss the chance to see this great example of why we go to the movies in the first place.

MY GRADE FOR Wall-E: A

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Movie Review)

Jason Segel stars in Universal Pictures' Forgetting Sarah Marshall

After the horrendous and forgettable films of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Drillbit Taylor, Apatow Productions has made another good and solid comedy film that takes a painfully honest look at relationships. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is written by and starring Jason Segel who, in my opninon, is already on his way to becoming the new Seth Rogen. This, so far, is probably the funniest film of 2008.

Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is a man that feels as if his heart has just been ripped out of his chest and put in a blender to make a smoothie out of right in front of his own eyes by his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). After a five-year relationship, Sarah dumps Peter for a British rocker named Alodus Snow (Russell Brand). In the beginning scenes of the film, we find that Peter can barely accept the fact that he doesn't have Sarah anymore because he really "loved" her. After realizing that this may just ruin his life, he takes a trip to Hawaii to clear his mind and start forgetting Sarah Marshall, but his life gets a little worse as he finds Sarah and Alodus staying at the same exact resort.

The ads are calling this a "romantic disaster comedy," and that is the perfect way to describe it. Beneath its incredibly unrealistic premise and predictable plot, the movie finds a way to be brutally real and provide some memorable hard-hitting laughs. While Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a good movie, it's hard to admit it's a step down from The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad, although I would still consider it for fans of those two films.

Like all Apatow films, this overstays its welcome with a running time that clocks in at about two hours and becomes a bit tiresome. With its simplicity, I believe that it all could've been tied up neatly with a nice ninety-minute running time. What truly makes this movie a winner is how lovable, relatable, and strangely sincere the characters are. If you've ever had your heart broken or been in a relationship, than Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the perfect movie that can give someone the sense of hope to move on and proves that if you can't be with the one you love, than forget about them. This is one raunchy and romantic comedy that both guys and girls can enjoy.

My grade for Forgetting Sarah Marshall: B

IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR!?! Woah!

Woah, Gamespot has changed so much. I really miss this place. I guess you can say I got a little bit too addicted to MySpace and put my ratings on there even though NO ONE looked at it. =/ I'm sorry, I've been so busy that I almost forgot my HOME. I almost feel guilty, but please, take a look! I'm actually going to start putting up reviews again, but for now, here are some short comments on a couple of past movies (sorry, I'm not going to put every movie I've seen since last May.....) But if you want to know my opinion on a past movie, just ask, and I'll gladly give it to you. And I even got a message from somebody asking me where my movie ratings are.....I feel pretty loved (in a not conceited way) :P

Paramount Pictures' Strange Wilderness

1) Strange Wilderness - MY GRADE: D+

I love it. Almost a year and I'm starting with this garbage. You'd have to be high to enjoy this stupid piece of crap. Unfortunately, for the cast and crew, I was sober and thought about 10 other things I can do with $10.

2) The Eye - MY GRADE: F

Oh wow, is it really another crappy American remake of a popular Asian horror movie? Indeed it is, and it's a perfect example of why American horror movies are lazy, dopy, and even embarrassing. I also couldn't help but think of the countless herpes jokes for Jessica Alba during this movie.

3) In Bruges - MY GRADE: A-

I actually laughed out loud a couple of times, I had a lot of fun, and all in all, In Brugesis one hell of a movie. The characters had a lot of depth because I felt as if I got to know them fairly well and the performances were excellent. The action, comedy and drama came together great. Check this out if you can. It's the best movie this year, by far.

4) Charlie Bartlett - MY GRADE: D

I didn't laugh once and I also wondered how this would've done as a sitcom, because that's all it was. I felt as if I was watching a new TV show that went on and on and on, and you get the point. It was irritating, predictable, and unfunny. Also, this movie tried to be VERY heavy-handed about teenage depression, but plays it off as a joke and dismisses it completely. Although Anton Yelchin does a decent job as the title role, this is just a complete and utter waste of time.

5) Be Kind Rewind - MY GRADE: C

I actually couldn't wait for this movie because it was from Michel Gondry. I really likedEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindand lovedThe Science of Sleep, and thought this was going to be a witty, weird, and original movie. It was none of the three. Sure, I chuckled once or twice, and the idea was a smart idea, but a good idea can only be good for so long. While I, somewhat, enjoyed the first 30-40 minutes, I just got bored quickly. Not enough character development and the movie....wasn't weird at all, which is what Gondry is good at. Yes, there are 1 or 2 weird things in it, but the movie, all in all, is cliched and predictable, which is what Gondry was looking to do, but frankly, it's just not all that entertaining.

6) Vantage Point - MY GRADE: B-

The acting is pretty bad, the repetitiveness can get rather annoying after awhile, and the story only sounds like a good idea that can last for about 20 minutes...yet, I somehow enjoyed it. I'm almost ashamed to admit to liking this movie. The first half hour, I was not enjoying it, and then I somehow suckered myself into forgetting what I thought and to try to enjoy it, and I did. I fell into the trap of this movie. I was one of those people going, "Ah! That's what happened!" While the movie is just a never-ending loop of deception, it's a rather enjoying loop, if you learn to just go with it. It's good dumb fun, if you let it be.

ACADEMY AWARD BEST PICTURE NOMINEES(and don't worry, review of No Country for Old Menshould be up ASAP)

Focus Features' Atonement

1) Atonement: MY GRADE: C

Michael Cera and Ellen Page star in Fox Searchlight's Juno

2) Juno: MY GRADE: B+

George Clooney stars in Warner Bros. Pictures' Michael Clayton

3) Michael Clayton: MY GRADE: C

Miramax Films' No Country For Old Men

4) No Country For Old Men: MY GRADE: D- *puts up flame shield*

Daniel Day-Lewis stars in Paramount Vantages' There Will Be Blood

5) There Will Be Blood: MY GRADE: C+

After Over 3 Months, It's Good to be Back! =D OMG! A LOT OF MOVIES!!!!

WOAH!!!!!  WTF!?!  This blog thing has changed!  =P  It feels weird!  Sorry for leaving for 3 months and never coming back, it's just that A LOT has been going on, but ya know, i'm back, and I still saw movies!  =P

What happened when I was gone?

Well, for the VERY first time, I got a passport and went to Spain with a bunch of friends.

Yeah, we went to Madrid and Barcelona.  Geez, talk about rudeness, everybody is freaking rude there.  =P  Apparently, Europe doesn't believe in customer service, and freaking Madrid was DIRTY!!!!  I mean, like, REALLY dirty, and it was just a dirty city.  Plus, at our hotel, everyone spoke Spanish, and since Spanish in school was never good to me, I didn't blend in very well.  =P  Barcelona was a bit better, but all in all, it was just an OKAY trip, I mean, A LOT happened.

  

I'll tell you this sick story, because, it's still funny, even if I just think about it.

Anyway, we're in this park, and my friend and I need to use the bathroom.  We ask the tour guide where the bathroom was and she pointed to the right.  We had to walk down the stairs, and there it was.  When my friend and I got there, it was small.  Basically, Stalls on the left and urunals on the right.  My friend and I walk to the urunals, and as I use the bathroom, my friend and I hear this guy keep on saying "mas....mas......mas....mas....." really slowly too and repeating.  As my friend and I are done, I lean over to my friend and tell him "you know, mas means 'more.'"  I shouldn't of said that, because as I said that, my friend and I look back and there is an open urunal with 3 men in there.  2 guys watching this 1 guy with his pants off saying a word that means "more."  I'm pretty sure you can tell what the 1 guy was doing.  Anyway, my friend and I get the heck out of there and burst out in laughter the whole day.  Disturbing, but good memories.  =D

Anyway!  To the movies!  =D  There's a lot, so bear with me!

  

My grade for Wild Hogs: D

My grade for Zodiac: B+

My grade for Black Snake Moan: D-

My grade for 300: D-

My grade for Blades of Glory: C

My grade for Grindhouse: B

My grade for The Reaping: D-

My grade for The Hoax: C

My grade for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters: D

My grade for Shooter: D

My grade for Disturbia: B

My grade for Hot Fuzz: B-

My grade for Next: D

My grade for Spider-Man: B

My grade for Spider-Man 2: A-

My grade for Spider-Man 3: C-

My grade for Waitress: C

My grade for 28 Weeks Later: B-

My grade for Shrek: B-

My grade for Shrek 2: B+

My grade for Shrek the Third: D+

My grade for Paris Je T'aime: B-

My grade for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: B+

My grade for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: B+

My grade for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: C

Anyway, there you have it, I know at least some of you will want to comment on a lot of my grades and I'm wondering how many enemies I will make, especially with 300 or Pirates 3 [i'm sorry, it sucked, I really wanted it to be good too].  Anyway, see ya!  =D