Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Director: Christopher Nolan
Year of Release: 2008
What can I say that hasn’t already been said in the flurry of excitement over this movie? The rave reviews are pouring in as this film rockets past all box office records. Does it really live up to all the crazy hype surrounding it? Yes, it absolutely does.
I expected this film to be good. The trailers were all very promising and even early on Heath Ledger’s Joker promised to be a fascinating character. But even my high expectations were far exceeded. Quite simply this movie has shattered the mold of superhero films and taken the genre to a level no one ever expected a comic book movie to go. It is a crowning moment and has raised the bar to a height I doubt many will be able to grasp. Read the rest of this entry »
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse
Director: D.J. Caruso
Year of Release: 2007
This movie is basically an updated, teen version of Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window.” A person confined to their home spies on the neighbors and suspects one of them is a killer. Disturbia is not a classic but it is an entertaining film that is well done. Kind of like “Rear Window” mixed with Tom Hank’s “The ‘burbs” and “Fright Night.” Read the rest of this entry »
Starring: Joshua Close, Scott Wentworth, Michelle Morgan
Director: George A. Romero
Year of Release: 2007
Besides vampires, Zombies are the most overdone horror movie subject. There have been so many zombie flicks in the past 30-40 years, it’s ridiculous. And we pretty much have George Romero to thank for all that. His groundbreaking film Night Of The Living Dead launched the whole modern concept of a zombie in horror films. They existed before his movie, but really only as either victims of voodoo or poisoning in cheap black and white third-rate horror movies. But it was Romero’s film that set in motion the zombie mythology we know all too well today.
Diary Of The Dead is George Romero’s fifth zombie flick. This time it is told from the perspective of a handheld video camera that students in Pittsburgh are using to document the zombie takeover starting from the time of the initial break out. Some are calling it a cross between The Blair Witch and Dawn Of The Dead. Or Cloverfield with Zombies. It is a kind of original idea and tries to incorporate the notion that bloggers are the future of information distribution. But ultimately the film comes off as a copy of a copy. Kind of like when a one-hit wonder band releases a new CD with a re-recording of their one hit in an effort to cash in again. Read the rest of this entry »
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Year of Release: 2003
I really liked the Daredevil comic book when I was a kid. And I like superhero movies. But one thing I don’t like is Ben Affleck’s acting. He is not a good actor. At all. Every movie he’s in he is just Ben Affleck. You never see anything else, just dopey Ben Affleck playing himself. Which is fine for certain kinds of movies. But not this one. He can’t carry the story and I totally don’t buy him as a lawyer, a blind person, or a superhero. Read the rest of this entry »
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook
Director: Peter Hedges
Year of Release: 2007
The movie was cute and had some good moments. But basically it’s just not very remarkable. And I don’t buy that Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche hanging out for just a couple hours is enough to set up the 2 movie hours of awkwardness that follow. Steve Carell is so uncomfortable you wonder how he EVER fit in with this overly bubbly crowd. And Juliette Binoche dating Dane Cook? I don’t think so. Read the rest of this entry »
