An ambitious remake by our beloved Peter Jackson to remake the move that made him want to make movies in the first place, and it was everything you could want. Not only for the fact that it’s ridiculously entertaining, it’s just a great movie, who’s only real downfall is its length (which is a short 200 minutes, but a lot of people will feel it hard to sit through before seeing it, and therefore wait to rent). Even though it is a very long movie, I don’t know if I’d want it to be any shorter. I’m sure some people will complain about the length of some of the action sequences, but I didn’t really mind. There are moments when you can tell that the special effects have kicked in (mainly in the animations of the human characters), but like when you notice it in Lord of the Rings, you forgive it and move on, because it’s just a good movie. Whereas those same moments in Matrix Reloaded make you go “Oh great, I’m in a video game now” and it’s harder to forgive because the movie just isn’t as good.

I especially love how Kong himself had such a distinct personality, and Jackson really used facial expressions with him a lot, but not to the point that it’s just cheesy and dumb looking. Creating Kong as such really makes the tragic love story come to life. It was also fun to hear the entire movie theater squirm during the part with the bugs, and I wonder if Peter Jackson was just chuckling to himself when he heard that. I’m really not sure what else to say. It’s just a genuinely enjoyable movie, and everything a popcorn movie should be. Nowadays with Doom, Fantastic Four, and Spiderman, it seems so hard to find a popcorn movie that is also a well made movie. This is one.

Overall Rating: 4.25

The adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic, that I was quietly envious (I guess not so quiet now) of because I wanted to be the one who directed a new adaptation of the novel. But oh well. I’m not a popular filmmaker at the moment, so I wasn’t able to get the funding. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. I felt like they captured the emotion of the novel pretty well for the most part, and the effects were very good. Tilda Swinton who played the white witch was wonderful casting, not only because of a good acting performance, but also because she has a great “beautiful but creepy” look. She was also the only bright spot in Constantine if you happened to see that abismal movie. And I think some people might be distracted by Liam Neeson being the voice of Aslan, but I liked it.

However, here’s the things I did not like about it. All the kids. They sucked. Now, I will say they didn’t ruin the movie, but they didn’t add anything to it either. I also wasn’t a huge fan of how they played Tumnus, but the more that I’ve thought about it, it’s bothered me less. So nevermind that complaint. Also, I thought the reveal of Aslan was immensely disappointing. The tent opens and you think “oh, there he is. Well that wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be.” I was hoping that the first moment with Aslan would be one of fear. Like he shows up in the woods or something, and the children are afraid that he’s going to kill him. I just thought that the sense of Aslan being beautiful, and yet terrifyingly powerful was just lost, which is a shame. But overall, a good entertaining adaptation of the beloved book.

Overall Rating: 3.75

Okay, so this movie is definitely not the best movie ever, but in my opinion it’s the best of all the Harry Potter movies I’ve seen. I’ll give you one major reason why: No Quidditch!! Other than the very first scene, which was real quick. So I didn’t have to put up with anymore 15 minute sequences of Harry chasing down some stupid flying ball and wasting my life. I think the whole quidditch thing is hands down the dumbest thing in the whole Harry Potter realm, and not having that in this movie/book was a big plus for me.

A lot of Harry Potter fanatics will tell you that this movie sucked because it wasn’t as good as the book. Well of course it wasn’t. If you’re expecting a sparkling replica of the 600+ page book, then don’t go see this. But I was able to really enjoy myself. Now I should note that I read the Goblet of Fire once, three years ago, and though it is by far my favorite of all the books, I confess I have probably forgotten most of it. However, I was quite struck by how HUGE Ron is. He’s gonna be like 6’5 in the next one. And apparently Hermione is a bad actress, but I thought she was pretty hot. Oh, that doesn’t mean she’s a good actress? But what about Kirsten Dunst or Keira Knightly? You’re joking right?

Anyway, so I guess that’s all I really have to say. I enjoyed myself, and considering how weak the other Harry Potter movies are, I think this is probably the best one, and Ralph Fiennes is AMAZING as Voldemort, be it ever so brief. Bravo on that casting. So turn off your inner eye secretly reading through each line of the book going “hey, they didn’t do that right” or “I always pictured Wormtail as my old shop teacher,” and enjoy. I did.

Overall Rating: 3.25/5

Overall Rating: 7.5/5

Based on the true story of the media battle between Senator Joseph McCarthy and Newscaster Edward Murrow, George Clooney and company’s portrayal of the incident is nothing short of brilliant. David Strathairn will surely be nominated for best director, and hopefully the movie itself will be as well. Overall, I think the thing I enjoyed the most was the simplicity of the story telling. There wasn’t any attempt to dress up or super-dramatize the story, it was just a retelling of it, and the drama and intensity was inherent in the simplicity. One more basic observation is holy cow did they smoke a lot in the 50′s. There is just non-stop smoking going on, but the real quick scene where they have a realistic fifties (possibly even verbatum) cigarette commercial is quite funny, and sheds light on why everyone is smoking non-stop.

A very important movie about a very important event that not a whole lot of us really know about, and something I feel we should all see. Good stuff.

Overall Rating: 4.5

Well, the Baker family has 12 kids (a Baker’s dozen if you will), and Steve Martin is a Football coach(?). A relatively cute movie plagued by a lack of originality and a somewhat weak cast. I think the main thing I left thinking was “Wow, Hillary Duff really can’t act can she?” Her character and her character’s brother also are having trouble making friends at their new high school. If someone looking like Hillary Duff or the guy who plays her brother showed up at a new high school, I can’t imagine they would run into too many problems making new friends. I’ve also been told by my friend Tim that the DVD has the worst commentary tracks ever. However, if you like Steve Martin and need an okay family flick, it’s worth a watch.

Overall Rating: 2.5

Can’t get enough of those zombies. And they can’t seem to get enough of my living flesh.

I’m not sure if this will be George Romero’s last hurrah, but I’m not sure where else he can go from here. Land of the Dead appears to be a sequel to Dawn of the Dead, as the movie starts with the zombies having already taken over the Earth for the most part, and a small group of survivors live in this post-apocalyptic city where rich and poor are seperated, and the problems of humanity pre-apocalypse seem to be represented all over again in this small society. There’s a lot more “eating of flesh” in this one than in Dawn of the Dead or other recent zombie flicks (as you would expect from Romero), and for those faint of heart, I would certainly not recommend this one. However, for me the gruesomeness was so ridiculous that it was kind of funny, and overall the characters and settings are interesting enough, that it makes for a pretty entertaining film, though I think it was a little weaker than Dawn of the Dead. I’m getting worried though that we might be out of zombie movies, because I’m not sure where it can go from here, unless somehow they can all be defeated, rather than the usual survival plot. Maybe “End of the Dead” could be the last one? Just a thought.

Overall Rating: 3.5

The story about a man named Tom Stall who has a little more interesting history then he’s led everyone to believe. Complete with a few very graphic scenes of violence, a couple sex scenes that seemed to go on awkwardly long, and a plot twist that was a little too predictable for its own good. This movie is interesting because I’ve heard some people rave about and some people who hate it, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason. For me it seems like it was trying to be really interesting and stylized, but never quite got there. I could tell that there was a certain stylization to it which I enjoyed, but I never quite got it. I suppose it’s the idea of the tension before something snaps, but the snap always seemed so weak that it wasn’t worth the 15 minutes of silence I just sat through to get to it. It seemed like it may have been playing on the “Father knows Best” kind of fifties dialogue, but it was so awkward that the actors came off like they were just doing a really poor job. Other than Maria Bello as Tom’s wife Edie, there’s not real notable acting performances.

However, thanks to this movie I will probably never try to have sex on a staircase. Fair enough.

Overall Rating: 3

When I first of this movie coming out, I thought, “I could care less about Horse-Racing, and it’s got Tobey Maguire. Ugh.” However, Seabiscuit made me change my mind. Based on the bestselling novel by Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit takes its audience through a captivating story of relentlessly clinging to hope, despite what the evidence says. This film features stunning cinematography, exceptional performances from Chris Cooper and Tobey Maguire, and a story that’s so interesting, it had to be true. Also, a surprise appearance by William H. Macy, one of my favorites. Overall, just a great movie for anyone, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it win the oscar.

Overall Rating: 4

Based on the extremely witty graphic novel by the same title, this movie seemed like a sure fire winner. Never underestimate Hollywood’s ability to screw something up. Instead of focusing on the wit from the comic book, the movie makers decide to make the entire movie non-stop action, with about a combined total of 15 minutes of plot and character development. It’s a pile of poo. A big pile of poo.

Overall Rating: 1