CLOVERFIELD

Story:
A group of friends throw a going-away party for Rob who landed a vice-presidential job overseas in Japan. However their party is cut short as the city suffers what seemed to be an earthquake.
Unfortunately it is soon revealed to be something much more unimaginable - and much more terrifying...


CLOVERFIELD has to be the most incredible film I have ever seen. Watching this film made Danny Boyle's films (28 days later, Sunshine) look like characters facing the stess of a broken nail.
Never have I been so emotionally tied to a film to the point where my stomach was literally in knots from the stress.

The story is... surreal. A nightmare come to life.
Drew Goddard wrote a story of unimaginable circumstances. While the idea of a large creature attacking a city is not new in the movie business, Goddard creates an original twist in his personal adaptation of the idea. The entire attack is told from the point of view of the victims themselves.
A single camera binds you to the screen as it shows the only live-witness account of the events.

The things these friends have to go through is unbelievable...
Phenominal story, Goddard. Fantastic.

Mat Reeves, the director of CLOVERFIELD, also deserves recognition. Everything was perfect to the smallest detail.
I have never been more stressed out while viewing a film.
There are no words, Reeves. Unbelievable work.

The film had perfect casting. Not one weak link in the bunch. Every actor and actress gave it their all and it showed in their performance.
Flawless.

However the actor that captured my most was T.J. Miller, who played "Hud" - the man holding the camera throughout the film.

Because he is behind a camera lens for almost the entire film, his role depended heavily on him to be able to portray his emotions through his voice.

And he delivered.

You feel a pounding in your chest as he screams for everyone to run.
It is his performance that pulled me into the story the most.

This is actually his first role in a major motion picture, his only past work has been his role in the TV series Carpoolers.

I sincerely hope we see more from him. He proves to be very promising.


CLOVERFIELD is a movie no one will soon forget. It will shake you to your very core and leave you stunned.
It definitely has made major shoes to fill.

Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Story:
After hard years in exile for a crime he didn't commit, Benjamin Barker now Sweeney Todd, returns to London to find his wife dead and his daughter in the hands of the evil Judge Turpin. In his anger, Sweeney goes on a murderous rampage on all of London, with the help of Mrs. Lovett, he opens a barber shop in which he lures his victims in with a charming smile before casually ending their life with a flick of his razor across their neck. But not one man killed, nor ten thousand men can satisfy Sweeney's lust for revenge on those who've caused his years of pain.

I have always had a soft spot for musicals, and I proudly add this one to my list.

The story was a wickedly twisted one that was fun to watch and lovely to hear. It quickly pulls you in and before you know it you're cheering for Todd and Mrs. Lovett, despite the horrible deeds they commit.

Johny Depp was amazing as usual. I was already aware of how well he sang from his performance in Crybaby, but it was a whole new experience to hear him sing in Todd. The songs were, obviously, a whole new style and it was great to hear him sing them in a much more "serious" role.

Helena Bonham Carter was my favorite in the film. Her character was absolutely adorable. Mrs. Lovett is someone who wins your heart, she was so much fun to watch during the films and her songs always made me laugh. She may be more twisted than Sweeney Todd, but she somehow still carries on a sense of innocence.

Phenominal work, Carter.

Many will recognize Alan Rickman from his role as Proffesor Snape in the Harry Potter films. In Todd he plays the role of the evil Judge Turpin. His role was one you quickly learn to hate, which (to plainly state it) means that he did a fantastic job.
Kudos.

There were a lot of younger actors that had amazing voices in this film. Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the role of Anthony Hope, is only twenty. He had a shockingly pure voice that took my breath away. He has only performed in two other films, The Dinner Party (2007) and RocknRolla (completed).
I hope he continues doing well.

Jayne Wisener, who played Johanna, has never recorded her voice, nor has she acted before Todd. Her's was a voice that was sweet, gentle, child-like. It was a sweet sound that you miss when the song ends.

However, the award for the most impressive voice in the film goes to Ed Sanders (IX) hands down. Playing the role of a young boy named Toby, Sanders steals all the scenes he's in. His voice carries on strong for someone his age, and I was completely blown away by it.

And he wasn't too shabby of an actor either. *wink*
I hope to see his work again soon.

My only complaint on the film is the absense of Danny Elfman's music. I understand that it is based on an original Broadway play but I was really hoping Tim Burton's usual partner in crime, Danny Elfman, would redo the music. Keeping to the basic idea, but adding a dash of his own flare.
Danny Elfman and Tim Burton work so well together, that I was actually a little saddened to hear his absense. I couldn't help but wonder throughout the whole film what it would have been like if I was hearing Elfman's music instead.

Overall, the movie was fantastic. Thumbs up, Burton.

Sunshine

Last thursday, I believe, I was finally able to see the movie "Sweeney Todd" but didn't have the chance to review it. But it will have to wait, because I just finished seeing a film that left me breathless.
"Sunshine."

The Story:
The Sun is dieing. If it dies then so does all human and animal existance. All hope lies on a bomb created by physicist Robert Capa. Equalling the size of Manhattan in mass, the bomb is designed so that, when released into the sun, it will automatically thrust itself into the center then explode. The result would be a blast so massive it would create a star within a star.

The story was phenominal. The idea of this suicide mission **as I viewed it** was enough to send me through a whirwind of emotions. I found myself literally at the end of my seat, experiencing all emotions along with the characters.
But writer Alex Garland doesn't stop there.
The store becomes more intense as it goes along, the situations become more dire and the race against time becomes more and more frightening.
The story is one that engulfs you completely in the first couple of scenes when it is made uncomfortably clear the reality of the situation at hand.
I was unable to detach myself from this world the whole way through.
Fantastic writing.
Beautiful, Garland.

The director, Danny Boyle, is the same man who directed "28 Days Later".
I don't believe anyone could have handled this movie better than him. With a story this delicate, every detail had to be perfect.
The casting.
The visual effects.
The presentations of lines.
Setting.
Everything.
It all had to be flawless in order to pull off a film of this magnitude.
And he did it.
Boyle has a gift for doing stories where it seems everything is going wrong until you believe it couldn't possibly get worse,
and then it does.
This is the man you go to for thrills, excitement, and the most stressful viewing of a movie ever.
Definitely a man who owns his craft.

Out of the main cast I recognized three.
The physicist who invented the bomb was played by Cillian Murphey. He is the man who also starred in "28 days later", "Red Eye", and portrayed the Scarecrow in "Batman Begins."
I always enjoy Murphey's work. He has the ability to display different emotions without changing his actions too much. And when he does do drastic changes you are always faced with such raw emotion that makes you drop your jaw in astonishment.

None of the characters were easy to pull off. Every character demanded nothing but the best from the actors and all of them delivered 110%

The hardest role, I believe, was that of Chris Evans who played "Mace," one of the scientists aboard the ship.
Mace is someone you want to hate, but can't. Evan's character is clearly established as the 'jerk' of the group. Very blunt, very rude, very serious. And while many of his lines cause you to argue with the screen, you cannot hate him because while he may be hard to deal with, he ALWAYS does the right thing.
The result was a very difficult personality to adapt to. Having seen Chris Evans in the role of "The Human Torch" in the "Fantastic 4" films, it's hard to notice what an amazing actor he is.
This film DEFINITELY makes you notice.
Watching Evans play this character opened my eyes and created newfound respect for him.
I felt the same as I did the first time I saw Will Smith play a serious role after watching him play "comic relief" characters such as in "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and "Men in Black."
It left me speechless as I was watching him through this journey, becoming more and more convinced of the danger lurking around them all.
I cannot wait until his next film.

Some of you may recognize Rose Byrne from the film "Troy" in which she played the role of Briseis.
In "Sunshine", she plays the role of "Cassie".
Cassie is one of the only two women on board the ship "Icarus II", and probably the one seen as more feminine.
Byrne has some difficult scenes to handle as well. Most of her scenes required her to display emotionally-draining situations that are extremely difficult to pull off without going "too over the top" or "not strong enough."
It is quickly proven, however, that Byrne is in full controll of her talent and is fully capable of handling any scenario handed to her.
It was refreshing to see someone handle a role so well that it looked as if it was all done casually, almost second-nature.

The visual effects and images were amazing. It is no easy task to design a world mere miles away from the sun. There are so many details and unanswered questions that we cannot begin to comprehend the answers to, that creating an entire film with the main focus being the small distance from the sun was a HUGE risk to take.
I'm glad to say that this, too, was done spectacularly.
I cannot imagine how it could have been any better.
It was breath-taking.

"Sunshine" is a fantastic film that I HIGHLY recommend everyone to see. I don't think there is a film out there at this time that can match it.

Wheels are Turning

While I haven't been able to work on any of my story ideas yet, my mind has started making some new characters. For instance this girl "Genn" ((pronounced 'Jen')) will prove to be interesting I believe ^_^

What's frustrating is that I actually have this whole cast of characters for a fantasy story. I know their names, their looks, their personalities, their age, some of their background **as far as family and home life**, and what powers each of them have.

The problem? No story line for it all yet ><

But I thought up of "Genn" today so if I have more muse-full days like this I might pop out a story snippet soon ^_^

Here's hoping my writer's block finally ends!!

Brother Bear 2

I've seen the sequel to Disney's Brother Bear and it was.....meh.

I absolutely loved the first movie. The music was fantastic, Phil Collins is a genius, and the story was one I would read if it were novelized. The art and color were fantastic, especially the scenes with the "Great Spirits".

However, the sequel did not live up to the first. The drawing lacked, and there were no more fantastic colors or effects. The music was not Phil Collins and so it was not even done in the same style as the first, which makes no sense to me since sequels should demand continuity. The music was fine but it didn't seem to fit with the style of the film, the previous movie's music matched every mood down to the expressions of the character's faces.

I'm dissappointed to see yet another sequel by Disney be unsuccessful. What is it with them? Why can't they make a good sequel? They make great movies, but as soon as they try to continue them it all goes downhill.

Toy Story2 was great, but it's more PIXAR than them so it doesn't really count, but Mulan 2 bombed, so did Hunchback 2 and Cinderella 2.
The only Lion King sequel that was great was Lion King 1 1/2, and probably because it was the same story, AND animators, as the first only from a different point-of-view.
I haven't seen "The Return of Jafar" in years but the other sequels I remember were horrible as well.

I will never understand why if they create such beautiful stories and movies the first time around, they can't repeat that.

Brother Bear 2, thumbs down. C'mon Disney...

I Am Legend

"I Am Legend" inspires many different emotions from its viewers. I was deeply amazed at the high quality of the film, but also deeply upset from the story.

I cannot recall any flaws in this film.

Will Smith once again proves to me to be a gifted actor. All events are made real through his facial features and voice alone.

Will Smith is the man.

The script was, WOW. I was glued to the screen in suspense, anxiety, excitement, and sorrow all the way through. It even made me cry. Yes, tears actually formed and fell. The story is one that connects you to each character, main and secondary, in a very intimate way very quickly. You are pulled into the story and quickly find yourself caring for each character and wishing for their safety, gasping and moving to the end of your seat whenever they are in danger.

The story was phenominal.

Francis Lawrence, the director, knows what he's doing. I cannot find a single complaint about the film other than it made me cry.

I highly recomend it to anyone. And if you have the chance to see it in Imax, please do. You will not regret it.

My Favorite, OLD Review

I was going through my old messages on myspace and found feedback on reviews I've long ago written. Included in the feedback would be the review, so I decided to post what I think is my best one.

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300 is not a movie in the hollywood sense of the word. It is a legend. A story of honor and bravery that leaves all audiences in awe of true warriors.

"No Retreat. No Surrender.That is Spartan Law."

300 is the legend of King Leonidas and his army of Spartans facing unimaginable odds against the army of Xerxes for the honor and freedom of Sparta.

"Our arrows will block out the sun.""Then we will fight in the shade."

Zack Snyder takes Frank Miller's graphic novel to the big screen, panel for panel, in beautiful screen shots that look like paintings themselves. There is literally no frame in the film that won't leave your eyes scavenging over the screen in admiration.

This is no ordinary "movie."

This film is much more graphic, much more surreal, and has so much more depth than any other film created thus far, it will leave you breathless.

"Only Spartan Women give birth to perfect men."

The cast to this 2007 film is flawless.

I have seen the training the actors went through to transform their bodies and to enhance their strength. And it pays off.The Spartans are perfect soldiers in every way. And it is clearly shown that the cast threw their whole heart and sweat into their performance.

Gerard Butler plays the memorable role of King Leonidas, a man who would die not only for his homeland, but for every one of his soldiers as well. You find yourself respecting his character more than you would any other leader. There are no words for his performance; but I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job portraying a king, a husband, a father, a friend, and a fellow soldier all in one.

No one else could have done this role better than him.

Rodrigo Santoro, who plays the self-proclaimed God-King Xerxes, had few lines in the movie, but that is all that he needed. He was able to convey a look alone that showed power, dominance, and all control.His mere appearance was formidable.

Lena Headey is Queen Gorgo. Hers is a role that shouts wisdom, nobility, and justice. Her performance impressed me most because female roles such as these always seem to leave something to be desired. But not here. Although she may not be a soldier and could never do the things her husband does, Queen Gorgo fights for what is right at all costs. Headey did a wondrous job in performing this role. Her strength, wisdom, and prowess radiates off her very stance.

"Do not ask what a Spartan citizen should do, nor a king.Ask what a free man should do."

The story leaves nothing to be desired. I commend the writers for their spectacular job well done.They not only brought the story alive, but they filled and extended it in a way that only intensified the message of the film.
It took my breath away.

"Earthquake.""No. Spartans, battle positions!"

There were many special effects in the film. Whether they were the armies or beasts, they never failed to have the same artistic beauty as the rest of the screen shots.Zack Snyder's work was nothing short of genius as he directed the film to have the very look of a graphic novel.The armies and horses themselves looked just as much as beasts as the wild wolf. All of which just add to the film's excellence.

The film had this very interesting style where there would be slow motion shots throughout the battle scenes.This was a risky choice because slow-motion shots, if not handled carefully, could put off many viewers and hinder the film's effect on the audience.Snyder must have been aware of this because he handled the slow-motion scenes with great care and presicion that none of them seemed out of place. The very thing that could have hurt the film, made it extraordinary in a whole new way.

Overall this film is indescribably amazing. Anyone who is foolish to think that comics are "just for kids" should either watch this film or read the graphic novel it's based on.

It will leave you breathless.