Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

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This remake, from a 1973 made for television film, follows the story of a little girl Sally. She finds herself forced to move in with her father in an old mansion. Through a chance occurrence Sally is having trouble adjusting to the new mansion and her father's new girlfriend. Sally discovers a hidden basement that was concealed from the rest of the house. In the basement she hears voices coming from an old furnace. Naturally, she opens it and quickly discovers that the tiny creatures that live inside want her bones and teeth. Its also natural that no-one believes her story.

I haven't seen the remake, but from what I've read it is fairly loyal to the original. The heroine is changed from a young woman to a child, but most of the plot remains intact. This film was directed by Guillermo Del Toro who is well known for his creative take on unusual films. This film has a dark ambiance to it, but (for me at least) the commercials were more scary. It has its subtle jump moments though. The story is a great idea for horror, and the story plot has plenty of build-up. The conclusion is nice, dark, and slightly unexpected. However, for someone who hasn't seen the original the ending is kind of confusing. Hearing the familiar voice from the basement is frightening, but still leaves the question of why its was heard. I thought the creatures looked more like rodents than demons, but they were somewhat frightening. The mansion was beautiful though! The cast had great chemistry in this film for the horror genere.

Bailee Madison plays the leading role of Sally. She is a great child actress-even though she spends most of this film screaming and crying.  She makes the creatures believable and even slightly frightening. Katie Holmes, Kim, is a girlfriend trying to assist in raising a little girl. Her character discover's that she is wants to protect Sally. She is great in this film as a lead supporting female character. Guy Pearce, Alex, is good as the father who is attempting to sell a house and raise his daughter. There is some sympathy for his character, but most of the time it seemed like he needed a good slap.

I give this film a 8 out of 10 stars! It's a great film, but it doesn't have the intense horror build up that the commercials presented. For some reason it failed to deliver lasting scares.

Answer to last blog: Actor Charlton Heston played the leading role in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

Que: What film is Guy Pearce widely known for?

28 Days
The Mummy
Chocolate
Momento

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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This prequel follows the scientific discovery of Will Rodman. He is a scientist working with the Genisys company attempting to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. His emotional problems with his father Charles Rodman propel him to pursue this research as quickly as possible. After a failed attempt to present his revolutionary discovery to investors, he takes his research home. He adopts a chimpanzee that he names Cesar (who was a child born to one of the failed experiments). As Cesar grows he shows that he has inherited the genetic disorder of cognitive reasoning. He uses his reasoning to fight against human oppression, and free others of his kind from imprisonment.

This film is a prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise. Since it is a prequel that is made to explain how the human species became near extinct and a race of intelligent chimpanzee's began ruling the world, it is entirely different from other films in the franchise. This film was directed by a fairly new director Rupert Wyatt. He does a great job presenting a series of events that lead to a rebellion. I highly enjoyed that the film presents different kinds of monkey's with intelligence, and yet still maintain their animalistic mannerisms. However, there are moments when they looked too computer generated. However, there is no other way to make a film like this. It also presents Cesar more as a human rather than a chimpanzee. It makes audience's cheer for him, and hope he escapes. It also helps that Cesar is adorable when he was a child. There is a lot of story progression in the story that happens very fast, and is mixed in with the action. The action sequence's fit in well with the general story-sometimes adding to it. It's a good way to tell the story, but their was so much information happening at once. Since the story follows the tale of Cesar it doesn't delve into the scientific development of the ape intelligence. There were also way too many characters that didn't have much development, and just seemed to be place holders. The film's story presents the conflict between science, business, and good intentions. This film also presents animals with a soul, or anthropomorphism (humanistic) qualities. It is a dramatic story that propels several unanswered questions that arose from the series.

James Franco plays the leading role of Will Rodman. He does a great job presenting the conflicted character. His character is faced with trying to find a cure for his father's Alzheimer's, and trying to protect Cesar. Freida Pinto does great as the female supporting actress in this film. She has come a long way since Slumdog Millionaire, and in this role she shines. John Lithgow plays the role of Charles Rodman. The suffering father who is trying to survive the disease. He has taken a turn from comedy and turned more to serious roles. Lithgow is highly convincing in this role. Tom Felton, Dodge Landon, surprised me in this film. He plays a villain, but he their are subtle changes from his old persona Malfoy. There are segments where his old British accent makes an appearance once in a while.

I give this film a 10 out of 10 stars! It is a great story full of dramatic tension, and action. The characters are fully believable. It is a story of a fight for freedom, and how science can cause more harm than good.

Answer to last blog: Jason Sudeikis starred in the film The Bounty Hunter.

Que: Who was the original actor in the film Planet of the Apes (1968)?

Richard Burton
Warren Beatty
Charlton Heston
John Cassavetes

Hall Pass

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers! This Contains Some Adult Content!


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Okay, this follows the story of two married men, Rick and Fred. After two really bad moments in marriage history, they are given a week long hall pass. This would permit them to do whatever they want without consequences to their marriage. They set out to conquer the opposite sex as only men can do. 


This sex driven comedy was directed by Bob Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. They have worked together in the past, and their style of comedy comes through in here. Now, it is obviously an adult comedy full of sexual references. There are some funny moments, but their other moments where it almost feels forced. This film also is made for a certain audience; young married men with young children at home. It toys with the idea that men can't control their sexual needs. However, psychologically the reality is that they can not be with these women. There are some surprises, but it is predictable. However, the cast worked well together.


Owen Wilson plays Rick, a married father who finds himself pulled into his friend's antics. He does great as a man facing his secret longing for sex, and yet has a longing for his family. Jason Sudeikis plays the of Fred is a married man who desires any woman he see's. Now, he is the stereotypical man that everyone knows well. Jenna Fischer plays the role of Maggie, Rick's wife. She really does great pulling off the role of the average wife who makes an inner self discovery during all of this. Christina Applegate plays the role of Grace, Fred's wife. I was surprised to see her coming to popular film audiences in this film. She is unique in the role of a controlling wife.


I give this film a 9 out of 10 stars! It is fun to watch, but at moments tried too hard. It's also full of sex. The cast has great chemistry, and does great in their roles. 


Answer to last blog: Lindsay Lohan became popular for her role in Mean Girls.


Que: What other film has Jason Sudeikis starred in?


The Bounty Hunter
He Just Not That Into You
Wedding Crashers
The Break-Up

I Know Who Killed Me

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This follows the story of Dakota Moss who finds herself in place of someone else. She was considered missing to the hands of psychopath, but has now reappeared. Despited her constant protests, and unusual behavior, everyone believes her to be the missing girl Aubrey Fleming. As more of her limbs begin to fall it is soon realized that her current life is tied to the fate of the missing Aubrey. Dakota sets out to discover the link, and to save her Aubrey's life to save her own.


Another cable film that I stumbled across while channel surfing. This plays of an idea of stigmata twins; where one twin will suffer an injury and the other will suffer the same fatal injury at the same time. This film was directed by Chris Sivertson who isn't a well known director. It is a very well edited film. This film relied heavily on colorizations to present two opposing worlds; blue and red. Aubrey's world is presented as vibrant blue, and Dakota's world is presented as a deep red. This film style tends to overshadow the story, and some of the characters. However, this film really applies to audience's who enjoy horror film styles such as Dario Argento's. This film has an great idea behind it, and has all the potential for a great horror film. The suspense thriller that had a great build-up, but failed to create a satisfying ending. The ending ended too quickly to give audience's an appropriate release. 


Lindsay Lohan plays the role of both girls, Aubrey and Dakota. Now, you have to push aside her alcohol abuse that existed in 2007. The editing saved her performance by a lot. There was something missing-a kind of deep emotion that makes you want the character to survive. Also, the story revolves around how different the two girls are. In her acting their wasn't enough stylistic behavioral changes to fully differentiate the two characters. The difference came from what was written in the script. Neal McDonough portrayed Aubrey's father, Daniel Fleming. He does all right in this film as an aloof character, but he didn't really pull out the emotion of a conflicted husband. Julia Ormond performances the role of Susan Fleming, Aubrey's mother. She surprisingly does well in this film as a distraught mother happy to have, who she believe's to be, her daughter.  


I give this film a 6 out of 10 stars! Its a great film to show the effects of colorization, and its impact on a film. The editing is amazing, and saves what is in this film. The acting could've been much better, and the conclusion could've been done much better. 


Answer to last blog: Actress Kimberly Elise performed the amazing leading role in the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman.


Que: What film fully established Lindsay Lohan to popular film audiences?


A Cinderella Story
Pleasantville
Mean Girls
The Last Song

John Q

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This is a film that follows the heart wrenching story of a family living in poverty. They find their lives get turned around when their son, Michael, suffers from heart complications. His father, John Quincy Archibald, finds himself facing the troubling world of HMO health insurance and no promised coverage. Facing his son's death he decides to take healthcare into his own hands. He holds the hospital's emergency ward hostage until his son's name is placed on a receipt's list for a new heart.

I caught this film while going through the cable channels, and decided to watch it. This is a very deep dramatic film with an equally deep storyline. It was directed by Nick Cassavetes. It is meant to be a controversial film that makes an impact on its audience. It is made for a wide audience, but its not for everyone. There isn't much character development among all the character's because the script is mostly focused on the problem of health insurance among people living in poverty, and how hospital's have become corrupt with greed. It is well edited, and well directed for telling this heartfelt story. The actor's give a powerful performance in this political film. Since it is a political film it is centered only around the main statement.

Denzel Washington, John Q, gives an amazing performance in this film. He pulls the audience deep into the story, and makes you cheer for him. His performance makes the character seem more real to audiences. However, there are moments when his performance can be too powerful. It goes against the repetitive script. Kimberly Elise plays the role of Denise Archibald. She is amazing in the supporting role for this film. Even though she spends most of the film crying and screaming, the performance is truly heartfelt. The cast of the few hostages are unique in simplicity. They add to the films stories political statement.

I give this film a 10 out of 10 stars! Its rare to find a film that makes a statement while having so much heart. It has a great cast, and a great emotional story. Granted is made for a certain audience, and there isn't a lot of character development, it is still a story that needed to be told. The script can be repetitive since it only revolves around the political statement. It was a film that I greatly enjoyed.

Answer to last blog: Actress Emma Stone starred in the 2009 comedy Zombieland.

Que: What other film did actress Kimberly Elise have a leading role in?

Diary of a Mad Black Woman
I Can Do Bad All by Myself
Jumping the Broom
Soul Food

Easy A

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This film follows the story of Olive Penderghast, a high school student who finds herself in the center of a gossip circle because a rumor was spread about her having lost her virginity. She finds herself influenced by a school english project involving The Scarlet Letter. She begins to follow the example set by Hester Prynne and embroiders a red letter A on her wardrobe. She goes on helping the nerdy become popular by lying to the student body about having done sexual acts with them. Things, naturally being high school, spiral out of control.

This film, directed by Will Gluck, is full of unusual smart humour. It is a satire of the drama, and rumors, that grow in average high schools across America. It also makes fun of religions zealots, male chivalry, and America's overall outlook on sex itself (depending on how you view it). Director Gluck has taken a turn from television to unusual smart romantic comedies. The telling of the story is from Olive's perspective, and she tells it from a several hour long internet video. It is a clever way to tell the story which is very fitting to high school students. It is also is full of adult sexual content. Some conservative parents might find it hard to believe that their high school children could actually get involved in something like this. So, it is natural to assume that some audience's might become offended. It is also made for a certain audience. The constant reference to The Scarlet Letter is clever. However, unlike the commercials made it appear it doesn't carry the film's entire story. It only plays a minor role in influencing the character's odd choices. The ending does get slightly corny, but it does tie the film's loose ends together well.

Many of the character persona's are larger than life. This film really began Emma Stone's skyrocketing acting career. She performs the role of Olive Penderghast. She creates a character that is very open with her opinions, and is also an intelligent high school. It is a contrast to the usual snotty, or damsel in distress, high school female leads seen in teenage films. Amanda Bynes plays the role of the religious nut in high school Marianne. I was surprised when I first saw her in this film in theaters. She does a really great job in this role of a character that is very different from her previous roles. She is a pure satirical character in this film. The supporting cast does a great job creating this world of rumors.

I give this film a 10 out of 10 stars! I really enjoyed its satirical humour, and its honesty. It is somewhat controversial, and was made for a certain type of film audiences. There are moments when it does get slightly cheesy, but it has more moments of heartfelt sincerity.

Answer to last blog: Actor Dudley Moore portrayed the original role of Arthur in the original 80's films.

Que: What 2009 comedy presented actress Emma Stone to popular film audiences?

I Love You, Man
Year One
Land of The Lost
Zombieland

Arthur

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This film remake follows the story of Arthur, a spoiled wealthy man who causes' plenty of mischief for his mother, Vivienne. His drunken antics cause his mother, and her working associate Susan Johnson, to take corrective action. He his told that he must marry Susan, so that she could turn Arthur into something his family would be proud of. However, Susan wants to marry him to marry into old wealth. To keep his wealth he agrees and proposes to Susan. He soon finds himself falling in love with another woman who shares his childlike views of the world, Naomi Quinn. This quickly creates conflict with his expected marriage to Susan, and Arthur is forced to make a choice between money and love.


Okay, this is a great cast in their own right, but together they didn't have the correct chemistry. This film was also advertises in such a way that I believe most audience's were expecting another Get Him To The Greek. This film isn't flat out comedy-it is reminiscent of old style romantic comedies. Where there was some great comedic moments, and then there is the great dramatic turmoil that turns the characters around, and then there's the romance that pushes them through the turmoil and to the conclusion. This film was directed by Jason Winer, who has directed his first major feature film for theaters. It's a start to begin a career in directing films-even if its not the best way to be remembered in Hollywood. The editing of this film was good. The special effects of this film were used to enhance the character's turmoil. 


Russell Brand does surprisingly well in the role of Arthur-creating a childlike persona in a person with the inability to handle adult issues. His drinking, and women handling, comes through as naive. However, his general comedic persona does tend to overpower some of the other actors. Helen Mirren plays the role of Hobson, Arthur's nanny. She is amazing, and proves to hold her own against Russell's larger than life behavior. She is believable in her role of a alternate mother. Jennifer Garner takes on the challenge of being the villain in this film. She did a good job, but I don't think too many audience's were expecting it. Geraldine James plays the role of Arthur's mother. She is does good in playing the role in which the idea of gender behavior is reversed. She is the highly successful business woman who has neglected her son to achieve such wealth. Greta Gerwig plays the role of Naomi Quinn. In this role she didn't come off as the kindhearted love interest for Arthur. Her awkwardness around him came out during the moments when Russell Brand's personality gets too big. There are moments when her distaste for Arthur's bad, naive, behavior comes out more than her love for the character. 


I give this film a 7 out of 10 stars! It does have some great moments of humour, and moments of heartfelt emotions. However, the one of main actor's that needed to come through failed to portray the correct emotions at the right times. There are moments where Russell Brand's personality just becomes too overpowering.

Answer to last blog: Alfred Molina performs the role of Doc Ock/Dr. Otto Octavious in the 2004 Spider-Man film.

Que: Who was the original actor to portray Arthur in the original film?

Michael Keaton
Chevy Chase
Dudley Moore
Jim Varney

Frida

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Okay, I caught the ending of this film on the television a little while ago. However, I've seen this film so many times before that I figured might as well create a review it.


This is the film biography of a famous mexican painter name Frida Kahlo (Rivera). It portrays the unfortunate events that happened during Frida's life-that oddly enough made her a legendary painter. 


I did find it interesting how-shown through the film-Frida's husband was the momentary celebrity painter, but Frida becomes the legend in the end. (Just a thought-I could be wrong.) Anyway, this film was directed by Julie Taymor-who has now become known as a artistic director. I enjoyed the creative approach to the telling of this story. It is told through Frida's portraits, and her memories. It ties in well, because several of Frida's portraits were a symbol of a pained moment in her life. Granted it might throw some audience's off at first. There is also a lot os sex in this film, and there is a lot of mention about Communism. I enjoyed the complex character relationships in this film; sort of the idea that you can't always tell your heart no. This might frustrate, and confuse, some audience's but it works for the honesty of the film. This film doesn't have much beauty, and simple effective special effects that you just have to watch for. Instead this film conveys more of a darker side to real life, and can appear almost sinister at times.


Salma Hayek performs the role of Frida Kahlo. She strips away her beauty, and creates a truly unique character. Her performance is very heart wrenching, and really pulls into the deep emotions that Kahlo faced with life accidents, love, family, and political choices. Alfred Molina performs the role of Diego Rivera (Frida's husband/friend). He is an iconic actor because of his portrayal of Spider-Man villain back in 2004. In this film, he had the tough job of creating a man who can't say no to any woman, and has to make audience's love him. He managed to pull to role of greatly; making audience's like and despise him at the same time. Mia Maestro, Cristina Kahlo, is entertaining to watch in this film. She creates the very sympathetic character that is Frida's sister. Geoffrey Rush creates the controversial role of Leon Trotsky. He is Russian Marxist, who becomes entangled with Frida while being protected in her father's house.  He is almost unrecognizable with his accent, and big mustache. However, he does great in this role. Valeria Golino, Lupe Marin (Rivera), does great being a voice of reason and sympathetic friend. If you watch you'll find Antonio Banderas make a small appearance in this film-that is really funny to watch. 


I give this film a 10 out of 10 stars! It is dark, and definitely not a children's film, but it is very heartfelt. I also found the artistic styling to be unique to modern films. The complex character relationships might appear very unusual, but it does convey the life story of Frida Kahlo. 


Answer to last blog: Wes Anderson directed the dysfunctional family film The Royal Tenenbaums. 


Que: What villain did the actor, Alfred Molina, perform in the 2004 Spider-Man Film?


Green Goblin
Sandman
Kingpin
Doc Ock/Dr. Otto Octavious

Fantastic Mr. Fox

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This film adaptation, from the author Roald Dahl, the story of Mr. Fox, and his dysfunctional family. During a failed attempt at thievery Mr. Fox learns that his wife is pregnant. He agrees to take on a different, more safe, job. A few 'fox' years later, Mr. Fox finds that he is dissatisfied with his current life. He moves his family to a new neighborhood, and begins stealing from three nasty farmers named Bunce, Boggis, and Beans. However, this quickly leads him, and his family, into trouble that they must find a way out of for their small community.

Now, this isn't a family film-its an animated film. There is a lot of symbolism in this story, such as the inner wild animal inside every human being, and animals and people having trouble living together. Placing these aside, this is another dysfunctional family satire directed by Wes Anderson. His familiar style comes through, and oddly works wonders in an animated film. It is kind of odd hearing all swearing being removed and replaced with a general cuss. There were some random moments-like when they argument goes to far and they just begin growling at each other, or the appearance of the band Petey.

George Clooney has been taking chances on his film roles. This one turned out to be a decent choice. He brings to life the character Mr. Fox, and manages to create a antagonist hero that people enjoy watching. Meryl Streep is hard to recognize vocally as Mrs. Fox. However, she does a great job portraying a heartfelt heroine. Wallace Wolodarsky does the voice of Kylie Sven Opossum, Mr. Fox's accomplish. He creates a clueless companion that is entertaining to watch. Jason Schwartzman does the voice for Ash, Mr. Fox's son. He can get kind of annoying at moments-just because he is the teenage son-but he still does a pretty decent job.

I give this film a 9 out of 10 stars! It's a good film to watch-full of written symbolism. It's not for children, but its more for the young at heart. The vocal actors do a great job in this film.

Answer to last blog: Director Gore Verbinski is famous for his directing work for the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Que: What other film has Wes Anderson directed that featured a dysfunctional family?

The Addams Family
The Royal Tenenbaums
You, Me, and Dupree
Meet the Parents

P.S. the song Float On by Modest Mouse oddly fits well with this film... I think.

Rango

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!


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This story follows the tale of Rango/Lars, a lonely lizard traveling with his owners through the west. Through an accident he finds himself in a strange western town of Dirt. He is appointed as the town's sheriff during the time of a severe drought.

When I saw that this was produced by Nickeleodeon, I knew it was going to be unusual. I was right. It is a good family film to watch. It has moments of adult humour that would be lost on most young children, and has plenty of humour for young audiences. Gore Verbinski did a great job directing this animated film, and found a great cast for this film. I think he has a niche for these types of family friendly films. It is predictable, but what family film isn't anymore.

Johnny Depp does a great job in the role of Rango. He creates an usual character who is in desperate need of an adventure. Isla Fisher does great in the role of Beans. She creates a character that is easily likable, and fun to watch. Abigail Breslin is entertaining as Priscilla, the little girl who believes that he's going to die. Ned Beatty does great vocal work for animated villains-as he has shown before. His voice is slightly intimidating without being too frightening. Bill Nighy is great as the fearsome Rattlesnake Jake. The character might frighten some younger audiences, but he does great in the role.

The beginning is a bit random, but I enjoyed how they included humans as a factor for the conclusion. It brings into mind the old west versus the progress of time. The animation was well done, and the voice acting was well performed. The spirit of the West was funny-a hint: "Do you feel lucky. Well, do ya punk?"It's interesting watching old style western films making appearances in current Hollywood films. This film makes reference to those old western films-that some audience's can catch if they know their films.

I give this film a 10 out of 10 stars! Apart from those moments of random what-is-going-on, it's a great film. It's got family friendly humour without ignoring the adult audience's. It is predictable, but its fun to watch.

Answer to last blog: Graham Greene and Rachelle Lefevre were featured in the popular film New Moon (from the Twilight franchise).

Que: what series of films is director Gore Verbinski known for?

Kung Fu Panda
Pirates of the Caribbean
Scooby-Doo
Harry Potter