Just watched the raven and is about to see the cabin in the woods. Look for the reviews soon.

Miral

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Part of autobiographical tale of author Rula Jebreal (based on her book Miral: A Novel). After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Der Yassin Massacure, and the establishment of Israel as a state (1948)  a young woman, Hind Husseini, on her way to work finds 55 orphans on the street and takes them with her. She begins an orphanage called Dar Al-Tifel in her grandfather's mansion. The battle with Israelis and Arabics continues, and 55 orphans becomes 2,000. The orphanage manages to survive without political interference and protects and educates Arabic children. 

In 1978, Miral was brought to Dar Al-Tifel after her mother's death. (Her mother ran away from an abusive father and met a friend in prison. Through this friend she found her husband, but found that she could not mentally escape her past.) Miral grew up, and in 1988 at the age of 15, was sent to teach children at a refugee camp. This allowed her to see the turmoil of the war. At the age of 17, she falls for Hani, a fighter for the Arabics. This forces her to choose between fighting for Arabic rights and land, or finding a way to survive during times of war. 

Okay, a lot to describe for an introduction. This film was directed by Julian Schnabel. He's not a popular director, but he has made some interesting films. This one is part autobiographical, part historical, and part social rights. This film has a lot of genere's with little direction. The film was slightly misrepresented with the opening line: "Does this look the face of a terrorist?" It only plays a small part of the film. The biographical part needed to include the historical references to the orphanage and her parents. The first roughly thirty minutes is used to explain all this introduction to the leading character. It's starts the film off as hectic. Once the main character finally takes the lead in the film, the story takes off. She's not written as what is commonly seen in most modern characters today. Instead of standing for something through out the whole film, she is just placed into situations by the people she meets. She is also merely trying to survive the Israeli government rule. Since the story covers so much, even before the main character appears, its hard to understand the true meaning of the film. Even though there is a lot in the story, it still creates a deep meaning. It presents Arabic rights and women's right. That being said, the camera visualizations were amazing. At times it was a little overdone, but it added more depth to the nearly lifeless characters. More of the characters was told through the camera work than the dialogue. There was an authentic-ness to the backdrop which made the film feel more realistic. It is amazing what filming on location can do to help a film. 

This film had a good cast of actors. They did give a powerful performance that was hindered by the lack of open dialogue. Freida Pinto played the role of Miral. She was good at portraying her character. It is also amazing how much she resembles Rula Jebreal. A lot of her characters conflicts are used in the camera angles, and her facial expressions. Hiam Abbass played the role of Hind Husseini. She gave her character amazing power even as she aged. Her face didn't change much, but she placed a lot of power within her words. She created a woman trying to protect her people from death or neglect. Alexander Siddig played the role Jamal (Miral's father). He was good at his role. He created the sympathetic character who only wants his daughter to survive. He wasn't given much chance to portray anything else. Yasmin Elmasri played the role of Nadia (Miral's mother). She was great in her role. Through physical movements she created a character that was ruined by life. Stella Schnabel played the role of Lisa. She was good in her general role as a friend to Miral. She appeared more American than Israeli though. Omar Metwally played the role of Hani. It is unfortunate that his character was so limited in the film. He did good for the few minutes he was on screen. 

I give this film a 3 out of 5 stars! It has so much potential to be a powerful story, but its too bogged down with too much historical information to include. It's lack of focus causes the film to fall apart in the opening. The creative camerawork saves a lot of the story that the dialogue fails to tell. 

Answer to last blog: Actress Laurie Holden, from Silent Hill, is known for her character role of Andrea from The Walking Dead.

Que: What other role is actress Freida Pinto known for?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Munich
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Caramel

Silent Hill

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Rose Da Silva decides to take her adopted daughter into Silent Hill (the place she calls out to in her sleep). Despite her husbands disproval she goes, and becomes trapped with the mysterious world of Silent Hill. She sets out to find her daughter, and keep her alive.

This film was directed by Christophe Gans. Okay, this film is unusual because the video game is unusual. The story might against the video game in some aspects, but it remains true to the heart of the game. That made it one of the best video game adaptations in existence. The video game is a search and solve puzzle that is well portrayed, and I'm glade that they did even if no-one else is. With that said, it is strange in a for a horror type film to do a lot of running around in an open area. A lot of the clues are vague, so they can be hard to pick up on with the first watch through. The story is also moderately complex in that it has a lot of parts to it, but it's not entirely unknowable. It also helps to know that there are three worlds; the real world, Silent Hill town, and the Hell dimension. The creature visuals were well done for CGI. Pyramid Head was well done by the actor, as were the nurses. The Silent Hill backdrop was also well done. I liked how there was a constant transition between Silent Hill and the hell dimension. The ending is highly ambiguous, and it really keeps audiences in that creepy feeling.  This film mostly applies to horror movie fans, and to fans of the video game. (I'm still holding out for the sequel to be released allegedly this year.)

The actors worked great together in creating this alternate reality. Radha Mitchell played the leading role of Rose Da Silva. She was great at creating this strong female character who is trying to survive. She made the worlds, and the monsters, highly believable. Laurie Holden played the role of Cybil Bennett. This film really pushed off her career. She did great in portraying the cop who gets caught in the mystery. She kept her character real, and it worked for the film. Jodelle Ferland played the role of Sharon and Alessa. She was great at playing three very different roles in the film, and this sort of cemented her in horror films. Alice Krige played the role of Christabella. She was amazing at just being plain down despicable. Sean Bean played the role of Christopher Da Silva. He was good in his small role.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars. Despite what other critics have said, this is a good horror film that remains true to its origins. Its rare to see a film remain this true. The story is complex, but its not impossible to understand.

Answer to last blog: Actor Jesse Eisenberg and director Rueben Fleischer also worked together on the film 30 Minutes or Less (as well as Zombieland).

Que: What other character is actress Laurie Holden known for?

Judy-The Crazies
Andrea-The Walking Dead
Sarah Tate-White Noise
Sue Storm-Fantastic Four

Zombieland

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This film follows Columbus as he travels to try and find his family while surviving the zombie apocalypse. While traveling he meets Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Through them he faces his fears, and makes realizations of his life. 

This film was directed by Ruben Fleischer, who is now known for his comedy. This film follows the idea of Shaun of the Dead, and turns the zombie apocalypse into a humorous adventure. It remains the second popular film of its mixed genre. The story is different because its not focused on the sadness of the characters, and the sadness of the events. It doesn't shy away from sadness and that gives the film, and the characters heart. It has great comic timing that makes fun of pop culture and the young generation, but it does lack some comical wit. Granted the story doesn't add anything new to the idea of a zombie apocalypse (horror) genre, but it does offer more to the comedy genre. The camera angels, and the music add to the humour of the film. Having Bill Murray make a comic cameo appearance was great. It gives the film a much more comedic feel than horror. 

The cast worked great together. They created characters with heart, and perfect comedic timing. Jesse Eisenberg played the leading role of Columbus. He was great at playing the nerd who has to overcome everything to get the girl. He made his character nerdy without going to overboard. Emma Stone played the role of Wichita. She was great at making the hardened woman attractive and likable. This is challenging for a lot of actress'. Woody Harrelson played the role of Tallahassee. Now, Harrelson is known for his unusual roles and this is no different. He is the badass with tones of heart. Abigail Breslin played the role of Little Rock. She is great playing Stone's sidekick. She is the reason that Stone's character remained highly likable, and at the same time kept her character from being just a sideline character. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It's a great comedic film, not horror, that most audiences can easily enjoy. 

Answer to last blog: Lady Vengeance is also featured in the Vengeance Trilogy, along with Oldboy. 

Que: What other film did actor Jesse Eisenberg and director Rueben Fleischer work together on?

Adventureland

Marmaduke

30 Minutes or Less

Rango

Oldboy

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This film is based off the second installment to the manga series Old Boy written by Nobuaki Minegishi. This film follows the story of Dae-su Oh. He was mysteriously taken and held captive in room for fifteen years. He is set free, and wakes up on roof. After telling his story to a stranger, he sets out for vengeance on the men who were hired to hold him captive, and on the man who paid to have him captured. He also meets Mi-do, and wonders if he can trust his feelings of love. 

"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone." This Korean film is the second installment to The Vengeance Trilogy, and is the most successful. It is also the only film based off a mange series. This film was directed by Chan-wook Park. Now, okay I'm gonna be honest; this film has flaws with brilliance. A hard thing to accomplish. The film is meant to be a thriller. It uses dramatic tension, and simple fighting, to accomplish it thrills. This makes it different many other Hollywood made thrillers that rely mostly on action. The story is great-even if its a bit... strange and unsettling. What kills some of the story, mostly in the beginning, is the over the top acting and sometime cheesy cinematography. The over the top acting works great for the ending, but it ruined the opening sequence. The opening sequence was made to add some dark humour to the film, but really made the film just appear campy and strange. The cool thing is that the story focuses on what happens after revenge more than the act of revenge itself. Needless to say, this film is not intended for all audiences. Its more of a cult gathering kind of film. It also isn't for sensitive audiences. Now, this film used very limited computer animation. This proved to be a really good idea because it made the film appear more realistic. The small amount of fighting that was featured in the film was fairly well done. It fit with the story. The experimental camera angels for the fighting sequences gave a surreal element to the realism which worked really well. It is also amazing to see how many uses a hammer has. This film also borders on horror in its two major gross out sequences, and it very shocking ending. One of the sequences is the eating of a live squid (the actor really ate blessed squids for this film). (Surprising that animal activists didn't protest this.) The other has become moderately infamous; Dae-sun Oh cutting out his tongue. I think these two sequences, and the dramatic tension really gave horror and thriller audiences something to enjoy. 

The acting was over the top, but it managed to work for the film's ending. Min-sik Choi played the leading role of Dae-sun Oh. He really went over the top with his character. A lot of the time he looked like a creep old guy. However, the creepy old guy gave his character an unnerving feel. Hye-jeong Kang played the role of Mi-do. Okay, her voice was the usual high pitched voice of most animated asian cartoon girls, which does get annoying sometimes. Her character is kept moderately limited to being Dae-sun's... um lover. Ji-tae Yu played the role of Woo-jin Lee. He was a great villain in this film. He wasn't over the top at all. At first he appears as a sympathetic character who is strange, but during the ending shows how twisted he is. Dal-su Oh played the role of Park Cheol-woong. He was good in his limited role. He was the go-between villain so to speak. He was hired to hold Dae-sun captive for fifteen years. His character added some additional dark humour to the film.

Okay, I give this film a 4 out of 5. It began poorly, but it really pulled it together for the ending. The film carries audiences on an unnerving unpredictable ride. It's not for all audiences though.

Answer to last blog post: Actors Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, and Til Schweiger were all featured in the film King Arthur, as well as The Three Musketeers in 2011.

Que: What other film is feature in The Vengeance Trilogy collection?

Anakiseuteu Anarchists
I Saw the Devil
Natural City
Lady Vengeance

The Three Musketeers (2011)

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This film is a rewriting of the novel, of the same title, written by Alexandre Dumas. Three years after a failed mission with the three musketeers, D'Artagan goes to Paris after years of training with his father to become a musketeer. Through several strange meetings D'Artagan joins the musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, in their fight against the Rochefort (Cardinal Richelieu's man). Their fighting continues as Cardinal Richelieu decides to pin England and France at war by disrupting the marriage between King Louis XIII of France and his wife Queen Anne of Austria. D'Artagan convinces the musketeers to continue the fight to keep peace within France. 

Paul W.S. Anderson directed this remade film. As seen in his other films, he enjoys technology and CGI animation. It works great for futuristic films, or science fiction, but its not so great for this film. Computer animation was used when it didn't need to be used, and it gave the film a cartoonish feel. I can't say how faithful it is to the actual novel, but I don't think its very loyal. The story was good, but it didn't feel like the Three Musketeers. It was too eccentric, and the use of the war ships just pushed it too far. Although, I will admit the war ships did look pretty bad ass floating in the air. They're also wasn't much done with the other characters. It's meant to be about the Three Musketeers, and D'Artagan's experiences with them not the other way around. The characters do provide plenty of humour to the film. The sword play did look pretty good, especially the battle between D'Artagan and Rochefort. This is more a film for parents to watch their kids than it is a Three Musketeers film.

The cast worked well together. This film's script didn't allow for these character to be explored as emotional, or any other form. Logan Lerman played the role of D'Artagan. He was good in this role. He is beginning to get his name established in Hollywood, and this was a step in that direction. His character remained the stereotypical teenager. Matthew Macfadyen played the role of Athos. He was good playing the distraughted leader of the Three Musketeers. Luke Evans played the role of Aramis. He was good at adding a small religious side to the film. Ray Stevenson played the role of Prothos. He was great at adding humour to the film. Milla Jovovich played the role Milady de Winter. She did great being the double agent, even if her character did come off as cheesy at times. Mads Mikkelsen played the role of Rochefort. He was great being the villain. His character remained moderatly believable. Christoph Waltz played the role of Cardinal Richelieu. He was great in this role. It is unfortunate that more wasn't done with him. Orlando Bloom played the role of Duke of Buckingham. This character is a change for him. He isn't the hero, but the annoying royal. He did good giving his character that royal humorous feel.

I give this film 2 out of 5 stars! It's a good comedic action film. It goes against the idea of the Three Musketeers, and keeps audiences from getting attached to the characters.

Answer to last blog: Alan Howard performed the voice for the ring in the film the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Que: What film featured actors Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, and Til Schweiger?

Clash of the Titans
Inglorious Basterds
Thor
King Arthur

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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This film is based off the epic novel The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring written by J.R.R. Tolkien. 3,000 years (roughly, or the second age) after Sauron's defeat, the ring of power has resurfaced. It's handed from Bilbo Baggins (who stole it from Gollum) to Frodo Baggins after his 111th birthday celebration. Frodo soon discovers that the ring has dangerous powers that tempt weaker hearts to their destruction. Frodo agrees with Gandalf the Grey, to take the ring to Rivendell where it could be safe. Frodo is surprisingly accompanied by Samwise (Sam) Gamgee, Peregrin (Pippin)Took, and Meriadooc (Merry) Brandybuck. Along the way they met Strider, or Aragorn. Frodo learns of the rings dangerous growing power, and embarks on the quest to destroy the ring and save Middle Earth. 

This film was directed by Peter Jackson. This film really cemented his name as a director. This film remains fully truthful to the novel, with the except of one character removed. This story was a sequel to the story The Hobbit, but became 'the' story. As the films have shown. It gives something for everyone watching, from the loyal fans to the average film goer. The film itself is beautiful to watch, because it fully places you within the stories moments. The world of Elves feels like a dream, and Sauron and the Nazgul are a nightmare. All the hard work the cast put into this film, and the director put into it shows with the amazing talent. The story is a epic story that is slow moving, and is kept moderately cheerful in this film. There are some moments that have become humorous, and others that have become legend. The overal costumes were well done, but Sauron's outfit was kind of ridiculous. It's one of the only films of this genre to successfully make it in Hollywood. There are a lot of small details the fully emerse the audience into this new world. I also highly enjoyed how they used the original novel languages in this film. Not many films have this opportunity, or use it. Its because of this film that novels to film has become so popular (this and Harry Potter), so without this there would've been no Twilight or Hunger Games. 

The cast worked amazingly well together, and their hard work showed in this film. Elijah Woods played the leading role of Frodo Baggins. He was good in this role. He gave his character a sympathetic feel that made his journey all the more believable. Ian McKellen played the role of Gandalf the Grey. He was great at creating this merlin type character. His power and presence is great on screen, and fits the character very well. Sean Astin played the role of Samwise Gamgee. He was great being Frodo's companion. His role his limited to being Frodo's companion, but he does leave a great impression for his character. Billy Boyd played the role of Peregrin Took. He made his character stand out from his innocence. He is the comic humour of the film. Dominic Monaghan played the role of Meridock Brandybuck. He's good in his role, but didn't get a chance to make his character stand out in this film. Viggo Mortensen played the role of Aragorn/Strider. He was great in this film. He became the reason most women went to see the film. He gave his character all the complexities that was needed. Sean Bean played the role of Boromir. He did great in making his character stand out. He gave his character more depth than just being the betrayer. John Rhys-Davies played the role of Gimli. He is the other humour for the film, and did great. Orlando Bloom played the role of Legolas Greenleaf. This role cemented Bloom's career in Hollywood. His character wasn't expanded on, but he made an impression with his stoic character. Christopher Lee played the role of Saruman. He created the perfect villain to oppose Gandalf, and the rest of the cast. Hugo Weaving played the role of Elrond. "Doom, doom, doom," should be this character's catch phrase. He is great in this role, but his character remains the doubtful voice. Liv Tyler played the role of Arwen. She was great in creating this character full of grace, and love. Cat Blancett played the role of Galadriel. She was amazing giving her character knowledge, wisdom, and power. 

Obviously, I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It's a great film that takes audience's to a new world. All the hard work that put into making this film shows amazingly well. 

Answer to last blog: Director Tarsem Singh also directed the film The Cell, as well as Mirror Mirror. 

Que: Who performed the voice for the Ring for this film?

Sala Baker

Roger Jackson

Alan Howard

Chris Sanders

Mirror Mirror

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This film is based off the story Snow White written by the Brother's Grimm. A woman married into the rule of a kingdom, and after losing the King, become the Queen. She entraps the Kings daughter, Snow White, within the palace to keep the crown. Snow White begins to protest against the Queen's mistreatment of the people in the village she rules over. The Queen orders Snow White's death, but Snow White escapes. Snow White then enlists the help of seven dwarf bandits to aid her. 

This film was directed by Tarsem Singh. I can't say how true it remains to the story, but it does remove one essential part of the story-the apple. It also breaks itself away from the Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It obviously shows his artistic stylings with the film's backdrop, and highly lavish costumes. It's worth a watch to see the beautifully designed backgrounds that'll take you into a surreal world. This is the first of the Snow White renditions to be released. Okay, this film is not only a chick flick, but its intended for little girl's. It has a good story plot behing it, but it becomes shadowed by its over the top comedy. Since it is for children, the film is also a little cheesy at times. If you like bubbly type films, then you'll enjoy this. The film's ending was great in adding in an emotional depth to the film, and watching the villain get hers in the end was great. A lot of children's films are starting to avoid these endings. It also tries to include female empowerment to a smal degree. It mixes it with true love, and a savior prince. It's an odd mix for the film and the fragility of Snow White. This film also doesn't boost musical scores sung by the cast (not including the credits) which is good. The small fighting used was good, I enjoyed watching the basic swordplay not seen too often anymore. The computer animation was well done. The creature in the woods was amazingly well done. He was scary without being too terrifying. 

The cast worked well together, and they moderately fit the roles for the film. Lily Collins played the leading role Snow White. She is opening her acting roles in Hollywood. This is a good second film for her. Now, the character is written oddly within the story, because she's supposed to be frail while discovering her inner strength. She managed to present the fragility of the character, but failed to give her anything more in the ending of the film. Julia Roberts played the Queen. Roberts is normally the distraught heroine that people cheer for, but here she tries to play the villain. She did okay. She made the villain too humorous, and this failed to make her hate worthy. Nathan Lane played the role of Brighton. He was great at being the comical whimpy sidekick to the Queen. He gave the film a lot of humour. Armie Hammer played the role of Prince Alcott. He was good at being the prince hero. He might've gone a bit over the top with the romance, but it works for the film. Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, and Ronald Lee Clark were the seven dwarves; Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, Grimm, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles. It is unfortunate that there wasn't more done with these characters to better distinguish them, but it's hard to do. They were great at adding a sentimental humour to the film. 

So, I give this film 2 out of 5 stars! It has a great emotional story, and great backdrops for the film. But it's highly overshadowed by its over the top humour.

Answer to last blog: Harry Hamlin played the original 1981 role of Perseus in the film Clash of the Titans. 

Que: What other film has director Tarsem Singh directed?

Alice in Wonderland

The Cell

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sucker Punch

Wrath of the Titans

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This is the sequel for the film Clash of the Titans (which was a remake from the 1981 film of the same title). Following the story of Perseus after the defeat of the Kraken. Perseus had a wife who passed, but gave him a son. Perseus is met with Zeus one night, and is asked for to help save the world from Cronus, Zeus' father. After Zeus is betrayed by Hades and Ares, Perseus finds himself in a new adventure to save his father and mankind. 

This film was directed by Jonathan Liebesman. This film, like its predecessor, doesn't strictly adhere to actual Greek mythology. It's changed a lot to better fit the film. This is the second film in the soon to be series (third to come later). Apart from being a guy flick, its an adventure quest story. It's told like an epic Greek style. This film took a different direction from its first film. The sequel actually turned away from constant action in exchange for a much more emotional story. I'm glad that the action was used to aid the story instead of being the story. The plot is kept simple, but the characters get changed a lot from the first. The computer animation was all right, but a bit over done. It really showed during the Labyrinth sequence. This was the only true time that the acting, and story, was lost to CGI. The monsters looked amazing, but a lot of them felt like they had no purpose. Most of the monsters were just kind of placed. I also did not like the appearance of the monster in the Labyrinth (the minotaur-I assume). In contrast, Cronus looked amazing. It was great seeing him as a part of the earth than some mythical being. Sadly, I did not get a chance to see this film in 3D, but I imagine it would make the CGI really pop out of the screen. 

The acting was good, and the cast worked well together. It is difficult to play the part of a God. Most of the original cast returned for the film's sequel. Sam Worthington played the role of Perseus. He was good at creating a character torn between the Gods/Goddesses and mankind (a demi-god). He gave his character much more depth in this film. Liam Neeson played the role of Zeus. This character is highly changed from his previous role. In this one he's held captive, and facing his doom begins to make amends for his deeds. Neeson did good at giving this character an emotional turmoil never seen in Zeus before. Ralph Fiennes played the role of Hades. Again, this character was changed dramatically from the first. Fiennes was great in making this transition-much better than he was in the first. Edgar Ramirez played the role of Ares. His character was limited to being the classic villain. He was good at this role. Rosamund Pike played the role of Andromeda. She was good, but her role was kept limited. She did get to do some fighting as a queen, but she's mainly the hero's girl. Danny Huston played the role of Poseidon. He was great in his very small role. 

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It's a great adventure film that men will enjoy. It has a much deeper story than its predecessor, but it is somewhat overpowered by its CGI effects. 

Answer to last blog: Director David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen also worked together on the film A History of Violence (as well as A Dangerous Method). 

Que: Who played the leading role of Perseus in the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans? 

Laurence Olivier

Mark Hamill

Roy Butler

Harry Hamlin