War Horse

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This film is based Michael Morpurgo's novel, of the same title. Joey, was sold to Albert Naracott shortly after his birth. From the families desperation, Joey is sold to the military calvary. Joey soon finds himself caught in the tides of war.

This film was directed by Steven Spielberg. This film does reminiscence of the classic Black beauty only with a new twist on the tale. This is a great family film to watch. It is worth it to watch the beautiful horses. The story follows Joey as he experiences combat. It is a very heartwarming and full of emotional depth. This film has more emotion than other films of this recent era. This film has great cinematics that mimic the old grandeur of classic Hollywood. There are a lot of cliches in the film. It is also opens up a lot of characters that don't remain on screen for very long. There are some moments of violence, but there isn't any gore. This film really does create a new perspective for war.

The cast worked great together. Jeremy Irvine played the role of Albert Naracott. He was great in his role. He does come off as too much of a sweetheart at times, but it works for the film. Niels Arestrup played the role of the grandfather. He was great in his role. His role is important  but it kept very limited. Celine Buckens played the role of Emilie. She was great in her role. She was the innocent little girl who got caught in times of war. Tom Hiddleston played the role of Captain James Stewart. He was great in his very limited role. He created a likable character in the few minutes he was on screen. Leonard Carow and David Kross played the roles of Pvt. Michael Schroder and Pvt. Gunther Schroder. They were great in their limited roles. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! This is a very heartwarming story suitable for all family members. It can be cheesy at moments, but it is nice to see classic Hollywood grandeur returning to the big screen.

Answer to last blog: Actor Jeffery DeMunn, Storm of the Century, also starred in the Stephen King film The Mist.

Que: What other film has actor Tom Hiddleston starred in?

The Artist
The Green Hornet
A Midnight in Paris
The Eagle

(Stephen King's) Storm of the Century

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A highly dangerous storm is arriving to a small town, Little Tall, off the mainland. As the storm arrives, a sinister man, Andre Linoge, makes a statement with a murder. He threatens the people of this Little Tall. Little Tall is forced to chose between their survival and giving into Linoge's wishes. 

This film was written by Stephen King, and was directed by Craig R. Baxley. This film is the first to not be based off a Stephen King novel. However, it does make a reference to Dolores Claiborne. It was purely written for the television screen. It was a mini-series that took part in four episodes. This has a great compelling story. It does get fairly complex with there being so many characters involved, but it works out. It also builds up a lot of creepy tension. Even though there is a lot of characters, each of the characters remain relevant. The few special effects used we well done. It added to the story instead of hindering it. The film did great with incorporating the storm into the story. It makes it so that the storm could've been natural, or controlled. There is some blood, but not a ton of over the top gore. There is also hints of sexuality, but no sex scenes in the film.

The cast worked great together. Each of characters was well portrayed, and felt needed. Tim Daly played the role of Constable Mike Anderson. He was great in his role. He created an amazing opposing force to Feore's character. Colm Feore played the role of Andre Linoge. He was amazing in his role. He created an amazing vilain with presence. Casey Siemaszko played the role of Alton 'Hatch' Hatcher. He was good in his role. He created an innocent best friend character that audiences could easily relate to. Jeffrey DeMunn played the role of Robbie Beals. He was great in his role. He created one of the most detestable characters for the film. Debrah Farentino played the role of Molly Anderson. She was good in her role.

I give this mini-series film 5 out 5 stars! It is a great horror story with a dramatic storyline. It may be long, 257 minutes, but it is worth it.

Answer to last blog: Actors Dale Midkiff and Denise Crosby, Pet Sematary, starred in the television show Dexter.

Que: What other Stephen King film has actor Jeffery Demunn starred in?

The Mist
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Dreamcatcher
The Mangler Reborn

Pet Sematary

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This film is based off the novel, with the same title, by Stephen King. Louis Creed and his family move into a new house. Just behind their new house lies a dark secret power. After tragedy strikes, Louis finds himself tempted into making a dark choice that could destroy him and his family.

"Sometimes, dead is better." This 1989 film was directed by Mary Lambert, and written by Stephen King.  This film is a landmark to the horror genre. The story remains true to the novel with some small changes. The story has made a landmark with its originality and gripping dramatic tension. It also plays off the fears of life and death, and what lies beyond. The horror lies within the story and the characters. The backdrop added a terrifying touch. It presented a safe house, but it always appeared the something was hiding just behind it. It did quite well with very limited animation added. The make-up effects were well done. The make-up added an emphasis to the characters personality and nature. There may also be a remake coming to film shortly.

The cast worked great together. Dale Midkiff played the role of Louis Creed. He was great in his role. He created the father who was driven to insanity. He was able to create this character without being too over the top, and still be believable. Fred Gwynne played the role of Jud Crandall. He was great in his role. He created a very sympathetic character. Denise Crosby played the role of Rachel Creed. She was great in her role. She create the perfect mother for this film. Brad Greenquist played the role of Victor Pascow. He was great in his role. He gave a different image to ghosts. Miko Hughes played the role of Gage Creed. He was amazing in his role. For his small age he was able to play himself and a terrifying monster child. Blaze Berdahl played the role of Ellie Creed. She was great in his small role. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! This is a great horro film. It had a great cast and a terrifying story.

Answer to last blog: Actor Alec Guinness, Star Wars (IV: A New Hope), also starred in the made for television film Caesar and Cleopatra.

Que: What television show has both actors Dale Midkiff and Denise Crosby starred in?

Supernatural

Dexter

American Horror Story

Lost

Star Wars (IV: A New Hope)

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This 1977 epic space-opera follows Luke Skywalker. Luke and his uncle purchase two strange driods. Luke is pulled into the rebellion after discovering a strange message from one of the driods, R2-D2. He sets out to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, and help Princess Leia Organa. 

This film was written and directed by George Lucas. This opened science fiction, and block-buster style films. This film is told like a comic style melodrama. The story was great and unique. It opened up audiences to this new world. The story does remain a fairly basic opening. It manages to explain parts of the world, and the war, more than anything else. For its time the computer animation was well done. This film really began the animation process for these types of films. The backdrops were amazingly well done. The backdrops added a kind of realism to the film. This film also established one of the most memorable credit openings to filming history. The unfortunate part, is that the original film does not exist. With every new release there is a new edit done to the film. A lot of the changes are small, and rather pointless. 

The cast worked great together. However, in this first part the characters remain very non-dimensional. Mark Hamill played the role of Luke Skywalker. He was great in his role. He created a character driven to help others. He also created a character who is beginning to discover his hidden powers. Harrison Ford played the role of Han Solo. He was great in his role. He created one of the most iconic character in the franchise. Carrie Fisher played the role of Princess Leia Organa. She was great in her role. She created a powerful princess who could fight and look beautiful. Alec Guinness played the role of (Ben) Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was great in his role. He created a character that felt powerful and fatherly. David Prowse and James Earl Jones created the character Darth Vader. They were great in their roles. They worked together to create an unforgettable villain.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It was a great start to the franchise. The character a non-dimensional, and the story is fairly basic to this genre. However, it did create a great new world with special effects.

Answer to last blog: Actor Tom Felton, The Apparition, starred in the film Anna and the King.

Que: What other film did actor Alec Guinness star in?

I Will, I Will... for Now
Caesar and Cleopatra
Embryo
Carrie

The Apparition

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Kelly and her boyfriend, Ben, move temporarily move into a new house. However, it doesn't take long until strange things begin to happen. This leads Kelly to learn more about Ben's past.

This film was written and directed by Todd Lincoln. This is his first major film to be released. This film is meant to be a horror thriller. It fails to provide an real scares, but does maintain a creepy atmosphere. The story had a great foundation, but it failed to build off it. It did not create any depth to the characters, and it did not create any tension building sequences. There were several instances where it could've expanded to make a scene more shocking. However, it did have great cinematography. The backdrop worked greatly for the film. It is a shame that it was toyed with more. This film also has some good computer animation. It creates a few terrifying ghostly images. Unfortunately  it is confusing as to what the evil ghost actually looked like. The villain was explained, but not fully visualized. There isn't any gore in this film. There also isn't much sexuality in the film.

The cast worked good together. Ashley Greene played the role of Kelly. She was good in her role. She did create a sympathetic character. However, she lacked in giving her character the depth needed to keep the audience's enthralled. Sebastian Stan played the role of Ben. He was good in his role. He created a kind of shady character, but still moderately likable. Tom Felton played the role of Patrick. He was good in his role. He was able to create an unusual character, but not given the time to have any depth.

I give this film 2 out f 5 stars! It had a great foundation to create a great horror film. But it fell flat in creating an enthralling story, and developed characters. It did have good creepy computer animation.

Answer to last blog: Actor Djimon Housou, Push, starred in the film The Island.

Que: What other film has actor Tom Felton starred in?

Tarzan
Anna and the King
Bicentennial Man
The Iron Giant

Push

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People are born with superhuman abilities. A government organization, called the Division, seeks out these people and uses them to try and create an army of superhuman soldiers. Nick Gant is pulled into a race, by Cassie Holmes, to find a girl and a briefcase before Division does. 

This film was directed by Paul McGuigan. This is a good science fiction film, but it is not great. It has a lot of detail that it doesn't take the time to wholly explain. The story is highly complex and full of various characters that it could have done without. The film could've explained a bit more of the other various characters that were meant to be highly important. The ending does keep you in mystery until it reaches its climax. However, it does offer an exciting new look on telekinetic abilities, and its history. It does have the general of feel of us against the government. This film was shot on location creating a great backdrop. It gave the film a unique and honest feel. The computer animation was good for the film, but it fails to meld with recent advances in high definition. Interestingly, there is a series of comics that acts as a prequel to this film. There may also be a television series sequel in the future.

The cast worked great together. Chris Evans played the role of Nick Grant. He was great in his role. He created a hopeful and friendly face for this film. Dakota Fanning played the role of Cassie Holmes. She was great in her role of a Watcher (Clairvoyant). She gave reason to the rebellious teenager. Camilla Belle played the role of Kira. She was decent in her role. A lot of the time she appeared more lifeless than emotionally lost. Djimon Hounsou played the role of Henry Carver. He was great in his role. He created everything the Division had become. Xiaolu Li played the role of Pop Girl. She was good in her role. It unfortunate that she wasn't explained in more detail. Neil Jackson played the role of Victor Budarin. He was good in his small role. Maggie Siff played the role of Teresa Stowe. She was good in her small, but important, role. It would have been nice to see more of this character on screen.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! This is a good science fiction film. It creates a different world in 111 minutes. There is a lot of small details that aren't fully explained, but it has a great story.

Answer to last blog: Actor Max Thieriot, House at the End of the Street, also starred in the horror film My Soul to Take.

Que: What other film has actor Djimon Hounsou star in?

Sin City
The Island
Serenity
Coach Carter

House at the End of the Street

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Elissa and her mother move into a new house that has an unusual neighbor. At the end of the street, across from their house, lives the son, Ryan, whose parents were murdered by his sister. Elissa finds herself attracted to this stranger. Elissa discovers, too late, that something is wrong with their neighbor.

This film was directed by Mark Tonderai. This film is labeled as a horror thriller. However, it fails to provide any moments intense horror. Although, it does have a good dramatic storyline. The story was moderately predictable. Its lack of mystery kept it from being terrifying  It does, however, provide several moments of misdirection. There isn't a lot of gore, but there is some violence. The film could've used a better villain. There was too much attachment with the villain. It kept him from being completely disliked. There is no nudity in this film, but it does hint have sexual hints. The basis for the film is good, but it was poorly filmed. The backdrop was well created. It created the feeling of safety just being out of reach. 

The cast worked good together. Jennifer Lawrence played the role of Elissa. She was good in her general role. She created the basic character for these types of films. Max Thieriot played the role of Ryan. He was good in his role. He created a very sympathetic character. Elisabeth Shue played the role of Sarah. She was good in her small role. She played the generic role of the mother. Gil Bellows played the role of Weaver. He was good in his small role. He offered a different perspective to the town. Eva Link played the role of Carrie Anne. She did good for her first role.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It has the basis for a great horror/thriller film, but falls short of being scary.

Answer to last blog: Actor Franco Nero, from the 1966 film Django, appeared as the character Bar Patron in Django Unchained (2013).

Que: What other horror film has actor Max Thieriot starred in?

My Soul to Take
Daybreakers
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Scream 4

Django Unchained (2013)

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This film is very loosely based off the Django character and the series (unofficial and official). In 1858, Dr. King Schultz is a bounty hunter who enlists the aid of a slave, Django. They become bounty hunters for the winter season, and then set out to find Django's enslaved wife. 

This film was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. This film may change the perspective of the character, but it remains a spagetti western. This film remains highly controversial because of its take on racism and slavery. It can be seen as prejudice against the African American ancestors, and as a bias against whites. There is also the constant use of the word N****r. This film also has a large quantity of violence and gore, and some nudity. Which means this film wasn't made for everyone. That being said, it is a good (165 minute) film with an intense storyline. The story contains several moments of humor and drama, but manages to avoid being overly cheesy. It takes a few surprising turns with its never ending-ending. There is something after the credits, but its not essential to the film. The story is fairly predictable with eccentric characters. This film also makes use of some historical beliefs about the Antebellum era. The film maintains Tarantino's signatures in filmmaking. The music and visual styling still harkens back to the 1970's feeling. The costumes were visually unique with the extreme color styles. 

This film had a terrific cast of actors that really made this film great to watch. The characters in this film are predictable, but powerful. Jaime Foxx played the role of Django. He was great in his role. He created a new image for the classic western genre, and for a cult classic. Apart from that, he plays the familiar bad ass fighter role to perfection. Christoph Waltz played the role of Dr. King Schultz. He was a great in this role. He played a unique character in this type of film. He is as smooth tongued as a sharp shooter. Leonardo DiCaprio played the role of Calvin Candie. He was great in this film. He created an amazing villain. Samuel L. Jackson played the role of Stephen. He was good in his role. He kept to a familiar acting style, but played a surprising character. Kerry Washington played the role of Broomhilda. She was good in her small role. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! Despite being a satire on racism, it is a good action western film. This film combines humor and drama to create a unique film.

Answer to last blog: Writer/director Lorene Scafaria wrote the screenplay for the film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Que: Actor Franco Nero, from the 1966 Django film, appeared as which character in this film?

Big John Brittle

Tracker

Sheriff Bill Sharp

Bar Patron

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

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The mission to save Earth has failed, and now an asteroid is heading towards Earth. After his wife leaves, Dodge decides to try and find his long lost high school sweetheart. Dodge un-expectantly finds himself accompanied by his neighbor, Penny, and a dog, Sorry.

This film was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. Her first directed film. This film is a comedic drama. These films attempt to add humor to a serious topic, but it normally becomes a disappointing un-happy ending. Unfortunately, that is what happens with this film. This film is set-up for a very happy ending, but ends on a dark note. However, this film does a heartfelt story. It also pokes fun at the recent paranoia of the world ending. It does follow the story of what a human could do when the world ends. It does not focus on the chaos of the world ending, but does keep it as a side note. The beginning of the film does feel flat, and lifeless, but it does pick up during the film. The ending of the film is powerfully dramatic. It is moderately slow paced allowing the story to open the characters. It was adorable to watch the dog, Sorry, during the film.

The cast worked good together. Steve Carell played the role of Dodge. In the beginning he lacked any real enthusiasm that did work for the character. However, he was really able to pull through the ending dramatic sequences. Keira Knightly played the role of Penny. She was good in her role. She played a familiar role with slight variations. Adam Brody played the role of Owen. He was good in small role. He added some comedic relief. Derek Luke played the role of Speck. He was good in his small role. He offered another perspective to the end of the world. Martin Sheen played the role of Frank. He was good in his small role. 

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It is a decent film that audiences can enjoy. It does have some faults that can be easily overlooked.

Answer to last blog: Actors Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, Les Miserables, also starred in the musical Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Que: What other film has director/writer Lorene Scafaria also written?

Juno
Superbad
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Les Miserables (2012)

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This film is based on the musical stageplay, of the same title, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg (which was based off the novel, also of the same name, written by Victor Hugo). Jean Valjean is a convict set free, but still on parole. After receiving a great kindness from a religious man, Jean breaks his parole and becomes  a new man.

This film was directed by Tom Hooper. This film is a great musical that is being compared to its stageplay counterpart. This is one of those films that you will either love, like, or possibly hate. It remains true to the familiar political heartfelt story of Les Miserables. The story remains highly dramatical. This film is non-stop music in that there are very few spoken words. There is no break in between the music. This film has an usual focus that does break the tempo, and ends the emotional build-ups, and keeps people from feeling the full emotional journey of the characters. There was a moment, or two, when the events happening felt out of place. The story still remains highly emotional and awe inspiring. Its interesting how the political problems are a backdrop that propels each character. It also does follow heavy christianity beliefs. The songs in this film were amazing to listen to. It has several memorable centerpiece ballads. It was great to see a different side of France. The cinematography was great in the film. It brought out certain emotions from the characters and situations. There are a few sword fighting sequences in the film. There is rebellion (War-like) sequence. There is lots of blood, and sex, in this film.

The cast worked surprisingly great together. Hugh Jackman played the role of Jean Valjean. He was great in his role. He gave the emotional depth that the character needed. Oddly though, he was not able to overpower any of the others characters. Which worked for the film. Russell Crowe played the role of Javert. He was great in his role. He presented the character driven by law. Anne Hathaway played the role of Fantine. She was incredible in this role. It was amazing to watch her create the most unfortunate character of the film. Eddie Redmayne played the role of Marius.  He was good in his role. He created an usual innocence that mirrored Seyfried. Amanda Seyfried played the role of Cosette. She was good in her role, but she felt kind of unnecessary. Her character was just kind of there. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen played the roles of Madame Thenardier and Thenardier. They were great as the comedic relief even if they felt out of place within the film's story. Samantha Barks played the role of Eponine. She was great in her role. Aaron Tveit played the role of Enjolras. He was good in his small role.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! This film has such a great story, and great cinematography, that you can't fully notice the errors in the film.

Answer to last blog: Actor Albert Brooks, Marlin (Finding Nemo), voice the character Jacob the Tiger in Dr. Dolittle.

Que: What other musical did actors Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen star in?

Repo! The Genetic Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Chicago
Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Finding Nemo

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Marlin's son, Nemo, is captured by some divers not far from his home. Marlin decides to embark on an adventure to find his son. Marlin enlists the help of Dory, a fish with a memory problem.

This film was directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich. This film had single handedly increased the sales of clown fish and traveling interest in Australia. This film created something entirely different and new. It showed the ocean, and kept true to its nature elements without being an biography. It also sparked new interest in general sea life. The story was deeply emotional to all family members. It remained a character driven story with incidents happening along the way. The computer animation was amazingly well done. The characters looked fish like, but also maintained a human element. The back drop was well done. It created the openness of the ocean, and allowing it show its mystery. The computer animation is also greatly done to emphasize the smallest of details. I did not get to see this film in 3-D, but I imagine it looked incredible.

The cast worked great together creating very likable and relatable characters. Albert Brooks voiced the character Marlin. He was great in his role. He created the over protective father well. Alexander Gould voiced the character Nemo. He was great in his role. He gave an innocent voice to the son. Ellen DeGeneres voiced the character Dory. She was great in her role. She created one of the most likable characters of the film. William Dafoe voiced the character Gill. He was good in his role. Andrew Stanton voiced the character Crush. He was great in his role. He gave a new perspective to sea life. Barry Humphries voiced the character Bruce. He was great in his role. He gave sharks a fresh new image.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! Its a great family animated feature. It offers a new image to sea life, and an new image to family life.

Answer to last blog: Director Ang Lee, The Life of Pi, directed the film Ride with the Devil.

Question: What animal character did actor Albert Brooks voice in Dr. Dolittle?

Old Beagle
Jacob the Tiger
Owl
Drunk Monkey