The Town Review:

The Town is an excellent film that helps show the directorial skills of Ben Affleck, along with engaging the audience in a heist thriller like no other. The movie tells the tale of Doug MacRay whom is leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers, who have been perform professional heist in the district of Charlestown. After a bank heist goes wrong, Doug must than deal with the repercussions of his actions, while preparing his crew for one last heist. The films story is well told and executed perfectly, the acting is well tuned, along with immersing the audience into the troubles and conflicts that the characters are facing. The supporting cast gives great performances all around, especially last year’s Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), whom gives the story a lot more tension and emotion as you uncover the origins of his character. Ben Affleck does a fantastic job of executing the various action sequences, and building a lot of tension around each of the firefights, at some points it hard not to root for the main characters, although they are the bad guys. The performances are phenomenal, the execution perfect, and the overall experience is one of the best this year. The Town is a triumph with its great use of its low budget, and cast. Although this year has shown its fair share of innovative films, the town shows that creativity and worthwhile movie going experience aren’t in short supply.

4 out of 4

Paranormal Activity 2

Paranormal activity was one of the most significant sleeper hits (a movie that makes more money than expected)  of the decade, having been demanded by audience, and climbing the charts at the box office. The film alone grossed over 190 million dollars worldwide, with only a budget of $15,000 making the film one of the most successful movies of all time, along with “Blair Witch Project” and “Mad Max”. Only a year later Paranormal Activity 2 has now hit theaters hoping to have the same success as its predecessor, but with a new director and much bigger budget, will this sequel be a hit? Paranormal Activity 2 is a prequel, taking place before the events of the first film, with the last five minutes acting as the sequel for the film. The story follows relatives of the predecessor’s protagonist as they encounter numerous paranormal events, and the same entity that haunts the main characters in the last film. The movie offers more scares than its predecessor, but at points gives off a been there done that feel, as many of the paranormal events are replicas of the first films.  The film still has the slow build up of the mockumentary genre, but always has you feeling like something scary is just around the corner. Although the film has a much bigger budget, much of the originality remains in tack and never feels too special effect oriented, rather than past mockumentary films such as “The Last Exorcism”. The acting is solid and helps make you believe that the characters are reacting to real events. The film is well made and has a much more structured and professional feel which is what the predecessor lacked. Although the film does drag in the beginning with numerous cheap scares, it makes up for it in a finale that most movie goers wont see coming.  It is disappointing that the film doesn’t have much innovation, but is definitely  more entertaining and engaging than its predecessor was. This is a rare sequel that takes what the original had and improves it on nearly ever level, the scares get better as the film goes along, and the story isn’t as unbelievable as the last film, with the box office success that the film has had so far, hopefully Paranormal activity 3 will bring something new to the table, rather than repeating the same story over and over…………..Saw would be a great example of that.

3 out of 4

Devil Review:

  

     Its hard to believe that m.night.Shyamalan is even allowed to have anything to do with cinema lately, thanks to his past projects such as "The Last Airbender". Yet M.Night's latest thriller does deliver on the thrills, but falls short as far as plot, and begins to drag on due to repetition. Devil tells the story of a group of people who are are trapped on a elevator with the devil, luckily the plot deepens as you discover more about each characters past, ultimately leading to a emotional confrontation with the devil him or herself.
     Throughout the movie you begin to learn more about the characters backgrounds, and ultimately what connects them, the only issue with the characters is that most of them get killed off before any attachment can be made. The cast does a great job of making their reactions believable, unlike many other horror films where the acting is only secondary. The script has plenty of twist and turns and thanks to the distinct personalities of the characters, at points its hard to decipher who the devil is.
      The movie has enough detail to the story that it doesn't feel like a live action "Guess Who", but at the same time becomes overly repetitive midway through the film. The film also does a great job of building up tension, but unfortunately the plot is hard to take seriously, mostly due to its premise. The film fell short as far as its plot, and felt overlong and generic in the middle, but the movie was original and had a great finale. All in all M.Night made a interesting tale that provided a great twist in the ending, but the events leading up to the finale fell short, but this movie isn't as bad as "The Happening", but not as good as "The Sixth Sense".

Resident Evil:Afterlife Review

     There are very few game adaptions that can entertain and satisfy fans, along with connect with audiences that aren't familiar with the source material, Resident Evil Afterlife does none of the above. Imagine a movie full of slow motion, and does very little to keep the viewer intrigued and immersed into the characters and story. Everything about the story just feels like they were trying to add in as many elements from the game as possible, although they don't justify it with the plot, nor give them the emotion or fear that they showed in the game. The movies action is nothing but slow motion fight scenes, and numerous fade to blacks after each short strip of dialogue. The movie plays out in a very pathetic way giving the viewer no insight into whats going on and why the characters are the way they are. The plot has plenty of references to the game but many of the plot twist, and many appearances by key characters fall short. To call afterlife a good movie is hard, but to say that it is entertaining can be justified, due to the numerous action sequences, and after years of watching the characters develop, you actually want to see what will happen to them. The opening to the film was excellent and unexpected, but unfortunately from that point of the film becomes repetitive with its action sequences, and many of the characters feel like their just there to be killed off. I was disappointed in the 3-D effects in afterlife and feel the the film, was far from worth the $13 for admission. If you want a entertaining gore-fest than Afterlife is for, but if you want a great story and phenomenal action sequences, than plenty of the other films out will deliver on just that.

Kickass Review:

Kickass

    The past decade has offered many successful comic adaptations, which not only nail the feel of the comic, but also entertain fans and audiences alike. In 2008 we were given “The Dark Knight” which is undoubtedly the most successful comic adaptation of all time, but the newest adaptation “Kickass” could very well be held to “The Dark Knight’s” standards.

     Kickass is a well made, hilarious, and highly entertaining comic adaptation that grabs the viewer in and doesn’t let them go till the credits roll. The acting is excellent and the visuals are stunning, but the best part about “Kickass” is it’s well told and well executed story.

     “Kickass” tells the story of a teenager named Dave Lizewski who dreams of being a superhero and eventually sets out to be one, throughout the film he meets more vigilantes, such as “Big Daddy” and “Red Mist”, but the most memorable of these heroes is “Hit Girl”, due to her excellent acting and hilarious dialogue. Eventually things get out of hand and it’s up to our heroes in order to save the day. The story gets more complex as you unravel each characters back story and the intentions of the villains. Much like past films like “Watchmen” the best part about the film is the characters backgrounds. Each character is given a decent enough back story that both keeps you intrigued and immersed into the characters, especially Nicholas Cage’s character “Big Daddy”.

Actors such as Nicholas Cage (no he doesn’t mess this up like “Ghost Rider”) actually make the film more enjoyable and well worth the ticket fee. Aaron Jackson does a great job in the lead role and Christopher Mintz-Plasse/McLovin is hilarious as “Red Mist”.  Chloe Moretz is the star of the show by far, but if you don’t like little girls killing bad guys and cursing throughout, than Kickass isn’t for you.

The film is violent, but not to the point of being unnecessary. Every fight scene is well executed and the film always has a signature style that helps it stand out. Kickass is definitely a comic adaptation for the books; it nails the comic’s feel, along with giving great performances and action sequences. It rises to fame, much like the “The Dark Knight” rather than plummeting like “Ghost Rider” (Sorry Nicholas Cage). Kickass is by far one of the best comic movies of all time, and all though a sequel is likely, I highly doubt that Matthew Vaughn  (Director) can top this. I recommend Kickass to anyone who wants a solid movie with great action, and dialogue that will surely be remembered. Hopefully Iron Man 2 will succeed like this.

4 out of 4 stars.

La Vie En Rose Review:

La Vie En Rose

La Vie En Rose is a fascinating and deeply moving, depiction of the famous French singer Edith Piaf. The film chronicles the life of Edith Piaf as you see her life change from living in the slums, all the way to her rise to fame. The film starts out with Edith as a little girl as you see of how hard her life was with her father joining the circus and her mother neglecting her. The film than takes a turn showing Edith as a young woman, along with giving an overview of how her talent was discovered. The film than concludes with the fall of Edith as you see her character fall apart due to a heroine addiction. The movie becomes more and more engaging as you see the beginning of Edith’s life become a depressing and dark future. Edith Piaf is portrayed by Marion Cotillard whose mesmerizing performance helps bring La Vie En Rose to life. Throughout the 2 ½ hour runtime, the film becomes more and more fascinating and moving as you see the rise and fall of the highly successful singer. The film never loses steam and is always a mesmerizing experience. The set design and pacing are impressive, but the biggest achievement is Marion Cotillard’s performance mostly due to the immersion that she puts into the character. The film has very few short comings that mostly include the lack of depth in the other characters in the movie, yet they are saved by the films excellent pacing. La Vie En Rose is a landmark in character immersion and is a fascinating portrayal of Edith Piaf life.
4 out of 4 stars

Zombieland Review:

Zombieland

Zombieland is a creative and hilarious movie that keeps you laughing throughout the entire duration. The movie does a great job of blending comedy with horror, but unlike some films such as “Jennifer’s Body” it gives you a clear understanding that it’s a comedy with horror elements, while “Jennifer’s Body” couldn’t decide which genre it was. The film feels a lot like past zombie comedy/horror movies such as “Shaun of the Dead”,but has enough ideas and comedic elements to help it standout. As far as plot the movie tells the tale of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) who is a paranoid teen who and bases his survival tactics on a list of rules that are explained throughout the film. Throughout the film Columbus meets different characters such as Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is one of the brighter points in the film due to his hilarious portrayal of the character. He also meets Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) whose personalities are interesting due to their motives and goals. Each character has their own distinct personalities and skills that help them overcome the obstacles that range form a zombie horde to zombie clowns. The films pacing is flawless and it never leaves you bored or uninterested. The Characters are all well portrayed and the overall plot keeps you entertained. Overall Zombieland offers up plenty of laughs and gore that will keep both horror fans and comedy fans entertained. Although the film does lose some of its humor towards the end compared to the beginning it is still a movie worth seeing.

A well deserved
3 ½ out 4

Clash of the Titans

    Remakes are hit or miss, but for the most part they are miss. Their are a few occasion where the directer actually nails what made the original so memorable, yet "Clash of the Titans" does the exact opposite. Rather than keeping the story from the first clash, this sequel adds more characters and subplots that not only add numerous plot holes, but also stray away from the original too much. Clash focus's more on the poorly executed 3-d sequences and visual special effects than remaining to the lore and story.
The acting is hardly passable due to a wooden performance from Sam Worthington, which is disappointing because of his entertaining performance in "Avatar". Sam can hardly led the movie due to the flawed script and the overwhelming C-G effects, in all honesty sams performance is almost as bad as Hayden Christensen's in "Jumper"(maybe not that bad).
   The film missed its mark, by a long shot and could of succeeded if the movie kept the plot from the original rather than leaving it for a more action oriented script. Liam Nessen can't even save this film. The acting is horrible, but with a few exceptions such as Ralph Fieenes who plays Hades. Ralph' brings a surprising amount of sadness to the film and actually makes you feel sorry for the lord of the underworld, but even a solid performance like his cant save the film.
   In conclusion the Acting is terrible, the plot is overflowed with subplots and the ending is as unsatisfying as the last "Transformers". The only thing keeping clash from no stars is that it was still entertaining at some points, Medusa's lair was by far the most well executed scene in the film, but the special effects were really the selling point for the film and it shows due to the underdeveloped plot. My advice would be to watch the original rather than wasting your money on a mediocre film, especially with so many good films just around the corner,such as Kickass and Iron Man 2. Clash of the Titans will only be remembered for being one of the worst remakes thus far.
1 1/2 stars out of 4

Avatar Review:

AVATAR

     After a decade of anticipation, Avatar has hit theaters both living up to its hype and being a box office smash. Avatar tells the tale of a paraplegic veteran named Jack Sully, who ventures to the planet of Pandora in 2154, but is soon torn between siding with his people or the natives of the planet. As the movie continues, you find out the reason for the human occupation, but you are given an even more insightful look at the native people and why they fight for their homeland.
    The film does a superb job of establishing its narrative and conflict, but at points felt like a revamped “Dancing with the Wolves.” The films narrative features a typical romance, but also an endearing back-story that helps make the conclusion all the more intense. Avatar has also received high praise for its technical aspects, mostly due to the photorealistic characters interacting with the live action characters. The visuals are breathtaking due to the terrific 3-D technology, which literally makes you feel like you have entered the world of Pandora. James Cameron puts a lot of detail and back story surrounding each character which makes them all engaging, and the world all the more stunning, but toward the end many of the plot twists are predictable and make the film feel cliché.
    All in all, Avatar is a war movie chronicling a final battle between humans and the natives, but without falling into the category of “Pocahontas-In-Space.” The action is intense, but never feels out of place like most films of the genre. Avatar is a perfect film for friends and family, but is the one movie that you have to see in order to get the full 3-D experience.  Avatar is a cinematic landmark and is truly deserving of all the praise that it has received.

3 ½ out of 4