CRAP ALERT! The Day The Earth Stood Still

Please! Do yourself a favor: Save your money and DO NOT see this film. It is complete trash! Let me start off by saying how unbelievable the plot is. Yes, I personally do believe in other life forms outside of Earth and yes I do believe that we have come in contact with them several times, but this is just completely unrealistic. They have this sphere-looking alien space ship land in Central Park in New York City of all places. Why the hell would the aliens want to land their ship in Central Park of all places? The desert would be a more practical place. Also, why land it in America in the first place; why not some remote island? They have this alien come off the ship which is later found out to be of human form. This "alien" is none other than Keanu Reeves who I can't stress enough how poor an actor he is. He plays an alien named, Klaatu, who pals up with a doctor and her step son and drive around in the suburbs all night in their car. The step son is none other than Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, who also cannot act. Yea many people think he's cute and all, but the kid can't act worth shit. So all in all.. you have a bunch of mediocre actors playing in the what seems to be the 2008 "end of the world movie of the year" (they didn't show the President's face but I guarantee he was black like in all the other apocalyptic movies). They probably didn't show his face because they didn't know who was going to win the election. Anyway, I'm getting off track. The movie sucked. It is very unrealistic. I should have gone to see Benjamin Button which I will write a review on shortly.

Picture of the Month (January): Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading is a very entertaining film. I consider it to be a comedy with many twists and turns that intertwines the lives of several people who all struggle from various problems. It takes place in Washington, D.C. and the plot evolves around this disc of private information that may or may not be of any importance, but nonetheless, it causes a stir of mishaps. I think that the greatest thing about this film was the all star cast and the superb acting. However, one thing that struck me was the fact that there wasn't a single black person in the whole movie. In this day and age I expected at least one black actor and actress to even play a stereotypical judge, but there was nothing. Anyway, the film is definitely worth watching and I strongly recommend it.

Picture of the Month (December): Irreversible

Irreversible is a french film directed by Gaspar Noe. The movie has a revenge plot taken place in reverse chronological order. The cinematography is unique and might give you motion sickness but the plot nonetheless is brilliant. It is somewhat scary because the situations that take place can actually happen to anyone. Alcohol and poor decisions go hand in hand and when it meets danger, things can happen that are irreversible. "Time destroys all things." -- movie quote. The film is somewhat disturbing and exceeds an R rating in my opinion. If you want a heavy dose of reality, this film is for you.

Movies To Look Out For: Watchmen

3/6/09

Picture of the Month (November): Gone Baby Gone

I was swept away by Gone Baby Gone. Not only was the acting phenomenal but the humanizing of the characters was so well done that you (the watcher) feel that you are part of the story. As much as I dislike Ben Affleck and think that he is a mediocre actor, I believe that Casey Affleck (Ben's younger brother) is a true rising star. Gone Baby Gone takes place in Boston and the story line follows a child abduction taken place in a low-income neighborhood. The film potrays what we see on the news almost on a daily basis involving child abductions. There are a number of twists and turns throughout the film and in the end, makes you think long and hard about a moral issue that you never expected anyone to face.

Top Ten Gangster Films (Post Film Noir)

This was tough but I limited my list to what I think are the top 10 gangster films (post film noir era). I admit; since Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino are my favorite actors, many of their movies appear on the list. However, I would imagine that most will agree with the list.

X. Carlito's Way

IX. The Departed

VIII. Heat

VII. Pulp Fiction

VI. Mean Streets

V. Scarface

IV. Casino

III. The Godfather II

II. Goodfellas

I. The Godfather

Top Ten Most Disturbing Films of All Time

The following films in the list are the most disturbing films of all time. I never thought I'd say that I'd advise someone NOT to watch a film, however, there is an exception. I would not advise anyone to watch the film, Caligula. It is too disturbing and considered today to be "the most expensive porno ever made". There are accounts of the Caligula actors saying that they are "ashamed" to have participated in such a picture. Cannibal Holocaust is also an extremely horrific and disturbing film. I am surprised til this day how the filmmakers were able to shoot certain scenes. The killing of live animals throughout the film is too hard to stomach. One thing that really upsets me is to see animals suffer and die a slow death. Someone is going to Hell. Salo Or The 120 Days Of Sodom, is also a film that is considered to be too disturbing for the average movie viewer. If there is a Hell, I expect it to be exactly like what goes on throughout this movie. Not only does it rape and murder in the most unconventional form, it pushed the envelope to see how far you can really go.

X. Freaks

IX. I Spit On Your Grave

VIII. Irreversible

VII. In My Skin

VI. Bad Boy Bubby

V. El Topo

IV. Eraserhead

III. Salo Or The 120 Days Of Sodom [Do Not Watch]

II. Cannibal Holocaust [Do Not Watch]

I. Caligula [Do Not Watch]