Review of Recently Released Movies

The Deep Blue Sea 

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

~I am not going to lie...I rented this just for the eye candy that is Tom Hiddleston. But I can appreciate this for what it truly is...a film. Not a movie with predictable and ongoing dialogue and typical hollywood beauty. It is more aesthetically pleasing in the sense of...watching Rachel Weisz smoke a cigarette, the smoke turning the screen into a memory of her character, and you in the end found it 'beautiful.' Or the 'whirlwind' of her affair...the camera spinning around them, etc. And then the final moments of the film...hit pretty close to home. I have been in this situation (not the affair-but this type of relationship) where you love each other, more than anything...but you are also toxic and destructive to each other. I understood her pain, because I have felt it myself. If you are a light-hearted person that just loves to laugh, you should go watch Grease. If you are a person that is depressed or occasionally suffers from depression, you too should watch something else. If you are able to evaluate a film from a professional stand point...then I think this is the film for you!

B
Other suggestions: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Lost in Translation

The Hunger Games

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.
~I found the film to be pretty darn close to the book, considering the film is PG-13 and couldn't show some of the bloody and sometimes gruesome kills in the story. Overall I really enjoyed the film.
B+
Other suggestions: The Truman Show, Gran Torino

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
~I was surprised by this film! The house was creepy and the plotline was deeper than I expected. I was a little disturbed by how many times they showed the creatures-keep us guessing and wondering just a little bit!!! I am satisfied with the ending...although, (SPOILER) I always prefer happy endings...
C+
Other suggestions: The Ward, House, The Haunting

Trick 'r Treat

Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband.
~I am still unsure how I feel about this film. I cannot decide if I liked it or if I am indifferent. Four different plotlines...so we really didn't get to know the characters, random added scenes with characters we don't know, and no explanations to the question "why." But, one of the stories (the one that ends the film) was pretty creepy and disturbing...it actually grabbed my attention. Maybe this is one of those films you have to watch a couple of times to really appreciate.
C
Other suggestions: Halloween, Ginger Snaps, Pumpkinhead

The innkeepers

During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.
~I remember seeing a preview for this in the theatre, but never heard about it again until it was released on DVD/bluray. I decided to give it a try and boy was I happy I did. I LOVED it! I loved it enough to sit there and watch the entire movie again with the director's commentary. Some of you may be reading this, thinking "Really? It wasn't that great..." For me, this film had everything I love about horror films. It has the creepy setting in which the characters are slightly isolated, the moments that make you laugh, the background/ghost story, the adventuresome character that has to find out what that sound was...and then the finale...the ghost itself, no computer graphics needed. Just pure creepy, scary, jump out of your seat ghosts!
B+
Other suggestions: The Others, The Orphanage, Poltergeist

Man on a Ledge

As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion...

~I really wasn't interested in seeing this movie but I was out of options at the video store-yes, the video store-so I picked this one up. I can lump this film into the category of action, thriller...even though it's about a guy standing on a ledge. Overall, it was enjoyable...but not really my kind of movie.
C-
Other suggestions: Oceans 11, Contraband

In Time

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.
~A fun movie, but stocked full of cheesy lines and rediculous senarios. I love The Fifth Element....but In Time...was just WAY too out there for me. So much so that it was unbelievable.
C-
Other suggestions: The Final Cut, The Island



Gone

A woman is convinced her kidnapper has returned when her sister goes missing.

~Not much more to this movie than the synopsis. Oh, the police don't believe her sister was taken and the kidnapper (who we never know anything about) tricks Mander into one of his traps. Come on Amanda, give me something good to work with! :(
C-

American Reunion

Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion.

~Oh, you all know these folks! Well they are back again...ALL of them, for an after 10 year, before the 15 year, reunion. It took so long to wrap up everyone's story that the nasty, disturbingly funny gross outs were lacking in this film. Even so, still an enjoyable film. It was good to see the gang back together again!
C+
Other suggestions: American Pie, Van Wilder, Wedding Crashers



21 Jump Street

A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.

~Hilarious, rediculous and just plain cute! Cameo by some of the originals.
B-
Other suggestions: The Other Guys, Bad Teacher, Role Models

Daydream Nation

Tells the story of a city girl who moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate.
~There is just something about Kat that I don't like. Maybe it's because everything that comes out of her mouth is either sarcastic or a joke. Well she is full of jokes and sarcasm in this film but somehow...I really ended up liking her this time! Reece won my heart over and Josh kinda freaked me out (what are the odds!?) The film is very daydream-like with people floating down halls and the atmosphere being described over and over...I cannot deny...I actually like/loved this movie.
B
Other suggestions: Remember Me, The Notebook, Slumdog Millionaire