Change Your Image
blondy360
Reviews
Joshua (2007)
My new favorite movie!!!!
OK, so just in case you haven't seen the move, THE TRAILER IS PRETTY MISLEADING. When people watch the trailer, it leads them to believe that "Joshua" is something like "The Good Son" - a cool film about a psycho little brat who just likes to kill people for one reason or another. "Joshua" is something else entirely, and ten times what I was expecting when I rented the DVD.
Joshua is not a child psychotic - he's a boy with an IQ much, much higher than the norm, and he knows that he's living in an environment that's not healthy. But, he is still a child and he's not really had enough experience in the world to know what's crossing the line between right and wrong. It also helps that his face is very cute but can easily be very scary at the same time. Like a little Cillian Murphy.
When watching the film for the second time, I realized that it makes the parents out to be bad characters without them actually being bad. They are the reason Joshua wants out and the reason he's a little bit whacked. When he was born, it turned their home into a hellhole, driving his parents (mostly the mother)insane to the point of having him surrounded only by rage and anger. The mother is still pretty crazy and the father over-stressed and over-worked, and Joshua manipulates that to his advantage.
All the performances are COMPLETELY believable, and only enhanced by the fact that none of the actors are recognizable and therefore seem more like someone you may meet on the street. Jacob Kogan's acting was on par with the intensity and believability of Haley Joel Osment's in The Sixth Sense. The intelligence of this film is beyond anything that I have seen before in thrillers of similar subjects, and moves the rest of them WAY down in rank.
20/10. No question.
The Bone Collector (1999)
Good movie with a lame ending
"The Bone Collector" is an intense thriller with superb acting. Angelina Jolie is very good as Amelia and Denzel Washington is wonderful as always. It's a nice change to have cop who was paralyzed from the neck down. The character of Eddie Ortiz was hilarious, and Queen Latifah was also brilliant although her role wasn't very big.
However, the ending was very cliché. Keep in mind that the killer's true identity was VERY hard to predict. But his REASONS for killing Linkin were pretty lame. Another serial killer out on a revenge path? Geez, where have I seen that before?
Also, it doesn't really make sense that if the Linkin's doctor was the killer, then that means they were in the room together countless times since Linkin's accident. Not to mention that there's one line that clearly states, "Jesus, he was trying to send messages even then." So he would have had plenty of opportunities when Linkin was alone in his apartment with just Thelma, who the doc killed anyway. Amelia coming up behind him and shooting him in the back JUST in time was incredibly predictable as well.
One last thing. This movie would've been SO much better, cliché ending and all, if there hadn't been any romance between Amelia and Linkin!
Anyhow, still worth watching.
6/10
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Leaves you absolutely breathless!!!!
I could go on and on and on forever about how good this movie is. The casting was absolutely perfect, the writing flawless, the cinematography beyond compare, the soundtrack engaging, and it all came together to deliver one of the few films that hook, grab, and pull you until you are watching everything so closely you feel as if you are right there with the characters. You gasp, you cry, you smile, you flinch, you jump, and your heart might even skip a beat or two.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview brilliantly - a frightening, truthful performance that leaves you shivering. Paul Dano is absolutely incredible as Eli Sunday, a young evangelic priest who is corrupted by the wealth of the oil business. His sermons were so intense and so real that I did in fact believe it was actually happening right in front of me for a few minutes. An amazing debut by Dillon Freasier as Plainview's son, H.W. Plainview - this kid is more than a natural; he was born for it.
I'm going to stop now before I begin to rant. "There Will Be Blood" is the best movie of the decade - period.
15/10!!!
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Even better than the first!!
The first National Treasure film was an entertaining, fun ride that kept you on your toes and laughing - nothing immensely spectacular, but fully enjoyable and something I wouldn't mind seeing repeatedly. Book of Secrets, however, left it far behind. I watched this with my parents and brother, and every one of us went into that theater with very little hope that this would turn out to be anything close to the first. But we were all blown away by the enhanced comedy and the new characters like Ben's mother (Helen Mirren) and Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris). The relationship between Ben's parents was hilarious and realistic despite their unrealistic surroundings. The scene when Ben pretends to be drunk in Buckingham Palace, though, was the absolute BEST!!!! And Riley is there as always with his infamous humor and sarcasm with every move he makes. I give Book of Secrets a 9/10 because the who was going to die at the end was quite predictable - but really, who else was there besides Mitch?
The Polar Express (2004)
An entertaining and very enjoyable movie I'm sure my kids will enjoy one day.
"The Polar Express" is a great accomplishment for Castle Rock and the Warner Bros. The animation and detail is incredible, the sound is perfect, and all the characters are realistic and believable (excepting, of course, Santa himself). My favorite character was the Hobo on the roof of the train - he was very funny and strange, and Tom Hanks was perfect for his voice. The soundtrack is beautiful and fits the story very well.
As for the plot - Sure, they added a few characters and events to make it a better movie, but it really adds to the quality. The book is a classic, and this film honors it rather than ravaging it.
The only reason I give it 9/10 rather than 10/10, is the know-it-all boy on the train. Everything about him is irritating, especially his voice, which sounds like it came out of South Park (one of the worst TV shows ever made), and doesn't even remotely sound like a child. And the worst part about him: he just won't shut up.
Other than that, this movie is absolutely fantastic!! I recommend it to everyone.
Bedazzled (2000)
Not the best, but definitely amusing
Bedazzled is the perfect comedy to watch while pulling an all-nighter. Keeps you awake and there are some genuinely funny bits. But the overall idea of it is rather idiotic and pointless. A dweeb wants to be popular and has a huge crush on a woman he'll never be with. He meets the Devil, or rather she introduces herself, and she gives him seven wishes, but he mucks them up. Seems a little like a rip-off of Gail Carson Levine's "The Wish" if you've ever read it.
Brendan Fraser is all right, and the same goes for Frances O'Connor. Elizabeth Hurley as the Devil is hilarious at first but dulls after a bit.
Overall, I'd give Bedazzled a 6/10.
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1996)
Bad actors, bad script, bad idea, BAD MOVIE
I hope nobody ever makes a film at this level again. Worst film I've EVER seen. So many goofs that are totally obvious, terrible acting that lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever, badly written script, lame plot line, FAR from perfect cast, and no visible effort whatsoever. I really, really, really wish there was a 0/10, because that's what I'd rate it. I watched this with my 11 year old brother and he was literally rolling on the floor, laughing until tears came out of his eyes at the stupidity of the possessed monkey. I mean, come ON! A wizard walks around in the modern world with a drawing looking for a demonic toy monkey that clangs a tiny pair of cymbals to kill somebody? Don't make me laugh...
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
Funny, witty, accurate, and absolutely beautiful
I saw an advanced screening of Charlie Bartlett at my school with a Q&A session with the writer and director last April, and I must say, I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in a VERY long time.
Anton Yelchin is Charlie Bartlett, a young rich boy who has just gotten kicked out of his private school for forging driver's licenses for his fellow students in an attempt to gain some acceptance. As a last resort, his strange mother, played wonderfully by Hope Davis, puts him into public school. At first, he is treated horribly as the 'new boy', until he appoints himself as the school psychiatrist and pharmacist, and the students begin to love him, fulfilling his dreams of popularity. Meanwhile, he begins an intimate relationship with Principal Goldberg's daughter, leading to many conflicts between Charlie and the principal.
Anton Yelchin portrays Charlie flawlessly - the best part was when he got high off of Ritalin - and Kat Dennings was just beautiful. Hope Davis, as always, played his eccentric mother wonderfully, and Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely great.
For any of you who are wondering about Mark Rendall's role in this film, he has a relatively large part as Kip Cromwell, the unpopular, depressed boy who comes to Charlie for help. I must say he is AMAZING. He does a beautiful job expressing his character's many and layered emotions.
Anyhow, GREAT MOVIE!!! Do whatever you can to see it as soon as you can. I would give it an 11/10 if I could!!
The Mighty (1998)
There have been very few films that have made me cry. This one made me weep.
Every single cast member gives a riveting and moving performance in The Mighty, a beautiful film about the power and strength of friendship and imagination and especially faith. Max is a giant stuck in 7th grade because of his low IQ. He forges a very close friendship with newcomer Kevin, a tiny scientific genius with a severe back deformity. Max protects Kevin from bullies, and Kevin teaches Max about the Knights of the Round Table. With Kevin on Max's shoulders, they go around on adventures and doing good deeds like their heroes, the Knights.
My only problem with this film is that I think Sharon Stone gets way too much credit. Don't get me wrong, she does an amazing job. It's just that I don't think her role is that big compared to the rest. Other than that, it's AMAZING!!!!!
In the words of another enthusiastic commenter: "Rent it, buy it, SEE IT!!!"
Red Eye (2005)
Amazing
I saw this movie with my younger brother, who enjoyed it as much as I did. Wes Craven is at his absolute best with "Red Eye," an excellent film about how not all people in this world are good and how you never know just by looking who's bad. I saw Red Eye because I am a huge fan of Cillian Murphy, and, honestly, he should play bad guys more often!
Rachel McAdams is Lisa Reisert, a woman working at a hotel who is targeted by Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). Rippner seems to be a nice friendly guy until the plane takes off. The plot had unexpected twists, like Lisa stealing a pen from Headphone Boy and stabbing Jackson in the voice box. The fight scene in Lisa's dad's house is one of my absolute favorite fight scenes of all the movies I've seen. Red Eye is well directed, well-written, and the acting is superb.
10/10!
The Good Son (1993)
I am NEVER EVER watching Home Alone the same way again....
I watched this movie for the first time with my cousin last September, and I have to say I'm not a huge fan of psychological thrillers, but this one hooked my attention within the first 10 minutes. I was on the edge of my seat from the car accident to the cliff drop. I think most people say they don't like it just because they hate Elijah Wood or Macaulay Culkin, and they are both EXCELLENT in this movie. Sure, there are some lines that could be said better, but every movie has its flaws, right? Elijah Wood does a great job being the kid who nobody believes and Culkin is amazing as a boy without a conscience. Definitely Culkin's best film. My favorite quote:
HENRY: You like my little sister, don't you? Such a sweet little girl... It'd be too bad if something were to happen to her; if she got hurt... You'd be sad, wouldn't you, Mark? But hey, accidents will happen. Just ask my mom about Richard.
Ten out of ten!!!!