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Star Trek (2009)
Live Long and Prosper Star Trek
I really liked this movie. It had a good story, great action, likable characters, humor, and didn't try to overload itself.
J.J. Abrams, who previously directed "Mission: Impossible III", blew me out of the water with this film. You could know next to nothing about "Star Trek" and still enjoy it.
The film was very well cast, with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto doing superb jobs as Kirk and Spock, respectively. Zoe Saldana did well as Uhura, and Karl Urban was also a standout as Bones. Anton Yelchin, John Cho, and Simon Pegg fill out the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew very well, with several humorous one-liners from Pegg as Scotty.
Eric Bana plays Romulan baddie Nero, who wants revenge on Spock for something that has yet to occur. Bana played this role extremely well and had several standout moments. I'm still not sure why Tyler Perry (yes, that Tyler Perry) was in this, though. Look for a classic "Star Trek" character about midway through the film. Trust me, you won't miss him.
The action in this film is good too. There are several cool space battle scenes, and an intense confrontation between Kirk and Spock.
I'd recommend this movie for sci-fi fans, or people who love adventure movies.
Inception (2010)
Best movie of 2010, HANDS DOWN!
I was anticipating this movie since December 2009, when we got to see the teaser trailer. I watched it at least a dozen times. Then I saw the 2nd trailer. I then realized that this could be something special. I was wrong. It's much more than that.
Where to start? Let's start with Christopher Nolan. Nolan can now pitch any idea he comes up with to Warner Bros., and they'll green light it. He said he spent 8 years writing the script. That's dedication. "Inception" has what all movies should have. A good story, complex, interesting characters, a great score, good cinematography, and, as a bonus, great action scenes. Nolan has all that in "Inception".
The score of this movie is absolutely incredible, especially "Dream is Collapsing", and "Time". It's a dynamic, riveting score that pulls at your heart while you try to fully understand this film.
The acting is good. Pardon me, great. Leonardo Dicaprio does another fantastic job and may finally get a much deserved Oscar win (how he was not even nominated for his roles in "The Departed" and "Gangs of New York" is beyond me). Joseph Gordon-Levitt is thisclose to becoming a household name. He plays a really interesting character (Arthur), who makes you wonder why he continually works with Cobb (Dicaprio) after Cobb places them in danger by allowing memories of his deceased wife Mal into the dream scape. Mal, played by Marion Cotillard, gets the most screen time for a dead character in a movie I've ever seen. Ellen Page and Tom Hardy add depth and complexity to the dream team, while Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy are both great as adversaries to Cobb's plan. Oh, and since it a Nolan movie, Michael Caine's in it too. Big surprise.
The whole hallway, anti-gravity fight scene is one of the best action scenes I've ever had the pleasure of viewing.
I'm also glad Nolan didn't take the cheap way out and have the whole movie simply be a dream (Yeah! I'm talking to you, non-believers!).
All in all, this is an incredible, breathtaking movie that needs to be seen on a large screen.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Most Incredible Film I've Ever Seen
This movie surpasses the hype. It is incredible. Phenomenal. Breathtaking. Near-perfect. OK, I'm done.
Christopher Nolan has given us the Batman film we've been waiting for (though "Batman Begins" was pretty darn good too). From the acting, to the story, the action, the sets, the score (love it) to the sheer quotability of The Joker, this film blows your socks off. It grabs you and never lets go. I could watch this movie a thousand times and never tire of it.
The opening scene, the bank robbery, was a fantastic scene, and one of the best openings to a film EVER. The score is chilling and the fact that the robbers are taking each out really adds to it. Plus, when the bank manager, played by William Fitchner (my favorite cameo in a film) comes out with his shotgun, shooting at the remaining robbers, you really see the chaos involved with the whole robbery. Then you finally see....The Joker. Though brief, it sends chills down your spine.
The interrogation scene, the chase scene through the streets of Gotham, and the final confrontation between Batman and Joker all really stand out.
Christian Bale, though criticized by some, gives what I believe is the best portrayal of Bruce Wayne. He's not supposed to be the happy, billionaire playboy like his character from the 1940s. He's a dark, unhappy man who is the only one capable of doing what he does. Bale is great in this film. And if you still doubt Bale as an actor, go watch "Equilibrium" and "3:10 to Yuma".
Gary Oldman, my gosh, how many roles can this man play? He's been Commissioner Gordon, a Russian terrorist, Dracula, Sirius Black, whoever the heck he was supposed to be in "The Fifth Element". This man is versatile! He brings a lot of heart to an otherwise one-dimensional character. I might even say Oldman does the best job in the film, even better than Ledger, Eckhart, Caine, and Freeman.
Michail Caine and Morgan Freeman are both great, as usual, and provide good father-like figures for Bruce Wayne.
Aaron Eckhart does a fantastic job as Harvey Dent. I love how Nolan makes you care for the character, then tries to turn you against him. Eckhart gives a stellar performance.
Maggie Gyllenhaal should be banned from making movies. She can't act AT ALL. She was horrible. She was laughing during a dramatic scene! This isn't "Die Hard" or "Face/Off". This is "The Dark Knight"! Get with the program.
And finally, Heath Ledger. Ledger had already done some impressive work with "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale". This role has immortalized him in the film industry. He owned every single scene he was in. I've never seen a character like him. The voice alone was enough to frighten you, but add his ghoulish appearance and trigger-happy, knife-wielding, cackling attitude, and you got one scary dude. Love it.
This film scared the crap out of me when I saw it, and I still get chills watching it. This is what movies should aspire to be.
RED (2010)
Old People CAN be Entertaining
I was pleasantly surprised with this film. Yes, I did choose to see it but it was better than I expected. The movie has a good, easy to follow story, loads of action, humor, and a tad bit of romance.
Bruce Willis was the selling point for me to see this film originally but John Malkovich was great. He truly stole every scene he was in. I wish he were to get nominated for a Best Supporting Actor at The Acadamy Awards, but, knowing them, they'll nominate a bunch of dudes from movies we've never heard of. Morgan Freeman was good (as always) even though he only had about 15 minutes of screen time. Helen Mirren and Mary Louise-Parker were both very good as the femme fatale and Karl Urban did his usual "I'll look mad for the next 2 hours" routine that he also used in "LOTR 2 & 3", "The Bourne Supremacy", and "Star Trek". I also enjoyed the surprise appearances of Brian Cox and Richard Dreyfuss, who both played crucial roles in the film. Brian Cox is a real versatile actor and doesn't get the recognition that he deserves.
I'd recommend this movie to people 15 or older who enjoy, action-humor movies, old people, machine guns, or John Malkovich. Really hoping for a sequel (which Michael Caine and Jon Voight should audition for).
Iron Man 2 (2010)
A Solid Sequel
I really liked this movie. Robert Downey Jr. is, in my mind, the second best actor at portraying a certain superhero, #1 being Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. RDJr is Tony Stark and knocks it out of the park with his performance. You can't help but love the guy. He's funny, narcissistic, caring, and honest. He was absolutely fantastic in the senate hearing scene.
Gwyneth Paltrow is starting to grow on me. I didn't care for her in "Iron Man" but she seemed to do a pretty decent job in this. I hope they turn her into Rescue in "Iron Man 3".
Don Cheadle also impressed me as Rhodey/War Machine. He's a much better actor than Terrence Howard, who is now stuck doing "Law and Order: L.A.". Seeing Rhodey return as an Avenger would be sweet.
Rourke was great as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash. I just wish he'd gotten more screen time. I also didn't care for his battle armor at the end of the movie. It looked kind of stupid.
Scarlett Johansson (mm, mm) was mostly there to draw in the other males who were hesitant about seeing this. It probably worked. I'm especially glad we'll see her again in "The Avengers". Also, to any Marvel execs who might happen upon this: PLEASE MAKE A BLACK WIDOW MOVIE!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!! Sam Rockwell was also good, though a tad annoying, as Justin Hammer (with his Hammeroids. great line from RDJ). He seemed liked he really had fun with the role.
Samuel L. Jackson. Enough said. He was in 2 scenes as Nick Fury and he was great. Samuel L. Jackson is a real crowd pleaser and never ceases to entertain us.
The action was pretty good, except for the final battle (Iron Man and War Machine vs. Whiplash). It seemed too short and not much happened.
This movie is also very funny. When Natalie is introduced is a great scene (for several reasons) and, as I wrote earlier, the senate scene was my favorite scene.
Jon Favreau, the director, really seems to know what he's doing. I hope is somehow involved with "The Avengers".
All in all, this is a good action packed superhero adventure that will make you laugh and want to watch it again and again.