Reviews

Have you ever gotten a prank call at home or work? Did they pretend to be some kind of authoritative person? A superior where your work or the police, and if they told you to do something did you do it. That is essentially what is going on in Compliance except it delves deeper into the darker side of human nature. What I and many people probably won't before seeing this movie is it is very closely based on a true story. It happened only a few years ago. As most of you know there are obviously scammers and prank callers operating all the time. Well in the mid-1990's to 2004 there was a prank calling, calling restaurants, fast food restaurants and grocery stores in rural parts of the country claiming to be a detective for the police. The man then convinces managers or whoever in charge to commit acts, like forcing female employee's to strip and do strip searches, confining them and other things. The incident the film is based on and the one that got the prank caller arrested happened in 2004 in Mount Washington, Kentucky at a McDonald's. The caller who is a man called the McDonald's during the night shift and got the assistant manager Donna Summers. He managed to convince her he was a detective with the police. He then told her that one of her female employee's is believed to have stolen money. He describes what Donna believes is Louise Ogborn one of the employee's on duty. The man says there are no officer's available to come out and needed her help. During the night Donna would confine Louise, take her car keys and wallet, force her to strip and while Donna is away Louis would be sexually assaulted. The guy was only caught because the maintenance worker Thomas Simms who refused to follow the callers demands. Donna finally decided to call her boss, who the detective said he had been on the phone earlier with. When she got in touch with the manager, the manager said he had been asleep and had never talked to the police. Donna quickly tried to star 69 the caller, but he hung up. The man was David R. Stewart who was married with five children. He was caught through tracing the phone calls he made, and the purchasing of prepaid phones. The incident is disturbing enough, but what happens after could be more disturbing. Steward was tried, but was acquitted. Why because there was no real evidence. Sure he made the calls, but he didn't force anyone to do anything. Steward wasn't holding a gun to anyone's head Donna and managers at the other places he called all willing did what he asked. It's really is disturbing incident, especially that a married man with five children would do this.

The story is gripping and riveting, but some people may find it hard to believe that people would easily believe someone over the phone claiming to be a police officer and doing the things like what Donna did. Especially if the people watching it don't know that it actually happened only a few years ago. I had a little trouble believing the story as well. I believe I wouldn't do what the characters did in the film or what actually happened, but I can't understand nothing like that has happened like that to me, so who knows. You also have to remember that human beings in general are followers who easily take orders and are controlled treating others badly, killing, raping and going to war just because we are told to. The story stays really close to actually what happened. Only the names changed. Like McDonald's wasn't used and the names of the characters are different. People may also not like this film because it's unflinching in the short film time in about one and a half hours. I'm sure people will find Compliance to be thrilling film that delves into the dark side of human nature and our reliance on authority figures or an unbelievable and boring film. Either way I think its good it will draw attention to the incident that I had no idea that happened, and that I'm sure few others did as well and that things like this still happen today.

The acting is perhaps the best part of the film. Ann Dowd (Sandra) plays the character based on Donna. She is gripping as the manager as she forces Becky (Dreama Walker) to do lewd acts and other things, especially the emotion on Sandra's face when she realizes it was all a prank call, and what she had done. The recognizable actor in the film for me was Dreama Walker who I recognized from Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 which I like. She plays Beck the character based on Louise Ogborn. Dreama is compelling as Becky as she is threatened and force by the Officer Daniels (Pat Healy: The prank caller) and her boss Sandra surrender her keys strip and do other things. Dreama effortlessly displays the confusion, hurt, fear, sadness and shock that her character goes through the night. Bill Camp plays Van Sandra's fiancé who is reluctantly brought into the mess by Sandra, and Pat Healy plays the prank caller who does a brilliant job, as you are shown shots of him relaxing in his home with not a care in the world or showing any remorse at what he was getting these people to do.

You can see the rest of my review at Movieweb.com under Huntsman.

Direct to Video or B movies used to mean a bad story, b or c list stars, and mediocre action/horror/effects. The 1970's, 1980's, and the early 1990's were the hay day for these kinds of films. Films such as Piranha and Piranha II, Space Rage, Moon 44, Rising Storm, and the endless serial killer/horror movies to name a few. Things began to change in the mid 1990's and the invention of the DVD, but I really believe it was the endless the many B movie companies, and the Big ones seeing the chance to make money decided to get involved also, which put more money and better stars into the movies. Stars like Eric Roberts, Keith David, Val Kilmer, Michael Maidson, Roy Schieder, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, and above average to good films like End Game, Unthinkable, The Peacekeeper, Chaos, Executive Target, Edison, and Streets of Blood to name a few. Direct to DVD isn't a bad thing anymore and a quiet a few of them are as good if not better than films being release in theaters now, which leads me to The Big Bang.

The Big Bang is a suspense/drama/comedy starring Antonio Banderas, William Fichtner, Sienna Guillory, Thomas Kretschmann, and Delroy Lindo. The plot follows Ned Cruz (Antonio Banderas) waking up in a police interrogation room with three police officers Detective Poley (William Fichtner), Detective Skeres (Deloroy Lindo), and Dectective Frizer (Thomas Kretschmann). The three detectives begin to question Ned, and Ned begins his story which he tells in the first person and narrates it. The story starts up when private detective Ned Cruz is finishing up a case for a high profile and eccentric actor Johnny Nova played well by James Van Der Beek. What ensues is funny as Johnny Nova's house blows up after Ned leaves with his payment nearly killing him. Ned is questioned by Det Frizer but let go. Ned returns to his office and about to head out when Anton Protopov (Robert Maillet) asks Ned to find a woman names Lexie Persimmon (Sienna Guillory) who had been writing him in prison. The thrilling suspense/drama ensues mixed beautifully with comedy.

The acting was superb, although Kretschmann, Lindo, and Fichtner don't have to do much in the film. That being said their still brought out their A games, and made their characters interesting. Banderas was excellent in this film mixing a straight face with comedy wonderfully. In my opinion the minor actors steal the show. Sam Elliott (Simon Kestral) playing a recluse billionaire, Robert Maillet who is a huge and scary man plays a very likable character. Jimmi Simpson (Niels Geck) who plays the lead scientist for Simon's experiment. Then there is Sienna Guillory the beautiful actress who by the end the movie has stole the show with her beauty and acting. There is even Snoop Dog who plays a porn director who did a good job and as always enjoyed his scenes.

The action was few and far between, but it works for this film. I find that most Hollywood films coming out now try to stuff action down our throats. I can understand why most Americans now don't have long attention spans so studios have to have explosion, car chase, or someone being killed every five minutes. I think that hurts films it takes away from the story, the actors, and characters, which makes a good film into an average one, or a bad film into an average one. The Big Bang doesn't try to stuff violence and action down your throats. It doesn't have to, it has a great story, with good acting, and decent action.

Overall this is a great film, and better than many movies that have come out into the theaters recently. I gave this film 5/5 stars and recommend everyone see this. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Let me say I've never read the Green Lantern comic when I did read and collect them. I was never really interested in DC comics. The just didn't have compelling characters outside of Batman and I only started reading Batman after I saw the movie back in 1989. Right now I can't name any of the major hero's from DC outside of Batman, Superman, and Wonderwoman. I can name Flash also but that's only because of the TV series that came out back and 1990 which was a good show. I think that's the problem with DC comics as a whole their hero's aren't as well known or recognized outside of the big two Batman/Superman while Marvel has many likable and recognizable characters like Captain America, Spiderman, Wolverine, Daredevil, to name a few and even a lesser know character like the Punisher is probably better known than the majority of the hero's/Villains in DC comics. So I don't think there will be many who truly enjoy this movie outside of the ones who read the comic.

Now I don't want you to think this is the worst comic book movie out there but it is the worst of the this summer by far. But there have been worst. The Fantastic Four movie that was never released. I have a friend who has a VHS copy of the movie and the movie is the worst comic book movie I've seen. Jonah Hex, Catwoman, Ghost Rider, Punisher: War Zone to name a few of the terrible ones. No I'd but Green Lantern on the level of the first newer Fantastic Four movie which was bad but not horrible.

I liked that DC and Warner Brothers took a chance with this character. Since reading into the back history of the character he has to travel to other planets and fight in space. So this is the first comic book movie I can think of that takes place much of the film in space. It's a risk I don't think many movie studio's or Marvel will risk right now. So I need to give DC and WB credit for taking a chance on some levels it worked well. For example in taking us to a alien world and introducing us to alien Green Lanterns. I'll get to what I didn't like about this later on in my review.

Next I liked Ryan Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. Ryan Reynolds(Hal Jordan) is a good but not great actor who has done mostly comedies. He does bring life to Hal Jordan but the writing and script didn't help him much. After seeing this movie I'd have preferred if he had done DEADPOOL. I think he was born to do that character but I don't know if it's going to happen. I hope after this movie bombs which I'm pretty sure it will studio's will still give him a chance to star. Then there's Blake Lively(Carol Ferris) who plays Hal's love interest. Again she is hampered by the bad script but she still brings her beauty and charisma along with her acting talent to this film to brighten it up. She's one of the few bright spots in the show Gossip Girl and was outstanding in THE TOWN. Sadly these are the only two characters who are the least bit interesting.

Finally there's the special effects which were good but not great. Going into this movie I thought from trailers this would be the worst part but I was wrong the effects were pretty good. The worlds I saw were believable and the alien characters looked alive.

There is the story/writing of the movie. You won't understand anything if you haven't read the comic. Outside the Narration in the beginning you don't get anything. Not details on who the Lantern's are or who the immortal guardians are and this supposed great evil in Parallax. Then there is the high school script and dialog is out of a a student film you'd expect a child to write. That's how bad it was some of the lines were laughable when they were clearly not intended to be. Finally there's the two useless bad guys which were uninteresting and weren't really that bad or at least didn't seem that bad. Loki and Sebastian Shaw in Thor and X-Men: First Class seem more alive and evil than the two bad guys in this film combined.

Now we go to all the useless actors in the film. Tim Robbins(Senator Hammond) is a ghost in this film as you won't remember him once he's gone along with virtually all the other actors except for the two I mentioned above. That includes Angela Bassett(Dr. Amanda Waller), Jay O. Sanders(Carl Ferris), Geoffrey Rush(Voice of Tomar-Re), and Michael Clarke Duncan(Voice of Kilowog) to name a few. Then there is Peter Sarsgaard(Hector Hammond) who I guess was supposed to be tortured soul/villain but he was uninteresting and unlikable and wasn't much of a villain. Finally there is Mark Strong(Sinestro). Mark is a good actor and makes a good villain. Sadly he was underused in this film and I wish he had been the bad guy and I hoped he would have been when the guardians gave him a yellow ring. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and we were stuck with Hammond and Parallax.

You'd think the action and special effects would coincide with each other but the don't with this film. While the special effects were pretty good the action was terrible and downright boring. I heard this movie cost around 175 million to make and you'd think with that much of a budget they'd have better action. I can't think of one good action scene in this film and the climax where Parallax invades earth and chases Hal Jordan around the solar system is terrible.

Mars of the future has become a flooded, ice-covered planet where humanity lives in drifting city-ships. The economy has turned bad since the end of an off-world war reduced demand for water, the planet's main export, making work hard to get for Gram and his friends, and governmental corruption only worsens the situation. The environment makes a perfect setting for pirates using futuristic submarines, who regularly raid the city-ships for supplies. The most renowned and feared of the pirate vessels is the Ship of Aurora, which makes a habit of reselling its booty cheap so that it can be redistributed to less fortunate folk. Such a problem do the pirates pose that the Earth government, which still controls Mars, has dispatched an elite team of fresh military recruits to help deal with their threat. The story follows Gram River who joins the pirate ship Aurora and his ex girl friend Vestemona Lauren who is part of the military out to get Gram and the crew of the Aurora.

I really enjoyed this anime. Though the overall story wasn't original it did bring a few new ideas. For example, Mars covered in water, and the design of the Mecha used in the anime. The story also did a great job mixing the elements of drama, action, romance, and a little comedy. The characters were also great, Gram River, Chrysalis Milch, Enora Taft and all the rest. They brought the anime to life. The animation was done by BONES. I was disappointed with them, after all their the ones who did RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Eureka Seven. Though it was still good, it just didn't live up to their standards. Another small problem I had was the music, which lacked emotion to add to the series.

Overall a very good anime, that's worth checking out.

This review is for both the series and two movies.

First is the story. It begins in the year 2000 when a disaster nearly destroys Antarctica and kills billions of people. It's first thought to be a natural disaster, but was actually a experiment sponsored by a organization called SEELE and carried out by GEHIRN. Fast forward to t...he year 2010 GEHIRN has changed into NERV a military organization. NERV's primary mission is to locate creatures called Angles and destroy them. The primary story follows Shinji Ikari who decides to join NERV and his father is the head of NERV.

Now onto all the problems with this show.

First is the story: I'm not sure what the creators of this series/movies were trying to do, but they failed miserably. The story as it went on from episode to episode and movie to movie just got worse and worse as it went a long. The story was incoherent and didn't make any sense. I don't mind series that try to have a higher meaning, but at least make some kind of sense at the end, express something even if it's that everyone dies.

Second the characters: I think this might have been my biggest problem with the series. The characters brought nothing to the series. The main character Shinji has to be one of the worst if not the worst anime character ever. He had no depth, emotion, and didn't try me in. He was just annoying, and I wanted him to die almost from the beginning, the same with most of the other ones. I can't think of on character I actually liked.

Third the animation: The animation done by GAINAX is terrible it looks like something done by in the 60s or 70s. Hell I think Speed Racer looks better than this series.

Overall this is the worst anime series ever and most overrated series I've seen. I really don't understand why people like it. If they want to see a great anime series with meaning then you should check out series like Saikano, RahXephon, and Now and Then, Here and There just for example. Just skip this series and movie, you'll life will be much better off.

First a brief summary of the plot. The story takes place in a alternate earth in a country called Amestris. Alchemy is used heavily in this world, unlike our own. The story follows Edward and Alphonse Eleric brothers on their search for the Philosopher stone to restore their bodies they had lost when they tried to bring their mother back to life. They join the STATE ALCHEMIST under Roy Mustang so they can sear...ch better for the stone. Now onto the many reasons why this series is perfect.

First the story: It's simply brilliant, I've seen nothing like it. The story is captivating, it draws you in and never lets you go. It mixes drama, action/adventure, religion, family, and fantasy perfectly. It's emotionally charged as you follow Ed and Al on their tragic journey. There are no flaws int the story, it even surprises you when one of the main characters dies, which will surprise you and even bring tears to your eyes.

Second are the Characters: Simply Perfect. There are many characters from Ed and Al to Roy, Winry, Riza Hawkeye, Maes Hughes, Scar, Lust, and many others. Each bring something to the series and engage you into the series. Of course my favorite character is the one who ended up getting killed, I won't say which one, but it drew me even more into the series. As the story progresses onto the second half of the series you'll be introduced to even more great characters.

Third is the Animation: The animation was excellent. It was done by Bones which has done other great series like WOLF'S RAIN, RAHXEPHON, EUREKA SEVEN, and MARS DAYBREAK.

Fourth the music: It was classic. The music which was mostly classic style was breathtaking and added extra emotion to the show.

Overall Fullmetal Alchemist is perfect series which makes statements about war, religion and family. It is a must to any anime fan. Though skip the movie it adds nothing to the series and isn't good. I don't even think of it as part of the series.

There are only two anime series/OVA/movie I've seen that are nearly perfect if not perfect. Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist are the only ones.

Cowboy Bebop follows Spike, Jet, Faye and Edward as bounty hunters aboard the spaceship Bebop. Now onto the many reasons why this anime series is perfect.

First the story: Which blends comedy, drama, action, adventure, Sci-fi and even some romance perfectly like no other show. Most of the series are one episode stories yet I think are all connected in the... development of the characters. The story of each individual episode is done perfectly giving a beginning a middle and end with no lose ends. The action is brilliant and I still haven't seen anything to compare to it. Finally we have the last few episodes leading to the ending. I won't give anything away to the people who unfortunately haven't seen this series, just it will blow you away.

Second the characters: Again done perfectly. Each character has their own unique personality who grows as the show goes along. Spike who used to work for Red Dragon crime organization and his haunted by his past. Jet a former police officer who is now working with a criminal, and his haunted by the mistake he made in the past. Faye who awakes from a 54 year cryogenic sleep with no memory of her past, who lives for the moment. Finally Edward a eccentric computer genius, who ran away from her father. Each character brings life to the series and draws you in caring about what happens to each of them.

Third the animation: The animation done by Sunrise is simply brilliant, and is still amazing after 10 years.

Forth the soundtrack: The music to the series is the perhaps the greatest soundtrack to anime series ever. It has a little of everything from Rock, classic, Jazz, Heavy Metal and others. Each adding something extra to the series. I even have the soundtrack to the series Fifth the Influence: Cowboy Bebop has Influenced many series much like Trigun. Shows like BLACK LAGOON, SAMURAI CHAMPLOO, and others. I think that's a great compliment.

Overall Cowboy Bebop is a perfect anime series and is must to any anime fan

10,000BC is directed by Roland Emmerich The guy who directed average to bad movies in The Day After Tomorrow, The Patriot, Stargate, and the absolutely terrible movie Godzilla. So I wasn't expecting it to be a four or five star movie, but I didn't think it would be terrible. His movies are at least entertaining. This wasn't. Here's what was bad about the movie, then I'll give the one thing I liked.

1. The incoherent story, just didn't make any sense.

2. Bad acting and dialog, it was just funny.

3. The narrator. All he did was point out the obvious. Hollywood must really think people in the US are stupid, and can't figure out what's going on by themselves, and they might be right since I spent $52.00 on this film.

4. The battles were terrible, nothing special about them. They weren't exciting.

OK now onto what I like.

1. The special effects/Cinematography. They were the only thing that was good about this movie. The Mammoth, and Saber Tooth Tiger looked awesome.

Overall I gave the movie 1/5stars. I wouldn't waste my money seeing it, wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it, then all you have to spend is $4.00. Almost forgot for you fans of Speed Racer out there I saw the preview for the movie and I've got some bad news. From the preview in my opinion it looks terrible, cheesy, it couldn't be one of the worst movies ever. I mean it looks bad. They should have just made a anime movie with voice actors, it would have been a lot better

You're thinking not another end of the world anime, well you would be wrong. Now and Then, Here and There is probably the best end of the world anime I've seen. Even better than other great end of the world anime i.e. RahXephon, and Saikano. Heck it's one of the best anime I've seen.

Before I go on let me say this, this anime in my opinion isn't for anyone under 16 years old. There is a great deal of violence, rape, torture, and language. If you are older than 16 than this anime is a must.

The story is like nothing you've seen and will keep you engrossed all the way through. The story follows Shuzo Matsutani who on the way home from Kendo practice sees a girl on top of a factory smokestack. He tries to talk to her, then time stops everywhere and giant robots appear to capture the girl Lala Ru. They have come from 10 billion years in the future to take her back to their time. Shu tries to help but gets taken to the future with them.

The future Shu comes to is a bleak place. There is a on going war brought on by the country Hellywood bent on controlling the world. The earth is mainly desert and everyone fights for water. Shu grows up quickly and is determined to help Lala Ru and defeat Hellywood.

The story telling is amazing. I haven't watch anime with a story like this since. The story is intense, compelling, and has many parallels with today. The characters bring life to the tragic story that manages to bring hope at the end. The animation is nothing like other anime that seems glossed over it rough and light yet dark the adds to the story. The music is simply great.

Overall this is one of the best anime series ever. I highly doubt you've seen anything like this and highly recommend everyone who is over 16 watch this anime.

WARNING SPOILERS!!! What was the point of the movie? That's the question I kept asking myself after the movie. What was the point of the movie besides making money and gearing up for the obvious sequel a few years down the road.

Terminator Salvation in my opinion is by far the worst terminator movie mainly because there is no point to the movie. No big secrets are revealed nothing new was done that hasn't been done before and better, and the story went no where except to make money and to get ready for more movies down the road.

The only actors that had any impact were Sam Worthington and Moon Bloodgood. They were the only two that felt alive during this movie. Christian Bale did a terrible job, and he's a good actor two. Which reflects badly on the director McG. After all he did direct the two bad Charlie's Angles movies.

The only real good thing about this movie were the special effects, but if that's the best thing you can say about a movie that isn't animated than that's not saying much.

Overall: A real disappointment, just skip it and wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it.

If your looking for a Oscar caliber film, this isn't it. But if your looking for a fun entertaining time with, hot women, great action and special effects Transformers 2 is the movie for you.

Unlike the reviewers out there I knew what I was getting from this movie. I wasn't expecting wonderful acting or a great story. I was expecting a entertaining fun time and of course Megan Fox.

The Things I liked: 1. The chemistry between all the old actors from the first movie was great. You could tell they were having a good time filming the movie. You could tell by how good a acting job everyone did. I was surprised.

2. The action/special effects: The were both great. I'm glad they got the help of the military again for this movie it added to both the feel and action of the film. All the actors/stunt men did a great job.

Then there was ILM and their special effects of the action and Transformers was superb.

3. Megan Fox: Damn she is hot. What ever flaws this film had she did a great job of distracting me during the movie. I think I might have given this film 4 stars of less if it weren't for her.

The things I didn't like.

1. The Story: This was the worst part of the film. It just made almost no sense. Especially the part about there being a source of energon on Earth, but there was none, so what was the point of building the weapon on Earth when I'm sure they could have done it on any of the other planets.

2. The Transformers: The special effects were great, but there were just way to many characters. The only ones that had any impact for me was Optimas Prime, Bumble Bee, Soundwave(one of my favorite characters for the old show.), Star Scream, Megatron, and Jet Fire(Who I thought was a great character.), the rest were cannon fodder.

Overall: A really good movie worth seeing, but again this is a Michal Bay movie. They same guy who directed Bad Boys 1 and 2, Pearl Harbor, and Armageddon so don't expect a amazing story and great acting worthy of Oscars. Expect a fun time with a bad story, decent to good acting, and great action and special effects.

Public Enemies is a terrible movie, it failed on every level.

I expected a lot more from Michael Mann. He is one of my favorite directors. He has done so many good to great films from Collateral, Manhunter, The Last of the Mohicans to Heat.

The script/writing for this film was terrible. The way writers put the film together was all wrong.

The pace of the film will put you to sleep. The was no drama, because you just won't care about anyone in this film. The action was pathetically done with grainy film to I guess make it feel more realistic.

The music...well there virtually was none and when there was some it wasn't very good.

The acting had to be my biggest disappointment. Everyone seemed like robots no emotion, almost like they were sleep walking through the film. Christian Bale trying to destroy his reputation as a good actor this year. First Terminator and now this film. Then there was Johnny Depp who I think is a great actor, he was the only thing truly worth while in the Pirate of the Caribbean movies. But in this movie he just looked bored uninterested.

Then there was the running time of the film at about 2 1/2 hours long seemed like a eternity. I kept hoping the film would just end. And I know some of you will fall asleep watching this movie. I know I saw people asleep in the showing I went to and many were laughing at how bad it was.

Overall this has to be one of the worst movies I've seen in a theater in a long time. If you want to learn about John Dillinger watch the History Channel show about him and the other guys from that time or read a book I guarantee you'll be more entertained that way.

I just can't believe I couldn't find anything redeeming about this film but I couldn't. I think the last film I saw like that was Battlefield Earth and that's saying something about this film.

Going into this movie I honestly thought it was going to be terrible move, maybe 1 star or worse, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was a decent movie. That being said I wouldn't pay to see it in the theater I'd wait till it comes out on DVD and rent it.

The story was bad and had major plot holes or didn't make any sense, but what can you expect from a Stephen Sommers movie(As you can tell I really don't like the his directing/writing).

The acting was decent with Dennis Quaid(General Hawk), Christopher Eccleston(Destro). He's also good in Doctor Who. Byung-hun Lee(Storm Shadow) and Ray Park(Snake Eyes). Though Sommers and the rest of the writers destroyed their great stories from they had from the cartoon and comics. As for everyone else from Channing Tatum to Marlon Wayans pretty much sucked.

Action/Special Effects I thought were the best part of the film. The high not was the battle in Paris which was great. The other action scenes were visual good but weren't well executed especially the underwater one.

Now for my tangent on the so call director Stephen Sommers. Back to my first question. Can Stephen Sommers direct, and the overwhelming evidence says NO! Lets look at the list of films he has directed.

Deep Rising, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing, and GI Joe. The only film that I though was above mediocre was The Mummy which I gave 3 1/2 stars. The rest were Mediocre to terrible.

Now lets look at all the things he's written/screenplay.

Deep Rising, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, Van Helsing, and G.I. Joe. Again the only really decent film was The Mummy. Is he the worst director/writer out there of course not but he is really bad.

Now if this movie manages to make enough money to garner a sequel. Which I truly think is in question. Here are a few things their going to need to do to bring me back.

1. Get rid of Stephen Sommers. There are a lot better directors than him.

2. Get rid of Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans. They were two of the worst actors in this film.

3. Make the second film better. I'd say less is more. You don't have to have these over the top actions scenes to have make entertaining movie. Also add move depth to the characters like Snake Eyes, Scarlet and Destro. Last thing add more drama and suspense.

If the producers can do the majority of this I'd be on board for another film other wise this potential franchise is done.

Surveillance, a direct to DVD movie had potential to be very good. A good cast of actors with Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Michael Ironside and even French Stewart. It was produced by David Lynch, the man who did Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks, Dune, among others. It was even directed by his daughter.

So you would this this movie would be a good suspense thriller. And at first it was. With three different serial killer survivors points of view and the FBI and police trying to figure out what happened. There are essentially two movies here. The first two thirds which is riveting and very well done, and a big surprise you don't see coming unless you pay attention. That's where things quickly go down hill from there the plot holes and how the writers try to fill them are terrible. Which brings out the other flaws of the movie you didn't notice before.

For example how incompetent they portray the police in this movie. I'm willing to except the police will miss some stuff they do in real life, but this kind of incompetents is only found in comedies like police academy. I would go on but I don't want to give away the twist.

The acting was very well done by the actors above. I've always liked Michael Ironside from his early works in V, Top Gun, SeaQuest DSV to The Perfect Storm, Splinter Cell(Voice of Sam Fisher), and Terminator Salvation. Sure he can't carry a film, but he is a very good actor who is always great as a supporting actor in virtually ever thing he does.

The directing by Jennifer Chambers Lynch was decently done, but could have been much better.

The action/visuals were pretty good since they obviously didn't have that big a budget for this film, and they did a good job.

Overall a decent suspense/thriller, but don't be surprised if you are let down by the final act.

I am very, very disappointed with this movie. The way people talk, it was like this movie was going to change everything about movies. I guess in some ways it did, and in others it failed miserably.

Let me say I've been a big fan of James Cameron until his last few movies. I grew up in the 80's, and he did change film making in the 1980's. From Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2. Those movies influenced many people and movies. Sadly the last three films True Lies, Titanic and Avatar have failed or maybe succeeded. I guess it depends on your point of view. What is more important to you a good story and great acting or amazing visuals/action that will blow you away, because that will blow you away. If you are looking for the latter than this is the movie for your.

I don't know what's wrong with Cameron, maybe it's the writers he has but I believe he wrote the story for all his movies. The early ones from Terminator to Terminator 2 all had interesting stories and characters and were able to blend it together with great visuals. So I don't know what's wrong with him, except maybe he's lost his touch.

Oh yes the review for the movie.

First of the good: Simply the visuals/action, it was absolutely amazing. The world and life he created is stunning. Do I think he will change film making with what he's done with this heck yes. The world comes alive and you feel it. Sadly that's the only thing alive in this movie and leaves me thinking what could have been.

Now for the bad: Story: It's absolutely terrible. It's essentially what we(The Europeans) did to the native Americans of North and South America. This story has been done many times over and much, much better. Also the anti-American/imperialism is rampant through this movie. I can understand if Cameron wanted to make some kind of statement, he just should have done a better job of it.

Characters: Thanks to left-wing story, the characters are cardboard cut outs and uninteresting. From the company man who only cares about the making money and nothing else. The evil colonel who thinks the indigenous population are nothing but savages and hold no value. To the stereotypical Indians(The Na'vi). I mean some on it is down right laughable. The only characters that interested me were Trudy(Michelle Rodriguez) and Grace(Sigourney Weaver), but they were stuck to the back ground.

So overall if you enjoy nothing but great action/visuals/special effects this movie is for you, but if you also enjoy a good story and interesting characters this movie isn't for you and will leave you disappointed.

It left me wondering what could have been. What if this movie had a decent story interesting characters and good directing. Than I truly believe this movie would have been one for the ages and people would be talking about decades from now.

Daybreakers is a different type of vampire movie. Different from the likes of Twilight's and Underworld's of the world. The writers and directors were trying to create a new type of vampire movie. It's been done before in Japan with a anime series called Trinity Blood. They both wanted to go into a new direction with vampire lore, but just like Trinity Blood Daybreakers ultimately fails.

The story has a unique twist with vampires coming about through disease and who knows I don't think any movie has really gone into the origins of vampires. It really did start out great, and I was hoping it would continue that way. Sadly I guess the directors and writers wanted to add pointless violence. Now don't get me wrong I don't mind it, as long as it adds something to the story. Sadly I'd say half of the stuff they did in the movie was pointless and had no meaning. It took a great deal away from the story and characters. If they concentrated less on exploding bodies and more on the story and characters I truly believe this movie could have changed vampire movies in the future.

The acting from the lead actors, Ethan Hawk, Sam Neil, Willem Dafoe, and Claudia Karvan was really well done. The problem was the directing and like I said above, they took pointless minutes of screen time to show pointless violence and took away a lot from these really good actors and interesting characters. These good actors were just wasted.

The worst part of the movie had to be the directing and writing which interestingly enough was done by the same brothers. Writing was they really had something here, but their directing really go in the way. Maybe these brothers should stick to being writers.

Overall Daybreakers is just a average vampire movie with a interesting story, good actors and decent visuals but was bogged down by bad directing and pointless violence. I was entertained, so this movie is worth renting for a few bucks.

Let me first say I am by no means religious. In fact I would define my self as agnostic. I believe there is a higher power, I just don't believe in organized religion. I don't believe you need a church or a book to believe in a god or a higher power. I think all you need is faith, and that comes from within. Now I have no ill will toward religion as a whole. It can be used for great good. Giving people without hope, hope. Giving people the will to live and helping people do great things for the benefit of humanity. It can also used for great evil as all religions have done throughout the centuries, and I think that is ultimately the message I think the film conveys.

The Book of Eli is a religious movie that hides behind a post apocalyptic, western theme. Which follows Eli(Denzel Washington) as he wanders the wasteland heading west carrying the last remaining bible looking for the right person to give it to. On his journey west he comes to a town run by Carnegie(Gary Oldman) who so happens to be looking for a copy of the bible, so he can use it for his own means. Which puts the two at odds with each other, and with the add of Solara(Mila Kunis) the two go on the run. The climax and the twist near the end you will never see coming.

The acting was brilliant. Washington and Oldman as usual do outstanding jobs. The supporting cast did a great job from Mila Kunis(who I thought was great.) to Ray Stevenson(Punisher: War Zone), Jennifer Beals(Lie To Me), and Malcolm McDowell(Heros and Fall Out 3).

The visuals were superbly done giving life to the post apocalyptic world. You can imagine that's what the world would look like after a nuclear war, though they never say what caused the world to come to be except a war.

The directing by the The Hughes Brothers was well done. They haven't directed many movies. The only other one of their movies I've seen is From Hell which I personally loved. So from the two movies I've seen of theirs they are really good directors who should get more work.

Overall this is the best film I've seen since Zombieland, and unlike the other recent movies I've seen The Book of Eli blends story with a message, acting, action, directing, and visuals perfectly. Out of all the movies out there right now this is by far the best, and I highly recommend it, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

WARNING SPOILERS! When I first saw the Trailer for this movie I thought it would truly suck or would be a amazing movie, I didn't think there would be any middle ground. This movie was amazing.

I am a Star Trek fan, by no means am I what people call a Trekkie. I will never play dress up for any show or movie outside of Halloween. I Still have some semblance of a life. Still I am a big Star Trek fan. I've seen about half the episodes of the original series, all the movies, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, about half the Voyager and Enterprise. I was sadly disappointed with the last few Trek films, they were huge disappointments. So I was hoping this would be a good film and I was right.

1. Story: The story was pretty good. Time travel plots and become convoluted, but J.J. Abrams and the writers did a wonderful job of keeping everything together. I like how the created a alternate time line so they can create their own Trek universe for the sequels guaranteed to come. The only flaw was the bad guy Nero/Eric Bana. I don't know he just didn't seem to fit in.

2. Characters/Actors: This was perhaps the best part of the film. J.J. Abrams and the writers again brought new life to these classic characters. Chirs Pine/James T Kirk did a amazing job, and I really did think that would be the young kirk. Zachary Quinto/Spock was great. I like how he brought Spock to life and took him in another direction than I thought they would go. Karl Urban/Leonard McCoy did a really good job. Unlike the actors above I've seen a few of Urban's films and he's a good actor. Leonard Nimoy/Spock what else can you say but fantastic. When I first heard he was going to be in the film I thought it would be for a few seconds, but he has a major role. Nimoy is as good as ever as Spock. When I think about it this movie really was about Spock and his life. Eric Bana/Nero was the only bad one in this film. I really like him as a actor but this film wasn't right for him or maybe it was how the character was written. All the other actors from Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder to Ben Cross did really good jobs.

3. Special Effects: Done by ILM were just stunning, and some moments will leave you breathless.

4. Music: The score by Michael Giacchino was riveting.

5. Directing: I was really surprised J.J. Abrams did a great job.

Overall: A really great film and the third best Trek film. Behind Star Trek II: The Wraith on Khan and Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. Now I can't wait for a new Trek film.