Reviews

I saw Avatar in 3D (which apparently is how Cameron wanted people to see it) and I walked out of the theater impressed and satisfied.

For those who do not know the story, it goes simply like this: In the future, around the 2150's as a matter of a fact, humans have used up the resources on Earth and have discovered a planet that can help us find new resources. The planet, which is really a moon to a gigantic planet that resembles Jupiter except that it's blue in color, has been named Pandora by the humans and is inhabited by a variety of scary-looking creatures. Among them are cat-like blue humanoids called the Na'vi. Humans and the Na'vi have a very strained relationship, which has caused the launch of the Avatar program, where human scientists transfer their consciousness into an artificially created Avatar Na'vi to explore the planet and make peace with the locals or force them out of their home.

From here, just think of the plot as a sci-fi futuristic Dances with Wolves story. A human chosen to be an Avatar participant is introduced to the ways of the natives, falls in love with one of the members of the opposite side, the culture and the planet, then has to decide which side to be on.

The idea of the movie was fascinating and the creatures were unusual but sometimes beautiful. As many have said though, the biggest pro to the movie were the visuals. They were the highlight of the movie for me. It's even better in 3D. As often happens, you feel like reaching out to the screen to try and touch the creatures. There were a lot of bright and vivid colors in the movie, so in a way it is like a piece of art.

The action was sometimes really intense and there was sometimes some pretty good violence. The dialogue was sometimes cheesy as were some of the plot elements. There is one scene in particular that involves Na'vi mating that, despite not showing very much, was kind of embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch. The music was great and made me want to go and buy the soundtrack as soon as I came out of the theater. That music got me really excited sometimes!

All in all, not that bad of a movie but the biggest pro was the visuals. If you are gonna see this movie, I recommend spending the extra couple of dollars to see it in 3D as it was meant to be seen. It's an experience I feel you will never forget.

8/10

I just watched this film on HBO after wanting to see it since it came out nearly two years ago (hard to imagine!).

The film tells the story of Kate, a workaholic head chef at a New York restaurant who suddenly finds herself becoming the guardian of her recently orphaned niece, Zoe (played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin). While Kate is working hard to run "her" kitchen AND take care of her niece, she finds herself trying to resist falling for the new sous-chef Nick, a somewhat free spirit who prefers to have some fun in the kitchen. This clashes with Kate's strict straight-to-business attitude. He also helps Zoe come out of her shell by introducing her to the world of cooking and food in a way Kate could not. Sparks start to fly between the two chefs as they spend more time getting to know each other and Zoe.

I like Catherine Zeta-Jones in many of her roles. This film is no exception. The only time I didn't like her was when she was being a witch towards Eckhart's Nick. Other than that, I liked the character. She was a good example of someone who has many flaws they fail to address and hides behind something their good at to prevent others from getting too close. Aaron Eckhart is charming and fun to watch as Nick. I had seen him in Paycheck, Thank You for Smoking and, of course, The Dark Knight. This role was very good. I liked his lightness and his constant teasing of Zeta-Jones's Kate. I also liked his chemistry with little Abigail Breslin. The two seemed to genuinely be having fun with the roles when they were together. Abigail Breslin is once again proving her talent as a young actress in a role that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Her handling of the story involving the character losing her mother is very good and proves to me that she can handle serious roles just fine.

Obviously the story is not without its own flaws. I found the therapy sessions that Kate attends to be a bit of a nuisance. I know they were supposed to be there for the purpose of helping Kate discover ways of helping Zoe and herself get through their pain and, as a plot device, develop Kate's character. But I personally didn't care for them that much. I felt that they could've handled Kate's insecurities by way of a few scenes between Kate and Nick talking about each other's past and what got them to the point they're at now. I know, that would've been clichéd. The story was also very predictable. Whenever a significant event occurred, you could pretty much tell what would happen next.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed the movie. The performances were very good, the characters were believable, and it had its romantic and comedic moments. A good date movie.

I first saw this on CineMax earlier this year. I originally wanted to see the film for Thomas Newman's score. While I was watching, I couldn't help but feel awkward throughout the whole film. Every character in the film had some secret they were hiding from the rest of the world. This idea intrigued me. The film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a depressed, bored man going through a mid-life crisis brought on by his work-obsessed, perfectionist, crazy wife, Carolyn (played by Annette Bening) and his angry and insecure daughter, Jane (played by Thora Birch). Lester and Carolyn go to a basketball game to see Jane perform a cheer-leading routine. Afterward, they meet Jane's "best friend", Angela Hayes (played by American Pie's Mena Suvari). She is a seemingly confident girl who constantly brags about her apparent sexual appeal to guys. We find out later in the film that she's not as confident with herself as she appears to be. Lester develops an infatuation with Angela the moment he meets her. He decides to turn his life around now that he found something to live for. In the midst of all this, Carolyn begins an affair with real estate business rival, Buddy Kane, an annoying, egotistical man who, as fate would have it, turns out to be just what the doctor ordered for Carolyn and her stressed-out life. Jane develops an attraction towards the strange but rather lovable Ricky Fits, the son of an overly strict and controlling former marine colonel who claims to be homophobic, and his mentally weak and submissive wife. Ricky is the one to make the first move on Jane by filming her every time he sees her. Jane and Ricky find that although they come from completely different family backgrounds, they actually have quite a bit in common. Ricky is someone who finds beauty in almost everything he sees, especially Jane. He also tells things like they are. The film traces the life of Lester as he makes his drastic life-change and deals with the consequences of his actions later on. His new changes do affect the people around him. He begins to anger his daughter further and even intimidates her once or twice. He no longer will take his wife's belittling words and work-obsessed ways. He becomes more open to Angela near the end of the film. He is able to form a friendship with Ricky comfortably without worrying about how his family will react. He basically becomes more confident and free-willed. Apparently, so does his wife. She begins to do what she wants to do, but immediately loses that feeling when Lester finds out about her affair with Buddy Kane. Although the film is put into the comedy genre and does have some funny parts, it is also a hard-hitting drama. It has some very tense, disturbing, and beautiful moments. There is a dark undertone to the film, which is emphasized at the end. I like this movie because it's very realistic. It shows that within a seemingly perfect, normal neighborhood, home, and family, there are things that nobody wants or needs to know about. Dark secrets that could undo the "perfection" of everything. I also like it because it adds humor to an otherwise dark and sad story. It's a good blend that deserves every Oscar it got. If you're looking for a funny comedy with gross-out humor like "Superbad", you will be disappointed in that this film is not entirely a comedy and only has a few funny moments. If you're looking for a film that is funny but also has drama and is realistic, this is the film for you. Kevin is absolutely amazing in this movie. He deserved his Oscar for the role. Check out this film. I don't think you will be disappointed. 8/10 stars

My Spanish 4 teacher had my class watch this film last Friday and today, we all agree that it was a really good film. When we had to stop watching it because of the bell to go to the next class, the whole room went, "Can we watch some more in the next class?" We were hooked! It's the story of a woman's struggle to hide some dark family secrets while learning about other family secrets along the way. Penélope Cruz plays Raimunda, a woman from a pueblo in Spain whose parents passed away in a fire a few years ago. Her family is having trouble coping. Her Aunt Paula has gone crazy and believes that her dead sister has been taking care of her for awhile. Raimunda's sister, Soledad, who is called Sole, seems to be coping pretty well, although there is one part where she appears to be having a harder time than she lets on. There is also Agustina, a family friend who keeps an eye on Paula next door. Raimunda's family life is not going very well. Her husband, Paco, is an alcoholic, and is attracted to Raimunda's daughter, also named Paula. When he tries to attack Paula, Raimunda becomes entangled in a web of lies. At the same time, Aunt Paula dies in the middle of the night, and because Raimunda is "busy", she can't come to the funeral. It is at the funeral where Sole is visited by the ghost of Irene, the deceased the mother of Raimunda and Sole. She appears to Sole so that she can help her clear up some unfinished business with the family. The journey to the truth begins at this point.

The film had some very strange moments, but that's what made the movie so good. Penélope was great in her role. So was Lola Dueñas as Sole. I'd say that the best character was Irene, played by Carmen Maura. She was so good, and rather funny. Some of the content of the movie was a little too much for me, not necessarily the vulgar language, but the sexual content was a little nerve wracking and made me feel awkward. But that's okay. That didn't stop me from enjoying this movie.

Whether you're Spanish, a Spanish speaker, or not, you can still enjoy this movie and see it for the great film that it is. I highly recommend it, especially if you speak Spanish or enjoy the Spanish language or even Spain itself. There is some great scenery shown. Even if you're not a Spanish speaker, watch this movie. It's really good! Take caution though, some of the things they mention might be a little disturbing, especially for American viewers.

Overall, a well-deserved 9 out of 10. Well done!!

I walked into the theater yesterday as I went to the 4:15 p.m. show of Eragon. Even though I have heard tons of bad reviews, I wasn't going to let them stop me from enjoying the movie. And I did enjoy the movie, although I have looked on other websites about the book (which I will start reading very soon. I haven't read it yet.), and there are some things that I read about the book that are definitely not in the movie.

The acting at times was rather dull and unbelievable, but for the most part it wasn't as bad as I heard it was. That's just my opinion. I loved Rachel Weisz as Saphira. Sometimes I didn't even recognize her voice. I loved her in this movie. She was probably my favorite character in the movie. Ed Speleers as Eragon, I felt, wasn't as bad as people have been saying. Yes, some of the parts that he was in, his acting needed a bit of work, I'll admit that. But give the kid a break, it's his first time as an actor in Hollywood. Obviously he has some talent if he got into this movie. He was after all starring with Jeremy Irons (who was awesome in this movie! He brought some humor into the movie, especially in his scenes with Saphira.) and John Malkovich (did I spell that right?) Carlyle as Durza was great as well. He gave me that spine-tingling sensation every time I saw him. He was a great villain. It's too bad we won't see anymore of him. The make-up was also great. It was so good that a mother who was with her teenage daughter about 2 seats to my left went "Ewww" or "That's disgusting." Maybe that's just the effects of being a mother dealing with dirty things all the time. Murtagh was another character that I liked. Considering that there was a group of girls in the theater, I thought the moment they saw him they would get all "Ooooh, he's cute!" They didn't, thank God. He did a good job of giving you the feeling that maybe he's not to be trusted. I also liked Djimon as Ajihad (did I spell THAT right too?) BIG SPOILER AHEAD!!!! (SKIP THIS PART IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE YET!!!) It may disappoint A LOT of fans that he doesn't die in the movie like he was supposed to die. In fact, he doesn't die at all.

The special effects on Saphira were really cool. Sometimes I felt like I was really looking at a real dragon. She was beautiful too. And so cute when she was born. She was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. The ra'zacs were a little scary-looking, but not that much. The Urgals were not as scary as I hoped they would be. They didn't exactly give me that sense of danger that you're supposed to feel. Hopefully they will be better in the next movie.

The final battle was cool, but a little too short for me. I really feel like they should have done a little something extra. They also should have added a little more content in general. Like with X-men: The Last Stand, I felt like the movie was too short. I sense quite a few deleted scenes for the DVD.

All in all, it wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's a good popcorn movie to watch when you have nothing else to do. It will also make a good movie to watch when those hot days of summer roll around. I give it an 8 out of 10. And no, I'm not being generous, that is my honest opinion.

I had pretty high expectations for this movie. I went to see it the day before Thanksgiving with my older sister and younger brother who have pretty much read all the books. I must say, even though it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be, that didn't stop me from loving the movie. In fact, I loved it so much, sometimes I forgot it was supposed to be scary. The special effects were great. The story was excellent, as were the performances by the actors and actresses. My top 10 favorite characters from this movie were of course Harry, Ron and Hermione, Alistor "Mad Eye" Moody, Hagrid, Cedric Diggory, Fluer Delacour (I hope I spelled that correctly), Lord Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore, and Viktor Krum. Moody was absolutely hilarious, especially when it came to "teaching Malfoy". Ron was a character who often had a kind of sense of humor that was dry and at the same time warm. (Spoiler Alert!!) I liked the scene where Harry and Cedric come back to the arena after the graveyard scene. It was portrayed very well. It was so sad I wanted to cry. Cedric was a cool character and he was very nice despite all the popularity he was getting after the champion selection. Fluer was a good character. I was afraid for her sometimes, (Spoiler Alert!!) particularly when she received her dragon for the first task and the last task, the maze. Viktor was very well-mannered. I wasn't phased by what happened to him in the maze. It wasn't his fault. Hagrid and the whole thing with Madame Maxime was quite funny. Albus Dumbledore was able to show a side to him we didn't really see before: nervous, anxious, confused, and frightened. And last but certainly not least, Lord Voldemort. My, my, what a character. I loved Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. He commanded my respect and attention in this film. As the director stated in an HBO first look special for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ralph Fiennes is "immensely well suited" to play this character. He was creepy and a great form of evil. By that I mean I actually liked him being evil. Even just the look of him sent enormous satisfaction of the character into my body. I couldn't wait to see him again when I went to see the movie again two days later with my best friend and his family. To summarize this, I came out of the theater both times very pleased and very anxious for the film to come out on DVD. I can't wait for this to come out on DVD.

(Spoiler alert) When I saw first saw Daredevil I was lucky enough to catch the part where Elektra (Jennifer Garner) was practicing in her home with her sais. I was also lucky enough to keep watching through the scene of her death. After seeing this movie I'm so glad that they made it. I not only got to see more of Elektra and her sais (which I loved to death as well as my new top 10 favorite character Elektra) but I got to compare her relationship with Mark Miller to her relationship with Matt Murdock. Plus I loved the villains in this movie. They were all so cool, especially Tattoo. (Spoiler alert!!) I liked Kirsten Prout as Abby, although I did notice that she was breathing when she was supposed to be dead. I practically loved Goran Visjnic (I hope spelled that right) as Mark Miller. I loved Terence Stamp as Stick. He was comical at times. I give this film a 10/10. Anyone who has a problem with my comment or my score can eat Brussels sprouts.