Reviews

First off, I'm a fan of the game series from Capcom, Mega Man, the story of a blue robot who began his life as a lab assistant to the goodly Dr. Light. When Dr. Light's old acquaintance and partner stole the original six robot masters in the first game, Rock, as he was known, chose to become "The Blue Bomber," Mega Man.

This movie follows the plot pretty much to the letter and doesn't deviate from the source material. I was impressed with the fact the director could pull off CGI as he did that was as good as anything you see on a made-for-television movie and even added in a great soundtrack (albeit taken from other films) to blend into the story.

My rating however, comes with the following complaints.

Non-profit or not, the acting could have been a bit better. That said, that could be easily fixed with a little more editing. If those two things could be rectified then this movie would be an excellent addition to any movie collection, though in my opinion it is regardless.

The fight scenes were a bit bland, but they weren't the worst I've ever seen. Also, the character of Dr. Wily steals the movie completely. It was awesome as an experience to see Mega Man come to life on the computer screen, acted by a real person and not talking like a child.

I give it a 7 out of 10, and it's well deserved.

OK, so most video game movies suck but usually have some kind of redeemable quality.

Super Mario Bros. - Tried to at least take it in a new, more interesting angle which didn't involve going castle to castle saving Toad repeatedly.

Hit-man - tried to amp up the realism in the action, while making it a fun and suspenseful movie.

Double Dragon - .....ok I got nothing.

This movie though, DEAR LORD! I don't know what Uwe Boll was thinking at the time, but for goodness sakes why? Why? WHY?! An uneducated person must've written this, and decided to give it all the suspense and action of a kindergarten class, which if you're a teacher can be quite scary! Add to that the redundant cuts to clips from the video game itself (which happen at random intervals for no apparent reason) and you've got a steamy turd lying in your yard waiting to fertilize the grass...unfortunately it doesn't and just sits there continuing to be steamy.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

I obtained a copy of this recently as I had been looking to add it to my collection for some time now. I must say revisiting this movie was quite a delight! A revenge story with a good plot, though some may disagree with me on it, it was. Add to this the budget of $35,000, the small crew who worked on the film (the credits at the end of the movie contained a bunch of made up names so as to not have to repeat the same people over and over again) you must admit that given all of these factors they turned out the best product they actually could at the time.

The cheesiness of it all actually makes the movie charming, with a story that at its roots has a real telling of the love of two brothers, wronged by their father and the doctors who didn't have any care to what Duane and Belial wanted, and so the duo set out on a mission to avenge themselves against those who hurt them the most.

Bad acting, bad cinematography and bad music, all combine to make this movie a one of a kind. Better than the sequels, you don't need to miss it!

For myself, as a child three movies stand out as ones which I loved to watch over and over again. They are The Red Balloon, Popeye, and of course this one. Set against the backdrop of Christmas it follows the adventures of one small girl as she befriends a group of friendly, though mute, monsters who enlist her aid in obtaining their voices back from and evil witch.

Do the monsters look scary? No. But that's part of the magic of this movie! Seeing it as it was meant to be seen....as though through the eyes of a child.

Only lasting about an hour or so in length this movie is a wonderful trip through some of the more exotic locales in New Zealand and even after seeing it years later it still hasn't lost its magic touch.

I anxiously await seeing it available on Netflix!

Picking up where Begins left off we find Batman (Bale) still learning from his mistakes but still wiser still as he continues his personal vendetta against the organized crime within the city's structure. Enter into the fold Harvey Dent (Eckhart) as the new District Attorney of Gotham who wants to help clean up the streets as well and together they, along with Gordon (Oldman) face off against the mob.

Meanwhile, due to their efforts, a criminal mastermind known only as The Joker (Ledger) comes onto the stage and pushes the trio to their limits as he seemingly causes rampant mayhem all across town, all the while spouting about his "no-rules" mindset. Recruited by the mob to "Kill the Batman" the viewer is left to see there's more to him than originally thought.

In talking about Ledger's version of the Joker I have to say he's no better and certainly not worse than Nicholson's version in 1989. More so his version is in line with what we see the character as today, and his evolution in the comics has played nicely into the evolution within the films. Ledger's version is eerily similar to how the Joker was portrayed in the series "No Man's Land," as well as "The Long Halloween." Truly we have a Joker on screen who's more sadistic and crazy than ever before and one the world is finally ready to see.

Add to the mix Michael Caine who is incredible as the conscience of Batman/Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and to great avail Maggie Gyllenhaal taking the place of Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, and you have a great cast with an incredible movie. All I can say is that Chris Nolan leaves you wanting more and more each time he makes a movie, and this one is no exception. Trust me, if you're one of the few who've not yet seen this, get ready for it. It'll blow you away!

I've been a fan of Stallone's for years. He plays the underdog so well, from the Rambo series to Rocky, from Lockup to Over the Top....Stallone is an awesome and versatile actor. He even did a good job with Judge Dredd in my opinion.

The newest installment of Rambo finds John living in Asia as a snake hunter. Commisioned to bring Christian Missionaries to Burma, he is again enlisted to save them after their capture by the corrupt military.

Showing he has truly aged, he does get help in this one from an unlikely band of mercenaries, who at first see Rambo as nothing but a regular boatman. Surprisingly, he proves them wrong and shows the world Rambo is still able to do what he does best....help others and survive as well.

As he says in the trailer, "Killing is as easy as breathin'...." and watching this movie will bring a smile to your face every time, I guarantee it.

Set in a prison, Herbert West has been incarcerated at last for his crimes in the Miskatonic Massacre and has been so for over a decade or more.

Enter the young, enterprising Dr. Phillips, the new resident doctor for the penitentiary's. Years earlier he witnessed West's experiments and has sought him out to teach him about his work. Together, along with West's new discovery of NPE (Necro Plasmic Energy) they turn the prison upside down.

Great performances which shows Combs can very much act, and is easily on par with Englund as Freddy Kreuger, this is truly the role for which he will always be remembered. Check out the sadistic warden who wants to make sure West never sees the light of day again, and also for all you girls out there offended by the original's "head scene," you get your vengeance in this one.

I give it easily 8/10 stars, and for a straight-to-DVD-release, it was very well done. Positive: good pacing, good story, very good continuity. Negative: if you've not seen the previous installments, then you need to watch them prior to seeing this one, it will make more sense to you (or maybe not, considering the endings to the last two....) I recommend this title to any horror fan, and hope to see them make the next one soon.

As far as Michael Meyers and the Halloween series goes this movie leaves a lot to be desired in terms of pacing.

Jaimie Lee Curtis is back and its discovered by none other than her brother, Michael, who tried to kill her 20 years before, that she now lives and teaches at a preparatory school in California. Michael, in true fashion, shows up to try to finish the job he began years ago.

With the absence of Dr. Loomis (granted, Donald Pleasence did pass away) the movie was better off leaving it at 6 movies instead of adding this one to the line-up. LL Cool J, while funny, comes off as nothing more in this movie than the token black guy who, as a security guard, is just basically paid to be friends with the kids.

Positive: The kills are fairly realistic, and the movie has good potential to take its ailing storyline and make it something better. Negative: It just never does. At times I'm sitting here watching it and wondering when and where the action will begin.

If you're a die hard Halloween fan, this one is sure to make you're collection complete. If you're a casual horror viewer, avoid it, there are better ones in the series than this.

Of all television shows I rank this, House MD, and maybe 2 more out there as the best ever. Six Feet Under is one heck of a show that gets you involved in many levels, not many programs can do that.

The story centers around the Fisher Family and the way they each deal with death, from the beginning to the very end. I won't spoil anything for you, I'll just say that each person throughout the show grows as a human being and becomes better and better at what they set out to do. This show also has what I consider to be an honest and sincere way of looking at death, which ultimately comes for us all.

If you get to watch it in its entirety be prepared, this has the best finale for a series I've ever seen before.

As a fan of both games and movies I'm highly reluctant when they decide to make a movie of one, especially one I like to play. Example: House of the Dead. But this was no Uwe Boll shlock and when I watched this today I was pleasantly surprised as it held onto what made the games so appealing to me and many others while telling a real story about Agent 47, his planning of a job and how he carries it out, and a great story (slow at times) but good nonetheless to carry him through.

Raised from birth, Agent 47 (played well by Olyphant) is the most skilled of skilled assassins in the world. When given his latest hit against an up and coming Russian President he find himself set up by his employers and pursued by both Interpol and the Russian government. Along the way he meets the typical hooker with a heart of gold and together they try to discover who and why he was set up in the first place.

I must say I enjoyed this movie for many reasons. Yes, the story is a little to be desired but it was well played in the action sequences and even sometimes a little gory but there is a lot of realism to me in it. The hand to hand scenes are well done and Olyphany really pulls off the character of Hit-man as seen in the games. Many times I felt as though I was watching the video game itself come to life with the camera angles, the tactics used and the pace. I definitely enjoyed the way they pay homage to the character as well! My only complaints are the constant changes of scenery and locale, and the interactions between the main characters at times did seem a little off for what would really happen. But in the words of Howard Stern I guess sometimes you just have to suspend disbelief, sit back and enjoy the show.

If you want a good action movie this is definitely one for you.

As far as slasher flicks go this is pretty much a ripoff/combination of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (sans Leatherface and saw) and Psycho. The beast, as its the only thing which describes the killer, is a retarded, deformed psychopath who was locked away on an island in the middle of a river in an undisclosed place. The only civilization? A neighboring community across the river. The plot? Its simple.

Food is running low for our beastly friend and some teenagers who are on a boating trip run afoul of his island. As they venture inward they discover that years earlier the family who owned this island had a party back in the 40's and at this party the eldest daughter was raped and impregnated by a drunk boyfriend. Feeling her offspring was punishment for her sins she punished the child who grew to become something awful and nasty. As in Psycho the monster feels a strong attachment to his mother (as seen in one scene.) Though the outcome of that scene is far different than expected.

The story, while weak is actually OK for what purpose it serves. The chase scenes to me are well-done and the monster is actually kind of frightening to some degree if you put yourself in their position. With a good ending (at least in my opinion) the movie tells its story very well.

Its worst points are basically the overdone story line (told again and again over the years in movies such as Wrong Turn and The Hills Have Eyes Remake.) And its horrible lighting, this is probably some of the worst lighting in a movie I've ever seen. I don't know if that was purposeful or what, but it sucked. Had I been able to see the movie a bit better I'd have given at least another point to it.

Worth a watch at least once, eh maybe twice. Check it out. I give it 6/10.

As a young child I remember my mother watching this movie and having the titles in book form. V.C. Andrews book, when I read it myself wasn't that bad, actually it was very good! Sadly as in most cases the movie just wasn't as good as the book.

The story revolves around a family who at one time was very happy indeed. However as this movie shows they hit hard times. I won't say how because that would give away major plot points for you. After these unhappy turn of events they, I mean the four children and their mother, all have to return in poverty and destitution to their grandmother's home for help. The mother has a plan to win back her father's love to inherit a fortune the likes the kids had never dreamed. When the group enters the grounds of the ornate mansion we are treated to the main villain of the movie....Grandmother, and her bodyguard/servant John The Butler. Needless to say Grandmother is less than thrilled to see her daughter after umpteen years and bringing four unwanted "Spawn of the Devil" with her. This, sadly is what she refers to them as.

Grandmother, as she is called is played wonderfully by Louise Fletcher. Granted I'm a fan of Kristy Swanson, but this is a movie made before she really got good roles such as Buffy. However this movie has only Mrs. Fletcher to lean back upon as the ONLY person who really CAN act.

Grandmother makes life hell for the children, and punishes the mother for leaving with her husband years earlier. Eventually Mother as she is referred to tells the children of an attic above their room. For months they use this place to escape the harsh reality around them. As time continues pressing on they realize Mother doesn't love them as much as they had originally thought, and decide its time once and for all to make a break for it.

The movie is very depressing, and I think this is what the film is supposed to do. I believe the director wanted you to feel as they did, hopeless and trapped in that attic as the kids were. For that I give it a 5/10, because in some areas it does succeed, and Mrs. Fletcher's acting really does get you angry at her character. Otherwise I count off for bad-acting, scenes which made no sense at times, and plot points which were utterly useless (the list of rules which was never expounded upon, certain other key moments as well) if you watch you'll understand what I mean. Also the time frame for which these events took place also seem out of order, which if I remember correctly were very detailed in the book.

To me its good for a one time watch but there are better movies which succeed at doing what this one tries to do. I re-watched it the other day and remembered it being very good when I was younger. However now it seems more like a straight-to-video diatribe which I could've easily bypassed completely.

This is one of the best movies hands down I've ever seen. Since I got my copy of it I've watched it at least once a week and NEVER get tired of it. It seems that like Haley Joel Osmont's character I myself love his Uncle Garth's stories so much I have to hear them again...and again...and again! The movie focuses on Walter, the son of an irresponsible mother who in a sordid lie leaves him with his two aging bachelor uncles (Caine and Duvall in exceptional performances) for the summer while she leaves for Court Reporting School. Discovering this to be just another of her lies Walter find himself at first not liking his situation, that is until he sees the charm and wonder of his uncles and their magical lives in a secluded Texas farm house.

Listening to his Uncle Garth (Caine) Walter realizes there's so much more to them than he once believed, especially his Uncle Hub (Duvall) and discovers that sometimes to be a man you just have to believe in something, whether it could be true or not.

Full of laughs, great moments and more this movie honestly kept me smiling through the WHOLE thing. I loved every minute of it and yes, it will one day be a classic. The acting is good, the story is great and the movie overall is one of the best ever made in recent years. Give it a shot if you haven't already, its definitely worth a look!

As far as comic book titles too often the directors or producers try to present the characters in their own vision. This can at times be OK, I mean let's look at the X-Men trilogy, Spiderman trilogy, Hellboy and Daredevil. All were presented in the director's visions while at the same time capturing the feeling of the characters in their respective environments (e.g. Hellboy's color and cinematography were dead on as far as the comic books go, and to me remains one of the best comic to movie translations ever.) Sometimes even making steps to create a certain realism which would pass off as more true to us moviegoers! To me Ghostrider delivers as well as these other flicks.

Ghost Rider is a personal favorite in terms of comic books and novels because of the tragedy which is Johnny Blaze. And Mark Stephen Johnson manages to capture the concept and look, feel and vibe of this great Marvel Character. It even has the feel of an old 70's motorcycle flick! The story revolves around the protagonist Johnny Blaze (Cage) and his life since making a deal to save the life of his father from the ravages of cancer with Mephisto (Fonda). Sticking directly to the comic book and its storyline we move forward many years later where Johnny is now a celebrity biker/stuntman/daredevil and Mephisto comes calling on his end of the deal. He tells him if he will bring down his son Blackheart he can have his life back and their deal will be fulfilled.

Along the way we see Johnny trying to deal with the agonizing pain of losing loved ones (his father and girlfriend played by Eva Mendes.) To me this was a good part Cage played, and the acting while not the best ever was certainly not bad at all. I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

One of the most renowned horror movies ever to be made, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will give you nightmares for a month, guaranteed! The premise is simple, the story to the point. Five teenagers make their way across Texas one summer day to check on the grave of their grandfather due to recent grave-robbing occurring in the area. Along the way they pick up a hitcher, who, crazed as he is, decides to cut the arm of one of the teens and bails out. Thinking this to be nothing they find themselves now at the abandoned childhood home of their family, which is where the horror begins. Out of gas, alone and scared, Leatherface finally makes his appearance on the one lone surviving hapless heroine. The chase which ensues is awesome, scary and pulse-pounding all the way to its climax.

Given the simplicity of the budget the writers and director decided to instead focus on tension, suspense and visuals to aid in frightening the audience. Watching it now I can honestly say its one of the best movies ever made, and as such deserves to be a cult classic as long as movies play a part of our lives.

From start to finish I was gripping my seat, near misses and everything else you could want in a horror film, and not that bad of a story line either.

10 out of 10.

Probably the best Rocky since Rocky III.

We find Rocky in this movie to be a widower running a small restaurant in his beloved hometown named after his wife, estranged from his now grown son, and missing the woman he loved.

When a sports show decides to do a virtual boxing match between he and now champion Mason "The Line" Dixon, Rocky is shown by the computer to win, this raises the question...."Could Rocky Win?" So Rocky decides to step back in the ring one last time to kill the beast within himself, to answer once and for all was he really ever the people's champion, and to allow Mason the chance to see if he really is the new champ as well. With an exhibition bout set in Las Vegas the two square off in one hell of a match that will leave you on the edge of your seat! A lot of people have said this movie was going to bomb, but to me it was the best way to end the series and bring about a close in the life of one man who inspired so many. Rocky Balboa is one of the best films of 2006 and would make a great addition to any DVD Collection.

If you haven't seen it then you need to, its well worth the time.

OK, I'm a die-hard fan of comics and the movies which come from them. Sadly too often a director gets a hold of one and changes so much stuff it actually takes away from what made the story great to begin with.

The major changes here? Kingpin is black and played by Michael Clarke Duncan (very well too I might add) and Bullseye has a bullseye carved into his forehead (in the comics it was part of his costume) Aside from those two minor things, this movie is spot on with the legend of Daredevil, the Man without Fear!

The story takes place around the life of Matt Murdock, a blind attorney who, as an adolescent was exposed to radioactive liquids which blinded him, yet granted his other remaining senses superhuman qualities (i.e. the best being his radar-sense which works through his hearing.) Growing up to become a lawyer Matt takes his fight to the street at night in Hell's Kitchen, his neighborhood, as Daredevil. Enter Elektra Natchios, the daughter to a wealthy businessman and partner to Kingpin, and you have the beginnings of a truly great comic book story about one man's fight to see justice served! The movie actually captured the feeling of the comics I felt, probably as good as Spiderman. Ben Affleck shines as the tormented lawyer who diligently stands by his choice to be both a lawyer by day and a vigilante at night. 9 out of 10 stars.

As far as comic book movies go this one had it right almost from the start. In our Hollywood versions of superhero movies most times the directors have a "vision" of how they see the hero and take it an awful and bad direction.

Not so here.

Thomas Jane thrives as Frank Castle, an ex-FBI officer ( a slight change from the comics as Frank was an ex-marine and never worked for the FBI ) who, upon retirement finds he and his family are now marked for death by the Saints, a family of criminals who operate out of Tampa, Florida. The movie stays pretty much by the Marvel comic of the same name with a good backstory of how the Punisher came to be.

John Travolta gives a great performance as Howard Saint and the cast is of course rounded out by Rebecca Romijin as Frank's neighbor. Moving through the stages of revenge Frank begins his quest and new life as The Punisher, with his first targets being those who murdered his wife and son.

If you're looking for a good movie based on a comic book, this one is as good as Spiderman or X-men, and on par with the original one as well, which I liked too.

8 out of 10 stars.

I have to say that as a fan of Sandler since his movies like Billy Madison and Bulletproof (Ok, so maybe not that one) he has always took an idea for his movies since The Wedding Singer and shown he has more than a knack for being silly but can actually act! Click is the story of Sandler's character Mike Newman who, because of his job, has found he has almost ZERO time for his family and is constantly ungrateful for having them. Enter Morty, played wonderfully by the always welcome to see Christopher Walken. Morty offers Mike a chance to finally control his life through the use of a Universal Remote that can actually control the universe itself! Mike learns however, that control of his life and everything around him has consequences which he never realized or thought through as the device begins to leap forward through his life, making him miss a lot of times with his family.

If you're looking for something raunchy and standard with Sandler's past movies, this isn't what you'd expect. What you DO get is a superb movie with top drawer acting and wonderful story for all to enjoy. If you liked 50 First Dates then this movie is for you!

Of all things, in my freshman year of high school this movie came out and I was stunned. It was about a guy whose own life mirrored my own I just got up and applauded (literally) through the whole thing. Angus was me in school, right down to his geeky friend/sidekick. I was a different kind of person from the rest of the crowd. I was big, and smart, kept to myself mostly but that was so I didn't get into trouble. The biggest difference? I have Tourrette's Syndrome, and was only beginning to show the major ticks associated with it when this movie came out. It was nice to see that people like me could be shown on the big screen in so positive a way. So of course I had to write a review on it here.

The movie is about a fat kid, who like me was good at science and fair at football (though I truly despise football, thanks Coach!) who has a single mom and lives with his grandfather, both played marvelously by Cathy Bates and George C. Scott. Angus wants to get with the popular chick, who just happens to be dating his arch-rival in school that has suffered numerous broken noses over the years from Angus' wrath.

You grow to love his grandad who gives him advice on how its OK to be different, to just "Screw 'em!" If you're looking for a realistic movie about high school and you were different from the rest of the crowd like I was, then Angus is your movie. And his mom, once more like me, seems to be one of the only people who truly ever understand him. Top it all off with his big science project to be able to attend the Magnet School in town, and you've got something spectacular! Add the soundtrack for extra points and I give it a 10 out of 10! "Go for it Angus!" God, I love that line!

This is one reason not to watch Travolta. Sure, I like him way more than Tom Cruise (his fellow Scientologist) but this was a reason to actually loath every single solitary person involved with the conception and design, script and acting regarding this piece of crapola.

Travolta stars as Terrl, or something to that effect, a member of a species known as Psychlos, whom look like a cross between coneheads and klingons, though neither have any reason whatsoever to be mentioned in the same line with these other....aliens....anyway...

As I said though, the movie focuses on the alien race named Psychlos who, 1000 years before, brought down the human race. Enter Johnnie, played by Barry Pepper, who seemingly rallies his primitive man into a well-oiled fighting machine. In one weeks time they learn to use Harrier Jets, Missiles, Guns and more, and are met with resistance from the Psychlos and their guns which look like they were made from PVC pipes and U bends for sinks. And it only gets better folks! Just so you all know the other day I came across a copy of this on VHS in a bin at a local store, only $.49 plus tax. You know what? That's asking a bit much from me for that. Maybe if they'd throw in one of those little Johnnie action figures we'd be OK....

This movie had the feel of the cartoon, its look and its action, but also had a plot, something that was sorely missing from the original series in a bad way.

Enter Aeon Flux, an assassin for the group known as the Monocans (Monnicans) and the leader of the last city in the world, Trevor Goodchild, aided by his brother Oren. Aeon is sent to assassinate Trevor, and holds an undue hatred towards him for the death of her sister. However, things aren't always as they seem in this new world as the job only leads her to more things she can't understand herself.

From action, to plot to great visuals this movie lives up to the series in every way concealable. I recommend it to anyone, and give it an 8 out of 10.

I'm glad to see them making a movie of this story, as one of our family friends is also friends with a descendant of this family, who confirmed to us all that it was a real story. Living in the south, most notably now Tennessee, this movie is actually (and hopefully) going to be done right.

I've yet to see the movie, but if you want a very summarized account of the incidents at the Bell Farm, then pick up a copy of 13 Ghost and Jeffery, a book series chronicling different haunts all across the south, including Tennessee with its rich history of paranormal activity.

A must read when I was in school, if you've never heard of it then you don't know what you're missing. It is very documented and is the only account in history, as the title says, that a ghost killed someone.

Until I see the movie, I wait patiently.....

Seeing as I've played Doom since I was a kid and have always been a fan of the FPS (First Person Shooter) Genre of video games, I actually felt this movie would live up to the series in many ways. Well, in some ways it did. It gave a realistic spin on the game itself, instead of releasing the monsters from hell as it is in the games, they are Bo-engineered. However, this idea has already been done to death in other movies such as Resident Evil and its sequel.

The movie takes place around a base operating under the auspices of the biggest corporation in the world who years before discovered a portal they call "The Ark," which can transport anything between Earth and Mars. On Mars they have a base called Olduvai, after the plateau on Mars. At this facility the scientists and doctors have been performing Bo-genetic experiments which, sadly, have gone awry.

Enter The Rock in perhaps his best performance to date aside from Walking Tall. I have to admit this was a role he was perfect for. Called "Sarge" he leads a contingent of Marines to the facility to seek and destroy all threats and obtain the data of the experiments. In that vein I will say like Van Damme that Dwayne Johnson has gotten better as time goes by when it comes to acting. Anyone who doubts me on that comment about VD just watch In Hell and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway....

To me the biggest similarities between the movie and the games is the monsters. That's it. As for the movie itself, I would have given it a 9, because despite it being a beat-up concept I felt that the story was quite good, but I had to take away some points because of the insane FPS view during the movie. It seemed too much like a video game instead of real life, and the character doing it didn't even take damage during it, even though he takes a beating like no other from some of the creatures in it. Nice try though, just came off as very cheesy.

All in all, the movie is worth seeing. I give it a 7 out of 10.

This is without a doubt Eastwood's best ever movie. From start to finish we see how one man can and will be able to make a difference in someone's life when they need them the most. As a martial artist I've always believed that the teacher appears when the student is ready, and never is this more apparent than with Swank's character.

I related to her in this, as I saw her family issues arise from her career success and the jealousy which can go with it. I also have to say it gives me tears every time I've watched it, and I simply refuse to see the end of it anymore. Its that good, its that powerful.

So if you're looking for a good movie, no, make that an awesome one, this is one to get. I rank it up there with The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Love it, simply love it.

9 out of 10.