Rise of the Guardians (2012)

6/10

Flawed storyline but good feel good film for kids.

At times it felt like the film was trying too hard to take many well known myths and turn them real.

Has a few quotable and funny lines, but overall not as humor filled as Monster Inc.

The Yards (2000)

6/10

Typical crime film that is predictable throughout.


Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and Charlize Theron teams up in this simple crime drama about the politics and corruption behind the city's subway repair contractors. The plot line sounds exciting with Leo (played by Wahlberg), newly released from jail, gets caught up in the messy back drop of subway contracting with his friend Willie (played by Phoenix).

This film is not as exciting towards the first quater as the story started becoming more predictable and slow. There were no surprises and not much suspense as the film rolled to its climax. I saw the final conclusion coming long before the mid point of the film and spent majority of the time studying the use of lighting and colour grading, as both were splendid and well done, losing interest in the actual story. Cinematography was well done by Harris Savides , giving the film a very film noir appearance. The acting by Phoenix, Theron and Ellen Burstyn are all worth mentioning.


My more preferred film by Wahlberg and Phoenix collaboration still would have to be We Own the Night. Wahlberg and Theron teamed film would have to be Italian Job. As for this film, nice try...thanks for playing but The Yards missed at being a more memorable movie.

Statement (2003)

6/10

Has some goofs in the age casting, but a good film with some thought. And despite the title, film is not about accounting.

Plot: Tale of a former Nazi executioner who becomes a target of hit men and Police investigators.

 Even though it is labeled 'thriller' The Statement is fairly slow paced with slight edge of suspense of what the ending will be like. There are very little chase scenes and gun fights.

And Then There were None (1945)

6/10

A masterpiece by Agatha Christie that many other films got its inspirations from but it was predictable and not very suspenseful.

Plot: Based on a novel and subsequent stage play by Agatha Christie; ten people are invited to an isolated island, only to be killed one-by-one. Could one of them be the killer?

Nicely plotted, but not a very exciting film. During the film I kept thinking about Harper's Island (mini-series) and Clue (film), both of which I watched prior to this adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel. Having seen both of them first, i came into And Then There Were None with different expectations.

The Vanishing (1988)

6/10

those golden rules you learned as a kid "don't talk to strangers"

Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.

The Vanishing is very slow paced film that  alternates between flashback and present day. It sets up a very mundane event of a couple going on vacation, and turning it into a sinister plot.

The ending of this original The Vanishing is fairly different from the hollywood remake with same title (1993). I found the ending in the original to be far more fearful and sad than the remake.

spolier: --------------
This film does not need any special effects, gory or frightening images to create fear; rather the fear/horror of this film is the randomness of the act.
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To End All Wars (2001)

6/10

A look at war through forgiveness

To End All Wars is a true story about four Allied POW's who endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors during World War II while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle

This film explores how POW find their freedom through faith, belief and calm. Forgiving their captors and not exacting revenge.

To End All Wars is a very unique war films. Through the duration of the movie one does not feel anger or hatred but rather a feeling of pity towards the guards. Even watching the cruelty of the captors on the prisoners, the forgiveness of the prisoners overshadow any feelings of hate.   

The film didn't introduce the main character Ernest 'Ernie' Gordon as well as I had hoped. It was confusing in the first 20 minutes as to who the story centred around. The focus seems to jump from character to character and not really showing the relationship between people. I also had a hard time not seeing Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, which became distracting.

Some parts of the movie felt overdramatic and overdone (eg the ending where Campbell was beating up the guard). The exaggeration of events was unnecessary and did not help to emphasize the powerful message that underlines the film. It felt

Aside from some overdone scenes, this film is very well done, giving you a very different look at war.

Elf (2003)

6/10

A cheerful, silly look at raw and complete innocence

Elf is about  a man raised as an elf at the North Pole who is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity after inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size.

Elf is a clever holiday film that both tells a lovely tale as well as makes a spoof on it. An elf by the name of Buddy is actually a human, but he was brought up by elves. So imagine a full grown man, who is smart, high spirited but has the innocent mindset of a 2 year old. We see Buddy interact with the outside world unbeknownst of it's cruelty and lost of innocence. Every negative remark made towards Buddy didn't affect him until...spoiler

I spent most of the film absorbed with the visual effects of the film. The simple yet effect treatment of the scenes and the created animation made the film believable and cute.

When Christmas rolls around..watch this movie!

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

6/10

Lovely cast with funny scenarios

The Importance of Being Earnest plot: In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.

Rupert Everett and Colin Firth both are fantastic in the lead roles.

Not my favourite film but it is family witty and silly.

Find Me Guilty (2006)

6/10

Different mobster/court film

Based on the true story of Jack DiNorscio, a mobster who defended himself in court for what would be the longest mafia trial in U.S. history.


A very different role from Vin Diesel. I almost didn't watch it when I first saw it was staring Diesel, but to my surprise he gave a very splendid and realistic performance.

The overall film had moments of humor but overall is very slow. A film starring Vin Diesel, about mafia yet is slow and has no chase scenes? That's right, but even without all the hollywood effects this film still packed a punch. The terrific acting, the true story, and the strong focus on friendship/loyalty makes this film very unique.

Fortress (1992)

6/10

Exhilarating and disturbing but with epic effects for its time.

A futuristic prison movie. Protagonist and wife are nabbed at a future US emigration point with an illegal baby during population control.

A jail break theme film that explores the idea of population control in form of banning the birth of second child, through some extreme methods. Fortress feels like a mixture of Matrix, 1981, Die Hard, and the Great Escape.

The special effects (considering when this was made, i am assuming very little CGI was used for this film) was amazing. What looks like actual props and special effects make up played a huge part in giving this film the gory, disturbing and almost realistic appeal.

Fortress has some very detailed and scarily accurate prediction of technology and the possible result of its development. The damage and deadliness of computers and machines are well explored in this film. This film is not entirely all just a fictional sci-fi movie as some technology actually does exist today (maybe not in the exact form as in the movie).

Flaws of the film: some events happened too fast, wrapped up too quickly and is quite predictable

This film got only a 5.6 on IMDB, I felt that the score should have been higher as it is pretty exciting and has a lot of character development. It's one of those you either HATE it or LOVE it type of film.

Appaloosa (2008)

6/10

ok plot with great character study

plot: Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.

Going into Appaloosa, I was prepared myself for a somewhat fast paced and dynamic story. What I received was somewhat opposite of my initial expectation and still a very complying movie.

At every major acts in Appaloosa, I would compose (in my head) a twist where someone is set up or betrayed. I over estimated the complexity of the story, as this film was fairly straightforward. It wasn't till about 1/3 through the film did I realize that Appaloosa was a very sophisticated analysis of characters, their interaction with each other and their internal conflicts.

The characters all show traits of conflict within themselves. Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) is conflicted between his duty as the sheriff and his love for. Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) is conflicted between his respect to his best friend's wishes and wanting to do what is best for him. The other town folks are conflicted between to upholding the law but needing to bend some laws to stay alive.

Entertaining enough to keep you interested and sophisticated enough to keep you thinking.

Kontroll (2003)

6/10

odd film about subway life.

Plot A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likeable characters, a rival ticket inspection team, and racing along the tracks... And a tale about love.

Not too sure how I feel about it. Kontroll has a wide range of quirky/funny characters and situations. Entire film shot underground in a subway system, with no day light. There is not much of a storyline, we just follow Bulcsú around as he work, played and slept in the underground system. We learn little bits about him throughout his wonderings but we never get the complete picture.

This film gives the audience an inner look at the subway system, giving a tour of what we normally do not see. The concrete walls, empty train tracks, the air vents and transfer tracks. The cinematography does a good job of creating the wonderment of this underground world.

Will take a special person to really appreciate this film.   It does not have much of a solid story line. It has action, some very dull moments, some dreamlike scenes and gore. The gore comes from the subway train running over people. Not for the weak stomach.  There are certain scenes where the situation is so ridiculous that it was actually fairly funny.

Pretty much all of your fears about riding public transit (be it bus, train...) all put together in this one film.

Shattered Glass (2003)

6/10

The sinisterly kind boy who cried wolf

The true story of a young journalist Stephen Glass who fell from grace when it was found he had fabricated over half of his articles.

This is a well done film about a man who preys on people's sympathy, gullibility and kindness. Living one lie to the next while repeating "I didn't do anything wrong". This film makes you review people's values and academic integrity. He is so focused on wanting the perfect story instead of the truth.

Hayden Christensen as Glass and Peter Sarsgaard as Lane both did a fantastic job in capturing the emotions between a new editor seeking the truth and a reporter who has lost grip on his morales. This might be my favourite performance by Christensen.

Film makes you wonder if Glass even has any real memories. If Glass didn't get caught, would he ever admit that he fabricated 21 of his 40 articles? Or would he continue down that road?


Glass should just write fiction, he seems to have a knack at it.

Battle Los Angeles (2011)

6/10

not bad but not overly epic

Plot: A Marine Staff Sergeant who has just had his retirement approved goes back into the line of duty in order to assist a 2nd Lieutenant and his platoon as they fight to reclaim the city of Los Angeles from alien invaders.

Alien/robots are attacking and we follow a marine staff sergeant as the battle rages. Staff Sergeant's aim to get his platoon and civilians (there's 4 in total that they saved) out to safety. Sound's pretty familiar doesn't it? That's because it is. This tale has been done before, just this time they threw in aliens.

Entire film is filled with battles and standoffs, which if that's what you're hoping for in a film then this is great for you. I didn't mind the endless battles as, in all honesty, it was pretty fun to watch.

The thing I found most annoying about this film is the cliche dialogue and the propaganda to join the marine appeal. It got quite overpowered with almost slogan like dialogue that I was starting to lose focus while watching.

Aaron Eckhart played your typical Hollywood die hard hero. He did a decent job but nothing new there. I'm just glad that he isn't sticking to one type of role and branches out in all genres.

Definitely a macho man type of movie with ton of: gun fire, battles, explosions, alien robots, war and all sorts of weapons. If you like standoff gun fight explosion, this is for you

El Aura (2005)

6/10

Nicely shot but dragging.

Plot: A deluded taxidermist plans the perfect crime.

El Aura is like a slow moving train. You stand at the station watching the clouds, the trees, the birds and the people. In the distance you can see the train but it never seems to come.

The movie is just like that. There's built up anticipation but the story ever so slowly makes its way. As the story moves I began to see it was not at all how I had initially thought it would be. The entire idea of the main character planning a crime was more just him having a good memory. The crime fell into his lap accidentally and he decided to follow it. Not so thrilling.

The dog is the most interesting part because, like the main character, we never find out his name.

The colour treatment made the film very cold, which matched the main character very well. The film frees gory and gruesome but in reality you don't actually see much of it. Rather we are shown imageries and hints towards the idea that certain events happened.

Overall, a slow slow slow film with a very interesting look at a man who is left with his own memory.

Without A Clue (1988)

6/10

keeps you interested with bits of humor

Without A Clue is a spoof on about detective Sherlock Holmes, except we find out that Holmes is a drunkard who is really just a cover for the real detective - Dr Watson.

Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley are both amazing in this film, driving the plot. Definitely worth watching just for the duo.

For those who would like to watch it, here it is:

Fugitive Pieces (2007)

6/10

Beautiful story mixed with breathtaking scenes.
Fugitive Pieces is about a boy, Jakob, who escapes from Poland during World War II and first heads to Greece before coming of age in Canada. (imdb)

This story is told in a mix of flashbacks and present view following the life of Jakob Beer. The beauty of this film lies in the way Jakob's story is told, we see bits of his past intertwined with his present life. Throughout the movie, we hear stories of different families and people during the war in bits and pieces, not knowing who the stories are about or if they are true. As can really sense the aftermath of a war and the deep impact it leaves.

I love the entire cast, especially the supporting cast of this movie. A mostly Canadian cast we see many familar faces such as Nina Dobrev (Vampire Daries),Devon Bostick (Diaries of a Wimpy Kid), Rachelle Lefevre (which I first remember her in the YTV show STUDENT BODY).

We are not shown too much bloodshed but through Jakob's narrative, the war is brought very real and fearful.

We never really known the chronological order of the events, all we can do is put the different pieces together in our minds and form our own version of the story.

City Island (2009)

 6/10
If you thought your family was disfunctional...wait till you meet these guys
The Rizzos, a family who doesn't share their habits, aspirations, and careers with one another, find their delicate web of lies disturbed by the arrival of a young ex-con (Strait) brought home by Vince (Garcia), the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private.

City Island started off quick but the story dwindles towards the middle. The slowness in the middle of the film almost lost my interest, but I am glad I stuck to it till the end. As the climax unfolds on a street, no less, and is fairly exciting and well acted.

Not the funniest movie I have seen, it is quite exaggerated, but I guess that's the point of film.

The climax scene is worth watching if you can sit through a slower middle section.

Brother Bloom 2008

 6/10


Funny at times, with cooky characters but not overly epic

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world. (imdb)

I read the IMDB plot (above) and was interested enough to check it out. The movie, for the most part, is outline with humor. I especially loved the character Bang Bang played by Rinko Kikuchi. Despite not having much dialogue, Kikuchi's performance was a joy to watch.

Brothers Bloom plays with the old theme of 'crying wolf' and does this so many times throughout the film that you never actually know when the film will draw its curtains.

The overall storyline is mediocre. I felt there could be more content with the story and more twists.

I recommend this film as a simple Friday night entertainment that has many snickering moments.

Stay (2005)

6/10
Fantastic cinematography and editing with a very unusual story

Stay is about the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.

Stay is a psychological thriller that takes you into the mind of a young man who is walking close to death.

If you finish this movie with a clear cut understanding of the plot, then I would think your mind works on an entire different parallel because this movie is very but straightforward. The movie works itself in between the line of reality and dream. We see the young man Henry (Ryan Gosling) wanting to commit suicide and the attempts of his psychiatrist Sam (Ewan McGregor) trying to talk him into seeing more meaning in life.

The cinematography and editing are fantastic making some neat cuts and many scenes are done through some interesting angles. The editing also helps to emphasize the thin line between reality and dream.

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this film. The cinematography and editing captured my attention and creativity but the storyline and sequence is --for lack of better word--tripped out. The movie is like a dream that made sense while you were asleep but upon awaking, bizarre would be an understatement.

If you enjoy films such as Mulholland Dr., Memento, Identity, The Machinist and Shutter Island...then don't let the low rating stop you. This film is very trippy, confusion filled but an amazingly well edited piece of artwork!