Attack the Block (2011)

8/10 [highly recommended]

Shaun of the Dead..with Aliens!

Attack the Block is about a teen gang in South London who must defend their block from an alien invasion(imdb)

Attack The Block is exciting, with hilarious one-liners, just the right about of gore and  thrilling. Not really a scary film but one that has scenes that will make you jump.

This movie has an amazing soundtrack that suits the mood of the film perfect. Dark, suspenseful but not so scary that it will give you goosebumps.

There's a couple flaws though, for example how no one ventured out of their apartments when the fireworks went off and screams rang down the corridors. But the small flaws does not effect the overall film as the action, dialgue, acting and CG give audiences enough to focus on.

Well balanced film of thrill/comedy/scary/action....not overdoing any element. Attack the Block worth watching!

Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

7.5/10 [highly recommended]

Unique editing, hilarious, freaky and deep

Royal Tenenbaums is about An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when one of their member announces he has a terminal illness. (imdb)

An astounding cast of Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Danny Glover, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Bill Murray... coming togther and strengthening the overall effect of the funny yet poignant plot.

Royal Tenenbaums is able to take a simple plot and build a roller coaster ride of emotions and themes. Each character is carefully crafted and developed to bring out a different element in the film.

A single viewing of this film, for me, was not enough. There's so much detail in the editing, dialgue, characterization and camera angles that one view will not do the film justice. I recommend viewing this film multiple times and each time taking note of a different element.

Royal Tenenbaums is like a moving book. It has chapters where you 1) read, 2)imagine then 3)see. It makes the film so much more interesting because each page that appears, a different "rising action" will take place. It also gives you a chance to pause and think. [you'll know what I mean once you once the film...]

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! smart, funny, freaky, real, dark and deep.

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:

The Frighteners (1996)

7/10

More frightened than humored.....

After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see (imdb)

I thought this film would be like Ghost Town, filled with ghost but more funny than scary. The title should have been a tip that this film would not be what I had expected. The Frighteners is well done with twists, scares, a couple laughters sprinkled throughout, and a ton gore. Only down side is that I didn't prepare myself for the horror elements.

The special effect is top notch for 1996. At times the graphics were a bit off, but overall, the ghosts and 'plasma' are convincing and real.

Michael J Fox, again gives a great performance. I love him in Back to the Future, so it is great to follow his journey in The Frighteners as Frank, a man is able to see spirits. Jake Busey also deserves some praise as he played the perfect crazed villain.

Peter Jackson, who will follow this film with directing Lord of the Rings,  (as well as King Kong, and the Hobbit) did a fantastic job co-writing and directing The Frighteners.

The Frighteners is entertaining, thrilling, intriguing and scary film. I was hoping for a bit more comedy to balance out the horror, as I am not great with horror films...

If you want a horror film that has bits of comical elements that will leave you on edge and jumpy...The Frighteners will do just that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go watch a rom com to try and calm myself

Clue (1985)

8.5/10 [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]

Who? Where? and With What? Find out in this SPECTACULAR film that will make you want to watch it over and over and over again.

The movie version follows six guests who are invited to a strange house and must cooperate with the staff to solve a murder mystery. (imdb)

We most likely have played  (or at least have heard of) this board game. A book series, television series AND a movie have been based on CLUE the board game. For those who are familiar with the game knows that after a murder has been commit, the investigator must find out WHO did it, WHERE the murder occurred and WHAT the weapon is.

Clue (the movie) is such an entertaining film with great dialogue, complicated relationships, head scratching mysteries, hilarious situations and amazing acting by a stunning cast. I absolutely loved the entire film and was hoping for more endings (or yes, did I mention there are multiple endings.)

The film uses mix of camera angles and pans making the film very appealing and reveals just enough to keep the mystery going. The props and costume supports the mysterious tone of the film.

The cast is full of familiar faces bringing back many memories of different shows. From Tim Curry as (the bad guy from Charlie's Angel), Christopher Lloyd ('Doc' from Back To The Future), Martin Mull (principle from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) and Eileen Brenna (Jack's acting teacher 'Zandra' from Will and Grace).  Eileen Brenna's performance is absolutely delightful to watch as she really embodies a crazed and frantic Mrs. Peacock.
 
I watched this film a few times, each time paying attention to a different element. The second time through, I re-watched funny situations enjoying the slap stick comedy and spectacular dialogue. Third time I paid attention to the amount of work put in to make the multiple endings possible. I noticed the careful match of music with the on screen action creating the mood for the scene. There's a mix of diegetic and nondiegetic music to throw support the suspenseful mood.
 
Overall, if you haven't noticed how much I loved this film I will inform you now...I love CLUE and I highly recommend it!!

Rookie Blue (2009-Present) TV series

8/10 [recommended]


Good drama supported by an amazing cast.

Rookie Blue follows the lives of five rookie cops from 15 Division in Toronto who have just graduated from the academy. They must learn not only to deal with their duties as police officers, but also deal with the problems and expectation of their families and friends. ( plot description from wiki)

Rookie Blue really captures the everyday lives both in uniform and out of uniform of the rookie officers. This series puts focus on the reality that these officers are people with their own concerns and life problems but they all share the same devotion to wanting to serve/protect.

The beauty of this show lies in the nice balance between character development and action. It doesn't have all the suspense and CGI of CSI but it has enough content to keep you glued to the screen. Rookie Blue is refreshing as it feels realistic and not overdone with special effects.

The cast is amazing, with many familiar faces. Missy Peregrym, whom I've been a fan of since Life As We Know (TV Series), is amazing as Andy McNally the tough rookie who rarely lets anyone in. Gregory Smith, from the old TV show Everwood that I watched when I was a kid, plays Dov Epstein is great. Eric Johnson, from season one of Smallville, portrays Detective Luke Callaghan.

Oh, did I mention, it's Canadian!

I really like this show for it's realistic appeal and simple editing technique. It is refreshing. I recommend people to give the show a chance, you may find yourself drawn into it.

Stick It (2006)

5.5/10

Fun, but could have been so much better.

After a run-in with the law, Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is forced to return to the world from which she fled some years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), Haley's rebellious attitude gives way to something that just might be called team spirit. (imdb)

Directed/written by the same writer wrote Bring It On, Stick It tries to give gymnastics the same appeal as it did with cheerleading. Sadly, despite the strong performance by lead Miss Peregrym, this movie lacked iin the power that Bring It On had.

Stick It lacked in character development, which made it such a weak film in comparison to Bring It On. Bring It On focuses on a few characters but develops each character slowly so the audience can feel a connection to the character. Stick It focuses on Haley, but it does not give the supporting characters much background or development to Haley. For example, Haley's teammate Joanne is shown at first to hate Haley but towards the end of the film becomes friends with Haley. But we are never shown by any history between Haley and Joanne. At the same time Haley's parents, who plays such a big part in the story, are given only a few minutes on screen, which left gaps in the story.

Stick It spent too much time trying to capture gymnastics but failed to write a strong storyline. The thin storyline could have benefitted more by giving some flashbacks on Haley's history and family.

I watched Stick It mostly for Missy Peregrym, who plays Officer Andy McNally in the show Rookie Blue. Stick It is Missy Peregrym's movie debut and she gives an amazing perforance as Haley Graham. Peregrym saved this film from being a complete disappointment, I give Peregrym 5/5 for her performance and 0.9/5 for the weak script. I cannot believe Peregrym isn't in more movies.

Overall, a fun film but lacked in content

X-Men First Class (2011)

8/10 [highly recommended]

Loved it! Solid script with fantastic lead peformances.

In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III. (imdb)

The story of how X Men came to be. I liked the first X Men film and X Men 2 starring Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart but X3 and Origins that followed were disappointing. This prequel, however, redeemed my hope for the X Men franchise.

X Men First Class succeded beacause it didn't only rely on a star-studded cast and action on attempting to create an amazing film. First Class had many new faces, powerful script, with much emphasis character development (which I believe is what this film quite powerful).

Even though First Class didn't have a A-list cast, the choice of young cast are still amazing. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender carried this film.

First Class not only brought to our attention some of the lesser known mutants (such as Darwin, Havoc, Banshee, Beast and Riptide) but it also put much focus on character development. We are told the story of how many mutant's history. The suffering and pain Magneto went through in his childhood to his friendship with Prof X. Mystique's struggles with her identity. Professor X's childhood and friendship with Mystique and Magneto. I would have liked it more if Prof X's life is given a bit more detail because we know much more of Magneto's past than we do of Prof X.

The action sequences and editing is thrilling but never over taking the script.

Overall, definitely a fantastic film that is worth watching! X Men First Class saved the X Men franchise, which should have stopped after Xmen 1&2.

Watchmen (2009)

9/10 [highly recommended]

Deep, compelling with a tone of content. Who watches over the Watchmen? We do

In an alternate 1985 where former superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own sprawling investigation, uncovering something that could completely change the course of history as we know it. (imdb)

I never read the graphic novel so my enjoyment of this film is based on the tone, camera work, story, set design, casting, music and editing. The movie is long, though when I sat down to view it I did not feel it to be long at all. The film does have some adult material and much gore, but these were done so they didn't overtake the story of the film.

Watchmen is dark, iconic, full of allegories and allusions. This film has a lot of content and themes that it needs more than one view to fully understand what is going on. There's more than one underlining message to be taken in. This film tugs at so many emotions from love, hate, betrayal, fear, anger, disgust, surprised, confusion...that's how powerful this film is. Everything on earth is connected and everything in this film is as well.

The choice of music is absolutely gold! The recognition of the iconic tunes from the 60s and 70s will make you pause to really listen to the lyrics and how befitting they are to this film. I love how Watchmen can get you reminiscing memories with just the recognition of the songs.

Watchmen was shot in Vancouver, at a studio that I've been to. When I first watched the movie, I never took notice of the set decoration and location. But upon my second viewing today, I took much notice of the set and am amazed how much of the film is shot in such a compact set.

The dark and errie use of lighting and rough design of the set is perfect in supporting the mood of the film.

Go watch the film yourself! It is brilliant piece of work! I am so going to get myself the DVD and the graphic novel!

Lady in the Water (2006)

4.5/10

Nice visually but slow story that is easily forgettable.

The Lady in the Water is about an apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.  (imdb)

Lady in the Water wasn't as good as I hoped. It has a neat concept and puts emphasis on the fact that it is a fairytale story..BUT sadly, the execution and pace of the story is slow and boarders boring. I felt myself distracted away from the movie quite a number of times throughout the film. The stories tries to make itself different in the sense that it refers to itself within the movie. This film is definitely bizarre one that left me bored but pondering.

The casting for the film is solid and believable. I am definitely a fan of Bryce Dallas Howard after watching the Village, but I'm not sure how to feel about Lady in the Water.

The cinematography is visually appealing in this film with nice choice of angles, pans and unique use of camera focus. The shots make the audience aware of the fact that a camera is present, which emphasizes the idea of the story referring to itself.

Overall, mediocre story with nice visuals that sadly didn't hold my interest. I guess this film takes a special kind of audience, who enjoys the slow bizarre plot and the neat camera angles.