Django Unchained

In Django Unchained Jamie Foxx is a slave named Django who is bought by a dentist turned bounty hunter by the name of Dr. King Schultz with the hope that Django can help Schultz identify and capture three dangerous slavers who have a bounty on their heads. Schultz agrees to free Django when the deed is done, and also to help Django find his wife named Broomhilda. The journey to find the three slavers brings Django and Schultz to the home of an evil man named Calvin Candie. Django and Schultz must fight for their lives if they wish to find the three men to bring them to justice (read: kill them) and to find Broomhilda.

If you know anything at all about Quentin Tarantino, then you'll know that his movies are all ultra violent with an almost gleeful attitude towards blood and gore. Django is no different. Within the first ten minutes several people are already dead and the violence only gets ramped up from there until the very end. I went into it expecting large amounts of blood and gore, but Django took my expectations and multiplied the amount tenfold. I left the theater a little queasy from how much gore was shown. In a way I wasn't expecting to like Django because so far the only Tarantino film I have ever actually liked was Inglourious Basterds. That fact still remains true after seeing Django.

I hate it when movies are rated R just so they can show graphic violence. I'm ok with R-rated action films in general, but only if it's not wall-to-wall graphic violence; and only if the violence is necessary for the story i.e. almost any war movie or action thriller. I don't see the point in having someone shoot a pistol and there be what seems like 5-10 yards worth of blood splatter. I do realize that it is Tarantino that is the director, so I should have expected quite a bit of blood and gore (which I was). It's just that I personally feel like this was too graphically violent even for Tarantino. I think he could have dialed it down a notch or two and it would have been great. I also could have done without all the language. The N-word alone is said about 100+ times, not to mention the "normal" (using that term loosely by the way) curse words. With the language I also realize that the N-word was commonly used back then and it was culturally ok, but I was concerned because it seemed unnecessary to include it that many times. I somehow doubt that any amount of language was used that often by anyone back then, let alone the N-word. I certainly have never heard anyone use that much language in real life nowadays as it was used in Django. All in all I wanted to like it; it had its moments that I actually did enjoy, but they were far too few.

Parental Guidance

Parental Guidance is a comedy that takes a look at the different parenting styles between generations. Alice and Phil Simmons are a 21st century couple who have raised their kids in a hectic world filled with trying to get their three kids to violin lessons, speech therapy and play dates, among other things. They also raised their kids by eliminating any risks or injuries that might damage the kids for life. Artie and Diane Decker are polar opposites. The Deckers are a more free-spirited couple who, to paraphrase a quote from Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus TV show, believe in taking chances and making mistakes. This conflict of parenting interests comes to an explosive turn when Alice and Phil are stuck with asking Alice's parents to babysit the kids while they go to a conference for Phil's job. Artie and Diane must find a way to relate to their grandkids who they rarely see if they have any hope of surviving the week without the parents.

Parental Guidance is a very sweet, charming little movie with a big heart. Comedies these days are filled with "bathroom" humor that is rarely actually funny, but this was a pleasant surprise. Sure, it had it's moments where the humor got a little off-color, such as a running joke that has Artie and Diane's grandkids calling Artie "Fartie". In the end the truly funny moments and the positive messages of the importance of family and marriage outweighed the more off-color moments. Originally I wasn't planning on seeing it because it didn't look like a movie I would enjoy, but I am very glad that I went. Parental Guidance turned out to be one of my favorites of the year.

Taken 2

Liam Neeson returns to kick butt and take names as ex-CIA agent Brian Mills in this sequel to the popular action flick. This time around the family members of the Albanian sex-traffickers who kidnapped Brian's daughter in the first film are dead set on revenge for their fallen comrades. An opportunity for revenge arises when they follow Brian, his ex-wife Lenore and their daughter Kim to Istanbul. There they kidnap Brian and Lenore, leaving Kim to figure out a way to help her parents out of this predicament.

Part of me was excited that there was a sequel when I first heard the news, but as I watched advertisements for Taken 2, I started hating the fact that it was happening. The story is the EXACT same as the original, except this time Brian himself is captured. I absolutely loved the first one, but the sequel is an extremely unnecessary, boring piece of junk. The first Taken felt like a sincere action flick that explored the possible dangers of traveling abroad and also the evil of the sex trade. This time around it was molded into a stereotypical revenge action flick, and a poorly made one at that. I admittedly was still entertained by the action sequences until one specific point in the movie lost me: (MINOR SPOILER WARNING) at one point Brian Mills meets one of the Albanian kidnappers face-to-face and engages him in hand-to-hand combat. It was a pretty cool sequence until the very end when the Albanian man is dying; Brian just puts his hand on the man's face, squeezes then shoves him into the wall...and the guy dies. Just like that. That part was completely unbelievable. I wish I could recommend Taken 2, I really wanted to like it, but it ended up just being another stereotypical revenge flick that's not worth your time or money.

Total Recall

In this updated version of the Arnold Schwarzenneger film from the 1980's Colin Ferrell fills Arnold's shoes as Douglas Quaid, a factory worker who builds robot security guards known as synths. Up until recently he's been pretty content with his life as a factory worker; he loves his job and his wife who is a security force officer for the United Federation of Britain. Earlier in the 21st century the Earth had been devasted by chemical warfare; as a result the majority of the population that is left is split between the United Federation of Britain and a smaller settlement on what used to be Australia known as The Colony. Douglas Quaid goes inbetween these two areas to get to and from work. Recently Quaid has been having strange dreams of being chased by the very machines he helps to build, and then meeting a mysterious woman, only to be separated from her at the end of his dreams. He talks to his wife about the dreams and she suggests that it might be because he feels trapped in their marriage and ultimately his life. He's unconvinced so he (unbeknownst to his wife and close friends) visits a place called Total Rekall. There he is told that he can have the time of his life by being infused with a drug that will allow him to fulfill his wildest dreams. He cautiously goes through with it, but right as he is about to enter the dream world Total Rekall is ambushed by the robotic security force and he must run for his life. What follows is a pursuit of the truth as Quaid tries to separate reality from fiction.

Total Recall is a very unnecessary remake of the '80's classic. I like Colin Ferrell but he fails to completely fill Arnold's shoes as Douglas Quaid. The original isn't much better; it's more of a campy action flick while this updated version tries (and fails miserably) to be serious. I found myself laughing uncontrollably at some of the stupid jokes and situations within Totall Recall. You're better off staying at home and seeing the original version.

The Dark Knight Rises

It's been said that a little white lie never hurt anyone. The problem with lying however, is you have to continue over time to keep your story straight so that no one figures out the deception. It is this deception that can be detrimental to both the person who is lying and ultimately to the one(s) being lied to. Gotham City has been living such a lie. Eight years prior to the events of The Dark Knight Rises Gotham City's greatest district attorney named Harvey Dent suffered an immeasurable amount of grief and rage when his fiancee died at the hands of the Joker. As a result he vowed vengeance on the ones who he believed had wronged him, both criminal and police officer alike. Harvey's path of vengeance led to his death during a confrontation with Commisioner Gordon and Batman. To preserve the "white knight" image that Harvey had made for himself Gordon and Batman devised a plan to allow Batman to take the fall for the crimes Harvey had committed and to also be blamed for his death. Fast forward eight years: Batman/Bruce Wayne has gone into hiding, and Gordon and the Gotham Police have enacted laws in "honor" of Harvey Dent to remove every dangerous criminal from the streets of Gotham. Things seem to be going well until the lie these two men forged eight years ago catches up to them in the form of a man who makes the Joker seem like a teenage hooligan: the masked terrorist named Bane.

The third and final chapter in Christopher Nolan's trilogy portraying his vision of the legend of Batman is without a doubt one of the best comic book adaptations I have ever seen. Tom Hardy (who plays Bane) gives Heath Ledger a run for his money as the best onscreen villain. To me it would have been better if Bane had been in the second film in the trilogy The Dark Knight, but he does an extremely great job here. Where the Joker waits until a building is empty to blow it up, Bane shows no such restraint. Bane is not in it for the money, or even in it for the fun of watching stuff blow up. Bane wishes to make Batman pay dearly physically, spiritually, and mentally for past "sins". For this reason Bane becomes a more formidable foe than any Batman has ever faced before. Bane has nothing to lose. My favorite line is when Bane stares at Batman and calmly tells him "When Gotham is ashes...you have my permission to die." The Dark Knight Rises has a couple surprises up its sleeve that after seeing it a couple times I realized were a little predictable, but this is a movie that is worth seeing multiple times. It is a great ending to one of the best, if not THE best comic book adaptations ever done.

Prometheus

In this self-proclaimed prequel to the famous Alien series, researcher Elizabeth Shaw is on a mission, along with her boyfriend and several other scientists, to find the origin of humanity. Their exploits take them to a cave with drawings of beings similar to our own species that seem to have come from another world. Four years pass after finding the cave, and Shaw finds herself aboard a ship bound for a distant moon in the hopes that it will lead to the discovery of humanity's origins. What they find on the moon is more than any of them could ever have imagined.

Prometheus is an extremely well-done, and superbly acted film from the mind of Ridley Scott who created the original Alien series. As a normal science fiction film it's good, but it's strength comes from the fact that it's not just a normal sci-fi action flick, but rather it's a deep, almost philosophical film. It dares to ask the questions of where did we come from and who are our creators. I found it interesting that Shaw is portrayed as a Christian throughout the film, and when asked whether her findings shook her faith she denies it. Instead it strengthens her faith, and she ponders as to who made our creators. If you're looking for a film that breaks away from the mold of mindless sci-fi action flick then this one's for you. You definitely do not want to miss this one.

Expendables 2

The mercenary crew known as The Expendables are back in an all new adventure, this time trying to stop a French bad dude named Vilain (original I know) from stealing a stash of Soviet plutonium in the hopes of selling it to the highest bidder.

I'll say one thing about Expendables 2, it definitely does NOT take itself seriously, and that's what makes this one so fun. I'm surprised I liked it because I hated the first Expendables. I felt the first one had a bad story, bad writing, and really bad acting. Expendables 2 isn't much better, but it's a step up from the original. This time it actually had lines that reminds viewers of previous films that Stallone, Arnold, Van Damme, and even Chuck Norris did in the 80's. Chuck Norris' entrance makes it worth the price of admission alone. In the end, this sequel is an engaging, hilarious thrill ride that fans of Stallone, Norris, Schwarzenneger and other 80's action heroes will love.

The Bourne Legacy

In this fourth installment of the Bourne franchise, Aaron Cross is an agent from an organization similar to Treadstone and Jason Bourne. The difference between him and Bourne is that his senses are heightened by a couple of drugs the U.S. government makes him take. Aaron is the kind of agent that more often than not shoots first and then asks questions later. He's loyal to his country and to the agency. That loyalty is soon betrayed when Bourne comes back on the grid and wreaks havoc on everyone involved with Treadstone and the similar agencies. Now Cross is on the run from the very country he swore to protect and serve.

I was excited when it was announced that there was going to be a fourth Bourne film. My excitement quickly faded when I heard that Matt Damon was not actually returning as Bourne. It didn't make sense to title it The Bourne Legacy when Jason Bourne wasn't even going to be in the film. The result is a good action flick that lovers of the original series will not be completely disappointed in. It has its flaws, such as some background information that doesn't make sense. The thing that has set apart this series from other secret agent series' such as the James Bond series is the realistic action. This unfortunately is Legacy's downfall. There is a chase sequence on motorcycles that started out well, but then turned into a "how the heck is that possible" moment. Overall it was a good installment, but it was the worst of the series. I'd recommend it for fans of the series, but don't expect it to be at the level of the original trilogy.

Battleship

(Very) loosely based off of the popular board game, Battleship finds Lt. Alex Hopper joining the U.S. Navy (at the urging of his older brother) to finally own up to his childish behavior and to ultimately do something important with his life. Of course, Alex rarely listens and constantly gets into trouble with his superiors. It's not until his girlfriend urges him to ask her father for permission to marry her that he starts wondering, but doesn't actually take any action to, if it's time to grow up. Before he can ask her father, however, some debris from space crash lands near Hawaii where Hopper is stationed and he must head out to investigate. What follows is the ultimate battle for survival as the Navy fights off a group of lethal aliens.

I can sum up Battleship in one word: STUPID. Stuff like this makes me wonder who seriously thought making a movie out of a board game was a good idea. It's one of those movies that was unintentionally funny at the absurdity of it. Not to mention that it is a complete ripoff of the Transformer trilogy and Independence Day except for the fact that this time around it's just aliens and and not a robotic alien race. The only good thing going for it was that it was better than Wrath of the Titans, but that's not a big compliment. If you have some time to kill and you're looking for a comedy then look no further. I garauntee you will be laughing at this one. Otherwise skip it.

The Artist

It's 1927 and George Valentin is enjoying the luxuries of being a famous silent film star. The fans love him as does the studio. George continually pumps out hit after hit. All is going great for George Valentin. One day when he is hitting the red carpet for his next big film, he runs into a lovely woman by the name of Peppy Miller. Peppy dreams of being a movie star like George Valentin. The two hit it off and George ultimately offers a small part for Peppy in his next film. She jumps at the opportunity and slowly her career climbs until she is just as famous as George. Fast forward to 1929 and Peppy's career has reached new hights that she had never dreamed would happen. She starts making her own films and this time they are "talkies" - films that actually have sound. Unfortunately that means that George is slowly put into the background as the end of the silent era comes around. George must cope with this by either submitting to this new era or retiring.

The Artist is interesting because it is shot entirely in black and white, and also - except for one or two scenes - there is no sound except from the orchestra. It takes us on a journey to a time where moviegoers had to almost create their own dialogue for what was happening onscreen. A time where a greeting card was the method of communication instead of cell phones, internet, and social media sites. George Valentin has the gift of imagination and emotions, effectively using these gifts for the entertainment of others; and he loves what he does. When the "talkies" come into the picture, he struggles to almost literally survive in this new world. I'm not sure I agreed with the fact that The Artist won Best Picture, but it was a solid movie nonetheless. I loved it. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Darkness has overcome the land as an evil queen has taken control of a nation and enslaved its people. The queen, who's name is Ravenna, is a sorceress who is searching for the secret to immortality with the help of her brother. Ravenna also enlists the assistance of a magical golden mirror, begging with it daily to tell her that she is the fairest in the land. The golden mirror continues to reassure her until one fateful day it informs Ravenna of another woman who is more beautiful than her. A woman called Snow White, whose skin is white as snow, hair as black as a raven, and lips as red as blood. The golden mirror prophesies that in order for Ravenna to achieve immortality and youth she must devour the heart of Snow White. After learning her fate Snow White escapes and takes shelter into a nearby enchanted forest. Ravenna then calls for the help of a drunk huntsman who agrees to go after Snow White in exchange for Ravenna to revive the huntsman's wife from the dead.

If you go into Snow White and the Huntsman assuming that this is going to be similar to the widely known and well loved Disney movie filled with seven dwarves who sing "Hi Ho! Hi Ho!" as it's off to work they go, or with a main character who can't fend for herself so she has a knight in shining armor come to her aid and rescue her, then be prepared to be sorely disappointed. This tale is darker, more sinister than the popular Disney movie. It does have elements of the original story, such as the seven dwarves, the poisoned apple, and the whole 'true love's kiss' storyline involving the huntsman; however it also has a main character who acts more like a savior or hero rather than a helpless little girl, an evil witch who makes the original witch look like a saint, and the dwarves themselves aren't as innocent. Parents of small kids should hesitate and see the movie themselves before taking their young kids. It does have some good lessons to teach such as standing up for what you believe in, but you have to dig deep to find these messages. It is a good film with great acting (even from Kristen Stewart who plays Snow White which is a pretty big surprise), fantastic cinematography and scenery that somewhat reminded me of a cross between The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, but some of the creatures found in the forest may or may not scare little kids. If you have young kids then exercise caution in letting your kids see it. Otherwise I recommend seeing Snow White and the Huntsman.

People Like Us

Sam is a shady business dealer who specializes in bartering goods and services to different companies. He's become quite good at it, but unfortunately not good enough to evade the curious eye of the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is looking into their company due to complaints about illegal methods of business. To make matters worse, as Sam is dealing with the FTC he gets a call saying that his estranged father has passed away. Sam hasn't seen his father since he was a young adult so going back home is not that appealing. Sam plans on just getting to the funeral, getting his inheritance, and getting out so he can keep the painful memories at a distance for as long as possible. When Sam arrives back home to attend his father's funeral he gets the shock of his life. It seems that his father had a second family that he visited often during Sam's childhood. His father's last wish is for Sam to take a bag of $150,000 to a woman who Sam finds out is his sister. Sam must figure out a way to balance his legal troubles with the FTC and fulfilling his father's wish.

People Like Us is a very sweet, moving film that I initially was not expecting to like very much. From the previews it looked like a cheesy "chick flick", one that a guy like me who is more into action movies than dramas would not like. I was pleasantly surprised. Chris Pine gave a fantastic performance as Sam, Elizabeth Banks was great as Frankie, and Michelle Pfeiffer was also great as Sam's mother named Lillian. I also loved the fact that People Like Us stressed the importance of family, love, and forgiveness. One of my favorite scenes is when Frankie finds out about a few things that Sam has been lying to her about. She asks him how she's supposed to be able to trust him again and he replies: "...because we're family, and family makes mistakes...let me be your brother." By no means does it excuse the fact that he lied to her, but it does show how we are only human and we make mistakes; it's what we do and how we learn from those mistakes that make us who we are.

People Like Us is not for young kids due to the fact it's PG-13, but I most definitely recommend it for 13 and up.

The Amazing Spiderman

Peter Parker is an outcast in high school, a science geek who is constantly bullied at school and is always getting into some kind of legal trouble. We first meet Peter as a young kid who seems to have a happy childhood until one night when his parents cart him off to his Uncle Ben and Aunt May's house and leave him in their care. The mystery surrounding his parents' disappearance haunts Peter all throughout his childhood and into his teenage years. Fast forward to Peter's high school years: One night while helping Uncle Ben fix a leak that caused the basement to be flooded Peter comes across a briefcase that belonged to his father. Peter searches through it for answers that might lead to the cause of his parents' disappearance; the clues lead him to Oscorp where his father worked and to a former co-worker named Dr. Curt Conners. It is during his visit to Oscorp that a genetically altered spider bites Peter, turning him into your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

Originally when I first heard that the Spiderman series was being rebooted I was a little mad because I greatly enjoyed Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi's take on the famous web-slinger and 10 years seems a little too soon for a reboot. After seeing it though with my dad I was impressed with how well it was done. It felt like there was better character development within the story, and the story itself was a lot better written. I do think this series is in good hands if this is the direction they are planning on going in with sequels. My only problems were: Andrew Garfield, who played Peter Parker/Spiderman, was a great Spiderman but not that great of a Peter Parker. He had the sarcasm and the recklessness that I felt was key to the character of Spiderman, but as Peter Parker Andrew Garfield didn't seem to be nerdy enough for me. If they had combined somehow Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker with Andrew Garfield's Spiderman then that would have been perfect. Also, I really don't know why they felt it was necessary to go through the whole beginnings story again since everyone knows how Spiderman received his powers. Otherwise The Amazing Spiderman was well done.

Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to 2010's Clash of the Titans, following the exploits of Perseus, the demigod who is the son of Zeus. In Wrath of the Titans we find Perseus living life as a human with his son and mother-in-law as a fisherman. Out of the blue one day he gets a visit from his father who pleads with him for his help in a war among the gods. Hades has escaped the underworld and has vowed revenge on Zeus for banishing him to the underworld by releasing Cronus, the father of all the gods. Perseus resists at first, but then Hades attacks his village and threatens his family. Perseus also finds out that Hades has kidnapped Zeus in an attempt to drain all of Zeus' power to release Cronus from his prison. Perseus goes on the offensive to rescue his father from Hades and save the world (again) from disaster.

I've seen some pretty bad movies, but Wrath of the Titans makes it pretty high onto my list of top 10 worst movies I've ever seen. It's not the worst one ever, but it's still pretty bad. I couldn't decide whether it was a action comedy or if it was trying to take itself seriously so it ended up being funny. There were a few times that the dialogue sounded like it came straight out of other movies. One scene nearly word for word copies the scene in Star Wars when Han Solo is about to be frozen in carbonite and Leia blurts out "I love you!" and he answers "I know." It was almost as if the screenwriters ran out of things to say so they decided to take things out of other movies and mesh them together into one movie. Clash of the Titans was at least entertaining; its sequel...not so much. If you actually enjoy cheesy movies then this one's for you. Otherwise I would skip it.

The Grey

John Ottway is a man who is employed to make sure that the wildlife in the Alaskan wilderness does not interfere with a group of men working in the oilfields. Whenever a wolf comes too close to the men Ottway shoots it before it can attack. After their shift is over and it is time to head back home, the plane they are riding in suddenly hits a major area of turbulence, causing the plane to crash. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Ottway and the remaining survivors must fight the bitter cold and hungry wolves in order to have even a remote chance of rescue.

The Grey is a very, very tough film to watch. It's depressing, giving the viewers what feels like a false hope that the situation will end well. What's interesting though is the fact that The Grey is not just a film about a group of men trying to survive. It's also a critique on the existence of God and an afterlife. It seemed as if The Grey argued that there is no God or afterlife, and that we must learn to survive on our own. There were times when it felt like it wanted to believe in God or even an afterlife, but couldn't. For instance there are several times where characters make what could be considered a little prayer up to God, but they are met by silence except for the howling of the cold, biting wind and the wolves around them. There is very little of what I would consider positive. The only positive things that come to mind would be the fact that all of the survivors (especially John Ottway) are willing to risk their lives for each other, giving their all in order to make it out of their ordeal alive. There are also a couple of survivors who stay firm in their faith to the very end.

The Grey may not sound like a good film to see, but I would recommend this one because you can use it as a good starting point in a discussion on the topics of God or an afterlife. I don't recommend it for anybody under the age of 15 due to the R-rating for language, graphic, disturbing images and the heavy thematic material; however, if you let your kids see it, it can be used as a good tool to help your kids understand the messages that the film has.

The Avengers

In 2008, at the end of the credits of The Incredible Hulk, Robert Downey Jr., a.k.a. Tony Stark/Iron Man uttered 5 words that would keep comic book fans on the edge of their seats for the next 4 years: "We're putting a team together". Now, in 2012 The Avengers has taken the box office by storm, beating records right and left for profits.

The world is on the brink of disaster as Loki, who we met in Thor, has threatened war on the planet. To save the world from Loki and bring him to justice Agent Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. has called for the creation of the Avengers Initiative, a program to bring the world's best superheroes and combine them into a powerful team. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow are brought together to thwart Loki in his grand scheme to conquer the world and humiliate his brother Thor.

The Avengers is, quite simply, amazing. Everything from the dialogue, the extravagant sets, and the characters all are top notch. I did find a couple of problems within the script, such as some explanations on the backgrounds of The Hulk and Black Widow, but they were so small that they don't take away from the overall experience. I loved watching the chemistry between each of the superheroes. The Avengers just came out but I already can't wait until Avengers 2 comes out. I can't wait to see what else Joss Whedon has up his sleeve. This is one you do NOT want to miss.

The Departed

The Departed is the American adaptation of Infernal Affairs, an action film from Hong Kong in 2002. Set in Boston, it tells the story of two men, one an undercover police officer infiltrating the mob and the other a member of the mob infiltrating the police force. Each man realizes there is someone tipping off the police and the mob, so it's a race against time to root the other out before their cover is blown. Colin Sullivan is thought to be an upstanding citizen, doing his best to uphold the law. This makes him the perfect choice to be a mole for mob boss Frank Costello because no one suspects him.  Billy Costigan on the other hand, has a somewhat tainted background due to a few of his family members having ties to Frank Costello and the mob. The Boston police force assigns him to infiltrate the mob because of his background. What follows is a crazy, fast-paced set of events in a race to uncover each mole.

I know I am going to be pretty much the only one of my friends who says this, but I personally did not care for The Departed. I'm normally ok with R-rated action flicks, but The Departed seemed to go overboard in its content. It did have me on the edge of my seat wondering which mole was going to be found out first, and it did have a couple twists that I definitely did not see coming. It also does have fantastic performances by Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo diCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen. Despite all of these things, I unfortunately couldn't get past the fact that this is a brutally violent film. The Departed has to be the most violent film I have seen since Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypto, or even Passion of the Christ. Every time a character gets shot blood flows like a raging river. It also had way more language than I have heard in an R-rated film in awhile. I counted over 200 f-bombs alone, most of them seem like they were uttered by Jack Nicholson (not a huge surprise there). I felt that much violence and language was unnecessary. I was ok with the R-rating, I just wish Martin Scorcese would have toned it down a little.

I really wish I could recommend The Departed, but I can't due to the excessive violence and language.

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is based off the popular teen fiction series written by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl who lives in a world split into 12 districts that are controlled by The Capitol. Many years ago the districts rebelled against The Capitol, and as punishment The Capitol forces the 12 districts to participate in an event known as the Hunger Games. Each district must choose one male and one female tribute between the ages of 12-18 to send to the Games where the tributes must fight to the death. During the selection process known as The Reaping, Katniss's sister is called as a tribute, and Katniss volunteers in her place. Peeta Mellark is chosen as the male tribute to fight alongside Katniss. What follows is a fight for survival that neither of them are entirely prepared for.

For an adaptation of a popular book series, I have to admit The Hunger Games is one of the best and most faithful adaptations I have seen in a long time. Director Gary Ross did a great job of keeping most of the important details from the story into the movie. There were a few minor details I wish he would have expanded on, but if he had put those details in the movie it might have made it too long. One thing I'm not exactly happy with, but I understand why Gary Ross did it this way is the cinematography during the fight scenes. He filmed these scenes in a shaky, blurry way so that you can't clearly see the carnage that is happening on screen. It drives my eyes crazy to see that kind of cinematography, but Gary Ross said he didn't want to make the violence itself the focus of the movie. Instead he wanted the disgust and horror of Katniss and Peeta towards the Games as the focus.

One argument I have heard brought up is that someone thought The Hunger Games should have been rated R. I have to be honest, I completely disagree. If you make The Hunger Games rated R then two things happen: 1) you just lost your teen fanbase that the books are geared towards; and 2) if you make it R then you do the exact opposite of what the primary message of the movie and books is. The Hunger Games is a critique on the fact that our generation has turned violence into something that is entertaining. We have become numb to the horror of seeing blood and gore spilling out onscreen. We have gotten to the point where we watch a movie such as the Friday the 13th series and instead of cringing at the sight of Jason X stalking his prey, we sometimes bust out laughing. I do think The Hunger Games would have benefitted from pushing the PG-13 limit, making it dark and violent, but not graphic. If Gary Ross had followed in, say, the Lord of the Rings footsteps or The Dark Knight then I think The Hunger Games would have been even better.

While I greatly enjoyed The Hunger Games and recommend people go see it, I have to issue a warning to parents of young kids: This is by no means a kids movie. The story is about teenagers killing each other and the rest of the population turning this bloodbath into entertainment. Suzanne Collins wrote the series as a critique on our generation's love of movies such as Gladiator, 300, and other war movies that have excessive amounts of blood and gore. Our generation has become subjected to this type of entertainment so much that we have become numb to it. The books themselves are superbly done, and the movie is also well-done, but they are both meant to bring to our attention the horrors of violence. If you think your child is old enough and mature enough to understand how horrible the situation in the story is, then I'd say use you're own judgement whether to allow your child to see The Hunger Games. However, personally I would 100% listen to the fact that it's PG-13. No child under the age of 13 should see The Hunger Games.

War Horse

It's 1914 and the world is being catapulted into chaos as World War I breaks out. In England a young man named Albert lives with his parents trying to scrape a living so they can continue to pay the rent and not be thrown out onto the streets. The war hasn't reached England yet, but everyone can feel the tension as it draws nearer. As a last ditch effort to keep their farm, Albert and his father go to the local market to buy a sturdy plow horse for the fields. When they get there, Albert's father gets drunk and also into a bidding war with a rival farmer, but not for a plow horse. Instead they bid on a beautiful stallion, one not built for plowing. Albert's father wins the horse in the end and must figure out a way to make the stallion work in the fields. Albert makes a promise to his father that he will train the horse and get the fields planted in time so they won't lose their house. Unfortunately the war soon catches up to England, and Albert must give up his beloved horse to the English army.

"Battles are ugly affairs" - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

That line was said by Father Christmas when he met the Pevensie children in the film adaptation of the beloved children's series, but it could have easily been used in War Horse. What's interesting about War Horse is it is not only a story about a horse and his master, but it is ultimately a criticism on the effects of war. It is also told from the perspective of  the horse (who Albert has named Joey). Joey is taken from Albert to be used on the frontlines of World War I. The audience watches as Joey travels across Europe and experiences firsthand the pain and agony of war. War Horse is a well acted, fantastically well-made film reminiscent of films such as Black Beauty, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller. It is a little slow in the beginning but once it gets past the first 15-20 minutes then it begins to pick up speed and gets much better from there. Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert, gives a fantastic performance as the wide-eyed teenager that falls for Joey. If you have not had the chance to check out War Horse, I strongly encourage you to.

In Time

Will Salas lives in a world where time really IS currency, used to buy necessities like food and clothing. Science has figured out a way to allow humans to live as long as they can as long as they acquire more time on their biological 'clocks'. These biological clocks don't start ticking until an individual reaches the age of 25; after that they have one year left to live unless they can keep getting more time by working or trading for time. Will has survived for about 3 years by literally living one day at a time. One night he bumps into a stranger who has a century on his biological timer. Will has to save him from "time cops" because the government doesn't believe one should have that much time on their hands. As a reward the stranger gives Will all of his time left. Will Salas has to go on the run from the authorities due to him having an unauthorized amount of time on his timer. Along the way he turns into a futuristic Robin Hood by breaking into banks and giving the time to poor citizens.

In Time has to have one of the weirdest storylines I've heard in a long time, yet it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable film. I'm not a huge fan of Justin Timberlake (as a singer or an actor) but he did a decent job as Will Salas. I also liked the fact that (unlike most Hollywood films) it had a pretty good message for viewers to enjoy the time they have here on earth because it's so short and also that we weren't meant to live forever. A few minor hiccups, the language is a little on the the rough side but overall not that bad; and there is one scene where we see two characters playing strip poker.

In Time might seem like a film not worth seeing due to the weird story, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The year is 1973 and the British government has just received intel that there is a mole within the Circus, the name given to the British secret service. In order to expose the mole the British government turns to a retired former agent named George Smiley. When Smiley was an agent he was the right hand man to the head of the agency, so the British government assume he's the right man for the job. Smiley has his work cut out for him this time because the mole is another agent, so they know every trick in the book to disappear without a trace. Smiley must work through deception after deception, not trusting anyone but his closest friends if he wishes to weed out the mole.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy can easily be summed up in one word: BORING. Completely and utterly boring. The film begins at a slow pace but unfortunately continues this way the entire time. There is no dialogue until at least 10-15 minutes in, and because of this it's hard to tell what is happening onscreen. Tinker relies heavily on the characters' reactions and movements to tell the story. I've seen movies where this method works, but unfortunately it falls flat here. I found it hard to care what happened to the characters onscreen.

As far as content goes, for a R-rated film this is actually not as graphic or raunchy as it could have been. Violence-wise we rarely see any violence except for a couple of scenes where characters are shot; most of the graphicness comes from the agents committing murder and we only see the aftermath. One character has their throat slit so we see blood dripping down the front of their bodies; another character is shot in the back of the head, and we see the blood spatter on the walls. There is a scene in a strip club, but as far as I could tell we don't actually see anything there. The main issue is the language: we hear the f-bomb close to 10-15 times, as well as a couple uses of d--n, s---, and h---.

I had high hopes for this one, especially when I found out Gary Oldman was going to be in it. It had a promising premise, and what I thought would be a strong cast. Unfortunately, not even Gary Oldman or any of the other great actors could help this disaster of a movie. Let me put it this way: If you saw it for free you would be paying too much. It is THAT bad.

Book of Eli

Denzel Washington plays a lone man named Eli on a journey west. We never fully understand his ultimate destination, just that he's headed west across a barren wasteland that used to be the US. The world has been devastated by a war and some sort of event that "split the sky in two", and is now pretty much entirely a dusty, dry, wasteland. As he continues on his journey we learn more about him and find out that he has a book in his possession. This book he believes will help bring about the restoration of mankind to the way things were before the war. The book he has in his possession? The BIBLE. Eli says that he is on his journey because a voice that he believes to be God's told Eli to bring the book to a place that is ready to receive the message within the pages of the Bible. Along the way he comes to a town where there is a man named Carnegie that wants what Eli has. Carnegie, however, wants the Bible for his own personal gain. Both men believe in the power of the Bible, but Eli wants to use it to save the people, Carnegie wants to use it to rule the people. Eli has to fight his way through Carnegie and his men to reach his destination if he wishes to save the Bible from falling into the wrong hands.

Going into the movie, I didn't really know what to expect. Up until yesterday I didn't even understand what exactly the story was even about. I knew that Denzel Washington's character had something in his possession that was supposed to help humanity in a post-apocalyptic world, but I never could tell from the commercials what exactly that was. I figured it was some sort of book (duh) or manuscript from the title, but was surprised with what book Denzel Washington had in his possession. I never would have guessed the Bible.

Once I heard that the Bible was the centerpiece that the story surrounds, I have to be honest: I pretty much expected the movie to somehow make fun of, or maybe screw things up to make Christianity look bad. I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER TO BE PROVEN WRONG. This is a great film that surprisingly doesn't make fun of Christianity; in fact in some ways it actually seemed to me to praise Christianity. I most DEFINITELY recommend this movie. Not just because it praises Christianity, but the fact that overall this is just a great movie. One of Denzel Washington's better performances. I would say the same for Gary Oldman. I loved him as Gordon in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. He does a great job as Carnegie in this film.

Word of warning though: This is rated R for a reason. There are multiple scenes of intense fighting, with several characters being killed by a) being decapitated; b) stabbed; or c) being shot in the throat or chest with an arrow. Those scenes can get pretty graphic. You also see two or three close-up shots of a man who gets his hand cut off by Eli. The language is pretty rough too, including at least 10-15 f-words. Not as rough as it probably could have been, but still enough for it to earn an R rating.

Horsemen

In Horsemen, a police detective named Aidan Quinn investigates a murder where the victim is suspended by hooks in a position that resembles being on hung on a cross and there is writing on the wall written in the victim's blood. The bloody writing are the words "Come and See". As Quinn is attempting to figure out who the murderer is a second victim shows up with the same modus operandi as the first murder, right down to the writing on the wall. When Quinn realizes there is a serial killer on the loose, he also realizes that the murders are connected to the Biblical account of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse found in the book of Revelation. Each of the first two murders correspond in some way (either by the color of the room, some object found near the body, etc.) to one of the Horsemen. Quinn has to race against time if he is to figure out the motives behind the murders before the serial killer strikes again.

Horsemen is intense, creepy...and yet at the same time it is amazing. I thought it was going to be a stereotypical serial killer flick, but it had a few plot twists that even I did not see coming. Dennis Quaid is one of my favorite actors and he does an excellent job as the detective. Lou Taylor Pucci and Liam James also were great portraying Dennis Quaid's sons. One thing I liked about this film is the fact that even though it is primarily a serial killer type of movie, it still has some important messages. One such message is the importance of family. Aidan Quinn shows how much he cares for his sons throughout the entire movie, even at one point apologizing for some mistakes of his past.

Horsemen is definitely not for young kids. For one thing it's rated R for disturbing images and violence. Some close up shots of the hooks digging into flesh might disgust some viewers. The language might deter some people also. There is a lot of language spread throughout. If you are able to look past these things however, Horsemen is worth checking out.