Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who
one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers,
training or meaningful reason to do so.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writers: Jane Goldman (screenplay),
Matthew Vaughn (screenplay)
Storyline
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan
with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not
very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However,
one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though
he has no powers or training.
User Reviews
When I first saw Kick
Ass i was expecting more action than comedy. However, I was wrong with
how surprisingly funny the movie turned out to be. I thought Hit Girl
was what made the movie shine as she was cussing and slaughtering
people. Aaron Johnson did a good job playing the lead role of Kick Ass
and I thought Nicolas Cage was good at playing Big Daddy as it wasn't
the typical Cage film. This movie beats a lot of those stupid high
school movies and chick flicks that are trying to be funny but fail.
This is a great combination of bloody action and comedy. Its the Super
Bad meets Kill Bill genre. I highly recommend this film.
Nineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood
adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her
true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
Director:Tim Burton
Writers:Linda Woolverton (screenplay),
Lewis Carroll (books)
Storyline
Alice, an unpretentious and individual 19-year-old, is betrothed to a
dunce of an English nobleman. At her engagement party, she escapes the
crowd to consider whether to go through with the marriage and falls down
a hole in the garden after spotting an unusual rabbit. Arriving in a
strange and surreal place called "Underland," she finds herself in a
world that resembles the nightmares she had as a child, filled with
talking animals, villainous queens and knights, and frumious
bandersnatches. Alice realizes that she is there for a reason--to
conquer the horrific Jabberwocky and restore the rightful queen to her
throne.
User Reviews
Movie Review: 'Alice in Wonderland' is a beautiful world to behold
Tim Burton's Alice in
Wonderland is a sequel and not a retelling of the original children's
novels by Lewis Carroll. In this film, Alice is now 19-years old, and
soon after the death of her father, is proposed to be married away.
Feeling pressured, she runs off, following a white rabbit, which leads
her to Wonderland, a place she only vaguely remembers from childhood.
There, she meets past familiar faces as the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp),
the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), and
eventually the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has been
terrorizing the land with her harsh rule and beheading of heads. Alice
finds out that her destiny is to end the Red Queen's rule by slaying the
queen's dragon, Jabberwocky, as written in the prophesy. Along the way
she meets up with all sorts of colorful characters.
If you
remember, Steven Spielberg's Hook was the live action sequel to Peter
Pan. Similarly, Tim Burton's film is very much like a close cousin,
except it's about Alice. The progression of the story is also kind of
similar, where the main character, Alice, like Peter, must rediscover
herself and finally defeat her nemesis. Likewise, both films are both
elaborately staged, they are both about growing up and making choices,
and there's a big showdown. Chances are if one liked Hook, one will find
many things to like about Alice.
Tim Burton's version of the
Wonderland's environments are gorgeous, imaginatively created, lots of
colorful details, and breathes life. The castles are sleek and
intricately designed. The creatures are generally live versions (CG) of
the Disney's previous animated version, and they're even more odder and
fun to look at. I particularly loved the portrayal of the Chesire Cat in
this film, and the way he snakes through midair like water feels very
natural, although it wouldn't feel so natural in real life. Only
complaint I may have in terms of visuals would probably be where we see
CG versions of natural creatures like dogs--they're not particularly
stylized so their CG-ness can be more noticeable.
Danny Elfman's
score fits the environment just right, giving added intensity when
needed. This film is essentially Tim Burton's playground and even if
there wasn't any story, it still would be plenty of fun to just watch
the loony characters in their environment. I will add that 3-D aspect of
it helped a lot.
Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter with usual
gusto, as he brings much energy and quirkiness to such an oddball
character. I suppose there is a mix of Willy Wonka and Jack Sparrow in
there somewhere. Given that other characters are mostly or completely
CG, Johnny Depp's character can feel a bit of out of place, as he still
feels human. Helena Bonham Carter as the big-headed (literally) Red
Queen is fun, expressive, and extremely likable for such a
short-tempered character. Mia Wasikowska is particularly noteworthy as
Alice, which she plays with free-spirited pluckiness, charm, and beauty.
The
story, admittedly, is a simple one, although it is to the story's
credit that Alice is now an adult--it helps since many happenings in
Wonderland can be quite unfriendly, bizarre, and grotesque. Thankfully,
no more worries about some dream causing some lifelong trauma to some
poor child. I also appreciated the fact that her Wonderland, like
dreams, is an extension of her frustrations with the "real" world, where
she felt she had many "expectations" from outside forces. At the same
time, it's not like Where the Wild Things Are, where other characters
are actually projections of real-life people from the main character's
life. For example, to read Mad Hatter as an extension of her father
feels a bit like a stretch, although the Red Queen could possibly
represent her future mother-in-law since they both dislike animals.
Certainly, one can merely enjoy it at face value and the creativity of
this world and be fine with it.
Overall, I enjoyed this world of
Alice. In one sense, that may be the important thing, if one were to
stick to the flavor of the original novel. The story within the
Wonderland, I felt, wasn't as poignant as "real life" moments, which
were filmed with much love and detail. Given the fact that original
story consisted of series of random events and character interactions,
it was nice to see the characters work together a bit. The overall
result isn't something beyond what one would expect from this style of
work, but it's fun, and where it succeeds, it succeeds well, thanks to
the consistency of Tim Burton's imaginative visuals.
A veteran samurai, who has fallen on hard times, answers a village's
request for protection from bandits. He gathers 6 other samurai to help
him, and they teach the townspeople how to defend themselves, and they
supply the samurai with three small meals a day. The film culminates in a
giant battle when 40 bandits attack the village.
User Reviews
This is my favorite
Kurosawa film, the man was a true master of the cinematic arts. If you
have never seen a Kurosawa film definetly make this your first. Though
extremely long at about 3 1/2 hours it is well worth the time spent.
To
quickly summarize, a poor Japanese village hires 7 Samurai to protect
it from being raided by bandits. Don't get me wrong there is way more
to it than that, I just dont want to give anything away. This is an
intense and emotional movie that hooks you from the first scene and
keeps you on the line till it is all over. The battle scene at the end
is in true Kurosawa form. The acting is outstanding by everyone
involved from the main characters all the way down to the very last
extra. Of course the best way to see any film, especially a Kurosawa
film is on the big screen if you are able to. Beautifully filmed, in
black and white, anyone familiar with Kurosawa's work has to wonder
visually how much more gorgeous it could have been had Kurosawa had the
option of color in 1954.
The camera use is brilliant and every
scene is balanced visually. This film is also the first one to use "the
wipe" as a way of changing from one scene to another. This technique
was later used by George Lucas in his Star Wars movies. I would also
recommend the DVD version that has the commentary option by the Japanese
cinema expert if anyone is interested in a deeper understanding of the
"hows" and "whys" of Kurosawa's film making. Any man, woman, boy or
girl who just wants to see a really, really great movie, THIS IS THE
ONE! An A+++ in my book.
A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of
his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
Directors: Andy Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
,
Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
Writers: Andy Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
,
Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
Storyline
Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives. By day he is an average
computer programmer and by night a hacker known as Neo. Neo has always
questioned his reality, but the truth is far beyond his imagination. Neo
finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a
legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government.
Morpheus awakens Neo to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most
of humanity have been captured by a race of machines that live off of
the humans' body heat and electrochemical energy and who imprison their
minds within an artificial reality known as the Matrix. As a rebel
against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the
agents: super-powerful computer programs devoted to snuffing out Neo and
the entire human rebellion.
User Reviews
Right there with Seven
and Silence of the Lambs for me. I love this film, and rate it a notch
above some of the other great action films of our time (i.e.,
Terminator, Predator) because it has a really well thought out (although
moderately unbelievable) story line. A lot of thought provoking
material, and some interesting subtleties. I've seen it 10 times (I
don't usually watch a movie more than once), and I'll watch it a few
more. Enjoy!
While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty
Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally,
Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.
Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: J.R.R. Tolkien (novel),
Fran Walsh (screenplay)
Storyline
While Frodo and Sam, now accompanied by a new guide, continue their
hopeless journey towards the land of shadow to destroy the One Ring,
each member of the broken fellowship plays their part in the battle
against the evil wizard Saruman and his armies of Isengard.
User Reviews
I considered The Fellowship of the Ring to be one of the greatest movies ever. This one is better!
The
scenery is marvelous, the animations great, and the story superb. This
episode strays further from the books when it comes to the unfolding of
events, but I feel that it stays closer in atmosphere and realism; the
nazgûls are now the fear-inspiring creatures they should be. Gollum,
excellently implemented, even becomes more realistic then I remember him
from the books, not to mention other attempts to portray him. His
schizophrenic monologues are among the highlights of the movie.
The
major drawback is once again the apparent incapability of the dark-side
creatures. Aragorn with fellows can ride back and forth among them
unhurt, while the Uruk-Hai fall in large numbers just for being nearby.
Though I enjoy many of the jokes made at Gimli's expense, this still is
another thing I partly dislike. Gimli sure is no clown in the books.
A thief who steals corporate secrets through use of dream-sharing
technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind
of a CEO.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Storyline
Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of
extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious
during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's
rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world
of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international
fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being
offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life
back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of
the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the
reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they
succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful
planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that
seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have
seen coming.
User Reviews
I had the privilege of seeing this movie before it came out, and, like most of DiCaprio's films, it blew me away.
Inception
is a well-made movie, filmed in about 6 locations all over the world.
The directing was outstanding, there were only about two moments, maybe
three seconds in total, where i noticed that visual effects were being
used (of course defying gravity is pretty difficult).
The plot
was very pleasingly intricate, with a twist-and-turn,
keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type feel. I noticed that this film
had similarities with DiCaprios thriller Shutter Island (which i also
enjoyed very much)seeing as it left you wondering what was real and what
was not. It's great to see a movie with a thick and emotional plot and
not just grenade-throwing action heroes who achieve greatness in the
end.
Inception also has a very well-composed score, which to me
was the finishing touch to a perfect movie. If you're thinking about
seeing Inception, definitely go! Even though i was fortunate enough to
see a free show, it is worth every penny you pay.
Truly unique,
like nothing i've ever seen before. Christopher Nolan certainly covered
new ground with this film and wasn't afraid to leave us hanging with a
spectacular ending.
Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at
many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Winston Groom (novel),
Eric Roth (screenplay)
Forrest Gump (1994) Storyline
Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low I.Q. but good intentions. He is
running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His
'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his
destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new
friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, creates a famous shrimp
fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, starts a ping-pong craze, create
the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and
meeting the president several times. However, this is all irrelevant to
Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran. Who
has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is
that anyone can love anyone.
Forrest Gump (1994) User Reviews
I've seen most of the
top-voted 30 or 40 movies here at IMDb, and Forrest Gump probably wins
my vote for the single best movie ever made. This is not a
conclusion I came to the first time I saw this film, or the second. The
more you understand about this movie, the more you like it. And in terms
of understanding it, my wife and I both were still gaining new
understanding the 5th or 6th time we watched it. (For example: Why does
Jenny behave exactly as she does throughout the movie? It'll take a lot
of thinking to =fully= understand her.) Just the fact that we've
seen it at least half a dozen times says a lot. There are few movies
that I ever even give a second viewing. Like many of the truly
good movies, there are people out there who see it once and consider it
to be a waste of time. Such people are usually just looking for the most
"action," gore and sex they can find, and haven't a clue about films
that actually involve thought, ideas, and life. Did I mention the
script is absolutely brilliant? There are a lot of =truly= funny
moments. And the music rocks. But those are only specific aspects of a
movie that has just about everything else right about it as well. See
it, enjoy it, think about it, see it again. Think about it some more.
Forrest Gump is one of the greatest movies -- if not THE greatest --
ever made.
