Opion8d

*About Shmidt*

About Shmidt is the story of Warren Shmidt, a 66-year old retired employee of an insurrance agency. After a sudden tragic accident he sets out to stop his daughter's wedding to someone he doesn't think worthy. Shmidt is a sad, lonely man. As much as I wanted to like About Shmidt, I just didn't. I heard so many good things about it, but I myself didn't enjoy anything except for Nicholson's wonderful performance. I thought About Shmidt was going to be a comedy or even a dark comedy, but it was just depressing. I can handle a depressing movie like American Beauty or Life is Beautiful, but this was just terrible.

Like I said, Jack Nicholson was very convincing. He gave Shmidt little traits and really deserves praise for his performance. The scenes that featured Kathy Bates were all good, she stole the show. She was the only comedic relief in the whole movie and it was really, really needed.

*4/10*

*Seabiscuit*

Walking into Seabiscuit I wasn't sure what to expect. Walking out I was pleasantly happy with the movie. It had it's moments in the beggining, but spectacular performances from th leads really bring this movie out.

It would be hard to hate a movie like Seabiscuit anyway. It's inspirational and America loves the underdog. And every character in this movie is an underdog. The makers want you to feel sorry for the leads and they do a good job at it.

I think the real winner in Seabiscuit is Tobey Maguire. Everyone KNOWS he is Spider-man, but he is also something more. I really hope that his career doesn't typsecast him as Spider-man for the rest of his life like Leonardo Dicaprio is always associated with Titanic. Because like Dicaprio, Tobey was having a smooth career with criticly aclaimed independent films and then came the big blockbuster and that's all they get credit for. Dicaprio has been wonderful in a few other big movies but we still associate him with Titanic. Hopefuly Tobey will rise above that. I really think he can with this movie. His performance is strong and touching and pretty much Oscar-worthy. Even if he doesn't win, he deserves a nomination. Speaking of Oscar Chris Cooper gives a nice performance. He didn't really breakout in this movie, neither did Jeff Bridges, but thier performances were nice.

Though it is a little overlong, it is mighty.

*8.5/10*

Vh1 has really outdone itself, it has put on a hilarious show that is watchable over and over (they make sure of that by replaying it almost every day). Everytime it comes on I am completely hooked. It is so addicting!

Without the help of Micheal Ian Black, Hal Sparks, Mo Collins, that guy witht he glasses (I so TOTALLY forgot his name), and many other celebrities this might not be as good. But those comediens make it so darn funny. And sometimes it gets funnier with each viewing! I think I have seen each episode at least 3 times, all 10 of them.

But what stinks is that it had to end. I mean 10 hours of the 80's is a little much, but then again not enough. I could do with 20! It's that good!

I know I love the 70's i right around the corner and I can't wait! Though I wander if it will have the full effect of I love the 80's. Only time will tell, dude.

*10/10*

*Gangs of New York*

I doubt I have ever seen a movie of this caliber in the theaters. That might have meant something a little more if the Roger Ebert had said it, granted I am only 15. But for three short hours (not being sarcastic there, the time did go by quickly) I lived in New York 1863. A rarity in most films today is that they can take you in heart and mind to where the story is taking place. But this one did. It wasn't glamorous New York like we might see in most New York based movies coming out now that just scream "I LOVE NEW YORK!" No, this was the dirty, grungey New York of nightmares. Life isn't all good even if you have money, everyone is against you, out to get your money so that one day they might be in the same position as the rich. The setting is incredible, damn George Lucas for suggesting Martin Scorsese use a computer generated set instead of building one. It's so massive, and you can see the fine detailing and all the hard work. Every scene is picture perfect.

And then there were the characters. Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) will go down in history as one of film's most memorable characters. He was hated and loved sometimes at the same time. Amsterdam Vallon, the unusual hero of some sort, was also a very interesting character. Does he like the man that murdered his father before his eyes? Cameron Diaz's character, Jenny nurses his wounds and kisses his scars. Does Vallon care so much about her? Either way, they have great chemistry, and not that phony Hollywood kind either.

The acting was beyond words for one reason, one man. Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher. Incredible performance. If this man does not win the best actor Oscar, it's just proof the Academy is once again, corrupt. Day-Lewis was once considered one of Hollywood's sexiest, if definitely not in this movie. He is dirty, greasy, and low. And incredibly in character. Congrats, Day-Lewis, you have just won yourself another Oscar. Another great performance was of course, our dear beloved Leonardo Dicaprio. For years he was considered a lover boy and nothing else (it makes me mad to this day. In Titanic, yes he was a lover boy, get over it) but this year he broke out of that box that we made for him. He played two COMPLETELY different characters in Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York, but he played them both flawlessly and deserves a nomination for one of the movies. Cameron Diaz was wonderful, not so Oscar Worthy, but good for what she was. And if she is nominated, please let it be in the best supporting actress category 2002 was a great year for supporting casts, but this one takes the cake. Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, and Liam Neeson just to name a few.

And if the Academy doesn't award Mr. Scorsese an Oscar for best director, you'll be seeing my angry posts on this board again.

*10/10*

*Extreme Ops*

First off, I did not want to see this movie one bit. My friends are stupid, I'm mad at them for making me see this. But then again, despite some guy we were the ONLY ones in the theater. The guy left in the middle, and we cracked jokes throughout the rest. Third this movie had NO plot whatsoever. I mean, COME ON. Some skiiers have to make some extreme commercial to impress some people, but then some terrorist (who I swear, all looked the same) totally ruin it! That's what I think the plot was... Bogus! No dude, this movie sucks. AND IT WASN'T VERY EXTREME.

At one point the terrorist make a few strip down in the freezing snow and kiss. What the heck did this have to do with the plot? NOTHING! NOT ONE THING. And the end!? Man, it was terrible.

The acting was worse then the movie. Enough said.

I wanted to see Harry Potter. I'm sure it was ten times more extreme then this garbage.

*1/10*

*Marilyn: The Untold Story*

I've seen 3 movies about Marilyn Monroe. Well, three if you count the mini-series. They are all the same. The actresses are all miscast. Let's face it, nobody can be Marilyn but Marilyn. Certainly not Catherine Hicks. Who is Catharine Hicks? The mom on 7th Heaven... yeah. You might be thinking that maybe she USED to look like Marilyn, but she didn't. The main thing was the lips. Mira Sorvino (who was also bad) at least used her lips when she talked. She also tried her best with th accent. Catharine Hicks didn't even talk like Marilyn. It felt like she had never even seen a Marilyn Monroe movie in her life.

The movie was okay, but I could just never see Hicks as Marilyn.

*4/10*

*Breakfast at Tiffany's*

Breakfast at Tiffany's is not for the cold hearted. It's a very lovely and enjoyable movie from start to bittersweet end. Audrey Hepburn is the real delight of this film, her presence outshines that of Peppard. The song "Moon River" is gorgeous, and whenever I hear it I get all nostolgic. It is in fact the only movie that really cheers my up on a rainy day, sometimes even just a bad day. There is so much to love in this film.

Audrey Hepburn. What can I say that hasn't already been said? She's incredible. The fact that she "can't act" is not even visable. She SHINES in this movie, she has grace, poise. She's gorgeous and urbane. You never cease to lose interest in Hepburn as Holly Golightly. Her strange habits and bold opinions are as funny as they are amusing. Peppard is okay, suave and gorgeous. But his character (and every other character) just aren't Audrey Hepburn.

This movie is more than just a love story. It's kind of an ode to New York in the same way Sex in The City is. It just makes you want to run away to New York and become a socialite in your perfect little black dress and over-sized sunglasses.

*10/10*

*Sweet Home Alabama*

Hello? Am I the only one who noticed how much this movie had in common with Breakfast at Tiffany's? Let's recap both movies.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a lovely story about Holly Golightly (not her real name), a southern girl who runs away to New York to reinvent herself. She meets the man of her dreams, yet she is still married to the man back home.

Sweet Home Alabama is a sappy story about Melanie Carmicheal (not her real name), a southern girl who runs away to New York to reinvent herself. She meets the man of her dreams, yet she is still married to a man back home.

The difference? In Breakfast at Tiffany's, the husband visits the wife. In sweet Home Alabama the wife visits the husband. But has anyone noticed the posters? Breakfast at Tiffany's has Audrey in her signature black dress, which hugs her body. Reese Witherspoon is in Audrey's signiture dress. But with sleeves.

In Sweet Home Alabama, Reese gets proposed to in Tiffany's. How ironic is that? I don't know, maybe the writers of this movie had just watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and liked it. Maybe a little too much. Maybe so much they couldn't get the movie out of their head and all thier ideas were stolen. The sad thing is, few people have noticed because few teenage girls have seen the wonderful Breakfast at Tiffany's.

All in all this movie is a predictable, sappy tale of country vs. city. Not even enjoyable. Some parts you could predict the punchline minutes before. And much like Witherspoon's big hit last year, Legally Blonde, the only really funny joke involves gay men.

Reese Witherspoon is a real charmer though, but she is no Audrey Hepburn.

*4/10*

*Signs*

I've read so many negative reviews on imdb about saying how this movie was "slow". Do these people have the attention span of a 4-year old? In my humble opinion it had reasons for its slow parts. Another great director did this, and it always worked. Hitchcock. And I'm not comparing M. Night Shyamalan to Hitchcock, because nobody comes close to Hitchcock. But if any director of today, Shyamalan is our closest thing to Hitchcock. Signs had a little Hitchcock with a bit of Orson Welles. Just my opinion though.

And it just makes me so mad that people would bash a great movie that is coming out in our day in age when we have such crap. I mean, Master of Disguise came out last week, maybe if you thought Signs was too slow you'll be able to keep up with that.

But for the rest of us, go see Signs. It's fabulous. And a great ending.

*8/10*

*Splendor in the Grass*

I've sen Splendor in the Grass a few times now, and with each time my heart breaks a little more. Incredible directing, magnificent acting, and traumatizing events that will leave you breathless and maybe in tears. I don't think any movie has made me feel true pain like this one did. I don't know what it was, but it was amazing. I feel the desire Bud has and the torture Deadie is going through, and I think it's because of either the impeccable acting from the leads and supporting cast (Bud's sister was great in her role) or the flawless directing of Elia Kazan.

The opening scene begins with Bud(Beatty) and Deadie(Wood) "necking" (got to get that old-timey vibe) in Bud's car. Deadie has been told time and time again by her mother that you must never go all they way before marriage. Deadie's parents are so unaware of what teens were doing at the time. So she refuses to do it with him. This angers Bud in a way that's easy to tell, he loves her but he wants more then just that. But they're relationship is more then just sex. They really are crazy about each other. Bud's father suggests he dates "another kind of woman". And I'll leave it at that.

Natalie Wood really shows here that she can act. Not that she hadn't shown in in West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, but in this one she just shines. Her transformation from clean and virginal to almost insane is genius. Bravo, Natalie. Warren Beatty is pretty good, well actually he is very good, considering it was pretty much his first movie. And despite Bonnie and Clyde he really hasn't been too good in anything since. Like I said before, the rest of the cast delivers perfectly too. Elia Kazan always knows how to bring out the best in a cast. Marlon Brando gave the performance of a lifetime in On The Waterfront and Natalie Wood does the same with this.

This is a sad and heartbreaking tale that can't be missed. The end gets me every time.

*9.5/10*

*This Property is Condemned*

I happened to catch this on AMC today, as they were having a tribute to Robert Redford. Like most Tennesse Williams play-turned-movies it starts off with us getting to know the characters. Slowly at first, they are hiding something and you can tell. Much similar to the earlier Streetcar Named Desire.

I had never even heard of this movie before viewing it today. I was pleasantly surprised and liked it very much. It gives off a Southern charm, like many have said before. The romance builds perfectly and it's not too lovey-dovey. That's always the good thing about Tennesse Williams, no lovey-dovey stuff. When Natalie Wood gets off the train as she arrives in New Orleans I wondered if it was some kind of tribute to Blanche's first scene in Streetcar.

Natalie Wood and Robert Redford were shining the whole way through, mainly Wood. She was as far off and distant as her character in Splendor in the Grass, and deserved another nomination for her work in this. Robert Redford was probably just becoming a big, big star when he started this. Something along the lines of where Russell Crowe is in his career right now.

All in all an over-looked and great romance. A must for any fan of movies about early southern life.

*7.5/10*

*Mommie Dearest*

In 1990 Mommie Dearest took home the Razzie for worst movie of the decade. I have no idea how. It won over such bombs as Howard the Duck and any Bo Derek movie. And 8 years before that it won worst movie over Endless love and any Bo Derek movie. Faye Dunaway also won worst actress, and it was the film that KILLED her career. She was in demand in the 70's, but come 80's... it all went down from there.

When I say it's not that bad, I'm not saying it's good. But c'mon, Endless love didn't give us "NO WIRE HANGERS... EVER!!!!". That scene is famous, dare I say infamous? And it's hilarious. I don't think anyone can have a discussion about hangers (oh, I've had them) without mentioning that line. But some scenes in this movie are tedious. In other words every scene where Faye isn't going crazy and yelling at her daughter, Christina. You would never expect Joan Crawford was like that.

AND FAYE DUNAWAY WASN'T THAT BAD! Considering what she had to do, she did it perfectly! It's the role every actress wants to play. But, yes, maybe a little but TOO over the top. But still very funny. Poor Faye, she was a good actress too.

If you haven't seen this movie don't rush out to the video store and rent it, just wait for it to come on the old TV, it plays every now and than. And remember: "NO WIRE HANGERS... EVER!!!"

*5/10*

*Once Upon a Time in America*

I have seen the 3 hour version (or whatever version AMC plays ever so often) many times. It's not that it's a great movie, it's just that whenever it's on I feel I have to watch it. And maybe I'll pick up on something I didn't understand the first time I saw it. Because there are some things that just don't come together.

It starts of slow, with Robert De Niro revisiting his childhood home in New York. I suppose he hasn't seen it in a while, and everything has changed. But instantly you are taken with the score. I believe the score of the film to be one of the best in history. I was really taken with it. The scenes when Robert De Niro and his pals are kids is perfect. I would give those scenes alone a 10. When we first see him spying on (the very young) Jennifer Connelly while she is dancing (and that beautiful score plays), the second time I saw this movie it made my eyes tear up. Just out of pure brilliance and knowledge of what was going to happen in the future with the young kids.

But when the cast gets older the movie starts to fall apart. It still has that heartbreaking score that pulls at your strings, but sometimes things happened so fast you got lost. And the only way you can tell if it's a flashback or not is by the color of Robert De Niro's hair. But sometimes he wears a hat and you get incredibly confused. I did however enjoy how New York was seen throughout the years in the movie.

The kid who plays young Robert De Niro has a mole so fake, it's obvious. Besides that he does good. As does the real De Niro. Jennifer Connelly could have used an acting lesson and out of the whole cast who would have known she would be the next to win an Oscar? Besides Jo Pesci, who was in it for about one minute and he didn't even stand up. But he got billing far before Connelly who had a bigger part and was in it for a bit longer. And kudos to the casting agent on whoever cast the older version of Connelly, it took me a while to realize it wasn't the real Connelly.

No kudos to the makeup artist. The kid with the fake mole and the fact that older Jennifer Connelly didn't have one wrinkle on her face when she was about 60 is just insane.

This was not quite a masterpiece... but so very close. I still can't believe it didn't win an Oscar for best score!

*8.5/10*

*Grand Theft Auto III*

All my brother wanted for Christmas last year was A Playstation and Grand Theft Auto III. I thought him crazy at the time, I had never played the game nor heard of it. His wishes came true when he got it and almost forgot to open the rest of his gifts before rushing upstairs to play it. Over the next few weeks he barely left his room. And the day he did I thought I would try out this game he loved so much. I didn't know how to play it so I just drove the car around angering cops and running people over. Every now and than shooting people. It was loads of fun. I did this for a while until I was a master driver/shooter. I thought I should start my own game.

It starts off with you working on one island, Portland. You work for numerous mafia men including what I believe to be "The Godfather". After you complete all the missions they send you on (killing people, blowing things up, killing people, stealing cars, killing people, getting the cops angry, and killing people) you get to go to the next island and complete those missions. I don't want to give the rest of the game away, so I'll leave it at that.

One of the things I love most about this game are it's references to Goodfellas, Heat, The Godfather, Casino, and pretty much every other crime drama. My friends thought I had become addicted to the game and though I was crazy the same way I thought my brother was. So I invited them over, showed them the basics, and now they're over every weekend. I don't mind, I had already completed the game (I swear, the last mission took me about 10 times). Even after you have finished it's still fun to drive around aimlessly. I'm sure a lot of people have their doubts about this game. But don't doubt until you've tried it. And please try it.

*10/10*

*Daria*

I started watching Daria around the time it came out. I instantly fell in love with the stereotypical characters and funny one-liners. Daria was the only smart, sarcastic teen on TV at the time when a teenage with and a guy with a creek ruled.

But when Daria graduated MTV decided to cancel this fabulous show. It's terrible considering MTV has crap like "I Bet You Will" and "Taildaters". This was a one-of-a-kind unique show. The re-runs play on another channel of mine but they won't be the same as watching new episodes. Who will be there to diss the cheerleaders and jocks? I'll really miss Daria, MTV. Shame on you.

*9/10*

*Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men*

Since nobody else has commented on AMC's hour long documentary on Hollywood's sexiest men, I thought I would give it a shot. They picked pretty much all the right men, and even put them in categories. A "rebel" category which just included Marlon Brando and James Dean, the "Man's man", which had Paul Newman amongst others, the "lady's man" to name a couple Matt Damon and Sidney Portier, and the "hero" had Denzel Washinton and others. Of course they named other men like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Rock Hudson, and Tom Cruise.

All in all I don't think they left one sexy hunk in film history out!

*7/10*

*Clueless*

I think Clueless has gotten a lot of undeserved heat. Despite the fact it was based in a high school and follows the daily life of a rich Southern California blonde, it's surprisingly good. And probably the last good "teen movie". When I say it's funny, I mean it. It's filled with pop cultural references and no pathetic gross-out scenes. That's the problem with most teen comedies today. They can't be plot based and whenever there is something lacking in the plot, have a scene where a guy glues his hand to his privates. What's sad is that people find that humorous.

Alicia Silverstone is very good in this. Maybe a little too convincing. Too bad this was her last successful movie. The rest of the cast hands in pretty good performances, but this wasn't a performance driven movie. It's amazing Brittany Murphay, who has a smaller part, has a strong career in Hollywood and Silverstone is nowhere.

After its release it was quoted and copied by every teen girl in America. Pretty much. Now, it's jokes are still humorous. Mainly because they talk about celebrities and movies (Cher calling Spartacus, Sporticus, lol) and other things we are familiar with in our every day life. Like I said, this was the last good teen movie, I'm sure one day it may even be considered The Breakfast Club of the 90's. Don't think so? Whatever!

*8/10*

*The Real World*

I didn't start watching the Real World until Real World: Hawaii. I instantly became addicted to a show I thought was just another lame trashy Jerry Springer wannabe. It was actually very different and almost classy. Almost. I'll talk about what I remember form past seasons and the last season.

The Real World:Hawaii. I don't remember much except they had an awesome house and a guy named Teck jumped into a pool naked.

The Real World:New Orleans. This season holds a special place in my heart. Probably my favorite Real World house so far. The cast was great, I liked Julie the most. The last episode was really sad. And in the end you liked all the cast.

The Real World:Back To New York. This season I didn't watch very much... did they even have a finale episode? It was very boring. I think it may have been canceled do the the attack on the WTC.

The Real World: Chicago. Hmm... the last season. There were some great memories. And who could forget Tonya? The girl everyone loved to hate. And I've yet to meet a single person who can stand her. My favorite moment was when Theo made Tonya cry... no, just joking. My favorite moment was the lat episode in the hot tub. In the end I liked all the cast members... except Tonya.

So, I guess when you like a season of The Real World, you really like it. And you can't help but find yourself there every Tuesday night, TV turned to MTV. I know I can't.

*9/10*

*The Shining*

I wasn't alive in 1980 so I don't know or care what people thought about this movie when it first came out. All I know is that the first time I saw this film it scared the heck out of me. What's scarier is that it still scares the heck out of me.

Everyone has a scene they found the most interesting or scariest. To me, it was the twins in the hall. To many people it was just Danny riding around on his bike, REDRUM, "Here's Johnny!", or the scary maze chase scene. All those things scared me. They still do. The end was also scary.

Jack Nicholson was fabulous, as expected. The young boy who played Danny was great. Is he still doing movies? Shelly Duvall... er... let's not go there. She just wasn't good.

If you like horrors, this is the ultimate.

*9/10*

*Inside The Actor's Studio*

I haven't seen Inside The Actor's Studio very many times, but the ones I have seen were fabulous. I love this show because instead of going into the celebrities personal lives (which all of E!'s shows do, and it's so BORING), they discus their films. Hosted by the wonderful James Lipton, who asks all the right questions.

Here are some of the people who were being interviewed when I watched it. Steven Speilberg, Jack Lemmon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Affleck, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. As you can see, they have a diverse list of accomplished actors. For some reason, before I watched her on Inside The Actor's Studio, I disliked Sarah Jessica Parker. I always associated her with the character she plays on Sex In The City (rich, clothes obsessed, spoiled). After watching her on Inside The Actor's Studio I realized she grew up poor and with the dream of becoming an actress. She didn't make it on her looks like most actors. She struggled. When Jack Lemmon was interviewed he admitted he was an alcoholic. That really touched me. This show goes deep.

Another thing I love about the show is James Lipton covers about every one of the actor's films, one by one. This is a great show for anyone interesting in film and the actor's craft.

*9/10*

*The Last Tycoon*

Before I watched this movie I had never heard of it. I had no idea who was in it, who directed it, or if it won any awards. What first drew me into watching it was I saw Robert De Niro was in it. He's my second favorite actor (second only to Brando). And my cable system gave it 3.5/4 stars. So I figured what the heck, why not. At first it seemed kind of dull and dragged on. But than it becomes quite interesting, there is a little mystery in the romance. There are a few things that don't add up though.

The acting in this movie is good. De Niro didn't give his best performance, but I never really think of him as a romantic. It had an all star cast and seeing the familiar faces that kept popping up was fun. Tony Curtis received second billing, though he didn't have many scenes. I'm told Anjelica Huston was in it... who did she play? I didn't catch her. When Jack Nicholson made a brief cameo I was taken by surprise. He's my third favorite actor! It did come rather late in the movie though.

The romance in it was... different. Who does Robert De Niro end up with? Why did Kathleen lie so much? Did De Niro realize Cecilia liked him? Did Cecilia really like him? I don't know the answers to these questions. I've never read the book.

When the credits rolled I noticed who directed it. Elia Kazan! One of my favorite directors. He made great films like On the Waterfront and Streetcar Named Desire. Without him I doubt we would have Brando! I suppose he does a good job of directing. I loved the scene where Robert De Niro explains why people watch movies was fabulous. All in all this movie could have been shorter, but it's still decent.

*7/10*

Spoilers!!

This movie comes on about every day on a Love Stories channel I have. It's really starting to bother me. I remember the first time I tried to sit through it. It was boring, cliched, and one of the least funny romantic comedies I've ever seen.

It centers around two lifeless characters, one is studying to be a chef like his dad the other wants to be some artist. Their romance is completely boring from start to end. They go through the same phases that seem to be in almost EVERY Julia Stiles or Freddie Prinze Jr. movie. Girl/Guy meets guy/girl, they don't like each other immediately but than they realize they do and fall in love. Than guy/girl does something that makes girl/guy mad and they break up, of course at the end they get back together. I swear I can't believe teens can stand to watch the same thing just with different leading ladies or men.

A must miss.

*1/10*

*Minority Report*

I'll admit, I love most Speilberg films. They can be pure entertainment at it's best, (Indiana Jones movies), and touching and brilliantly told stories that you just can't stop thinking about after you see them (Shindler's list). Minority Report was a fully entertaining action that I can't stop thinking about! My friends and I got to the theater a little late so we skipped on buying food. One friend said she'll go buy popcorn when a scene gets a little dull (we did this a few times in AI). Well, just to show you how entertaining this movie was she never bought that popcorn!

Even though it's extremely entertaining it also has a great plot and visuals that are sure to win an Academy Award. This movie should be recognized during Oscar season in all fields.

The acting was great, and this is coming from someone who can't stand Tom Cruise. The movie really only focuses on him. He's in about 95% of the scenes. He was fantastic. It's hard to name my favorite scene but the end (not the final ending scenes in general, though they were great and had that Speilberg warmth) blew me away! Just when you think you can predict what's going to happen it totally takes a big twist in a whole new direction. This is a great movie, the best I've seen all year!

*10/10*

*Pearl Harbor*

*slight spoilers*

This movie, by far, is one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. Big stars can't save it. How on earth can people like this movie?

The character development is horrible. Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale)is a nurse who falls for Rafe (Ben Affleck), a pilot. Rafe's best friend Danny(Josh Hartnett), is also a pilot. After Rafe goes off and "dies" Danny and Evelyn are heartbroken. But what the heck, about two weeks later Danny has Evelyn knocked up and he thinks he's in love. This sounds like it might not take that long but it's stretched out with plenty of bad dialogue and corny jokes. Than Rafe returns (his plane crashed into the ocean, he survives), he isn't very happy and decides he doesn't like Danny anymore, but loves Evelyn. Lots more boring dialogue and than 30 minutes of a great battle scene take place (this is all they showed us in the teasers, false advertising at it's worst). We had to wait through about 2 hours of Evelyn loves me, Evelyn loves me not to get to JUST 30 minutes! Than we wait through more corny dialogue, "I'm giving my heart to Danny, but I'll never look at another sunset without thinking of you", and than we get a bit more action scenes. Not enough.

Don't get me started on the acting. It's just plain bad. There are so many familiar faces in the movie... but the acting is still bad.

Avoid this movie at all costs. Go rent From Here To Eternity, it's great in every way that Pearl Harbor isn't.

*2/10* (it gets an extra point for the attack scene)

*Se7en*

Last night I watched Se7en for the second time and threw it I picked up things I didn't pick up the first time. It got better with second viewing! It follows the crime case of two detectives (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt)on the trail of a "psycho killer" killing people by the seven deadly sins (hence the name). All throughout the film there is mystery. It puts you right there with the detectives, making you feel like you're trying to solve the crime too.

The acting from Brad Pitt isn't great. There's just a tone in his voice that sounds like he's trying too hard. Morgan Freeman on the other hand was great, you just can't get enough of his voice. Kevin Spacey was excellent. Gwyeneth Paltrow was good also.

The end was the best part. I want give it away for those who haven't seen it. But theres about five minutes left in the movie and I kept thinking, how are they going to end it? They did a fine job and I was quite impressed.

*9/10*