Distributed By: Warner Bros.
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Wow. Just wow. I mean…wow. Words cannot describe how good this movie is. They really can’t. Everything is good about it. Everything. The acting is fantastic, the directing exquisite…This ranks easily as one of the best movies I have ever seen, right up there with The Shawshank Redemption.
The best thing, about the whole movie, is Ledger’s Joker. He deserves every bit of praise he gets in every review. The actors are all good, don’t get me wrong, but Ledger is a whole different class of brilliance. His Joker is everything you’d expect him to be in a darker take on the Batman universe. He’s so completely different from every version done so far, and in my opinion is the best. No question. He’s just got everything perfected, from the voice, to the way he moves, to the way he licks his lips constantly. Probably the best thing though is his laugh. The laugh is perfect.
Starying from the Joker for a while, let’s take a look at the rest. Bale is again an excellent Batman, though I do think he kind of overdoes the voice a bit. Gary Oldman is superb as Gordon. The best though (after the Joker) is probably Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine both do damn fine jobs as Lucius Fox and Alfred too. Finally is Maggie Gyllenhaal, coming in as the new Rachel. She’s better than Holmes too.
Honestly, this is one movie you cannot afford to miss. Go see it. Now.
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
I went into this movie, like The Happening with high hopes. After seeing the original Hulk in 2003, and hearing that this movie was much better, I decided to go see it as soon as I could. It was, as said, far better than the original movie (not hard in my opinion) but I doubt I’d call it a great movie. To be honest not much happens during it, except for a few pretty good fight scenes involving the titular Hulk.
Edward Norton does a surprisingly good job as Bruce Banner, and William Hurt as the General is also very convincing. Tim Roth does an excellent job as Blonsky.
I can’t really think of much else to say at this point. Like I said, there isn’t a whole lot in the movie. The end villain is a nice change of pace, but seems to mirror the original movie. Hulk running from the military only to combat someone who undergoes a similar mutation process to him. I will admit that the film avoids the montony of the first by skipping past the creation of the Hulk, instead showing at a series of flashbacks, and mvoes straight into the action of the plot.
Not a bad movie, but I wouldn’t want to see it again. Not as much of a disappointment as The Happening.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
I went into this movie feeling quite optimistic. The idea seems unique and promising. Oh how horribly wrong I was. Seems like what’s a good idea in theory turns out to be stupid in practice. Basic plot synopsis: For some reason people start losing the will to live and end up killing themselves. At first it seems like a terrorist attack but it quickly becomes apparent that no terrorist organisation could be so well prepared to conduct something on such a huge scale.
The movie kicks off almost right away, and things start to look promising pretty soon into it. But as the movie continues things just get more and more stupid. I mean for crying out loud they have a whole chase sequence where the pursuer is the bloody wind. I mean come on! For a horror/thriller, there just isn’t that many scares. The scariest thing isn’t even the ‘enemy’, it’s an old lady near the end of the movie.
It just doesn’t give the same thrill as a normal thriller complete with a Freddy or Jason is. The enemy can’t be seen and there’s really no supsense or tension. It’s just sudden suicide sprees. Not overly terrifying really.
The acting also leaves something to be desired, with the supporting actress (Zooey Deschanel) not giving an incredibly moving performance. Mark Wahlberg does a pretty good job, as does John Leguizamo, but that’s about it.
I wouldn’t say it’s a terrible movie, but it’s not particularly good either. Rent it at most, but I’d recommend avoiding it.
Distributed By: Miramax Films(US)/Paramount Vantage(non-US)
Directed By: The Coen Brothers
I’ll be honest here, I didn’t think I’d enjoy No Country for Old Men. It just didn’t seem like my type of movie. I need to re-establish my values. It’s the first Coen Brothers movie I’ve ever seen and I have to say, those guys have talent.
Basic plot is fairly simple. A guy finds a drug deal gone wrong and a bunch of dead mexican gangsters. He also happens to stumble upon $2 million. Lucky him. Until, of course, all hell breaks loose. By taking the money, Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) sets in motion a massive chase to get it consisting of him, some Mexicans, sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and quite possibly the most ruthless, amoral and evil hitman I’ve ever seen, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).
The movie’s very well put together I have to say. The only thing worth noting though is the distinct lack of music. You’d think that this would have a negative impact, but it actually works really well. All the tension and suspense is created and maintained by the actual movie and the lack of music makes it all the more chilling. The body count continually rises (thanks in no small part to Chigurh), and you’re kept on the edge of your seat for the whole movie. I can find nothing to fault it. Just when things seem to be slowing down, something blows up or someone gets shot at and all of a sudden the adrenaline’s pumping again. The movies opens with a bang (not literally) and this keeps up throughout the whole thing.
However, the best thing about this movie? Chigurh, no question. Bardem didn’t win Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for nothing. His portrayal of Chigurh is terrifying. He’s just pure evil, and you know right away every time he speaks that whoever he’s talking to is probably not going to live. He kills more people than pretty much everyone else together. And in style too. He’s possibly the most evil, cold-hearted and amoral professional hitman ever (sorry Agent 47, he beats you), and his coin tosses show a rather sick sense of humour.
In closing, if you have to choose between this movie or getting a tumour removed…get the tumour removed, obviously. THEN watch the movie. Trust me, you will not regret it.
