What would you think of a favorable review?

Seeing as I have this compulsion to review a movie I actually like, I figured I'd go old school and find a movie I know I already like and give you a review of that one instead of what I've been doing. Especially seeing as every new movie coming out these days is either a remake of a movie that was just made last year ( I.e. "The Zodiac") or a sequel (see "Rocky"). There are a few that I am excited about so be on the lookout for a review on "300", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", and "Pirates of the Caribbean At The World's End" as soon as those come out.

Today though, I'm focusing on a personnal favorite of mine, "The Boondock Saints." The story itself can get the viewer hooked just by hearing it before they even see a trailer for the movie. It's about the MacManus brothers, Connor and Murphy. The twins live in an Irish community within Boston; a tight-knit area with close connections and warring mafia families. When the Russian mafia starts moving in on the Italians, war begins. After a particularly nasty run-in with the Russians, the MacManus brothers receive what they believe to be a message from God, telling them to become vigilantes, which they immediately do. They go after all criminals; Russians, Italians, and street scum alike. The Italians end up hiring the best of the best hit men to "take care" of the brothers, now publically being called Saints. And the rest is up to you to see.

This movie is amazing. Entirely funny, entertaining, yet serious and entirely applicable and appropriate to every day life. I found it particularly appropriate because, for the most part (Minus the murderous rampages), I agree with certain aspects of the vigilantism. But the movie itself is made so very perfect by the actors themselves. Connor and Murphy are played to a T, almost to the point that the audience is forced to ask themselves whether or not these two men actually have done these acts. Their "sidekick," Funny Man, is the same way.

Willem Dafoe makes a stellar performance here as well that you'll have to see to believe.

In my opinion, this was one of the last original movies to be made. The acting was exceptional, the story was inspired and thought provoking, there was actually a point the story which doesn't really happen very often, and the humor was funny without seeming forced.

The Number 23

It was a particularly movie filled weekend for me. Not only did I choose one, but two movies to view and offer my thoughts on for this weekend. You've seen my thoughts on one of them. Here comes the other.

"The Number 23." What can I say? I was slightly more than disappointed. For a movie I had been looking forward to for quite a while, it really didn't live up to the hype. Advertised as an "obsessive thriller," it turned out to be more of a predictable conspiracy theory with a subpar ending.

At least this movie had alright acting. This time, it was the narrating that was awful. Done by Jim Carrey himself, the narrating seemed more sarcastic; as though he were attempting to be another character in one of his comedies instead of a serious drama. His tone was annoying; often condescending to the point where I simply stopped listening and just started watching the pictures go by and making up my own dialogue.

The thought behind the story had merit. The 23 Enigma has been long thought of and studied in the psychological world. So making a psychological thriller was really a good idea. However poorly done it was. Some of the statistics, far fetched as they were, even had me thinking in my seat, tabulating whether my social security number would add up to 23 (it doesn't), if my address could add up to 23 (it does), etc. But the ending of the movie left me upset, left me wanting more. And I found myself unfulfilled.

Without spoiling the ending, it stinks. It's predictable, you can see it coming a mile and a half away, and you don't have to be a genius to know how it's going to end. The slightly entertaining points of the movie, the three that I can remember that amounted to about 3 minutes out of an hour and forty five minute long movie, were far outweighed by the predictable story line, annoying narration, and, at times over-the-top paranoia.

If you want my opinion, which if you've read this far you either want my opinion or are too bored to care, wait for this one to either come to Blockbuster or to make it to the rotation on a free movie channel.

Another creative, good idea killed by lack of ability.

Until next time.

The "Ghost Rider" that shouldn't

This weekend's movie of choice was "Ghost Rider." This is the first movie in a long time to have me stumped. There were times during the movie where I felt as though it was going to be the best movie of the season, and others when I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity I had to sleep for about two hours.

For any comic book fan, especially those who were particularly fond of the Ghost Writer series, it's a pretty good comic-to-big-screen movie. But, in my opinion, the acting still left something to be desired.

Eva Mendes' portrayal of journalist, and love interest, Roxanne falls flat from the beginning, leaving much to be desired from the previously entertaining actress. The part of Roxanne has the potential to be played as a very stimulating character; a strong willed, hard-nosed reporter with the same approach to her personal life as she has in her work. Instead, we're left with a character who swoons over the hero and ends up playing the typical fawning female.

Nicolas Cage's rendition of Johnny Blaze, entertaining as it is at times, still seems disappointing in the end. The obligatory hero monologue that ends all comic book movies, a usually stirring wrap up of the heroes ethics and morals already displayed, comes off as boring, rehearsed, and almost insincere. I, simply, had expected more from Cage, a fan of the Ghost Rider series.

The story itself is a good one. A man sells his soul to save a loved one, only to lose said person but still have to settle his debt. When the debt is called in, Blaze, aka Ghost Rider has to choose; continue on his righteous path but leave behind all hopes of love and family, or cling on to his passion for Roxanne, risking both her life as well as his. The rest of the story is simple; the Rider has to find out what Blackheart, the son of the devil is after, stop him, and ultimately destroy him.

The effects, while cheesy at times, are pretty good. Blackheart both frightens and intimidates however, the voice effects used for him leave the audience with no other option but to have a slight chuckle at his expense. But I suppose, in the end, you're always supposed to have at least one part of the bad guy to laugh at.

All in all, Ghost Rider's a descent film. It's no Spider-Man by any means, but it also isn't nearly as much a travesty as the Hulk was.

"Lost" Not Losing Anything

After a 13 week hiatus, Lost has returned. And even though it's ratings are continually falling, I still find myself captivated by it from 9 until 10 p.m. every Wednesday night.

This past week, an episode entirely hyped up by ABC, was said to answer many of the viewers questions. After an hour of intriguing story, twists, turns, and a couple of more questions, the answers were provided. As in Lost tradition, the answers weren't fully developed and didn't come close to satisfying my need for knowledge.

While the critics, professional and not-so professional alike, have varying opinions, the reviews all end up with the same complaint: no answers. I for one love that aspect of the show. Withholding answers to the most important questions, only giving me minimal amounts of information at a time, and keeping the past secrets of the characters somewhat hidden are part of what keeps the mystery of the show alive.

For those who don't know, the idea behind "Lost" is to tell the story of a plane (Flight 815) which has crashed on an island on it's way to Los Angeles from Sydney, Australia. Each show highlights one character and shows the viewers parts of their past through various flashbacks interlaced throughout the story of what's going on on the island. The specific island that they've crashed on is inhabited by the so called "Others." The rest of the story, you'll have to see for yourself.

"Rising" the dead

Weekends in my world mean only one thing; at least one trip to the movie theatre. I spend the week researching the newly released movies, reading reviews of both the critics and the viewers, and finally deciding which movie it is that I really must see. This past weekend, after doing all of aforementioned work, I finally settled on "Hannibal Rising."

Now my specific trend is that if the critics hate it, I'm going to love it. If the movie goers love it, I typically do as well. This movie looked as though it was going to be perfect for me. But for the first time, I was sorely disappointed. After absolutely loving "Hannibal" and "Silence of the Lambs," I was convinced that this one was right up my ally. An hour and 45 minutes later, I was wishing I would've killed a few less brain cells and gone to see "Norbit."

The idea behind the movie was a good one. The making of a mass murderer that the entire world has been infatuated with for generations. Not only that, but telling the story in a way that's going to make the viewers feel sorry for this murderer, which they actually did accomplish...eventually. The problem with this movie was that the acting, although Hannibal was stoic as we've become accustomed to, it was over-acted to the point of disbelief. The plot was entirely predictable and boring. Each time Hannibal set his sights on a victim, it was a course of repetitive events that ended up leaving the audience bored where we should have been intrigued.

In my opinion, the Hannibal story was dead after the previous movie. I liked the idea of writing this story, but making this movie was just going too far. The movie itself was too drawn out and being in the theater for less than two hours ended up drawing out and seeming more like four.

So if you're looking for a movie for this weekend, pass over "Hannibal Rising," and go for something a little fresher.

Sick of Sequels and Retiring Remakes

Every weekend, movie goers poor into theaters hoping to see the next best movie of the year. The past year or so, however, they've been sorely disappointed, with the only movies coming out being short of stellar and entirely unoriginal.

I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the next movie to come out with an original script, a new idea, an unknown actor, and a plot that has yet to be seen. I've seen enough "Rocky" films to know that even if he loses, the fans will still cheer him on at the end of the fight. There've been enough "Die Hard" movie's made now, that we should all have grasped the concept that John McClane always wins, never dies of blood loss, and the bad guy never dies after only one bullet to the head.

Taking a look at the movies that open within the next week, all that one can see are multiple remakes, and the same story with different actors. The one and only possible exception would be "Pan's Labyrinth," a dark fairy tale for adults set in 1940's Spain. However, the rest of the movies I seem to recall having seen previously.

Take for example, "Blood and Chocolate." A story about evil werewolves in the dark underground who are searching for a secret who can only be beaten by a woman who is also a wolf but not quite evil but apparently much stronger than the bad guys. I seem to remember this one when it was called "Underworld."

Then there's "Freedom Writers" only I remember it when it was called "Dangerous Minds."

There seems to be a common trend throughout Hollywood these days, and for this movie addict, it's become quite a problem The predictable story lines and the retelling of age old stories have gotten old. I don't need to see "Cinderella III: A Twist In Time" simply because script writers have run out of ideas. Neither do I desire another remake of a 1980's horror film like "The Hitcher" simply to see if it can be done.

Maybe we need to get some more writers in town. Either that, or Hollywood has a less than appealing future, and movie-goers won't have as hard of a time getting through lines on opening night.