What hath God wraught?

This weekend's movie of choice? "The Reaping." A movie that, when it first came out, I had little to no intentions of seeing it. The basic plot follows an ordained minister, Hilary Swank, who, after the death of her family, has turned her back on God. Since that point, she's become a professor at a predominant university in Louisiana and spends her "free time" investigating so-called miracles and negating them, offering instead a scientific explanation. After being contacted by a man from a town called Haven about a possible plague and a town that blames a 12 year old girl for it, she goes to Haven to investigate.

I sat in awe of the entire film while it played. I loved it. However, if you're an atheist, you probably won't like this movie.

The script, while to me it was slightly predictable, was acceptable. The events that occurred made sense and were presented in a way that the audience, whether they know the Bible from cover to cover or not, will be able to keep up with the plot line and determine their own opinions. And the actors were pretty convincing. Swank actually delivered an almost stellar performance as I actually believed some of her emotions for the first time in a film. David Morrissey, a less-than-mainstream actor, comes up as her co-star and does a decent job of it. His character is Doug, the man who has asked Swank's character to come to Haven. He's charismatic and slightly charming at the appropriate times.

While the "professional" critics are rating this movie pretty low, I'd say it's far too underestimated. It'd be safe to call this movie a religious thriller, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it horror. It had it's scary points; I found myself jumping a bit in my seat, squeezing my hands a bit tighter, and getting a bit nervous every once in a while. But if you go in to this film expecting to come out unable to sleep, you're going to be disappointed. Instead, go in expecting to see tension personified on screen and the typical religion versus science struggle that may actually surprise you.

If you're looking for a good movie to see, this one is definitely worth it.

The Scariest movie I've seen in a long time

I didn't go to the theater this weekend.

Now, after you pull yourself up off of the floor, begin breathing again, and realize that this is, in fact, reality, let me say this. Instead of going to the theater this weekend, I ended up renting about 7 movies to watch and review. And to start off with, I'm picking this one. An independent film called "Dark Remains."

I'm a scary movie buff. I love being scared, I love ghost stories that make your blood curdle, and I can't get enough of horrifying scenes that make you want to scream. Sad part is, I have yet to see a movie that's done any of that since I was watching "Pet Sematary" when I was 8 years old. Until I picked up this stunning movie. Granted, the first time I rented it and watched it was a few months ago, it still scares me and keeps me lying awake at night, incapable of sleeping.

I sat in my livingroom, with the lights on, watching this movie with my fiance, hoping that I'd finally have a good review from a supposed scary movie (See my review on Hannibal Rising if you don't know what I mean). And I was not disappointed. My fiance and I were fighting over who got to hide behind who while the misdirection and entirely unforeseen plot twists caught us off guard every time. It was impossible to look away, at the same time, I really, really wanted to.

The story is of a young couple who live in a large city in Atlanta, GA. with their daughter. After she is killed while they slept down the hallway from her, they move into a secluded mountain area in order to grieve and escape the towns whispered rumors. But strange things begin to happen. Julie, the wife, who is an amateur photographer, begins seeing disturbing images in her photos and begins to investigate them deeper and deeper, until both her and her husband, as well as her neighbors, seem to be in far deeper than even she could've expected.

For anybody who has ever been even slightly entertained by a horror film or a ghost story, this is the perfect story for you. We haven't seen many descently done horror flicks and it's entirely rare to see one done as well as this, especially independently. The make up job is so very realistically gruesome that you're not sure whether what you've just seen was just a character in a movie, or an actual ghost.

Either way, if you pick up "Dark Remains," get ready to be scared. And be sure to keep the light on. You may find that you really do need it.

***Edit*** For those in the St. Charles, MO area, the only rental store that has this particular film available is Hollywood Video. It is also available on NetFlix***

I am the Goddess of War.....2

Since Tuesday night around 7 O'clock, I have been spending every spare moment I have, sacrificing time for eating and sleeping, even studying (because I am just that much of a geek) in order to play my newest video game for the PlayStation 2. God of War 2.

My beloved Kratos, who is still as devine as ever, even covered in the ashes of his dead family, is still battling the Grecian Gods in his neverending battle to rid himself of his horrid memories of killing his own family while under the control of Ares, the original God of War. In the first game, Kratos kills Ares in order to escape his bonds of slavery. After making a pact with the god in order to beat down his enemies, Kratos became a rampaging maniac and, in the midst of his slaughterous ways, killed his wife and daughter.

After that, he developed an insane grudge against Ares and saught revenge which he got en mass by killing him and becoming the new God of War. Now, in the sequel (yes, this is me, advocating a sequel), Ares is betrayed by the Gods and stripped of his powers. Because of this, he must go find the Sisters of Fate in order to go back to the time when Zeus first betrayed him, rewrite history, change the past, and return the world to the way he wants it to be.

Amazing cinemography, new moves, more hidden surprises, harder and longer levels, more bosses, more challenging puzzles, and simply a better game which I never thought possible have brought God of War 2 up on my list of must have games. I'm just glad they didn't release it exclusively on PS3.

My only complaint is that the creators got so much of the Greek Mythology so very, very wrong. Granted, it's mythology; it isn't exactly right or wrong to begin with. But there is a general consensus as to what did or did not happen. And for the most part, God of War 2 is lacking a few essential factoids in the plot line. But if you can ignore that and focus solely on the game, you won't be disappointed. Not in the slightest.

300

It happened early this morning, around 12:10 a.m. Something absolutely amazing. The curtains moved to the side, the lights dimmed, the crowd cheered and then became entirely silent. And for the next two hours, I sat in complete awe of the masterpiece that was and is "300."

For a movie that I've been looking forward to for nearly 6 months, it exceeded every expectation that I had for it. Based on the graphic novels, essentially comic books (and I mean that in a good way), by Frank Miller, this movie was one of the least comic book-like movies ever to be made. The entire movie was filled with the most brilliant cinematography that I have seen so far this year; I'd even go so far as to say that it was better than Pan's Labyrinth which, for me, is saying more than I expected.

When I first heard about this movie, my initial assumption was that it was going to be filled with senseless violence but it wasn't. The gore that was involved was appropriate and fitting, not too much but not too little. Granted, I'm a person who likes to see that type of thing, especially when it's well done and realistic which was a feat that "300" reached for, attained, and exceeded again and again.

David Wenham, who plays Dilios, one of the Spartan soldiers, narrates the film. But it happens in such a way that while you realize you're being narrated to, you don't mind. I've never been a fan of narration in movies. After Double Indemnity and Citizen Kane, I believed the days of movie narration to be over and entirely obsolete. But in "300," it's done so stylistically that it's needed. Almost essential to the plot. And the entire story ends up coming around full circle.

Gerard Butler, one of my favorite actors, brought King Leonidas to life, so much so that it was impossible to escape being brought into the film. You ended up feeling as though you were one of his men throughout the entire thing. And you couldn't help but respect him. Dominic West, who played Theron, was the perfect bad guy. I found myself hating him so purely that by the time I got to the parking lot, I had to remind myself that it was an actor playing a role.

I've been obsessed with the Greek culture since I was in junior high school. So of course, I knew how this one was going to end. Yet still, I sat in my seat waiting for things to happen, and for the course of mythology to change on film. It didn't; they stuck to what was documented, however bittersweetly that may seem to the audience. I both loved and hated that fact.

If you don't want to see 300, see it anyway. If you want to see it, see it today, and again tomorrow. If you haven't heard about it, hear about it now, trust my opinion and go see it. No matter what, you won't be disappointed.

Pass it on

So all of my entries thus far have been reviews. But in all reality, the point of this blog is for me to share my thoughts on the entertainment industry, as my overall ambition is to become a journalist specializing in arts and entertainment.

Now this entry is going to be focusing on one topic that I hold very strong opinions on, and that is the glorification of so-called celebrities who aren't qualified and don't merit such action. Case in point, Anna-Nicole Smith. A woman who rose to stardom after posing in playboy, marrying rich, her husband dying, and going through a scandal in trying to obtain the fortune her husband possessed. I see no reason to make this woman a staple in young, impressionable minds, as if she is something to mimic. Yet, since her recent death, that's exactly what she's become. Not only that, but she's all that those on the news can talk about. The fact that this woman died is overshadowing the war and countless other much more important and much more newsworthy events. I can't even remember there being this much media coverage when former presidents died. Yet here we are, glorifying this woman who, in my opinion, isn't worth the paper she's been printed on.

True, she lost weight. Woo hoo, so have a billion other people. Only they might have done it without pills or plastic surgery. So I don't really feel that much of a need to worship some star because of that. She posed in playboy. Meaning...what? That again, I should remain in awe of her presence? Sorry, not going to happen. She married a rich guy who then died. Good for her. She did her thing and got paid. That doesn't mean I want my little sister idolizing her.

Plenty of people will tell you that she went from rags to riches and she has such an inspiring story. BOO HOO! She might have gone from rags to riches, but she did it in a dishonorable way.

The only "newsworthiness" that can be attributed to her death is that it's timely. But guess what? It's old news now. So if I hear any more about it, I might just have to scream. And if one more guy comes out of the woodworks claiming to be her baby's daddy...I might just put myself in the running.

Hiro can by my Hero

It's official. I am addicted to "Heroes." It's probably unhealthy and it's probably not everybody's favorite show. But I am absolutely in love with it. If you haven't watched it, watch it. If you hate it, you're broken.

It's the story of a few exceptional people with superhuman capabilities. Throughout the course of the first season, you meet several of the "good guys," Peter Petrelli, Claire Bennett, Hiro Nakamora, Ando, Matt Parkman, and several others. The point of the series, at first is to "Save the Cheerleader, save the world." A vague message, but one that, after some time, becomes clear as to what it means and what needs to be done.

To be entirely honest, it took a few episodes for me to become hooked on the show. The first three or four episodes held little to no interest for me but after a while, I found myself entirely intrigued and I couldn't miss even one Monday night episode.

But I digress. The show itself is great. It's taken the typical Justice League type cartoon, made it live-action and given it some realistic quality. Beyond the idea that human beings could have these superhuman abilities, the hatred that the viewers develop for the villains is just as tangible as the affection and attachment you'll have for the Heroes.

Give it a shot. If you haven't watched it so far, it's on NBC on Monday nights at 8 p.m. If you've been watching it and love it just as much as I do...congratulations.

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.