1. Across the Universe

   Julie Taymor's Across the Universe has to be one of the most idiosyncratic movies I have ever watched. The captivating start-off scene with Jim Sturgess singing a song already put this movie on a different edge from the rest of the musical movies. The whole movie encompasses songs from The Beatles and the many colorful and special effects in this movie are spectacular to watch. Trust me, it is like no movie you have ever watched before. If you are into the Beatles, or simply musical movies, try this one.

2. Artificial Intelligence

   This gem from Steven Spielberg is a spellbinder! Excellent performances from child actor Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law made this film highly watchable. The movie chronicles the life of a robot-boy David who yearns for motherly love and affection. By wanting this, David seeks the Blue Fairy and it all culminates to a touching and heart-wrenching ending. My favourite movie of all.

3. A Beautiful Mind

   This Oscar winner has more to brag than its beautiful title. John Forbes Nash(Russell Crowe), a renowned mathematician's life is portrayed in this beautiful movie, offering deep insights into the mind of a mathematician genius who suffered from schizophrenia. Noteworthy performances by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly made this movie a must watch!

4. Into the Wild

   Sean Penn's latest directorial feature. The movie chronicles the life of Christopher McCandless, based on the book "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer. Sean Penn did a marvellous job in the cinematography of the movie and Emile Hirsch was the perfect candidate as Alex Supertramp in the movie. Also, look out for Hal Holbrook near the end of the movie. You would not want to miss this exciting yet heart-wrenching movie. Based on a true story.

5. Les Choristes (The Chorus)

   This is a French movie that tells the story of a supervisor's attempt to change the delinquents in a correctional school. This quaint and charming little movie would have you humming to the beautiful songs and choral singing. A wonderful and affectionate film that would bound to move you to tears while celebrating the joy of music.

6. My Blueberry Nights

   This Wong Kar Wai film is nothing short of amazing. Its cast includes Jude Law, Natalie Portman and not to mention Norah Jones in her acting debut. Look out for the wonderful cinematography of the director. Though not a highly commercialized movie, it packs some noteworthy acting performances from Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn. All in all, a sweet dessert treat for anyone who wants a deep movie with a blueberry icing.

7. Mystic River

   This Clint Eastwood movie is not to be taken lightly! Having bagged Oscars, this movie looks all too promising with its superb cast of actors like Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins. If you like crime thrillers with a wonderful twist, look no further. This movie has everything for a mystery buff, tagged with an emotional label. A deeply affecting movie that leaves you breathless towards the end. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins were fantastic in this movie. Watch it for yourself.

8. Rent

   Rent is a movie-musical based on the hit broadway musical by Jonathan Larson, now directed by Chris Columbus. Absolutely fantastic cast makes this movie both a feast to the eyes and to the ears. Expect songs like "Seasons of Love" to ring in your ears long after the movie has ended. If you have not watched the musical, this movie is a good alternative. Serious political issues were discussed in this movie. So if you like a movie that is both fun to watch and also provocative, this is the movie for you.

9. 2001: A Space Odyssey

   This 1968 epic directed by renowned director Stanley Kubrick is a science fiction film that was highly rated by film critics and hailed as "one of the greatest films ever to be made". You don't need much explanation to tell you why. Just watch how the movie progress, look at the visual effects for sure, and you would know why the movie achieved what it deserved.

So what can I say? Pull in a comfy couch and get the popcorns ready.

Moore is back with another hard-hitting, extremely emotional and downright sarcastic movie, which of course, targets his beloved homeland, this time, nailing down on United State's health insurance system and its rotting industry. Sicko was released in the US in July 2007 and was nominated for several Oscar Awards 2008 for Best Documentary Film.

In the documentary film Sicko, Michael Moore presented a clear, rather pathetic condition of middle-class Americans, who have health care insurance and who were led to believe that they are actually well covered during time of illness. During the first 45 minutes of the film, Moore presented a handful of cases where citizens had been neglected, restricted and totally denied of health care coverage by their insurance companies, mostly because of pre-existing conditions, experimental, not life-threatening etc. In this part of the film, Moore persuades you to become emotional, angry to the point of wholly loathing America, its legislator, the current resident of the White House, George Bush and even the one woman, Hillary Clinton who tried to stand against the corruption in the health care industry.

Moore successfully injected drama in Sicko, completely manipulating human emotion of pity, anger and sympathy with the presentation of testimonials (teary-eyed in almost every confession) of people within the health care industry who can't swallow the system but are helpless since they are on these large companies' payroll, first hand cases of people who lost their loved ones because of lopsided and inhumane policy of hospitals and their affiliated insurance companies. The video inserts of presidents, legislators and key personalities who are directly related to health care in America as well as the statistics and first hand accounts give the film the credential it is aiming, which in turn made the film even more influential to viewers.

Sicko drove the point home when its director decided to take a trip around Europe, Canada and Cuba, where Moored exaggeratingly compared it with America's health care. First, he accompanied an American woman who can't get treatment for her cancer, to Canada while getting free care illegally from a Canadian hospital. Worse than encouraging this illegal activity of falsifying information, Moore convicted the act by saying, “Yes it is considered illegal, but we are Americans”. Encouraging unlawful actions didn't go well with the goal of the film to enlighten Americans and suggesting a rational solution to the problem.

After filming the offense in Canada, Moore found his universal healthcare paradise when he went to the United Kingdom and France. From a hardcore activist, Moore turned into an ecstatic child discovering a gift from Santa Clause on Christmas midnight, when he sat down with a group of Americans who get completely free healthcare, education and a part-time nanny in France and the patients of National Health Service (NHS) from Britain who were even given pounds for the trip home after they got free health service. During this second part of Sicko, the sarcasm against the American government became more apparent and intense.

Moore's interview with an English doctor and French citizen, showing their obviously comfortable lifestyle (worrying about fish, vegetables, holidays, riding a Audi and owning a million dollar house), is totally out of context. The film was not able to establish that these people were not in the level of those people he was comparing with in America. Of course, the topic was health care and in these countries, they are getting it for free. Although Moore said, “they were drowning in taxes” the film wasn't able to establish how high these taxes are, and how the middle class English or French are actually living. The film was so absorbed in narrating the “good life” in these countries that it fails to present a more realistic part of the story, thus making the film.

In Europe, almost half of the salary goes to the government in the form of taxes, so it is justified that they get these services for free. Most middle-class citizens don't go on Holidays as often as Moore projected in the film, most people don't get a million dollar house or own two cars. Fact is, it is actually the hardworking citizens, who pay their taxes duly and expensively, who pay for the free healthcare of those who are unemployed, abusive of their health, poor or just lazy. But of course, this is where one's goodness comes in. Let's disregard the lazy and abusive, and focus more on the poor, disabled and old. They were the ones who are in need most of all, and in these countries, the government sees through it that this act of kindness is utilized.

Despite this one-sidedness, the fact that America's healthcare system is rotting compared to these countries had been very well ingrained in the film.

And finally, he went to Cuba, supposedly to bring the three 9/11 rescuers to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, a military complex where terrorists get “universal healthcare”. Moored tried to get the same service for these rescuers but instead got a patrol siren. Hopeless, they decided to check the Havana hospital and there, they got a superstar treatment. In a certain way, Sicko has manipulated the viewers in believing that an ideal healthcare system exists in a country that is considered evil and an enemy by the American government. Again, he successfully insulted his homeland by his detailed comparison. And again, he failed to cite the real score with the average Cuban.

Verdict:

Sicko has all the elements of a good Hollywood drama flick, pity, fear, anger, sympathy and hope. It will definitely make you cry. Although Moore made evident sensationalism in the film, it is still an enlightening and plausible piece of work, well researched and factual. It will open your eyes on the almost immoral healthcare system that has been going on for decades in America. Despite its lapses in presenting balance in the film, Moore posed some significant points to the American people (or more on the American government) to become more concerned about each rather than focusing on themselves, and working together to achieve better healthcare in America or in any part of the globe.

Sicko is definitely worth seeing, even for the message of camaraderie and universal brotherhood that it has effectively established.

Healthcare should be available to all, whether you have private or government insurance. Its main goal is to help people live longer and not find ways for them to die.

“Charlotte's Web” is an outstanding movie based on the animated version which is also based on the original book. This movie is for the young and old who have an imagination. It's for anyone who is still a kid at heart. In the movie, facts intertwine with fantasy in a quest to save a pigs life that is doomed to become Christmas dinner.

“Charlotte's Web” is a (2006) G rated family movie based on the book, “Charlotte's Web” by E. B. White which was first published in (1952). This film is 96 minutes of pure fun for any child or adult.

The main character of Fern is played by Dakota Fanning who does an outstanding job of portraying a little girl with a big heart for a runty pig who seems to be doomed from the day he is born.

In the film the little pig (Wilbur) is moved to Zuckerman's farm when he can no longer stay in the house with Fern. At the farm he makes all kinds of friends, but only one, (Charlotte) the spider cares so much that she tries time after time to save him from his certain destiny of becoming Christmas dinner.

In the end, Wilbur's life is saved thanks to his best friend Charlotte and the whole town celebrates with him in a parade. This children's story truly has a happy ending indeed.

 

This movie starts off as good as I could have expected, with a woman jumping to her death. Pretty cool for "Mr.Twist"'s first R rated movie. But it all goes downhill from there. Mark Wahlberg surprises me for a first in this as a terrible actor! Mr.Wahlberg is a definite box office draw, and his acting has done nothing but improve as his films progress, but in this Marky Mark seems as though he is trying to act, with an unrealistic personality at that. But acting aside, this movie seems to go nowhere as fast as possible.

Personally the real problem was that there was a major lack of action, it went from scene to scene with painfully tired escape/panic movie scenarios, with only the death scenes being of any real interest, and them being waaaay too few and far between. The filler consists of cliche'd romantic undertones, and an unimpressive feeling of being chased........by nothing at all. Seriously......they're being chased by the wind.

Long story short, this movie is bad. Very Bad.

For a movie called "The Happening", there's not a lot happening.

In the movie, she is an undiscovered author and illustrator of children's books who tries repeatedly to get her work published but is turned away when the publishers think her imagination is a little too risky because she likes to put animals in people's clothes. After a long hard search for the one publisher who will accept her work, she finds not only a publisher but also love.

Some time after the publication of many of her children's books, her fiancé dies leaving her lonely and without a publisher. His brothers agree to continue working with her on her upcoming publications in their family owned firm. After a while her financial advisor tells her that she is a rich lady. She decides to buy herself a house out in the country running into a long time acquaintance while doing so.

She lives out her life doing what she loves at her 40 acre country home and ends up married to her childhood acquaintance who introduced her to her dream home.

This film introduces writers and illustrators to the struggles that the very popular Beatrix Potter faced on her way to the top. It is an inspirational movie that portrays the importance of never giving up on the dream of becoming published, even when your own family doubts your dreams.

This is a 2006 PG-13 Drama based on Chris Gardner's book, “The Pursuit of Happyness”. Chris Gardner's character is played by the astounding Will Smith who portrays a loving father who struggles to be self-employed and fails. With this, his bills are piling up and the tension in his marriage is more than his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) can take. With his wife gone, he and his five year old son Christopher (Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith) go on a struggling adventure to pursue their own destinies together.

This movie is filmed in San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda, California. In the final moments of the film the real Chris Gardner can be seen walking by all dressed up in his business attire as his character (Will Smith) turns to admire the man that he is about to become.

This film is truly an inspiration to all that see it. It does what it is intended to do and that is to tell the story of a man who went from rags to riches with the intent to be a dedicated father first. One man's Cinderella story that makes anyone want to do better in their own life.

Comic-book/superhero movies can have a great trailer, they can have great hype, but when it comes down to it, if the movie isn't that great everybody feels let down. The reason that we all feel this way if the movie isn't great is because, A) everybody has been talking about how great the movie will be B) the trailer looks great and, C) fans talk about the history of the characters, their richness, their history etc. this lends the ear added anticipation to what it is awaiting. However when the movie comes out, and it blows, we feel betrayed. It doesn't help that, since a majority of the comic-genre films have not lived up to their expectations (i.e. The Hulk, Fantastic Four 1&2, X3...) the fan base grows hungrier and hungrier for a film that sates their appetite. I am proud to say, my satisfaction right now is comparable to the hour after thanksgiving dinner, I hold no qualms with the world. I am at peace.

Iron Man has taught us a few things. When making a comic book movie, or super hero, or whatever you want to call it, it might help to have this criteria met.

Hire a director who is also a fan. I'm going to go ahead and shoot Favreau some credit here, great job. Not only did you entertain me for two hours, I was impressed, intrigued, and in awe at some points with the decisions that you made. From start to finish, this movie flows, it has pace, it has character, and it does exactly what it is meant to do, which is, keep us entertained with the same amount of intensity that we had when we stumbled across the comic-book worlds in our youth. Getting a director who knows that feeling will help because A) he can tell if what he's putting out there is shit and B) he can tell if what he is putting out the is gold. He knows, because the finished product will incite the same visceral response that the pages he was first in awe of did.

Get good actors. Not that there aren't good actors in some of the other comic flicks, but you have to know when you've got a top dog for the comic world. Jack Nicholson embodied the Joker, Christian Bale as Batman, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine; they all have done their parts. There are many other fine actors who have played in the super hero part, that I feel they just can't carry some of the qualities that a super hero embodies; the dichotomy of the hero and the alter-ego. Without the ability to properly portray this utmost important trait, the movie -and the character- is a dud. For the actor/actress to hit this note in perfect tune is the most important thing (aside from script and action). The duel personality of the comic book super hero is usually the most intriguing and drawing thing to certain characters, and the ability to portray this human element to a character is what makes the movie. Robert Downey Jr. knocks it out of the park. He plays the Tony Stark role perfectly. Bridges, Paltrow, and Howard all do an excellent job as well.

The dialogue in the movie is great. This is most likely not attributed to the script, but to the abilities of fine actors to tweak lines, and scenes, to make them feel more real. There is no awkwardness to the film; it all feels natural, unlike The Hulk or Spiderman. The movie is witty, intelligent, and economical. It does not drag out at any part, it does not delay, and it does not leave you waiting; it simply provides you with questions and then it answers them. As soon as you have asked a question of this movie, it will deliver you an answer twice as good as you could have imagined. “Oh, but what will the suit look like?” you ask yourself... “Oh that's fucking sweet!” you instantly respond. The movie flows so easily within it's dialogue that scenes where Downey Jr. is talking to a mechanical arm are more entertaining than any single word mentioned in The Hulk.

The action is great. When you want to see action, this movie provides it to you. But, unlike other comic-book movies, this film does not rely on it's action, and it does not falter in it's ability to deliver when the action comes.

You get enjoyment from nearly every aspect of this film. From the ability of the actors to portray their characters correctly, from the dialogue, from the action, and from the direction. It is a great product of skilled people.

So, the notes that Hollywood should take from this are, A) do not have directors such as Ang Lee direct comic-cook movies, sometimes certain instincts are not applicable B) get good actors C) make sure the movie does not rely on it's action -or lack thereof- D) get a good script E) make the movie intelligent and insightful F) make it entertaining. If you do these things, you will have monstrous successes at the box office. In the comic-book genre of movies it is word of mouth that will carry you to the top of the box office, because the fans expectations are so high, and if you disappoint them, it will not bode well. This movie has the qualities that make you want to see it again right away, buy the movie on dvd, and tell your friends about it. Quite simply, Iron Man embodies what every comic book inspired film should be like; the kind of flick that you get excited about, and when you finally see it you are reminded of what captured your imagination in the first place about super hero's.

Other things that Iron Man has taught us...

1. Gwyneth Paltrow is still fine. That's right, we may have forgotten, but she is.
2. Supporting roles matter. Howard, Paltrow, and Bridges are great.
3. Let's not get campy with the movie or too intense about it. These movies are made to entertain, but their ability to do so is amplified when we are able to get lost in the story and characters, not lost in too much over-the-top drama or campy behavior.
4. CGI is getting better and better.
5. Downey Jr. is a testament to the fact that addiction is a battle that can be won. He's always been a great actor, and he deserves credit for getting his shit together. Many can not do it.

In my opinion, finding a film worth watching these days is a rarity. I saw several films and television shows over the years and while I will not "give away" too much about the following films in my article, I do want to give a few worthwhile thoughts.

First in my list of films in this article is Home Alone 2:Lost in New York,

starring a young actor we haven't heard much from in the last couple of years named Macaulay Culkin. While many may say "that's an old film" because it was made back in the 1990's,

I wil defend it's place in this list by stating that l do not particularly like the direction most of today's movies are taking.

There is no originality in most of them and there is often WAY too much profanity, I don't know about you but hearing the language in a lot of today's films makes me wonder "what happened to

all the good movies?" Why can't they make movies these days without spewing the f-word or other related words every other minute?

Is people's vocabulary and intelligence really getting that limited?

I know you may be thinking "sometimes they use that language for emphasis"

but to me that is just an excuse, and profanity to me takes away from the quality of the film.

Anyway now that I have vented my frustrations a bit, the second film I do suggest is worthwhile is

Friday Night Lights, and Remember the Titans is third on my list.

There is also a film that you may not have heard much about it is called Simon Birch.

(Good storyline, film work could be better though)

I also recommend the film Coach Carter for all you basketball fans.

I will begin weekly film reviews and sharing some of my favorites with the masses.

I hope you all will enjoy and if you have any recommendations yourselves that I haven't noted,

feel free to do so. If you enjoyed my film reviews feel free also to check out my weekly music reviews here.

If you have not seen the movie “ I Am Legend” yet, do not read any further if you don't want to see any spoilers.

Long before George Romero's “Night of the Living Dead” or any other movies about flesh eating zombies, there was a novel written by Richard Matheson from the 50's that spawned a whole genre of zombie and flesh eating horror. Authors such as Stephen King and such were inspired by Matheson.

Two other movies were made based on his novel: 1964's “The Last Man on Earth”, played by Vincent Price and 1971's “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston.

In 2007's “I am Legend” the latest character is acted by Will Smith. He gives a stellar performance as Robert Neville, who survives the nuclear outbreak of an airborne virus that kills off the earth's population.

This latest film version takes place in 2012. After the President orders the city of New York to be quarantined, back in 2009 he sends his wife and daughter with military to flee the city. . After losing his family, ironically not from the virus, but a terrible helicopter accident fleeing the city. Neville stayed behind to help find the cure. Alongside him is his loyal companion German Shepherd named Sam (short for Samantha). Throughout the movie, he hunts these creatures during the day, capturing them one by one to experiment vaccines he concocted to find a cure.

There are some great special effect shots of NYC that looks like an abandoned jungle, cars laying waste and grass growing over the roads. There is even a cornfield growing in Central Park! These shots make you feel like New York City had been abandoned. Throughout the movie, he hunts these creatures during the day, capturing them one by one to experiment vaccines he concocted to find a cure. When he captures a creature, he takes it back to his downstairs lab to inject them with the latest strain to test them out. There are hundreds of profile and head shots plastered to his wall of his failed experiments.

After his trusted and loyal companion chases a deer they were hunting into an abandoned dark building, Neville cautiously goes after her. He is confronted by a horde of zombies. He and Sam are chased through the building where he runs towards a light, crashing through the window a few stories above the street. The creature is writhing in pain from the sunlight, and dies on the street. After scolding his dog, he returns home just before dusk, locks up all the windows and doors, and sleeps with Sam with his rifle alongside him. He leaves his home just after day break, just to repeat the whole process over again.

Throughout the movie, he talks to mannequins that he strategically placed throughout the city in the places that he frequents the most. This sounds crazy to most of us, but you need to remember that he is the only lone human survivor. Solitaire and loneliness does strange things to any normal human being. If you have seen “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks, you know what I am talking about when he befriends a volleyball named Wilson.

One day, he is driving through the city where he spots a mannequin standing in the middle of the street. He knows that he didn't place it there. He gets out of his car and starts yelling to the mannequin “how did you get here!” then shoots the mannequin and shoots his gun into the air into some of the tall buildings. He steps into a trap that lifts him upside down. He hangs there all day knocked out from a blow to his head. Samantha is barking at him and trying to get his attention the whole time. He comes to just as the sun is setting. He pulls out his knife and cuts himself free, and accidentally jabs the knife into his leg as he hits the ground. He is struggling to move to get back to his car when he hears barking, not from his dog, but elsewhere. Emerging from the shadows is a zombie, who is obviously the leader bent on revenge for Neville capturing his girlfriend or wife. He is holding 3 infected dogs. He lets them go and they run after Sam and Robert, but stop where the sliver of sunlight still spills across the street. As soon as the light fades, they chase after the duo. Robert manages to kill 2 of the 3 dogs with his pistol he grabbed from the vehicle, while Sam fights for her life against the third infected dog. It is too late since Sam gets infected and dies later that evening at home.

Alone and frustrated, Robert Neville is bent on revenge. That same night, he drives out to the same spot where he was trapped. He lures the creatures out. As soon as the pack is running towards him, he turns the lights on his vehicle and plows them over. Soon enough though, the pack is too much for him to bear. They soon overtake his SUV and he is nearly killed when a bright light turns on and the creatures scatter.

He loses consciousness and later awakens inside his home with the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the air. He grabs his gun and slowly makes his way into the kitchen. There he finds a woman and her son. Anna and Ethan turn out to be other survivors of the outbreak that heard his broadcast on the radio that he would be at the South Pier everyday at noon to shelter and feed any other survivors. They are on their way to a survivor camp in Vermont that they heard about. Robert and Anna argue about this because he doesn't believe there are anymore survivors. While they are arguing, he hears noises outside. Soon, they realize that they were followed to his home by the zombies. Robert, Anna and Ethan fight for their lives in the final standoff of the zombies. The end of the film is really intense where they find themselves locked in the downstairs lab behind a bulletproof glass door with the creature he was testing laying on the gurney. To his surprise he sees her almost human again and realizes that he found the cure. Drawing blood from himself, he makes Anna and Ethan get into the fireplace and locks them in but giving her his sample before doing so. All the while, the leader of this horde is crashing into the glass plated door and slowly breaking it away. Robert grabs his grenade and as the last bit of glass door breaks away, he pulls the clip from the grenade and runs out into the room where there are several dozen other creatures and blows himself up, taking out the whole lot of them.

The final 2 minutes of the film shows Anna and Ethan drive up to a gate. They walk up to it and the gate is opened by soldiers. Beyond the gate you see a small city with other normal humans. The shot pans out as she hands the cure to one of the soldiers and you see the city and fence all around the city. This is where the community of survivors went to hopefully repopulate the planet by using the cure.

In my opinion, this was a really good film. Although the special effects in some parts could have used some work, overall they did a good job making NYC look abandoned, especially for the city that never sleeps. I give this movie an A grading and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes this genre of movie.

Will Smith does a great job, as he usually does in his films, which makes him an A list celeb. His real daughter from Jada Smith, plays, ironically, his daughter in the movie although not a very big part, but nevertheless a great part for her.

What is really interesting about this film, is the fact that no more than a handful of people played major parts in the movie, but they used casts of hundreds of extras for short 2 or 3 second shots.

If you get the chance to see this movie, it is best to see on the big screen. But it could be watched when it comes out on video, especially on a home theater with surround sound.

Di Caprio won best performance for leading actor, while his costar Hounsou, who also stared in one of the leading roles in the movie Amistad; 1997 as Cinque a slave on board the Amistad who participated in the rebellion against the crew of the ship, won best supporting actor for his role in the Blood Diamond. The film won several awards including best editing, best sound editing and best sound mixing. It was filmed on location in Cape Town in South Africa.

The movie portrays Archer in his role as it evolves through the movie as an uninterested third party and a smuggler of rough diamonds used by rebels to buy weapons to a caring friend of the downtrodden Solomon Vandy who has lost his home, his family and any means of a life he may have once had. They are aided on several occasions by Connelley's character the photo journalist Maddy Bowen, who eventually aids in getting Vandy out of the country, and to London where he is able to rejoin his family, expose the diamond smuggling operation, with the expert help of Maddy, and tell his story to the public. -JS