Sunday, April 27, 2008

Doomsday

I only watched about the first 5 minutes of this movie, and that was more than enough for me. After reading reviews on it I am glad I did not see the whole thing. The violence was twisted and grotesque, the storyline was stupid, and unoriginal, and there was apparently more nudity than what little I saw. Most movies I see I have researched first, and I can give them a positive rating because I choose the good ones. However, this one gets a flat-out big fat 0 on my scale. My RSP drill unit went to see it in the theatre, about 2/3 of them raised their hand that they liked it. However, I was not one of them, and there were a few others who came out for a good bit of the movie, though I think it was probably for different reasons than my friend and I left.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Oceans Eleven

This movie is the story of a gang of hard-core robbers who want to rob the richest casino in Las Vegas. It is actually mostly one man wanting to get revenge because the casino owner is lying to his wife, and has her believing that he is a great and wonderful guy, when really he cares more about money than her. She divorces her original husband, and that's when he decides it's time to take action. The gang robs the vault containing 160 million dollars that is supposedly the most secure casino vault in the world- more secure than a nuclear missile plant. The robbery is a success, and the man gets his wife back when she finds out the true nature of her boyfriend- the casino owner. It was a pretty good movie considering that the stars were all gangster robbers :) the story dragged sometimes, and it wasn't the greatest movie ever, but it was worth watching.
I give this one a 6 on the scale for less than perfect story, slow spots, occasional slightly inappropriate parts and so forth.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Saving private Ryan

This movie was extremely bloody, but it was a good movie. It starts on the D-Day invasion, and focuses on self-sacrifice, teamwork, and working through your pain- emotional or physical. I think everybody who has ever seen this movie says their favorite part is where at the end the captain makes his final stand to give his troops a chance to escape, and because he has lost so much blood, and keeps getting shot he pretty much knows he's doomed, but wants to die fighting, so he starts shooting an armored tank with a 9-mil pistol (not a very effective anti-tank weapon) anyway, the tank suddenly explodes, leaving the viewer stunned at the impossibility, and then an allied tank-buster airplane zooms overhead, and you know that that help has finally arrived. There are a lot of parts in this movie that make it inappropriate for children, such as a guy slowly getting stabbed in the chest by a German soldier, but for older teens and adults this is a great movie. Being that I am in the army I can't exactly complain about blood and violence, but there are a lot of people who don't want to see that stuff, so I am warning you now, this is by far the most realistic and bloody war movie I have ever seen. It is not family appropriate, and since this blog considers in the rating the family-friendliness of movies, I can only give this movie a 7. However, I do recommend it if you don't mind violence and blood.

High School Musical 2

This is the second part of the High-School Musical series, and it was pretty good as well. I liked parts of this one better than the first, and parts I liked the first one better. Again, there's not much to say about this movie, It was pretty funny, though it would've been nice if they hadn't made Troy and Gabriella split up so much. I liked this one as well, and would recommend it, though I generally prefer movies with more action, adventure, suspense, battles, love stories, excitement.. you name it.. again, this one gets a 7 for the same reason.

High School Musical 1

This movie actually started out as a Disney tv series, but I really enjoyed watching the whole thing on dvd. The music is great, and it was a blessing to have a musical where they weren't singing everything they said. It was easy to relate to the characters since they are about my age, and go through a lot of the same things as I have. There's not a whole lot to say about this movie other than it was funny. family-friendly, and for the most part, a "teenie-bopper" as my mother puts it :) It's not the most awesome movie ever, or anything like that, but it was pretty cool.
I decided to give this one a 7, not because its bad, but just because it lacks enough action and excitement.

The Passion of the Christ

This movie was probably one of the most inspirational movies I have seen. It is rated R because of the extremely realistic nature of the crucifixion. However, it really makes you have a better sense of what Jesus went through physically to save our souls, not to mention spiritually. If ever there was a movie that should be bloody and realistic, this is it. I would highly recommend this movie to any Christian, even if you don't like blood and violence. You will probably never look at the crucifixion the same after seeing this movie. The movie is focused on the last six hours of Jesus' life, but it is interspersed with flashbacks of his lifetime. There is one really really cool part where he is playing with his Mother Mary, and splashes her with water, I think it brought out the core of His loving nature very well. The whole movie is very emotionally involved, and sucks you right into the middle of the story like never before. This movie is Mel Gibson at his best. I cannot reccomend this movie enough. Usually I like exciting action-packed movies, but this on, though it lacked those elements became one of my favorites instantly.
I give this movie a 9.5 rating. Now go see it.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Sahara

I have seen this move three times, and will undoubtedly see it many more times. The story is nothing super spectacular, a group of people trying to find a long-lost civil war ironclad that according to legend made it's way across the Atlantic, and was lost in the Sahara desert where it had been dropped by sinking flood waters. There are plenty of places that my whole family was doubled over in laughter at a truly hilarious line. The gus find that upon arriving in africa, they are involved in much more than trying to find treasure- they are in the middle of a civil war, and at the same time, they meet a doctor who is trying to find the cause of a strange epidemic disease (it turns out to be a poisoning of the water because of a toxic waste dump)
This movie was family-friendly, I think my whole family saw it, or at least most of us. There are a couple 'words' in it, but with the tv guardian we didn't hear them. The violence is minimal, people get shot, but you don't see any more blood than say, star wars. It was really a great movie- one of my favorites. If you see it, or have already seen it, then don't go out and do a panama, it won't work.
If you have not seen this movie, and if you like any kind of action movie, you are really missing out!
No doubts in my mind- this one gets a full 10.

Star Wars 1-6

Everybody has heard of Star Wars, and since there are 6 of them, I will not separately review each one of them. However, I really enjoyed the series, though I have not yet seen Episode 6. Episodes 1-3 were made recently, and have much better graphics and quality. However, I liked the older three (4-6) better. The series follows the life of Anikin (Darth Vader in the later episodes) and his son Luke Skywalker. Anikin Turned to the bad side of the force to save his loved wife, but she died regardess, leaving him full of bitterness and anger, and when he tried to kill his old master, Obiwan Kenobi, he was nearly killed, and had to have a machine to make him breath or talk- hence the cool helmet and weird sounding voice and breath. Later, his son Luke and Daughter Leia are fighting him and his friends- the Imperial universal dictatorship. Luke eventually discovers that he is Vader's son, and he is heartbroken. Yes- Luke is Vader's son, and Leia's sister.
The earlier episodes were revolutionary, and opened up the word of computer generation. This whole series is a must see, and I highly recommend it. The newer episodes almost look a little like new-age in their use of the force, but after all, it's sci-fi, so it's not like it's real or anything.
I have to give the entire series a 10. Go watch it now, the force will be with you!! ;)

Lord of the Rings- The Return of the King

This, the third and final chapter of this story comes out in shining glory. Although it did not follow the book quite as closely as the previous two, it was still closer than most movies, and in my opinion, it was for the better. The battle scenes are even more real-looking in here than in the first two as computer generation evolves. The undead, who are bound by a curse to serve in battle to the heir of Isieldoor, are awesome. They cannot be killed, yet they can kill the enemy. The battle of Minias Tirath is tied with the Battle of Helm's Deep for the most awesome battle scene ever on film. This movie is great, because in the end the good conquers over the evil, and everything is great. I watched this one in the theater because I could not wait for it to come out on dvd, and it was worth it. The surround sound and big screen add a lot to this movie.
I've seen this movie several times, and it hardly seems to get old.
I rate this one with a 10 like the Two Towers, for the same reason.

Lord of the Rings- The Two Towers

This, the second installment of the trilogy, has everything possible going for it. Here, we are plunged full-force into the heart of the story. The action is great, and the battle scenes are out of this world. The battle of helm's deep is by far the most awesome battle scene ever on film, unless it's the battle of Minais Tirath in the third LOTR movie. The computer generation is once again very awesome, and there's plenty of action, romance, humor, and overall great storyline. I would recommend watching the first one before this one, because unlike many trilogies, this one picks up right were the last abruptly left us hanging. There was obviously a lot of work put into tis movie, and it payed off. Go rent this whole series and watch it! When there is no bad language, no immodesty, and moderate violence, what more can you ask? Some families object to there being magic in anything. However, this movie has clear-cut good versus evil, and magic is part of the fiction. I am constantly reminded of the spiritual power that exists in real life when I see this movie series. Great movie, go see it.
I have to give this one a solid 10. I liked some movies better than this, but because this one does not have the language or immodesty, it doesn't loose any rating for that.

Lord of the Rings- The fellowship of the RIng

This movie is absolutely awesome. From following the book better than any other movie I've watched, to the special effects, on down to the very nature of the story. This, the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy really starts the series off on a good solid base. Though because a lot of this one is introduction to the rest of the story, there is plenty of good solid story in this movie as well. The computer generation in this movie was revolutionary, and paved the way for a lot of movies that have come after it. The lord of the rings trilogy brought in more money than any other movie before it, and it's no wonder. Some children should not be allowed to watch this series because there is some violence, and a lot of "creepy" monsters and such, but I know a lot of children under 10 who have seen it and not been disturbed in the least. This movie has no immodesty, no bad language, and nothing major in violence. Must-see for any fantasy/fiction lovers, as well as pretty much anybody else!
on the 1-10 scale, this one doesn't have anything bad, so it gets an 8 where many others would get a 7

Blackhawk Down

This movie really grabbed me, and didn't let go until the very end. It follows the story of a helicopter crew that gets shot down over an African village swarming with a cruel dictator's soldiers. The Rangers and Delta Force soldiers in here are on a special mission when everything goes wrong, and they go from a 30 minute mission to almost a 24 hour mission. The enemy is well-armed, and does not care about killing civilians. This movie stirred up some long-felt hatred for the politics involved in war today. The mission could have been easily done with a couple of C-130s, but the UN refused to allow it. Because of that, many soldier's lives were lost. This movie is fairly realistic in most ways, from violence, to the brotherhood of soldiers, to language. I would not recommend this movie for children because of the violence and language. There is plenty of F**k S**t D**n H**l in this movie. For teens and adults however, this is a Must-see. I really liked this movie a lot. Not having immodest women was a bonus as well. In fact I don't think theres ever a woman in screen.
Because of the language and violence I can't give this movie a 10, but it gets at least an 8.5

Batman Begins

The first of a two-part series, Batman begins follows Bruce Wayne's conquering of his fears, and deciding to do something about Gotham city's corruption from within. He, being the head of a mega-company left to him when his father was murdered, has money to buy stuff he needs to become the dark side of the city's worst nightmare. With the most awesome wheeled vehicle ever to drive the face of the earth, specially manufactured bullet-proof armor, and cloth that stiffens when charged with electricity, all prototypes made by his company in secret, but never made for production, he becomes batman. During the day he has to act like a spoiled millionaire, which makes the girl he loves- Rachel, look on him with disgust. She wants a man who is willing to stand up and do something, to take a stand against evil. It's hard for Bruce not to tell, but if his enemies found out who he was, it would all be over for him. At the end of the movie, she finds out, and leaves us wondering what their future together will be in the second half of the movie, the still unreleased "Dark Knight" slated for theatrical release Summer of '08. This movie struggles with spider man to be the greatest super hero movie ever. I don't think this movie had any language, the violence was family-friendly, and there weren't really any immodestly dressed women.
On the scale, this one also received a 9

Spiderman 1, 2, & 3

Usually I review series of movies separately, but since these all tied together so well, and since it's been a little while since I watched them, and don't remember where one left off and the next picked up, I decided that a general rating of all three would suffice. Really, who can't resist a guy who gets bitten by a genetically modified spider, and becomes capable of shooting webs from his wrists? "Spidey" is always on scene when there is rescuing to do. In this movie there is plenty of action, fights between good and evil, a love story, humor, sadness, and excitement. It's tough to see him go bad in the third one, but he conquers the parasite that was taking over his mind, and becomes good old Spider-man again. I really liked these movies, as did the rest of my family. I'd say most kids could watch this movie, although some easily frightened or very young children would not be the greatest audience. But overall, this movie is probably the best super-hero movie ever, unless maybe it's batman begins.. but that's best left for another review.
On the 1-10 scale. this series as a whole got a 9

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Well, I thought that this movie was going to be really dumb, but when a friend said it was great, I decided to check it out. It has it's dumb moments, but most of the time, it's really cute and funny. Great family friendly movie. Although my type of movies are action-based, this one still grabbed my attention, and I thought it was pretty good. I mean, singing chipmunks- what more can you ask? Especially when they are singing to some pretty awesome music. Overall, I would reccomend this movie for any family who likes some of the silly stuff sometimes, and even if you don't think you like sily stuff, try this movie out and you might change your mind.
On the 1-10 scale, I decided to give this one an 8.5

Transformers

This movie, though slightly lacking in storyline made it into my top five favorite movies of all time. The effects are beyond breathtaking. This is probably mostly a guy movie. I mean, most girls aren't sucked in by giant robots battling to the death while throwing tanks like chunks of firewood, and making explosions that make Star Wars look like firecrackers. This movie had some language in it, though not as bad as many movies out there today. The lead female character doesn't dress the way she should, though if you're like me, you won't even notice that until the second or third time you watch it, because you'll be more interested in the other stuff that's going on. The storyline is slightly lacking, but it makes up for it in outright coolness the whole way through the film. Probably the most impressive part of the special FX in this movie is the transformation from ordinary vehicle to robot by the Autobots and Decepticons. They make it look like it could actually happen. I highly reccomend this movie, in fact, it is the only movie I have ever gone out and bought right after seeing it.
on the 1-10 scale this movie would get a 10, but because of the immodesty it only gets a 9

Pirates of the Caribbean- At World's End

Well, in this, the third segment of a remarkable series, I have to say, a step in the wrong direction. To be sure, this movie has it's great moments, and does not lack in humor or action. However, amidst heroes turning traitor (although in the end all are reconciled) setting a sea goddess free from the body of a witch, and a fairly poor ending, this movie falls short of what it could have been. I would say this movie is worth watching to be sure- once or twice. The first two, I shall revisit them before long, however, this one just wasn't as good. Some bright points: William and Elizabeth have the most awesomest wedding ever; though it is slightly interrupted every time one of them has to kill somebody.. it is in the midst of a battle with the enemy, and Will asks Elizabeth to marry him. She says, "I don't think this is the best time!" and he says "it may be the only time we've got" so she accepts, and they are married by the captain of the ship. However, what looks like a thread that could bring this movie back into the same class as it's predecessors soon snaps when Will dies and becomes the captain of Davy Jone's old ship. Overall, the movie was fantastic (bar a few things that could have been changed) until the end. If you have seen the first two of the series, by all means either watch this one, or do all the reading about it that you can, because the 2nd one left off just where you were on the edge of your seat dying to know what happened next. However, this one, though good, was not in the same class as the first two.
On my 1-10 scale, this one earned a 6.5

Friday, April 11, 2008

Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead Man's Chest

This movie, although not quite as good as the first, was a great watch as well. The effects were just as great. The familiar characters from the crew of the Black Pearl are all back for this, the second shot at the world's best pirate movie series ever. Here, William meets his father, bound by the shackles of Davy Jones, enslaved in an unreleasable slavery to Jones that keeps him from dying for a hundred years. Davy Jones, a monster with the body of a man, and a head that resembles a weird kind of octopus, is after Jack Sparrow, and Jack knows it. Will is meanwhile trying to save himself and his fiancé Elizabeth from the clutches of a cruel British dictator. He goes to Jack for help, and then he finds himself struggling to get away from Davy Jones himself. By the end of the film, all characters have reunited, but Davy Jone's "Kraken" known for sinking ships in a matter of seconds, and eating dozens of men in one swallow, is now after the crew of the Pearl. At the end, Jack stays with the ship to give William, Elizabeth, and the rest of the crew a chance at survival. The last we see of him is as he makes a heroic plunge into the mouth of the Kraken, sword slashing. Not a very satisfactory ending if you're not planning to watch the third movie, where the crew apparently has to go to the end of the world to bring him back from Davy Jone's oft-sung locker.
This movie was not lacking in clean romance, action, humor, fighting, and overall viewability. Again, it has plenty of stuff making it not suitable for young children who are easily frightened by monsters, but for the rest of us, they did a good job on generating those aforementioned monsters. William is a great model of how a man should be toward the woman he loves, he risks his own life numerous times to protect Elizabeth, and overall, makes a good role model in that department.
On the 1-10 scale, this one gets an 8

Pirates of the Caribbean- The Curse of The Black Pearl

Well, with a movie like this, it's hard to know where to start. First off, I'll say I was reather impressed, and will certainly be seeing this one again. This movie has everything I could as of it; a clean and heartwarming love story, action, humor, adventure, fighting, and some pretty awesome special effects. Some families don't like the idea of some of the magic involved in this story. It's not my place to judge that, but if you're ok with say, the Lord of The Rings, then this movie will probably be fine as far as that goes. It's not suitable for easily frightened children, as there are pirates bound by an ancient curse that keeps them from going to their final place of rest until they have undone the curse. When they go into the moonlight, they are seen how they really are- dead, bones with rags of rotted clothing hanging from them basically. I was very impressed with the computer generation of these characters. Most teens and older children will love this movie, as well as a lot of adults. In my humble opinion, this one is worth watching, and deserves the popularity it received almost instantly after being released. Captain Jack Sparrow is probably the funniest character in this movie, though most of the pirates are pretty funny too.
on the 1-10 scale, I give this movie a 9