Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a bachelor living in New York City, is a businessman by day and self-loathing sex addict by night. It's a mystery why he is the way he is because on the surface, he leads a somewhat successful career and has all the physical characteristics that a woman desires. His routine is thrown off course when an unexpected visitor shows up at his place. We soon find out it's his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), and she needs to stay for more than just a night...[more]...

First off, I don't want to sit here and compare this to The Fighter. Sure, they have a similar plot, but they are both great films own and deserve to be separated from one another...[more]...

Fans of the original, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, have probably been following news of the remake LET ME IN since it was announced and already know what the movie is about and who stars in it. For those who don't, LET ME IN is based on the original film and novel and written and directed for the screen by Matt Reeves, who also directed the 2007 monster thriller, CLOVERFIELD. The film is set in the 80's and centers around two twelve year-olds, who first meet at the neighborhood jungle gym. It stars Chloe Moretz as Abby, the twelve year-old girl who moves into the small town in New Mexico and quickly befriends a little boy, Owen, who is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. Supporting cast members include Elias Koteas, who stars as the town policeman and Richard Jenkins as "The Father" or caretaker of Abby. There is a catch though, Abby doesn't seem like a normal twelve year-old girl; she doesn't wear shoes, only comes out at night, and doesn't even go to school. She is a vampire...[more]...

The Skinny: Compared to Planet Terror and Death Proof, I think Machete falls a little short as a "grindhouse" flick. In terms of Coldstone, it's a "like it." (Coldstone Creamery is an ice cream shop that has 3 sizes: Like it, Love it, and Gotta have it) I didn't really get into the plot all that much, but there was some pretty sweet action sequences, fine ladies, and a few laughs...[more]...

The Skinny: From the trailer, I thought this was going to be an intense spy thriller that plays out something like a Bourne movie. I was wrong. There is not much dialogue or action in the entire film; the majority of it is George Clooney traveling or tinkering around with a gun. I had very low expectations for The American mainly because it looked like something we have all seen before and these aren't my favorite types of films. For having such low expectations, I was SO disappointed with it. About halfway through the film, I thought it would get a little more intense, but it didn't. There are about three scenes that could be considered thrilling, but using the word "thrilling" is being generous. There was not much explanation of why everything happened; I don't know if I just wasn't paying attention or it wasn't really touched on in the film...[more]...

The Skinny: Although most romantic comedies feel like the same movie and have quite a foreseeable ending, I thought Going the Distance was a notch or two above your average "chick flick." I have never been in a long distance relationship, but I am sure it wouldn't be easy. I thought this film did a great job of showing the struggles that one of these relationship faces. What I liked most about this film was that it doesn't solely appeal to women. Being a guy, I felt like I could relate to Justin Long's character and the humor was general enough for any audience. Everything from how they met to their relationship's fate felt genuine. I can't stand when movies feel too formulaic are coincidental...[more]...

The title "Animal Kingdom" plays quite a metaphorical role in David Michod's debut film, and it hits you as quick as when the title stretches across the screen. This urban crime drama is set in a kill or be killed world and only the strongest and smartest "animals" will survive. Unlike most other gangster flicks out there that glorify violence, Animal Kingdom only fires when necessary, and focus more on the struggle of being sucked into a life of chaos. All of the flash is removed; the family of crooks do not walk around in high-end suits, they don't spend countless nights "on the town," and they don't drive around in luxury cars. The sons of "Smurf" (Jacki Weaver) have comfortably fallen into a lifestyle that solely involves making a dishonest buck and it seems like that is all they know. Recruiting the young and weak "J" into their gang was almost too easy. With his mother gone and nothing to cling on to, this "cub" of the family really has no choice in being a part of it...[more]...

Starman heavily remindid me of E.T. because the Starman is so clumsy, illiterate, and an alien himself. It's a blast watching Jeff Bridges on screen play a completely new person to Earth and "Greetings" being one of the only few words he knows. Starman is very unique (Duh, he's from space); he has special powers that make him capable of doing just about anything such as starting a car that was having trouble turning over with a simple touch. The mourning Jenny at first is terrified of Starman due to the fact that he is an exact look-a-like of her late husband and she wakes up to him naked in her house. I don't blame her because I would be a little freaked out in that situation as well. But as the movie goes on she realizes Starman is not a monster and actually has some positive traits of a real human being...[more]...

The main reason i decided to watch this was because it was an audience favorite at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It is definitely a low budget indie film with the only actor who may be recognizable Mark Duplass, who also stars in another indie Humpday (which I also recommend). Mark Duplass teamed up with his brother Jay Duplass to make this film and I think he could be a successful actor if given a bigger role...[more]...

Son, Kid, and Boy had abusive childhoods and despise their once-alcoholic father. When their father left them he found God and started a new, more successful life with another woman and had four boys (Mark, Stephen, John, and Cleaman). Just by the names alone you can tell Son, Kid, and Boy had it rough. The boys grew up to be nothings; Son's wife Annie walks out on him because he has a gambling problem, Kid sleeps in a tent in Son's backyard and has nothing to show for himself, and Boy lives out of his van and coaches an unsuccessful basketball team. These boys are the poster child’s for Rednecks...[more]...

This sequel wasn't really necessary and it definitely falls short of its predecessor but does work quite well as horror film. A lot of the jump scares are predictable and I found myself calling the next one each time before it happened. Every kill scene seems to be a close up of blood spewing out and drowning the screen. I don't know if it was because of a budget problem or they decided to do that to give you that added gore, but it got annoying after the first few times. It was nice to see the repugnant and flesh-eating "Crawlers" looked very similar to the first Descent but I would have liked to maybe see something new in the cave we hadn't seen before. This attempt felt entirely too familiar to the first one and not nearly as intense. It felt like a less glorified remake than a sequel if you ask me. The setting, creatures, plot, and feel can all be captured better in the first one and unless you are a huge fan (like me) I would wait for this...[more]...

After Caleb (Adam Scott) and Peter have breakfast at a small diner on the side of the road, Caleb agrees to drive his straight-laced younger brother Peter and his pretty new girlfriend Emma (Brittany Snow) to their Dad's (J.K. Simmons) house for Thanksgiving weekend. Caleb suffers from mental issues after a harsh break-up that has left him in pieces, he uses sarcasm and lack of affection to put down the people closest to him. After several random incidents of running into each other, Caleb begins to fall for Emma, who we come to find closely resembles his ex. Lee Toland Krieger directs this indie drama that represents a dysfunctional family at it's finest...[more]...

Liked: I loved how real this film felt. If Winter's Bone had interviews intertwined within the film, it could have easily passed as a documenary. The setting alone will give you goosebumps. There is no fun to be had in this run-down town they live in; they are lucky to eat three times a day. The film was well-structured; it took its time to tell a story without dragging it out. There are times where I was caught completely off guard and had no idea where the next scene would take me or what was on-screen was really happening. The performances were great, specifcally Jennier Lawrence's as Ree. This is a no holds-barred thriller that doesn't candy coat anything for the audience...[more]...

I never watched a trailer for this, and after seeing it, I can assure you, less is more. Sure, we have all seen a kidnapping film or two in our time, but these days it's quite difficult to find an "original" idea anymore. Look at INCEPTION, beyond creative, was claimed to be a rip-off of a Scrooge McDuck comic. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED is a compelling thriller that has more twists and turns than any rollercoaster I've been on and had me guessing until the credits rolled. The average premise is quickly forgotten as you are pulled into this nasty and unpredictable situation three people face...[more]...

Even though Will Ferrell approaches each character he plays the same, he has always had the ability to make me laugh. Whether he is a professional race car driver or an anchor man, he adds the same level of stupidity to each character and makes it funny. This time Will Ferrell partners up with Mark Whalberg and plays a "book smart" desk cop that prefers paperwork over chasing the bad guys. Critics usually beat the living crap out of Ferrell's movies, so I was shocked to see it receive such positive reviews. We have all seen a "buddy cop" film in our time, but when Adam McKay and Ferrell team up, it's hard not to see it. Ferrell is known for being more of a "hit or miss" actor, but THE OTHER GUYS finds a home right in the middle of his filmography as a decent Comedy...[more]...

Alexandre Aja's newest film, PIRANHA 3-D, is a bloody good way to spend 90 odd minutes behind 3-D glasses as summer is winding down. I am a fan of Aja's previous work, like his first renowned film, HIGH TENSION and his disturbing remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES. (I never finished MIRRORS; I put it on late one night and passed out.) Considering those two films and now PIRANHA, I can safely say he is paving his way for greatness in the horror genre. Movie geeks and fans of horror will find many things to like about PIRANHA, and it's sad more people don't show interest in seeing it. The lack of star power or the stupidity the trailer gives off could be reasons why it didn't turn too many heads considering the opening box-office numbers. Hopefully it can catch a gnarly wave of viewers with the generally favorable reviews from critics and word of mouth. I thought PIRANHA was highly entertaining and didn't shy away from what it was trying to do...[more]...

I think I am the only guy who doesn't get off on the original Predator series. It may be for the reason that I just watched them for the first time this year and they feel a bit dated. Among all the other 80's action-movies, sci-fi or not, Predator 1 & 2 have got to be on the lower spectrum of my list. I'd take Rambo, Terminator, or Aliens any day over Predator. The Predators remind me of the girl on the Nickelodeon show "The Secret World of Alex Mac" and the action scenes aren't even that exciting. The only real difference in the first two is the location, other than that, both movies play out the exact same. Mysterious creature comes, kills all, and is destroyed in the end by the lead character. Enough about the originals (I just wanted you to get my view on them), I was pretty excited to see if the new one could take the original idea, with modern technology, and give me the Predators movie I was looking for in the original. This is not a bad sequel into the series, but it really feels more like a remake than anything. The plot line is still the same as the first 2! Coming from me this doesn't mean a whole lot, but I will have to say this one has to be my favorite of the series (yes, even over the critically acclaimed AVP....Wink...[more]...

Basic Plot: Joan Jett wants to start a band and ends up forming an all girl band The Runaways with Cherie as the lead singer. From then on, the girls experience touring, hardships, fame, and life in general...[more]...

Basic Plot: Tim, in hopes for a promotion, is invited to a dinner party where he is asked to invite an idiot for entertainment...[more]...

Basic Plot: Scott Pilgrim meets Ramona, the girl of his dreams, and has to face her 7 evil x's in video game type duels to be with her...[more]...