Entre les murs
on Oct 16, 2009 in Films chalk children cinema classroom docudrama drama dynamic earnest education entre les murs faculty francois begaudeau frustration gritty high school honest improvisation improvise improvised inspiration inspirational inspiring laurent cantet learning movies realistic student students teach teacher teachers teaching teen teenagers teens the class Entre les murs (2008) ★★★★ / ★★★★ I thought “Chalk” was a realistic portrayal of the classroom environment but “Entre les murs,” also known as “The Class,” was grittier and far more realistic. Based...

Inkheart
on Oct 15, 2009 in Films aladdin andy serkis book books brendan frasier capricorn chaotic cinema comedy cornelia funke disappointing dustfinger fantasy farid grandmother harry potter helen mirren iain softley imagination inkheart miscast mo folchart movies paul bettany rafi gavron silvertongue tedious the chronicles of narnia unfocused uninspired Inkheart (2008) ★ / ★★★★ I had high expectations from this movie because the premise of it was interesting: a man named Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) who was a “Silvertongue” had the ability to bring book characters to live simpl...

London to Brighton
on Oct 14, 2009 in Films challenges cinema drama escape freedom georgia groome great filmmaking gritty honest innocence johnny harris london to brighton lorraine stanley lost of innocence movies nathan constance non-linear paul andrew williams powerful redemption sam spruell strangers suspense suspenseful thriller thrilling women London to Brighton (2006) ★★★★ / ★★★★ I love that feeling when I come out of a movie being absolutely blown away because I knew nothing about it prior. Paul Andrew Williams’ directoral debut had a certain quiet power that did no...

Waking Life
on Oct 13, 2009 in Films abstract animation before sunrise before sunset cinema consciousness creative dream dream within a dream engaging ethan hawke expressionism expressionistic fascinating imagination imaginative insight insightful interesting julie delpy life movies perspective reality richard linklater thinking man's movie thoughtful transient unfamiliar unique waking life water wiley wiggins Waking Life (2001) ★★★ / ★★★★ Written and directed by Richard Linklater (”Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset”), “Waking Life” is an animated film that tackles deep questions about what life is and how it...

Paranormal Activity
on Oct 11, 2009 in Films cinema demon demons exorcism exorcist footprints ghost ghosts grim haunted house haunting horror horror movie horror movies hype independent cinema indie indie cinema indie film indie movies katie featherston micah sloat micro budget movies oren peli ouija board paranormal paranormal activity possession realism san diego scary scary movie scary movies shadows sleepwalking small budget the blair witch project Paranormal Activity (2007) ★★★ / ★★★★ Written and directed by Oren Peli, “Paranormal Activity” claims to be real but it is far from it because, well, it was written and directed by someone. So save yourself the embarrassment...

Alive
on Oct 10, 2009 in Films movies drama based on a true story death john malkovich plane crash 1972 survival memorable haunting cinema starvation alive frank marshall survivor ethan hawke nando parrado josh hamilton robert canessa plane andes andes mountains rugby avalanche cannibal cannibalism willpower extreme harrowing human spirit Alive (1993) ★★★ / ★★★★ This is one of those first American films I saw when I was about six or seven years old. Even though I had little understanding of the English language back then, I found myself mesmerized with what was happening...

Jurassic Park III
on Oct 9, 2009 in Films action adventure campy cinema clone cloning dinosaur dinosaurs dr. alan grant dr. ellie sattler entertaining fantasy funny heart-pounding isla sorna joe johnston jurassic park jurassic park III laura dern movies paleontologist paleontology pteranodon raptors sam neill science fiction spinosaurus tea leoni the lost world the lost world: jurassic park thriller trevor morgan velociraptors william h. macy Jurassic Park III (2001) ★★★ / ★★★★ Sam Neill returns as Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist who accepted a couple’s offer (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) to give them a tour of Isla Sorna (the second island where scientists conduct...

Intolerable Cruelty
on Oct 8, 2009 in Films billy bob thornton catherine zeta-jones cedric the entertainer cinema coen brothers coincidence comedy convoluted dark comedy divorce edward herrmann ethan coen geoffrey rush george clooney golddigger hard to get intolerable cruelty ironic irony joel coen lawyer mediocre mind games money movies pre-up relationship richard jenkins romance romantic comedy scam screwball silly smug trying too hard Intolerable Cruelty (2003) ★★ / ★★★★ Joel Coen directs this story about a gold-digger (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and a divorce lawyer’s (George Clooney) mind games. The two seemingly like each other despite their bickering but it is rea...

Taken
on Oct 7, 2009 in Films action assassin bourne series cia CIA agent cinema daughter exciting father gripping guy movie intense jason bourne justice kidnap kidnapping liam neeson maggie grace mission movies must-see paris pierre morel rescue revenge slave trade slave traders sleeper hit taken thriller tight Taken (2008) ★★★★ / ★★★★ The best thing about this movie was its intensity. From start to finish my heart was racing like crazy because I knew that something bad was always bound to happen. Liam Neeson stars as an ex-CIA agent father...

Gia
on Oct 6, 2009 in Films 1970s 1980's addict addiction agent aids angelina jolie biopic cinema cocaine death drama drugs elizabeth mitchell eric michael cole fashion faye dunaway friend gia gia carangi girlfriend health magazine mercedes ruehl michael cristofer model Modeling models movies nudity passion photographer rags to riches responsibility supermodel Gia (1998) ★★★ / ★★★★ I was deeply touched by this biopic about a supermodel named Gia Carangi (Angelina Jolie) back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Throughout the picture, I felt that her story was very personal because we got to...