The Day the Earth Stood Still

Is The Day the Earth Stood Still better than the original? No. Having said that it's not a bad movie. Jennifer Connelly plays an astrobiologist who is suddenly taken away by the government because they need her help to solve a global crisis. When she gets to the facility she finds out that an object is speeding towards Earth and there is little time before it crash lands. What they didn't realize was the object was a spaceship that carried an alien on a mission named Klatu played by Keanu Reeves. Earth is a simple yet affective film, it didn't blow me away, but it in no way bored me. The best thing about Earth is it knows what it is, a forgettable popcorn movie, and it doesn't really try to be anything more than that. So if your interested in this one certainly check it out, just don't expect it to change your life.

3 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

Fake Thundercats Movie Trailer

This fake trailer is so well edited that I actually kinda wish it was real.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It seems that I wrote my best of the year thing just a little too soon. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt as the title character is about a guy who was born as an old man, but throughout his life he grows younger. For example when he's 7 years old he looks and feels like his life is almost over. He needs a cane to walk, his bones are brittle and his hair is grey. When he's 70 he looks like his life is about to start he can stand on his own two feet, his skin is smooth and clear and he has a full head of blond hair. Watching the trailers I knew that this "hook" for the film was going to be cool to watch, but once you get into the film it's not a hook, it's just the character. Benjamin Button is a beautiful film, it is a rare film that is out of the ordinary and unparalleled with anything I've ever seen before. I haven't seen a film this good since Titanic. It's just so unique, and not because of the growing younger thing, but it just sweeps you into Benjamin's world and takes us along on his journey through life. As mentioned before the film stars Brad Pitt and he is just as good as ever in this film, with the stuff he's been doing recently he is really starting to shine as an actor and his gripping performance as Benjamin Button may be one of his best. He played the role with such respect for the material that I can't imagine anyone else playing Button, not even Johnny Depp who usually would take on a film with this type of material. The film also stars Cate Blanchett who's performance may be overlooked come award season but is just as striking as Pitt's. Taraji P. Henson who is always delightful has a supporting role, she is the woman who finds Benjamin on her steps as a baby and raised him as her own, her appearances in the film really grounds it in reality, she brings something that makes this fantasy of a story feel is if this was something that could really happen. Another person I would like to mention who had a very small part, but who's character really effected me and the film overall is Tilda Swinton, better known as The White Witch in Narnia. Her performance though small sort of brings the film together near the end. The overall themes of the film dealing with life, death, and getting older were very profound and thoughtful it's a film that really sticks with you long after it's over, even now as I'm writing this review it still has an effect on me. So with all that said The Curious Case of Benjamin is without a doubt the best film of 2008. I know wrote a list a few days ago saying otherwise, but as I stated in that post I had yet to see this film when I wrote it, so next year I think I'll wait until the year is actually over before I write a post like that. So back to the movie Ben Button is not a film that you want to miss out on if you call yourself a movie lover. It is an incredible film with great imagination, whimsical humor, a marvelous story, superb acting, and brilliant directing. What a movie.

5 out of 5

Agree of Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

A Retrospective and A Look Ahead

There were some incredible films released in 2008, and some stinkers as well. I'm going to take a look back at some of the best and worst films to came out this year, and after that I'll let you know what I'm looking forward to next year.

5 Worst Films of 2008

5. Hancock

Hancock had a lot of promise, the idea of a superhero that nobody likes was very interesting and original. Unfortunate this film forgot that it was a pretty good movie halfway through, and turned into a really bad movie.

4. Twilight

Twilight would have been a decent movie if there weren't any vampires. I was kind of into it until they introduced the vampire part of the story, and when vampires are in a movie that movie is supposed to be bloody and awesome, or at the very least have some decent action sequences. It's not supposed to be sappy and feel like an episode of 90210.

3. Untraceable

For me this was the most disappointing film of the year. Diane Lane was the reason I wanted to see this movie, she's great and as always she turned out a good performance, and that's where the good things about this movie stops. If it wasn't for Lane I would have walked out on this movie, it's that bad. It just tries to hard to get a point across about Internet culture, and fails miserably.

2. Jumper

What happen here? This movie was supposed to be awesome, look at the poster, see the movies from the director; those movies were awesome. I honestly cant fault the director for this failure, if that honor would go to anyone it would have to go to Hayden Christensen. This guy took a really good concept for what should have been one of the years best action movies and ruined it with his terrible acting. If there's any type of film where I can forgive bad acting it's an action film, but when and an actor is so bad that you cant even look past it enough to enjoy the action, that's just sad.

1. The Happening

Plants aren't scary. Nuff said.

5 Best Films of 2008

5. Funny Games

Don't be fooled by the title there is nothing funny about Funny Games. In fact this is the most disturbing film I've ever seen. Funny Games is sick, twisted, and brilliant. It is the only movie I've ever seen that TRULY challenges the audience. The two guys you see there take a family of three hostage and make a bet, which is, the two guys bet the family will be dead by morning, and the family bet they wont. These terms are never agreed by the family, but they didn't really have a choice. Now we've all seen films like this where people are trapped in a house and have to fight to survive, and we love these films, but the film asks us why, literally. There is a moment in the film where our villain addresses us and ask us why do we like seeing peoples lives in danger, why do we enjoy watching them get tortured? From that moment on the film continues to challenge you getting more and more disturbing by the minute until there is a breaking point and I REALLY asked myself why am I watching this, and that is why this film is so brilliant. It really makes you think about those Saw and Hostel films and why that's exciting to watch. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone that cant handle heavy material, but if you want to be challenged by a film unlike any film you've ever seen before see Funny Games. Warning this is not for the weak hearted.

4. Definitely, Maybe

Definitely, Maybe is the most original romantic comedy I've ever seen, well It's more like an anti-romantic comedy mystery. Let me explain, a little girl (the adorable Abigail Breslin) comes home from school one night after her first sex ed lesson, and as kids do, she has questions, a lot of questions. The conversation she has with her father eventually leads to the question of how her parents, who are in the middle of a divorce, met. Instead of just telling her straight out, he will include all three women in his life that he knew around the time they met, and she (we) are going to have to figure out which one is her mom. The twist and turns in this guy meets girl, meets girl, meets girl love story will keep you guessing until the very moment we find out who her mom is, and just when you think you have it, you will be wrong every time, and that's what makes this film so great. It's a different way to watch a romantic comedy, instead of guy meets girl, and we all know by the end of the movie they are going to end up together so what's the point of all this drama (don't get me wrong, some movies can use this formula very well) we get a love story that engages us and keeps us interested and guessing, and you really don't know who he's going to end up with in the end. And just like every mystery when you see the outcome you say to yourself "I should have figured that out."

3. Seven Pounds

Besides Ali, this might be Will Smith's best film yet, and yes I'm including The Pursuit of Happyness. It is such a subtly powerful film that it kind of sneaks up on you. It's just one of those films that is so captivating that you lose track of time. Like I wrote in my review for this film I'm not sure how to explain the story without giving away the ending, but just check out my review and you'll see how much I like this film.

2. Wall-E

Pixar has truly outdone themselves this time, just when I think to myself there's no way they can top that, they do, every year. Wall-E is no exception. Wall-E is not only the best animated film I have ever seen, it's one of the best films I've ever seen period. The ideas and messages in Wall-E are so far beyond anything you would expect from an animated film that it almost takes you off guard a bit. If you are the type of person that says "I don't like kiddie movies." Do yourself a favor and don't miss out on Wall-E. Wall-E isn't a "kiddie" movie in fact some of the themes in the film go way over a kids head, this is simply a Sci-Fi movie that's family friendly like the original Star Wars trilogy, if you go by the ratings on those films those are "kiddie" movies too. Don't put off Wall-E because it's animated, you will be doing yourself a great disservice and missing out on one of the best films released this year.

1. The Dark Knight

"Why so serious?" Was there any question as to what was going to be numero uno on this list? It's really a no brainer. The Dark Knight was the strongest film to come out this year, with an great story, intense action, and brilliant performances The Dark Knight is the best film I've seen not just in 08', but in a few years, maybe since LOTR: The Return of the King. I hate to keep saying what you have been hearing all year long since the movie came out, but it's just simply true, Heath Ledger was PHENOMENAL. Really if you haven't seen this movie by now you are missing out on one of the greatest films ever made.

Notable Mention:

I wrote this list before this movie was released so I have yet to see it. The trailers for this film seem like this could be a serious Oscar contender, and it looks like a fantastic film. I'll have a review up as soon as I get a chance to see it.

Here are some films that I am looking forward to for 2009, be sure to google them for more info.

Watchmen

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Terminator: Salvation

Up

I Love You, Man

Monsters vs. Aliens

G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Fast & Furious

Star Trek

2012

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Funny People

James Cameron's Avatar

 Are there any movies that you would have liked to see on either of the lists? What are some of the films you're looking forward to in 2009?

one luv, Toinne

Seven Pounds

When I saw the trailer for this film I thought to myself that it looks like a good film, but the trailer wasn't very clear as to what the film was about. Then I went to see the movie and realized that was the point because the film itself isn't very clear as to what it is about, until about the last twenty minutes of the film. If you are not the type of person that can watch a film and put the pieces together for yourself then you may not enjoy Seven Pounds, I heard some audience complaints, as they were walking out of the theater, wondering what they just saw. I on the other hand got it, and Seven Pounds is a beautifully crafted film. It's one of those films that just captures you until you lose track of time. I cant figure out a way to explain the story without spoiling everything, but if you've seen the trailer than you get the idea. Keep in mind to make a trip to the bathroom before going into the theater, because a trip to the bathroom during the film could leave you completely confused when the characters motives are revealed. It's a rare film that leaves absolutely no plot holes, everything that happens in the film, everything that we see and hear all comes together in the end to tie every lose end and answer every question you asked yourself about the film, even down to the most seemingly meaningless detail. Will Smith turns out a powerful yet subtle performance and the beautiful Rosario Dawson gives what may be her best performance yet and their on-screen chemistry is perfect. That's what I like about Smith he can do a terrible film like Hancock and turn around and do an amazing film like Seven Pounds.

5 out of 5

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie.

one luv, Toinne

This Has Nothing To Do With Movies But...

It's Funny

All I Can Say Is...WOW!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Blast from the Past: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Since the remake of this classic sci-fi film comes out this weekend I decided to check out the original before I went to see the remake. I had never seen it before, and now was as good a time as any, and there is no wonder this movie is a classic. The characters are very engaging, the story is quite original, and the overall message of the film was very profound. It starts out one day a spaceship lands on earth, a man (or what looks like a man) exits the spaceship named Klatu along with his robot Gort. This thing should have landed anywhere but America because the first thing we wanted to do was kill the guy, before he could hand one of the generals a peace offering he was shot. As soon as he was shot Gort responded promptly and this thing was DEADLY, Klatu got Gort under control and was taken to a hospital. From there he says he has a message for the people of Earth and would not tell just one person, because it was too important. He wanted to address every leader of every nation, which was a huge problem seeing as The Cold War was happening at the time. The Day the Earth Stood Still was a very well done film and far surpassed my expectations, the performances, the writing, even the special effects although outdated didn't get in the way of me enjoying the film like most older films tend to do. If you plan to see or have already seen the newer version of this film. I recommend you check this one out as well because you wont be disappointed. If a movie that is more than 60 years old can still feel as fresh as it did then that's saying something for how well it was made. If you have netflix it's available on the instant viewing feature, that's how I saw it, otherwise I'm sure you can find it in a bargain bin. There is a reason why they call this film a classic.

Agree or Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this movie?

one luv, Toinne

This Has Nothing To Do With Movies But...

Videogum did a retrospective of the most popular viral vidoes of 2008, this is comprehensive but in no way complete, because that would be exhausting. So there were plenty of great videos out there that didn't make it into this montage. But even withoutDrunk History or the Zach Galafianakis Absolut Vodka Ads, without Baby Preacher, Lil' Bill O'Reilly, or the kids rapping about the election to T.I.'s "Whatever You Like," and probably a dozen other honorable mentions, I feel confident that you will still find this to be a captivating, thorough, and most of all HEARTBREAKING tribute to this year in internet.

Top that, 2009. Top THAT!

Christmas Came Early! New Watchman Trailer!!

Watchmen is the BEST graphic novel I have ever read, and if that's not enough, it has been name in Time magazine as one of the Greatest 100 Novels of All Time. March can't get here any sooner.