Day 335: Killing Them Softly

Directed By- Andrew Dominik

Written By- Andrew Dominik; Based on the Book- Cogan's Trade By George V Higgins

Starring- Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelson, Ray Liotta

Run Time- 1 hr. 37 min.

Critics Review- "The dialogue is sharp and so are the performances. Andrew Dominik directed this neo-noir in a low-key comic-style that's alternately gritty and fancy. The gritty stuff is the best."- Peter Rainer "Christian Science Monitor" 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 80% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 65%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 1/2 stars

My Review-

This is possibly the best crime movie I have seen in awhile and the time it was sent in suits what most of the movie is about which is money and it is also set right before the 2008 election of Barack Obama, and what happened during the recession. This movie was really great with certain shots and how they were filmed and also the music selection that was chosen to be in the background of some scenes that made it fit so well with what was going on at the time. Brad Pitt was also back to being a badass with this movie well in my opinion, the last time he was a bad ass was in Fight Club. I did not expect the movie to be as violent as it was, I knew that it was movie that had to deal with the mob, but dang it was bloodied, but I'm not complaining the violence was well done and some were shot in slow motion so it was pretty cool. The only real complaint I have with the movie is that it was a little too short for this type of film. It could have been a little longer maybe by like 15 minutes or half an hour. The dialogue was also really well done between characters especially the scenes with Jenkins and Pitt This was also the first time that I saw Ray Liotta in a good movie in a long time and it was good to see him as a gangster again, whoever was the cinematographer did an awesome job with this movie. The thing that also sucks though is that because it was short at times it left me wanting to see more from Pitt and all the other actors in the film; yes some scenes were shocking and unexpected while others you saw coming but not in that way. To top it all off the fire alarm went off during the movie, even though it was  false alarm I missed like a minute of the movie, even though it was nothing important it still sucked. I think this is one movie that is going to be closely looked at during the Oscar race for Brad Pitt's, because Brad Pitt owned ever scene in this movie once his character came on screen and it was just the right actor for this role. Also another great actor who should have had more screen time was Richard Jenkins since he is great in anything that he's in I hope that he also gets noticed once again for his acting in this movie and at least gets a nomination or something. This definitely a movie to check out in theaters so I say you  check it out when you can. 

Day 334: The Wild Bunch

Directed By- Sam Peckinpah

Writer(s)- Sam Peckinpah, Roy N. Sickner

Starring- William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Jaime Sanchez, Ben Johnson

Run Time- 2 hr. 25 min.

Critics Review- "A glorious and brutal Western that's truly one of a kind."- Rob Thomas "Captial Times" (Madison WI)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 97%  Audience- 89%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 1/2 stars

My Review- 


I Had since the beginning of this movie in a film class that I took a few semesters back and I thought it was shot really well, and I wanted to finish watcing, and it took me this long to finally watch it, for reasons unknown. I Enjoyed this movie since I like Western movies I think I can put this one near the top of that list, along with a few others. This one of the Western movies that I saw with the most blood and violence in it, most of the Westerns I watch have it spaced out and at times do not last that long, in this one it was almost every other scene. I do admit it was too long it did not need to be that time that i was may like 15-20 minutes shorter and it would have been perfect. I loved the cinematography and how certain scenes were used in the film especially the opening credits I always thought that was pretty cool ever since I saw that clip of it in class. I also liked the music score that would come every now and then it made it sound authenic and the way the movie felt made it seem like you were actually in that time era. At times the movie did drag on and I found myself a little bored, but the action scenes were awesome and some of the acting scnes were as well. Even though it had its flaws at times it was stil a great Western movie that defined a new era of Western movies that would come later, I also thought it was cool to see Ernest Borgine in something other than Mermaid Man from Spongebob  I got to see him in a serious role as an outlaw cowboy and that was pretty awesome. This is a must watch movie for anyone who loves movies or Westerns in general it will be enjoyed for how well it was made and for the shootout scenes that are really good and well shot. This is one movie I would watch again but at a later date since it is one of the longest Western movies I have ever seen.

Day 333: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Directed By- George A. Romero

Writer(s)- George A. Romero John A. Russo

Starring- Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Judith Ridley, Bill Cardille, Kyra Schon

Run Time- 1 hr. 36 min.

Critics Review- "Night of the Living Dead" became a seminal film without being a particularly good one. It nudged horror movise away from creepy-but-family-friendly into adult films featuring gruesome violence and nihilistic overtones."- Christopher Lloyd "Sarasota Herald-Tribune"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 96%  [CERTIFIED FRESH]  Audience- 85%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 stars

My Review-

This is the zombie of that started it all, this movie gave us such films as: Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland and countless others. Without this show we would not have the graphic novel The Walking Dead and the televison show that followed. George A. Romero showed us something we had never seen before a film where the dead rose up and started eating people and or would turn people into what they were, and showed us what people would do if they were stuck in the middle of it and how they would react. In the movie we see what panic would be like if it would happen and how everyday people will turn on each other and forget what to do or how to react to certain things. Yes this movie was really low budgeted and had not that great of acting but it was real good because it showed what would happen in a state of panic, also because the black lived until the very end of the movie. At times I wanted to see more of the zombies since there were not shown a lot at times and not until the very end or like last 15 minutes of the film, but it is amazing how much the take on zombies has changed from this movie until now. I also liked how the whole movie took place in one specified area which was a house and a celler, or how when watching the news like all other films they still had a hard time comprehending what was happening around them, and or did not understand what to do until it was too late. This is what made the film great was because of almost how realistic the panic was from the people, aside from the really bad acting. this is a good watch to add to the list of films to see and plus since it was the first zombie film to possibly ever be made and what started the career of George A. Romero has "The Godfather of Zombies" even though we should not say the "Z" word.

Day 332: Pi (π)

Directed By- Darren Aronofsky

Written By- Darren Aronofsky

Starring- Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephan Pearlman, Samia Shoaib

Run Time- 1 hr 25 min.

Critics Review- "The movie's low-budget neatly matches the clastrophobia of Max's life, but the filmmakers have also devised some special shooting methods for certain scenes. These sequences -- breathless and jangly chases, for the most part -- look terrific."- Laura Miller "Salon.com"
Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 86% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 85%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 1/2 stars

My Review-

I have seen most of Aronofsky's movies except for his first one, now that I have finally have I can see why this film launched his career, even though it is vastly different from all the other films he as had made during the course of his career. There are some elements of his other films in this one, the main one being that the main character is troubled in some way and this one being that he is really good with numbers, but also has splitting headaches from staring at the sun as a kid. I love how with some first time directors their movies are in black and white due to a low budget but also at the same time they can used it to their advantage at times and also, it shows that they can do a lot with so little. I would have to say that the acting from the main character Max played by Sean Gullette was okay, at times he was sort of annoying I think it was because he complained alot about certain things, my favorite actor in the movie and I like him in anything he does even though his part was small was Mark Margolis, I think it is because he just had that feel that you could trust him and you could since he was just looking out for Max, and I thought he should have been in the movie a little bit more than he was. There were also some scenes that were shot really well and at times made the movie uneasy to watch, which I hope that Aronofsky was going for that and if he did, he succeeded. I also really liked how it was confusing at times since it dealt with numbers and how they are all connected to something and have a purpose. This is what also made the movie intriguing is how they would explain why certain numbers meant something different especially in different religons. I recommend this film if you like Aronofsky's films or if you are just looking for a new film to watch in general its a good watch and even though it can be confusing at times it will make you think.

Day 331: Freaks (1932)

Directed By- Tod Browning

Writer(s)- Willis Goldbeck, Leon Gordon, Edar Allan Woolf, Al Boasberg

Starring- Wallace Ford, Leia Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates

Run Time- 1 hr. 4 min.

Critics Review- "Freaks is worth a look for those with intrested in the history of exploitation cinema or the trash/punk aesthetic of the likes of John Waters, but others will probably find it unpleasent and heavy going."- Keith H. Brown "Eye for Film"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 93% Audience- 87%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 2 1/2 stars

My Review-

This was a hard movie to watch. It kept flip flopping back and forth and I do not thing it had an actual story line to it at times. Some times I had no idea what was going on. The one story line I saw visible was that a russian girl was playing a midget and making him think she liked him, when she was making fun of him, that was the only storyline in the whole movie that made sense, when there was like I think 5 all together, I am not too sure. I can kind of see why it was such a hit back when it came out or how it gain a cult status, because of the subject that it was covering, but other than that it was kind of boring and it should have stuck too about two storylines instead of flip flopping through out the whole circus at random moments. One thing I remember about hearing about this film is that it is on Bravo's Top 100 Scariest Movie Moments, which is like the last four minutes of the film and I coudl see why, it was kind creepy how they were approaching the man and I would be scared shitless too if I pissed off people like that. Only watch this movie if you have always wanted to see it and if you want to see what all the fuss was about. other than that just skip the movie.

Day 330: Capturing the Friedmans

Directed By- Andrew Jarecki

Starring- Arnold Friedman, Elaine Friedman, David Friedman, Jesse Friedman, Seth Friedman

Run Time- 1 hr. 42 min.

Critics Review- "Disturbing, yet undeniably fascinating."- Jennie Punter "Globe and Mail"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 97% [CERTIFIED FRESH]  Audience- 86%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 stars

My Review-

This is a hard documentary to watch, it is also hard to figure out who to believe in a situation like this, in the end you have to decide who you believe from what you have seen in the documentary. It is also about a family that fell about due to the accusations that took place and the aftermath, a family having to chose sides it never a good thing and this is exactly what happened here, to this family. They all sided with the father not wanting to believe what took place and standing behind him saying that it never happened and it was all lies. Its hard to actually believe who was telling the truth, when the father admitted to the crime that he was accused of, and when the who was also accused said he had nothing to do with it. Even though at times I found myself a little bored with this doc, it was still interesting at times; the back story of the father, hearing what the prosecution thought of the family and how they were dealing with things. Most of the documentary is also told through home video that one of the sons took during the course of the trial and we get to see how the family deals with everything that's happening some take it really seriously while others want nothing to do with it. I do not want to really say what the movie is about since it is a tough subject to watch to begin with and if you do watch it than maybe you can decide who to believe, because I am still having a hard time deciding.

Day 329: The Foot Fist Way

Directed By- Jody Hill

Writer(s)- Danny R. McBride, Ben Best, Jody Hill

Starring- Danny McBride, Ben Best, Jody Hill, Spencer Moreno, Carlos Lopez IV

Run Time- 1 hr 22 min.

Critics Review- "When it works, The Foot Fist Way is among the most painfully funny comedies of the year. Alas, there's just as much here that doesn't quite hit home, making for a lot of dead air between the gags."- David Edwards "Daily Mirror [UK]

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 53% Audience- 46%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 2 1/2 stars

My Review-

This movie had its moments, when it was really really funny, and other times where it just lagged and lagged where it was really boring. Danny McBride is a funny actor when he is doing dry humor, and seems like to me this is a calmer version of his character from Eastbound & Down. What made this movie funny for me was when it would show Frank train in his dojo or outside of it with some of the children in his class that in  a way looked up to him, but he still treated them like shit. Other than that at times I was taken out of the movie during certain scenes, mainly the small ones with this wife I thought were not needed. Also when it showed his friend show up at the dojo and he was in it for all of 10 mins the movie could have done with out those scenes because it really did not move the movie forward in a way. Other than that the movie was quite enjoyable with its really funny moments where I could not stop laughing and then when that stopped I got a wee bit bored.

Day 328: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Directed By- Timur Brekmambetov

Written By- Seth Grahame-Smith; Based on the book "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter"

Starring- Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas

Run Time- 1 hr. 45 min. 

Critics Review- "What's next, "George Washington Werewolf"? Laugh not, history profs."- Tom Long "Detroit News"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 35% Audience- 54%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 2 1/2 stars 

My Review- 

I expected this movie to be a lot better, since it was a best selling book and the author wrote the screenplay, but I guess somewhere a long the line some of the things that made the book really great from what I heard got lost in the process. Some of the action scenes were really cool, while others were just ridiculous. Some of the actors in this movie were really cool though; Anthony Mackie whom I always like in his movies and than there is Rufus Sewell who always seems to be a badass in his films and he was in this one even though he was the villain, I was actually rooting for him at times, even though I was not supposed too. I did like the narration throughout the film and explaining certain parts or his background on how he became a "vampire hunter," which was pretty interesting. I was kind of bummed out they did not talk about his other children he had, but glad they focused on Willie and his death and how Mary Todd, played by the always awesome Mary Elizabeth Winstead and how she could not cope with it. I was into the movie at times than I was not into it, I think because at times it was a little too over the top. One thing that really took me out of the movie was how ridiculous Benjamin Walker's make-up was when he played Lincoln when he was older. It clearer looked like prosthetic's and it could have been done a lot better than the outcome of it. If you are into these kinds of movie or read the book than you MAY enjoy it I am not too sure though.

Day 327: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

Directed By- Rod Amateau

Writer(s)- Rod Amateau, Melinda Palmer; Based on the Trading Cards By- Topps

Starring- Mackenzie Astin, Anthony Newly, Katie Barberi

Run Time- 1 hr. 40 min.

Critics Review- "Real rubbish!"- John Urbancich "Sun Newspapers of Cleveland"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 0% Audience- 33%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 1/2 star

My Review-

This has to be possibly the worst movie I have ever seen on this list. I mean its worse than the other worse movies I have seen. I have no clue how someone had the idea of making a couple of trading cards into a movie. One of the worst ideas ever. The acting was crappy, the puppeteer work for the Garbage Pail kids were shitty and at times seemed like it did not work at times. Crass and gross out jokes is what lead most of the movie and really who is going to have a building that houses Ugly, old, fat, skinny etc. people when the people that capture were OLD!? I suggest this movie should be shelved forever and never see the light of day again. Showgirls was better than this SHOWGIRLS, and that's considered the worst movie ever made. At least that one was entertaining with shady people. I suggest you see this movie NEVER, stay away from it and save yourself almost 2 hours of your life.

Day 326: Re-Animator

Directed By- Stuart Gordon

Writer(s)- Stuart Gordon, William J. Norris, Dennis Paoli; Based on the book- "Herbert West, Re-Animator" By- H.P. Lovecraft 

Starring- Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale

Run Time- 1 hr. 26 min

Critics Review- "We have been assaulted by a lurid imagination, amazed by unspeakable sights, blind-sided by the movie's curiously dry sense of humor. I guess that's our money's worth."- Roger Ebert "Chicago Sun-Tims"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- Review- 93% Audience- 78%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 stars

My Review-

This was an interesting movie, I have always heard about it and that I have watched it for being a cheesy 80s horror movie it was pretty awesome, even though it was kind of short it was still pretty awesome. Some of the effects were pretty awesome for the re-animated corpses' and a times it was a little too cheesy, but that's what made it cool if it was never going to be over the top the movie would have never worked like it did and it was pulled off well. While some of the acting in the movie was shitty other actors did a good job by not overdoing lines or key scenes. It was the over the top cheesy horror that made this movie passable as a good horror movie, it had a good concept from the book it was made from and it was done well by being over the top gross and funny. I read that they're some sequels and maybe I will watch them I am not too sure yet If I should or not. The best part of the movie was Jeffrey Combs since he plays the main character, and he had that really creepy vibe about him already and it just worked all the way until the end of the movie. Well at times I found myself a little grossed out by the blood, and I have no idea why it just happens sometimes but may that was just me. If you love horror movies check this one out, because it is a pretty cool horror flick and still can be watchable in this day and age even though it is a cheesy 80s film.

Day 325: The Expendables 2

Directed By- Simon West

Written By- Richard Wenk, Sylvester Stallone

Starring- Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Run Time- 1 hr. 43 min.

Critics Review- "Despite its ridiculously high kill count, there's a vein of humor running throughout the script and almost as many quips zipping around as bullets."- Neil Pond "American Profile"

Rotten Tomatoes Review- Critics- 66% Audience- 75%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 stars

My Review-

I did not think I would like this movie at first, because I really disliked the first one, but I actually thought this one was pretty decent. I think what made this sequel better than the first one is that it was actually making fun of itself in the process, which is always a good thing for these types of films. This also has more explosions than the first one and a lot funnier. One of the things I thought was messed up, was that Jet Li was like in the movie for like 5 minutes which was horrible, it should have been in it more. There were some scenes that were really cool and were awesome, some more than others. Some of the funniest parts in the movie were the funny one-liners between all the actors and how they were getting old, or when Chuck Norris entered into the movie that was pretty cool. Also liked the fight scenes especially the last one with Van Damme and Stallone what was pretty cool, and for old people the are pretty spry and can take a few punches (even though it probably wasn't them it was still awesome). There were some parts that could have been a little better and a tad bit less cheesiness. If you liked the first one then you will love this one, since I did not like the first one this one was just enjoyable, and could have been a little bit better.

Day 324: Pressure Cooker

Directed By- Mark Becker, Jennifer Grausman

Featuring- Wilma Stephenson, Fatoumata Dembel, Tyree Dudley, Erica Gaither,

Run Time- 1 hr. 39 min

Critics Review- "The movie's sense of inspiration is realistic. It never implies a future of glamour, only hard-won success."- Wesley Morris "Boston Globe"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 92% Audience- 80%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 1/2 stars 

My Review-

This is a really great documentary for many reasons. One of them being its the first one I have seen on the culinary arts and what it takes to make it through competitions and this was high school too. In a high school in Philadelphia there is a culinary arts class run by Wilma Stephenson she seems pretty intimidating and mean but that's because she wants the best for her students. During this movie we are shown each of the featured students above lives and dreams or ambitions if they were to win the competition or graduating in general. We are shown the preliminaries of the competition and so on leading up to the finals where they all compete for scholarships to certain colleges or a college of their choice. The food they cooked was shown through the preparation but I also thought it could have been show a little more. That was one of the only things I found wrong with it, I also thought they could have shown Stephenson's background a little bit and how she decided to become a culinary arts teacher. Other than seeing them cook and the passion in their cooking and how badly they wanted the scholarships made this documentary worth watching. If you like cooking or watching people cook than this is worth checking out, plus there are some really cool and hard working stories from the people they focused on in the documentary. 

Day 323: Bringing Out The Dead

Directed By- Martin Scorsese

Written By- Paul Schrader; Based on the Book By- Joe Connelly

Starring- Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, Marc Anthony, Nestor Serrano

Run Time- 1 hr. 58 min.

Critics Review- "Martin Scorsese is a wonderful filmmaker. And he loves New York. He is at his best though, when he has an interesting story to tell."- Joe Lozito "Big Picture Big Sound"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 71% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 64%

Out of a possible 5 Stars- 4 stars

My Review- 

This is the second Scorsese film to be on my list and now I can mark this the one off the list of films I have not seeing by him. This Scorsese film like most of his other ones is set in New York, but its not in the fancy part or the nice part, it is in the gritty part of New York the kind we do not see a lot in films from him and its something good and different. In this film we follow a paramedic played by Cage, in one of his actually really good acting roles. Where it seems like he is on the verge of a mental breakdown due to his job and everything that he deals with. During his shit he has 3 different partners; Goodman(lets get this shift over with), Rhames (religious guy), and Sizemore (love my job so much I've gone crazy), all with different personalities and deal with each call they get differently. Throughout the movie we meet different people that Frank treats, one notably a heart attack victim who codes and gets shocked 17 times and a druggie played really well by Marc Anthony. This is possibly my favorite movie from Nicholas Cage, before he went a tad bit crazy and started doing shitty movies. This movie was able to show his once great act ability that he was known for and he even won an Academy Award for a movie, which I have yet to see. This movie was also really gritty since it was about Cage's character about to go completely made, but I really liked how it was portrayed by him. I love when Scorsese does movies like this one and makes the audience feel what the main character is feeling or trying to figure how the main character will turn out by the end of the film. There were parts of the movie that were fast paced so we were able to try and feel what Cage was feeling and at times it worked. Only of the only things that I did not like about the movie was Patricia Aqruette's part, at times I find her annoying and this was one of those movies where she was being annoying. I think it is because of the way she talks. I am glad to scratch this off the list of Scorsese movies I have seen I just have a few more to go and then I am done. 

Day 322: Make Believe

Directed By- J. Clay Tweel

Written By- Cleven S. Loham

Starring- Bill Koch, Hiroki Hara, Siphiwe Fangase, Derek McKee, Krstyn Lambert, Nkumbuzo Nkoyana

Run Time- 1 hr. 30 min.

Critics Review- "I would have liked to see more tricks and fewer parental interviews, but in any case, this is a reasonably appealing documentary for anyone with a special interest in the subject."- Mick LaSalle "San Francisco Chronicle"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 80% Audience- 72%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 1/2 stars

My Review-

This movie was really interesting, I had really known nothing about magic until watching this film and it was cool to see people younger than me really in love with it and it showed through their passion and how much time they took practicing. There were a few things that could have been done better though about this documentary. For one it could have done with less interviews with the parents and focused more on the kids that were going to compete in the magic competition. I also noticed that some kids were in the Top 8 in the doc, were not even mention much during the documentary when they should have been. Some of the magic tricks were really cool to see and I like how they should the trial and error of being a magician, and that not every magician is perfect at what they do. What was rally cool about the movie is that they should how all the teens got their start in magic, or what gave them their inspiration to chose what they wanted to do for a living, even if it meant not going to school for a year, because they loved it so much. I'm doing this review in a hurry because I have to be someplace soon, but I recommend that you check it out if you are into magic and all that it is an enjoyable watch.

Day 321: Lincoln

Directed By- Steven Spielberg

Written By- Tony Kushner; Based on the Book "Team of Rivals" By Doris Kearns Goodwin

Starring- Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strahairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Walton Goggins, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Cross, Bruce McGill, Lee Pace

Run Time- 2 hr. 29 min.

Critics Review- "The performances are top notch in Lincoln as Daniel Day-Lewis proves once again that he's one of the most talented actors still working today and the film is even pretty amusing at times with an ending so powerful that it's almost overwhelming."- Chris Sawin "Examiner.com" 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 90% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 83%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 5 stars

[WARNING MILD SPOILERS AHEAD]

My Review-

I have no freaking idea where to begin with this film, it is that brilliantly made and wonderfully shot. I think I should start with how well this movie was shot, the cinematography for Lincoln was down right amazing especially during certain scenes. The Director of Photography Janusz Kaminski did an amazing job and I was in awe in some establishing shots and when they did a close-up on an actor. One of the things I was really amazed about in this movie was Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, we was incredible, and seeing him in interviews I can see that he truly immersed himself into his portrayal of the 16th president. However it was not just Day-Lewis, that was amazing it was the whole entire cast, even if they were just in the film for a little bit of time they made the movie even more amazing than it already there were some actors I was really looking forward to watching in this movie and when I saw them on screen I was in awe the whole time; especially with Jared Harris, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strahairn, James Spader and Lee Pace. Even though this movie was about Lincoln and his final four months of his life, it was also about all the people that were around him when he tired to pass the 13th Amendment. I was fully into this movie from the start, I was really excited to see this movie from Spielberg, since this the first film from him like this in a long time, well since War Horse and after watching I know that he is possibly the only director that could have pulled something off like this and I expect him to get nominations once award season rolls around. Spielberg is still one of the few directors out there that can make you care about every character in the movie even if they are not in it for that long. Another amazing thing about this movie it also went into his personal life with his family, especially wife and later on in the film his oldest son. It showed that even though he was loved by all the people and everyone in his cabinet agreed with him at times, he was at times not the best husband or father, even though he tried to be. The thing I thought was done really well was his assassination; because it did not show it. What it should was the reaction to it happening from his youngest son and everyone that was close to him or that worked with him, I think that was a great choice by the writer Kushner and I know Spielberg had some input into that scene This look at the final four months of Lincoln's life was a great portrayal and also we did not here the low voice we always here as seen in a lot of movies or TV shows, we heard a voice that some consider was closest to what he actually sounded like, which was something different and I saw a video on how Daniel Day-Lewis came up with the voice and he really took his time finding one, and it paid off big time. This a movie that needs to be seen in theaters, by all film lovers and for anyone that has been looking forward to seeing it. I was not disappointed by this movie, and I hope you won't be either. This is one of the reasons why I got into film making. So if you are looking for a movie to see this weekend, check out Lincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis possibly gives the greatest performance of his career and possibly of the year.

Day 320: We Need to Talk About Kevin

Directed By- Lynne Ramsay

Writer(s)- Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear; Based on the book by Lionel Shriver

Starring- Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly

Run Time- 1 hr. 52 min.

Critics Review- "It's an arty horror movie set within the context of a dysfunctional family, focusing on the massively strained relationship between a conflicted mother and a sociopathic son."- Claudia Puig "USA Today"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 76% [CERTIFIED FRESH]  Audience- 79%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 stars

My Review- 

This movie in a way is kind of disturbing, but it also makes you think as well. The movie is told in a series of flashbacks and also present day. The way this movie is told is well done so we as the view can see why or try to find out why Kevin did what he did and is begs that question was it nature vs nurture for the him? The whole movie builds up these questions with certain events that takes place within the family leading up to the incident told in flashback form on what Kevin did, and why is mom was so paranoid of him. This whole movie is carried by Swinton, who is a great actress when she wants to be, than it is later carried by Ezra Miller's creepy whom I have only seen in the show Royal Pains which I liked him in, here he just creeped me out a lot even though he was not in the movie half the time. This a movie that most people will like and most people will not, I think mostly parents would possibly watch this movie (mothers more I would think). I think what was most haunting about the film is that the mother could do nothing in her power to help her son turn out they way he did, and most of the movie she tries to put the blame on herself. At times I wanted the movie to have more of when he was older when he committed his crime, but it was better to show was he was growing old what him and his mother went through and the strained relationship he had and the great relationship he had with his father played by the always surprising John C. Reilly. I do not want to say anymore and if I have spoiled some of it I apologize but this is a movie to add to the list of must watch, since it for one got an Academy Award nomination, but it also went a little unnoticed. I would like to express more on how I felt about watching this movie, but you should see for yourself and see what you think about this movie yourself.

Day 319: Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

Directed By- Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill

Starring- Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield

Run Time- 1 hr. 29 min.

Critics Review- "[T]his movie literally gave me chills."- Richard Roeper "Ebert & Roeper"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 86% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 70%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 stars

[WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD]

My Review-

I have always heard about Aileen Wuornos and what she did, both in the media and through commercials and previews for the movie Monster which was based on her, but his documentary gives us a better look at her as a person as well. By seeing her as a person she had a pretty messed up life growing up, with the men she was around, and I think that's why she did what she did. It is hard to believe what she was saying at times since she always changed her story, and seemed to be angry and everything the court did to her and at times I could see why she felt that way. It also seemed like she wanted to die after committing the murders but was really pissed that the state kept pushing the execution. Wuornos gives a reason to why she wants to die and it also seems like she is trying to prove a point. It also seems like she believed that the cops covered up a lot of things to make it seem like she was a serial killer, when she deemed that she was not one. I really do think that she need help before she was eventually executed for her crimes, and even before she died, she had hatred against everyone especially the cops and her mother in particular. This is a great documentary to watch, to see a serial killer how they really were and why they are not sorry for what they did. This film is streaming on Netflix so check it out. I would really like to watch Monster with Charlize Theron and see her take on Aileen Wuornos.

Day 318: Bernie

Directed By- Richard Linklater

Written By- Richard Linklater

Starring- Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey. Shirly MacLaine

Run Time- 1 hr. 39 min.

Critics Review- "Jack Black, in the greatest performance of his career, makes us see what the people of Carthage, Texas saw in Bernie Tiede..."- Roger Moore "McClatchy- Tribune News Service"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 92% Audience- 74%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 4 1/2 stars

My Review-

This one of those movies that is kind of hard to forget, well for one its a true story, and second Jack Black gives a performance that no one will ever forget. This the second movie where I saw Black in a dramatic role the first being King Kong (2005), although in that movie I did not like him to much. However in this movie he does such a great job on his character that at times I had a hard time believing that his real-life counterpart had done. I really liked how this movie was done as well, it was done as a semi documentary and a real movie blended together and when a movie is done that way it almost always catches my attention, at first I did not know the movie was going to be like this and when it first started it instantly had my full attention other than the times when I got food. Other than that I was full into the movie and the true life crime that this movie was based on that took place in 1996. Each of the actors in the movie owned their parts, even though McConaughey was not in the movie for most of the time. Even though the crime committed was really heinous and a lot of people found hard to believe it happened at times I need convincing has well. At times I really do not like Jack Black in his movies, but in this one he impressed the shit out of me with his character, and I'm really surprised that his performance went understated when this film was released, it should have gotten more attention. What I liked is how at the end they should the real life people and a snippet of a interview with the real Bernie Teide and Jack Black which I thought was really cool. Now I do not know if the real life Bernie was really sorry for what he did wrong, but having read for that he admitted to committing the crime I still would have liked to hear some sort of story from the real life character MacLaine played to see how she saw Bernie and not how Bernie saw her. I really recommend that everyone check out this movie it is streaming on Netflix and Black gives a great performance that by the end of the movie you really feel bad for his character even though you should not be feeling that way.

Day 317: Road House

Directed By- Rowdy Herrington

Writer(s)- David Lee Henry, Hilary Henkin

Starring- Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliot, Ben Garzzara, Jeff Healey

Run Time- 1 hr. 55 min.

Critics Review- "Road House is a terrible movie, and by 'terrible' I mean 'awesome."- Phil Villarreal "Arizona Daily Star"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 43% Audience- 67%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 2 stars

My Review-

This movie was everything I heard it was going to be, a really bad good movie. Also it has Patrick Swayze in it how can someone go wrong with him in the 80s? Some of the best parts were the bar scenes with Swayze in some other parts when he interacted with people in the town, the romantic scenes were so so. I think the movie got even better when Sam Elliot arrived in the movie, that's when it really kicked in for me once more since the fight scenes were also really cool. For an 80s movie I was really digging the one liners that came in every now and then, and the main villain was pretty cool and at times i actually wanted him to succeed. There were some parts here and there that I thought were a little to cheesy and cliche, but hey it was a movie from the 80s so it was bound to happen. I think most of the time I was hypnotized by Swayze's hair it was long and wavy and it seems like he was the only one who could pull it off. There were also some scenes that I really dug, mostly the big bar fight scenes or when he was just being his Swayze self being all charming and shit I should watch other movies with Patrick Swayze since I have never seen that many to begin with and I know that he is good actor from what I have been told, so I would like to see more of the movies that he acted in. I actually expected the climax of the movie to be a lot better instead it ended on kind of a joke which was a downer, I wanted the ending to be a little better, other than that the movie was enjoyable.

Day 316: Baghead

Directed By- Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass

Writer(s)- Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Starring- Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller

Run Time- 1 hr 28 min.

Critics Review- "Trouble is, it's never really funny or really scary, and a lot of its hugely predictable."- Liz Braun "Jam! Movies"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 78% Audience- 46%

Out of a possible 5 stars-  1 star 

My Review- 

I expected this movie to be better than it was. The movie was kind of boring and at times it seemed like it was forcing the horror (if you want to call it that) concept at the audience, this one Duplass movie I really did not fancy like the rest. Some of the acting was also really bad and not really believable  the one Muller chick annoyed the shit out of me and I thought her character did not contribute much to the movie. This one movie I would skip from these brothers it is not as good as the rest of the movies they have made. I mean the concept is great, just not well executed. 

Day 315: Mansome

Directed By- Morgan Spurlock

Starring- Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Paul Rudd, Morgan Spurlock, Adam Carolla, Zach Galifanakis

Run Time-  1 hr. 24 min.

Critics Rating- "An amusing if slight look at the grooming, preening and stylistic ways of the 21st century man."- Richard Roeper "Richard Roeper.com" 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 25% Audience- 26%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 1/2 stars

My Review-

In this day and age men are all about how they look in public and some are like whatever, in Mansome, Spurlock with the help of some actors and comedians and a long with Arnett and Bateman chiming in every now and then take a look how everything about a man has changed and what everything says about their appearance. This was a documentary that really did not take itself to seriously and was made to have fun and look at the culture of men and by doing that it was told in pieces; Mustache, Beard, Face, Body etc. The part I enjoyed the most which was really no surprise was the part on Mustaches and Beards, and how it varies what people think about beards, and the person who I want to buy the book from on grooming a beard Jack Passion is actually kind of a douchebag, even though I will still buy the book I would not like to meet him I do not think it will be a good experience. Some of my favorite parts of the documentary were the scenes with Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, and how they would try to break down what it meant to be a man in their own opinion, and in a way it was like Michael and Gob having a semi-normal conversation together, where Arnett was trying to one up Bateman. What I also really liked is how they had interviews with people who worked at barbershops or made it a living to make themself look good and the reasons behind it, what also really made it work was the how some musicians  comedies and directors but in their own thoughts on the whole men grooming themselves phase or whatever you want to call it, Carolla and Rudd were the funniest when they were being interviewed along with Galifanakis' answer to people when they ask why he has a beard. This is a recommend documentary if you want a light hearted look at why men groom themselves or not with some funny input.

Day 314: Days of Heaven

Directed By- Terrence Malick

Written By- Terrence Malick

Starring- Richard Gere, Sam Shepard, Brooke Adams, Linda Manz

Run Time- 1 hr. 33 min.

Critics Review-  "A so so film with gorgeous photography!"- Michael A. Smith "Nolan's Pop Culture Review"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 93% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 88%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 1/2 stars

My Review-

I have only seen clips of this movie before in my film classes, because of how well it was made; due to it being made with all natural light and because of that it made a movie that was kind of boring even better. I think that's what saved the movie, the way it was filmed and not the acting, the acting in the movie was okay I also think its because I really do not like Richard Gere a lot of the time in the movies that he comes out with and everyone else in the movie seemed like they were bored or something. While at times I found myself to be bored with the movie I also still found myself in aw at how it was filmed and how each shot of the movie was somehow significant to what was going on in those scenes or what was about to happen later one. The narration by Manz helped out a lot in some parts of the movie until the ending. For some reason I cannot see why this movie has been acclaimed more than Badlands which is my favorite film from Malick, I find it to be a lot better than this one, maybe because the story of this one was like whatever for long periods of time and I thought Sam Shepard could have done a better job than he did. Other than that I just liked how it was visually shot and how they used natural lighting which was pretty damn cool.

Day 313: Angels & Airwaves Presents: LOVE

Directed By- William Eubank

Written By- William Eubank

Starring- Gunner Wright

Run Time- 1 hr. 23min.

Critics Review- "A fine example of budget filmmaking with this beautifully shot and thought Provoking Sc-Fi tale of loss, isolation, and loneliness"- Jennifer Tate "ViewLondon" 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 57% Audience- 78% Want to See it

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 1/2 stars

My Review-

I first heard about this film when the album LOVE was coming out from Angels & Airwaves and how they were going to make a movie out the concept of the album which I thought it was a good idea. Now that I finally watched it I can see where they were going with the film and how its being compared to other Sc-Fi films. What I really enjoyed about this movie is that it was like MOON, and 2001: A Space Odyssey dealing with isolation and trying to maintain sanity while being alone. This movie really does deal and does it well with what the critic says above; loss, loneliness, and isolation, and I really love movies like this; when it is just one actor carrying most of the movie, I get so invested in the actor and the character with these types of movies. For being a Sc-Fi movie being made for only about 500,000 dollars everything about this movie was pretty damn impressive from the effects to the set; it seemed like it cost even more to make when it did not. The movie did not even seem like it was made in the directors backyard it was that well done. I think this maybe one of new Sc-Fi film I can watch over and over again, even though some parts of the movie I cannot see why it was done that way when it went back to Wright by himself in the ISS (International Space Station) I really loved those scenes and how they were done. Since Angels & Airwaves helped contribute to this movie I wish that their music would have been used a little more, and they would have more of the music that they scored put more into the film. Even though it was really short that kind of sucked, I though they said and did everything they wanted to do into the film without leaving anything out, and if it was longer it would not have been as good. I recommend this movie if you are a A&A fan or love the Sc-Fi genre, I think you will like this its a great Sc-Fi movie for what it deals with the topic that is presented in the film.

Day 312: Four Rooms

Directed By- Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino

Written By- Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino

Starring- Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Beals, Paul Calderon, Sammi Davis, Valeria Golino, Madonna, David Proval, Ione Skye, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Tamlyn Tomita

Run Time- 1 hr. 42 min.

Critics Review- "As a whole, Four Rooms is only diverting, and pretty mindless, but at its best it's a lot of fun."- Shlomo Schwartzberg "Boxoffice Magazine"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 14% Audience- 70%

Out of a possible 5 stars- 2 1/2 stars

My Review-

This movie is told in four parts, most of the parts are were weird and me and friend were trying to figure out what was going on, even though it was funny it was like "what the hell is going on?' The funniest parts of the movie were Tim Roth and his mannerisms and how he interacted with everyone that he met at the hotel on his first day. This movie being told in four separate parts had four writers and four directors all the same, the funniest parts being from Rodriguez and Tarantino. The one part that confused me the most was The first segment, it seemed all over the place and plus it had Madonna in it and I do not like her that much so I already did not like the segment, and it seemed to be going downhill from the beginning when they were sorta of speaking in tongue but not really, sort of hard to explain....moving on. However when it came to the ones that Rodriguez and Tarantino wrote I was in it the rest of the way. The Robert Rodriguez was one was written and acted well do the kids, Tim Roth and Antonio Banderas having a small but hilarious role, the kids did really well for their age and were really funny when it was just the two of them or when they were acting with Roth and with this segment I was impressed.  The last segment written by Tarantino was to me the best one, it was more fast pace and more of what he is known for and a hell of a lot funnier in my opinion. While this was not some of their best work the last two segments from Rodriguez and Tarantino were the best ones and I think that is why they saved the best for last. Also Tim Roth carried this whole movie and was outstanding doing the comedic part that I never really see from him.

Day 311: Game Change

Directed By- Jay Roach

Written By- Danny Strong

Starring- Jullianne Moore, Ed Harris, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Paulson, Peter MacNicol, Jamey Sheridan, Ron Livingston

Run Time- 1 hr. 58 min.

Critics Review- "It takes a story whose outline we know and uses backstage access to turn it into a well-paced drama"- David Hinckley "New York Daily News"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 63% Audience- No Percentage

Out of a possible 5 stars- 3 1/2 stars

My Review-

Even though I do not know a lot about Sarah Palin, only from what I saw on TV during that election time, this movie was really well done acting wise. All the right actors were chosen for this movie and it was well done, by everyone; Harrelson, Harris and especially Moore. I chose this movie since it was election day, and also I heard because it was supposed to be very good and controversial in a way and I could see why. whether this movie was fact or fiction in either way it was still really well made for an HBO film and really well acted and written. I loved the use of the SNL skits on Palin and how Moore portrayed Palin by only seeing archive video and possibly through what she saw when she was running. At times I was getting annoyed by Moore's voice of Palin but I believe it was spot on and quite good. The one actor I really really liked was Harrelson, he owned that movie and his role and I thought he should have gotten an award or something and if the awards for these have not come out yet, he needs one. In a way after watching this movie and Recount a while back I got a little more of an understanding of how politics works behind the scenes and it seems like hard work and lots of determination. I was watching the election results most of the time so this why this post is going up so late but, it seems like HBO always seems to get their movies like this right and seem to be the best cable channel to come out with these types of movies because they know what they are doing and almost always get it right.

Day 310: Control

Directed By- Anton Corbijn

Writer(s)- Matt Greenhalgh, Deborah Curtis

Starring- Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson, Tobey Kebbell, Craig Parkinson, James Anthony Pearson, Harry Treadway

Run Time- 2 hr. 2 min.

Critics Review- "Though Curtis is hopelessly dysfuncional, photographer-turned-filmmaker Anton Corbijn makes us achingly aware of the singer's talent, the haunting poetry of his songs and how, living in the gloomy culture he did, his passing was virtually inevitable."- Desson Thomson "Washington Post"

Rotten Tomatoes Rating- Critics- 87% [CERTIFIED FRESH] Audience- 88%

Out of a possible 5 stars-  5 stars

My Review- 

I have seen this movie off and on, never really watching the whole thing entirely, even thouugh I do listen to the music and now that I actually did I do not see what I kept putting it off. This movie was extremely well told about the front man of Joy Division Ian Curtis, and his eventual suicide at the age of 23. I really loved how it was filmed in black and white and if it was in color the movie would not have really been the same, I think it was in black and white because of how Curtis came off around the time his band was around in a way it was making the movie gloomy which was what most of the movie was aside from the like bits of comedy here and there. What I also really loved about the movie is how all of the songs that made Joy Division famous or the music that got them noticed were all insterted into the film at the perfect times to go with the movie, which made it even more heartbreaking than it was as it progressed. Even has I am writing this review I am listening to their music and I am trying to see if I could or will be able to get a better understanding of Ian Curits, but I do not think anyone will. The acting was also really great in the movie from everybody especially Samantha Morton whom I have only seeing in a few movies and here I really go to see her acting ability and it was really really good. Throughout the film we were able to see that fame was taking its toll on Curtis and how maybe in away he was not ready for it and he was able to convey that through his music, and Riley seemed to have captured Ian Curtis extremely well and he showed that he was perfect for this roll, not to mention that he almost looks exactly like Ian Curtis. When the inevitable scene came up I reallty liked how it was done and the use of "Atmosphere" I thought it was the perfect song to end the movie and show all the different people that were in Curtis' life and their reactions to what had happened. I really recommend that this movie be watched If you love the band or never even heard of them it is a great movie to be watched and if you do watch it I hope you like it as well.