A Serious Man

Release Date: October 2nd, 2009

Click here for A Serious Man Trailer.

Larry Gopnik(Michael Stuhlbarg) is an ordinary, Jewish physics professor living with his family in Minneapolis-Saint Louis Park in Minnesota. As far as Larry is concerned, everything in his life is going fine. Larry is happy with how things are going until one day it all starts to go down hill. Larry's wife Judith(Sari Lennick) wants to divorce Larry so she can be with recent widower and family friend Sy Ableman(Fred Melamed), his son, Danny(Aaron Wolff), is a habitual marijuana user, his daughter Sarah(Jessica McManus) is stealing money out of his wallet to pay for a nose job, his unemployed brother Arthur(Richard King) won't get off of the couch and a disgruntled Korean student, Clive(David Dang), is attempting to bribe Larry with for a passing grade.

As time passes, Larry's life gets more and more crazy. Danny's bar mitzvah is coming up, Clive's father is threatening to sue Larry for bribery if he takes the money or with defamation of character if he doesn't, Sy and Judith make Larry and Arthur move into a nearby motel and Larry's attractive neighbor Vivienne Samsky(Amy Landecker) is tormenting Larry by sunbathing nude. As his life spirals out of control, Larry decides that he needs to see the three Rabbis that oversee his community. The first is Rabbi Ginzler(Simon Helberg), a very young Rabbi whose advice doesn't quite set well with Larry. The second is Larry's regular Rabbi, Rabbi Nachtner(George Wyner) who tells Larry of a story he heard of a Jewish dentist finding a message in Hebrew on the teeth of a Gentile man. However, Larry is ultimately disappointed when the story reveals to have no motive or purpose. But Larry seems to arrive at his wits end when he is denied a meeting with the Rabbi Marshak, an elderly rabbi who has restricted his meetings to congratulating boys completing their bar mitsvahs.

As Larry's life gets worse, he tries to balance keeping his family together, keeping his brother out of jail, hosting his son's bar mitzvah and getting a tenure at his university. Larry tries everything he can to become what he thinks will solve all of his problems, a serious man.

Coming from the hilarious minds of the Coen brothers, A Serious Man is a story that explores questions about faith, family responsibilities, delinquent behavior, academia, mortality and Judaism and everything in between. A Serious Man is showcased as a comedy though the comedic aspects of the film are ones that may only attract a certain audience but for those of you who will like this movie, you will love it.

Academy Award-winning writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen do not deliver the type of laughs you would expect to see in a film dubbed a comedy. The brothers deliver a rich, dark humor that has the potential to punch straight through to the core of many people. The film blends the profound dark humor with deeply personal themes creating a more mature film than typically seen from the duo that brought you such great movies as The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona and Fargo. The great thing about this film is that it manages to be funny without resorting to crude humor or bathroom jokes. It connects with a sense of reality that many people can relate to and it also provides genuine laughs.

What makes A Serious Man stand out from other movies is that it manages to capture what it was like to be an average, working class person with real issues. Trouble with the family and trouble at work are something practically every single person in the world can relate too and those themes in this film are what makes it personal and fantastic. The humor, being as dark as it is, is also (in my opinion) very dry. Anybody can get up and say a lot of shocking and offensive things to get a laugh out of people but this film gets its laughs by making people think and empathize with the main character. This film makes allows people to enjoy it on an intellectual, moral and situational level that many movies these days fail to do, which is why this film works.

I thought that this film did an incredible job capturing life in a Jewish, suburban setting in 1967. The visual aspect of the film was great. The use of colors really brought out the overall feel of the film. It had a sort of gray and gloomy feel. All the clothes of the characters were bland and ordinary and all the environments seemed to complement the overall feel of helplessness and distress quite well. The Coen brothers have always done a fantastic job at complementing the theme of their films with the background colors and appearance of the characters which I think adds so much more to a film.

In his first major lead role, I thought actor Michael Stuhlbarg was fantastic. I thought that he did a great job promoting just how out of whack things were getting for his character. Stuhlbarg was very believable and his performance made the audience empathize with him and really feel the pain and befuddlement his character was feeling. It really hits with the audience when you see a character's life falling down around them and knowing that they did not deserve any of it. Stuhlbarg and the Coen brothers really made characters that the audience can relate to.

Aside from the strange and confusing prologue to the film and the ending that will require you to think and ponder on the what is assumed to happen, A Serious Man is definitely a film to pick up. The dark, dry humor is something entertaining and hard to come by in comedy films of today and the rich, profound personal themes tug at your hearts and captivate you as an audience. People who see this film will either love it or hate it and for those of you who love it you will truly enjoy what the Coen brothers have delivered.

I give A Serious Man 8 Goys out of 10.

Alice In Wonderland

Release Date: March 5th, 2010

Click here for the Alice in Wonderland Trailer.

Nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsley(Mia Wasikowska) is an odd young lady who doesn't quite fit into Victorian society. Her eccentricities were mirrored only by her beloved father Charles(Marton Csokas) and when he died, Alice seemed to almost die with him. Since his death, Alice has been troubled by a recurring dream in which she encounters strange creatures in a very peculiar world.

One day while attending a party at the estate of Lord Ascot(Tim Pigott-Smith), the man who now owns the trading firm previously owned by her father, Alice learns that Hamish(Leo Bill), Lord Ascot's son, intends to propose to Alice. As Hamish proposes, a white rabbit appears to Alice holding a pocket watch. Alice follows the White Rabbit, named Nivens McTwisp(Michael Sheen), and falls into a rabbit hole.

When she awakens, Alice finds herself in a bizarre world called Underland. Alice had visited Underland 13 years ago but had lost almost all of her memory about the experience. What little memory she had left of Underland had been thought to be a dream. While in Underland, Alice meets an assortment of characters including McTwisp, Uilleam the Dodo(Michael Gough) and the brothers Tweedledee and Tweedledum(Matt Lucas). The group takes Alic to meet Absolem the Caterpillar(Alan Rickman) who, through a misunderstanding of words, makes the group believe that this Alice is not the same one that arrived in Underland 13 years ago.

While talking with Absolem, the Knave of Hearts Ilosvic Stayne(Crispin Glover) arrives with soldiers from Iracebeth of Crims, otherwise known as The Red Queen(Helena Bonham Carter). Stayne attacks the group capturing the white Rabbit, the Dodo, Tweedledee and Tweedledum while Alice escapes. Alice is then found by the Chessur Cat(Stephen Fry) who takes her to the march Hare(Paul Whitehouse), Mallymkun the Dormouse(Barbara Windsor) and the Hatter(Johnny Depp). The Hatter explains to Alice that she has returned to dethrone the Red Queen by killing her dragon known as the Jabberwocky(Christopher Lee) with the Vorpal Sword on the Frabjous Day. In doing so she can save Underland and return power to the Red Queen's sister Mirana of Marmoreal known as The White Queen(Anne Hathaway). However, Alice is unsure if she could ever perform such a feat, but the balance of Underland lies in the courage that she must gather and the belief in herself she must obtain.

Lewis Carroll's original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is probably one of the best known and most beloved stories in all of literature not just by children, but by people of all ages. Being how iconic and popular it is, making it into a feature film is no simple task. Walt Disney's animated feature, released in 1951, brought the novel to life in a truly magical way and launched a film that has swept the hearts of people of all ages to this very day. So, needless to say that taking on this story with live people was risky.

Director Tim Burton is known for making stylishly dark and highly creative films that are both extremely off-the-wall and also extremely entertaining. When audiences see Burton's name behind a film, they know to expect something completely unique and entertaining. Seeing how already colorful, absurd and imaginative the original Alice story was, the only natural fit for the director's chair (in my mind at least) was Burton and he did a fantastic job.

Burton used a mix of CGI effects, drastic makeup and live people to comprise his vision of Wonderland. Every character aside from Alice was enhanced wither by CGI or extravagant makeup and costumes. The world itself was, for the most part, completely computer generated but the look of it made you feel like it was an actual world that any one of us could fall into. I absolutely loved the whole visual image of the film. The different enhancements in characters like the Red Queen, whose head was three sizes too big, and the Knave of Hearts, who was enhanced to be over 7 feet tall, made the film different from anything you typically see today in a film industry that is riddled with movies grounded in reality. For me, this is one of the most visually stunning films released ranking up there with James Cameron's Avatar. The world created by Burton was filled with so much color, life and creative ingenuity that it was simply a joy to just look at, whether you like the movie or not.

If you are a fan of Tim Burton then you aren't surprised when you see the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. Both Depp and Carter are regulars in Burton's films, even appearing along side each other in such Burton classics as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. Depp did a fantastic job as The Mad Hatter. Most adaptations of the character present him as a single-note character whereas Depp tried to bring out a more human note in the character. What I loved most about Depp's performance is how he changed his motions so rapidly during the film and how each emotion was like a different incarnation of the character. Depp would frequently change facial expressions and even accents, providing a Scottish accent when his character entered a darker, more dangerous personality.

Helena Bonham Carter was also extremely good. Her character was s mixture of original story's characters of the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts. My favorite thing about Carter's performance was how she made the character act like a toddler. Her character would constantly yell and complain and throw temper tantrums when things wouldn't go her way which added a great sense of humor to the woman obsessed with cutting off people's heads. The over sized head of Carter's character added a nice bit to the interactions between the characters with their little comments about its size. This was another feature that added a great deal of humor to the film.

Other supporting characters that added there actual likenesses to the film were also very good. Crispin Glover was great as the Knave of Hearts Stayne and Anne Hathaway brought a great performance to the White Queen. I really loved how Hathaway's character tried to act so sweet and innocent yet occasionally let slip some downright insane dialogue. Other actors like Matt Lucas(Tweedledee and Tweedledum), Stephen Fry(Chessur Cat), Michael Sheen(White Rabbit), Alan Rickman(Absolem) and Christopher Lee(Jabberwocky), who only contributed their voices, all added special qualities to their characters. Sometimes it can be hard to only do a voice in a film but all the voice actors really did an amazing job bringing their respective characters to life making the movie feel truly real and enriching.

Even though Burton loaded his film down with big name celebrities and such, the real gem here was Mia Wasikowska and her portrayal of Alice. The young actress isn't one of the biggest names out there in the film industry but after her performance in this movie you can bet she soon will be. While all of the other characters in the film were outlandish, bizarre, insane, and colorful, Alice was the opposite. Very pale, very calm, Wasikowska was the weight that kept everything in balance. Wasikowska kept the film grounded and gave the audience a truly inspiring heroine that most people will have absolutely no problem connecting to. While most of the actors in the film performed flawlessly with their outrageous characters, it was the calm collected attitude that Wasikowska presented that was such a stark contrast to the rest of the film which truly captivated me. Wasikowska made the audience feel like they really were in Wonderland.

Overall this film was fantastic. I think the success of it is in no small way related to the fact that Burton didn't make a sequel or a re-imagining of the original story. Instead, Burton's film is an extension of Lewis Carroll's classic stories. By coming up with a pretty unique story, Burton has given us something more than we could have ever expected. He didn't try to cash in on the already wonderful story but instead made a film and story that can be added to the legacy of the iconic Wonderland. Hardcore fans of Tim Burton will absolutely love this film and I believe that die hard fans of the original stories as well as the Disney animated film will find something to love around every colorfully enigmatic corner.

I give Alice in Wonderland 10 Futterwackens out of 10.

The Crazies

Release Date: February 24th, 2010

Click here for The Crazies Trailer.

In the small farming town of Ogden Marsh, Kansas, things remain fairly quiet for the most part. That is until one day when Rory, the former town drunk, strolls out onto the high school baseball field in the middle of a game armed with a shotgun. David Dutton(Timothy Olyphant), the town's Sheriff, evacuates the field and goes out to reason with him but when Rory raises his gun, David has no choice but to shoot him. When it turns out that Rory was not drunk like suspected, David can not determine why he did it.

Later on, another citizen of Ogden Marsh burns down his home with his wife and son still inside, seemingly unaware of what he had done. As the citizens of Ogden Marsh begin to act stranger by the hour, David struggles to come up with a logical explanation until a plane is found crashed in a river that connects directly to the town's water supply. Believing this to be the cause of the strange behavior, David requests that the mayor shut off the town's water until it can be figured out. But when the mayor refuses, David takes matters into his own hands.

While David is trying to convince his wife, Judy(Radha Mitchell), to leave, military forces arrive and place the entire town under containment, seperating David from Judy. David escapes and rescues Judy as well as her assistant Becca(Danielle Panabaker) from containment with the help of his Deputy Sheriff Russell Clank(Joe Anderson). The citizens of Ogden Marsh are becoming more hostile and crazy with each passing moment and David and the others must avoid both the military and infection in order to escape with their lives.

Loosely based on the classic tale of the same name by George A. Romero, The Crazies is one of the edge-of-your-seat thrillers that has scares around every corner and a fairly smart plot. Upon seeing the trailer for this movie you may be expecting something about zombies or a similar threat. However, it is something entirely different all together.

The story focuses around a crashed government plane that has somehow affected the water supply of a small farming community turning its citizens into insane shells of their former selves, attacking anything that moves. The plot made you think a little bit before that true cause was revealed and the cause itself was still a little unexpected. However, the story itself does not focus on how or why the incident happened. The main focus of the story is the attempt of four people to escape both "the crazies" and the military with their lives and make it to safety.

Most thriller movies need intense scenes to back them up and The Crazies delivered just that. While there wasn't full on big-budget action in this film, the scenes of suspense were just that, suspenseful. They really gave the audience the same sense of desperation as the characters in the film were experiencing. Around every turn there was a growing tension that makes your heart start racing. This is where the film really shines. It keeps you focused the whole time and really gets you involved.

The movie was a gore-fest but not to the point of absurdity or sickness. It struck the right balance between making you feel creeped out but not to the point where the movie was unenjoyable to watch. The amount of gore in this film also added a sense of reality to the story. The character designs and amount of gore applied to each individual made the crazies seem like a viable threat, one that could actually happen to any of us.

I thought Timothy Olyphant did a fantastic job in the lead role. He had a certain presence about him that let you know he was the lead but at the same time didn't throw out a sense of arrogance that some celebrities display. Olyphant delivered a very real character, one that many people out there may be able to relate to. But he wasn't alone. Solid performances from both Radha Mitchell and Joe Anderson helped propel the story as well as the individual characters and each of the three stars seemed to feed of the others.

Fans of George A. Romero's original can't really compare the two films. The classic depended a lot on dialogue to work the plot through but director Breck Eisner allows the tension to push you along. Eisner put in enough feasibility into the film to make you believe that this could really happen. And, as I'm sure many of you know, watching a scary movie that could actually happen is way more terrifying than watching one that is grounded in mythology, nightmares or ancient curses.

Overall I really enjoyed The Crazies. I thought the plot was good and even slightly unexpected and I also thought that the actors did a great job in making believable characters as well as one's you can relate to. The gore level was set to the perfect setting and the scares were placed in just the right places to make you scream. Definitely a movie for horror fans.

I give The Crazies 8 "Did Peter Call?" Grandmas out of 10.

Shutter Island

Release Date: February 19th, 2010

Click here for the Shutter Island Trailer.

In 1954, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels(Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule(Mark Ruffalo) travel to the mysterious Shutter Island and its institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a murderous patient committed for drowning her three children. Teddy and Chuck are tasked with finding the patient and bringing her back to the institution.

While investigating, Teddy and Chuck slowly begin to realize that the entire staff at the hospital is hiding something and nobody is willing to talk. Teddy and Chuck decide to leave the island but are forced to stay when a hurricane moves in. On the island Teddy begins to have hallucinations and the longer he stays the worse they get.

As the mystery of the institution begins to unravel, Teddy and Chuck begin to realize that if they don't figure out what is going on that they, like the patients, may never leave Shutter Island.

Loosely based on the book of the same name by Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island is a thriller set in the early 1950's that will have you guessing the whole time trying to figure out just what is actually going on. The movie is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsly.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this move recently with many people waiting with anticipation for it to come out, especially after it got delayed from an October 2nd, 2009 release date to the final February 19th, 2010 release date. But is it worth all the hype? Many critics say yes but you didn't go to them, you came to me to see if I think it is worth all the hype so lets get into my review.

The initial trailers and publicity for this movie was very intriguing, and it appeared to be a psychological thriller that would require a bit of thinking and attentiveness while watching it. Movies like this grab my attention because I enjoy not knowing what is happening and trying to figure out what is going on. This is where Shutter Island really shines, the mystery. The whole movie has you wondering who is actually sane and who is insane and makes you sit there and wonder what in the world is really going on.

The whole movie builds and builds to the moment Teddy finds out what is going on and when he finally gets there you are just as surprised at what he finds as he is. I will say that the twist at the end may be figured out by some but the ones who do figure it out will not, like me, have it 100% correct. The ending is also where the movie strays away from the book so those of you who read the book will not have the ending completely ruined for you, whether or not that is good or not is up to you.

I'm not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. I know all the women out there have some strange attraction to him but acting wise he hasn't really blown me away. I'm not saying he is terrible my any means but he isn't top on my list of amazing actors. That being said, DiCaprio did a very very good job in this film. I liked the way he carried himself in this film. His stance and his mannerisms made the character real for me. I also though his dramatic sequences were top notch, allowing the audience to empathize with his character. Overall this is one of DiCaprio's best performances in my book.

DiCaprio wasn't alone in this film however. Starring alongside Leo was the very talented Mark Ruffalo and the always fantastic Ben Kingsley. Ruffalo was very good in his role as DiCaprio's partner Chuck. Ruffalo added a sense of calm to the intense and, sometimes, chaotic performance of DiCaprio and the rest of the craziness this film displayed. He was a kind of anchor to DiCaprio, balancing out the two personas. Kingsley did a fantastic job as the Chief Psychiatrist of the institution Dr. John Cawley. Throughout the film you always wondered what Kingsley's motives were. On the one hand, he always tried to convince you that he was a good person and out to help the patients, yet on the other hand it seemed like he hid a dark secret, one that he was willing to do anything to keep hidden. This added another sense of mystery to the film and an aspect that kept you tentative and guessing.

Overall, Shutter Island was a great film. The atmosphere and the setting gave you chills and it made you afraid to see what was around each corner. Scorsese did a fantastic job of making a truly terrifying mental institution and a setting that made the movie stand out. The plot was enticing and kept the audiences attention and even though it strayed from the book, it will still leave you shocked.

I give Shutter Island 8 Delusional Psychopaths out of 10

The Wolfman

Release Date: February 12th, 2010

Click here for The Wolfman Trailer.

Lawrence Talbot(Benicio del Toro) has not been back to his home in Blackmoor, England for many years, but when he receives word from his sister-in-law Gwen(Emily Blunt) that his brother Ben has gone missing, Lawrence decides to return to his family's estate and figure out what happened. As soon as Lawrence arrives in his home his father, Sir John Talbot(Anthony Hopkins), informs Lawrence that his brother's body was found in a ditch just before he arrived.

Lawrence inspects his brother's corpse and discovers a medallion that came from a nearby Gypsy camp. Lawrence meets with Maleva(Geraldine Chaplin), who gave the medallion to Lawrence's brother. Maleva informs Lawrence that his brother was killed by a werewolf. As the too converse, the werewolf attacks the camp and eviscerates most of the people there. Lawrence witnesses the wolf giving chase to a young boy and as he tries to save him, Lawrence is bitten on the neck by the beast. After the incident, Inspector Francis Aberline(Hugo Weaving) arrives in Blackmoor to investigate the horrible killings.

Not trusting one another, both Lawrence and Aberline try to discover exactly what is killing the people around Blackmoor and it is up to them to stop the beast if anyone is to be safe again.

It has been almost 70 years since the original story of The Wolfman was told and director Joe Johnston aims to rejuvenate the iconic character for the modern age.

Taking one of the most iconic characters in all of horror and doing a remake is a tricky business for many directors. You want to make the original in your own right but at the same time you do not want to tarnish what made the original move great. As with all remakes or re-imaginings, there are going to be things that stick out from the original and things that let you know the movie is unique.

So lets get into my review. I was particularly interested in this movie when I first heard about it. I have always known about the Wolfman story and character and thought it was very cool that they were doing a remake. I really wanted to see this move because it was different from the typical werewolf movies we see today (Twilight, Underworld). The werewolf in The Wolfman brought a whole different aspect to how a werewolf would look, giving it a design that more closely resembled a human than a wolf. The movie did a fantastic job of recreating how the original Wolfman looked back in 1941 and this one looked great.

On that note, the special effects in the movie were very well done. The transformation from man to Wolfman looked very disturbing and realistic and you could actually feel the pain of the transformation. The special effects with the ore was also very good. If there is one thing this movie is not lacking it is gore. The Wolfman ripped apart his victims, literally. The movie was full of more slashing, gashing and dismemberment than you could shake a stick at at it was cool. The way the Wolfman killed his victims in the film really drove in the sense of feral bloodlust. The Wolfman didn't kill to feed or to turn others into werewolves, he killed to kill and was not shy about it. The brutality of the creature in this film was definitely a plus. For me it really brought out the character of the Wolfman and the monster that he really is.

As for the acting it had its highs and lows. Anthony Hopkins was very good as Sir John Talbot. He brought an estranged creepiness to his character that reminded me a bit of his Silence of the Lambs performance. Throughout the whole movie I just got this uneasy feeling whenever Hopkins came on screen and it made him a joy to watch. Hugo Weaving added his professional swagger to the film as the proud Scotland Yard Inspector. I greatly enjoy Weaving's performances (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix). He has this presence about him that is just solid. With most of his performances you get the impression that he is the real deal and he does what he wants. Weaving all around just gave a solid performance.

But not all performances were top notch. I wasn't too impressed with Benicio del Toro's performance, which wouldn't be so bad if her wasn't the lead. I'm not going to say that del Toro's performance was terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. Some of the delivery of his lines seemed off character wise and I just wasn't blown away by the acting. But it wasn't just the acting that bothered me. If you can't tell by his name, Benicio del Toro is Puerto Rican. That's great but the only problem is that his character is English and his father is white. The other thing is that del Toro's character did not have an English accent while everybody else in the movie did. This just makes things awkward. I will say that the director did try to justify this by showing a flashback of Lawrence's mother who appeared to be dark skinned and by saying that he lived with his aunt in America for a majority of his life but this just seemed like a quick add in to make things make sense. But if you can get past that (and trust me, its easy to do) the story is otherwise very good.

I had heard complaints from some people that the story had no substance and didn't make sense but I strongly disagree. I found the plot to be fulfilling with a good substance and even a little bit of a twist at the end that made things exciting and, possibly, left room for a sequel, I'll let you be the judge of that though. Overall I was happy with The Wolfman. I thought the action was good, the story was solid and the acting, for the most part, was up to par. There were scenes that added depth and scenes that make you jump out of your seat. If you like horror movies or are a fan of the old school Wolfman then you will probably be happy with Johnston's remake. The Wolfman brings back the old school werewolf look and style and delivers a movie that we don't typically see anymore.

I give The Wolfman 8 Feral Wolf Children out of 10.

A Perfect Getaway

Release Date: August 7th, 2009

Click Here for the A Perfect Getaway Trailer.

Cliff Anderson(Steve Zahn) and his newlywed wife Cydney(Milla Jovovich) are enjoying their honeymoon by backpacking across one of Hawaii's islands to a beautiful remote beach said to be heaven on earth. While hiking the two come across a group of girls on vacation who were talking about two other newlyweds that were murdered on the island. Unsure about whether or not to continue, the two decide that they will continue their trip because the murders were on a different island.

While on the trail, Cliff and Cydney come across Nick(Timothy Olyphant), a supposed former Special Forces Operative and Iraq War Veteran, and his girlfriend Gina(Kiele Sanchez). The four decide to team up and hike together considering they are headed for the same place but as the trip goes on the threat of the escaped killers grows heavier. Before long Cliff and Cydney become paranoid and start to think that anybody could be the killers, even Nick and Gina.

While the group is relaxing at a waterfall, Cliff finds a backpack belonging to a girl named Cleo(Marley Shelton). Cleo and her newlywed husband Kale(Chris Hemsworth) were hitchhiking along the road and were almost picked up by Cliff and Cydney who decided not to give them a ride after they felt threatened by Kale. Between Kale and Cleo and Nick and Gina, Cliff and Cydney's paranoia becomes almost too much to bear as the next murder could happen at any moment.

When I first heard about this movie I thought it looked pretty interesting. I appeared to be a somewhat thrilling movie and the proposal of an interesting twist made it sound worth watching. I enjoy movies that have exciting plots and interesting twists. This movie was good for what it was worth but isn't going to be one of those movies "you have to see".

The plot of newlyweds on their honeymoon in the same place where somebody just killed two newlyweds is an interesting and potentially exciting concept. It makes you wonder whether or not the killers are specifically targeting newlyweds or just kill for the fin of it. I sometimes find thrillers like this to be somewhat dull or unimaginative and even lacking substance. However, this movie fared better than most movies of its kind. The story and writing was entertaining and it didn't feel cheesy or like the director was trying to get cheap laughs from you. I found the movie to keep me interested and entertained the whole time and I was even excited to see how it ended.

With movies that boast exciting plot twists or surprise endings, I get a little excited. I really love things that keep me guessing or surprise me though a lot of the time I find myself figuring out the twist before the end of the movie and while it doesn't ruin it, it does put a little bit of a damper on things. That is kind of what happened with this movie. I was able to figure out the main twist in the film fairly early on but I was still interested to see how it played out in the rest of the film. But one thing that did get me was the very end of the film. I was not expecting how the climax was going to play out and I can honestly say I did not see it coming.

Acting is always an important part of a movie. I am a big fan of Steve Zahn and have enjoyed many of the movies I have seen him in. I thought he did a great job in this film portraying the mild-mannered screenwriter character of "Cliff". He brought his notable humor into the role but also added some intense drama and other acting styles which we do not typically get to see out of him. Overall I was pleased with Zahn's performance. Timothy Olyphant was also really good. I loved how he played the slightly crazy war veteran. He really made you believe that his time in the service made him the way he was. Milla Jovovich, who we have seen in big action movies like Resident Evil, was able to step away from her fighting style that we are used to to become the timid and love-crazy newlywed Cydney. I thought all the actors in this film performed well and gave believable performances.

Because this movie was a psychological thriller, it had some action in it. Nearly all of the action took place in the climax at the end of the film when you finally figure out who the killers are. These scenes left me on the edge of my seat as I had no idea how it would play out and some parts even left my shocked saying to myself "whoa, didn't expect that". But the main part of the story that was good was the build up. Throughout the whole movie you sit there and wonder what's going to happen next and who the real killers are and if anybody will make it out alive.

Overall A Perfect Getaway was a good movie. It wasn't great, spectacular or amazing but it was still worth seeing. In my recommendation this one is a good one to go and rent from your local video store on a rainy or lay day when you just want to relax or a good one to watch with a group of friends.

I give A Perfect Getaway 7 Newlywed Murders out of 10

The Book of Eli

Release Date: January 15th, 2010

Click here for The Book of Eli Trailer.

Thirty years after a nuclear attack turned the world into an apocalyptic wasteland, a wanderer named Eli(Denzel Washington) travels across the scorched grounds of what was once America with nothing more than the pack on his back and a very special book in his hands. Driven by a desire and hope for the future, as well as a belief in something greater than himself, Eli has carried and protected his hope until he can finally reach the east coast where he believes his dream of a future can be turned into a reality.

For thirty years Eli has believed in this hope and for thirty years nobody has tried to stop him until he wanders into a makeshift town of thieves, beggars and gunmen under the leadership of Carnegie(Gary Oldman), the only literate man in the entire area. Eli enters Carnegie's bar in search of water and is attacked by some of Carnegie's men. But the drunken outlaws are no match for Eli, who has become a warrior by necessity instead of choice.

Carnegie, being a literate man, forces his henchmen to go out into the wastelands and look for any books they can find with a specific book in mind. After Eli deals with the outlaws, Carnegie realizes that Eli is also a literate man and forces him to stay at the bar for the night. But Eli soon realizes that Carnegie wants his book as it is the one he has been looking for since the final war. But Eli is determined to complete what he believes he must do and will let nothing, not even Carnegie and his outlaws, stop him from completing his journey.

We've seen post-apocalyptic films in the past, many of which have the same generic plot. Directed by the Hughes brothers, this film, however, delivers a completely new spin on how things would be in a world obliterated by war. In many cases, you have a single character just trying to survive in the apocalyptic world or maybe even becoming brave enough to create law (i.e. Mad Max) or save some poor imprisoned people. The Book of Eli, though, sets the audience on a path of righteousness and hope amidst impossible odds.

The story is what got me on this one because, for the most part, it was pretty mysterious. You always had a vague idea of what Eli was doing and what his mission was but it seemed like you could never quite grasp the full spectrum of it which keeps you hooked for the entire film. For a movie with this kind of setting to be good, there has to be a good plot, one that keeps you guessing and interested until you see the credits role and that is exactly what The Book of Eli does.

In addition to a good story, the mechanics of your movie also have to be entertaining. For example if its a comedy, the jokes have to be funny, if its a drama the emotions have to be real. This movie has a more action based focus. Throughout the whole movie Eli carries with him a handgun, a modified shotgun, a bow with some arrows and a razor sharp machete/sword thing and he isn't afraid to use them. In this film, we see Denzel Washington engage in fighting unlike he as in any other movie, and it works. In all the fight scenes Washington is outnumbered at least 5 to 1 but is able to quickly dispatch every foe without taking a scratch. On screen the fight scenes looked really cool. My only gripe would be that at times the camera moved to fast and in one scene you really only see the silhouettes of the people instead of the people themselves. But it is a very small complaint and one that is more personal preference.

I am a big fan of Denzel Washington and a huge fan of Gary Oldman so needless to say I was excited to see both of them in this film. Oldman gave a great performance as the desperate yet intelligent head of the makeshift town. He had this cunning style about him and this intellectual prowess that, even though he was physically small and nonthreatening, made him extremely powerful and feared. His performance was truly creepy at times but was overall very very well done, as are most of them. Washington brought a different character to the screen then we have typically seen from him. The wanderer character that Washington portrayed was a fresh take for me and it seemed that it was one that Washington truly enjoyed playing. His performance was passionate and it seemed that he put 110% into creating the character. I was very impressed and moved by Washington's performance and definitely think it was one of his best. Mila Kunis did a good job as Solara, the stepdaughter of Carnegie as did Jennifer Beals who played the blind mother of Solara and wife of Carnegie.

Visually the movie looked great. The settings and the look of the war-ravaged streets and buildings was really something to look at. One scene that stands out in particular was in the very beginning of the film. A hairless, skin-and-bones cat walks around a dark, wooded area filled with dead bodies. Ash from the nuclear blast is still falling from the sky and everything looks dark and dead. It was visuals like this that made the film really nice to look at and it really gave you a sense of what life in a post-apocalyptic world would be like.

But probably the best thing about this movie was the twist at the end. In some movies, they try to throw in a twist and if you pay close enough attention you can generally figure it out pretty easily. But in this film it really smacks you in the face and makes you go "whoa, I did not see that coming". And what really makes it even better is that after seeing the twist, you will think back to certain points in the movie and realize whats going on which will shock you even more. Truly, this was one of the best surprises in a movie I had ever seen. It truly did leave me speechless.

Overall this movie was amazing. It had a fantastic plot, great action, incredible acting and a twist that leaves you stunned. Add that to an interesting and long-over-due take on an apocalyptic scenario and you have a recipe for success. 2010 is already starting off to be a good year for film goers.

I give The Book of Eli 9 Incredible plot twists that will leave you speechless out of 10