Movie Info:
Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Directors: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner, Vanessa Haywood, Marian Hooman
Rating: R
Studio: Sony

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 14, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

While I had heard about District 9, I really did not know anything about the movie. What I did know was it was a Sci Fi movie and might involve aliens. That is about as far as my knowledge of this movie got. Despite any clue as to what this movie was about, I also heard it was good. Therefore, I wanted to check it out. I entered this film with a pretty much clean slate of knowledge.

After watching District 9 I must say it was money well spent for Peter Jackson. I am not a huge Jackson fan, but I can appreciate the efforts of a good producer who gives a chance to a budding creator/filmmaker. The story goes that Jackson was going to have Neill Blomkamp direct one of his projects. The project fell through, and Jackson decided to hand over his cash to let Blomkamp create his own movie. What he came up with is District 9.

Blomkamp had originally made his story for District 9 as a short film. This was an idea he’d filmed early in his career, and now, there was a chance to expand upon the idea. The millions of dollars that have been put into District 9 made the film a high tech, visually stimulating production. Of course, the story is what drives this movie and it is both well written and engaging.

Shadowing a world that South Africans knew well, District 9 explores the same kind of themes that were present during the 1980s in the apartheid era. Instead of racial discrimination, the discrimination is inter-species discrimination. Set in a modern world, we as audience members get a glimpse into what the world might be like if aliens showed up here on Earth, and sadly what happens isn’t pretty, though it does make for good storytelling.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary, Mickie McGowan, Danny Mann
Rating: PG
Studio: Pixar

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: May 29, 2009
DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Seldom do I find that animated films make me actually feel a selection of emotions while watching. The majority of features, especially by Pixar, are happy, somewhat predictable stories that are bound to end with a happy, feel good ending. Well, UP has to be the most realistic of the Pixar films. UP made my emotions run the gamut from sadness to hope, happiness to frustration.

The realism in this beautifully rendered, animated feature is part of why I believe this is Pixar’s greatest release. The story deals with some heavy subjects that may go over the littlest Pixar fans’ heads, but the topics aren’t too boring that the youngsters won’t enjoy the story. Subjects like grief, accepting death, and growing old are told in ways that won’t overwhelm children, won’t bore adults, and will strike a chord in older audiences. I loved the story, which I felt was a little more sappy then I was expecting, but it was sappy in a good way.

One thing I really like about UP is how likable the characters are. Carl Fredricksen is the most awesome, hilarious, old man. He’s the grandfather you’d love to have, even if he is a little curmudgeon-y and cranky. This is understandable given the circumstances he has to endure. Russell could have become annoying, but instead he’s portrayed as a fun, inquisitive, delightful youth. You want Mr. Fredericksen to take Russell under his wing, especially when you hear about his absent father. Even Dug and Kevin do not get annoying, providing comic relief to a somewhat heavy story.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Justin Haythe
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Kathryn Hahn, Dylan Baker, Michael Shannon, David Harbour
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 23, 2009
DVD Release Date: June 2, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $26.99

Movies like Revolutionary Road are often in a class of their own. They are dramatic, filled with meaning, and yet sometimes painful to watch. They are interesting because everyone gets a different meaning out of them. Some people love them for the strength they offer in telling a story that few movies will tell. Others shy away from them due to their controversial nature. In any case, when the climate is right, when the director is talented and the cast is deserving of such a role, the result is next to none. It becomes incredibly hard to top these films. Revolutionary Road is at the top of this list. It is a movie that will leave you in awe with nothing to say and a whole lot to think about.

There are movies that you know you will love before you even see them. It does not matter how much you know about them. You just know they are going to be something special. The combination of Kate Winslet and any good leading man is almost always a winning combination. Movies like Finding Neverland and The Reader say all one needs to know about Ms. Winslet’s acting skills. Pairing her with Leonardo DiCaprio though, well that ensures not only success, but an electric performance that will leap from the screen and into you.

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Movie Info:
Writers:Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Director: Pierre Morel
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser, Radivoje Bukvic, Mathieu Busson, Holly Valance, Katie Cassidy, Xander Berkeley, Nicolas Giraud, Maggie Grace, Jon Gries
Rating: PG-13
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 30, 2009
DVD Release Date: May 12, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

I never start a movie review out this way, but…I just have to say, I loved this movie. Since watching it, I have said that to just about everyone I know. Highly recommended doesn’t cut it. Taken is a must watch film. Action buffs will enjoy it, as will thriller lovers. It has all the elements of a kickass movie and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed watching it. In fact, I might watch it again when I am done with this review.

From the first viewing of the first trailer I knew I was in this for the long haul. All it took was a small bit of dialogue courtesy of Liam Neeson and I was hooked.

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

Watching Taken gives you a cross between James Bond and Jason Bourne. While I don’t really think of Neeson as an action star, he made this performance look effortless and the movie was simply amazing. Not to sell the rest of the cast short, they also did a good job. I never felt like there was any person in this that couldn’t hold their weight. Everyone got the job done well and provided this new director with an excellent movie to put under his belt. Despite being new, if this is representative of Pierre Morel’s work, he will have a name that everyone knows soon enough.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Mike Myers
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle-Murray, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael DeLuise, Dan Bell, Lee Tergesen, Kurt Fuller, Sean Gregory Sullivan, Colleen Camp, Donna Dixon
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: February 14, 1992
DVD Release Date: May 12, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.49

These days Saturday Night Live movies have a commonly trite feel to them. I don’t want to say that they suck, but in nine out of ten cases they do. For those of you living under a rock, SNL movies are movies that are based on SNL (Saturday Night Live) characters. In the past there have been such movies as Coneheads, Superstar (Mary Katherine Gallagher), It’s Pat! The Movie, Staurt Saves his Family, and even A Night at the Roxbury. Some of these were incredibly funny. Meanwhile others leave you wondering who the hell thought of making a 90 minute movie about two morons that head bop.

SNL has went through periods of good and bad over the years. It started out amazing, but it died down over the years. When Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and Kate Jackson were on (along with numerous other funny men and women), things picked up again. One of the most popular sketches of that time was of Wayne and Garth. Take your basic loser, stoners and put them in a basement or their mom’s garage. They have some big dreams and manage to make some of them come true, though you are never sure how it happens to them. Hell, you might not even be sure how someone that high could get out of bed in the morning.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Spencer Daniels, Cate Blanchett, Elle Fanning, Madisen Beatty, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Jared Harris, Elias Koteas, Tilda Swinton
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: December 25, 2008
DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99

“Your life is defined by its opportunities… even the ones you miss.”

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of those movies that you know will make you feel things before you even see it. I had asked a number of friends what they knew about this movie and one thing they all said was, “It’s about a person that starts old and grows younger.” Like my friends, this was the one thing I knew about the movie. I knew the stars were Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and I knew the simple premise. I tried not to learn too much more because I wanted to experience the movie with a blank slate. I am incredibly glad to report that I made the right choice.

The best movies are the ones that make you think and they exhibit emotions that mere fictional stories would not be able to do. They make you smile inside and out. They make you root for the protagonist. They make you cry without even realizing you are crying. It touches you in ways that other movies just don’t touch you. This is what Benjamin Button does. Button shows us what it is to be a man. Most importantly, it shows us what it is to be human. It can only be described as spectacular.

This subtle movie is so much more than a coming of age tale in reverse. It is easily one of the best movies of 2008 and quite possibly one of the best movies of the last five years. The acting is spellbinding, the effects are near flawless, and everything comes together like an old, comforting blanket that keeps you warm on a cold, dark night. In a sea of movies, Benjamin Button is the one that you are sure not to forget.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, Bob Kane
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Monique Curnen, Cillian Murphy, Chin Han, Anthony Michael Hall, Nathan Gamble
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: July 18, 2008
DVD Release Date: December 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

Heath Ledger deserves an Oscar. Period.

I’ve heard the naysayers, who claim Heath’s performance is just hyped up because he died, but to watch him is chilling. It’s complex, to truly understand all that he took on to embody such a diabolical character, as the Joker. I was spellbound by his performance, and that truly is very rare in this day and age. He had the kind of presence in a film you see from a Daniel Day Lewis (though who could imagine Day Lewis as the Joker?). The hype about Ledger as the Joker began before he died, and continued to swell after his untimely passing.

All things aside, The Dark Knight is a great film. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in 2008. The performance level by all of the actors (save for a few) makes this movie more than just a comic-inspired movie. This film is a fully packed, action filled, blockbuster, with the capability of appealing to a wide range of audiences. Still, this is not just a Batman movie. Nolan and his cast turn this into a work of art. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it cannot have that bohemianly avant-garde feel to it. This was brought on by Ledger more than any other player. Just because a movie is popular, mainstream, and a blockbuster sensation doesn’t mean it can’t be deserving of Oscar-buzz. Some films are meant to transcend genres and expectations. The Dark Knight is one of them.

I haven’t seen the standard edition of this. I have no need to, because I own the Blu Ray. All I can say is, BUY BLU RAY. If you have a Blu Ray player, you need to buy this in Blu Ray. I was enveloped in this absolutely stunning, cinematography-filled, cacophony of blissful Batman-heaven. I love Batman. He’s my favorite comic book hero, but never have I seen such an excellent film adaptation of my favorite boyhood superhero. Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman. None of them can hold a candle to the kind of performances we see from the cast of The Dark Knight. This film is epic and lived up to any and all of my expectations. Despite all the hype, this movie surpassed it.

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