Movie Info:
Writers: Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Cast: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Jack Noseworthy, Devin Ratray, Michael Cudlitz
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 25, 2009
DVD Release Date: January 26, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.49

Bruce Willis is good at high action, thriller-intensive movies. He’s also good at psychologically messed up Sci Fi. One of my favorite Willis movies just happens to be 12 Monkeys, which isn’t a standard Bruce Willis action flick. Willis is one of the few true blue action heroes that can actually act. Back in the day, I remember watching him on Moonlighting, which showed the guy could be funny and could act, but somehow between then and now, he’s transformed into this bad ass action flick actor who is overlooked for the true talent he has.

For fans who have been fans of Willis as long as I have, you’ve seen the evolution of his career and look forward to nearly everything he’s in. You can guarantee they’ll be action, usually a decent plot, if not, the movie is at least watchable. I knew that I would want to see Surrogates not just from the cool and intriguing trailer, but also because Bruce Willis plays the lead character. I had a feeling I’d like the story behind the movie and I was right.

Going into this review, the only thing I knew about the movie was what I learned from the trailer. I knew the movie was futuristic and I knew people had surrogates, but I had no idea the depths this story would go to, when explaining the purpose of surrogates. As someone in a wheelchair, the entire idea of having a chance to live vicariously through a healthy body is an interesting prospect. While I’d never be able to go to the lengths these people went to by constantly controlling surrogates and having no outside contact with the world, the entire idea of having my own surrogate for when I wanted to experience things I couldn’t due to my chair makes me almost giddy at the thought.

Truth be told, we have our own version of surrogates right here on the web. Online, we can be whoever and whatever we want. While we are not afforded the visual and physical connections to a surrogate, the internet still allows us to live vicariously through the persona(s) we create online. This movie takes all of that to a whole new level and shows how dangerous things could be if everyone had their own surrogate and never had to leave their homes, for anything.

Initially created with physically disabled people in mind, the concept goes out of control, and that is exactly what would happen if surrogates were real in our world. It would ruin interpersonal relationships, keep people locked up and sequestered and destroy the face of the Earth, as we know it. Surrogates would be a game changer, and not necessarily in a good way. I feel this film aptly demonstrates why, as well as why technology (in all the goodness it does provide) should not be used nefariously nor be abused.

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: David Loughery
Director: Steve Shill
Cast: Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles, Ali Larter, Jerry O’Connell, Bonnie Perlman, Christine Lahti
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Pictures

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 24, 2009
DVD Release Date: August 4, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99

I am rarely surprised by movies, but every now and then one comes along and surprises me. Obsessed is one of those movies that had me surprised. For starters, Beyonce is in this and doesn’t sing. It’s like seeing a John Travolta movie where he doesn’t dance. The entire event is one that leaves people shocked. While it’s a rare thing, Beyonce manages to excel in her role as a strong and confident wife and mother that is willing to stop at nothing to protect her family.

This was not the thing that surprised me the most though. The movie itself was quite surprising because the trailer did a good job at deceiving viewers, or at least they managed to deceive me. I’d planned to see Obsessed from the first viewing of the trailer, but after seeing the movie I realized that I didn’t know as much about the film as I originally thought. If you go into this film thinking that it’s going to be about infidelity then you will be wrong. The plot actually has a much more demented, confused tone to it. I mean that in the best of ways. Obsessed was actually better than I had thought it was going to be, and I thought I was going to like it from the beginning.

One of the best things about this movie is Ali Larter’s character. I’ve always found Larter to play in some interesting roles. The fact that she exudes sex appeal does not hurt either. Larter plays the obsessed, Lisa, a temp worker at a law firm that needs some serious psychiatric help. Calling her a fruitcake would be putting it mildly. Of course, in true movie fashion she doesn’t just sit around on her own. She sets out to infect the world with her madness. Two of the people she infects the most are Derek Charles (Idris Elba) and his wife Sharon (Beyonce).

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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: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe
Director: Peter Cornwell
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan, Sophi Knight, Ty Wood, Erik J. Berg, John Bluethner, D.W. Brown, John B. Lowe, Adriana O’Neil
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: March 27, 2009
DVD Release Date: July 14, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

“Based on a true story” movies can be a funny thing. I often see that tagline on horror movies though when you see the flesh eating cannibal come out of the woodwork it’s easy to see that it’s based about as far as one of the character’s names and the city that they live in. However, every now and then a movie will come around that is filled with falsities, but has a little bit of truth to it, too. The Haunting in Connecticut is one of those movies.

This is supposed to be based on a true story. The people that lived it swear by their story, though others do not believe the story to the lengths that it has been told. The movie version has the basic details correct. The house is in Connecticut, the boy begins seeing and feeling the presence of the ghosts/demons first, and the details in that respect are basically how things went.

In real life, the story goes a little bit differently. According to the parents, the house, which was once a funeral home, did contain the presence of demons. Not only that, but the demons apparently raped them. Obviously moments like this are not in the film. The family claims that after the mother learned that the home had been a funeral parlor her son began exhibiting weird behavior. How much of the family’s story is true may never be known. Some people believe their story and others claim that they cannot keep their stories straight and deem it as being unreal. Whether or not you believe it is strictly up to you.

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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: Scott Kosar
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, Michael Ironside, Larry Gilliard Jr.
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 18, 2004
DVD Release Date: May 19, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Method actors intrigue me. I love a person that is so willing to be consumed by their craft that they do not want to pretend to be someone else. They want to become them. Method actors are entirely few and far between in Hollywood. Perhaps that is one of the problems with Hollywood. At times it seems to be more about the paycheck and less about the craft. Some of the best and most notable actors in Hollywood subscribe to method acting techniques. They don’t play the character, it becomes who they are whether it involves living with a family that your character lived with, confining yourself to a prison, or hiding in the wilderness and learning to survive on next to nothing. Method actors are the best because they give everything up for that realism.

Among names like Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Edward Norton, James Dean, and Marlon Brando there is another method actor rising in the ranks. Christian Bale has proven that the character is the most important thing to him. He uses his body in extreme ways to make sure that the character is believable and authentic. For The Machinist, Bale dropped over 60 pounds, surviving on under 300 calories a day (the equivalent of an apple or some tuna fish and a cup of coffee). He wanted to drop more weight, until he was down to 100 pounds, but producers made him stop losing at 120 pounds. When you hear the tagline, “If you were any thinner you wouldn’t exist,” you won’t believe it’s true until you actually see it.

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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:Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro
Director: Chales Guard, Thomas Guard
Cast: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Massar, Kevin McNulty, Jesse Moss
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Dreamworks

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 30, 2009
DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $27.99

I have made it my mission to see anything that looks halfway decent that is in the thriller and/or horror genres. Sometimes I make it a goal to see movies in this genre even when they look bad. One of the best things about being a reviewer is it opens my eyes to more good (and bad) movies than I ever would have seen on my own. In the case of The Uninvited I am certain that I would have seen this regardless of whether I had to review it or not. It just looked like one of the movies I would have to see. In fact, I was hyped about this movie just from previews, so I anxiously awaited it’s arrival on Blu-ray.

Offering great acting and an ending that most people will not see coming, The Uninvited has what it takes to be a popular thriller. I refuse to call it a horror movie, because it is not scary. It is filled with suspense and offers a good story, but it’s not horror movie scary. Calling it that really just makes the movie seem mediocre. However, when you call it a thriller, it is well worth watching.

The thing that allows The Uninvited to succeed in the way that it does is the acting. Elizabeth Banks is creepily suspicious and David Strathairn has enough acting chops to make the movie seem a cut above, with just his presence. The real star of the show though is Emily Browning. As the major character, Browning had a lot of work to do, but she makes it look effortless. She is as frantic as you need her to be at all times. Wearing her emotions on her sleeve, Browning was perfect for this part and will be a credit to the genres should she wish to pursue future horror and/or thriller movie roles.

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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: Bruce Joel Rubin
Director: Jerry Zucker
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Tony Goldwyn
Rating: PG 13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: December 30, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Ghost is one of those movies that I’ve seen more than once. While it’s a good movie, I haven’t seen it in quite some time. Part of the reason for this is that I never owned Ghost on DVD before. It’s not that I don’t like this movie enough to own it on DVD, because I do. It just wasn’t one of those movies I thought about owning.

The other reason why I haven’t seen Ghost in a while is because I haven’t managed to catch it on television recently. The movie was on TV quite a bit throughout the 90s, but now, I just haven’t happened upon this movie on television. So, when I learned that I’d be getting Ghost in Blu Ray, I was actually quite happy. I do like this movie, so it’s nice to finally have this collection.

Ghost received mixed reviews from critics, initially, but grossed hundreds of millions of dollars both domestically and worldwide. These days, the film is rated more favorably by today’s critics. The movie went through a series of actors before Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg were cast. In fact, Whoopi would not have been cast had it not been for Swayze, who demanded she be placed in the role of Oda Mae.

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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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Movie Info:
Writer: Brad Anderson
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Ben Kingsley, Thomas Kretschmann, Eduardo Noriega
Rating: R
Studio: First Look Studios

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 18, 2008
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99

Transsiberian has all the makings of a top movie except a proper chance. When I was watching this movie I kept asking myself why I had never heard anything about it. I might have heard a thing or two, because I think I remember saying that I wanted to see it, in passing, but this did not receive the media reception that it should have prior to the release of the film. This was treated as any other film might have been treated. Unfortunately that means some people will miss this and it will be a shame if they do.

The idea of this thriller is simple, but that doesn’t mean that it is boring or unimaginative. At the heart of things, there are elements of stories that have been told before. You have a middle-aged naïve couple traveling in a foreign country, cramped spaces, and the unknown looming all around. Drug dogs are sniffing out each area for drug traffickers and that’s just the beginning.

Transsiberian works because the direction and acting are solid. Brad Anderson has a way of making you feel closed in thanks to the train environment and the way in which he shoots each frame. The writing is handled in a way that makes some things so obvious, but leaves much sitting in the background until the time is right for it to be revealed. It is this that makes the movie worth watching. Even when you see something clearly and know it will happen you can bet that there is more to the story that you have yet to see.

Each actor seems to be perfectly cast for their role. Woody Harrelson stands out as the happy go lucky churchgoer, Roy. You feel the most empathy for him because it’s obvious that he is the best of the bunch and doesn’t deserve to be involved in all that occurs. Emily Mortimer plays Roy’s wife, Jessie. Unlike the happy Roy, Jessie appears incredibly somber. At one point you wonder why these two are together and if they will stay together much longer. Joined by Kate Mara who plays Abby and Eduardo Noriega (Carlos), a couple that seems shifty and yet welcoming to a degree, it is easy to see why this movie has been generally well received by critics and those that have had a chance to actually see it.

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: John Shiban
Director: Shawn Papazian
Cast: Richard Tillman, Jessie Ward, Graham Norris, Joey Mendicino, Julie Mond, Brionne Davis, Diane Salinger
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: Direct to DVD
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $13.99

I normally don’t watch sequels before I watch an actual movie, but that is just how it happened with the Rest Stop movies. I initially saw Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back and then a few days later, I saw Rest Stop. I decided to wait until seeing both of them before writing this review. I’ve given it a few days and let the movies and their messages sink in.

I like a good horror movie, but sadly, there aren’t too many of those anymore. I wasn’t sure whether I’d like Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back or not. It is a sequel movie and generally, sequels aren’t nearly as good as their predecessors. It is important to watch these in order merely because you pick up on more in two once you know what happens in one. Still, the two movies are made with two distinct storylines connected by a back story. If you took that connection out, Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back could stand on its own. That’s why I don’t think I like one more than the other. While both were decent movies, I can’t say they are the best I’ve seen.

What I liked most about the original Rest Stop had to be Joey Lawrence (who is virtually unrecognizable – I had to IMDB to find out it was him). It’s always nice to see what Blossom’s brother is up to these days, and he did well in the movie in the role he had. Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back obviously doesn’t have Lawrence in it, but it still is nasty fun. The creepiest part of the story is what is discovered about the people in the trailer, who are seen in the original Rest Stop, but their purpose isn’t really explained in that movie. The entire beginning of the sequel is enough to give me the heebee jeebees, and I’ve been watching horror movies since I was five.

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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: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander
Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Tony Shalhoub, Jasmine Jessica Anthony
Rating: PG 13
Studio: Weinstein

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: June 22, 2007
DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99

I love Stephen King. Anytime I see his name associated with a movie I am more than willing to see it. Stephen King truly is the master of all things horror. He’s managed to cross over between book to film in a way no other author has the ability of doing. I have seen some of the best horror movies thanks to Stephen King. Of course, I’m not fond of every single adaptation of his work, as seen by my opinion on the film version of Dreamcatcher. While it is one of my favorite novels by King, the movie was changed too much from the book and I didn’t like it.

I had high hopes for 1408. After seeing The Mist, which I loved, Stephen King had redeemed himself from my disappointment in both Dreamcatcher and the Carrie remake. Well, lo and behold, 1408 is actually really creepy. The acting of John Cusack is solid and though you don’t typically see him as a horror movie type of guy, he was the right man for this role.

While this is based on one of Stephen King’s short stories, the adaptation has a King-style horror feel to it. Sure, this movie is no Rose Red, but it did give me that giddy feeling I’ve felt when watching horror with a plot. The story is actually quite intriguing and the entire horror element is terrifying. I would never want the scenario shown in this movie to happen to me. This is why I don’t go investigating supposedly haunted places. You never know when a place is really going to be haunted.

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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.